Blog Tour ~ The Familiar Stranger

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
The Familiar Stranger
Moody Publishers (September 1, 2009)
by
Christina Berry


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Single mother and foster parent, Christina Berry carves time to write from her busy schedule because she must tell the stories that haunt her every waking moment. (Such is the overly dramatic description of an author's life!) She holds a BA in Literature, yet loves a good Calculus problem, as well. All that confusion must have influenced her decision to be team captain of a winning team on Family Feud.

Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, released from Moody in September and deals with lies, secrets, and themes of forgiveness in a troubled marriage. A moving speaker and dynamic teacher, Christina strives to Live Transparently--Forgive Extravagantly!

Her work has also appeared in The Secret Place, The Oregonian, and Daily Devotions for Writers.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Craig Littleton's decision to end his marriage would shock his wife, Denise . . . if she knew what he was up to. When an accident lands Craig in the ICU, with fuzzy memories of his own life and plans, Denise rushes to his side, ready to care for him.

They embark on a quest to help Craig remember who he is and, in the process, they discover dark secrets. An affair? An emptied bank account? A hidden identity? An illegitimate child?

But what will she do when she realizes he's not the man she thought he was? Is this trauma a blessing in disguise, a chance for a fresh start? Or will his secrets destroy the life they built together?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Familiar Stranger, go HERE




My thoughts: The Familiar Stranger is one of the best fiction reads I've read this year. New author Christina Berry grabbed my attention on the first page and never let go until the final one. This was one of those books that tempted me to ditch commitments and stay home to read it straight through (I didn't! :) But it definitely tempted me!) I will definitely be watching for Berry's next novel.




Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for review purposes.

Watch Over Me ~ Blog Tour

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Watch Over Me
(Bethany House October 1, 2009)
by
Christa Parrish


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christa Parrish graduated high school at 16, with every intention of becoming a surgeon. After college, however, her love of all things creative led her in another direction, and she worked in both theatre and journalism.

A winner of Associated Press awards for her reporting, Christa gave up her career after the birth of her son, Jacob. She continued to write from home, doing pro bono work for the New York Family Policy Council, where her articles appeared in Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine. She was also a finalist in World magazine’s WORLDview short story contest, sponsored by WestBow press. She now teaches literature and writing to high school students, is a homeschool mom, and lives with her husband, author Chris Coppernoll, and son in upstate New York, where she is at work on her third novel.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Her Rescue Might Be the Miracle They Needed Things like this don't happen in Beck County. Deputy Benjamin Patil is the one to find the infant girl, hours old, abandoned in a field. As police work to identify the mother, Ben and his wife, Abbi, seem like the obvious couple to serve as foster parents. But the newborn's arrival opens old wounds for Abbi and shines a harsh light on how much Ben has changed since a devastating military tour. Their marriage teeters on the brink and now they must choose to reclaim what they once had or lose each other forever.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Watch Over Me, go HERE


My thoughts ~ This was another winner by an author with whom I was completely unfamiliar. I definitely plan to go back and read her first novel, Home Another Way, and will be watching for future releases. Parrish offers an intriguing storyline that kept me wanting to read "just one more page", with characters that grabbed my heart early on...especially teenager Matthew Savoie. This book deals with some sensitive, difficult issues, so I wouldn't recommend it for teen readers. Otherwise, it's not to be missed.

Blog Tour ~ A Slow Burn

Mary DeMuth has done it again! Before I had turned the last page in the first book in her Defiance Texas Trilogy, I was practically panting for the sequel. Apparently I wasn't the only one...it seems everyone who read Daisy Chain can't get their hands on A Slow Burn fast enough. My word of warning to those who ask...and those who don't, I suppose :)...is this: A Slow Burn *is* as good as Daisy Chain, but the similarities don't stop at the characters with whom you become entwined, the plot in which you immediately become immersed, and the thought-provoking underlying messages. As you reach the last page or two of the book, you realize you have come to the end...and yet you haven't. There must be more...because you are still grasping for answers and resolution. But the only "more" to be found is the tantalizing preview of the *third* book in the Defiance Trilogy. Ahhh...the agony of well-written series fiction!

