Lightning and Lace by DiAnn Mills

From Amazon:

Bonnie Kahler, immersed in grief since losing her husband, attempts to rise from the ashes of mourning. Will love and faith give her the power to conquer the demons within and evils without? In an attempt to outrun his past, Preacher Travis Whitworth arrives in Kahlerville, incognito. When he stumbles across a dead body, suspicion falls on his shoulders. Is Travis in too deep to win Bonnie's love? As Bonnie finds herself drawn to Travis, her life and heart are threatened. When secrets unravel, will she be strong enough to face the twisted truth?

DiAnn Mills’ third installment in the Texas Legacy series doesn’t disappoint. I have not yet read the first two books in this trilogy, but enough backstory is given that I am not lost. I do, however, intend to go back and read them.

DiAnn Mills’ prose is engaging and her style never becomes didactic. She is a terrific storyteller and draws her readers into the story.

I found myself wrapped up in the story. What would happen to Bonnie and her children? Would Zach reform into the young man his father would be proud of? And what about the new “pastor with a past,” Travis Whitworth?

These burning questions—and more—are answered to the reader’s complete satisfaction in a happy ending sure to please the most romantic heart.

Susan Meissner is one of my very favorite writers. I'm working my way through her entire body of work. She is an excellent author, creater of characters, and master of weaving a social issue within the story without hitting you over the head with it (to mix my metaphors a bit).

A Seahorse in the Thames is about finding beauty in unexpected places. The characters within its pages find beauty where they least expect to find it, and the result is truly amazing.

If you are looking for women's fiction, Christian or not, choose this book. You will fall in love with the characters!

Death of a Garage Sale Newbie by Sharon Dunn

I loved the characters in this story. It's hard when someone dies in real life—we cry, we mourn, we say things we don't mean. Sharon Dunn truly handles this well in her book. These women—Ginger, Kindra, and Suzanne—lost a friend. Worse, she died in a violent manner. There’s nothing funny about that. Yet life goes on. People move on, remembering their friends; sometimes with tears, sometimes with laughter.

Sharon Dunn wisely allows Ginger to grieve, even as she investigates to discover the truth about Mary Margret’s death. That, to me, is the kind of detail that adds enough realism to make the story plausible. TO allow that “suspension of disbelief” we all face inside a novel, that invites us to enter the world of the story, live in it for awhile, and finish it knowing it was a good journey through its pages.

Cecelia Ahern is the Irish Prime Minister's daughter, and she's a novelist in her own right.

PS I Love You is a sweet story, not quite romance and not quite chick lit. A widow finds letters from her deceased husband, who has assignments for his wife so that she can carry on without him.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is scheduled to be made into a film at the end of this year.

This classic story by Madeleine L'Engle is worthy of its Newbery Award. It is part science fiction, part fantasy, and all fun.

A Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorites growing up, and I recently read it to my daughters as part of the Newbery reading challenge I joined. I fell in love with Meg, Calvin, and especially Charles Wallace all over again.

Revisiting this book was so much fun!

Sheri is bound and determined to steer clear of the Mule Hollow Matchmakers. She even goes out of her way to formulate a plan to catch them at their own game! She enlists the help of Pace Gentry, a new cowboy in town, against his better judgment. In the meantime, Sheri and Pace find themselves attracted to one another, but mismatched in their faith. Will the plan work, or will it backfire on Sheri?

Sheri is one of the feistiest heroines I’ve come across in the Love Inspired line of inspirational fiction. At times she was exasperating, but at other times, quite endearing. I enjoyed her very much.

Pace, well, he’s a strong silent type of a cowboy. He’s a new Christian, and he’s trying to understand how to follow God’s will. He doesn’t approve of Sheri’s plot to foil the Matchmakers of Mule Hollow, and yet he finds himself in the plot anyway.

I really enjoyed this story and of course, I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Mule Hollow. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

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http://summerreadingchallenge.blogspot.com will tell you all you need to know!