TITLE:  Living Lies
AUTHOR:  Natalie Walters
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name--but no one knows your secret. At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Opening this suspense novel was like walking into someone else’s nightmare. The author reveals the inner darkness of Lane so well, I felt the shadows that chased her.

Her son, Noah, brightened her life and my reading with his innocence and energy. I fell in love with him immediately. The sheriff and his delightful wife were integral parts of the story, as their love and faith surrounded those they cared for—especially Lane.

Family secrets and dysfunction created even more issues; when murder becomes a political tool, no one wins.

The supporting cast of characters—plus the humid, oppressive heat of Georgia—enhanced this well-written story. The faith aspect shone brightly, changing lives as it should.
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Living Lies reveals the pain of mental illness, including PTSD, and helped me understand the guilt, fear and isolation it can cause. This book earns five stars and is highly recommended. I received a copy of Living Lies from Graf-Martin Communications and Baker Publishing Group.
 

TITLE:  Whose Waves These Are
AUTHOR:  Amanda Dykes
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
STARS: *****
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In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea. 

Whose Waves These Are wraps itself around you with lyrical prose and deep emotions. Family ties and secrets keep the plot steadily moving back and forth through time at a steady pace, as these mysteries require a slower pace for their resolution.

The faith message in this story is quiet but true, as are the romances. The theme running through Whose Waves These Are is the necessity of hope, the hope of better things, the hope of love gained. Forgiveness and grace weave these disparate characters together, sometimes in spite of themselves.

Through secrets unveiled and sorrows endured, I appreciated this story, smiling at times,  wiping tears at others. Whose Waves These Are earns five stars.

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications and Baker Publishing Group.

TITLE:  Homecoming (Sweet Hearts of Sweet Creek, Book 1)
AUTHOR:  Carolyne Aarsen
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Misty Ridge Publishing
STARS: *****

A heart broken twice from love and family. Can a trip to the ranch give her a second chance with both?

Sheryl Kyle isn’t the trusting type. After all, her abusive late husband and her disapproving stepfather haven’t given her much reason to feel otherwise. But when a rugged rancher named Mark seeks her out, she learns her stepfather is on his deathbed. And his dying wish is for her to return to Sweet Creek for one last chance to reconcile.

Mark can’t help but be fascinated by Sheryl. Despite hearing the worst about her from her stepbrother, he’s drawn to the hauntingly beautiful woman. When his ranching partner suffers an injury at the worst possible time, he’s surprised and delighted that Sheryl agrees to work by his side.

As Sheryl and Mark’s friendship deepens, she suppresses her growing feelings toward him. Can she forgive her family and herself before Mark too becomes a man of her past?

I’ve read several books by Carolyne Aarsen, and while I’ve enjoyed each one, this is my favorite so far. Her often tender/sometimes gritty prose pulled me into the story and kept me captive until the end. Sheryl broke my heart with her painful past, guilt and longing for wholeness. And Mark’s faithful patience is the perfect foil for her. I loved Mark’s family and understood the conflicts in Sheryl’s. Watching love peel away Sheryl’s layers of anger and guilt was a privilege.

The faith aspect of this story touched my heart; it clearly showed the necessity of faith and forgiveness.
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The familiar settings of British Columbia and Alberta added a sense of homecoming for my imagination, too. I loved Homecoming and award it five stars. Highly recommended.
 

TITLE:  On a Summer Tide
AUTHOR:  Suzanne Woods Fisher
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****

Sometimes love hurts--and sometimes it can heal in the most unexpected way.

Camden Grayson loves her challenging career, but the rest of her life could use some improvement. "Moving on" is Cam's mantra. But there's a difference, her two sisters insist, between one who moves on . . . and one who keeps moving. 

Cam's full-throttle life skids to a stop when her father buys a remote island off the coast of Maine. Paul Grayson has a dream to breathe new life into the island--a dream that includes reuniting his estranged daughters. Certain Dad has lost his mind, the three sisters rush to the island. To Cam's surprise, the slow pace of island life appeals to her, along with the locals--and one in particular. Seth Walker, the scruffy island schoolteacher harbors more than a few surprises. 

