The Christmas Angel Project

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

The Christmas Angel Project shows us what the holidays are all about and how angels are all among us.

Book clubs are a nice way to make friends. But when one friend is the glue that holds the rest together, it is hard to stay organized if something happens to that one friend. When Abby, the leader of a club of five women, dies the rest of the group doesn’t know if they want to continue the club. It is right before Christmas and they feel the need to stay together a little longer to honor Abby’s memory. Abby had prepared gift bags for each member of the group and after she passes her husband hands them out. Inside is a small angel ornament specific for each person. It is almost as if she knew she were fixing to die and wanted to leave something for her friends to keep them going. They decide the best way to honor Abby, who was a sort of guardian angel to each of them, is to become angels to those around them. They each use their own unique talents to help others and find that in the process they become blessed themselves.

Melody Carlson puts a delightful spin on the holiday story of helping others to spread the Christmas cheer. The Christmas Angel Project is the type of story that can be read at any time of year to help us remember that sometimes the best way to help ourselves feel better is to do something for someone else. One of the characters is on the verge of depression, but after she works on her Angel project she finds that she no longer feels depressed. By helping others she has inadvertently helped herself out of the lousy mood she has been in for a very long time. That is a take away we can all use at any time of the year, not just Christmas. There are a lot of characters to follow at times for such a short book but they all come together at the end to bring the story to a pleasant close. It is a sweet book that should be read and used as an example on leading a life that will help you to feel like an angel on earth for at least a short while. You never know who you might be the angel for. I recommend this for all to read especially around the holidays.

The Road We Traveled

Road we traveled Author: Jane Kirkpatrick

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: September 6, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

An exciting and detailed account along the Oregon Trail!

The Road We Traveled provides a detailed account of the journey of Tabitha Moffat Brown, also known as the mother of Oregon. The book begins the account when Tabitha’s son Orus returns to Missouri from his scouting trip to Oregon and convinces the family that there is a better life for them in Oregon. However, Orus believes that Tabitha will not be able to sustain the trip to Oregon and encourages her to stay in Missouri. Even though she has a club foot from childhood and she knows she would be a burden, Tabitha cannot fathom watching her all of her children and grandchildren travel to Oregon and leaving her alone. When her late husband’s brother John Brown suddenly arrives, she convinces John that they can make the trip together. What unfolds is a tale of fun, fear, sadness, separation, starvation, and most importantly faith as the family makes the trek to Oregon.

The journey continues once the family arrives in Oregon. Orus has already claimed his place in the forest grove. Her daughter and son-in-law decided to stay in Salem. Not wanting to be a burden to anyone, Tabitha and her changeling Nellie, who was left behind by her family on the trail, end up staying with a pastor and his wife. Eventually, Tabitha begins to realize that her work is not down. When she discovers how many children are orphaned along the Oregon trail, she feels that something must be done. She first convinces people that a school must be set up. Then some time later a university first known as Tualatin Academy, now known as Pacific University. And eventually the statehood of Oregon. It becomes clear why she is known as the mother of Oregon.

This tale was a wonderfully written story that covers a time of history that is well known, but probably not well studied. People have heard of the Oregon trail (or at least played the game), but few really understand what happened along the trail or why people made the trek. Kirkpatrick does a great job giving a first person account of the trials and tribulations along the trail. I had never thought about families being accidently separated, leaving children orphaned along the way. This book definitely put the history in a different perspective.

If you’ve ever been interested in the Oregon Trail or just enjoy historical accounts, I recommend to add this book to your reading list.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Baker Publishing Group in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

The Occupied

The Occupied Author: Craig Parshall

Publisher: Tyndale House

Release Date: September 1, 2016

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

When the struggle with the devil becomes too intense, Trevor Black is forced to face it head on.

While in his teens, Trevor Black encounters spiritual forces beyond his own understanding that unknowingly follow him into adulthood. He has become a top notch attorney in New York City and is living the dream with a six-figure salary and a trophy wife. Before he can enjoy his success, he is somehow granted the ability to sense the invisible and see the dark forces at work in the world. These dark forces turn their work towards him. All of a sudden, he finds himself out of a job and being looked at as a religious kook. His past comes back to haunt him as one of his hometown friends is murdered and the method is shockingly close to that of the murders he had been looking into in New York. He makes his way home to find out what happened to his friend and see if he can help solve the case. As he investigates, he realizes he is going to face his own demons as well as the supernatural ones.

It is hard to write a good supernatural mystery that seems as if it could actually take place, but Craig Parshall has done just that. The story follows Trevor from childhood all the way to adulthood. For that long of a span of time, it might seem to lose some of the story at times but luckily that wasn’t the case. Parshall did an excellent job of spanning the time without losing the reader. I haven’t read many supernatural books that keep me hooked and believing what is written. It is just a difficult thing to write about so I have steered clear of it. I feel as if this is the start of a new series and I am very curious to see where it might led from this point on. Parshall has grabbed me with this story and I don’t have any desire to jump away from Trevor Black and what is to come. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good mystery with a supernatural twist to it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Catching Heat

Catching Heat Author: Janice Cantore

Series: Cold Case Justice #3

Publisher: Tyndale

Release Date: September 1, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

As the final installment in the Cold Case Justice series concludes, Abby and Luke look for closure in the case that has haunted them for decades.

It has been 27 years since the deaths of Detective Abby Hart’s parents and she still searches for answers and justice for them. She can’t prove it yet, but she knows the governor’s wife, Alyssa Rollins, is the one behind her years of pain. She has teamed up with PI Luke Murphy on the cold case squad and together they head to San Luis Obispo to try and solve the cold case murder of a college student. Their new investigation will put them near the town where Alyssa Rollins grew up. Hoping to find more information that will help put her behind bars, Abby and Luke try to work their cold case along with the investigation into Rollins. As they continue to work closer together, their feelings develop even further putting a personal stake into all that they do. Abby goes over the top in the investigation and Luke is afraid her obsession might be too much to handle.

Janice Cantore has become one of my favorite authors. Her writing is clean, and always keeps me turning the page. With Catching Heat, I was looking forward to a nice conclusion to the Cold Case Justice series. While questions were answered, I found this to be my least favorite of the series. It was still a great read, I just found myself bothered by the amount of time spent focusing on the relationship and romance aspect of the story. There wasn’t as much suspense as I would have liked. The end took it up to a nice level but throughout there wasn’t the normal suspense Cantore normally provides. Abby and Luke were meant to be together, that was obvious, they both spent too much time trying to deny their feelings for each other instead of facing it head on. There was a lot to this story. Not only were they trying to solve the murder of Abby’s parents, but they were also looking into multiple other cases at the same time. It seemed as if Cantore was trying to bring up the suspense with the extra cases but instead it took away from the main focus of the story. Cantore is a great writer of the police procedural if she sticks with the formula that works and doesn’t try to put too much into the story. Overall my favorite aspect of the whole series was the way Abby was a female but didn’t have to rely on a male to keep her safe or do any of the dangerous work for her. Just like all of Cantore’s characters she is strong, and capable of handling whatever she encounters. I look forward to the start of the next Janice Cantore series for another great read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Everything We Keep

Everything we keep Author: Kerry Lonsdale

Publisher: Lake Union

Release Date: August 1, 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Suspenseful, thought provoking, and just a good overall book!

Aimee Tierney has just had her life turned upside down. She just buried her fiancée. On her wedding day. If that weren’t bad enough, after the funeral a woman came by claiming to know that her fiancée, James, was still alive. Aimee doesn’t believe her, but after realizing that she never saw the body, doubts begin to build in her mind. A week after this, her parents announce that they have sold the family restaurant that Aimee grew up in and is currently sous chef. With her world crumbling around her, she has to figure out what she wants to do and how to move on. Eventually, she decides to open her own restaurant, which she uses the money given to her by her late fiancée’s brother. In the process, she meets Ian, a photographer who is exhibiting his photos in a local gallery. There is instant electricity between the two of them, but Aimee just can’t bring herself to act on it. As the doubts begin to build and she continues to receive clues that James might be alive in Mexico, Aimee decides to go find out for herself. Maybe she can finally either get James back or move on.

This summer I have been blessed with books that have made me think. This one was no exception. Every time that I thought I have it figured out, the author kept pushing me in another direction. I’m so glad that she did because it gave me a great ride.

Even though Aimee is twenty-seven, I would still consider this a coming of age novel. She has always been dependent on somebody her entire life and she is finally coming into her own. She has to make her own decisions and then she finally makes the decision that affects her life from that point forward. Along the way there is plenty of humor and tense romance to keep it interesting.

There was some occasional strong foul language and a couple of love scenes that weren’t explicit, but pretty easy to get the point of what was going on. I wouldn’t recommend this book to YA. More to the twenty something crowd!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the TLC Book Tours. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

A Torch Against the Night

A torch against the night Author: Sabaa Tahir

Series: An Ember in the Ashes #2

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: August 30, 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

A stellar follow up to the amazing debut novel by Sabaa Tahir. A Torch Against the Night is not to be missed!

Now that Laia has freed Elias, they are on the run to stay alive and free Laia’s brother who is in Kauf prison. Being one of the Empire’s most secure and dangerous prisons, this is no easy task. Elias has vowed to help Laia but it might cost him his own life. Together they will have to fight their enemies at every turn, and they will not be playing fair. They are going against Emperor Marcus, Elias’s mother, the Commandant, the Warden of Kauf, and Helene, Elias’s former best friend and the Empire’s new Blood Shrike. Helen has the hardest mission of all, find them both and kill them. If she doesn’t, she risks the lives of her family and possible her own. There are those that don’t want to see her succeed and even put spies within her guard to thwart her every move. They are all on a treacherous path and not everyone will make it out alive.

