REVIEW: The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

Date:                     10/25/12

Title:                      The Bridge

Author:                  Karen Kingsbury

ISBN 13:              978-1-4516-4701-3

Pages:                   232

Publisher:              Howard Books/Simon & Schuster

Cover:                  Hardcover

Rating:                  3

I vaguely remember reading a Karen Kingsbury holiday classic years ago and it seems similar to this title. The Bridge is about Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly, and Charlie and Donna Barton.

Ryan and Molly meet at a bookstore named the Bridge. Molly and Ryan are taken back by each other, but two things keep them from letting their true feelings known—Molly’s family has already pre-arranged her marriage and Ryan has a girlfriend back home.

Charlie and Donna Barton open the Bridge after Charlie’s father tells him he will be a failure and after Donna loses their only hope for a child. The Bridge is destroyed by a freak weather incident and Ryan and Donna have very little hope to re-open the famous bookstore, and after Charlie is involved in a near fatal accident. All hope seems to have diminished, until Ryan and Molly reconnect.

Karen Kingsbury has written dozens of books and has had ten #1 bestsellers, so she must be doing something right. I believe an author of her stature is entitled to a failed title every now and then. And even though I won’t say this book is a complete fail, it just didn’t float my book. If you’re looking for a short read and something to give you a little hope, this may be your book. This was a review book, and I am glad that I didn’t pay the $19.99 list price for the hardback, let alone $9.99 list price for the e-book.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

REVIEW: The Ghost of Christmas Present by Abbott & Swinton

Date:                  10/24/12

Title:                   The Ghost of Christmas Present

Author:               Scott Abbott and Amy Maude Swinton

ISBN 13:           978-1-4516-6039-5

Pages:                226

Publisher:           Howard Books/Simon & Schuster

Cover:               Hardcover

Rating:               3

This book was, in my opinion, a partial ode to Shakespeare, of whom I’m not the biggest fan. However, what I took away from this book was that the human spirit cannot be broken.

Patrick Guthrie is left to take care of his ailing son, Braden, alone. Braden has an enlarged heart and is in need of a delicate procedure. Bad luck, trials and test are thrown at Patrick from every angle. Not only is he put in a position to be there for his little boy, and “hope” him through the procedure, Patrick has been laid off from his job and eventually he is threatened with losing his son because the courts have concluded that Patrick is no longer able to take care of his son financially.

Unable to bear much more, Patrick contemplates suicide until he realizes that he would leave his son alone. Patrick then is hired and fired from another job that leaves him panhandling on the streets in an effort to keep and take care of his son.

This story shows that no matter how much is put on a person, they have the ability to overcome many obstacles with faith, love and determination.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

REVIEW: You Have It In You by Sheryl Brady

Date:                  10/12/12

Title:                   You Have It In You! Empowered to Do the Impossible

Author:               Sheryl Brady

ISBN 13:            978-1-456-7410-1

Pages:                 232

Publisher:            Howard Books/Simon & Schuster

Cover:                Hardcover

Rating:                4 Stars

                In You Have It In You! Empowered to Do the Impossible, author Sheryl Brady, gives personal details of her journey around the country only to end up where she started. Pastor Grady is a pastor of the world renowned Potters House in Dallas, Texas, founded by Bishop T.D. Jakes.

                Guided merely by faith, Sheryl was no stranger to moving from church to church, and from city to city. Her journey, which initially took her from the Potter’s House in Dallas, all the way to North Carolina and back to Dallas.

                My overall take away from this book was that if you allow your faith in God to guide you, He will always take care of you—no matter where he takes you. Sheryl Brady uses many biblical references to characters who showed tremendous amounts of faith, from Rahab to Joseph, to Ruth. In addition to blind faith, one must be obedient to the word of God and the author gives plenty of examples of this.

                This is certainly one of those inspirational titles that I will add to my personal library and refer to it throughout my journey.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Howard Books, for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

BLOG TOUR: Losing Hope Virtual Book Tour

About the Author

Leslie J. Sherrod is a wife, mom, writer, and a therapist in Baltimore, Maryland, where she lives with her husband and three children. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland at College Park with a B.S. in Family Studies. She also studied writing at Johns Hopkins University before completing her Masters in Clinical Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she specialized in Child, Adolescent, and Family Health.

Leslie is the author of three novels, Losing Hope (coming September 2012); Secret Place (Urban Christian, 2011); and Like Sheep Gone Astray (Grand Central Publishing, 2006), which earned a Starred Review from Booklist and was featured on AOL’s Black Voices. She is also a contributor to a couple of women’s devotionals in the bestselling A Cup of Comfort series (Adams Media). A short story, “The Jericho Band,” is available on Kindle.

Through suspenseful and thought-provoking stories, Leslie offers readers hope and encouragement to live out their God-given dreams and purposes. One of her favorite Bible verses is Ephesians 3:20, which states that “[God] is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” It is this message she carries to book signings, bookstores, workshops, and church events both in her neighborhood and across the nation.

About the Book

From the acclaimed author of Like Sheep Gone Astray and Secret Place comes a riveting new series with twists and turns to the end.

Social worker Sienna St. James is a woman with a complicated past and a confusing Tuesday morning.

In one single day, every advance Sienna has made in getting over her long lost globe-trotting husband unravels in unexplainable fashion. From a mysterious package that hails from another continent to a new teen client who claims to have a missing sister, Sienna finds herself in the middle of a city-wide scandal, all while sorting out the painful details of her personal life. At the center are two suspicious foster parents, a mega-church ministry leader, and Sienna’s own fragile emotions over a man who changed the direction of her life. It’s a race against time as Sienna seeks closure from a love she never understood and answers about whether a little girl named Hope ever existed. And if she did, where is she now?

