Tuesday, June 30, 2009

IF YOU HAVE A TEEN, GET THIS BOOK! SO NOT HAPPENING by Jenny B. Jones



I am thrilled to tell uyou about SO NOT HAPPENING by Jenny B. Jones. I had the great pleasure of meeting Jenny last year at ACFW and what a treat! She is as funny in person as she is in her writing.

Having a gaggle of nieces, I ABSOLUTELY loved SO NOT HAPPENING. I won a 250 dollar gift certificate to an online bookstore and I am spending every bit of it on Jenny B Jones books for the teen and preteen girls in my life. That is how much I believed in this book. It was witty and charming, fiendishly funny and deeply moving.

Jenny is on my auto-buy list. I now know what all of the teen girls in my life will be getting for birthdays and Christmas.

I have confidence that this fiction book will not only entertain the young adults in your life it will IMPACT, majorly impact them.

If you want a wholesome and hilariously funny but deeply touching (to the point of life-changing) book...DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!!!

I'm serious. I have thanked God over and over and over that Jenny has devoted her funny self to writing. My girls will benefit from it as will my nieces and the teens we come in contact with for ministry.

SO NOT HAPPENING is a story about a New York socialite who has to move to Oklahoma. How many kids can relate to the thought of leaving the lives they know for something different? Though Jenny isn't a teen, she works with them as a High School teacher and she has a very strong pulse on the teens of today. I am so serious when I tell you this...if you have a tween, teen or young adult daughter or niece or if you are a youth worker in a church...get this book.

Click the header above to be taken to Amazon where you can purchase this book. It's part of Jenny's Charmed Life series. Don't miss it. I can't reiterate it enough.

Have a wonderful week!

Cheryl Wyatt

Monday, June 29, 2009

Monday Book Mania! Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell




Welcome to Monday Book Mania where I tell you about books I recommend by authors I love.

I'm so excited about this Monday's feature as I loved this Siri Mitchell book as well as Constant Heart.

About Siri: She has written six novels, two of which (Chateau of Echoes and The Cubicle Next Door) were named Christy Award Finalists. A graduate from the University of Washington with a business degree, she has worked in many levels of government and lived on three continents. She currently resides in the Washington DC metro area.

About the book:
n the small Puritan community of Stoneybrooke, Massachusetts, Susannah Phillips stands out both for her character and beauty. She wants only a simple life but soon finds herself pursued by the town's wealthiest bachelor and by a roguish military captain sent to protect them. One is not what he seems and one is more than he seems.

In trying to discover true love's path, Susannah is helped by the most unlikely of allies, a wounded woman who lives invisible and ignored in their town. As the depth, passion, and sacrifice of love is revealed to Susannah, she begins to question the rules and regulations of her childhood faith. In a community where grace is unknown, what price will she pay for embracing love?

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My Review:
I have SO looked forward to this next installment in Siri Mitchell's Stoneybrook series from Bethany House and it exceeded my expectations. Siri's prose is beautiful, the way she weaves words together is something any author can appreciate. Another thing I loved about this book was the depth of emotion and how very much I came to care about the characters. When you find yourself fretting over them through the story as though they were real, you KNOW the author did a superb and seamless job with characterization. Also, the character "voice" in this story felt so authentic and true to time period. I never felt jarred out of it by words or narrative that seemed too modern for the period. This is NOT an easy feat for historical authors. Siri wrote in such a way that I could "hear" the characters' voices and thought and it thrust me even deeper into the setting and time period.

Siri is a new favorite author and, in my opinion, a groundbreaking author in the realm of Puritan-focused fiction. This book really makes you think about what people in that time period had to endure and the reality of it portrayed realistically in this beautiful work of fiction will really yank your heartstrings. Yet it didn't feel like a history lesson. Amish books are huge right now. If you enjoy prarie romances or Amish fiction, you will love Siri's puritan-themed stories.

Don't miss this treasure of a book! Run out and get it wherever books are sold.

Warmly,

Cheryl Wyatt

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More info on Love's Pursuit can be found at the Bethany House Web site.

