Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

Summary from the publisher: When a wealthy friend offers Sierra Jensen a vacation at an oceanfront beach house, she envisions a quiet retreat where she can plan her next move. Instead, she arrives at the start of the noisy surfing competitions and is surprised to learn that her friend had an ulterior motive—namely, introducing Sierra to Jordan Bryce, the tenant staying below them. Jordan is a photographer whose lens and attention are focused on the surfers, and he is not willing to let anyone get in his way of landing the next cover shot for Surf Days magazine. Sierra and Jordan came to Sunset Beach looking for different things. But as the surf pounds the North Shore, will they discover something better than either of them had imagined? Reading this book totally made me feel nostalgic. I grew up reading the Sierra Jensen books (as well as the Christy Miller series) by Robin Jones Gunn and have been eagerly awaiting to see what would happen to this favorite character of mine. When th...

Summary from LitFuse Publicity: Dottie Morgan has no desire to share her home - or her heart - over Christmas. After all, her Christmas spirit froze over when Dottie lost her son in World War II. But when a blizzard of the decade traps Dottie in her home with four near strangers, she just might discover that opening her door just might open her heart a Christmas miracle...and a new reason celebrate Christmas. Yes, if you read this book you are going to have the title song stuck in your head pretty much the entire time you read it and long afterwards. Interestingly even though the song has been around for a long time, I only first discovered it after the movie Elf came out. I personally seem to have different connotations of the song than most people but I will admit that it is catchy and you can't get it out of your head. It's just like this story. Even though Susan May Warren is a favorite author of mine, lately I've been a little lukewarm towards her books. They...

Summary from BN .com: Rachel Stanhope tries to see the good in everyone. But Josh Reegan tests even her good graces when they meet outside her Arlington, Virginia, dance studio in 1951. He's attractive, yet his cynicism and cockiness are hard to tolerate. A journalist and former World War II Air Force pilot, Josh considers ballroom dancing a frivolous waste of time. Although Rachel's confident nature is a refreshing challenge, he wouldn't tangle with her if his newspaper hadn't assigned him to cover her studio's competition in New York City. Between the melodrama of ballroom antics and the real drama of political corruption, Rachel and Josh have their hands full. The last thing either of them expects is mutual need and support. But once they stop dancing around the truth, the results are unforgettable. There are many reasons why I enjoyed this book. One, it is set in Northern VA where I live. Two, the main female character is older than most he...

Summary from BN .com: As the rest of the nation is embroiled in Civil War, the Amana Colonies remain peaceful. Amalie Wiese arrives in the newly built village of Amana in 1863 only to find that her betrothed, Friedrich, has left to fight with the Union army. Amalie tries to overcome her worries as she sets up a communal kitchen. She hopes that working alongside Friedrich's best friend will provide some comfort, but Matthias is abrupt and cold. Little does Amalie know that Matthias has been in love with her since childhood but will not betray Friedrich by pursuing her friendship. When Matthias himself leaves for the battlefront to deliver supplies to the soldiers, war wages in Amalie's own heart. Will love claim victory? Groups about religious sects (Amish, Mennonites, Mormons, Shakers) have been very popular lately. I'm not sure if it's because of the bonnets or if people are simply just curious about what is considered the "simple way of life" but I swea...

Summary from BN.com: Love and second chances aren't easy to come by in a town named Tombstone. When Christy Grey receives an urgent summons to Tombstone, Arizona, she reluctantly leaves her new life in California. The trip goes from bad to worse when three masked men hold up Christy's stage. She finally arrives in Tombstone to find her mother ill and her brother trapped in a life of gambling. Desperate for money to support her family, will Christy bow to pressure from the local saloon owners and return to the life she thought she'd given up for good? Nevada Keene has problems of his own. He's been dodging bullets for years and wants nothing more than to settle down and get married. But he's on the run from outlaws bent on revenge, and the one woman who captures his interest recognizes him from the stagecoach holdup. Will Christy turn Nevada in to the authorities, or will the outlaws on his trail catch him first? I have really enjoyed Miralee Ferrell's contribut...

Summary from BN.com: Fashionable Easterner Alison Stripling is shocked to receive a letter from her deceased sister's husband in Hope, Kansas, pleading for help with his six children. The letter gives Alison a chance to escape her troubles in Boston, and the name of the town seems like a sign from God. But when she arrives at a rustic cabin on the prairie, she's in for a bigger shock: Rafe Munroe didn't write the letter at all! Realizing the children are determined to pair them off, Rafe and Alison join forces to prove the idea would never work. Can Hope's cupids - all six of them - strike love's arrows into the hearts of their pa and Miss Alison? If you're looking for a nice, sweet and simple historical romance then this book is it. This is one of the better Love Finds You books that have been published recently. It's a simple plot, but everything just flows together. The characters are believable and have good chemistry. Amy is Boston but she's...

Summary from BN.com: As "Love Me Tender" plays in the background, Debbie Carmichael determines to salvage her family's restaurant, Sweet Sal's Soda Shoppe, when her father's health fails. Teen heartthrob Bobby Conrad agrees to perform at a fundraiser concert. But just two weeks before the highly publicized event, Bobby backs out of the benefit. Enter Johnny Hartman, a young, unknown singer to take Conrad's place. Debbie soon realizes the twists and turns leading up to the concert are divinely orchestrated. And it isn't dreamy Bobby Conrad who has stolen her heart - but the tender love of Johnny Hartman. This was a cute book about the 1950s when rock music, diners and poodle skirts reign. I really liked seeing how Hollywood stars and rock musicians are portrayed in this book because normally a lot of Christian fiction tends to act like all entertainment is wrong! The story feels colorful and lively. It's fun to reminisce (ok maybe not for me since...

Esther Lange doesn’t love her fiancé—she’s trapped in an engagement after a mistaken night of passion. Still, she grieves him when he’s lost in battle, the letters sent to her by the medic at his side giving her a strange comfort, so much that she strikes up a correspondence with Peter Hess, an Iowa farmboy. Or is he? Peter Hess is not who he seems. Indeed, he’s hiding a secret, something that could cost them both their lives, especially when the past comes back to life. A bittersweet love song of the home front war between duty and the heart...a battle where only one will survive. While reading this book, the first thought that came to my mind was that it reminded me of the book Summer of My German Soldier . As far as I can remember this is one of the other few books that dealt with the subject of German POWs working in the fields of the US. Therefore I found it very interesting and wanted to learn more about the subject. Esther and Peter's story is bittersweet. Both of them ...

When his partner is murdered, 1920s detective Rollin Wells goes into hiding. Taking refuge in an Amish home in Sugarcreek, Ohio, he works to discover who in the police force is collaborating with Cleveland's notorious mob. But when he befriends a young Amish mother named Katie, will he unearth an even more shocking secret? This is not your average Amish book. In fact, I really don't consider this an Amish book at all. Yes one of the main characters is Amish and lives in an Amish community. However the main focus of the book is on the 1920s Italian American gangster crime families so prevalent during this era. It's an absolutely different look at the Amish culture than most other books are focusing on and it was greatly appreciated by this reader. The story focuses on Rollin Wells who is a detective that finds himself among the Amish at Sugar Creek in Ohio. He soon finds out that there is a connection between the family he is staying with and the Cardano family, ...

Romance times two means more love for you! When Julia Mayfield and her nephew visit Kentucky for An Appalachian Christmas, she meets David Armstrong. Sparks fly---but something sinister lurks! And in Once upon a Christmas Eve, Hollie Goodnight is swept up in the publicity over her award-winning holiday shop. Can Owen Quigley calm her down? I've been a fan of all the Love Finds You books but for some reason this volume just didn't gel with me. I think it mainly has to do with the fact that the stories are novellas as opposed to one singular story. I'm not really a fan of novellas because I like stories where the characters have time to grow and so the reader can take the time to get to know them. I just couldn't find myself being able to relate to the characters because everything happened so fast. The endings of both stories felt very unreal to me. It seemed as if the authors wanted tidy, happy endings because things started happening very randomly. Characters ...

The Second World War has stolen Rosalie's fiance from her. But rather than wallow, Rosalie throws herself into her work at the Boeing plant in Victory Heights, shooting rivets into the B-17 bombers that will destroy the enemy. A local reporter dubs her Seattle's Own Rosie the Riveter, and her story lends inspiration to women across the country. While Rosalie's strong arms can bear the weight of this new responsibility, her heart cannot handle the intense feelings that begin to surface for Kenny, the handsome reporter. Fear of a second heartbreak is a powerful opponent - but will it claim victory over love? I really like World War II stories that take place away from the battlefront. I mean, stories about soldiers and the actual war are interesting but I'm more interested in the background stories. Stories about the people who were back at home, waiting for the men to come back or who were doing their best to support the troops. My favorite stories from this ...

In 1915, German sympathizers escalated acts of sabotage in the United States to keep the nation from joining in the war. Following the mysterious murder of Emma Shuster's father, Lt. John Patterson invites Emma to become a Navy cryptographer because of the expertise she gained in helping her father develop a cipher system. Emma finds new strength in her faith as she strives to outwit her adversary, known only as Kobold - German for goblin. Can Emma and John find love in the midst of turmoil as America plunges toward war? I love a good historical fiction read. Not a historical romance, mind you. They are two completely different genres. Now, a sprinkle of romance in the historical fiction is ok but not so much that the only historical aspect of the book is that it doesn't take place in present time. No, give a me a book where it is clearly obvious that the author has done lots of research to make sure that facts are correct and historical figures are portrayed accurat...

Amidst a backdrop of thievery and murder in historic Bridal Veil, Oregon, a schoolteacher is torn between the memories of a distant love and the man who could be her future. Margaret Garvey had given her heart to Nathaniel, but he left town six years before. Now she's giving love another chance, but her decision to build a new life with Andrew is shaken when Nathaniel steams back into Bridal Veil on a riverboat to work at the nearby sawmill. When disaster strikes the town and threatens the welfare of its citizens, Margaret will be faced with the most important choice of her life. What I have loved best about the Love Finds You series is how these books are introducing me to cities and towns that I have never heard of. I never knew that there was a town called Bridal Veil before and was delighted to read about how there's a small post office that receives wedding invitations just to have the Bridal Veil postmark on them. It's really nice to read about places that have smal...

The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler's Germany. The first nights performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they're housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty's dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon. Tricia Goyer has a knack with turning almost any historical event into an interesting, page turning read. She's brilliant at using intense historical research mixed with an intriguing story line. ...

Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these sons of thunder offers a future she longs for, the other the past she lost. From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they'll discover betrayal, sacrifice and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, she'll learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder. While I'm not really a World War II fan (or even a European history fan), this book really made me enjoy learning about both. I don't know much about Greek culture so this book gave a good primer into the ...

Lawyer Cassie Constantine has no plans to stay in Florida. Shes here just long enough to sell her late husbands vacation house, a tacky bungalow shes always despised then shell hightail it back to her gracious Boston brownstone. But the place needs more work than Cassie bargained for. Whats more, her widow status is like a target on her back and the elderly matchmakers around town manage to sidetrack her mission at every turn. Holiday is a landmine of golf tournaments, ballroom dancing competitions, shuffleboard and day trips. But the biggest obstacle of all? Richard Dillon, the stuffed shirt shes paired with on the dance floor. Cassie had always considered herself uptight but Richard wont take a walk on the beach without his socks and shoes! There's one little problem he makes her heart beat faster than the rhythm of the quickstep. Can Cassie and Richard let loose long enough to have a little fun? . I have been pleased with all the books in the Love Finds You series and I had enjo...

The only thing worse than being a spinster is being a twice-jilted spinster. At twenty-five, Catherine Morgan is hardly an old maid but shes given up on marriage and instead manages the familys general store in the small town of Revenge, Ohio. Bound by a promise to care for her three sisters until they marry, shell do anything it takes to keep them safe. However, the towns sheriff has evidence that may stand in the way of her sisters happiness and her own. Revenge can be stronger than love. Will a vow for vengeance arrest Catherine's third chance for love? The Love Finds You In... series has been putting out some awesome titles in both contemporary and historical genres. This is one of the historical novels and I really enjoyed reading it. I really liked Catherine's character for standing up and trying to protect her family. It wasn't fair that she had to be in charge of her sisters at such a young age but she did everything in stride. I did feel her sisters were a b...

Finding Love in the West Alex Travers has to take care of the family ranch after her father dies. Justin Phillips has come to Last Chance, CA to find a job and someplace safe to take care of his son. After a few hit or miss encounters between the two, Alex hires Justin to help out on the ranch. Things start to improve between them and it even looks like there might be more than just friendship in the air. But then it looks like someone is trying to keep them apart, slandering Justin's name and causing mass havoc at the ranch.. Will they be able to find out who's doing it and why? I really enjoyed reading this story. I think Miralee Ferrell has found her niche in writing historical fiction. The story was fresh and didn't fall into the trap of the usual cliched story. I always worry that I'm going to read the same storyline when it comes to young women living on the frontier and trying to get through life by themselves. Not so in the case of this book, as there w...