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I'm a librarian by day, a writer by night, and a reader and amateur photographer in between. I love to share books and other things that interest me. My own book - The Marshal Meets His Match - released January 2013. You can also find me at www.facebook.com/ClariDees

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Lamb of God

I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of The Lamb of God by Nancy Guthrie thanks to the book's publisher, Crossway, and NetGalley. 



The information on the cover intrigued me. 

Accomplished author and speaker Nancy Guthrie wants to help people understand the bigger picture of the Bible and learn to work their way through Scripture, listening for what it has to teach as opposed to skipping around the Bible in a topical study. To that end, Guthrie identifies the overarching theme of the work of Christ in the Bible, even in the Old Testament. Here she finds Jesus’s work in the person of Moses as a great deliverer and in the stories of the Israelite’s exodus from slavery, wandering on the way to the Promised Land, and keeping of the sacrifices, feasts, festivals, and washings. The third volume in the popular Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament series completes Guthrie’s coverage of the Pentateuch in this ten-week Bible study of how to see the person and work of Jesus in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. 

I have long loved it when teachers and preachers point out where Jesus is in the Old Testament, and last year I did a study on how each aspect of the Tabernacle points to Christ. I was hoping this book would continue on that theme, and I was not disappointed. The book is designed to be used as a 10-week study for individuals or a Sunday School class, but I devoured it in ten days. Nancy Guthrie made Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy come alive in ways I had never seen before. I found myself in tears, praising the Lord for what He did for me at Calvary, what he does for me on a daily basis, and how he faithfully kept/keeps all the promises/prophecies that are inherent in the Old Testament. 

If you've ever thought those old books of the law are dry and hard to understand, you need to grab a copy of The Lamb of God by Nancy Guthrie. You'll never look at the Old Testament the same way again. The book released in mid-August, and I'm picking up a non-digital copy because I want to work through this study again, making notes and sharing it with my family. 

I was blessed by the insights that Nancy Guthrie shared in this book. The truths and promises of a loving Heavenly Father aren't just in the New Testament, they are in every line of the Old Testament and prove our Savior's love for us.
This book is going on my shelf to be used again and again, and I'm picking up the two books that preceded this title. Nancy Guthrie has made Old Testament Bible study exciting. 

(I was not required to give a favorable opinion, just an honest one. So what you've just read is my own, honest opinion of the book. Thank you to Crossway and NetGalley for letting me review this book!)

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Lethal Legacy

Irene Hannon has done it again. Kept me up reading when I should have been sleeping. But it's so hard to put down one of her suspense stories, and Lethal Legacy is no exception.


The police have ruled Kelly Warren's father's death a suicide, but she's not buying it. And now she has new evidence to support her claim.

Detective Cole Taylor isn't putting much stock in Ms. Warren's so-called-evidence, but he just can't brush the pretty lady aside. So, he promises to look into it.
 
And finds much more than either of them bargained for!


Welcome back to the Taylor family. In Fatal Judgement, we met U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor, and in Deadly Pursuit, we met Social worker Allison Taylor. Now, we get to the last member of the family, Police Detective Cole Taylor. You could read Lethal Legacy as a stand alone, but I think once you do, you'll want to go back and read the other siblings' stories. The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the romance will warm your heart.

I have thoroughly enjoyed each book in this Guardians of Justice series and am a bit sad to see it end. But the good news is... Her next series, Private Justice, starts with Vanished, and it comes out January 2013. Yay, for more Irene Hannon books!

Now, while you pick up your own copy of Lethal Legacy, I'm going to go make space on my keeper shelf for my copy as well as her next book.

Happy Reading!

Monday, August 27, 2012

Submerged

Picked up a copy of new author Dani Pettrey's first book, Submerged, last weekend at the bookstore. I have read a lot of good reviews for this title and was really hoping to find a new romantic suspense author to add to my collection.

SCORE!

This book is excellent!


Bailey Craig has a reputation in her home town. That's why she planned to never return. But the death of her aunt in a plan crash makes a quick visit for the funeral inevitable. She plans to get in and get out as quickly as possible and then never look back again.

But plans are changed when evidence surfaces proving her aunt's death wasn't an accident. Then more deaths occur, all linked in someway to her aunt, and Bailey's expertise becomes invaluable in figuring out what's going on.

Cole McKenna had given up hope of ever seing Bailey after she ran away years ago, but now she's back. He would love to prove to her he's not the same guy, just as she's not the same girl, but lurking danger and a painful past push them apart even as it pulls them together.

Can they survive the mounting body count and beat a racing clock to find the hidden truth?

Not only does Dani Pettrey write a convincing and gripping suspense story, her characters grab your heart and don't let go. I love the family dynamics in play here and the intriguing clues that hint at things to come.

Submerged is book one in the Alaskan Courage series and heads up what promises to be a great set of stories about the McKenna clan. If you enjoy authors like Dee Henderson, then you've got to give this new author a try. I'm hooked!

Can't wait until February when book two, Shattered, releases.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Trauma Plan

I never really watched medical shows like ER, etc, but I've found I like medical-themed fiction when it's done by this author: Candace Calvert.

