The Dancing Master by Julie Klassen Classic Jane Austin

This is a charming, easy to read story that starts out simple and builds to a complex story.

Alec Valcourt is a displaced Dance master.  He lives with his uncle in the village of Beaworthy, Devonshire.  Alec needs to provide for his mother and sister.  His profession is frowned up-on in this village.  Julia Desmond is a girl desperate to get away her overbearing mother and boring village.  Will the Dancing Master tame Julia's flirtatious heart or will he have to leave town under a cloud of suspicion once again?

The Dancing Master piqued my interest because of the Victorian England setting.  This era always seems so romantic.  The story starts out as a sweet, easy to read story.  About two thirds of the way into the story, the reader learns of an intriguing twist in Julia's life.  Klassen does a masterful job of foreshadowing.  The reader starts to question and think which character could be involved in this new twist.  Alec also has a surprising twist in his life as well.  Both story-lines compliment one another as if they are following the stpes of a country dance.

I appreciated how Klassen dealt with the issue of adopting.  Being adopted myself, the sense of abandonment is something adoptees have to deal with at some point in their life.  The reassurances of love from the other characters is also an important part of life.  Klassen got this story-line correct.

This is a great story for people who love Victorian England.  Be forewarned you get more than a sweet story, you learn about the intricacies of families and a happy ending.

My thanks to Bethany House Publishers for providing the free e-copy to review.

Hope for your Fears

Life is filled with fears.  Dr. David Jeremiah takes a look at these fears as well as providing strong Biblical teaching on how to overcome these fears.  There are 10 types of fear that are discussed.  These fears are:  disaster, disease, debt, defeat, loneliness, disapproval, danger, depression, death, and God.  These are things that everyone deals with in themselves or in other people that touch our lives.  The hope and practical wisdom provided is motivating. 

I know this book will be a great reference tool to be used throughout my life.  Working with people on a daily basis will put these principles into practice.  I look forward to sharing this wisdom with the people in my life.

My heartfelt thanks to Netgalley and Tyndale House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Cinderella meets Ruth in Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

This is a fun romantic "Cinderella" story.  There is a touch of the Bible woven in that reminded me of the story of Ruth.  All girls would love to find a true prince to marry and this was a fun read.
Susanna thought she had her life figured out.  She was going to marry her high school sweetheart.  After all she had waited 12 years for him, on the night of her "proposal" he tells her he has fallen for someone else.  Deep in her heart Susanna knows that this is the right thing, but what will her life look like now?!

Susanna runs into Nate after being dumped.  Things do not seem to go right, but Nate takes her to her family restaurant, where he is put to work scrubbing bathrooms.  Little does the family realize that he really is a prince.  Susanna and Nate form a friendship before Nate has to return to his duties as a prince.  Eventually the family finds out Nate's royal bloodlines.

Nate has to return home and take over the family business.  Susanna tries to start her own landscaping business, but that doesn't work out the way she had planned.  Everything seems to be falling apart for her when an invitation from Prince Nathaniel arrives to attend his "crowning ceremony".  Susanna and her sister arrive for the festivities.  Nate's family thinks that this is just a short lived romance, but as any good romance goes, Susanna gets her prince.  Lessons are learned along the way and once again we see how God does care about our lives.  His higher ways are always the best ways, so we learn to relinquish our trust to Him once again.

I loved this fun fast paced story.  I loved being reminded of how God does care for each of us.  Our lives tend to take unexpected turns that we can only understand in reverse. 

My thanks to Netgalley and Zondervan for giving me the opportunity to read this story.  Rachel Hauck is an author I look forward to reading more from in the future.

Favorite author for a reason

  Bryce Bishop, owner of Bishop Chicago an old coin dealership, is bored with his life.  Little does he know that his life is about to become very complicated and busy.  Enter Charlotte Graham, who gets a nod of approval from Paul Falcon, Chicago's director of the FBI.  Charlotte sets up a new store filled with old coins and tells Bishop that he has a week to decide if he wants to buy all the coins or she opens her store and puts Bryce out of business.  Having no other choice, Bishop buys all the coins and begins to understand that there are alot more coins to buy and sell at a profit for his business.

