MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE by KAREN WITEMEYER

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE by KAREN WITEMEYER is a delightful romance novel with a great deal of action, and also strong biblical truth of which we are reminded throughout.
The story starts in 1879 with four children going back on the Orphan Train, having been unable to find anyone willing to take them in. There is an accident and four year old Evangeline's brother, Hamilton, dies, after asking Zach to look after his sister. Zach is an angry young man of thirteen who takes it upon himself to take care of Evie and Seth, an unhealthy boy who suffers from asthma. Evie has one brown and one blue eye, and is shunned by many who see her as an evil witch. Nothing could be further from the truth as she grows into a compassionate and praying young woman. These three "misfits" call themselves the Hamiltons and they make up a very close knit and strong family unit.
Zach works hard to provide a home for his little family and takes his responsibility seriously. The story carries on in 1894 with Logan Fowler buying land next door to them. When Evie befriends their new neighbour her brothers become worried, being overly protective of her.
I don't want to spoil the read for you so I won't tell you any more except to say that we see that there is always hope in the Lord, even for the most broken of people. We see how important it is to not keep grudges and to not be bitter and unforgiving towards one another. It is important to look further than a person's outward appearance for the qualities that may lie underneath. The best gift that one can give another person is to accept and love them unconditionally.
I really enjoyed this novel and can highly recommend it.




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FALLING FOR YOU by BECKY WADE

FALLING FOR YOU by BECKY WADE is an incredibly beautiful inspirational romance novel with a really strong Christian message. It is a story of forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption.
Two people, each famous in their own right, Corbin Stewart, the NFL quarterback, and Willow Bradford, the successful model, who are both still reeling from a nasty break up four years ago, agree to work together with Corbin's young cousin, Charlotte Dixon, to find out what happened to her grandmother's sister who disappeared without a trace in 1977.
We are drawn into the characters' emotional struggles, heartaches, joys and fears. I love the way the relationship between the three Bradford sisters and that between Corbin and his father, are portrayed.
It is a book I will read more than once and I can highly recommend it.



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DEADLY EXCHANGE by LISA HARRIS

Having read and enjoyed all LISA HARRIS' novels, I can highly recommend her latest book, DEADLY EXCHANGE.
The story takes place in Amsterdam where Kayla Brooks works for the International Freedom Operation, which rescues girls who have been sold into prostitution. We get a good feel of what life in Amsterdam is like for those who are coming up against the sex trade, or who are "owned" by the crime bosses.
When Levi Cummings phones her to say he is in Amsterdam to protect her from his brother Adam, she is pleased to have his support, having just been knocked off her bicycle by a car and come home to find that her father is missing. On top of all this she has been receiving threatening texts.
I won't tell you any more because I don't want to spoil the read for you.
The Christian message is good and is based on Esther 4:14. This challenges us and gives us much food for thought.
It is an exciting book, full of suspense, and well worth reading.



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THE SATURDAY NIGHT SUPPER CLUB by CARLA LAUREANO

THE SATURDAY NIGHT SUPPER CLUB by CARLA LAUREANO is a delightful romance novel with a really good Christian message.
It is the story of a dedicated, award winning chef, Rachel Bishop, who has worked her way up from helping at a restaurant when she left home at the age of fifteen, to having a major share in her own restaurant, Paisley, at thirty.
We see how fickle social media can be when she becomes the victim of a vicious smear campaign, which is made worse when essayist, Alex Kanin, writes an article which causes her partners to buy her out of her restaurant and leave her high and dry.
With all the people who matter in the restaurant business suddenly not taking her calls, she takes Alex up on his offer to help her find an investor in a new restaurant. This is how the Saturday Night Supper Club starts.
I love the way the characters are so natural, and also the humour throughout their conversations. Alex and Rachel start out really badly, with Rachel hurt and angry and Alex trying to make things right because he feels guilty for ruining her career.
We see how important it is to follow one's own dreams and not compromise in order to please others. We also see how one needs to nurture one's relationship with the Lord, and choose what really is important in life.
I can highly recommend this novel - it is a really enjoyable read. In fact I will definitely be reading it more than once!



Rachel Bishop Alex Kanin


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THE FASHION DESIGNER by NANCY MOSER

THE FASHION DESIGNER by NANCY MOSER is a charming book. I love the theme of fashion design and dressmaking. Although it is the second novel in The Pattern Artist series it can most definitely be read as a stand alone. The characters are very real and the story is lovely.
The novel is set in 1912, a time when women were not expected to break out of the stereotypical roles into which they were born.
Three friends give up their jobs to follow a dream. Led by Annie Culver, former housemaid, and promised funding by Eleanor Sampson, they rent the apartment above and get down to work. Maude Nascato worked with Annie at Butterick and Edna Holmquist worked at Macy's. Annie's husband, Sean, keeps his job at Butterick, but is very much a part of the whole project. They want to improve life for the ordinary woman by designing and making clothes that are comfortable, affordable and that make them look and feel good.
Annie and her friends have experienced so many miracles, including missing the train which would have got them to the Titanic in time for its departure, and this helps them hold on in faith when things seem to be hopeless. We see how important it is to follow God's leading and how easy it is for things to go wrong when we leave God out and try and make things happen in our own strength.
It is a really enjoyable read with a strong Christian message.



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THIEF OF CORINTH by TESSA AFSHAR

THIEF OF CORINTH is another biblically based novel by TESSA AFSHAR, every bit as good as the ones that have come before. The publishing date is 7/8/18 and it is well worth waiting for!
When Ariadne hears that her grandfather, with her mother's blessing, has promised her in marriage to Draco, the vile son of his friend Evandos, she runs away from Athens to live with her father in Corinth. Theodotus, her foster brother, goes with her, leaving her brother, Dionysius, who can't do anything wrong in her grandfather and mother's eyes, to smooth things over for her.
While she is living in Corinth, it is by accident that she finds out her father's secret and the reason her mother left him. She is devoted to her father and will do anything for him. Unlike his sister, Dionysius is angry when he learns his father's secret, and it takes meeting Paul the apostle for him to forgive his father.
It is a story of redemption, the longing to belong and to be loved, forgiveness and restoration. Ariadne's favourite statue in Athens was the one in honour of The Unknown God, and when the disciple Paul introduces her to the true Unknown God, the God of love, her life changes.
It is a beautifully written book. As always, the author has done a great deal of research into life at the time and the story really comes alive for us. It is full of biblical truth and really worth reading. I cannot recommend it highly enough.



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THE HIDDEN SIDE by HEIDI CHIAVAROLI

THE HIDDEN SIDE by HEIDI CHIAVAROLI is not a light and easy read, but it is well worth reading. It is very well put together, with the story of Mercy Howard, who lived in 1776 in war torn America, intertwining with the story of the Abbot family in 2016, who were fighting their own war.
When Natalie Abbot came across the book, The Journal Entries of Mercy Howard, next to her twelve year old son Chris' bed, she did not know what an encouragement Mercy's story would be to her and also eventually to Chris' twin sister, Maelynn.
Natalie works for a radio station under the nom de plume, Skye, and she and her co-host, Tom, take calls from people, mostly desperate ones, giving them Godly advice and encouragement.
In spite of the heaviness of the subject matter, hope shines through both Mercy's and the Abbot family's stories, and we see that the Lord can bring good out of even the most awful situations. As hidden secrets are eventually revealed, the healing begins and life goes on.
It is a very "real" book and an excellent read. 


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