Review of Ruthie Lewis'-Fireflies

   Book and synopsis from Barnes and Noble

Overview

I'm so different now, so different from the naïve high school senior full of heart and dreams. Like a firefly whose very being lights up a summer night like a Fourth of July sparkler, my soul's light was at its brightest.

Tammy and Charla have been friends since childhood, but lost touch when life took them separate directions. In their time apart, both women have found themselves in situations far beyond their control.

Tammy Trovich had been full of dreams, but had sacrificed and forgotten them all. Truth collides with her head-on when she realizes she's been caught like a firefly in a proverbial jar, living a life of have-to and supposed-to, when all the while, freedom was only inches away.

Despite many obstacles, Charla Calibrisi thinks she's living her dream as a news anchor, but when her husband's aggressive behavior mirrors her dark past, will she allow the truth she has buried to be excavated, or will she be buried with it?

Trapped in a jar with their lights dimming, both women wrestle with their devotion to the sanctity of marriage. To what limit will Tammy and Charla let their lives grow fainter before their light is extinguished...unable to emanate even the faintest glow?

Fireflies is Ruthie Lewis's debut novel, a glimpse into the twisted lives of marriage, what it means to be a woman, the lies they believe, and the choices they make.

My Review:

This was a profound story.  It is the story of two friends who lost touch for a while, but then reconnect.  It is the story of their marriages.  One in a physically abusive marriage, the other in a mentally abusive marriage.

Charla Calibrisi is a successful journalist, but her husband abuses her.  When she finds out that she is pregnant she decides it is time to leave him.  Her good friend Tammy Trovich is there with her every step of the way.  Tammy is in a rocky relationship herself.  She is a stay at home wife and mom and her husband uses that against her a lot, demeaning her that she doesn't contribute financially to the marriage.   Both women go through miraculous changes and find themselves stronger for what they have been through.

If you are in an abusive relationship, mentally of physically, I hightly recommend this book.  Even if you aren't in a relationship like that, I still recommend this book.  It was wonderful.  Good job Ruthie.

I was given a copy of this book by the author for my honest review.

Review of Joseph Pittman A Christmas Hope

  Picture and Synopsis from Netgalley.com

One final Christmas wish could change their lives forever…
Nora Connors Rainer has returned to her hometown, Linden Corners, to tend to her elderly but spunky pie-baking mother—and to nurse a broken heart. To keep busy, Nora opens “A Doll’s Attic,” a consignment shop where locals can unload their unwanted heirlooms. And the upcoming holidays are bringing a host of interesting objects—and people—through her doors.
Eighty-five year old Thomas Van Diver hands Nora her first challenge: track down a rare, vintage item that holds powerful childhood memories for him—memories of his father and their last Christmas together before he went off to war and never returned.
Helping them both is Brian Duncan, whose farmhouse and windmill Thomas once called home. Together with his irrepressible young charge, Janey, Brian will uncover the mysteries of Christmas past—and create a Christmas present that just might restore their hope, and fulfill everyone’s deepest wishes… 


My Review:

This was a charming story.  I have never visited Linden Corners before, but I sure will now.  I loved this place.  I love Christmas stories so that made it even better. 

Thomas VanDiver, came to Linden Corners looking for a copy of the book The Night Before Christmas from his childhood when he lived in Linden Corners.  He askes Nora Rainer to help him look for it as she is the new owner of the store A Doll's Attic.  What insues is a remarkable journey for all of the residents of Linden's Corners.  It culminates in a Christmas festival, complete with a Christmas Eve wedding. 

I highly recommend this book.  And I will definitly read the other books in the Linden Corners series.

I got my review copy from Netgalley.com.

About the author (from Netgalley.com)

JOSEPH PITTMAN grew up in Upstate New York. A graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he went on to get his Bachelor of Science at SUNY Brockport, where he majored in communication and journalism. While attending Brockport, he was an editor for "The Stylus," the school newspaper, and wrote a weekly book review column.

Upon graduation, he returned to New York City, where he began his publishing and writing career. He has been an editor at Bantam Books and NAL, and is currently Editorial Director of the new Vantage Point imprint. His novels include TILTING AT WINDMILLS, WHEN THE WORLD WAS SMALL, LEGEND'S END, A CHRISTMAS WISH and A CHRISTMAS HOPE. His crime novels featuring Todd Gleason are LONDON FROG and CALIFORNIA SCHEMING.

