Tuesday, December 18, 2012

My Top Reads of 2012 . . . . .



DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!!!!

My Top Reads of 2012 are . . . .

My favorite book of 2012 is . . . .












On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in York. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love? In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. "Love's Reckoning" is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.
My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/09/loves-reckoning-reviewed.html




2. A Light In The Window












One Woman. Two Men.
One stirs her pulse and the other her faith.
But who will win her heart?

Marceline Murphy is a gentle beauty with a well-founded aversion to rogues. But when two of Boston's most notorious pursue her, she encounters a tug-of-war of the heart she isn’t expecting.

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-light-in-window-reviewed.html

3. Queen of the Waves











When pampered Jacqueline Abington secretly elopes with the family gardener, she asks another woman to take her place on the much anticipated maiden voyage of the Titanic. Tessa Bowen hails from a poor corner of London but has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime—a ticket to sail to America aboard a famed vessel. But there’s a catch: she must assume Jacqueline’s identity. For the first time in her life, Tessa stays in luxurious quarters, dresses in elegant gowns, and dines with prestigious people. Then a wealthy American man takes an interest in her, and Tessa struggles to keep up the ruse as she begins falling for him. When tragedy strikes, the game is up, and two women’s lives are forever changed.

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/10/queen-of-waves-janice-thompson.html

4. A Love Surrendered











Orphaned in Iowa, Annie Kennedy moves to Boston to stay with her spinster aunt. She longs for romance to fill the void left by her parents' death. But when she falls hard for Steven O'Connor, the man who broke an engagement to her sister, Annie is worried. Will he break her heart too when he discovers who she really is?

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-love-surrendered-reviewed.html

5. Somebody Love Me











Melissa "Missy" Houghton is on a quest for true love, but she's looking in all the wrong places. She abandons her favorite activities in her pursuit of something better. Something that will give her life significance. Something that will bring her hope. When her first boyfriend turns out to be a huge disappointment, she opens her life to more possibilities, only they aren't any better. In fact, Missy finds herself trapped in a situation that skews her view of people, and shreds her ability to trust. The resulting pain doesn't inhibit her search, but it may taint her choices and ultimately cost her more than she's willing to pay.

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/12/somebody-love-me-reviewed.html

6. Mother of Pearl












Barrie Graeber has two great kids, a loving husband, and a respected job as the high school counselor in her close-knit community. Without warning, everything unravels when her teenage daughter, Pearl, is betrayed by friends and lashes out.

Nothing prepares this mother for the helplessness that follows when her attempts to steer her daughter back on course fail and Pearl shuts her out . . . or when she discovers the unthinkable about her nemesis, the football coach. Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, Mother of Pearl brings us into the heart of a mother bound by an incredible burden, who ultimately finds she must recognize her own vulnerability and learn to trust in something much bigger.


My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/09/mother-of-pearl-reviewed.html


7. Inescapable














Lizzie Engel is used to running away. At eighteen, she left her Mennonite hometown, Kingdom, Kansas, with plans never to return.
But five years later, the new life she built is falling apart. Lizzie knows she's being followed, and she's certain the same mysterious stranger is behind the threatening letters she's received. Realizing she'll have to run again, the only escape Lizzie can manage is a return to the last place she wants to go.
Once she arrives in Kingdom, Lizzie is confident she'll be safe until she comes up with a new plan. In reacquainting herself with the town and its people--especially her old friend, Noah Housler--she wonders if she judged her hometown and her Mennonite faith too harshly. However, just as she begins to come to terms with her roots, Lizzie is horrified to discover the danger she ran from is closer than ever.

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/07/inescapable-reviewed-with-giveaway.html 

8. Mary Magdalene












Long maligned as a prostitute or a woman of questionable reputation, Mary Magdalene's murky story seems lost to the sands of time. Now a portrait of this enigmatic woman comes to life in the hands of an imaginative master storyteller. Diana Wallis Taylor's Mary is a woman devastated by circumstances beyond her control and plagued with terrifying dreams--until she has a life-changing confrontation with the Savior.
Lovers of historical and biblical fiction will find this creative telling of Mary's story utterly original and respectful as it opens their eyes to the redeeming work of Christ in the lives of those who follow him.


My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/06/mary-magdalene-reviewed.html 

9. Love's Sacred Song













Standing in the massive shadow of his famous father, young king Solomon wavers between fear and bravado, wisdom and folly. In the uncertain world of alliances and treachery, Solomon longs for peace and a love that is true and pure--a love that can be his cornerstone.
A shepherdess in the northern city of Shunem, Arielah remembers the first time she laid eyes on Solomon in Jerusalem when she was just seven years old. Since then she has known that it was her destiny to become his bride. When her father, a leader of their tribe, secures a promise from King Solomon to marry Arielah as a treaty bride to help unite the kingdom, it seems her dreams may come true.
But how can this simple shepherdess live as part of Solomon's harem? Can Solomon set aside his distractions to give himself completely to just one woman? Or will he let duty, deception, and the daily routine divide his heart?

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/03/loves-sacred-song-full-review.html

10.  Sarai












Sarai, the last child of her aged father, is beautiful, spoiled, and used to getting her own way. Even as a young girl, she is aware of the way men look at her, including her half brother Abram. When Abram finally requests Sarai's hand, she asks one thing--that he promise never to take another wife as long as she lives. Even her father thinks the demand is restrictive and agrees to the union only if Sarai makes a promise in return--to give Abram a son and heir. Certain she can easily do that, Sarai agrees.

But as the years stretch on and Sarai's womb remains empty, she becomes desperate to fulfill her end of the bargain--lest Abram decide that he will not fulfill his. To what lengths will Sarai go in her quest to bear a son? And how long will Abram's patience last?

My Review:
http://frommipov.blogspot.com/2012/03/sarai-reviewed.html


Well there you have it! Out of over 100 books I have read this year and right now I am reading 3. These are my top 10 favorites! I will name honorable mentions by New Year's if not before so be looking for those.
I want to thank all the authors I have had the pleasure to review for this year. You have provided me countless hours of reading pleasure and I look forward to what is in store for 2013. May you all have a Very Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!!!!

3 comments:

Andi said...

Testing 123 . . .

Laura Frantz said...

Andi, Wow! What a line-up! I see so many of my friends listed here. Thrilled you have a heart for Biblical fiction, too:)

I really feel blessed and honored to have you as a reading friend. You inspire me to write richer and deeper.

Thank you for the early Christmas present:)

Edgy Inspirational Author said...

Well, I had to log in with internet explorer to get this to work. I post comments all the time so why it jacked up this time with Google Chrome, I have no idea. Anyway, I am so honored to be on your list, Andi!

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