Category Archives: Baker/Revell

A Necessary Deception By Laurie Alice Eakes

A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes

When young widow Lady Lydia Gale helps a French prisoner obtain parole, she never dreamed he would turn up in her parlor. But just as the London Season is getting under way, there he is, along with a few other questionable personages. While she should be focused on helping her headstrong younger sister prepare for her entré into London society, Lady Gale finds herself preoccupied with the mysterious Frenchman. Is he a spy or a suitor? Can she trust him? Or is she putting her family in danger?

Readers will enjoy being drawn into this world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades. Author Laurie Alice Eakes whisks readers through the drawing rooms of London amid the sound of rustling gowns on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past and let love guide the future.

This book was enticing because of the world that Laurie Alice created. It’s a world full of balls, pretty gowns, and upper-class citizens. Lydia feels that aiding a French prisoner with parole is the right thing to do – especially since the prisoner was a friend of her late husband’s. Using a an expensive bracelet (that has sentimental value), Lydia funds the prisoner’s parole.

However, Lydia’s life goes awry when it appears that her deed to help the Frenchman backfires and places her in a world of trouble.

She finds herself getting blackmailed as she aides her sister with her entrance into London society. She must help some men to become acquainted with some of her elite friends since they feel these connections are necessary. She has doubts about these men and the whole scheme is linked to the mysterious Frenchman.

As you read about a world filled with elite people and beautiful ball gowns, you will get a healthy does of a suspenseful mystery and an endearing, heartwarming romance between Lydia and Christien. I highly recommend this novel, especially if you love reading about Regency England.

I also found Lydia’s affection for her cat to be a quirky, as well as endearing, character trait.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.
~Cecelia Dowdy~

A Heart Revealed By Julie Lessman

2 Replies

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman

This book was wonderful! The characters, the setting, the time period, it all was a delight to read and if you haven’t read this book yet, I highly suggest running out and getting a copy!

I really loved reading about the characters that were introduced in Julie Lessman’s first series! This is book 2 in the Winds of Change series and if you read it, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

Emma Malloy, a secondary character in the Daughter’s of Boston series (Charity’s story) has fled Ireland to come to the states. She’s married and she’s escaping from her husband who has severely disfigured her face by throwing a pan of hot grease onto her skin. Emma’s scars are both physical and emotional as she struggles to keep her marriage vows while in the States.

This story takes place during the Great Depression and Emma works in a department store. She loves her work and she lives alone in her apartment with her cat. Emma has come to terms with the fact that she’ll always be alone since she can’t break her marriage vows to Rory. Although her husband is a lowlife, abuser, drunkard and adulterer, Emma still can’t find it in herself to break the vow she made before God to love, honor and obey her husband.

However, Sean O’Connor is smitten with Emma, but knows he can’t be with a married woman. Sean is battling his own demons – he has a rage that’s scary – a rage that he keeps under control for most of his life, but, when that rage snaps…

I loved this story because it shows how two broken people, people burdened with problems and guilt, find a slice of solace and comfort with one another, even though they know there’s no permanent way for them to be together. Sean reveals the reasons behind his rage to Father Mac, the priest, and he also shares a deep secret with Emmma about himself. It’s a secret that tells the extent of his rage and his dark secret also explains why Sean has an aversion to marriage. He’s a confirmed bachelor and he feels he’s happy being alone.

It was nice to visit with the characters from the other novels, too. I loved reading the side stories about Charity and Katie and their spouses. This novel shows that marriages are hard to work through, but, problems are dealt with through the deep love and affection that these couples share.

I enjoyed seeing the women gather in the warm kitchen, sewing, eating dinner, talking about their lives, sharing fellowship. The camaraderie among the women and other family members is joyous – almost makes you want to be a part of this loving, large family! 🙂

I also loved the passion…yes, the passion in this story! I loved reading how it feels to kiss the one that you love – to be with the one that you love! The physical attraction was enticing and as I said before about Julie’s books, it’s one aspect of her writing that sets her apart from other novelists. The passion is realistic and it’s like a breath of fresh air on these pages.

