A Legacy of Lies by Stephenia H. McGee

Description:

A Life built on a legacy - A legacy built on lies.

Sarah Sanders was always the reasonable sort, until she kissed a cowboy against her better judgment. Feeling strangely drawn to this mysterious ranch hand with a dark past, she finds herself swept up in an adventure that will force her to question everything she believes.

Jim Anderson's cowboy gig is going pretty well. Except for one thing - he thinks he's going insane. Night terrors, hallucinations, and now a girl he has no business falling for. It's better to keep his distance. But when Sarah is nearly killed, he will risk it all to save her.

When tragedy brings him back to the home he tried to escape, Jim will have to face the truth behind his strange circumstances and hope that Sarah will believe him. Digging up the answers to questions long buried, does he have the strength to face the dark family secrets that threaten to destroy them both?

About the Author: Stephania McGee

Bio:

Stephenia McGee is a woman of many projects. Besides being a wife, mother of two very active little boys, writer, author, book reviewer for InD’Tales Magazine and Fiction with Flair Christian Book Reviews, a literary agent’s assistant and artist, she is also the chairman of Spirit Horse Ministries (a youth ministry dedicated to helping foster and underprivileged children). Stephenia has always loved books and her stories can best be described as Christian fiction with flair.

Excerpt:

It was cold.

Too cold.

The eerie silence of a moonless, starless night engulfed him.

Jim shivered. It had been high noon only a few minutes ago. Had he fallen asleep? He didn't remember being tired. He shook his head and tried to focus his groggy mind. He peered around cautiously. Where was his horse?

A rustling sound in the bushes startled him. His eyes darted to investigate.

Nothing.

No, wait. There it was again. Off to the left. His eyes strained, searching for the slightest movement or shape. Something. Anything.

Silence.

He felt like a kid afraid of the dark.

Get a hold of yourself, man.

Fingers of fear teased along the back of his neck. The hairs stood on end. He shivered.

Where was that horse?

"Ciervo!" His voice sounded weak even to his own ears. He tried again. Now he was completely hoarse.

Swallowing the panic rising from the pit of his stomach, he took a cautious step forward.

He heard stirring in the woods behind him. Squirrels? He listened intently.

The noise came again. No. Definitely not a squirrel. Something was pacing in the woods. Deliberate. Stalking. Jim's mouth went dry.

Mountain lion.

His heart raced and he looked desperately around, scanning the darkness. Blackness blanketed the meadow. Jim hoped Ciervo hadn't wandered too far. He started to walk. Slowly. Calculating. He couldn't tell in what direction he moved.

His cell! He could use it as a light source. Jim's hand brushed at his hip. It wasn't there.

He frowned. It always stayed on his belt. He never left the ranch without it.

Jim's eyes strained, but he could barely make out his surroundings. The farther he walked, the darker it got. His breathing came in quick, rapid intakes.

A shrill sound broke the silence. His heart leaped.

"Ciervo?"

Where was he? Was the mountain lion after him?

Hoof beats. Thank goodness.

They were pounding quicker than his rapidly drumming heart. A shadow appeared about thirty feet in front of him.

It wasn't his beloved horse. It looked like something galloping up from Hell.

The horrid creature ran wildly toward him. The cold air caused the hot breath to billow from its nostrils like a smoking dragon.

The monster's eyes looked like no earthly thing he had ever seen. The bulging orbs had a luminescent shine that came from deep behind the pupils. In the pitch black they glowed like a ghostly beacon.

The horse-shaped beast lowered his head. The creature was preparing to slam into him.

Jim threw himself out of its path and landed sharply on his hip. His right thigh slammed into a large, extruded boulder. Fire shot down his leg. Ignoring the pain, he jumped to his feet, eyes probing the darkness for the crazed brute. The ghostly version of Ciervo had vanished.

Despite the cold, he began to sweat. Jim felt eyes boring into him. Someone or something watched him. He was exposed. Unprepared. His heart hammered in his chest. His body refused to move.

