Blind Hope: an Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued, by Kim Meeder & Laurie Sacher

An unwanted dog. An emotional rescue. Two lives forever changed. 

Laurie's dreams had been shattered before she came to work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch—the ranch of rescued dreams—where broken horses and broken children encounter healing every day. In an attempt to soothe her aching soul, Laurie reached out to save a dog in need. And she soon began to realize that the dog was rescuing her.

An inspiring true story told through the engaging voice of Kim Meeder, Blind Hope reveals poignant life lessons Laurie experienced from her ailing, yet courageous canine friend. Despite the blindness of her dog—and her own heart—Laurie uncovered what she really needed most: authentic love, unconditional trust, and true acceptance, faults and all.

As Laurie and her dog, Mia, both learned to follow the lead of a master they couldn’t see, Laurie discovered the transforming power of God’s grace even for imperfect and selfish people—and she experienced a greater love than she had ever known.

“Love is a bridge that stands firm through difficulties and connects one heart directly to another, not because of how it looks, but because of what it is.” --Kim Meeder, Blind Hope

Abused animals are rescued daily, desperately searching for basic love and care. Rarely do we expect to find that the human rescuer is, in fact, "rescued" by the animal they have saved. It's the same idea as realizing that our "pet" is truly a family member that can never be replaced.

Laurie and Mia are a pair that cannot be separated. After rescuing Mia from a home that had so many problems that an under-nourished dog was the mildest of them, Laurie carefully nurses Mia back to health and life. Only as time went on and Mia was faced with new challenges, did Laurie realize that Mia was teaching her about life and nursing her back to emotional and spiritual health.


Mia is amazing, teaching not only Laurie but others to trust in your unseen Master, for a loving one never steers you wrong. It's a story of a woman in need of rescuing finding her self in God's love as she saves a dog. Acceptance and pure love are at the heart of Laurie and Mia's story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this galley from Waterbrook Multnomah through the Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Confessions of April Grace: In Front of God and Everybody, by KD McCrite

Cover art from the Thomas Nelson website

From the publisher's website:

If God wanted April Grace to be kind to her neighbors, He should have made them nicer!



Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny—especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience. From disastrous dye jobs to forced apologies and elderly date tagalongs, you’ll laugh ‘til you cry as you read the Confessions of April Grace!


Here are just a couple of April's thoughts: On her sister, Myra Sue: "How anyone can be that dumb and still be able to eat with a fork is beyond me." On senior citizen lovebirds: "What if they started smooching right at the table in front of God and everybody?"


In spite of all the loony characters in her life, April Grace is able to learn from her parents as they share the love of God—to even the craziest of characters!

Can I just say, I love April Grace? She's no fool. She knows things aren't always as they seem. And she refuses to except nonsense--like the new neighbors who've moved into her dirt road community from glitzy California. She's the girl I would've loved to have been at her age! Resilient and a little mouthy, but with good intentions.

The story is fabulous, and full of setting/scenic detail that Ozark Mountain native KD McCrite knows well. I got lost in this story, easily connecting with April Grace and realizing that I had the same emotional responses to the other characters that she did. (I rarely connect that well with characters, since I don't often "internalize" books.) This is a rare blend of a coming of age story (for April Grace) and facing reality story (for others)--clearly the 2 story lines are intertwined, but it's not April Grace who must face reality.

This is McCrite's first book, and I can't wait to see another.
 
McCrite, KD. The Confessions of April Grace: In Front of God and Everybody. Thomas Nelson Publishers, May 2011.
 
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Thomas Nelson Publishers through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Promises She Keeps, by Erin Healy

It's her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can't live with that.

Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality.

When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that Promise is the one she seeks. But Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and opposes Porta, comes between the women with his mysterious visions and drawings, and plunges everyone into a flesh-and-blood confrontation over the true meaning of eternal life.

Rather a dark story, Healy's The Promises She Keeps is oddly filled with hope and whimsy. The story reveals the lives of three lead characters, with very different backgrounds and stories. At first, I couldn't determine what the three had in common or why they were even in the same novel.

Chase is the example of the basic and simple side of all people--focused and wanting what only makes sense to want. His simpleness is the whimsy in the story (Why shouldn't things be the way he sees them?) Promise is looking for the one thing that her life as it is will never be able to give her. The one thing that her well-meaning and well-off parents can never give her. Promise's story is the hope. And Porta is the painful reality, the one who turns the beautiful into the ugly.