I don’t think anyone realized how popular An Ember in the Ashes would be when it came out. That gives the debut of A Torch Against the Night a difficult task: be even better. It is hard for a sequel like this to live up to the first. I had to reread the first before starting this to make sure I remembered the story well enough to continue. I’m glad I did because it made this one even better. While An Ember in the Ashes went back and forth between Elias and Laia, A Torch Against the Night added the viewpoint of Helen. This was done for obvious reasons. With Elias and Laia together most of the time, we needed a viewpoint of what was going on with the rest of the characters. This could have been done with several characters, Helen, Marcus, or even the Commandant. I’m glad Tahir chose to go with Helen, she really carried her part of the story well. The action picked up right where the first left off and didn’t let up till the very end, which is left open for the next in the series. (I’m assuming there will be more in this series, there MUST!) The entire world was set up in the first book but here we see much more of it and in very interesting ways, especially with the introduction of the many different tribes. There is so much more for us to find out with these characters and where they are headed. I see this being as big of a hit, if not more, than the first.

The Buried Book

The Buried Book Author: D.M. Pulley

Publisher: Lake Union

Release Date: August 23, 2016

Rating: 4 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Very good historical account of 1952 Detroit and rural Michigan seen through the eyes of a young boy!

Nine year old Jasper Leary has just been abandoned at his uncle’s farm by his mother. Sure she has left him here before, but she was full of deception today. She just said they would visit for the day, but then she had a suitcase packed and everything. Jasper doesn’t know when he will see her again, so he tries to fall in line with his older cousin on the farm. Only problem is that he really misses his mom. When he discovers the old family house still has his mom’s childhood diary in it, he knows he must try to find her. Only problem is, so does everyone else it seems. Even a Detroit detective has shown up asking questions about her and where she is. After his father comes to pick him up and take him home, he stays with a neighbor and things happen in his apartment. In an attempt to get away, he ends up at some places a kid should never be, including a peep show and alone on a bus back to his uncle’s farm. Somehow, his mother is involved with the neighboring Indian reservation. There is death, destruction, and drug trafficking, but what does Jasper’s mother have to do with it?

I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. The whole book is told from Jasper’s viewpoint and Pulley does a great job of having this read like a nine year olds mind. And the trip down memory lane to 1952 was really fun too. It was a different time and she did a great job of showcasing the back streets of Detroit as well.

There is some disturbing material throughout the book, but it is really just how it is. It’s not a shock and awe that the author is trying to go for, it is just what could honestly happen to a lone nine year old boy. And all of the sexual taboo mentioned and portrayed throughout is not understood by Jasper. So, while the reader understands what is going on (and likely cringing) Jasper is just as confused as ever and never really gets to a point that he does understand. So, very well played out by Pulley.

Even so, I would not recommend this book for YA audiences. Likely that this book could be picked up by a university class at some point for a required reading.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the TLC Book Tours. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

The Sunlight Pilgrims

Sunlight Pilgrims Author: Jenni Fagan

Publisher: Hogarth

Release Date: July 19, 2016

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Dark, slightly depressing, slightly funny, mostly interesting, and very, very debatable.

Dylan McRae has just inherited his family’s cinema in the London Soho district. Only problem is, it is completely in debt and there is no way that he can save it. Having lost his grandmother and then his mother six months later, he decides to take their ashes from London back to his gran’s homeland of Scotland to scatter them in the northern islands. He will have to wait until the spring as it is November 2020 and with the jet stream cooling off, the temperatures have plummeted to below zero. Forecasters are saying this will be the worst winter in history and a new ice age is upon us. So, Dylan goes to stay at a caravan his mother purchased. Upon arriving at the caravan park, he begins to meet his neighbors. The first is a young girl named Stella and her mother Constance. Stella was a boy named Cael until just over a year ago when she let everyone know she was being called by the wrong name and associated with the wrong gender. Constance is a prepper who has been getting ready for a winter like this her whole life. In the region of Clachan Fells, winters often get gray and stay that way. Can the new relationship between the three of them see it through the winter? Or will the new ice age take their identities?

The Sunlight Pilgrims is definitely a different read than what I have had so far this year. I thought it was going to be more about prepping for a doomsday scenario, similar to several other books out there, but it was really more just about the lives of two people during a snapshot of time that happens to be during a doomsday scenario. The main character of the book is Dylan. The reader follows his life from the time after his mum had died in October 2020 to the end of March in 2021. There is a little history that is brought in from time to time that deals with his family tree and connection to Constance and Stella, but it is mainly about his current actions. The other main character is Stella. There is some history with her that we don’t really get to know fully. There was an event after her gender crisis that really shaped her personality that is mentioned but overall details are not really given. I would have like to have delved a little further into that, but even so her point of view was probably the most interesting.

