Casting the Net ~ Review

Casting the Net

The Dunbridge Chronicles #2

By Pam Rhodes

Sometimes life throws you some real curves and Neil Fisher has some real doozies to deal with in Casting the Net.  First off he has two women vying for a placing in his heart - Wendy and Claire. (In my opinion Wendy is the type person I'd want to run from even if she's a pillar in the church's musical worship group).  In like Claire in that she's not so pushy, but Neil is the one who has to make a decision and someone is sure to be hurt, even if it is him.

But all Neil's problems aren't related to matters of the heart.  He has members who are the financial backbone of the church who aren't happy with the modern trends in the worship service.  Try as he might Neil seeks a balance that will make everyone happy at least part of the time while not alienating everyone in the process and if possible to bring in new members (or visitors who keep coming back). 

And then there is life in general that Neil and the congregation of St. Stephen's have to deal with.  There are the joys of birth and the utter heartache and despair of death.  There are marriages and there is the loss of health.  Through it all Neil offers support and caring even as some have their faith and beliefs shaken to the core.

Casting the Net is an apt title as this is what Neil is doing - he is casting his net and being a fisher of men and women.  Though there are a few bumps along the way that snag his net.

Want to make some new friends?  Take a trip to Dunbridge where life is never boring.  You'll have times of laughter and times of tears, but you'll enjoy your trip and want to come back again.  

Though Casting the Net is set in a totally different time something about it reminds me of the Cranford PBS series based on Elisabeth Gaskell's works.  I think it has something to do with the daily interactions between the various characters and their care for one another.

Grad a cup of your favorite tea and settle in for a visit in Dunbridge...

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

About the book: 

In part two of the Dunbridge Chronicles, Neil Fisher returns from ordination inspired by his sense of ministry, but determined to distance himself from the two ladies in his life. This is not altogether well received, and a wide segment of the congregation of St Stephen's, Dunbridge--including the music group--points Neil to the error of his ways.

Meanwhile Neil's close friend Colin and his wife Jeannie are delighted by the birth of a daughter, but is all well with the baby? Neil's mother Iris continues to meddle, to his irritation. Churchwarden Peter has said a relieved farewell to his flighty wife Glenda--or has he? Dunbridge is not as peaceful as it seems.

978-1-78264-062-2 

$14.99 

Paperback Kregel Publications

Until That Distant Day ~ Blog Tour

Welcome to the second day of the 

Until That Distant Day Launch Tour

Q. Until That Distant Day . . . these words have a hope of future and promise. When you hear those words used together what image does your mind conger?

A. My mind tends to conjure up a view of open sky over wind-swept fields, much like the view Colette sees at the end of the novel. Perhaps even with a sunset.I live amid a forest, and I love my trees; but there are times when I wish to see wide-open sky, to gaze into the distance. There is something thrilling about the enormity of space above and around us, a promise of possibilities unknown and unimaginable. As you say, a hope of future and promise.

Thank you for this question, Meagan!



Author Bio:

Jill Stengl is the author of numerous romance novels including Inspirational Reader's Choice Award- and Carol Award-winning Faithful Traitor, and the bestselling novella, Fresh Highland Heir. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin, where she enjoys her three cats, teaching a high school English Lit. class, playing keyboard for her church family, and sipping coffee on the deck as she brainstorms for her next novel.

She blogs at Books, Cats, and Whimsy. Do stop by and follow her to keep up with all her writing and reading-related activities!

Back Cover Description:

Colette and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon one another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together they labor with other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure freedom for all the downtrodden men and women of France.

But then the popular uprisings turn bloody and the rhetoric proves false. Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds with Pascoe and struggling to unite her fractured family against the lure of violence. Charged with protecting an innocent young woman and desperately afraid of losing one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know where to turn or whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home.

Until that distant day when peace returns to France, can she find the strength to defend her loved ones . . . even from one another?

"Jill Stengl is one of the rare authors with the ability to transport the reader to another world--a delightfully rich world of scent and sight and sound.” – Kim Vogel Sawyer, bestselling author of Echoes of Mercy

“Award-winning author Jill Stengl has created her greatest work yet in the inspiring and moving Until That Distant Day.” Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of the Wives of King David series.

