iola

Alison Monaghan has just found proof of her husband’s infidelity. She hasn’t loved him for a long time, and this is the end. But instead of confronting the controlling fault-finder, she is awakened to the news Frank has been murdered, leaving her an almost-destitute widow with two teenage children. Detective Sergeant Mike Barefoot is in charge of the murder investigation, but finds himself more interested in the beautiful widow and her growing Christian faith, a faith he rejected years ago. He finds himself competing for her affections with a mature Christian—and protecting her from an unknown threat. While I found the book easy to get in to, I did feel it was let down by the writing. Too many characters were introduced in too short a time, and it seemed most of them had red hair. It was difficult to keep them all straight—a particular problem in a mystery, where one of the characters is likely to be the murderer (and others may well be additional victims). And Alison suffered from TSTL syndrome (too stupid to live). I know conflict is the essence of good fiction, but when the 911 operator says stay outside away from the intruder, why did she have to go inside?I’m not convinced Carolina Reckoning knew what it was doing. At first it seemed to be a mystery, with a dead body and a cast of interesting characters, many of whom were hiding secrets. But at times it seemed to be more of a romantic suspense, as it didn’t follow some of the conventions of the mystery genre and the love triangle seemed to take on more importance than the underlying mystery. The Christian aspect of the novel was strong and generally well-presented, but I found there were some distracting idiosyncracies in the writing (like Mike’s insistence that Hawaii is ‘foreign’. Last I heard, it was a state of the USA). Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Doon is apparently based on the well-known musical, Brigadoon, which is so well-known that I’ve never heard of it. Maybe it’s well-known to Americans and Gleeks. I decided not to read the Wikipedia plot summary and to let Doon tell its own story, although that turned out not to matter: Doon bears little resemblance to the musical. BFFs Veronica and McKenna have travelled to Scotland for a summer vacation following their high school graduation. Veronica keeps having visions of a blonde hottie (her word) in a kilt who introduces himself as Jamie (why are fictional Scots always called Jamie?). The girls find two rings which transport them to the magical village of Brigadoon, which normally appears for only one day every hundred years. But they arrive two weeks before the bridge is supposed to open, so are imprisoned as witches—by Prince Jamie, the boy in Veronica’s vision. Veronica is confused, as Jamie doesn’t appear to recognise her, and virtually ignores her. McKenna, on the other hand, befriends Duncan, Jamie’s handsome younger brother. They must stay in the village until the bridge opens in two weeks—if they can survive that long.I’m not sure what Americans find so attractive about the Scots, especially Scotsmen. I have bad news: they don’t actually wear kilts any more. And maybe I’m a little too married, but I never noticed any ‘hotties’ on any of my visits (although that could be because everyone was bundled in layers of clothing. Even in summer). Nor did I notice any native Scots who could be described as ‘bronzed’ (not that I could see under their jeans and hoodies). I guess Doon’s bronzed hotties in kilts prove Brigadoon is a magical place.The story is told in the first person from the alternating points of view of Veronica and McKenna. First person present tense is pretty normal for YA, but it does rely on having a likeable narrator (and most have a single narrator). Veronica was the main narrator, and I found her much more likeable than McKenna (Sacred Stephen Schwartz!), whose narrative contained constant references to Broadway musicals and current pop culture. It got old fast, and will date almost as quickly. Parts of the story felt contrived, particularly the final showdown (which, in hindsight, is symbolic of Jesus’s death on the cross for our sins, the final battle of Armageddon, and our ultimate destiny as His bride. If anything, this makes it worse. Making teens figure out the symbolism underlying a piece of writing should be a crime, especially when that writing is supposed to be entertainment). I initially thought these aspects might have been parts of the plot of the original musical that just hadn’t translated well to 2013, but no. It felt as though the authors had written themselves into a corner, so they invented some new magic to get them out (at least JK Rowling had the skill and foresight to foreshadow her miracle magic. In Doon, it just appears). This shows a lack of concern for world-building (or perhaps a lack of understanding of the importance of good world-building in fantasy).There are a number of other weaknesses in the writing, like redundancy, repetition, telling rather than showing (particularly