Longing

Longing

by Karen Kingsbury

In Karen Kingsbury's third book in the Bailey Flanigan series, Bailey is still dancing in the musical, Hairspray, on Broadway, and dating Brandon Paul, the hottest actor in Hollywood. When she goes home to Bloomington, Indiana for Thanksgiving and discovers that her first love, Cody Coleman, is in town to coach a game with his high school football team, she goes to the game reluctantly. She hasn't talked to Cody since seeing him at his new girlfriend Cheyenne's side in the hospital. When she goes to the game without Brandon, sparks definitely fly between Bailey and Cody. What will happen to her relationship with Brandon? And will Bailey and Cody be able to rekindle their old flame?

I was very excited to have the chance to get an advanced review copy of this book. Karen Kingsbury is my favorite author, and I have quickly grown to love Bailey Flanigan. 

Karen did an amazing job of writing this story. I found myself staying up later than I normally do, just so I could find out what would happen next. She has a way of pouring such life into each character, that you fall in love with each one of them. I felt torn between Bailey's men - Cody Coleman, her first love, or Brandon Paul, her new love. 

If you like Karen Kingsbury's writing, you will love this one. I recommend reading the first two books in the series (Leaving and Learning) first though, so you have more background. Ultimately, to get the most background, you would need to read her Baxter series, Firstborn series, and Above the Line series. But it isn't absolutely necessary to read those series in order to enjoy this book.

I give this book 5 stars. I can't wait for the last book, Loving, to be released in March 2012!

This book will be available at your favorite bookseller from Zondervan Books, starting November 22, 2011. You can pre-order it here or at your local bookstore.

About the author:

After graduating from college in 1986 with a degree in journalism, Karen became a full-time reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Her first book, Missy’s Murder, was based on a murder story she covered in Los Angeles as a reporter. She sold a version of the story to People magazine in 1989. A New York agent read her People story and asked her for a book proposal. The book hit stores in 1992. She then wrote three more true crime novels. Next she wrote four collections of answered prayers and miracle stories before transitioning to inspirational fiction in 1998.

Her first novel, Where Yesterday Lives, was a real challenge for Karen to get published. Although publishing companies said they liked the story, they were not sure what to do with it since it didn’t contain foul language and had no sex scenes. Finally, the Christian publishing house Multnomah, published her novel and gave her a multi-book contract. Her books made a real connection with contemporary romance fans. Since her first novel, Karen has written more than 40 faith based novels, many of which have hit #1 on national lists. There are more than 15 million copies of her award-winning books in print.

Karen lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Don. They were married in June, 1988 and have six children, three of whom were adopted from Haiti. You can read her Adoption story. 

Dubbed by Time magazine as the “queen” of Christian fiction, Karen receives tens of thousands of letters from readers who say that Karen’s fiction has dramatically changed their lives. These letters and e-testimonials of improved marriages, spiritual awakenings and new found hope have enabled her to formally trademark her work Life-Changing Fiction™.

They celebrate their faith daily by laughing, loving and living life to the fullest. You can contact Karen atmoc.yrubsgniKneraK@neraK.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan Books through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Hello, Hollywood!

Hello, Hollywood!

by Janice Thompson

Athena Pappas is the head writer for the sitcom, Stars Collide. When she finds out the show wants to add a fourth writer, she starts getting anxiety, thinking she may be about to lose her job. When she meets the fourth writer, Vegas comedian Stephen Cosse, she finds herself being torn between liking him and resenting him. When it seems that Stephen has betrayed her and their fellow writers, will he turn out to be the real deal, or a disappointment?

I really liked this book. It was a fast read, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading not just the love story between Athena and Stephen, but the dynamics and antics of Athena's huge Greek family. It had a sort of My Big Fat Greek Wedding vibe. There were so many cute elements to the story, and laugh out loud moments with Athena's family, Stephen's daughter, Brooke, and Zeus, the dog Athena inherited from her great-aunt Athena. I also thought it was interesting to read about what goes on behind the scenes of television writing. The author's background in script writing lends an authenticity to the writing scenes (though I know they're shortened and exaggerated a bit for the story). Of note, this book is the second in this series. The first is Stars Collide, which features Kat and Scott's story. 

I give Hello, Hollywood! 5 stars.

This book is now available at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Company. Click here to read more about Hello, Hollywood, or to read a portion of the book.

About the author:

Janice Thompson is a seasoned romance author and former screenwriter. An expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into, Thompson afford an inside look at TV land, drawing on her experiences as a screenwriter. She is the author of the Weddings by Bella series and Stars Collide. She lives in Texas.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Worlds Collide

Worlds Collide

by Alison Strobel

Jada Eastman is a biographer who is writing a book about Jack and Grace Harrington. Jack Harrington is an actor who has starred in several television shows and many movies. Grace Winslowe is a teacher who recently moved from Chicago to California, where she meets and falls in love with Jack. 

I really enjoyed this story, and I liked the idea of where I think the author was going with it. But at times I was confused about what was going on. For instance, in the prologue Jada Eastman, the interviewer, introduces herself and talks about how she is interviewing Jack and Grace Harrington for a book she is writing. Then it abruptly jumps into the first chapter, where what seems like the same first person voice is telling her story. It wasn't until the middle of that first chapter that I realized it wasn't Jada's voice, but Grace's. And then there are times when Grace or Jack will be telling their story, and Jada will interrupt them to ask a question - only it isn't always all that clear where the story begins, the interview questions begin, and the story resumes. 

What I liked about this book was the uniqueness of the story presentation. It's not every book that allows the reader to see into the minds of both main characters. I did find myself wishing to have more than one chapter at a time into either Jack's or Grace's mind, but overall, Strobel did a great job with this technique. I also loved the character development that occurred over the course of the book. The author's portrayal of the characters' skepticism about Christianity makes it evident that she is Christian apologist Lee Strobel's daughter. When I figured that out, I was so excited, because I love his book, The Case for Christ. 

Would I recommend Worlds Collide? Absolutely.

Click here to rank my review. 

About the author:

Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Alison began writing stories in elementary school, following in the footsteps of her journalist/author father, Lee Strobel. She moved to California where she was inspired to write her first novel, "Worlds Collide," which released with Waterbrook Press in 2005. Her sophomore release, "Violette Between" came the following year and earned her a Rita Award nomination from the Romance Writers of America. After writing "Violette Between" Alison took a break from writing to enjoy life with her new baby girl Abigail. She now has another daughter, Penelope Jane, and two more books published--"The Weight of Shadows" (with Zondervan Publishing) and "Reinventing Rachel" (with David C. Cook), as well as two more releasing in 2011. To learn more about her or to sign up for her newsletter, please visit http://www.alisonstrobel.com.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."