Misery Loves Company ~ Review

Misery Loves Company
By Rene Gutteridge

Let this book be a warning for all blogging book reviewers - the author may be following you!

When Juliet "Jules" Belleno reviews her favorite author's latest book she gives it a less than glowing review.  She tells the author she wants him to terrify her with his writing and not tell her it is a terrifying situation.

All too soon Patrick Reagan is terrifying Jules and not through his writing.  For some reason he has kidnapped her and taken her away to his remote mountain cabin.  But will anyone even notice that she is missing?  In the two years since her husband's death Jules for the most part withdrew from the world.  Living in the safety of her home and the life she created for herself through her blog and Facebook, only her father might know that she was missing.

Patrick insists that there is something that Jules needs to know, but only when she is ready.  But when will Jules be ready to learn what this obviously disturbed man wants her to know?

When Jules's father reports her missing the Wissberry police force can't take action because she hasn't been gone long enough.  But Sergeant Chris Downey takes the report seriously after all he promised his former partner that he'd take care of his wife if anything ever happened.  But when Chris's unofficial investigation turns up more than he ever expected he all too soon realizes that more than Jules's life is at stake.

Misery Loves Company is an exciting page turner that will do just what Jules Belleno wanted - you will be terrified.  This is a story of growth both on a personal level and a spiritual level as several of the main characters come to realize their need for God.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through their blogger network in exchange for my honest review of it.

Don’t tell me it’s terrifying. Terrify me.
Filled with grief, Jules Belleno rarely leaves the house since her husband’s death while on duty as a police officer. Other than the reviews Jules writes on her blog, she has little contact with the outside world.

But one day when she ventures out to the local grocery store, Jules bumps into a fellow customer . . . and recognizes him as her favorite author, Patrick Reagan. Jules gushes and thoroughly embarrasses herself before Regan graciously talks with her.

And that’s the last thing she remembers—until she wakes up in a strange room with a splitting headache. She’s been kidnapped. And what she discovers will change everything she believed about her husband’s death . . . her career . . . and her faith.

DOON ~ Book Trailer

DOON by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Back Before Dark ~ Review

Back Before Dark
A Code of Silence Novel #2
By Tim Shoemaker

It seemed like a promise easy to keep - to get home before dark after a quick run to WalMart.  But some promises can't be kept no matter how badly you want to keep them.

When a good samaritan attempt turns into a kidnapping no one gets home before dark.  What's worse Cooper can't remember the license plate number exactly and he blames himself for Gordy's kidnapping and the kidnapper's disappearance.

Cooper is determined to find his cousin.  Even when everyone else gives up hope of finding Gordy alive Cooper knows that he is still alive.  But Cooper's determination is endangering not only him, but Hiro and Lunk as well.  And how far is Cooper willing to go to rescue his cousin?

Back Before Dark is edge of your seat excitement from the opening line.  But valuable messages about safety and crossing certain lines are delivered in a subtle yet effective manner.  This entertaining novel will keep you guessing until the kidnapper is revealed.  And then you'll be hoping against hope that Gordy and Copper will be rescued in time.  But time is short and the kidnapper is determined to leave no one alive that can identify him.  Sometimes praying is all you can do.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher ZonderKidz and DJC Communications in exchange for my honest review.


About Back Before Dark:
TAKEN
A detour through the park leads Cooper, Gordy, Hiro, and Lunk straight into a trap, and Gordy is abducted!
For the kidnapper, it’s all a game, a way to settle an old score, with no one getting hurt. But evil has a way of escalating, and once his identity is discovered, the rules change.
Despite the best of police efforts, the hours tick by without a clue or a ransom call, leaving everyone to their own fears. Gordy is gone. Cooper descends deeper into a living nightmare, imagining the worst for his best friend and cousin. Hours stretch into days, and talks of a memorial service begin to surface. But Cooper still feels his cousin is alive and develops a reckless plan, changing all the rules. Now the one who set out to rescue his friend needs to be rescued himself. Sometimes rescuing a friend from darkness means going in after them.

A Big Year for Lily ~ Review

A Big Year for Lily
The Adventures of Lily Lapp #3
By Mary Ann Kinsinger and Suzanne Woods Fisher

A new school year is about to begin and Lily couldn't be happier, especially when she sees that she will be sitting next to cousin Hannah.  But to Lily's utter shock and amazement Hannah isn't of the same frame of mind as she is where Aaron Yoder is concerned.

But growing up isn't easy and sometimes it isn't fair either.  Effie Kauffman is as much a bully as ever and Lily and her friends are the target of Effie's meanness.

But there are plenty of good points to growing up too.  Lily gets to start wearing pinned clothes(ouch!!!) and sitting with the girls in church instead of with Mama.

Lily has more adventures in cooking this time it isn't Jell-O but rather a birthday cake for Mama.  Then there is a mishap with toasting marshmallows.

Being the only girl with 3 younger brothers can be a bit of a challenge especially on Saturdays and house cleaning.  Then there are the times when she has to watch baby Paul and everyone else is doing something Lily wants to do.

A Big Year for Lily is sure to delight readers of the first two books in the Lily Lapp series as well as those new to the series.  Lily is growing up and learning some important lessons along the way.  Lily is a fairly good role model for young readers.  Yes she makes mistakes and sometimes her thoughts may seem unreasonable, but she has a good relationship with her family which is a rare find in so many books marketed to young readers today.  Lily Lapp is Laura Ingalls for today's reader!

I was provided a copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Available July 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About A Big Year for Lily

Get ready for more fun and friendship with Lily!

