Chrismas at Harrington's

By: Melody Carlson



http://www.revellbooks.com



In this story we are introduced to Lena Markham who is on her own and traveling to a new town looking for a new start. Lena has had a hard life these past nine years and is hoping that she can build a new life for herself in the town of New Haven, Minnesota. Her she meets many new people who are willing to take a chance on a stranger new to town and lands a job most unexpected at Harrington's department store playing Mrs. Santa. Just when she thinks that things are going good she is confronted with her past and begins to see everything that she has worked for begin to crumble and there is nothing that she can do to stop it. In the end she realizes that the only thing she can do is to confront her past head on and to trust in the new friends that she has made and to trust in God that he will work everything out for her good.


I really enjoyed reading this book and feel that it is a true holiday story of redemption, forgiveness, and second chances. I loved the message of forgiveness and that all people no matter what they did in the past deserve a second chance even a third and fourth chance. How many times have we made mistakes yet God was willing to give us chance after chance to get it right. This story is a great example of how wrong it is to judge people with out getting all of the facts and how wrong it is to judge people based off of hear say.



Available November 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Emily's Chance

By: Sharon Gillenwater



http://www.revellbooks.com/



This is book two in The Callahans of Texas Series. In this novel we are reintroduced to Emily Rose whom we first meet for a brief moment at the end of book on which was Jenna's Cowboy. Emily has been hired to head up the Callahan Crossing Historical Museum. When a fire breaks out and ends up burning down the old museum Emily along with the help of Chance Callahan are able to save a few of the historical records before they are destroyed. Emily is doing her best to achieve her dream of becoming the curator of a major museum and falling in love with Chance is not part of her plans.



Chance Callahan has had feelings for Emily since the day that he helped her to save a bunch of boxes from the old museum before it burned down. Chance is also working as a Builder for those who have lost there houses in the fire and he is also helping out at the families ranch. He is determined to win Emily's heart and to convince her to stay in Callahans Crossing and become his wife. As the story unfolds these two are faced with many difficult decisions and are forced to step back and reexamine their lives and the plans that they have for the future? Will Chance end up with the Woman that he loves or will Emily leave for the Job of her dreams. Pick up this Novel and find out what happens to these two.


I really enjoyed reading this novel and it was great to return to Callahan Crossing and see how the people are moving ahead and rebuilding after the terrible fore that destroyed a large part of the town. It was also nice to catch up with Chance and Emily and to see how these two were getting along. I liked how both characters were able to look back at the decisions that they were making and were both willing to ask the question, Is this really the plan that God has for me? I also liked how each character was willing to do whatever was revealed to them by the Lord and how each one knew that he would not lead them wrong. Many people today go through life making decisions for themselves and then get discouraged and depressed when things don;t turn out the way they want. There are also a lot of people who miss out on blessings because they are so focused on what they have planned that they forget to stop and reevaluate where they are headed.



Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Don't Look Back

By: Lynette Eason

http://www.revellbooks.com/



This novel is book two in the Women of Justice series. In this book we are reintroduced to Jamie Cash who is the sister of Samantha Wolfe. Jamie survived a brutal kidnapping and managed to escape and is just now managing to recover from the ordeal. She is now working as a forensic anthropologist. While working on a case she begins to see similarities between what happened to the victims and what happened to her when she was taken twelve years ago. Could it be that the same person that kidnapped Jamie is at it again and could he be back to finish the job off the one that got away?


In this story we are also introduced to FBI Special Agent Dakota Richards who has had a crush on Jamie since he first meet her. Even though he is not aware of the full tragedy of her past he knows that Jamie is hiding a secret that continues to effect her even know. Being a patient and understanding man he is willing to wait on her to come to terms with his feelings for her and how she feels towards him. He gets even more involved in her life when it turns out that the killer they are tracking is the same man that kidnapped and almost killed Jamie twelve years ago. Can he and Jamie find the killer before he strikes again or will they find out to late who he is in time to stop him from succeeding. Pick up this story and find out.


