Where Treetops Glisten Review

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The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime
 
Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, 
filled with the wonder of Christmas
 
Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana. 

In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help. 

I think that out of the three stories White Christmas was my favorite! Not that I didn't like the other story's I just enjoyed this one a little bit more. I loved Abigail, the realness of her pain from past lost and her skittishness to become attached again made my heart go out to her. I also fell in love with Jackson and his need to care for his family. I enjoyed that the story was just simply sweet, there was no need to toss in an extra stumbling block for the characters to overcome like I see a lot of novella authors try to do. You only have a short time to tell a story and I think Cara used hers perfectly.

5 out of 5. 

Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?

I'll Be Home for Christmas was also really really good! I think everyone who has read this story will agree with me when I say that Linnie is the best! Now the adult characters weren't to bad themselves (I loved seeing Pete learn from Linnie and I enjoyed getting to know Grace) but Linnie totally stole the show in I'll Be Home for Christmas and I'm pretty sure she stole my heart too!

5 out of 5.

In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart. 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas tells Merry's story away from home in Lafayette, Indiana. Though she ended up growing on me Merry wasn't my favorite character at first. I think it had to do with her focus on how her heart was broken in the past but I don't know really there was just something. But by the end I came to enjoy her character. 

4 out of 5.

The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?

A very Christmas worthy Afternoon Snack. 

I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

A Promise to Protect Review

In a steamy small town riddled with broken promises, one woman's secret could change everything.
Acting Sheriff Ben Logan hasn't heard from Leigh Somerall in a very long time, but it doesn't mean he can get her--or their whirlwind romance of ten years ago--out of his head. When she calls out of the blue, it is with a strange request to protect her brother, Tony. But all too soon, Ben is charged with a different task--protecting Leigh from the people after her brother. With Leigh doing everything in her power to avoid Ben, it's no easy task. And the secret she is keeping just may change their lives forever.

A Promise to Protect by Patricia Bradley is the second book in the Logan Point series and a very intense read! There are twists and turn everywhere and they make for one pretty suspenseful read. If you love Christian romantic suspense then Patricia Bradley is one name you should add to your 'To Read' pile and not the bottom put it right up there on the top! The characters are easy to love and the mystery is sure to keep you on the very edge of your seat. So make room on your shelf because you are sure to be adding A Promise to Protect by Patricia Bradley to it very soon! 

5 out of 5. An amazing Afternoon Snack! 

I got a free review copy of A Promise to Protect from Revell Publishers in return for my honest review.

Becoming Bea Review

Can Bea and Ben Turn Rivalry Into Romance? 
Beatrice Zook knows God wants her to learn patience toward others. When assisting a family overwhelmed by triplets proves surprisingly successful, her confidence in dealing with others, both young and old, grows. 

One person she'll never be able to find peace with though is Ben Rupp. They've known each other forever, and Ben understands precisely how to antagonize her. What neither she nor Ben will admit is that beneath all their bickering, attraction awaits. When friends decide to try and bring the couple together, will the pair be able to find true love? Or will they damage their relationship beyond repair?

Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould is a really great Amish romance, one of the best I have read in awhile. It's an Amish retelling of Shakespeare's  Much Ado About Nothing. I didn't know that until after I read the story and not because I didn't see any similarities but because I have never read Much Ado About Nothing. I've never read much Shakespeare to be honest I've never really got it (Sorry Shakespeare lovers). Anyway about the book itself, I really enjoyed the story. I found Ben and Bea's relationship interesting to say the least, it wasn't until towards the end when I really felt like they were ready to be in one.  All in all I really fell in love with this book.
This is one Amish book you won't want to miss!

5 out of 5. A delightful Afternoon Snack! 

I got a free review copy of Becoming Bea from Bethany House Publishers in return for my honest review.

Magnolia Market Review

Fresh starts aren’t nearly as glamorous as they appear. And love isn’t any easier the second time around.

Avery Broussard was savoring her long-dormant optimism. It was the first anniversary of her husband’s death, and she was finally going to buy the dress boutique from her former mother-in-law. After a year of saving, the deal was nearly done. Avery was about to get her life back.