Author website

Review of Kim Cash Tate's Hope Springs

   Pictures and Synopsis from BookSneeze

Book Resources

Hope Springs

By Kim Tate
Published by Thomas Nelson

 

Book Description

In a small Southern community where everyone is holding tight to something, the biggest challenge may be learning to let go.
Hope Springs, North Carolina, is the epitome of small town life—a place filled with quiet streets where families have been friends for generations, a place where there’s not a lot of change. Until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season.
Janelle Evans hasn’t gone back to Hope Springs for family reunions since losing her husband. But when she arrives for Christmas and learns that her grandmother is gravely ill, she decides to extend the stay. It isn’t long before she runs into her first love, and feelings that have been dormant for more than a decade are reawakened. And when Janelle proposes a Bible study a the local diner--and invites both African American and Caucasian women she has met--the group quickly forms a spiritual bond . . . and inadvertently adds to underlying tension in the community.
Becca Anderson is finally on the trajectory she’s longed for. Having been in the ministry trenches for years, she’s been recruited as the newest speaker of a large Christian women’s conference. But her husband feels called to become the pastor of his late father’s church in Hope Springs. Will small town living affect her big ministry dreams?
And Stephanie London has the ideal life—married to a doctor in St. Louis with absolutely nothing she has to do. When her cousin Janelle volunteers to stay in Hope Springs and care for their grandmother, she feels strangely compelled to do the same. It’s a decision that will forever change her.
As these women come together, facing disappointments both public and private, they soon recognize that healing is needed in their hearts, their families, and their churches that have long been divided along racial lines. God's plan for them in Hope Springs—and for Hope Springs itself—is bigger than they ever imagined.

My Review:

I enjoyed this book, it was a little hard to keep all the characters straight at first, because this is a story of a large family and their close neighbors.  It starts out right before Christmas and some of the family are going to Hope Springs to Grandma Geri's for Christmas.  The neighbor, who was a pastor, Jim, passed away so there is also his funeral.   His son, Todd, comes for the funeral and his wife, Becca, is supposed to come, but she just became a part of a huge women's ministry conference. 
Some of the family members were having struggles, like Stephanie, GOD was telling her to be a servant and she didn't want to.  Then there's Janelle, she lost her husband, and decided to help when a family emergency arose.  Stephanie also decided that that situation would be her "boot camp" to becoming a servant.
Todd and Becca have a big decision to make about Todd's ministry career, and then Becca has to overcome hurdle in hers.  Janelle meets an old friend, Kory, who is going through a divorce and thinks she can finally move on with her life, but there is an unexpected turn to this as well.
Then there is Grandma Geri, she finds out a life changing diagnosis and also reveals a family secret that not only involves her family but that of the neighbor's also.
The families also have to overcome some issues with the two churches, one that has been going on for generations.
I highly recommend this charming book.  It has a lot of characters, so it is hard to decide which is the best.  But it is a great read.

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Review of Peggy Webb's Elivs and the Blue Christmas Corpse

     Picture from Netgalley.com

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Someone's ringing slay bells and Callie, her bodacious Cousin Lovie, and the basset hound who believes he's the King reincarnated must go on the hunt for a killer who's anything but jolly. It may be Christmas in Tupelo, but there's precious little peace in the valley for the Valentine gang. Callie Valentine Jones' not-quite-ex Jack is trussed up like a holiday turkey, recovering from a shattered leg. Cousin Lovie's on the rebound, looking for love in all the wrong stockings. And Elvis the basset hound is out for revenge on the Lhasa Apso who's been singing "Merry Christmas, Baby" to his sweet French poodle behind his tail. Everyone finally gets into the spirit when Uncle Charlie is pressed into service as Santa at a weekend charity event in the mall. But Yuletide cheer turns to Yuletide fear after a killer tries to zap Charlie back to the North Pole marked "Return to Sender"--and sends Rudolph to the big reindeer pen in the sky. Determined to find out who's decking the mall with Christmas corpses, Elvis and the Valentines fill up their sleigh with suspects. Could it be the cookie lady who puts more than sugar into her Christmas goodies? The deranged vet who vows to barbecue Santa? Or the former beauty queen who's been stalking Charlie in her spare time? Can the Valentine gang unmask this devil in disguise in time to turn their "Blue Christmas" all Christmas-y and white?

My Review:

This was a great book.  It had a lot of humor in it.  This is the first book I've read in this series and I think I should have read the others first, but I still enjoyed it.  The Southern Cousins are a fomidable duo.  Callie and Lovie are hiliarious, especially Lovie.  Not to mention the rest of the Valentine clan, this is where I think is would have been good to have read the first book in this series.  I may have been able to figure out who was who better, but I think I got it pretty much figured out.  They are a close knit family, and group of friends, who all help out when they are needed.  Then there is Elvis, he is Callie's Basset Hound who thinks he is the real Elvis, but he knows who the Santa Killer is before anyone, if they would just let him prove it.  I like how he narrates some of the story, he has some great insights.  This may have been the first book I've read in this series, but it won't be the last.  I highly recommend this book, it is a charming, cozy mystery, with charming and hiliarious characters that I can't wait to visit again.   I got my review copy for Netgalley.

