The Loyal Heart by Shelley Shepard Gray

The Loyal Heart (Zondervan, July 2016)

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn’t expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda’s home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip’s name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He’s mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.

He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn’t prove to be an easy task—Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY}

Shelley Shepard Gray is a “New York Times” and “USA Today” bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Find out more about Shelley athttp://www.shelleyshepardgray.com.

My Take:  This book opens when a group of Southern soldiers are being held in a Northern prisoner of war camp during the Civil War.  The men have grown quite close and have promised to keep in touch and look out for each other after the war. One man asks the other men to watch out for his wife if anything happens to him.  They agree.  He then dies in the camp.  Robert is asked to check on the wife her name is Miranda.  Miranda's in-laws are trying to take the house that she inherited from her husband away from her.  In order to make ends meet she has turned the mansion into a boarding house.  The town has labeled her husband as a traitor.  With the help of her loyal servants, the local sheriff and a couple of other former soldiers, They are able to take care of all these problems and Robert is able to fall in love with Miranda.  There are other things that happen with other characters that make this book suspenseful and a love story also.  Miss Gray never seems to disappoint.  

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

Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

When Death Draws Near (Thomas Nelson, August 2016)

Death has always been part of Gwen Marcey’s job. But when faced with her own mortality, everything takes on a different hue.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs and homes when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky. The Eastern Kentucky town, located deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, has been plagued by a serial rapist and a series of unexplained deaths. Before Gwen can develop a composite drawing, the latest witness vanishes, just like all the previous victims.

Turning her attention to sketching the face of an unidentified body, she discovers a link between his death and a Pentecostal serpent-handling church. Serpent-handling is illegal in Kentucky, and the churches have gone underground to avoid the authorities and continue to worship as they believe. Gwen is offered a handsome reward to infiltrate the renegade members, a reward she desperately needs as it seems her breast cancer has returned.

Joined by her digitally-obsessed, Generation Z daughter, Gwen goes undercover to a nineteenth century revival, planning to draw the faces of the snake handlers so they can be identified and arrested. Instead she uncovers a murderous plot and a festering evil.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT CARRIE STUART PARKS}

Carrie Stuart Parks is a Christy finalist as well as a Carol award-winning author. She has won numerous awards for her fine art as well. An internationally known forensic artist, she travels with her husband, Rick, across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals. The author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing and painting, Carrie continues to create dramatic watercolors from her studio in the mountains of Idaho.

Find out more about Carrie Stuart at http://www.carriestuartparks.com.

My Take: This book is part of a series but you can read it as a stand alone.  The main character Gwen is a forensic artist.  She is good at listening to victims and drawing pictures of criminals from her interviews.  She takes a job in Kentucky to draw a picture of a serial rapists but the last victim soon disappears as the other victims did.  The sheriff then asks Gwen to go undercover and find out if any illegal activites  are going on in a church that handle snakes as part of their practices. Gwen finds out two pieces of information that will have an effect of her life.  

  This book is a good book as it has a creepy feel to it and the mystery is one that had me stumped until the end. page turner and fast paced but savor it if you can. 

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

Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amy Kaufman

From Goodreads.com: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. 

My Take:  I think that this book is probably my favorite read of the year so far.  I don't know why it took me so long to read it as I bought it right after it came out last year.  I really liked the way this book was writing by using email, diary entries, IMs, and other computer related things. this book is full of action and there are some sad places,  There is a plague and a rogue AI.  And teenagers to quickly having to be heroes.  I can't wait to read the next in this series Gemina.  It comes out October 18,  

This book is taken from my personal library. 

A Beauty Refined by Tracie Peterson

A Beauty Refined (Bethany House, July 2016)

What does it take to reveal the true beauty of a hidden gem?

Phoebe Von Bergen, the daughter of a German count, is excited to visit America for the first time while her father purchases sapphires in Helena, Montana. Little does she know, however, that her father’s intentions—both for her and the gemstones—are not what she thinks.