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book! It’s difficult to talk about it further without giving spoilers but suffice it to say it’s a tantalizing and enjoyable 500-page read! 🙂

Many thanks to Baker Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Queen By Steven James

4 Replies

The Queen by Steven James

From the back cover: While investigating a double homicide in an isolated northern Wisconsin town, FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers uncovers a high-tech conspiracy that twists through long-buried Cold War secrets and targets present-day tensions in the Middle East. In his most explosive thriller yet, bestselling author Steven James delivers a multi-layered storytelling tour de force that not only delivers pulse-pounding suspense but also deftly explores the rippling effects of the choices we make. The Queen is a techno-thriller that will leave you breathless, offered by the author Publishers Weekly calls a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.”

I have to be honest and admit that I had a hard time getting through this book. The graphic images were very disturbing and it wasn’t like my normal reading fare. This book is not for the faint of heart but…I THOUGHT THE WRITING WAS STELLAR! This book scared and haunted me and I think the author did a great job with plot and descriptions. However, before you read this novel, you need to be warned that there are things that happen in this book that you don’t normally see in Christian fiction – they even had images of cannibalism and reading that made me stop, close the book, and have to wait before picking it up again.

The novel starts off with a botched abduction, complete with exploding body parts. Fast forward to a trailer park where Patrick Bowers is on a stake-out to catch a serial killer. Pat is then told to switch gears and investigate the murder of a mother and her four-year-old daughter. The father is missing, and when Pat investigates, he finds information about the Cold War.

The extremely complex plot moves forward quickly and if you like this kind of novel, it could be a real page-turner. You get to know about Patrick’s background in this novel, too – you find out what makes him tick. I haven’t read the rest of the stories in this series, but, if you like graphic fiction, filled with evil, before being overcome by goodness, then you should give this book a try. This novel shows how we need to overcome evil, true evil, and lean on God.

If you’re interested in knowing why Steven James writes about evil, then you should visit this link.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it?

“Available September 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Blessed By Ann H. Gabhart

Leave a reply

The Blessed by Ann H. Gabhart

This book is about Lacey – a motherless woman who came to live with a preacher and his wife as a youngster. After her father re-married, her new stepmother didn’t want her living with them. Lacey has a strange relationship with her new “parents” and as an adult, her and the preacher seldom speak, but she’s extremely close to Miss Mona, the preacher’s wife. Miss Mona is kind and she teaches Lacey a lot about faith and Christianity. Lacey’s life changes for the worse when Miss Mona dies, leaving 20-year-old Lacey and Rachel (an abandoned baby who was left in a box on their doorstep a few years ago). Now Lacey feels forced to marry the preacher – who’s old enough to be her grandfather, since the church ladies believe it’s sinful for her to be living with the preacher as an unmarried woman. When the preacher is sucked into the peaceful, cult-like Shaker community, Lacey and Rachel feel they must live with the Shakers, too.

Also, Isaac, another “worldly” person, is part of the Shaker community. His wife died and he feels guilty for her death. The Shakers take him in and he finds himself attracted to Lacey.

I enjoyed this book, but, as I said in previous reviews, the Shakers still left me with an unsettled feeling, with their strange unBiblical beliefs. One of the Shaker characters kept “seeing” angels and she danced with them in the field and her Shaker brothers/sisters were mesmerized and amazed by her “angelic” ability. I sensed that this book did portray an accurate picture of the Shaker way of life and showed how hard, almost impossible it would be to convert to their way of life. This is a great read if you want to find out more about the Shakers and about how difficult it is to fall in love amidst ones that feel marriage is a sin. I thought the characters were well-developed and the story was enjoyable.

The author also did an awesome job in showing the love between a mother and her child. The Shakers don’t believe in families – everybody is a brother and sister to one another. Families are separated – for a mother to be separated from her child…well, just kind of hard to deal with and Ann really did a great job showing these familial-bond emotions.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy of this novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Congrats To Irene Hannon – RITA Award Winner

Leave a reply

Congrats to Irene Hannon for winning the RWA Rita Award in the Inspirational category! You can see a list of all of the Inspirational category nominees here. Here’s information about Irene’s winning title:

In Harm’s Way

by Irene Hannon

FBI special agent Nick Bradley has seen his share of kooks during his fifteen years with the Bureau. But Rachel Sutton is an enigma. She seems normal when she shows up at the FBI office in St. Louis–until she produces a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him she thinks something is wrong because of a strange feeling of terror it gives her when she touches it. Nick dismisses her, only to stumble across a link between the doll and an abducted child, setting in motion a chain of events that uncovers startling connections–and puts Rachel’s life on the line.
Filled with palpable suspense and a touch of romance, In Harm’s Way is the final installment of the thrilling HEROES OF QUANTICO series.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Chasing Sunsets By Eva Marie Everson

Leave a reply

Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson

This book was light and refreshing. Kimberly is recently divorced from her husband. Amid child-custody disputes, she finds herself alone for part of the summer. Kimberly’s father sends her to Cedar Key to find a new housekeeper to clean their summer home. This is the first time Kim has been to Cedar Key since the untimely death of her mother.