with the pages of history of Brigadoon), and insufficient difference between the voices of the two main characters (I kept having to flip back to see who was the current viewpoint character). It’s also annoying (and atypical of YA) that the first half of the book is largely driven by narrative rather than dialogue and action. It drags. However, bad writing hasn’t stopped either Twilight or Fifty Shades from selling stratospheric quantities …Doon has attracted a lot of attention: it’s the first book in Zondervan’s new crossover Young Adult line, Blink. Over 3000 people have marked it as ‘Want To Read’ on Goodreads (compared to 300 for the next Dee Henderson novel). Most early reviews are positive—the negative ones are scathing, claiming the story is full of shallow characters (true) and cliché writing (also true). I’ve looked at the other books read and rated by these reviewers, and it seems they are the people Zondervan are trying to reach with this novel. Will Doon reach secular YA readers? I don’t think so. It’s not edgy enough. Yes, Veronica has an awful home life, but the story of Doon isn’t how she deals with normal teenage problems. It’s how she escapes into another world and meets a handsome Prince who (if she can catch him) will love and cherish her forever. Even though they’ve only had a handful of superficial conversations before she decides she loves him. And ‘crossover’ or not, I’m not convinced that a book where teenagers drink beer and champagne (albeit legally), where a lead character practices yoga (including positions such as Downward Dog, and practices ‘pushing negative thoughts out and drawing in the positive’) is appropriate in a book published by a Christian imprint, ‘crossover’ or not. Nor does language such as ‘screw that’, ‘what the heck’, ‘mother cusser’, or references to playing for the other team. Seriously. Adding a few almost-swear words isn’t going to make the book cool enough for the Cuddlebuggery crowd (who hate Fifty Shades because they’ve read it, not because they’ve read about it). What about Christian teens? Will they enjoy Doon? If they’ve been raised on a steady diet of bonnet fiction and Amish romance, then Doon will seem fresh and edgy. But I’m not sure if they’ll get to read it. Those parents who wouldn’t let their children read Harry Potter or Twilight would be advised to avoid Doon for similar reasons. And if they haven’t read Twilight, they’re not going to understand references like “his conflicted Edward Cullen act would hook her faster than meth”. Yes, there’s no sex in Doon. There’s no sexual abuse, no teen pregnancy scares, no drug-taking, and the only drinking is legal. But there is more to being a Christian than that. There’s stuff like being ‘in the world but not of the world”. And having a personal faith in Jesus. Neither Veronica nor McKenna has any personal faith in anything but themselves, and the Doon villagers sing praises to the Protector, the one who cast the enchantment on the village. It’s implied they are praising God, but it’s not clear. The Protector who can cast stronger spells than the witch could be any witch, wizard or warlock. "Young Adult fiction isn’t about selling books to teenagers. It’s about writing books that speak to them. And speaking to them means talking about their problems." I wanted to like Doon. I wanted it to breach the gap between saccharine Christian bonnet novels and edgy YA while still retaining a sense of a Christian world view. It has a fabulous cover and apparently has a six-figure marketing effort behind it. I liked most of the characters; I liked the story well enough. But I didn’t love it. I think it is let down by the writing, and it didn’t meet my hopes and expectations of what a YA novel should be, let alone a crossover. It is trying to sell to teens, not speak to them. Thanks to Blink! (Zondervan) and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Miss Felicia Murdock is distinctly put out with God, because it seems they’ve had a slight misunderstanding. She was of the impression that she could best live out her Christian faith as the wife of Reverend Fraser—who is about to marry someone else. Despite her expectations, God doesn’t stop the wedding with a bolt of lightning, forcing Felicia to reconsider God’s plan for her life. As she is now twenty-four, that future obviously doesn’t include a husband.Her manipulative mother has other ideas (and it’s so nice to see a manipulative mother who actually has the best interests of their child at heart, and who isn’t simply following her own agenda). She is thrown into the company of Mr Grayson Sumner, who is actually Lord Sumner. He’s in New York in an attempt to escape his heritage, and provide a home for Ming, his adopted daughter. What follows is an amusing and exciting romp through 1881 New York society. Although she appears a bit of an airhead, Felicia actually does a lot of good work among the poor of the city, which leads her into trouble on more than one occasion, and gives Grayson the opportunity to