Each of the main characters in On a Summer Tide are realistic, multi-dimensional people who drew me into the story. Cam may be the main character, but the rest of her family, with their insecurities, regrets, and fears, are just as appealing. Seth makes a great hero, in spite of or perhaps because of his own deep regrets. Peg is a special, eccentric addition, and the Maine island setting is swoon-worthy on its own.
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Points of view from each family member plus some flashbacks keep interest high. It’s fun to read a slightly different style, and this one worked superbly. Surprises and secrets revealed forced each family member to grow—including the dad, Paul Grayson.
I loved On a Summer Tide and award it five stars. Recommended! I received this book from Baker Publishing Group. 

TITLE:  The Refuge
AUTHOR:  Ann H. Gabhart
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: ****

When Darcie and Walter Goodwin hear of a new cholera epidemic sweeping the area, they join the Shakers whose villages seem immune to the disease. It's meant to be a temporary stay, but Walter is killed in a riverboat accident. With no family and no money, Darcie has little choice but to stay with the Shakers. To complicate matters, she is expecting a baby conceived before she and her husband came to the Shaker village. Marital relationships are considered sinful in this celibate community, putting Darcie in a unique--and lonely--position. Can the arrival of widower Flynn Keller and his headstrong daughter offer Darcie the hope of happiness . . . and family?

The Refuge is a gentle story of Darcie, a non-Shaker, who has no other choice but to stay with the kind but strict group at the village at Harmony Hill. Her angst is skillfully portrayed as she, a pregnant widow in a sect that considers marriage a sin, tries to live in harmony with the Sisters. But will they allow her to stay once her child is born? Or will they ostracize both mother and child? Or worse, take the child from her? Faith and fear collide, but Darcie holds fast to faith—with satisfying results.

The only negative aspect of this story is the villain, whom I felt was overdrawn and didn’t quite fit. I loved reading The Refuge and learning about the Shaker sect. This book earns four stars from me.
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I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group.
 

TITLE:  Justice Delivered
AUTHOR:  Patricia Bradley
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****

Carly Smith came by her trust issues honestly. A victim of sex trafficking, she's been at the mercy of merciless men, ignored by law enforcement officers who should have helped her, and seemingly rejected by her family. She can't even trust herself to do the right thing. Though she escaped her captors and is working hard on building a new life, the past continues to haunt her when she discovers that the man she couldn't bring herself to report to police for fear of reliving her captivity is still out there, luring vulnerable girls under the guise of being a modeling agent.

When her own niece is kidnapped, Carly must overcome her fears and come forward with the information she has before it's too late. When that proves to be not enough, she'll have to go after the perpetrators herself.

Human trafficking is a heinous evil that turns precious girls (and boys) into disposable merchandise—not a pleasant topic for romance. But author Patricia Bradley, with gentleness and faith, pulls back the curtain by introducing Carly Smith, escaped but not healed, and making us care deeply for her.

Justice Delivered kept me riveted with its multi-dimensional characters, some of whom may or may not have been guilty of involvement in her kidnapping and the subsequent evil. Faith in God is not preached but is shown, with forgiveness a critical point.

The timeliness of this book moved me and increased my awareness of human trafficking.
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I received Justice Delivered courtesy of Graf Martin Communications and Baker Publishing Group. Justice Delivered earns five stars and is highly recommended.

TITLE:  A Desperate Hope
AUTHOR:  Elizabeth Camden
DATE:  2019
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
STARS: ****
Eloise Drake's prim demeanor hides the turbulent past she's finally put behind her—or so she thinks. A mathematical genius, she's now a successful accountant for the largest engineering project in 1908 New York. But to her dismay, her new position puts her back in the path of the man responsible for her deepest heartbreak.

Alex Duval is the mayor of a town about to be wiped off the map. The state plans to flood the entire valley where his town sits in order to build a new reservoir, and Alex is stunned to discover the woman he once loved on the team charged with the demolition. With his world crumbling around him, Alex devises a risky plan to save his town—but he needs Eloise's help to succeed.

Alex is determined to win back the woman he thought he'd lost forever, but even their combined ingenuity may not be enough to overcome the odds against them before it's too late.

