All is Calm, All is Bright by Colleen Coble

Colleen Coble

ISBN: 9780718037826

Publisher's Synopsis:

Return to two of Colleen Coble’s most beloved settings—Bluebird Ranch and Hope Beach—for holiday romance and mystery!

All Is Calm

It’s going to be an unexpectedly romantic Christmas at Bluebird Ranch.

Brendan Waddell has always considered Bluebird Ranch a little piece of heaven: an idyllic ranch that pairs abused children with abused horses, run by one of his Marine buddies. Now, it seems just the place to spend Christmas recovering from an on-the-job injury.
Lauren Everman first came to the ranch as a foster kid, but now knows it’s the perfect hideout. As the witness to a murder, Lauren needs somewhere to lie low. Her beauty immediately catches Brendan’s attention—but so does her secretive behavior. This Special Ops Intel man knows a woman on the run when he sees one. Can he trust her, or is she putting the ranch at risk? One thing is certain: he’s going to do everything he can to keep her safe so he can see what magic Christmas brings.

All Is Bright

A romantic Christmas wedding at Tidewater Inn gives Delilah’s unique gifts a chance to shine. 

But will her light be snuffed out before the bride and groom say “I do”?

As manager of the Tidewater Inn, Delilah Carter has been planning a spectacular Christmas wedding for her friend, Elin Summerall. But when Delilah’s car is forced off the road and into the ocean, she finally has to admit that the strange phone calls she’s been receiving lately may be more than just pranks.
Sheriff Tom Bourne has always had a soft spot for Delilah, and he’s determined to protect her. He hopes to win her heart by giving her the surprise gift of a lifetime . . . but first he has to make sure nothing happens to her before Christmas Day.
It’s the season of miracles. But will both Elin and Delilah get the ones they need this holiday season?

MrsK's Review:

As the season progresses, it is wonderful to cover up in the evenings with a quiet book that allows you to journey with the holiday season and yet not get stressed over what needs to be done. Both of these short stories provides the best break of your day. Quick engaging conversations. Life scenarios in which both women make good decisions and positive choices. Refreshing "can do" attitudes from those who care enough to lead with examples.

Both stories are woven around life-threatening mysteries. Mysteries in which you will continue to turn the page, yet quietly engaging so that you aren't anxious about where the story is leading you. 
MrsK

 

Peacefully Enjoyable

Meet the Author:

  Best-selling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Colleen's Blog

"I received this book for free from the Fiction Guild for this review."

The Time Chamber by Daria Song

Daria Song

ISBN: 9781607749615

Publisher's Synopsis:

Korean artist Daria Song’s sequel to The Time Garden takes readers on a visual journey into a magical nighttime world seen through the eyes of a fairy.

This second book in the bestselling Time coloring series features the voyage of a fairy who, when the cuckoo clock chimes midnight, enters the human world. To the tiny fairy, everything seems enormous and magical, from the curtains to the chandelier to a mystical rowboat that takes her further into an inky adventure. With her she packs her favorite items, which colorers can find throughout the book’s pages: an owl-feathered pen, a star-scented spray, a time tape measure…even the key to the time chamber itself!
Filled with the imaginative, intricately detailed illustrations Song’s readers have come to love, The Time Chamber presents a view of our world made new—and ready for coloring.
The Time Chamber features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike.

MrsK's Review:
Completely entertained by this new form of reading, I anxiously awaited this second adult coloring book to be delivered to my home.

"The red-haired fairy who lived inside the cuckoo clock was feeling restless..."

She will soon discover what the world beyond her world of clockworks "really" looks like. She discovers marvelous treasures, beautiful and mysterious nooks and crannies, and fanciful journeys beyond her intricately designed clock mechanisms. 

Beautifully designed. Artistically playful. This color book holds the promise of enjoyment, tranquility, and discovery.
Take a moment to read, to color, to relax in a dreamy moment in time, 

MrsK

"Every object in the house that caught her eye had a brilliant story of its own."

 

Beautifully crafted... Delightfully fun...

A great gift for yourself and all who love imaginative journeys.

