Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand

Rylee Monroe is a dog walker in the historic district of Charleston. When a string of burglaries begins to target some of the wealthy families of Charleston, the only thing the victims have in common is Rylee as their dog walker. Rylee, now a suspect, tries to clear her name. She teams up with Logan Woods, a reporter following the case who hopes to get it published as a true-crime book. As they try to discover who is stealing from her clients, it become obvious that Rylee seems to be at the center of everything. So, is Rylee the thief or a victim like her clients? You'll have to read the book to find out!!

It didn't take long to get pulled into this mystery and make me not want to put the book down. While I began to piece together who did it, the book definitely offered many surprises that I wasn't expecting. The story is full of lots of twists and turns and definitely a good read.



This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman

Linda is a 17 year old Amish girl growing up in Lancaster County. When a strange "English" woman shows up and upsets her parents, Linda is curious who this woman is. Linda receives the most shocking news when she finds out that she was adopted and the "English" woman, Josephine, is her biological mother. Josie was 17 when she gave up her baby for adoption to an Amish family. She returns to Lancaster County to hopefully have a relationship with her daughter.

Plain Paradise covers the sensitive subject of adoption and the effect on both families. Linda's parents, Abe and Mary Ellen, struggle with the fear that a relationship with Josie could effect their relationship with Linda. They are also concerned that Josie could influence Linda to leave the Amish community. As Linda's "mom", Mary Ellen struggles with having to share her daughter. This has to be tough on an adopted mother and the author really goes into the inner struggle that Mary Ellen faces.

Josie is dealing with all the feelings of giving a baby up for adoption, reconnecting with her daughter, and also fighting a terminal illness. Linda is having to balance having a relationship with her parents and now with Josie. She is also having to deal with the possibility of losing Josie now that Josie is a part of her life.

While this is a book #4 in the Daughters of Promise series, it can be read without having read the previous books. I really like this about the author. I haven't read the other books, but was able to really enjoy this book and not feel like I was missing anything. I actually would not have known this was a book in a series had I not fully read the title. Because this book was really good, I will probably get the previous books in this series. I really enjoyed reading about the Amish way of life.

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

Sixty-nine year old Donetta Bradford is ready for the trip of her life. She and her two best friends, Imajene and Lucy were going on a cruise. This was the most excitement they've ever had in their lives. Or so they thought. Hurricaine Glorietta was headed for the Mexican coastline until it quickly changes course headed directly for where Donetta and the girls are headed to meet their cruise ship. This gets them caught in the evacuation traffic and begins their unexpected, but thrilling adventure. They meet twenty-seven year old Kai Miller when they fill up for gas who later on rescues them when their van runs out of gas. This is the beginning of a suspenseful and entertaining story.

This book was a very entertaining read. Once I got into the story, I did not want to put the book down. It was also interesting in the fact that the story is told by Donetta and Kai. Each chapter switches back and forth between the two main characters. This took a little getting used to, but really allowed more character development for Donetta and Kai. They both had a lot of background information that really effects who they are now as a person and it was interesting to get a full picture of who they are.



This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review: Sense and Sensiblity by Jane Austen (Insight Editions)

I love Jane Austen stories. I have watched all the movies, but I've never read any of her books! So, I was excited to get to read Sense and Sensibility. This book is part of Bethany House's Insight Editions. These editions include extra tid-bits of information in the margins. These notes included historical and cultural details and facts about Jane Austen's life. While I enjoyed reading the story, I really enjoyed all these extra notes.

Sense and Sensibility revolves around the main characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. When their father dies, the family estate passes on to the half-brother John. This leaves the the Dashwood sisters, their mom and younger sister will little money and no home. They move to a new cottage on a distant relatives property. The story revolves around the two sisters, with opposite personalities, struggle to find love.



This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review: The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello

The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello is the second book in her Raleigh Harmon Series. I have not read the other books in this series, but the author did a good job of including some background information so a new reader would not be lost.

This book is about an FBI Agent, Raleigh Harmon, who is transferred back to her hometown to investigate a hate crime. Raleigh is like everyone of us. She is struggling with some real life issues. She has a difficult boss, a fickle boyfriend, and a complicated relationship with her mother. As she is investigating the crime, she discovers much more about the victims and a lot about herself. This book is full of suspense and is a real page turner once you get into the story.

It was a little difficult at first to get into the book and the plot. At times I felt that I was missing information, but it was due to not having read the previous book. The author did do a good job of filling in these gaps and once I got into the middle of the plot, I really enjoyed the book.

Book Review: The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen

This is my first book to read by author Julie Klassen and it will not be my last!! The author has a great way of writing that helps you get into the story and not want to put the book down.

The main character, Olivia Keene, runs away from home fearing that she has committed a terrible crime. As she is fleeing, she comes upon a large estate where a celebration is going on. As she is looking in on the celebration, the overhears a secret. This secret begins an interesting twist in her life. She is forced to become employed on the staff of Lord Bradley's estate and keep the secret she overheard. This also helps her keep her own secret. She eventually becomes the governess to the children. This book has so many twists and secrets that you will not want to put it down. The ending was definitely a surprise. I don't want to spoil the ending or give you any hints. You'll need to read the book for yourself. I know you will find it as interesting as I did. A bonus with the book is discussion questions which would be great for book clubs.





This book was sent to me by Bethany House Publishers as part of their book review blogger program. I received a free copy of this book to review.

Book Review: Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein

What can one person do? There are many people that feel that one person is not able to make an impact. That one person is not capable of changing the world. Mother Teresa says it best, "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Austin Gutwein did just that. Austin (who is currently twelve years old), the author of the book "Take Your Best Shot" details the video that changed his life. Austin was nine years old when he learned the story of Maggie, a nine year old girl in Zambia, Africa that was being raised by her great-grandmother. She had lost her entire family to AIDS. This video of Maggie rocked Austin's world and he knew that he had to do something. It was suggested that he use his favorite sport, basketball, as a way to help Maggie. But how could basketball raise money? Shooting free-throws....2,057 free-throws (the number of children orphaned during a school day) all shot by nine year old Austin.

This was the beginning of Hoops of Hope, a charity started by Austin to raise money for AIDS. After raising $3,000 the first year, Austin decided to get his friends to also shoot free-throws to raise money for AIDS. That second year $35,000 was raised. Hopes for Hope has been going strong for six years and has raised over $1 Million dollars!! Hopes for Hope has not only helped orphan children, but has funded schools, and medical testing labs/clinics to help keep parents alive longer and help prevent children from becoming orphans.

Austin's book "Take Your Best Shot" chronicles the start of his charity but most importantly challenges youth (and adults) to make a difference. This book was not only inspiring, but really made me reflect on my life. What am I doing to make a difference?

All it takes is one person. Will that one person be you?

To learn more about Hoops of Hope click here.