A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar: A Novel

Author: Suzanne Joinson
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publish Date: May 2012
This book offers an engaging and exotic story based on the juxtaposition of two centuries and cultures. Author Suzanne Joinson intertwines the stories of two women. One is about Evangeline (Eva) English who in 1923 is detained along with her sister, Lizzie, in the city of Kashgar, East Turkestan as their fellow missionary and mentor, Millicent Frost, is accused of a murder. The other story is that of Frieda Blaekman, the present-day Londoner who suddenly becomes responsible for the contents of an apartment of a deceased woman whose name she has never heard of before. On the surface, one may read Joinson's book as a historical adventure. At a deeper level was that the author touches on how we seem to be destined to repeat our parents' mistakes. Both Frieda and Eva struggle to make sense of their parents' views of love and their relationship choices as they affect their own.
Sometimes the writing in this book is too literary for my taste, but I would recommend A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar for those who enjoy an exotic adventure across time and space.

Hope Springs

Author: Kim Cash Tate
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publish Date: June 2012


Hope Springs is a novel overflowing with truths about God, love, forgiveness, and Christian unity. The plot line was well developed and clearly showed the characters' struggles, weaknesses, and growth.


The title of the book refers to a town, Hope Springs, North Carolina, which epitomizes small town life--a place filled with quiet streets where families have been friends for generations, a place where there's not a lot of change…until three women suddenly find themselves planted there for a season. The characters were very realistic, and it was easy to identify with their realizations, flaws, and struggles. I enjoyed seeing Stephanie's growth into a woman with a servant's heart, Becca's understanding that humility and love are more important than an impressive ministry career, Janelle's acceptance of God's plan for her and her family, and the countless other lesser characters who still experienced growth and change as they grew closer to God and family.
I would recommend this book to readers interested in Christian novels. 

The People Count

Author: Robert Dias
Publisher: Hathaway-Seymore Publishing
Publish Date: March 2012


Two ordinary Americans suffer the loss of loved ones at the hands of men with plenty of money and no conscious. Denied justice by a system as greedy and corrupt as the perpetrators, Jake and Jilly take justice into their own hands, avenging the deaths of the victims and spreading fear among the privileged.


Though the book is written as fiction, The People Count paints an uncanny resemblance to what's wrong with America today. The author suggests that the1% who own the media, the banks, the multi-national corporations and most of all, the congress, pit Democrats against Republications against the Tea Party as well as against special interest groups and evangelicals, and use blame as a distraction, all the while plotting to control the flow of money out of society and into their own pockets. This book is very entertaining regardless of your political beliefs, I would recommend it to anyone.

Tidewater Inn

Author: Colleen Coble

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson

Publish Date: July 2012

Libbie Halladay, who restores historic buildings with her friend and business partner, Nicole, learns that she has inherited a beautiful old inn on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Before Libbie arrives on Hope Island to see the inn, her partner is kidnapped! An investigation into her disappearance leads the local sheriff, Tom Bourne, and his cousin, Coast Guard rescue worker, Alec Bourne, to wonder about Libbie’s possible involvement in the kidnapping.

Colleen Coble crafts an interesting story surrounding Libbie’s character. In addition to the kidnapping dilemma, this book also has distrusting (and untrustworthy?) townspeople including newly discovered step-siblings, and a fragile friendship/love interest between Libbie and Alec. The reader wants the deserving Libbie to receive fair treatment throughout the story, yet as in real life, there are sometimes challenging events that guide the direction of her personal journey.  

Spring Fever

Author: Mary Kay Andrews

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Publish Date: June 2012

A light summer read, Mary Kay Andrews has developed several interesting characters in this book. Annajane Hudgens and Mason Bayless were married then divorced several years ago. After the divorce, Annajane remains best friends with Mason’s sister Pokie, and also continues to work for the Bayless family business, Quixie Beverage Company. The intrigue in the plot links Annajane with Mason’s new girlfriend, Celia, and Quixie Beverages in unexpected ways. A deceitful heart can be hard to recognize in people we have trusted, and as the author unravels the sticky webs of deceit woven around her characters, the reader is reminded anew that honesty and truth are traits we all should ascribe to.

Special Delivery

Author: Kathi Macias
Publisher: New Hope Publishers
Pub Date: March 2012

Mara is a waitress at a seafood café earning enough money to rent a room and meet her basic needs. It has taken her two years to finally gain citizenship in the United States, free from her homeland of Mexico. Her parents had sold her into slavery, and her uncle, Jefe, had raped her for the first time and then prostituted her out until his capture and imprisonment.

Two years earlier, Jonathan had helped break up a human-trafficking ring that forced teens and young children to be sex slaves right in their own San Diego area. Mara was one of those girls. Jonathan admits that he wonders and thinks about her often and what she is doing now. Because of that rescue, Jonathan’s family is now involved in the ministry of rescuing human-trafficking victims and helping them recover, get established, and begin new and productive lives. This is not a typical romance novel, and the hero and heroine do not end up together at the end of the book...but are both stronger for their friendship.

