Belonging & Betrayal - Zondervan reviews

Two books are being reviewed in this post.


Belonging, by Robin Lee Hatcher, is a Christian Historical romance novel set in 1897.Set in a desert town called Frenchman's Bluff, Idaho, Felicia Kristoffersen has found herself set for an adventure as a school teacher for the first time. Having had her training for years but never actually been hired to teach, Felicia was a bit nervous. And so was the local merchant and widowed Colin Murphy, whose daughter Charity has reading problems.

Felicia just happens to be boarding in a little home on Colin's land and soon discovers Colin's hesitancy toward having her as the schoolmarm. In fact, he even voted against having her come!

Felicia's background plays a big part in her story. Her father had abandoned her and her siblings, and left her with a beloved mother who was dying. When Felicia and her siblings became orphans and went their separate ways to different families in different parts of the country, this leaves Felicia with trepidation and inadequacy.

I thoroughly enjoy Robin's books. She's one of my favorite authors because she's able to balance a well-plotted story with well-fleshed characters and leave you wishing there was more to the story!!

Belonging is the beginning of a series. The second book is called Betrayal, and the third is Beloved.



Betrayal, the second book in the Where the Heart Lives series by Robin Lee Hatcher, is set in 1899, on a ranch in western Wyoming.

Drifter Hugh Brennan has had his share of sorrow, betrayal, and disappointment. Making his way west to find his sister Felicia, Hugh finds himself without food and money. Finding himself on a little ranch belonging to widow Julia Grace, he soon becomes her employee.

Julia Grace has recently been widowed. Her abusive husband dead, she finds herself inundated with repairs she can't take care of, taxes she can barely pay, and an annoying brother-in-law who will stop at nothing to take her land from her.

With Hugh's help, Julia soon discovers that not all men are like her dead  husband. Hugh is resourceful, patient, and kind, and she finds herself drawn to his gentle ways. But when the going gets tough, will Hugh stick around?

This second book in the series was absolutely fantastic! Robin did an excellent job fleshing out these characters, and I genuinely look forward to the third book in this series.

Thanks to Zondervan for sending me two extra copies of these books. I'll be giving these away next month, so be sure to come back for the giveaway.

I received Belonging and Betrayal as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Zondervan.

Thunder of Heaven - a Zondervan review

Ok. Let me just get this off of my chest:

WOOOOW!!

Thunder of Heaven is absolutely incredible. When I was given the opportunity to review this second book in The End Series written by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall, I knew it was going to be good. I didn't waste any time trying to read the second book before having read the first, so luckily I found it at the libary. By the time Thunder of Heaven arrived at my door, I'd read Edge of Apocalypse and was ready to roll. :)

Thunder of Heaven is a book that has a similar feel as the Left Behind series. It's captivating, full of drama, and it leaves you on the edge of your seat. The End Series, however, focuses more on military aspects than the Left Behind series does, but don't let that discourage you from reading if you're not entirely too thrilled about reading military jargon. I'm normally not interested in military or political fiction, but this book has completely changed my mind. Coming from a girl who tends to prefer chick lit, that's saying a lot! ;)

Main character Joshua Jordan, retired colonel from the Air Force, is the head of a secret "round table" of individuals who meet regularly to try to protect the country from disaster when the government seems to turn a blind eye to danger. So Joshua Jordan and some of his pals created a RTS (Return to Sender) antimissile defense system, which had first been used in the first book (Edge of Apocalypse) to detract certain demise intended for New York. The RTS system was considered controversial, and Joshua Jordan was considered a criminal for using a system that hadn't been given the OK by the government.

Joshua's wife Abigail, their son Cal, and daughter Deborah are thrust headfirst into chaos when threat comes from Russia. Joshua and Deborah head to Israel to attempt to help the Israelis thwart an attack, while Abigail and Cal work to keep things together as the round table is being brought to justice for their secret meetings.

Even though this book is set in the future, it has an intensely current feel to it. LaHaye and Parshall do an excellent job fleshing out the characters, portraying the feel of corruption, and leaving the reader turning the pages furiously in attempt to absorb it all!

I hope that they're working on Book 3, because this chick is ready for more!!

I received Thunder of Heaven as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Zondervan.

Heart of Lies - a Zondervan review

Heart of Lies, written by Jill Marie Landis, a book in the Irish Angel Series, is a historical romantic fiction novel about a woman who was taken from her sisters as a child and forced into a life of lies and thievery in New Orleans. After her thieving group disbands, Maddie Grande still finds herself in a precarious situation when her "brothers" decide to kidnap the child of a wealthy man for ransom. Against her will, Maddie agrees to keep the child, but on second thought decides to take the child to another woman's home to hide the child.

When Pinkerton detective Tom Abbott comes knocking in search for a missing adult, he finds himself thrust into a case of kidnapping when he discovers that Maddie may be an accomplice. What he didn't expect was that Maddie's charm would eat at his resolve to solve two cases.

I loved the intrigue of this book. The writing was very easy to follow, and the dialog between Tom and Maddie was great. The characters were portrayed well, and I found myself on the edge of my seat quite often as I read the book.

For anyone who loves a nice, romantic historical fiction, I think you'll like this one!

I received Heart of Lies as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Zondervan.

Unlocked - a Zondervan Review

First, I'll just get this little confession out of the way right now.

I AM A KAREN KINGSBURY FANGIRL. lol I discovered her nearly two years ago, and I feel like I've deprived myself of the years that I could've already been reading her books! She's truly been given a God-given gift of writing what she refers to as "Life Changing Fiction". It is definitely that, and for any of you who have read her books, I'm sure you would nod and smile your agreement. So now that I've made my confession, let's get on with my review. . . .

Unlocked, written by Karen Kingsbury, is an amazing story about a high school boy trapped inside himself. Having been autistic since the age of three, after what his mother suspected was too much exposure to mercury during vaccinations, Holden Harris and his loved ones found themselves trapped in a different type of world--a world of pain, sorrow, lost opportunities.

When Holden is reunited with his childhood playmate, Ella, a remarkable transformation is witnessed by his loved ones and his classmates.

This is an incredible story, the characters are portrayed beautifully, and if you don't find yourself tearing up, I would really be surprised. Karen has truly outdone herself with this one.

I don't want to give away more of the story, but I will say this: You simply must read this one!

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 Unlocked as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Zondervan.

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