rescue her. Unfortunately, this brings him to the attention of the owners of the Chinese opium dens, which puts him in danger as well. I very much enjoyed A Talent for Trouble. It was an original plot with a group of likeable yet imperfect characters, and an underlying theme of God’s willingness to forgive anyone, no matter what they’ve done. It was well-written, and I especially like the way the author uses humour to soften what can be difficult issues. A Talent for Trouble follows on from A Change of Fortune, A Most Peculiar Circumstance and the novella Gentleman of Her Dreams (currently free on Kindle). It can be read as a stand-alone story, but it does feature many characters from the earlier books and it will be easier to understand the back story if you have read the earlier books.Recommended for those who enjoy witty historical romance from authors such as Karen Wittemeyer, Mary Connealy and Carol Cox.Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Very nice - a bit different to her previous books, but I liked it better.Written in first person, present tense, which I know annoys some people but I don't mind it.One grouch: it's Royal Doulton, not Royal Dalton. I don't care what the spell check says. http://www.royal-doulton.com/

The subtitle of The End of Sex is ‘How Hookup Culture Is Leaving a Generation Unhappy, Sexually Unfulfilled, and Confused About Intimacy’. I read this partly as a warning (I’ve got a teenage daughter), and partly as research (what do young adults really think?). In the interests of fairness, I’ll also point out that I’m reading from the point of view of a conservative Christian with regard to sex and marriage (even though the book isn’t written from a Christian perspective).The book is based on a survey of 2,500 undergraduate students at seven US colleges, undertaken in 2006, including public, private, Catholic and conservative evangelical Christian colleges. She notes that sexual behaviour is similar at most schools, with the exception being a ‘purity culture’ prevalent at the conservative Christian colleges. As well as the paper survey, the author also undertook personal interviews with several hundred students to provide more in-depth information. The author is unjudgemental in her approach to teens and sex, which was apreciated. The first thing I learned that was hook-ups are not exclusively sexual. They can be anything from kissing to full sexual intercourse. It seems the key is that it’s a game: the social contract of the hookup is that it is temporary and physical, with no emotional connection and no intention to form any kind of relationship (although the author points out that often backfires when one partner—usually the woman—wants something more). Safe sex, in this context, is when one can walk away without an emotional attachment. There is also a disturbing view that virginity is an unfortunate barrier to get over as quickly as possible (despite her finding that 21% of college seniors were still virgins—a later section categorised abstinence as Replication, which has the unfortunate implication that no true Democrat would be a virgin). What was sad was the view that virginity was not socially acceptable, and the implication that peer pressure is a major factor driving sexual behaviour. There was also a discussion about ‘technical virginity’, which almost contradicted the discussion on losing virginity. It was interesting to note that many of the students (male and female) claimed to dislike the hookup culture, despite actively participating. These statistics seem to say either that college students are constantly acting against their own personal beliefs or they are lying about their attitudes and actions. I’m not sure which is more disturbing. Are we raising a generation who are too afraid of peer pressure to act on their beliefs (which doesn’t bode well for their ethics in the workplace). Or are we raising a generation that have no beliefs? There is also a discussion around the virtual absence of dating on many college campuses, and the corresponding lack of relationship skills among students. It struck me that romance is the top-selling fiction genre, yet romance novels are about developing relationships through dating: the very opposite of the hookup culture. I’d be interested in knowing what these college students are reading!There some issues with The End of Sex. A study of 2,500 students undertaken seven years ago may or may not be representative of the problems. The End of Sex says Christian colleges have a ‘purity’ culture, but then ignores these colleges in the commentary. And it doesn’t address what happens when people graduate from college: do they continue to hook up, or do they learn to develop meaningful romantic relationships? Who would I recommend this book to? I honestly think it’s going to tell a lot of people what they already know: college students spend a lot of time at parties, a lot of time having sex, and are losing the concept of relationship as a result. It’s also very American and