Another sound. Different. It wasn't rustling limbs or bushes, and it certainly wasn't the horse's wild hoof beats. It was quiet, like a soft whisper. Crying? No, calling out for something.

He strained to catch the garbled words. The voice grew louder. More urgent. Still he couldn't make out the woeful tone. Then, as if his brain finished translating some cryptic code, the word became clear.

"James!"

Again. Louder this time. "James... James..." The voice rose and fell in the darkness. Its eerie sound slithered into his ears.

"Hello?" His voice echoed hoarsely. He held onto a feeble hope the voice came from someone nearby lost in the dark along with him. No one here knew him by that name. He stood holding his breath, listening.

Suddenly, a freight train of frigid air knocked him backward. Terrified, he dared not to move. The voice came again.

"You must help. Soon it will be too late--"

An insidious roar erupted around him. Hot, musty breath bathed Jim's face. He struggled backward. He couldn't quite make out the figure standing over him. The silhouette was enormous. Its shoulders spanned at least four feet. An odd-shaped head swayed from side-to side.

It growled.

Paralyzed with fear, Jim lay helpless. The creature rose to stand upright. Seven. Eight feet tall. Jim gasped for air. His feet tore into the soft ground, trying to gain footing. Desperately trying to get away.

The creature came crashing toward him.

My Opinion:

I hate to say this, but getting through the book for me was a struggle. I had read the description and thought I would really like it. I hadn't read anything like it yet so it really interested me, but after reading the book I am disappointed.

I thought that this book would be out in the country where there are a ton of cowboys. I don't even think half of it was there. Another thing is I have an extremely hard time getting into books that you read a ton of different peoples perspectives, unless it is done very well. I can think of 6 peoples perspectives that I read, a couple of them weren't necessary in my opinion. It just got to confusing keeping track of everybody.

Jim and Sarah's romance was not believable for me. So many things happened in the book that I don't think would happen in real life.

One thing I did like about it was that it was well written and easy to read.

I'm sorry for my negative comments but I have to be truthful. Please don't let my opinion sway you to much in your decision to read the book or not. Just because I didn't enjoy it doesn't mean you won't either. Happy Reading:)

Rating: 2 Stars

I received this book in exchange for a review. I hope you like my honest opinion and return to my blog for more of it in the future!

Fancy Friday- Two Weeks Notice

 

 



Plot Summary:

A woman finds herself attempting to foil one office romance while debating if she should take a chance on another in this romantic comedy. Lucy Kelston (Sandra Bullock) is a top-flight attorney who has risen to the position of Chief Legal Counsel for one of New York's leading commercial real estate firms, the Wade Corporation. However, Lucy's job has one significant drawback -- George Wade (Hugh Grant), the eccentric and remarkably self-centered head of the firm. George seems entirely incapable of making a decision without Lucy's advice, whether it actually involves a legal matter or not, and while she's fond of George, being at his beck and call 24 hours a day has brought her to the end of her rope. In a moment of anger, Lucy gives her two weeks notice, and George reluctantly accepts, under one condition -- Lucy has to hire her own replacement. After extensive research, Lucy picks June Carter (Alicia Witt), a Harvard Law graduate determined to make a career for herself.

 

Rating: PG-13 for sexual comments/innuendos and partial nudity.

 

Trailer:

 

Why do I share this movie?

My family has a pretty big pick of DVD movies to watch. The problem is... I've seen them ALL so MANY times! The other day I was looking trough them because their was nothing on TV I wanted to watch, (Most things on TV aren't good anymore anyway). I probably stared at our movie collection for 5-10 minutes, but I just didn't feel like watching anything we have. SO, I decided to go upstairs to our little VHS movie stash and I found this, Two Weeks Notice. I didn't remember ever seeing it before so I decided to watch it. It was HILARIOUS! Not to mention I love Sandra Bullock and I have seen Hugh Grant in a few things too that I have liked. The ending was cute and funny. I didn't know whether to laugh or to say, "AWH!" I know many people have probably seen it for it is definitely not a new movie. It came out when I was 6, but I just thought I would share this.

