Slave Again

by Alana Terry

5.0 out of 5 stars Incomprehensible torment

Description

She traded in her prison uniform for shackles of a different kind. 

After escaping a North Korean prison camp, Mee-Kyong is hustled over the border and sold into the Chinese underworld. She vows to survive, but sheer determination and willpower won't save her this time. Is she fated to remain a slave forever?

Purchase at the following locations:
http://www.amazon.com/Slave-Again-Alana-Terry-ebook/dp/B00N95UOL8/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.booksamillion.com/

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgGTUAiXZeI

Warning: The book trailer contains a picture of a bloody knife. If you think this may be offensive to you, I suggest you refrain from viewing the book trailer. 

Biography

When Alana isn't writing, it's likely that she's on the floor wrestling with her kids. Or playing outside with her kids. Or chauffeuring her kids. Or trying some random science experiment with her kids. But she's probably not cooking or cleaning.

Alana is a homeschooling mother of three who loves to write, hates to cook, and enjoys reading a good book almost as much as she enjoys writing one.

Alana won the Women of Faith writing contest for "The Beloved Daughter," her debut inspirational novel. She has also won awards from Readers' Favorite, IndieFab (Finalist), The Book Club Network, and Grace Awards.

Alana is passionate about human-rights issues in North Korea and has devoted her writing to raise both awareness and funds to help North Korean refugees find freedom and safety. You can find out more about Liberty in North Korea and Alana’s rescue campaign at alanaterry.com/link.

http://www.alanaterry.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AlanaTerryWrites

My Review ~

After surviving preposterous torture in a North Korean prison camp where she was born, Mee-Kyong escapes only to be sold into the Chinese underworld. Her story is one of extreme oppression, insurmountable torment and abuse. Life as she knows it is survival through her own will and determination to live. This is a story of human trafficking and sex trade in its rawest form. This is written with a strong Christian conviction, but the realities of the abhorrent and inhumane treatment of young girls and women around the globe are not to be denied. There is no graphic sexual content, but there is some violence in this realistic portrayal of young Mee-Kyong and others like her. This story could not be told without depicting some of the violence that accompanies this topic.

Alana Terry is to be commended for her sensitivity and strong Christian convictions, composing another story of the gruesome realities of a practice that has reached mammoth proportions. The inhumanity relating to these atrocities exists around the globe. Ms. Terry describes the topic with an openness that is brutally honest and indisputable, but she is careful not to cross the line into forbidden territory in Christian writing. As in "The Beloved Daughter" the author conveys  the message regarding human trafficking in truth and honesty, sharing the inner strength and sheer willpower of a her character in a brilliant manner. I highly recommend "Slave Again." The exposure that is provided by Ms. Terry's writing is a testament to the existence of an intolerable condition.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

The Christmas Cat

by 
Melody Carlson

4.0 out of 5 stars A cozy Christmas book

Description

After years abroad, Garrison Brown returns home to Vancouver to build a new life. When his beloved grandmother passes away a few weeks before Christmas, Garrison goes to her house to sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While Garrison hopes to dispense with the task quickly, his grandmother's instructions don't allow for speed. She has left Garrison with some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends--plus a sizable monetary gift for the new owners. Garrison's job is to match the cats with the right owners without disclosing the surprise gift. Along the way, he may just meet someone who can make him stay.

Purchase at the following locations:
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
http://www.christianbook.com/
http://www.deepershopping.com/

Biography

Melody Carlson has written more than 200 books (with sales around 6.5 million) for teens, women and children. That's a lot of books, but mostly she considers herself a "storyteller." Her novels range from serious issues like schizophrenia (Finding Alice) to lighter topics like house-flipping (A Mile in My Flip-Flops) but most of the inspiration behind her fiction comes right out of real life. Her young adult novels (Diary of a Teenage Girl, TrueColors etc.) appeal to teenage girls around the world. Her annual Christmas novellas become more popular each year. She's won a number of awards (including Romantic Time's Career Achievement Award, the Rita and the Gold Medallion) and some of her books have been optioned for film/TV. Carlson has two grown sons and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and yellow Lab dog. To find out more about Melody Carlson, visit her website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/ and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/melodycarlsonauthor.

My Review ~

The Christmas Cat is a sweet and lighthearted story of a young man who is at a crossroad in his life when he learns that his grandmother has passed away. His grandmother's assignment requires him to find suitable homes for her 6 cats, with very specific and eccentric instructions regarding their placement.

The characters in this book are as varied as the cats. Obviously, the author has a knowledge of various cat breeds and their eccentricities. The setting is quaint and friendly, residents fitting a typical close-knit neighborhood with people looking out for one another. The Christmas Cat is a very light read, enjoyable as the holidays approach. Cat lovers everywhere will enjoy this likable story.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

"First Impressions"

An Amish Tale of Pride & Prejudice

by Sarah Price

Review & GIVEAWAY!

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive!

Description

Will pride and prejudice keep the Blank sisters from finding love?

With five daughters and no sons, Daed and Maem Blank are anxious to find their girls suitors who might eventually take over their family farm. When news arrives that Charles Beachey, the son of a prominent Amish farmer, will be returning from Ohio with his cousin Frederick, they are hopeful that the young men might be good matches for their daughters.

The oldest daughter, Jane, starts courting Charles, a well-mannered and very respectful young man, but her younger sister Lizzie is not interested in either courtship or Frederick. In fact, she wants nothing to do with him, finding him full of pride and disdain for her family's way of life. But in a community and culture where pride is scorned, Lizzie must learn that first impressions can be dangerous and people are not always who they seem to be. 

This Amish retelling of the popular Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice is a beautiful take on the power of love to overcome class boundaries and prejudices that will win your heart.

Purchase at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.deepershopping.com/ (Best price)

Biography

ECPA Christian Fiction Bestseller (June 2014, July 2014)

Amazon Top 100 Author for Books & eBooks ( December 2012, January 2013, February 2013, April 2013, May 2013, August 2013, September 2013)
-------------------------

The author of over 25 novels, Sarah Price brings her Anabaptist roots and over 25 years experience with the Amish to her books, many of which have been Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers (Plain Fame, Plain Change, Amish Faith, & others).

Initially, she published as an Indie author, but now publishes Realms, an imprint of Charisma House and Waterfall Press, an imprint of Brilliance Publishing. Her first book for Realms, First Impressions: An Amish Adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released in May 2014 and debuted in the ECPA Christian Fiction Top 25 Bestseller List in June 2014.

The Preiss family emigrated from Europe in 1705, settling in Pennsylvania as the area's first wave of Mennonite families. The name later changed to Price. Sarah Price has always respected and honored her ancestors through exploration and research about her family history and their religion. At nineteen, she befriended an Amish family and lived on their farm throughout the years.

Twenty-five years later, she now splits her time between her husband and children in the NYC Metro area and a home that she shares with an Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where she retreats to reflect and write. As a masterful storyteller, Sarah Price prides herself on presenting an authentic Amish experience for her readers. Many of her stories are based on actual people she has met and her own experiences living among the Amish over the years.

Visit the author's website and blog at http://www.sarahpriceauthor.com.
Like her Facebook page at http://facebook.com/fansofsarahprice.
Follow her on Twitter @SarahPriceAmish and Instagram @SarahPriceAuthor.

My Review ~

"First Impressions" is the first in The Amish Classics Series by Sarah Price. The story parallels Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice." The author has blended a compelling story of Amish tradition and values with integrity and familiarity. Based in Leola, Pennsylvania with glimpses into Holmes County, Ohio, the similarities and differences within the Amish communities are well defined and factual. The Amish culture is steeped in tradition and rich in history as detailed by the author who knows her topic well. Written with a familiarity that only living within the community can provide, the author has penned a convincing novel that is rich in detail and represents depth in her characters. 

The landscapes in both Amish communities are described in a pictorial design transporting the reader to the locale, enabling one to visualize the settings through rich and descriptive elements. Detailing is paramount in this novel, both in fact and fiction. Relationships and romance develop in a natural and believable progression while emotional events are interwoven throughout the plot. Faith and reconciliation are important aspects of this tale of overcoming pride and prejudices that stem from misunderstanding and erroneous assumptions. 

Sarah Price has developed her craft and come into her own as an author. "First Impressions" has elevated her to the novelist category in my estimation. I highly recommend "First Impressions," the first in her Amish Classics Series. I was engrossed in this story and found it very difficult to put the book aside when life interrupted my reading. Don't miss this beautifully told story of pride and prejudice!

 

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review. I also purchased a copy of this book to be used in this contest.

