A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

Faith O'Connor has loved Collin McGuire since the first time she saw him. He is off limits though because he does not share Faith's belief in God. Not only does Collin not share her belief in God, but he also is dating Faith's sister Charity! When Collin and Charity become engaged Faith must learn to trust in the Lord more than she has ever done in her life in order to forget her feelings for Collin.

No woman has ever been able to hold Collin's heart. But never has a woman stirred him more than Faith. He is determined to never yield to her God. He likes the life he lives just fine, but he can not get Faith out of his mind.

When America enters World War I Collin, Mr. O'Connor and Sean all head off to war while the rest of the family goes to Ireland to be with Mrs. O'Connor's family. While in Ireland Faith takes a job at the newspaper. Sparks fly between her and her new boss Mitch Dennehy. Finally being able to put Collin out of her mind and out of her heart she hopes, Faith begins dating Mitch. When circumstances shake Faith's belief in God she heads back to America on her own determined to leave her faith behind.

Having read The Winds of Change series before I read this book I knew who Faith ended up with, but that didn't make the book less exciting and stressful to read! Both Mitch and Collin had qualities that I could see Faith being with. And as always, life in the O'Connor house isn't always filled with gumdrops and roses. Charity's rivalry with Faith made me want to shake her! I felt the heartbreak that Marcy had when Patrick went off to war. And the dalliances that both Collin and Mitch had with other women made me cringe. But to see the hand of God work in a "bad boy's" life, and the change that only He can bring always reminds me that even the most hard-hearted can be brought to their knees by the loving God of all. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next two books in the Daughters of Boston series. After all, I have to read how Charity's life is changed because at the end of A Passion Most Pure I don't like her very much!

Look Ahead, Look Back by Annette Laing

Hannah, her brother Alex and their friend Brandon feel that they are about to be transported back in time once again. They can't explain the feeling, they just see the signs. They don't know when it is going to happen though. When Brandon and Alex dig up a skeleton they know the time is getting closer. Hannah is tired of being transported to different time periods. She wishes they had more control about when they go. They have always felt secure in their travels because at some point they run into the Professor who guides them on their mission. But this time the Professor has disappeared!

The friends find themselves in 1752 London. Hannah manages to find work at an Inn, Alex is nowhere to be found and Brandon is now a white boy in the service of the local preacher turned missionary. Through a series of events they all find themselves in America. Alex is now black and a slave to Mr. Gordon who also holds servant papers for Hannah.

Determined to find out who the skeletal remains are, they must each adjust to their new lot in life. Alex(now called Cato) is now afraid of white men, as his owner has been known to be cruel to slaves as an example to other slaves. Likewise Brandon is afraid of the black slaves as he has heard about the rebellions against white owners.

Set in a time when slavery was just becoming legal in Georgia the 3 friends find themselves suffering along with their fellow slaves and wondering if the Professor will ever show up to transport them back to the 21st century.

I really like time travel books! I have really enjoyed the Snipesville Chronicles as each story is connected. Look Ahead, Look Back left many unanswered questions so I am going to assume that there will be another book in the series. I still get frustrated with Hannah's whining and her self-centeredness! I enjoy the historical facts in each story, it gives such a reality to each book. Learning about England shipping their prisoners to America and the slave trade was very educational, and having that history all interwoven into an exciting story made the book a fast and enjoyable read.

Read my review of Dr. Annette Laing's two other Snipesville books:
Don't Know Where, Don't Know When
A Different Day, A Different Destiny
And read a guest post by Dr. Laing in 2010 on my former blog My Only Vice HERE

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is where we wrap up our week in reading and plan for what we want to read the next week. Head on over to Melanie's blog and check out her report.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

I haven't started this one yet but it is definitely next.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

This is the second book I have read by Julie Klassen. The first one I read was The Girl in the Gatehouse. I enjoyed both books very much.

Ted Dekker is pretty twisted as a writer! I really was caught up in this books. My review will be posted in October.

I just finished this book(like literally just closed it!). This is book 3 in the Snipesville Chronicles. I really enjoyed it. A good time travel book along with interesting historical facts.