Ian Harper, a lapidary working in Helena, finds the dignified young woman staying at the Broadwater Hotel more than a little intriguing. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie–a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Meeting Ian has changed everything for Phoebe, and she begins to consider staying in America, regardless of her father’s plans. But she may not be prepared for the unexpected danger that results when her family’s deception begins to unravel.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My Take;  You can count on any book written by Tracie Peterson to be a good one and this book was no exception.  I was really caught up in this story and grew to dislike some of the characters almost from the very beginning and I wondered to myself why some characters would let things go on that were just abusive.  I learned a little bit about sapphires and how they were cut and styled into jewelry.  I liked how the romance developed in the story.  My favorite character was the little boy Kenny.  If you enjoy Historical fiction or Tracie Peterson then you will like this book. 

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

When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks blog tour and giveaway

Plunge into forensic artist Gwen Marcey's world, full of cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects. Add Carrie Stuart Parks' new Gwen Marcey novel, When Death Draws Near, to the top of your must-read list. Gwen accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky—a small town facing big-city crime. But before she can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others. Can Gwen uncover the truth—and convince anyone to believe her—before she becomes a victim herself?

Join Carrie in celebrating the release of When Death Draws Near by entering to win an Undercover Artist Starter Set.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of When Death Draws Near
• A $30 Michael's or Hobby Lobby gift card (winner's choice)
• Colored pencils
• A sharpener
• A pencil case
• An eraser
• A coloring prayer book
• A coloring notecard set
• A lap desk

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on August 22. The winner will be announced August 23 on the Litfuse blog.

Ignite the Shadows by Ingrid Seymour

 

From Goodreads.com
Sixteen-year-old Marci Guerrero is one of the best teen hackers in Seattle. However, she’d give up all her talents to know she isn’t crazy.

Marci feels possessed by what she perceives as shadowy spectres that take control of her body and make her do crazy things. While spying on the clandestine group known as IgNiTe, she’s confronted by the leader, James McCray. His presence stirs the spectres inside her brain into a maddening frenzy. Her symptoms and ability to control them don’t go unnoticed by James, who soon recruits her and shows her the awful truth.

Half of the world’s population is infected by sentient parasites. They bind themselves to the human brain and replace the pathways for all thoughts and actions. The creatures then morph their hosts into grotesque monsters with extraordinary strengths. Winged, clawed, fanged half-humans become living nightmares. Now Marci wishes she was crazy, because the truth is worse.

She’s infected. 


My Take:  I found this book to be high on action and not giving the reader  much time to catch their breath before more action comes up.  If you like ya dystopian with a hint of horror you will love this book.  The main character Marcie is a hacker along with being interested in a lot of things that normally are related to males but she definately is a girl.  
The parasites are aliens that take over their host's bodies and makes them do things that they wouldn't normally do.
I will be looking forward to the sequel  when it comes out on August 11th.  There is a third book coming out also which isn't titled yet.  This triology seems like it is going to be an epic story and world.

Thanks to Chapter by Chapter.com for giving me a review copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

Everland by Wendy Spinale

From Goodreads.com:  London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only ones who have survived are children, among them Gwen Darling and her siblings, Joanna and Mikey. They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the ruthless Marauders -- the German army led by Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England's borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook hunts for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the survivors. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation. None ever return. Until the day they grab Joanna. As Gwen sets out to save her, she meets a daredevil boy named Pete. Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it will cost Gwen. And are she, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart Captain Hook? 

My take;  I found this to be a very entertaining book.  It is a take on Alice in Wonderland and it has quite a few of the characters from that book some with the same name others with different names.  Hook is a German Officer which the children nicknamed Hook using his initials.  He lost and eye instead of his arm because of his mother's cruelty.  Only children are left because when Germany attacked they released a virus that affected the adults and now the children are slowly dying.  It is set in a steampunk London.  I found it very good and enjoyed seeing the things that were the same between the two books.  If you liked Alice in Wonderland you should enjoy this book.

I received a review copy from Amazon Vine program in exchange for my honest review. 

