Blog Tour | All Things New by Lynn Austin

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

All Things New

by

Lynn Austin

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All Things New
by Lynn Austin
Christian Fiction / Historical
Available October 2012
Bethany House
416 pages

About the Book

The war is over. The South has lost. Josephine Weatherly struggles to pick up the pieces of her life when her family returns to their Virginia plantation. But the realities of life after the war cannot be denied: her home and land are but a shell of their previous grandeur; death has claimed her father and brother; and her remaining brother, Daniel, has returned home bitter and broken.

Her life of privilege, a long-ago dream. Josephine soon realizes that life is now a matter of daily survival—and recognizes that Lizzie, as one of the few remaining servants, is the one she must rely on to teach her all she needs to know. Josephine's mother, too, vows to rebuild White Oak--but a bitter hatred fuels her.

Can hope—and a battered faith in God—survive amid the devastation?

My Thoughts
I'm not quite done reading this one yet, but it is SO GOOD! I'm not sure how I've missed out on Lynn Austin. I know she's won tons of awards and I've seen her books everywhere! Shame on me for not reading one until now! [Grin!]

All Things New is set in the weeks and months immediately following the end of the Civil War. Honestly, I've never really thought about what this time was like for the people who lived it. What if I was on the losing side of the Civil War? My father, brothers, and most of the men in my town died fighting for the side that lost. My home and property have been ransacked by the winners of the war. My slaves are now free—which means that we have no way to plant crops (and therefore no way to make money) and are having to do tasks that I always thought were menial before. I'm poor for the first time in generations. I'm not saying it's right. I just never thought about how it would feel before. I'm a Southern girl but always thought that surely I would have stood up for what was right and fought against slavery. But what if I hadn't? What if I didn't know that it was wrong? What if I was blinded by this sin that was now culturally acceptable? (Hmmm ... sounds like a lot of things that happen today!)

And what if was the slave who was now free? I'm thankful to have my family all in one place. Someone tells me that I'm free and I never have to worry about my husband or my children being sold to another owner. I can leave the plantation whenever I want, which is weird because I've never left the property before. My former owner now has to pay me a wage in return for the work I do for her. My children can go to school, and I'm learning how to read, write, and count for the first time.

This book is making me think like crazy, which is probably why I'm reading it a little slower than normal. It's just taking up so much mental energy! Ha! Seriously, though, Lynn Austin is a talented writer. In All Things New she switches back and forth between multiple viewpoints and does it in such a way that keeps me totally caught up in the story. The story alone is powerful, but Austin writes pulls me further in with every word. Talented, talented lady. I'm looking forward to reading more by Lynn Austin ... looks like I've got a few to catch up on!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House and CFBA in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author

For many years, Lynn Austin nurtured a desire to write but frequent travels and the demands of her growing family postponed her career. When her husband's work took Lynn to Bogota, Colombia, for two years, she used the B.A. she'd earned at Southern Connecticut State University to become a teacher. After returning to the U.S., the Austins moved to Anderson, Indiana, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and later to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Lynn resigned from teaching to write full-time in 1992. Since then she has published twelve novels. Five of her historical novels, Hidden Places, Candle in the Darkness, Fire by Night, A Proper Pursuit, and Until We Reach Home have won Christy Awards in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, and 2009 for excellence in Christian Fiction. Fire by Night was also one of only five inspirational fiction books chosen by Library Journal for their top picks of 2003, and All She Ever Wanted was chosen as one of the five inspirational top picks of 2005. Lynn's novel Hidden Places has been made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel, starring actress Shirley Jones. Ms Jones received a 2006 Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Aunt Batty in the film. Visit Lynn's website to learn more.

All Things New Preview

American Tapestries Giveaway & FB Party

Celebrate with Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson by entering to win a Kindle Fire!

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Where the Trail Ends by Melanie Dobson
• Queen of the Waves by Janice Thompson

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 17th. Winner will be announced at the American Tapestries Author Chat Facebook Party on 10/18. Connect with authors Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson for an evening of book chat, trivia and fun! There will also be gift certificates, books, and a Book Club Prize Pack to be won (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Queen of the Waves and Where the Trail Ends and join Janice Thompson and Melanie Dobson on the evening of the October 18th for a chance to connect with the authors and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the books – don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

Blog Tour | When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason

When a Heart Stops
by Lynette Eason
Deadly Reunions series, Book 2
Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Suspense / Romance
Available October 2012
Revell
336 pages

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About the Book
A killer's deadly game needs new players . . . but someone's about to change the rules

As a medical examiner, Serena Hopkins is used to dealing with death. But that doesn't make it any easier when she's called to the eerie scene of a murder--especially when Serena realizes that she knows the victim. Nearly as unnerving is the presence of FBI agent Dominic Allen, her childhood crush.

