The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello - REVIEW and CONTEST!!

Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down with a blog tour, a Cruise prize pack worth over $500 and a Facebook Party! Don't miss a minute of the fun.

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.


• The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.

To enter click one of the icons below. Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

About the Facebook Party: Join Sibella and fans of the Raleigh Harmon series on April 5th at 5:00 pm PST (6 MST, 7 CST & 8 EST) for a Facebook Book Club Party. Sibella will be giving away some fun prizes, testing your trivia skills and hosting a book chat about the Raleigh Harmon books. Have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on the Event page.

About the Book:
Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . ..


That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.


But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.


Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.


And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.


Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.

My Thoughts:

I have really grown to respect the character of Raliegh Harmon. I love the way she loves the people in her life and tries to protect them. Yet in this book, I think she learns that sometimes only God can protect those we love – from life circumstances and our own misguided attempts to deny things that we don’t want to face.

Sibella Giorello is such a talented writer! Her created FBI agent, Raliegh Harmon, has such a quirky sense of humor! More than once, I found myself laughing out loud at the way the author phrased some of her observations of the world around her. Raliegh is struggling to find her way emotionally from the very first pages of this novel, and when a vacation turns into a murder to be solved – well, that doesn’t help at all!

Once again, readers will struggler right along with Raliegh as she tries to put together pieces of a very complicated puzzle! She faces another obstacle when her assigned FBI partner turns out to be a very attractive, albeit annoying man, with whom she has had prior conflicts. As the tale draws to a close, it looks as if Raliegh is left with more questions than answers in her personal life, and the murder…well, leave it to human depravity to add insult to injury! You’ll be surprised at how this one turns out!

Sibella Giorello has written another compelling story in the life of one very quirky FBI agent! You will enjoy this book a GREAT deal!! I am happy to recommend it to you!

About the Author:

Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College. After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website. www.sibellagiorello.com

Buy a copy of the book HERE!

Start the series fresh with this great deal! Pick up a copy of Book 1 for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99! The Stones Roll Away is the critically acclaimed award winner that kicked off the Raleigh Harmon series. http://www.amazon.com/Stones-Raleigh-Harmon-Novel-ebook/dp/B004QGYURS/ref=sprightly-20

Go here to see what others have to say about this great book!!

The Snowflake by Jamie Carie - REVIEW and GIVE AWAY!

About the Book:
Christmas 1897. Ellen Pierce and her brother are determined to reach the Alaska gold rush. But when ice stalls their steamship, all seems lost, until Buck Lewis makes a decision: he’ll lead all who dare to follow on foot toward Dawson City.

Buck is determined to leave behind a heartbreaking past. No amount of ice or weather will stop him. But he never counted on a woman joining a dangerous wilderness trek–or on falling in love with her.

As their journey unfolds and Christmas approaches, Ellen and Buck discover that the greatest gift of all can’t be wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. It comes from, and is received in, the heart.

Come share in a soul-deep romance that gives a joyful reminder of a redeeming God who makes us each unique, yet loves us all the same.

My Thoughts:

“We are like the snowflake. Fantastic and unfathomable and fragile.”

Come away to the mining town of Dawson City, Alaska 1897. Join Ellen Pierce and Buck Lewis and several other unfortunate souls as the make a dangerous trek across a barren land in search of warmth and light….and life itself. Watch as each member of this group succumbs to different fates, and in particular, the fate of Ellen and Buck. The tale will surprise you, entertain you, warm your heart and challenge your faith.

Jamie Carie wrote this as a Christmas novella, and I didn’t receive a copy until after the first of the year. Life sort of got in the way, and so here I am just now reading this precious book on St. Patrick’s Day! Although Christmas is part of this story, this is a book you can enjoy year round. Don’t wait until the holidays to enjoy it!

I have an extra copy to give away, so if you will leave your name and contact information on this post, I will draw a winner a week from today!

