Mary Connealy has done it again with Gingham Mountain. She has introduced us to new characters that are just as captivating as those in her first two books in the Lassoed in Texas series. The story involves the reader immediately with fast paced adventure, humor and romance.
The orphan train brings Grant more that just two more orphans to adopt into his already large “family”. It brings Hannah who is determined to keep the orphans from a life of hard labor she assumes Grant is forcing on them.
One of my favorite parts was when Grant realizes that everything he and Hannah and all the children have endured in their difficult lives has prepared them for each other at that exact moment and he thanked God for all of it, even the hardships.

I would highly recommend this book for fun, light and enjoyable reading. By the way, my husband read all three books in the series too and liked them as much as I did.  ~ Sally  (Vicki’s mom)

About the Author ~

Mary’s writing journey is similar to a lot of others. Boil it down to persistence, oh, go ahead and call it stubbornness. She just kept typing away. She think the reason she did it was because she was more or less a dunce around people-prone to sit silently when she really ought to speak up(or far worse, speak up when she ought to sit silently).

So, Mary had all these things, she want to say, in her head; the perfect zinger to the rude cashier, which you think of an hour after you’ve left the store, the perfect bit of wisdom when someone needs help, which doesn’t occur to you until they solve their problems themselves, the perfect guilt trip for the kids, which you don’t say because you’re not an idiot. She keep all this wit to herself, much to the relief of all who know her, and then wrote all her great ideas into books. It’s therapeutic if nothing else, and more affordable than a psychiatrist. Read the rest of this entry »

When life gets crazy, I get crazy. This week I homeschooled 6 kids instead of my usual three, after a friend had major surgery. As many of you know, I’m also preparing for the big “Plug Me In and Let Me Charge Overnight” retreat which is next weekend. As a result, I failed to post this book review for CFBA on time. My sincere apology to Colleen Coble – who probably knows all about a crazy life!   Here you go …

Cry in the Night by Colleen Coble is great book! I was hooked after reading the first chapter. It is a very short chapter, so give it a try and see if Coble pulls you in also! This story was very well written. I tried to figure out how the characters “fit” together but just when I thought I had an idea, Coble threw in another piece to the puzzle.

I also enjoyed the main character, Bree, and how she looked to the Lord for guidance and peace in her life.

I highly recommend this book.  ~Julie

About the Author ~

Author Colleen Coble’s thirty novels and novellas have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA award, the Holt Medallion, the ACFW Book of the Year, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best awards. She writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail and love begin with a happy ending.
AWARDS:
2004 More Than Magic winner for Best Inspirational Romance
Without a Trace, Thomas Nelson
2004 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year Read the rest of this entry »

Against All Odds is a a fast-moving story that just keeps picking up speed. The author’s clever use of character point of view effectively builds suspense and momentum, so be prepared: the deeper you get into the book, the harder it will be to put it down, should you happen to be interrupted by inconsiderate familial requests for meals, clean clothes, etc. This action-packed story will not only keep you on the edge of your chair, it may even trigger a curious craving for chocolate. You’ll have to read the book to find out why! ~ Lori

About the Author ~

Irene Hannon is an award-winning author who took the publishing world by storm at the tender age of 10 with a sparkling piece of fiction that received national attention.

Okay…maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But she was one of the honorees in a complete-the-story contest conducted by a national children’s magazine. And she likes to think of that as her “official” fiction-writing debut.

Since then, she has written more than 25 romance and romantic suspense novels that have sold more than 1.5 million copies. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA award from Romance Writers of America (the “Oscar” of romantic fiction), the HOLT Medallion and a Reviewer’s Choice award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine.

Irene, who holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in journalism, juggled two careers for many years until she gave up her executive corporate communications position with a Fortune 500 company to write full. She is happy to say she has no regrets! As she points out, leaving behind the rush-hour commute, corporate politics and a relentless BlackBerry that never slept was no sacrifice. Read the rest of this entry »

I really enjoyed Word Gets Around, the characters were funny! I liked it when Lauren stood up to her fears and faced them head on. The movie star in the book was kind of a jerk. I recommend this book if you want a nice relaxing type of book.  ~ Rachel

About the Author ~

Lisa Wingate lives in central Texas where she is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books. Her novel, Tending Roses, received dozens of five-star reviews, sold out ten printings for New York publisher, Penguin Putnam, and went on to become a national bestselling book. Tending Roses was a selection of the Readers Club of America, and is currently in its tenth printing.

The Tending Roses series continued with Good Hope Road, The Language of Sycamores, Drenched In Light, and A Thousand Voices. In 2003, Lisa’s Texas Hill Country series began with Texas Cooking, and continued with Lone Star Café, which was awarded a gold medal by RT BOOKCLUB magazine and was hailed by Publisher’s Weekly as “A charmingly nostalgic treat.” The series concluded with Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner.

Lisa is now working on a new set of small-town Texas novels for Bethany House Publishers. The series debuted with Talk of The Town and continued with Word Gets Around. A new series is also underway for Penguin Group NAL, beginning with A Month of Summer (July 2008), and continuing with The Summer Kitchen in July, 2009. Lisa’s works have been featured by the National Reader’s Club of America, AOL Book Picks, Doubleday Book Club, The Literary Guild, American Profiles, and have been chosen for the LORIES best Published Fiction Award. Read the rest of this entry »