The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello

The Clouds Roll Away

by Sibella Giorello

Raleigh Harmon is a forensic geologist with the FBI. She has returned to Richmond Virginia fron an assignment in Washington state, and is hoping that things will be better for her in Virginia but has quickly learned that her suprevisor is apparently hoping to get Raleigh booted out of the FBI. Raleigh is facing pressure at work and at home. Her mother is elderly and not in the best of health mentally. At work Raleigh is dealing with a hate crime involving a well known rap artist. There are a lot of twists and turns with this case, including drugs, the kkk and diamonds.
Although this is the third book in this series, it is the first one that I have read. In the beginning it seemed a bit slow, but after awhile it did pick up and held onto my attention through to the end. Things left dangling will hopefully be addressed in the next book or books that will be written. I did enjoy reading this story and am going to look for the preceding two books and read them also.

I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers to read and review.

The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

Saphora Warren seems to have it all. Beautiful homes, a successful husband and adult children, but something is missing. After a photo shoot for Southern Living, Saphora plans to escape to their summer home in Oriental North Carolina. She hopes to just have quiet time to do whatever she wants, when she wants. Her escape is cut short when her plastic surgeon husband comes home early, and before she can get on the road he tells her that he is dying. Life can change in an instant and how Saphora copes with it and the many people around her, is the premise of this story.

Dealing with all the sudden changes in the life of Saphora and her husband is a somewhat complicated story. The adult children, some married and with children of their own and even the children's friends add to this story. Saphora's husband Bender and his doctor friends and the ladies that he has had flings with also add to the story and give us a look at what Saphora has put up with during her marriage to Bender. Somehow it feels like too much of this story is left out. I get the feeling that Bender and Saphora have been living separate lives, but living in the same home. It was a bit difficult for me to understand how Saphora seemed to be a bit out of touch with Bender and was more concerned with her own need for time alone when he was on limited time here on Earth. Did she really need to go off alone on a fishing trip alone or go sneaking through the fence to spy on the neighbor guy when her first concern should have been her husband? I know that not everyone will see this story the way that I do, but that's what makes life and reading books interesting. I wasn't happy with the ending of the story either. It seemed nuts. The few encounters these people actually had doesn't seem like a romance that will endure.

Read the book and decide for yourself. I did enjoy reading it, but was annoyed at a few turns in the story, but most of my annoyance was with Saphora. She had a lot in her life, and did welcome others and help quite a few people, but there was also this feeling that she was just selfish toward her husband and toward Sherry who had her own life, but seemed to always have to give up her own life to run when Saphora called.

This book was provided to me by WaterBrook Press to read and review.

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor by Chuck Black

Sir Quinlan known as Twitch because of a nervous muscle spasm in his cheek, leaves his friend Tav and the family that has taken care of him since the tragic death of his parents. He plans to set off with Sir Baylor and join the Swords of Valor. During a horrible battle with the evil Shadow Warriors, Sir Baylor is killed. Because of a mistake made by Sir Quinlan, the other Knights blame him for this tragedy and the Swords of Valor are disbanded. Sir Quinlan wanders the kingdom until he meets Taras a Silent Warriorand former trainer of Valor Knights. After a grueling time of training, The Prince speaks to Sir Quinlan and he decides to get the Valor Knights to come together and fight the Dark Knight and his evil cohorts who plan to take over the Kingdom of Arretthtrae.

This is a really good story of knights and the traditional good and evil battle that everyone faces every day. This book is part of a series of stories for young teens and pre-teens. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and know that young people who like adventure and knights will love this book and enjoy the story that does teach about what strenght we find when we band together and inspire others to overcome apathy. There is always strength in numbers especially when the numbers are people of valor and truth.

This book was provided to me to read and review by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing.
 

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

   

The scene is a snowy little town during the Christmas season. People are hurrying to get shopping done and baking the goodies that their family will enjoy. Not everyone is with their family though and some are not with the person they should be with. A mysterious little group of matchmakers are working hard to bring certain people together for Christmas and for the rest of their lives. If you are lucky enough to shop at Warner, Werner and Wizbotterdad's booksellers, you just might come away with a very special ticket tucked into your book for the Christmas Ball.

This book is so enchanting to read, I could not put it down. Every chapter brought a new element to the story. Everyone needs a little magic in their lives and this book is just full of fun and some really magical twists that will make you want to read more. 

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. If you would like to read the first chapter, then click on the link.

CHAPTER 1

A Rush of Wings by Kristen Heizmann

Noelle St. Claire has taken flight from her home on her father's estate in New York. She doesn't know where she is going, but is determined to get away from whatever it is that she fears the most. She winds up in Colorado and finds a place to stay at a ranch owned by Rick Spencer and his brother Morgan. Will Noelle find comfort and a chance to just be herself and not be afraid of whatever it is that has brought her to this place?
On the surface I liked this book. Getting to the end was a real challenge because of the anger and frustration that I often felt with Noelle. She seemed to be a headstrong, spoiled rich girl who wasn't willing to accept anyone's rules. That's fine for some things, but when it comes to other people's property and especially the animals under their care, I can't accept the audacity of a person to just do what they want regardless of what someone else has told them not to do. Maybe some people think it's cute for a sweet, pretty rich girl to go against authority, but I kept finding it to be terribly annoying. I don't like people taking their own problems out on innocent animals, either directly or indirectly.
In spite of my occasional aggravation with  Noelle and how she acted throughout the book, I did enjoy the book. Anger isn't something that should be held onto, and Noelle did have a lot of reason to have problems with enjoying her life and opening herself up to people who want to help her. In the end, the story does have a good conclusion that should satisfy almost everyone.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers to read and review.

The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/the-waiting-blog-tour.html

Jorie King is waiting. Waiting for Ben Zook to return to Lancaster County. Waiting for Ben to join the church and to settle down. Waiting for Ben to marry her.

News arrives that Ben has been killed and Ben's brother Caleb becomes a source of comfort for Jorie. Their friendship developes into more and they talk of a future together. Suddenly both of their worlds are turned upside down. How will they cope with all the changes in their lives and also with gossip and the insensitive, ignorant behavior of some outsiders.

There are many twists to this story that will grab you and make you not want to put this book down. You will want to know what happens because it will really tug at your heart. I really enjoyed reading this story and getting to know a little more about the lives of some of the Amish people in Pennsylvania. I'm sure that if you like to read this type of story too, you will want to get this book and read it from cover to cover.

The Waiting was provided to me by Litfuse to read and review.

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander

Rachel Boyd is a young widow and the mother of two small boys. Her husband Thomas died leaving her with his dream to maintain a ranch in the Colorado Rockies. Is running a ranch Rachel's dream too or does she have other dreams that would better use her natural gifts?

Dr. Rand Brookston came to the west to bring modern medicine to the wild Rockies. His example of good medicine gradually leads the people of Timber Ridge to understand that he is there for them and will help them with their medical needs and also by listening to their fears and offering his advice. He likes Rachel Boyd, but she keeps him at a distance. Many obstacles seem to lie in the path of love. Will Rachel and Rand find a way to be together?

I enjoyed reading this historical romance. Once Rand and Rachel began to open up to each other about their own fears and needs, things began to get better for their relationship. I guess the lesson to be learned is that honesty clears the path to better understanding.

This book was provided to me by Bethany House Publishers.