Worlds Collide by Alison Strobel

I received this e-book from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books for free for my honest review of this e-book.

Product Description:
Some Decisions Change Your Day. Some Will Change Your Life.

While the headlines screamed “Hollywood Heartthrob Marries Girl Next Door,” the public relationship of Jack Harrington and Grace Winslowe never revealed the private struggles that threatened to pull them apart–and when celebrity biographer Jada Eastman starts digging, she discovers that there’s more to this couple than anyone could guess.

Their relationship began like a scene from one of Jack’s movies. Leaving behind a dead-end relationship and the bitter Chicago winter, Grace had moved to Southern California to start a new life. Meanwhile, Jack had established himself as an up-and-comer with considerable acting talent, and a private heartache. When a fateful accident pulled the two of them together, they couldn’t avoid their initial attraction or the vast differences in their values and lifestyles.

Now, against the backdrop of Beverly Hills and the 24/7 nature of the entertainment world, Jada grapples with her own beliefs as she encounters the spiritual chasm of this famous couple. Can Grace and Jack face the consequences of their own personal histories–and can the biographer avoid being affected? As the three of them examine the couple’s bittersweet story, it becomes clear that everyday decisions can carry lifetime consequences when individual worlds collide.


Worlds Collide is a beautiful story about a fictional movie star and his relationship with a "commoner". Jada Eastman, a celebrity biographer, gets the assignment of a lifetime for her, she is asked to write Jack and Grace Harrington's story. Jack Harrington has always been her favorite star. She has done many biographies and knows that as you dig you find things you don't want to know about people, but she agrees. As she listens to their story, she finds herself affected deeply by their story of how they met and how God has changed their lives. Jada finds herself really questioning her own thoughts on spirituality and her beliefs.

My Thoughts:

Worlds Collide by Alison Strobel is the first book I have read of Alison's and I am hooked. The characters were genuine and strong, knowable and normal. They could be anyone and you truly felt their struggles, triumphs, and joys. This book is set up very different from any other book I have read, each chapter give a different character perspective on that season in their lives. The chapters are Grace or Jack. You truly feel what they are feeling. This book kept me intrigued and I found myself not being able to put it down. It is like nothing I have read before. Alison Strobel shows the struggles we all go through as Christians from the beginning starting as a new Christian to having to allow God control of our lives and not get in the way. I truly could feel the emotions of these characters. I truly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more books by Alison Strobel.

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

I received this e-book from Tyndale Publishing for free for my honest review of this e-book

Book Description:
When Livy O'Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she's helping to run an orphanage. Now she'll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.

Sheriff's deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy--literally--while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town--as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off--Jake doesn't have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can't seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn't willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.

My Thoughts:

Stealing Jake is a wonderful historical book. Not only is it historical romance but it has suspense, mystery and thrills in it. Stealing Jake keeps you guessing on what will happen next. This story develops at a very good rate and continues that way through to the end. I was surprised to find out that this was Pam Hillman's debut novel. The characters are deep and relatable. You as the reader feel like you are right there in this story. I cannot wait to read more books by Pam Hillman! I recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction/romance.

Cash Burn By Michael Berrier

I received this e-book for free from Tyndale Publishers for my honest opinion of this e-book.

Book Description:
Billions of dollars flow through Jason Dunn's banking office each year. When he suffers a series of career setbacks and his marriage begins to crumble, he and his attractive new assistant devise a plan to disappear with a slice of the bank's cash flow. The unwelcome appearance of his brother on the scene, just released from prison, threatens to sidetrack Jason's plans. But Jason's brother "Flip" has his own problems with a parole officer who isn't fooled by this dangerous parolee. In the race to the jackpot between Jason and Flip, and the unwinding of their troubled history, the question soon becomes, Who will get burned?

My Thoughts:
Cash Burn was a hard read for me, it just didn't hook me. The writing was done well and it was apparent the author did much research about the banking world and lingo. For me personally the book just wasn't my style. It was not a bad book, just not my style.

The Guardian by Robbie Cheuvront and Erik Reed

I received this e-book from Barbour Publishing, Inc for free for my honest review of this e-book.