WHAT I PLAN ON READING NEXT:

A gift from my cousin for my birthday.

Borrowed from my sister so I must get it finished before September 12th when my parents arrive. Save me some postage and send it back to CA with them!

How about you? What did you read this week? What do you plan on reading next?

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen

When her scheming step-father tries to get her to marry his nephew by unseemly means Margaret Macy must run away. Margaret will receive an inheritance from an aunt when she reaches her 25th birthday. Her step-father is after that money. Margaret must disappear for a few months so that she cannot be forced into a marriage with her step-father's nephew.

Margaret dresses as a servant and leaves her mother's home with a maid that has been dismissed. Promising to write Joan a letter of recommendation the women end up in the town by Fairbourne Hall. Home to Nathaniel Upchurch and his brother Lewis. Margaret had refused Nathaniel's proposal of marriage a few years before when she imagined herself in love with his brother Lewis. Now she has become the new maid in their home.

Margaret hopes that her disguise will keep Nathaniel and his brother from recognizing her. She is sure though that their sister Helen(being a woman and much more observant than her brothers) knows exactly who she is. Learning the job of a maid gives Margaret(now Nora) a much better understanding of the servants she has always taken for granted around her. When Margaret's family shows up for a masquerade ball will her secret become known, and will she be forced into a marriage that she does not want?

I really enjoyed this story! I loved reading all of the ins and outs of the servants and how they related to the elite. I liked how Margaret's pride was able to turn into compassion for the servant's who worked for her family. I think that the love between Margaret and Nathaniel needed to be a bit more developed. Nathaniel never stopped loving Margaret, although he tried, but they didn't seem to spend much time together for him to see the change in Margaret. I really enjoy Julie Klassen's books and the characters that she portrays.

Weekend Report

The Weekend Report is hosted by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Reviews. It is where we get a chance to wrap up our week in reading.

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING:

I'm reading this on my Kindle. I'm 40% into it and enjoying it so far.

WHAT I'VE READ THIS WEEK:

The second book in the Lunar Chronicles! Loved it!!

The 3rd book in the Winds of Change series and my favorite!!

WHAT I HOPE TO READ SOON:

My Goodreads ticker is telling me that I am now 2 books behind on my goal to read 125 books this year. I have 4 months to finish up. But I'm also busy making Christmas gifts. So we will see if I can reach my goal.

How about you? What have you read this week?

A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

Susannah(Annie) is determined to shed her "good girl" reputation. Anger at God for taking her parents has hardened Annie's heart and she is determined to live for herself now. She becomes friends with her sister Maggie's old crowd and is soon learning how to shed her good girl persona.

Steven O'Connor has held himself in check for three years since his break-up with Maggie. He is trying to make up for the pain he caused both of them in their relationship. Unfortunately he is trying this in his own power and not God's. When he meets Annie he sees her as just a kid of 17. He instantly sets out to warn her against the fast crowd that she is hanging with. He especially warns her to stay away from him. Determined to be the wise older brother type Steven insists that Annie stay her innocent self  because there are few girls like that left.

Wanting to make Steven see her as a woman and not a kid Annie begins to flirt with men to make Steven jealous. She succeeds in winning him over but at what cost? Steven and Annie begin dating, but will their passions lead them down a road that they will both regret?

A LOVE SURRENDERED is my favorite out of the Winds of Change series! I couldn't put it down. Reading the characters' struggle with their faith, struggle in their relationships and yet seeing how God of all creation steadily brings them back to Himself brought such a reality to the story. The character struggles are real, they deal with their passions, their anger, their human-ness all while the reader is able to see God's hand in each situation. While Annie and Steven were the main story of the book we also got peeks into Luke and Katie, Sean and Emma, Marcy and Patrick, and the rest of the O'Connor gang's lives. A LOVE SURRENDERED is a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs along with some sweet romance and spiritual lessons, a must read in the series!

Here are my reviews for the other books in the Winds of Change series:

A HOPE UNDAUNTED
A HEART REVEALED

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Little Red Riding Hood complete with hood and a Big Bad Wolf!

