Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks Confessions of April Grace by K.D. McCrite

Eleven-year-old April Grace Reilly is starting Jr. High. She thinks that all will be the same. She is mistaken. One of her best friends is now the leader of a Clique of girls and won't even speak to April Grace.

At home April Grace notices that her mother is not looking the same. She instantly starts worrying about her. But all of the adults in her life tell her that there is nothing to worry about.

Circumstances prevent April Grace's mother from directing the church pageant this year. So April Grace recommends Isabel to be the director. Isabel is not a church member and she also has a demanding spirit about her that concerns the pastor. But April Grace and her sister volunteer to help Isabel direct so that she won't go too overboard.

The story is being told by April Grace who happens to be a hoot! I love the way April Grace just tells it like it is. She is outspoken as only an 11 year old can be. Yet her character has a love for family and friends and a diplomacy about her that seems mature beyond her years. I really enjoyed this story.

The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere

Gretchen and her children move into a condo to be closer to her mother. While moving in Gretchen and her children meet their neighbor Melissa. Melissa doesn't seem very friendly, but Emma and Ethan still try to make friends.

Shortly after moving a man shows up at Gretchen's door. He is Melissa's mother's landlord. Melissa's mother Ramona has died and her landlord is trying to find Melissa. He leaves it to Gretchen to tell Melissa about her mother. Gretchen doesn't know why, but she is compelled to go over and offer Melissa her assistance in helping clear out her mother's apartment.

Melissa has never felt love from her mother. Ramona went from one boyfriend to another and from one apartment to another Melissa's entire childhood. She doesn't know why she accepts Gretchen's offer of help, but she is grateful for this neighbor who insists on becoming part of her life. While cleaning the apartment Melissa discovers a note that her mother started to write to her. It indicates that Melissa has siblings that she never knew about. This is both exciting and devastating news for Melissa. She is angry that her mother never told her this while she was alive.

Gretchen has her own problems. After her husband was involved in a bombing while serving in Afghanistan she has moved her children to be closer to her mother. While starting over and trying to keep their family together she doesn't understand why she feels the urge to help Melissa. With the help of Gretchen's mother and her quirky friend Gloria, Melissa finds the love of friends that she has never known before.

This was a heart-warming, feel-good story that I thoroughly enjoyed. It had the "Happily Ever After" ending that I crave so much in stories. This is the perfect book for a cold winter day curled up on the couch with a fire going and hot chocolate by your side!

Gabby God's Little Angel by Sheila Walsh

Gabby is a guardian angel sent to guard Sophie, a little girl that needs lots of protection! Gabby was chosen for the job because she is precocious herself and seems to get into a lot of mishaps. Gabby's first day on the job proves challenging as Sophie takes a pony ride, and the pony gets scared and tries to buck Sophie off.

That evening Sophie tells her mom that she felt that someone was with her when she was on the pony. Her mom explains to her that God sends his angels to protect us.

This was such a cute story. The pictures were adorable. Looking forward to sharing it with my grandchildren.

Water's Edge by Robert Whitlow

Tom Crane is working for a large Atlanta law firm hoping that he will make partner. His hopes are dashed though when he is "consolidated" instead. Finding himself without a job and girlfriendless(his girlfriend breaks up with him in a letter), Tom heads to his hometown to settle the affairs of his father who recently died in a drowning accident.

While Tom closes his father's law firm he stays with his uncle Elias. At first Tom doesn't want to hear anything from Elias about spiritual things. But when Tom has a spiritual encounter of his own in his father's law office he becomes more open and accepting of heavenly things.

Tom soon uncovers what looks to be an embezzlement scheme involving a client of his father's and an employee at the local Pelham company. Considering that he is best friends with Arthur Pelham's son Rick, Tom fully believes that his father's client was involved in the embezzlement. 

When Rick's wife Tiffany starts flirting with Tom he is flattered and tries to rationalize his attraction to her. After all she assures him that their marriage is on the rocks and she is willing to leave it all behind to be with Tom. Tom soon realizes his rationalization as sin and repents of it. He soon becomes attracted to Rose Addington. Rose refuses to believe that her father was involved in any way in the embezzlement scheme. She challenges Tom to do further research into the events that led up to their fathers deaths.

That research soon lands both Tom and Rose in jail and in serious danger. With his life seeming to fall apart before his eyes, Tom has a hard time calling out to the God that he so recently trusted.

First off the positive: Water's Edge reminded me of reading one of John Grisham's novels, but add in a more spiritual content. I was engaged in the story and characters from the beginning through to the end. The writing flowed and the story remained fairly consistent.

The negative: For me the spiritual content was a bit too mystical mixed with charasmatic. When Rose talked about Tom's office being a "thin" place(a place where there is less separation between heaven and earth) I was thinking, "WHAT?!" Another time Tom asked his uncle if he was a mystic. He described a mystic as being "someone who withdraws from the world and spends time having weird spiritual experiences." Tom's whole relationship with the Lord was based on emotionalism and when the emotion wasn't there then he easily fell away into despair. At one point when everything seemed to come crashing down on him he contemplated suicide. To the point of getting the gun out and having it under his chin to do the job. I understand that we all have our mountaintop experiences, but to crash so low to want to end it all did not seem consistent with Tom's character.

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.

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

When Kit is late for a date with his girlfriend he takes what he thinks is a shortcut through an alley. He ends up in another time and place. He meets his great-grandfather Cosimo there. Cosimo entreats Kit to come with him and help him find the Skin Map. A map that is tattooed on a man's chest that shows travellers how to get from one time period to another.

Kit refuses to help Cosimo. He leaves the time he is in and goes back to London to meet with his girlfriend. When he tries to explain to Wilhelmina why he is late she refuses to believe him. Bent on showing Mina that all he has told her is true, Kit takes her to the place that he entered another time before. They are separated while making the "leap". Kit to his great-grandfather's and Mina to 1600's Prague.

Mina joins forces with  Etzel on his journey to Prague to open a bakery. Their business is lagging until Mina introduces coffee to the citizens of Prague. Her and Etzel open the first coffeehouse to huge success. When Mina meets a fellow traveller from another time period she is shrewd enough to learn all that he is up to.

Kit and Cosimo and Sir Henry are all trying to find not only the Skin Map, but also trying to find what time period Mina jumped to. Time is running short as they are constantly followed by Burley Men bent on following them to find the map and use it for their own nefarious schemes. Will Kit and Company be able to find the map before it is too late?

I have mixed feelings about this book. It drug in parts. I was most captivated with Mina's experience and wanted to flip the pages faster to get to her part more quickly. The ending was very disappointing in that I felt like I was right in the middle of some serious action and turned the page and it was over. I know that there is another book in the series that is coming out in September, but still felt a bit ripped off. Also, I received this book from BookSneeze. I thought that they were a Christian book distributor, but this book had little or no Spiritual content.  I honestly do not know that I would pick up the second book.