Friday, February 24, 2017

First Line Friday Week # 8


It's Friday which means it's time for First Line Fridays. To play, grab the book nearest you, open and leave the first line in the comments. Happy Friday, and Happy reading!!


When famine visits Bethlehem, Boaz holds out hope for rain while his relative Elimelech moves his wife Naomi and their sons to Moab. For a while, it appears the Lord is blessing Elimelech's family, and his sons marry two lovely Moabite women. But calamities strike, one after another, leaving Naomi alone in a foreign land with only her childless daughters-in-law for comfort. When news reaches Naomi that the famine in Bethlehem has lifted, only Ruth will hazard the journey to her mother-in-law's homeland. Destitute and downhearted, Naomi resigns herself to a life of bitter poverty, but Ruth holds out hope for a better future. And Boaz may be the one God has chosen to provide it.

Combining meticulous research with her endless imagination, Jill Eileen Smith gorgeously renders one of the most beautiful stories in Scripture. Readers will adore this third installment of the inspiring Daughters of the Promised Land series.



First Line:  

1297 BC 

Naomi lifted the hem of her robe as her feet fairly flew down Bethlehem's streets toward the outskirts of town.


Visit these other bloggers see their first lines and leave yours in the comments. Welcome Amanda to our Friday gang. If you'd like to be apart of First Line Friday, give Carrie a shout!



Beth Erin at Faithfully Bookish

Bree at Bibliophile Reviews 

Carrie at Reading is My SuperPower

Heather at Encouraging Words From the Tea Queen

Kathleen at Kathleen Denly

Katie at Fiction Aficionado

Lauraine at Lauraine's Notes

Rachel at Bookworm Mama 

Robin at Robin's Nest
 

Sarah at All The Book Blog Names Are Taken

Sydney at Singing Librarian 

And welcome Amanda from With A Joyful Noise 




Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Tuesday Top Ten






This should be a fun Tuesday Top Ten. Meme's seem to be a fun way we all communicate on social media, so I thought it would be fun to post my top ten book memes for Tuesday Top Ten.

So . . . in no particular order . . .


Can anyone relate?? Oh man can I! I have been up til 3 am several times because of a plot twist.








How about crying because of a characters death or loss of a relationship. Sometimes I think authors live to torture their readers. 😃😃




Here's a good one, falling in love with hero. I could name a few hero's I have fallen for.



Only other readers understand how real the characters become. I've caught myself praying for characters.


You have a list of things to do and in planning to do them you see a book and suddenly nothing but the book is important.



You finish an amazing book, pick up the next one on your TBR pile and you are just reading words and trying to make them fit in the last book's story.


Pretty much!



Absolutely!


Oh yes! I love series and hate when they end. I want to see not only what happened with them but their kids, grand-kids, grt grand-kids . . .



I have done this so many times. I now use post it flags, and highlight on my kindle so I can come back to them later. 


So are any of your favorite book memes in my list? If not please leave me yours in the comments.

I hope you enjoyed looking at mine and that you are reading a good book! Have a great Tuesday!








Saturday, February 18, 2017

Firstborn (Descendants of the House of Bathory book 2) by Tosca Lee

About the book:

From New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee comes the much-anticipated, high-speed sequel to The Progeny.

Face-to-face with her past, Audra Ellison now knows the secret she gave up everything—including her memory—to protect. A secret made vulnerable by her rediscovery, and so powerful neither the Historian nor the traitor Prince Nikola will ever let her live to keep it.

With Luka in the Historian’s custody and the clock ticking down on his life, Audra only has one impossible chance: find and kill the Historian and end the centuries old war between the Progeny and Scions at last—all while running from the law and struggling to control her growing powers.

With the help of a heretic monk and her Progeny friends Claudia, Piotrek, and Jester, Audra will risk all she holds dear in a final bid to save them all and put her powers to the ultimate test. Love, action, and stunning revelation reign in this thrilling conclusion to The Progeny.