As Bryce and Charlotte build their business relationship, their friendship begins as well.  Bryce learns that Charlotte was a part of Chicago's most famous kidnapping case.  Charlotte has built a new life for herself, things from her past still need to be dealt with, but she remains mute on the subject.  Find out how an unsolved murder case will bring full closure to Charlotte's kidnapping case.

This complex and compelling story captured my attention from the very first page.  I love how Henderson weaves together her characters.  It is like meeting up with old friends.  Charlotte's struggle with God is heart wrenchingly honest.  The reader can empathize with her and thus the characters become three dimensional and take on a life of their own.  These are real life struggles that do not have easy answers.  I love that the readers feel these struggles and hurt right along side all of her characters.  To me this is life, it isn't easy and sometimes gets messy and complicated.  This book is a book that needs to be read multiple times in order to understand the rich story line each time it is read. 

My thanks to Bethany House publishers and Netgalley for the free e-copy to read and review.

The Perfect Concoction for a First Time Author

  Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

Andrea Sullivan: rising executive on the verge of Vice President of sales for her company.  Suddenly she finds herself in the doghouse in Scotland.  Scotland where it's "cold, it's miserable, and the food is horrible."

James MacDonald: world famous celebrity chef from Scotland.  He owns six restaurants, written four cookbooks and has his own cooking show.  He loves a challenge.  When he meets Andrea Sullivan in one of his pubs, he doesn't disclose who he is.  Andrea reveals her aversion to Scotland, and James takes it as a challenge to change her opinion of his beloved homeland.  He only has five days to change her mind.  Can he accomplish his task?  How long will Andrea have to put up with the selfish celebrity or is that just the image that has been woven for the public?  Read Five Days in Skye and get lost in the beauty of the story.

A mythically beautiful setting with authentic characters.  This was a delightful read.  I loved getting lost in the Scottish highlands.  First time author, Carla Laureano,  does a brilliant job.  I am eager to read more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and David C. Cook publishers for the complimentary eBook copy to review.

Vanished by Irene Hannon

  Vanished by Irene Hannon is the second book in her Private Justice Series.  I like that this book is a stand alone title, meaning I do not have to read the first book in the series to understand this book.

A teen age runaway meets a friendly gentleman at a homeless shelter during a snowstorm.  Her half sister hires a Private Investigator to find her.  In the process of investigating, feelings develop between the two.  They make a decision not to pursuit a romance until the missing girl is found.  Will this girl be found alive or will she be dead?  Read Vanished to find out the answer.

Irene Hannon once again does a masterful job with the second installment of her Private Justice Series.  As I said you do not have to read the first book to understand the second book.  Each book tells the story of one of the Private Investigators from the PI firm Phoenix Foundation.  Characters from the previous book have minor roles in this story, so you do not feel confused.

The story was well paced, but when you hit the climax of the story you want to finish the story as fast as possible to find out how everything ends.  I found myself holding my breath because the action was so intense and compelling.  Hannon does a superb job weaving a suspenseful story with a hint at romance.  The story focuses on the job that needs to be done-- find the missing teen.  Then the story wraps up with a bit of romance for the "icing on the cake".  This was a fantastic thriller.

My thanks to  Netgalley and Revell publishers for the complimentary e-book to review.

Chasing Hope and Chasing Dreams

Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman

Brandy Philip is a natural born runner, but she is chasing trouble.  The only running she does well is out running the police that are chasing her.

Sabrina Rice is a driven college student chasing her dream to land the perfect internship at a prestigious company in Atlanta.

God brings these two young women together to learn from each other.  The story reveals how Sabrina was a well known runner in high school, but due to health issues had to give up her running dreams.  Sabrina agrees to coach Brandy and turn her into a long distance runner.  Along the way, Sabrina learns that some of the dreams God gives us may not be fulfilled in ways we understand or expect.

 This book spoke to me in a very special way.  I am just like Sabrina, finding how God continues to mold and shape my dreams in ways that I do not understand or expect.  This book made me take a look at my relationship with God to see that I am still harboring some anger with God for not doing things according to "my plan".  Cushman has a great message that comes to the reader in a gentle voice.

My thanks to Bethany House publishers and Netgalley for providing me with the complimentary e-book copy to review.