Until That Distant Day Launch Tour Schedule

~*~ May 5 ~*~

Tales of Goldstone Wood

Edgy Inspirational Romance

Fullness of Joy

The Inkpen Authoress

Covers and Ink


~*~ May 6 ~*~
Blooming with Books

Quoth the Girl

The Wonderings of One Person


~*~ May 7 ~*~
The Writer’s Window

Jill Eileen Smith

The Writer of Dream Things


~*~ May 8 ~*~
Letters from Annie Douglas Lima

Rina’s Reading

To Find a Castle


~*~ May 9 ~*~
JLMbewe.com

To Be a Person

Writings of Rosie


~*~ May 10 ~*~
Seasons of Humility

Notes by Oywen

The Overweight Bookshelf


~*~ May 11 ~*~
Too Read or Not Too Read

Fictionally

Bluerose’s Heart


~*~ May 12 ~*~
Mel’s Shelves

Labor Not in Vain

Creative Madness Mama


~*~ May 13 – Giveaway Winner Announced ~*~
Tales of Goldstone Wood

Be sure to enter the giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click here to buy Until That Distant Day 

Special Launch Tour offer of .99 on Kindle is good

May 5 to May 12, 2014.

One Perfect Spring ~ Review

One Perfect Spring
By Irene Hannon

When 11 year old Haley Summers overhears a confidential private conversation between her mom and their next-door neighbor she writes a letter.  Little did anyone realize what such a letter would bring about.

One Perfect Spring is the result of Haley's letter to David McMillan asking for help in locating a child given up over 20 years ago.  David McMillan sees this as an opportunity to help his work-obsessed executive assistant to see beyond the job.  But to help Keith Watson he must first get the okay from Dr. Maureen Chandler.

Maureen agrees to David's plan to help Keith because she sees this as an opportunity to help Claire, Haley's mom.  As the search for this long-lost son progresses healing is about to come into many lives.

Keith, David, Maureen, and Claire are all wounded, hurting people but working together to answer Haley's letter brings unexpected surprises that no one saw coming.

One Perfect Spring is a stand-alone book, so if you've never picked up a book by Irene Hannon before you won't have to play catch-up or have to figure out who everyone is.  If you've read Irene Hannon's previous works you won't be disappointed in One Perfect Spring.  The characters are compelling and you care about them with all their quirks and idiosyncrasies.  Irene creates believable characters and one can easily see them as one's own friends, neighbors, and family.

This book takes a look at adoption and looks at it through the eyes of both a mother who gave up her child and a child who was adopted.  Another issue that is looked at is being a driven workaholic.  Seeing both sides of a story can open ones eyes and One Perfect Spring will certainly do that!

Get ready for a "Lilac Spring" in this contemporary romance from the pen of Irene Hannon.

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


About the Book:
Independent single mom Claire Summers is doing her best to make  lemonade out of the lemons life has handed her. Workaholic Keith Watson is interested only in the bottom line--until a letter from Claire's eleven-year-old daughter reaches his desk and changes everything.

As the executive assistant to a philanthropic businessman, Keith is used to fielding requests for donations. But the girl isn't asking for money. She wants help finding the long-lost son of a neighbor. As Keith reluctantly digs into this assignment in his usual results-oriented style, he has no idea how involved he and Claire will become--nor how unusual the results will actually be. Who could have guessed that a child's kindhearted request would bring love and hope to so many lives . . . including his own?

Through compelling characters and surprising plot twists, fan favorite Irene Hannon offers this tenderhearted story that demonstrates how life is like lilacs--the biggest blooms come only after the harshest winters.

"Irene Hannon is one  great storyteller." -Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Timesbestselling author

Defy the Night ~ Review

Defy the Night: A Novel
By Heather Munn and Lydia Munn

War has come to France and the lives of the innocent are in danger simply because they were born into a world that now wants to destroy them.  Freedom is an illusion that they are living under with the hope that it will one day return.

When refugees begin coming into her mountain village Magali sees a need.  There are babies and children to help settle.  But Magali wants to do more.  When Paquerette gives her this opportunity Magali is determined to seize it.  Now she just needs to convince her parents that she can handle the dangers involved.

But Magali never imagined the harsh cruelty of the camps and the utter contempt that the guards have towards these lives that they deem so valueless as to hide they away behind barbed wire.  Magali is about to grow up beyond her 15 years very quickly.

