Synopsis of the book:

A woman with no future.

A man with no hope.

A God who knows the key to their deepest need lies in each other?

Wyoming Territories, 1860. Gloria is in trouble. A mining camp is a merciless place when you're young, pregnant--and a prostitute. No matter. Life will not defeat her.

John William McGregan is in despair. His beloved wife died in childbirth. And while John is a resourceful man, raising an infant daughter on his own seems impossible.

Thrown together by a seemingly cruel fate, Gloria and John William make a pact: She will nurse his daughter; he will raise her son. Neither asks for marriage. They are joined by necessity, nothing more.

But after a move to the new Oregon territory, facing John William's faith day after day, and receiving an older woman's motherly mentoring, Gloria longs for something more. For the love she's been denied all her life. If only that life hadn't made her unfit, not only for John William--but for God.

Then tragedy strikes--making even the resolute John William question his faith. Terrified, Gloria turns to the One she has never been able to trust. But can even God save what now means more to Gloria than life itself: her newfound family?

My review:

Ten Thousands Charms was such an emotionally gripping story that I had trouble putting it down. But even when I had to work and do other things, I was still thinking about the story. I know so many women like Gloria who have been so hurt that they are emotionally dead inside and when someone offers them hope, they are terrified. I could totally see that struggle in Gloria and it was a beautiful thing to watch how God slowly wooed her to Himself through the love of believers. And while no one in this story was even close to perfect, they were totally believeable and likeable characters. John William was heroic in so many ways even with the flaws he carried with him. And Gloria was such a good mother to the babies. It was impossible not to grow to love her as she cared for the children and learned how to take care of herself and her "family," which was the one thing she never believed she would experience in her lifetime. My eyes filled with tears every time Gloria took a tiny step in faith. There were so many things she learned, and the reader learns along with her as she learns to trust. The author also does a fantastic job writing the male point of view and the intense emotions John and Gloria both felt, both positive and negative. I highly recommend this story because it nurtures both the heart and the spirit, and because I loved, loved, loved it!

Ten Thousand Charms was published by Multnomah and released in 2006.

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About the book:

Nervous new mom Susan feels like she may never get a handle on "the mothering thing"---so she's grateful when a chance meeting reconnects her with JoJo, an acquaintance with a daughter the same age. Over the years, the family friendships deepen, but as graduation nears, will they be ready to let their girls fly?

My review:

This engrossing novel is better than a parenting book! And if you you see a frustrated, self-conscious mom in the store with a kid having a conniption fit, do her a favor and tell her about this book. Seriously. You may just save her some heartache.

Learning to Fly is about parenting and the heart of a mother. But it's even more than that. It's about marriage and friendship and peer pressure. It's about the consequences of not speaking up and of letting your child get what they want all the time. It's about the dysfunction of reliving your childhood through your child and the damage it can do. It's about so many things. And the most exciting part of this book is it's every mother. There is a bit of Susan and Jo Jo in all moms, so everyone can relate.

I love reading about dysfunction when the authors have deep insight into the situation and wisdom that shows up in their characterization. Roxanne Henke nails so many things in the process of telling you this story that will grip your heart in many, many ways. In fact, this is the perfect gift for a parent with little ones. Readers can't help but see just how much it hurts your child to give in to them. It's not a pretty sight and only gets worse as they get older. The takeaway value of this book is that it's worth it to be consistent and to listen to your child and not make excuses for their bad behavior. Plus, the characters are so well done it's hard not to love them and understand them by book's end. I highly recommend this book!

Learning to Fly was published by Harvest House and released in February 2008.

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About the book:
Tiffany LeBoeuf recently lost her mother to cancer. Still grieving, Tiffany seeks rest for her body and soul at a cozy beach house in San Diego. A scheduling mix-up causes a double booking, and Tiffany ends up sharing the house with a woman named Eve. When Eve's boyfriend, Jeremy, arrives to surprise Eve, he's surprised to see Tiffany as well. He settles in at the beach house next door, and what happens after that surprises them all.

A fun, contemporary romance about how God uses even our mistakes to bring about His divine purposes. Beach Dreams is the perfect get-away read.

My review:

After having read Too Good to be True and The Guy I'm Not Dating, both written by Trish Perry, I was eagerly anticipating the return of her characters. I was thrilled to discover that Jeremy was back, and this time this hot Brit's the hero! I hadn't read the first two books in the beach house series by Sally John, but frankly that didn't matter because the characters in the story were from Trish's previous series. And let me tell you what I love about her writing. She really knows how to write about relationships.

I loved the setting and the activities that took place. The language used by the English was quite fun, if you fancy that sort of thing, LOL! Anyway, Tiffany, the mean girl from the first two books who was humbled and softened at the end of book two, returns in this story as the heroine. She still fights the urge to tell people off and resists the temptation to return to her old ways on occasion, but that made her more real to me.