Book Description:
Plunge into the world of seen and unseen forces in The Guardian. Anna Riley has just come into possession of a two-thousand-year old scroll that God gave to John the Disciple. Her mission—to guard the scroll and unlock its secret. Jason Lang, her protector, has his work cut out for him as they begin their journey around the world, facing corruption and dodging bullets—all the while trying to keep his attraction to Anna at bay. Will he succeed in defending the woman he’s vowed to protect? Will Anna, forced to trust other people to stay alive, fulfill the challenge that she’s accepted?

The Guardian is an awesome, thrilling book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This book was very hard to put down. I found myself taking every opportunity to read it. Anna Riley has an angel appear to her on a vacation in New Orleans telling her she needs to get to Pittsburg immediately because her Grandpa, Thomas Riley, is dying and he needs to see her. Anna was told her grandparents died years ago. Anna goes to Pittsburg to find out her life was not what it seemed. Her Grandfather and her also are direct descendants of the Apostle John and have been tasked with a scroll that came from God that needs to be figured out and find the place the scroll leads them. With a whole team of people including the Pope, Anna is sent to find the scroll and solve the riddle. With good is always evil and Lucifer is also been looking for this scroll and has infiltrated the Vatican. Anna finds her life in danger and sent on these trips to places to find out what the riddle means.

My thoughts:
This book is AWESOME. Our authors got me hooked right from the start. The story is a wonderful, exciting, and suspenseful tale of solving a 2,000 year old riddle while many evil forces are in place to stop it from happening. The characters are very transparent and so willing to take up this cause without a second thought. We meet so many different people with different motives. Much research went into many different, foreign places that 2,000 years ago were sites in the bible. I truly enjoyed this book and found myself unable to put it down until the end. I look forward to more books by these 2 authors. I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy suspense and thriller stories that are part of Christian fiction. 5 Stars!!!

Mercy Come Morning by Lisa Tawn Bergren

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for my honest review of this book.


Book Description:
There are no second chances. Or are there?

Krista Mueller is in a good place. She’s got a successful career as a professor of history; she’s respected and well-liked; and she lives hundreds of miles from her hometown and the distant mother she could never please. It’s been more than a decade since Alzheimer’s disease first claimed Charlotte Mueller’s mind, but Krista has dutifully kept her mother in a first-class nursing home.

Now Charlotte is dying of heart failure and, surprised by her own emotions, Krista rushes to Taos, New Mexico, to sit at her estranged mother’s side as she slips away. Battling feelings of loss, abandonment, and relief, Krista is also unsettled by her proximity to Dane McConnell, director of the nursing home—and, once upon a time, her first love. Dane’s kind and gentle spirit—and a surprising discovery about her mother—make Krista wonder if she can at last close the distance between her and her mother … and open the part of her heart she thought was lost forever.

Krista Mueller has been making a life for herself despite dealing with her mother, Charlotte, and her Alzheimer's for the last 10 yrs. Charlotte is staying in a nursing home that specializes in Alzheimer's disease which is run my Dane, a long time friend, and someone Krista has loved forever. Dane calls Krista to come from Colorado to Taos, New Mexico because her mother is dying from heart failure. Krista makes the trip to do her duty as a daughter. Krista longed for her mother to love her, protect her but that wasn't their relationship. Once Krista arrives she finds that maybe her judgement of her mother wasn't fair. Krista finds out exactly who Charlotte was and what she went through. Krista finds her way to Jesus and found what forgiveness and love really means.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book by Lisa Tawn Bergren I have read. It is a wonderful book. I have a heart for Alzheimer's disease and the people who live with it. I have worked with Alzheimer's residents and watched Alzheimer's take both my grandparents. Lisa Tawn Bergren really hits home with the struggles of both sides of this disease. It is obvious that a lot of research went into not just the disease but therapies, and the effects on both patient and caregivers. The characters are very real people who you can relate to. The story is a beautiful tale of forgiveness and finding love when you allow Jesus in your heart. I enjoyed this book tremendously and hope to read more books by Lisa Tawn Bergren.

Cherished by Kim Cash Tate

I received this book from booksneeze.com for free for my honest opinion of this book.

