WISH YOU WERE HERE by Beth K. Vogt

I liked this story.  The title fit in really well, especially with the ending.  It is one of those stories that I know I can just sit back and have a good time reading after the first few pages.  I was disappointed that I had to set the book aside a couple of times, because I would have loved to read it straight through.  I enjoyed the story line.  Allison finds herself dating someone for 6 years, saying yes when he proposes, and then bolts on her wedding day.  The fact that she "accidently" kissed her fiance's brother the week before and liked it started her wondering if she is making a huge mistake.  But Allison must come to realize that maybe Seth and her being the "perfect match" wasn't  so perfect after all.  As her good friend told her, "If you can stop controlling your life, maybe God will finally have a chance to get a word in edgewise and be able to tell you what He wants for your life."

Daniel was the brother of the groom and was very different from Seth.  He was a man of adventure and lived life to the fullest.  Seth was a man who knew what he wanted and assumed what he wanted was what was best for everyone, especially Allison.  (You will have flashbacks of the movie "Runaway Bride" when you read this book.)  I appreciated the fact that both men loved Allison, but only one really knew the real woman and wanted her to spread her wings and fly.  It is a story that makes you enjoy reading and leaves you with a good feeling when you close the book.

LOVE FINDS YOU IN HERSHEY PENNSYLVANIA by Cerella D. Sechrist

I am a lover of chocolate and have been to Hershey, PA and know for a fact that if you roll down your windows and drive through town you have the sweet smell of chocolate all around you.  So picking up this book and reading it was a "no-brainer" for me.  When I first started reading this story I thought I had figured out what was going to happen from the first few pages; but my guess was wrong.  The author did a good job of keeping my attention and always added a little something I wasn't expecting throughout her story.  It is a story of learning to forgive, to let go, to not always having to be "in control" and a story of dealing with "pride coming before a big fall".  The main character, Sadie, at times really annoyed me.  She seemed so wrapped up in herself that she couldn't see all the good people around her.  Sadie's best friend, Jasper, was like the perfect guy.  I loved how he played dolls with Sadie's little girl Kylie, and thoroughly enjoyed little Kylie and her "volcano" (read the book and you will understand about the volcano).

Sadie is running a restaurant in Hershey and trying to get her life back on track after the death of her husband and  the passing of her mother.   Jasper is her life-long best friend and he has always "been there" for Sadie and Kylie.  When a handsome Russian arrives in town intent upon opening a restaurant across the street from Sadie and when her "long lost" father shows up wanting to make amends, Sadie finds her life going into a tail-spin.  What she learns through it all and what she almost loses through it all will keep you reading, even though you might find yourself a little perturbed with Sadie sometimes.  She will get her act together in the end.  Sit back, breathe deeply and you might just smell the chocolate aroma. Hope you enjoy this heartwarming romance.

THE ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE by Grace Livingston Hill

This was Grace Livingston Hill's first book she wrote.  It is a short story, but very well done for her first work.  It tells the story of a young man who left his first love (the Lord) and went in search of a better life abroad.  He returns to his home town and through a special gift from a church youth group (a famous painting) found hanging on his wall at home he begins to discover what he is really missing in his life.  This author always does a very good job of bringing out a good spiritual message in her stories.  Sometimes  people let what they think "success" is get in the way of what really matters and brings lasting joy and peace in one's life.  I liked the way the author brought this out in her story.

NOT HIS TYPE by Lisa Crane

This is my second book by this author and I must say she is quickly becoming a favorite.  I like her style of writing.  She has a good sense of humor and a great feel for romance in her writings.  I look forward to reading more by her.  I think this story would make for a great "Hallmark" movie!

Brooke Valentine is a determined, "I can-take-care-of-myself" young woman who has had to care for herself and pay off her late grandfather's medical bills by selling some property next door to where she lives.  The construction is almost complete and the story opens with Brooke's car tire running over a nail from the construction site and getting a flat on her way to work.  She decides to get her motorcycle out and almost hits a construction worker, wrecks her bike and finds herself in the hospital in serious condition.