My Rating: 5 Stars

Funny thing that's related to the VHS:

My little sister made me and my older sister feel old not to long ago. How? Well, she couldn't figure out how to put a VHS in the VHS player. She asked my older sister which way it went in and then asked why when she held it to the player, the player didn't suck it in.
SHE'S going on 14! She should know how one works. Gotta love her.

*A Hint of Passion* Prophet by R.J. Larson

                                      

Description:

Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she's much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne's elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young. 

Yet she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.

"This tale captured me and held me hostage to the very last page. Breathlessly waiting for the next book."--Donita K. Paul, author of "The Dragon Keeper Chronicles" and "The Chiril Chronicles"

My Opinion:

So, this book took me a little while to get through. I just wasn't in the reading mood this past week. I'm not sure if I'm back in the reading mood yet or not.

This book was good. My older sister wanted me to read it and start this thing called, A Hint of Passion, where I will read a book that I know is going to have little romance and then read and write a review for it. She told me this book was more on the comedic side than romance.

When I started it I was like, "What is she talking about?," because it definitely did not start out funny at all! It actually started out as a depressing book for me with all the death that was going on, and that spans through out the whole book. Granted though, it did end up being pretty funny with the banter between Ela and Kien, and the unexpected behavior of a certain horse.

I liked and disliked the story. I thought it was cool how R.J. Larson had things happen in the book that happened in the Bible. I definitely saw some similarities between the two. However, because she did that, in my opinion, it was definitely Preachy. I am a Christian and I like having messages in the books I read as well as having a transformation in the way the characters think/behave. However, I don't need a sermon on every page to get the point.

Overall, I liked the book but it was't my favorite and I understand that it's not for everyone. I would still recommend it to anyone, but it's your discretion.

Rating: 4 Stars

Fancy Friday- When He See's Her

                                    
As most of you know, my last review post was on The Healer's Apprentice. My favorite part of the book was at the end when Wilhelm and Rose finally got together. Their was an almost impossible obstacle standing in the way for them to overcome, and it took forever for them to do it. In the end though it was worth it because I got to see Wilhelm's emotional reaction to them FINALLY being together. When I read the end of the book it made me think of these pictures I had found on pinterest only a couple days before. They fit together PERFECTLY, so I knew I just had to do this post on
When he see's her...

I do not have a pinterest myself. I was on my sister's when I found this...

I would have posted the part of the story that I am referring to, but it's an important part to the story and I would be giving stuff away. However, if you would really like to read the part, well then, READ the book! It's really good;)



Shattered Rose ***FREE eBook June 20th ONLY***

 

DESCRIPTION:                                             When obsession and love blend, and darkness consumes the mind and spirit, is it even possible to recognize the light?

Set in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, nineteen-year-old Avery Nichols embarks on a journey of love, loss and recognition that perfection is often an illusion. She gives all she has to the one man who cannot love her back, but still refuses let her go. Now another fights to give her everything she doesn’t believe she deserves.

It is the beginning of her sophomore year at Winsor University, and Avery is determined that nothing will stop her momentum, not even the internal battle she has fought for four years. Forced to live on campus because of her alumni scholarship, Avery is thrilled when she is placed in the coveted University Apartments and is swept away by her roommate’s cousin, Jake, whose charm and charisma touches every part of her soul and shatters every piece of her heart. Broken and lost, Avery meets Parker, a man who not only offers her hope, but also teaches her to love in ways she never thought possible.

Jake is complicated and damaged, fighting to find his way after the loss of his mother, and despite his every attempt to stop it, Avery gets behind his defenses and forces him to feel once again. He doesn’t want to love her, but can’t let her go. Parker is genuine, honest, and falls for Avery the moment he sees her. He wants nothing more than to love her, if she would only let him.