GOODREADS 

AMAZON PRE-ORDER


About Tosca                                                              

Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Iscariot, The Legend of Sheba, Demon: A Memoir, Havah: The Story of Eve, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker (Forbidden, Mortal, Sovereign).
A notorious night-owl, she loves watching TV, eating bacon, playing video games with her kids, and sending cheesy texts to her husband. You can find Tosca hanging around the snack table or wherever bacon is served.

                                                     
                                                     Twitter
                                                     ToscaLee
 
 
My Thoughts:
 
Firstborn picks up right where The Progeny ends and it is action packed and suspenseful. When I finished The Progeny last year I couldn't wait for book two, and while I had to wait it was worth the wait. Audra is facing the past she tried to get rid of and racing against the clock to save the man she loves. This race takes you all over Europe and Tosca's descriptions are so vivid and real you can not only see them, all of your senses are engaged. 
The main thread through these two books are acceptance of yourself, who you are. Realizing you can't change the past but you can change your future.
Tosca is a favored author for me. I anxiously await her next book, and I try not to read it in one sitting.
Highly recommended!
 

 



Friday, February 17, 2017

First Line Friday Week 7




About the book:

Single mom, Eisley Barrett, prefers to keep romance safely housed within a centuries-old mystery, but when she travels to England to unearth the secret, an actor with a sordid past offers her reluctant heart a very different type of discovery.

Wes Harrison has a past he’s ashamed to confess. Suspicious and cyncial, he’s managed to avoid romantic entanglements since a tragedy upended his career and life, that is until American Eisley Barrett comes along. Her authenticity and kindness upend his bitter assumptions and send his heart into unscripted territory.

When his past threatens to ruin a second chance at love, can some Appalachian matchmaking and letters from the grave salvage their unexpected romance?



First Line:

One step into the massive, glass-walled waiting area was all it took. In a cataclysmic chain of events, someone bumped into Eisley Barrett, sending her purse and all of its contents skittering across the glossy floor of Heathrow International Airport. 

I know that is more than the first line, but I had to give you more. This book is due to release in April, and you are not going to want to miss it!

Visit these other bloggers, read their first line and leave yours in the comments.


Rachel at Bookworm Mama 

Heather at Encouraging Words From the Tea Queen

BethErin at Faithfully Bookish

Katie at Fiction Aficionado

Carrie at Reading is My SuperPower

Robin at Robin's Nest

Sydney at Singing Librarian 


Lauraine at http://laurainesnotes.blogspot.com/

Bree at Bibliophile Reviews

If you'd like to be apart of First Line Friday shoot Carrie an email.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Tuesday's Top Ten - Valentine's Edition



Since today is Valentine's Day I thought I'd do something a little different with the top ten. Instead of my top ten favorite book kisses, which would be too many to mention, I decided to do my top favorite movie kisses.

10. Ten Things I Hate About You has to be one of my favorite YA movies. Kat and Patrick's first kiss is a sweet one.



9. The Horse Whisperer has to be one of my favorite Robert Redford movies. His kiss with Kristen Scott Thomas has to be one of the most forbidden.



I am going to include the dance scene from The Horse Whisperer for fun.



8. Officer and a Gentleman with Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Romantic and sultry all at the same time!



7. Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Passion with a capital P!



6. How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days with Matthew Mcconaughey and Kate Hudson. Love this movie for loads of reasons, one main one is that Kate's character's name is Andi. And who doesn't love Matthew's dimples!



5. A Walk to Remember with Mandy Moore and Shane West. Sweet first love kiss.



4. Titanic with Leonardo DeCaprio and Kate Winslet. Talk about forbidden!



3. Dear John with Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.



2. The Notebook with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams



DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!! We've come to my #1 favorite kiss scene . . .