There were two different times when I got choked up toward the end of this story. I can't tell you what those things were that emotionally moved me because it would spoil the story, but I'll just say that sometimes what you think people believed about you and what you think they meant is not always true. That's the beauty of learning to communicate from the heart. While this book is a great beach read and loads of fun, it's by no means shallow, and on occasion it contains excellent insight into spiritual matters. And those almost-kisses were pure torture! I'm just sad the story had to end.

Beach Dreams was published by Harvest House and released in July 2008.

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About the book: Life is looking up for teenage Katie Parker. After being placed in a new home, she's finally adjusting to her foster family. But tragedy shakes her fragile world as a tornado rips through the town of In Between and her foster mother is diagnosed with cancer. Faced with the possibility of losing a loved one, Katie begins to doubt if God really does care. Making matters worse, Katie is accused of stealing at school. But in the middle of her chaotic-and often humorous-life, Katie reconnects to God's amazing grace and love. This is the second release from the Katie Parker series, books for teen girls that explore a less-than-perfect life and the heroine who perseveres through wit, sass, and faith. My review: I thought In Between was the best YA novel I'd ever read (other than my own - LOL), but I was wrong. On the Loose, A Katie Parker Production, Act 2, was even better than In Between! Katie really grows a lot over the course of these first two books in this series, and toward the end of On the Loose, I was wiping tears from my eyes. I love Katie as if she was my own daughter (I have a 16-year-old son) and even though she's a fictional character when her heart broke, so did mine. When I wasn't laughing my head off reading On the Loose, I was wiping tears from my eyes. I drove my husband up the wall by asking him if I could read him just one more page. This story is read-out-loud funny. Seriously. I couldn't help sharing the humor because it was so zany and tongue-in-cheek, yet insightful and deliciously entertaining. I can't say enough great things about this book or this series. Jenny B. Jones is a favorite author, and this book makes me even more sure of my decision to rank her my #1 favorite YA author of all time. I'm reading every book she writes. On the Loose was published by NavPress (Th1nk books imprint) and released in September 2007.

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Christian Fiction Online Magazine

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Hidden is a remarkable story about the unlikely love between a modern girl on the run and an Amish boy from the family who shelters her.

When Anna decides it's time to leave her abusive boyfriend, she doesn't know where to turn. Rob is a successful and respected person in her community. He has completely won over her parents with his good looks and prestigious position at a top law firm. Only Anna has seen his dark side. But when Rob hurts Anna yet again, she realizes that she must finally help herself.

Desperate, she runs to the one place she's always felt completely safe, the Amish Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, where years ago she and her mother once stayed, and where Anna met life-long friend Katie Brenneman. When Anna shows up years later unexpectedly, the family welcomes her in, with few questions asked, and allows her to stay, dressed as the Amish in Plain clothes, and help around the inn.

But Katie's older brother Henry doesn't take too kindly to the intrusion. Anna wonders if it's because he's already had his heart broken. To Henry's shame, from the moment he sees Anna, he feels a strong attraction. To cover his infatuation, he tries to ignore her, knowing no good would ever come from keeping an eye on a fancy woman like her. But as he sees that Anna has a good heart and is not the selfish, spoiled woman he imagined her to be, he feels his heart pointing towards her.

Anna comes to realize that she's found a home and true love in the last place she'd expected. How can she deny the life she left behind? And will her chance for happiness be stolen away by the man who can't seem to let her go?

If you would like to read the Prologue, go HERE


My review:

Hidden was an adventure that went beyond it's pretty cover. A cross between a movie like Sleeping with the Enemy, and a novel like Deb Raney's Remember to Forget, Hidden is somewhere in the middle in regards to tension, but with a bit of the Amish culture mixed in. I enjoyed this story and read it in just two days. I loved the premise of hiding out in the Amish community. And the hero was incredibly heroic even though he wasn't all that likeable at first. Then again, neither was the heroine. However, she changed through the course of the story and I couldn't help feeling connected to her. While my parents didn't smother and baby me like hers did, I could certainly relate to her feeling like she had to fight for her independence. The coolest part of the story was experiencing with Anna the drastic change in her life from our modern culture with all of its hassles and conveniences to the Amish life, which in many ways seemed so much better despite all she had to give up in the process of fitting in. This story almost makes you want to convert and become one of the Plain people. After all, they seemed more spiritual because they didn't have the insane busyness that we've grown accustomed to. Plus, they worked hard and labored physically, so they were strong and not soft or weak. In short, Hidden never bored me and the plot never dragged, so it was worth my while. I can't wait for the sequel.

Hidden was published by Avon Inspire and released in May 2008.

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