Carol Moncado

**Guest post by Michelle Massaro

For most of us around the country, Fall is in the air. In Southern California we’re still seeing temps in the 90s, but hey–I say Autumn is a state of mind. And I’m ready for comfy sofas, hot cider, and a great new book to curl up with. Oh, and chocolate! Maybe a cat purring nearby. George Winston playing in the background. But the main thing I need is the book.

So, I’ve been searching through the titles released last month, including a long list that YOU guys recommended to me through our survey (thank you very much), and I’ve come up with a list of FIVE. Now I want to hear from you. Which of these most appeals to you? Which will be highest on your to-be-read pile this month? Take a look at the cover and the summary, then cast your vote. Polls will remain through Wednesday, closing on Halloween night (oooeeeooo) at midnight PST. (Yep, when I’m the hostess you get a few extra hours to vote because, well, once in a while it only seems fair to go by West Coast time. Right?)

All of the books below captured my attention for one reason or another. I’m sure they’ll capture you as well. After voting, I invite you to click over to Amazon and purchase one or more of these puppies!

p.s. Are you an aspiring author of Christian Fiction? This is the last week to enter Clash of the Titles’ annual contest for unpublished authors, the Olympia. Hurry! Submissions close Friday, November 2nd. 

Celia Anderson doesn’t have a husband on her Christmas wish list. But when a traveling carpenter finds lodging at her boardinghouse, she admits that she might remarry if she found the right man–the kind of man who would bring her roses for Christmas. It would take a miracle, though, to find roses during a harsh Wyoming winter.

But Christmas, after all, is the time for miracles . . .

At 172 pages, this is a short, hardcover book, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. A quick, easy read, the characters are no less deep than one would expect from Ms. Cabot. Celia is determined she’s not going to marry again – despite the best efforts of the local women to marry her off to one of the eligible bachelors in the area.

In walks Mark. A carpenter looking for his long-lost father needs a place to stay and Celia’s boarding house is just the place.

Together, they begin to forge a family without really realizing it. He helps care for her little girl and the boy she babysits. She helps him look for his father and deal with the information he finds.

I’m looking forward to Ms. Cabot’s next book, Waiting for Spring, arriving in January.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Only one pair of boots—and the cowboy wearing them—can get Annie out of the mess she’s in.

Annie Wilkerson is Moose Creek’s premiere horse trainer and equine columnist for Montana Living. Money is tight as she tries to put her kid-sister through college and provide for her young nephew. When Annie’s column is cancelled, she’s given first shot at a new lovelorn column—and she can’t afford to turn it down. Only problem is . . . Annie’s never been in love.

Always resourceful, she reluctantly strikes a deal with the town’s smooth-talking ladies’ man Dylan Taylor: She’ll work with his ailing horse, Braveheart, if he’ll help her answer the reader letters.

Working closely with Dylan is harder than Annie imagined, and she quickly realizes she may have misjudged him. But her unwavering conviction that cowboys are nothing but trouble has kept her heart safe for years. And she can’t risk getting hurt now.

The more Annie tries to control things, the more they fall apart. Her feelings are spinning out of control, and her sister’s antics are making life increasingly more difficult. Annie knows she needs to turn the reins over to God, but surrender has never come easily.

When Dylan reveals his feelings for her, Annie doesn’t know what to trust—her head or her heart. The trouble with this cowboy is that he might just be exactly what she needs.

As always, Denise Hunter writes a great book*. I love books with cowboys – historicals and contemps. So it’s really no surprise that I enjoyed this one.

I felt for Annie as she did her best to keep things together in the face of mounting difficulties. I admired the way she turned to Dylan for help when it was the last thing she really wanted to do. She didn’t always take his advice, but she knew she couldn’t do it on her own.

Annie’s grown up faster than she would have liked in large part because of her little sister – and her little sister’s little boy. She’s done her best to help her sister – but her sister seems to find new ways to screw it up, leaving Annie to fend for all of them.

As for Dylan, he’s a cowboy. What more needs to be said? 😉

As always, I’m left wanting more from Denise. I’m saddened that this is the last book in the series, but I’m looking forward to whatever she has next.

