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The Book of Jane
By Anne Dayton / Random House, Inc
Jane Williams knows just where she’s headed in life. She has a dream job, lives in a ritzy Manhattan apartment, and plans to wed the love of her life. But in a heartbeat her perfectly planned world falls apart. Has God forgotten her? A witty, contemporary retelling of Job’s story with a sophisticated twist! 294 pages, softcover from Broadway. |
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Kelly’s Review:
The Book of Jane is a modern-day take on the Biblical story of Job. Jane Williams, a New Yorker who seems to “have it all”, is the central character. Jane has a job she loves, a boyfriend she adores, a great apartment and more. Everything in her world is just perfect and she is thankful for all the blessings in her life. The tables start to turn and Jane is met with one disaster in her life after another. Whatever can go wrong for her does. Jane knows that she has to continue to rely on God and believe in His graciousness, even in the darkest of times. But, will she?!
I don’t mean to leave a cliffhanger in the book description above, but I just don’t want to give away anything in the plot. The way Jane’s trials and reactions are written in this book are very believable. Jane’s trials have a domino effect - first one, then another, then ANOTHER and so forth. Her reaction to those trials is not oversimplified which I appreciated. The book is written in a way that illustrates that Christians suffer too. Too often I think that some novels are guilty of “cleaning up” Christianity and making it seem as though all it takes is a prayer heavenward to set things straight. That’s simply not the case as we all know. I found it encouraging to read a novel in which the character had so many trials and faced them with God’s guidance, but also with her own human emotions showing.
This was a great read. It was what some would call “chick lit”, I’m sure, but definitely chick lit of great quality. The read, for me, was enjoyable and inspirational. I will be sure to read more books by these authors in the future.
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Frasier Island
By Susan Page Davis / Harvest House Publishers
After specialized underwater training, Ensign Rachel Whitney is posted to a remote island in the North Pacific, a tiny scrap of rock guarding a highly classified secret. She could love her new assignment if her commanding officer, Lt. George Hudson, were not so obstinate and a bit distrustful.Despite George’s first reaction to her presence on the island, Rachel sets out to prove she is perfect for the job. She doesn’t dream of being a heroine or falling in love, but months later, when word leaks out about the prize they are guarding, Rachel and George have few resources besides each other and their faith in God to foil an enemy attack that could endanger all of America. |
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KELLY’S REVIEW:
I read Frasier Island second although it is actually the first book in a series. I read Finding Marie first and really enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading Frasier Island. I actually wish I had read Frasier Island first. This is not because the books are that closely intermingled as far as the story lines go, but this book actually had a little less action than Finding Marie. I wouldn’t have gone into it anticipating more action if I had read it first. However, I will say that the parts that contained action were very well written and kept me riveted. I don’t feel that the book was at all lacking action, certainly, but after reading Finding Marie first I somewhat anticipated more.The book was most definitely an enjoyable read even without the amount of action in the second novel.
The character development in Frasier Island is superb. I really felt that I got a great insight into the lead characters, George and Rachel, as well as the secondary character of Pierre. The way Susan Davis writes, I feel connected to the surroundings and the characters. I could relate to the characters even with no military or combat experience due to Davis’ insightful and descriptive writing style.
I very much appreciate a novel that doesn’t portray Christians as perfect and shows how all Christians deal with struggles in their lives through their walks of faith. Davis does this beautifully with both Frasier Island and Finding Marie. This provided yet another way I could relate to the characters even without having experienced similar situations.
I very much enjoyed this book and the series. I look forward to the next installment as well. Add these books to your reading list and keep an eye out for future works by the talented Susan Page Davis!
Sweet Caroline, Low Country Series #1
I just noticed that Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck is on sale at Christian Book! For a limited time, this great book is only $5.99 plus shipping/handling!
I reviewed Sweet Caroline a couple of weeks ago. It is a GREAT read! I highly recommend it, so don’t miss out on this great deal!
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Finding Marie
By Susan Page Davis / Harvest House Publishers
Boarding a plane in San Francisco, Marie Belanger is looking forward to flying home to Maine. But suddenly she’s on the run when a computer drive mysteriously appears in her luggage and a woman is murdered. Her husband, Peter, is scouring the country looking for her. Will he find her before the killer does? 350 pages, softcover from Harvest. |
Kelly’s Review:
Finding Marie is a suspense novel that is full of action and captivated my attention from the very first page. I didn’t realize that this is actually the second in a series by Susan Page Davis, but not knowing didn’t take away anything at all from this book. It captivated me and kept me wanting to read more with every page. I actually hated to put it down and walk away from it when I had to take breaks in reading. I don’t read a lot of action stories, but I should read more because I was thoroughly engrossed in this novel from start to finish.