During her short visit, she become familiar with some of the locals:
1. Patsy – her elderly next door neighbor and Christian confidante
2. Kim meets a local photographer. Kim has given up photography years ago, and her visit to Cedar Key makes her long for her old hobby of shooting beautiful pictures.
3. Stephen – Kim’s high-school romance ended abruptly when Stephen got married to another woman, breaking things off with Kim. Now he’s back in the picture, divorced and the father of a college-aged daughter.
4. Rosa – Kim’s childhood best friend now treats Kim like a stranger. Kimberly has no idea why Rosa is giving her the cold shoulder – they were as close as two peas in a pod while growing up and now Rosa is a successful real estate agent. Kim wonders about Rosa’s frosty attitude.

Can Kim find it in her heart to forgive Stephen for the past? Also, can she open up her heart and learn to fall in love again?

I noticed the author always described what everybody was wearing using brand names and stuff. I’m not much into clothing and didn’t care much for reading about the brand names and color-schemes of sneakers and shirts and dresses. However, this didn’t take away from the story, and I can imagine that lots of other women would enjoy the detailed descriptions of everybody’s clothing.

Overall, I enjoyed this story as it shows how we can heal our past relationships and learn to lean on God for understanding. Kimberly learns that she can’t always control the actions of others, but needs to seek God’s will to make important decisions in her life.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing a free review copy of this novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
From the Back Cover
Sometimes you get a second chance at your first love

Kimberly Tucker’s life hasn’t turned out the way she thought it would. While her ex is living it up, she struggles to understand what went wrong. When her two sons end up spending five weeks of summer vacation with their father, Kim plans a respite at the family vacation home on tiny Cedar Key. As she revisits the long-forgotten past, she discovers that treasures in life are often buried, and sometimes you do get a second chance at love.

Let yourself get swept away to an island retreat of warm tropical breezes, sandy beaches, and the most glorious sunsets you can imagine.

A Great Catch By Lorna Seilstad

7 Replies

A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad

Woman’s suffragist Emily Graham doesn’t need a man in her life. She’s committed to fighting for the cause and having a husband would slow her down. She wants to make her own decisions and she really wants to fight for the right for women to vote. In spite of some townsmen objections to her actions, she’s still committed to her cause. However, her life takes an interesting turn when she literally slams into baseball player Carter Stockton. Carter is an old friend of her brother’s and she has not seen him in awhile. There is an old feud brewing between the Stockton and Graham families, and Emily’s aunts object to her spending so much time with Carter.

In spite of her objection to marriage, Emily is attracted to Carter. When she’s determined to prove that a woman can do whatever a man can do, she arranges a baseball game between an all women’s team and Carter’s Manawa Owls baseball team. As a result, Carter has to teach clumsy Emily how to play, which proves to be a delightful and funny lesson on the rudiments of baseball.

This book was sweet, charming and endearing. There was also an unusual combination between baseball and woman’s suffrage that you won’t usually find in a novel. I also enjoyed the thread of mystery involved in the story. Carter is hired as Emily’s grandmother’s bookkeeper. However, he finds some discrepancies in her records – is Carter’s family’s bank at fault for the discrepancy? The book also shows how families can be divided over issues. Carter wants to be a baseball player, and, in spite of his family’s objections, he refuses to work in the family banking business.

If you like a sweet, warm, light-hearted story with a thread of mystery, then this book is for you. I also think you’ll find it interesting when you read about how baseball was played during that time period.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

From the Back Cover
She wants to change the world.
He wants to change her mind.

It’s the beginning of a new century at Lake Manawa resort in Iowa, but some things never change. When Emily Graham’s meddlesome aunts and grandmother take it upon themselves to find her a husband among the resort guests, the spunky suffragist is determined to politely decline each and every suitor. She has neither the time nor the need for a man in her busy life.

Carter Stockton, a recent college graduate and a pitcher for the Manawa Owls baseball team, intends to enjoy every minute of the summer before he is forced into the straitlaced business world of his father.

