CFBA: Operation Bonnet by Kimberly Stuart

Song Stuck on the Brain: I Get Around by The Beach Boys

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
Operation BonnetDavid C. Cook; New edition (February 1, 2011)
by
Kimberly Stuart

MY TAKE:

Nellie Monroe takes getting used to. She's not a character mess with and she's not one to judge too quickly. At first take, she's a little irritating and odd. Later, you find she's still irritating and odd - only you find you don't mind that anymore because you've discovered the very big heart that hides behind her tough PI wanna be exterior. Her decision to help Amos and his Amish lady love may have started out as a desire to nail her first PI gig, but in the process of her undercover work, Nellie learns a lot about life and herself.

Amos cracked me up, his speech style was a nice touch. It was an interesting way to view our culture through a new set of eyes. He brought a lot of humor to the story, although Nellie's inner dialogue and thought process made me laugh out loud. She's got a very set in stone view of the world around her and the people that populate it, but with the help of her Nona, Tank, Mrs. H., Amos, Grandmother Mary and Matt... her life as she sees it changes for the better.

Fun read with plenty of humor and a nice dose of romance.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Twenty-year-old Nellie Monroe has a restless brilliance that makes her a bit of an odd duck. She wants to be a private investigator, even though her tiny hometown offers no hope of clients. Until she meets Amos Shetler, an Amish dropout carrying a torch for the girl he left behind.

So Nellie straps on her bonnet and goes undercover to get the dish. But though she’s brainy, Nellie is clueless when it comes to real life and real relationships. Soon she’s alienated her best friend, angered her college professor, and botched her case.

Operation Bonnet is a comedy of errors, a surprising take on love, and a story of grace.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Operation Bonnet, go HERE.

Watch the book video trailer:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kimberly says:

I am a writer of comedic fiction, and would like to suggest that you laugh regularly when reading my books. Let’s also try for one to two teary moments. If you are crying more than that, you don’t understand my sense of humor and should move on to another author.

I grew up in a book-loving home. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. My mom loves books. My dad loves to read the first chapters of books and then make us all listen as he recites his favorite passages. I, however, enjoy reading books in their entirety and came into writing as a result of book-love. After earning two fancy degrees in education and Spanish, I promptly let the thinking part of my brain take a breather and instead became pregnant. (I’m sure a lot of other things happened between early literacy and pregnancy but I don’t really remember any of that. If you also have shared your uterus with another human, you understand.)

In an effort to author a book that would entertain my sassy, irreverent, breast-feeding/drooping friends, I wrote my first novel, Balancing Act. People were so nice to me after that, I decided to continue with writing. Also, I can’t craft, knit, or scrapbook, so what else was a nice, Christian girl to do?

In addition to writing books to make my friends laugh and cry, I observe the chaos at the home I share with my unfailingly supportive husband and three offspring. We’re doing our best and so far, no one’s been to prison.

CFBA: Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

Song Stuck on the Brain: Goodnight Sweetheart from Three Men and A Baby

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:


Save The DateThomas Nelson (February 1, 2011)


by


Jenny B. Jones

MY TAKE:

I'm in love. I want to know where my ♥ Alex Sinclair ♥ is, because (be still my pounding heart) I would sign up for this plot in a heart beat!

Jenny B. Jones has such a great sense of humor, I caught myself laughing out loud multiple times. The last time, I scared the cat right off my lap I laughed so hard. Her characters are everything you want them to be, even if they're what some might call standard issue for a romantic comedy. I don't care if they're standard issue, Jenny makes them work beautifully. Hot, rich, celebrity meets bumbling but beautiful full figured girl with a heart and together they plan a fake engagement. You have the best girl friend, the batty older relative and a fashion forward, Broadway musical loving guy friend. It's not a new idea.

BUT... Jenny makes it FEEL new. It's a great example of taking a traditional and often used story structure and making it feel new again. She's made it fresh and funny and absolutely addictive. It has one of the best one line prayers I've ever read. When you read Clara's prayer for Alex at the end of the book, you'll know exactly what I mean.

It also has real depth and heart beneath the funny antics and fashion sense. I appreciated the message of accepting yourself as beautifully and wonderfully made by God. The scene where they nail their burdens to the cross actually made me a little teary. I couldn't put it down and I'm passing it off to my sister next. I only hope my writing can achieve this level some day soon. Great read.

