Dance of Grace / Stacy Monson / 322 pgs

After dancing teacher Vanessa Jordan loses her younger siblings and her leg to a car accident, she hits rock bottom. However, her life is changed when she meets Kurt Wagner, an ex-con turned church janitor. Kurt wants to build River House, a safe haven for youth who are just like Kurt used to be. Vanessa and Kurt work together to make Kurt's dream happen, but Kurt's past may end up putting everyone in danger.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was beautifully written and I really grew to love the characters. Although I'm often skeptical of the trope (non-Christian girl meets Christian guy and learns from him, converts, and they fall in love), it worked in this novel. I loved that the guy has his own demons he has to deal with, because we all know that consequences of our past actions don't just disappear the moment we accept God's grace and forgiveness. There was some great chemistry between the two protagonists. I would highly recommend.

The Texan's Courtship Lessons / Noelle Marchand / 288 pgs

I really enjoyed The Texan's Courtship Lessons more than I thought I would. That said, I was worried when I saw that it was the second book in a series, but the author did a good job of acknowledging a bit of what happened in the previous book with the previous couple, without being too confusing. In fact, it was very easy to read this book as a stand-alone.

Isabelle Bradley is not open to courting any of her older sister's former beaus. Amy Bradley has recently secretly eloped and now her suitors have turned their eye to Isabelle, but she is not interested in being someone's second choice. Rhett Granger's awkwardness around the female sex is a bit of a joke in town, but he finds that he is not the least bit tongue-tied around Isabelle. However, Isabelle is only able to offer friendship to Rhett. How is Rhett going to convince Isabelle that she's first in his heart, not a consolation prize?

Person of Interest (Military Investigations #8) / Debby Giusti / 224 pgs

Natalie Frazier, a former servicewoman, is babysitting a friend's baby when she hears a murder next door. She is convinced that her former commander is behind the murder, and when more people close to Natalie turn up dead, she runs away with the baby. Everett Kohl, an Army investigator, is supposed to remain dispassionate while investigating crimes, but his instincts tell him that while Natalie's actions look guilty, she is actually innocent. Helping her could cost Everett his job, but not helping her could cost Natalie her life.

I really liked this book! It is a Love Inspired Harlequin paperback that the district does not own. I felt for the characters and I thought that the story of Natalie's growing faith in the midst of a really difficult situation to be well-written and realistic. It read very similar to a Dee Henderson book. I don't want to give too much away, but I was a bit baffled by the speed of the burgeoning romance between the main characters. It didn't seem very realistic to me. I have to admit that I haven't read a whole lot of romance in years until recently and I'm beginning to like the ones in which the protagonists have very obviously fallen in love but they're not already planning their wedding just a few days after meeting.

Sense and Sensibility / Sarah Price / 304 pgs

This Amish retelling of Jane Austen's classic was just released on March 1st. After having read a few other modern retellings of Jane Austen classics, I'm so glad to have finally read one that stayed true to Austen's original characters. The author did a wonderful job of bringing the classic romance to Amish Pennsylvania, mixing in some of the local Pennsylvania Dutch language and customs. Although Eleanor and Marianne's first names remain the same, some of the names change, most notably Colonel Brandon becomes a pastor, Christian Bechlder. As this was written by a Christian fiction author, and since it is set in Amish country, God and the Bible is mentioned heavily, so this book should be very popular with readers of Christian fiction but may not appeal to secular audiences. All in all, I definitely recommend this book for those hoping to read a different interpretation of Austen's Sense and Sensibility without being so modern that the characters no longer resemble the original ones.

For those unfamiliar with the original classic, Sense and Sensibility is the story of the three Detweiler sisters (Dashwood in the original), whose father has just died and whose home and farm are now the property of their older half-brother whose promise to take care of his step-mom and three younger sisters is broken. The Detweiler women must relocate to another Amish community and start a sewing business to provide for themselves. Meanwhile possible suitors appear for both of the elder sisters, but while one guards her heart by being proper and demure, the other loses both her heart and her head to a man who breaks it all too easily. 

