One Flew Over the Banyan Tree by Alan Jansen

This was an ok book. I enjoyed some parts and thought it got a little draggy towards the last two or three chapters. The story itself was very good. I liked the idea of the family having to move in with other family members when they were down on their luck. It was also interesting to learn about others in this fictitious town. I received a copy of this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion.eleven-year-old Rohan grapples with this loss as he finds himself navigating a new world among a cast of colorful characters.

Set on the fictitious island of Victoria (resembling Post-Colonial Sri Lanka), One Flew over the Banyan Tree takes readers through a panoramic journey of life in the 1960s.
Centered on young Rohan through a memorable stay at his Grandmummy’s house in Jellicoe Junction, in One Flew Over the Banyan Tree readers meet loveable and unforgettable characters like Bellakay, the walking encyclopedia; Salgado, a droll glutton; Sonny, owner of the illegal dilapidated restaurant called Nameless; “breakfast-eaters” who enjoy a good session of camaraderie and banter at the illicit eatery; an anthropomorphic canine who ruminates on the human race; headless ghosts who hover above the town’s beloved banyan tree; and many other captivating personalities.
No longer belonging to a functional family, Rohan must come to terms with his transformation into an independent young boy during his surreal stay in impoverished Jellicoe Junction, a lively hub in the island’s capital city – Portopo. After experiencing many perspectives and personalities, will he learn to forgive and transcend — or will he blend into the pauperized place he’s found himself situated in?

About the Author:
Alan Jansen was born and raised in British Colonial Ceylon (later Sri Lanka). He studied at the renowned St. Joseph’s College in Colombo and currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden after emigrating there as a young man. Giving up a long-time senior position in a Swedish telecom company, Alan decided to concentrate on a writing career. One Flew over the Banyan Tree is his first novel.  

Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter by Carrie Fancett Pagels with 2 giveaways

This is a very good story. There are many twists and turns throughout this historical romance. Suzanne and her mother are racing away from Paris to try to catch a boat to the new world. Suzanne’s father has been executed for being a Hugenot. While Suzanne is running her mother dies and she is left alone. She finds Johan and his family and they help her to get to the new world. Many adventures occur and how will she survive in the end? I received this from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion.
There are 2 giveaways.  The first is to win an ebook copy of Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter.  Just comment and leave your email address.  The second is to enter this https://promosimple.com/ps/9a1a.

 
About the Book
SavingTheMarquisesGranddaughter_w11911_750In a land fraught with religious strife, they must break the barriers between status and faith to forge a fresh future in a new world… After her Huguenot father is arrested, aristocrat Suzanne Richelieu escapes Versailles. Handsome German peasant, Johan Rousch, risks his life to bring her to the safety of his family’s farm in the Palatinate duchy, but when Suzanne’s brother and the French army arrive with a warning that they plan to burn the area, she and Johan are forced to flee. With no money or options, both become indentured servants in exchange for safe passage to Philadelphia. Suzanne falls gravely ill aboard ship and marries Johan, only to survive with no memory of the wedding—a reality made worse when Johan spots the “priest” who married them working as a surveyor and later in Quaker cleric garb. Are their wedding vows valid? When Suzanne’s former fiancé arrives in port, planning to abduct her, Johan must save her again—but can he do so before Suzanne is lost to him forever?
About the Author
Carrie headshotCarrie Fancett Pagels is a multi-published award-winning author of Christian historical romance. Twenty-five years as a psychologist didn’t “cure” her overactive imagination! She resides with her family in the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which is perfect for her love of history. Carrie loves to read, bake, bead, and travel – but not all at the same time!
Guest Post from Carrie Fancett Pagels
Hi, I’m Carrie Fancett Pagels, so excited to see this particular book “baby”, Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter, finally being “born!” I started working on this over eight years ago!
Roush book 1Would you believe it was a genealogical search that began this story? We had a lot of research on my father’s side of the family but not on my mother’s. Sites like Ancestry.com were getting big. One of my mother’s cousins posted the genealogy that he’d found, on one of the genealogy sharing sites and I got that information but only back to where I found two Rousch cousins marrying. I honestly didn’t want to go on after that, as it appeared they were first cousins – yikes! But after praying about it, and knowing my mom was curious, too, I went forward.

colonial Patriot marchers DSCN4653While I am interested in genealogy, as a former psychologist, I’m more interested in people’s stories. So when I discovered that the two cousins were the grandchildren of Johan Adam Rousch, who had been acknowledged because nine of his ten sons had fought in the American Revolution, I wanted to know more about him and his family and ancestors. Since there were books already written about him, I went up to the University of Virginia Rare Books Library and read what people had to say about the real life Johan. He sounded fascinating. He was an immigrant from the Palatinate of Germany and lived in the western part of Virginia, after immigrating via Pennsylvania.
I had joined the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) group and had been working on a novel set in the Charleston, South Carolina area, where I’d previously lived. I got so interested in Johan and his story that I began to write. But I couldn’t wrap my mind around Susanna, his real life wife who likely also came from the Palatinate, possibly on the same ship. No matter how I tried to work on her, through various writing classes I took, I couldn’t make her “real” because she just wasn’t speaking to me. I tried and I have the old scenes to prove it!
rousch monumentWhen I write, I pray. I asked God to show me scriptures for each scene, which were included on my rough drafts (they are not there in the final novel.) I did some research, at the library, and a massive tome about the Hundred Years War was recommended to me and one on European History from that time frame. By learning of some of the reasons the Palatinate was persecuted, such as the French punishing them for taking in Protestants, I began to imagine a different sort of heroine for my story. Of course, although the story was inspired by Johan and Susanna, this book is fictional. That freed me up for God to inspire me to make this story about faith. A core tenet of the book is that we must find our own faith – we cannot “borrow” it from someone else!
Since I was still practicing as a psychologist, as I developed Suzanne’s character I included traits that would be common in someone is the situation she was in. She’s living in an aristocratic French family, with parents who are actually of the Huguenot faith. If they are discovered there can be drastic consequences, including death. So a young lady like that may become more obsessive and compulsive as a way of dealing with that anxiety.
I hope those who read this story will be inspired by the message of overcoming and of finding one’s own path to faith in the Lord!!!
Blog Stops
May 24: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
May 25: Blossoms and Blessings
May 26: The Power of Words
May 26: Just Commonly (Spotlight)
May 27: A Greater Yes
May 27: Cassandra M’s Place (spotlight)
May 28: Christian Bookaholic
May 29: Bigreadersite
May 29: Mary Hake
May 30: Reading Is My SuperPower
May 31: inklings and notions
June 1: Singing Librarian Books
June 2: Karen’s Krayons
June 3: Rhonda’s Doings
June 4: Southern Chelle
June 5: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberation
June 6: Simple Harvest Reads
Giveaway
Kindle grand prize meme
To celebrate her tour, Carrie is giving away a Kindle Fire 7, one signed copy of Saving the Marquise’s Granddaughter along with Postcard & bookmark and Fleur de Lis Earrings. Click the link to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/9a1a

The Quieting by Suzanne Woods Fisher with giveaway

This is the second book in The Bishop’s Family. Great second book in the series. This continues the story where The Imposter left off. We get to see many of the same characters. You will want to read the Imposter first to really understand all that is going on. This story brings in Abigail Stoltzfus who has come to Stoney Ridge to help her cousins and to continue a family tree that she is working on for her father. I received a copy of this book from Revell and the author for a fair and honest opinion.
Here is the post for the giveaway:  https://promosimple.com/ps/99a8

