When the Morning Comes

WOODSMALL, CINDY

WHEN THE MORNING COMES

Her relationship with fiance Paul Waddell in tatters, Hannah Lapp has fled her Old Order Amish community in hopes of finding a new home in Ohio with her shunned aunt. Hampered by limited education and hiding her true identity, Hannah struggles to navigate the confusing world of the Englischers. Back in Owl's Perch, Pennsylvania, Paul is wracked with regret and wants to search for his love. Will the opportunities in her new life persuade Hannah to stay among the Englischers, or will she give in to her heart's call to return home?

THIS IS THE SECOND BOOK IN THE THREE-PART SISTERS OF THE QUILT SERIES AND I RECOMMEND THAT YOU START WITH BOOK 1 (WHEN THE HEART CRIES).

IN SOME WAYS, I FEEL LIKE WHEN THE MORNING COMES IS A BRIDGE BETWEEN THE FIRST AND THIRD BOOKS. I THINK 1 AND 2 COULD STAND ON THEIR OWN (IF YOU READ THE AUTHOR'S CHARACTER NOTES ), BUT BOOK TWO HAS A TRANSITIONAL FEEL TO IT. IT IS A NECESSARY TRANSITION THOUGH AND BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN.

WOODSMALL IS BACK IN FULL FORM -- GRABBING MY HEART AND SQUEEZING THE LIFE OUT OF IT FROM THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER! SHE DIDN'T SPARE MY NERVES OR EMOTIONS AND I WAS CLOSE TO BASKET-CASE STATUS WHEN I FINALLY CLOSED THE BOOK AT MIDNIGHT. I COULDN'T GO TO BED WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT HAPPENED AND NOW MY NOSE IS BURIED IN BOOK THREE SO I CAN FIND OUT WHAT TRULY FINALLY ABSOLUTELY HAPPENS!

WHEN THE MORNING COMES SPANS TWO YEARS OF HANNAH'S LIFE AFTER SHE LEAVES HER OLD ORDER AMISH COMMUNITY. WE GET TO BE BY HER SIDE AS SHE TAKES BABY STEPS TOWARD AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. THERE'S SO MUCH I LOVED ABOUT HER JOURNEY AND SO MUCH THAT I'M STILL ACHING OVER.

I'M PROUD OF HANNAH FOR THE STRIDES SHE TAKES TO OVERCOME HURTS FROM HER PAST AND TO LATCH ONTO NEW DREAMS. I LOVE THAT SHE KEEPS HER 'PLAIN' HEART -- DOESN'T LET THE ENGLISCHER WORLD CHANGE THE FUNDAMENTAL PARTS OF HER. SHE TRANSFORMS INTO A CONFIDENT, CAPABLE WOMAN IN THIS BOOK BUT THE STORY IS ALSO PEPPERED WITH TALES OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS BACK IN OWL'S PERCH, PENNSYLVANIA WHICH BUILDS TO A DRAMATIC CONCLUSION AND CALL FOR HANNAH'S RETURN.

YOU KNOW A BOOK IS REALLY GOOD WHEN YOU DREAM ABOUT IT IN RESTLESS FITS ALL NIGHT LONG AND THE CHARACTER'S PREDICAMENT IS YOUR FIRST CONSCIOUS THOUGHT COME MORNING. IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHAKE MY 'BOOK TWO MELANCHOLY', I DIVED INTO BOOK THREE AND AM STILL IN THE THROES OF ANGST. THANK GOODNESS IT'S THE WEEKEND AND I'LL BE ABLE TO FINISH IT QUICKLY.

That Certain Spark

Hakes, Cathy Marie

That Certain Spark

Gooding, Texas is about to gain a double blessing -- a veterinarian and a doctor. But when siblings Enoch and Taylor Bestman arrive, the discovery that Taylor is a lady doctor has the town up in arms. Especially Karl Van der Vort, the town blacksmith, who becomes the first patient...against his will.

Though hesitant to believe in Taylor's doctoring skills, Karl finds himself oddly protective of this surprising woman who dares to drive about town on her own, wearing the colour red, for heaven's sake! Taylor, on the other hand, wants only to prove that doctoring is her life's calling, despite the town's opposition. The result? Pride meets attraction head-on, and sparks begin to fly.

