Pirate Of My Heart by Jamie Carie

When Lady Kendra's father dies she is left in the care of her scheming Uncle. He insists that she marry the man of his choosing or go to America to live with an Aunt and Uncle that she has never met. Choosing what she hopes is the lesser of two evils Kendra boards the Angelina to set sail for America.

Captain Dorian Colburn is not very happy about taking on a passenger. He is even less happy when he finds that his new passenger is a woman. From the moment Kendra and Dorian meet sparks fly. He is determined to never let another woman into his heart. But there is something about Kendra that touches his very soul. 

When Kendra reaches her Aunt and Uncle she is surprised to see how low they have become since settling in America. From being nobility in England to poor farmers in America, all because of her Uncle's penchant for gambling everything away.

From the moment Kendra arrives this Uncle too plots to marry her off to a scoundrel. What he doesn't count on is the interference of Dorian and his family who live close by.

Pirate Of My Heart is an exciting romance filled with romantic tension and suspense. Also, who can resist the amazing cover of the book? I would have picked it up just for that, but thanks to B&H Publishers I received my copy free. It is well worth the read!

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

The day that Emily is mortified in front of her whole church by singing a horrible rendition of "I'll Be There", is the day that Sam walks into her life.

Sam and his brother Riddle were taken away from their mother 10 years earlier by their father. Sam's last year of school was when he was in second grade. They have never lived in the same place for long because their father is a thief and when things get too hot for him he takes off.

Sam likes to visit churches. Even though he is not religious he likes to go. The morning that Emily sings he knows that it isn't good, but it is like she is singing to him. Telling him that she will be there for him. 

Sam has always been the caretaker for Riddle. When introduced to Emily's family her mother instantly sees that something is not right with Riddle. Being a nurse she is able to have him checked out and finds that he has asthma. For the first time in years Riddle is able to breathe. Being cared for for the first time in their lives the boys become attached to Emily and her family.

The boys' father finds out that they have been making friends and it is once again time for them to leave a city. But this time the voices are telling him that he would be better off without the boys. Driving them to a remote mountain wilderness sets off a string of harrowing experiences for both boys. Will they be able to survive and make it back to Emily and her family?

I was engaged in the characters. I felt the story was very believable. The problem I had with it was the insertion of irrelevant material. Such as the thoughts of a bear in the mountain. Or the wrapping up the story with little back stories of everyone that the boys had come in contact with. The book was almost 400 pages long and I thought that it drug in spots. By the time I got about 3/4 of the way through I was skimming pages just to hurry it up. For the most part though the story was good and like I said, the characters were engaging.

A Vision Of Lucy by Margaret Brownley

Lucy Fairbanks loves photography. She would love to take pictures for newspapers. There are a few problems though. The local newspaper owner does not believe that pictures will help sell his newspaper and she is a woman. Her father doesn't want her to pursue her hobby because he thinks she should get married and settle down. Marriage is the farthest thing from Lucy's mind, until a handsome stranger saves her life from bandits robbing a stage.

David Wolf has come to settle a demon from his past. Being a half-breed David has always been subject to bullying. Many years before he was terrorized by a group of boys. He has returned to Rocky Creek to find those boys, now men, and seek justice.

From the moment David and Lucy meet there is an attraction. Accidents and trouble seem to follow Lucy wherever she goes. And when she becomes nervous or flustered she can't seem to stop talking, which leads to some pretty humorous scenes!

I enjoyed A Vision Of Lucy very much. There was humor that made me laugh out loud. There was a bit of mystery surrounding David's past. And there was healing and forgiveness. I'll have to go back and read the other 2 books in the Rocky Creek Romance series.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dad's out there! Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Dad! He never left us in doubt of how much he loves us...and still does! He tells me all the time, "I love you more than life itself!" Happy Father's Day to the love of my life and the father of our daughters! He too has never left his daughters in doubt about how much he loves them. He is their most enthusiastic cheerleader!

This was in our church bulletin today and I thought it was something I would like to share here:

10 Ways To Be An All Pro Dad
*Love Your Wife
*Spend Time With Your Kids
*Be a Role Model
*Understand Your Children
*Show Affection
*Enjoy Your Children
*Eat Together As a Family
*Discipline With a Gentle Spirit
*Pray and Worship Together
*Realize You're a Father Forever

AllProDad.com

Enjoy your day honoring the father's in your life!

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

Toby is found in a dingo pen at the local zoo. He's naked and has no memory of how he got there. Shortly after he returns home a priest and Reuben show up claiming that Toby is a werewolf and for his own good needs to be locked up the next full moon.

Toby and his mother do not believe that he is a werewolf. Unfortunately reality sets in when Toby is kidnapped in order to participate in werewolf fights. When Toby attempts a daring escape with another werewolf prisoner things seem to go from bad to worse.

If it weren't for all of the language in this book I would have enjoyed it a lot more. While I do not appreciate foul language in a book I can usually overlook it. But as I have said before I do not appreciate Jesus Christ and God(being paired with d--n) being used as curse words. This book is peppered with both throughout the entire book.  If it weren't for that this would have been an exciting and fun read.

July Christian Fiction Book Club

The Christian Fiction Book Club will be hosted by Amber S. over at Seasons of Humility. The next club meeting is July 9th. If you have never participated feel free to join us. This time we are reading:

 Here's all of the information: Next Book Club Pick

Hope to see you July 9th when we will hop around blogs and read everyone's reviews and discuss the book!