Mixed Signals / Liz Curtis Higgs 370 p.

Mixed Signals / Liz Curtis Higgs 370 p.

Belle O'Brien, a radio personality with a warm voice, is ready to change stations.  Her station has changed formats and when an offer comes from her former boss Patrick Reese, she takes it.  She falls for the historic town of Abingdon, Virginia.  She'd like to get married but the prospects are hard to find in a small town.  She's drawn to Patrick Reese, who launched her career way back when, and the new owner of WPER.  She keeps fumbling equipment around the station broadcast engineer, David Cahill.  Then there is the local Methodist minister in town.  Patrick Reese blows his relationship with Belle.  He does start one with Belle's landlady.  A humorous sparkling Christian romance is a fun read.

Love Unexpected / Jody Hedlund / 340 pages

     This new Christian romance is set in 1859 on Lake Michigan.  Emma and her brother are robbed by pirates on a steamer on the lake.  The story is about her subsequent marriage to the lighthouse keeper.  It seemed odd that there could be pirates on the great lakes, but apparently there were some.  They stole things like stacks of wood which they then resold.
It sounds like pathetic pirates, but bad guys can be enterprising and anywhere there is something to steal.
     Although, the characters are based on actual people, the story is made up.  The lighthouse keeper didn't really have a criminal past, but it works very well in the story.
It is a good book to read at night as long as you can bring yourself to close it.

Mistletoe Mischief/ Stacey Joy Netzel/ 91 pages/ December Challenge

Mistletoe Mischief by Stacey Joy Netzel is more of a novella.  It would be a quick, lighthearted read for anyone who likes a Christmas Romance.  Set in Wisconsin, can single Mom, Marrissa, and single Dad, Eric, find happiness with Christmas in July?  This is the first book in a series featuring Eric Riley and his family.

Here are some recommendations for Christmas Books for children:

Little Porcupine's Christmas by Joseph Slate

Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas by Russel and Lillian Hoban    Click her for more information.

Forbidden / Leanna Ellis 421 p.

In this second of the Plain Fear series, young, pregnant Rachel Mussbaum blames herself for the death of her husband.  She is persuaded to go with Jacob, now Akiva, to help him.  She finds herself fearing for her life and that of her baby as she is taken deep into vampire culture.  Her faith in God is strong. Her Amish faith helps her.  When Rachel goes missing, her family turn to Roc, a former cop, to find her.  Roc is experienced with hunting vampires.  When he finds her, it becomes a race for their lives.
Amish vampire story

The Cleaner of Chartres: A Novel/Salley Vickers/298 pgs

What a sucker I am for fiction set in a foreign country - especially France. I was walking by the New Fiction table and this jumped into my hand. We are introduced to a young baby, a girl who has been left in a wicker basket wrapped in a white tablecloth. The farmer who found her names her Agnes (after the saint) and Morel (after his favorite mushrooms). He realizes he can't take care of the child and so gives her to the nuns. They take her in and find over time that Agnes is smart but not outstanding, sweet but not overly gracious and secretive, in a dangerous way.
  As a teenager Agnes had something happen in the apple orchard and as the book progresses we find out in bits and pieces what happened and why her life took such a sharp turn. We meet people who truly are her friends and others who are her direst enemies. Agnes is the cleaner of the title with all its connotations. I was drawn in by this haunting story and cheered for Agnes' victories and booed when the need arose. I feel as if I can walk down the streets of Chartres and find these people living there right now.
 The chapters alternate between present and past in the different cities in and around Chartres. For those in the know, Chartres is where the Notre-Dame cathedral is located. This edifice plays a significant role in the story, almost a character itself. There isn't any harsh language and a sweet love story. I heartily recommend this for someone looking for a fascinating tale that takes it's wonderful slow time to tell.
Sue D.

Six Degrees: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro; The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley; The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian.