Review: Hallowed Halls by Hannah Alexander

Excellent Medical Romance

Dr Joy Gilbert is getting to the end of her patience with her new boss, Weston Cline. Not only has her role as a “pain management specialist” turned into legal drug pusher, but he’s reluctant to let her take pro bono cases, and seems to expect more from their relationship than employer/employee. The only positive is her relationship with Tressa, his daughter, who is struggling with her parental relationships after their divorce.

An unexpected telephone call takes her back to her home town, where her mother has been admitted to hospital, and is under the care of Dr Zachary Travis, Joy’s ex-fiance. She arrives to find more than she bargained for—she has a stowaway. Tressa. Tressa, who is suddenly having fainting spells for no apparent reason.

Hallowed Halls is a combination of a medical thriller, and second-chance romance. There’s history between Joy and Zack, and there’s a story as to why she left her home town to work for Weston. There was so much unspoken backstory that I wondered at times if this was actually the second book in the series, but it’s not. While the medical aspect is central to the story, it’s well-written and not so detailed that I was grossed out (a distinct advantage. I had to skip pages in one novel recently, because the medical description was too, well, descriptive).

One thing I did keep getting hung up was Weston, who is a complete slimebag. Weston isn’t a common name, and the only Weston I’ve ever known was the complete antithesis of this fictional Weston, and it took me a while to get into the story for that reason. However, this improved once Joy got home and the focus of the story was more on Joy, her mother, Tressa … and Zack.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hallowed Halls. It was a good plot (especially the medical bits), and the characters were fascinating. Recommended.

Thanks to Hannah Alexander and Soul Inspirationz for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Hannah Alexander at her website (well, their website. Hannah Alexander is the pen name of husband-and-wife writing duo Cheryl and Mel Hodde).

Review: Love, Justice by Elaine Fraser

Warning: Biased Review Ahead ...

I provided Elaine Fraser with manuscript assessment and copyediting services for Love, Justice (via my freelance editing business), so there is a degree to which this review might be biased. Or maybe I liked Love, Justice because I could relate to Justice, who seems to have more courage to stand up for herself than I ever did at her age!

Justice is seventeen, and finds most of the teens at school are shallow and more concerned about finding the right dress for the Graduation Ball than thinking about others. She’s got bigger dreams than her schoolmates, dreams to make a difference in an unjust world. When she meets Seth at a peace rally, she is inspired to be just like him, travelling the world and making a difference. But she soon finds there are opportunities to make a difference right at home … especially when her father springs a bombshell on the family.

I very much enjoyed Love, Justice . It’s written in a chatty voice which makes it an easy read, and easy to get involved in Justice’s life. Justice is a likeable character who is on a personal journey to find a way she can make a difference in her life, asking questions typical for this age group. (It doesn’t seem that long since I was a searching young idealist myself, yet now I have my own teenage daughter).

In many ways, Justice has gone out of her way to make sure she doesn’t fit in with her schoolmates, with her “unstylish” hair and Doc Martens. But as the story progresses she realises that she’s judged the “cool” kids (especially Perfect Mercy) based on the way they look as well, and she gradually learns that it’s what’s inside that counts.

While Love, Justice has definite Christian themes, I believe it’s a novel that any teen searching for their identity will enjoy. Love, Justice is the sequel to Perfect Mercy, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. You can find out more about Elaine Fraser at her website.

Review: A Marriage of Convenience by Debra Lynn Collins

Sorry. Spoilers ahead

There’s something about the marriage of convenience plot that piques my interest. Perhaps it’s because we live in a society where arranged marriages aren’t the norm, and it’s interesting to see how a couple with seemingly nothing in common are thrown together by circumstance (aka the plot machinations of the author), and discover there is some commonality between them after all.

A Marriage of Convenience, debut novel from Debra Lynn Collins, has a lot going for it. A beautiful cover. Cowboys and horses. Good writing. Likeable characters, and a solid plot that manages to make what could be a contrived arrangement somehow work.

Lily Meyers is the widowed mother of five-year-old Joey, and the man she’s been employed by for the last three years has just died. She never expected to feature in Martin Chapman’s will, much less to inherit half of the Chapman Quarter Horse Ranch. But there’s a condition: she has to marry Martin’s grandson, Bryce Fowler.

For his part, Bryce has resented his grandfather for years, ever since the old man threw in his New York job, moved to Alabama to breed and train horses, and never wrote or called despite the fact Bryce was his only grandchild. But he wants his inheritance, so decides he’s prepared to go through with a platonic marriage of convenience. At least, that’s the plan …

Skip the italics if you don’t want to read the spoiler.