 

 

 
 
AUTHOR BIO:                                                                                  T.L. Gray is a freelance writer who also serves as a pastor’s wife in Ennis, Texas. It was her desire to see young girls know and experience Christ’s unconditional love that led her to write her debut novel, Shattered Rose. She strongly believes that sometimes the greatest stories are told from the heart of those who have lived them. T.L. Gray is currently working on Shackled Lily, Book 2 in the Winsor Series which is set for release in July 2013.

Want to know more about the book?

Click HERE to see my review on Shattered Rose!

 

Who should read/not read it?

I would recommend this book to older teens/adults. Some reasons I say this are because their is: sex before marriage, underage drinking, partying, and an eating disorder in the book. It used the word "Hell" in the book as a swear word a few times which might also bother some people.

 

What other people thought!

“This is a very beautifully written story. But also a very strong emotionally charged book! This book is about conflict and struggle, making the right decisions, knowing and admitting you have a problem and when to ask to help and support. I felt like this book was taken right off a college campus. It felt very real to me. This book has it all – love and obsession, eating disorders, drinking problems, and family dysfunction. Someone else called this a romance book and I would not call it romance at all! I would call it a love story with lots of emotional conflict. It would be good for an older teen to read, maybe even an important book for them to read!”  – Wall to Wall Book Reviews

 

“This is a beautifully woven love story about a tragically broken character who becomes wonderfully redeemed by the only One who can give her what she needs, which is a sense of worth.  This book reached me in the deep places of my heart.  I loved it!”                        – Angie C.  Ennis, Texas

 

“Sometimes love can be like quicksand…the further you fall in, the harder it is to get out.   TL Gray’s debut novel, Shattered Rose, tells the story of a college girl that is intelligent and strong willed. From the moment I began reading, I couldn’t put it down.  It took me to a nostalgic place in my college years where senses are heightened and love is new.  It is beautifully written and kept me interested from beginning to end!”                                     – Sara S. New Orleans, LA

 

CLICK HERE TO GET SHATTERED ROSE FROM AMAZON TODAY FOR FREE:)

 

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Description:

Two Hearts. One Hope.

***

Rose has been appointed as a healer's apprentice at Hagenheim Castle, a rare opportunity for a woodcutter's daughter like her. While she often feels uneasy at the sight of blood, Rose is determined to prove herself capable. Failure will mean returning home to marry the aging bachelor her mother has chosen for her- a bloated, disgusting merchant who makes Rose feel ill.

When Lord Hamlin, the future duke, is injured, it is Rose who must tend to him. As she works to heal his wound, she begins to understand emotions she's never felt before and wonders if he feels the same. But falling in love is forbidden, as Lord Hamlin is betrothed to a mysterious young woman in hiding. As Rose's life spins toward confusion, she must take the first steps on a journey to discover her own destiny.

My Opinion:

This was the second book I read by Melanie Dickerson and even though I preferred the other one, The Merchant's Daughter, I still enjoyed this one very much.

It was definitely a fun read with the instant attraction between Rose and Wilhelm and them both trying to hide their feelings and failing miserably. I don't know why but I love the parts in stories when the Lady and or Maiden tends to the mans wounds. The scene can be made many different ways, it can be: Comical, awkward, cute, romantic, intense, cold...etc. In this case it was awkward, which is probably my favorite way for it to be written. I really got into the beginning of the book.

As it progressed I was a little upset. Things got to predictable. The characters internal thoughts gave away everything. I know it was supposed to add suspense, make me think of the 'What if's'. It just wasn't done the right way in my opinion.

It got better again at the end. I absolutely loved Wilhelm's reaction when him and Rose FINALLY got together. His reaction was priceless!

Overall, it was a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes retellings of princess stories/fairy tales, Medieval Times, and subtle romance all mixed in with the power of Christ.