A Beauty Refined Blog Tour and giveaway

Little does Phoebe know that her father's plans—for the sapphires and his daughter—are not what they seem. If you love historical fiction, romance, and adventure, don't miss Tracie Peterson's A Beauty Refined. When Phoebe meets Ian, everything changes. Yet the more he gets to know her, the more he realizes that her family story is based on a lie—a lie she has no knowledge of. And Ian believes he knows the only path that will lead her to freedom.

Join Tracie in celebrating the release of A Beauty Refined by entering to win her Precious Gems giveaway (details below) and by attending her author chat party on August 9!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• One copy of A Beauty Refined
• A sapphire jewelry set

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/9. The winner will be announced at A Beauty Refined Facebook party. RSVP for a chance to connect with Tracie and fellow fans of historical fiction, as well as for a chance to win other prizes!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 9th!

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor

Murder Mezzo Forte (Lamplighter Mysteries, June 2016)

He is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations. . . .

She a headstrong professor of religion, a converted Wiccan. Earlier, they solved a campus murder, but now police say they formed two-thirds of an illicit love triangle with a newly-murdered female colleague and they’re probably guilty of her murder. A leak of the alleged scandal to the college administration threatens their jobs.

Their desperate attempt to prove themselves innocent of the triangle and the murder plunges them into a tangle of unsavory corporate relationships among college trustees. And it puts their lives in danger from a mysterious criminal organization that seems to have tentacles everywhere.

Can this ill-matched pair’s stumbling efforts succeed against the entrenched forces of the police, the college’s incompetent administration, and that powerful but unseen criminal organization? If not, they may end up unemployed, in prison, or suffering a fate much worse.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT DONN TAYLOR}

Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he earned a PhD in Renaissance literature and taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His publications include three suspense novels, one historical novel, and a book of poetry. He lives near Houston, TX, where he writes fiction, poetry, and essays on current topics.

Find out more about Donn athttp://www.donntaylor.com.

My Take:  This book is the second book with these characters.  You can read if by itself but the do reference the first book fairly often.  The main character who is a history professor hears various musical arrangements in his head of which I have never heard of.  His friend is another  professor who use to be a Wiccan but who became a Christian during the first book.  Another professor is killed in this book and some other unfortunate things happen to them while they are denying investigating the murder while they are investigating.

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

Like a River From It's Course by Kelli Stuart

Like a River from Its Course(Kregel, June 2016)

An epic novel exposing the ugliness of war and the beauty of hope

The city of Kiev was bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union, but the constant siege was only the beginning for her citizens. In this sweeping historical saga, Kelli Stuart takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little—known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives.

Maria Ivanovna is only fourteen when the bombing begins and not much older when she is forced into work at a German labor camp. She must fight to survive and to make her way back to her beloved Ukraine.

Ivan Kyrilovich is falsely mistaken for a Jew and lined up with 34,000 other men, women, and children who are to be shot at the edge of Babi Yar, the “killing ditch.” He survives, but not without devastating consequences.

Luda is sixteen when German soldiers rape her. Now pregnant with the child of the enemy, she is abandoned by her father, alone, and in pain. She must learn to trust family and friends again and find her own strength in order to discover the redemption that awaits.

Frederick Hermann is sure in his knowledge that the Führer’s plans for domination are right and just. He is driven to succeed by a desire to please a demanding father and by his own blind faith in the ideals of Nazism. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River from Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

{MORE ABOUT KELLI STUART}

Kelli Stuart is the coauthor of Dare 2B Wise and has written for several brands including Disney, American Girl, and Short Fiction Break. She has served as editor-in-chief for the St. Louis Bloggers Guild and as a board member for the St. Louis Women in Media. In addition to her writing, Kelli has spent twenty years studying Ukranian culture. Kelli lives in Florida.

Find out more about Kelli athttp://kellistuart.com.

My Take:  This book is historical fiction of Ukrain under Nazi rule.  The story is told from several points of view, one a girl who's family is living during this time and another is the son of a highly placed Nazi officer.  This book is sad as most stories about this time in history are.  But there is hope for better things to come.

I received a review copy of this book from Lit fuse in exchange for an honest review.