June 2012

It’s officially the start of summer. I am loving the longer days and bright weather. I keep telling my husband that I want to live half a year in each hemisphere! I love reading outside, and this time of year is just perfect for that. I will say that my iPad definitely makes reading outdoors in the evening a lot easier; I joke that my iPad is like a giant flashlight!

This month, we have plenty of reading suggestions for you, whether you’re in an air-conditioned room or enjoying the Great Outdoors. First up is GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS, the opening volume in Lisa T. Bergren’s Grand Tour series. The novel is set in the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensington’s life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, but someone dear to her is failing as well. In one fateful afternoon, a stranger comes to call, and Cora discovers a terrible secret about her past --- a secret that will radically change her future. In addition to reading our review and an excerpt, you can get a peek at the book trailer. And the author has been kind enough to take some time to answer a few questions about the process of writing this novel. Click here to take a look at our interview. Lovers of “Downton Abbey” will enjoy this fresh look at this time period.

In REBEL, the third book in Linda Windsor’s The Brides of Alba series, intrigue sweeps the court of the High King Arthur, as Merlin is dead, the succession is undecided, and the Celtic church is on the defensive from Rome. But it’s battlefield news that consumes Queen Gwenhyfar’s young scribe, Kella O’Toole: her fiancé is dead and her father has gone missing. Determined to find him at all costs, Kella defies the queen’s orders and sets out for Pictish territory. Click here to read an excerpt from the book.

We’re thrilled to be giving 25 readers the opportunity to win a copy of REBEL, in addition to the first two books in the series, HEALER and THIEF, in our Monthly Contest. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 17th at noon ET. Click here for all the details.

We're also featuring the first two books in Elizabeth Musser’s The Secrets of the Cross trilogy. In the opening installment, TWO CROSSES, Gabriella Madison arrives in France in 1961 to continue her university studies; she doesn’t anticipate being drawn into the secretive world behind the Algerian war for independence from France. The further she delves into the war efforts, the more her faith is challenged. When she discovers a long hidden secret from her past, it all leads to questions about trust, faith in action, and the power of forgiveness to move beyond the pain of the past. You can read an excerpt from the book here.

Book two of the trilogy, TWO TESTAMENTS, features broken political and racial relations in France and Algeria. In the midst of the turmoil, Gabriella guards the orphans in her care, while battling jealousy when Anne-Marie Duchemin, David’s former flame, arrives in Castelnau, France. As they protect the little ones in their care amid rising discomfort in the community with the multicultural orphanage, each wonders who David will choose. Click here to read an excerpt.

And in THE NEXT TARGET by Nikki Arana, Austia Donatelli, a young widow with an underground evangelistic ministry to Muslims, discovers that a friend, someone close to her heart whom she recently led to Christ, has been murdered. Suddenly, she, her ministry, and everyone she cares about are thrust in the crosshairs of a terrorist organization. As the extremists zero in, she must unravel the deception surrounding her and protect innocent lives, including her own. Click here for a preview.

Along with the aforementioned GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS, we have seven new reviews for you, all of which we’re spotlighting below. Among them are MORTAL, the second book in Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee’s The Books of Mortals trilogy; MARY MAGDALENE, Diana Wallis Taylor’s utterly original and respectful telling of Mary’s story; and BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT, "American Idol" finalist Scott MacIntyre's inspiring story of overcoming life-threatening obstacles to become a pop sensation.

Here’s hoping that the start of summer is filled with plenty of sunshine, beautiful beach days, and ample opportunity to lay out and read. See you next month!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

GLAMOROUS ILLUSIONS: The Grand Tour Series, Book 1 by Lisa T. Bergren (Historical Romance)
It’s the summer of 1913, and Cora Kensington’s life on the family farm has taken a dark turn. Not only are the crops failing, but someone dear to Cora is failing as well. In one fateful afternoon, a stranger comes to call, and Cora discovers a terrible secret about her past --- a secret that will radically change her future.

REBEL: The Brides of Alba, Book 3 by Linda Windsor (Historical Fiction)
With Merlin dead, the succession undecided, and the Celtic church on the defensive from Rome, intrigue sweeps the court of the High King Arthur. But it’s battlefield news that consumes Queen Gwenhyfar’s young scribe, Kella O’Toole: her fiancé is dead and her father gone missing. Determined to find him at all costs, Kella defies the queen’s orders and sets out for Pictish territory.

-Click here to read an excerpt.
-Click here to read Linda Windsor's bio.
-Click here to visit Linda Windsor's official website.
-Click here to connect with Linda Windsor on Facebook.
 

TWO CROSSES: The Secrets of the Cross Trilogy, Book 1 by Elizabeth Musser (Historical Fiction)
When Gabriella Madison arrives in France in 1961 to continue her university studies, she doesn’t anticipate being drawn into the secretive world behind the Algerian war for independence from France. The further she delves into the war efforts, the more her faith is challenged. When she discovers a long hidden secret from her past, it all leads to questions about trust, faith in action, and the power of forgiveness to move beyond the pain of the past.

