Book Recommendation - Messy to Meaningful: My Purse Runneth Over

Do you ever feel like you're carrying too much? Not just in your purse, but also in life. If so, have I got a book for you! This book, written by 3 hilarious but spiritually adept ladies, uses each chapter to compare some item from your purse to a life lesson. While most of this is not actually "new" information if you've been in a relationship with Jesus for any period of time, they're great reminders that pack a solid punch and bring us back to the basics. 

Here's a blurb about the book:

Got Baggage?

Ever find yourself lugging around messy spiritual baggage like so much purse clutter?
Sometimes that baggage runneth over and shows up in:

That utterly overwhelmed feeling

Anxiousness and stress

Anger, fear, discontentment

Feelings of failure and a lack of peace

Let's stop holding on to what we don't need, and start fighting for what we do. Learn to walk out your faith life less weighed down. Lighter, FREER than ever!

Not only free, but our powerful God wants you to live in a gracious overflow--

A LIFE OF PURPOSE RUNNING OVER WITH GLORIOUS MEANING

This book is currently available, so check it out at your favorite book retailers! For more information, check out the following sites:

Monica Schmelter's website: https://monicaschmelter.com/

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3826726063?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Book recommendation - The Curator's Daughter

 

When it comes to heart-rending dual timeline tales that include WWII as one timeline, Melanie Dobson is a go-to author. This book was another great example of her writing skills! The historical timeline for this book takes place in Nuremberg Germany, which gave it a unique perspective as it also included the trials after the war, which is something you don't often read about. The modern timeline included cult information on current Aryan Nation groups in the US. This is also something you don't often hear about as other forms of racism are more "prominent" in the news, but it's something that is still relevant. This book was eye-opening for many reasons and still an enjoyable read. Filled with mystery, great characters, and a wonderful redemption story-line, this is one I'd strongly recommend.

Here's a little bit about the book:

A young girl, kidnapped on the eve of World War II, changes the lives of a German archaeologist forced into the Nazi Party and―decades later―a researcher trying to overcome her own trauma.

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Hanna Tillich cherishes her work as an archaeologist for the Third Reich, searching for the Holy Grail and other artifacts to bolster evidence of a master Aryan race. But when she is reassigned to work as a museum curator in Nuremberg, then forced to marry an SS officer and adopt a young girl, Hanna begins to see behind the Nazi facade. A prayer labyrinth becomes a storehouse for Hanna’s secrets, but as she comes to love Lilly as her own daughter, she fears that what she’s hiding―and what she begins to uncover―could put them both in mortal danger.

Eighty years later, Ember Ellis is a Holocaust researcher intent on confronting hatred toward the Jewish people and other minorities. She reconnects with a former teacher on Martha’s Vineyard after she learns that Mrs. Kiehl’s mother once worked with the Nazi Ahnenerbe. And yet, Mrs. Kiehl describes her mother as “a friend to the Jewish people.” Wondering how both could be true, Ember helps Mrs. Kiehl regain her fractured childhood memories of World War II while at the same time confronting the heartache of her own secret past―and the person who wants to silence Ember forever.

This book releases on March 9. 2021. For more information, check out the following links:

Melanie Dobson's website: https://melaniedobson.com/ 

Melanie Dobson's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MelanieDobsonFiction 

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3824238115 

Book Recommendation - The Orchard House

 If you enjoy dual timeline stories with deep and heavy topics, but that offer hope, Heidi Chiavaroli is an author you would enjoy. Her past books have dealt with school shootings, abandonment, and broken marriages. Her latest novel, taking place in Concord, MA (home of Louisa May Alcott), speaks to equal rights, foster care, and domestic abuse. This novel was excellent and flowed seamlessly between the timelines, bringing hope to both sets of characters. This is women's fiction I would definitely recommend. 

Here's a little bit about the book:

2001

Abandoned by her own family, Taylor is determined not to mess up her chance at joining the home of her best friend, Victoria Bennett. But despite attending summer camp at Louis May Alcott's historic Orchard House with Victoria and sharing dreams of becoming famous authors, Taylor struggles to fit in. As she enters college and begins dating, it feels like Taylor is finally finding her place and some stability...until Victoria's betrayal changes everything.

