Catherine’s Comments–Shifting Gears Book Review

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bicycling, book review, Catherine's Comments Book Reviews, contemporary fiction, Sarah Kohnle, Shifting Gears, women's fiction

Shifting Gears, by Sarah Kohnle, is a women’s fiction novel about a newly widowed, sedentary housewife and her journey from grieving widow to a confident woman … and she does it traveling with her uncooperative teenage son on a cross-country bike ride.

I have to admit I didn’t like the heroine much at the beginning of the story, but as I watched her grow, my feelings about her changed. I kept rooting for her with every little step she made from a depressed woman to a stronger one. Seeing her blossom from a dependent, uncertain woman into someone I knew would be able to make her own way was an interesting journey.

 

I especially enjoyed the secondary characters in the book: the crazy aunt, the Jamaican bike dude, the hippie minister. And speaking of ministers, this is a book that not only speaks about her physical and emotional journey but also her faith journey. At no time in the book did I feel like the author was preaching to me. The faith elements were organic and woven in such a manner that a non-Christian might enjoy the book, too.

This book is well-written with the exception of some bumpy chapter transitions and a few short scenes that made me wonder why they were there. I also loved the double meaning of this title. I don’t know if the author planned that, but I think it worked very well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I would definitely pick up another story by this author.

4 stars for Shifting Gears.

Want to know more about the author? Check out her Wednesday Writers post.

 

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

Catherine’s Comments–The Lady and the Mountain Man Book Review

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book review, Catherine's Comments, Christian romance, Five star book review, Misty Beller, The Lady and the Mountain Man, western romance

 

Five Stars for Misty Beller’s The Lady and the Mountain Man.

My apologies to Misty for not posting this sooner. Somehow this book review dropped off my reviewing radar, but as I was getting ready to update my Goodreads listings I noticed I’d missed this one.

One look at this gorgeous cover and the story came flooding back to me. I absolutely loved this book, from the cover to the last word on the pages.

The heroine was strong. The hero tortured and their love story sweet and believable. The romance grew organically, was not forced, and I was rooting for them, especially the hero, to express his feelings long before he was ready.

The friendship between the heroine and the hero’s sister was so sweet and added a wonderful dimension to the story.

The author created a book that I could not put down, and I’m so glad to see that there are more books to come in the Mountain Dreams series.

 

I was given this book for an honest review.

 

 

Catherine’s Comments–Lightning on a Quiet Night Book Review

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book review, Catherine's Comments, Donn Taylor, Lightning on a Quiet Night, murder mystery

Rich in language and Description

It took me three tries to get into this book, mostly because I was reading late at night and kept falling asleep, accidentally paging forward on my phone’s Kindle app, and then wondering who the characters I kept encountering were (there are quite a few introduced in the beginning) and how they figured into the story.

I’m glad I persevered with this story. Once I started reading during the daylight hours (when I wasn’t sleep deprived) I devoured this book in two days.

Well-written and well-edited, the author, Donn Taylor, has created a multilayered mystery that is rich in language and unordinary words. The book’s sometimes omniscient feeling POV, scene flashbacks into various characters’ POVs, poetic language, and detailed description gives the book the feel of an older, literary style rather than that of a fast-paced modern story.

The author’s use of fresh lines such as “more chance of getting hit with a streetcar in Venice” caught me unexpectedly, and I found myself chuckling at his wit. There were places in the story that I considered head-hopping, which is one of my big pet peeves, but I forgave the author because of the richness of his language. He also threw enough red herrings into the mix that I wasn’t certain about the killer’s identity. Kudos for that, Donn!

This is a book heavy with religious overtones, but I didn’t feel like they were out of place in the story. They seemed organic to the characters’ lives and overall growth.

Overall, I give Lightning on a Quiet Night four stars.

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

Catherine’s Comments – Not Guilty Book Review

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book review, Candi Pullen, Not Guilty, Tereas Pollard

 

Rape is a Four-Letter Word.

But it’s one that Christians need to discuss more openly.

It’s 1974 and Carrie Shepherd, daughter of the minister at Windspree Community Church, is a college senior with plans to be a missionary in Africa. Raped by a masked assailant, Carrie is so traumatized she tells no one until she realizes she’s pregnant. Refusing to have an abortion, she must find the courage to face her family, her fiancé, her friends, and a gossiping, angry congregation which may include her attacker

Can Carrie find a way to cope with the secrets, silence, and shame that threatens to tear apart her family and church?

 

I seem to be getting a few hard-to-read books for review recently. Not necessarily in storytelling abilities, but in the subject matter.

Not Guilty is a thought-provoking book about how wrong perceptions and gossip can destroy lives, and a lesson, in my opinion, for what not to do if you are raped.

I always have a problem with stories about rape victims because it’s such a heinous crime, and because I want the victims do to do the right things, like tell the authorities, not destroy evidence, and not feel like they are at fault. All things this heroine does, which made me want to yell at her. In fact, I actually moaned out loud when she took a shower and lied about what happened. Fortunately, the people around her, who love her, didn’t yell at her. Instead they showed patience and kindness, to which she ultimately responded.

The blurb gave a hint about the assailant, and I thought I had the mystery figured out. At the last minute, the authors threw me a curve. Well done!

This book has, in my opinion, some veiled Christian references that might escape those who do not know the Bible well, such as the names of some of the characters. The manner of the public disclosure of the attacker bothered me a bit as did the head hopping, even though the head hopping was neatly divided with pictures of crossed gavels to let you know it was happening. But then head hopping is a particular pet peeve of mine.