TWO TESTAMENTS: The Secrets of the Cross Trilogy, Book 2 by Elizabeth Musser (Historical Fiction)
The tinderbox of broken political and racial relations in France and Algeria provides plenty of kindling. And the growing friction, especially in Algeria, will soon combust. In the midst of the turmoil, Gabriella Madison guards the orphans in her care, while battling jealousy when Anne-Marie Duchemin, David’s former flame, arrives in Castelnau, France. As they protect the little ones in their care amid rising discomfort in the community with the multi-cultural orphanage, each wonders who David will choose.

-Read more about TWO CROSSES and TWO TESTAMENTS.

-Read an excerpt from TWO CROSSES and TWO TESTAMENTS.

THE NEXT TARGET by Nikki Arana (Thriller)
Austia Donatelli, a young widow with an underground evangelistic ministry to Muslims, discovers a friend, someone close to her heart whom she recently led to Christ, has been murdered. Suddenly, she, her ministry, and everyone she cares about are thrust in the crosshairs of a terrorist organization. As the extremists zero in, she must unravel the deception surrounding her and protect innocent lives, including her own.

-Click here to read an excerpt.

MORTAL: The Books of Mortals, Book 2 by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Thriller)
Nine years have gone by since Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in FORBIDDEN. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood. But The Order has raised an elite army to hunt and crush the living. The final surviving hope for humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation, and no one knows the path to survival. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.

THE WIDOW OF SAUNDERS CREEK by Tracey Bateman (Romantic Suspense)
Six months after her Army husband Jarrod’s death, Corrie retreats to the family home he inherited deep in the Missouri Ozarks, hoping that somehow he will come back to her. Corrie begins to wonder if she can feel Jarrod's presence, but when Jarrod's cousin Eli comes to help with the house's restoration, he knows that his dead cousin is not what Corrie senses. Reviewed by Susan Miura.

MARY MAGDALENE by Diana Wallis Taylor (Historical Romance)
A beautiful girl blossoming into womanhood, Mary has high hopes for a life filled with learning, family and young love. In one dreadful night, all of that changes. The nightmares come first, then the waking visions of unspeakable terror, until Mary hardly remembers her dreams for the future. Can the Most High deliver her from this torment? How long must she wait for healing? Reviewed by Michele Howe.

THE SEARCHERS: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt by Joseph Loconte (Christian Living)
THE SEARCHERS is a tale of two friends, a stranger, and a search for truth in a world gone mad with doubt. Historian Joseph Loconte unlocks the meaning of their exchange, set in the chaotic days following the execution of Jesus of Nazareth. Drawing from literature, film, philosophy, history and politics, Loconte shows how this biblical drama is an integral part of our own story. Reviewed by Michele Howe.

BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT: The Inspirational Story of a Blind Prodigy, a Life-Threatening Illness, and an Unexpected Gift by Scott MacIntyre with Jennifer Schuchmann (Memoir)
In BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT, the first-ever disabled finalist on "American Idol," Scott MacIntyre, shares his inspiring story of being a musical and academic prodigy who prevails over life-threatening obstacles to become a pop sensation. Reviewed by Lynda Lee Schab.

NOTICING GOD by Richard Peace (Christian Living)
Richard Peace explores the various ways people experience and recognize God's presence, including mystical encounters, ordinary daily life, within our hearts, through other people, through Scripture, nature and the church. Throughout he returns to the question of discernment, helping you understand how you can know that it is indeed God you are meeting in each of these places, not just some fanciful figment of the imagination. Reviewed by Evelyn Bence.

In our latest monthly contest, 25 readers will be awarded a copy of all three books in Linda Windsor’s historical fiction series, The Brides of Alba: HEALER, THIEF and REBEL. The deadline for entries is Tuesday, July 17th at noon ET.

HEALER: The Brides of Alba, Book 1 by Linda Windsor (Historical Fiction)
Brenna of Gowrys, a woman orphaned during a 20-year blood feud, is destined to spend her life in hiding with only her wolf and her faith in God as companions. When she rescues a man badly wounded from an ambush, she believes he may be the answer to her deep loneliness. But can their love overcome years of bitterness and greed…and bring peace and renewed faith to the shattered kingdom?

THIEF: The Brides of Alba, Book 2 by Linda Windsor (Historical Fiction)
Exiled in shame and wounded in battle, Caden O’Byrne accepts a mission of penance: to search for his healer’s long-lost daughter. But the lovely minstrel Sorcha has robbed him blind --- to help finance her work of buying young captives and returning them to their families. She’s also gone into debt and promised to marry a man she doesn’t love. But before she and Caden can sort out the situation, a treacherous murder forces them to run for their lives…together.

REBEL: The Brides of Alba, Book 3 by Linda Windsor (Historical Fiction)
With Merlin dead, the succession undecided, and the Celtic church on the defensive from Rome, intrigue sweeps the court of the High King Arthur. But it’s battlefield news that consumes Queen Gwenhyfar’s young scribe, Kella O’Toole: her fiancé is dead and her father gone missing. Determined to find him at all costs, Kella defies the queen’s orders and sets out for Pictish territory.