When their worlds collide, neither Emily nor Carter could have guessed what would come next. Will Carter strike out? Or will Emily cast her vote for a love that might cost her dreams?

The perfect summer novel, A Great Catch will enchant you with its breezy setting and endearing characters.

The Outsider By Ann H. Gabhart

2 Replies

The Outsider by Ann H. Gabhart

I enjoyed this novel. I enjoyed it as much as Gabhart’s other Shaker novels. Since I’ve reviewed her other Shaker books, I’m not going to go off on a tangent about my negative opinions about the cultic (although peaceful) traits of the Shakers.

Gabrielle has a prophetic gift of seeing events before they occur – she’ll know when something has happened. This gift has been with her during her entire life and having this gift can prove to be unpleasant at times. After “losing” her father as a youngster Gabrielle and her mother make a new life for themselves at the Shaker village. The atmosphere of the village is strange since there is no romantic love between the members since matrimony is considered a sin – according to their founder, Mother Ann. However, when one of the male Shaker members is burned in a fire, the Shakers need to call upon the help of Brice, the local “worldly” doctor in town. While Brice nurses his young patient back to health, he finds himself smitten with young, beautiful Gabrielle – Gabrielle was chosen to assist the doctor in nursing his young male patient. Gabrielle finds that she has feelings for the doctor, feelings that she is not able to act upon if she wants to enjoy her salvation. Gabrielle struggles with her feelings because, according to the Shakers, if she marries, she’ll give up her right to eternal life from her sin.

The writing of this book was really good and you have a great sense of what life was like in the Shaker village. I did find myself getting unnerved when reading about the cultic Shakers, but was glad that Gabrielle found herself rightfully questioning the Shaker beliefs.

I also enjoyed reading about the different tasks that this religious group performed to make their living. They made jams and jellies, picked berries, farmed, ran a school, worked in the kitchen – cooking food to be consumed in the biting room, etc. They show their love for the Lord through their “works” – the tasks outlined above. However, they seem to worship Mother Ann moreso than Jesus Christ. This is a good book to read, especially if you want to know more about the Shaker way of life and to learn more about the time period. I’ve enjoyed all of the books in this series, but I didn’t read them in order. I believe this is the first one. I got it as a free Kindle download awhile ago.

~Cecelia Dowdy~Product Description
For as long as she can remember, Gabrielle Hope has had the gift of knowing–visions that warn of things to come. When she and her mother joined the Pleasant Hill Shaker community in 1807, the community embraced her gift. But Gabrielle fears this gift, for the visions are often ones of sorrow and tragedy. When one of these visions comes to pass, a local doctor must be brought in to save the life of a young man, setting into motion a chain of events that will challenge Gabrielle’s loyalty to the Shakers. As she falls deeper into a forbidden love for this man of the world, Gabrielle must make a choice. Can she experience true happiness in this simple and chaste community? Or will she abandon her brothers and sisters for a life of the unknown? Soulful and filled with romance, The Outsider lets readers live within a bygone time among a unique and peculiar people. This tender and thought-provoking story will leave readers wanting more from this writer.

Angel Sister By Ann H. Gabhart

1 Reply

Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart

It is 1936 and Kate Merritt, the middle child of Victor and Nadine, works hard to keep her family together. Her father slowly slips into alcoholism and his business suffers during the Great Depression. As her mother tries to come to grips with their situation and her sisters seem to remain blissfully oblivious to it, it is Kate who must shoulder the emotional load. Who could imagine that a dirty, abandoned little girl named Lorena Birdsong would be just what the Merritts need?
In this richly textured novel, award-winning author Ann H. Gabhart reveals the power of true love, the freedom of forgiveness, and the strength to persevere through troubled times. Multidimensional characters face real and trenchant problems while maintaining their family bonds, all against the backdrop of a sultry Kentucky summer. Readers will be drawn into the story and find themselves lingering there long after they’ve finished the book.

It’s the Great Depression and the Merritt family, as well as the rest of the inhabitants of Rosey Corner, struggle to survive. Kate’s father, Victor, struggles with alcoholism as he runs his horseshoe business. He’s trying to forget the tragedies he’s witnessed while fighting the war. Nadine, Victor’s wife, doesn’t think she can handle her husband’s addiction any longer, and is unable to provide the emotional support that Victor needs, so Kate steps in to shoulder the load. Both Victor and Nadine have extremely strained relationships with their fathers, and these relationships are tested as traumatic events happen in Rosey Corner.

