To make things even more interesting, Summer’s in love with Ethan, who’s in love with Summer, but he doesn’t know she’s in love with him and she doesn’t know he’s in love with her. A stranger comes to town about the same times all of this other chaos starts happening but will he sweep Summer off of her feet and away from Ethan?

She discovers she has some crazy neighbors, like the couple next door who she never sees and the lady across the street who hates cats. Bailey also makes a major discovery that enables her to remodel her house but also discovers someone trying to scare her off.  

Add a blossoming romance, the return of an old flame and a former best friend, some strange noises and spooky neighbors and you have the recipe for a great read. Once I started Another Stab at Life, I couldn’t wait to finish to see what happened in the end. It was worth it.

While running from some unsavory guys, she’s shot at, borrows a car, has a wreck and ends up at an animal refuge called One Word. She’s trying to convince the owner she’s telling the truth about what happened, and then the town Chief of Police, both of whom are suspicious of her. She also has to face her past and make her peace with God. There are a few more twists and turns, but I won’t give it away.

I enjoyed reading Killer Cargo. I couldn’t wait until the end, to see who the bad guy was..I guessed right..but will you? The book was an easy read with a good story line. I identified with the characters and felt myself pulling for Maria and her hero, hoping everything worked out in the end, even though I knew it probably would.

Killer Cargo (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense #106)

Dana Mentink. Steeple Hill 2008, Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages, $5.50

Brent is approached by Bobby Dupree, a businessman who has been called by God to make a movie. And he has been led to Brent, who has no hope of ever working in film again. The movie he feels called to make is one that several years earlier, the writer had a huge legal battle after the studio changed her script and she fought to get it back.

Brent also goes to Celia Breach, the actress he was involved with when he was sent to prison and seeks her help on the project. She is angry and bitter, and determined to not give h im the forgiveness he seeks.

As Brent, Bobby, Celia, Candace and others are making this movie, Hollywood is determined to stop them at all costs. A fire, a lawsuit, damaging lies, all are tricks thought up by Shari Khan, a woman determined to make it big in Hollywood. But as they discover, when things look hopeless, that is when God’s work is most evident.

I loved this book. It made me laugh and cry. The characters are so very human and so flawed, but because of God’s grace even a life lived in destruction can become a testimony to His love and power.

My Soul to Keep

Davis Bunn. Bethany House 2007, Paperback, 400 pages, $13.99

They decide to travel to Mississippi, to her friend Sheridan’s cousin Liam and the beloved plantation she had to leave behind when she was 16. Callie has vowed to once again have Stonehaven in her family and is suspicious of her Uncle Caleb’s business dealings. Once in Natchez, they enlist the help of Liam, who has also had dealings with her uncle and is in danger of losing everything to him.

Callie’s real plan however, is to return to Stonehaven and turn it into a major hub for the Underground Railroad. She is invited back by her uncle once he knows she is in town and soon she is overseeing the duties of the house. She also becomes involved with the Railroad, and then the man whom she has loved for several years, the son of friends from New Mexico, shows up in Natchez. She can’t tell him her secret, but with her Uncle Caleb searching out her secrets and determining the best way to get her out of his way, time is getting short. Hawk (her love) has been called to minister as a doctor to the people of his mother, the Mandan Indians, while she has no such calling and is determined to stay at Stonehaven.

Stonehaven (Palisades Pure Romance)

Amanda Maclean. Multnomah Books 1995, Paperback, 303 pages, $9.99

The attacks of the enemy become more personal in The Betrayed. He decides to attack each one personally based on their weaknesses since they seem to be strong together. While in Firenze they discover one in their midst who is one of The Gifted, and they discover important clues that lead them where to travel to.

In the meantime, the Cardinal who used to employ Gianni is plotting to use The Gifted to further his own cause with the church to have the Vatican placed in the city of his choice. Lady Daria and her intrepid travelers make the acquaintence of a very influentianal couple in Firenze, when God intervenes as she gives birth to twins. Little does Lady Daria know how this will be of help to her later.

