Book Review: Dark Light Dance: Refuge by Carole Rummage

Laney Lowell’s world fell apart when tragedy struck her family and before she knew it her home in the Salt lake Valley surrounded by the soaring peaks of the Wasatch Mountains is replaced by green Cyprustrees and miles of shoreline in the tiny town of Columbia, North Carolina. Feeling homesick and disconnected from her Aunt and Uncle, she turns to the nearby wildlife refuge, Alligator River, as a place of solitude and solace.

Early one summer morning as she’s exploring, she inadvertently stumbles onto the path of a black bear, startling them both—luckily a handsome young man,  Gabe Randall, another newcomer to the area comes to her rescue. Breathless with fear and embarrassment, Laney is full of gratitude as well as curiosity.

Later, despite her Uncle’s warning Laney can’t seem to stay away from the mysterious artist with secrets of his own and before long she decides being with him makes her feel whole. However, as the bond between them deepens, Laney makes a “shocking discovery…forcing her to choose between the dark truth of Gabe’s past and losing the one she loves.”

Author Carole Rummage lives in a little cottage in Garner, North Carolina, a small town just outside of Raleigh, with her husband, Tom. Their three children are grown and (mostly) gone, but her needy cat, Pepper makes sure they’re not bored—especially as she likes to sit in front of the computer screen while she types. They have six grandchildren who keeps all of them on their toes.

Carole says, “I may be a grandmother, but I’m young at heart. I love working with the youth and am only happier when I’m writing for them and about them. Along with the best career of all as a wife and a mother, I’ve been a personnel assistant, registered nurse, home-school teacher, local newspaper lady, and bookstore clerk. Now, I happily add writer to those. One of my favorite quotes is from George Elliott, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” I believe this applies not just to a writing career, but to everything in life. After all, succeeding at new things just takes faith and trust and a little bit of fairy dust…

Get Carole's book here

Book Review: The Taming of Lady Kate by G.G. Vandagriff

The Taming of Lady Kate-

Headstrong Lady Kate Derramore must marry, but because of a stipulation in her father's will it may not be to the man she loves. When she meets the Marquis of Northbrooke she decides he will do nicely. Unsuspectingly, Jack, the Marquis is smitten with her from the first and despite her own heart's rapid involvement they both put on a show of indifference that infuriatingly confuses the other.

(from the cover)...Jack's mysterious comings and goings at the drop of a hat unwittingly put Lady Kate's life in danger and as he attempts to rescue her, he comes up against her “reins-grabbing” nature. Will he ever be able to master Lady Kate? Will he ever be able to oust another man from her heart? And, despite Kate’s penchant for disaster, will he be able to save her life and his own?

The title of best-selling author G.G. Vandagriff's latest book immediately brought to mind Shakespeare's classic play, The Taming of the Shrew. I saw the 1967 film version years ago in which Katherina, the "difficult" heroine was played by Elizabeth Taylor. It made me smile and my interest in the book instantly piqued. I wasn't disappointed. From the first few pages I was smoothly swept into historical England in the entertaining and fast-paced romp of GG's latest regency romance, thoroughly enjoying the vocabulary and expressions used which were common in that time. It was a fun read!

The Taming of Lady Kate is available on Amazon, the Nook Store and Kobo.

A few things about Regency Romances by G.G. 

A Glimpse of Heaven

Even though Joanna was a happily married wife, the mother of six children, fulfilled as a woman, and active in her church she had been suffering with severe headaches and depression for so long, with no relief in sight she was planning on committing suicide. 


Joanna writes:


"I didn't make any requests for help that night. I was certain I was beyond help. I explained to God that He knew and I knew that I had given my fight everything I had. I told God that I was done and that I had nothing more to give. I apologized for not being able to do better. I thanked Him for the good things He had blessed me with. Then. I told Him that I could not endure the pain any longer and that if He chose to send me to hell that would be okay-I knew with certainty that hell could not be worse than what I was currently suffering. I explained that I would be ending my life the following day and from there what happened to me would be in His hand. I then crawled back into bed and cried myself to sleep..." click to read more 

New Book Review: Daughters of Jared by H.B. Moore

"I woke with a silent scream on my lips. My sister's words from the night before came flooding back all at once, bringing a new wave of revulsion. Had it been a dream? A terrible dream that had encompassed my worst nightmare? I sat up, keeping the covers pulled to my chin as I looked around my room. Everything appeared the same, unlike the tempest I had expected. When my world caved in, shouldn't the physical things around me be destroyed as well?"

Naiva, the second daughter of Jared II, has just been asked by her older sister, Asherah, the favored one, to do the unthinkable. Naiva knows if she gives in, she will be sacrificing her own soul.

