THE STONES by Eleanor Gustafson

This is a novel on the life of King David.  The author gave a look at David's motives, emotions, the chaos in his life and his abilities.  She weaved a good believable story of a biblical person we know a lot about from reading the Bible.  This story is told through the person of Asaph, who was a Levite musician, which made it even more interesting.  It is a fictional account, with scriptural accuracy.  You get to see the behind-the-scenes look as to why people did the things they did.  There will be a giant being killed, wars and a lot of fighting men, temptations and deceit, and a man who experienced the unfailing love and forgiveness of his God.

Although I enjoyed reading this story of David and having history "come alive", I felt that David's passion and love for his God could have been more a part of his life than what was portrayed in this book.  David's dependence and worship of his God were what made him to be a man after God's own heart and although I know he was a person with faults and all, I felt his love for his Lord was not as strong in the story as I would have liked to have seen it.  That being said, I truly did enjoy reading this 593 page story which went by very quickly and which I would recommend to others to read and enjoy.

ANGEL HARP by Michael Phillips

Marie Buchan, an amateur harpist, became a widow at age 34 and is now soon to be 40. She comes to the realization that life is passing her by and decides to follow a dream of hers all the way to the hills and coastal shores of Scotland.  But her longed for summer in Scotland will bring her more than she ever imagined.  The music of her harp will capture the attention of many in the small coastal village she finds herself settling into.  She will also find herself drawn into the lives of the local curate and the local duke and will find herself facing the truth about her life, her Lord and her love of two different men.  Be prepared to travel to Scotland and be drawn into the life of Marie Buchan and others in the quiet local village of Scotland.  You will feel the breeze blowing in from the shores of Scotland and feel yourself there enjoying walks through the fields, right along with Marie.

Michael Phillips, the author, it is said,  "has a unique style of interweaving expansive and thought-provoking spiritual themes with dramatic story lines, memorable characterization, and rich historical settings".  That pretty much sums up what he did here in "Angel Harp". Scotland is considered home for this author for a portion of the year and you can tell this in the reading of this story.  This was not a fast moving story and I had to give myself time to settle in and get the feel of this book, but once I did I had a hard time putting it down as I neared the end.    There is a sequel to this book, "Heather Song" and I look forward to reading it in the very near future.

LOVE FINDS YOU IN HUMBLE, TEXAS by Anita Higman

I liked the story line of this book.  A women, Trudie, approaching her 30th birthday is set up by her sister, Lane, on a blind date.  Lane decided not to date this man, Mason, because he was her financial adviser, so she sets him up with her sister.  Trudie has never tried to compete with her glamorous sister and has always been blunt and to the point with her life and with others.  But Mason and Trudie just seem to hit it off, even on their first date.  The chemistry between them just fit like a glove.  When Lane sees what a great guy Mason truly is, she lets her sister know her change of mind about the man and how she is in love with him after all.  Trudie, being the sister that she is, decides to step back and give Lane a chance to win Mason.  But Mason is a pretty smart man and sees through Trudie's backing off of her wanting to be with Mason.  Can they all find their heart's desire and still stay friends?

I liked Mason as a person.  He was very sincere, romantic and thought things through.  He didn't give up on Trudie, saw the best in her and helped her see her potential and "go for it".  He was also very sensitive to Lane and her feelings.  It was a "love triangle" and I enjoyed myself watching everything unfold and come to a satisfying conclusion.  This is one of my favorites in the "Love Finds You in . . . series".

EVERY NOW AND THEN by Karen Kingsbury

A story of two people who lost someone they loved on 9/11, and how they each dealt with that loss.  Alex Brady lost his Dad, who was a New York fire fighter and who died in the Twin Towers.  He shut out all the people who cared about him, moved to California, and made it his goal to eliminate evil in the world and prevent tragedies like 9/11.

Holly was Alex's girlfriend when that fateful day happened, and although she tried hard to be patient and wait on Alex to handle his grief, Alex eventually sent her away and that relationship died.  Now Holly is in California working for Oak Canyon Estates and selling houses that are being built.  The problem is that an environmental terrorist group has targeted that sight, during the fire season, to make a statement and burn it to the ground.

This was a well written story that helped you see the struggles Alex was going through and kept you on the edge of your seat at times during a few harrowing action scenes.   I liked how the author helped us all to see "how Christ never intended for people to rid the world of all bad things, but for people to deal with the evil inside themselves".  I felt real peace for Alex when he realized what his Dad had lived all his life; "He believed that trouble was a certainty in this world, but he was not to worry because God had already conquered the evil in this world".

I will give a warning near the end of this story have some Kleenex handy, because if you are like me, you are going to need several of them.  This was part of a series, but you can easily read it as a stand alone.  It does touch base with people from the other two books, and it is always good to read about how people are doing from other stories.  It was a story I finished reading, but didn't forget about when I put the book down.  A story I will think about "every now and then".