The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

About The Face of the Earth:

When Mitchell Brannon's beloved wife of twenty years kisses him goodbye one autumn morning, he has little idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised Jill's car isn't in the garage. Her conference in Kansas City is only a few hours' drive from their little town of Sylvia, Missouri. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. "Hey, babe, I'm just now checking out of the hotel, but I'll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you."

Mitch sets the table with their best china and lights some candles, looking forward to their first weekend as empty nesters.

But at eight o'clock, the candles have burned to stubs and Jill still hasn't shown up. Mitch tries her cell phone only to get her voice mail over and over again. Their two college kids haven't heard from their mom either.
At midnight, Mitch's irritation turns to dread. And later, when the police and Missouri Highway Patrol have turned up nothing, the Kansas City hotel calls to say they've found property belonging to Jill in a hotel maid's possession.

Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill's best friend, Shelley, and together they search for clues to Jill's disappearance. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, Mitch and Shelley's friendship grows ever closer--and decidedly complicated with Jill as the tie that binds them together. Just when Shelley decides to finally reveal her feelings for Mitch, a clue to Jill's whereabouts is uncovered. But every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth.

Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/kFdwM

Meet Deb:

Deborah Raney is the award-winning author of several novels, including "A Nest of Sparrows" and the RITA award winning "Beneath a Southern Sky" and its sequel, "After the Rains". Deborah's first novel, "A Vow to Cherish", was the inspiration for World Wide Pictures' highly acclaimed film of the same title, which in December 2004 aired on prime time network TV for the second time. Deb's novella, "Playing by Heart", was a National Readers Choice Award winner and a 2004 Christy Award finalist. Her novel for Howard/Simon & Schuster, "Yesterday's Embers", appeared on the ECPA Christian fiction bestseller list. Known for her sensitive portrayal of family struggles and relationships, Deb has also written nonfiction books and articles and often speaks at women's retreats and writers' conferences around the country. She and her husband, illustrator/author Ken Raney, have four children and make their home in Kansas. 

Find out more at DeborahRaney.com

My Take: What a ride!!  This book takes you through the turmoil of what happens when someone you love just disappears.  No sign of them, no clues, just falls off the face of the earth.  What would you do if you didn't know if your loved one was dead or alive.  Would you keep you hope alive or would you tuck them aside in your mind and start a new life without them.  This book shows what Mitchell and his wife's best friend Shelley do when Jill disappears.  They have to work through their feelings about what has happened along with the complicated relationship that is forming between them as they try to find out what has happened to Jill.  Great Mystery but also so much more.  

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

Enter Today - 5/7 - 5/30!

The Company by Chuck Graham Book Review

The Company by Chuck Graham

From the Litfuse:

About the Book:

A meteor strike plunges the world into darkness. A stranger to the village of Brigos Glen restores power and light, supplied by three businesses, known as “The Company,” located beyond the forbidden mountains. The stranger reveals a plan so the Brigons can maintain the power and share the light with outlying territories, which remain shrouded in darkness.

Now, seventy years later, The Company summons six Brigons, including the young engineer Sam Mitchell, to attend a conference in the mountains of the forbidden Outlands.

Responsible for compiling a report about Brigos Glen from his five companions, Sam learns how managers and villagers largely ignored the plan or compromised it to self-interest, forsaking their duty to share the light. They also took for granted The Company responsible for generating and transmitting the power.

In an ordeal fraught with failure, revelations, and judgment, Sam discovers the true identity behind The Company and learns the fate that may befall Brigos Glen . . . that is, unless he can stop it.

About Chuck:

Chuck Graham's legal career as an attorney in private practice spanned more than thirty-one years. He represented many local, national, and international clients, acquiring intricate knowledge about the often-overlapping structures of the corporate world. He also worked against those seeking to create racial division, including the Ku Klux Klan. He has served as a member of the state bar of Georgia since 1979 and an instructor to attorneys and judges through the Institute for Continuing Legal Education (ICLE). He received the Medallion of Appreciation from ICLE.

Chuck is also a speaker and the author of Take the Stand (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996) and the compilations, A Year of Encouragement (Xulon Press).

 

In 1997 he founded Ciloa (Christ Is Lord Of All), a ministry devoted to sharing God’s encouragement with the world and teaching those who follow Him how to encourage others. Today Chuck serves as executive director and principal author of A Note of Encouragement, a weekly e-zine reaching 175 countries.

 

He and Beverly, his wife of thirty-four years, have lived in Lawrenceville, a suburb of Atlanta, for fourteen years. God has blessed them with three children. In his free time, Chuck enjoys backpacking and hiking (especially on the Appalachian Trail), playing the guitar, dabbling in photography, and reading extensively about the Christian faith.

