Book Reviews

Abigail Jones is a successful investigative journalist who has a column in her mother’s magazine, but she has been sentenced from Chicago to Moose Creek, Montana, to rest for 3 months in the summer at her Great-Aunt Lucy’s house. Wade Ryan, once a celebrity rodeo champion, now lives a peaceful and quiet but busy life at his Stillwater Ranch. When his daughter’s summer nanny quits unexpectedly two days before summer, he hires Abigail, who his daughter, Maddy, connects with, to be her nanny. Shortly after taking the job, Abigail discovers she’s living with a celebrity whose whereabouts have been unknown for years after the mysterious death of his wife. In order to save her mother’s magazine, she investigates what happened to Maddy’s mother but Abigail is conflicted since she is fiercely attracted to Wade. What will happen if she falls in love with the man she’s investigating and will he forgive her this betrayal after all he’s been through?

I thoroughly enjoyed this Christian romance by Denise Hunter. I’ve read a lot of her books and she always writes about real people with real issues. The characters are endearing and made me excited to read her next Big Sky book when it comes out in January 2012. I loved the relationships that developed in Moose Creek as I was trying to discover who would be featured in the next book in the series. The growth that Abigail and Wade went through was very realistic and centered around the Lord.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun and touching Christian romance set in modern times with cowboys and country living.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.com and Thomas Nelson but I was not required to give a positive review.

Special Agent Meghan Connors’ next assignment is the VP’s daughter, Lindsey. If she can get this job right, she may have a chance at the VP’s protection detail or even the President’s. She will not fail at protecting Lindsey from herself and from those who want her dead. However, Special Agent In-Charge Ash Zinders doesn’t believe women make good agents. Can Meghan and Ash get over their differences and find out who is trying to threaten and kill Lindsey? Lindsey is a wild child – she has been in and out of rehab for alcohol and drug abuse. She is taken to a Texas ranch to recover from a suicide attempt and be protected from those trying to kill her. Due to dealing with her sister’s past in rehab, Meghan is well-equipped to find a way to help Lindsey stay clean and hope for a new life. Ash must also find a way to work with the beautiful and capable Meghan who is quickly worming her way into his heart. Lindsey doesn’t know who she can trust with her secret but something must be done or more lives will be lost. Will she have the courage to face her fears?

I loved reading about the Secret Service and how everything usually works since I don’t usually read many books regarding them. I loved being inside the agents’ heads and imagining how they think and speak and feel. The characters are very relatable and the reader empathizes with Ash, Meghan, and Lindsey. The suspense was just right and the writing was well done.

The reason I gave a 4 instead of a 5 is because I felt the story dragged in the middle and I kept hoping they would wrap the story up soon. The hope of salvation is not as seamlessly woven into the plot as I’d like but it is clear and the characters do grow.

All in all I would definitely recommend this book, especially to those who like a good government mystery romance.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.com and Tyndale but I was not required to write a positive review.

Peyton MacGruber is a columnist for “The Heart Healer” in the Tampa Times, who strictly writes facts with no nonsense. She is about to lose her job as a columnist if she can’t find a way to gain more readers – she has the lowest readership of all the columns. When PanWorld Flight 848 goes down in the bay, Peyton witnesses the loss and sorrow and does her best to help out. When a woman, who reads her column, gives to her a handwritten note of a father’s forgiveness that was salvaged by a plastic zipped baggie, Peyton knows her next column should be about searching for the person whom the note was meant for. This note may or may not be a hoax but in a time full of sorrow and tragedy, the hope of finding the recipient drives Peyton to write from her heart. With only a first initial to guide her, Peyton must investigate all of the passengers and their children to deliver a message of forgiveness and love, while she deals with her own feelings of neglect from her father.

I absolutely loved this book and I’m curious to see what Hallmark did with the story as a movie. I loved the character of Peyton – she was so real and had to deal with sensitive situations in her life. The story of forgiveness is beautifully written into this incredibly interesting “what-if” story. I was in tears by the end because of how emotionally attached I became with Peyton’s character. The note:” T- I love you. All is forgiven. -Dad”  was truly life-changing for the characters and the story will touch your heart.

I highly recommend this book! (I received this book through Goodreads Bookswap)