Oh, and note to Jenny: Next time your girl is a scifi fan, make sure to include Stargate: Sg-1. Col. Jack O'Neill and his team deserve the props. :)

ABOUT THE BOOK:


You’re invited to the engagement of the most unlikely couple of the year.

When the funding for Lucy’s non-profit job is pulled, she is determined to find out why. Enter Alex Sinclair, former professional football star and heir of Sinclair Enterprises—the primary donor to Lucy’s Saving Grace organization. Alex Sinclair has it all . . . except for the votes he needs to win his bid for Congress. Both Lucy and Alex have something the other wants. Despite their mutual dislike, Alex makes Lucy a proposition: pose as his fiancée in return for the money she desperately needs. Bound to a man who isn’t quite what he seems, Lucy finds her heart – and her future – on the line.

Save the Date is a spunky romance that will have readers laughing out loud as this dubious pair try to save their careers, their dreams . . . and maybe even a date.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Save The Date, go HERE


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight , but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.

When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.

My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.

Okay, that’s not exactly true.

Some facts that are true include:

I've always been refined!

A. I got my camera confiscated by big boys with guns at the American Embassy in Europe this past summer. O la la!

B. I once worked in a seed mill office and cleaned out mice on a regular basis. Ew.

C. I’m a former drama teacher.

D. I didn’t pass my drivers test the first time. Or the second…

E. I attract stray animals like a magnet.

F. I used to assemble and test paint ball guns for a local factory...

Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:

-watching E!

-updating my status on Facebook

-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and

-writing my name in the dust on my furniture

I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.

CSFF: The God Hater by Bill Myers

Song Stuck on the Brain: Sing a Song by Third Day



This month the CSFF is proud to tour:

The God Hater

by

Bill Myers

MY TAKE:

Here's proof that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Or, at least not it's title. I almost overlooked this book just because of the title. I'm glad I took a second look. You all know that speculative fiction is really my cup of tea, and allegories can be iffy, but I love scifi and this story had enough of a scifi/tech edge to make me take a chance.

Wow, what a compelling and exciting read! Bill did a fantastic job with the allegory, laying the issue out clearly without softening the edges. In fact I'm not sure Nicholas had any soft edges. He was a brilliant character. He's irritating, arrogant, bullheaded and rude. He takes joy in destroying peoples faith, and yet you learn to like him somehow. It's not a chore, you want to know what happens next and you can't turn the pages fast enough.

The supporting cast is small, but works well in the story. I think Annie and her son were an interesting addition as the Christian examples. Annie has faith, but she also sees more in Nicholas than anyone else has, despite his complete lack of respect for her faith. It's her subtle influence that helps to bring Nicholas to his final conclusion, that a sacrifice has to be made.

The God Hater is a hit, mixing science, action, faith and truth into one very satisfying tale with a great ending.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A cranky, atheist philosophy professor loves to shred incoming freshmen of their faith. He is chosen by a group of scientists to create a philosophy for a computer-generated world exactly like ours.

Much to his frustration every model introduced from Darwinism, to Existentialism, to Eastern beliefs fails. The only way to preserve the computer world is to introduce laws from outside their system through a Law Giver. Of course this goes against everything he believes and he hates it. But even this doesn't completely work because the citizens of that world become legalists and completely miss the spirit behind the Law.

The only way to save them is to create a computer character like himself to personally explain it. He does. So now there are two of him—the one in our world and the one in the computer world. (Sound familiar?)

Unfortunately, a rival has introduced a virus into the computer world. Things grow worse until the professor in that computer world sees the only way to save his world is to personally absorb the virus and the penalty for breaking the Law. Of course it's clear to all, including our real world professor, that this act of selfless love has become a complete reenactment of the Gospel. It is the only possible choice to save the computer world and, as he finally understands, our own.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Writer/director Bill Myers’s first major success was as co-creator/writer/co-producer of Focus on the Family’s children’s video series, McGee and Me (40 awards, broadcast in 80 countries, 4.5 million books and videos sold). On its heels he wrote the My Life as... series (over 2.1 million books sold).