In this first installment of the suspenseful Sienna St. James Series, finding hope in the midst of questions and chaos becomes essential when life takes an unexpected turn.

Purchase the Book Online at:

Amazon.com

BarnesandNoble.com

Click one of the icons below to listen to Leslie's Interview with That Literary Lady 

  

 

Book Trailer:

Book Review:

Date:                10/10/12

Title:                 Losing Hope  

Author:             Leslie Sherrod  

ISBN 13:           978-1-60162-729-2

Pages:             400      

Publisher:         Urban Christian

Cover:              Paperback        

Rating:              4 Stars

This is my first Leslie Sherrod novel and I have to say that I enjoyed it. I was taken aback in the beginning because the book could have easily read as a paranormal or sci-fi book. Little Dayonna Diamond’s demeanor sure had me on the edge of my seat. However, as I read on, thing became clearer to me.

Sienna St. James is a social worker and is struggling with how to feel about the death of her son’s father. In addition, she’s just been assigned a case that is closer to her heart than she ever realized. One of the children she is assigned to is Dayonna Diamond and she is challenged to find the child’s supposed sister, Hope. The chase takes Sienna on a whirlwind of emotions and intrigue that ends up in a place where she never thought she’d be.

Losing Hope is the first installment of the Sienna St. James Series. I usually don’t like coming into a series half way through or the second or third book and I’m so glad I caught his one first. I look forward to reading other books in this series

Visit the author online at:

lesliejsherrod.wix.com/lesliejsherrod

http://www.facebook.com/leslie.sherrod

View the blog tour schedule at: 

http://www.tywebbin.com/blog-tours/authors-on-tour/2012-tours/

BLOG TOUR: If I Were Your Woman Virtual Tour with LaConnie Taylor-Jones

About the Author

Award-winning author, LaConnie Taylor-Jones, a native Memphian, is a health educator consultant and holds advanced degrees in community public health and business administration.  The mother of four and resides with her family in Northern California.

For over twenty-five years, Ms. Taylor-Jones has been an avid romance reader. In the summer of 2003 a challenge from her husband made her seize the opportunity to blend her enthusiasm for teaching health, social responsibility and social justice with her love for reading the genre. Her experience as a health educator sparked a multitude of storylines and her romance, which she defines as the spirit of adventure, played a pivotal part in her road to publication. In a little over four years, she’s authored three full-length novels. In 2008, Ms. Taylor-Jones was the recipient of the 2008 Romance Slam Jam Emma Award for Debut Author of the Year for When I’m With You.

Ms. Taylor-Jones is an active member of the Contra Costa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the African American Community Health Advisory Committee and the Black Women Organized for Political Action.

Website – http://www.laconnietaylorjones.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/laconnie.taylorjones

About the Book

Tinsel Town is about to learn a few lessons from a Southern doctor with the courage to win the heart of a man who swore no woman ever would. If it doesn’t have a scientific basis, Dr. Laney Olivia Houston doesn’t believe in it —and that includes love at first sight. But she meets Raphael Baptiste. One encounter is all it takes; and she realizes her life is changed forever. Jazz musician, Raphael Baptiste is no stranger to women or their beds. When an illness strikes, his life is thrown into turmoil. But the quiet Southern belle sees beyond his past and bitterness. She sees a man who could love. . .

Purchase link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0985576103?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0985576103&linkCode=xm2&tag=httpallthebuz-20

Follow the tour

October 15 – Written Voices
October 16 – Literary Wonders
October 17 – SORMAG
October 18 – Readin & Writin with Patricia
October 19 – APOOO

Literary Wonders Review

Date:                10/10/12

Title:                 If I Were Your Woman   

Author:             LaConnie Taylor-Jones 

ISBN 13:           978-0985576103

Pages:              172      

Publisher:         4 C’s Publishing           

Cover:              Paperback        

Rating:             3 Stars

Ralphael Baptiste, a music mogul, is a ladies’ man, and being so, he knew he could have any woman of his choosing, with the exception of Laney Houston. There was something about this wealthy doctor that has caused him to choose a vow of celibacy, and render him speechless every time she crosses his mind.

Laney Houston is a wealthy scientist and has a passion for healing. Being of mixed ancestry, not many approve of her status and are determined to put her in her place. Dr. Houston has a thing for Raphael, aka, Ray but she is keeping that secret to herself. She knows about his past and refuses to be another one of his conquests.

Ray and Laney find themselves in the middle of the action when Ray is diagnosed with a life threatening disease. There are people who want Ray out of the way and then there are those who want Laney out of the way. The two join together to fight their enemies and prove that love is much more than physical pleasure.

This was my first LaConnie Taylor-Jones read and I did enjoy it. The book is approximately 172 pages and I feel that there was more space and time to develop some of the scenes and relationships in the story.

I look forward to reading more from this author. 

Having Fun with LaConnie

1.Would you rather find true love or be filthy rich? Uuh, could I have a little of both - LOL!!  No seriously, love is something money can never buy.  It's priceless.

2.      Would you rather sing in the rain or dance in the streets?  Since I can't carry a tune if my life depended on it, I'd double down on dancing in the streets.

3.      Complete this sentence - If you were stranded on an island… I'd consider it a blessing from the duties of parenting three teenagers who think they know everything, but don’t know jack!

4.      Out of all your college experiences, what was the most fun? Staying up all night paying Bid Whist!

5.      If I came to your home and looked in your refrigerator, what would I find? Considering I have three teenagers at home, you'll always find pizza and sodas.

Follow the tour all week, leaving a comment at each stop, and be entered to win a new Kindle Fire HD courtesy of LaConnie!