I really loved reading this book just as much as I loved book one. It was a definite page turner and it keeps you guessing as you turn each page. There are a lot of twist and turns in this story that keep you on the edge of your seat and keeps you turning pages til the very end. I also found myself having great admiration for Jamie and how she refused to let circumstances dictate how she acted throughout the story. She refused to let hate into her heart and instead chose to forgive the man who has haunted her memory and life for twelve years. We can learn a lot from her about letting go of hurts in the past and learning to forgive people no matter how horrible what they did was. Refuse to let them continue to direct your life and choose to live the life you want as if the past never happened.


Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

The House on Malcolm Street

By: Leisha Kelly

http://www.revellbooks.com/

In this novel we are first introduced to Leah Breckenridge and her daughter Eliza Rose as they set off to meet an unknown aunt of her late husband. Leah lost her husband in a tragic accident and shortly after that she lost her young son as well. Follow that by the loss of her home and we see a woman that is very down on her luck and who is deeply worried about the well being of her young daughter. As a last resort she turns to her late husbands Aunt who owns a boarding house and is hoping that it will be a safe place for her and Eliza to stay until she can come up with a better plan for their future. Leah is also suffering from a lack of faith throughout the story because she just cannot understand how God could take both her husband and her son.

We are also introduced to Josiah Walsh who is also a border living at the boardinghouse and he to is suffering from the loss of his wife and their baby. Unlike Leah however Josiah has found peace with God although he still struggles to stay on the path he has chosen to follow. This becomes harder however when Leah and her daughter move in and are a constant reminder to him of what could have been had his wife and child not died. He is also struggling with the idea that Aunt Mari wishes for him to befriend Leah since they have both suffered so much and may be good support for each other. Can these two over come their uneasiness with each other a form a bond that will help each other or will they miss out on the chance to help each other? Will Leah find the strength to forgive God and seek his arms and learn to trust him again? Pick up this Novel and find out.

I really enjoyed the overall theme in this story and how true to life the characters are in this novel. Each character is dealing with the loss of loved ones and is having to face a test of their faith. Leah must learn to lean on God again and to trust that he never makes a mistake even when we fail to understand why he allows bad things to happen. Josiah on the other hand has to learn to forgive himself for the mistakes of the past and to look forward to the future. These are the same problems that we face today when tragedy strikes in our lives. We go through a period of fear and a time of searching for answers to the question of why would God allow this to happen to good people?



Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

A Memory Between Us

By: Sarah Sundin


http://www.revellbooks.com/



This is book two in the Wings of Glory series and in it we are introduced to Major Jack Novak. Like his brother in book one Jack is taking part in WWII as a bomber pilot. Jack is struggling with balancing his wishes to remain in the army as a pilot and with his dad's wish for him to become a minister when his army stint is over. Jack also is dealing with his own dependence on God when he is in trouble and with his dependence on himself. He faces this problem a lot when he has important decisions to make that could cost the lives of his men and innocent people if he makes the wrong choice. Does he trust in God to make a way out or does he depend on himself to know the answer?

We are also introduced to Lieutenant Ruth Doherty who is an army nurse who is fighting a terrible past that is full of secrets and shame. She first meets Jack when he is hospitalized after suffering an injury during a mission. Ruth however is not interested in a relationship with anyone and is only interested in working hard and sending home as much money as she can to help with the care of her siblings who are being raised by different family members back home in the states. When she is given the option to take a job that will give her more money to send home she takes it completely unaware of the new problems that it will cause. Ruth is struggling with a lack of faith due to the deaths of her parents and the traumatic childhood that she endured. It has left her terribly scarred and afraid to put her trust in anyone. Can she over come her past and find a Life with Jack pick up this story and find out.


I really enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading about the next Novak brother. I enjoyed the struggle that each character endured in the fact that it can be related to everyday life. We all have had things to happen in our past weither in our childhood or even as adults that we would go back and change if we could and it is only by putting trust in God that we can move on and overcoome them. Many people today also deal with the hard choice of trusting in God to come through for use or trying to fix problems on our own the best way we know how. This story does a good job of showing us what happens when we put more trust in ourselves than we do in God.


Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

A Hope Undaunted

By: Julie Lessman


http://www.revellbooks.com/



In this novel we are introduced to Katie O'Conner and her family who are living in Boston in the 1920's. Katie is the youngest of six children and is one of the hardest to discipline at the age of 18. Katie has her life all planned out and has no intention of veering from that plan. She will marry her boyfriend Jack and then both of them will pursue careers as lawyers. All her happy plans begin to change when she is forced to do volunteer work over the summer and is forbidden to see Jack except on weekends. Little does she realize that this summer will change the course of her life.


Luke McGee was a boy from Katie's early childhood who was the bane of her existence. Now he is a man grown and has returned to Boston to live and work. He is currently working as a lawyer for the Boston Children's Aide Society which just happens to be one of the two places that Katie is being made to volunteer at this summer. Luke is dealing with problems of his own as he tries to over come a past that helped to shape his present and as he deals with trouble finding homes for Boston's needy children.


As these two work and spend time together feelings begin to develop but little do they know the difficulty and trials that await them as the summer progresses. Can Katie let go of the plans that she has so rigidly made for her future and can Luke over come the test that arise in his life? and will these two be able to find the love that they each seek? Pick up this book and find out what happens to these two and their friends and family.

I really loved reading this story and I especially loved the characters and the shocking twists that occurred throughout the story. I loved the theme of be careful how you treat people because you never know who they will grow up to be. This book was definitely a page turner because just when you think you know what will happen next you turn the page and are hit with a surprise. I really enjoy books that keep me guessing til the very end and you are never quit sure if things will work out by the last page. Not only do the two main characters have test to over come but so do the other characters in the story as well. There is a lot of discussion about prayer and seeking for answers and guidance in the this story which I really like and I enjoyed how much love you could feel between the characters in this story and how that helped each of them to overcome the trials that they faced. I can't wait for the next Winds of Chance book to be released.



Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Making Waves

By: Lorna Seilstad

http://www.revellbooks.com/

This is book one in the Lake Manawa Summers series. Here we are introduced to Marguerite Westing and her family. Marguerite's father decides to take the family and spend the summer of 1895 camped at Lake Manawa, Iowa. Marguerite sees this as a chance to escape for a moment the marriage that she is being pushed into by her mother that she is not sure that she wants. While there her father takes her out on a sail boat and she falls in love with the experience and longs to sail a boat of her own. This is not however a pursuit that gentle ladies pursue according to her mother who is against her learning how to sail. Marguerite encourages her brother to learn how to sail and to take her along so that she can learn as he is being taught.


Trip Andrews is a sailing instructor who is also getting his own ship ready to compete in the sail boat races that are held every year. Trip is battling hard to gain the approval of his father and he feels that the best way to do this is to win the sail boat race this year. Trip meets Marguerite when she and her father take a ride on his boat. Later when she hatches her scheme to get her brother to take sailing lessons Trip is the man she chooses to be his teacher. When a freak accident occurs and she falls over board he bans her from his boat due to the fact that she can't swim. The more time that these two spend together strong feelings begin to emerge between them and Marguerite is forced to make some hard decisions. Add to these a secret that her father has been hiding from his family and you have a recipe for disaster and heartache. Will Marguerite follow her heart or the pressure from her mother. Pick up this book and find out how the story ends.

I really enjoyed reading this story and following along with the characters as they traveled on their journey of love and discovery. I especially like the theme of how wrong it is to lie and how once begun it can be hard to stop and can cause hurt in others. This is a lesson that takes a while for Marguerite to learn but she does in the end but not after it causes her a lot of pain. Lies even ones that we think are small and are harmless are still wrong. It all starts with little ones and before you know it you are pulled in much deeper than you intend to be. IT is always best to tell the truth and if not then to say nothing at all. remember the saying that Silence s Golden and that if you Can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.

Available September 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.