A Desperate Hope weaves romance and hidden pasts with authentic historical details, one of my favorite combinations. It should have been a five-star story. But the pace dragged at times, and Eloise and Alex both kept shy of my heartstrings. The contrast in their personalities certainly added interest, and the supporting cast added depth. In spite of some issues, I enjoyed the story. There were enough mysteries here and there to keep me reading, and the ending was quite satisfactory.
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I received a copy of this book courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications Ltd. and Baker Publishing Group. All opinions are my own. A Desperate Hope earns four stars from me.
 

Did the Father turn His face away?

For a long time, but especially through this season of Lent, I have wondered about one assumed part of the Easter story. Please understand that I am not a theologian, but I am a sincere child of God, a child who asks questions.

This is one that has troubled me: Did God the Father turn away from His crucified Son?

Why is this scenario so troubling? Because if, as I was taught from childhood, God cannot look upon sin, even when borne by His beloved Son, how could He ever see me in my unrepentant sinfulness?

How could He live up to His beautiful name, El Roi, the God who sees me?

The entire time He lived on earth Jesus enjoyed unbroken fellowship with His Father (e.g. John 14:9-11). But then came that horrible moment on the cross, when beaten, stripped and mocked, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

Does your heart not break at those words? Mine does. There is Jesus, God’s obedient Son, fulfilling His purpose—to die in our place, paying for our sinfulness with His perfection.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Oh, the great, great love of Jesus! He willingly went to the cross, because of His great love for us. And on that cross, as the weight of all our sin broke His heart and His body, He cried out in anguish, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
But the conclusion that God the Father turned His back on His Son has always bothered me.

Can Love turn away from Love?

Perhaps it is at this moment when Jesus’s humanity is most palpable and most identifiable. From His perspective, under the burden of our guilt, He cannot see His Father and feels forsaken, abandoned, alone. I know that feeling; do you? He experienced that sorrow for us.

Is there any Biblical backup for my supposition? Psalm 22 is widely considered to be a Messianic psalm of Jesus speaking to His Father. Look at verse 24: For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.”

My tentative conclusion is that God the Father sees us always, but unrepentance keeps us from seeing Him. He waits in love for us to repent, to turn to Him, and Jesus’s agonizing death made it possible.
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Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!

TITLE:  When You Look at Me (A Pleasant Gap Romance Book 2)
AUTHOR:  Pepper Basham
DATE:  2018
PUBLISHER: Woven Words
STARS: *****
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When Julia Jenkins' great aunt dies and leaves her a Victorian mansion with decades of secrets, Julia never expects to unearth a World War 2 espionage mystery. Struggling with her own past since an assault left her pregnant, her future as a solo parent leaves her dreams uncertain. The inheritance from her great aunt gives Julia the ability to take a step back into her future, but also sends her into the discovery of a love story she’d never anticipated. As she goes through her aunt's treasured possessions, Julia uncovers some oddly written piano music with a musical code she can’t decipher on her own. Not to worry, introverted Englishman and composer, Henry Wright, is thrust on the scene by a pair of homespun matchmakers who know the ‘right’ man for Julia’s wounded heart. 

Henry arrives in Pleasant Gap with the task of composing the soundtrack for his best mate’s newest film. The Jenkins’ family’s southern welcome and gregarious personalities set his reticent nature on edge, but he’s inexplicably drawn to his gentle and music-loving hostess, Julia. Uncertain how to build a friendship with the wounded woman, and rather hopeless in communicating well through words, the bond of music becomes a bridge between her uncertainty and his awkwardness. 

But her broken past and his families’ expectations build a wall much greater than the cultures that separate them. As they work together to solve a musical mystery from the grave, will an unlikely romance from the past inspire their hearts to trust in a God who’s written the perfect melody for their lives?

How could I not love a story of two awkward introverts who think in music? I adored both Julia and Henry, as well as Julia’s family of extroverts—including her intimidating father, Nate. Watching these two deal with their private pain while moving forward toward their dreams created the best kind of romance.

Faith is a huge part of When You Look at Me, showing God’s grace through trials and joys. The mystery of Julia’s aunt Amelia added an extra layer of intrigue and romance, a golden thread in this gorgeous tapestry.
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When You Look at Me is a wonderful story and easily earns five stars. Highly recommended!