The authors intended this book for discussion as is noted in the second line of their blurb, and they included a set of chapter-by-chapter discussion questions at the end of the book which address the many issues this book raises. I think this book would work well as a discussion book or even a study guide since they have included a number of scriptures in the chapter questions. If someone you know is dealing with rape, gossip, and shame, reading this book might be a way to open up a conversation and help them toward healing.

Three stars for Not Guilty

If you’d like to know more about Teresa Pollard, one of the coauthors, follow this link to her interview on Wednesday Writers Welcomes Teresa Pollard.

Catherine’s Comments–Shimmers of Stardust book review

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book review, Catherine's Comments Book Reviews, Christian romance, Ryan Jo Summers, Shimmers of Stardust, Sweet romance, time travel romance

I was very curious as to what this Christian time travel story, Shimmers of Stardust, might yield, because I love time travel stories. And, with a few exceptions, I was not disappointed in this book.

The story begins as Logan Riley, a Civil War hero who has turned renegade outlaw—an outlaw with a conscious, is about to be hanged for his crimes. One hundred-forty odd years later, anthropologist Dr. McKenzie Lynne is hired by a group of physicists to find some great treasure that will prove time travel is possible. What she finds is Logan, a dusty cowboy buried beneath a pile of shimmery powder. She learns he is the great treasure and then discovers the true intent of their work. Horrified, she runs off, taking their great treasure with her. And the adventure begins as Logan and McKenzie try to outrun the physicists and the military they’ve hired to find them.

Ms. Summers has created a hero that gave me goosebumps every time he says, “Darlin’.” A 1800’s era outlaw with a conscious, he is out-of-place in the modern world and delighted me with his speech and his thoughts about modern-day things we take for granted. He really shines when he and McKenzie are on the run in the wilds of the west. He’s the kind of man a girl would want to protect her from bad guys.

The author defined the book as a Christian romance with a bit of time travel. I think it’s the other way around—a time travel romance with a bit of Christian faith woven in. I loved how the author wove the Christian element in without being heavy-handed. The heroine didn’t spout scripture and the method in which the hero was re-introduced to faith was organic. Because of her handling of the faith issue, I think this is a sweet romance even non-Christians would enjoy.

I also loved the story’s plot, although there were a few places where I wanted to smack the heroine because of her selective intelligence. She does some really smart things while running from the bad guys that made me say, “Wow. That was clever!” She also does some really dumb things that disappointed me. But then, I’m always yelling at the heroine who goes into the dark basement when she hears strange noises. If she didn’t there might not be any story.☺

My biggest problem with this story was head hopping. Yes, Nora Roberts can get by with it, and lots of authors practice it, but for me, this is a big no-no. However, once I got used to the bouncing POV, and overlooked a few small problems, I enjoyed this book.

Shimmers of Stardust shines with four stars. Brava Ms. Summers!

To learn more about Ryan Jo and her book Shimmers of Stardust, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine’s Comments Book Reviews — A Most Precious Gift

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A Most Precious Gift, African American inspirational fiction, African American literature, African American romance, book review, Jacqueline Freeman Wheelock

 

A Most Precious Gift

by Jacqueline Freeman Wheelock

Four Stars for Ms. Wheelock!

Jacqueline Wheelock has fashioned a story that gives readers a peek into the life and loves of slaves on a plantation in Louisiana.

The hero is a freed black man filled with angst over his freedom when his brothers and sister remain enslaved. The heroine is a slave struggling to find her worth inside and outside of her faith. When the heroine accidentally destroys the hero’s freedom papers, she sets them on path that not only puts the hero in grave danger, but is certain to tear down the budding attraction and feelings they have for one another.

Well written, this book was a quick, enjoyable read. A couple of characters’ careless actions pulled me out of the story, but the suspense of wanting to know how the main characters would survive the manipulations of the villains kept me reading.

I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.

 

Want to learn more about this book and author? Click here.

Wednesday Writers Review of Stranger on My Land

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book review, civil war romance, historical romance, Inspirational romance, Sandra Merville Hart, Stranger on My Land, Wednesday Writers

Stranger on My Land Review

Inspirational Historical Romance Novella

by

Sandra Merville Hart

Four stars for Sandra Merville Hart’s debut book!

 

What would you do if you found your defenseless enemy on your doorstep?

That’s the question Southern heroine Carrie Bishop must decide when she finds a wounded Union soldier on her family’s land. Will she care for him and risk exposing her family’s hiding place? Or will she let him die lying on the cold, hard ground of Lookout Mountain?

Her ailing aunt hates the North. The war has taken Carrie’s father away to serve in the Confederate Army, leaving her to care for a sick aunt and a younger brother. Both the Northern and Southern armies have ravaged her home, land, and supplies while she and her family hide in nearby caves, afraid every day that one side or the other will discover them. The choice she makes will impact her life in more ways than she knows, especially when she finds herself falling for Union soldier Adam Hendricks.

Sandra Merville Hart has written a sweet romance that shows the hardships and dangers Southern civilians in the mountains of Tennessee faced during the civil war. Her gentle style is easy to read and the description of Lookout Mountain and the fighting that takes place keeps you turning the pages. This novella is a quick, easy read, suitable for all ages who love romance and history.

Brava, Sandra on your debut novel!

 

Want to learn more about Sandra? Be sure to stop back next week on Wednesday Writers when Sandra will be here for an interview and an excerpt of Stranger on My Land, releasing tomorrow, August 21^st on Amazon.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Stranger-My-Land-Sandra-Hart/dp/1941103278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405606746&sr=1-1&keywords=A+Stranger+on+my+land.