Blood Orange by Drusilla Campbell
"Dana Cabot cannot remember the kind of person she was before May 29th, the day she became angry at God, at her workaholic attorney husband, and herself. The day her seven-year-old daughter, Bailey, disappeared. As the months wear on without a trace of her adorable but troubled child, Dana can't help blaming her husband's controversial defense of an accused abuser for playing a role in the abduction - and it shows in the strain on their marriage. But then a shocking event offers a clue to what really happened to Bailey - and Dana's unwitting part in it. Haunted by the unthinkable consequences of revealing everything she knows, Dana must decide whether to keep the truth to herself - or risk losing the rest of her family."
This story didn't exactly follow the path that I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I expected more of a "Deep End of the Ocean" story, but this is more of a story about what led up to the kidnapping and how the truth is revealed. It is well written and while there are no big surprises, it still keeps you interested.
4 stars
Angel's Rest by Charles Davis
"Growing up in Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, eleven-year-old Charlie York lives at the foot of an endless peak called Angel's Rest, a place his momma told him angles rested before coming down to help folks. In 1967 his town was a poor boy's paradise...until a shotgun blast killed Charlie's father and put his mother on trial for murder.
For mysterious reasons, his mother entrusts his care to an old black man named Lacy Albert Coe. Lacy tells simple stories about the good and the bad that compose life's sweetest music. But when a reclusive Korean War veteran is linked to his father's death and Lacy is victimized by hate crimes, Charlie hears only silence."
I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Daniels does a great job of developing characters that are real. One of my pet peeves with story tellers is that they often attribute more maturity to kids than they should. Mr. Daniels does not do that. In fact he does a great job of acknowledging Charlie's immaturity and understanding level. As the story unfolded I kept trying to figure things out and actually did at one time, but still was not quite sure until it was revealed. This is a believable story that covers many facets of our humanity.
5 stars
If I Gained the World by Linda Nichols
"Lenore and Daniel have a cozy home and a wonderful son, a mirror image of his father. Lenore loves her life and wants nothing to change - except one thing ...As innocent as it seemed, her request is the beginning of the end, and their life together unravels. Lenore takes little Scottie and begins her quest for meaning, purpose, and a new start - as far away from those bittersweet memories as she can get...How will these broken hearts move past their pain and find their way to faithfulness, grace and love?"
This was my least favorite book that I read this month. It is just not the genre that I am interested in reading. There were some interesting characters and it is an encouraging story as far as pointing out the things that are truly important in life. Stories of this type just seem a little cheesy and fake to me at times. I really want to like them, but they just don't strike the chord with me to make me want to read more. However, if you like a romance story that is a little on the fluffy side, this is a good one.
3 stars
"Dana Cabot cannot remember the kind of person she was before May 29th, the day she became angry at God, at her workaholic attorney husband, and herself. The day her seven-year-old daughter, Bailey, disappeared. As the months wear on without a trace of her adorable but troubled child, Dana can't help blaming her husband's controversial defense of an accused abuser for playing a role in the abduction - and it shows in the strain on their marriage. But then a shocking event offers a clue to what really happened to Bailey - and Dana's unwitting part in it. Haunted by the unthinkable consequences of revealing everything she knows, Dana must decide whether to keep the truth to herself - or risk losing the rest of her family."
This story didn't exactly follow the path that I expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I expected more of a "Deep End of the Ocean" story, but this is more of a story about what led up to the kidnapping and how the truth is revealed. It is well written and while there are no big surprises, it still keeps you interested.
4 stars
Angel's Rest by Charles Davis
"Growing up in Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, eleven-year-old Charlie York lives at the foot of an endless peak called Angel's Rest, a place his momma told him angles rested before coming down to help folks. In 1967 his town was a poor boy's paradise...until a shotgun blast killed Charlie's father and put his mother on trial for murder.
For mysterious reasons, his mother entrusts his care to an old black man named Lacy Albert Coe. Lacy tells simple stories about the good and the bad that compose life's sweetest music. But when a reclusive Korean War veteran is linked to his father's death and Lacy is victimized by hate crimes, Charlie hears only silence."
I really enjoyed this book. Mr. Daniels does a great job of developing characters that are real. One of my pet peeves with story tellers is that they often attribute more maturity to kids than they should. Mr. Daniels does not do that. In fact he does a great job of acknowledging Charlie's immaturity and understanding level. As the story unfolded I kept trying to figure things out and actually did at one time, but still was not quite sure until it was revealed. This is a believable story that covers many facets of our humanity.
5 stars
If I Gained the World by Linda Nichols
"Lenore and Daniel have a cozy home and a wonderful son, a mirror image of his father. Lenore loves her life and wants nothing to change - except one thing ...As innocent as it seemed, her request is the beginning of the end, and their life together unravels. Lenore takes little Scottie and begins her quest for meaning, purpose, and a new start - as far away from those bittersweet memories as she can get...How will these broken hearts move past their pain and find their way to faithfulness, grace and love?"
This was my least favorite book that I read this month. It is just not the genre that I am interested in reading. There were some interesting characters and it is an encouraging story as far as pointing out the things that are truly important in life. Stories of this type just seem a little cheesy and fake to me at times. I really want to like them, but they just don't strike the chord with me to make me want to read more. However, if you like a romance story that is a little on the fluffy side, this is a good one.
3 stars
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