About the Author:

Jamie Carie is the author of Snow Angel, winner of a 2007 National "Best Books" Award and a ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year nominee. She lives with her husband and three children in Indianapolis.

The Caregvier by Shelley Shepard Gray

I didn't review this book, but it looks interesting, and so I wanted to share it with you! Enjoy!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Caregiver Avon Inspire; Original edition (March 8, 2011) by Shelley Shepard Gray



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven. Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado. She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children. When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town's scenic bike trail.

















ABOUT THE BOOK

Two lives converge one stormy night on a train headed to cleveland

Lucy is traveling by herself via train to Jacob's Crossing to help care for her cousin Mattie, recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Trying to overcome the sudden death of her husband, she's glad to get away and focus on someone else for a while.

The only other Amish people on the train are Calvin Weaver and his little sister, Katie. When their train breaks down outside of Cleveland, Calvin and Lucy band together to face the outside world. But Calvin also carries the weight of past hurts. When an altercation brings both their wounds to light, they question whether they can trust each other.

Once in Jacob's Crossing, Lucy is occupied with caring for Mattie, while Calvin does his best to run his family's farm. But they can't stop thinking about those special hours spent together. Will the bond they formed last? And will Lucy and Calvin be able to put away the pain in their pasts to recognize the happiness that is suddenly in their grasp?



If you would like to read the first chapter of The Caregiver, go HERE.

Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson

About the Book: (from the publisher)

New School = New Chance for That First Kiss

Summer is ending, and for once that doesn't seem like such a bad thing to Elise. She's hoping that starting fresh at a new high school will turn her first-kiss prospects around. New guys, new friends, and a new lease on life.

What she wasn't counting on was all the new pressure--to hang with the right crowd, wear the right clothes, and date the right guy. Just when it seems she's on top of the world, everything comes crashing down. Could one bad choice derail her future?

My Thoughts:

Well, this is definitely a 21^st century story, because when I was a teenager I was not allowed to call boys, and I wasn’t allowed to receive phone calls from anyone, male or female after 8:00pm. Now, every child is running around with a cell phone…talking, texting… and in extreme cases sexting. That is the problem faced by the teens in Melody Carlson’s latest book, and it makes me SO THANKFUL that my phone doesn’t have a camera and none of my teenagers have their own cell phone! I may not have understood my parent’s rules, but after reading this book, I know that they were light years ahead of today’s parents, and I am proud to follow in their footsteps!

Kids are going to be kids, and they are going to fight over boyfriends, talk and gossip viciously about one another, and they will do insane things out of jealousy. If you equip them with a camera and a phone and unsupervised access to the internet, TROUBLE of all sorts is soon to follow. This group of teens find themselves in trouble with the law for sexting…a form of child pornography if done by young adults under the age of 18. And the reason? Typical teen age jealousy, angst and immaturity.

This is a disturbing scenario to me, and yet I know it is a modern problem that parents and teens face because of technology. As parents we must be VERY VIGILANT to guard our teens from this form of “entertainment”. This is a SCARY time in which to raise teenagers!! Great day in the morning!!

About the Author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.

My copy of this book was provided by Revell Publishing in exchange for my review.

The Grandfathers - An Ethnographic Film - REVIEWED

About the Film:
A young man, deep in the Amazon jungle, searches for his identity while living with the primitive tribe that murdered his grandfather. The Grandfathers is a motion-graphics documentary by writer/director Jim Hanon and producer Mart Green. It completes the inspiring trilogy that began with Beyond the Gates of Splendor and was followed by End of the Spear. Jesse Saint struggles to find his place in a world dominated by the memory of a famous grandfather he never knew and a heroic father he cannot understand. Years spent among the Waodani and his friendship with the three men who took part in his grandfather’s murder teach him the healing power of dignity, respect and forgiveness. In the heart of the jungle, Jesse must confront his family’s past as he determines his own future. This documentary is a moving tribute to a young man’s quest for significance and purpose – and his remarkable impact on the three tribal elders who, unwittingly, are on a quest of their own.

