Forevermore - Cathy Marie Hakes

Forevermore

By: Cathy Marie Hake

Genre:  Historical Romance

                This story is about Hope.  Hope is a young lady who travels from farm to farm looking for people that the Lord wants her to help.  She seems to be wise beyond her years and relies firmly on the Lord’s leading.  They only things she owns are her donkey (who wears a hat) and a Sunday dress.

                She ends up at the farm of a German widower (there are many unexplained German words in this book). He has a sister who is pregnant and hiding from an abusive husband; a young child who is afraid of the dark after falling down a well; and a farm hand who is in love with the sister.  Hope is sure that God wants her to save this family. 

                Hope loves to use clichés and Bible verses while working around the farm.  The problem is that she often twists them.  However, her way of twisting them usually makes more sense.  Hope is also illiterate and doesn’t seem to mind that she is twisting them.  At some point the author mentions that Hope is only 24 years old but with all her cliché quoting and odd habits I kept thinking of her as a granny type character.  I never really connected with the character.

                She encounters this family at the harvest time.  Hope steps in to help this German clan fix up meals to serve their neighbors and day laborers as they bring in the harvest.  Jacob, the German widower is worried that all this work will not be good for his pregnant sister.   Hope seems to be the equivalent of a 21^st century superwoman.  She can cook, clean, dispense wisdom, and take care of laundry chores all on very little sleep.  She spends most evenings awake talking to God.  There is never a complaint from this characters lips.  I honestly did not find her to be a believable character at all.

                Now, you can’t have a good Christian historical romance without a widower who is unwilling to give up his first love.  Jacob is kind and thoughtful to all those around him and he soon finds himself smitten with Hope.  The problem is he loves his now deceased wife too much through three-fourths of the story and then one day in the barn decides he loves Hope.

                This was a quick read and even a little funny in spots. However, I would not classify this as a book that I couldn’t put down.  However, if you are a lover of this type of story you would probably really enjoy it!

Isle Royal - John Hamilton

Isle Royale

By: John Hamilton

Genre:  Thriller

                This story is billed as a young adult fiction.  I think it is billed that way because 2 of the main characters are teens and have most of the action in the story.  There are several supporting characters and they are adults.  However, it kept my attention and I enjoyed it.  I was surprised to see it characterized on Amazon as young adult fiction.

                The book drew my attention because it is set on Isle Royal which is on the northern part of Lake Superior here in my home state of Michigan.  It started out slow and if I am honest rather dry.  There is a lot of description of the landscape and lakescape at the beginning of the book.  Once the characters were introduced things started moving along nicely.  The time period is the 1920s.  Some of the wording and slang was fun to read from that era.

                The story takes place on Isle Royal at the Wolf Point Lighthouse.  It is centered around the lighthouse keeper and his family.   The family is preparing to finally leave Isle Royal for the winter months.  However, the Lady, as Lake Superior is referred to in the story, has one more storm to throw at them.  As the lighthouse keeper prepares the lamp for the night a mysterious visitor appears at the lighthouse and gives him money in return for a favor.  The lighthouse keeper’s son sees the transaction between his father and the stranger not understanding what is happening.  He is rather indignant that his father would accept the cash.

                The stranger turns out to be a friend turned enemy from the lighthouse keepers past.  This man is a rum runner and is seeking to use the island as a meeting spot for his illegal activities.  He also has plans for the lighthouse keeper’s wife, who happens to be his long lost love.  Ian, the lighthouse keeper’s son and his friend Sally are caught in the middle.  Together, they must find a way to save the day.  They spend the better part of the book trying to thwart the bad guy.  They also encounter “ghosts” whom they believe inhabit the island.

                It was a quick read.  The author tied  up everything with a neat little bow at the end of the story.  It left me satisfied and happy with the conclusion.

 

I've Got You Under My Skin - Mary Higgins Clark

I’ve Got You Under My Skin

By:  Mary Higgins Clark

Genre:  Murder/Mystery

                LOVE THIS AUTHOR!  I also loved this book.  I think I have read all her books and have loved all of them.  She writes in a way that leaves you hanging until the last chapter.  I do not think I have ever figured out any of her books.  I am usually surprised by the ending.

                In I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Mary Higgins Clark actually writes about 2 murders while intertwining the lives  characters from each murder together.  The book opens with the murder of a 20 something doctor who is at the park with his son.  The murderer runs away while promising to come back and kill the son and mother.

                Laurie, the wife of the slain doctor, is a TV producer.  She is working on a new series that highlights old unsolved murders.  She decides to highlight the “Graduation Gala Murder”.  There are 5 suspects in this 20 year old murder but no one was ever charged.  The suspects have not seen each other since 4 months after the murder.  Are you wondering what the murder of Laurie’s husband has to do with a 20 year old murder?  I hope so!

                To tell you more would give away the story.  Mary Higgins Clark masterfully tells the tale of both murders.  Each chapter is from a different character’s point of view.