Rating: 4 Stars

~Fancy Friday~



I have a purity ring and this is what it looks like.
Click picture to go to The Silver Ring Things website.

Love the Right Way

For my first Fancy Friday I wanted to write about loving God's way. All people want that passionate, steamy, butterflies in the tummy love. And that's fine, but that should be our final destination after the rings have been swapped and the vow's have been said. God wants us to be smart and stay away from sexual impurity, which means girls, abstinence is priority until marriage.

 

Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ (Exodus 20:14) ²⁸ But here is what I tell you. Do not even look at a woman in the wrong way. Anyone who does has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
²⁹ “If your right eye causes you to sin, poke it out and throw it away. Your eye is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
³⁰ “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Your hand is only one part of your body. It is better to lose it than for your whole body to go into hell.

1 Peter 2:11 (NASB)

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

James 1:14-17 (NIV)

¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 (NIV)

³ It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable. (This is the verse on my purity ring)

If we do it that way, then I trust that God will give us the love we so desperately desire in our future. These verses clearly state that we will be tempted with fleshly sins, but that we can all overcome them with God's help if we only let him. And one day we will be standing at the altar vowing ourselves to the one person God chose to bless us with.




Then, their is also loving God's way during marriage, which is thoroughly explained in Ephesians. Husbands- Love your wives. Wives- Respect your husbands. I believe it says that because love is the most important thing to a women, as well as all men want to be respected and they will do anything to earn it.

Ephesians 5:22-33 (NIV)

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Because in the end this is the love I want to experience. Spending a lifetime side by side with one person and having God in the middle of it all.

 









Next week won't be so serious... I just wanted my first 'Fancy Friday' to be my thoughts and opinions on Love using verses from the Bible. Now lets have some fun:) Hope for you to check in next week!

Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

Description:

They left everything

behind to build a new

Southern Utopia...

***

Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.

Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she hopes to start over again in Brazil.

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life-and love-they long for.

My Opinion:

This book had hooked from the very beginning! It was an amazing read and I enjoyed it very much!

I haven't read very many books where their is travel or a voyage through Oceans. I should really change that because I always seem to love them when I do. MaryLu Tyndall is known for her Inspirational Adventure Romance novels and it's not difficult for me to tell why. She is brilliant with the way she uses descriptions- from the way everything looks, feels, tastes, sounds, to smells. It's a wonder that she didn't live in these places herself.

I loved the way MaryLu started Blake's and Eliza's relationship and how it progressed through the book. Flawless!

The way that Blake reacted to everything was perfect in my opinion! Exactly the way I would probably react if I was in his shoes, but then he learned to forgive. Which is something I know I would have an issue with. However, he faced his obstacles bravely, even when he thought he wasn't and I learned forgiveness with him through the conversations he had with his fellow shipmates.

The only thing I had an issue with was the timeline in the beginning of the book. It was somewhat difficult to follow, and gave away something that happened in the middle of the story. I think putting something that should of been well into the story at the beginning was unnecessary to capture the readers. I would have still been hooked if it started naturally.

Rating: 4 Stars

A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

Description:

She's hoping to find her first true love. He's hoping to forget his. Will her secret come between them?

Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy has moved to Boston and is embracing the city life, with a new name and wide-open future. When she gets involved with a fast crowd at Ocean Pier- one that includes the handsome Steven O'Connor- she is pulled deeper and deeper into a world of rule breakers and mischief makers. She finds herself drawn to Steven and the whole O'Connor family. But a secret Annie is keeping has the power to destroy her best-laid plans.

Will Steven ever see her as more that a sweet country girl who needs protecting? And will he break her heart when he finds out who she really is?

With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and the emotional twists and turns Julie Lessman fans have come to expect, A Love Surrendered will ignite your senses and inspire your spirit.

My Opinion:

Way to wrap it up;) I'm very sad to have finished the O'Connor family's story. I wish their were more!

