Take Another Trip to Hope Harbor: Sandpiper Cove

Reading Sandpiper Cove was like taking a wonderful trip back to Hope Harbor and seeing old friends. This is the third book in the series Hope Harbor series by Irene Hannon but if you haven’t read the first, it’s okay. You’ll still feel right at home.

Here’s my review from the second book in the series: Sea Rose Lane.

Lexie, the police chief, and Adam, the ex-con, are dealing with different issues that they need to work through. The author does a great job of developing these characters in such a believable way so that you care about them and about this seaside village on the Oregon Coast. Someone is vandalizing and stealing from properties in the area, and Lexie engages to Adam to use his past experience to get involved. Will they be able to find the culprits?

There’s a spiritual aspect in this story that is very natural. The book is not preachy; the faith content is subtle and shows up more in how they live their lives than in the words that are said.

Another thing I really enjoyed: characters from earlier books are here…there’s Charley and his taco truck, Luis, BJ…and the friendly banter between the Catholic priest and the Protestant priest.

I enjoyed my trip back to Hope Harbor. According to Irene Hannon’s website, we can look forward to two more trips in the future. Count me in!

I received a free book from Revell Publishing (a division of Baker Publishing Group)  in exchange for an unbiased review.

 

Book Review: This Road We Traveled

Jane Kirkpatrick, the author of This Road We Traveled, has written over 25 historical fiction books, many based on real people or incidents in the American West. Jane’s attention to detail and historical accuracy are evident as she follows the story of Tabitha Brown.

This story starts in Missouri when Tabitha Brown’s oldest son returns from a trip to Oregon, eager to return. Because of her age, her family doesn’t want her to go on the difficult journey with them. She refuses to be left behind and hires her own wagon team. Showing true grit and determination, she joins them on the long trip to Oregon.

The book tells the story of leaving friends and family behind, the difficulties on the trail as fellow travelers get sick and die, and the hardships – and joys – in starting over in a new frontier. As she says at one point, “Just because a person chose a thing didn’t relieve them of pain.”

I didn’t realize until I read the author’s notes at the end of the book that Tabitha Brown is known as the Mother of Oregon. When she discovers how many children are orphaned along the Oregon trail, she gets busy. She starts a school that is now known as Pacific University. As one who loves Oregon, its landscape and its history, I felt that this made the story she told come alive for me.

Jane Kirkpatrick (www.jkbooks.com) is a Christian author who writes about historical Christian women, women whose faith was deeply important.

I received a free book from Revell Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.

Book Review: Hebrew Word Study

Reading a good fictional book is always good, but sometimes I need to stretch my brain. And this book does that gently. Hebrew Word Study is a study, written as a devotional with 90 short chapters, 2-3 pages each.  

The author, Cháim Bentorah (a teacher of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic), takes a Hebrew word or phrase and not only explains the English meaning, but provides insight on what the word meant at the time(s) it was used, but what it means for us today.

I must confess that I haven’t finished the book yet, but have enjoyed reading a chapter at a time. The author has a friendly and conversational way of explaining the word (or phrase) and how it’s used. For example, let’s take the word BELOVED, which in Hebrew is yadiyad. Here’s a short excerpt of the chapter.

You enter the heart of God the way a man enters the heart of a woman. He looks at her and says, “You are my beloved. There is no one else but you.” The word yadiyad is formed from the word yad, which means “hand.” Note that yad is repeated in yadiyad, thus meaning “hand in hand.”

I wish I could include the full chapter because it’s so descriptive. The author tells anecdotes and stories to make the meanings of the words and passages even more vivid.

So check this book out. You can learn a little Hebrew and more about your Bible from this book – and it won’t hurt at all.

Want more? Visit his website: www.chaimbentorah.com.

I received a free book from Whitaker House through The Book Club Network, Inc., in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love reviewing books

And I’ve been blessed with some really good books lately. About a month ago, I finished reading this book but was having a hard time putting it in words because it was so good…and so hard to let go of.

Searching for Eternity is the first book by Elizabeth Musser that I’ve read, and I LOVED it. I’ve added her to my list of favorite authors for sure. I started reading it while I waited for my car to get fixed. When the service guy came out and offered me a loaner car since it was taking longer than expected, I declined….I was so engrossed in this book.

In a nutshell, the story follows Emile de Bonnery. He’s a young teen in 1964 living in France when his father disappears. He and his mother are forced to leave the only home he’s known to live with a grandmother he’s never seen before in Atlanta, Georgia. He faces culture shock, bullies, and prejudice, but also meets Eternity Jones, a young woman dealing with her own hurts and dysfunction. Over the next four decades, he searches for his father…not knowing if his father left with another woman, if he’s dead, or is a spy in hiding.

The book is wonderfully written; the author has a wonderful way with words. The characters were well developed and REAL. She took me to Atlanta in the 1960s and to Lyon, France during World War II during the French Resistance. I felt like I knew these people and these places, and it was hard to let them go.

This book would fit in the Christian fiction category with some mystery, intrigue, forgiveness, and a little romance. I highly recommend it.

I received a free book from The Book Club Network, Inc., in exchange for an unbiased review.

 

I want to go to Hope Harbor!

Look at that – two book reviews in a week! My schedule has been a little lighter lately, so I’ve had more time to read. Never enough time, of course, but I won’t complain. My TBR (to be read) pile keeps growing because there are just so many good books. And speaking of good books…this is one I really enjoyed. You know, if Hope Harbor and the townspeople were real, I would make a reservation at that bed and breakfast.

Sea Rose Lane, written by Irene Hannon, takes place on the Oregon coast. My favorite vacation spot is anywhere on the Oregon coast, so as the author started describing the sights, sounds, and smells of Hope Harbor, I was hooked.

The story begins with Eric and BJ’s inauspicious meeting as Eric returns to Hope Harbor after getting laid off at his job in the big city. Once at his childhood home, he finds that his dad is turning it into a bed and breakfast. Not only that, BJ is the architect and crew chief for the construction team.

Eric has returned home to lick his wounds and to find a new job. BJ Stevens moved to Hope Harbor not too long ago also looking for a fresh start. Both of them are working through some hurts, so they’re not exactly ready for a relationship – with anyone.

The book has several storylines and a few eclectic characters that add flavor to the book. After their introductory meeting, Eric and BJ keep running into each other, eventually working together on a project that would help the town’s senior citizens (among others). I think this was the storyline that I found most satisfying.

This is a sweet and clean romance, with a little bit of faith woven throughout.

I received a free book from Revell Publishing (a division of Baker Publishing Group) in exchange for an unbiased review.