Scarlet and her grandmother are farmers. They sell their produce to the local stores and taverns in the nearby town. When Scarlet first meets Wolf she is startled by his looks, yet drawn to him. They are soon thrown together in the search of Scarlet's missing grandmother.

In the meantime Cinder is working at escaping prison before the Lunar Queen Levana has her put to death. Cinder and renegade Captain Thorne set out to find why Cinder is so important to the Queen and to hopefully find out more information about the dead princess Selena.

Both Scarlet and Cinder find secrets about themselves that have been kept from them for years. Will they be able to grasp who they each are before it is too late for the people of earth?

Scarlet was every bit as good as Cinder! I was not disappointed...well maybe a little bit at the ending, but only because Scarlet ends with a HUGE cliffhanger! I enjoyed reading Scarlet's story and her attraction to Wolf(there are a couple of sigh-worthy tender moments!). But I also enjoyed jumping back into Cinder's story and to read how both Scarlet and Cinder's lives collide. A bit of romance, a bit of suspense all set in a dystopian world~doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks to my friend Karin at Karin's Book Nook(and the Edgy half of Edifying and Edgy) for allowing me to borrow her ARC copy of Scarlet. Karin received her copy at TXLA in Houston in April. Scarlet will be available in February 2013 and I plan on buying a hardback copy to go with my copy of Cinder. Love the covers!

Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Ann Silver is the Midwest Homicide Investigator. She shows up in Special Agent Paul Falcon's office and drops information regarding a serial killer into his lap. The information could be the break that the FBI has been looking for to find the lady killer responsible for the death of 30 people.

Paul is instantly drawn to Ann. Never has he met a woman as complex as Ann. Paul takes steps to peel away Ann's layers. Through surprise visits, video chats online and other stolen moments a romance develops between them. Paul is looking for a wife but Ann is content in her solitude.

As Ann and Paul get to know each other Ann is able to start trusting Paul with some of her secrets. The question is will her secrets bind them together or tear them apart?

I've said it before and I'll say it again~Dee Henderson is one of my favorite author's. After waiting a very long time for a new book, Dee has not disappointed! We even get to visit some old friends from her other series. My favorites being The O'Malley's of course! Full Disclosure is a mixture of suspense and romance that happens to be my favorite genre. Reading about Paul and Ann's relationship developing and the suspense of finding out who the lady killer is showed once again what a great story-teller Dee is. I look forward to more books in this new series. And hopefully we won't have to wait too long!

Thank you to the publisher Bethany House for my ARC copy to review.

BOOK TRAILER:


Check out the FULL DISCLOSURE blog page!!

BOOKS IN THE MAIL, BOOKS BORROWED, BOOKS AS GIFTS

Woo Hoo! Do you see that first book there? My ARC copy of Dee Henderson's new book FULL DISCLOSURE! I was so excited to see this in my mailbox yesterday! I read the first 3 chapters on the promotion page, but went ahead and re-read them yesterday. Loving it so far!!

I have read both BOURNE and TRIBUTARY but had to order the actual "hard" copy. I love the covers so much that even though I have them on my Kindle I had to have the whole series on my book shelf. I bought this on Amazon.

I have to admit that LETHAL LEGACY was bought for my daughter because I haven't read the first 2 in the series. I am going to remedy that soon. I really like Irene Hannon's writing.

SCARLET!!!!!!! I can't wait to get into this one! It is the sequel to CINDER by Marissa Meyer. My friend Karin sent it to her mother to read and then Kathy sent it on to me. When I'm finished I will send it to my daughter. It is making the rounds!

CAST OF CHARACTERS LOST & FOUND by Max Lucado was a birthday gift from my cousin. She's so sweet! I'm looking forward to reading this one.

BLACK HEELS TO TRACTOR WHEELS by Ree Drummond was borrowed from my sister. I love The Pioneer Woman cookbooks so I am looking forward to reading her love story.

How about you? Gotten anything good in the mail lately? I'm thrilled with this stack of TBR's!