I can't say enough good things about Rene Gutteridge - or this book. I had the privilege of interviewing her recently and she shared about what it was like working with a co-author for the first time, how the idea for the book (and movie!) came about and what it was like writing about romance from a spiritual angle.

About Never The Bride:
Jessie Stone has spent thirty-five years fantasizing about marriage proposals, wedding dresses, and falling in love. She's been a bridesmaid eleven times, waved dozens of couples off to sunny honeymoons, and shopped in more department stores for half-price fondue pots than she cares to remember. But shopping in the love-of-her-life department hasn't been quite as productive. The man she thought she would marry cheated on her. The crush she has on her best friend Blake is at very best...well, crushing. And speed dating has only churned out memorable horror stories.

So when God shows up one day, in the flesh, and becomes a walking, talking part of her life, Jessie is skeptical. What will it take to convince her that God has a better love story than one of the thousands she's cooked up in her journals? Will she trust Him with her pen when it appears her dreams of being the bride are forever lost?

Edited: 08/19/2009 at 06:59 PM by jill.hart

Every girl wants a little adventure in her life now and then, but being kidnapped certainly wasn't the type of adventure that Kenzie Thorn would have expected. Kenzie knows that her job teaching prison inmates might be a bit dangerous, as is being the granddaughter of the governor, but she never expected something like this. When she's kidnapped by one of her new students she's not sure she's going to come through the experience alive.

The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn is a wonderful debut novel from author Liz Johnson. With just the right amounts of drama, suspense and romance, Johnson weaves a tale that will keep you reading late into the night. This is a great summer read!

About the Book
Myles Parsons is just another inmate in Kenzie Thorn's GED course until he kidnaps her, offering only a feeble explanation - that he's actually FBI Special Agent Myles Borden. Terrified, Kenzie doesn't want to believe his story of being undercover to protect her. Moreover, she can't believe that someone might really want her dead.

But just when Myles thinks he has her out of harm's way, his plans start to fall apart. He attempts to take Kenzie to a safe house - but the stubborn woman won't go! So together they must uncover the clues that will reveal a most shocking perpetrator. All the while Myles tries to keep his distance from Kenzie ... but finds himself falling in love.

About the Author
Liz Johnson grew up reading Christian fiction, and always dreamed of being part of the publishing industry. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff with a degree in public relations, she set out to fulfill her dream. In 2006 she got her wish when she accepted a publicity position at a major trade book publisher. While working as a publicist in the industry, she decided to pursue her other dream-becoming an author. Along the way to having her novel published, she completed the Christian Writers Guild apprentice course and wrote articles for several magazines.

Liz lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she enjoys theater, ice skating, volunteering in her church's bookstore and making frequent trips to Arizona to dote on her nephew and three nieces. She loves stories of true love with happy endings. The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn is her first novel. Keep up with Liz's adventures in writing at www.lizjohnsonbooks.com.

This is such a great book. It's clean and funny and just an all-around great story. Eugenia (Gennie) worms her way into your heart within the first few pages. I laughed out loud several times. Couldn't put this book down until I finished.
~ Jill

About the Book:
This Wild West adventure just might be the life she was meant to live.

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia "Gennie" Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent - especially as she's supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado, she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel's past - and disgruntled miners bent on revenge - will take that choice away from her.

Read the first Chapter of By Darkness Hid at RadiantLit!


REVIEW:
I adored this book. I was sincerely angry when I got to the last chapter - not because of the content, but because I didn't want it to end!

The characters are well-written and likeable (or thoroughly unlikeable - depending on their role in the story), the "fantasy" aspects are unique and believable and the plot worked. I was a little nervous when I started reading it - always am when I read fantasy - but Williamson drew me in and I soon couldn't put it down.

I will be waiting not-so-patiently for Book 2 and I can't wait to see what other story lines this author comes up with in the future!


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Half of Er'Rets is locked beneath an impenetrable shroud. On the side that still sees the sun, two young people struggle to understand the mind-communication abilities thrust upon them.

It's called bloodvoicing. Some say it's a gift. One of the newly "gifted" wish it had never come.

Achan has been a slave all his life. He is consigned to the kitchens of a lord and forced to swallow a foul potion every day. When an enigmatic knight offers to train Achan for the Kingsguard, he readily accepts. But his new skills with the sword do not prepare him for the battle raging between the voices in his head.

Vrell Sparrow is not who she seems. She masquerades as a boy to avoid capture by the powerful forces that seek to exploit her. But Vrell feels called to help a young squire who recently discovered his bloodvoicing gift, even if doing so requires her to work with those who could destroy her.

While Achan learns to use his new ability, Vrell struggles to shut hers down. All the voices strive to learn Achan and Vrell's true identities - and a different kind of voice is calling them both.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jill Williamson is a novelist, dreamer, and believer. She writes stories that combine danger, suspense, and adventure for people of all ages. An avid reader, she started Novel Teen Book Reviews to help teens find great books to read. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two book-loving children. By Darkness Hid is her first novel. Visit the author's website.