THIS IS SUCH A FUNNY BOOK FULL OF TWISTS AND TURNS AND LOADS OF COMEDY. HAKE EXCELS AT WITTY REPARTEE! SARCASM FLIES BETWEEN TAYLOR AND HER TWIN BROTHER, ENOCH. EVERY TIME SHE'S WITH KARL THEY ENGAGE IN A BATTLE OF WITS. HER QUICK TONGUE EVEN WAGS LOOSE IN THE MOST DIRE OF CIRCUMSTANCES. THAT CERTAIN SPARK WAS SUCH A FUN READ!

KARL AND TAYLOR ARE SUCH OPPOSITES THAT AT FIRST I DIDN'T KNOW HOW HAKES WAS GOING TO GET THEM TOGETHER BUT SHE DID IT EXPERTLY WITH LOTS OF HUMOUR AND A BIT OF DRAMA ALONG THE WAY.

ENOCH STOLE THE ROMANTIC LEAD, THOUGH, IN A HEARTBREAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL DECLARATION TO THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE...IN MULTIPLE SCENES, IN FACT. HIS MORE SERIOUS SIDE STORY PROVIDED A TENDER BALANCE TO THE TURMOIL IN HIS SISTERS LIFE AND THE COMEDY THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.

THE INFURIATING, SMALL-MINDED, PIG-HEADED MEN OF GOODING, TEXAS HAD ME RANTING OUT LOUD! TAYLOR'S FIGHT TO WIN THE RESPECT OF THE TOWNSPEOPLE AND EARN THE RIGHT TO PRACTICE MEDICINE DEFINITELY HAD AN AIR OF AUTHENTICITY. I LOVE HOW KARL SLOWLY COMES AROUND -- THE INNER BATTLE THAT RAGES AS HE TRIES TO RECONCILE HIS IDEAS OF WHAT A PROPER WOMAN SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T DO WITH THE REALITY OF WHAT THE WOMAN HE IS FALLING IN LOVE WITH ACTUALLY DOES.

GREAT BLEND OF HUMOUR AND DRAMA -- AND I SO WISH I HAD HAKE'S ABILITY AT SNAPPY COMEBACKS AND ARTFULLY FUNNY CONVERSATIONS. I BET IT'S NEVER DULL AROUND HER DINNER TABLE!

A Matter of Character

HATCHER, ROBIN LEE

A MATTER OF CHARACTER

It's 1918 and Daphne McKinley, heiress to a small fortune, has found contentment in the town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho. But Daphne has a secret.

A series of dime novels loosely based on local lore and featuring a nefarious villain known as Rawhide Rick has enjoyed modest popularity among readers. Nobody in Bethlehem Springs knows the man behind the stories -- except Daphne.

When newspaperman Joshua Crawford comes to town searching for the man who sullied the good name of his grandfather, Daphne finds herself at a crossroads, reassessing the power of her words, re-thinking how best to honour her gifts and reconsidering what she wants out of life.

THIS IS THE THIRD IN THE SISTERS OF BETHLEHEM SPRINGS SERIES, THOUGH IT STANDS FINE ON ITS OWN. IF YOU'VE READ THE OTHER TWO THOUGH, YOU'LL BE PLEASED TO CATCH UP WITH GWEN AND MORGAN AND CLEO AND WOODY.

I LOVE THE WAY ROBIN LEE HATCHER WRITES. SHE KNOWS HOW TO FLESH OUT A CHARACTER UNTIL THEY TAKE ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN WHICH MAKES ME A COMMITTED READER RIGHT FROM PAGE ONE.

I REALLY LIKED THE POST-WORLD WAR ONE TIMELINE. THIS TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IN HISTORY WITH ALL ITS 'MODERN' ADVANCEMENTS WAS A GREAT BACKDROP FOR THE PERSONAL TRANSITIONS BOTH THE HERO AND HEROINE GO THROUGH.

JOSHUA CRAWFORD IS A HERO DREAMS ARE MADE OF -- EXCEPT FOR A FEW MINOR FLAWS . HIS TEMPER AND ALMOST HERO-WORSHIP OF HIS DECEASED GRANDFATHER ARE WHAT GIVE HIS CHARACTER AN EDGE AND DEPTH AND PROPELS HIM THROUGH THE STORY. I LOVED HIS GROWTH IN THE BOOK -- I COULD FEEL HIM STRETCHING OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE, WRESTLING WITH THE TRUTH, STRUGGLING WITH HOW TO LIVE GOD'S COMMANDMENTS WHILE FACING SO MANY CHANGES IN HIS LIFE.

DAPHNE MCKINLEY IS, ON THE SURFACE, THE PERFECT HEROINE. SHE HAS EVERYTHING -- MONEY, LOOKS, A VIABLE CAREER, THE RESPECT OF A WHOLE TOWN AND THE LOVE OF FAMILY. BUT THERE'S SOMETHING VULNERABLE ABOUT HER TOO. SHE'S ON THE CUSP OF DISCOVERING TRUTHS ABOUT HERSELF AND WHAT SHE REALLY WANTS OUT OF LIFE...AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT GOD WANTS FROM HER LIFE. IT IS WHEN SHE FACES THE ROOT OF HER DISSATISFACTION AND LETS GO OF HER DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOUR THAT SHE REALLY COMES INTO HER OWN.

BOTH JOSHUA AND DAPHNE ARE STRONG, BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS AND THERE IS AN UNDERLYING CONNECTION EVEN WHEN THEY ARE AT ODDS WITH ONE ANOTHER. THERE ARE SOME CLASSICAL ROMANTIC SCENES IN THIS BOOK AND A KISSING SCENE THAT'S GUARANTEED TO CURL YOUR TOES.

HATCHER DOES A WONDERFUL JOB OF INTERWEAVING A POWERFUL MESSAGE ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF WORDS AND THE EFFECT THEY CAN HAVE ON PEOPLE. AS DAPHNE STRUGGLES OVER WHAT DIRECTION SHE WANTS HER WRITING TO TAKE, I COULDN'T HELP BUT WONDER IF THIS WAS SOMETHING CLOSE TO HATCHER'S HEART. THAT SHE HAD COME TO THE SAME TURNING POINT IN HER CAREER WHICH ADDED A NEW DIMENSION TO MY READING ENJOYMENT.

The Cubicle Next Door

MITCHELL, SIRI L.

THE CUBICLE NEXT DOOR

Jackie Harrison is a civilian who loves her job at the U.S. Air Force Academy. That is, until she is forced to divide her office into cubicles and share the space with a new history instructor, Lt. Col. Joseph Gallagher. A charmer in a flight suit, Joe wants to explore both Colorado and a growing relationship with his new cubicle mate. The office was bad enough, but Jackie's beside herself when Joe shows up in her home and church, even turning her grandmother's weekly bridge game into poker night!

Jackie goes online to vent, but she eventually finds herself admitting her conflicted feelings about this office neighbour who drives her crazy and makes her heart flutter. But when her blog -- The Cubicle Next Door -- is featured on TV, everyone begins to read it, including Joe. Will he figure out the anonymous confessions and frustrations are written about him? And how will Jackie ever express her heart offline?

This tale of limited work space, hidden identity, and cyber confessions is for anyone who has ever longed to be herself and to find a life beyond cubicle walls.

THIS FANTASTIC ROMANCE IS DELIVERED IN A UNIQUE FORMAT THAT MAKES IT FRESH AND EXHILARATING. THE COMBINATION OF FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE AND BLOG ENTRIES ALONG WITH RAPID-FIRE DIALOGUE MAKE THE CUBICLE NEXT DOOR AN INCREDIBLY MEMORABLE READ.

THE HILARITY IS THE BEST I'VE READ. SIRI L. MITCHELL HAS A TALENT FOR THE SUBTLETIES OF TONGUE-IN-CHEEK HUMOUR AS WELL AS BITING SARCASM AND SHE USES BOTH TO MAKE THIS STORY FLY. AT THE BEGINNING, I THOUGHT I WAS IN FOR A CLASSIC COMEDY READ, BUT BIT BY BIT, MITCHELL GIVES US INSIGHT INTO WHAT'S BEHIND THE HUMOUR.

JACKIE HARRISON IS HURTING AND SHE HAS NURSED THAT HURT FOR A LIFETIME UNTIL IT HAS EMOTIONALLY PARALYZED HER. JOE GALLAGHER IS THE MOST ANNOYING, OUTGOING, NEVER-TAKE-NO KIND OF GUY. OF COURSE THEY CLASH -- HOW COULD THEY HELP IT ? ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY SHARE AN OFFICE WITH ONLY A CUBICLE WALL TO DIVIDE THEM.

JOE WON ME OVER FROM THE VERY START. HE SAW A NEED IN JACKIE THAT NO ONE ELSE HAD BOTHERED TO NOTICE AND SET ABOUT TRYING TO FILL IT -- DESPITE JACKIE'S AT TIMES BELLIGERENT RELUCTANCE. I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT I REALLY CONNECTED WITH JOE AS THE ROMANTIC HERO SINCE THE ENTIRE BOOK IS WRITTEN FROM JACKIE'S POINT OF VIEW. SEEING HIM JUST FROM HER PERSPECTIVE -- AND MAYBE SEEING HIM IN SPITE OF THAT PERSPECTIVE -- MADE FOR A RIVETING HERO.

THE ROMANCE IS PALPABLE -- AT FIRST AS UNDERCURRENTS THAT JACKIE SO CAREFULLY TRIES TO KEEP BELOW THE SURFACE -- BUT THEY GAIN MOMENTUM AS THE STORY PROGRESSES, THROWING HER COMPLETELY OUT OF HER COMFORT ZONE. HER BLOG, WHICH STARTED OUT AS A SCATHING COMMENTARY ON HER CUBICLE MATE EVOLVES INTO AN UNCONSCIOUS PLEA FOR UNDERSTANDING AS SHE TRIES TO MAKE SENSE OF HER INNER TURMOIL. BUT WHEN THE ROMANCE FINALLY SPARKS IT REALLY SIZZLES -- NOT WITHOUT ANGST, OF COURSE.

IN FACT, FOR ALL THE LAUGHING I DID READING THIS BOOK, I HAD TEARY MOMENTS AS WELL. SIRI MITCHELL DID A MASTERFUL JOB OF DELIVERING LOVE AND HEARTACHE IN AN AMAZINGLY DIFFERENT PACKAGE. LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart

PATTILLO, BETH

MR. DARCY BROKE MY HEART

Claire Prescott doesn't understand Mr. Darcy's appeal. She's been uncomfortably dating Neil, a nice -- if a bit negligent -- sports fanatic. But when she agrees to stand in for her sister at a Jane Austen seminar in Oxford, England, she finds herself holding a lost version of Pride and Prejudice. Scholars thought Austen's original manuscript was destroyed centuries ago, but as Claire reads the beloved author's first draft, she discovers that Austen didn't always have Darcy in mind for Lizzie Bennet.

And when a tall, dark, and dashing stranger crosses Claire's path, will she suddenly discover her inner Lizzie Bennet? Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her true romantic lead, and she discovers that finding the right hero can be more difficult than she ever imagined.

TRUE CONFESSION: I'VE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD ALL THE FUSS OVER MR. DARCY. HE WAS JUST SO STUFFY AND OVERBEARING AND SNOBBISH. I KNOW, I KNOW HE WENT THROUGH A TRANSFORMATION BY THE END OF THE BOOK, BUT FRANKLY, I WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN HIM THE CHANCE. MIND YOU, I'M MORE INTO THE SALT OF THE EARTH KIND OF GUY -- GIVE ME A GARDENER OR A CARPENTER ANY DAY. ANYWAY, THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T RESIST THE LURE OF A HEROINE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND MR. DARCY'S APPEAL.

BETH PATTILLO STUDIED IN LONDON FOR ONE SEMESTER IN COLLEGE AND I THINK SHE DREW ON THAT EXPERIENCE TO BRING AUTHENTICITY TO CLAIRE'S WEEK LONG STAY AT OXFORD. I FELT LIKE A WIDE-EYED TOURIST AS I SAW ENGLAND THROUGH CLAIRE'S EYES.

I LOVED THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF A LOST JANE AUSTEN MANUSCRIPT -- AND THE EXCERPTS CLAIRE GOT TO READ. PATTILLO DID A GREAT JOB OF INTERWEAVING THE PROBLEMS IN CLAIRE'S LIFE WITH THE PASSAGES FROM 'FIRST IMPRESSIONS'. VERY CLEVERLY DONE. THE WHOLE CONCEPT IS GENIUS.

A FRESH, WHIMSICAL, HEART-TUGGING STORY THAT CAPTURED MY FANCY AND HAD ME READING IT FROM COVER TO COVER IN ONE SITTING .

To Love Anew

LEON, BONNIE

TO LOVE ANEW

Hannah Talbot has no one. Forced to leave the only home she's ever known, she works for a cruel employer who brutally takes the only thing she has left -- her dignity. When she is banished to an Australian prison, she is certain God has turned his back on her. How could he -- or anyone else -- ever love her again?

John Bradshaw is a successful businessman, but his untamed spirit wants more. Little does he know what he will have to endure to find the adventure he seeks. Betrayed by those closest to him, he loses everything, even his freedom. There is no returning now. His life is not his own.

Now aboard a ghastly prison ship, John and Hannah are about to cross paths. What will happen when two hearts filled with pain discover how to love anew? The first book in the Sydney Cove series.

BONNIE LEON MANAGES TO PLUNGE HER READERS INTO THE GRITTY -- AND OFTEN SHOCKING -- REALITY OF THE EARLY 1800'S RIGHT FROM THE FIRST PAGE OF TO LOVE ANEW. THIS IS DICKENS' WORLD, WHERE INJUSTICES ARE HEAPED UPON THE INNOCENT WHILE THE WICKED GO FREE AND A MAN (OR WOMAN) CAN BE JAILED FOURTEEN YEARS FOR STEALING A LOAF OF BREAD.

THE HISTORICAL DETAIL IS AMAZING, THOUGH LEON DOES SUCH A GOOD JOB WITH IT THAT I FELT LIKE I WAS RIGHT THERE WITH HANNAH AT THE MOST DESPERATE OF TIMES. WHAT STRUCK ME MOST AS I READ THIS BOOK, WAS THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY SUFFERED THE HORRORS HANNAH DID...AND SURVIVED!

TO LOVE ANEW DEALS WITH THE HARSHER REALITIES OF LIFE AND COULD HAVE FELT OVERWHELMING IF IT WEREN'T FOR A CAST OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS WHO MANAGE TO BUOY HANNAH UP AND GUIDE HER WAY BACK TO A GOD SHE THOUGHT HAD FORSAKEN HER.

WHILE HANNAH STRUGGLES WITH FEELINGS OF SELF-WORTH, JOHN BATTLES BITTERNESS AND LEON WEAVES AN UNDERLYING MESSAGE OF FORGIVENESS THAT BRINGS THEM BOTH HOPE. BUT WILL THAT HOPE LAST? THOUGH TO LOVE ANEW ENDS ON A HIGH POINT I FEEL A SENSE OF FORESHADOWING OF THINGS TO COME IN THE SECOND BOOK OF THE SYDNEY COVE SERIES. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!

Sisters Red

PEARCE, JACKSON

SISTERS RED

The wolf opens its long jaws, rows of teeth stretching for her. A thought locked itself in Scarlett's mind: I am the only one left to fight, so now I must kill you.

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris -- the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister, Rosie, from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and a blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt that her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Scarlett's only friend, Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax. But does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

THIS STUNNING TAKE ON RED RIDING HOOD IS AN INCREDIBLY GRIPPING READ, BUT BEWARE -- YOU WON'T WANT TO STOP ONCE YOU'VE STARTED. PEARCE KNOWS HOW TO BUILD TENSION WITH A TIGHT PLOT AND PLENTY OF ACTION. SISTERS RED IS VIOLENT AND PRETTY GRAPHIC IN PLACES (I FOUND MYSELF WINCING A TIME OR TWO) BUT IT ISN'T OVERLY DONE.

HOWEVER, THIS BOOK ISN'T ALL ABOUT FIGHTING WEREWOLVES. THERE IS A WONDERFUL ROMANCE WOVEN INTO THE PAGES AS WELL. PEARCE DOES A GOOD JOB OF CONVEYING THE EXCITEMENT, NERVES AND WONDER OF A NEW LOVE. THE ROMANCE BOTH SOFTENS AND INTENSIFIES THE TALE, ADDING AN ENTIRELY NEW DIMENSION.

EACH CHAPTER ALTERNATES POV BETWEEN THE SISTERS -- A GREAT TECHNIQUE TO DEVELOP CHARACTERIZATION AND IT DEFINITELY BUILDS SUSPENSE IN THE PLOT. BOTH SISTERS ARE BOUND TOGETHER BY A PAST TRAGEDY. THEIR DESIRE TO RIGHT THAT WRONG IS WHAT LEADS THEM TO HUNT AND KILL THE FENRIS. BUT IT IS THE DEPTH OF THAT DESIRE IN ONE OF THE SISTERS THAT NEARLY SEVERS THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

PEARCE HAS BUILT A VERY CLEVER LEGEND OF HER OWN AROUND THIS FAMILIAR FAIRY TALE AND HAS ARTFULLY PLACED IT INTO A MODERN SETTING. SHE CREATES IMAGERY WITH HER WORDS AND CUTTING DIALOGUE. CHARLES PERRAULT WOULD BE PROUD.

NOTE: SOME OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE