Book Review

For Sale: Wedding Dress. Never Used. by Michelle L. Levigne

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Not your typical romance novel …

Eve is just beginning her sophomore year at a Christian college in a small town. Brainwashed by her family to believe no man will ever love her, Andy’s interest takes her by surprise.

Their awkward relationship leads to an engagement. He plans a career in the ministry … so does she. It seems like a great match. She buys a wedding dress for the small ceremony they’ve planned.

And then things go sour.

This book about first relationships—and the ones that follow—is told with a sense of humor. The author did a great job creating realistic characters because some of them I loved and others I loved to hate.

Twists and turns that I never saw coming kept my interest. I loved the surprise ending.

I will look for more books by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Christmas Fiction Off the Beaten Path

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Not your Granny’s Christmas stories …

Step off the beaten path and enjoy six stories that look beyond the expected, the traditional, the tried-and-true.

MARY, DID YOU KNOW?  is inspired by the song, Mary Did You Know? This story by Patricia Meredith is a thought-provoking look at the birth of Jesus through the eyes of His mother, Mary.

THOSE WHO STAYED, by Ronnell Kay Gibson, is a gripping story about a Christmas Eve when a teenage boy is one of seven holiday shoppers held hostage. The gunman asks an important question—and a young father has the same question years later.

A ROSE FROM THE ASHES, by JPC Allen, is a story about a daughter searching for her father—and the one who tried to kill her mother. It snagged my attention right away.

In RETURN TO CALLIDORA by Laurie Lucking, a princess threatened by a sorceress is guarded by a dragon. She awaits rescue from her knight in shining armor … but things have a way of turning out differently than planned. I loved that this story has an unlikely hero.

CRYSTAL CHRISTMAS by Michelle L. Levigne not only transports readers back in time but also to a magical mountain in another world. This story is filled with twists that surprised me and kept my interest. I loved the ending.

And I hope you will also enjoy my story in the collection, NOT THIS YEAR, where a hard-working husband and father faces difficult choices at Christmas.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

 

Shine Like the Dawn by Carrie Turansky

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Maggie Lounsbury works hard in her grandmother’s millinery shop but each day brings its own struggles. Life has been difficult since the drowning deaths of her parents and older sister four years ago. The only family she has left is her little sister and her grandmother. She can’t help resenting that her former friend, Nate Harcourt, did nothing to help her after the tragedy. He couldn’t even be bothered to attend the funeral, so when he returns to her small English town she’s unable to trust him.

A rift with his family and service in the Royal Navy has kept Nate from his home town for four years. He comes home to make amends with his dying father. But there is trouble brewing in their company and workers threaten to strike. After his father dies, a troubled relationship with his stepmother continues. Just what is she up to?

Maggie wonders the same thing. And she also wonders if her family’s drowning deaths were an accident. How can she discover the truth when old feelings for Nate resurface?

The Prologue that begins with such a tranquil scene quickly becomes a nightmare, snaring my interest right away.

Twists and turns keep the story interesting. I love being surprised by novel events that I don’t see coming. The characters sometimes made frustrating choices but, as time went on, I began to see why.

Many layers are intricately interwoven into this story. And I loved the historical setting in a small English village in 1903.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

Get Your Spirit On! by Michelle Medlock Adams

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Devotions for Cheerleaders

This devotional book is an inspirational read. Each day begins with a scripture reference. Then the author gives a devotional thought geared to middle-school and high-school girls. The stories are written in such a way that many girls of that age will be able to relate to them, even if they don’t cheer.

After an inspiring story about the author’s own squad or from her past, she gives another scripture in STRENGTH TRAINING.

Find spiritual tips in FIRE UP!

MEGAPHONE TO MASTER are prayers inspired by the day’s topic.

GIVE A SHOUT are encouraging remarks.

READY. OK. and JUMP INTO ACTION gives ideas for the girls to put what they’ve learned into action.

FAST FACTS and FIT TIPS are included in every devotion, along with a cheer.

I loved this book! Such a positive reinforcement of good life lessons on everyday trials. If your daughter or granddaughter is in middle school or high school, I recommend picking this up!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas– Use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Where Treasure Hides by Johnnie Alexander

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A page-turner!

Alison Schuyler meets British Lieutenant Ian Devlin in a train station. She falls in love with him for championing a young boy transported by the unrest settling over Europe in 1939. But she parts from Ian with a heavy heart—even if he can find a way to survive the coming hostilities, she’ll never rise above her family’s curse.