Throughout the series I could tell that Steven thought he was the 'Black Sheep' of the family, especially when  I read A Hope Undaunted. When in reality he wasn't. All the members of the O'Connor family had their flaws and they all were confronted with their struggles at sometime or another. It was great seeing Steven being confronted by his through his fathers teaching. He knew that his father had forgiven him for stuff that he had done, but he could never forgive himself until his father helped bring him to Christ.

Annie was a great character! I didn't care for the way that Steven and her met because I would of liked to have known her in other books before this one like the other characters, plus I didn't find it very realistic. But I loved how she was still connected to the family in a way. *SPOILER ALERT* (Annie's big secret)- The sister of Steven's ex-girlfriend Maggie. That really did help tie her character into the story a little more.

I liked how the people in A Love Surrendered and the rest of the series are just normal people that have normal jobs that live normal everyday lives. For example: some of them were cops, news writers, store owners, adoption workers, school attenders. None of them do anything out of the ordinary. I just really love this because it seems to bring the people down to my level. People that I could have possibly been friends with if I lived back then.

All in all, I love the heart, soul, passion, and love for God that Julie puts into her writing. She did not disappoint with this series. Nor did she disappoint with the ending of the O'Connor's story. Like she wrote on the last page of this book, "Only a new beginning..."

Yes, only a new beginning where yours and my imaginations will finish the story.

I recommend this book/series to older teens and adults because their are definitely steamy parts, alcohol, innuendoes of sex before marriage, partying...etc.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Walk Down Memory Lane: Like my reviews for the other books:)

Daughters of Boston:

• A Passion Most Pure- Review / Goodreads
• A Passion Redeemed- Review / Goodreads
• A Passion Denied- Review / Goodreads

Winds of Change:

• A Hope Undaunted- Review / Goodreads
• A Heart Revealed- Review / Goodreads
• A Love Surrendered- Goodreads

Any Requests???

Okay, so, I have been wanting to see if I can get more people to visit my blog for awhile now. The problem though is I'm not sure how to do that... I was thinking that I should do more than just reviewing books, because just doing that is getting monotonous/boring even for me and I'm pretty sure it has been for my followers as well.

So... you know how people do those things like 'Top Ten Tuesday', 'Waiting on Wednesday', 'Wordless Wednesday', etc. Well, I was thinking about doing my something like that of my own. My sister and I came up with 'Fancy Friday'.

Made this myself:)

We called it this because we wanted it to be catchy, plus go along with what my blog is about. So it makes a little bit more sense here is the reason we chose the word fancy- In Angela Hunt's book, The Emerald Isle, the hero describes the stages of love as: Like, Fancy, Love. Fancy is that time between like and love. So this is all those adorable moments in books where the couple is falling in love with each other.

Some things I could do for this are:
•Write a scene of a book that I am and/or have read in the past that I found cute/romantic and then talk about it.
• Find a romantic picture on the internet.
• Share a review/post that I found of someone else's that I liked.
• Write about a Chick-Flick.
• Show an actor/actress that I thought of when reading a book.

I would love to have input by my followers on this. Whether you think it's a good idea or not, and then maybe some ideas of your own that I could do on Fancy Fridays because I don't want to run out of things to do. PLEASE leave a comment if you have anything to say about this, and know that everything I write will still be clean if I start this up:) I hope to hear from you!

Deeanne Gist's 1893 Chicago World's Fair Chat Party

This video was live on May 22nd. The gifts/prizes that Deeanne talks about are no longer going. I wanted to show this video because she really digs deep into the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and shows a lot of very interesting pictures taken there. She also does a trivia game during this video, so if you have read the book go ahead and do the trivia game and see what you know/remember:) Have fun;)

Deeanne Gist:

After a short career in elementary education, Deeanne Gist retired to raise her four children. Over the course of the next fifteen years, she ran a home accessory and antique business, became a member of the press, wrote freelance journalism for national publications such as People, Parents, Parenting, Family Fun, Houston Chronicle and Orlando Sentinel, and acted as CFO for her husband’s small engineering firm--all from the comforts of home.