I adored the first book, Daring Chloe, in the Getaway Girls series by Laura Jensen Walker and this book is a great follow-up. Turning the Paige (love these titles!) is about Paige Kelley. She's a thirty-something single gal who feels like life is passing her by. With the help of her awesome book club - who have decided to create the adventures from the books they read (I want to be a book club like this!) - and through a series of life-altering events, Paige decides that it's time to make a change. She makes some tough decisions and handles some tough situations, but through it all she learns that God's plan for her is bigger and far better than she could have dreamed.

This is absolutely a series worth reading. I always walk away feeling inspired and excited about life.

About Sweetwater Gap:
A story of love and second chances. She wished she could go back and change things . . . but life doesn't give do-overs. Could anything but good-byes be waiting on the other side of Sweetwater Gap?

Josie Mitchell's sister Laurel thinks she's come home to pitch in with the apple harvest and save the family orchard. Her brother-in-law Nate thinks she's there to talk the overworked, very pregnant Laurel into finally selling the family business. The orchard's new manager Grady Mackenzie just thinks she's trouble with a capital T. They're all right . . . and all wrong. Because no one really knows what drove Josie from home in the first place. Why she's never come home before, even for her own father's funeral. Why she pushes herself so hard . . . and what she's running from. And nobody, not even Josie, is prepared for the surprising new fruit she'll find on her last trip home.

About the Author:
Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

Hear my interview with Denise at http://radiantlit.com/2009/04/...-visits-radiantlitcom/.

What. A. Great. Book. I adored this book. It's sweet, funny, charming - everything you want in a novel. I love a strong heroine, so the main character stood out to me immediately when I read the back of the book:

From the Back Cover
In A Vote of Confidence, the stage is set for some intriguing insight into what it was like during 1915 to be a woman in a "man's world."

Guinevere Arlington is a beautiful young woman determined to remain in charge of her own life. For seven years, Gwen has carved out a full life in the bustling town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, where she teaches piano and writes for the local newspaper. Her passion for the town, its people, and the surrounding land prompt Gwen to run for mayor. After all, who says a woman can't do a man's job?

But stepping outside the boundaries of convention can get messy. A shady lawyer backs Gwen, believing he can control her once she's in office. A wealthy newcomer throws his hat into the ring in an effort to overcome opposition to the health resort he's building north of town. When the opponents fall in love, everything changes, forcing Gwen to face what she may have to lose in order to win.

And I wasn't disappointed. Hatcher draws the reader in and kicks the story off from page one. Gwen is a great leading lady - tough enough to run for Mayor and yet "soft" enough to give piano lessons and care for the people of Bethlehem Springs. I'm glad there are more books to come in this series. You will be, too!

Marlo Schalesky knows how to handle tough subjects. Her writing always leaves you wanting more - and you just never know what twists and turns her novels are going to take.

In If Tomorrow Never Comes, Schalesky tackles the issue of infertility - something that she has experienced in her own life. "I thought this was going to be a fairly easy story to write," Schalesky told me during a recent interview, "I had now idea how hard it was actually going to be."

More about If Tomorrow Never Comes
Childhood sweethearts Kinna and Jimmy Henley had simple dreams - marriage, children, a house by the sea...everything they needed for happily ever after. What they didn't plan on was years of infertility, stealing those dreams, crushing their hopes.

Now, all that's left is the memory of young love, and the desperate need for a child to erase the pain. Until...

Kinna rescues an elderly woman from the sea, and the threads of the past, present, and future weave together to reveal the wonder of one final hope. One final chance to follow not their dreams, but God's plan.

Can they embrace the redemptive power of love before it's too late? Or will their love be washed away like the castles they once built upon the sand? The past whispers to the present. And the future shivers. What if tomorrow never comes?

Edited: 04/15/2009 at 10:27 AM by jill.hart

I adore these books. They are light-hearted and fun and just perfect for a Sunday afternoon snuggled under the covers. I reviewed the first 2 books in the series last summer/fall and now it's time for the final 2 books: The Winter of Candy Canes and The Spring of Candy Apples.

The Winter of Candy Canes opens with Candy back at The Zone, the amusement park she's worked at over her other school breaks. This time she ends up as an elf - Santa's helper in the long lines of children who visit the park each day until Christmas. Mishaps and mayhem seem to follow Candy everywhere - can she survive the holiday....and what in the world should she get her boyfriend for Christmas?

The Spring of Candy Apples finds Candy back at the Zone, but this time she's interviewing with The Zone's owner. He'll be choosing the winner of the "design a ride" contest and Candy's amusement park ride design (drawn on a napkin and turned in by her good friend Josh) has been chosen as a finalist in the contest. Candy isn't sure what the future will hold - will she win the contest; where does she want to go to college; how will she know whether Kurt is the right guy for her? So many questions...and so much drama.

Fun! Fun! Fun! These are great books to read and then pass on to your teenage daughters!

If you're looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, The Missionary is the book for you. David Eller is "the missionary" - he runs a rescue mission for the children on the streets of Caracas, Venezuela. Along with his wife Christie and their son, David seeks to ease the plight of the homeless children that plague the city. David's frustration with the government's lack of help leads him to make public comments against them. What he doesn't know is that the government has ears everywhere...and that his words may come back to haunt him.

The Missionary is one of those books that will keep you reading late into the night. It was an exciting, fast-paced read. Readers will enjoy getting a glimpse into the daily life of a missionary and then following him on his journey into the world of espionage - and life as an outlaw on the run.