Check out Siri's Web site.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Blogging at Love Inspired Authors' Blog Today

I'm blogging at loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Folks are TOO quiet over there. Go and stir up some comments. LOL!

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Saturday Book Stroll-The Missionary by Dave Lambert and William Carmichael




WELCOME to Saturday Book Stroll on my blog! Most Saturdays, I share books I'm currently recommending.


FEATURED BOOK & AUTHOR: The Missionary by Dave Lambert and William Carmichael
Publisher: Moody

ABOUT THE BOOK:
I would describe The Missionary as a novel of international espionage. Here’s the back-cover copy:

"Yesterday David Eller was an American missionary serving the poor in Venezuela. Today he's an international fugitive.

"David Eller rescues impoverished children in Caracas, Venezuela, with his wife, Christie. But for David, that isn't enough. The supply of homeless children is endless because of massive poverty and the oppressive policies of the Venezuelan government.

"When the CIA gives David an opportunity to do something more-to heal the disease rather than working on the symptoms-he decides to go for it. But little by little, he falls into an unimaginable nightmare of espionage, ending in a desperate, life-or-death gamble to flee the country with his wife and son.

"Was he wrong to resort to the political solution?
And was it really the CIA that asked him to get involved?"

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
The Missionary is a debut novel for William Carmichael and the fourth for co-author Dave Lambert.

MY REVIEW:
This book was one of the best books I've read in years. I can totally see this book playing out as a major motion picture...and I sincerely hope it does get optioned for film.

This book had me crying by page 18. Partly due to the thread of the hero going after people who exploit children. Very touching and I loved that aspect of the book. Also, the book was extremely evocotive without being provocative. Highly action-driven, I finished this book in one sitting in a matter of hours that ran by so fast I couldn't believe I'd gotten to the end of the book. I admit that when I read the ARC copy, I was a little concerned as to how the author was going to pull off keeping my attention through the rapid sequence change from scene to scene every couple or few pages. But this method absolutely worked for this story and, though there were several threads playing out in simultaneous rapid fire sequence, the author wrote in such a way that I kept track of each thread and POV.

There were parts of this book that were so tense, I had fingernail marks in my chin and cheek where I apparently lost myself in the text and dug my nails in hoping a certain character would end up okay. Can't give much away except I'll say one word. The Davey aspect is a gut-clencher for sure. The writing had me talking to myself about how aggravated I would be if these character's I'd come to care about didn't end up okay. LOLOL! Especially riveting was the mother/son Davey aspect.

WOW. EXCELLENT READ. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

Can be purchased NOW anywhere books are sold.


Hope you will consider picking up this week's featured Saturday Afternoon Stroll book. It will stay on my keeper shelf for life. One of the best books I've read this decade.

Cheryl Wyatt

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

In Seekerville Today

I'm blogging in Seekerville today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Monday, June 15, 2009

Monday Book Mania-Crescent City Courtship by Beth White-Love Inspired Historical


Welcome to Monday Book Mania on my blog where I tell you about books I recommend by authors I love.

This week's feature:

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Crescent City Courtship
By Elizabeth White
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical
June 2009
ISBN 0373828144


Where to buy:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Crescent-City-Courtship-Inspired-Historical/dp/0373828144/
ChristianBook: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=828142


Abigail Neal dreams of someday escaping her life in the slums of New Orleans. But how can a woman alone and unprotected ever fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor? Then young medical student John Braddock comes to pay a call on a neighbor. Though the scars left on her heart have taught her never to trust anyone, Abigail is drawn to John's caring nature. Soon an unlikely friendship develops between the son of privilege and the poor daughter of missionaries. But when Abigail's mysterious past comes back to haunt her present, will she call upon her faith to help right a wrong and make a new life with her very own Prince Charming?


Note from Beth: Crescent City Courtship is a sequel to Redeeming Gabriel, my November release from Love Inspired Historical, but it is a stand-alone love story set in 1879 New Orleans. For more information regarding my research into 19th century medical techniques, medicines and surgical procedures, including autopsy and hospital care, check out my website at http://www.elizabethwhite.net.