Once again, we see the humanity in our group of Gifted as they fall prey to human emotions and the flesh even though they have seen the power of God (you have to read the first book) time and time again. It reminds us that even though God calls us all differently and gifts us according to the call He plaes on our life, even though we are human and make mistakes, God can still work through us if we are willing.

I can’t wait until the third book in the series is released, sometime in 2008. I hope some inspired movie producer picks this series up and makes an epic of it such as Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. What a testimony to God’s power and Grace.

The Betrayed (The Gifted Series, Book 2)

Lisa Tawn Bergren. Berkley Publishing Group 2007, Hardcover, 416 pages, $23.95

The girls decide this is unacceptable and leave in the middle of the night, taking the riverboat to Missouri with plans to travel west to New Mexico, where Juliana has dreamed of seeing for years after her painting tutor told her about the beauty of the countryside. The girls meet Matthias Graves who becomes very helpful to them, but unbeknownst to them has plans of his own.

Juliana also meets Captain Parker James, the man in charge of the wagon train. He is enamored of Juliana, but also has plans of his own. Juliana and Callie are caught between these two men, set in the backdrop of the annexation of the US from Mexico.

This was a great book and while it was written in 1996, I still couldn’t put it down.

Westward (Palisades Pure Romance)

Amanda Maclean. Multnomah Books 1995, Paperback, 289 pages, $9.99

This is a book that takes place in the 1300’s, when the Catholic church is fighting over where to have their home. Politics are rampant even among those in the upper hierarchy of the church, with personal desires more important than the church. This is where we meet Sir Gianni, a knight of the Vatican who is sworn to hunt down and destroy evil who has enough faith to leave his position and join Father Piero and Lady Daria in their quest to locate the rest of the Gifted and fulfill the prophecy that was foretold that will determine the fate of the church and the world. Each must sacrifice and even though they are The Gifted, they are human and deal with human failings.

This book is about an ancient book that wasn’t added to the bible, thought to be written by Paul, that tells of a group of people called The Gifted, who will have mysterious spiritual gifts of healing, faith, prophecy, wisdom, and discernment. As The Gifted gather and become stronger, the enemy becomes stronger also and the battles become fiercer.

Facing enemies from within and without, this book reminded me of the Lord of the Rings trilogy without the hobbits and talking trees.

Be watching for book 2-The Betrayed.

The Begotten (The Gifted Series, Book 1)

Lisa Tawn Bergren. Berkley 2007, Paperback, 464 pages, $14.00

In Finders Keepers Luke’s wife dies of a brain tumor and in Hide and Seek we find Luke not coping very well with her death. Before her death, Luke was a deacon at church and was strong in his faith but his faith has suffered and he has turned away from God.

Darcy is a new Christian with a strong faith, but is running from her past. After serving time in prison for killing her husband, she is looking to start over and running from her father in law, who has promised to make her pay for killing his son. She is taken in by an elderly widow who begins to have health problems and she and Luke must work together to take care of Ruby.

Just when Darcy is getting comfortable in her new town, her past catches up with her and her new found faith is put to the test.

Hide and Seek (Finders Keepers #2)

Catherine Palmer. Tyndale House Publishers 2001, Paperback, 260 pages, $10.99

In this book, the family has been asked to investigate the disappearance of runaways after a missing child is found out of his mind. The only understandable thing he can say is Nightmare Academy. When the boy dies mysteriously in the hospital, the Springfields are called in to see what they can find out. While posing as runaways, Elijah and Elisha are recruited for a “special” school and wake up in a strange place.

At the Knight-Moore Academy they soon learn nothing is really as it seems: up is down, there is no right or wrong, no moral compass, and they learn that evil does exist. They are cut off from their parents or any help, and in a world where there are no rules or expectations they learn how quickly things can get out of hand. They must rely on their faith to get them through this assignment and safely back to their parents

Nightmare Academy

Frank Peretti. WestBow Press 2008, Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages, $7.99