A Slow Burn starts where Daisy Chain left off, with the discovery of young Daisy Chance's body two months after her mysterious disappearance. In the sequel, however, the focus moves from Jed Pepper, Daisy's best friend, to Emory Chance, Daisy's mother, and her grief, guilt, and struggle for survival. Hixon Jones has a strong supporting role again, now protecting and pursuing "Missy", as he calls Emory.

One caution: This book is not for younger readers. Its subject matter is dark and gritty, with accompanying raw emotions. However, DeMuth tackles hard issues...drug abuse, depression, guilt, shame...with a large infusion of truth, grace, forgiveness, unconditional love, and hope. She describes the themes of the book this way:

"You’re never too far from God’s grace and love and forgiveness. That God is a pursuing, redemptive, relentless God. He loves His children, even when they run far, far away. That Jesus comes to us in surprising packages, and sometimes we’re so bothered by appearances that we miss Him."

Then she explains what she would like for readers to take away from this book:

"That God is bigger than our sin, our regret, our hopelessness. He takes delight in intersecting the darkest of circumstances. He is there, available."

Mary DeMuth is a master writer. She can spin a story that weaves its web around you and draws you in until the final page, and doesn't completely let go even then. She is also a devoted follower of Jesus. Her writing reflects her love for Him and her compassion for others. A Slow Burn is a gripping, compelling read. It is available at Amazon and bookstores everywhere. More reviews from this week's blog tour can be found at Blog Tour Spot. And be sure to visit Mary's website and blog for more information on Mary and her books!

I am excited to be participating as an Influencer for this book, courtesy of Zondervan Publishing, and to be a part of this week's blog tour, sponsored by Blog Tour Spot. Thanks to both for the opportunity to receive an advance copy of the book and participate in this week's release party activities!

Sunset Beach Blog Tour

I seem to have a fascination lately with books about family secrets. I like the ones that wrap up with nice, neat happy endings (I know they aren't particularly realistic, but that's okay :)), and I like the ones (most of the time, anyway...;-)) with more real-life endings where things aren't necessarily resolved in a package with a pretty little bow on the top. I won't tell you which category Trish Perry's latest novel falls into...that would be giving things away. :) But Sunset Beach keeps you engrossed until the very end *hoping* for a happy ending for Sonny Miller, recent college graduate who decides her graduation present from her mother is going to be the answers about her past for which she has waited all her life.

When I received Sunset Beach from The Blog Tour Spot to review for this week's blog tour, I discovered that it is actually the fourth book in the "Beach House Series", by Sally Johns and Trish Perry. I was a little concerned that I hadn't read the previous three books, but was glad to find that while the books are connected by the quirky little cottage and its neighbor, Julian, and his friend Zeke, they are each written as stand-alone volumes. There is enough of a hint of the other books to pique one's interest, without feeling that one has *missed* something.

From the media release about the book:

"Sonny Miller is tired of not knowing who she is. Soon she’ll begin graduate school to earn her masters in Psychology. But how can she counsel future clients about their identities when she isn’t even sure about her own? To that end she has cooked up a little meeting at a certain beach house in San Diego.

"Sonny’s mother, classical soprano Teresa Miller, isn’t aware she’s about to be reunited at the beach house with her sister, Melanie Hines, after 25 years of estrangement. And Sonny isn’t aware her mother has invited a surprise guest of her own. Russian adoptee, Irina Petrova, finds herself dragged along on a trip so tumultuous she summons her handsome concert violinist brother for moral support.

"The four women converge on the funky little beach house in San Diego, each with her own disappointments and hopes about family, identity, and love. For Sonny, the trip reveals all she expected and more than she ever dreamed."

Trish Perry says "I love good stories," and that is evident in the story she weaves in Sunset Beach. It's a "curl up on a rainy day and read all afternoon" book with deeper underlying themes: the importance of seeking God's guidance in everything, and the determination of our personal identities...how do they, and how should they, develop?

Sunset Beach, published by Harvest House, is available at Amazon. Check out the other reviews on this week's blog tour at The Blog Tour Spot. And be sure to visit Trish Perry's site for more information, as well as additional book reviews, interviews, and give-aways!

Blog Tour: "Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity"

I was so excited when the opportunity arose to review Keri Wyatt Kent's new book, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity. First, free books are always a wonderful thing. :) And second, but more important, the issue of honoring the Sabbath is one with which I've struggled for a long time, and one which has been increasingly on my mind in in my heart in the past few months. For our family, Sabbath-keeping involves goals such as these:

Corporate worship with our church family is priority.