I was impressed with this book, at how the author told the heinous story of human trafficking here in the United States. This is the first book by Kathi Macias I have read, and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the "Freedom" series of books in this series.

Kelsey's Song

Author: Lanie Kincaid
Publisher Name: Griffyn Ink
Publish Date: June 2010

This is a wonderful story about two people, JD & Kelsey, who are dealing with circumstances in their lives that they never planned. JD Hewlitt is a guitarist for the struggling band Wilder and just found out that he is a father of a 5-year-old girl. He meets Kelsey Conklin when he and his daughter Andie are in Target and Andie throws a temper tantrum. Kelsey helps calm Andie down and thinks nothing more about it until she realizes they are neighbors. JD and Kelsey slowly get to know each other over the next several months as she helps him cope with new parenthood, and he helps her come out of her shell after grieving the tragic death of her mentally ill brother.

Ms. Kincaid’s cast of characters is vibrant, three-dimensional and incredibly realistic. Kelsey Conklin is an undeniably strong woman with a sweet and giving personality. JD Hewlitt is charming and delightfully inept in his new role as a father. Kelsey’s children, Daniel and Allie, are absolutely adorable, and even when she is being a "demon child", JD’s daughter Andie works her way into the reader’s heart. Fully rounding out the cast of characters are JD’s brother TJ and fellow band mates Craig and Alex.

Kelsey’s Song is an enjoyable read with an appealing cast of characters. It is a heartwarming and uplifting romance, and if you enjoy novels centered around families, then you should definitely pick up a copy Kelsey’s Song.

The Brotherhood

Author: Jerry Jenkins
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publish Date: January 2011

Jerry B. Jenkins has started a new police thriller series in the Precinct 11 novels. The book has an interesting plot and Christian theme. I've never read any of Jenkins' other works (Leave Behind series in particular) so I didn't quite know what to expect. I liked the way he integrated Christian beliefs without being cheesy or preachy. Jerry Jenkins' writing style is flawless and easy to read, yet compelling. It was also kind of an eye-opener to frightening organized crime activities that are out there.
The Brotherhood is primarily the story of Boone Drake, a cop's cop, and his reaction to tragedy in his life. An unexpected accident changes Boone Drake's life in an instant. Unable to understand such tragedy, he searches for meaning in his job, his routine, and the bottom of a bottle. His emotions and questions are raw and honest and pulsate throughout the novel. But it goes beyond that into the heart of gangland in Chicago, where the Chicago PD is preparing the sting operation of a lifetime.
People who are affiliated with law enforcement or enjoy law enforcement novels will especially enjoy this book.

The Tehran Initiative

Author: Joel Rosenberg
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publish Date: October 2011

Joel C. Rosenberg in his book "The Tehran Initiative" Book Two in the “The Twelfth Imam” series published by Tyndale House Publishers brings us to The Middle East in the possible future. 'The Tehran Initiative', is a strong, compelling political thriller. Rosenberg hooks the reader from page one and the story flows effortlessly from there.

The main character of the novel is David Shirazi, a CIA operative working undercover in Iran. In Tehran, the Twelfth Imam has emerged, attracting those Muslims who believe him to be the messiah and call for the destruction of those who would oppose them. "I have come to bring peace and justice and to rule the earth with a rod of iron," he continued. "This is why Allah sent me. He will reward those who submit. He will punish those who resist. But make no mistake, Iskander; in the end, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that I am the Lord of the Age."

The dialog between the characters is believable and flows naturally. The 400 pages cover an intense 7-day period between Tehran, Jerusalem and Washington. If the reader steps out of the novel into actual current events, such a week has the potential to be the most intense week in history. World leaders face decisions that could obliterate entire nations in a matter of seconds if the wrong decision would be made.

I recommend this novel for anyone who wants a good story that seems like it could appear in tomorrow's newspaper.

River's Song

By: Melody Carlson
Publisher: Abington Press
Publish Date: August 2011
Review Run Date: Indefinite

River's Song is the first book in Ms. Carlson's series, The Inn at Shining Waters. Set in 1957, this is a story about a woman who has faced many challenges in her life, and now is struggling to understand who she is, and what she wants from life.

Anna Gunderson married at a young age for love. Tragically, her husband is seriously injured in the war, and Anna spends a difficult season tending to her husband while living under the roof of her autocratic mother-in-law. After her husband dies, followed by the deaths of her parents, Anna slips the bonds of her enslavement to her mother-in-law and returns to to her childhood home on the banks of the Siuslaw River in Oregon.

River's Song is a wonderful story about the power of this river to bring healing and renewal of purpose to Anna. The reader is drawn to Anna's character; she has experienced so much heartbreak that her ability to even desire healing for herself is questionnable. Thankfully, Anna develops a small support system who encourage her along the road to wholeness