The Clouds Roll Away - a Litfuse Review

The Clouds Roll Away, written by Sibella Giorello, was an awesome book. It was a thriller mystery with a hint of romance thrown in. At a little over 300 pages, this book was a pretty quick read for the most part. At first, I had a hard time sorting through all of the characters in the story, but after going over some of the story again, I was good to go. It could've been the fact that I've been interrupted multiple times during the reading of this book, so I won't put Sibella at fault for my confusion!

The story revolves around Raleigh Harmon, the main character in the story whose life has been dealt some pretty sad cards. As if the murder of her father, a boss transferring her out of state, a kooky mother, indifferent sister, and issues with a previous beau were not enough for Raleigh to shoulder, she also is now thrust a difficult case as an FBI agent. Bigotry abounds in her area of the US, and a hate crime was committed. Now it's up to her to solve the mystery and line up her suspects--BEFORE the new year--or else! With limited time and multiple problems caging her in, Raleigh's adrenaline heats up as the problems all come crashing in at once.

This story had me sitting on the edge of my seat the entire time. As soon as I had the crime pegged to someone, my discovery was proven incorrect. I love reading a story that has some unpredictability thrown in!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ..................... 4/5
Supporting Details ................ 5/5
Sufficient Length ................... 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ........ 4.5/5
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Also, Sibella is having a giveaway! If you're interested in sweepstakes, you will want to take part in this one! Here's what you can win:

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

• Latest Generation KINDLE with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To enter simply click on the icon on the front page of my blog. Winner will be announced January 3, 2011 on Sibella's blog: http://sibellagiorello.blogspot.com/.
The giveaway has now ended.

If you're interested in reading more reviews on this wonderful novel, click the link below!http://litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/sibella-giorellos-the-clouds-roll-away-blog-tour.html

About Sibella: Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College . After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website, www.sibellagiorello.com


I received The Clouds Roll Away as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Litfuse Publicity Group

When you see this image, it represents books that I highly recommend!

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor - a Waterbrook Multnomah Review

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor, written by Chuck Black, is a YA fantasy book. It's published by Waterbrook Multnomah, a Christian publishing company. The novel is 176 pages in length, with discussion questions and answers following. Also in the back is a scoresheet of a song entitled Ride of the Valiant written by Emily Elizabeth Black, Chuck's talented daughter. (Also if you go to the series' website, Arrethtrae, you will find a CD of music written and performed by Emily that you can buy! You can also hear a demonstration of music.)

I was a little hesitant to start reading this book (the fifth one in the Knights of Arrethtrae series) without having read the previous four. I'm obsessive about chronology, so I love reading books in the order they were written. However, I delved into the book and had no trouble getting "knee deep" in the story. The action and intrigue is gripping, and it captured my attention quite quickly.

The main character is a young man referred to by friends and family as Twitch. Twitch received his name because of a twitch that would appear in his cheek when he became nervous or stressed. Twitch and his pal Gustav, whose nickname was Tav, lived together with Tav's family after Twitch's parents tragically died. Twitch and Tav are learning to become knights for the Prince (aka Jesus).

After a bizarre type of pet infiltrates the Burkfield haven where the boys were training, many of the young knights lost interest in serving the Prince. When Tav's uncle, Sir Baylor, arrived to recruit Tav as a Sword of Valor, Twitch's interest is piqued. Tav refuses to follow his uncle, but Twitch wants to go. At Mount Resolve, Twitch kneels and determines to follow the Prince, to give himself to whatever the Prince should want for him. What results from that resolution to the King was a tumult of hardship that he'd never have imagined.

I won't ruin the story for you, but Twitch, now called by his given name Quinlan, learns that following the Prince isn't always going to be a bed of roses. The fight is fierce, it's often nasty, but in the end the journey to the Kingdom Across the Sea (aka Heaven) is what we long for and is worth the wait!

I highly recommend this book for people who love fantasy. It's a great book for adolescents as well. I plan on purchasing the other books in the series so that I can read them and pass them on to my sons.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ..................... 5/5
Supporting Details ................ 5/5
Sufficient Length ................... 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ........ 5/5

I received Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers.

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The Secrets Beneath - a BookSneeze Review

The Secrets Beneath, written by Kathleen Fuller, is the second book in The Mysteries of Middlefield series. At 271 pages, this YA novel is a good read. The setting is in the town of Middlefield, and young Amish girl Rebekah Yoder finds herself plunged into a mystery that would rival the stories from her Nancy Drew books that she enjoys. When Bekah discovers an old man mysteriously searching on the property of an empty home, her curiosity is piqued.

Bekah's family has their own mystery to solve when Bekah's cousin Amanda moves in. Amanda's father brought her to the Yoder house, but no one had told Bekah why. All she knew was that Amanda was going to live in her house for a year. Just like in her Nancy Drew books, Bekah is determined to solve the mysteries!

This is a delightful book that I would highly recommend for a YA or for anyone who loves Amish-related fiction.

Here's the run-down of what I think of the book:

Ease of reading ..................... 5/5
Supporting Details ................ 5/5
Sufficient Length ................... 5/5
Ability to hold my interest ... 5/5
Overall Impression ........ 5/5

I am a member of BookSneeze, a fabulous program through Thomas Nelson. BookSneeze sends members free books to read and keep in exchange for written reviews on a blog and on a major retailer's website (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble).

When you see this image, it represents books that I highly recommend!