Now that I’m no longer in school, spring break has lost its luster. But, new books are being released all the time! So here are some ones that I plan on reading this spring:
Ok…it comes out in May, but still
And last but not least, Morgan Busse’s Son of Truth! Alas, there is no cover to present yet.
Happy Spring! Anyone on going on vacation? Can I live vicariously through you?
Ever read a book that is just plain hard to finish? I have and I have come to the conclusion that this can be a good or a bad thing.
Good thing: A good book can be hard to read because you are so invested in the characters. Perhaps that character has a huge trial up ahead or you, the reader, are aware of danger up ahead. This might make the book hard to read. But this is a good thing, because the author has managed to make you care very much for the people so that you don’t want bad things to happen. That said, you still might be turning the pages slowly in an effort to ward off danger.
Bad thing: The novel is probably really bad if you have a hard time reading it. You know it’s bad when you’re looking at the pages left and thinking I’ve only read that much? And I’m not talking about bad grammar or horrible writing. I am talking about good writing and bad storytelling where you are so uninvested in the characters that they could die on the next page and you might even be happy. These are the kinds of books I usually regret buying and do not finish. But I have discovered that with doing reviews sometimes I have to read the hard ones.
Ever come across a hard to read novel? Good or bad? If bad, do you continue to read it anyway?
I saw these new covers and had to display them! Hopefully, you’re as excited as I am about the books coming out this year!
I love Laura Frantz! Her novels are so realistic and wonderfully romantic!
Ms. Hannon can write some exciting mysteries. Looking forward to this one!
I happen to be a huge fan of Ms. Dacus’ historicals.
Ms. Miller can take the most common situations and turn them into something new and incredible.
And just think, there’s more to come! Got any you’re looking forward to more than any others?
Dawn!
You won your own Julie Lessman book!
About
Perfect? Everything seems to be going right for Cassidy Brewster—she’s the star of her high school basketball team, has a near-perfect GPA, and college recruiters are showing up at her games. But during the state tournament she injures herself, and her season appears to be over. With pressures at home and at school, Cassidy turns desperate and makes choices that only increase the number of problems in her life. As Cassidy’s carefully controlled world falls apart, a mysterious book begins to speak to her, and it might just contain the answers Cassidy has been trying to find.
Review
I so enjoyed this book! It is the third book of the Real Life series, but you don’t need to read them in order to understand what is happening. In this novel, Cassidy is the main character and she starts off with a bit of a complex and I enjoyed seeing how she changed and developed throughout the novel. I particularly liked the guy she ends up with because, having read two other novels in this series, he wasn’t what I was expecting. He was not the typical perfect teen boy that is in every teen romance. I also thought it was very realistic of the author that not all the loose ends were tied up. When the book ended, everything was not perfect, but you could begin to see a glimmer of how things would change. Personally, I love how each character of Ms. Rue’s is so unique and so different and I don’t feel like I’m reading the same person with a different name. Spiritually, I love how the “Bible” becomes personalized for Cassidy. And if you’ve read other books in this series than you really see how Ms. Rue was able to use different parts of the Bible to speak to each girl’s situation. So true to real life. This is a great YA novel! Highly Recommended!
About
Lady Celine Wexham seems the model British subject. French by birth but enjoying life in 1813 as a widowed English countess, she is in the unique position of being able to help those in need–or to spy for the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. When Rees Phillips of the British Foreign Office is sent to pose as the countess’s butler and discover where her true loyalties lie, he is confident he will uncover the truth. But the longer he is in her fashionable townhouse in London’s West End, the more his staunch loyalty to the Crown begins to waver as he falls under Lady Wexham’s spell. Will he find the proof he needs? And if she is a spy after all, will he do the right thing?
Review
As a huge fan of regency novels, I was greatly looking forward to this book because how on earth does an aristocratic woman fall in love with her butler? Well, you’ll just have to read the novel to find out! 😉 I thought that this novel was a bit slow in parts, particularly because I cherished every moment that Rees and Celine were together. Because when they were together, it was totally worth it. I really enjoyed that there was an openness to this book that was refreshing because deceptiveness in books can be a tricky issue to me. Spiritually, I like how Rees hears from God and ultimately answers to him and how his faith affects Celine’s. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next one!
Anyone who peruses the shelves of current romance novels will see that supernatural romances are really in right now. I think they have been in for a while because when I worked at a library, I saw them being constantly checked out. However, Twilight (which I have not read) catapulted them into a whole ‘nother category. Now men (and sometimes women) are werewolves, aliens, angels, vampires (a dead person who could eat you at anytime is not attractive!), etc., and it made me wonder why on earth these books are so addictive. So I read one recently about an angel falling in love with a girl, which, for the record is so un-Biblical. But, I liked it. It lured me in. So why are these novels so fascinating? Here is my thesis:
1. We long for a supernatural God. I know you’re thinking what does God have to do with it? Everything. I think God designed us to want more than the mundane in life, to want more than what we can just see. And furthermore God designed women for romance. And the combination of the two has translated into these unique storylines. In our heart of hearts, we want more.
