Carried Away (Montana Miracles, Book 1) by Grace Walton

I got "Carried Away" reading this book yesterday... in fact I stayed up till just after midnight because I had to finish it! Written with some intrigue, romance and faith threads on forgiveness, redemption, faith and more, this book packed it in! Walton seems to stay in keeping with her other novels by writing a strong male character; one who readily admits his sinful past and how he has been saved by Christ, and now seeks to live out his faith. Like the rest of us, he isn't perfect but watching his struggle and surrender to Christ is a reminder to us that though there may be temptations in our life or moments we can make wrong choices to just cling to Christ and let His strength carry us through. Our heroine is spunky and easy to like. And Walton left us with some other characters of interest for future books in the Montana Miracles Series, of which I am excited to read!

I really enjoyed this read on so many levels. It is a shorter novel, so some things will develop faster in the story due to the length, which I find to be typical of short novels in general. I read another review that wasn't as favorable and left me confused as to whether I should read this novel or not. But after reading her two other novels I decided to take a chance and see for myself. And I am so glad I did. The reviewer had left the impression there might be some way out of Christian like character in those who profess faith in the novel but I didn't find that to be accurate. If you are up to taking a chance and getting "Carried Away" I would pick this one up! I enjoyed it from beginning to end!
(Note there are a few editing errors but not significant enough to take away from the story.)

Mercy's Heart (The ChristKeepers, Book 1) by Grace Walton

Walton has the ability to capture your attention and hold it steady, from beginning to end. Another wonderful story, filled with surprise twists and turns. Romantic, sweet, and touched with moments of suspense and mystery, this is a tale that I eagerly read through today but was not ready for it to end.

Mercy and Titus are very likable and well written characters. And what is more, there are so many other well written characters in here, that I eagerly anticipate reading their stories! At least that is my hope! Please, Mrs. Walton write them and soon!

Mercy's Heart is also a story about God's mercy, grace, love and forgiveness. A lesson on holding true to Him and seeking His will above our own, even when the price seems to be too high. That is where faith steps in, trusting and believing God will work all things together for good, according to His purpose and that His love never fails!
(There are a few grammatical errors but it does not take away from the great read)

Birdie Saves The World by Grace Walton

Loved this book! It grabbed my attention and held it from beginning to end. This is the first book that I have read by Walton, but I do plan to read more. I am giving this a 4 Star rating for two reasons which I will mention later, but for now let me tell you what I liked about this novel.

This is a Christian fiction book that deals with some of the hard things of life, the sin that is part of our fallen world. Beyond the dysfunctional families, there are issues dealing with drug abuse, physical abuse, homelessness, prostitution, greed, maliciousness and more. But just as there is evil in the world there is Love. There are those who shine God's love and light; Birdie is one of those people who shines. She is a character you will love and root for. Shiloh is one tough, bad boy dude, who really isn't all he or others think he is... If you like a good redemption story this is a good one to read.

Even beyond the well written characters is a story that just has you glued to the pages and thrilled along the way. While this is a clean read, the romantic tension in this story is sizzling. And even when there are kissing moments, whether it be kissing Birdie's hand or her lips- WOWzers!

I truly enjoyed reading Birdie and Shiloh's story. Sure some parts were a little over the top but hey it's fiction and it made for a good tale! And as one other reviewer posted... please (Grace Walton) tell Gabe's story, it sounds to be quiet good and intriguing. Overall, this was an exciting and romantic read, touching on some wonderful spiritual truths along the way.

Okay, now to the reasons I didn't give it the full 5 stars... There was (as another review mentioned) a not so clean word in this book. It wasn't peppered through out but in one conversation, used a few times (another name for a donkey). A bit unexpected for Christian fiction and I felt it could have been left out. Also, there are some grammatical errors here and there that got overlooked. All of that being said I still loved this story!

Princess Ever After (The Royal Wedding Series, Book 2) by Rachel Hauck

A sweet, sweepingly romantic story! Hauck once again takes us into a modern-day fairytale story complete with all the elements that keep the pages turning and will leave you with a smile upon your face. While the start of the story wasn't as gripping, as Hauck was establishing her characters and the setting, once the two main characters meet I found the book hard to put down. Even when I did have to step away from the pages, I eagerly returned.

I will admit there were times I wanted to shake both of the main characters as they dealt with their own personal issues, in truth it is much like us... Trying to believe that God has more for us than we can imagine; comprehending and living in that truth and accepting the grace and forgiveness He has lavished upon us.

A delightful read!

When a Secret Kills (Deadly Reunions, Book 3) by Lynette Eason

The climatic ending to the Deadly Reunions Series is a fast paced, page turner sure to captivate you from beginning to end! Seriously, a great novel! Once again Eason masterfully scripts a tale full of mystery and suspense, that keeps you on your toes till the end. I enjoyed the romantic story between our hero and heroine. And even found a secondary character that I am hoping she will write about in a new book!

This book, to me, was the best in the series. And I give you fair warning don't pick it up till you are ready to read it through. I was too tired to stay up till 1 am and finish it last night, thus my body must have been kept in a state of suspense, because I kept waking up on and off. Not that it was scary but I was just so excited to see what would happen next and how things would work out! A highly entertaining read!

When a Heart Stops (Deadly Reunions, Book 2) by Lynette Eason

This book has me conflicted. Torn between the things I liked about the book and those that bothered me. First off, Eason does a wonderful job at keeping you in suspense and guessing till the end. You will have a list of suspects and one of them might be right but you won't piece it together till the end. That is something I really like about her books. However, both books started off kind of slow, not boring but just not gripping. Just shy of half way through the intensity of the story has you glued to the pages and flying through.

I have to say that what bothered me initially was some inconsistencies I noted from Book 1 to Book 2. I am a details person and things stick with me. Maybe if I hadn't read the books back to back I wouldn't have noticed but I did. First of all in Book 1 we are told that Serena has chocolate colored eyes but in Book 2 her eyes are blue. In Book 1 towards the end (don't want to give too much away), there is someone who is killed in their hospital bed but in Book 2 this same person is said to be killed in jail. So that really bugged me.  I noticed a few other minor inconsistencies in other places as well. Beyond that there was something just kind of pan in the interactions of some of the characters at times, or just too cheesy for me. Still I liked the characters... I think I just look for or enjoy a book more when there is a bit more depth in the romantic relationship (more time spent together, more conversations, etc.).

All that said, it is at times an okay read and at other times a really great read, thus my conflicted feelings on this book. I will be reading Book 3, I am looking forward to the mystery, suspense aspect and seeing how it all works out.

When the Smoke Clears (Deadly Reunions, Book 1) by Lynette Eason

Finding a book that keeps me guessing and in suspense till the end has been hard to find but Eason's novel has managed to do just that! This novel is the first I have read by Eason and I am sure to come back for more. Filled with suspense, mystery, romance and good characters, there is no short supply of things to keep the pages turning at a rapid pace.

At first, I liked it and thought it was pretty good but wasn't impressed, not too much further in though the book hooked me and as my list of suspects grew, I became more and more impressed. I don't want to give too much away but if you are looking for a Christian fiction book filled with the aforementioned parts, that will keep you trying to piece it all together to the end, then grab this one up and settle in for a good read.