Every day brings new adventures for Lily! With cousin Hannah at her side, life is filled with surprises--including a rotten school trick played on her by Effie Kauffman and a surprising change of heart in the worst boy imaginable, Aaron Yoder. But tears turn to laughter as Lily turns ten, wears grown-up clothes, sits with her friends at church . . . and turns the tables on Effie.

You'll adore this tale of love, laughter, forgiveness, and ties that bind an Amish family together.

Mary Ann Kinsinger was raised Old Order Amish in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. She is the coauthor of the Adventures of Lily Lapp series and lives in Pennsylvania.

Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series and the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She lives in California. For more information, please visit www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and connect with her on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Bible Stories Painting Book 2 ~ Review

Bible Stories Painting Book 2 

By Juliet David

Illustrated by Simon Abbott

Bible Stories Painting Book 2 is a perfect way to share Bible stories with your children.  Each page has a picture on both the front and back and the pages are perforated so that they can be easily removed for display or for painting.

As your child paints you can read the matching Bible story from your favorite Children's Bible. The stories that you and your child (or grandchild) can enjoy include Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, David and Goliath, Jonah and the very large fish(from the Old Testament).  The New Testament stories include the Nativity story, several miracles of Jesus including the feeding of the crowd, and the Resurrection.

In all there are 16 pages to paint - 8 from the Old Testament and 8 from the New Testament. There is no need to buy watercolors as they are included on both the front and back cover of the book.  All you'll need to supply is the paintbrush.

Share favorite Bible stories with your children, grandchild, Sunday School class, or VBS class.  Children love to paint and this the perfect summer afternoon activity.

I was provided a copy of this book by Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Bible Stories Painting Book 2 is a fantastic painting book that is easy to use with no mess involved!

Book has sixteen scenes from the Old and New Testaments with a simple line of text explaining the picture. Simply dip your brush in water, wipe over the paint pallets on the inside covers and fill in the illustrations with bright, bold colors!

Dolled Up to Die ~ Review

Dolled Up to Die
The Cate Kinkaid Files #2
By Lorena McCourtney

When Cate Kinkaid of Belmont Investigations receives a frantic phone call from a woman who has just stumbled upon a triple homicide, Cate is about to be caught up in yet another murder investigation, even though Belmont Investigations didn't handle murders - at least according to Uncle Joe.  Cate finds herself in hilariously ridiculous situation just as she did in Dying to Read.

With the help (or more accurately rescuing) of boyfriend Mitch, Cate is on the case of the doll murderer and a real murderer who may be the same person or any number of possible suspects.  There's an ex-wife, the new current wife, the mother-in-law, the vineyard manager, the new wife's ex-husband, or an unknown murderer running loose in Eugene, Oregon and Cate is determined to find him, unless it is a her!

Cate is a humorously inept investigator who somehow manages to solve the crime, though escapes through upstairs windows and burning buildings seem to play a prominent role in her cases.

Adding to the fun, Cate is a substitute bridesmaid whose hair doesn't fit the color scheme of the wedding. And the murders are connected to the wedding venue.

Cate Kinkaid is the perfect distraction to a hot summer afternoon.  Enjoy a good laugh when Cate's briefcase is stolen and when Octavia turns Cate's very important wedding accessory into a new plaything. Though she sometimes jumps to conclusions before she should Cate is someone you want on your side whether as a friend or an investigator.

Take a break from your day-to-day routine and join Cate as she solves the crime and saves the day!   A perfect book to share with your best reading friend!

I was provided a copy of this book by Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Available July 15, 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About

Cate's not sure just what she expected . . . but she knows it certainly wasn't this.

When Cate Kinkaid receives a frantic call about a triple homicide, she drives to the scene against her better judgment--aren't triple homicides more up the police department's alley?--only to find that the victims are not quite who she expects. Now she has a new rule to add to everything she's learned in her short stint as an assistant private investigator: always find out if the victims have human DNA. Because these three do not.

But who would shoot this nice lady's dolls? What possible reason could the shooter have? And then there's the startling discovery of another victim, who definitely does have human DNA . . .

With tension that is matched only by humor, Dolled Up to Die is the exciting second book in Lorena McCourtney's Cate Kinkaid Files. You won't find a place to stop and take a breath in this fast-paced story.

Lorena McCourtney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of dozens of novels, including Dying to Read, Invisible (which won a Daphne du Maurier Award from Romance Writers of America), In Plain Sight, On the Run, and Stranded. She resides in Oregon.

Redeeming Grace ~ Review

Redeeming Grace 
By Ward Tanneberg

Redeeming Grace by Ward Tanneberg is an exciting and suspenseful thriller.  It has politics, murder, mystery, kidnappings, and a woman hiding from her past.

Without giving too much away and detracting from your reading experience I'll give a short synopsis. Taylor Carroll is a woman running from what her life could/should have been.  One wrong decision changed the course of her life and she is on the run because of something she saw.  And the something she saw was murder! Hiding her true identity and allowing those nearest and dearest to her heart to believe she died, she became Taylor to protect them all.

But with what Taylor knows she is being hunted.  Her knowledge could topple powerful men from what they seek - more power.  With the passage of seven years Taylor thinks she is finally safe and she opens her heart to what could be.  But her past has caught up to her and those who have found a home in her heart are now in as much danger as she is.

Redeeming Grace is a story of redemption and second chances wrapped up in a political scandal.  If you like thrillers, don't miss out on Redeeming Grace: Spring is Scandal Season in the White House!  Readers who like Randy Singer's style should enjoy this title even though it is not centered around a lawyer.

My only problem with this book was my computer needed to get repaired after an encounter with my not-so-miniature dachshund! :D  Which wasn't the book's fault!

I was provided a digital copy of this book from BookFun.org and Ward Tanneberg in exchange for my honest review.