Travis Cooper is the owner of the new house being constructed and Brooke wakes up in the hospital to see Travis sitting there beside her.  Since he feels partially responsible for her being there he offers to cover the costs and helps Brooke home when she is released.  Brooke doesn't know what to do with Travis as she hasn't been around men that don't usually want something from you if they are nice to you.  Brooke is actually pretty clueless when it comes to men.  Travis thinks he is just helping a poor helpless girl, definitely not someone he would ever be interested in romantically.

Brooke finally finds a job at a small bakery shop and meets owners Riley and Jazz, who help Brooke out a lot  and they become good friends with her and later with Travis.  Travis ends up helping Brooke out of a few more "jams" she finds herself in and watching this friendship develop into something more was hilarious at times and very romantic at others.  Brooke really had no self-confidence in herself and thought she could never be "good enough" for Travis.  Travis was endearing with his cute little nicknames he kept giving to Brooke.  It was fun watching them both and Riley and Jazz  had fun watching them too.  It was just an all around good story, one that had you eager to keep reading and see what would happen next.   I found myself smiling alot as I was reading and just enjoying myself.  I would have given this book a 5 star easily but a few of the "kissing scenes" were a little too detailed for my liking.  But the ending was worth it all!!  If you want to sit back and watch a wonderful romance blossom, then I highly recommend you read "Not His Type".  Enjoy!

BEYOND ME. Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World by Kathi Macias

The title on this book caught my attention and I found alot of good insight through reading this book.  It dealt with many different areas in a believer's life: guarding our heart, choosing eternity over today, our call to reconciliation, keeping a tender, grateful heart, seeking first His kingdom, "attitude adjustments", our dependency upon God and many more.  I especially enjoyed her thoughts on the prodigal son and his brother and the father's heart.  But if you get this book and for some reason can't finish it, I highly recommend you read Chapter 10 before you lay this book aside, "Do You Love Me More Than These".  It was a very powerful chapter and meant alot to me!  

As it says on the back of the book, "Beyond Me will help you understand the calling, the costs and the benefits of true discipleship."  I felt it lived up to that statement very well.

CRIMSON CIPHER by Susan Page Davis

This story line intrigued me.  I found myself very interested in  the whole code-breaker, encryption, cipher key, cryptography work that went on in this story; along with the mysterious saboteurs and the sweet romance mixed in.  This takes place in 1915 when enemies were doing their best to keep the United States out of World War I.  I appreciated the fact that the author gave us what was factional and fiction in her story before the story began.  It caught my interest at the very beginning and held it throughout the book.  A little bit of mystery, romance and intrigue.

Emma Shuster finds her life totally turned in a different direction when she finds her father murdered and his secret encryption project left unfinished, but desperately wanted by the enemy.  The navy offers her a position trying to break intercepted ciphers from the enemy in Washington D.C., which she decides is the best thing to do.  But people are after her and the encryption project so no matter where she goes, they will track her down.  But Emma does have John Patterson on her side, who also works for the government, and who helps her through some very difficult situations she finds herself falling into on numerous occasions.

The characters in this story showed great bravery and a deep love of their country at a time when it was hard to know who to trust.  I learned a little bit of history while reading this story and found myself very intrigued with this time in our country's history.  Good job Susan Page Davis!  (Also thought the cover was great!)

An O'Malley Love Story: JENNIFER by Dee Henderson

This novella is about the youngest O'Malley sibling from the "O'Malley Series" by Dee Henderson.   I read this series several years ago, and after reading this book it makes me want to go back and read the series all over again.  This story is a pre-quel to book one in the series.  It leaves you off where "The Negotiator" (book one in the series) picks up in the life of Jennifer O'Malley.

Jennifer is a busy physician who loves her job in pediatrics in Dallas.  Tom Peterson is also a doctor and he wants to get to know Jennifer.  It takes some slow going, but Tom and Jennifer become good friends, which will eventually lead to falling in love.  Their journey from friendship to love was very precious and special.  Jennifer also will fall in love with Jesus in this story and that is just as special to see happen.  She will need that special bond with both Tom and Christ as she faces some unexpected testing in her life.

I can only say if you enjoyed  "the O'Malley series" you will definitely want to read this book.  If you haven't read the series, then start with this one and keep on reading the whole series, you will not be disappointed.  Dee Henderson does a good job of making her characters come alive with real problems and not all of them work out as "happily ever after", but she also always gives hope through that special relationship we can all have with the Lord.