We don't take on outside commitments (other than church) that require regular Sunday participation.

We keep Sunday shopping to a minimum.

Our Sundays are often far from restful, however...and at times even when they are restful and relaxing, I wonder if they truly qualify as "honoring the Sabbath":

There are times (such as the last couple of months, when we have been preparing for Family Camp and VBS :)) when church activities seem to run us ragged, even on Sundays.

While I rarely shop on Sunday, stopping by the grocery store on the way home from church ends up being a necessity some weeks. I steer clear of the mall and other retail spots...most of the time. But one of the most restful, refreshing Sundays I've had in a long time involved a fun afternoon trip with a friend to a craft store...I came home energized, motivated, and feeling creative inspiration I hadn't felt in a long time.

Our "no outside commitments other than church" policy for Sundays is definitely a good thing for our family...but lately I've wondered if our *quiet* Sunday afternoons with everyone following their own pursuits leave something to be desired.

I have to admit that after my initial excitement about reading Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, within the first few pages, I was a tiny bit put off. Kent mentions early on that her daughter's soccer team periodically plays on Sunday. I shoved down the little Pharisaical voice inside saying, "What on earth is someone whose child plays soccer on Sunday doing writing a book about Sabbath rest??" and continued reading. I'm glad I did.

Kent doesn't offer pat answers or a list of "dos and don'ts". Instead, as she shares honestly her journey toward a life of Sabbath Simplicity, she encourages us to take heed of the Biblical mandate to set aside a Day of Rest, and to explore how God would have us and our families live that out.

Rather than getting hung up on "Which day should one observe, Saturday or Sunday?" (although she does give a brief Biblical and historical argument for the Lord's Day observance on Sunday), Kent lays out a basis for a day set apart from the normal routine and ideas for making it meaningful and workable in our fast-paced modern world.

I could well relate to her introduction to the second chapter, where she describes herself as "a bit of a restless soul". "The illusion I labor under is that when things really get going or finally settle down, I'll be able to focus on what matters. I'll be content. I'll live a simple and serene life." She then describes the trap I think many of us fall into..."running like crazy but getting just about nowhere" in the pursuit of contentment and serenity...making more lists, doing more tasks, working more hours, when what we really need to do is STOP.

She offers that as the only "rule" for Sabbath rest..."just stop". Further than that, she offers not rules, but "guidelines for stopping" as she invites us to "consider receiving the gift of God's rest." I especially appreciated her discussion of the body's need to alternate periods of being "fully engaged" with periods of being "fully at rest". It provided food for thought on the issue of God's promise of "rest" and a "light yoke" and "easy burden", versus the physical, mental, and emotional sacrifices we often seem called to in following Him. Is part of the burn-out so many of us experience directly related to the lack of true Sabbath rest in our lives? Is there a way to reconcile that in the modern world? Kent says that there is.

I was a little concerned that a book on "keeping the Sabbath" might lead to feeling a bit overwhelmed or guilty at what I "should" be doing. Instead, I was inspired and motivated with changes I can make...some immediate and some more gradual...to make our Sundays more restful and more God-honoring, without being legalistic or just plain lazy. I also became aware...again...that celebrating and honoring the Sabbath doesn't just involve a single day in the week. It involves a change in our hearts and attitudes to give Him *all* of our time in order that we can accept the gift of rest He offers.

Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, by Keri Wyatt Kent, is publised by Zondervan and available at Amazon. For links to others on this week's blog tour, visit The Blog Tour Spot.

Gift of Grace Blog Tour

Imagine yourself a typical teenager of today, with your cell phone and Ipod, going to high school and looking toward college.  With almost no warning, you are suddenly whisked away to an Old Order Amish community, with no electricity, telephones, or automobiles.

New Zondervan author Amy Clipston explores that premise in the first book of her "Kauffman Amish Bakery Series."  After receiving an advance copy of A Gift of Grace from BlogTourSpot.com to review for this week's blog tour, I can't wait for the second installment!    

When Rebecca Kauffman's "English" sister and brother-in-law are killed in a traffic accident, Rebecca's two teenaged nieces come to live with her in her Lancaster County Amish community . Unable to have children of their own, Rebecca and her husband Daniel now have an "instant family".  While one sister acclimates quickly to the Old Order culture, the other rebels at the unwelcome restrictions.  Rebecca finds herself torn between abiding by her sister's wishes that the girls be raised in the culture she rejected and her husband's insistance that the girls will never fit in and in fact threaten the Kauffman's place in the community.  