Everything was going well for the first 92% of the book. Well, if not exactly “well”, the plot was moving along with a good balance of conflict and resolution, and two characters who were gradually finding their way towards each other. Bryce has also discovered what a lying and deceitful piece of work his mother is, and has shared that information with Lily.

So when dear Sherry Ann calls Lily to tell her Bryce is in love with another woman, what does Lily do? Knowing Sherry Ann is a deceitful liar? That’s right. She believes Sherry Ann, and decides to break it off with Bryce. Really? Yes, this problem was resolved quickly, but it never should have happened at all only a few pages after Bryce told Lily how Sherry Ann kept his grandfather’s letters from him. It soured what, up until this point, had been an excellent story.

If you wanted to miss the spoiler, you can start reading again now.

I had one other grouch. A Marriage of Convenience is Christian romance, but there's more to a Christian romance than a woman who goes to church. Specifically, there's that whole pesky bit about "unequally yoked", meaning both partners are Christians. I didn't see anything in A Marriage of Convenience that suggested Bryce had any personal faith, or was seeking faith, and I see this as a weakness.

Apart from that I did enjoy A Marriage of Convenience, but if stupid characters annoy you, I recommend you stop reading at the end of Chapter Twenty Four.

You can find out more about Debra Lynn Collins at her website.

Book Launch and Giveaway: Pride by Rosie Somers

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Book Links:

Add it on Goodreads: Click here

Anaiah Press: Click here
Amazon:Click here
iTunes: Click here
Smashwords: Click here

PRIDE by Rosie Somers

Surge, Anaiah Press

Blurb:

Seventeen-year-old Gabriella Pierce is used to taking care of herself, but she’s about to become responsible for a whole lot more. When she gets a visit from three men claiming to be defenders of fantastical rings imbued with the powers of THE CARDINAL SINS, her life is changed irrevocably.

Gabby is the steward of PRIDE

To make matters worse, she’s falling hard for fellow steward, Grant Barnett, and he hates her guts. Now Gabby has to learn to protect Pride without letting her feelings for Grant get in the way.

Author Bio:

Rosie Somers is a YA author who lives in Florida, soaking up the year round sunshine. She can often be found in her favourite spot on her favourite beach, nose-deep in a good book.

Website: http://www.RosieSomers.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProsyRosie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProsyRosie

Enter the Giveaway!

 

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Review and Giveaway: A Grand Design by Amber Stockton

Don’t miss this month’s Quilts of Love book, A Grand Design by Amber Stockton. Who hasn't struggled to let painful memories go and move into God's healing? You’ll be sure to love this heartfelt and encouraging tale set on historic Mackinac Island.

Celebrate August’s release by entering to win a Kindle from Quilts of Love and RSVPing for the "Fall into Fall" Facebook author chat party.

One winner will receive:

• A Kindle HDX
• A Grand Design by Amber Stockton
• Hidden in the Stars by Robin Caroll

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 16th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog. Plus make sure you RSVP to the October 7th author chat party with Amber Stockton and Robin Caroll for an evening of book chat, quilting tips and tricks, prizes, and more!

RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on October 7th!

My Review: Underwhelming

Alyssa Denham has won a romantic trip for two to the Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island. She’s taken her childhood best friend back to the island where her grandmother lives, and which she hasn’t visited since she was a teen. The holiday gives her the chance to help her grandmother complete a quilting project, and to meet handsome local Scott Whitman.

It sounded good, but there were a couple of plot questions which left me puzzled, and detracted from what could have been an enjoyable romance.

The romance between Alyssa and Scott was nice but not compelling, and I didn’t find it realistic. The story felt as though part of Scott’s story (especially his faith journey) had been cut to make room for the quilt subplot, which seemed contrived. Alyssa spends her holiday touring around the island picking up quilt squares for her grandmother (which is the first puzzle: it’s never explained why grandma can’t do this herself).

The second puzzle was how Scott always seemed to have time to transport Alyssa around (it seems a stretch to believe his hotel shifts never clashed with when Alyssa or other clients needed transport). There were hints of a secret about Scott’s family that were never explained (and certainly didn’t explain why he held down two jobs on the island), and the overall effect was unsatisfying.

The writing was solid, but I found it difficult to connect with either of the main characters, which makes it difficult to rate this book as anything better than okay.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity, Abingdon Press, and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Amber Stockton at her website, and you can read more reviews on the blog tour landing page here: A Grand Design Blog Tour.