Category Archives: Fiction

Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

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Short-Straw Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Can you imagine dreaming about your childhood Prince Charming for years, and then marrying him as an adult?

When Meredith Hayes stepped onto the forbidden Archer land as a child, she was only trying to obtain her scattered lunch pail that had been hoisted by a town bully. Dared by other schoolmates, she bravely steps onto the land only to have her leg caught in a steel trap. When handsome Travis Archer comes to her rescue, she discovers that the reclusive Archer brother is not mean and evil as the townsfolk claim. He gets her out of the trap, setting her on her way home.

Now, several years later, Meredith is an adult and she suffers from a gimp leg as a result of the steel-trap accident. Over the years, she’s dreamed about Travis Archer as being her Prince Charming. She’s now devastated that her current guardians, her aunt and uncle, want her to marry terrible Roy Mitchell. Roy only wants to marry Meredith for her land – having control over her land could greatly increase Roy’s wealth. After overhearing Roy give orders to set fire to the Archer property, hoping to force them to sell their land, Meredith feels she can’t sit around and watch the Archers suffer. She sneaks onto the property to warn them of the attack, wanting to return the kindness that Travis showed her several years ago. However, the Archer brothers, especially Travis, are dumbstruck when a woman comes limping onto their property with her warning.

The Archers are recluses, hardly receiving any visitors as they ban others from their property. Meredith’s sudden presence throws a HUGE monkey-wrench into their lives. When she’s kicked by a mule and injured, she’s forced to spend the night on the Archer property. Staying overnight with a houseful of men ruin’s Meredith’s reputation and she’s forced to marry one of the Archer brothers – Travis, of course! 🙂

This book was a real treat for me to read and I loved how the story unfolded. Travis and his brothers have little contact with the outside world due to a promise Travis made to his dying father. Since they live as hermits, their lives are thrown into turmoil when Meredith arrives. Meredith’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and gentle nature reach out to Travis’s wounded spirit, making him see that shutting others out is not always the right thing to do. I also thought the marriage of convenience between Travis and Meredith was touching. I guess I felt that way because I know that Meredith has been dreaming about Travis for years, and Travis is smitten when Meredith shows up on his property again, years later.

The characters in this novel are so well-developed and the plot was excellent. The story moved forward and you were anxious to see what happened to Travis and Meredith once they tied the knot.

Many thanks to Bethany House for sending me a free review copy. I highly appreciated this wonderful novel!

Have you ever had a childhood crush that lasted for years? Leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

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John’s Quest – Now Available On Kindle And Other E-readers

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My novel, John’s Quest, is now available on Kindle and other e-readers!

It’s amazing how quickly life can change. Overnight, Monica Crawford finds her neatly organized world turned upside down. Her sister abandons her blind son, Scotty, leaving him on Monica’s doorstep. Caring for a handicapped child brings unexpected conflict-but unexpected joy as well. When John French volunteers to tutor Scotty, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Monica. But John and Monica are very different. She is a strong believer, determined to live her life for Christ. John is an agnostic who wants nothing to do with God.Will John see the light? Will Monica realize that sometimes letting go of a dream is the way to achieve it? Only in full surrender will either of them be happy- whether they end up together or alone.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Book Giveaway – August 2012!

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THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER!! THE WINNER WAS ANNOUNCED HERE!

 

I’m hosting another book giveaway! ONE winner will receive the new/slightly-used 23 titles listed below. IF YOU WANT TO ENTER THE DRAWING YOU MUST DO TWO THINGS:

#1. You must join my mailing list! You can join my mailing list here:

 

If you’re already on my email list, then you can skip step one.

#2. You must comment on this blog post to enter and LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS – IF YOU DON’T LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN YOUR COMMENT, THEN YOU WON’T BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST! I need an email address so that I can contact you if you win! CONTINENTAL U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

I’ll be drawing the winner within the next few weeks or so! :-) Remember, I have the right to announce your first and last name, city and state on my blog if you win! Void where prohibited.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Watching The Tree Limbs by Mary E. DeMuth

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Watching The Tree Limbs by Mary DeMuth

***Please note, this novel dealt with a very graphic subject matter. As usual, I’m posting an honest review, but, be prepared for the details that I’ll be discussing about this story. SPOILER ALERT – I couldn’t talk about this story without giving vivid details regarding what happened. 

Nine-year-old Mara has always wondered who she was and where she came from. Raised by two aunts (Nanny Lynn and Elma), her life has been a strange pattern of unanswered questions. When her Aunt Nanny Lynn dies, she’s suddenly thrust into the southern town of Burl with her Aunt Elma.

In Burl, Mara’s life turns extremely traumatic when she’s raped by a red-headed teenaged bully named General. She’s raped for nine days – General threatens to kill her (and her aunt) if she tells a soul about the rape. When her disinterested Aunt Elma suddenly dies, Mara automatically thinks General has killed her aunt and she struggles with the guilt, remaining silent about what she’s endured. Mara makes a friend in Burl, Camilla. Camilla brings a slice of sunshine into Mara’s dreary life, making rhymes, trying to make Mara smile.