 

1865

While Louisa May Alcott is off traveling the world, Johanna Suhre accepts a job tending Louisa's aging parents and their home in Concord. Soon after arriving at Orchard House, Johanna meets Nathan Bancroft and, ignoring Louisa's words of caution, falls in love and accepts Nathan's proposal. But before long, Johanna experiences her husband's dark side, and she can't hide the bruises that appear.

 

2019

After receiving news of Lorraine Bennett's cancer diagnosis, Taylor knows she must return home to see her adoptive mother again. Now a successful author, Taylor is determined to spend little time in Concord. Yet she becomes drawn into the story of a woman who lived there centuries before. And through her story, Taylor may just find forgiveness and a place to belong.

This book comes out February 9, 2021 and is available now for pre-order wherever you buy books! Check out the links below for additional information:

Heidi Chiavaroli's website: http://www.heidichiavaroli.com/ 

Heidi Chiavaroli's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiChiavaroli.Author 

My full 5-star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3805682184 

Book Recommendation - Network of Deceit

 

A newer voice in clean/Christian suspense is Tom Threadgill. His upcoming release, Network of Deceit, is the second book in the Amara Alvarez series. You don't need to read Collision of Lies (book 1) first, but the case from that book is alluded to in this one. This book is an excellent continuation of the series. It sucked me in from the very beginning and didn't let go at all! This was a thoroughly enjoyable ride that I finished in under a day (and a workday at that)! 

Here's the blurb from the back cover of the book:

After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she’s worked for: a transfer to San Antonio’s Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.

As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she’s forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.

As I was preparing to make this blog post, the author posted an interview with Southern Writers, which included several of the same questions I would have asked. With his permission, I'm sharing some of those here:

Where did you get the idea for your new book, Network of Deceit?

I’ve had the setting of the crime in my mind for years. While on a road trip with my wife, we drove past an abandoned water park in the middle of winter. Her first thought was how spooky it looked. Mine was what a great place that would be to hide bodies. I suppose that’s the difference between fiction writers and normal folks? The rest of the plot came together as I wrote. The main character, Amara, must figure out what happened to a teenage boy and why, if he was murdered, anyone would choose to commit the crime in the middle of a sweltering hot day at a crowded location like a water park. Along the way, things get worse when her personal electronic devices are used against her. That plays into my belief that none of us truly understand the privacy we’ve given away to companies who profit from that information.


What was the easiest and most difficult part writing your new book?

The easiest part is writing the first chapter. I almost always have a good idea of how I want the opening to go and what the hook will be. That doesn’t mean there’s not a slew of revisions that take place after that, but I’ll tweak the writing until it’s where I want it. That first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the story and starts asking questions that the main character – and the reader – have to answer. The most difficult part of the story is turning it over to the editor/publisher. Not because I don’t think it’s ready, but because it’s the first time the book will be seen by others. Every writer knows the feeling of letting their baby out into the world for the first time. The trepidation, fear, hope, and relief of finally being done.

What do you love most about reading suspense novels and writing them yourself?

For me, it’s all about the surprises. When a character does something unexpected but remains true to themselves. Nothing worse than when the story doesn’t feel real, like the detective who continually makes stupid decisions or the huge coincidence that saves the day. I’ll usually quit reading when that happens since I’m pulled out of the imaginary world.

Did anything surprise you as you were writing this story?

I’m always surprised when I write a novel. Usually it’s by something a character does that I didn’t see coming. That’s one reason I don’t plot. It allows me to have more of a flow to the story and let the characters tell me what they’re going to do. Yeah, I know that might sound odd, but it’s what happens. Kudos to those writers who can plot out their story from start to finish, but I’m not one of them.

  

What do you hope readers will gain from Network of Deceit?

Mostly, an escape from reality for a little while. I write to entertain. Nothing makes me happier than getting an email from a reader telling me they couldn’t put down my story.

This book releases February 2, 2021. Be sure to grab a copy from your favorite book retailer! Here are some links with some additional information:

Tom Threadgill's website: https://tomthreadgill.com/Tom/ 

Tom Threadgill's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TomThreadgill.author

The Southern Writers blog post from which I pulled my Q&A:  https://southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com/2021/01/effects-on-writing-during-pandemic.html?fbclid=IwAR3hkXLLInSVyqFGRjbmu8U_kIYoEvwSEoLnqWDyxKt4iuev9HQ1nErg0mw

My full 5-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3438786494 

Book Recommendation - Shadows of the White City

 Jocelyn Green is well known in the Christian historical fiction field as one who writes intriguing stories with wonderful characters and fascinating places in history. This one took place during the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. I learned a great deal about the time period, the World's fair in general and enjoyed a great story with well-rounded, likable and relatable characters, a subtle romance and a strong thread of family and belonging. In preparing for this book, I've also enjoyed the youtube videos the author has included on her Facebook page (link below) showing pictures of the set-up at the World's Fair in 1893 and giving "virtual tours" of the fairgrounds so to speak. That really helped me to visualize and has made me interested in knowing more about the Fair and that timeframe. 

