Mercy's Rain ~ Review

Mercy's Rain

An Appalachian Novel

By Cindy K. Sproles

Mercy Roller's life has been one filled pain and abuse.  At 19 she's been married and a mother and she's lost everything.  And her losses have come at the hands of her father - the Pastor.  But when Mercy determines to stop the Pastor from hurting anyone else, she didn't realize what it would cost her.

Mercy's Rain is Mercy's journey to healing and wholeness.  But her journey isn't an easy one as memories from the past come over her at any moment, shattering what peace she has obtained.  To discover the truth of God's love and His mercy, Mercy must come to terms with her past and accept what God wants to give her.

Mercy's story starts when she makes a decision to stop the "righteousness" of her father.  Her mother wanting nothing more to do with Mercy, refuses to allow her to stay in the family home.  Mercy's wandering brings her into the company of Samuel Stone, a preacher and Isabella and Terrance Johnson.  

Mercy's early life is one of brutal ugliness which is in sharp contrast to the life in which she finds herself now in.  Mercy's Rain is a story of mercy which, like Mercy, we don't truly understand.

Mercy's Rain has something about it that reminds me of Francine Rivers The Last Sin Eater.  I believe it has to do with the setting, the cruelty of the Pastor, and Mercy's brokenness.  This is a story that may in places move you to tears. 

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

About the book:

Mercy Roller knows her name is a lie: there has never been any mercy in her young life. Raised by a twisted and abusive father who called himself the Pastor, she was abandoned by the church community that should have stood together to protect her from his evil. Her mother, consumed by her own fear and hate, won't stand her ground to save Mercy either.

The Pastor has robbed Mercy of innocence and love, a husband and her child. Not a single person seems capable of standing up to the Pastor's unrestrained evil. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands.

Her heart was hardened to love long before she took on the role of judge, jury, and executioner of the Pastor. She just didn't realize the retribution she thought would save her, might turn her into the very thing she hated most.

Sent away by her angry and grieving mother, Mercy's path is unclear until she meets a young preacher headed to counsel a pregnant couple. Sure that her calling is to protect the family, Mercy is drawn into a different life on the other side of the mountain where she slowly discovers true righteousness has nothing evil about it--and that there might be room for her own stained and shattered soul to find shelter. . . and even love.

Mercy's Rain is a remarkable historical novel set in 19th century Appalachia that traces the thorny path from bitterness to forgiveness and reveals the victory and strength that comes from simple faith.

Betting on Hope ~ Review

Betting on Hope
A Four of Hearts Ranch Romance 1
By Debra Clopton

The last thing Maggie Hope wants is to conduct an interview with Tru Monahan.  But Tru's sponsors want this and the powers that be have ordered Maggie to fill in for the reporter scheduled to conduct the interview.

But Maggie is totally out of her element, after all she's an advice columnist not a reporter.  And the interview goes from bad to worse with the highlight being Tru stating he could teach anyone to ride and Maggir betting him he couldn't teach her.  Unfortunately for both Tru and Maggie both the station and his sponsors see opportunity in their "bet".

Maggie and Tru are given two months to fulfill their bet.  And they have no choice in the matter - Tru's sponsors see $$$$, the network sees ratings, and the future of Maggie's column depends on her accepting the bet.  But will the small town of Wishing Springs, Texas ever be the same after Maggie gets done with it?

Maggie is determined to avoid Tru's charm and becoming the newest tabloid fodder.  Tru is determined to keep any and all women at arm's length for their own good.  But Maggie's constant presence just may make that a tad difficult, especially if she can't overcome her klutzy ways.

Betting on Hope is both humorous and emotionally moving as Maggie and Tru fulfill their obligations while dealing with issues from their pasts.  The various residents of Wishing Springs add to the richness of the story, adding both a depth and dimension that will make you want to revisit Wishing Springs.

I was provided with a copy of this book through the BookLook blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

Book Description:

A bet gone wrong. A small town’s meddling. And a cowboy intent on saving his ranch.

Maggie Hope is an advice columnist whose background leaves her with little advice to give . . . and it’s beginning to show. When Maggie fills in at an interview with champion horse trainer Tru Monahan, the on-camera chemistry between them is undeniable. Maggie’s bosses know this is the opportunity she's been looking for to launch her career—and their bank accounts. In order to save her column, Maggie takes Tru up on the bet that he can teach her to ride a quick-stepping cutting horse like any cowgirl, despite the fact that she has never been on a horse. And in the meantime, she can get the scoop on the man under the cowboy hat.