1. The Notebook . . .


As you can see I  love romantic movies and Nicholas Spark's are one of my favorites.
Hope you enjoyed my list today, have a very Happy Valentine's Day!!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Fatal Accusation (Windy Ridge Book 2) and An Interview with the Author Rachel Dylan

About the book:

Attorney Olivia Murray hopes her life will get back to normal after a hard fought trial. But she soon finds out that the forces of evil have not given up their pursuit to win the hearts and minds of those in Windy Ridge.

An embezzling scandal breaks that rocks the community church to its core. The New Age groups are ready to declare victory when a high profile prosecutor files criminal charges against the local pastor. However, Olivia is not willing to give up on the community she's come to love. She takes on the defense pro bono knowing it could destroy her career, but it's a case that she is called to defend.

The battle will be fierce, but she's not fighting it alone. Her friend and fellow attorney Grant Baxter is by her side. Olivia must use all the tools in her arsenal to combat those who seek to destroy the believers in the community. If Olivia can't prove the pastor's innocence, more than her career is on the line. The entire community of Windy Ridge could fall to the forces of darkness.


My Thoughts:

This book picks up where Trial and Tribulations ended. As with Trial and Tribulations I was pulled right into the story from page one. The battle between good and evil was real, front and center. Rachel's writing reminds me of Frank Peretti's. Having another author who writes about the supernatural is a treat, as there aren't very many who write like this. I love how the characters are still learning about their faith and how these battles stretch and strengthen their faith.

I have a treat for you, an interview with the author Rachel Dylan.




What inspired you to write The Windy Ridge series? I noticed in the acknowledgements of Fatal Accusation you thank Sarah who understands how much these stories mean to you.

I actually set out to write a completely different book. It was a CIA novel and I got about a chapter or two in, and I wasn’t feeling it. Then suddenly the idea of two New Age companies fighting each other in a law suit came to me. Olivia popped into my head and that’s how it happened! Sarah is my wonderful literary agent, and she embraced these stories from the start.

Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp?

I don’t think there is just one message. I’m hoping that readers will get different messages depending on where they are in their lives. I also hope readers see the role of faith, and the fact that you can always come back to God or find Him no matter how far you’ve gone astray.

How much of your books are realistic?

All of my books have a very realistic legal element to them. Since I’m an attorney, I try my best to bring that background and experience into the story. For the Windy Ridge books, I believe spiritual battle is very real (Ephesians 6:18), but those stories have components that most would not consider realistic. Having said that, I have no doubt that spiritual warfare exists. My other books are more “realistic” than that series.


What books have most influenced your life most?

This is a tough one! Since we’re talking about spiritual warfare, I would have to say that I read This Present Darkness when I was in high school, and it was a game changer for me.


If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
 
I don’t have a mentor in the traditional sense, but my friend and wonderful author Alison Stone has taught me a lot. It’s been amazing to have a friend who understands what this writing journey is all about.

What books are on your nightstand?
 
I don’t actually have physical books on my nightstand, but I do have my phone and my kindle which is how I read. Right now, I’m doing an online bible study so I’m reading Finding I Am. I like to read a lot of non-fiction. I also have Still Life and that is going to be my reward once I meet my weekend writing goals!

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

They aren’t brand new but I definitely am impressed with Lynn Huggins Blackburn and Dana R. Lynn.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? 

I’ve always loved to write since I was little. I was coming up with stories as a child and didn’t even realize how active my imagination was. I wrote all kinds of things—songs, poems, journaling. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I wrote my first novel.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
 
Time! I still work full time so I use the weekends to write. Sometimes that can get tough because I don’t have much downtime to rest and recharge.

Do you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?

I think I’ve read a good chunk of the non-fictional literature on spiritual warfare to write the Windy Ridge series. I learned a ton and grew tremendously in my spiritual journey by reading those books.


Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
 
Write! Writing isn’t easy and the only way to get a book finished is to write it. It sounds simple, but sometimes people get caught up in the idea of writing without actually doing the writing itself. Writing is very hard work and it requires a lot of self-discipline to write a book.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

That I hope my stories provide you with hope and that you are inspired by them.


