Gone South by Meg Moseley

      I'm not going to write a lengthy review of this book as my time is dedicated elsewhere this week.  However, I wanted interested readers to know that this book is a good summer read, especially for those with southern roots.  While some of the characters may hold somewhat stereotypical attitudes about "yankees" and "carpetbaggers," the story line is heartwarming.  This is a sweet tale of hope, generosity, and forgiveness.  It also stresses the importance of seeing the best in others as well as in yourself, and holding your head up high.  Of course this can best be done when in relationship with the true Lifter of our heads, God our Father.

Blind Trust by Sandra Orchard – A Book Review

     Kate Adams is the Nancy Drew of pharmaceutical researchers, finding herself in increasing numbers of dangerous situations, some of her own making, some not.  Tom Parker would be the ideal person for her to develop a relationship with, a detective who is used to dealing with trouble, which seems to follow Kate everywhere she goes.  However both Kate and Tom have histories that complicate the matter. Sandra Orchard has also cast a large number of supporting characters who fall in and out of suspicion.  At one point in my reading, I thought I’d use an analogy of Ms Orchard and a tassel maker, someone who ties up all of the loose ends, but it wasn’t too many pages later when the ends began to unravel, and the mystery or should I say mysteries, took an unexpected turn.  Blind Trust will keep the reader up at night, and grabbing minutes whenever they can be found during the day, driven by a desire to know who is behind the counterfeiting that plagues this small town, who is behind the threats directed at Kate, and what is causing the erratic behavior displayed by Kate’s elderly neighbor.

     Ms Orchard has truly mastered the smooth flow of dialogue in her writing.  Conversations sound natural and not contrived, and her readers can easily immerse themselves into the scene being played out with this author’s skill. There is one drawback to Blind Trust, a significant one for me.  I am one of those readers who prefers book series in which the reader can enjoy getting more involved with a particular group of characters while feeling that each individual book comes to a conclusion.  This book does not fit that description.  If you are a reader who likes for the story to continue on throughout a series, lingering with the details of a particular storyline, then this book is for you.    

     Ms Orchard throws in a nice little bonus at the end of this book, a recipe for the muffins mentioned several times within the story.  Our three and a half year old granddaughter helped me to bake the muffins one Saturday afternoon because in her words she, “loves, Loves, LOVES muffins.”  These muffins were a big hit, but I will admit she talked me into doubling the cinnamon in the recipe so that they might taste “more like Daddy’s cinnamon rolls.”

     I received Blind Trust by Sandra Orchard compliments of Revell Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.  I hope many of you will also enjoy this book, book 2, from the Port Aster Secrets series.  Happy Reading!

A Place in His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino – A Book Review

     God is faithful.  That is the message I got from reading this story and from God’s timing in placing this book in my hands.  Like Mary Langton Horton, the leading lady of this story, I become impatient when I’ve been praying the same prayer over a period of years with no apparent changes in the situation.  Also like Mary, I needed to be reminded about God’s timing, especially the wisdom of His timing.  God is truly sovereign, and He is indeed faithful. 

     Rebecca DeMarino, author of A Place in His Heart, creates an interesting tale based on the lives of her ninth great-grandfather and grandmother.  She successfully blends thorough research, family lore, and her imagination to create an interesting tale that explores the challenges and the blessings of waiting upon God.  Mary marries the man she loves, Barnabas “Barney” Horton, a widower looking for a mother for his two young sons.  Barney remains deeply in love with his deceased wife and fears loving another would be an act of betrayal.  He and his son, Joseph, wrestle with their changing feelings for Mary and their feelings for their lost wife and mother. The youngest son, Benjamin, finds it much easier to love and show his devotion to his new mother.  In her attempt to secure a place in her husband’s heart, Mary follows him as God leads him to the New World to begin a new community and plant a new church along with Reverend Youngs.  Having lost her own mother at an early age, Mary longs for love, a baby and a place that truly feels like her own home.

     I enjoyed the details Mrs. DeMarino included of everyday chores required in living in a small English village and in early New World settlements, especially those involving meal preparation.  It is truly amazing what culinary delights were created within a home’s hearth in the 1600s. While we have conveniences our ancestors would never have dreamed of, we can still enjoy some of their hearty meals. http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,colonial_1600s,FF.html is a site that offers recipes for the modern kitchen that simulate colonial dishes.  I cannot wait to try the ginger cake recipe hoping it will be similar to the ginger cakes Barney bakes so often for the youngsters in his life.

     The story is a testimony to the hardships our forefathers and foremothers were  willing to endure to ensure the right to worship God in one’s own way. Frequently placing this goal before personal concerns.  I would highly recommend this book to all fans of historical fiction.I received A Place In His Heart by Rebecca DeMarino compliments of Revell Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own..