Book Description: A storage unit, a 1963 Volkswagen minibus, and tattered letters...reveal shattering secrets from the 1960s. It has been a year since Mary Alice lost her father, the father she never really knew. Now she is stuck cleaning out his rubbish from a storage unit. Just when she would rather it all go away from her well-ordered life, her long-held secret is discovered by the feisty Marina, one of the six members of the Friday Afternoon Club. When these friends make it their mission to help Mary Alice tackle her stash, they arrive at the storage unit, prepared to clean. But what they discover takes them on a riotous ride through the crime and clutter of the sixties, the angst and betrayal of those caught in The Revolution, and the forgiveness that can only come through acceptance of a different kind of Cause.

Includes fun, easy, and tantalizing recipes!

My review:

Crime & Clutter has a totally unique plot, just like Dying to Decorate, the author's first book in the series. It's not often that I find a novel that entertained me as much as this one, yet also had the ability to also keep my attention on both ends. I enjoyed the portions of the story about the hippie experience from the 60's, but really got into reading about the current time as well. And the deep theme of forgiveness in this story will really tug on your heart. Very well done.

Salzmann is great with tongue-in-cheek thoughts and humor. She can get you laughing about what seem like the most mundane things, but she shows you them in a humorous light. In short, I couldn't stop reading this book. It's full of life, has "flavor" and depth, and I savored every page. The recipes were also pretty tasty-sounding. I'm sure my husband, who is the cook in our family, will want to try some of them.

I also appreciated delving into the mindset of the 60s and how that influenced our culture at the time. My husband remembered being in Haight-Asbury at the same time as one of the real-life events that occurred in the story. The author sprinkled just enough history and lingo from that era into her novel to really bring it to life. It was so fun to read, I might even devour it again. If nothing else, it's incredibly practical because the recipes alone make it a keeper. Highly recommended.

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From the Publisher: In Book One of the Westward Hearts series, orphans Fannie Caldwell and her two young siblings have spent the last three years as indentured servants under a cruel master. Desperately wanting a better life for her brother and sister, Fannie devises a plan to secretly join a wagon train heading west. Her plan immediately runs into trouble when the handsome yet bullheaded wagon master Blake Tanner refuses to allow an unmarried woman on the train. But Fannie's determined—she'll escape and go west with or without help. As life on the trail tests everyone's endurance and faith, Fannie soon realizes the perils of being a single woman on the frontier.

Witnessing Fannie fending off one scare after another, Blake slowly recognizes how much he cares for this alluring young woman. Will Blake sacrifice his own dreams and guide Fannie to safety? Or will Fannie's stubborn independence keep her from finding true love?

My review: This was probably one of the most riveting prairie novels I've ever read. I finished it quickly. The tension was great throughout the story. And Fannie was the strongest heroine I've ever come across, though her stubborn streak got her into an awful lot of trouble. On occasion, that stubbornness made her a bit unlikeable, but given her past, her guarded behavior made total sense. Plus, she never would've captured Blake's attention any other way. There were some pretty sad situations in this story, many of which were extremely realistic for those times.

Honestly, the only weakness I saw was the POV switching without warning at times. At first I thought it was that the printer missed the section break, but then realized that probably wasn't the case as the switch happened about twenty times. At any rate, that wasn't a huge issue for me, but did confuse me a bit. Still, I highly recommend this book. It has a nice ending, but there is obviously going to be a sequel, which I assume will be just as wonderful as this story.

Defiant Heart was published by Avon Inspire and released on May 8, 2007.

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From the Publisher: Carrie Mays knows that to whom much is given much is required. That's why she has to figure out what to do with the large inheritance she's about to receive. She doesn't want people to look at her and see dollar signs; she just wants to be loved for being Carrie. But when she is rejected because of her money, she doesn't like that either. She has to surrender to the Lord and allow Him to bring her all that she needs. Rocky Wilder has always dreamed of having money. But now that he is a Christian all he wants is to follow the path the Lord has a laid out for him, and it looks like that's becoming a landscaper. But he needs the funds to get his business up and going. Can he find a way to follow the Lord and not hurt people along the way? Has Rocky really changed, or is he still that Wilder boy?

My review: This was a cool "Cinderella" type story, only in reverse. Carrie was not poor like the real Cinderella, but had the opposite problem. She was beautiful and rich. Plus, she was tired of being used. Her parents thought money was everything, so she almost despised it.