Great Britain enters the war shortly after he meets Alison but he promises he will come home—a promise that isn’t easy to keep.

While Ian fights bravely, Alison busies herself with hiding her family’s priceless art and smuggling Jewish children to safety. And that’s just the beginning.

Danger follows them with every step as the war rages throughout Europe. Is any place safe?

This World War II romance kept me on the edge of my seat through the novel’s many twists. Believable characters struggle to save themselves and their loved ones, making this a story that stays with you.

Recommend! I will look for more novels by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

 

 

What Ta-Ta’s Teach Us by Jane Jenkins Herlong

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I expected this book to be about breast cancer.

It touches on the topic of cancer, but it is about so much more.

As girls mature into women, their bodies go through many changes. The author briefly talks about those changes and then offers words of wisdom for each change.

The book is also beautifully illustrated by Beth R. Clark.

Lighthearted and full of advice, this quick read is one that many women and girls would find benefits from reading.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, something that has touched many of us personally or through loved ones. That’s why I chose this month to review this book.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado

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Captivating story!

Chelsea Chambers recently separated from Sawyer, her NFL celebrity husband, and is trying to make the coffee shop that her mother left her a success for her two children. Business crawls. Her only employee quits. Manny shows up the same day. He’s a real godsend and she hires him on the spot.

Then the IRS delivers a huge tax bill that her mother neglected to pay. Sawyer can’t help—he’s somehow managed to go through millions of dollars. Chelsea has to close the shop and sell the property.

Then someone delivers a router that she can try out for three months. Free. She jumps at the chance to increase her business.

But there’s a catch. Internet access is limited to one blog—the God Blog.

And there’s something special about Manny…

I loved this book! The reader sees early on that Manny is really Chelsea’s guardian angel. We’re given glimpses into his conversations with Gabriel.

I particularly loved how the author shows the behind-the-scenes battle between good and evil. Can our prayers for our loved really live on past our death?

Thought-provoking. An enjoyable multi-layered story. Recommend!

-Sandra Merville Hart

Christianbook.com

Civil War Women

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The Civil War Seen Through Women’s Eyes in Stories by Louisa May Alcott, Kate Chopin, Eudora Welty, and other great Women Writers

Edited by Frank McSherry, Jr., Charles G. Waugh, and Martin Greenberg

This is a collection of short stories about the Civil War. Some have such a ring of truth that one wonders if they really happened just this way.

There are stories written by women who lived during the Civil War (1861-65). Other authors were born almost fifty years after the war.

Most stories really resonated with me. They transported me back in time to how citizens of the North and South suffered and I hurt with them.

-Review by Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Loving a Harvey Girl by Linda W. Yezak

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From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 Eva Knowles has to get a job to support her family back home until her pa gets back on his feet. She meets the handsome cowboy, Cal Stephens, soon after she arrives at a Texas town. She’s grateful for the good word he puts in for her because it lands her a job at the Harvey House.

Cal hasn’t seen the beautiful Eva since she left for six weeks of job training in Kansas. He’d love to court her but his childhood friend, Melody Malone, suddenly seems to be everywhere he goes. When he does go on a date with Eva, she makes it plain she’s not interested in marrying. And Melody isn’t making the situation any easier.

I loved Cal’s character. The author masterfully wrote in deep point of view, enabling me to connect with the cowboy. His honest reactions touched me. I also enjoyed learning about the Harvey Girls, adding to my interest in the well-written story. A page-turner!

I will look for more stories by this author.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!

Becoming Brave by Jennifer Uhlarik

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From the Smitten Historical Romance Collection: The Cowboys

 Taming the West … one heart at a time.

 A grisly scene of death greets Coy Whittaker on a cattle drive. Five dead bodies—no, a lone brave is still alive. Barely. What happened here?

Aimee Kaplan crawls out from a hollow log—her hiding place during the attack that killed her four brothers. They’d been frightened of someone and on the run in Indian Territory. Was that terrible man behind this attack?

Somehow, she knows she can trust the Coy, the cowboy who finds her. He stumbles upon an outlaw gang near the brothers’ graves. If they were the ones after Aimee’s brothers, he and the other hands must keep her safe while driving the herd.

I was touched by the tragic loss of so many family members at once. The cowboy carries deep wounds from the past and hides his true identity. Danger and suspense kept me turning pages. I had to know what happened. The action drew me immediately to this well-written story.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I will look for more stories by her.

-Sandra Merville Hart

Amazon

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas  Save money and use coupon code SandraMHart for a 20% discount on Lighthouse Publishing books!