Tru has been on the competition circuit for longer than he’d like, but he knows it's the only way he can afford to keep the Four of Hearts Ranch that means so much to his ailing grandfather. So when his sponsors see the opportunity for Tru’s fans to get to know the star on a more intimate level, he knows he must oblige. To his dismay, Maggie not only invades his small town of Wishing Springs, but she also invades his heart, and that is something he cannot let any woman do—for her own good.

In Wishing Springs, Maggie finds what she has always been looking for: a community and a home. But when her past catches up to her, it threatens everything, even the tender hope that this town holds all of her heart’s desires.

About the Author:

Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist first published in 2005 and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra is the author of the acclaimed Mule Hollow Matchmaker Series, and her goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words.

Ribbons of Death ~ Book Blitz

About the Book:
Title: Ribbons of Death
Author: Edita A. Petrick
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Pages: 371
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Format: Paperback/Kindle

The ancients believed that once in a Blue Moon a child with Peacetaker powers is born. Such child, when grown to maturity, can seed murderous madness in people’s minds by merely walking amongst them. A simple amulet activates the Peacetaker’s powers. When a horribly scarred man knocks on the door of Stella Hunter’s ramshackle cottage in upstate Montana, she lets him in. What’s there to lose? The book critics killed her chances to warn the world about myths and legends behind the myths and legends.

But once the man pushes a book smudged with bloody fingerprints across the table, Stella sees a glimmer of hope. She may re-establish her credibility within the scientific
community and vindicate her ‘peace-taker’ theory. She may also be murdered by anyone standing next to her if her theory is correct because the ancient curse is anything but extinct. In fact, the ancient curse has a new attitude....

Ribbons of Death is available at Amazon.

About the Author:

By profession, I’m an engineer and ten years ago, I left a corporate job to concentrate
on writing. It was perhaps the scariest thing I’ve done. Of course, there were other
considerations at the time, life, kids, economy and my mother who was battling cancer. I
wrote as means of staying grounded because I had to hold it together. There was no one
else to pitch in. There wasn’t a single moment that I didn’t have doubts about whether
what I was doing was the right thing or not, but doubts come and go, while the need
to write goes on forever. Since 2005 I’ve published 5 books and this year alone I have
6 new ones coming out. I live in Toronto with my family and our two pets – wheaten
terriers. And whenever I’m tempted to look back, and start second-guessing my past
decisions, I sit behind the computer and start another book. At least for me, that’s a cure-
all.

http://www.editapetrick.biz/

http://knotsinromance.blogspot.ca/

https://twitter.com/EditaBoni

https://www.facebook.com/edita.petrick

Anna's Crossing ~ Review

Anna's Crossing
An Amish Beginnings Novel
By Suzanne Woods Fisher

If you read Suzanne Woods Fisher's Christmas at Rose Hill Farm you will want to read this newest offering she has put to paper.  In this you will learn more about the mysterious rose bush that was discovered hidden away in the greenhouse.

But this story is Anna König's.  Leaving her family behind, to journey to the New World with her people.  But leaving her family behind is the last thing Anna wants, but she speaks English and her people need her skill to help them leave behind the old life for a new one.  The rumored trials of an Atlantic crossing weigh heavily on Anna, but she is determined to see this through and return to her home.

The Charming Nancy is to be their home for many weeks if not months.  Conditions are less than ideal and crowded.  And living in the damp, dark lower deck away from fresh air and sun is only the first difficulty the Peculiars must face.  Then there is the suspicions of the crew about these passengers - passengers which include women and children. 

With orders to stay below Anna and young Felix Bauer can't help themselves as they seek the freedom of the upper deck which brings them to the attention of Bairn who is both carpenter and surgeon for the ship.  Bairn feeling empathy for Felix and his confinement, allows the boy freedom to explore the ship, within reason.  But Anna is not what he expected as she speaks her mind letting him know what she thinks of the situation in which lower deck finds itself.  And she is quite firm in her beliefs of her Amish ways and she's not afraid to share this beliefs with Bairn.

But Bairn wants nothing to do with a God who wasn't there for him at a time when he most needed Him.  And he's determined that nothing will change his opinion, after all God wouldn't want him, not with the sins that crowd his past.  But sometimes God sees something in us that we don't...  

Anna's Crossing is unlike any Amish book you've ever read.  This is a story of new beginnings and second chances.  The setting for the majority of the book is the Charming Nancy. There are moments of heart-wrenching loss and those of joyous wonder.  I truly feel that this is the best book that Suzanne has written to date.  The characters are compelling and story moving.  I, for one, was fascinated by the Author's Note with the historical research that went into the making of this story.
I also loved how this book tied into her previous books with a single rose bush.

I was provided a copy of this book through Revell's blogging program in exchange for my honest review.

Some endings are really beginnings . . . 

On a hot day in 1737 in Rotterdam, Anna König reluctantly sets foot on the Charming Nancy, a merchant ship that will carry her and her fellow Amish believers across the Atlantic to start a new life. As the only one in her community who can speak English, she feels compelled to go. But Anna is determined to complete this journey and return home--assuming she survives. She's heard horrific tales of ocean crossings and worse ones of what lay ahead in the New World. But fearfulness is something Anna has never known.

Ship's carpenter Bairn resents the somber people--dubbed Peculiars by the deckhands--who fill the lower deck of the Charming Nancy. All Bairn wants to do is to put his lonely past behind him, but that irksome and lovely lass Anna and her people keep intruding on him.

Delays, storms, illness, and diminishing provisions test the mettle and patience of everyone on board. When Anna is caught in a life-threatening situation, Bairn makes a discovery that shakes his entire foundation. But has the revelation come too late?

Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the beginning of Amish life in America with this fascinating glimpse into the first ocean crossing--and the lives of two intrepid people who braved it.


Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of the Lancaster County Secrets series, the Stoney Ridge Seasons series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace. She is also the coauthor of an Amish children's series, The Adventures of Lily Lapp. Suzanne is a Carol Award winner for The Search, a Carol Award finalist for The Choice, and a Christy Award finalist for The Waiting. She is also a columnist for Christian Post and Cooking & Such magazines. She lives in California. Learn more atwww.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.

Steadfast Heart ~ Review

Steadfast Heart
Brides of Seattle 1
By Tracie Peterson

Steadfast Heart was and is Lenore Fulcher and Kolbein Booth's story.  Lenore is the only child of her parents.  They've raised her in a life of ease and luxury.  She's also expected to marry a man of means.  But the man who seemingly captured her heart with a look is a young lawyer - Kolbein Booth.

But Kolbein isn't looking for love, rather he is looking for his sister whom he believes may be at The Madison Bridal School.  But to his dismay he not only doesn't find Greta, he finds that no one has even heard of her.

But Abrianna Cunningham offers to help Kolbein in the search for his sister.  Much to the dismay of her guardian Mrs. Madison, owner of the school, and her friends Abrianna is well acquainted with many of the poor and homeless who call the streets of Seattle home.  But her knowledge is just what Kolbein needs.

Meanwhile a business man has come to the attention of those at the bridal school - Priam Welby.  Mr. Welby has determined that the building housing the bridal school is just what he needs for his import business.  And he is determined that no won't be the final answer.

I think the heart of this story is Abrianna Cunningham.  Abrianna is the ward of Mrs. Madison the owner of The Madison Bridal School.  Abrianna is a brillant and caring young woman who has a habit of talking unceasingly.  Abrianna also has a heart for the homeless and poor of Seattle much to the concern of those who know and love her.  And her friendship with Wade is one of her dearest, he is like a brother to her and he exasperates her to no end when he thwarts some of her endeavors. 

I for one hope that when the second book in this series comes out that there will be more from Abrianna.  Abrianna is the friend most people wish they could have.  She is both serious and hilarious with a single conversation.  And her heart's capacity for caring is an inspiration.  Truly a lovely young woman I'd like to visit with again.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House through their blogger program in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Despite her spoiled upbringing, twenty-year-old Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious. She simply believes a marriage should be built on true love. Her father, however, thinks she's wasted enough time searching for the perfect husband. He wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--who is seventeen years her senior--an idea that is out of the question for Lenore.

Kolbein Booth, a young lawyer from Chicago, arrives in Seattle looking for his headstrong sister, who he believes may have answered an advertisement for mail-order brides. Sick with worry, he storms into the Madison Bridal School, demanding to see his sister, only to learn she isn't there. But Lenore Fulcher is, and something about her captures his attention.

Is this the man Lenore has been searching for? She may not have long to find out...

The Trouble with Patience ~ Review

The Trouble with Patience
Virtues and Vices of the Old West 1
By Maggie Brendan

Nevada City, Montana Territory, is a town in flux with ranchers and miners making up the majority of the population.  And it is this town that Patience Cavanaugh recently moved to, taking over the boardinghouse she inherited from her grandmother.  She's dealing with a broken heart - the man she dreamed of marrying dead and with it her future.

She's determined to make the boardinghouse a success but she needs to fix it up a bit and someone to help her do it. But she'll do it herself if need be.

And then there is Marshal Jedediah Jones who needs a few lessons in civilized living starting with his manners towards a lady.  Jed wants nothing to do with this meddling woman, mucking everything up.  But Patience is a force to be reckoned with and when their paths keep crossing they just might start getting along.  Especially when Jed keeps coming to her aid.

And then there is Cody Martin who takes a room in Patience's boardinghouse.  Cody is a cowboy drifting through, looking for work and the man who wronged him.

Little do these three realize that their pasts are linked and something is about to reveal this link, changing what they thought they knew.  But healing from the past is possible with God, if only they allow Him to heal them.

Patience is an exasperating woman at times, highly opinionated and yet lacking a confidence in herself.  She is complimented frequently and always acts shocked or surprised, saying no one's ever complimented her before (evidently she doesn't listen or has a bad memory).

Overall it is a fairly enjoyable read and not one that will bog you down.  It is a week-end diversion if you have a week-end with no plans other than escaping between the covers of a book or two.

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


About the Book:
Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with restoring a dilapidated boardinghouse in order to support herself.

Despite Patience's desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local marshal with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: She needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse. He needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But as she gets to know this "hanging lawman," Patience finds there is far more to him than meets the eye--and it could destroy their tenuous relationship forever.

With a keen eye for historical detail and a deft hand at romantic tension, Maggie Brendan invites you to a Montana gold rush boomtown, where vices and virtues are on full display and love is lying in wait.

Maggie Brendan is the bestselling author of the Heart of the West and The Blue Willow Brides series. Winner of the 2014 Book Buyers Best Award (OCC/RWA) for inspirational fiction and the 2013 Laurel Wreath Award, she was a finalist for the 2013 Published Maggie Award of Excellence and the 2013 Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Award. To learn more, visit www.MaggieBrendan.com.

The Iron Ring ~ Review

The Iron Ring 
Part I of the Saga of the Redeemed 
By Auston Habershaw

Tyvian Reldamar has just been betrayed and is about to be seized, forced to answer for his crimes.  But Tyvian isn't about to just give up.  But his escape from the authorities comes with a cost.

The cost - an iron ring that cannot be removed.  A ring that compels him to forego his usual deeds of evil.  But Tyvian isn't about to let a ring keep him from extracting revenge on the man who betrayed him.

Adding to his troubles Tyvian is being tracked by a Mage-Defender and Myreon Alafarr refuses to stop until she brings Tyvian to justice.

But Tyvian is determined that nothing will stop him, but he doesn't realize that his quest for revenge is about to lead him into even greater danger.  A warlord who was defeated years ago is making plans to reclaim that which he lost and Tyvian and those with him are entering the heart of danger.  A danger which may very well take them all.

Tyvian is a character of contrasts - intent on breaking the law and yet with moments of empathy for those around him.  Myreon is a woman on a mission and it will be interesting to see how her character evolves in the next book (which I look forward to reading).

The first part of the book sets the stage through world building and character introduction.  When we arrive at the meat of the story the action and excitement build leaving one in anticipation of book two which is due out in June 2015.

I was provided a 3 day loan of this book in exchange for my review and tour participation.

About the Book:

Tyvian Reldamar—criminal mastermind, rogue mage, and smuggler of sorcerous goods—has just been betrayed by his longtime partner and left for dead in a freezing river. To add insult to injury, his mysterious rescuer took it upon himself to affix Tyvian with an iron ring that prevents the wearer from any evildoing.

Revenge just got complicated.

On his quest to get even, Tyvian navigates dark international conspiracies, dodges midnight assassins, and uncovers the plans of the ruthless warlord Banric Sahand—all while running from a Mage-Defender determined to lock him up. Tyvian will need to use every dirty trick in the book to avoid a painful and ignominious end, even as he discovers that sometimes even the world's most devious man needs a shoulder to lean on.

Title: The Iron Ring
Author: Auston Habershaw
Publisher: Harper Voyage Impulse
Pages: 192
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Format: Kindle

About the author:
Auston Habershaw is a science fiction and fantasy writer and author of The Saga of the Redeemed (part one to be released by Harper Voyager in February 2015). You can find links to his stuff through Amazon or Goodreads (see the links to your right!). He got second place in the Writers of the Future Contest in the first quarter of 2014 (Volume 31), so he presumably has some idea of what he’s doing (though not the *best* idea, obviously). He’s also an English professor, a pretty good storyteller, and a big time geek. This blog is for him to discuss and explore some of the crazy ideas that are usually kicking around in his head, throw out some of his homemade RPGs for people to use or see, advertise his budding writing career, and see just what this whole ‘blog’ thing is about. Enjoy!

For More Information

• Connect with Auston on Facebook and Twitter.
• Visit Auston at his website
• Find out more about Auston at Goodreads.