Book Review: Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson/4 Stars

About the book:

New School = New Chance for That First Kiss

Summer is ending, and for once that doesn't seem like such a bad thing to Elise. She's hoping that starting fresh at a new high school will turn her first-kiss prospects around. New guys, new friends, and a new lease on life.

What she wasn't counting on was all the new pressure--to hang with the right crowd, wear the right clothes, and date the right guy. Just when it seems she's on top of the world, everything comes crashing down. Could one bad choice derail her future?

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Visit Melody's website at http://www.melodycarlson.com/.

My thoughts:

Melody Carlson has always been my go-to author for great YA fiction, and Never Been Kissed was another fabulous example of her talent within this genre. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and even though I'm a few years removed from the young adult period of my life, there was plenty in this short book to open my eyes to what teens are involved in today, particularly on the topic of sexting.

Melody's novels are always on the pulse of current teen issues and what's happening in high schools everywhere.  Never Been Kissed is just the kind of book that should be read by parents and teens alike.  My rating is 4 stars.

Southern?  No
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review.

Book Review: Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon/4.5 Stars

About the book:

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the cold-hearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband - and Jake's best friend - to despair...and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life - and his heart - are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

My thoughts:

Fatal Judgment was the first romantic suspense novel I've read in quite a long time.  It was also the first time I've read anything by Irene Hannon, and I have to say that I was very impressed.  The first novel in her new series, Guardians of Justice, was a thrill ride with U.S. Marshals, the FBI, and a murderer on the loose.  The action was consistent throughout, but sprinkled with moments of grief and healing for both Liz and Jake.  It was up to Jake to protect Liz at every turn, and he was definitely a hero worth reading about! 

Another thing I loved was that, as a reader, I knew who the bad guy was all along because he was revealed about 1/3 of the way into the book.  From past experience, sometimes that works for a story, sometimes it doesn't.  In Fatal Judgment, it defintely worked!  I was given a glimpse into his crazy mind, and his motives for striking out at Judge Michaels.  On the other hand, his character saddened me because there are so many people in the real world that have his same twisted logic toward our country.

I have no doubt that the next installment in this series will please suspense fans as easily as this one did.  Irene Hannon has enormous talent within this genre, and the thoughts and research that went into this novel was evident on every page.  And now that I know that a few characters from this novel were a part of her previous series, I can't wait to get my hands on those next!

4.5 Stars

Southern?  Yes, set in St. Louis, Missouri
Sass?  No

*On a side note, I experienced a first with this novel.  There were three characters in this book that had very familiar names--mine, my mom's, and my dad's.  How weird is that?!?!?  Christy, Harold, and Eleanor (and all spelled exactly like they should be) made an appearance in Fatal Judgment.  Too bad my hubby's name couldn't be in there somewhere, too.  :o(  Maybe he'll show up in the next book.  :o)

**Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review.

Book Review: Blind Hope by Kim Meeder and Laurie Sacher/4 Stars

About the book:

An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue.

Sometimes the life you save may be your own.

Laurie had her own shattered dreams before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. Reaching out to save a dog in need, Laurie soon realized that the dog was rescuing her.

An inspiring true story told through the engaging voice of Kim Meeder, Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, and true acceptance, faults and all.

As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see, Laurie discoverd the transforming power of God’s selfless love even for imperfect and selfish people—and she experienced a greater love than she has ever known.

My thoughts:

Non-fiction is not typically something I read a lot of, but when I saw this cute dog on the cover of Blind Hope, I couldn't resist.  This was a story about a sweet dog and the woman she rescued.  Normally, you would see a sentence like that turned the other way around, and even though Laurie did rescue a sweet dog that she named Mia, Mia was the one that really made a lasting impact on Laurie's life.  Through Mia's sweet, but sometimes stubborn, personality, Laurie was able to see the areas in her life where she walked away from God, or didn't trust Him as much as she should have.  While reading about Laurie's past, I was able to draw parallels with my own life where I have strayed and needed to be brought back by God's grace. 

While the lessons are incredible and powerful, I have to admit that I wasn't crazy about the way the story was told.  Laurie told her story to Kim Meeder, who then told the story with introductions and conversations that, frankly, got in the way.  I think if the story had just been written from Laurie's POV, I would've enjoyed it a hundred times more.  I never had a problem getting the lessons from Laurie's life, but to have them retold after I've already read about them was a little annoying.

In spite of the layout, it was still a very good story.  The pictures of Laurie and Mia that were included were an added bonus, and many of them were quite beautiful.  One word of warning before starting this book....have a box of Kleenex nearby! 

4 Stars

Southern? No
Sass?  No

**Many thanks to Waterbrook Multnomah Books for providing a copy for review.

Book Review: The Search by Suzanne Woods Fisher

About the book:

Fifteen years ago, Lainey O'Toole made a split-second decision. She couldn't have known that her choice would impact so many. Now in her mid-twenties, she is poised to go to culinary school when her car breaks down in Stoney Ridge, the very Amish town in which her long-reaching decision was made, forcing her to face the shadowed past.

Bess Reihl is less than thrilled to be spending the summer at Rose Hill Farm with her large and intimidating grandmother, Bertha. It quickly becomes clear that she is there to work the farm--and work hard. The labor is made slightly more tolerable by the time it affords Bess to spend with the handsome hired hand, Billy Lapp. But he only has eyes for a flirty and curvaceous older girl.

Lainey's and Bess's worlds are about to collide and the secrets that come to light will shock them both.

Beautifully written, The Search is a skillfully woven story that takes readers through unexpected twists and turns on the long country road toward truth. Fans both old and new will find themselves immersed in this heartwarming--and surprising--tale of young love, forgiveness, and coming to grips with the past.

My thoughts:

I do believe that this is Suzanne's best novel so far! The Lancaster County Secrets Series has always had a good dose of drama, and of course, secrets, but without a doubt, this book was my favorite of all three. 

Whenever I see a character with the name Bertha, I always picture a large, perhaps bulky, woman that speaks her mind and someone that won't stand for any backtalk.  Well, that was Bertha to a T in this book!  There were time when she had me howling with laughter with her funny way of talking, and especially, when she tried to sound smart by using big words that she didn't remotely know what they meant.  So, be forewarned...you're in for a treat with this book if only just for Bertha.

Bertha didn't steal the whole show, though.  Lainey was another character that really stood out in the story.  Without making things too complicated, Lainey was a relation of Bertha, and because of a car breakdown, she found herself in Stoney Ridge.  At first for Lainey, it was a temporary situation that over time, became a permanent one.  Throughout her life, she's held on to her own batch of secrets, and little does she or Bertha know, these secrets are about to change their lives.

Before Lainey could move forward in her life, though, she had to do a little housekeeping...namely in the form of forgiveness to a stepfather that was quite cruel to her.  This forgiveness didn't come easily since Simon, her stepfather, had not changed much from the man she knew him to be when she was a child.  One comment that her character made in the book stuck with me right through to the end--

"...a few years ago, I went to a church service and the pastor happened to be preaching on the difference between divine forgiveness and human forgiveness.  I knew I couldn't forgive others without God's help.  He said that we fail in the work of grace and love when there is too much of us and not enough of God.  One I understood that and asked for God's help, I was able to forgive Simon and stop condemning him."

Wow...'nuff said.

In case you're still wondering whether or not you should give this book a chance, let me end the guessing game for you--YES!!!  Go get a copy!!  You will be so glad that you did, I can promise you that.  :o)

5 Stars

Southern?  No
Sass?  Yes - Bertha in all her glory!

**Many thanks to Revell Books for providing a copy for review.

**Click here to read my review of The Choice and here for The Waiting.