Being married to a saint isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

Beth’s husband won’t be joining the family on vacation at the beach this year. He’s not even joining them in the house. Instead, Rick has holed up alone in the backyard shed. Nobody knows exactly what he’s up to. Maybe he’s immersing himself in prayer. Maybe he’s lost his mind. Maybe he’s even the modern-day prophet or the saint the neighborhood artist imagines him to be. But while “St. Rick” waits for an epiphany, Beth will have to figure out what to do with herself and their teenage sons, possibly for the rest of her life.

What happens next is both uproarious and bittersweet: a peace march turns violent, her son is caught with drugs, and she embarks on an ambitious road trip that turns into something nearly surreal. Will Beth rediscover the idealistic woman she used to be, once upon a time? Can her marriage survive Rick’s backyard vigil? Will anything ever be the same? And should it be?

Truthful, comic, heartbreaking, and magical in the very best sense of the word, The Sky Beneath My Feetgently tears the veil off our egos and expectations to reveal the throbbing, redemptive, and achingly beautiful life beyond and within us.

My Comments:  When I began this book I got very excited.  I thought I was reading a book I could really relate to.  As the book went on, however, I felt a little lost and found it harder to relate to what I was reading.  This story was good at showing how real people in ministry are – they have the same thoughts and struggles as people not in ministry.  We all don’t grow up in ministry families – some of us  don’t even grow up in Christian homes.  Ministry families have the same struggles are everyone else and some unique ones all their own.  This book did a great job portraying that.  However, the struggles were difficult for me to relate to very different from my own.  Having said all of that, I enjoyed this book and was excited to read it because both of my daughters love Lisa Samson.  This book is a great slice of life.

One innocent mistake . . . a lifetime of consequences.

After growing up an only child, Amanda Lisandra wants a big family. But since she and her soldier husband can’t afford to have more children right away, Mandy decides to earn money as a gestational carrier for a childless couple. She loves being pregnant, and while carrying the child, she dreams of having her own son and maybe another daughter. . . .

Just when the nearly perfect pregnancy is about to conclude, unexpected tragedy enters Mandy’s world and leaves her reeling. Devastated by grief, she surrenders the child she was carrying and struggles to regain her emotional equilibrium.

Two years later she studies a photograph of the baby she bore and wonders if the unthinkable has happened—could she have inadvertently given away her own biological child? Over the next few months Mandy struggles to decide between the desires of her grief-stricken heart and what’s best for the little boy she has never known.

My Comments:  The content of books never ceases to amaze me.  Angela Hunt takes an issue I have had questions about and weaves it into a great story!  Struggles are a part of life – some are thrust upon us and some are due to choices we make.  This book covers a struggle which is a result of a choice.  Carrying another person’s baby is not a choice I would have ever made mainly due to the fact that I hated being pregnant.  My hormones worked overtime and I felt sick for 9 months.  It’s worth it for your own child, but for someone elses’?  and to get paid for it?  Wow, this book made me think.  One thing I love about reading is that you live vicariously through someone else – you see their struggles and you work out in your own mind how you would solve their problems.  There were a few twists along the way, but this makes for a great story.  I usually read everything Angela Hunt writes – and enjoy her writing.  She did a great job of putting me into Mandy’s head, so that I could feel what she felt and see what she saw.  Her relationship with her mom was interesting and I felt it could have been developed a wee bit more, but enough information was given.  Her relationship with her in-laws was even more interesting to me.  They seemed more like her birth family, and they were of another culture!  Great writing Ms. Hunt!

In her latest novel Mary Higgins Clark, the beloved, bestselling “Queen of Suspense,” exposes a dark secret from a family’s past that threatens the lives of two sisters, Kate and Hannah Connelly, when the family-owned furniture firm in Long Island City, founded by their grandfather and famous for its fine reproductions of antiques, explodes into flames in the middle of the night, leveling the buildings to the ground, including the museum where priceless antiques have been on permanent display for years.

The ashes reveal a startling and grisly discovery, and provoke a host of suspicions and questions. Was the explosion deliberately set? What was Kate—tall, gorgeous, blond, a CPA for one of the biggest accounting firms in the country, and sister of a rising fashion designer—doing in the museum when it burst into flames? Why was Gus, a retired and disgruntled craftsman, with her at that time of night? What if someone isn’t who he claims to be?

