Out of Control by Mary Connerly

Colorado territory in 1866. Last time. This is it. Never Again.  Rafe Kincaid…rubbed the ugly, jagged scar that ran from the corner of his eye to his hairline just above his ear. He was glad he had it. A livelong reminder of that awful day thirteen years ago and this treacherous cavern. He’d grown up fast.

And so begins the story of Rafe Kincaid and Julia Gilliland. With that return visit to the cavern, Rafe becomes Julia’s rescuer. Years before Julia had become fascinated with fossils and cave formations. This cavern provided hours of exploration for her until the day someone removed the rope by which she had entered the cave. Julia is convinced that someone else was in the caverns, so she extinguished her lamp. Now in the dark she is scared and not sure she will ever see daylight again. Hearing a voice calling for help, Rafe is taken back to an earlier time, the last time he entered the cavern. Battling and winning over fears, he enters the cavern to rescue her.

And so we enter the lives of Rafe and Julia. Rafe’s mother died of a broken heart, his father left to tend traps and never returned and both brothers have left home. What has happened to destroy this family and what role does the cavern play? Julia is the only child of a man who is determined to keep her, his young wife Audra and their child in seclusion. They are not to leave the cabin or the area near the cavern. When her father returns to die, Rafe knows he cannot leave the two women is a cabin that will give them no shelter from the coming winter. With the visit of his brother, Ethan, we begin to learn the secrets have held both families captive. Is all as it appears on the surface?  

Apparently not as more cave exploring reveals that the third brother has been living in the caves since the end of the Civil War and has a knowledge of them that excites Julia. As Rafe realizes he has fallen in love with Julia, he also realizes he must now choose between a life with her and a life with his brothers. As secrets and fears are revealed he finds that there is no reason to choose.

The first in a series titled The Kincaid Brides, the reader leaves Out of Control with an idea as to who the next bride will be.

I received this book to review for free from Bethany House.

Gabby, God’s Little Angel by Sheila Walsh

A delightful children’s book about the role of guardian angels. As a guardian angel in training Gabby receives her first assignment. Sophie needs lots and lots of protection as she goes through her day and Gabby is there for her. From tree climbing to her first independent pony ride, mishaps seem to follow Sophie. By the end of the day, Sophie tells her mother that she felt as though someone had been watching over her. This is the first book in a new series that offers a comforting message for young readers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

Who sleeps when reading Cindy Woodsmall? I know I don’t. The Harvest of Grace is very well written and keeps the reader going to find out how things work out. Sylvia has been helping her father on their Amish dairy farm, has made improvement suggestions, and found that she preferred the dairy barn to tending house and looking forward to marriage. It appeared that marriage was on the horizon, but Elam did not understand or accept her desire to be involved in the day to day operations of a dairy. After he marries one of her sisters, Sylvia finally convinces her father she needs to find work elsewhere. Leaving the family farm, she is employed by Michael Blank to help on his farm. Aaron, Michael’s son, returns home after spending time in a rehab program to help on the farm in hopes of eventually convincing his father to sell. As the reader progresses through the issues facing both Sylvia and Michael, we find that previous characters from other books return and continue with their stories.

Do not become disheartened and decide that reading the third book in a series will leave you out in the uninformed cold. Cindy begins The Harvest of Grace by giving a brief recap of The Hope of Refuge and The Bridge of Peace. She introduces the main characters for these two books and tells enough of their stories to help you make the transition to The Harvest of Grace.

And as you finish The Harvest of Grace, you find that all of the characters have reached the resolution of the issues facing them in each of their own stories.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Treasuring Emma by Kathleen Fuller

Who treasures Emma? Is it her grandmother, Leona, who is living with her after her parents have died? Is it her sister, Clara, who has a family and a husband, Peter, who is unable to find work? Is it a former boyfriend, Adam, who left his Amish roots to live in the world and has now returned to his home town? Is it a cousin of Peter’s, Mark, who shows up and makes a show of helping and being everyone’s friend?

As Emma moves through the days following the death of her mother, she begins to see that while she has always puts the needs/wants of others first there has come at time when she must begin to treasure herself.

Each of the people in Treasuring Emma eventually finds that they must depend on God and less on themselves in their daily life. When the reader reaches the end of this book, lives have been changed and the character for the next book apparently has been revealed.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh

The third is a series of books dealing with the women of the Pickwick family of North Carolina, Restless in Carolina took a little bit of persistence to get into. Readers of Leaving Carolina and Nowhere Carolina would have no problem as many of the characters are already introduced.

However, do not let that discourage you, dear reader. Bridget Pickwick Buchanan is a tree-huggin’, animal- lovin’ widow who is still recovering from the death of her husband four years previously. Like no one you probably have never met, she has a history of doing outrageous things (outrageous to everyone but her) and so no one is really surprised by the way she lives or what she holds dear. Content to live in her widowhood, that state of life is ultimately challenged by her young niece and nephew. Happily ever after does not exist for Bridget and God isn’t fair in His dealings with her. On top of all of this, she takes on the job of helping to sell the family Biltmore style home and estate so her uncle can repay debts to families that the Pickwicks have treated unjustly in the past.

Enter J.C. Dirk, a developer from Atlanta who sees the possibility of developing the land while keeping with an eco-friendly development favored by Bridget. What no one knows initially is that J.C. is the descendent of a family who had been taken advantage of.

As I progressed through the four month period this book covers, I found it increasingly difficult to put down. I wanted to find out what happened next as Bridget and J.C. interact and eventually realize they have fallen in love. There are enough twists and turns to keep you, the reader, interested as you discover the motivation and plans of a second developer, meet members of the Pickwick family, discover lost relatives and find both Bridget and J.C. moving beyond their past, learning to forgive and let go of hurts/wrongs done and into a future together. Humorous with romance and a message of hope and healing, I recommend this book to readers of Christian fiction.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Summer Dream by Martha Rogers

What does the daughter of a minister do when the man she is attracted to has no place for God in his life? This is the quandary facing Rachel in 1888. Nathan arrives in her hometown of Briar Ridge, Connecticut to settle the estate of a recently deceased woman. While there Rachel and Nathan are attracted to each other, but they know nothing can come of it. Rachel because Nathan is not the kind of husband she needs, Nathan because he doesn’t want to associate with a Christian woman.

Caught in a sudden spring snow storm (the White Hurricane of 1888), Nathan stumbles across Rachel’s youngest brother in the snow and is credited with saving the boy’s life. Passing out due to his own cold and exhaustion, Nathan finds himself recovering at the home of Rachel’s family. The family has been praying for his recovery and speaking to him of the love God has for him. As a result he begins to return to the faith of his childhood and comes to the realization he has to return to his childhood home to restore relationships with his mother and sisters.

Summer Dream is book one of the Seasons of the Heart series. Chapter one of Autumn Song, the second book, gives the reader a chance to follow Rachel’s minister brother and her cousin and spouse as they minister and live in Texas.

I recommend this series to readers of Christian historical fiction.

 

I received this book free for review.