So when she met Rocky she thought she'd finally found someone who would see her for who she really was despite the trust fund. Rocky made a whole lot of mistakes and got himself in a pickle several times that I wondered if he could even get out of. But inside he was a great guy despite his humble dwelling, yet super-hunky bod. Rocky seemed like the ultimate hero.

At any rate, I enjoyed this love story. It held my interest through to the end, and that's all it takes for me to enjoy a book. This is the first novel I've read by Kim Vogel Sawyer. Now I'm thinking I'll be reading several more.

That Wilder Boy was published by Heartsong and released in August 2006.

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From the Publisher: Josef von Woerner is a wanted man, only he doesn't know it. Raised to love Germany above everything else, Josef once had few qualms about taking any action necessary to deprive the Allies of essential armaments. In this dramatic sequel to Pieces of Silver, again set during World War I, Josef falls in love with one of the most patriotic women in America,who would surely have nothing to do with him if she knew his past.

My review: This story was fantastic! Like Tricia Goyer, Maureen Lang can get you to fall in love with the characters and their stories and make you sad when the story ends. Yet, there is always a satisfying conclusion that will make you smile. I am a total fan of Lang's historicals. She had me cringing several times over the descriptions which were vivid and realistic to the point where I felt that lump forming in my throat. War is so devastating. At any rate, the main focus of the book was not so much the war as the story of two people fighting for what they believed. The court scenes were fabulous and the devastation of the flu epidemic was well done.

I don't want to give away some of the high points of the story because that will give away what happened, but I feel I can share that this story gives you a strong sense of patriotism and that glow you feel about American history. Overall, this story kept me on the edge of my seat. I really didn't know what would happen next. I detest a predictable story. Oh, and I was mentally living in 1917-1919 during WWI, also known as The Great War. It was that good. In fact, I can't think of a single weakness in this story. It made my heart sing. And this author is a master at dragging out the tension and building it until you want to either scream or cry with the characters. Fabulous historical fiction!!!

Remember Me was published by Kregel and released in February 2007.

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Book Description:

Bri Stone has it all: the man of her dreams and their surf-riding teenage son, a chocolate-loving best pal, an adorable beach bungalow, and a kicky job as a Southern California tour bus host. She also has a few things she did not ask for: a know-it-all friend, a snobby mother-in-law, and a Fabio-meets-Dilbert boss. All three of them seem eager to share their strong opinions and suspicions about Bri's relationship with her husband, Douglas.

My review:

Well I finally finished Chocolate Beach. It had a light-hearted fun theme, but a dragging plot. I loved the dialog and quirkiness of the character Bri, but at the same time wasn't sure where the story was heading. In the end I'd say I enjoyed the book, but felt it was lacking in action. There was plenty of activity going on in the story and fun incidences, but no real conflict unless you consider the weirdo boss and the nightmarish interior decorator. That was pretty hilarious.

The characters were all well done, but I never got to know them very well. Maybe that was limited by the first person POV. I'm not sure. At any rate, this is a nice, calm read with some cute humor, but the plot was lacking. Bri worried too much and didn't do anything about her concerns. And because of his behavior, her husband ended up being not that likable and was pretty much absent for the majority of the story. I felt bad for Bri.

Chocolate Beach was published by Bethany House and released in February 2007.

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Book Description: There are four ways a woman can handle heartbreak. She can fall apart, seek revenge, turn cold, or move on.

The Ex Files is the story of these four women:

When Kendall Stewart finds her husband and her sister in bed together, she vows to never let anyone get that close again. But when she is faced with saving the life of the woman who destroyed hers, will she be able to forgive?

When an NBA superstar tells his mistress, Asia Ingram, that he's decided to honor his marriage vows, her shock quickly gives way to revenge...but her decision may come back to haunt their five-year-old daughter.

Every night Vanessa Martin wonders why her husband committed suicide. Even worse, she contemplates joining him in eternity. Will Vanessa be able to gather the strength to live again?

Sheridan Hart is finally finding her way after a lie destroyed her seventeen-year marriage. Her new love is ready to get married, but will she commit to this younger man or is her ex-husband taking up too much space in her heart?

When their pastor asks Kendall, Asia, Vanessa, and Sheridan to meet weekly for prayer, they can't imagine they will have anything in common. But then a devastating tragedy strikes and these strangers are forced to reexamine their choices. Will they find true friendship, or will prayer -- and their union -- fail them?

