REVIEW: Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen

Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen

I love stories set in Regency England, and this one was no different. I was sucked in from the very first page, and couldn't put the book down!

Ms. Klassen is a great storyteller. All of the characters were well-rounded (I really got a feel for each of their 'personalities'), and the plot was very detailed.

The main character, Charlotte Lamb, is a brave soul who makes some poor choices in the beginning, but then redeems herself by making some very wise, but difficult, choices later on.

Themes of the book include sacrifice, reunion, selflessness, choices, redemption, and finding oneself.

I loved how the author keeps you guessing, right up until the end, about how the story will play out. And, I was grateful to not find any spelling or grammatical errors throughout the entire book (as is so common in books, lately).

I look forward to reading more by this author. She did a great job with this first novel. =)

"Edgy Christian fiction" at its best ~ HIGHLY recommended!

Rated: A+

REVIEW: Revealed by Tamera Alexander

REVEALED (Fountain Creek Chronicles, book 2) by Tamera Alexander

Annabelle Grayson has had her slate wiped clean, and she's been given a chance to start over. But, when her new husband dies, Annabelle has to continue with their plans without him.

Matthew Taylor has had a difficult life, partly of his own making. As such, he's made some poor choices, and is now constantly looking over his shoulder. But, when he's forced to partner with Annabelle, his life starts to take a different turn.

I enjoyed reading this second installment in Ms. Alexander's Fountain Creek Chronicles. Many subjects are touched on, such as choices, forgiveness, reconciliation, Alzheimer's Disease, and more.

Though a bit predictable at times, I still enjoyed seeing the story play out, and there were enough twists to make the book quite enjoyable.

I look forward to reading book three of the series, "Remembered".

Rated: B+

REVIEW: Fearless by Robin Parrish (Dominion Trilogy, book 2)

Fearless by Robin Parrish (Dominion Trilogy, Book 2)

Robin Parrish has an amazing talent ~ he leaves you hanging at the end of every chapter, almost demanding that you turn the page to find out what's next!

Grant Borrows (introduced to us in the first book, Relentless) is known to the public as "Guardian". He uses his powers of telekinesis to help out a world being ravaged by natural disasters.

His fellow ring-wearer, Morgan, insists that they need to discover the reason behind their "shift" ~ the reason they wear the "rings of Dominion". And so, Grant and a team of the most powerful "Loci" are off on a globe-hopping quest for answers.

But the answers may be more than they bargained for!

An amazing book with twists and turns you'd never see coming! I couldn't put this book down! And, I'm mad that I'll have to wait almost another year to find out how it all ends in "Merciless" (Dominion Trilogy, book 3 -- due out from Bethany House Publishers in July 2008!).

Rated: A+

REVIEW: One Little Secret by Allison Bottke

"One Little Secret" by Allison Bottke


This was an engaging story about a housewife named Ursula who accidently gets thrown into the Hollywood "starlet" life when pop star, Nik Prevel, discovers her amazing singing talent. Forever afterward, Ursula's life is changed... as is Nik's!

The only "issue" I had with this book was the author's constant peppering of brand names of the rich-and-famous... stuff I haven't a clue about, and couldn't possibly relate to! (clothing, shoes, furniture, etc). I just couldn't "picture" most of it.

Otherwise, I really liked Ms. Bottke's ability to draw you into the story, constantly making you wonder what's going to happen next, and leaving you wanting to know more.

I think that the character's lives were portrayed fairly realistically, and the descriptions of the music were so moving that I was almost in tears! I also loved that the family-life portrayed by the author was what everyone --I'm sure-- dreams of having, so that is a big pull.

Overall, a very good book that I didn't want to see end. Highly recommended!

Rated: A

REVIEW: THE HEIR

THE HEIR by Paul Robertson

When billionaire Melvin Boyer dies in a car crash, his son Jason inherits his fortune. Jason is now the not-so-proud owner of "half the state" and his father's wealth. His wife is thrilled, but all Jason can think is "I don't want this".

As Jason struggles to decide what to do, more people connected with the Boyer family are dying -- are the deaths really just "accidents", or is someone sending Jason a message?

This book was an excellent, quick-paced read. The only qualms I had with it were that the characters' dialogue seemed a bit curt / choppy, and the ending seemed to be tied up a little too neatly. Otherwise, though, it was a great mystery... I had an idea of who-dunnit, but I couldn't figure it out! :o)

This is Robertson's first novel, and I'd say he did a pretty good job. I'd be willing to try more by him.

Rated: B