Bestselling Author Delivers the Intrigue and Romance Fans Crave The Stoltzfus family faces serious problems, both in the church and at home. Everyone in the community expects minister David Stoltzfus to fix things–fast. But David doesn’t work fast. He prefers to wait for God to work in individual hearts. However, even he is left wondering if the solution to their most pressing problem might be a Quieting. When David’s mother arrives, uninvited, more upheaval is in store. She has matchmaking plans for everyone in the family, including David and her eligible granddaughters–and especially for David’s niece Abigail. When Abigail stumbles onto a curious connection during her genealogical research, it could help David solve one problem–but will it create another? Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher takes fans back to Stoney Ridge, delivering the twists, turns, and romance they adore.
About the Author
suzanne-croppedSuzanne Woods Fisher is an award-winning, bestselling author whose most recent novels include Anna’s Crossing and The Inn at Eagle Hill series, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace and The Heart of the Amish. She lives in California. Learn more at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com and follow Suzanne on Twitter @suzannewfisher.
Blog Stops
May 17: Singing Librarian Books
May 17: Heidi Reads…
May 18: Just Commonly
May 18: D’S QUILTS & BOOKS
May 19: ASC Book Reviews
May 19: A Holland Reads
May 20: Inklings and Notions
May 20: Quiet Quilter
May 21: Daysong Reflections
May 21: cherylbbookblog
May 22: The Power of Words
May 22: Giveaway Lady
May 23: Texas Book-aholic
May 23: Splashes of Joy
May 24: Lane Hill House
May 24: Book by Book
May 24: Mary Hake
May 25: Jeanette’s Thoughts
May 25: Seasons of Opportunities
May 26: Book bites, Bee Stings & Butterfly Kisses
May 26: For the Love of Books
May 27: Southern Gal Loves to Read
May 27: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
May 28: Reading Is My SuperPower
May 28: Cassandra M’s Place
May 29: Bukwurmzzz
May 29: Bigreadersite
May 30: Blossoms and Blessings
Guest Post from Suzanne Woods Fisher
Twenty years ago, my husband and I attended a large church with a dynamic senior pastor. Each Sunday, we would sit spellbound during 40 minute sermons—he was that good a preacher. And then a terrible thing came to light—this very man had been taking advantage of vulnerable women during counseling sessions. Fourteen women, it turned out, and the pastor remained unrepentant. As issues were dealt with, our entire church suffered. We were a hurting community. The sins of one affected all.
As I plotted out ‘The Bishop’s Family,’ I wanted to borrow the theme of how a leader’s sins hurts the church community. (Now, I need to clarify that this is not a novel that addresses sexual sin. However, it does address unrepentant sin in an ordained leader.) First, I spoke to some Amish friends to see if my story idea had any merit. Was I was on the right track? To my amazement, a similar situation to my novels had occurred in one Amish friend’s church, and it resulted in a “quieting.” That’s an Amish phrase that means revoking the responsibilities of an unrepentant ordained leader. Just like it sounds–he is, essentially, “quieted.”
In this novel, you’ll see the behind-the-scenes of Amish church leadership, and get a sense of how a community is hurting. And how it begins to heal, too.
This series began in the Stoney Ridge, Pennsylvania community with The Imposter. More twists and turns are coming to Stoney Ridge after The Quieting—so stay tuned for The Devoted to hit bookshelves in early October. Just in time for autumn reading by a warm fireplace!
Warmly, Suzanne
Giveaway
The Quieting giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away a grab bag of Amish-made gifts worth over $100! Click the link to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/99a8

Silence in the Dark by Patricia Bradley

This book starts fast paced and just keeps rolling. I did not want to put this book down. This is book 4 in the Logan Point series and I loved it. This starts in Mexico where Bailey Adams is running from a drug cartel with a friends daughter and then she gets help from her ex fiancé, Danny. Will things work out in Logan Point or will things go wrong. I received this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion.Two ye ars ago, Bailey Adams broke off her engagement to Danny Maxwell and fled Logan Point for the mission field in Chihuahua, Mexico. Now she’s about to return home to the States, but there’s just one problem. After Bailey meets with the uncle of one of the mission children in the city, she barely escapes a sudden danger. Now she’s on the run–she just doesn’t know from whom. To make matters worse, people who help her along the way find themselves in danger too–including Danny. Who is after her? Will they ever let up? And in the midst of the chaos, can Bailey keep herself from falling in love with her rescuer all over again? With lean, fast-paced prose that keeps readers turning the pages, Patricia Bradley pens a superb story of suspense and second chances.
Patricia Bradley is the author of “Shadows of the Past,” “A Promise to Protect,” and “Gone without a Trace.” Bradley has been a finalist for the Genesis Award, winner of a Daphne du Maurier Award, and winner of a Touched by Love Award. Bradley is a published short story writer and cofounder of Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, and makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at http://www.ptbradley.com.

Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman

This is a wonderful stand alone addition to Laura Lippman’s books. I did not want to put this down. There were so many twists and turns. Luisa Brant is a state attorney and is trying a murder case that leads her to remember what happened to her family and friends over 35 years earlier. I loved this book. I received this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion.The New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed standalones After I m Gone, I d Know You Anywhere, and What the Dead Know, challenges our notions of memory, loyalty, responsibility, and justice in this evocative and psychologically complex story about a long-ago death that still haunts a family.Luisa Lu Brant is the newly elected and first female state s attorney of Howard County, Maryland, a job in which her widower father famously served. Fiercely intelligent and ambitious, she sees an opportunity to make her name by trying a mentally disturbed drifter accused of beating a woman to death in her home. It s not the kind of case that makes headlines, but peaceful Howard county doesn t see many homicides.As Lu prepares for the trial, the case dredges up painful memories, reminding her small but tight-knit family of the night when her brother, AJ, saved his best friend at the cost of another man s life. Only eighteen, AJ was cleared by a grand jury. Now, Lu wonders if the events of 1980 happened as she remembers them. What details might have been withheld from her when she was a child?The more she learns about the case, the more questions arise. What does it mean to be a man or woman of one s times? Why do we ask our heroes of the past to conform to the present s standards? Is that fair? Is it right? Propelled into the past, she discovers that the legal system, the bedrock of her entire life, does not have all the answers. Lu realizes that even if she could learn the whole truth, she probably wouldn t want to.”
Laura Lippman has been awarded every major prize in crime fiction. Since the publication of What the Dead Know, each of her hardcovers has hit the New York Times bestseller list. A recent recipient of the first-ever Mayor’s Prize, she lives in Baltimore, New Orleans and New York City with her family. To Find out more about Laura visit http://www.lauralippman.com

Anchor in the Storm by Sarah Sundin

This was one of my favorite books by Sarah Sundin. I loved the characters. I did not want to put this book down or for it to end. Arch and Lillian were great together even when they were fighting. Was Lillian going to be able to remain a pharmacist or was she going to fail? Besides being female, she had a prosthetic leg. Arch was wondering if he would survive the war. This story was well blended with romance and intrigue. I received this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion.
One Plucky Female Pharmacist + One High-Society Naval Officer = Romance–and Danger For plucky Lillian Avery, America’s entry into World War II means a chance to prove herself as a pharmacist in Boston. The challenges of her new job energize her. But society boy Ensign Archer Vandenberg’s attentions only annoy–even if he “is” her brother’s best friend. During the darkest days of the war, Arch’s destroyer hunts German U-boats in vain as the submarines sink dozens of merchant ships along the East Coast. Still shaken by battles at sea, Arch notices his men also struggle with their nerves–and with drowsiness. Could there be a link to the large prescriptions for sedatives Lillian has filled? The two work together to answer that question, but can Arch ever earn Lillian’s trust and affection? Sarah Sundin brings World War II to life, offering readers an intense experience they won’t soon forget.

Sarah Sundin is the author of “With Every Letter,” “On Distant Shores,” “In Perfect Time,” ” “and the Wings of Glory series. In 2014, “On Distant Shores “was a finalist for the Golden Scroll Awards from both AWSA and the Christian Authors Network. In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. Visit http://www.sarahsundin.com for more information.

After the Storm by Linda Castillo

Loved this book as always. This is a great series on Kate Burkholder who is the Chief of police and is former Amish. Kate and her boyfriend, State Agent John Tomasetti, live together. This story begins with a tornado coming towards the town and Kate needs to check on how people in the trailer park survived. There are many twists and turns in this story once the bones are found unearthed in a barn that comes down during the tornado. You should read some of the other books in this series to really get to know Kate, John and the other main characters.
A NATURAL DISASTER SHEDS SOME LIGHT ON A DECADES-OLD MURDER IN THE LATEST THRILLER FROM NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR LINDA CASTILLO.
When a tornado tears through Painters Mill and unearths human remains, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is tasked with the responsibility of identifying the bones and notifying the family. When evidence emerges that the death was no accident, Kate soon finds herself plunged into a thirty-year-old case that takes her deep into the Amish community to which she once belonged.

Like Never Before by Melissa Tagg

I love Amelia and Logan. They are so much fun together. She is a wonderful journalist and Logan is a speechwriter who might get to work on a presidential campaign. This was hard to put down. You never quite knew what Amelia and Logan were going to do next. I loved this. I received this from the author for a fair and honest opinion.
Sure to Be a New Favorite, Tagg’s Latest Checks All the Right Boxes for Romance Fans Maple Valley became Amelia Bentley’s haven after her heart and her dreams of a family were shattered, but her new life as a newspaper editor is shaken when the paper is bought out by a chain that plans to incorporate it into a regional paper. After his biggest campaign success yet, speechwriter Logan Walker is approached to work on a presidential campaign. But he already lost his wife three years ago, and saying yes to the job means he’ll see his young daughter even less. When Logan hears of a special election campaign in his hometown, helping out sounds like the perfect way to occupy himself while deciding what to do. When Amelia hears Logan is back in town, she begs him to lend his previous experience in the newspaper world to help turn her paper’s numbers around in time. They may butt heads more than they expected, but a lead on a story that could help save the paper is just the start of the sparks that fly in the office and in their hearts.

Melissa Tagg, author of “Made to Last,” “Here to Stay,” and “From the Start,” is a former newspaper reporter, current nonprofit grant writer, and total Iowa girl. When she’s not writing, she can be found hanging out with the coolest family ever. She’s passionate about humor, grace, and happy endings. Melissa blogs regularly at http://www.melissatagg.com.

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

This book made me laugh and cry. I loved the characters past and present. This wends easily from the past to the present. You always know where you are at all times. I enjoyed this whole story. Cassie gets to learn who her family really is in the long run. I received this ebook from Firsttoread for a fair and honest opinion.
Popular Fiction, Crime & Mystery

From the New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet comes a novel of suspense and passion about a terrible mistake made sixty years ago that threatens to change a modern family forever.
 
Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in rural St. Jude, Ohio, mourning the loss of the woman who raised her—her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery’s vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? What other shocking secrets could June’s once-stately mansion hold?
 
Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail, and betrayal. As this page-turner shifts deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.

MIRANDA BEVERLY-WHITTEMORE is the author of three other novels: New York Times bestseller Bittersweet; Set Me Free, which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize, given annually for the best book of fiction by an American woman; and The Effects of Light. A recipient of the Crazyhorse Prize in Fiction, she lives and writes in Brooklyn.

The Midwife’s Dilemma by Delia Parr

This is the third book in the At Home in Trinity series. It was a good read. Midwife Martha Cade has to decide if she is going to quit being a midwife and marry Mayor Thomas Dillon. Make sure to read the first two in the series to understand everything that is going on. Martha is looking all over for another woman to take over her midwife duties so she can enjoy a life with Thomas. I received this book from Bethany&

house

for a fair and honest opinion.Delia Parr’s Delightful Midwife Series Concludes Midwife Martha Cade has decided. When he returns in February, she is going to marry Mayor Thomas Dillon. That is the only decision in life in which she feels confident these days. Everything else around her feels like it’s changing too fast, from her daughter’s obvious affection for the town’s young doctor to Martha realizing she’s ready to pass on her role as midwife to someone younger. Even her beloved town of Trinity is changing. The 1830s Pennsylvania town, having mushroomed in size and population, is becoming an important agricultural and economic center for the region, and soon a canal will connect it even more to the outside world. It is a season that will set the course for the rest of her life. Martha will need every ounce of confidence, courage, and faith she possesses to overcome the obstacles that will make her life far more challenging and difficult than she can dare to imagine.