Critical Care

CALVERT, CANDACE

CRITICAL CARE

After her brother dies in a trauma room, nurse Claire Avery can no longer face the ER. She's determined to make a fresh start -- new hospital, new career in nursing education -- move forward, no turning back. But her plans fall apart when she's called to offer stress counseling for medical staff after a heartbreaking daycare centre explosion. Worse, she's forced back to the ER, where she clashes with Logan Caldwell, a doctor who believes touchy-feely counseling is a waste of time. He demands his staff to be as tough as he is is. Yet he finds himself drawn to this nurse educator...who just might teach him the true meaning of healing.

I'M KICKING MYSELF FOR WAITING SO LONG TO READ THIS. I'M NOT A GREAT FAN OF MEDICAL DRAMAS ON TELEVISION AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE MEDICAL JARGON WOULD BE TOO DETAILED AND PULL AWAY FROM THE STORY.

I WAS SO WRONG!

CRITICAL CARE IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ! I LOVE CALVERT'S STYLE -- HER WRITING IS SMOOTH, DESCRIPTIVE AND COMPELLING. HER WORDS ENTICED ME TO READ MORE...AND MORE...AND MORE. I HAD A HARD TIME PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN.

THE PLOT WAS SOLID -- AND YES THERE WERE ER SCENES, BUT THEY WEREN'T WEIGHTED DOWN WITH TERMINOLOGY. IT WAS THERE, BRINGING A SENSE OF REALISM TO THE SCENE, BUT CALVERT ALSO LET US INSIDE HER CHARACTERS' MINDS SO WE COULD FEEL THEIR EMOTIONS AS WELL. IRONICALLY, THE ER SCENES BECAME SOME OF MY FAVOURITES.

I LOVE THE WAY THE ROMANCE BETWEEN LOGAN AND CLAIRE IS DEVELOPED AS WELL. CALVERT DID A WONDERFUL JOB OF PORTRAYING THAT AWKWARD RELUCTANCE TO AN ATTRACTION YOU'RE NOT SURE YOU'RE READY FOR. BUT SHE DIDN'T BELABOR IT AND THE ROMANCE BUILDS INTO SOME INCREDIBLY ROMANTIC SCENES.

THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT ME WAITING SO LONG TO PICK UP ONE OF CANDACE CALVERT'S NOVELS IS THAT I CAN NOW RUSH OUT AND READ BOTH THE SECOND AND THE THIRD IN THE MERCY HOSPITAL SERIES.

An Amish Christmas : December in Lancaster County

CAMERON, BARBARA

FULLER, KATHLEEN

WISEMAN, BETH

AN AMISH CHRISTMAS : DECEMBER IN LANCASTER COUNTY

December in Paradise - a time of hope, redemption and new life.

A Choice To Forgive by Beth Wiseman.

After Daniel disappeared that long-ago Christmas Eve, Lydia built a life with his brother. But now she's a widow and Daniel has reappeared, asking for forgiveness. But can she go back to her normal life with her long-lost love as her neighbor?

A Miracle for Miriam by Kathleen Fuller.

Seth is no longer the arrogant young man who shattered Miriam's confidence and broke her heart. But can he convince "plain" Miriam that she is truly beautiful to him?

One Child by Barbara Cameron.

The birth of one child forever changed the world two thousand years ago. On a snowy Christmas night in Lancaster County, another child changes the world for two very different couples.

THIS IS A GREAT SET OF NOVELLAS TO BRING THE SIMPLICITY OF THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE INTO YOUR HEART THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. EACH STORY CONNECTS WITH THE OTHERS, SHARING CHARACTERS AND SETTING BUT DELIVERED IN EACH AUTHORS' UNIQUE STYLE. A PERFECT BLEND THAT MAKES A VERY SATISFYING READ. I WAS ESPECIALLY IMPRESSED BY HOW COMPLETE AND ENTHRALLING EACH INDIVIDUAL NOVELLA WAS. AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT GIVEN THE SHORTER WORD COUNT. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A FEEL GOOD BOOK (THOUGH IT DIDN'T LACK ANGST) AND A GREAT WAY TO USHER IN THIS SACRED SEASON.

One Imperfect Christmas

JOHNSON, MYRA

ONE IMPERFECT CHRISTMAS

Christmas is the season of miracles, but when blame and guilt keep two people apart, sometimes a miracle needs a helping hand.

Natalie Pearce loves Christmas so much she'd gladly make it a year-round celebration -- until her mother suffers a massive stroke while taking down the Christmas decorations. Natalie's guilt over not being there to help her mom soon builds a wall that separates her from the rest of her family, including her husband Daniel and their teenage daughter. As the next December approaches, the last thing Natalie wants to be reminded of is another Christmas season.

Will her family's tenacious love and an unexpected Christmas gift from her mother help Natalie mend the broken pieces of their lives?

