The Truth Teller

by: Angela Hunt

This book is 422 pages, I'm not sure if it's because of the size, story line or both but it took me quite a while to finish!

The truth teller starts out with Lara, a young grieving widow. Her husband died of cancer just 6 months before and she has had a hard time moving on. She is a nurses assistant and decided that since her husband had prepared for the future she wants to have his baby even though he is now gone.

The parallel story line is about a man named, Devin Sloan. He is a scientist that wants to use the DNA of a newly discovered Ice Man from years ago to help make the human race more pure.

With out Lara's knowledge Devin Sloan teamed up with Dr. Braun (the man who helped with Lara's invetro). Just before delivery Lara discovers the hidden truth about the baby she is carrying and runs to protect both of them.

This book is slow moving. You go through Lara's struggle to move on from her husbands death, to her decision to do invetro. Though it is slow moving I was interested in Lara's life. When I first started I was worried the scientific side would be too in depth but it was easy to follow, which I was happy about. About half way through the book things start to pick up and about 3/4 way through the book you really want to know the out come of what happens to Lara and her child.

I have realized that large books like this take me more time to read than I'm used to. With this book you really get wrapped up in the characters and can't rush the story. I would recommend this book but you have to set aside some time to really be involved.

It seems that I have to go back and forth between in depth and easy reads because too many in depth books can be an over load for me! I just finished Riven not long ago and that was another in depth book. I need some easy reads!!! :P

Buried Sins

by: Marta Perry

Marta Perry is a great writer. In July I read the first book to this series called; Hide in Plain Sight. That book happened to be my first free e-book read and I loved it. Another friend read that book as well and found out that it was the first book in a 3 book series. Unfortunately I cannot find the 2nd book at the library but read the 3rd one anyway, which stands alone without having read the 2nd one.

I really liked it. Marta Perry has just enough mystery that keeps you guessing from page one! I was hooked from chapter one until the last chapter when you find out who is behind the mystery. I love that! You want to keep reading to find out and the book never looses it's intensity or gets boring.

Buried Sins is about the 3rd sister, Caroline, or as they call her Caro. Rachel and Andrea, Caro's sisters, have already moved back where they lived (in their grandparents home) when they were children. Caro doesn't have any memories of their grandparents home because they all moved away at a young age with their mother. Caro is forced back to her grandparents home when she finds out her husband, Tony, has died and may have been killed. She is being followed and decides she will be safer with her family, who she hasn't seen in a long time nor told them about her late husband.

Caro's troubles follow her and more secrets about her husbands past are being revealed. She is eventually forced to tell her family what is going on. Meanwhile, the local police chief, Zach, knows something is wrong from the moment she comes into town. As time goes by he is slowly starting to care for Caro as well as questioning who she is because of every thing that is going on around her.

Is Caro telling the truth. Is she innocent or guilty? Enjoy reading to find out. It's a great series!

The Marriage Wish

by: Dee Henderson

I have already read Dee Henderson's O'Malley series, which overall I really liked. I had heard of this book and since I already knew the author I thought I'd give it a try. I have to say that after reading my last book, Riven, which is more my style of writing I just wanted to get through this book. I have 5 other books checked out from the library that I want to get through before they need to go back so I don't know that I enjoyed this book as much as I think I could have.

The Marriage wish is about Scott, who makes a wish on his 38th birthday. He wants to get married and have a family. Only a few days later he meets Jennifer. He is immediately drawn to her but Jennifer is healing from the loss of her husband and has another secret that takes time her to tell him about. She doesn't want Scott to give up her dream but is Scott's love for her able to help Jennifer heal.

Half way through this book I was crying for Jennifer, her story is sad but you so desperately want her to heal from her past. This book is an easy read and easy to get involved with the characters to see what happens with Scott and Jennifer. Just when you think you know the end there is a twist that makes you keep reading til the very end.

I liked this book and would recommend for those that like a good story to unfold as you read. Another one of those Hallmark movie type of books!

Riven

by: Jerry B. Jenkins

I think I have to say this is one of the most intriguing books I have read in a long time. I really like Jerry Jenkins writing. I hadn't realized until half way through the book that Jerry Jenkins is co-author of The Left Behind series, which I really liked as well. There are only a few authors (or books) that I know that give you this kind of writing; Ted Dekker, Frank Perretti and a few of Francine Rivers books. They are more in depth and get you sucked into the story. I really like that kind of writing.