CONTEST GUIDELINES: Please leave a comment and your email address using [at] and [dot] to protect your email address. Giveaways are limited to residents of the continental US only, please. I am not responsible for loss or damage through the postal service. Winners have one week to claim their prizes. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I appreciate all of your comments!

Optional: For additional chances to win this giveaway, share this contest through either Twitter or Facebook, and sign up to follow my blog. Please let me know what you did for extra chances to win. Deadline for this giveaway is Monday, November 24th.

A Light in the Wilderness

by Jane Kirkpatrick

5.0 out of 5 stars A heartrending journey toward freedom

Description

Letitia holds nothing more dear than the papers that prove she is no longer a slave. They may not cause white folks to treat her like a human being, but at least they show she is free. She trusts in those words she cannot read--as she is beginning to trust in Davey Carson, an Irish immigrant cattleman who wants her to come west with him.

 
Nancy Hawkins is loathe to leave her settled life for the treacherous journey by wagon train, but she is so deeply in love with her husband that she knows she will follow him anywhere--even when the trek exacts a terrible cost.

Betsy is a Kalapuya Indian, the last remnant of a once proud tribe in the Willamette Valley in Oregon territory. She spends her time trying to impart the wisdom and ways of her people to her grandson. But she will soon have another person to care for.

Purchase at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.deepershopping.com/

Biography

Jane Kirkpatrick - As season turns to season, suspicion turns to friendship, and fear turns to courage, three spirited women will discover what it means to be truly free in a land that makes promises it cannot fulfill. This multilayered story from bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick will grip readers' hearts and minds as they travel with Letitia on the dusty and dangerous Oregon trail into the boundless American West.

If you'd like more information about me, please come visit my website at www.jkbooks.com and click on my blog. My dog also has a blog and you can find out what it's like to be Bodacious Bo, too. A monthly newsletter called Story Sparks is my way of sharing books about authors I enjoy as well as commenting on life and love. You'll find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know!

One item not listed on my lists of books is my selection included in an anthology called "Crazy Woman Creek: Women Rewrite the American West" published by Houghton Mifflin I also have a piece in Storytellers II, a book published a few years ago by Multnomah Press and a few short selections in Daily Guideposts of a few years back. My first novella, "The Courting Quilt" is part of a collection that made the New York Times bestsellers September 2011 in a collection called Log Cabin Christmas. The rest of my writing, as they say, is history. Or it was until my first contemporary came out this fall. Called Barcelona Calling, it's the story of a writer who loses her way as she seeks fulfillment thinking she'll find it with fame. It's a laugh out loud book according to reviewers. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Join Jane's followers on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/theauthorjanekirkpatrick

My Review ~

The story of Letitia Carson is a fictional characterization of a freed slave whose story is beautifully told in rich detail. Her life story is heartrending, but her strength and faith kept her moving forward through hard times and overwhelming obstacles. Her common law husband, Davey Carson, was supportive and yet not available to her in times of need. Belittled and harassed by those she traveled with from Missouri to Oregon, Letitia kept to herself and her common law husband. 

During their journey she found friendship through one other woman whose husband was a doctor. A midwife, Letitia had assisted Nancy Hawkins in childbirth, and their friendship became a strong bond as they met from time to time throughout their lengthy journey to the great northwest. Once she reached her destination she met Betsy, a Kalapuya Indian who became a great support to her, and taught her much about her surroundings.

Jane Kirkpatrick has created a spirit-moving portrayal of Letitia, and the trials she suffered because of the color of her skin. This book of realistic fiction is filled with great detailing and believable representations of a woman of color at a time in our nation's history when people of color were looked upon as property, not as human beings. It is obvious that the author has done a great deal of research in producing this compelling and undiluted narrative of the strengths of the women who held one another up through great stress and hardship. I highly recommend this powerful book! I intend to read more of Jane Kirkpatrick's writing!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Book Fun through The Book Club Network's For Readers Only program in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

Where Treetops Glisten

by Tricia Goyer,

Cara Putman

& Sarah Sundin

5.0 out of 5 stars Three Magical Christmases!

About the book: 

The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime

Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas

Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America's involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.

In Cara Putman's White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements---until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.

Abigail's brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin's I'll Be Home for Christmas,trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete's friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he's no longer the bully she once knew?

In Tricia Goyer's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, "Merry" to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the front line in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that's precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.