Why Christian fiction? 

The short answer is that a few years ago I made the decision to re-dedicate my life to the Lord. And in that process I decided that I wanted my writing to glorify God.

Writing is obviously in your blood – was there a particular person who encouraged you to nurture your gift??

Both of my parents encouraged my love of reading and writing. I also had a lot of teachers who saw promise in my writing and encouraged me.

Tell us how you felt/what you did when you found out you had your first contract. .

When I sold my first Love Inspired Suspense, I definitely cried. Although that was more from the journey I had been on and less about the actual contract.

What is your favorite movie and favorite line from a movie?

I have to be completely honest here. I’m not a big movie person so I don’t have anything good on this one. LOL

Please share some of your faith journey…

Well, I could write a book about thisJ I grew up in a Christian family and am a preacher’s daughter. So faith was a part of me from a very young age. But I went astray for a bit starting in college and thereafter. A few years ago, I started to reconnect with my faith in a strong way. My writing has been a huge part of my spiritual journey, and I believe God has used my writing to impact me personally in a big way.






Friday, February 10, 2017

First Line Friday . . . Week 6





About the book: 

Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can’t fix—until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another matter . . .

Emily Price—fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist—dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.

But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well—inviting her into his world and into his heart.

Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.

Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?


First Line:

Piccolo. The restaurant matched it's name - - a tiny and delicate white stucco building with a short, neat brick walk leading from its front door to the parking lot.

Visit these other bloggers, see their first lines and leave yours in the comments.





Rachel at Bookworm Mama 

Heather at Encouraging Words From the Tea Queen 

BethErin at Faithfully Bookish

Katie at Fiction Aficionado

Carrie at Reading is My SuperPower

Robin at Robin's Nest

Sydney at Singing Librarian 





The Dog Who Was There by Ron Marasco

No one expected Barley to have an encounter with the Messiah.



He was homeless, hungry, and struggling to survive in first century Jerusalem. Most surprisingly, he was a dog. But through Barley's eyes, the story of a teacher from Galilee comes alive in a way we've never experienced before.

Barley's story begins in the home of a compassionate woodcarver and his wife who find Barley as an abandoned, nearly-drowned pup. Tales of a special teacher from Galilee are reaching their tiny village, but when life suddenly changes again for Barley, he carries the lessons of forgiveness and love out of the woodcarver's home and through the dangerous roads of Roman-occupied Judea.

On the outskirts of Jerusalem, Barley meets a homeless man and petty criminal named Samid. Together, Barley and his unlikely new master experience fresh struggles and new revelations. Soon Barley is swept up into the current of history, culminating in an unforgettable encounter with the truest master of all as he bears witness to the greatest story ever told.


Ron Marasco is a professor in the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. His first book, "Notes to an Actor," was named by the American Library Association an Outstanding Book of 2008. His second book, "About Grief," has been translated into multiple languages, and he is currently completing a book on Shakespeare's sonnets. He has acted extensively on TV-from "Lost" to "West Wing" to "Entourage" to originating the role of Mr. Casper on "Freaks and Geeks"-and appeared opposite screen legend Kirk Douglas in the movie "Illusion," for which he also wrote the screenplay. Most recently, he has played the recurring role of Judge Grove on "Major Crimes." He has a BA from Fordham at Lincoln Center and an MA and Ph. D. from UCLA.



My Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of biblical fiction and I was very excited about this book, however I was very disappointed. I felt as if the author was writing to a young child, not an adult. I didn't connect with the characters, especially Barley the dog, which is who I needed to connect with to enjoy the book.  I also felt as if Ron was telling a story not showing. 
  

First Line Friday Featuring Riot (A Breed Apart: Legacy #3) by Ronie Kendig and JJ Samie Myles

  Happy Friday!! Welcome to the weekend!!! Today I am featuring one of my favorite authors, Ronie Kendig. I loved A Breed Apart series and I...