It's not an easy read, and you do have to pay attention to what's going on. It's haunting and painful, yet beautiful. It is, quite simply, lovely.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Thomas Nelson Publishers through the BookSneeze reader/reviewer program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Ninth Wife, by Amy Stolls

Thirty-five-year-old folklorist and amateur martial artist Bess Gray is a single woman living in Washington, D.C. who falls in love with Rory, a charming Irish musician with a secret.  When Rory asks her to marry him, Bess, who had nearly given up hope of marrying at all, is horrified to find that he has eight ex-wives.  She sets out on a cross-country journey with the intention, unbeknownst to Rory, of seeking them out. In alternating chapters, Rory ruminates about each of his ex-wives and how he became a serial spouse. 

Along for the ride are Bess's grandparents who've been married 65 years and fight constantly, her gay neighbor (himself an utter mystery), a Shar-Pei named Stella, and a mannequin named Peace.  Will Bess say yes to Rory?  Would a sane woman really consider becoming any man's ninth wife? 

Okay, I obviously picked this up thinking it was yet another fundamentalist Mormon book. It's not my background by any means, but it's an interesting culture to me. This story isn't about that.

It's a love story, yes. But a convoluted one. Rory has been married 8 times before meeting and ultimately proposing to Bess. 8 times. Who does that? And why is Bess supposed to not be rather obsessed and bothered by the notion of being some man's 9th wife when he will be only her 1st husband? 

I really like Bess, and can honestly see myself making very similar decisions in my life and once she learns about Rory's marital past. Rory's likeable, heck, loveable. But he's delusional about what good and right reasons are. Having valid reasons for a decision doesn't mean you have to follow through with the decision. 

This story doesn't catch you right away. But, once you get threw the first few chapters, the story is interesting and you are driven to find out Bess's ultimate decision. Keep up and pay attention, as you flit between Rory's back story and his and Bess's reality.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Harper Paperbacks (HarperCollins) through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Phantom Evil, by Heather Graham

From the back of the book:
A secret government unit is formed under the oversight of Adam Harrison, famed paranormal investigator. The six members he's gathered know a little of the otherworldly—each has honed a psychic talent of their own.
 Jackson Crow, part English, part Cheyenne, heads the group. Haunted by his experience with an ancestral ghost who saved his life as a child, and the recent murders of two previous teammates, Jackson can't tell if Adam's demoted him or given him an extraordinary opportunity. Despite his link to the realm of spirits, he's well aware that the living commit the most heinous crimes, with spiritualist charlatans existing merely to fool and seduce the unwary.
 To counterbalance Jackson's careful skepticism, Adam Harrison has paired him with Angela Hawkins, a young woman who learned the painful lesson of loss at an early age. A police officer utilizing her paranormal intuition in Virginia, she already has her hands full. But Adam's call to New Orleans is strong.
 The case: In a historic mansion in New Orleans' French Quarter, a senator's wife falls to her death from a balcony. Most think she jumped, distraught over the loss of her young son. Some say she was pushed. And yet others believe she was beckoned by the ghostly spirits that inhabit the house—once the site of a serial killer's grisly work.


Whether supernatural or all too human, crimes of passion, greed and desire will cast the pair into danger of losing their lives…and their immortal souls.

My personal "fluff" reading is paranormal fiction. So, to be able to pick this up in pre-publication was a win for me.

The story is interesting and the lead characters (Jackson Crow and Angela Hawkins) are well-developed. It's rare that I find enough believable backstory to bring a character to life. Graham, once again, delivers that wonderful character development I know her for.

The story is well-done. Graham does more than just randomly set her story in New Orleans, she includes New Orleans in the story. There's so much to draw from in New Orleans for paranormal/supernatural stories, but she also does a little history work. Overall, the story is good.

However, some of the character stuff bothers me. There's 6 on the team, and 3 involved in the case. That's 9 primary/secondary characters that are through out the story. A bit busy. Also, the romance between Crow and Hawkins. While it's believable that there would be some attraction, it all moves much too quickly. Much, much too quickly.

Overall, it's a good story, I just wouldn't give it 4 or 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Harlequin through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”