Book Description
How can she believe God cherishes her when she can't forgive herself?

Kelli London once dreamed of being a songwriter. As crazy as it seemed, she hoped that God would use the lyrics that came to her while she slept. She dreamed about Brian too, that the love they shared would be a forever kind of love. But choices she'll forever regret upended her hope . . . and turned her dreams to dust. When those dreams come knocking once more, she's forced to deal with the pain of the past.

Heather Anderson's life has spun out of control—first, an affair with a married man, then a one-night stand with the drummer of a popular Christian band that left her devastated. Broken and alone, she cried out to the only One who can save her. And He did. But that's just the beginning, because now she must leave behind the only life she's ever known.

Two women with shame-filled pasts form an unlikely friendship. What does God's forgiveness look like for them? Will they ever believe that He loves them . . . and can still offer them a life where they are cherished?

My Thoughts
This is the first book by Kim Cash Tate I have had the pleasure of reading and I can't wait to read more. This beautiful story could be about any of us. Kim Cash Tate writes you right into her story. Our main characters, Kelli and Heather, form an unlikely friendship and in this friendship find out what God's forgiveness truly is. These women find out that once you allow yourself that forgiveness, ANYTHING is possible. The characters in this story are so easy to relate to, their stories are so familiar to most people, and their journey back is beautiful. This story spoke to me in so many ways. The gospel message throughout was one that I loved and the book itself dealt with an issue that all of us can relate to that is guilt. I cannot wait to read Kim Cash Tate's first book Faithful after this. I am so thankful the opportunity to read this book, felt like something I really needed at this point in my life.

The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery by Mark Mynheir

I received this e-book from WaterMultnomah Publishing's Blogging for Books program free for my honest review of this E-Book

Book Description:

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?

Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator—but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.

As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.

In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?

The Corruptible is the 2nd book in the Ray Quinn Mystery series. Ray Quinn is an ex-cop who was injured on the job and medically retired from the force. He and an ex coworker from a security job, Crevis, opened The Night Watchman Detective Agency after solving a murder of a Pastor for his sister, Pam. Pam has continued to stay in their lives. Crevis is trying to pass the test to be a police officer and Pam is helping. Ray and Crevis take a job trying to track down missing client information that was stolen from Mayer Holdings Inc. From the beginning, Ray felt he wasn't getting the full picture from the CEO but Ray had help from the Orlando Police Department, so he knew he would get to the bottom of it. What he didn't expect is that he would be looking into an ex cop Logan Ramsey, who was a corrupt cop back in the day. Ray worked with him a few times and had no ill feelings for him but hadn't been best friends. So Ray and Crevis take the job and from there sparks fly. What was just a case to retrieve information becomes a murder case.

My Thoughts:
The Corruptible is a great book. I enjoyed it a lot. I had read the first book, The Night Watchman, but the book is written so that if you hadn't read the first one you definitely are caught up. Mark Mynheir has depth to his story lines. On the surface we see an ex cop who is battling his own demons like alcohol but as you dig deeper you find that Ray was a foster child, abandoned by his mother, and the night he was shot and injured his fiancée was shot and killed right next to him. Crevis is kind man who looks up to Ray but we see a man who grew up with an abusive father. Pam brings our whole group together. She asked for Ray's help when her brother was found dead. Pam is very spiritual growing up in a missionary family and had a brother who was a Pastor. She slowly tries to bring Jesus to Ray to help him find faith. This story on the surface is a murder mystery but under the surface Mark Mynheir's characters deal with their pasts, alcohol, and finding the faith they lost somewhere along the way. The characters are real people who live messy lives. You feel a kinship with them. I laughed in many places of this book. I highly recommend his books especially for people who enjoy murder mysteries.

Homeward by Melody Carlson

I received this e-book from Glass Road Pubic Relations free in exchange for my honest review of this story.


Book Description
From bestselling author Melody Carlson comes this award-winning story of three generations of Lancaster women. For twenty years Meg Lancaster has avoided Briar Hedge, the Lancaster family estate. Now she has been drawn back to her grandmother's home to uncover secrets that have been hidden for decades and to try to regain the family she long ago abandoned.

