Yours Truly, Thomas By Rachel Fordham

This story follows the adventure of a young women named Penny who is stuck working in a dead letter office because she doesn't see any other options. Unbeknownst to her though it is through her daily reading of letters that are bound for nowhere that her life takes an unexpected turn and plummets her into a life of discovery, danger and love. A letter from a man she doesn't know who is writing to a love he will never have sends her on a journey to a place called Azure Springs where she is able to find hope again and a promise of a future. This was an excellent novel. It flowed very smoothly and was successful at keeping my attention. I would like to see a sequel to this story.

THE BREATHE OF DAWN BY KRISTEN HEITZMANN

After losing his wife, Morgan Spencer tries to hide his pain by wrapping himself up in his 2 yr old daughter Livie while living with his brother and sister-in-law  (Noelle) on their ranch.  Hiding from an ugly past and a man (Markham) who Quinn Reilly hoped would be put away for a long, long time she tries to start over. Fate throws Morgan and Quinn together during a Thanksgiving dinner Quinn prepares for her new friend Noelle. Quinn soon falls head over heels in love with Morgan’s daughter Livie. Markham’s release is made known to Quinn when she starts getting threats on her phone which are seen by Morgan. Quinn decides to run but Morgan having become fond of Quinn offers her a solution that could possibly keep her safe and help her to disappear too. When those plans don’t work they find that facing the past in order to be able to have a future might be the only choice they have.

NO SAFE HARBOR BY ELIZABETH LUDWIG

The year is 1897 and the excitement of being in New York Harbor is spreading among the new immigrants that came from far away places to start over, Cara Hamilton clutches a reminder of someone she longs to see again. She searches the crowds for a glimpse of a familiar face which in the massive crowd she finds impossible. With only a letter from her missing brother she is destined to set out to find him not knowing where to start. /all seems overwhelming until a strange man befriends Cara and guides her to a rooming house where she is introduced to a group of curious strangers. Being forewarned to not trust anyone Cara allows herself to trust Rourke the stranger from the boat. As she searches for clues to the whereabouts of her brother she gets drawn into a world far beyond anything she could have imagined. A world where her life is threatened and she is repeatedly warned to leave things alone. Cara finds that Rourke is far more than the helpful stranger and soon starts to mistrust his intentions while Rourke learns he has been mislead by those he works with and decides to aide Cara in finding her brother. Through a world of attempted murder, angry revolutionaries who seek revenge and a mysterious secret that hangs over everything Can Cara find friendship, love and possibly a new meaning to her life?

THE BRIDESMAID BY BEVERLY LEWIS

This is the second book in the series " Home To Hickory Hollow". A young Amish girl named Joanna Kurtz is reaching the age where she is soon to be considered an "Old Maid" and has dangerously attended too many weddings as a bridesmaid. She starts to think that she will never know the joy of having a husband and children of her own. Discouraged, she travel to another wedding that takes place in Shipshewana, Indiana where she is attracted to a young man named Eben Troyer. They fall in love after a whirlwind romance where she pledges her heart to Eben and he promises to come to Hickory Hollow to court her and meet her family. Eben banks this future with Joanna on the chance his estranged brother who left the Amish order for the Englisher life will return and take his place beside their father on the family farm. When his brother returns and Eben realizes he has no plans to stay he makes a trip to Hickory Hollow to break the news to Joanna that their dreams of a life together are over. Eben returns home and both he and Joanna try very hard to look to the future by courting others but neither can remove from their hearts the deep bond they have for each other. When they finally realize that their hearts can never belong to another Joanna resigns herself to becoming a spinster and Eben to running his father’s farm. Then something, happens because of a special someone and an wedding ring quilt from long ago that turns everything upside down and brings the worlds of Shipshewana and Hickory Hollow back into balance once again.

ALL THINGS NEW BY LYNN AUSTIN

I received "All Things New" through the early release giveaway. Although I thought there was something missing at the start of the story I enjoyed the rest very much, I felt that I was thrust into the story and that there should have been a little bit that focused on the war coming to a close prior to being in the scene with Josephine and Mary. There were several strong characters in this story and I felt that each one of them were equally given a developing place. Each character showed a different view of surviving the horror of a nation that fought against itself. Eugenia portrayed the typical southern attitude, strong and unwilling to bend, pride and desperation to cling to their way of life. Josephine portrayed a mixture of the old south mixed with the knowledge that things have changed and something needs to give in order to be able to face the future. Harrison a soldier who was fortunate to be alive but unfortunate to be wounded and left with the fact that he will never be able to be a "whole" man again. Mary the meek and obedient daughter who does exactly as she is told with no thoughts of her own. The doctor, who once being part of the high society life is thrust into a lower standing due to his mother's marriage to a man beneath her station. Daniel, the angry man who left as a boy to fight in the war only to return home to find nothing is the same and he doesn't quite know how to fix it. Alexander, the freed-man's bureau representative who thinking he can ease the guilt he feels for his part of the war tries to help the people in the south, both black and white, to rebuild their country. Otis, a slave who is ecstatic about the new freedom he has and is grabbing onto it with every part of his being and then there is my favorite character, Lizzie. the wife of Otis, and mother of three children, she desperately fights to embrace the new found freedom she has been given but so terrified that it is all a bad dream and it will all change in the blink of an eye. she tries hard to continue her service to the Weatherly family and at the same time yearn for a new start where her family is really free. Roselle, Lizzie's oldest child becomes a main focus at the end of the book which shocks everyone involved and changes the thinking of all of them. The ending I thought was perfect which showed how humans if willing can allow God's grace to penetrate their lives and change it for the better. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in seeing the different was people dealt with the devastation of the Civil war and the blessings that can come from letting go of the bitter past and stepping forward into a new beginning where "All Things are New".

THE DEPOSIT SLIP BY TODD JOHNSON

At the risk of loosing everything he has, Jared Neaton, a young lawyer, on the verge of bankruptcy takes on a case in which the only evidence he has is a worn old deposit slip and  the feeling deep in his gut that something isn't right. A deposit slip for 10 million dollars that seemed to just vanish into thin air. Money that doesn't exist except if this were true someone is going to an awful lot of trouble to conceal the transaction ever took place. With the decision to take on the case comes a trip back in time for Jared to his home town and a revisitation of old wounds and a time in his life he'd much rather forget. Can Jared find the evidence in time to avoid loosing everything? Can he stay alive long enough to prove he has what it takes to beat his old colleages? Read this exciting new thriller from a new author and find out.

TOUCHING THE SKY BY TRACIE PETERSON

Laura Marquardt's first encounter with the handsome Captain Brandon Reid left little to be desired. Despite the insults hurled at her by the brave Captain Laura finds herself drawn to this new man in town. Laura and Brandon find themselves both eager to support and educate the colored people that have come into their town. With the people of the South finding themselves licking their wounds from the loss of the war the harmony of the town she lives in doesn't share her passion. Laura's sister Carrisa, marries a Confederate soldier who uses her as a dirversion for  his true motives. After overhearing a disturbing conversation from Carrisa's beau  Laura fears for her sister's life and that of her own. Can she trust Brandon to protect her and Carrisa from this treacherous man?