My review: The uniqueness of this story really pulled me in. Each woman had their own drama and were mismatched as friends, but after some seriously hard times came upon each of them, they learned to reach out to each other and seek God for strength. The Ex Files is like a soap opera with four stories going at the same time, yet they intersect on occasion. The cool thing about the plots in this book were that they were all equally compelling.

Usually I want to take one character's plot and dive ahead to the next place where they are featured in the book. But I was never tempted to do that with The Ex Files because none of the stories were dull or unlikable. The conflict was real, the emotion went deep into the character's lives, and the best part about these four ladies lives was that none of their ultimate choices were predictable. In fact, each ending turned out differently than I had anticipated.

Also, the author did an amazing job of taking an unlikeable characteristic such as selfishness and still managed to make me care about the women in the book. Each had issues that centered around their own needs and how they dealt with their problems was so realistic and well done. The faith element was perfectly incorporated as well. I just love the ingenuity and creativity in this author's novels. I'm going to have to read everything she publishes from now on. I don't want to miss a thing!

The Ex Files is published by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group and will be released in July 2007.

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Book Description: "Kyla and Jefferson Blake count their sixteen years together as a wonderful blessing from God. Their marriage is passionate, their daughter is a joy, Jefferson's medical career is prospering, and they have loyal friends.

Kyla knows her newly divorced and lifelong friend, Jasmine, is desperately unhappy and no amount of prayer or encouragement seems to help. Yet what Kyla doesn't know is that Jasmine has a plan to move her life forward with the type of man she feels she should have married in the first place.

A man like Jefferson.

Alexis Ward, Kyla's best friend, is single and successful and willing to wait for the right man for all the right reasons. But when "Mr. Right," Dr. Brian Lewis, finally appears, she finds herself facing a new challenge. Does she really have to walk away from what she believes in order to have a man in her life?

As people who love God, Kyla, Jefferson, and Alexis discover, each in their own ways, what happens when they truly allow God to be first in their relationship.

My review: This story rocked! It sucked me in to the drama from page one. Even though I have plenty of other books to read I kept wanting to read this one. The characterization is fabulous and the emotion is deep. The marital stuff is very well done and the temptation is believable. I particularly enjoyed the spiritual element of this novel. It was very detailed and comprehensive, yet it perfectly fit the story without feeling like a sermon. Probably because the main characters were all Christians. There were some POV issues, but the realistic and emotional depth in this story made up for the small stuff. Highly recommended.

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From the Publisher : IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD—WHICH COULD BE A PROBLEM... Mark Hogan has it all. The job. The family. A position on the board at church. All he's missing is a boat. Not just any boat—a 2008 Bayliner 192. When Reverend Daniel Glory announces that the Rapture is taking place on October 17 at 5:51am, Hogan realizes his boat—buying days are numbered. So he does what any man in his situation would do—he borrows a load of money from the mob. Not that there's any risk involved: After all, when the Rapture comes, Hogan will be long gone. The mob will never find him. But when Jesus fails to come back on schedule, Mark Hogan finds the mob is in no mood to discuss the finer points of end—times theology...

My review: This story is so different from Deliver Us from Evelyn. The only similarity were the mob thugs and some of the dry humor. Other than that, this story is stand-alone unique. It's also a bit psycho and pretty funny at times. The other night I couldn't resist and read a few pages (that I found particularly hilarious) to my husband while we lay in bed. In some ways this novel read like a funny whodunnit "lad lit". It's truly unique.

The one thing I didn't care for was the main character's change of heart toward the end. After being so obviously clueless about a real relationship with Christ and having such a self-absorbed attitude, I had trouble buying the notion that he just got back on track. To me it seemed like he needed to be saved because his thinking didn't really line up with a believer's. Even one in a backslidden state. But that's just my opinion. Also, there seemed to be one too many points of view and some of them didn't seem necessary to me. But the innuendos were laughable and intriguing regarding his warped perceptive of Christianity and that provided some bonafide entertainment.

Also on the positive side (for their are many great things about Tribulation House) this story is not at all dull, which is why I actually finished it. I loved the premise. I also enjoyed the author's unique use of POV -- how the main character seems like he is talking to the reader. I've never seen that approach used before in a novel. Pretty creative. The author is obviously a gifted storyteller. I could yell at him for leaving me hanging at the end, though. I definitely want to read the next book. I already love the premise and set up for the next story.

Tribulation House was published by Harvest House and released in April 2007.

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