2. They take us back to our original gender roles. The guys are generally very masculine. I think the desire for these types of romance is a push-back against society trying to make men more feminine. Ok, I have no proof of this. But honestly, the media tries to make men more like women and I think women don’t want that. These supernatural guys (I haven’t read that many, but) have a tendency to be very strong, and very sure of themselves in ways that I think human guys are being put down. Also, there’s usually a reason for the supernatural guy, some kind of war or something in which he has to protect the girl with his supernatural power and once again you have the male protecting the female, just like in the olden days.
3. It’s different. Supernatural romances allow the writer to attribute to the characters anything they want. This allows for each novel to be different…though I think after a while, regardless of their powers they are all the same. But, all these possible different combinations can make for far more interesting storylines than perhaps the usual guy or girl next door story.
So, these are some of my reasons. Do you have anymore you want to add? Any you disagree with?
Thank you for willing to be interviewed!
Thanks so much for asking 🙂
1. When writing mysteries, for you, what comes first? The villain? The mystery? Or how it’s solved?
What a great question! For me it’s usually the mystery. I have a ‘what if’ idea and then I let it roll.
2. How far in advance do you plan the subplots of the other siblings? Or do they surprise you?
When I started my Alaskan Courage series, I knew some things that I wanted to happen down the road with different characters, but they have definitely surprised me with each and every story. For example, I anticipated Piper’s story being last, but as you can see with Shattered, she was ready for her story to be told.
3. Piper has a really great personality, that I for one found refreshing. Of all the ladies in your novels, which one is your favorite?
Very tough question. I love all the ladies in my Alaskan Courage series. Piper is so sweet and fierce, I can’t help but adore her, but I probably empathize closest with Bailey Craig. As a new Christian, I really struggled with letting go of my past, just as Bailey did. Bailey will always have a special place in my heart.
4. What characteristics did you know Landon had to have in order to be a good match for Piper?
To be quite honest, I didn’t. I don’t chart out my characters or anything before I write. I daydream about them and, since I’m such a visual person, I usually have a picture of
what I envision them looking like, but then I just let the story unfold. And, of course, there are always rewrites to fine-tune the areas that need tweaking.
5. Can you tell us anything about the next novel that you’re writing?
Sure. I’m finishing up the revisions on Stranded (the third book in my Alaskan Courage series), which is due to release September 1st. Stranded is Gage and Darcy’s story.
You can check out my review here:https://remaininhislove.com/2013/01/03/dani-pettreys-shattered/
About
McKenna Ross left home eight years ago, her heart broken by the man she had loved since she was a child. Now after eight long years of praying for God to either take away her love for Jace Tremaine, or to make Jace fall in love with her, McKenna feels as if she’s being called home. Is God finally leading her home to be with Jace? Or does He have something altogether different planned for McKenna?
This is a story of faith, prayer and the belief that God’s will for us is always the path to follow.
Review
I’ve read a couple of Lisa Crane’s books now and the thing I love most about her novels is that they are just straight up romance with no complications. She’s my go to girl for comfort romance and this novel is no different. First of all, I love how she takes an old familiar concept and makes it new. In fact, (and I’m not sure if this was her point or not) I like that the novel seems to say you can’t play games with people. They move on, they don’t wait forever. Too many romance novels act like one person is the only key to your happiness. The only issue I took with this novel was Ethan. He was in it entirely too long and I couldn’t understand why. The book is a bit shorter than I would have liked, but at the end I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Spiritually, I love the idea of finding out God’s plan for your life and how, though it may be different, it’s always better. Good novel.
About
Lucy Kendall always assumed she’d help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.
St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation’s candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father’s approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?
Review
First off, I thought so much of this novel was original and really a testament to how versatile Ms. Mitchell is as a writer. I really liked the setting of the early 1900s and at the start of the novel you kind of have this old Al Capone like Chicago that I think is rarely seen in books. I just found Charlie to be really unique. I liked that his personality held attributes of youth, knowledge, cleverness, and yet naivety. He was, without a doubt, my favorite person in the book. Lucy was at moments hilarious and really just very smart. I did think the novel was a bit long towards the end as the two candy companies went at it ( I will say that I never felt like eating candy more than when reading this book, the descriptions were amazing). However, the one thing that probably made this novel less enjoyable for me was the way things wrapped up towards the end. There is one character who seemed beyond shady in this novel and who not only comes out on top in the end, but is treated as though he is owed something. And frankly, I couldn’t figure out what anybody owed him. Spiritually, there was a great theme of forgiveness and sometimes forgiveness doesn’t look right, but its still what God calls us to do. I think this probably even relates to shady guy, but while I’m a believer in forgiveness, I felt like people were being stepped on in the process. That said, the novel was a fun read and flawlessly written.
**I received this novel from netgalley. My opinion was not affected in any way.**
remaininhislove 