Other successes include his teen series, Forbidden Doors (winner of the C.S. Lewis Honor Award), and his best selling adult novels, Blood of Heaven, Fire of Heaven, Eli, Soul Tracker, The Face of God, and The Wager (also a motion picture staring Randy Travis). As a writer/director, his work has won over 60 national and international awards, and as an actor he was the voice of Jesus in the NIV Audio Bible and has made several guest appearances on Adventures in Odyssey.

He holds an honorary doctorate from The Nimes Theological Institute in France where he has taught. He enjoys traveling and lecturing as well as serving as lay college pastor for his church.

He lives with his wife and two daughters in Southern California.

Visit Bill Myers on Facebook.


Be sure to visit the other tour members for more insight and information:




Noah Arsenault
Red Bissell
Thomas Clayton Booher
Keanan Brand
Rachel Briard
Beckie Burnham
Morgan L. Busse
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
Karri Compton
CSFF Blog Tour
Amber French
Andrea Graham
Tori Greene
Katie Hart
Ryan Heart
Joleen Howell
Bruce Hennigan
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Becca Johnson
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emily LaVigne
Shannon McDermott
Matt Mikalatos
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
MollyBuuklvr81
John W. Otte
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Andrea Schultz
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
James Somers
Donna Swanson
Jessica Thomas
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Dona Watson
Nicole White
Dave Wilson
Kathy Brasby

B4B: Little Star by Anthony DeStefano

Song Stuck on the Brain: Beautiful by MercyMe

Today I'm reviewing another children's picture book for Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program.

Little Star

by

Anthony DeStefano

Anthony DeStefano weaves a sweet and warm tale about the night the Christmas star appeared. The tale of Little Star shares how even the smallest and least important of us all can make the biggest impact on the world through love.

A king is about to be born! The stars in the heavens are competing to shine the brightest to celebrate his birth. But when they see the poor family, the donkey, the shabby stable, the stars all think, That can’t possibly be a king. We’ve been fooled.

All except one. The smallest, loneliest star in the sky, Little Star, is the only one to understand what the king was about to bring to the world. Love for the baby king and understanding bring out the brightest light in the heavens from the smallest of all the stars.

This is sure to be a Christmas favorite. The artwork is beautiful, nearly lifelike in detail, yet the stars hold a whimsical feel that keeps the imagination alive.

Although some might dispute that the star burned long enough for the wise men to arrive nearly two years later, the message of the story book is more about love and giving your all for Jesus. It is a story, after all. Perfect for families reading together or for an older child that reads well.

CFBA: Words by Ginny Yttrup

Song Stuck on the Brain: Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing:
WordsB&H Books (February 1, 2011)
by
Ginny Yttrup

MY TAKE:

I wasn't able to review this book this month, but the story looks intriguing. Check out the book trailer at the end, it's moving.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

"I collect words. I keep them in a box in my mind. I'd like to keep them in a real box, something pretty, maybe a shoe box covered with flowered wrapping paper. Whenever I wanted, I'd open the box and pick up the papers, reading and feeling the words all at once. Then I could hide the box. But the words are safer in my mind. There, he can't take them."

Ten-year old Kaylee Wren doesn't speak. Not since her drug-addled mother walked away, leaving her in a remote cabin nestled in the towering redwoods-in the care of a man who is as dangerous as he is evil. With silence her only refuge, Kaylee collects words she might never speak from the only memento her mother left behind: a dictionary.

Sierra Dawn is thirty-four, an artist, and alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes and chooses to bury her pain by trying to control her circumstances. But on the twelfth anniversary of her daughter's death, Sierra's control begins to crumble as the God of her childhood woos her back to Himself.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Words, go HERE.

Watch the book trailer video HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ginny Yttrup is an author, freelance writer, and writing coach. As she writes, speaks, and coaches, her prayer is that God will use her words to replace the lies so many believe about themselves with the truth of His unconditional love and grace. To see someone grasp, perhaps for the first time, the truth of God's love, is truly an honor. Through a relationship with the Truth, Jesus Christ, the bonds of shame are loosed and freedom abounds!

When Ginny is not working, she loves spending time with her two college-age sons or with friends. She is surrounded by the most amazing people--each a gift in their own way. If she can spend time outdoors with those she love, it's even better. And she thoroughly adores her dog, Bear. He's a book lover too.

She has two grown sons and lives near Sacramento, California. Words is her first novel.