My Thoughts:

You will never doubt the power of God's Word the the excitement of seeing lives transformed by Jesus' blood after veiwing The Grandfathers! This carries the story from The End of the Spear to yet another generation, and God is still working through the life of Jesse Saint - Nate Saint's grandson - to spread the gospel and change lives. Can you imagine spending time in the Amazon jungle with the people who murdered your family memebers? Well, Jesse Saint did just that, and the result was a transformation that only God could orchestrate. You don't want to miss this next installment of the documentary recording God's powerful work through the lives of the Saint family! I think God will use this film to transform other lives and encourage others into service for Him!!

Praise GOD!!

Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon - REVIEWED

About the Book: (from the publisher)

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide.


As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger.


Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment launches a thrilling series featuring three siblings bound by blood and a passion for justice.


My Thoughts:
When you see Irene Hannon's name on the cover of a novel - prepare yourself to be hugely entertained!! I enjoyed her Heroes of Quantico series a great deal, and I think Guardians of Justice is going to be even greater! Hannon has created the exact blend of suspense and romance in Fatal Judgment. Liz Michaels is a federal judge who becomes a target of an extremist group that nurtures their hatred of the U.S. judicial system. Liz' choice profession is the reason she suffers unimaginable loss, and as she fights to survive against an escalating sense of danger, she clings to her faith and tries to share it with others.

Jake Taylor is a U.S. marshal who has just returned from serving his country in Iraq. He has barely walked in his front door when he finds himself assigned to protect a federal judge. He is flabbergasted to learn that the judge is the wife of his recently deceased best friend. As he spends time with the judge - Liz - he discovers disturbing things about his best friend as well as the underlying truth behind his shattered faith. He also finds himself growing closer to Liz as her case develops.

This is a GREAT story, and one that could be ripped from today's headlines. NOTHING is really fiction, but the story itself. That's what makes it so incredibly enthralling. You will not put it down until you reach the last page. So, pick up a copy of Fatal Judgment today....and then read Hannon's Heroes of Quantico series while you wait for the next installment of Guardians of Justice!

About the Author:
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the CBA bestsellers Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm's Way. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier award, and two Reviewer's Choice Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine. She lives in Missouri.

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell - REVIEWED

1918 Boston…the setting for a story about a group of people struggling to find their place in a new country…in a new culture…in a new era. Three girls work together as seamstresses in an upscale gown shop. All of them hold secrets within their hearts, and all of them are trying to survive in a world where women have little influence at all outside of marriage and family. The girls all share an Italian heritage, and that fact alone sets them apart as “dirty immigrants” in early Boston. There are other remnants of the Italian immigrants who have chosen to show their anger toward those who look down on them through anarchy. The end result…well, it’s kind of complicated.

Siri Mitchell must have done a TON of research to re-create the life of Italian immigrants in Boston in 1918. She creates a community of people so believable that the reader is able to feel their longing and frustration as they try to make a place for themselves in a new country. She also creates believable conflict between the “Americans” and the Italians as they begin to create relationships and move a new generation into equality and freedom not known to either of them prior to this.

Her main characters are three young girls just trying to survive from day to day. They long for love, security, a feeling of worth just like everyone, but they must face prejudice, poverty and a host of other problems as they struggle to find their place in the world. There is a type of “mafia” operating in Boston that entangles one young lady, and from which another young lady is secretly fleeing. Unknown to them all, their lives are intertwined in more ways than they can possibly realize. When those connections become know to them, then and only then are they able to accept their lives and move forward with some sense of purpose and confidence.

This is a very well-written, multi-layered story that will keep the reader firmly planted in 1918 Boston society. Further that than, you will experience life as an Italian immigrant in the milieu of a new country trying to acclimate itself to true freedom. It’s exciting, dangerous and believably human, and you will gain new appreciation for the struggles of those who have gone before us in this great country.

To learn more about this fabulous book,go to THIS POST to read a sample chapter!