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse, so her medical fiction carries the believability of someone who knows what she's talking about. But instead of bogging the reader down in medial jargon, she uses her knowledge to bring the setting of her stories to life.

Her latest title is Trauma Plan, book one in the Grace Medical Series.



A vicious assult sidelined ER nurse Riley Hale from the job she loves, so until she heals, she's using her skills in another way--as chaplain. But how can she prove she can do her old job when they won't even let her try?

Enter Jack Travis--handsome doctor and a maverick. He needs a nurse to help out at his community clinic, and if she'll volunteer there and can handle the duties, he'll give a good recommendation to her supervisors. It's a chance to practice her skills and prove she's capbable, but can she trust him? Or is he out to use her family's name to keep his embattled clinic open against neighborhood efforts to shut it down.

The cast of characters in this book are great. Of course the hero and heroine have to be awesome or the book's not worth reading, but the secondary characters make the story sparkle. You have to check out the old rodeo clown, Bandy and his dog, Hobo. If you don't watch out, they'll steal your heart. :-)

I enjoyed her first series, The Mercy Hospital series, and was really looking forward to Traum Plan. I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I hated to see that last page turn and the back cover close. I'm glad we'll get to come back to Grace Medical in book two.

Looking for a good story? Pick up Trauma Plan. My copy is going on my keeper bookshelf, right next to Candace Calvert's previous three titles. :-)

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Trinity

Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig - What a dog! What a story!


Heath Daniels and his military war dog, Trinity, were seriously injured when a mission went wrong in Afghanistan, but they have a chance to get back in the game with A Breed Apart organization. It's a step in the right direction, but Heath longs to be back with his team in the field, in the thick of the action.

While on tour with A Breed Apart, he meets Darci Kintz and both he and Trinity are distracted and intrigued by the mysterious and pretty military intelligence officer. When Darci is captured in the Hindu Kush mountains, only one team is available and able to handle the terrain to find her--Heath and Trinity.

But there's more than Darci's life at stake and time is running out. Can Heath and Trinity handle this mission? The most dangerous and important one of their lives?

I loved this glimpse into the workings of military war dogs and their handlers. I have a new appreciation for the men and women and dogs who put their lives on the line for our freedoms and each other's safety. But beyond that, the story was compelling, well written, and fast paced. It grabbed me by the shirt collar and wouldn't let go even after I'd read the last page. I'm already impatient for the next installment of the series, Talon: Combat Tracking Team, coming May of 2013.

If you like military stories with edge-of-your-seat action and suspense seasoned with a dose of romance, check out Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig. You won't be disappointed. (But I'll be disappointed if you don't try it. :-)



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Over the Edge

Over the Edge, the third book in Mary Connealy's The Kincaid Brides is out. If you haven't seen the book trailer yet, check it out.

And if you want a quick synopsis, check out the book description on Amazon.


The book trailer is fun, and the cover is beautiful, but it's what's inside that counts. And, boy, does Mary Connealy make every word count. The characters are so real and colorful they almost walk off the pages, and the action is action is so vivid and intense I could hear the hoofbeats and gunfire. The dialogue is snappy, never missing a beat, and when I wasn't laughing at the mayhem and high jinks, I was flipping the pages as quickly as possible to see what was coming next.

The entire Kincaid Brides series has been wonderful, and Seth's story gives us a satisfying conclusion with just a hint of things to come. I highly recommend Mary Connealy's stories. Her writing is as addictive as chocolate.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Regency Romance

Do you read Regency romance? I do. I fell in love with the genre when I discovered Georgette Heyer's books in the public library while still a teenager. These Old Shades, Devil's Cub, The Talisman Ring, The Grand Sophy, these are just a few of the G.Heyer books I've read again and again.

I've often wondered why someone doesn't make one of her books into a movie instead of another remake of one of Jane Austen's titles. Don't get me wrong, I love watching Pride and Prejudice with all its differend actors/actresses, but Georgette Heyer has wonderful characters and plot lines, too, and I think it's time for some fresh period-piece movies. (I'm ducking the burning scowls from avid Austenites as I climb off my impromptu soapbox. :-)


That said, I've found a gem of a Regency book that has me hoping the author will write more, soon.


Judith Lown's A Sensible Lady is a Regency set in the country life of England instead of London or Bath's drawing rooms, but the story drew me in, and the wonderful cast of characters and storyline kept me turning the pages.

I really liked Katherine Brampton, the heroine. Her loyalty and honesty sometimes get her into trouble, but she fights to be self-reliant and make good decisions in the face of losing her father and brother and caring for her elderly aunt and a "surprise"waif under the disapproving pressure of relatives and a rejected suitor/cousin.

And the hero? Lord Harry Dracott? 
Military.
Tall.
Not a dandy or too handome.

Swoon.

He has his own scars and secrets, but I'll let you find those out for yourself.

There are several other characters that would make fine heroes of their own story, and I hope to see them in future books by Judith Lown. A Sensible Lady had a sigh-worthy ending and I found myself smiling, even though I wasn't quite ready for the book to end.

You can read the synopsis of the story by clicking on the book cover above. This is not a Christian/Inspirational romance, but it is clean; i.e. without sex/language/vulgarities.