The main storyline of Finding Marie revolves around Marie Belanger. She has left her beloved husband, Pierre, in Japan and is returning home to the U.S. with other Navy dependents. While on a layover in San Francisco, she witnesses the murder of another Navy wife named Jenna. Marie finds herself on the road from those that killed Jenna AND from an opposing group as well. Marie comes to realize that she has a computer flash drive that Jeanna had apparently planted in Marie’s belongings before she was killed. Marie has to rely on every resource she can come up with in order to survive and outmaneuver those who are seeking to catch and potentially kill her. Through her ordeal, she shows examples of faith, courage and wisdom in prayer. Once her husband finds out she is missing, he and his best friend, another Naval officer, return Stateside and join the NCIS, FBI and CIA in their search for Marie and manhunt for the killers.
This book is absolutely riveting. I felt myself tense up on several occasions and looked forward to breathing a sigh of relief whenever that time came. There were also times when I thought a sigh of relief was forthcoming and I had to keep white-knuckling through to get there. I enjoyed the pace, the timing and the suspense contained within the chapters. My interest level was kept high throughout the novel.
I would certainly recommend this one. Perhaps read the first novel in the series, Frasier Island first. As I said above, I didn’t read it first, but it’s next on my reading list. Wish I had read the series in sequence, but Finding Marie definitely stood on its own as an excellent novel. I look forward to a third installment and feel certain I will read more of Susan Page Davis in the future.
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Taming Rafe, Noble Legacy Series #2
By Tyndale House
Hotel heiress Katherine Breckenridge just wants to make a lasting difference in her world by running her late mother’s charity foundation. But she fears she lacks the passion and courage to be as successful as her mother was–a fear that’s realized when money from the foundation goes missing and Katherine’s one shot to recover it is ruined by Rafe Noble. Two-time world champion bull rider Rafe Noble is at the top of his game when tragedy hits. Guilt stricken over the loss of his best friend, Rafe accidentally drives his truck into the lobby of the Breckenridge Hotel during Katherine’s fund-raiser. With a broken knee, a ruined reputation, and the threat of several lawsuits, Rafe goes back to his family’s ranch–the Silver Buckle–to recover. Desperate to save the foundation, Katherine heads to the Silver Buckle to talk Rafe into helping her raise the needed funds. But a few days under the bright Montana skies give her more than she bargained for, and Kat discovers there’s more to both herself and Rafe Noble than she realized.
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Kelly’s Review:
Taming Rafe is the second book in Susan May Warren’s Noble Legacy Series. I read the first novel in the series, Reclaming Nick, in late 2007 and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Given how much I enjoyed it, I was eagerly anticipating the second installation in the series. Taming Rafe did not disappoint. It was an excellent read that had me hooked from start to finish! This was a book that I hated to put down. Sometimes when I invest too much hope in subsequent books in a series, they don’t live up to my expectations. This one not only met my high expectations, it exceeded them. Truly a great read!
Rafe Noble is a champion rodeo bull rider who is broken in body and spirit after the death of one of his closest friends. Katherine Breckenridge is an heiress who is trying desperately to make a difference in the world, but keeps coming up short. Rafe’s recklessness costs Katherine a fortune and she sets out to meet him and convince him to help her make things right again. This story is about the journey that both Katherine and Rafe take, separately and together, to find out what is at both of their cores and what they both need to heal, grow and love.
There are secondary stories within this novel that are also compelling and captivating. Every page kept me wanting more. The characters came to life and the descriptions were vivid and realistic. I have never been to Montana, but having read these books, I feel that I have seen a beautiful glimpse of it. Susan May Warren has a writing style that is amazingly descriptive and captivating!
I give this book a glowing recommendation. Start with Reclaiming Nick if you can, but if you can’t, then this story actually does well on its own merit. When I say I didn’t want to put it down, believe me. I didn’t. I just found myself wanting to sit and read the whole thing through in one sitting although that was not possible.
The Noble Legacy series has taken me in and I am now anxiously awaiting the third installment, Finding Stefanie, which is due out this coming summer.
Sugar and Grits by DiAnn Mills, Martha Rogers, Janice Thompson and Kathleen Y’Barbo
This is a collection of four short stories set in the small Southern town of Calista, Mississippi. Each storyline revolves around one main character within a group of friends.
I found the stories to be easy reads. They were light and fun, but nothing overly memorable, honestly. I found some of the stereotypes to be a bit overboard and thought that at times the authors were seeking to incorporate as much Southern slang and Southern expressions as much as they could into each story. One character in particular, Sassy Hatchett, reminded me a little much of Ouiser from Steel Magnolias. However, I will say that these stories were, in fact, decent reads. I’d say this would be a great vacation book. I could see myself sitting on the beach, relaxing and reading these stories. Or, in a hammock somewhere relaxing and breezing through this book. The stories aren’t going to change your life, but they are nice little stories for light reading.
I just inundated my blog with book reviews. I think I’m caught up now and hope to just have one review every week or so to stay caught up. 