focuses on those living on campus: those students who live at home during college may have a different experience.But there are two groups I would recommend The End of Sex to: American who are considering what college to send their kids to (the commentary certainly explains the popularity of Christian colleges among conservative evangelicals), and anyone who feels they need a better understanding of youth culture. The End of Sex certainly provides that.Thanks to Basic Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Rebecca Downer Jacobs is about to be one of the first women admitted into partnership of her prominent New Orleans law firm. She’s happily married with an exciting career, when something happens that’s going to change everything. Meanwhile, Peter, her husband and senior district attorney, is in charge of a complex case with far-reaching legal consequences and moral implications for his Christian faith. An Accidental Life is billed as the story of a legal case regarding the right to life of a baby accidentally born alive after a late-term abortion (the author calls this America’s best-kept secret). It’s set in 1982, just nine years after the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade legalised abortion, and the tension surrounding the case and the time setting are strengths of the novel. The weakness is that it takes too long to get going. The prologue and first chapter are, I’m sorry to say, boring. They are little more than five years of backstory, explaining what has happened to Amalise and Rebecca since the conclusion of Chasing the Wind (which was a rare five-star read for me). This backstory is unnecessary, as An Accidental Life works well as a stand-alone story. The novel might have been stronger if it focused more on the case and less on the challenges Rebecca and Amalise faced as female lawyers in the early 1980’s. It isn’t that I’m unsympathetic to their challenges—I’m fascinated by them, as it’s women like this in real life that paved the way for women like me to combine work and family. I suspect An Accidental Life was trying to do too much. And it’s possible this is more the fault of the publisher than the author—B&H announced earlier this year that they are withdrawing from the fiction market . It could well be that the author didn’t get the editorial support the novel required. Despite these problems, An Accidental Life is a solid read. The characters are faced with difficult yet realistic choices, the plot is certainly original, and the Christian element, while present, wasn’t overbearing. And although the last third of the novel—the legal case— was outstanding, the excellent premise didn’t quite deliver as a whole novel. Thanks to B&H Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

There are a lot of leadership books out there, a lot of them airport books. You know the kind: you get through check-in, go through security, and there’s a bookshop selling the liquids you couldn’t bring through security, magazines, some popular fiction, a few children’s books and some grown-up looking books on business. Some of them are by recognised management gurus; others aren’t. Some were rushed through the press in the wake of the latest Enron; others were rewritten to remove all praise for Enron. Most take a top-down approach to leadership. Smith is one of the few writers I’ve come across who looks at leadership from a servant perspective, a Christian perspective. That’s not to say that the leadership gurus who write airport books aren’t Christian: some of them are, and their ideas often reflect that. But it’s not front-and-centre in the way that Smith’s book is.He makes a point, then provides a challenge to action that point: it’s like show-don’t-tell in novels. We need leaders who will guide us with less talk and more action. I liked that. Smith is well-read in classic and popular management texts and quotes from a number of well-known managers and leaders, and provides a reading list at the end (including Servant Leadership by Robert K. Greenleaf).Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power - Abraham LincolnI particularly liked his advice on naming your business (“unless you are a personality or public figure, name your business something other than your name”—or, as my bank manager said, use your business name to say what you do not who you are). He also has a list of commonly misspelled idioms, which is O for Awesome (sorry - that's a Kiwi joke. Seehttp://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=O%20for%20Awesome andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaIZF8uUTtk )There was one problem with Why Leadership Sucks: over-long paragraphs. Many were over a page long on my Kindle, and more paragraphs breaks would help readability. Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Ten years ago, Susannah Smith was rather rude towards cordwainer’s son Benjamin Ross, but now he’s a Harvard-qualified lawyer and eligible bachelor—eligible in the opinion of almost everyone. But not her mother. Susannah’s sister, Mary, is courting Benjamin’s best friend, which brings the four of them together and Susannah discovers there is more to the adult Benjamin than her childhood self knew.The story starts in 1763, as the American colonists are beginning to rebel against their English rulers, and their harsh taxes, used to fund foreign wars. They also object to the presence of the Redcoats, for whom they have to provide free accommodation on request, despite struggling to feed their own families. Benjamin and Susannah’s relationship is originally rocky, as they have contrasting opinions on the role of the English and the morality of issues such as smuggling. There is also an underlying mystery: the story opens at the trial of Hermit Crab Joe for the vicious murder of an unknown young woman. Benjamin Ross is speaking in his defence, convinced Joe isn’t the real murderer. But if he isn’t, who is? And when Susannah discovers a runaway, a mistreated indentured servant, she knows Benjamin is the person who will be able to help.I liked both Benjamin and Susannah as characters. They were intelligent, opinionated and committed to doing what they believed was right. One character I didn’t related to was Susannah’s mother: I didn’t really understand why the wife of a pastor, a woman who spent a lot of her time helping the poor widows of the parish, would be so against her daughter marrying Benjamin Ross (and how she could be so unlike her own mother). After all, he’s a lawyer. Ross might not have a lot to offer now, but his future looks secure. (And, as this story is loosely based on the courtship of President John Adams and his wife, Abigail, he turns out very well indeed). Some of the language is very formal (e.g. “But inexplicably she couldn’t maintain her feelings of insult,”). I can see it's attempting to portray the formality of life and speech in 1763 but I prefer the style of Hedlund's earlier novels. However, there were also words of wisdom from several of the characters, including this gem from Susannah’s Grandmother:’Tis exceedingly easy to get caught up in the way things have always been done and never question if that’s the way they should continue.I didn’t enjoy this as much as The Noble Groom, but it’s still one I’d recommend for lovers of historical fiction and historical romance. Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Abigail Wains is married with two small sons when her husband ups and leaves. As the story progresses, we realise Jack was very controlling and a long way from the perfect Christian husband he seems to think he is. Fortunately, Abby has family living close by and good friends to support her in her time of trial. I can’t really say anything more without giving away the plot, so I’ll just say Pursued is a sweet romance with a strong Christian message of forgiveness, respect and love. Pursued was written entirely in the first person, from Abby’s viewpoint, which should have meant that we really got to experience everything with her. I certainly saw her anguish and struggle with feelings of unworthiness when Jack left, and I enjoyed her happy ending, but the middle bit was lacking. Despite what the blurb promised, I don’t feel I saw God at work inside her life. I saw the external changes, but the internal changes like her spiritual journey to forgiveness or her growing self-confidence didn’t come through for me, and this was a weakness. If I had seen it, it would have taken the story up a level. I don’t think the cover really suits the story, and the text could have done with a bit more on the editing side (there were too many run-on sentences), but the story was strong enough to make up for those slight niggles, and I especially enjoyed some of the more comedic moments, like with Abby’s sister, Willow. Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Abigail Wains is married with two small sons when her husband ups and leaves. As the story progresses, we realise Jack was very controlling and a long way from the perfect Christian husband he seems to think he is. Fortunately, Abby has family living close by and good friends to support her in her time of trial. I can’t really say anything more without giving away the plot, so I’ll just say Pursued is a sweet romance with a strong Christian message of forgiveness, respect and love. Pursued was written entirely in the first person, from Abby’s viewpoint, which should have meant that we really got to experience everything with her. I certainly saw her anguish and struggle with feelings of unworthiness when Jack left, and I enjoyed her happy ending, but the middle bit was lacking. Despite what the blurb promised, I don’t feel I saw God at work inside her life. I saw the external changes, but the internal changes like her spiritual journey to forgiveness or her growing self-confidence didn’t come through for me, and this was a weakness. If I had seen it, it would have taken the story up a level. I don’t think the cover really suits the story, and the text could have done with a bit more on the editing side (there were too many run-on sentences), but the story was strong enough to make up for those slight niggles, and I especially enjoyed some of the more comedic moments, like with Abby’s sister, Willow. Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Charley (a strong Christian) is the victim of a bank robbery gone wrong, and finds herself offering herself as a hostage to ensure the safety of the other victims. She forms a relationship of sorts with Raider (who she names based on the logo on the cap he wears). Charley allows Raider to take her as a hostage, at which point the book takes on more of a speculative nature, while still being grounded in the real world.Charley is a great character. She’s older (her age isn’t given, but she’s had over thirty years of marriage, so must be around sixty). She’s a Christian with a strong personal faith, but one that has been challenged and grown through hardship—something Raider doesn’t understand, and he taunts her for her faith. But Charley’s not afraid to take it. She’s the antithesis of many heroines in Christian fiction—she’s got guts, has a wicked sense of humour, calls a spade a spade, and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. I really liked her.Raider has his own history, including the abusive Aunt Rose, who used to lock him in the vegetable box and make him pray for forgiveness. Aunt Rose is the primary reason why Raider doesn’t have any time for God, or for old ladies who pray. It’s quite easy to feel sympathy for Raider, and that’s important: few authors can write a convincing sympathetic villain. The book has a number of editing issues, including point of view violations, tense shifts, run on sentences, redundancy, thinker attributions, incorrect grammar and a relatively unsophisticated writing style. It has been proofread well (although I did get annoyed by the persistent use of the word ‘drug’ for the past tense of drag. Drag, dragged, dragging. Not drug). The book would benefit from thorough copyediting. But the story was interesting enough that while I could see the editing problems, I was able to ignore them because of the strength of the plot and characters, and that doesn’t often happen. The story started to drag at around the 60% mark. It felt as though it was reaching the end—and it was. The main story ended somewhat abruptly at the 70% mark, and the rest of the book was introductory chapters for some of the author’s other works. This sudden end marred an otherwise solid read. I think the author would be better placed removing this, to prevent readers being misled as to the length of the story.Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Charley (a strong Christian) is the victim of a bank robbery gone wrong, and finds herself offering herself as a hostage to ensure the safety of the other victims. She forms a relationship of sorts with Raider (who she names based on the logo on the cap he wears). Charley allows Raider to take her as a hostage, at which point the book takes on more of a speculative nature, while still being grounded in the real world.Charley is a great character. She’s older (her age isn’t given, but she’s had over thirty years of marriage, so must be around sixty). She’s a Christian with a strong personal faith, but one that has been challenged and grown through hardship—something Raider doesn’t understand, and he taunts her for her faith. But Charley’s not afraid to take it. She’s the antithesis of many heroines in Christian fiction—she’s got guts, has a wicked sense of humour, calls a spade a spade, and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. I really liked her.Raider has his own history, including the abusive Aunt Rose, who used to lock him in the vegetable box and make him pray for forgiveness. Aunt Rose is the primary reason why Raider doesn’t have any time for God, or for old ladies who pray. It’s quite easy to feel sympathy for Raider, and that’s important: few authors can write a convincing sympathetic villain. The book has a number of editing issues, including point of view violations, tense shifts, run on sentences, redundancy, thinker attributions, incorrect grammar and a relatively unsophisticated writing style. It has been proofread well (although I did get annoyed by the persistent use of the word ‘drug’ for the past tense of drag. Drag, dragged, dragging. Not drug). The book would benefit from thorough copyediting. But the story was interesting enough that while I could see the editing problems, I was able to ignore them because of the strength of the plot and characters, and that doesn’t often happen. The story started to drag at around the 60% mark. It felt as though it was reaching the end—and it was. The main story ended somewhat abruptly at the 70% mark, and the rest of the book was introductory chapters for some of the author’s other works. This sudden end marred an otherwise solid read. I think the author would be better placed removing this, to prevent readers being misled as to the length of the story.Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

