In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin (Review)

Two hearts are about to learn the rhythm of love 

Bold, sophisticated, and coy, Army Air Force flight nurse Lt. Kay Jobson collects hearts wherever she flies, leaving men pining in airfields all across Europe. So how can ruggedly handsome C-47 pilot Lt. Roger Cooper be all but immune to her considerable charms? In fact, he seems to do everything he can to avoid her.

Still, as they cross the skies between Italy and southern France, evacuating the wounded and delivering paratroopers and supplies, every beat of their hearts draws them closer. Can they overcome the fears and misunderstandings of the past in order to take hold of the future?

Sarah Sundin seamlessly weaves together emotion, action, and sweet romance into a tale that transcends time and calls us to believe in the power of love.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

Shades of Earth (Across the Universe, #3) by Beth Revis (Review)

Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
I finished A Million Suns and started Shades of Earth almost right away, which I then finished in one day. I just didn't want to put this book down and had to see where the story ended.

The story picks up exactly where the previous one left us. There was so much going on, though I did have suspicions I really wasn't right about any of them, so the twists and turns were great!

I was disappointed in Amy's father. In the first book he seemed so great and then in this one he came across differently. I know he was in soldier mode and had to command everyone, which he did very well, but I didn't like the way he referred to the people from the ship.

I loved this series SO much! I didn't expect to when I got Across the Universe, the first book in the series, to read. However reading the first chapter drew me right in and I was hooked. These books are very addicting! I would suggest that you read the first chapter of Across the Universe and if you get as hooked as I did, then have them all ready because you'll want to read them all.

I am very much looking forward to reading any future books this author writes.

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A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis (Review)

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It’s been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed.

But there may be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision—no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder learns shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a mystery that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier. Their success—or failure—will determine the fate of the 2,298 passengers aboard Godspeed. But with each step, the journey becomes more perilous, the ship more chaotic, and the love between them more impossible to fight.

Beth Revis catapulted readers into the far reaches of space with her New York Times bestselling debut, Across the Universe. In A Million Suns, Beth deepens the mystery with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
I loved A Million Suns! It picks up shortly after where Across the Universe left off and it was just as addicting. I love when a book just captivates you so much that you hate to put it down and then the few times you do you are thinking about it so much that you hurry whatever it is that you are doing just to get back to the story. That's exactly what happened with this book.

The way this book ended was both perfect and terrible. It was terrible because it just stopped, but perfect because where it ended made me have to read the next one immediately!

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Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis (Review)

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
I loved this book SO much more than I thought possible! The first chapter was chilling, in such a good way, that after reading it I just couldn't put it down!

The point of view alternates every chapter between Amy and Elder, which I usually don't like but in this book I greatly enjoyed! Instead of being confusing it added to the story and helped to describe things that would otherwise have been harder to understand.

The story had so many moments that shocked and surprised me. For quite a bit of the latter half of the book I was just exclaiming things and was so surprised, which I really wasn't expecting at all. I love when a book does that and this one did it until the very end!

I highly recommend this book and can hardly wait to read the next book! 

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A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection by Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Carol Cox, and Mary Connealy (Review)

In the small town of Dry Gulch, Texas, a good-hearted busybody just can't keep herself from surreptitiously trying to match up women in dire straits with men of good character she hopes can help them. How is she to know she's also giving each couple a little nudge toward love?

A Cowboy Unmatched 
Neill isn't sure who hired him to repair Clara's roof--he only knows Clara desperately needs his help. Can he convince this stubborn widow to let down her guard and take another chance on love?

An Unforeseen Match 
Hoping to earn an honest wage on his way to the land rush, Clayton ends up on Grace's doorstep, lured by a classified ad. He may have signed on for more than he expected though--and he may have found the one woman who can keep him from moving on.

No Match for Love 
Andrew can't fathom how refined Lucy ended up as the caretaker to his dotty aunt, and somehow her arrival has prompted even more bizarre occurrences around the ranch. When they join forces to unearth the truth, will the attraction between Andrew and Lucy develop into more?

Meeting Her Match 
When the tables are turned and a tenderhearted meddler becomes the beneficiary of a matchmaking scheme, her world is turned upside down. As her entire life changes, will she finally be able to tell the banker's son how much she cares for him?

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:

A Match Made in Texas is comprised of four novellas all having to do with matchmaking of some kind. The first three have a secret matchmaker who sets up the first three couples and the fourth one we find out the identity of the matchmaker and watch her meet her match.

A Cowboy Unmatched by Karen Witemeyer - 5 Stars
After reading both Short-Straw Bride and Stealing the Preacher, I was waiting very impatiently to read Neill's story. I fell in love with the Archer brothers and wanted to see what lady would get paired with Neill.

The story was great from start to finish. The only thing that I could complain about was that it was short, but that's just me wanting more of this family and not anything having to do with the story itself - since for a novella it was absolutely perfect! It didn't feel rushed at all.

The romance was so sweet! There were some very heartwarming scenes, but I won't say more as I don't want to spoil it.

If you've read the previous two books featuring the Archers I'm sure this is already on your must read list. However if you haven't, even though the story could stand on its own, I would suggest reading them in order as you'll get so much more out of it if you do.

An Unforeseen Match by Regina Jennings - 5 Stars
I LOVED this story! It was so sweet and romantic, but at the same time it took on such a scary and serious issue - blindness.