NATALIE PEARCE IS 'REAL' -- A FLAWED WOMAN STRUGGLING TO DO HER BEST IN THE FACE OF MANY STRESSORS. SHE'S LIKE ALL OF US, TRYING TO FIND A BALANCE FOR THE MANY ROLES SHE PLAYS. SHE'S AN ARTIST THAT NEVER SEEMS TO FIND ENOUGH TIME TO PAINT, A WIFE WHO STRIVES TO MAKE TIME FOR HER LOVING HUSBAND, A MOTHER WHO IS NAVIGATING THE UNCHARTED TERRITORY OF THE TEENAGE YEARS, A DAUGHTER ANXIOUS TO HELP HER AGING PARENTS AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE'S TRYING TO JUGGLE HER PART-TIME JOB AS A FREELANCE GRAPHIC ARTIST INTO THE MIX.

NATALIE THINKS SHE IS MANAGING JUST FINE UNTIL HER MOTHER SUFFERS A DEBILITATING STROKE. IT HAPPENS ON THE ONE DAY NATALIE REFUSES TO COME OVER AND HELP HER MOM. NOW SHE IS RIDDLED WITH GUILT, HAUNTED BY 'WHAT IFS' AND AS HER MOTHER LIES WASTING AWAY IN A HOSPITAL BED, NATALIE BEGINS TO CLOSE HERSELF OFF FORM THE VERY PEOPLE WHO LOVE HER MOST. IT ISN'T LONG BEFORE NATALIE STARTS LOSING GROUND -- FAST -- AS HER WHOLE WORLD FALLS APART.

ONE IMPERFECT CHRISTMAS COVERS THAT HORRIFIC YEAR SANDWICHED BETWEEN CHRISTMASES. THE YEAR NATALIE LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF HER UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT THE COMFORT OF LOVE FROM HER FAMILY, HER HUSBAND AND EVEN HER FATHER IN HEAVEN. BECAUSE NATALIE IS CONVINCED SHE'S NOT WORTHY OF THAT LOVE.

IT'S A HARD READ AT TIMES AND A PAINFUL ONE. I CRIED, MY STOMACH FILLED WITH KNOTS OF DREAD. I WANTED TO SHAKE NATALIE SENSELESS AND THEN SHAKE HER SOME MORE UNTIL HER SENSE RETURNED. IT WAS SO EASY TO STAND ON THE OUTSIDE AND SEE WHERE SHE WENT WRONG -- HOW ONE MISTAKE BEGOT ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER AND THEN ANOTHER UNTIL SHE HAD BOXED HERSELF IN AND HER STUBBORN PRIDE AND IRRATIONAL FEAR AND FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNESS SEALED THAT BOX SHUT.

BUT WHAT WOULD A CHRISTMAS STORY BE WITHOUT HOPE? WITHOUT THE STRENGTH AND THE SUPPORT OF OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN? WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT? MYRA JOHNSON HAS CREATED A REALISTIC CONCLUSION THAT DELIVERS HOPE. IS THERE A HAPPY ENDING? I'LL LEAVE YOU TO READ AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.

Embers of Love

PETERSON, TRACIE

EMBERS OF LOVE

After being educated in the East, Deborah Vandermark returns to Perkinsville, Texas, where her family is part of the thriving logging industry. She brings along an unexpected companion -- her best friend, who is fleeing a wedding and groom she has no interest in. A determined matchmaker, Deborah sets her sights on uniting her brother and friend in what she hopes will be a true love match.

Then Deborah meets Christopher Clayton, the town's new doctor -- and quickly realizes she has a much greater interest in medicine and science than the bookkeeping she studied at college. Soon Deborah is caught between her fascination for doctoring and her obligation to her family. And in the midst of her warring emotions is the doctor himself. Are her tumultuous feelings for the man, or for what he can teach her?

HAVE YOU EVER OPENED A BOOK AND IMMEDIATELY LOST YOURSELF IN ANOTHER WORLD?

HAS AN AUTHOR EVER MANAGED TO TRANSPORT YOUR BACK IN TIME SO THAT YOU ARE STARTLED BY THE 21ST CENTURY WORLD YOU SUDDENLY FIND YOURSELF IN WHEN YOU LOOK UP FROM READING THAT BOOK?

DID YOU EVER REACH 'THE END' WITH A JOLT AND A SUFFER A SENSE OF LOSS?

IF YOU CAN ANSWER 'YES' TO ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS THEN YOU HAVE AN INKLING OF JUST HOW GOOD EMBERS OF LOVE IS.

I WAS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK BY THE HISTORICAL DETAIL AND HOW PETERSON EXPERTLY WOVE THE STORY AROUND IT. IT JUST FELT AUTHENTIC -- LIKE THE KIND OF BOOK A TURN OF THE CENTURY WOMAN MIGHT HAVE PICKED UP AND READ. THAT DETAIL MADE THE ERA AND THE SETTING COME TO LIFE FOR ME.

I WAS INTRIGUED BY THE MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS PETERSON USED TO TELL THIS STORY. MOST ROMANCE AUTHORS WRITE FROM ONLY TWO PERSPECTIVES -- THE HERO AND HEROINE -- BUT WE ARE TREATED TO MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW -- FROM LIZZIE (DEBORAH'S FRIEND), G.W. (HER BROTHER), AND EVEN OCCASIONALLY HER MOTHER! ALL IN ADDITION TO DEBORAH'S AND CHRISTOPHER'S. I ENJOYED THIS OMNISCIENT VIEWPOINT AND FOUND THAT EACH CHARACTER'S STORYLINE WOVE SEAMLESSLY AROUND THE OTHERS.

EVEN THOUGH DEBORAH IS GIVEN 'TOP BILLING' AS THE HEROINE OF EMBERS OF LOVE, IT FEELS LIKE HER STORY ISN'T FINISHED YET AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES. IN A WAY, LIZZIE'S STORY TOOK CENTER STAGE AS DID HER ROMANCE WITH G.W. AND I LOVED EVERY WORD OF IT.

I'M DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARTS AGLOW, NEXT INT THE STRIKING A MATCH SERIES WHICH WILL BE ON BOOKSHELVES IN MARCH 2011

Don't Look Back

EASON, LYNETTE

DON'T LOOK BACK

One man lives to see her dead -- the other is fighting to keep her alive.

Twelve years ago, forensic anthropologist Jamie Cash survived a brutal kidnapping. After years of therapy, she has made a life for herself -- though one that is haunted by memories of her terrifying past. She finally lets herself believe that she can have a close relationship with a man, when signs start appearing that point to one frightening fact -- her attacker is back and ready to finish the job he started all those years ago.

Can she escape his grasp a second time? And will she ever be able to let down her guard enough to find true love?

Filled with heart-stopping suspense, gritty realism, and a touch of romance, Don't Look Back pulls you into its twists and turns to hold you there until the very last page.

THERE IS NO TURNING BACK ONCE YOU START READING THIS NOVEL! IT IS DEFINITELY RIVETING. EASON HAS REALLY SURPASSED HER GIFT FOR WRITING SUSPENSE IN DON'T LOOK BACK. I HONESTLY COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN, THOUGH THERE WERE TIMES I WANTED TO BECAUSE I WAS GETTING CREEPED OUT.

'GRITTY REALISM' IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT AND IT'S NOT SO MUCH WHAT EASON SAYS BUT HOW SHE SAYS IT, LEAVING LOTS OF SCOPE FOR OVERACTIVE IMAGINATIONS LIKE MINE. I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT MY HEART POUNDED FASTER AS I REACHED THE CLIMAX OF THIS BOOK AND I CHECKED ALL MY WINDOWS UPTEEN TIMES WHILE I WAS READING IT!

THE 'TOUCH' OF ROMANCE WAS A DEFINITE THREAD FOR ME. IT WAS FULL OF RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING; UNHURRIED, GENTLE -- MORE A UNION OF THE MINDS AT THE BEGINNING AND THEN DEVELOPING INTO SOMETHING MUCH DEEPER. THE PERFECT PACE GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES JAMIE AND DAKOTA FIND THEMSELVES IN.

THERE IS A SPIRITUAL THREAD WOVEN SECURELY AMONGST THE ANGST. IT FLOWS SEAMLESSLY THROUGH THE PLOT; UPLIFTS AND COMFORTS THE CHARACTERS IN THE MIDST OF THE DARKER REALITIES THEY ARE FACING. AND IT EVEN DEALS WITH THAT DIFFICULT QUESTION CHRISTIANS ARE ALWAYS ASKED: WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

EASON'S WRITING IS SOLID -- FLAWLESS REALLY, WHICH MAKES THE READ ALL THE MORE ENJOYABLE...AND TERRIFYING. DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART BUT IF YOU LIKE A LITTLE EDGE IN YOUR SUSPENSE YOU WILL LOVE DON'T LOOK BACK!

Nipped in the Bud

SLEEMAN, SUSAN

NIPPED IN THE BUD

Paige Turner has secured her first landscaping contract, sprucing up the city park for the upcoming Pickle Fest. But the day after a confrontation with the city manager, she finds him dead in a mound of mulch. With no alibi for the time of death and, according to the police chief, with plenty of motive to carry out the murder, Paige must dig her way out of the mess by finding the real killer. Attorney Hayes aids in her search as he works hard to keep her out of jail -- and his heart.

THIS COZY MYSTERY IS A LIGHT AND FUNNY READ. SLEEMAN DID A GREAT JOB OF SETTING UP THE MYSTERY, INTRODUCING A VARIETY OF CHARACTERS IN THE FIRST CHAPTER BUT ALL WERE SO UNIQUE IT WAS EASY TO KEEP TRACK OF THEM.

THE ROMANCE IS A SECONDARY THREAD, JUST HINTING AT DEVELOPING INTO SOMETHING WONDERFUL. BUT IT'S THE MYSTERY AND PAIGE TURNER'S (HER MOM WAS A LIBRARIAN -- GET IT?) DRY WIT THAT TAKE PRECEDENCE THROUGHOUT NIPPED IN THE BUD.

I LOVE PAIGE!!!! HER QUIRKINESS KEPT ME SMILING EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS INVESTIGATING A MURDER. PAIGE COMPARES EVERY PERSON SHE MEETS TO A PLANT:

TO ME, RACHEL WAS A PETUNIA, PRETTY AND INNOCENT ON THE OUTSIDE. WHEN YOU GOT CLOSE AND NIPPED OFF THE FLOWERS, YOUR FINGERS CAME AWAY STICKY AND HARD TO CLEAN. WHEN YOU CAME AWAY FROM BEAUTIFUL RACHEL, NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRIED TO GET RID OF THE PAINFUL THINGS SHE OFTEN SAID, THEY STUCK TO YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.

HOW FUN IS THAT??????

EACH CHAPTER IS INTRODUCED FROM AN EXCERPT OF PAIGE'S RADIO SHOW, THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE. THESE ARE HYSTERICAL 'AMELIA BEDELIA' STYLE SNIPPETS WITH PAIGE'S AVID LISTENERS WHO ALL SEEM TO TAKE HER MUCH TOO LITERALLY.

NIPPED IN THE BUD IS A FUN ESCAPE READ AND DEFINITELY A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR THE GARDENER/READER ON YOUR LIST!

A Time to Love

CAMERON, BARBARA

A TIME TO LOVE

War correspondent Jennie King thinks she’s just a temporary guest in her grandmother’s Amish community while she recuperates from the devastating injuries sustained in a car bomb attack that changed her world. But when she meets Matthew Bontrager, the man she had a crush on as a teenager, she wonders if God has a new plan for her. Jennie has emotional and physical scars and though she feels she has come home to this man and this place, she's not sure she can bridge the difference between their worlds.

IF I HAD TO DESCRIBE BARBARA CAMERON'S WRITING STYLE I WOULD SAY THAT THE WORDS FLOW -- SMOOTH, FLUID AND SEAMLESS. HER WORK IS A JOY TO READ AND I WAS THOROUGHLY CAPTIVATED BY THE FIRST IN HER QUILTS OF LANCASTER COUNTY SERIES.

I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADE THIS BOOK SUCH A SUCCESSFUL READ FOR ME WAS THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE CHAOS AND VIOLENCE THAT JENNY LIVED THROUGH AND THE PEACEFUL CALM OF THE AMISH COMMUNITY SHE RECUPERATES IN. HER BRUSH WITH DEATH HAS HER RE-EVALUATING SOME OF HER CHOICES IN LIFE, AND WHILE SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN A BELIEVER, SHE LEARNS ANEW HOW TO TRUST IN GOD'S WILL. HER STORY IS A POWERFUL ONE, AND CAN EASILY BE IDENTIFIED WITH BY ANYONE WHO HAS FACED A CRISIS THAT HAS FORCED THEM TO MAKE SIMILAR EVALUATIONS.

THE DEVELOPING ROMANCE BETWEEN JENNY AND MATTHEW IS SLOW AND STEADY, GROWING OUT OF A RENEWED FRIENDSHIP AND GROUNDED BY MATTHEW'S THREE CHILDREN. THERE WAS SUCH JOY AND REVERENCE IN THE FAMILY SCENES! I LOVED READING ABOUT THE CHILDREN ALMOST AS MUCH AS I LOVED READING THE ROMANCE.

CAMERON'S CHARACTERS -- ALL OF THEM FROM LITTLE ANNIE BONTRAGER TO ELDERLY PHOEBE KING -- WERE WELL-DEFINED AND MEMORABLE. I FELT A CONNECTION AND THE FEEL OF COMMUNITY -- ALMOST AS IF I HAD VISITED THE AREA AND MET THE PEOPLE.

IN SOME WAYS I THINK JENNY'S GRANDMOTHER STOLE THE SHOW. THE BOOK IS PEPPERED WITH HER SAGE WISDOM, AMISH STYLE. SUCH WISE, SOUND COUNSEL THAT INSPIRES ME TO APPLY IT IN MY OWN LIFE.

THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A BARBARA CAMERON NOVEL BUT IT WON'T BE MY LAST! IT'S DEFINITELY HEADED TO MY KEEPER SHELF!!!!