Baby It's Cold Outside~Blog Tour~ Susan May Warren

This book review is for the novel "Baby It's Cold Outside" by Susan May Warren.

A full listing of Susan's titles can be found @ http://www.susanmaywarren.com/


It took me a little while reading this novel but it was a great book! I am a fan of the cover art as it makes you want to snuggle up in front of a fire with a hot cup of coffee. It brings happy Christmas memories to mind.

This was my first Summerside Press book to read as well and I must say if all their titles are as good as this one I look forward to reading many more.

I will also be looking into what else Susan has published. She writes very expressively and it is easy to see the picture that she is trying to paint. The depth of emotions portrayed are very believable and she portrayed the era of time, this novel is set in, quite well.

I liked the fact that she kept me guessing until the end. There were several twists and turns and I enjoyed the strong female roles portrayed.

Truly the underlying theme of this book seems to be grace. Grace extended from one to another and God's grace for all sinners. Whether it has been given or has yet to be given, it's there.

The grief of a mother that has lost her son and the grief of a man who lost the boy who could have been his son. Very moving. Must say the ending brought tears to my eyes.

I particularly liked Violet's character. I liked picturing her serving her country and being able to rebuild engines with the best of them. Every character in this book is interesting and engaging.
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Dottie Morgan has long since shunned Christmas and anything to do with it or other people. She has played the part of bitter widow and grieving woman to the hilt. No one dares get close and that is the way she likes it. The day her son, Nelson, died is the day she stopped believing that God loved her. Really that anyone loved her at all.

Violet is Dottie's fellow librarian and makes the decision to head for Dottie's house one fateful night to retrieve something for the town.

What seems a most unfortunate circumstance that lands four almost strangers on Dottie's doorstep in the middle of a terrible storm, might be just the opposite.

Dottie has lived in grief and darkness for so long that she doesn't seem to recognize a blessing when it practically smacks her in the face.

Read along as four very different lives intersect in ways they never imagined possible and could have only dreamed about.
Some smiles, some rooting for things to just be out in the open already and yes some tears is what accompanies this book. I give it a big thumbs up!


Hope your week is going amazingly!
Jenny


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About Susan: Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia , Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota ’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.


Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.
Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota , where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)



You can follow this link to purchase the book for yourself!  Baby It's Cold Outside

Also be sure to check out their contest! Susan is hosting a party on Facebook and will be giving away a Kindle Fire!

Enter 10/14-10/26!
 




*Note* I received this book for free in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

~Surrender the Night~

This book review is for the novel "Surrender the Night" by MaryLu Tyndall. This is the second book in the Surrender To Destiny series.

Once again, MaryLu has crafted a stunningly beautiful historical novel. You really feel like you are in a vital piece of history as you read her books.

I can imagine the period pieces of clothing and the unrest that the wars must have caused among the people of our fledgling nation.

The book is set during the war of 1812 and is a brilliant follow-up to the first novel in this series, which I also previously reviewed. ~Surrender the Heart~ Be sure to check this review out as well and read all the books!

I am chomping at the bit to read the next one and are eagerly anticipating what happens next.

Miss Rose McGuire has had a hard life, especially for one that is so young. She has deeply buried scars and resentments toward anything British. And when she becomes the unwitting victim of a British Lieutenant, her life is turned upside down. Whether for the better or the worse is to be determined.
What brings the enemy to her doorstep is also what might help open her eyes to the unforgiveness that she harbours. And possibly shed some light into her somewhat darkened soul. She believes in God but she lives in fear. The things that have tainted her past have continued to color her future.

From tragedy, to intrigue, to danger, lies, tested faith, blackmail, unwanted suitors and just perhaps a budding romance, Surrender the Night takes you on an amazing ride of fiction.  I highly recommend it!

Pick up a copy and have a happy, enjoyable weekend!
Jenny


*Note* I received this book from Barbour in exchange for a review. I am not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

When All My Dreams Come True

This review is for the novel "When All My Dreams Come True" by Janelle Mowery.

I really liked Janelle's use of different types of characters. Bobby is a one of a kind character and I like how interesting she is. Some of the book keeps you wondering about her. She has faced hurts because of her differences just like a lot of people which makes her a relatable character.

Bobby was raised without a mother, on a ranch, surrounded by men. Because of this and being an only child to her father, she grew up like a boy. She can ride, wrangle and shoot better than most men combined. Her dream is to run her own ranch and she fully intends to make that dream a reality.
However, her new boss, Jace Kincaid, might end up being the thing that is standing in the way of her dreams or he could be everything she didn't know she wanted.

I liked this book and recommend you pick up a copy for yourself.

Happy weekend!
Jenny



*Note* I received this book for free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

A Necessary Deception~Blog Tour~

This review is for the novel "A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes.
The Daughters of BainBridge House novel.

First off the cover of this novel immediately caught my attention. The book is an intrigue and that is exactly what the cover captures. The girl on the front looks like she is hiding a secret behind her mask and half a smile.
Big thumbs up on the cover choice!

This is the first novel I have read by Laurie and after reading this one I know I will be keeping a lookout for her novels now! I loved how she had one main storyline going but had all these others woven throughout it so that you literally never had a bored moment reading this book.
A lot of novels have predictable endings where you already have figured out who is the bad guy etc before the first chapter even ends, but not so with A Necessary Deception.

It kept me turning pages and trying to figure what the heck was going on and who was who. Exactly what a novel that is part mystery, part romance, part intriguing Jane Austin type of literary fiction should be!

A small recap of the novel for you without revealing to much:

Lady Lydia Gale is a headstrong widow who finds herself called upon to repay an old debt for someone she doesn't know. What she doesn't realize is that she is about to be entangled in the most twisted web of lies and deceit than she has ever known in her short lifetime. Enter a quarreling family of mostly women, a gruff seemingly unfeeling father and the all the tizzy of the London Season along with midnight garden meetings and everyone behind a mask in one way or another and you have an incredible read!

I loved Lydia's character. She has a quiet strength to her but also a stubborn streak against anything resembling someone controlling her, which also included trust in God.

Laurie did a superb job in touching on all different facets of a persons emotion and personal struggle not only in a relations with Christ but also with ones self and ones family.

This book will hold a place on my bookshelf to be read again! I look forward to the next book in this series!

Read this book!
Jenny


*Note* I received this book for free from Revell in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Walker's Wedding

This review is for the novel "Walker's Wedding" by Lori Copeland.

I like the fact that Lori has such diverse characters throughout this novel. Never a boring moment with all of them helping keep the story flowing at a good pace.

Walker McKay thought he had all the time in the world to produce an heir for his ranch, and all that goes with it. That is, until a furious bull gets a hold of him. Now he needs a wife and fast. No one he knows will do for the job, however, for she is strictly going to be a wife to produce his heir. No love required or wanted.

Sarah Livingston is a very rich railroad heiress and the incredibly spoiled only child of her indulgent father.

Her heart is set on marriage and children of her own. When one of her escapades lands her in hot water with her father, she takes matters into her own hands and strikes out on her own.

What comes next can only be described as two world colliding and one persons dream realized while the other ones worst fear might have just landed on the doorstep.

The question is, will either party survive the ending of this story?

I was entertained and invested in the story while reading it. You can't help but root for Sarah to just do the right thing already!

You guys will just have to read the book for yourself to see what happens in the end. Well worth it :)

More reviews coming soon!
Jenny


*Note* I received this book for free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.

Ciao (Which is the perfect name for this novel)

This review is for the novel "Ciao" by Melody Carlson.

This is the last book in the On The Runway series.

I always think that the last book in the series is a little bittersweet and have to wonder if the author of the books feels this way too? I was very excited to get the book and see what happens in the end after reading all of them. Melody does not disappoint but the book did leave me wanting more of the Forrester sisters story. It didn't seem like we were done with them yet and the story of their lives is far from over in my opinion. I am really hoping there will be more novels about these two.

In the last novel we see Paige trying to pick through the rubble of the disaster that was their Bahamas trip. I could never tell if her and Dylan were officially over or not. She still had and was wearing the ring so I was guessing not. Poor Paige cannot seem to figure out at first whether to trust Dylan or not.

Goodbye Dylan or Hello Again??? 

Melody did a very good job on keeping you guessing about Dylan and whether he is sincere or villainous. I wasn't sure myself how I felt about him for awhile.

I like that Erin always seems to finding herself and coming into her own. In this book we get to see a familiar face pop up that might have some positive changes coming about for Erin.

However, not only is she struggling with how to help her sister and what to say and not say, she has to deal with her feelings for Blake and decide what sort of feelings she has for him. Friends, more than friends?

All in all I loooooved this series and WISH there were MORE books! Hint, hint, Ms. Carlson! ;)

I reviewed all 6 books in the series in order. You can see the other five below:

Premiere

Catwalk

Rendezvous

Spotlight

Glamour


Happy Weekend! Hope you all got to read at least some :)

Jenny



*Note* I received this book for free from Zondervan Publishers in exchange for a review about it. I am not required to post a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own and they are sincere.