When I saw the description of this book, I thought that Lorena Birdsong would show up at the beginning of the story, abandoned at the Merritt’s house. I was surprised that Lorena’s character was not introduced until about 100 pages into the book. She’s found abandoned on the church steps because her parents were too poor to feed her. Skinny, malnourished, and scared, she believes that Kate is an angel who’s come to rescue her.

There were a lot of flashbacks, going back to the days of Victor and Nadine’s courtship, then back to the present, that I was not expecting. I think the problems that this couple faced with their parents and their siblings were realistic and emotional.

I also found it a bit strange that two people – Kate’s father (a preacher) and Victor’s father (the owner of the largest store in the town – plus he’s one of the wealthiest men in town) had the power to decide the fate of Lorena Birdsong. It appeared that back in the thirties, the law didn’t have much power over the town, people just kind of did what they wanted and allowed the richest and most powerful people in town to dictate what would happen to others.

The tragic death of Victor’s brother, which happened several years ago, is also a bone of contention between father and son. Also, there’s an unusual twist in the story involving a brother (Graham) and a sister (Fern) who live out in the woods, separated from the town. Fern’s mind has not functioned properly since she had a serious illness and she roams the woods, cutting down trees and building her palaces.

This book was an interesting and emotional read. If you like historical stories that paint a vivid picture of the way of live during the Great Depression, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell for providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Lady In The Mist By Laurie Alice Eakes

Leave a reply

Lady In The Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
Product Description
By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets: the names of fathers of illegitimate children, the level of love and harmony within many a marriage, and now the identity of a man who may have caused his wife’s death. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, what he, a British nobleman, is doing on American soil working as a bondsman in the home of Mayor Kendall, a Southern gentleman with his eye on a higher office.
By chance one morning before the dawn has broken, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths on a misty beachhead, leading them on a twisted path through kidnappings, death threats, public disgrace, and . . . love? Can Tabitha trust Dominick? What might he be hiding? And can either of them find true love in a world that seems set against them?

With stirring writing that puts readers directly into the story, Lady in the Mist expertly explores themes of identity, misperception, and love’s discovery.

This book was a real treat for me to read! The setting and the characters were so wonderful. The romance between Dominick and Tabitha will tug at your heart. The attraction, the kisses, the love they had for one another will carry you back in time, perhaps, making you recall the first time you fell in love.

Tabitha is a mid-wife. What I found interesting about her job is that not only did she deliver babies, but, she also was a healer. She had medical knowledge and she could assist those in the town suffering from physical ailments. Her profession has been passed down within her family, however, Tabitha is in a bit of a quandary – she doesn’t have a daughter on which to pass on her mid-wivery profession. What will she do? Single and jilted, she finds herself smitten with Dominick Cherrett, a local indentured servant who lives in the mayor’s home. But he’s British and a lot of the townfolk are suspicious of Dominick, especially when their men start disappearing from the beachy shore.

Dominick does have some secrets of his own. He’s ashamed about some of his past experiences, and he needs to accept God’s grace for the sins that he’s committed. Estranged from his family and full of guilt, he fulfills the role of indentured servant for a reason – a reason he’s initially reluctant to share with Tabitha. He’s suffered from a great deal of pain, and he’s hoping his current actions will help him to ease some of his suffering and make things right in his life again.

The setting for this novel was just wonderful. I felt like I was really there! The salty brine of the beach, the smell of the ocean, the sun shining down, warming your skin.

I also found other aspects of the story interesting, like, the food! If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you’ll notice that I will talk about food on occasion. On a warm, sunny day, Dominick and Tabitha go crabbing. They then cook and eat the crabs. Also, you’ll find some of the secondary characters making strawberry jam and Tabitha’s fettish is candied rose petals. I found myself wondering what a candied rose petal tastes like?

This book got me to thinking about childbirth and being a mid-wife. Can you imagine, back then, going through childbirth without epidurals? I think the screams and suffering from the expectant mothers would’ve been too much for me to bear. I doubt I could be a mid-wife. Tabitha was also the keeper of secrets. Before she assisted in a birthing, the mother had to tell her the name of the biological father of her baby. She knew about affairs and indiscretions, making some of the townspeople leery about her.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the other two books in the series.

Many thanks to Baker/Revell in providing me with a free review copy.

~Cecelia Dowdy~