There’s nothing left for Tara Sweet in landlocked Dexton, Missouri. Her fiancé called off their wedding, her sister is moving to Manhattan, and now her mother is marrying a much younger man with plans for a yearlong honeymoon in Europe. Tara believes a move back to her childhood home of Otter Bay, California, will help restore the fun and fearlessness she’s already missing in her twenties. Playing back memories of idyllic times spent there with her father along the majestic coast, a fairytale seems just around the corner.

Better make that a soap opera. After Tara finds a job in Otter Bay, makes friends at The Red Abalone Grill, and perhaps even a new flame in firefighter Josh, she begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago. And though she will have to question everything she has ever known, the faith that Tara must depend upon will be sweeter than ever before.

My Review: “Sweet Waters” is a great beach read.  The cover alone invites you to take this book out on your front porch with a class of diet coke or to sun yourself while reading on your blanket at the beach.  The story is about three young sisters searching for their roots without really realizing that is what they are doing.  I like this book although in some ways it is not believable.  Some aspects are a little out of my realm of reality, but who wouldn’t want to move from landlocked Missouri to sunny California.  Tara (don’t you love that name?) finds a sweet romance, she also finds out many truths about her past that are shocking to her and her sisters.  They find out the facts little by little as the story moves along.  The book causes me to want to know more about some of the characters and their families. The story takes a few twists and turns until it ends leaving me wanting for more.

About the book:

Watch the tangled mess a Kansas hairdresser gets herself into when she reports to the funeral home that the body she is to work on is not the same as in her reference photo. Is she being punished when the director accuses her of stealing a diamond ring? Will Hilde Higgins’s former boyfriend help her unravel the issue or only bring more trouble to her life?

In this debut novel, readers will meet Linda Revere, a woman who longs to experience true romance with her nerdy, practical husband of twenty-four years. Her desire to add a little pizzazz to her marriage only confuses her husband and frustrates herself. Linda struggles to ignite romance and excitement into her marriage amid the turmoil of contemporary life.

My Review: When I began reading this book, I thought it seemed goofy, but the more I read, the more I liked it and the more engaged I became.  The Reveres – Jerry and Linda are an average middle class couple with two teenage children – a boy and a girl.  Their marriage has settled into a comfortable routine, but Linda wants more spice – she wants ROMANCE.  Jerry, who is a community college science teacher, seems to be a great husband in many ways.  At first, he doesn’t understand his wife’s subtle (or not so subtle) hints for more romance in their relationship.  After he does, it seems like life happens and some of it not so routine and easy.  In fact, one of their children gets into a very sticky and serious situation which takes time to work it out.  There are lots of connections in the story which take time to play out.  All of which make the story a winner in my opinion.  This book is a Christian fiction novel and Christianity is comfortably included in the family relationships, specifically prayer.  This book made me laugh, cry, and kept me in some suspense at points throughout.  If you enjoy Christian fiction with a large slice of  family life, this book is for you!

Widowed and jobless, Lydia King moves her son and herself to Charm, Ohio, to be close to her mother and help with her grandfather. Menno Troyer, a furniture store owner, is also recently widowed and the father of four energetic boys. Levi Stutzman, another newcomer to the area, is the only one in his family not handicapped by dwarfism and has dedicated his life to caring for them. As fall colors the countryside, will anonymous gifts left for Lydia bring her hope for a new life and romance, or will another tragedy flood her with infinite despair?

My Review: I always love reading books about the Amish.  I think the simple and hard-working life appeals to me, even though I would never want to live that way myself.  Wanda Brunstetter does a great job writing about the Amish lifestyle, and in each book she seems to hit an issue.  In this book, dwarfism is the issue.  People who are “tall” don’t really consider what little people deal with on a daily basis. We are always curious about people who have different challenges than we do.  Wanda Brunstetter in “Lydia’s Charm” puts this challenge within the context of the Amish. The book also deals with death – the death of a husband, grandfather and child.  In my finite mind I think the characters work through their grief very quickly, but as of yet I have not lost a spouse nor a child, so I don’t have first-hand knowledge.  I read this book in one day.  It kept me totally engaged and my emotions ran all over the place from crying to laughing.  If you love reading about the Amish and/or different lifestyles; if you love reading books about people facing adversity, if you love reading books with happy endings; you will enjoy Wanda Brunstetter’s books.  I enjoyed this book as well as all of her others and I look forward to reading more from her.  I would recommend these books for girls age 13 and up.  Brunstetter’s books contain good, solid, Biblical principles and lessons.

Book will be available September 1, 2010.

Now that Gabby is back on her feet after being in a homeless shelter, she has a new dream that will stretch her faith farther than ever.

Gabby expects a fight from her husband over custody of their boys, but she is taken aback when he leans on her for a loan to cover his gambling debts. When she turns him down, Philip makes a desperate move that puts Gabby, her friends at the shelter, and even the House of Hope at risk.

The props Gabby usually leans on–Jodi, her Yada Yada prayer partner; her friend Harry, the ex-cop; and Lee, her lawyer, who has fallen in love with Gabby–are not always there when she needs them most. Gabby must make a decision that could change the course of her life. But is it for better–or for worse?

My Review: I enjoy these books soooo much.  I think it’s because I wish I was in a group like the Yada Yada prayer group!  They so take care of each other and everyone else they come into contact with!  I can’t really relate to the character Gabby, I would just like to tell her what to do in the case of her love life.  I guess my mantra is don’t trust anyone for a while at least.  I always love Jodi Baxter and I can relate to her – happy marriage and public school teacher.  The only difference is I have three kids and they are older.

I  ordered the first parallel novel, Harry Bentley’s Second Chance by Neta Jackson’s husband Dave.  Can’t wait to get it.  These books take off on the secondary characters in Neta’s books.  It will be nice to read about Christian men from a Christian man’s point of view!  This book will help me wait until March 2011 when the next book in the series comes out, Who is My Shelter? These books rate at the top of my list of favorite Christian fiction books.  Keep them coming, Neta and Dave!

Video on \”Seeing Things\” by Patti Hill

Product Description
Lissa Randall’s future was bright with academic promise until the tragic accident that took her mother’s life–and brought her own plans to a screeching halt. Eighteen months later, she still can’t get back behind the wheel.A casual recommendation to Ev McAllistair’s driving school sets in motion a cascade of events… until Lissa begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, life isn’t as random as she’s thought.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Lookout Mountain, TN, Words Unspoken weaves together a vibrant cast of characters whose intertwining stories of courage, choice, heartbreak, and hope will hold you captive until the final page. 

About the Author
Elizabeth Musser, an Atlanta native, lives in southern France with her husband and their two sons. Her acclaimed novel, The Swan House, was a Book Sense bestseller list in the Southeast and was selected as one of the top Christian books for 2001 by Amazon’s editors. Searching for Eternity is her sixth novel.

Elizabeth Musser, an Atlanta native, lives in southern France with her husband and their two sons. Her acclaimed novel, The Swan House, was a Book Sense bestseller list in the Southeast and was selected as one of the top Christian books for 2001 by Amazon’s editors.

My Review:  I felt depressed when I began this book, but it got better as it went along.  The book dealt with depression and anxiety; there was also a little mystery thrown in.  I’m interested in reading more by this author.  She doesn’t give pat answers or create perfect characters.  Yet the characters solve their problems through faith, using mostly constructive means.  I took a day and read this whole book.  I felt satisfied at the ending, although there were times throughout when I wasn’t sure I would be, and that kept me reading.