After Elma’s death, Mara is sent to live with the mysterious Mr. Winningham. Who is he? He’s the town’s richest man, but, is he her father, or her grandfather? Is he a relative? Due to Mara’s mischief, Mr. Winningham forbids Elma from seeing her friend Camilla any longer. Alone, Mara finds friendship and kindness with Zady, Mr. Winningham’s maid. Zady takes Mara under her wing, taking her to church, teaching her about faith. Mara gets to know Zady’s family as she continues to struggle with her unknown background. She asks questions – questions that initially glean few answers.

While living with Mr. Winningham, Mara has to go to an all-black school since she’s now living in a different district and through limited communication with Camilla and a secret radio announcer named Denim, she struggles to find the missing pieces of her tattered life.

This is probably one of the best books I’ve read all year. Granted, seeing Mara getting raped nine times was extremely disturbing – rape to a child is a hurt that affects the core of your soul, making you feel for the character, desperately wanting the crime to stop. The town of Burl in the seventies also brings life to this book. Most of the adults in this book seemed crazy to me – a bit touched in the head. Most appeared to have such deep issues, issues that made you wonder what else was going on in this town besides what was happening in this novel.

It was also interesting to see Mara, the only white person, as part of an all-black community when she moves in with Mr. Winningham. When she goes to church with Zada, she’s the only white person, and when she goes to school, she’s the only white person in the entire school. In spite of her color difference, she fits into the black community easily, making friends that help her get through her dark days.

This book was definitely a page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. Overall, a great read, but,  the subject matter was disturbing, causing this story to stay in your mind for a long time.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

The Scent Of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

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The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

When young Annie Martin leaves her mother’s home, she takes up residence in her grandfather’s house. Her grandfather (Daadi Moses), lives next door to Aden Zook and Aden’s family. Aden’s family owns a diner and that’s how they make their living. Since Aden’s father and Moses are in business together via ownership of the diner, the diner is allowed to have electricity.

The Zook family is Amish and the Martins are Mennonite. The Amish are forbidden from using electricity and their business partnership with Moses allows them to have the necessary electricity to run their business – Mennonites are allowed to have electricity in their homes and businesses.

When Annie and Aden begin courting, meeting secretly at night in Moses’s cherry blossom field, things become heated between the two families – Mennonites and Amish are forbidden from dating one another. Moses threatens to pull his partnership from the Zook family business, which would force them to shut down and they’d no longer be able to make a living. Moses poses this threat because Annie and Aden are courting and it’s forbidden. Aden’s family pushes him to end things with Annie, but, his heart is telling him to do otherwise.

Aden has a twin brother, Roman, who was injured in a buggy accident and now he’s bound to a wheelchair. There’s a side story about Roman being sent away to fix a generator for a relative. A mechanical whiz, Roman feels useful doing something helpful since his independence has disappeared since he can’t walk. Roman becomes enamored with a girl living next door to his relative.

I enjoyed this book, however, there were several things that bothered me about the story. The things that bothered me have no reflection at all on the author or the story, but, it’s just things that stuck in my mind that didn’t seem Christian about the way the Amish and Mennonites live.

Aden and Annie are in love, and they’ve always had feelings for one another, but they didn’t begin courting until they were adults. Both have taken a vow to their respective churches. I think it’s the vow concept that is so foreign to me and it was hard for me to connect to the characters in this fashion. It was implied if Annie and Aden had broken their vow to the church (by marrying one another) then they’d be doomed to a life in hell. Also, Moses tells Aden that the Bible states that it’s wrong to be unequally yoked.

I guess that whole unequally yoked comment from Moses bothered me a lot because I feel he’s implying that the only Christians on this earth are the Mennonites – everybody else are unbelievers – which is not the case – is everybody on this earth doomed to a life in hell if they don’t commit to the Mennonite faith? I felt that both groups were grossly misinterpreting scripture and making both Aden and Annie unnecessarily miserable.

Also, this “vow” makes no sense to me. I understand the concept of accepting Christ as your savior, becoming baptized, growing closer to Him. However, there’s nothing in the Bible that says you can’t use technology to make a living – the only reason the Zook family was pardoned by their church for using electricity was because they had a Mennonite partner. If Moses were to sever the partnership, they would’ve lost their business because they would not be “allowed” by the church to use electricity. Does that also mean that their salvation would be lost if they chose to continue the business as is if Moses were to leave? It’s almost as if both groups are placing extra “rules” onto Christianity and then acting like “God” himself by deciding who’s saved and who’s going to hell – basing the decision on superficial things like the use/non-use of electricity, cars, buggies, etc.

SPOILER ALERT:

 

 

I really LOVED that both Aden and Annie discovered that God would forgive them for breaking their vow to the church in order to live in holy matrimony. They realized that God would bless their marriage and that there was nothing wrong with their being together as a couple. I also liked it when Annie was speaking to Moses on the phone, asking him if his beloved deceased wife had been Amish instead of Mennonite, if he would’ve walked away from her. That hit a nerve with Moses, and I think he began to see the error of his ways at that point.

Overall, a nice, heartwarming read. Many thanks to Waterbrook Press for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Eyes Of Elisha – From The Blog Archives

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My husband recently asked me for book recommendations. Knowing his reading taste, I immediately recommended Brandilyn Collins. I told him to read Eyes Of Elisha. I read this book several years ago and I was hooked from the first page! I think one reason that I was drawn to this book so much was because it had such a strong suspenseful thread – there’s a murder involved. Also, the main character, Chelsea, has the gift of prophecy. Here’s what I originally said in my review for this novel: A chilling winner! This book was so suspenseful! The story just grabbed me from the beginning and I barely put the book down for two days. If you want to read a gripping, intriguing story then this book is for you! I highly recommend it!

My husband loved the book and I was able to recommend other works by Brandilyn Collins to him.

Do you know of any other Christian fiction titles that have prophets as the main characters? If so, tell me the titles and the authors. Also, have you read Eyes of Elisha? If so, leave a comment and let me know if you liked it.

Below is a summary of the book, from christianbook.com:

Chelsea Adams lives in the fast-paced Silicon Valley area of California. She’s wife to Paul, a successful entrepreneur, and mother to their two sons. Chelsea is a Christian with the unusual gift of visions. These insights from God have helped her pray for people and have led her to save others from harm. But never has she experienced a vision like the one she “sees” during a business dinner with her husband and their prospective new vice-president of marketing, Gavil Harrison. Invited to dinner to check out the new prospect, Chelsea goes into a spiritual state in which she sees the murder of a young women. After the vision, when she comes back to consciousness, she looks into Gavil’s eyes and experiences a terrifying moment of recognition: she’s certain that he’s the killer she saw. But who will believe her? Certainly not her non-Christian husband, who wants to hire this man to work by his side. Nor the police, who must rely on hard evidence. Only one person might believe her-the murderer himself. There are plenty of twists and turns of plot right up to the end of this edge-of your-seat thriller.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Submerged by Dani Pettrey

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Submerged by Dani Pettrey

Have you ever read a book and thought, “This would make a good movie?” Well, that’s how I felt about Submerged. While I was reading, I kept thinking that this novel should be placed upon the silver screen.

When Bailey Craig returns to her small Alaskan town of Yancey for her Aunt Agnes’s funeral, she stumbles upon a mystery. Her aunt was the passenger in a small plane that went down into the water. It appears that the plane’s fate was NOT an accident. As Bailey stays in her aunt’s store, The Post, she looks for clues as to why somebody may want her aunt dead.

She also comes into contact with Cole, her old high-school boyfriend. Bailey loved Cole all those years ago, however, she was not good enough for him. Known as being an easy lay, her reputation with the town made it impossible to accept Cole’s love. She breaks his heart, leaving Yancey, never to return until her Aunt Agnes dies.

When Bailey returns to Yancey, Cole is stunned to see her. Still beautiful, he longs to get to know her again, surprised to discover that his love for her has not died after all these years. He finds himself wanting to protect Bailey from the unjust comments from the town’s men – some have not forgotten about Bailey’s lewd high school reputation, and the taunting remarks deeply hurt Bailey’s feelings.

Cole and Bailey work together, along with the Yancey police force, to solve the mystery of the downed plane. People are murdered in the small, quiet town, making the townspeople leery. Tourism is a big draw to Yancey and hopefully the town’s livelihood won’t be affected once news of the murders has been leaked. Cole and Bailey recall their younger years as they dive together, trying to piece together the clues that will assist them in solving the mystery. Time is of the essence – they need to figure out the identity of the murderer before other victims are claimed.

Bailey struggles with her deep feelings for Cole. She loves him, and loves the deep camaraderie and affection he shows for his family. Craving a deep family relationship, Bailey wonders if she’ll ever fit into Cole’s loving family. An only child, she’s never had a healthy relationship with her immediate kin. She was abandoned by her mother when she was a teen and she’s always felt like an odd duck, left out of deep family relationships.

Two diaries, an orb, Russian royalty, and an undersea Alaskan town all play into this unique plot that will keep you turning the pages.

I really enjoyed this book! I also loved how Bailey and Cole were still in love after all those years. The attraction between the two of them was deep and soothing, making you crave to see them work through their issues. This book shows that we need to freely accept God’s grace for our sins and not hold onto past hurts and pains – accepting God’s love with no boundaries can prove to be a blessing.

Many thanks to Bethany House for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~