But every deal in Samford, Louisiana, can change at the whim of a Broussard. After being unceremoniously ejected from the very boutique she planned to buy—the boutique she herself had rescued from ruin—she becomes a woman without a future . . . suddenly at war with her late husband’s family.

When carpenter T. J. Aillet begins working for the Broussards doing manual labor, he overhears enough to know that Avery is being victimized. Soon enough, T. J. is lassoed into the squabble by his family connections, his good heart . . . and the undeniable attraction he feels toward Avery.

But the Aillets are no strangers to Samford society—and T. J. knows what happens when you cross the Broussards. Could these two misfits ever make a start together? Or will the pressures of Samford society pull them apart before they even get a chance to try?

Magnolia Market is the second book in the Trumpet & Vine series by Judy Christie. I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet novel. It was a easy read for me and almost all the characters in Magnolia Market were likable (you know besides the in-laws). While I felt like there were some over the top situations at times (with the in-laws) I found the whole book very real to life. All I can really say now is that I really enjoyed Magnolia Market and that I can't wait to read the next book in the Trumpet & Vine series.

4 out of 5. A sweet, light Afternoon Snack.

I received a copy of this book from BookLook in exchange for my honest review.

Thunder Review

The Time of Sorrows is long past.
The future of Selah and her people is shrouded in mystery.
And the clock is ticking.

In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting, though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah's really after are Landers, mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if they keep the markings they arrive with.

Everything falls to pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers--and Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander's distinctive mark has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her--Bohdi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.

With evocative descriptions of a strange new world that combines elements of scientific advances, political intrigue, and wilderness survival, Bonnie S. Calhoun weaves a captivating tale of a world more like our own than we may want to admit.

Thunder by Bonnie Calhoun was a very captivating story. Thunder is the first book in the authors new dystopian series the Stone Braide Chronicles. While I really enjoyed the book (I read it in one day) I was very confused through most of it. Everything seemed to happen so fast and all at the same time. I knew when I started that I'd be confused for a bit because that's what always happens when you read a dystopian/fantasy book. Everything is new and confusing until you get a grasp on the new world the author has created. And while I did start to understand a lot by the middle of the book I felt like I was still missing a lot by the end. I know this is a series and that most likely more will be explained in the second book, but I just felt like I needed more information to understand the events that were going on. But other than being confused I really like all the characters and the writing is terrific! So I think if you a fan of dystopian novels then you should definitely pick up Thunder.

3.5 out of 5. An Afternoon Snack that took my to a different world.

I got a free review copy of Thunder from Revell Publishers in return for my honest review.

Deceived Review

A grieving mother. 

A mysterious child. 

And a dedicated PI who's determined to solve the puzzle.

For three years, Kate Marshall has been mourning the loss of her husband and four-year-old son in a boating accident. But when she spots a familiar-looking child on a mall escalator, she's convinced it's her son. With police skeptical of her story, she turns to private investigator Connor Sullivan for help. As the former Secret Service agent digs into the case, the boating "accident" begins to look increasingly suspicious. But if Kate's son is alive, someone is intent on keeping him hidden--and may go to lethal lengths to protect a sinister secret.
As Irene Hannon's many fans have come to expect, Deceived is filled with complex characters, unexpected twists, and a riveting plotline that accelerates to an explosive finish.

Deceived by Irene Hannon is the third book in her Private Justice series. This book is written by one of the best suspense writers I have ever read! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out the mystery and the motive right along with the characters. Speaking of characters I absolutely loved the characters in Deceived! They were very true to life and it was very easy for me as the reader to connect with them. I like how you get to know who the 'bad guy' is from pretty much the start. That way you have to figure out the why instead of the who. There is no need to scrutinize ever character you meet along the way in case they are 'it', if you get what I mean. 
All in all I really really loved this book and can't wait to read Irene's next book, Buried Secrets! 

5 out of 5. A suspenseful Afternoon Snack! 

I got a free review copy of Deceived from Revell Publishers in return for my honest review.