Within My Heart (Timber Ridge Reflections) by Tamera Alexander


Within My HeartTamera has done it again. With this concluding book in the Timber Ridge series, she has tied up all the loose ends, made me fall in love with her characters, and laugh and cry with them as they endeavor to survive and thrive in the Wild West. Rachel and Rand are endearing and their story one most deserving of telling. No spoilers – read the series! Ah, Tamera, but God has gifted you with talent. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Tamera Alexander is a wonderful author – you need to get and read all her books. Her historical novels not only give you a glimpse of another time, they introduce you to characters you wish could be real-life friends. Be sure and pick up her Belmont and Belle Meade series, her newest endeavors.

Humor & Horror – God (b)Less America by Todd Starnes


book-cover-stormHumor coupled with horror – that’s the only way I can describe this book by Todd Starnes. I love Todd’s humor, e.g., when describing his mom’s anxiety at getting a recipe correct in time for a big church dinner – “”I’ve only got seven days to get this right,” she complained. My dad wasn’t very helpful. “I don’t see what the big deal is,” he replied. “It only took God six days to make the world.” Fortunately, she didn’t have a cast iron skillet handy.” I’m still chuckling over that one!

And although humor plays a huge part in this book, it is the horror I will remember. The horror over what America is becoming as our governments, city to federal, take God out of everything and persecute, bully, suspend, or fire those who are brave enough to stand up for what they believe. The horror of a school decorating at Christmas time that isn’t allowed to use Christmas trees or the colors red and green for fear it will offend someone. The horror of a group of students stopping to pray outside the Supreme Court and being told to stop and move along because they had bowed their heads. The horror of numerous businesses closing their doors because they’ve been told they have to use their creative abilities or premises for situations against their religious beliefs.

America was not founded as a God-less nation, it was founded as a nation under God. As Todd challenges us: “The time has come, brothers and sisters, my fellow countrymen. Who among you is willing to take a stand for religious liberty? Who among you is willing to risk everything for the cause of Christ? Who among you is willing to rise up and declare that we are still one nation under God?…I issue this call to you, my fellow countrymen: Onward, Christian soldiers. Onward.”

Humor and horror – much as it is distasteful and discouraging to read what Todd has to tell us, this is a must read book. All of us who call ourselves Christian must be aware of what is going on in our country today. We must be willing to take a stand – but we cannot take that stand if we’re not educated in the culture and politics of our world. Todd has much to tell us – and he is one of few correspondents willing to do so. Please read this book and share it with all your friends. Again – it’s a must read!

I was given an Advance Reading Copy by Todd Starnes in exchange for my honest review.

Undetected by Dee Henderson kept me glued to its pages


Undetecteduntil I finished it. What a book! I’ve loved all the books Dee Henderson has written from her O’Malley series to this newest series which links back to characters from other beloved books. After reading Undetected, I discovered Henderson had written another book, Unspoken, which leads me to hope there’s a new series in the works. Somehow I’d missed Unspoken, so went back to read that one right after finishing Undetected. Quite honestly, I’m hoping there are many more “Uns” to come!

Set in beautiful Bangor, Washington, on the Navy base there, “undetected” refers to the nuclear submarines of the U.S. fleet and their mission to cruise undetected through all sorts of waters. The hero of the story is Commander Mark Bishop, of the U.S.S. Nevada, a “boomer” with an exemplary record. I was fascinated by all the submarine lore as well as the running of the sub’s mission. The heroine is Gina Gray, a brilliant mathematician with a bad record of relationships who moves  from Colorado after a bad break-up to Bangor where her brother, Jeff, is stationed as C.O. of the Skywolf, a fast tactical sub.

Because I am “math-challenged” I found Gina’s talents a bit hard to believe, but found her very believable. I found myself rooting for her and wondering what she would do next. Deciding she had done a rotten job of finding a guy for herself, she asks Jeff to set her up with a “good” man. Jeff’s first choice is Bishop, but Mark takes himself out of the mix because he feels he is too old for her.

’nuff said. You’re going to have to read the book to find out the rest. I guarantee you will have a much greater appreciation for our submarine forces after you finish the book. And you’ll be hooked on Henderson’s writing if you’re not already.

I was given an advance copy of this book by Bethany House Publishers only to discover I’d purchased it previously but hadn’t read it yet. In the interest of full-disclosure, I review books for Bethany and receive review copies for my honest reviews.