There is a significant amount of foul language in this book as well as the afore mentioned issue of gender identity crisis. There are likely several people who will find this book could be written in today’s time frame. Fagan did a great job of portraying Stella’s emotions as a teenage girl even though she is still genetically a boy. Made for a different spin in the main books that I’ve read this year.

Even though a large portion of this book is devoted to Stella and she is a youth, this is not what I would consider a YA genre novel. I wouldn’t recommend it until university age.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the Penguin Random House blog program. The views and opinions expressed throughout are mine.

When Death Draws Near

When Death Draws Near.jpg Author: Carrie Stuart Parks

Series: Gwen Marcey Novel #3

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: August 2, 2016

Rating: 3.5 Stars

Reviewer: Jessica Higgins

Snakes! Why did it have to be about snakes?

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey has just taken on a case in Pikeville, Kentucky to help sketch a composite of a serial rapist. However, upon arriving in Kentucky, which is vastly different than her native Montana, she is quickly brought in to see a murder victim who has been found recently. There is very little left of his face, but he appears to have been a victim of a snakebite. She is then taken to the rape victim, who appears to not want to be bothered at the moment. The next day she is gone. Frustrated, she works on her sketch of the deceased man and the police successfully determine who he is. But then strange things start to happen to her. She’s almost run over by a black pickup truck. She gets a threatening phone call telling her to leave. Then a timber rattlesnake shows up in her hotel bed. The sheriff then moves her to a friend’s home. The sprawling summer estate of a politician houses more than just her. In fact, it might even house a killer and a rapist. Can Gwen solve the crimes before it is too late?

This was my first Gwen Marcey story, but I was impressed. There was some back history that I didn’t know about, but it didn’t hinder the story for a moment. In fact, it made me want to go back to see what I had missed. This book can easily be a standalone novel, so don’t let the fact that it is a third in a series stop you from giving it a try.

This is a story of a strong female lead character that often feels weak, as many people can surely relate. However, she finds the strength to persevere through her trials with God’s help. She also makes a great connection with her estranged daughter during this book, which leads me to believe that there is some drama between the two characters in the previous two books.

The suspense was really good throughout the book. Early on, I thought I had it figured out. In truth, I had half of it figured out, but not the way I had thought. She definitely had a really good twist there at the end that I didn’t see coming.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

A Piece of the Sky, A Grain of Rice

A piece of the sky Author: Christine Hale

Publisher: Apprentice House Press

Release Date: July 1, 2016

Reviewer: Jennifer Roman

Written in four parts, A Piece of Sky, a Grain of Rice talks about Christine Hale’s struggle to have fulfilling relationships in her life. A “surprise” baby with eight years separating her from her next sibling, Christine feels pressure from her demanding mother to be the best at everything. Her mother equates performance with love, and Christine works hard to earn her mother’s love. Her father disappears to work or to his basement refuge, so she doesn’t really have a relationship with him. In her later years, she marries as a teen to escape her parents’ control. She later has children with a different husband and realizes she is in no shape to care for them properly, so she gives custody to their father. This in turn causes hurt feelings with her children, and she spends a great deal of time reestablishing a relationship with them while caring for her terminally ill new partner.

Having grown up in an emotionally abusive home with older parents who are starting to feel the effects of illness and aging, Christine has to figure out her own way so that she can lead a happy, healthy life. She studies Buddhism and works with a sage teacher who sends her on retreats so she can learn in quiet solitude. She furthers her education and creates new relationships with her aging and ailing parents and her adult children. Things don’t always go right and they are not always easy, but eventually she comes to a peace that leaves her satisfied in how her life moves along.

This book is written in four different parts that describe different parts of her life, and oftentimes it takes a little while to figure out what that time is. She uses the term “You” frequently to describe specific people or events that influence her, whether good or bad. The prose is fresh and direct, even coarse at times, as she describes the less savory people and events that made her who she is today. She shows in her writing how she has risen above the negative in order to accept and hold on to the positive, and it’s clear in her narrative what is good and what is not.

I really enjoyed Christine Hale’s story of how she made something of a difficult life and used Buddhist teachings to do so. She highlights the struggles without claiming to be the victim; instead, she takes ownership of her situation and makes it better. She admits to her faults and bares her soul when necessary. Reading her book, I definitely got to know her better and found a vulnerable person who can inspire and teach her readers. Some of this book deals with difficult subjects such as spousal rape and emotional abuse, so for this reason I recommend it for mature readers. Anyone looking for an insightful look into a person’s emergence from modest and abusive beginnings will find this book to be engaging and hopeful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through TLC book tours in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.