Creating a web of deceit and evil, Asherah will stop at nothing to return their father to the throne and eventually become queen. Naiva's struggle to find enough strength to stand against what she knows is wrong and the courage to embrace her budding beliefs in the true God, may cost her everything...including her life.

H.B. Moore has written an engaging page-turning thriller based on the book of Ether. Just like her Out of Jerusalem series and other novels about people in the Book of Mormon, her expert skills as a writer bring the scriptures alive with greater impact and understanding. I loved this book!

To watch the trailer or get your own copy today,  click here
To learn more visit her blog at http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com or her website at http://hbmoore.com

New Book Review: The Most Important Catch

  

This is Jaclyn M. Hawkes 3rd novel and the 1st one of hers I've read. I was pleasantly suprised!

The main character, Kelly Campbell, is a nurse in her early twenties. Something illegal is going on in the hospital where she works and when she is caught looking at some files she inadvertently stumbled upon, she ends up staging her own death in order to stay alive. Leaving everything behind, she flees Chicago on the back of a borrowed motorcycle, dressed completely in leather, her bright auburn hair tucked securely under a helmet. 

From the back cover:

"When the weather turned cold, she turned south. She ended up in North Carolina, home to one of the most famed and eligible NFL football stars in the whole league; only Kelly didn't know that. She thought he was a businessman. Not being a huge fan all she knew was that he was incredibly attractive, kind, generous, and that she was safe with him. Or was she?

His brand of fame proved to be all but deadly; but his fame wasn't nearly as lethal as his attraction. He kept her safe and protected. All except her heart."

The Most Important Catch, was enjoyable, well-written, suspenseful, romantic, and a clean read. My kind of book!

Jaclyn grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets.  (It was never boring!)  She received a Bachelor’s degree, had a career, and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children.  She loves shellfish, the outdoors, the youth, and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

To learn more about Jaclyn and her other books visit her website at http://jaclynmhawkes.com

Book Review: Caller I.D. By Rachelle J. Christensen

Rachelle has done it again!

The author of Wrong Number, a novel of suspense I couldn't put down, has released Caller I.D. another action-filled story that keeps you guessing featuring FBI Agent Jason Edwards.

I loved Rachelle's first book, and was excited to read this one which is quite a bit longer.

Courtney Beckham is 23, and the privileged daughter of a highly successful land developer. When her parents go away for a long weekend together she sets off on Saturday morning like usual to go for a horseback ride on her horse, Tika.

The pleasant sunny day rapidly darkens when unwittingly, Courtney stumbles onto a large clearing full of tall, thick plants almost ready to harvest. With rising alarm she realizes what they are but before she can leave the area, she's spotted and taken prisoner at gunpoint.

Things rapidly worsen when Courtney overhears her captors discussing the ten million dollar ransom they've placed on her head and when she catches a glimpse of the name on the caller ID inside the kidnapper's home, she's frozen with shock. Even if she can escape, something more dangerous lies ahead.

Published by Sweetwater Books (CFI National Imprint)

ISBN: 978-1-59955-990-2

List Price $15.99

Available at your bookstore and

Barnes & Noble

Amazon.com Caller ID

Kindle- coming soon

Books A Million

Watch the book trailer on youtube here

To celebrate the release of Caller ID, Rachelle is hosting a contest for a new Ultra Flip Video Camera (4 GM memory, Records 120 minutes Value $149.99) and other great prizes. Visit her blog for more details.

Book Review

Christ’s Gifts to Women, by Heather B. Moore and Angela Eschler, is an elegant hardbound book, the kind you would want to display on your coffee table in the middle of the living room. The illustrated artwork inside is beautiful and inspiring and so is the message.

As women today, it's easy to get caught up in the way the world downplays our inherent worth as choice daughters of God and our roles as nurturer to our families and others. In Angela and Heather's book, the 5 gifts Christ has given to women are discussed with insight and detail, and these gifts—mercy, experience, wholeness, nurturing, and seeing—are related to the women in Biblical times who faced and conquered challenges and relate to us, as women in the present-day.

This is a book to be pondered over and re-read, and would make a wonderful gift for any woman. There are many quotes and scriptures throughout the book that help one re-gain an eternal perspective quickly during times of loss, discouragement, loneliness or heartache. Here’s a few of my favorites:

“The future is as bright as your faith.”

“The Savior has power to heal us all in each and every aspect of our lives, if we but reach out to him.”

“As we focus on other concerns in our lives, we may miss seeing the Savior standing right beside us.”

“For with God nothing shall be impossible”-Luke 1:37

Get your own copy today!

Deseret Book

Amazon.com

SeagullBook.com

BYU Bookstore Women's Conference 2009 Book and Artists Signings

Diony will be signing copies of her new book on Thursday, April 30th at the main BYU Bookstore from 11 - 1 pm, in Provo, Utah. There will also be other authors and artists at various times throughout the conference. Click on the link for more information.