CHRISTIAN OR INSPIRATIONAL?

I have often wondered what the difference is between a Christian novel and an Inspirational novel. Lately I think I have been getting the two mixed up. Or, are they interchangeable? Are they one and the same? I would love to hear what you think! Leave a comment with your opinion.

Kiloton Threat by William G. Boykin and Tom Morrisey

Blake Kershaw is a U.S. Special Forces Officer sent into Iran to help a nuclear scientist escape. This scientist has information to help the U.S. stop a nuclear attack that would most assuredly start World War III.

There were many exciting/suspenseful elements of this book and even a love interest for Blake. The story was well-written and detailed. While I do have a pretty eclectic preference in reading material, military/war books are not at the top of my reading list. But if you are a fan of Tom Clancy or any other military writer out there then this will be a book for you!

My rating is:

The River Queen by Gilbert Morris

Julienne Cuvier has only known prosperity. When her father dies the family finds that he has left them only debts. The only thing that Julienne can think to do is to get a river boat that her father purchased years ago in working order.

Dallas Bronte is a washed up river boat captain that has drowned his problems in the bottle. After saving Julienne's life he is the one that she turns to to help her get The Natchez Queen up and running. What the two of them don't count on is the sparks that fly between them.

Dallas and Julienne set out to make money by hauling loads of cotton and other cargo up and down the Mississippi River. Their dreams soon turn to being able to make the Natchez Queen a passenger boat. Unfortunately they are unable to borrow money to make the needed restorations. This is when Julienne makes a rash decision that affects not just her, but her crew, her family and Dallas.

The good news first: I loved the characters and I loved the setting of the story. The bad news is that this just does not seem like a book that was written by Gilbert Morris. Realizing that I have an ARC copy of the novel, I know this is not the final print. But it seemed to me throughout the whole book that this was the original manuscript with no editing having been done whatsoever. This novel is supposed to go out for sale on November 15, 2011. Between now and then there has GOT to be some serious editing done. The sentences were disjointed, not cohesive, seemed to be out of order. Words were left out, there were many typo's. Mr. Morris seemed to forget who his characters were as he changed Dallas' name to Dante once. He switched Julienne's name to Julie at the beginning of the book, but didn't continue with the nickname. I have read several of Gilbert Morris' books and have never noticed the sloppiness in writing that was in this novel. Here is to hoping that Mr. Morris has an EXCELLENT editor! I would have given the book 4 hearts if I hadn't of been so frustrated with the writing.

 

The Chair by James L. Rubart

Corin Roscoe is a thrill-seeker. He has been for a long time. It is almost as if he has a death-wish. He always has to push the envelope to the very edge of danger. Unfortunately this life of danger has cost him a very important relationship-his brother Shasta.

Years before Corin and Shasta tried a risky ski jump at Corin's insistence. The result was that Shasta is now paralyzed from the neck down. Shasta refuses to speak to Corin. Has refused to speak to him for the last 10 years. Corin would do anything to take back what happened to Shasta.

When Nicole shows up in Corin's antiques store and gives him a very special chair Corin doesn't know what to think. It seems that The Chair is centuries old and made by a famous carpenter. Could The Chair really have been made by Christ himself? And if so, could it really have special healing powers? It begins to look that way when first a young boy who sat in the chair is cured of his asthma, then a friend of Corin's is healed of an old football injury. And finally Corin is healed of a life-long fear of small places.

Of course when you are in possession of something this special people are going to want it. Danger starts lurking at every corner. A famous preacher has offered to buy the chair. Someone else is threatening Corin and those he loves if he doesn't hand over the chair. But Corin has need of the chair himself. Will it be able to heal his brother Shasta? Or is The Chair just what it seems? A nice old antique not capable of healing anyone.

This is a story about restoration and redemption. For that I enjoyed it. But there were other pet-peeves in the book that turned me off. One was the author's frequent use of silly metaphors. An example: "the door squealed like a pig in labor"  I found myself saying, "REALLY?" There were several of those type of sentences that just hit me as being a bit too hokey. One of my favorite sentences in the book was: "The greatest healing would never be physical, but a healing of the heart." That rang so true to me and to the story. 

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell

  

  Three young seamstresses work for Madame Fortier. Each one has a different specialty and a different background.

Julietta is the embroiderer. She comes from a loving home but is determined to shake the fetters of family and tradition and embrace the freedoms of America. 

Annamaria is the smocker. Being the eldest daughter her responsibility is to take care of her parents until their death. If she is lucky she may be able to eventually marry. 

Luciana is hired to do elaborate bead work. Her father was killed by anarchists. She and her grandmother have escaped to America, but they are still pursued by the murderer who killed her father.

Each girl struggles with the prejudices of the day, and the heart-break of forbidden love. 

A Heart Most Worthy is written in what I have read is called "Omniscient voice." I'm not exactly sure what that means. My understanding is that the author breaks into the story now and then and addresses the reader. At first it was a bit annoying, but as I became more enmeshed in the story and the girls' lives those break-ins in the story were less relevant than what was actually happening in the story. I enjoyed the book very much. I've read one other book by Siri Mitchell, Beauty Becomes Her. If you like historical fiction these books are a must read!