I loved how Grace wasn't a wimpy, dejected woman but wanted to find ways to be as self-sufficient as she could be.

Clayton was a great character. I loved so many things about him and I don't know if I should mentioned specific things as I don't want to spoil the story should you decide to read it. I will say that once I learned his full story I was even more impressed with him.

This story almost felt like a full sized novel and that's hard to do with a novella. The pacing was great and the conclusion oh so perfect!

This story turned out to be my favorite of the four, which kind of surprised me after how much I loved the first one - I didn't think any of them would top it.

No Match For Love by Carol Cox - 4.5 Stars
The story started out great and continued to be so until the last 10 pages or so, then everything wrapped up so quickly and neatly that it was a little boring. I think the only reason this happened is because it's a novella so I'm cutting a little slack, but after the first two being completely enjoyable this one fell just a little short so that's why I gave it a half star less.

This is the first story I've read by Carol Cox and if it's any indication of her other books I've been missing out on some wonderful books, as I'm sure a full length novel won't have the same problem. I'll definitely be checking them out soon.

Meeting Her Match by Mary Connealy - 3.5 Stars
This story is by far the shortest of the four and I wish it wasn't. The story felt super rushed and a bit crazy at times.

I felt so badly for the heroine of this story. So many things have happened in her life that are just terrible.

I know the ending was supposed to be funny and cute the way it wrapped up, but I just found it first of all unbelievable and to be completely honest wrong on the parts of so many. I would have like it so much better if it happened differently.

There was also quite a bit of repetitiveness and with the story only being 75 pages I felt that took away from the story.

One thing that bugged me, and I could be miscalculating this, was when one of the characters from the previous stories is said to be expecting in December of 1893 and then a year later is said to be round with child (same baby). No specific date was given of the actual time of the ending of the story, but with the characters bringing out Christmas items it sounds like it's close to December, if it's not that month already. This was only a minor thing and didn't affect my rating.

This was also the first story I've read by Mary Connealy. I'm sure I'll be reading one of her full length novels sometime, as I do own one of them, just not sure when I'll get around to it.

On the whole I greatly enjoyed A Match Made in Texas and highly recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.

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Emerald Green (Ruby Red Trilogy #3) by Kerstin Gier (Review)

Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.

 She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.

This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:
A fabulous conclusion to a great trilogy! I loved reading Emerald Green so much and hated it when I reached the end, since I knew that this was it there would be no more about these characters. My suspicions from the previous novel were correct! I love when that happens, but only when it's not completely obvious and this wasn't! Xemerius again made me laugh so much, he's such a great addition to this story!

I recommend this fantastic series to anyone who loves tales about time travel.

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The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley (Review)

Love's recovery starts with a single step . . .

After 27 years of marriage, Marilyn Anderson is tired of playing the role of perfect wife. Her husband Jim is a successful businessman who gives her everything she needs--a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood, the financial freedom to be a stay-at-home mom, an enviable collection of stuff. Everything, that is, except what really matters: love.

After years of trying to connect with Jim, Marilyn has had enough. She longs to experience some measure of happiness before she's too old to enjoy it. Needing some time to herself to sort things out, Marilyn leaves to start a new job and take dancing lessons--something she has wanted to do for as long as she can remember.

Shocked to find his wife gone, Jim Anderson must sort through the past to save his marriage. With a little help from an unexpected ally, he begins a campaign to win Marilyn back. What he doesn't anticipate is how his actions will affect everyone around him--starting with himself.

I GIVE THIS BOOK:

MY THOUGHTS:

The Dance is the first book in The Restoration series and it completely wowed me!  I don't think I can put into words just how amazing this book is, but I will try my best.

First off let me say that contemporary fiction is not a genre that I usually read, as I find that I don't enjoy books written in it, but The Dance totally impressed me. The characters were so well written, from page one I was drawn into the story and even though I had an idea from almost the beginning what was going to happen at the end, it was still so powerful.

The Dance had me crying several different times, and since I'm not someone who cries very easily when reading books, that's saying a lot. I will feel sad or happy for people, whatever the case calls for, but it takes something extra special to make me actually shed tears...and this book had that something special!

Before this book, I had never read anything by Gary Smalley and this is only the second book I've read by Dan Walsh, but I can't wait to read more from this duo. The Promise, the second book in The Restoration series, is set to be released September of this year - which I know is close, but it feels like so long to wait.

I would love to see The Dance made into a movie. I think, if done correctly, it would be very powerful, along the lines of Fireproof. 

I think The Dance should be required reading for every married couple, obviously, but also for Christians of marriageable age. I highly recommend reading The Dance and believe that both men and women will enjoy and be enriched by reading The Dance.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

“Available April 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Revell (April 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800721489
• ISBN-13: 978-0800721480
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Available to Purchase at Amazon | B&N | CBD

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of several books, including The Discovery and The Reunion. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel. For more information about Walsh and his books, visit his website at www.DanWalshBooks.com and follow him on Twitter at @DanWalshAuthor.

Gary Smalleyis one of the country’s best known authors and speakers on family relationships. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of more than 60 books. He has spent over 40 years learning, teaching and counseling, speaking to over 2 million people in live conferences. Smalley has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, Extra and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. Gary and his wife, Norma, have been married for 48 years and live in Branson, Missouri. They have three children, all in full time ministry to families, couples and orphans, and they enjoy their wonderful relationships with their ten grandchildren.