And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 29 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:

Emily
who won "The Captain's Bride" by Lisa Tawn Bergren

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Vanished by Irene Hannon

Vanished by Irene Hannon ISBN-13: 9780800721237 Trade Paperback: 336 pages Publisher: Fleming H. Revell Company Released: January 1, 2013

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a lone figure suddenly appears in the beam of her headlights, Moira slams on her brakes--but it's too late. She feels the solid thump against the side of her car before crashing into a tree on the far side of the road.

A man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on that face in the instant before her headlights swung away. And she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome ex-homicide detective turned private eye, who agrees to take on the case.


My Review:
Vanished is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the first book in a new series, but it's also a stand-alone novel. I found the story refreshing. Lately, it seems like most books that I read have a setup very similar to other books I've read before, but this was new to me: an injured woman vanishes and an investigative reporter and a private investigator appear to have nothing to go on.

I liked the main characters, especially how they cared about justice even when they, personally, didn't know the victim and wouldn't gain anything from pursuing the case, and even when it was a long chance that they'd be able to solve the case. The characters acted realistically, and we got to know them well.

The suspense was created by uncertainty about finding enough clues to uncover (and prove) whodunit and from physical danger. The romance came across as realistic to me and had some funny moments--how many novels have sorting through trash for a date! Loved it.

The main characters were all Christians, and we saw this more through their actions--like how they treated people--than through their talking about God. The bad guy was also a Christian, but he felt like he had "to help God out" in an extreme way. He was a very warped character, though there was a good reason for why he was that way.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable and intriguing novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop

As a part of the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for the following book:


The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren is a Christian historical set in 1880. You can read my review.

Elsa Anders's dream of marrying Peder Ramstad is about to come true. But as this independent, strong-willed woman discovers her own creative gifts--a love for travel, painting, and the sea--can she find happiness with a captain who insists upon leaving her safely on shore?

Leaving their home in Norway behind, Elsa and Peder embark on a new life in with their closest friends, including: Kaatje Jansen, a woman seeking a new beginning for the sake of her marriage and for the child growing within her; Elsa's sister Tora, a sly young vixen who knows exactly what she wants--and exactly how to get it; and Karl Martensen, a man torn between his friendship for Peder and a forbidden, secret love for Elsa, a man tormented by emotions that threaten to ruin them all.


This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for THE CAPTAIN'S BRIDE by Lisa Tawn Bergren."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered. (I have comment moderation on to prevent spam comments, so don't worry if your entry comment doesn't appear immediately. It will soon.) Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.


This giveaway ends on January 7, 2013 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on January 8, 2013 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop:

The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren

The Captain's Bride by Lisa Tawn Bergren ISBN-13: 9780307458063 Trade Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: WaterBrook Press Released: June 2, 2009

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Elsa Anders's dream of marrying Peder Ramstad is about to come true. But as this independent, strong-willed woman discovers her own creative gifts--a love for travel, painting, and the sea--can she find happiness with a captain who insists upon leaving her safely on shore?

Leaving their home in Norway behind, Elsa and Peder embark on a new life in with their closest friends, including: Kaatje Jansen, a woman seeking a new beginning for the sake of her marriage and for the child growing within her; Elsa's sister Tora, a sly young vixen who knows exactly what she wants--and exactly how to get it; and Karl Martensen, a man torn between his friendship for Peder and a forbidden, secret love for Elsa, a man tormented by emotions that threaten to ruin them all.

From the gentle hills of Bergen, Norway, to the rocky coast of Camden, Maine, and across the crashing, danger-filled waves of the open sea--experience an epic saga of perseverance and passion, faith and fidelity, in the Northern Lights series: the new historical series by Lisa Tawn Bergren


My Review:
The Captain's Bride is a Christian historical novel. It has five main characters, and the story jumped around in location after the group splits up after reaching America. I never had any trouble keeping track of who was who or where they were, but the ending only provided resolution for a few of the characters and the rest ended with more of a cliff-hanger.

The characters were all very realistic and complex. They dealt with real life struggles, and most of their problems were brought on them by their own poor choices. The vivid historical details brought the story alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. The suspense was created mainly by relationship tensions but also by physical danger to various characters.

Even when things were going well for the characters, I felt like something was going to happen to spoil it. I went through the novel feeling dread for what was going to come instead of hope that good would come through all the bad. Though good did come from the bad--stronger relationships and so on. Perhaps this feeling was partly because I couldn't predict precisely what would happen next, which is a good thing.

The Christian element was woven naturally into the story line and realistically portrayed the Christian walk, with its ups and downs. The brief prayers came across as genuine. The characters (except Tora) wanted to have a good relationship with God, and that's what affected their behavior (rather than lectures from other Christians). I liked how this was portrayed.

There were no graphic sex scenes. There was a very minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson

One Imperfect Christmas by Myra Johnson ISBN-13: 9781426713675 ebook: 280 pages Publisher: Abingdon Press Released: September 1, 2009

Source: Free ebook promotional offer.

Book Description, My take:
Natalie Pearce makes up an excuse for not going over to help her mother take down her Christmas decorations only to learn that her mother had a massive stroke later that day. Natalie blames herself for not being there when it happened and tries to redeem herself by helping her mother recover. Her mother shows no improvement, but Natalie can't forgive herself unless she hears her mother say, "I forgive you."

Natalie pushes her family away and buries herself in her work to avoid her feelings of guilt. Her marriage is falling apart and her teenage daughter is willing to do anything to get her mother back, even run away or try to get her fired. Will the coming Christmas bring an end to everything Natalie once held dear or offer a chance for healing?


My Review:
One Imperfect Christmas is Christian general fiction that spanned about a year of time. Natalie was her own worst enemy. I didn't like her attitude of "life is all about me! Why can't everyone else see that?!" She didn't care about what other people were going through. However, I could always understand where she and the other characters were coming from even if I would have reacted differently. I think I was willing to put up with Natalie's self-pitying guilt because she could see that she was messing things up but didn't know how to fix it. She often didn't like herself or her behavior but she couldn't seem to stop it.

So this should have been a book I liked: actions had consequences and a Christian character realized she couldn't fix her own behavior. I was expecting the characters to realize something new (to them) about God as the solution to the problem and to draw closer to God, but that didn't happen.

For most of the book, you could hardly tell it was a Christian novel. There were a few, brief prayers that were mainly of the "God give me strength" sort. The characters seemed to feel that God was a genie: they'd ask God to fix their big mess and make everything okay again. When God didn't snap His fingers and grant their wish, they felt they needed to help Him out by fixing things themselves (though their efforts never worked).

(Vague Spoiler paragraph): Then, in the last few pages, Natalie finally heard some words that comforted her about her mother so she no longer felt guilty about the stroke. Suddenly Natalie had a complete personality change...at least for the day.

A lot of things in the story were never wrapped up, and I was left feeling like more bad arguments were just waiting to happen. I didn't trust that Natalie wouldn't act exactly the same the next time something happened that she "just couldn't deal with" since her enlightenment moment seemed pretty vague yet situation-specific. The ending didn't leave me feeling like the underlying problem had actually be resolved.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Cathedral Windows by Clare O'Donohue

Cathedral Windows by Clare O'Donohue ISBN-13: 9781101615843 ebook: 80 pages Publisher: Plume Released: November 13, 2012

Source: eBook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
In this special holiday themed short story, Christmas is just around the corner in the Hudson Valley. Nell and her friends at the Someday Quilts shop should be making eggnog and finishing up the stitching on their last homemade gifts, but when an arsonist strikes and a beloved teacher becomes a suspect, the ladies rally behind him to clear his good name. Will they succeed in time for him to spend Christmas among loved ones or will this be a chilly winter for the town of Archers Rest?


My Review:
Cathedral Windows is a cozy mystery. It's a feel-good Christmas story with enjoyable characters. The characters and setting were developed enough to give a nice feel of small town life. The mystery wasn't very complex due to how short the story was, but whodunit was not obvious. It was a clue-based mystery, and whodunit could be guessed from the clues. The suspense was from (non-romantic) relationship conflicts and physical danger.

There was no sex. There was no explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, quick read.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

All I Have To Give by Melody Carlson

All I Have To Give by Melody Carlson ISBN-13: 9781441212801 ebook: 167 pages Publisher: Revell Released: September 1, 2008

Source: Free ebook during a promotion.

Book Description from Christianbook.com:
In this present-day retelling of O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi, Anna and Michael's dreams of having a baby have come to an end. Amidst her heartache, Anna secretly struggles with strange health problems that have her very worried. But as each tries to give the other the perfect Christmas gift, the magic of Christmas is working its way into their lives in a surprising way.


My Review:
All I Have To Give is Christian women's fiction and a re-telling of "The Gift of the Magi." Anna tried so hard to have a "perfect Christmas" that she almost ruined it with her attitude. While the characters always had a motivation for the way they were acting, I was on the borderline of being frustrated with them. Anna thought she had cancer and basically just gave up before even confirming it. She strongly suspected her husband of infidelity (with little evidence) and yet this didn't seem to impact her "grand gift" plans for him.

I felt like there was a missed chance at a deeper message of giving even when hurt and how this would inspire the other family members in their troubled marriages. Instead, everyone thought she had a perfect life (even when they knew she didn't feel that way about being childless) and a perfect, untroubled marriage. The story wrapped up quickly after the gift-giving and didn't resolve some of the serious issues brought up in the story.

The Christian element seemed to be a few statements along the lines of "but Christians shouldn't do that!" (about divorce). There was a very minor amount of "he swore" style of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, it's a nice, predictable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.