Lakin's Gates of Heaven Series A Winner!
933894
While you may not want to read the whole series, if Fairy Tale Fantasy is not your thing, I found this latest book by C. S. Lakin, which is due out in July, particularly delightful from a reading and writing standpoint... Many writers will enjoy reading what happens when all the words are gone!

It all happened in Wentwater, a small village that was mostly made up of farmers and tradesmen. For some reasons, the town had become insulated from other towns, due to distance perhaps; however, it had resulted in layer upon layer of various superstitions that had been passed down through the generations... There were so many issues that had to be remembered that it was hard to even finish a day's work without ensuring that this or that was taken care of... Chicken feathers, for instance, that might have been left by the chickens or roosters had to be picked up immediately, else bad luck would surely strike!

One of the tragedies coming out of those traditions, was when a family had a child and the women of the village gathered, with the oldest woman having the privilege of naming the child... Fromer, one of the main characters had been thus named--but it had been by mistake. The woman had been planning on saying farmer, since she believed he would one day do that work...but what a mistake that turned out to be!

Now the town women were gathered for the birth of a girl to a young couple. But an old woman, a witch, busted into that gathering, asking why she hadn't been invited, and then proclaiming that the child would bring about the end of Wentwater!

And that superstitious town forced the parents to leave and burned down their house! Everybody had always thought that the baby had been burned along with that building...

Fromer and Justyn, his older brother, were both there that day and saw what happened. Justyn, who was very intelligent, remembered that; and as he grew older, he began to see that the superstitions and some traditions were not just silly, but could be dangerous! He was fortunate to later win a scholarship and moved to the location of a major school of learning that was located above the village. There Justyn thrived in learning and moved forward rapidly!

But a young girl named Teralyn who had Professor Antius as her friend, also lived there. She had been left at his home many years ago by a young woman and had since been adopted by parents who also were part of the faculty. Teralyn was going to be 18 soon and loved music. The town was happy and played music, dancing and singing, and a festival was coming soon. Antius suggested that Teralyn accompany Justyn when he visited home and she would be able to attend the festival!

Justyn came to care for Teralyn, but Teralyn had immediately, upon meeting Fromer, fallen for him! And as simple as that, the curse on Wentworth began to come true!

And continued until the village was no more...

But somewhere close by was one of the Gates of Heaven; and Teralyn knows where the Gate is...

Obviously, for me, this was a fun read! The result of the curse was simple--if a word was deleted from the world, then that item or person for which the word was used--would disappear too! One of the first to go was the rutabagus!

This is a wonderful series and I enjoyed this one even more. For 14+ and above, these books will be enjoyed by teens as well as adults! They are very well written but more importantly, have an important message in each! Highly recommended.

GABixlerReviews
3168763
I read the entire series of Blessing books. I was refreshed with loving, family values in an interesting, diverse town. I long to visit there again in the next book in the series.
1115663
Jeff Wheeler has truly written an amazing series with the Muirwood books. I have to agree with Jeff that this second book is so far the best of the series. I am thrilled to see the budding relationship between Colvin and Lea. Her startling revelation at the end of the book has me ready for the next just to see if I've guessed it correctly. I love Mr. Wheeler's writing and I consider this a remarkable work of fantasy. I look forward to reading more of his work especially the last book of this series!
537987
This is book nine of the Left Behind series by authors Tim Layahe and Jerry B. Jenkins.  In all there are 12 books.  The action and truth packed into these books are so exciting!

Desecration tells the story of the remaining Jews that are still alive after the 3 1/2 years that started the Tribulation period.  God, of course, is going to protect the Jews and get them to the land of safety.  How this is done is edge-of-your-seat-exciting!

Chaim Rosenzweig is now posing as Micah, and leads the People out of the Antichrist's grasp and into safety.  Rayford is flying helicopters and shooting high powered auxiliary that takes his hearing away.  I won't be a spoiler and tell you the miraculous way that he gets his hearing back though, you'll have to find that out for yourself.  Chloe is bored and tired of being left behind and goes out for her own adventure.

The story opens with the verse that ended The Mark, book eight.  Those who have received the mark of the Antichrist suffer from those boils and in places it is funny.

  Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.' So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.  Revelation 16:1-2

I thoroughly enjoy these books and am anxiously waiting to read the other three!
4758151
Once again, Susan May Warren delights her readers with a story of love, faith and spiritual growth for all of her characters. I have a feeling the Christiansen Family Series is going to become a quick favorite!!! Can't wait for the next one!

We travel to Deep Haven, a wonderful place to live. We get re-acquainted with old friends and make some new ones. We feel the pains of old friendships ripped apart and learn about how important winning really is. Sometimes the biggest loser is the one who wins it all, and the biggest winner has to lose it all. Strangers play important roles that later come back to haunt them.