Overall rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

*I’m notoriously stingy with my stars. I think I’ve given three over 9 this year. Anywhere between an 8-9 means I really, really enjoyed the book.

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. Sam O’Rourke is the childhood hero she’s pined for, the brother of her best friend and a member of the large, boisterous family to which she longs to be a part. So when his best friend Patrick O’Connor joins in pursuit of her affections, the choice seems all too clear. Sam is from a family of faith and Patrick is not, two rogues whose wild ways clash head-on with Marcy’s—both in her faith and in her heart. 

While overseeing the Christmas play fundraiser for the St. Mary’s parish soup kitchen—A Light in the Window—Marcy not only wrestles with her attraction to both men, but with her concern for their spiritual welfare. The play is based on the Irish custom of placing a candle in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome the Holy Family, and for Marcy, its message becomes deeply personal. Her grandmother Mima cautions her to guard her heart for the type of man who will respond to the “light in the window,” meaning the message of Christ in her heart. But when disaster strikes during the play, Marcy is destined to discover the truth of the play’s message first-hand when it becomes clear that although two men have professed their undying love, only one has truly responded to “the light in the window.”

Well, the last review I did was also for Julie Lessman so it won’t be any shock that I enjoyed this one as well. I thought I’d heard [read] Julie or someone mention that it’s a novella – but only for Julie ;). For anyone else, it would likely be a short-ish novel [like Love Inspired length maybe].

Anyone who’s read Julie’s books is familiar with Patrick and Marcy – the patriarch and matriarch of the O’Connor clan. You would know that Patrick had a relationship that was contentious at best with his father. You would know that Marcy wasn’t real crazy about Patrick at first.

And so on.

But this story puts flesh on the bones of their history. It’s a foregone conclusion [as with any romance novel] that the two will get together, but still Julie keeps the pages turning [or at least the ‘next page’ button being pushed as it’s currently available as an ebook only – I’m unaware of any plans to release in a paperback book].

It’s a bit of a departure from her usual books. Much shorter, of course, but also because there’s far fewer point-of-view characters than she often has. Patrick and Marcy take up most of the time [normal, as it is their love story after all], but there’s only a couple other characters who get POV scenes – and very few scenes at that.

I mentioned in my last review that A Love Surrendered reminded me of a quote from Max Lucado:

And even more so here. Patrick and his best friend, Sam, are competing for Marcy’s affections. But Marcy won’t be swayed by a handsome face or pretty words. She’ll only be swayed by a man with a true heart for God.

The smoochies Julie’s also known for are dialed back a bit here. Not so much that Julie’s fans will be disappointed, but something I noticed a bit of. I’d imagine part of that is the lack of “extra” POV characters who are already married.

It was while reading Julie’s first book, A Passion Most Pure, about two years ago that I coined the term “literary voyeur”. Well, someone else may have coined it before me, but if so I didn’t know about it. I always want to know more about characters I’ve come to love and Julie’s A Light in the Window does just that.

Amazon says this:

“At last, the prequel I’ve been longing for …”
— Mary Connealy, bestselling author of the Kincaid Bride Series

And I couldn’t agree more!

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Thanks to Julie for an early review copy in exchange for my honest review.

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?

With heart-pounding romance, intense family drama, and emotional twists and turns, A Love Surrendered is everything Julie Lessman’s many fans have been waiting for.

Everybody I know knows I adore Julie Lessman. She’s a wonderful woman with such an amazing heart for people and for God. The coming of this book is bittersweet. It marks the end of the O’Connors [except for her ebook coming in about a month – a prequel with Marcy and Patrick’s story – A Light in the Window]. But really, the end of the O’Connors – unless she can write another series about the cousins… hm…. 😉

This one is also extra special because I got to name a character! She’s a bit character, with just a couple of lines and maybe five minutes of ‘screen time’, but still. On page 235 you can find Josephine Moncad0 – my husband’s great-grandmother. I asked Julie what she was going to do with an Italian in her Irish family saga. Turns out Josephine [and her sister, Carol!!! and her friends] are coming out of an Italian speakeasy where Steven is headed as a prohibition agent.