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Happy Monday! Hope you will pick up this week's featured book. :-)

Cheryl Wyatt

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Blogging at Craftie Ladies Today

Blogging here today. Hope you will drop by and comment.



Craftie Ladies of Romance

Cheryl Wyatt

Monday, June 08, 2009

Monday Book Mania-Witness to Murder by Jill Elizabeth Nelson-Steeple Hill


Welcome to Monday Book Mania where I share books I'm currently recommending by authors I love.

This Monday's feature:

Witness to Murder
By Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Publisher: Steeple Hill
Release Date: June 2009
ISBN: 9780373443451

Copyright © 2009 by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Poised for an interview, TV reporter Hallie Berglund walks into a murder scene instead. The victim’s boyfriend stands over the body, murder weapon in hand. Hallie couldn’t stop the crime, but as the star witness, she’ll see the man brought to justice . . . right? Not according to her colleague Brody Jordan, who is convinced the police—and Hallie—are targeting the wrong man. To prove it, he’ll need Hallie’s help. The victim was wearing a bracelet handcrafted by Hallie’s long-dead mother. Now Hallie is the only one who can unearth the secrets of the past—and bring the sinister truth to light.

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CHAPTER ONE
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Channel Six television news reporter Hallie Berglund put her right foot on the bottom step of the swaybacked porch, then stopped cold. The hairs on her arms prickled. What was that awful noise coming from inside the house? Some kind of music? This century-old Victorian was rented by four University of Minnesota coeds, but even if they liked punk rock they wouldn't listen to this. And why was the front door several inches ajar?

Careful to keep the heels of her pumps from clacking against the wood, she walked up the remaining two steps, but angry creaks from the porch boards announced her arrival. Whoever—whatever—was inside gave no indication her approach had been heard. The noise progressed in decibels.

Hallie frowned. There had to be a logical explanation. On the telephone, Alicia Drayton had sounded eager, almost desperate, to do the interview as soon as possible. The part-time fashion model and full-time student had said her roommates would be out all afternoon—a perfect opportunity for the two of them to talk privately.

The sound continued—long, drawn out. Like something a person would hear on a dark and moonless night, not in the balmy afternoon of a cloudless June day. She doused the impulse to back away and wait for her cameraman to catch up with her. She was a reporter, and she needed to find out what was going on. Sooner rather than later

Her rap on the warped door panel widened the opening, revealing a foyer done in dark wood and last decade's wallpaper. She stepped inside onto a scatter rug and was greeted by lingering scents of mingled women's perfumes. To her left a set of stairs led upward. Ahead and to her right lay an opening framed in old-fashioned wide wood.

"Alicia?" Hallie's voice sounded hollow in the open space.

The noise stopped, and silence fell like a skipped heartbeat. Then a loud sniffle announced a fresh round of wails, this time in words spoken in a masculine tenor. "No, no, no. This isn't real. Allie, baby, wake uuuuuup!"

Hallie's breath caught. Was Alicia hurt? Hallie hurried forward, heels tapping the faded floorboards. She stepped through the opening, and a squawk escaped her throat.

What whirlwind had trashed this living room? The couch was tipped onto its back, an easy chair lay on its side, and the entertainment center had fallen face down, scattering shattered electronic equipment. And who lay sprawled on the floor near the heavily curtained picture window? The head and torso were concealed from view by a lean man with spiked blond hair who crouched over the inert body. His bare, muscular shoulders quaked beneath a sweat-streaked tank top the same shade of tan as his running shorts.

"Who? Wh-what?" The words stuttered between Hallie's lips. "Should we call 9-1-1?"

The man eased to his feet, all six feet six inches of him. He swiveled toward her like a man in a trance, slate-blue eyes staring blankly. Wetness glistened on drawn cheeks in a face all sharp planes and angles. In his fist he clutched a braided gold cord. "She's… dead."

Hallie's gaze fell to the head and shoulders on the floor behind the man's feet. She gulped. Whoever had trashed this room had also done a number on the woman's face… and her neck. Raw cord marks dug into her pale throat.

Alicia? The glossy auburn hair splayed around her head matched the publicity photos that had been sent over to the station, but the facial features were too puffy to be identified.

The giveaway was the man with what appeared to be the murder weapon in his hand—Alicia's boyfriend, Minnesota Golden Gophers' bad boy, Damon Lange. The college basketball player's famous temper had finally turned him into a killer.

Hallie's gaze locked with his. Ice encased her muscles, and her heart slammed against her rib cage. A change melted over Lange's face. Pinched sorrow fell away, relaxed into open-mouthed awareness, and then red-faced fear—and fury. Lange raised the fist that held the cord and charged toward Hallie.


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AUTHOR BIO

Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an award-winning author of mystery and suspense. She writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. She and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children and are currently enjoying their first grandchild.

Visit Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s website at http://www.jillelizabethnelson.com for excerpts, book giveaways, and contests.

You can order this book directly from your local bookstore, retail stores such as Walmart, or online here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0373443455/jillelizabeth-20


Hope you will consider picking up this Monday's feature.


Cheryl Wyatt

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Saturday Book Stroll-Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell-Summerside Press


Most Saturdays, I will be sharing books that I'm currently recommending!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It's 1877 and Alexia Travers is alone in the world. Her father has died unexpectedly, leaving her burdened with a heavily mortgaged horse ranch. Marrying one of the town's all-too-willing bachelors would offer an easy solution, but Alex has no interest in marriage. Instead, she dons men's trousers and rides the range, determined to make the ranch a success on her own.

But despite Alex's best efforts, everything seems to go wrong: ranch hands quit, horses are stolen, and her father's gold goes missing. Alex is at her wit's end when wrangler Justin Phillips arrives in Last Chance with his young son, looking for a job. But there seems to be more to Justin's story than he's willing to share. Will Alex ever be able to trust him? More importantly, will the independent woman finally learn to depend on God?


MY THOUGHTS:
Every time I pick up one of these new Summerside Press books, I am hooked even more on the line. This story is full of romance and intrigue. And one of the very special things about it is the unique sense of setting that the author brings to the story. This is going on my Keeper Shelf, definitely.

Hope you will consider picking up this week's featured Saturday Stroll book.


Cheryl Wyatt

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Blogging at Love Inspired Authors' Blog Today

I'm blogging at loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com today.

Zip on over and join in the fun.

Folks are TOO quiet over there. Go and stir up some comments. LOL!

Thanks all!

Cheryl Wyatt

Monday, June 01, 2009

A Soldier's Reunion is IN STORES NOW!


Hey all!

My fourth book (A SOLDIER'S REUNION) from Steeple Hill Love Inspired is IN STORES NOW! These books can be found in the Harlequin romance section of most Wal-Marts and K-Marts, Walgreens, Waldens and anywhere else books are sold.

If it's not there, you may find it in the Inspirational section. Barnes and Noble normally keeps my books in the Inspirational section. Since my last name is W, my books sit pretty close to the floor so you might have to hunker down to find it. LOL!

I hope you will rush out and pick up your copy today. These books have a short shelf life which means they're only on the shelves for a couple or three or four weeks before the next month's books take over.

Hope you enjoy Nolan's story! If you have a moment and space on your blog schedule, please pass the word along on your blogs and to your friends that this book is now available.

Your readership is a blessing!

Cheryl


Back cover blurb:
Despite a decade apart, this isn't the reunion Mandy Manchester expected! She thought she'd put high school sweetheart Nolan Briggs behind her. Now he's back…and the pararescue jumper literally sweeps her off her feet. He's ready and willing to rekindle what they once shared. Mandy, though, isn't prepared to put her heart at risk. He left her before—she won't trust him again. Can Nolan teach this grounded girl to take a leap of faith?

Purchase Links:

Special! 40% off the cover price here at eharlequin for a limited time only:


Amazon

Christianbook

Barnes and Noble