Nora St. Laurent posted a nice review of Rocky Mountain Oasis over at Novel Reviews.
You can view it here:
http://novelreviews.blogspot.com/2010/03/lynnette-bonners-rocky-mountain-oasis.html
Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category
Liz Curtis Higgs
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
LIZ CURTIS HIGGS is the author of twenty-seven books with three million copies in print, including: her best-selling historical novels, Thorn in My Heart, Fair Is the Rose, Christy Award-winner Whence Came a Prince, and Grace in Thine Eyes, a Christy Award finalist; My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland, an armchair travel guide to Galloway; and her contemporary novels, Mixed Signals, a Rita Award finalist, and Bookends, a Christy Award finalist. Visit the author’s extensive website at www.lizcurtishiggs.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.
Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home.
View the book’s trailer below:
My review:
This book got off to a slow start. But the writing is lyrical and poetic and will draw you in. Margaret Kerr is not particularly likable. And neither is Donald, Elizabeth’s husband who cheats on her many times over. Elizabeth saves the day, however and you won’t be sorry you invested your time in this book. Well worth the read for the glimpse of hope it offers, especially if you like literary-type fiction.
I’m giving away a copy to one commenter on this post. My blog comments are moderated, so don’t worry if the comment doesn’t show up right away. I’ll get to approving it just as soon as I have a moment. 
The drawing will be held next Monday, April 5th.
Oh, and I was given a copy of this book for free. I tried to demand that they pay me $5,000,000,000 to write a top notch review, but Waterbrook was having none of it. So I didn’t get paid a dime. But I’m still giving a positive review of the book.
You can find out more about this book here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070015
Readers Favorite Book Reviews gave Rocky Mountain Oasis 5 stars.
“It is delightful to watch the tension and budding relationship blossom between Jordan and Brook. This is the first book I’ve read by Lynnette Bonner but it won’t be the last. She has a talent for transporting readers back in time. I felt as though I was an eye witness to the Wild West. While this is an inspirational love story it is much more. Bonner weaves the threads of intrigue, romance, mystery and suspense into a tapestry on which readers see the life of a mail order bride.”
To read the whole review you can go here: http://readersfavorite.com/cat-71.htm?review=2661
And if you would like, you can add your own comments about the book below their review.
Today I’m happy to introduce you to my friend and blogging partner from over at AuthorCulture, K. M. Weiland. I’m excited to have her here today. I’ve always loved books about knights and the crusades, so I was especially excited to learn a little more about Behold the Dawn. A lot of research went into creating an authentic atmosphere for this book.
What is one practice that was very common in Annan’s day that you are ever so thankful no longer exists?
Oh gosh, can I check “all of the above”? Much as I love the Middle Ages, I’m exceedingly happy I don’t have to live in them! The horrific ignorance and corruption of the church, including the prevalence of “holy hermits” (some of whom thought they best served God by livingi n the desert on top of a pole!), flagellation as a form of worship, the belief in the power of saints and shrines and pilgrimages… yep, I’m glad all those things aren’t with us anymore!
In researching weapons, was there one in particular that made you cringe in horror at the harm it could do?
Warfare at that time wasn’t about precision; it was all strength and fury—and as a result the victim wasn’t likely to die quick and easy. Injuries were often horrific, and, of course, medicine at that time was completely unable to minister to sufferers. People died long and slow and messy. Maces, claymores, flails, war hammers, crossbows—they’re all horrifying in the damage they’re capable of. One weapon that particularly stuck with was the caltrop, a predecessor of the land mind in some ways. Basically, it was a giant jack (the old children’s toy) that was thrown onto the field of battle. Men or horses running across the field would step on the caltrop and cripple themselves.
What one practice was in vogue back then that you kind of wish we still had around today?
I don’t know if I’d want it around all the time, but I wouldn’t mind the occasional opportunity to get all duded up in the costumes of the period.
Was there a bit of research that first brought Annan to life for you? Or did you have his character in mind and then anchor him in the center of your research?
I didn’t officially begin researching until I had the entire story outlined. But it was a bit of inadvertent research that inspired his character. I happened to glance at a children’s book about William Marshall, the “greatest knight who ever lived,” one of the most famous fighters in the condemned tourney competitions. He fought his way to glory and ended up as an English statesmen. I was captivated by the whole idea of the bloody, brutal tourney games—and Marshall’s eventual journey to the Holy Land to seek absolution.
Tell us a little bit about the lady of the story.
Lady Mairead enters the story as the wife of Lord William, Earl of Keaton, an old friend of Annan’s. He married her to save her from her enemies, and she flees with him to the Crusade, where he is mortally wounded. Despite the tragedies she’s suffered, Mairead holds fast to a simple faith and a natural optimism. But she has struggled with prejudices all her life and tends to make hasty judgments about others.