* A Complimentary copy of this book was sent  to me from  LibraryThing Early Reviewers for my honest review.*

THE HEART'S JOURNEY HOME by Jen Stephens

This is my first time reading anything by this author and I must say I really like her style of writing.  This story just grabbed my attention and held it all the way through.  I liked the many illustrations different characters in the story would give to explain a hard or tough lesson someone was going through.  Having faith was a strong part of the message of this story and I appreciated the author's strong emphasis and how vital our relationship with the Lord is in our daily walk.

Kate Sterling finds herself moving back to her hometown of Harvest Bay, Ohio, after she struggled through the unexpected death of her husband 3 years ago.  She has a young daughter and together they set out to start a new life for themselves around family and friends.  Kate leaves behind her late husband's brother, Nathan, who has helped her out alot these past 3 years.  What Kate doesn't know is that Nathan has fallen in love with Kate.  When Kate gets settled in Harvest Bay you start to see her and Adam, a guy she knew from high school days, start to get close.  Then you find Nathan moving to Harvest Bay to be close to Kate and you are never quite sure how this is going to all play out in the end.

This was just an all around good story.  It had many different stories going in inside these pages and I loved how all the folks interrelated to each other.  I like how the author summed up Kate, "She'd arrived in Harvest Bay with a broken heart and a wounded spirit.  .....She survived a one day at a time, sometimes minute to minute. . . .  She'd foolishly made Him (God) her adversary. . . . A second chance at love was . . .   something she had no interest in."  But, the Lord will show Kate (and others in this story) that His thoughts are not her thoughts, and her ways and not His ways.  God just wants us to have a little faith in Him, because He will work all things out for good.  I highly recommend this story.

ABDUCTED by Janice Cantore

The author, Janice Cantore writes in her book that she "writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired".   I can truly say, she does just that in her stories.  They are filled with suspense, they keep you wanting to read to see what will happen next, and you leave her books inspired by the characters.  The fact that she has police enforcement in her background helps to make her stories feel that much more true and realistic.

This is book two in the "Pacific Coast Justice"  series, and I like how this story picks up where book one left off.  Could you read it as a stand alone; yes.  But I highly recommend you start from book one and read these stories in the order they were written.  You will not be disappointed.

There is a lot going on in this story.  Carly is a police officer working hard to try and save her relationship with her former husband Nick (and I appreciated the fact that their relationship was being transformed because each of them had a new relationship with the Lord, which is what helped them through the hard times yet to come).  Her police officer partner, Joe finds his wife and son taken to the hospital where his wife is near death and while in the hospital his son A.J. is abducted.  Carly's roommate, Andrea works at the hospital and Carly is having problems getting along with her roommate who seems to have it in for her for some reason.  Then there is the news reporter Alex Trejo who likes Carly a lot and makes his feelings known to her.  Add to all this Carly is trying to figure out who has taken A.J., and uncovers more than anyone bargained for in her search for the missing boy.  There are no boring parts to this story.  It is fast paced and keeps your interest throughout the story.   Most of the characters in this story you meet and get to know in book one, "Accused".  Looking forward to book three in the series!

THE HEART'S LONELY SECRET by Jane Peart

This was another good story in the "Orphan Train West" series.  The author does a good job of letting you feel what each of these children might have been thinking and feeling as their live's are forever changed.  They are first of all left at an Orphanage, some with hopes of the parents coming back for them, then they are put on a train to be "given" to a family that they have no say in.

Ivy Austin dreams of what it would be like to be free from the drudgery of the orphanage.  But when she is "given" to a family, her life in the circus is hard and demanding.  When she hurts herself she finds herself abandoned and put on the Orphan Train.  There she meets and befriends Allison, a shy, lonely and frightened little girl.  Together they are both adopted by folks in the same town, but with very different lifestyles.  Still, the girls remain friends throughout their growing up years.  It was enjoyable to watch all that these two young ladies go through, yet that bond of friendship is never broken.  These "Orphan Train West" stories have all been well written and do a good job of helping you to see what it might have been like to live during that time in history and to have traveled on the train West and been adopted.  A good set of books to read to learn more about that time in history.