If anyone has any Christian fiction recommendations, please let me know. I’m always looking for great reads!
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Home to Holly Springs, Father Tim Series #1
By Jan Karon / Viking
Wonderful news, Mitford fans! Father Tim, the beloved retired Episcopal priest, is back—and in response to a mysterious summons, he’s taking a trip down “memory lane” to his hometown of Holly Springs, Mississippi. His journey is filled with colorful characters, heartfelt insights, and plenty of laughs—but will the destination yield surprising secrets, too? 368 pages, hardcover from Viking.
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Kelly’s Review:
We gave my step-mom, Dorothy, this book for Christmas because she and I are both HUGE fans of the Mitford series. She positively raved over this book and I could not wait to read it myself! She brought it to me over Easter weekend and I had to wait a few days before I finished another book so that I could give this my full attention. I have to say, it was more than worth the wait! This is truly an excellent read from start to finish!
As a fan of the Mitford series, I welcomed this book as new and different glance into Father Tim. This book takes us on a journey with him to his boyhood home of Holly Springs, Mississippi. Father Tim hasn’t been to Holly Springs in nearly 40 years and returns to find some of his old friends and make peace with the past. The characters he encounters along the way are all just brought to life on the pages. The story easily seems like it could take place today in a small southern town. Beautifully written and engaging throughout. Even if you’ve never read a Mitford book, this book is still a great stand-alone read. I can’t recommend it enough. And, I also give a big recommendation for the Mitford series because it’s another of my all-time favorites.
On This Day by Melody Carlson
I have read a few Melody Carlson books before and when I found this one at Lifeway on the sale table, I was excited to buy it and give it a read. On the whole, it was just okay for me. I wanted to like it more than I did. I found the tone to be a bit down the whole novel and the outcome was predictable. It wasn’t a bad read at all, but it didn’t really captivate me and I wasn’t emotionally invested in the characters, really.
On This Day is a story about five women who are in attendance at a wedding. Each has their own issues to confront and wrestle with regarding love, life and marriage. The main characters are a war-bride widow, a vain socialite, a woman who feels her 25 year marriage is in jeopardy, an insecure young wife and new mom and an engaged bridesmaid. The book takes us through the wedding through each point of view and also introduces us to the trials each character is facing. Along the way somewhere the story just started to drag and feel down to me. And, one of the stories doesn’t even get a resolution. I read it all the way through, but mostly because I dislike not finishing what I start and I like Melody Carlson and wanted to do a service to her novel.
Still, I’m only lukewarm on this one. It had its better points scattered throughout, but I didn’t find it to be a great read on the whole. Unfortunately. Still, Melody Carlson is an excellent author and I have enjoyed every other work of hers that I have read. I will continue to read her books without a doubt.
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Sweet Caroline, Low Country Series #1
By Rachel Hauck / Thomas Nelson
When ownership of a country bistro falls into Caroline Sweeney’s lap, she wants to drop it like a hot potato! But she soon discovers she loves the restaurant business—till her blossoming relationship with country musician Mitch O’Neal threatens to place it on the back burner. Can a devastating fire help Caroline sort it out? Will she finally put herself first, instead of taking care of everyone else and not herself?
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Kelly’s Review:
I started this book on Sunday afternoon and finished it on a Tuesday morning. I really REALLY enjoyed it tremendously! It had all my favorite elements going for it in that it’s a work of Christian fiction AND a Southern novel. Can’t go wrong there with me. Plus, I have an unexplainable affinity for books with settings in the Low Country of South Carolina and that was the setting for this wonderful book. Those elements combined to provide an awesome read and absolutely took me in from the very beginning.
Sweet Caroline in this story is Caroline Sweeney. She has lived in Beaufort, SC all her life and always finds herself doing things for others because they need doing. She feels an intense loyalty and calling to be there for those that she cares about. She lives against becoming like her own mother who was overly eccentric and abandoned the family before she died. After a string of other jobs Caroline has taken out of compassion and loyalty, she finds herself working at the Frogmore Cafe in Beaufort. The Cafe is a town institution, but has become worn down and almost forgotten. When the owner dies and leaves the Frogmore to Caroline, she finds more in her lap than she bargained for. In addition to figuring out what to do with the Cafe, she also has to make a decision about taking a job with an international firm in Barcelona. And, of course, there is a love story involved. Caroline has recently started to date a handsome deputy sheriff in town with a reputation for being a lady’s man, but she is convinced he has changed. To complicate romantic matters, her first true love, Mitch (now a famous country singer) returns to town. Throughout this novel Caroline has to find ways to balance her life, discover love’s true meaning and rediscover her faith.
I really enjoyed this book because Caroline was a character I could feel a connection to from the beginning. The style of writing used by Rachel Hauck made every character seem so real. This story feels like it could have easily been true. I’m thrilled to learn that it’s the first book in a series and definitely look forward to future installments.
HIGHLY recommend this one!!
