Don't Blame the Devil!

Don't Blame the Devil!
by
Pat G’Orge-Walker
Lizan Mitchell, narrator
audiobook
adult humorous fictionhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
African American fiction
Christian fiction
romance

Hold on to your wig! You are in for a wild ride when Delilah DuPree comes your way! This sassy 60 something year old can be mistaken for Lena Horne in her looks and singing, but heaven help us when Delilah loses her temper. Through a series of bad choices Delilah is without a car and without a family. She encounters her ex-husband, her son, and her granddaughter through chance or is it God's providence?
Either way, they are wise to her devilish ways and cautious. Will Delilah have a happy ending or be cast off as a sinner? This audiobook is hilarious and earthy in its treatment of the modern Christian African American church and the narrator does a whiz-bang job of giving each character his or her own voice.

Masquerade

Masquerade
by
Nancy Moser
adult Christian romance fiction

A young woman from a respectable Victorian family must leave England, as her father has lost the family's money and a suitor from New York has agreed to court her. Charlotte wants more out of life than a boring marriage, though. So she and her maid switch identities as they disembark in NYC. Can she and her maid be true to their own personalities even though they are in disguise? Will they find the love they desire? Does wealth buy happiness?
This is a pleasant but unoriginal plot. If you are looking for a quick, but forgettable read, then try this book.
P. S. I think this is an unfortunate title that can be confused with many other books with the same title. Three hundred three titles with the word "masquerade" show up in my library's catalog.

Silent Pursuit

Silent Pursuit
by
Lynette Eason
Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense Riveting Inspirational Romance, November 2009
Steeple Hill is a division of Harlequin
Amazon.com lists this as one in a trilogy, but it is a fine read-alone book.
(High Stakes Trilogy, Book 3) (Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense #172)
1 Silent Terror
2 Silent Fury
3 Silent Pursuit

I guess this series title shows that there is a Harlequin romance for every reader. What do we have here?
1) Romance
2) Inspirational
3) Intrigue
4) Suspense

For more than 60 years Harlequin has had a strong presence in the book market.
I picked up this title for a quick read, not expecting much but to pass the time.
I was pleasantly surprised by the content. In this story, Gina is running from people who killed her fiance. She has to trust someone, so she leans on his ex-Army Ranger buddy, Ian. Obviously a romance is in the works for them, but I this title is very light on the romance and inspiration and heavy on the running-around-dodging-bullets part of the plot. Although intended for a female audience, this Harlequin can be shared with the male partners of readers or teenage daughters as well for light summer or airplane reading.
The references to God are limited to some desperate prayers and saying that a dead Christian is in Heaven. The romance is limited to hugging and a kiss or two.
Another surprise was finding a reading and discussion guide in the back as well as an author's note.
I will get on hold at my library for #1 and #2 in this series, but this book can stand alone. I did not realize it was part of a trilogy and it was not confusing that it was #3.

Where Do I Go?

Where Do I Go?
A Yada Yada House of Hope Novel
by
Neta Jackson

Adult Christian Fiction

Gabrielle is middle aged with two boys and an ambitious husband. He decides to move himself and his wife to Chicago, leaving their sons with their Grandparents in Virginia. She is feeling displaced and doesn't really want to be the hostess to dinner parties and such that will help her husband's firm get off the ground. Through a turn of events she finds herself at a women's shelter and thinks that maybe this is where she can volunteer or get a job and a renewed sense of purpose. Maybe she even can have a talk with God about her life and her future.
This light fiction work does not go for simple answers and tidy happy endings. The cover says it is book 1 in the Yada Yada House of Hope series. A number of minor characters are probably featured in other books in this series. This is a warm book that invites the reader in to Neta Jackson's world. Like the "At Home in Mitford" books we have a series to recommend to Christian readers. This book seems to be written for women, but in an unusual twist, her husband, Dave Jackson, is also writing books set in the same universe. I assume that these are supposed to have male main characters and appeal to men.
This was a fairly easy read and may appeal to people who do not read many fiction books as well as more experienced readers who want a quick book fix. Teens and their mothers could probably both read this book and series.

http://daveneta.com/ For more about the series and free short story downloads.

Restless Hearts

Restless Hearts
by Marta Perry

Love Inspired
Steeple Hill
a division of Harlequin Books

Adult Christian/inspirational romance

This is a pleasant book set in contemporary Amish country Pennsylvania. A woman whose mother was ex-Amish comes to Pennsylvania to take a job as a midwife. She encounters a policeman who is ex-Amish. A romance ensues. I found this book to be much better than the average Harlequin paperback.