The Turner family believes in God's providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ's birth and His plan for a future?

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/BwVP9

About the authors: 

TRICIA GOYER is a prolific author of nearly forty books, includingChasing Mona Lisa, and a speaker and blogger. 

Website, Facebook, Twitter

CARA PUTMAN is the author of twenty books including Shadowed by Grace. She is the winner of the 2008 Carol Award for historical fiction. 

Website, Facebook, Twitter

SARAH SUNDIN is the critically-acclaimed author of the Wings of the Nightingale series, the Wings of Glory series, and the forthcoming Waves of Freedom novels.

Website, Facebook, Twitter

Landing page:

http://litfusegroup.com/author/glisten

My Review ~

Three much-loved authors have composed their fictitious renditions of a World War II Christmas, each based on one of the siblings in the Turner family. Family and faith are very strong elements in these three tales of the Turner siblings. I found each of the stories very touching, inspiring and filled with love and devotion. 

Although the writing styles of these authors vary, they have each woven a very heartwarming, romantic and inspirational story surrounding their particular character. I highly recommend this romantic, sentimental collection of Christmas stories that occur during a very difficult time in our nation's history. I will undoubtedly read this book again.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from LitFuse in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

The Snow Globe

(The Amish of Jamesport #1) 

by Laura V. Hilton
Review & GIVEAWAY!

 A poignant story of forbidden love!

Description

Victor Petersheim has left the Amish and works on a river boat on the Mississippi River, spending three months on the river then having three months off. During his off-work months he returns home to his Amish community and helps out on his grandparents’ farm. When he returns home after his most recent absence, he discovers his grossmammi has developed health problems and they’ve hired Esther Beachy to be a “mother’s helper.” Victor is unsettled by this woman living in their home, but has to accept it. Esther loves listening to Victor’s grandmother’s stories and while puttering around in a store while the grossmammi’s in the hospital, she discovers a snow globe that depicts an area where the Petersheims used to live. She buys it as a gift for the grossmammi to cheer her up during her hospitalization. Victor is touched by Esther’s gift and her care for his grossmammi, and strives to be friendlier. Will Esther’s gentle heart draw him back to the community? Or will he return to the river once again?  

Purchase at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.christianbook.com/

http://www.deepershopping.com/

Biography

Award winning author Laura V. Hilton has penned many novels, including the Amish of Seymour series, the Amish of Webster County series, and the forthcoming Amish of Jamesport series. A member of ACFW, Laura is also a professional book reviewer for the Christian market, with over a thousand book reviews published at various online review sites. A pastor’s wife, stay-at-home mom, and home school teacher, Laura and her family make their home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. Read more about Laura at http://booksbylaura.blogspot.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Laura-V-Hilton/161478847242512

My Review ~

Esther is pledged to a family-arranged, loveless future, and her destiny appears troubling. Caregiver to an elderly Amish couple, Esther discovers what truly makes a relationship happy and strong. Reuben and Anna Petersheim share a love-filled marriage that Esther dreams about and desires for her own life. The return of Viktor, the Petersheim's errant grandson could be her undoing. 

Laura V. Hilton creates real-life drama and passion in her characters that strongly connect the reader to her stories. Her research and knowledge of the Amish lifestyle is a strong point in developing creative yet believable situations that coincide with Amish customs and beliefs. In "The Snow Globe" Esther's relationship with her intended is not a love story, only an obligation. When Viktor is introduced into the story a strong attraction forms between the two, and love becomes the theme. As the main characters face opposition and insurmountable obstacles that stand in the way of a shared life, their love for one another only escalates. Prayer and strong faith are powerful attributes that run throughout this story. The first book in The Amish of Jamesport series starts this series off with an explosive relationship that will take your breath away. I became so attached to the characters in this book that I ached for them when troubles came their way. Pick up a copy of this book and enjoy a roller coaster ride of "verboten" love!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Whitaker House in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.

CONTEST GUIDELINES: Please leave a comment and your email address using [at] and [dot] to protect your email address. Giveaways are limited to residents of the continental US only, please. I am not responsible for loss or damage through the postal service. Winners have one week to claim their prizes. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I appreciate all of your comments!

Optional: For additional chances to win this giveaway, share this contest through either Twitter or Facebook, and sign up to follow my blog. Please let me know what you did for extra chances to win. Deadline for this giveaway is Monday, November 17, 2014