Wildflowers From Winter by Katie Ganshert

I don't watch much TV, with the exception of Tuesday night. Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. mean the TV belongs to "mom", it's time to be quiet, and "no, you can't have my popcorn, make your own". So, when I opened up to the first chapter of "Wildflowers From Winter" on a Tuesday evening, it was with the intention of starting it, and putting it down in time for my "show". Needless to say, when 8:05 rolled around, and I decided to stay on the couch with my book, the family started wondering what on earth was going on with mom.

"Wildflowers From Winter" draws you right into the main character's life, and holds you there. I barely made it through the Prologue before asking myself "who is this new writer, and when is she writing the NEXT one?" The characters are "meaty", they have depth and emotion. There's no violet-eyed beauty falling into the arms of a chisel-jawed cowboy, only real people with real problems trying to figure out who they are after great loss. The Chicago architect who pulled herself up out of the trailer park, left her past behind, and "made something of herself". The back-home farmhand, faithfully caring for the people and land he loves most. Both united through a common loss and a common bond. 

Don't understand my enthusiasm? Read the first chapter, and I guarantee you'll be wanting this book long before it hits the store shelves this May! http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/blog/2011/12/09/sneak-peek-wildflowers-from-winter-by-katie-ganshert/

The great thing about Christian fiction is that it's always about more than the book! The author expresses that she wants people to find hope through this story, and the knowledge that we worship a God who is with us even in the barren times. I believe she has accomplished far more than that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzE0YC_Tvns

Go. Read. Enjoy

This book was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. It can be pre-ordered or purchased through
 http://www.christianbook.com/apps/product?item_no=730383;item_code=WW

Not This TIme by Vicki Hinze

It has taken me weeks to get to this blog. Not because I wasn't reading, but because I couldn't get into the book I wanted to blog about. "Not This Time" by Vicki Hinze was provided to me free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah for review purposes. In all fairness to the author, I did not realize when I chose to review this book that it was book # 3 in a series (after Forget Me Not and Deadly Ties). I tried several times to get into this book. I read and reread the first chapters to no avail. There are a LOT of characters, and try as I might I could not figure out the who's who. Plus, I don't get into suspense, and "high tension" when I read. I much prefer a book that helps me to relax. If you like suspense and romance, then I would suggest starting with book #1 so you can get a good feel for the plot and the characters. My apologies to Vicki Hinze for being unable to give a fair review of her book.