As evidence mounts and points to a serial killer with disturbingly familiar methods, Serena and Dominic must work to find a pattern and stop the killings before the murderer strikes again. And when Serena's own life seems at stake, she must decide if the secret she has been keeping has put her next on the killer's hit list. Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?

My Thoughts
Lynette Eason writes the kind of suspense I love to read! When a Heart Stops is fast-paced, intense, and even has a bit of the creepy factor (or a lot of the creepy factor). Plus, it's sweet and romantic ... pretty much all the things I love in a great book. It should be no surprise then that I literally could not put this book down. I started it early one morning and finished it about eight hours later—stopping only briefly to eat lunch, wash a few dishes, and say hello to my husband.

When a Heart Stops is clearly the second book in a series as one story line is a continuation from the previous book (and there are definitely some loose ends at the end of this one). However, the author does a great job of bringing readers along in the story so you don't feel lost or confused. I was also pleasantly surprised that I never figured out "whodunit." I was suspicious of nearly everyone in the book at one point or another but never figured it out. :) I'm definitely going back to read Eason's other books and can't wait for the conclusion of this series! [4.5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Available October 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Author
Lynette Eason is the author of several romantic suspense novels, including Too Close to Home, Don't Look Back, A Killer Among Us, and When the Smoke Clears. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. A homeschooling mother of two, she has a master's degree in education from Converse College. She lives in South Carolina.  

Lynette Eason Online 

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Click on over if you want to join in the fun!

What are you currently reading? Well, remember how I said I've been in a bit of a reading slump? Well, no more! And I've been reading like crazy since the weekend. I'm still in the middle of about 7 books right now, but I'm sticking with A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman right now. :)

What did you recently finish reading? When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason. So good!!!

What do you think you'll read next? Most likely All Things New by Lynn Austin. But really, who knows?!

Teaser Tuesday | When a Heart Stops

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly post hosted by MizB on her blog Should Be Reading. Hop over for details or to link up!

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If she moved, would she die? Serena Hopkins kept her eyes shut and lay as still as possible in the king-size bed, doing her best to keep her breathing even.

Which was becoming more impossible by the second.

As her fear increased, so did the rate of her heartbeat and respirations.

Was he still there? (p. 7)


When a Heart Stops
by Lynette Eason

So ... this is how the book starts. Talk about intense, right?! I started and finished the book in the same day, so rest assured it was fantastic! My review will be posted tomorrow as part of the blog tour hosted by Revell. :)

The Southern Foodie by Chris Chamberlain

The Southern Foodie: 100 Places to Eat in the South Before You Die (and the Recipes That Made Them Famous)
by Chris Chamberlain
Non-Fiction / Food / Cookbook
Available September 18, 2012
Thomas Nelson
288 pages

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About the Book
Thirteen states, 100 chefs, and 134 recipes later, one thing is clear: the food of the American South tells a story that spans the distance from New Orleans to Louisville, Little Rock to Charleston, Nashville to Dallas, and every city in between. The Southern Foodie explores a hearty swath of the South’s culinary culture, following its roots and exploring its evolution in the region’s best restaurants.

Meet the people who are keeping the tradition alive and reinventing the flavors of the South. Swing on down to the Gulf Coast, and wade into a chef’s wonderland of fresh seafood and spicy heat. Check out the culinary creativity in the Carolinas, where you’ll find traditional smoked pork barbecue alongside Southern favorites made with fresh, local produce. Explore the restaurant kitchens of Atlanta and Nashville, where the chefs aren’t shy about fusing comfort food standards with international flair and unexpected techniques. Join Chris Chamberlain for access to the South’s best recipes and the kitchens where they were developed.

    •    Jalapeño-and-Cheese-Stuffed Grit Cakes from Mason’s Grill, Baton Rouge, LA
    •    Roasted Heirloom Pumpkin with Mulled Sorghum Glaze from Capitol Grille, Nashville, TN
    •    Country Ham Fritters from Proof on Main, Louisville, KY
    •    Blue Crab Cheesecake from Old Firehouse Restaurant, Hollywood, SC
    •    Apricot Fried Pies from Penguin Ed’s Bar-B-Q, Fayetteville, AR

The Southern Foodie shows you where the South eats and how to create those distinct flavors at home. You’re sure to rediscover old favorites and get a closer look at the delicious new traditions in Southern cuisine.

My Thoughts
Being a southern gal, I can tell you I know southern food, so I was excited to receive The Southern Foodie by Chris Chamberlain for review. Some of the recipes featured are true southern dishes while others could better be classified as "fancy" southern cooking. Regardless, though, my husband and I found lots of new dishes we would like to try out and plenty of restaurants that we will be visiting in the future.

I love the page-long introductions to each restaurant. They provide an initial description and alert visitors to dishes that are not to be missed. Each intro also provides hints about the type of cuisine, atmosphere, specialties, and insider tips.

The Southern Foodie is the perfect addition to any foodie's cookbook collection and would make a wonderful gift. [4 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author
Chris Chamberlain is a food, drink and travel writer based in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has lived his entire life except for four years in California where he studied liberal arts at Stanford University and learned how to manipulate chopsticks. He is a regular writer for the Nashville Scene and their "Bites" food blog. He is also the Southern correspondent for FoodRepublic.com, a national website dedicated to "Drinking, Eating, and Living the Way a Man Should."

Blog Tour | Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Full Disclosure

by

Dee Henderson

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Full Disclosure
by Dee Henderson
Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Suspense
Available October 2012
Bethany House
432 pages

About the Book

Ann Silver is a cop's cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help local law enforcement on the worst of cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the region's most trusted investigative positions.

Paul Falcon is the FBI's top murder cop in the Midwest. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good Paul and his team see the case file or work the murder.

Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn't expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention.

The better he gets to know her, the more Paul realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former vice president. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is...

My Thoughts
I absolutely devoured the O'Malley and the Uncommon Heroes series when I read them several years ago. I couldn't read them fast enough, and Dee Henderson couldn't write them fast enough to suit me. [Grin!] After a six-year hiatus, I think it's safe to say that Henderson's Full Disclosure was one of the most talked about and highly anticipated books of the year. It was for me at least!

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like Full Disclosure lived up to the hype surrounding it's release. I never relish giving a less-than-positive review, but I don't think you can fully comprehend how much it pains me to write this kind of "negative" review for a book by a favorite author (or how much I wanted to absolutely love this book!).

For a book that was marketed as romantic suspense, I found it to be neither very romantic nor very suspenseful. The first half of the book moved along very slowly, and I had to force myself to continue reading. About halfway through the pace really picked up, and I (finally) became intrigued by the mystery for the last quarter of the book. Much of the book was moved along by lengthy sections of dialogue where the conversations were more speeches than actual back and forth between characters.

I liked the idea of focusing on characters who were a little older than the norm (40ish) and particularly a woman who was content in her singleness. Unfortunately, it was hard for me to connect with Ann. She was just too ... perfect. Her flaws were even couched in positive terms, and I found it highly annoying. In the later portion of the book, some of her struggles and fears came to light, but it was almost too late for me at that point. (Also, I'm not sure that Ann was really content in her singleness as much as she was terrified of marriage and the sacrifices required.)

The relationship between Ann and Paul was odd as well. Paul originally focused his attention on Ann by talking to all of her friends about her. I wanted to shake him and say, "If you want to get to know her, talk to her!" And when they finally got around to talking about their relationship, some of the conversations felt more like labor negotiations than personal, "how do we make this work" conversations. I know everything is not always romance and candy and flowers (I'm married after all!), but their relationship was just so stilted.

I think I could have moved past many of these "complaints"—especially as the pace and mystery picked up. The one thing I really couldn't get past, though, was the fact that Ann wrote all of Dee's books. It really threw me for a loop, and I had a hard time distinguishing fact from fiction. So, Ann is Dee? Or Dee is Ann? Or Ann has some of Dee's characteristics? But Ann (as Dee?) wrote all of Dee's books? It was confusing and strange, and every time it was mentioned it pulled me completely out of the story. I would try to wrap my mind around it and then move past it, and then it was mentioned again and my head started spinning again. Perhaps readers who have not read any of Dee's previous books won't find this so strange, but I just couldn't get past it.

I'm glad I stuck with it and finished the book, as the last half was the best part. However, I was still disappointed by the book as a whole. I'm hopeful that Henderson will be able to recapture that quality for excellent storytelling that she has demonstrated in the past and continue to wow readers for years to come. [2 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House and CFBA in exchange for my fair and honest review.

(Be sure to check out other reviews of Full Disclosure before making your decision about this book. Mine is only one opinion. You can find a list of other bloggers participating in this blog tour here.)

About the Author
Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of 15 previous novels, including the acclaimed O'MALLEY series and UNCOMMON HEROES series. She is a lifelong resident of Illinois.

Dee Henderson Online

Dee's Website  |  Book Website  |  Facebook

Full Disclosure Sneak Peek