                This is a newer book so you may have to get on a waiting list for it at the library.  However, it is well worth the wait!

                Happy Reading! J

Finding Sarah - Terry Odell

Finding Sarah

By:  Terry Odell

Genre – Romantic/Mystery/Fiction

                Sarah is the proprietor of a small artsy sort of store.  Her husband died 18 months earlier.  She thinks it was an accident.  The police and insurance company say it was suicide and won't release the insurance money.  Now, 18 months later, Sarah’s shop is struggling and Sarah is hurting.  Enter her sister-law who wants her sell her shop and is bossy and demanding.  Then, there is her friend Chris.  He just wants to help Sarah by giving her money to keep the shop running.  

              Then, strange things begin to happen in the shop.  Randy, the local detective, is assigned to the case.  Randy and Sarah work together to follow the clues while also falling in love.  It seems they follow many clues but keep coming up empty handed.  All clues seem to lead to a dead end.

                Can Randy and Sarah unravel the mystery before Sarah loses the shop or is there something more sinister going on?

                This was a quick read and although I mostly had it figured out, I did not see the twist coming at the end.

                Just as a disclaimer:  This is not a Christian book and contains language and sensual scenes.

Happy Reading! J

Bridge To Haven - Francine Rivers

It has been a while since I blogged about the books that I read.  I have had several people asking me for book recommendations so I thought I would start blogging again.


My plan is to read about 20 books this summer.  I will attempt (can't promise) to blog about each one and let you know what I thought.


Here is the first one!

Bridge to Haven

By: Francine Rivers

Genre:   Christian Fiction

                I LOVE this author. There are very few of her books that I have not truly enjoyed.  This one is excellent.
                Abra, the main character, is born under a bridge in the little town of Haven.  She is left there by her mother.  Pastor Zeke, while on his daily prayer walk, finds her.  Pastor Zeke and his wife Marianne take the baby in and caller her “Abra”.  There are many wonderful people who pour into Abra’s life as she grows up.
                However, Abra’s life is not an easy one, or so she believes.  She finds herself making choices that will affect her life for many years.  As with many of us, Abra cannot get past her own pride in order to make better choices.  The story is filled with pictures and messages of God's grace and forgiveness.
                I can’t tell you more without giving away the book.  I will tell you that the ending came as a bit of surprise J  I hope that entices you to search it out and read it!

Happy Reading!!!

Heiress by Susan May Warren

I really, really like this author.  This book is a departure from her normal genre.  Her other series that I love is a modern day detective series.  Daughters of Fortune is a historical fiction series with a bit of mystery thrown in.  Heiress, the first book in the series, was a quick read but very enjoyable.  I had to resist the urge to download the next book in the series!

Here is the rundown:

It is set in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.  The Price family is a part of the ultra rich in New York City.  Mr. Price is the publisher of The Chronicle.  Mrs. Price yearns to make an advantageous match for her oldest daughter in order to save the family fortune.

Esme the oldest daughter fancies herself a writer but the culture of this time period will not allow her to write.  She desires nothing more than to turn her back on what is expected of her.  Jinx the younger daughter cannot wait to be launched into society and live in the dream world of riches.  Her father, however, will not allow her to marry or "come out" until Esme is married.

Both girls make choices to achieve their dreams only to find that perhaps it was not really what they had hoped for.  Each girl realizes by the books end that what they really wanted and worked for all their lives was empty and vain.

Susan May Warren did a fabulous job of writing a great story with some twists and turns that I did not see coming.  I highly recommend it.

Happy Reading! J

The Body Departed by J. R. Rain

This is a book about a ghost.  

Here is the premise.  James, the ghost, is killed in his sleep.  He is shot multiple times.  James watched it all from above.  He knows what his killer looks like but he doesn’t know who it is.  James is now stuck in his apartment building.  He can’t seem to “cross over”.

Then there is Pauline, a medium who lives in the apartment building.  She can hear James and sometimes even see him.  It is Pauline who helps him figure out how to cross over.  It even appears at certain spots in the story that she loves James.

Ghosts apparently lose the memories of their real life.  James is beginning to forget events and people. He is bothered by this.  Then one day he reads an article about an elderly music teacher who is murdered.  James knows this lady and the church where she was murdered. There are no clues as to who did it.  James believes that solving her murder is his key to crossing over.

The only problem is that as an earth bound spirit he can’t leave his apartment building.  This is where Pauline comes in handy.  She is able to help him get to the Catholic Church where the murder took place.

I won’t give away the rest of the story.  I will say it was a good story.  There is a part in the story where James speaks with Christ.  Christ then explains how the afterlife works.  As a Christian I had some issues with this part of the story.  It is obviously fiction and not meant to be taken as truth.

This is not a Christian book and there is some unnecessary language in parts of the book.

Did I like it?  I will say that I have read better but it wasn’t so bad that I didn’t want finish it.  So, I guess I must have liked it at least a little. 

Happy Reading! J