Waiting on Wednesday: Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy set to release January 2010.

About the book:

She Escaped the Fire—But Not the Effects of the Burn

Janeal feels trapped in her father’s Gypsy culture. But everything changes one night when a brutal and powerful man named Salazar Sanso promises her the life she longs for if she will help recover a vast sum of money tied to her father.

When the plan implodes, Sanso and his men attack the gypsy settlement and burn it to the ground. During the blaze, Janeal is faced with a staggering choice.

The impact of that choice changes her forever.

Years later, the wonderful and terrible truth of what really happened that night begins to sear Janeal’s soul. In a horrifying revelation, Janeal learns that nothing about her life since has been exactly what it seems. As truth rises from the ashes of her past, Janeal finds she must make a new life-or-death choice. But this time, escape is not an option.
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I'm really looking forward to this book! The Dekker/Healy combo did a great job last year with Kiss, and I have no doubt that this book will be just as incredible! :o)

Blog Tour and Book Review: Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh

*A big thank you to Liz Johnson at Waterbrook Multnomah for sending me a copy to review!*

About the book:

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

My thoughts:

I have lived in the South my entire life, with most of it spent in Tennessee, and just couldn't imagine livin' anywhere else. Also, I absolutely love reading books that are set in the South, especially when a writer gets it right. Tamara Leigh is just flat out a great writer anyway, and Leaving Carolina is a great start to what I'm sure will be a fabulous Southern series of books.

Growing up with a last name like Pickwick is about as Southern as it gets...we actually have a Pickwick of our own in TN. :o) Just throw in some sweet tea and pickled corn, and then, you'll be Southern to the core. Tamara did a great job of describing what it's really like down here--good home cookin', down to earth people, and a love for family and friends. But listen, this book is not just all Southern stuff. There a great deal mentioned about forgiveness, first impressions, and making amends....certainly all things that could come across as preachy, but never do.

Personally, I cannot wait to read more about this family and the town of Pickwick. Tamara's style of writing is just plain fun to read, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

4 Stars

Southern?  Without a doubt!
Sass?  Yes, a staple with Tamara's books.  :o)

What's on Your Nightstand--October

What's On Your Nightstand? is hosted once a month by 5 Minutes for Books. It happens on the fourth Tuesday of every month. It's a great chance to let others know what you like to read, and to find new bloggers with the same taste in books as you have. I'm a couple of days late in getting my post up, but better late than never, I suppose.

October was really good for me in regards to meeting my reading goals. I got everything read on my nightstand this past month with one exception--A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick. It needed to be returned to the library before I got a chance to read it. :o(

This next month, here's what I'm aiming to read:

White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner
The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer
Thirsty by Tracey Bateman
Abide with Me by Delia Parr

I'm pretty positive that I'll get all four of these read, plus a few others. I'm not setting too large a goal because most of November is going to be spent doing a couple of things on the house (painting, chair rail in the living room, etc.) plus having the whole family over for Thanksgiving, so there won't be quite as much spare time for reading....I'll be too busy!

Book Review: Kindred Bond by Deborah Raney

About the book:


For Claire Anderson, her position as a teacher in Hanover Falls is the realization of a long-held dream. In this loving community she attempts to cast aside the memories of her troubled childhood in the day-to-day interaction with the young lives entrusted to her care.

Michael Meredith finds worth as a nursing home administrator until an unwelcome investigation concerning suspicious deaths among the residents threatens his career. In the midst of this crisis, the linking of Claire's and Michael's lives creates a unique friendship that blossoms into a shared understanding neither has known before.

Both are empowered by the understanding and support they experience with each other until an agonizing secret is revealed that may tear the delicate fabric of their love. Is their faith strong enough to survive this astonishing discovery?

My thoughts:

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Deborah Raney. Her style of writing is just so easy to read, and the stories she tells have a way of stirring up all your emotions, especially if she's writing a tearjerker.


Kindred Bond is one of Deborah's first novels, and I can definitely tell that she has grown as a writer since this book. Not to say that this was a bad story....just that she has greatly improved since writing it. The book is geared more as a romance, and that part of the story is done very well--almost too well as I wanted to throw the book up against the wall a couple of times. :o)

There were a few spots that the story seemed to drag, but overall, I'd say it was a good book. If you're new to Deb's books, I would recommend starting with Beneath a Southern Sky or her Clayburn series first to get a better appreciation of her style.

3 1/2 stars