I really like this book and the unique look it takes at 1941 France.  This is a story that will appeal to pre-teens and teens alike in that Magali is the main character.  The appeal of making a difference in the lives of others is a powerful draw and the world Magali lives in makes this a difficult desire.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a fascination with the 1940s/WWII time period.  This a book that deserves a place on the shelves of both school and public libraries.  Homeschoolers take note - you will want to add this book to your reading list (former homeschooler talking here!).

I was provided a copy of this through Kregel in exchange for my honest review.

About the book:
In the midst of war, one teenager is determined to make a difference.

If no one will do anything, she'll have to do it herself.

In 1941 France is still "free." But fifteen-year-old Magali is frustrated by the cruel irony of pretending life is normal when food is rationed, new clothes are a rarity, and most of her friends are refugees. And now the government is actually helping the Nazis. Someone has got to do something, but it seems like no one has the guts--until Paquerette arrives.

Smuggling refugee children is Paquerette's job. And she asks Magali to help.

Working with Paquerette is scary and exhausting, but Magali never doubts that it is the right thing to do. Until her brash actions put those she loves in danger.

The Do’s and Don’ts ~ Review

The Do’s and Don’ts
By Hayley Rose
Illustrated by Mark Sean Wilson

When you don't show good manners you are a Manner Monster just like Zack and Chloe.  What is a Manner Monster you ask?  Well, they don't wait for their turn, they interrupt conversations, and push others out of their way.

Manner Monsters don't put safety first and put others in danger because they don't look both ways.  Manner Monsters are also not fun to be around - they're rude.  They're slobs and they don't respects others.  All they care about is themselves.

Cure your Manner Monsters with help from The Do's and Don'ts a fun way to learn how our actions can have a positive or negative affect on how others see us.

I was provided a copy of this book in conjunction with this PUYB blog tour in exchange for my honest review and my participation in this tour.

About the Book:

The Do's and Don'ts is a whimsical lesson book aimed at teaching young readers the difference between good and bad behavior/etiquette. In the book Zack and Chloe go from being manner monsters to well-behaved children as they provide samples of typical scenarios that not only young children encounter but can relate to. For example, Zack becomes a Manner Monster when he loses a game, kicking and pouting like a poor sport. In contract, good behavior is then modeled depicting Zack congratulating the winning team. Unlike other etiquette books for children that tell a story or just communicate positive behavior, The Do's and Don'ts compares and contrasts between good and bad behavior. Simply, yet colorfully displayed, are examples of inappropriate behavior and decisions young children may display followed by behavior and decisions that are more socially accepted. Each compare and contrast anecdote is set in the same scene so that young readers can instantly see the differences between good and poor behavior.

Title: The Do’s and Don’ts
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Author: Hayley Rose
Publisher: Inkwell Productions Inc.
Pages: 46
Language: English
Format: Hardcover

Purchase at AMAZON

About the Author:

Multi-award-winning author Hayley Rose released her first children’s book, Fifo When I Grow Up, about a six-year-old bear starting school in 2002, followed by the wildly popular geography book and #1 best-seller, Fifo 50 States, published in 2010. In 2012, Hayley was selected as one of “The Top 50 Writers You Should Be Reading” by AuthorsShow.com. In 2013, she branched out with a new series featuring a new set of characters - Zach, Chloe, and Louis the Manner Monster. Her new book, The Do’s and Don’ts, was released in September 2013 and has already garnered four literary awards, including the Readers’ Favorite, USA Best Books and the prestigious Mom's Choice Awards, bringing her career total to twenty-one. The follow up book in the new series, Today I Feel Emotion, will be released in the spring of 2014.

Hayley Lives in Scottsdale, AZ, with her dog Blanche.

Visit her website at www.booksbyhayleyrose.com.

Connect and Socialize with Hayley!

Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at 

Goodreads by clicking HERE

Excerpt:

Don't just take something without asking permission first.

Do remember to say "please."

"May I borrow your pencil please?"

Don't make fun of people who aren't like you.

Do become friends and learn from others' differences.

"Nice shot Greg. You play really well."

