Thrilling Conclusion -- If I Live

If you want high-level, page-turning, heart-stopping suspense, you just can't beat Terri Blackstock. And her If I Run series is some of her best story-telling yet!

If I Live is the thrilling conclusion to this three-part series. The first pages of the first book started the breath-taking adventure of Casey Cox, who was wrongly accused of murder. From there to the end of the third book, the twists and turns mount exponentially as Casey tries to find a way to prove her innocence and bring the real criminals to justice. Along the way, she risks her own safety out of concern for other people -- some she knows well and some she meets along the way. Her biggest obstacle as she runs is not knowing who she can trust . . . and that is one of the exciting parts for the reader -- never being sure who are the bad guys and what extremes they will go to in their evil schemes.

Casey also finds herself on a quest to find God, although understanding and believing His love and purpose for her is one of her greatest challenges. No spoilers . . . but the outcome of Casey's journey is fantastic. Just don't expect to be able to put the book down easily, if at all!

I highly recommend this entire series. The books definitely need to be read in order, so if you haven't started yet, get your hands on copies of If I Run and If I'm Found and then finish up with If I Live. I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

About the Book:

The hunt is almost over . . .

Casey Cox is still on the run after being indicted for murder. The hunt that began with her bloody footprints escalates, and she’s running out of places to hide. Her face is all over the news, and her disguises are no longer enough. It’s only a matter of time before someone recognizes her.

Dylan Roberts, the investigator who once hunted her, is now her only hope. Terrifying attempts on Dylan’s life could force Casey out of hiding. The clock is ticking on both their lives, but exposing the real killers is more complicated than they knew. Amassing the evidence to convict their enemies draws Dylan and Casey together, but their relationship has consequences. Will one life have to be sacrificed to protect the other?

With If I Live, Terri Blackstock takes us on one more heart-stopping chase in the sensational conclusion to the If I Run series.

About the Author:

Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of  Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series.

Find out more about Terri at http://www.terriblackstock.com

Great story with some interesting history -- Phoebe's Light

All of Suzanne Woods Fisher's Amish books have been great, so I expected the same when she went a little different direction -- delving into the history of another group of people, the Quakers. And after finishing Phoebe's Light, I found my expectations met -- another great story by one of my favorite authors.

The story was filled with a wide range of characters -- some easy to love and some not so much so. Adventure, love, disappointment, danger -- all these added up to a great tale that kept me engaged from start to finish. And I learned a little history about some of the early religious and cultural elements of our country that I was not familiar with. This was a great read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I recommend Phoebe's Light to fans of Suzanne Woods Fisher's writing and anyone interested in a good story with some interesting history.

About the Book:

Phoebe Starbuck has always adjusted her sails and rudder to the whims of her father. Now, for the first time, she’s doing what she wants to do: marrying Captain Phineas Foulger and sailing far away from Nantucket. As she leaves on her grand adventure, her father gives her two gifts, both of which Phoebe sees little need for. The first is an old sheepskin journal from Great Mary, her highly revered great-grandmother. The other is a “minder” on the whaling ship in the form of cooper Matthew Mitchell, a man whom she loathes.

Soon Phoebe discovers that life at sea is no easier than life on land. Lonely, seasick, and disillusioned, she turns the pages of Great Mary’s journal and finds herself drawn into the life of this noble woman. To Phoebe’s shock, her great-grandmother has left a secret behind that carries repercussions for everyone aboard the ship, especially her husband the captain and her shadow the cooper. This story within a story catapults Phoebe into seeing her life in an entirely new way–just in time.

In this brand-new series, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher brings her signature twists and turns to bear on a fascinating new faith community: the Quakers of colonial-era Nantucket Island.

About the Author:

Suzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including Anna’s Crossing and The Newcomer in the Amish Beginnings series, The Bishop’s Family series, and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher

Kathleen's best yet -- Words from the Heart

While I have enjoyed Kathleen Fuller's entire Amish Letters series, I think her latest -- Words from the Heart -- outshines the others. In fact, it just might be her best book yet.

Ivy Yoder and Noah Schlabach find themselves involved in an attic-cleanup project for Noah's aunt, Cevilla. Neither of them has interest in any romantic involvement coming out of their time together, no matter how much Cevilla might try to manipulate otherwise. No one could have imagined how much impact could come from a bunch of old doilies and a bundle of abandoned love letters.  

I'm not sure I can identify all the reasons I enjoyed this book so much, but the entire story was very touching. Kathleen created characters with real-life feelings and experiences. As they worked through a variety of tasks -- some of them very mundane, some more interesting -- they shared times of fun and pleasure, as well and illness and rejection, all the while learning lessons about love and life. I felt drawn into the story and cared a great deal about people, as though they were actual friends of mine.

I highly recommend Words of the Heart to fans of great Amish fiction or heartwarming stories in general.

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:

Her fingertips brushed against something else in the box of doilies. She lifted a bundle of letters, neatly tied with a thin red ribbon . . .

Ivy Yoder hasn’t heard from John King in over a year. She knows it’s time to let go of the idea that they will one day marry, but she’s humiliated to be one of the oldest single women in her Amish community of Birch Creek. When quirky Cevilla Schlabach asks her to help clean out an attic, Ivy is grateful for the distraction.

Noah Schlabach isn’t from Birch Creek, or even Ohio. His job as an auctioneer takes him around the country and away from a typical Amish life, but he still remains devoted to his family. So when his aging aunt asks him to help clean out her attic, he agrees. Plus, who knows what curious items he might find up there?

As Noah and Ivy work side by side, they come across a different kind of treasure: a packet of letters written during the Korean War. Soon they are swept up in the story of two young people falling in love—even as they remain determined not to fall in love themselves.

Words from the Heart is a moving story of lost love letters, fragile fears, and the beauty of taking another step forward.

About the Author:

Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com, Twitter: @TheKatJam, Facebook: Kathleen Fuller.