Rebecca's struggle to honor her sister's memory and provide a loving home for her nieces in the face of her husband's strong disapproval is heart-wrenching.  The way Clipston chose to resolve that struggle was not what I expected...and I liked that.  At times in Christian fiction...even good Christian fiction...the ending is rather predictable.  It was a pleasant surprise to find I didn't have this one figured out from the start. :)  

Clipston writes about difficult issues and emotions without coming across as "heavy".   When God's will and our plans collide, the results are often painful, but A Gift of Grace spotlights the hope that comes when we stop fighting His plan, and instead embrace it.  Clipston says, " Sometimes we may be convinced God has forgotten us or that what we’re experiencing isn’t part of His plan. However, things may not go the way we’d hoped, but God is always in control.  "  She speaks as one who has experienced trials...her family is currently awaiting her husband's second kidney transplant, about which she says, "God has been teaching me a whole lot about having patience and giving my burdens up to Him... It’s been a very long and difficult road with my husband’s illness, but prayer and faith have been my companions."

For more reviews of A Gift of Grace, visit the other participants in the Blog Tour Spot tour.  

Daisy Chain

"I want to be authentic in my relationship with God.

 To be authentic in my relationships with my husband and children. 

To be authentic in my parenting.

 To be authentic in my friendships. 

I want to lead my children to be authentic. I want them to have authentic relationships with God. I want them to make right decisions and do the right thing because they are walking with the Lord and want to please Him...not because of what "people" will see or think.

 I want to make progress in making our home an "authentic haven" both as a refuge for our family, and as an opportunity to practice hospitality to others."

Those words are from my post earlier this year on my 2009 "One Little Word"...Authentic.   For several years, God has been making me more and more aware of the importance of authenticity in every area of our lives...and convicting me of my own need to be totally authentic. 

 

Authenticity is an important topic for Mary DeMuth as well.   She is the author of Authentic Parenting in a Post-Modern Culture, a book that is currently on my wish list. :)  Her newest book, Daisy Chain, tackles the issue of authenticity in the family and the church from a fictional standpoint.  

13-year-old Daisy Marie Chance has disappeared.  Her best friend, Jed Pepper, harbors a secret...he's convinced he is responsible for her disappearance.  As the search for Daisy goes on, Jed finds himself seeking his own answers...about Daisy's disappearance, about the people around him and the secrets they harbor, and about the mysterious redemptive plan of God.  

 Mary DeMuth knows about secrets.  The inspiration for this book, and the trilogy of which it is a part, came from a friend's difficult story of his life behind the closed doors of an outwardly "picture perfect" family.   And Mary has had her own journey from secrets to authenticity.  She says:

"Learning to be honest with myself and others about my own shortcomings—and, oh, they are aplenty—has made me a better Christ-follower in the long run. It’s not about appearing holy. It’s about being holy from the inside out. The only route to that kind of abundance is honest, excruciating disclosure with trusted friends and the God who sees it all."

God has given me such an urgency for the kind of authenticity Mary describes~in my life and in our family.  We have seen at close range the devastation that can come from "appearing holy" without "honest, excruciating disclosure with trusted friends and the God who sees it all."  As I wrote in that "One Little Word" post...

"We have seen "up close and personal" the dangers of allowing oneself to live behind a mask...looking good to others, and yet allowing evil a stronger and stronger foothold on the inside until it finally explodes into a firestorm that singes everyone in its vicinity. "

Jed sees those dangers and experiences that firestorm in his own family.  He also glimpses God's glory and love in very unexpected places.  DeMuth lists the following themes in Jed's story:

The importance (and elusiveness) of authenticity.

The devastation of maintaining and keeping family secrets.

Redemption comes from surprising people.

Feeling guilty doesn’t always equal reality.

True friendship involves sacrifice.

Daisy Chain is not only an excellent read...with a plot that kept me reading into the night more than once...it is also a poignant reminder of the importance of authenticity in our lives and in our families, and the devastation that can result when we allow secrecy to overcome it. 

I'm already waiting impatiently for the second installment to the Defiance Texas Trilogy. :)