The String by Caleb Breakey

A sociopath is running a deadly social experiment on a university campus. Markus Haas is the first to refuse to play the game. What unravels is a sequence of impossible decisions and a race against time to stop the sociopath before others pay the ultimate price.

MY TAKE :  This book was really good.  It helped me break a months long reading slump.  It kept me wondering what was going to happen next and I didn't want to put the book down.  The main vivllian is called the conductor and he just so happens to pull Markus Haas into the string when a famous orchestra has returned to campus to celebrate their being discovered there.  Markus has to use all his training and know how along with some friends old and new to track down the Conductor before he performs his finale.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell.  All opinions are mine.  

Everything She Didn't Say by Jane Kirkpatrick

In 1911, Carrie Strahorn wrote a memoir entitled Fifteen Thousand Miles by Stage, which shared some of the most exciting events of 25 years of traveling and shaping the American West with her husband, Robert Strahorn, a railroad promoter, investor, and writer. That is all fact. Everything She Didn't Say imagines Carrie nearly ten years later as she decides to write down what was really on her mind during those adventurous nomadic years.

Certain that her husband will not read it, and in fact that it will only be found after her death, Carrie is finally willing to explore the lessons she learned along the way, including the danger a woman faces of losing herself within a relationship with a strong-willed man and the courage it takes to accept her own God-given worth apart from him. Carrie discovers that wealth doesn't insulate a soul from pain and disappointment, family is essential, pioneering is a challenge, and western landscapes are both demanding and nourishing. Most of all, she discovers that home can be found, even in a rootless life.

With a deft hand, New York Times bestselling author Jane Kirkpatrick draws out the emotions of living--the laughter and pain, the love and loss--to give readers a window not only into the past, but into their own conflicted hearts. Based on a true story.

My Take:  This book is well researched.  It continues on from the memoir and imagines what Carrie Strahorn would say if she could tell the truth of how she felt during all the years of moving from place to place, putting her hopes and dreams on the back burner to follower her husband.  Although this book in itself is not a memoir it reads like one and you feel as though Carrie Strahorn is talking to you directly and telling you her story.  Very enjoyable and a great look into how it felt to pioneer.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell and was not required to write a positive review.  

Rive to Redemption by Ann H. Gabhart

Orphaned in the cholera epidemic of 1833, Adria Starr was cared for by a slave named Louis, a man who stayed in Springfield, Kentucky, when anyone with means had fled. A man who passed up the opportunity to escape his bondage and instead tended to the sick and buried the dead. A man who, twelve years later, is being sold by his owners despite his heroic actions. Now nineteen, Adria has never forgotten what Louis did for her. She's determined to find a way to buy Louis's freedom. But in 1840s Kentucky, she'll face an uphill battle.

Based partly on a true story, Ann H. Gabhart's latest historical novel is a tour de force. The vividly rendered town of Springfield and its citizens immerse readers in a story of courage, betrayal, and honor that will stick with them long after they turn the last page. 

My take:  I really enjoyed this book.  I really didn't know much about the cholera epidemic and this peaked my interest.  I liked how the author used the slavery issue in this book and how she portrayed slaves as kind people but they were always worried how people would think how they interacted with a small white child even if that child had no one in the world to take care of her.  I liked the relationship between Adria and Ruth and how they made a family after the epidemic took their other family.  I enjoy historical fiction and I would say that this book is at the top of my list.  I did get a bit frustrated at Adria and her choices at times but I enjoyed the book anyway.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell and all opinions are my own.  

The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker

Before the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller's life had been predictable. But after the Tree and the lightning and the angels, everything felt tenuous, like holding a soap bubble in the palm of her hand. She spent years looking for signs of that other world, waiting for it to break through. When it didn't, her friendship with Sam Chambers grew cold and distant, and they both wondered how any of it could actually have happened.

Four years later, 16-year-old Abra's long-delayed quest to find the next manifestation of the Tree of Life is renewed when she sees a woman walking up the road--a woman who looks exactly like Sam's dead mother. The woman directs her to New Orleans where she will find the grave of Marie Laveau, one of seven gateways between this world and Over There. As Abra enters The Edge of Over There and begins her pursuit of the Tree once more, she doesn't know whom to fear or whom to trust. But she's starting to think that some doorways should never be opened. 


My take:  This book is a sequel and you may want to read the first book before you read this one.  It isn't entirely necessary but you may be a bit lost like I was at the beginning.  This book was very good and had a bit of fantasy to it.  I liked following Abra on her journey and look forward to the next book.  I will be going back and reading the first book in this series.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell and was not required to post a positive review.  

Book Spotlight of My Heart belongs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado by Rebecca Jepson

Journey now to healing spa town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado in 1885
Where the past and present collide and a woman is on the precipice of unexpected love.

Millie Cooper, fisherman’s-daughter-turned-nurse, flees a painful entanglement with the wealthy Drexel family who summered near her childhood home in Nantucket, only to encounter them again six years later in Glenwood Springs. The serenity of Millie Cooper’s mountain hideaway in a town with healing springs is disrupted when she faces caring for the elderly mother and the expectant wife of Stephen Drexel, the man she’d once loved—at the request of John Drexel, the man who’d kept them apart. Will

Millie forgive the wrongs she feels were done to her, or will she come to see them as a blessing in disguise that lead her to greater joys?

More from My Heart Belongs in Series...
My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss: Priscilla's Reveille by Erica Vetsch (January 2017)
My Heart Belongs in the Superstition Mountains: Carmella's Quandaryby Susan Page Davis (March 2017)
My Heart Belongs in Ruby City, Idaho: Rebecca's Plight by Susanne Dietze (May 2017)
My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley: Lily's Dilemma by Andrea Boeshaar (September 2017)

Beneath the Surface ( Dive Team Investigations) by Lynn H.Blackburn

After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.

Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer--one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.

Dive into the depths of fear with an exciting new voice in romantic suspense. Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn grabs readers by the throat and doesn't let go until the final heart-pounding page. 

My take:  I thought this book was a really good start to a new series.  I didn't know who the murderer was until it was revealed.  I did have some clues but I never knew.  I liked the way every rallied around Leigh and I liked all of there relationships especially the one between Leigh and Ryan.  I am anxiously looking forward to the next book which there was a sneak peak of in this book.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Phoebe's LIght by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

Phoebe Starbuck has always adjusted her sails and rudder to the whims of her father. Now, for the first time, she's doing what she wants to do: marrying Captain Phineas Foulger and sailing far away from Nantucket. As she leaves on her grand adventure, her father gives her two gifts, both of which Phoebe sees little need for. The first is an old sheepskin journal from Great Mary, her highly revered great-grandmother. The other is a "minder" on the whaling ship in the form of cooper Matthew Mitchell, a man whom she loathes.

Soon Phoebe discovers that life at sea is no easier than life on land. Lonely, seasick, and disillusioned, she turns the pages of Great Mary's journal and finds herself drawn into the life of this noble woman. To Phoebe's shock, her great-grandmother has left a secret behind that carries repercussions for everyone aboard the ship, especially her husband the captain and her shadow the cooper. This story within a story catapults Phoebe into seeing her life in an entirely new way--just in time.

In this brand-new series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her signature twists and turns to bear on a fascinating new faith community: the Quakers of colonial-era Nantucket Island. 

My Take:  This was a very good start to a new series.  I was very interested in the two story lines that were told that of Mary Coffin and the one of Phoebe Starbuck.  I haven't read many books about Quakers and I found it interesting that the Quakers seemed to punish others in almost the same way they were punished.  I found it interesting about the whaling industry and how they used the different parts of the whale.  I did find it odd that they didn't find a way to make candles yet.  I almost from the very beginning had a dislike for the Captain and felt that Phoebe wasn't paying attnetion to what he could be and that she was to starry eyed.  I think if you like books that deal with historical fiction that you would like this book.  

I received a review copy from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Spiritual Wisdom for a Happier Life by Mark W. Baker, PHd

From Goodreads.com : There are eight basic human emotions that all people experience--hurt, guilt/shame, anger, anxiety, sorrow, fear, happiness, and love. We might believe we make sense of our lives by thinking through our experiences, but neuroscience shows that the part of our brains that processes emotions is many times faster than the part where logic and reason hold sway. It's the way God created us, but if we do not develop wisdom for handling our feelings, we may find that our emotions continue to get the best of us.

Thankfully, the Bible is full of guidance about our emotions. With keen insight into human psychology and a gift for drawing wisdom for life from Scripture, Dr. Mark Baker shows readers how they can find comfort and promote emotional health in their lives. Anyone experiencing distress in their relationships or struggling with overwhelming emotions or even traumatic events will find clear biblical help and healing, leading them to a happier, more fulfilled life. 

My take:  Although this book gives you some suggestions on knowing how each of our emotions can work for us and against us.  I feel that it it is really for each of us to decide on how we react to different things in our lives though prayer.  This is a good starting point but I think it will take some partioning God to really come to a happier life.  

I received a review copy of this book from Revell is exchange for my honest opinion.  

Becoming Resilient by Donna Gibbs

from Goodreads.com:  Everyone suffers disappointment, rejection, injustices, and losses, perhaps even traumatic ones. The spiritual pain born of such suffering can paralyze us, leaving us broken inside and barely getting by with the motions of life. Whether we remain stuck or move forward is determined in large part by our resilience.

Concise and compassionate, Becoming Resilient takes our most common question when tragedy strikes--Why?--and replaces it with the healthier, more productive question, What next? A professional Christian counselor for 20 years, author Donna Gibbs draws on her experience helping clients get unstuck, sharing secrets for building resilience that will change readers' experience of suffering. She offers practical tools and effective coping strategies to deal with whatever life throws their way so they can move through suffering--and come out stronger on the other side. 

My take : This book is a great place to start if you are grieving and you want to learn to be resilient in these type of situations.  God can help us through these times and we need to try not to get stuck in the why but to try to move on.  There are application questions that you can answer throughout the book to make the book more of a workbook than a how to.  This book helps with life.  

I received a review copy from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Fierce Hearted by Holley Gerth

From Goodreads.com:  A fiercehearted woman looks life in the face and says, "You can't beat me." She knows love is a risk but reaches out anyway. She chases Jesus with a tender, world-changing wildness. She never gives in, never gives up, and never lets go. Best of all, the potential to be a fiercehearted woman is inside each and every woman on earth.

In her most powerful book yet, beloved bestselling author Holley Gerth inspires her readers to become the stronger, braver, truer women they long to be by sharing personal stories of her own struggles and victories. As readers join Holley on this journey, they'll discover a freedom they never imagined could be theirs: the freedom to experience life, love, and faith to the fullest because fear can no longer hold them back.

For the woman who is restless or longing for more, Fierceheartedis an invitation to the life God has always meant for her to embrace. 

My Take:  This is the first book that I have read by Holley Gerth.  I found it to be very informative and good and a helpful book on taking chances in life and becomeing a fierce woman.  I would recommend this book if you want  a book that is written from a personal level that is more girlfriend to girlfriend.  

I received a review copy from Revell in exchange for my honest review.