Now Gus is dead, and Kate lies in the hospital badly injured and in a coma, so neither can tell what drew them there, or what the tragedy may have to do with the hunt for a young woman missing for many years, nor can they warn that somebody may be covering his tracks, willing to kill to save himself . . .

Step by step, in a novel of dazzling suspense and excitement, Mary Higgins Clark once again demonstrates the mastery of her craft that has made her books international bestsellers for years. She presents the reader with a perplexing mystery, a puzzling question of identity, and a fascinating cast of characters—one of whom may just be a ruthless killer . . .

My Comments:  I listened to this on my long commute to work (45 minutes).  It sure made the time fly by!  A few twists and turns really kept me going.  I found it hard to get into the listening part at first and listened to the first CD twice, but this was because I was distracted.  Once I really got into the story I kept with it until finished.  I even played with the idea of bringing the CDs into the house to listen, but then I would have nothing to look forward to on my long drive.  I always enjoy Mary Higgins Clark books.  They are full of mystery yet a clean read.  This was no exception.  The reading was excellent with consistent voices for each character.  Even the accents were right on.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for a free review copy in exchange for my honest review.  I loved it!

ve”Help me.” When she opens her door to a wounded, handcuffed stranger, Laney Jefferson is Fugitive”Help me.” When she opens her door to a wounded, handcuffed stranger, Laney Jefferson is terrified…until she recognizes her unexpected visitor. Thirteen years ago, Logan Randal was there for her when she desperately needed a friend. Now the wrongfully convicted lawman needs the widow’s help. On the run from the law and guided only by Laney’s unswerving faith in Logan’s innocence, their mutual attraction begins to break down the barriers around Laney’s heart. But the real culprit is much closer than they imagine…a cunning enemy determined to keep the past—and the truth—buried forever.terrified…until she recognizes her unexpected visitor. Thirteen years ago, Logan Randal was there for her when she desperately needed a friend. Now the wrongfully convicted lawman needs the widow’s help. On the run from the law and guided only by Laney’s unswerving faith in Logan’s innocence, their mutual attraction begins to break down the barriers around Laney’s heart. But the real culprit is much closer than they imagine…a cunning enemy determined to keep the past—and the truth—buried forever.

My Comments:  This book entertained me.  The book was a clean read with Christian principles.  There were some elements that kept me in suspense throughout.  I would have liked more back story into Laney’s life.  I felt like much was alluded to, but this still left me with questions, and I felt it could have been developed more.  Logan was an interesting hero.  He overcame quite a bit in his life.  Overall, an engaging read.

Thank you NetGalley for a free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

The tornado that devastated Kings’ Orchard pushed Rhoda, Samuel, and Jacob to make a new start in Maine. Are they strong enough to withstand the challenges of establishing an Amish community—and brave enough to face the secrets that move with them?

Bold widow Johanna Yoder stuns Roland Byler when she asks him to be her husband. To Johanna, it seems very sensible that they marry. She has two children, and he has a son. Why shouldn’t their families become one? But the widower has never forgotten his long-ago love for her; it was his foolish mistake that split them apart. This could be a fresh start for both of them. Until she reveals she wants a marriage of convenience only. It’s up to Roland to woo the stubborn Johanna and convince her to accept him as her groom in her home and in her heart.

My Comments:  I loved revisiting Seven Poplar’s and Emma Miller’s characters.  It is gratifying to read of a long-in-coming happy ending for Johanna.  A single mom with seven daughters – who could imagine this in the Amish community?  I love visiting with strong women and those of the Amish faith are especially interesting.  This book visited the issue of pride and how it can harm us in large and small ways.  Emma Miller always provides an interesting read!

Thanks NetGalley for the free review copy!

What if she never came home . . . ?

Lydia Eldredge longs to provide a sanctuary for her son, Nicky. But a constant threat comes from Nicky’s drug-addicted father, who wants the boy and seems willing to do whatever it takes to get him.

Dr. Micah Hatcher serves the immigrant population in Queens, but under cover of darkness he provides another service that must not be discovered lest his and his brother’s lives be in danger.

When Lydia and Micah’s paths cross, they are suddenly wrapped up in each other’s callings. Through unforeseen twists and turns, they seek a refuge of safety–for Nicky, for themselves, and for the needy people God unexpectedly puts in their lives.

My Comments:  This was a sweet book.  The romance was a bit predictable, but the main characters were decent, likable people.  The setting of World War 2 made it more interesting.    The Christian message comes across well.  If you enjoy historical Christian fiction, I would definitely read this book.

Thank you NetGalley for my review copy!