Blog stop for A Stop in the Park

Novel Description:

 

Michael Stolis, a DC attorney, is frustrated by twelve hour work days, tightly scheduled weekends and his family's chaotic habits. He explodes over minor irritations like being stuck in traffic, and his tantrums need to stop. His disillusioned wife, Jamie, is sick of his anger outbursts, and wants him out of her life. Michael longs to reignite the passionate love they once felt for each other. Jamie prefers to spend her time fostering illicit Internet relationships. Michael had simply followed his Greek father's instructions for a successful life, but something went terribly wrong. A lucrative career, a Georgetown brownstone and a BMW coupe didn't deliver happiness as promised.

When his family is about to implode, Michael finds hope through Rufus, an astute retired bus driver he meets over a game of blitz chess in Dupont Circle. Michael is intrigued by Rufus's prescription for fulfillment, but is it too late to change a life, chase a dream, revive a marriage? Michael must decide how much he is prepared to lose if he embarks on a quest so very different from the world he created. Touching, romantic, and deeply provocative, A Stop in the Park, follows the story of a man and a woman who yearn to escape the trap of the modern American dream.

My Review:

This novel  absolutley mesmerized me.  This was so well written, it just flowed.  Peggy Strack did and excellent job on this book and I highly recommend it.  I especially recommend it if you are in a rocky relationship like Michael and Jamie.  Michael meets Rufus in Dupont Circle and by meeting Rufus, he changes his life and in the process Jamie changes hers as well.  They end up following their dreams, even though it may be rough, but they know that they will be happier. 
 This is a novel that once you start reading it, you can't put it down.  The only bad thing about it is, I want to know more.  I want to hear more of Michael and Jamie's story as well as more about Rufus.  I think Peggy could make a series out of this very easily.  She even introduced some characters at the end that I would like to get to know better.  Peggy did so well writing this, that I feel I know Michael and Jamie personally and I can honestly tell you, I rooted really hard for them to find their way.  Thank you, Peggy Strak for writing such a wonderful story.  I loved it.

Peggy Strack writes popular fiction about challenges people face in the fast-paced and daunting contemporary world. She is excited to launch her debut novel, A Stop in the Park, the story of Michael and Jaime Stolis, a disillusioned married couple who yearn to escape the trap of the modern American dream. Peggy hosts the award winning blog, "Kick Back Moments," for the Saratogian Newspaper. She studied fiction at Skidmore College, The New York State Writers Institute and East Line Books and Literary Center. She is a speech-language pathologist living in Saratoga Springs, NY with her husband, Keith. Peggy has two adults sons enjoys an active lifestyle that includes hiking, kayaking, and skiing.

Places to buy the book: Amazon.com and through bookstores (more to come)

Website: www.peggystrack.com

E-mail: pstrack8@gmail.com

Blog: http://pstrack.blogspot.com

Excerpt:

 

In this scene a confused Jamie Stolis contemplates whether she should flee from her volatile yet secure marriage:

 

Jamie traipsed into the kitchen and poured coffee into a blue stoneware mug that she bought at a pottery shop when she and Michael went hiking in Wyoming. She circled the rim with her finger. They took that trip eight years ago. She couldn’t help but smile as she recalled how Michael imitated an agitated bison they had seen in Yellowstone Park. Thank God they were in the car, because the open mockery could have provoked the beast to charge if they were with it on the prairie. She furrowed her eyebrows. What had happened to her husband’s silly side?

            Jamie sipped her coffee and swayed. The air felt light. She picked up the salt shaker and sprinkled tiny white crystals onto the counter. No one screamed, “Why’d you do that?” She could leave the salt there for three days, and no one would care. Jamie smiled and spun around. This must be how a duck feels when a snapping turtle leaves the pond. She sat on a stool at the island and clasped the oversized mug. The warmth from the coffee seeped into her

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Joanne Bischof's Be Still My Soul

picture and synopsis from Amazon.com


Synopsis:

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns.

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate.

Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob.

Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts?

Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

 

 

My Review:

 

I really enjoyed this book, once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down.  Gideon and Lonnie have a truely heartbreaking story.  They have to marry in a "shotgun" style and they really don't know each other.  They leave their home in search of a better life and run into a couple who takes them in.  Gideon doesn't want to stay with this couple, but as time goes on he sees it is for the best.  Sometimes Gideon doesn't make the best decisions and one bad decision causes him to lose everything that he has come to hold dear.  But he seeks GOD and figures out what is really important to him.  In the end he ends up with his family and a little more.

 

Joanne Bischof did a really good job with this story.  It is truely heartwarming.  It tells of how life really was in the Blue Ridge mountains.  Good job!

 

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books, via Edelwiess, for my honest review.

Author Bio from her website:

About Joanne

Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home schooled children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life.

 Where to buy this book:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Christian Book Distributors

Author's website:
Joanne Bishof.com
 

Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof (Chapter 1 Excerpt)