Which one character in the book would you say is most like you? Least?
None of the characters are based on me, but I suppose I identify most with Annan: his disapproval of naïveté, his deep but often hidden emotional core, his sense of justice. I hope the villainous Norman Hugh de Guerrant is least like me!
The Tournaments were very dangerous. What made knights choose to fight in the Tourneys? And particularly Annan – why has he chosen that lifestyle?
Fighting was like breathing for men in the Middle Ages. At that time, a man’s education was warfare. Reading and writing were considered extraneous; fighting was vital. The tourneys were a natural extension of the social immersion in violence. If everyone was going to fight anyway, why not fight for money and glory? For second-born sons like Annan, who would receive no inheritance from their families, the tourneys were an opportunity to make their own fortunes. However, Annan’s personal decision to join the tourneys was largely an attempt to flee from the sins of his past. He thought he could go out in a blaze of glory in the tournaments; he never expected to live for sixteen more years.
What was your favorite part of writing this story? Least?
The beginning was torture—as beginnings usually are for me. I must have written it half a dozen times, pulling my hair out and shoving back overwhelming doubts the whole way. But once I got past about the fifty-page mark, everything fell into place. The story just flew from that point on—and I was just along for the ride!
What message did you feel God was speaking to you while you were writing and editing this book?
It’s ironic (or maybe not!) how often God takes the themes I’m writing about and puts them to work in my own life at that same time. The theme of Behold the Dawn is finding the new beginning in each day. Life was a bit chaotic while I was writing Behold and I really did have to learn to take each day as it came. At one point, I was even questioning whether writing was something I was supposed to be pursuing at all. I just had to keep giving my writing to Him on a daily basis. And, day by day, He kept giving it back to me!
So, what now? Next project? Published when?
I have several projects in the works. I have a completed fantasy, Dreamers Come (about a man who discovers that his dreams are really memories of another world) waiting for another round of edits. I also just started outlining my next project, a historical novel called The Deepest Breath about the passion, betrayal, and vengeance that dog two men and the woman they both love through the trenches of World War I, corruption in colonial Kenya, and the criminal underbelly of London. And I’m also working on a fun co-writing project that asks, “What if Robin Hood met Sleeping Beauty?” Dreamers is on deck for publication, but it’ll be a year or two yet before it’s released.
Thanks so much Katie for visiting with us today. Do you have any questions of your own for Katie? Feel free to ask them in the comments. I know she’ll be dropping by and can answer them for you.
Beth Hertzler works alongside her beloved Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store, and serving as contact of sorts between Amish craftsmen and Englischers who want to sell the Plain people’s wares. But remorse and loneliness still echo in her heart everyday as she still wears the dark garb, indicating mourning of her fiancé. When she discovers a large, intricately carved scene of Amish children playing in the snow, something deep inside Beth’s soul responds and she wants to help the unknown artist find homes for his work–including Lizzy’s dry goods store. But she doesn’t know if her bishop will approve of the gorgeous carving or deem it idolatry.
Lizzy sees the changes in her niece when Beth shows her the woodworking, and after Lizzy hunts down Jonah, the artist, she is all the more determined that Beth meets this man with the hands that create healing art. But it’s not that simple–will Lizzy’s elaborate plan to reintroduce her niece to love work? Will Jonah be able to offer Beth the sleigh ride she’s always dreamed of and a second chance at real love–or just more heartbreak?
I really liked this book. My only complaint was that it was too short. I was not ready for the book to end quite yet. Mrs. Woodsmall did a great job of pulling me in from the start and making me care about her characters.
I interrupt this post to say…. In the interest of meeting government requirements I’m now obliged to tell you that I received a copy of this book for free. (Job security for some poor government guy out there? lol)
Back to the regularly scheduled post….Click on the cover for more information about this book or to order it.
I have a copy to give away to one lucky commenter. If you’d like to win, leave a comment and I will put your name in the drawing. I will draw next Friday the 23rd for the winner.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it? What are your thoughts on the whole Amish genre in general?
Sunset and evening star
And one clear call for me…
…begins Tennyson’s famous poem of old. Here he’s referring to death and his inevitable place on that ocean of destiny. But we can modify his theme to address how we as writers can “cross the bar” of status quo and more than float on those waves – more than wade. We can learn to swim for the prize.
Just how do we grow as a writer? Here are three essential considerations:
1) Who You Are – Never assume you should write like someone else. So-and-so may be a published author in your genre of choice, but if you try to be another him or her, you’ve sunk before even reaching the end of the dock.
You are your own person with your own personality, experiences, talents. You can and should only be who you are, not who you want to be. As you begin to realize who you are, begin to also develop what you have.
2) What You Have – Just as a shoreline ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows, never static, never stationary, so the author who thinks they can remain static and get somewhere is sadly mistaken. An author’s life must be one of continued growth, persistent stretching, incessant forward motion. And while in the midst of that motion, one becomes who they will be.
3) Who You Will Be – Who you are today won’t be who you will become, provided you are flowing, moving, growing. Concrete steps to get there? Read great writers. “Great” is a subjective adjective which takes time to define – usually years, decades, eons. The author who is applauded as “great” today may be forgotten ten or twenty years from now. Strive to not only read the great authors of a hundred years ago, but to become one.
Keep these simple thoughts in mind as you intentionally put forth the effort to “cross the bar” into your best writing, your most favorable chance to leave a lasting mark on generations to come.
…But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home….
Lynnette here: Maggie, has written a beautiful devotional book. Below is the 5 star review that I left her on Amazon. Click on the book cover to be taken directly to amazon to get this wonderful book for yourself.
“I Run to the Hills is a beautifully written encouragement for those on the upward climb. I highly recommend this book. You will be refreshed, encouraged, and challenged.
Mrs. Woychik’s prose is so beautiful that at first I was tempted just to enjoy the lyricism of the book - but it is the underlying message that was the challenge to me.
If you find yourself doing your Christian “duty” then this book is for you!
Quote: “Duty says ‘perform’. Love says, ‘rest in the Beloved and He’ll provide all you need for life and labor’.I don’t know about you, but too often I find myself doing things out of duty rather than Love.
Again, I highly recommend this excellent book.”
I want to introduce you to a great new book. This is one you will want to pick up. I love fiction that gives me a deeper glimpse into the lives of biblical people I’ve been familiar with my whole life. Bodie and Brock Thoene did that so well in thier A.D. Chronicles Series. This book does it with the story of Jonah.
Jonah’s brother was lost to the sword of a scarlet-clad Assyrian and now Yahweh wants Jonah to go preach repentance to them? Unthinkable! Jonah knows his God too well not to understand that if they DO repent He will forgive them. (Did you catch all that double negative mumbo-jumbo?) Hmmm… let me reword. Jonah knows that if he goes to Assyria and preaches repentance, and the Assyrians miraculously repent, God in his mercy will grant them forgiveness.
This is a story of the struggle with forgiveness. And a reminder of the ripples that flow out from each of our lives. Each action, good or bad, carries a consequence.
What I loved about this book were the characters the author surrounds Jonah with. There is Omer the ship’s owner just trying to make one last voyage on his seemingly cursed ship, Shem the ship’s captain who’s seen a lot of storms but none like the squall that blows in on his last voyage, Simon a sailor who hasn’t been home in 12 years, Moshe an old soldier too frail for war but not too frail to do one last battle for a little girl. And then there is Jonah himself. You will see a lot of yourself in the prophet as he tries to escape an inescapable God.
Well worth the read. I suggest you pick this book up. (Click on the cover above to be taken directly to Amazon.)
You can also buy the book on Christian Book Distributors site, HERE.
To find out more about Mr. Judisch and his books you can go to his WEBSITE.
3
Apr
And the Winner is….
Johne Cook
(I find it interesting that I’ve run several give-aways now, and in each case it’s been the person who entered twice that won. Just goes to show that percentages do carry some weight.)
Anyhow, congratulations Johne. Email me with your address and I will get the book mailed right out to you.
Happy April, everyone!
Mr. Maxon has written a very enjoyable children’s book here. Well done!
The nameless cat lives in a land of dry everything - people, trees, food, land. The sponges have come through, you see, and stolen all the moisture and life. Everyone lives a dry meaningless existence and the cat is tired of the same old boring routine day after day. So he decides that he must go and find the sponges and restore moisture to the land.
He sets off on a fun adventure where he meets all sorts of interesting creatures until, finally, he arrives at the castle where the sponges have made their home. It takes a little help from a seed and a turtle, but, like all good ‘hero’ stories, the sponges are, in the end, defeated.
If you are looking for a fun chapter book for your 7-9 year old to read, this should be on the list!
James Maxon has generously offered a to give a free book to the winner of this blog drawing. All you have to do is comment at the end of this post, to have your name entered. The drawing will be held on Friday the 3rd of April. So jump right in! This is a cute, fun story!
13
Feb
And the Winner is…
…Stormi! Congratulations, Stormi! Just email me your address and I will get it sent off to Susan so she can mail you your signed copy.
Happy Valentines Day everyone!
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