Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Crossing By Serita Jakes

A school bus, loaded with high school kids heading home after an evening game, anxious to get something to eat and call it a day..
BJ Remington cheer leading coach shot by an unknown masked assailant when the bus stops at a railroad crossing in a small town in Texas.
The secret she carries with her has determined the awful fate of that night that never seems to end for Claudia a student and a close friend of hers and Casio a football player and proposed hero in the middle of the chaos.
Throughout the story BJ talks to us as she lay there dying covered in blood trying to connect with the loved ones by her side. Trying to make amends. Trying to grasp at what is important now that only seconds remain. Wishing, wondering if things could have been different if only she’d had made a different choice.
As a result of that fateful night, Claudia and Casio struggle throughout there lives. Claudia with her marriage to a district attorney Vic and Casio with his girlfriend Harper and his father an ex-cop who dropped the investigation ten years earlier. Vic and Casio hook up together to try to solve the murder of BJ and to bring in the killer in order to put an end to the nightmare for Claudia and Casio.
Opening up the case that had been closed for over ten years turns out to be more than they bargain for. Secrets unfold, skeletons are uncovered and those who you would least expect become suspect to a horrendous crime.
All the characters in the book are intertwined to a point that proves that each decision we make however small can have a massive effect on more people than we think. What an excellent example of how complicated our lives can become when we choose to live for ourselves and neglect to care about the feelings of our neighbors.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The Harvest of Grace By Cindy Woodsmall

The Harvest of Grace: Book 3 in the…This adventure is about several young Amish people who eventually become entwined in each others lives.
There is Sylvia, who is the eldest daughter of a dairy farmer, whose love for dairy farming outweighs the desire to be married. When her beau asks her, she wants to postpone their big day wanting more time to be able to discover who she is. Taking her answer as  a "no", her beau secretly plans to marry Sylvia's sister. Heart broken and unable to leave the farm she tries to endure her feelings of rejection and betrayal. When one day she is caught off guard with her now brother in law, he kisses her and she returns the kiss. Feeling shame and guilt Sylvia leaves and begins working for a couple on the Blank's dairy farm where she meets their son, Aaron which leads her down a whole new road to adventure.
There is Cara, who has a young daughter named Lori whose father died when she was little. Cara left New York because of the fear of someone stalking her. and traveled to Dry Lake because of some memories from her childhood. After seeking refuge in Ephriam's barn she is taken in and falls in love with him. When Cara finally gets comfortable in her surroundings she is given a challenge she feels is far beyond her power alone to conquer.
Then there is Lena. She is recovering from an accident and has a bluish purple birth mark on her face. She falls in love with Grey who was married to the Blank's daughter. Grey is now a widower and is made to wait the required time of mourning until he can court Lena. Grey also has a secret that he carries with him that he feels could destroy their relationship if Lena only knew.
Will these young couples be able to work through the challenges that God has allowed in their lives or will they give up and play it safe? Find out how each of these couples face their challenges both separately and together.