When I started the book I wasn't sure I would like it or even wanted to read it. One of the book groups that I joined on Goodreads was reading this for the month of August, so I decided to try it out. I like finding books I've never heard of.

Riven is about 2 main characters; Brady and Thomas. Brady is a teen who lives with his mother and brother. His mother is an alcoholic and doesn't take care of him and his brother. They live in a trailer park and Braden doesn't think much of himself. Thomas is a preacher. He is old fashioned and people/churches have used his good heart and work him hard but never appreciated him. He has been run out of many churches. Now Thomas is run down and looking for where God wants him to be.

Over the years Brady only gets worse, in and out of jail, becoming a criminal but in the back of his mind he is always wanting better he just doesn't know how to get it. In the mean time Thomas takes a job in prison ministry. When one day Braden and Thomas' lives meet.

This book is a big one, 526 pages! It took me a full week to read this one. Something about the story drew me in. The first half of the book you are following their lives as Brady is in school and Thomas is searching for a pastoral job. The 2nd part when Brady and Thomas' lives meet the story seems to fast forward.

At the end Brady has this idea that even when I read it almost made me not like the book anymore. But as the story played out you understood why he chose to do what he did. (Cannot tell you or it would spoil the entire story). Throughout the whole book I kept trying to figure out what the title Raven meant and it's not until the last few chapters you figure it out.

I would definitely recommend this book and I am going to definitely look up more books by this author.

Goodreads

I was invited by a friend to this site. You can add books you have read as well as look up new books/authors that might interest you. It can be hard sometimes to come across new authors other than by friends. In this site you can look up the style of book you like.

They even have groups you can join. I joined; Christian Fiction Devourers and Contemporary Christian Fiction. In these groups you can meet others that read the same type of books you do. They also have different discussion groups as well as a book that you read for the month. Any Minute was the first book I read for the Christian Fiction Devourers and I will join their first discussion about the book at the end of the month! I thought it might be fun, so I will give it a try!

Anyone who enjoys to read should check out this site...

www.goodreads.com

Any Minute

by: Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

I read this book so that I could join in on a group discussion on line, I had no idea that Joyce Meyer had a book, well a fiction book.

Sarah had worked her way up the corporate ladder. She was counted on, expected to work harder and longer. On her way up the ladder she had left her family behind. She was too busy to remember appointments or keep her promises to her family.

When one day a split decision made her take a risky move in her car and everything changed. She hit the water so fast and everyone realized, including Sarah that things can change Any Minute.

This book does make you think, what do we work for in life? Sarah was not a kind person as she worked those around her just as hard, never appreciating them. She didn't take time for her family, working even at home after a long day at work.

It helps you to remember to slow down. That family is most important. This story isn't a high energy story. It's a good read for anyone and has a good moral. I do recommend this book, especially to moms. Doesn't even have to be a mom that works out of the mom. As a mom that works in the home you can feel the same way sometimes. Life passes by and your just trying to make it, forgetting that each moment you are raising the next generation.

This book made me think. In the end I like how the story ends...not with some dramatic transformation but with suttle ways we can do better...

Last Light

by Terri Blackstock

One day everything electronic stopped running. Whether old or new, ran or batteries or gas. It just quit running. Planes fell from the sky, cars came to a stop on all streets, there were no t.v., game systems or computers. No way of communications, no banks open to get money, no stores to buy goods.

The Branning family were only one of the family in their community to be in the middle of what they would soon learn was a global crisis. They have to learn to survive when after a few days they realize that this crisis just might never end. Learning to cook over a fire, sterilize water from the lake and trade supplies for food.

In the midst of the Brannings trying to cope with the crisis, there is a murderer killing families in their neighborhood and stealing supplies from the homes. Who could they trust in a time when they needed each other to survive?

This story is very creative. It makes you think about what is really important in life. In this story Dani Branning, daughter of Doug and Kay, has worked through college to get her dream job only to realize that the job may no longer be a part of her future. We work so hard to gain things in this life and when our life is over we will leave it all behind. This book makes you ask yourself, what is important in your life.

This is the first book in the Restoration series of four books. The book started out catching your attention with such a different story line. As you go through it builds until the end when you want to read to find out what happens. I liked the book and recommend it, especially since I like Terri Blackstock's writing.