This book is no exception to the Lessman genre. Big Irish family. Drama. Passion. Mostly between married couples but also simmering between the hero and the heroine who struggle to keep that where it belongs – and that’s in the future.

As always, the characters are real. Flawed. Human. Moreso than in many other novels. Not that other books don’t have real/flawed characters, but somehow Julie’s are more real than most others. Maybe it’s because of the length of her books which give her more time to flesh out those characters than some other books.

It’s hard to put into words what I love most about Julie’s books and saying “just take my word for it” doesn’t quite work either. But at the same time, what I want to go on and on about and gush over the most would be spoilers and so I can’t.

So take my word for it and snatch up any Julie books you don’t already have. They’re more than worth it.

And if you’re a writer looking for lessons on how to ramp up romantic tension…

No one does it better than Julie!

If I can channel my inner Julie just a bit, I’m well on my way ;).

Overall rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Addendum:

We had a serious thunderstorm this morning and I laid awake staring at the ceiling, thinking about this…

I seriously love Gabe. The little girl Marcy and Patrick have taken in. If Julie has no plans to give her her own story someday, then I’m gonna have to do a little stalkin’ and find out what happens to that girl ;).

Steven and Annie are great characters. Like most of Julie’s heroes, Steven is a reformed [or reforming] bad boy. She knows how I feel about that. I’m hoping one of these days we’ll get a Lessman hero who never went the bad boy route, but I understand why she writes what she does. The redemption factor. Annie is a young, innocent girl. She turns eighteen during the book. They fall for each other – and hard. But the course to true love never did run smooth [yeah, I butchered that quote, whatever it is ;)]. Obstacles from old girlfriends to their own desires get in the way of their relationship.

As always, Julie keeps an eye on the prize – the relationship with Christ. I’ve seen a quote around Facebook that reminds me of one of Julie’s main points in A Love Surrendered.

I think it’s a Max Lucado quote but I’m not 100% sure on that as I’ve seen it attributed to a couple different people. But I love that. And it so perfectly encapsulates Julie’s message in this book. It’s something I think most of us can still work on.

The opposite is true, too, of course. That a man’s heart should be so hidden in God that a woman has to seek Him to find him. And it’s a great message for all of us to remember.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. And to Julie for naming a character after Josephine and sending me a copy ;).

They know everything about each other–except their real names.

Lt. Mellie Blake is looking forward to beginning her training as a flight nurse. She is not looking forward to writing a letter to a man she’s never met–even if it is anonymous and part of a morale-building program. Lt. Tom MacGilliver, an officer stationed in North Africa, welcomes the idea of an anonymous correspondence–he’s been trying to escape his infamous name for years.

As their letters crisscross the Atlantic, Tom and Mellie develop a unique friendship despite not knowing the other’s true identity. When both are transferred to Algeria, the two are poised to meet face-to-face for the first time. Will they overcome their fears and reveal who they are, or will their future be held hostage by their pasts?

Combining a flair for romance with excellent research and attention to detail, Sarah Sundin vividly brings to life the perilous challenges of WWII aviation, nursing–and true love. 

Many moons ago [or earlier this year], Sarah Sundin sent out a call for influencers. I was lucky enough to pick up a slot for this WWII novel. I find WWII fascinating but hadn’t read a book with a pilot and nurse for the protagonists.

I truly, truly enjoyed the book. I identified with Mellie on several levels and loved how their letters allowed them to be fully open with each other about everything but their names. And I loved how they finally discovered each other.

Sundin set up the time period and locations perfectly. I know enough about WWII to appreciate it.

The one thing that bugged me a bit was the end, when they finally meet as themselves. It wasn’t BAD, don’t think that, but I wasn’t crazy about it.

That said, it didn’t distract much from my overall enjoyment and I’m eagerly anticipating Sundin’s next release [yep, already on that list too ;)].

Overall Rating: 8.75 out of 10

Thanks to the publisher for a free influencer copy in exchange for my review.