Gwyneth Fairchild has been sent by her father, Isaac, to stay with his old friends from America, Winter and Bennet Lane. Never mind that it’s 1814 and England is at war with America, and never mind that she doesn’t want to go. As she is leaving, she is intercepted with a marriage proposal from the handsome Sir Arthur, but when she goes back inside to speak to her father, she unwittingly witnesses his murder at the hands of her Uncle Gates, so she knows she must leave, immediately, before her uncle realises what she has seen.She suffers from dreadful seasickness on the voyage, and doesn’t improve even after arriving at the Baltimore home of Thaddeus Lane, son of Winter and Bennet. But they are determined to care for her, even without knowing why she is so afraid. When they find out, they are even more determined to protect her, especially Thad, who finds himself falling for the beautiful artist. I didn’t enjoy Whispers from the Shadows as much as Ring of Secrets or Fairchild’s Lady (a novella), because the focus was more on the relationship and the suspense around Gates and Sir Arthur, rather than on the activities of the Culper Ring, which were much more a focus of Ring of Secrets. This could be because it was rather slow to get going. Gwyneth sees her father murdered, falls to pieces mentally, and doesn’t really recover until almost the halfway point. Yet Thad falls for her almost immediately, despite the fact that she’s just not herself.And Thad is hiding his own secrets. He’s been married before, but no one talks about it, which seems very strange. We realise why when there is a huge argument at the halfway point, and it’s at this point that Whispers in the Shadows really starts to get going and pile on the suspense. Danger is coming, both from the inevitable war with the British, and from Uncle Gates. The second half of the novel is excellent, as is the unexpected finish, and I was impressed by the historical research and the way the historical events make the war between the North and the South inevitable. Although this is part of a series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel—the parts of the story that are confusing in the first half are confusing even to someone who has read the previous books, and the questions are answered in the second half. I will look forward to the next in the series, but I hope it returns to more of a focus on the Culpers, and maintains the pace all the way through. Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

It is 1921, and Laine Harkness is an Army nurse stationed in Amritsar, India, where she works at the Queen Alexandra hospital and assists at the a local Christian mission. Laine assists Eshana to rescue a 14-year-old temple prostitute who is unlikely to survive labour without professional medical care. They save the girl, with the assistance of the handsome Dr Jai Kaur, but the women have been identified and the mob is out for vengeance to those who dare to disrespect Hindi beliefs.The women flee: Eshana takes their recovering patient to the Ramabai Mukti Mission in Madras. Here she comes face to face with her past, in the form of the uncle who abandoned her in an ashram as a grieving 13-year-old widow. Laine is assigned to a remote medical outpost where she is reintroduced to Adam Brand, who forbids her from visiting his estate and refuses to give any explanation for the letter he wrote breaking their engagement. One ongoing thread through the story is Laine’s lack of faith. It’s not made clear why an English woman with no personal faith would assist at a Christian mission run by and for Hindi child widows, and the question of Laine’s faith is, in my opinion, never satisfactorily resolved. This is a weakness made even more obvious by the strength of the Eshana/Jai subplot.The other weakness was minor, and had to do with the editing. At first I was impressed by the use of vocabulary and word order to show the different accents of the English, Indian and American characters. Then I realised there were no American characters, despite the use of Americanisms such as ‘gotten’. Oops. There were also a small number of irritating typos and homonym errors.Apart from that, the research and writing was excellent. The author managed to give a real sense of time and place with only a few well-chosen words. I could easily believe I had been transported to 1920’s India, and was especially impressed the way contemporary events (such as Ghandi’s peaceful protests) were woven into the conversations between the characters. Captured by Moonlight has everything: a unique plot, an exotic location, two heroines from two very different backgrounds and cultures, and a hero with a secret, and a second hero who must abandon everything he holds dear in order to win the woman he loves. Recommended for those who want something a little different from the standard American Christian romance.Thanks to the author and ACRBA for providing a free ebook for review.

I've read Amish fiction by several authors and while it's well-written, I don't find I enjoy it. The heroines are generally immature, and it feels to me as though the novels romanticise the lifestyle, in the same way as Pretty Woman romanticised prostitution. I'm wary of any religious community that values conformity to the rule of an individual over belief in and obedience to God. Still Life in Shadows isn't the typical Amish story. Gideon Miller ran away from his Amish family at the age of fifteen, and now runs a motor garage. Gideon was brought up to believe only the Amish are true Christians, and believes that by leaving the Amish faith he has forfeited his opportunity for salvation. But that doesn't stop him helping Amish teens who seek to do something more with their lives than farming and manual labour. He's known as the Getaway Saviour.Kiki is a teenage girl with autism, and finds life in mainstream school difficult. But she's great with bicycles, and circumstances conspire to get her a job working for Gideon in his garage. The two form a strange relationship, especially when Gideon's younger brother arrives in town.The novel is written in the third person from the viewpoints of Kiki and Gideon, and my one complaint is that they sound too similar - or perhaps that's meant to show us they are both damaged individuals (or to remind us that the Amish are only educated to age twelve).This novel really made me think. If the Amish really believe they are the only way to God, why do they stay in their insular communities rather than seeking to share their faith with others?

Lowri Turner, UK TV presenter-turned author, nutritionist and diet expert, has developed the S-Factor diet based on some of the latest scientific research. The idea is that we can change our diets to include more of the foods that make us happier (and healthier), and this will help us lose weight. Yes, I could do with losing a bit of weight (and not finding it again), so I liked the concept. The first section of the book contains an explanation of the effects of four key hormones—serotonin, leptin, dopamine and the adrenals—and a list of foods to eat to boost each hormone. There was also a series of questionnaires to help readers decide which hormone/s they are low in.It then moves on to specific meal plans and recipes for the three phases of the diet: fast fat attack, steady weight loss and maintenance, with a different version of the diet and different recipes for each hormone focus area. This, for me, is where the concept falls down. Many of the recipes are family meals because “dieters are more successful when they can prepare the same meal for everyone”. First, this seems to contradict the idea of focusing on your specific S Factor diet requirements, as they may not be the same as those of the rest of the family (my husband and I have very different eating preferences, and I’m sure we wouldn’t have the same hormone needs). And while I don’t feel my family are especially fussy eaters (teenage daughter excepted), there are very few recipes they would all like. No, Lowrie. Not everyone likes Chicken Tikka Masala. But what really got me was the preparation and cooking time: one of the breakfast recipes took takes two hours to prepare and cook. I don’t think so …My final issue was with the maintenance section of the diet. Turner says to aim for 1500-2500 calories per day, but doesn’t give any guidance as to how an individual (me) should determine an appropriate daily calorie intake. This is important: if someone has a daily calorie requirement of 1500 calories per day instead eats 2500, they will gain around 1 kg per week. There were also some issues around formatting, which made some of the recipes impossible to read in my Kindle review copy – I hope the final copy is better. Overall, while I liked the concept, the eating plan and recipes don’t fit my family. I will adopt some of the principles of eating more of my ‘happy’ foods and see if that has an effect. Thanks to Watkins Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.