Here's a bit about the book:

The one thing Sylvie Townsend wants most is what she feared she was destined never to have--a family of her own. But taking in Polish immigrant Rose Dabrowski to raise and love quells those fears--until seventeen-year-old Rose goes missing at the World's Fair, and Sylvie's world unravels.

Brushed off by the authorities, Sylvie turns to her boarder, Kristof Bartok, for help. He is Rose's violin instructor and the concertmaster for the Columbian Exposition Orchestra, and his language skills are vital to helping Sylvie navigate the immigrant communities where their search leads.

From the glittering architecture of the fair to the dark houses of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods, they're taken on a search that points to Rose's long-lost family. Is Sylvie willing to let the girl go? And as Kristof and Sylvie grow closer, can she reconcile her craving for control with her yearning to belong? 

This book releases on February 2, 2021. For more information, check out the following links:

Jocelyn Green's website: https://www.jocelyngreen.com/ 

Jocelyn Green's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jocelyngreenauthor

My full 5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3396887688

Book recommendation - Dreams of Savannah

 

Roseanna M. White is one of my go-to authors for Christian historical fiction. Her latest novel, Dreams of Savannah, takes place in Savannah, Georgia during the Civil War. Writing from the perspective of slave owners in a Christian fiction novel was a bold move, but it was a story that needed to be told, and as a white woman who has always lived in the north, it's a story I've not been told before. I was grateful that the author went to a fellow Christian author, who happens to be black, for a unique perspective. While there may be parts some find offensive, the author has told this tale as one true to history and with grace. I'd recommend powering through as the characters learn and grow, and change their perspective some.

Here's a blurb about the book.

Cordelia Owens can weave a dream around anything and is well used to winning the hearts of everyone in Savannah with her whimsy. Even when she receives word that her sweetheart has been lost during a raid on a Yankee vessel, she clings to hope and comes up with many a romantic tale of his eventual homecoming to reassure his mother and sister.

But Phineas Dunn finds nothing redemptive in the first horrors of war. Struggling for months to make it home alive, he returns to Savannah injured and cynical, and all too sure that he is not the hero Cordelia seems determined to make him.

As the War Between the States rages ever nearer and Savannah’s slaves start sneaking away to the islands off the coast to join the Yankees, both Phin and Cordelia get caught up in questions they never thought they’d have to ask–questions that threaten the very dreams of a future they’d cherished.

This book releases on January 5, 2021 and is available for pre-order now! Check out the links below for additional information:

Roseanna M. White's website: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/

Roseanna M. White's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite

My full 5-star review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3446443392

Book Recommendation - Joy to the World

 If you're looking for a Regency romance collection for the holidays, this is a good one! Three lovely novellas in one place, based in lyrics of the well-known Christmas hymn by the same name. Here's a little bit about this collection:

In Joy to the World, three popular romance authors come together to offer a heartwarming collection of holiday Regency romance. Based on lines from a beloved Christmas carol, these three novellas have depth, faith, and satisfying stories all packed into the perfect length for readers to curl up and take a brief break from their holiday busyness.

"Heaven and Nature Sing" by Carolyn Miller
Two music lovers, deeply devoted to each other, were on the brink of engagement when family circumstances drove them apart. How can they ever overcome both their obligations and their fears to find their way back into each other's arms?

"Far as the Curse Is Found" by Amanda Barratt
One winter night, a woman struggling to provide for her illegitimate child encounters a scarred veteran of the Napoleonic Wars on the streets of London. Can love conquer the darkness of two broken pasts?

"Wonders of His Love" by Erica Vetsch
A Scots portrait painter finds work at a noble manor house over the holidays. He never imagined he'd fall in love with the emotionally frozen widow there. Now he wants nothing more than to thaw her heart.

Here is my full 4-star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3653500188