Meg Lancaster left her home at 17 years old to get away from the nightmare that was her life. Now 20 years later, after receiving a letter from her older sister that Grandmother Lancaster was sick and didn't have much time left, and a called off marriage for Meg she decides she needs to head home to Briar Hedge, her family's estate to make amends. Meg arrives and finds that things aren't what they used to be. Her mother, Sunny, was happily married and different. Her Grandma apologized for hurting Meg, and Megs sister and her family connect with Meg in a big way. As Meg starts to open herself up a bit with the family she finds out that her beloved cranberry fields that made Briar Hedge famous have been run down to nothing by her cousin. Meg decides, with her Grandma's blessing to try to save the fields. These fields were her grandfather's pride and joy. All of Meg's happy memories were with her Grandfather in these fields. As Meg starts to work these fields her life starts to have big changes.

My Thoughts:
Homeward is a story about family secrets, making amends, and finding lost faith. Melody Carlson weaves a beautiful story about 3 generations of Lancaster women and them coming back together to be a family for probably the first time. This story really grabbed me and kept my interest to the end. The characters were so rich and I could feel all the emotions...at times I was laughing, others crying. The story showed how having faith in God made all things possible. This story shows healing throughout a whole family because family secrets are revealed and allowed to heal. I highly recommend this book! I cannot wait to read more books by Melody Carlson.

In addition, Homeward by Melody Carlson is a RITA Award Winner! Now Homeward is available in E-book form for $2.99! I highly recommend buying this ebook at this awesome price!!

For Nook Users: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/homeward-melody-carlson/1100534787?ean=2940011815553&itm=1&usri=homeward

For Kindle Users: http://www.amazon.com/Homeward-ebook/dp/B00457VKK8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_ke?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314627303&sr=1-1

River's Song By Melody Carlson

I received this book free from Glass Road Public Relations for my honest review of this book.

Book Description
Her relationship with her daughter in shambles and tensions mounting with her mother-in-law, Anna Larson returns to her childhood home on the banks of the Siuslaw River to sort out her parent's belongings and put the pieces of her own life back together.
Embracing her native heritage for the first time since childhood Anna transforms her old family home into Shining Waters Inn, a place she hopes will give her family a new beginning.
River's Song is Book One in the Inn at Shining Waters series.


Anna Larson lives with her mother in law and high school age daughter in her mother in law's home. There Anna works cleaning, cooking, and keeping everything together to "pay" for her and her daughter's keep. Anna's mother in law had never been a fan of hers and when Anna's husband died, after coming back wounded from the war, there was no one to "protect" her. Anna gets word her Mother has died back at her childhood home on the banks of the Siuslaw River, Anna heads there to go through her parents things and to decide what to do with the houses and the land. Anna gets there and begins to embrace her Indian heritage that she lost track of many years ago. Anna also goes there to find healing. Then she meets Hazel, an older woman who is doing research for her college paper on the tribe of Anna's family. Anna reluctantly lets Hazel see her Grandma's cottage and her parents home. Hazel offers Anna money to stay in the cottage and do her research. From there ideas and healing blossom for Anna.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book by Melody Carlson I have read and I am so glad I did. This book was a wonderful story about being able to go home again and being able to find God again. Melody Carlson must have done a lot of research on the Indian tribes of the Siuslaw River in Oregon because it was very accurate. Also our characters were deep and very real. Going through real live and real issues. The descriptions of the river and places around it are vivid and I felt like I was right there. Another focus of this story is the Mother/Daughter relationship and how complicated it can be. I am very excited to read the next book in this new series. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction.

About the Author

Melody Carlson published her first book in 1995 and she has been writing prolifically ever since. To date, Melody has published over 200 books, making her one of the top 20 most prolific authors of all time. With total sales of over 1.4 million her award-winning books include: Homeward, Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon; Limelight; the Diary of a Teenage Girl series; the True Colors series; and the Charter House Girls series.
In her professional life, Melody has worn many hats: from pre-school teacher to political activist to senior editor. Currently, she writes full-time, and freelances from her home. She has two grown sons and lives in Sisters, Oregon with her husband, Chris, and Bailey, her chocolate lab. They enjoy skiing, hiking, and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.