Squeezed betwixt-and-between all this, she read romance novels by the truckload and even wrote a couple of her own. While those unpublished manuscripts rested on the shelf, she founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products that would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities.

After a few short months of running her publishing company, Gist quickly discovered being a "corporate executive" was not where her gifts and talents lie. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!^® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.

Eight months later, she sold A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers. Since that debut, her very original, very fun novels have rocketed up the bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere. Add to this two consecutive Christy Awards, four RITA nominations, rave reviews, and a growing loyal fan base, and you've got one recipe for success.

This Bio came from Deeannes website at: http://www.deeannegist.com/meet_dee.php

Her Books:

Click on the picture to go to its goodreads URL.

Tempest in the White City is a short eBook and I also have a review on my blog for It Happened at the Fair. If you would like to see that click here.

Click here to visit Deeannes website.

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman

Description:

Ten years ago, Emma Malloy fled Dublin for Boston as a battered woman, escaping the husband who scarred her beautiful face. The physical and emotional wounds have faded with time, and her life is finally full of purpose and free from the pain of her past. But when she falls for her friend Charity's handsome and charming brother, Sean O'Connor, fear and shame threaten to destroy her. Could Sean and Emma ever have a future together? Or is Emma doomed to live out the rest of her life denying the only true love she's ever known?
Filled with intense passion and longing, deception and revelation, "A Heart Revealed" will hold readers in its grip until the very last page.

My Opinion:

WOW! What a GREAT read! I absolutely loved this book!

I knew I loved both Sean and Emma from the Daughters of Boston series and when I found out that their was a book just about them I had to read it. I'm SO glad I did too:)

After reading the books from the Daughters of Boston series and A Hope Undaunted from this series, Winds of Change, I knew that both Sean and Emma were going to have upseting pasts like everyone else in the O'Connor family. Emma's life was very emotional for me though. More so than anyone else from the other books. I wanted to cry for her and mourn her loses with her. Eventhough she is a fictional character I felt like I was right their next to her and she was telling me her story.

Same with Sean, he also has a heart wrenching past. Sometimes when I would learn something new about either of them I would want to throw the book across the room. I would be thinking, "Can it get ANY worse???" And sure enough, it would. But I have said it before, and I will say it again. I love books that make me emotionally respond to their writing whether good or bad. And trust me, these books make the very best and worse sides of me show.;)

If someone asked me to put all the books from the Daughters of Boston series and Winds of Change series in order of which ones I liked best I couldn't do it. I love all the books! This one would probably be high on the list though.:)

I would recommend that only older teens and adults read these books because their is adult content.

Rating: 5 Stars

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

Description:

What happens when the boy she loved to hate becomes the man she hates to love?

The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jack fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and eating out of her hand. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face-to-face with a choice. Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jack? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?

My Opinion:

This was my second time reading this book. The first time I was unaware that it was part of two series, the Daughters of Boston and the Winds of Change series. So, the first time I actually gave this book 3 stars.

When I found out that it was part of these series I decided that I would read it again in order starting with the first books, which I now have reviews for on my blog. I'm very glad that I chose to do that, it put everything in perspective for me.

Before, when I first read this book it was extremely emotional. Probably the most emotional book I had read at the time. Now, after reading the others I understand why this one was this way. I needed to know these peoples pasts and the beginning of their story.

I can't tell you how much that helped me understand A Hope Undaunted.

A Hope Undaunted is a really good book. It has a ton of romance and a whole lot of steamy moments. The characters all go through struggles and it shows how tough following Christ can be at times, but to never lose faith and to pray when you are at your weakest point.

I would recommend this book to older teens and adults because there is alcohol, very steamy parts, and innuendos of sex before marriage. I would also recommend that you read this book after reading The Daughters of Boston series, in order. These are books that you do not want to get mixed up.

RATING: 5 Stars (reading books in order does make a difference)