Yes, I have a feeling we will come to love the Christiansen family quickly. We will weep and celebrate with them. And in the end, we will all be better people for having gotten to know them. Now if we just didn't have to wait for the others to show up!
2632272
I was absolutely thrilled when "Keeping Hope Alive" hit the Amazon shelves. I've loved this series and feel like Marty and Hope are good friends of mine. Book 4 is an excellent addition to this superb series, it brought back well loved characters and gave you more insight into their busy and eventful lives!
I love the fact that the author, Dawn Kopman Whidden, writes such powerful novels, yet without the usual "blue language" of so many Psychological Thrillers. Her writing is fast, informative and so nail bitingly nervy. I wait with many thoughts running through my mind (and much shorter finger nails!) for the next instalment.
A superb series which I highly recommend. I love this author and wish her many positive vibes and hope to read many more of her books.
3384597
This series has all the elements that make for good fiction. Anita Lyn is a totally engaging young woman who enjoys a special relationship with an angel named Alana. In her "ghost body," Anita Lyn takes guided trips into the Universe to consult her Council. And she sneaks into a nearby town to  prevent and solve crimes. We see the action from both sides of "the veil."  I've reluctantly come to the end of Book II, and can hardly wait for Book III. Meanwhile, I'm watching out for my own version of Angel Alana! Thank you, Betty Rae!
3139252
I love the Lei Crime Series!  I was born and raised in Honolulu, and Toby Neal's descriptions of the different islands as well as Oahu are spot on!
The plots of the different books are really good, the great detective work, the twists, the really bad criminals.  I got scared, I was happy, sad, and couldn't put the books down.  Sometimes I read till the sun was starting to come up!!  The characters Michael, Lei, Pono, as well as the other supporting characters are wonderful.  Hopefully there are more stories of Lei and Michael.  Thanks Toby!
2163766
What a perfect ending to a very well-done Christian fiction series!  I've really enjoyed this series, and was thrilled to catch Always the Baker, Finally the Bride on NetGalley before it was archived.

I love Bricker's characters.  They are realistic, easily related to, and respectable.  I love the subtle faith element to her stories.  They are Christian without being too 'goody-goody'.  The characters pray and ask for guidance on big decisions and their faith is believable, rather than in some other Christian fiction novels where the characters are so pure they don't seem real.

I was so happy to see Emma get her happily-ever-after, as well as getting a glimpse of my other favorite characters' own HEA's.  Bricker includes recipes (which were all for cakes and pastries and made me ravenously hungry) and wedding tips/trivia at the beginning of each chapter.  I love those types of inclusions!  They really make books interesting.

My one complaint about this book is that the conflict was resolved a little too neatly.  Something about it made the book feel a little too sweet for me.

Other than that, it was a great read, and I would highly recommend this series to fans of Christian fiction, or anyone looking for a nice, clean read.
1910963
I loved it!  I have been reading the series since the first book came out. I love the connection of Christianity and everyday family living, love and forgiveness (Psalm of Ascent Psalm 121-134) and good times and hard times. Just a regular family.  God is good, all the time.  How fast the years have gone and how well Ms. Karon followed the family thru the years. I do hope she will continue to follow Dooley and Father Tim and their families for many years to come.
Bless you all.............Cris
4133459
Couldn't put any of the books in this series down.  The stories of mystery are all woven together beautifully with the message of redemption and grace.  I highly recommend these books!
3717519
I love this series! Great writing, fascinating setting (behind closed doors of the Mormon community), real, believable characters with real, believable lives--it's one of the best amateur sleuth series out there, in my opinion. The Bishop's Wife, the first book in the series, was amazing. And His Right Hand doesn't disappoint. It's just as good if not better than the first. Can't wait for Book Three!
4695893
A satisfying end to the Books of the Infinite series... (if King is indeed the last book! *smiles*) I really enjoyed getting back to Ela, Kien, and Akabe and their adventures. This book was once again suspenseful, adventurous, sweet, and very deep, just like Prophet and Judge. I just love the mixture of Christian fantasy and "Bible-time" lives of prophets, judges, and kings that make up these books... it's a fascinating combination!! Sad to leave them behind... but hopefully R.J. Larson will write more books similar to this!! :)
2202805
Volume 5, From the End of Heaven, was another exciting book from the series.  Once I started reading it, it was very difficult to put it down!  I'm just loving these books.  I know that I will feel sad once I've finished this series.  I have one more to go, but I already know that I'll be wishing there were more in the series.  They have given me so much to think about, especially in the area of making choices.  I look at freedom in a much different way anymore, and I think about how sly evil can be.  You really have to be aware at every moment.  In summary, I highly recommend not just this book, but the series of six books.
4585875
Joyce & Jim Lavene have another winning series here, chock full of tasty mystery ingredients. City girl Sarah coming home to the farm, grandparents who vanished without a trace 16 years previously, a mysterious homeless squatter (or is he?), rumors of hidden Confederate gold -- and a few freshly dead bodies -- all add up to a suspenseful page turner (screen swiper?) that I just couldn't put down. Special bonus was a visit from Peggy Lee and her husband (of Peggy Lee Garden Mystery fame). Since Peggy's husband Steve is a FBI agent who will try to aid Sarah in tracking down the missing grandparents, there's a good chance we'll see more of them in future books. Looking forward to the next installment of this great new series!
3666568
I was fortunate enough to have this book recommended by my Aunt and like many others have noted, I couldn't put it down.  The entire series was captivating and easy to read.  I don't remember the last time I enjoyed a series as much as these.  A great, well-written, contemporary Christian series.  I am looking forward to books seven and eight.  Put this series on your kindle or add to your library collection, you won't be sorry!
4059173
If you enjoy Historical romance series then don't miss this series by Kaki Warner!
What I love most about her series is that the characters flow from book to book instead of being lost in the background.
The women featured are so much fun to spend time with. Oh, and the men in their lives are to drool over, and the villains are truly disgusting individuals!
 Be sure to check out BOTH series from Kaki Warner. "Blood Rose" was her 1st and it is truly impressive.