 Read Chapter One

Meet the Artist/Author:
  DARIA SONG is an author and artist with a master’s degree in fiber arts from the Ewha Womans University Graduate School of Fine Arts. Winner of the Kyung Hyang Arts Contest, Song has exhibited at numerous galleries and museums in Korea, Singapore, Turkey, and Hong Kong. She is a lecturer at the Kaywon School of Arts and her illustrations can be found in Amore Pacific and SK Planet. She spent five years of her childhood in San Francisco before returning to Korea, and the sense of wonder and mystery that comes from living in a far-off place inspired her internationally best-selling adult coloring book, The Time Garden.

 "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

 A division of Penguin Random House LLC

5-Minute Bedtime Treasury by Precious Moments

Precious Moments

ISBN: 9780718043193

Publisher's Synopsis:

Delight your little ones with these sweet Precious Moments® characters as you share beloved Bible stories and comforting bedtime scriptures with them.
The five-minute format helps parents create a meaningful bedtime. With paraphrased stories from the International Children’s Bible®, you’ll nurture a love for God’s Word.
Take five minutes before bed to create a special connection with your precious child.

MrsK's Review:
5 minutes a day! 5 minutes to instill the beauty and joy of our Lord's love into the hearts of every little one under your charge. Beginning with our creation and ending with the revelation of God's promise for our Lord's return, this treasury is crafted as a lasting legacy for every precious child of God.

With the sweetness of  John Burt's precious moment images, every bible story is illuminated with the joy of God's promises, goodness, faithfulness, guiding light, and graciousness. Within the pages you will find a guide for bedtime routines. A family legacy page outlined as a family tree. A section to record your little one's record of growth and church ceremonies. Included are sections for recording special prayers from their prayer warriors, as well as a special prayer page for you to record their first spoken prayers. A true "treasury" of their precious life.

The organization of this treasury took me by surprise. I thought of a treasury as a collection of stories. What I discovered was a treasury of a child's legacy.

Uniquely crafted blessings to be passed from one generation to the next,
MrsK

Meant as a child's precious moment with you.
Designed as your precious moments with them.
Inspired by the precious gifts of God's faithfulness.

"I received this book for this review."

 

  

I Prayed For You by Jean Fischer

Jean Fischer

ISBN: 9780718049874

Publisher's Synopsis:

“Even before you were born, I prayed for you.”

Every day Mama Bear prays for Baby Bear—she always has and she always will. Cuddle up and share how your little one is covered in prayer and surrounded by love.

MrsK's Review:
With the sweetest illustrations by Frank Endersby, this is a delightful "huggle-snuggle" moment of love. There is no comparison for those quiet moments of love when you snuggle-up with a book for story time. With a gracious touch of God's love, you can snuggle, read and discuss, and instill the love as a prayer warrior your little one's heart. What a beautiful gift that will last an eternity within their spirit.

As Mama Bear tucks little bear in bed, she plants her loving seeds of the blessing her little one has given her. With each memory of love, she shares her prayer of gratitude to our Lord for the most precious gift of her little one. Whether it is a moment before the little one was born. Their first moment in your arms or as they take their first wobbly steps. Even those first parenting moments of a "boo-boo" or their first "no." What is joyfully passed on... is the love and joy experienced as you read this book together.

Be prepared for this book to be shared for years to come,
MrsK

  

Enduring moments of love and joy!

Perfect for every little heart... every night!

Meet the Author:
   "Be still and know that I am God."
---Psalm 46:10


In 1984, I was an agnostic experiencing a deep valley in my life. In desperation, I cried for help to a God whom I knew in name only. He lifted me out of the valley and gave me a new life, one committed to serving and honoring Him. Through my experience I learned that God can take the messy leftovers of our lives and turn them into something rich, fertile and good.
God exists, and He loves us. He is everywhere. I have found Him in the sound of a distant train, the smell of a campfire on a cool autumn night, in the tenacity of a ladybug clinging to a blade of grass on a breezy day. . . Jean Fischer

God's in the Compost Pile Blog

"I received this book for free for this review."

 

  http://tommynelson.com/category/blog/

A Respectable Actress by Dorothy Love

Dorothy Love

ISBN: 9781401687595

Publisher's Synopsis:

When India Hartley is accused of murder, she must uncover the deceptions of others to save herself.
India Hartley, a famous and beautiful actress, is now alone after her father’s death and embarks upon a tour of theaters across the South. Her first stop is Savannah’s Southern Palace. On the eve of the second night’s performance, something goes horribly wrong. Her co-star, Arthur Sterling, is shot dead on stage in front of a packed house, and India is arrested and accused of the crime.
A benefactor hires Philip Sinclair, the best—and handsomest—lawyer in Savannah to defend India. A widower, Philip is struggling to reinvent his worn-out plantation on St. Simons Island. He needs to increase his income from his law practice in order to restore Indigo Point, and hardly anything will bring him more new clients than successfully defending a famous actress on a murder charge.
Because India can’t go anywhere in town without being mobbed, Philip persuades the judge handling her case to let him take her to Indigo Point until her trial date. India is charmed by the beauty of the Georgia lowcountry and is increasingly drawn to Philip. But a locked room that appears to be a shrine to Philip’s dead wife and the unsolved disappearance of a former slave girl raise troubling questions. Piecing together clues in an abandoned boat and a burned-out chapel, India discovers a trail of dark secrets that lead back to Philip, secrets that ultimately may hold the key to her freedom. If only he will believe her.

"Gunfire exploded to the right of the stage,

a burst of sound that temporarily deafened her...

Two burly officers leapt onto the stage,

seized her by both arms,

and manhandled her into a police wagon..." 

MrsK's Review:

India Hartley is devastated, she had no clue that on December 20, 1870 her life, her career, and her safety would be threatened. As the morning dawned, India's only concern was about the "upstaging" Mr. Sterling had committed during the previous nights performance. Presently, while India had her cheek pressed against "the cold bars" she caught a glimpse of gray daylight. Would the magistrate realize that she was "not to blame" for the gun shot at the Southern Palace Theater?

"India Hartley, you are charged with the murder of Arthur Sterling

and are hereby bound over for trial at a date to be determined."

So many "if only" thoughts crashed in and out of India's mind. Why had Mr. Philbrick insisted on changing the script prior to that nights performance? How was the prop gun replaced by hers? Why was Mr. Sinclair "going to such lengths to assist a total stranger?" For now, India had to accept Mr. Sinclair's services, as well as her release into his custody. For now, India would be scurried away from the "juicy scandal." India was on her way to St. Simons, an island south of Savannah . Her destination was Indigo Point where Mr. Sinclair's family owned a war-torn plantation. The only hope that India could grasp a hold of was a type of safety net that had been flung into her possession by a Mrs. Sutton Mackay. True, she did not know who Mrs. Mackay was. She only knew that Mrs. Mackay had offered her a blessing when she needed it.

"Oh, what a man was this Philip Sinclair!

She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so sheltered."

At Indigo Point, India will find the shadowing of a murder charge briefly fading. Those days will not necessarily be carefree, and yet, India will regain hope, strength, and a re-acquaintance with an inner gift for helping others in need. There will be opportunities for disclosures, for smaller mysteries to be illuminated. Mysteries in which, once truth is revealed, all of the lives from the theater and Indigo Point will converge into one single focal point... India's trial!

 "Gazing at the blackened bricks and crooked chimney, India shivered.

She couldn't give it a name, but she could feel something dark and foreboding gathering there,

waiting in the shifting shadows."

With delightfully detailed settings, enjoyable conversations, and the hint of a blessed future... the reader is given a brief journey back in time when loyalty, a passion for your heritage, and a decisiveness of hope can bring every obstacle into submission.

"A lie is the truth in masquerade,

written in dark misfortune's book."

Who can be trusted?

MrsK

  
Enjoyable read!

Perfect for any wintry storm.   

Meet the Author:
  Born in the middle of the twentieth century, Dorothy Love is certain she arrived on Planet Earth a hundred years too late. An avid scholar of 19th century American history, she spends most of her time poking through museums, reading dusty books, and studying the journals of the Victorian-era women whose lives inspire her Southern historical novels.
She prefers a fountain pen to a computer keyboard, print books to digital downloads, and face to face conversations to 140 character tweets. Though she admits that modern technology makes it easier to stay in touch with her readers, whenever possible she avoids automated phone systems, online banking, and booking her own airline tickets. When she’s not busy researching or writing books or avoiding technology, she enjoys teaching at writers conferences. She is a former associate writer in residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL. She has taught at dozens of  writers conferences nationwide including the Florida First Coast Writers Conference, the Columbus Ohio Writers Conference, the South Carolina Writers Workshop, and the graduate program at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA,  and was a featured author on the Writer to Writer series for Florida Public Television.

"I received this book for free from the Fiction Guild for this review."