 

My Take:  It took me awhile to get into this book.  It isn't a very big book but I had a very hard time getting past the first couple of pages.  It wasn't until Sam came into the picture did the story for me start to pick up.  If you are a Christian you will recongnize the allegory here about how God has given us a plan for free and some have strayed away from that plan.  Although you could pretty much predict what was going to happen the author throws in some twists and turns along the way.  i would recommend this book if you like allegories.  If you find the first part slow going I would encourage to stick with it because it does pick up and it is worth the wait. 

 

Follow this link for a list of others on this blog tour.

 

http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13517061/chuckgraham

 

I received a copy for review from Litfuse Publicity.

Delivering Hope by Jennifer Holt

Delivering Hope by Jennifer Holt

My Take: Olivia and Michael had been trying for years to have a baby but no matter what they did they couldn't conceive and after tests it looked like they never would have a biological baby. Allison has a one night stand and finds herself pregnant. Can you see where this is going? There are no surprises in this book. No twists and turns. It is a straight forward story about a couple who desparately want a baby and a young girl who finds herself in a situation that she never thought she would find herself. Well written and enjoyable. My only con would be if you weren't familiar with the Mormon Church you might get a bit lost at times when aspects of that religion comes up.

Book review the Puppy that Came for Christmas by Megan Rix

the Puppy That Came for Christmas by Megan Rix

From Goodreads:


Marley, Oogy, Huck-and now, Traffy, the "forever dog" that changed one couple's life.
All Megan Rix ever wanted was a baby. Yet, month after month, Megan's dreams were dashed. Would her life ever feel complete?
Megan and her husband, Ian, found a surprising answer when they began training golden retriever pups to become service dogs for people with disabilities. But opening their homes and hearts up to Emma, and then Freddy-only to have each move on after six months-eventually took its own toll. Megan and Ian didn't know if they could continue. Then, one Christmas, little Traffy came along ... and stayed. An instant U.K. bestseller, The Puppy That Came for Christmas is a heartwarming and inspirational story that will captivate dog lovers everywhere

My Take:

I like to read Christmas themed books around this time of year.  I also like to read at least one or two books during the year about animals so this book  takes care of both of those likes.  And look at the face of that dog.  I mean really who could resist that dog.  But this book isn't only about how this couple Ian and Meg started training dogs for disabled persons but how these dogs helped them during a time when they were trying to have  a baby and it just didn't seem to be working and how these dogs taught them to be content in what they had.  I did find it alittle hard to understand a few things because she wrote from the standpoint of someone from England but I was able to figure out what she meant.

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes uplifting stories that involve dogs or animals.  Great book for the holidays.

I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley.

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney Book Review

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney

From Goodreads.com:

Tells the story of Heath Wellington III, a young boy whose life is changed when forced to take over his family's rural Massachusetts farm and bed and breakfast, alongside his father, Junior, after the death of the grandfather he barely remembers. With the help of the inn's quirky residents, Heath and Junior confront their strained relationship and Heath Senior's death.

My Take:  I enjoyed this book but there really wasn't much of a surprise here.  It was interesting how the author brought the different inn resident's stories to the front.  They all were definately not what they seemed at first.  But really I wasn't surprised when their stories were revealed.  I was expecting the turns in the realtionship of Junior and Heath.  That being said it was an easy read and enjoyable.  There was a bit of language and expecially from a professing Christian so I was a bit taken aback by that. 

If you are looking for a Thanksgiving story this would fill the bill.

I received a review copy from Netgalley. 

Forsaking All Others by Allision Pittman

Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman

From Goodreads.com

Camilla Fox is alive. The last thing she remembers is being lost in the snow after leaving her home to escape the Mormon faith she no longer calls her own. She’s been taken in by the 5th Infantry Regiment of the US Army and given over to the personal care of Captain Charles Brandon. As she regains her strength, memories of her two children she had to leave behind come flooding back, threatening to break her heart. Camilla is determined to reunite with her daughters. But when news of her father’s grave illness reaches her, she knows she must return to the family farm to reconcile with her father. As spring arrives, Camilla returns to Salt Lake City a changed woman, but nothing could prepare her for the changes to the city, to the Mormon church, and to the family she left behind.

My Take:  This is the second in the series Sister Wives and I liked it almost as much as The first book



For Time and Eternity   Link leads to Goodreads.com page

Camilla is found by the military in the snowstorm that we left her in at the end of the first book.  She forms a friendship with the forts commander a fellow Christian.  She feels like she needs to go back to Salt Lake to see what her options are.  I feel I would tell to much if I reveal much more but it is a heartwrenching decision and I admired her fortitude.  I was a bit disappointed in the ending.  I thought there was going to be more of a confrontation at the end and it kinda feel a little flat for me but I was mostly satisfied.  I found it kind of interesting that the way people who left the church back then were more more or less  treated very simiarly the same as the Mormon church treats plagiamists today. 

A great series and I am sad that it was only two books long. 

I received this book as part of Tyndale House's blog review program and received a copy for review.