Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Inn at Ocean's Edge

Book description:  "A vacation to Sunset Cove was her way of celebrating and thanking her parents. After all, Claire Dellamore's childhood was like a fairytale. But with the help of Luke Elwell, Claire discovers that fairytale was really an elaborate lie . . .
The minute she steps inside the grand Inn at Ocean's Edge, Claire Dellamare knows something terrible happened there. She feels it in her bones. Her ensuing panic attack causes a scene, upsetting her parents. Claire attempts to quiet her nerves with a walk on the beach, to no avail. She's at too great a distance to make out details, but she believes she witnesses a murder on a nearby cliff. When local police find no evidence of foul play, they quickly write off the "nervous" woman's testimony as less than credible.
But Luke Elwell, home on leave from the Coast Guard, has reason to believe Claire. Years ago when his mother went missing, Luke's father suspected she'd been murdered. He died never having convinced the police to investigate. So when an employee of the grand hotel doesn't show up for work, Luke steps in to help Claire track down the missing woman.
As Claire and Luke put together the pieces of a decades-old mystery, they discover that some family secrets refuse to stay buried. And some passions are worth killing for."
My review:  Colleen Coble seems to get better with each book she writes!  I stayed up way too late in order to finish this book.  I was pulled into the story and the mystery from the very first page and was kept guessing until the very end.  Fast-paced with many twists and turns The Inn at Ocean's Edge is a book that readers don't want to miss.  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the Booklook Blogger Program in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own. 

When Grace Sings

Book description:  "Alexa Zimmerman wonders if the Old Order Mennonite community in Arborville, Kansas will ever fully accept her. Her family roots here aren’t what anyone thought when she first arrived, but she is hopeful that her culinary and hospitality skills will win the skeptics over. The bed-and-breakfast she’s operating needs to succeed so Alexa agrees to allow Briley Forrester, the hotshot reporter from Chicago, to stay as a long-term boarder not knowing his real motives for being amongst the Plain folk.

But when Alexa agrees to host her cousin Anna-Grace Braun, the presence of extended family brings out Alexa’s insecurities and sets Briley on the trail to uncovering a web of hidden truths.

Plans for a secure future and the sweetness of young romance hang in the balance when Alexa and Anna-Grace have to face that their secrets are interconnected, binding the two in ways they could not have imagined. They must trust in a loving, heavenly Father and His plan for their futures."

My review:  I'm so glad I read book 1 in this series, The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy. When Mercy Rains introduces the family and begins to unpack the many family secrets. When Grace Sings continues the story of the Zimmerman family.  As Ms. Sawyer delves deeper into the lives of the Zimmermans, she seems to raise even more questions about this family than she answers. More secrets, twists, and turns will leave you on the edge of your seat.  And as the title indicates, grace is a thread that runs through the entire book.  I loved this book as much as I loved the first one, and I will be anxiously waiting for the third and final book in this series to be published!  I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.  

Thursday, March 5, 2015

The Love Letters

Book description:  "Marlena Wenger's life takes an unexpected turn on the day she learns she must care for her estranged sister's baby. Spending the summer in Brownstown, Pennsylvania, to assist her Mennonite grandmother, and miles from Marlena's Old Order Amish beau, she feels out of her element in nearly every respect. Yet Marlena determines to do her best and stay focused on her future, even as those hopes become drastically altered."

My review:  This is another great book by Beverly Lewis!  The title of the book is so appropriate.  Mrs. Lewis has woven different "love letters" throughout the story.  Although the book is mainly about Marlena Wenger, there are other characters with their stories intertwined  with Marlena's.  With those characters come some very weighty issues, but Mrs. Lewis did a wonderful job handling these delicate topics!  Marlena is a wonderful character, who sacrifices a lot to do what is right.  She is a marvelous example of placing others needs ahead of your own and gives the reader much to contemplate.  Loving all the characters as well as the story, I know fans of Beverly Lewis will not be disappointed with The Love Letters.  I received a complimentary e-copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.