Contemporary romance -- You're Gonna Love Me

As you would expect in a Robin Lee Hatcher story, You're Gonna Love Me is a sweet, contemporary romance. She takes you back to Thunder Creek, Idaho, and you will find some "old friends" if you have read You'll Think of Me. Don't worry if you haven't read that one, though, because this can be a stand-alone with no problem at all.

Totally unexpected and unrelated circumstances bring Samantha Winters and Nick Chastain to the same small Idaho town after a bad ending to a relationship two years earlier. Both had been hurt deeply and really didn't know where to pick up after the time and difficult issues -- if there was any way to pick up at all.

Samantha and Nick are both complex characters with lots of issues to deal with individually and together. As she has done in some of her other stories, Robin brings in a complicated real-life issue for her characters to deal with this, this one being traumatic brain injury. She doesn't sugar coat the difficulties but also fills the story with love and hope that comes from relying on God's grace and guidance. Samantha's Gran and other friends and family become important pieces in Samantha and Nick's stories and make major impacts in the second chances for love. The back stories that help explain how Samantha and Nick each reached their point in life are scattered throughout the story and help the pieces come together at a comfortable pace.

Thanks to Booklook Bloggers for providing a copy of this book.  I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

Who knew fate could twist a tragedy into a second chance at love?

Samantha Winters lives her life the way a good accountant should—measured, deliberate, and safe. After watching her father die in a tragic skiing accident, she decided never to allow risk into her life again. But she didn’t count on falling for Nick Chastain, who embodies everything she doesn’t want in her safely constructed world.

Against Samantha’s warnings, Nick plans a dangerous kayaking trip over spring break. Furious that he’s so careless with his life, she ends their fledgling relationship with harsh words.

Two years later, Samantha is desperately in need of a change. When she learns her grandmother has had an accident and is in need of a caretaker, Samantha quickly packs her bags and heads to Thunder Creek, Idaho. But nothing could prepare her for the surprise awaiting her in her grandmother’s hospital room . . . Nick.

With the charming backdrop of small-town friends, beloved cousins, and a whole church congregation rooting for them, can they set aside the disastrous ending of their first try at love? Has Nick changed enough to meet Samantha in the middle—and can she realize that a risk in love might be worth taking?

About the Author:

Bestselling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. The recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from both RWA and ACFW and winner of the Christy, RITA, and numerous other awards, Robin has authored over 75 books. She and her husband make their home in Idaho where she enjoys spending time with her family, her high-maintenance Papillon, Poppet, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat). For more information, visit www.robinleehatcher.com, Facebook: robinleehatcher, Twitter: @robinleehatcher

New suspense series -- Oath of Honor

There are a couple of things you can count on in a Lynette Eason book:  (1) fast-paced action and (2) strong female characters who are right in the middle of the excitement.  Well, I guess a third thing is usually at least a touch of romance. Oath of Honor has it all.

The new Blue Justice series starts off with thrills and spills on the first page that continue to the very end.  Izzy is a character full of vitality, determination, and fearlessness that keeps you hooked all the way through the story.  With many of Izzy's family, as well as several friends, all involved in law enforcement and politics, and the strong likelihood that several of them are either in danger or are somehow involved in the wrong side of the law, trying to distinguish the good guys from the bad keeps interest level high to the very last page.

I highly recommend Oath of Honor to fans of great suspense and look forward to the next installment in this new series.

Thanks to Revell Publishing for providing a copy of this book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

A murdered partner. A missing brother. Will Isabelle's silence protect those she loves . . . or delay justice? 

Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family. She knows they'll be there for her when things get tough. Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Izzy is determined to discover exactly what happened, and her investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possibly with cops on the payroll--including someone from her own family. With her dead partner's brother Ryan, a handsome homicide detective, shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning. How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison? And how will she guard her heart when the man she's had a secret crush on for years won't leave her side?

About the Author:

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunions series, and the Hidden Identity series, as well as the Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.

Thought provoking and convicting -- 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path

As she mentions in the introduction to 31 Proverbs to Light Your Path, Liz Curtis Higgs did not just choose the upbeat, feel-good verses from the book of Proverbs to share in this devotional collection.  Instead, she asked for suggestions from her friends and readers and chose many passages that convict, provoke deep thought, and step on your toes.

In her signature way of writing with transparency, she shares her own experiences and struggles -- along with touches of her own special brand of humor -- to help readers get all they can out of these gems of scripture.

You can use this book in as light or as deep a method as you want. Simply reading through Liz's comments about each passage shines light that you may have missed on your own read through. The "One Minute, One Step" challenge at the end of each chapter gives a quick and simple way to put some feet to the words you have read. And the study guide at the end of the book gives you an opportunity as an individual or a study group to dig deeper into the scriptures.

I highly recommend this book as a valuable devotional/study for women anywhere in your scripture journey.  Thanks to Blogging for Books for providing a copy of this book.  I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

Wherever you are on your journey, here is the wisdom you need for the road ahead. Maybe you’re stuck and want to move forward. Or you feel anxious and long to know what’s next. Or you’re ready for an uplifting reminder that God holds your future in His loving hands.

Chosen by hundreds of women as their favorite verses in Proverbs, these thirty-one nuggets of truth reveal how faithfully God honors His promise, “I will instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths” (Proverbs 4:11).

Best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs examines each word with care and adds a sprinkling of humor through her honest stories and personal examples. For each verse you’ll find a unique “One Minute, One Step” challenge—a do-it-now task that requires one minute or less. You’ll soon discover how practical and meaningful the book of Proverbs is as you apply its ancient wisdom to your thoroughly modern life.

With a study guide included,31 Proverbs to Light Your Path is a daily devotional and a small-group Bible study, wrapped in a beautiful gift book brimming with encouragement!

About the Author:

In her bestselling series of Bad Girls of the Bible Liz Curtis Higgs breathes new life into ancient tales about the most infamous—and intriguing—women in scriptural history, from Jezebel to Mary Magdalene. She is the author of more than 30 books, with more than 4.6 million copies in print. Her popular nonfiction books include Bad Girls of the Bible, Really Bad Girls of the Bible, Unveiling Mary Magdalene, Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible, Rise and Shine, and Embrace Grace. She’s also the author of the award-winning novels Here Burns My Candle and Mine Is the Night. Her children’s Parable series received a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence, her nonfiction book Embrace Grace won a 2007 Retailers Choice Award, and her novel Whence Came a Prince received a 2006 Christy Award for Best Historical Novel. Here Burns My Candle was named 2010 Best Inspirational Romance by Romantic Times Book Reviews, and her 2011 novel, Mine Is the Night, was aNew York Times bestseller.

On the personal side, Liz is married to Bill Higgs, PhD, who serves as director of operations for her speaking and writing office. Liz and Bill enjoy their old Kentucky home, a nineteenth-century farmhouse in Louisville, and are the proud parents of two college grads, Matthew and Lillian. Visit Liz’s website, LizCurtisHiggs.com.