Sixteen Brides

Sixteen Brides
by
Stephanie Grace Whitson
adult
Christian Romance Fiction

Sixteen young women, one mother, and one son go west with the hopes of homesteading in Nebraska. They figure that they are hard workers and together they can claim at least a few homesteads. Once they arrive they discover that the man who arranged this was not entirely honest. He had promised the male homesteaders already on the land that these were BRIDES for them! Half of the ladies figure, why not marry? and marry right away. The others try to stick with the original plan. Either way they will be instrumental in shaping the county development.
The story focuses on five of these women and their growth as homesteaders.
This is not the best nor the worst Christian western romance I have read. It is a fairly good light read. I was slightly disappointed in the end because there were a number of unanswered questions and untold stories. This might mean that this could be #1 in a trilogy or series with more than 3 books. There is plenty more that the author could say about Plum Grove, Nebraska.

Painted Dresses

Painted Dresses
by
Patricia Hickman
by
Waterbrook Press
adult fiction, romance, travel, Christian fiction

The wild sister and the tame sister take off on a road trip to visit relatives and find out the truth about their now deceased parents and their incarcerated half brother. They find out about themselves and the past. Can they get on with life once these questions are answered? This book starts in North Carolina, but tours through the Southern states.

Let Them Eat Cake

Let Them Eat Cake
by
Sandra Byrd
Adult Christian Fiction
Alexandra (Lexi) is out of college and still trying to find her way in life. She is a Christian, but doesn't know what to do with God. Is he still out there? Is he directing her life? A little direction would help, God!
She tries a few jobs, but none seem like the right thing for her. She dates some, but doesn't want to give her heart to the wrong man. She is looking for an apartment, but that isn't working out so well, either.
Like many people of her age (mid twenties) she is drifting. Things start to look up when she takes a low paying job in a French bakery. As a French culture studies major she has always wanted to go to France, but the closest she got was French Canada. Could this bakery job be the break for which she has been waiting? Her boss is a very cute French guy, too. Might he be the one?
I found that I could completely relate to Lexi's situation - been there, done that!
The note on the back of the book says that she is know for writing teen fiction. It looks like her characters have grown up with her readers.
This is a light, pleasant read and better than many others on the Christian Fiction shelf next to it. Even if the reader has left her twenties behind her, it is still good to be reminded that we don't all know where we are going - we just need to keep on relying on God. I won't tell you the ending, but I was proud of the author for not going for the standard, predictable ending.
This book can be read by men, but it is intended for a female audience.
Now that I look at the cover, I see that this is by WaterBrook Press - one of my three favorite publishers (Tor and Daw are the others).
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/

Promise to Believe In

Promise to Believe In
by
Tracie Peterson
Adult Christian Fiction

The Gallatin girls (young women) are on their own in frontier Montana. Their mother died in childbirth when they were little. Their father, although not a participant, has been accidentally shot during the town's wild night of partying. A stranger rides into town one day causing trouble for the ladies - as if they don't have enough trouble trying to run a stagecoach stop/bed and breakfast without a man's protection. That is to say nothing of the saloon owner who has now brought prostitutes to the town!
Since the series is called "Brides of Gallatin County" we can guess that at least one of the three ladies will have a love interest and get married in the end. Since it is Christian fiction at least one character will come to Christ or come back to Christ. Yes. This is what happens.
The story is somewhat predictable but pleasant and clean. The author does not tie up all the loose ends - leaving room for two more books in the series (and two more weddings) - but the end is satisfactory.
I am not sure why the series is "Gallatin County". I suppose eventually the county will be named for the family, but it is not addressed in this book.
I would recommend this for gentle readers looking for a quick read.

Going Home: Brides of Webster County Number 1

Going Home: Brides of Webster County Number 1
by
Wanda E. Brunstetter
Adult Christian Fiction

A yodelling, joke-telling young lady runs away from her restrictive Amish home hoping to make it big as an entertainer. Years later her husband dies and she comes home to rural Webster County, Missouri. Can she be sober enough for the community? Will they lighten up?

This is a clean, gentle read appropriate for a conservative audience, especially teen girls and elderly ladies. If patrons have already read Grace Livingston Hill, Beverly Lewis, and Jan Karon you might recommend this author. It was a tad bland and predictable, but safe and pleasant. I thought that a few questions were unresolved in the end, so that was disappointing.

Here is a hint: Why is the series called "Brides of Webster County"? Do you think that she might get married in the end?

I might read another book by this author, but not in this series and not right away.