The Pelican Bride ~ Review

The Pelican Bride
Gulf Coast Chronicles #1
By Beth White

I was attracted to this book by the cover and then when I read the synopsis I knew I had to review The Pelican Bride.  I was not disappointed in this, the first in the Gulf Coast Chronicles, nor were my expectations too high.

1704 is a time of upheaval in France - political and religious.  And it is from this very persecution and certain death that Geneviève Gaillain and her sister Aimee are fleeing.   But is the Louisiana a place where these refugees can worship in peace?

But the New World has dangers that Geneviève wasn't expecting and the promises made were mostly empty.  Having made a commitment to marry one of the men who has settled the Louisiana colony, Geneviève is determined to keep her past and her faith a secret.  But secrets have a way of being revealed and Geneviève's could destroy her dreams of a future if hers come out.

What I like best about this story is Geneviève's attempts to join this world she has come to.  She doesn't cling to past, but reaches out to those whom call this region home and learns from them.

I've never read any books set in both this time and place before and found it to be an enjoyable excursion. The stark conditions made for difficult and harsh living conditions.  There are also hints of trouble between the French and British as they vie for treaties with the various Indian tribes throughout the region.  If fact, just such a negotiation is a central story in this book.

Jealousy, betrayal, murder, deception and a desire to worship God freely - the new Louisiana colony has it all.  The Pelican Bride is sure to capture your attention and make you a fan of historical fiction. (if you aren't already).  As an added bonus there is a short excerpt from Book 2 and some historical background information about the region.

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

About the Book:
She's come to the New World to escape a perilous past. But has it followed her to these far shores?

It is 1704 when Frenchwoman Geneviève Gaillain and her sister board the frigate Pélican bound for the distant Louisiana colony. Both have promised to marry one of the rough men toiling in this strange new world in order to escape suffering in the old. Geneviève knows life won't be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of persecution for her outlawed religious beliefs.

When she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer-turned-farmer whose checkered past is shrouded in mystery, Geneviève realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. Trouble is brewing outside the fort between the French colonists and the native people surrounding them. And an even more sinister enemy may lurk within. Could the secret Geneviève harbors mean the undoing of the colony itself?


Gulf Coast native Beth White brings vividly to life the hot, sultry South in this luscious, layered tale.

At Peace in the Storm ~ Review

At Peace in the Storm
By Ken Gire

Experiencing the Savior's Presence When You Need Him Most

Everyone experiences times of storm that disrupt our lives, but we can have peace even during these times of trouble.

Peace can be found in a variety of ways, but you need to be watching for it.  It could be the helping hand of a stranger.  Or it could be in something you read.  This inner miracle of peace is a gift from God which we can all experience.  This doesn't mean that you won't experience the storms of life just that you will be at peace during them.

God's Word is a daily source of comfort and His comforting presence is revealed in many of the Psalms.  Though we can lose all our earthly possessions in life's storms God's love can never be lost to us as long as we don't reject God.  Peace from God can also be found in daily time of prayer and in spending time with others who are part of the body of Christ.

Music can also be a source of comfort.  Which I can totally agree with, after being involved in a car accident I've suffered from panic attacks.  But music has a calming effect and keeps the panic attacks at bay (Christmas music is my music of choice in the car if you're curious).

At Peace in the Storm is a book that everyone should have in their home.  Yes, it will help you at the time you or a loved are caught up in a storm, but it will provide you with a foundation before the storm hits.  Sources of comfort can be found all around us and this book will help us to open our eyes to see and our ears to listen.

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

About the Book:

When You Need a Savior Who Stills the Wind

“Here's the rub about faith. Sure, prayer often changes outward things, but the only guaranteed miracle God offers us is inner peace, the peace of Christ. A peace so crazy deep that it cannot be analyzed or understood. It descends on us even when everything else is falling apart, while the drug-addicted child does not come to his senses, or the job offer doesn't pan out, or the cancer rages and the marriage is a hollow mess. But I'll let you in on a secret. This miracle of the ‘inner variety,’ this inexplicable and supernatural calm in the storm, is the greatest miracle you'll ever experience.”

Bestselling author Ken Gire weaves together stories from the Bible, history, and his own life to reveal how we can find strength and encouragement through the storms of life. Experience the joy of knowing the God who is always there to reach out a hand and pull you out of the waves.