Cherished by Kim Cash Tate

I received a free copy of Cherished by Kim Cash Tate from Thomas Nelson. It was a Women of Faith novel that continues with characters from the setting of St. Louis, MO. This time the story centers on Kelli London, younger sister of Cedric and Lindell who were in Tate's novel Faithful. Kelli has grown away from the Lord while living in TX. Song lyrics used to come to her in the past, and she shared a special relationship with Brian Howard. Now Brian is a Christian rapper, and while attending a songwriter's conference she came face-to-face with Brian again, and all her hurt feelings when their relationship ended come flooding back. Brian never dreamed of having a future in Christian music like Kelli did. He was interested in pursing science to the highest academic level. Yet, he feels God has called him into the ministry for a special purpose. They learn the importance of forgiveness and how to use their spiritual gifts to help others. A subplot in this novel includes the continuation of Heather Anderson's story. In Faithful, Heather had an affair with a married man from church, and she is on a downward spiral, farther away from God. While at the songwriter's conference she has a one-night stand with a drummer from a Christian rock band. Cedric's wife Cyd begins a Bible study together with Heather and Kelli to help them see that God loves and cherishes them, and has made them a new person when they committed their life to him and turned from their sin. I absolutely loved this book! I loved that it continued with characters from Kim's first novel. And it is about real modern day life! So many people can see themselves in Kim's characters, and how she shows that God cherishes each one of us and reaffirms that nothing can separate us from His love is amazing! I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone!

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller

I recently received a free copy of Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller from Thomas Nelson. The setting is in Middlefield, OH similar to her other novels that I've read. It tells the story of Adam who has been living in the English world in Michigan, who comes home when his best friend and first love Emma loses her mother. He never liked living under his father's rules or those of the Amish community. Yet after he is home, he feels at peace and tries to begin a relationship with Emma again. Emma's brother-in-law has a cousin that arrives in town and shows an interest in her that she has never experienced before. Emma has a hard time putting the past behind her, and is pushed by her sister to face the future when money becomes scarce. She is afraid of trusting Adam again, b/c she knows he won't stay there forever. I found this novel to be slow. I have read books by Kathleen Fuller before, but this one seemed to be lacking something. I would have a hard time recommending it.

Hidden Affections by Delia Parr

I recently received this free copy of Hidden Affections from Bethany House Publishers. I had never read anything by Delia Parr, but found that I liked her writing style. The setting takes place around Philadelphia in 1831. Annabelle and Harrison find themselves forced into marriage after being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Harrison is an elusive bachelor who does not want to go through the pain of loving and losing, since he has experienced this first hand in his own family. He feels that God has forsaken him and has become self-centered and cynical as well as very wealthy. On the other hand, Annabelle looks for God's blessings everyday and for ways to help the unfortunate, even though she has nothing after being cheated out of her small inheritance. As they go to live in Harrison's mansion, she makes friends with the servants and has a way about her that changes Harrison. He looks for ways to please her, yet is still determined to not love anyone because of fear of being hurt. The storyline flows smoothly and kept my interest. The characters seemed to come alive and made me wish I had lived in this time period with them. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical Christian fiction!

Spring For Susannah by Catherine Richmond

I received a free copy of this new book from Thomas Nelson. Set in the Dakota Territory after the Civil War, Susannah is to be a mail-order bride to her pastor's brother Jesse. Jesse is a strong Christian who tries to show Susannah how to have confidence in herself and trust God's perfect plan. Susannah has always been shy and has never been allowed to share her opinion with others. Their getting to know each other has some funny dialogue. She discovers that she is a survivor of the wild frontier and that God has been in charge all along, when Jesse sets off to find work and she is left to fend for herself. The book is true to the time period and I liked how Catherine Richmond tells the story of life in the wilderness and the immigrants that are there. There were some slow parts in the middle, and sometimes the scenes would jump from one place to another and I wasn't sure whose thoughts I was reading. Yet, I liked the transformation in the confidence of Susannah. If you like the historical Christian fiction from this time period, you will for sure like this one!

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

Thomas Nelson sent me a free copy of Fairer Than Morning to review. This is the first novel in The Saddler's Legacy series, based on the true story of the Hanby family who were citizens of Westerville, OH. Will Hanby is a saddle-maker's apprentice in Pittsburgh with a very evil master. He longs to be free and loved by God. When Ann and her master saddler father visit Pittsburgh, Ann sees the cruelty that Will regularly receives. Ann has been proposed to by Eli, an inspiring doctor who shares her interest in poetry. She must choose between the 2 young men, when Will escapes his master and comes searching for Ann. I read this book quickly because of the suspense between Will and his master. I enjoyed the historical accuracy of this book and learning the truth of how many endentured apprentices were treated. Some of the violent acts were hard to read b/c of the cruelty involved, even though I knew that was truly what happened in that time period. The characters deepen their personal relationship with God throughout the book and that is a plus! I look forward to reading the second book coming out in February 2012.

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

Bethany House publishers sent me this book to review. The setting is 1814 in England. Mariah has been banished from her house for inappropriate behavior and sent to live in her distant aunt's gatehouse. She begins to secretly write novels to pay the rent. Matthew is a former Navy captain that comes to lease the estate, and as he begins to see more of Mariah, he wonders why she is there. The story is about how they interact with each other. This was my first book by Julie Klassen. Although, I usually like books in this time period, this one I didn't care for. It moved too slowly, and was hard to get excited about. There was some mystery, but not enough. It reminded me of Wuthering Heights or Pride and Prejudice. The characters didn't come alive for me, nor did I see enough about their relationship with God. I probably would not recommended this book to my family and friends.

The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble

Thomas Nelson sent me The Lightkeeper's Ball to review this week. This is Book 3 in the Mercy Falls series, yet this can also be a stand-alone book. I had only read Book 1 before this, and while they do bring in the characters from the first 2 books, you don't need to read them to understand the plot. Olivia Stewart is from a wealthy NY family, and travels to California to investigate her sister Eleanor's death. Olivia's parents had prearranged a marriage for Eleanor and Harrison Bennett, and since Eleanor's death, Olivia is expected to marry Harrison. She is suspicious of anyone that had contact with her sister, and she decides to use her rarely used English title so that no one can identify her before she solves the mystery. Harrison has a passion for building airplanes and his dad believes it is a useless pursuit in 1907. His dad wants him to marry Olivia to solidify the family's financial future. When the truth is discovered at a charity masquerade ball, Olivia learns that even little white lies can hurt those she loves. I loved the mystery and suspense in this book! Plus, with the history and romance thrown in, I couldn't put the book down. This makes me want to read more of Colleen Cobles novels. I would definitely recommend the book, especially to those that love this time period.