She moved to Sandwich, Illinois, in search of a new life, but ended up in a giant pickle. 

Sandwich represents hope for twenty-year-old Maddie Buckner and Kyle, the eleven-year-old brother Maddie wants to spring out of foster care. Then she loses her new job after less than a day. It’s all Reuben-the-Jerk’s fault, and she’s determined to make him right the wrong.   

He does so, reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Emporium. Then crazy things start happening at the restaurant, and Kyle’s foster parents apply to adopt him. To stop it all, Maddie must learn the art of humbling herself and accepting the help God has arranged, risking her heart to Reuben in the process.  

And she’d rather eat a million corned-beef on rye sandwiches than do that. 

Krista Phillips is a friend of mine. Not a friend I know REAL well, but a friend nonetheless. One who has been through incredibly trying times the last couple of years. Her now-two-year-old daughter was born with a heart defect requiring a transplant before she was a year old. Krista and her family have been a shining example to all of us of love and perseverance – and trust in God’s plan even when things got REALLY hard.

When Krista asked for influencers, I jumped at it. I’d heard so much about the book and the storyline from her friends, that I knew I wanted in.

As advertised, Sandwich was a fun romp. I felt for Maddie as she struggled to fit in in her new town. As she tries to take nothing and turn it into enough for a place to live and a way to get her little brother to come live with her.

Rueben has a girlfriend but struggles with feelings for Maddie. She’s not what he’s looking for – or is she?

It’s a romance, so of course they belong together. And eventually they realize that – the question is how and will her brother end up with her or not?

This book was great fun and it was even more fun to meet Krista in person at the ACFW conference last month [where I, incidentally, got the book signed ;)]. I look forward to Krista’s next offering and rejoice with her and so many others that her little girl is doing well!

Overall Rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a free influencer copy of this book.

$10,000,000 Is Missing.

Erin Larson is running out of options. In the wake of her father’s death, she found a slim piece of paper–a deposit slip–with an unbelievable amount on it. Only the bank claims they have no record of the money, and trying to hire a lawyer has brought only intimidation and threats. Erin’s last chance is Jared Neaton.

How Far Will One Lawyer Go to Find the Money?

When Jared wearied of the shady ethics of his big law firm and started his own, he never expected the wheels to fly off so quickly. One big loss has pushed him to the brink, and it’s all he can do to scrape by. 

And How Far Will Someone Go to Stop Him?

He’s not sure if Erin’s case is worth the risk, but if the money is real, all his problems could vanish. When digging deeper unleashes something far more dangerous than just threats, both Jared and Erin must decide the cost they’re willing to pay to discover the truth.

This book reminded me of the John Grisham books of the mid-to-late 90s. Legal drama with just a smidge of unresolved romance [which leads me to hope this is a series starring Jared and Erin solving other cases].

The twists were well-designed. I was kept guessing. I did guess a few of the turns the storyline took but others caught me by surprise [as they were designed to do]. The legalities weren’t so tricky or convoluted I couldn’t follow them, but complicated enough for the hero/heroine to have a hard time.

Overall, I enjoyed the book very much. Just like a good John Grisham book and I hope there will be more in the future.

Overall rating: 8 out of 10

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[I know I said this would be posted yesterday, but my laptop is well and truly dead. /Sigh/ But here it is… Look for more book reviews in the coming days.]

They say there’s three sides to every story – his, hers, and the truth.

In Sinner’s Creed, we get Scott Stapp’s side of the story. The story of his life to this point, including his perspective on the break-up of popular rock band, Creed.

I remember Creed. Mostly, I remember Arms Wide Open, a song he wrote when his first wife was expecting his first child, Jagger.

In Sinner’s Creed, Stapp goes back to his childhood, with a different name and a very different life.

I won’t get into Stapp’s story too much here, because much of it is likely available online [at least the highlights if not the details – but I haven’t looked] and because I’d recommend reading the book.

My… dissatisfaction, and I hesitate to use that word, comes with the… incompleteness of the memoir. But Stapp’s life isn’t complete, therefore the memoir can’t truly be.

Does that make sense?

There’s answers I’d love to know about how his life turns out, but because his life isn’t over, the answers can’t be there.

For instance, though Creed reunited recently, it didn’t SOUND like there was a true reconciliation between Stapp and the other members. That said, books are finished long before they actually go into print. So what happened over their 2012 tour isn’t fully included. Maybe they did truly have that kind of heart-to-heart clearing up of misunderstandings – coming to terms with how one saw it isn’t the way the other did – and neither may be wrong. Etc. But if so, it’s not included here.

There’s other relationships I would love to know the true outcome of, but with Stapp’s life still [thankfully] on-going, I can whisper a prayer for those relationships to be truly restored without money being a factor [because, face it, anyone with money knows there are people in your life only because of the money].

There were other details that were glossed over or not included, and there’s many reasons why they could be. Including protecting people like Jagger. And I certainly can’t blame Stapp for that. Part of it is my inner “literary voyuer” I’ve mentioned before*. I always want to know more. Stapp is open about his alcohol use and drug use [including prescription drugs he thought were good for him but he’s lucky didn’t kill him], but less open about his “love” live on the road. Maybe because there wasn’t much of one – I don’t know and really, truly, it’s none of my business. But that was one question that lingered for me after he did mention part of that part of his life as a college student. We hear the stories of “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” and that’s part of the story not mentioned specifically – or if it is, I missed it.

The other thing that kind of bugged me was that fully 1/3 or so of the book is comprised of song lyrics. I get it. The lyrics of Stapp’s songs are a huge part of who he is and of his story. That said, the novelist in me [see below] would have preferred more ‘prose’.

So what did I like? I loved how open he was with his struggles. With the abuse in his past that made my heart ache for the young Stapp and whisper another prayer for him today. With how God was portrayed to him at different points in his life and how that God differed from the God I know. Yes, God is a God of absolutes – of right and wrong, a God who allows both a heaven and a hell – but God is also a God of love and mercy. That’s the God Stapp wasn’t always shown by those in power in his life.

The “behind the scenes” with Creed was also interesting. Seeing how the group came together – and fell apart. Interesting doesn’t always mean “good” after all.

To say I was left dissatisfied overall isn’t quite right. Dissatisfied isn’t the right word, but I can’t come up with another one. I can’t say that I was fully satisfied though.

Maybe part of it goes back to my novel-writing side. As novelists, generally everything is wrapped up in a neat bow by the end of the book [or at least the series]. The hero gets the girl. The bad guy gets what’s coming to him [in the case of Mary Connealy, shot; in other cases maybe jail time, or just the knowledge that he didn’t get the girl, etc.]. The Happily Ever After.

I truly hope the Stapps [including Scott, his second wife/love of his life Jaclyn and their children Jagger, Milan, and Daniel] are getting their happily ever after. That it will continue and the struggles of the past will stay there. In the past. That’s he’s truly overcome his problems with alcohol and other drugs of choice. That he continues to make amazing music that glorifies his Savior.

I know I’m off to buy some Creed/Scott Stapp CDs here in the next few days. [After I buy a new laptop.]

Overall rating: 8 out of 10 stars

*Yesterday’s Facebook status [one of them]: “The trouble with “The Trouble with Cowboys” [by Denise Hunter]? Too short. /sigh/ But that’s the trouble with lots of books. With the *possible* exception of Julie Lessman ;). And even then I’m not sure :D.”
The point? I always want more from my books ;).

Thanks to Tyndale’s Book Review program for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Yesterday I was reading about-to-be-released memoir Sinner’s Creed by Scott Stapp. Came across this Facebook status from my friend, Chris:

Every now and then I catch myself wishing I could have things “my way”.
But then I remember how much I screwed things up in the past by having things my way.
Thanks God for reminding me.

I don’t know what Chris is talking about but it struck me as I’m reading about Scott’s screw-ups. It’s easy to think they’re “greater” than mine, but I know there’s no “scale” in God’s eyes. We’ve all fallen short.

The old hymn ran through my head: