Review: Becoming Lucy

by Martha Rogers

1896 Oklahoma

When 17-year-old Lucinda Bishop loses both parents in a carriage accident, the young heiress must leave her home in Boston and travel to live with relatives in the untamed Oklahoma territory. It’s a far cry from the refined surroundings to which she’s accustomed, but Lucinda determines to make the best of her circumstances. She’s blessed to have a loving family who are willing to welcome her into their home—and to protect her from the danger she doesn’t even know stalks her every step.

Lucinda’s sheltered past leaves her ill-prepared for many things about her new life…perhaps most of all her heart’s reaction to handsome ranch hand Jake Starnes.

Jake is running from a past that could very well destroy any future he might have with the beautiful girl from Boston. As she and her family introduce him to a God Who loves him regardless of his mistakes, Jake comes to realize that he must return to the very place he ran away from, though doing so will almost certainly mean his death.

Will God make a way where there seems no way for Jake and Lucinda?

A sweet, heart-tugging romance with a strong thread of faith woven throughout. The Haynes family and Lucinda are wonderful examples of what it means to utterly depend on God, and to possess simple, unswerving belief that He is and that He cares. Martha Rogers’ has peopled her first novel with well-rounded, believable characters; authentic historical detail; a touch of humor; a healthy dollop of emotion; and page after page of riveting reading. Becoming Lucy is a wonderful introduction to the Winds Across the Prairie series. I eagerly anticipate a return trip to Barton’s Creek, Oklahoma and the wonderful folks who call it home.

Review: Plain Jayne

by Hillary Manton Lodge

Jayne Tate lives in the big city of Portland, Oregon. She loves her job as a reporter for a busy newspaper, and enjoys an undemanding relationship with her boyfriend. Shane knows her only as the motorcycle-riding, modern news gal from Portland. Her childhood hasn’t been discussed, he hasn’t met her family, and Jayne’s perfectly fine with that.

Then her father dies, and her boss insists she take a three-week break from her job, based on a pronounced downswing in writing quality. This forced hiatus effectively cuts Jayne out of a prime career opportunity. She responds by heading off to a nearby Amish community, seeking a story that will put her back in her boss’s good graces. Being forced away from her desk for three weeks doesn’t mean she can’t work on her own.

Her first contact in Albany is Levi Burkholder, who arranges for Jayne to stay with his Amish family—a family and a way of life he is no longer a part of. While wrestling with an undeniable attraction to the kind, handsome carpenter who is shunned by his Amish father, Jayne finds herself drawn to the Burkholder family and their simple way of life. Three weeks under their roof changes her, and when she returns to Portland—her job, her lonely apartment, and the handsome suitor who really doesn’t know her—they no longer satisfy.

To say nothing of the fact that her mind refuses to let go of one unforgettable kiss she shared with a not-quite-Plain man.

Plain Jayne is not your everyday Amish love story, and Jayne Tate is not your everyday heroine. Hillary Manton Lodge brings a different kind of romance. Dropping a very modern woman into a devoutly Plain community has all the makings of disaster, but the author makes it work, believably and without obvious contrivance. She throws in a dash of humor, a whole lot of heart, and an Amish kitchen full of home cooking to come up with the perfect recipe for a romance to remember.

I look forward to the next stories in the Plain and Simple series.

Singin' a New Tune

Okay, gang, gather 'round and listen up.

"The Melody Within" has started to sound a bit flat, somewhat off-key, and - as American Idol's Simon Cowell might say - "rather boring." Time to pick up the pace, smooth out those sharp notes, and add a little oomph.

I'm going to try something new ... actually following a schedule. (Those who know me well will understand what a challenge this presents!) Here's the plan, starting Monday, March 1:

Monday Manna - In the spirit of getting the week off to a good start, Monday will be the day for devotions and inspirational "stuff."

Wednesday Writeaway - My attempt, however lame, at being clever. Many writers dream of having a little hideaway in which to create their masterpieces. The Melody Within will provide a "writeaway" on Wednesday. This is where you'll find writing tips, industry news, guest blogs from fellow authors ... just lots of writing bits and pieces. I think you'll enjoy it.

Friday Fun - These posts usually won't be long. Jokes and anecdotes, humorous slices of life, games, etc. Fun stuff to give you another reason to thank God it's Friday!

I might post on the occasional Tuesday or Thursday. If so, I will attempt to follow these guidelines:

Tuesday Trivia: Easily enough understood, right? I enjoy trivia, so when I find something I especially like, I'll share it. Other "trivial" odds and ends might show up in this spot now and then.

Thursday Think Tank: Just random thoughts and musings.

For these latter two categories, I invite you to participate. Got an interesting bit of trivia? A nice, CLEAN "funny"? A profound (or light-hearted) thought you'd like to share? Send 'em to me! (Please remember that this is a Christian-based blog. Fun is fine. Filth is not.) I'll use as many as I can. Please send your submissions to delia@delialatham.net, with "Melody Mix" in the subject line. Can't wait to hear from you!

Be sure to let me know what you think of the new format.

Share a Laugh—Bless a Friend

In Honor of Celebrating Friendship Month
by Frankie Sherman

I live in a sleepy little town in the Deep South. Sometimes after my morning workout I’ll have breakfast at our local restaurant with some of my girlfriends. These women are diverse in age and background, but as southern as sweet tea.

Over cups of hot coffee, we share things that only women can appreciate, and men would never understand. It’s times like these I am extremely grateful for this wonderful gift of friendship. No wonder our Creator designed us for fellowship.

In between bites of a wholegrain muffin, my dear friend, Martha, told us about putting her mother in a nursing home and how difficult it had been. Yet in the next breath she reminded us of God’s incredible sense of humor.

It seems her mother hasn’t a clue that she’s a patient there, but firmly believes she’s on staff as an employee. In addition, she had been complaining to management because they weren’t paying her, and had threatened to walk out. Martha is now bringing her mother money in a bank envelope and telling her that the nursing home is doing a direct deposit, and she’s cashed her check. So far Mrs. Floyd continues to see herself as a valued employee and is very helpful. Martha’s just praying her mother won’t ask for a pay raise!

We laughed with Martha till our sides hurt as she told that story. Our laughter made the truth of the situation easier. That’s “why we need girlfriends!”

Anyone who has put a parent in a nursing home realizes how heart wrenching that is. Something precious has ended. Roles have reversed and it hurts like a piercing knife.

This will be a hard journey for Martha, she’ll certainly need her girlfriends, and we’ll be there for her.

I am so glad God gave us a sense of humor and laced it with laughter. When utilized for goodness it will restore a hurting soul. Who’s hurting in your circle of friends today? Now, go share some laughter. Both of you will feel better.

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy,” Job 8:21 NKJV.

Frankie Sherman is a national speaker, comedian, and Bible teacher for conferences, retreats, and women's events. She fell in love with Jesus at Vacation Bible School and takes every opportunity to tell others about the joy of being alive in Christ. She is a former choreographer for the Georgia Peach Bowl and the Florida Citrus Bowl Halftime Show. Her specialty is in theater musical/productions. Her first Bible Study, Why We Need Girlfriends is based on the relationship of Mary and Elizabeth, from Luke's gospel. Two women brought together by extraordinary circumstances by an extraordinary God. Frankie is from South Carolina—loves sweet tea, BIG hair and her grand-girls. She believes there will never be another Elvis. And knows that her Jesus will return for her soon.

Kathy Carlton Willis Communications is now scheduling interviews for Frankie Sherman. Please contact WillisWay@aol.com or KCWComm@rgv.rr.com for more information, or to request permission to use this free content article in your publication or on your site.

Review: A Kiss for Cade

by Lori Copeland
(The Western Sky Series)

Fifteen years ago, Cade Kolby rode out of Winterborn, Kansas. He promised to come back and didn’t, leaving young Zoe with a broken heart and a secret—both of which nearly destroy her. She’s none too pleased to summon the now-famous bounty hunter back home when his sister dies, leaving four orphaned children behind. But that was Addy’s last request, so Zoe complies. A widow now, she’s older, wiser and much more on her guard than the love struck maiden Cade abandoned so long ago. All she needs to do is convince Addy’s brother to give her those kids. He owes her that much. Then he can ride back into the sunset and keep on riding, as far as Zoe’s concerned.

Cade never forgot the red-haired maiden he loved and left behind. And now, seeing her again, watching her with his sister’s kids, recognizing the fine woman she’s become, he finds his career-hardened heart melting like a snowball in a heat wave. But despite that undeniable attraction to his former love, he’s determined to find a real home for his nieces and nephews. A home with a mother and a father. A secure, normal environment. Though he knows she loves them like her own, he can’t bring himself to consider Zoe as a possibility. She’s cute as a kitten and twice as feisty, but the woman lives in an apartment barely large enough to turn around in, runs a rapidly failing general mercantile, and barely has the funds to keep her own pretty mouth fed. No. Zoe doesn’t need four younguns, and the kids need more than she can offer them.

It seems Cade’s trip back home might just end in disaster. Four unhappy children, a fighting mad redhead with a freshly broken heart, and a hunky cowboy riding back into the sunset—this time leaving his own heart behind.

But then the townsfolk step in to do a bit of heavy-handed matchmaking, and Zoe and Cade don’t stand a chance.

A Kiss for Cade is a sweet romance with a pinch of pluck and a dash of daring. The author weaves a western love story with grace and beauty. The element of faith is seamlessly woven into a lively tale that leads the reader through a full range of varying emotions. It paints the good ol’ days in a light of love and laughter yet clearly portrays the hardships of a frontier life.

Lori Copeland knows how to spin a tale. In A Kiss for Cade, she does it with undeniable flair and a healthy dose of fun.

This is the way to write a book!

Review: Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon

by Miralee Ferrell

She was only sixteen when Nathaniel Cooper shattered her world, leaving town without her after she agreed to elope with him. Four years later, Margaret Garvey is at long last beginning to open her heart to handsome, gentle Andrew Browning. But then Nathaniel returns to the small logging community of Bridal Veil, Oregon. His shocking revelation as to his reason for leaving could destroy Margaret’s belief in everything—and everyone—she’s ever trusted.

In the midst of a desperate soul-search, the young school teacher takes in two orphans on the run from an abusive foster parent. When circumstances point to one of her temporary charges as a suspect in the murder of a local man, Margaret’s position in the community, along with her reputation, is challenged.

It’s been awhile since she fully trusted God, but she finds at this time in her life that only He has the answers to all her questions. She waits and prays, determined to protect the orphaned children while painfully torn between the two men, whose reactions to her situation are in complete opposition. Then a raging firestorm threatens to destroy the town, and both of her suitors are in the thick of the danger. Somewhere in the midst of her pleas for their safety, Margaret sees what her heavenly Father had planned for her all along.

Miralee Ferrell opens a revealing window into historic Bridal Veil, Oregon and the workings of a turn-of-the-century logging community. Margaret Garvey’s story is one of life’s lessons painfully learned. It is a tell-tale look at the human inclination to resist God’s gentle leading, as well as our tendency to allow our own clamoring needs and desires to override the still, soft whisper of His voice.

An interesting tale with a couple of genuine surprises for the reader. I enjoyed Love Finds You in Last Chance, California by this author, and she doesn’t disappoint with this second contribution to the Love Finds You collection. She brings an entertaining story full of well-rounded characters, packs it with accurate geographical and historical detail, and then peppers in all the right ingredients to keep those pages turning long into the night.

It’s a genuinely good book that lovers of Christian fiction won’t want to miss.

The Fragrance of Forgiveness

As a child, I spent more time at my grandmother’s house than at my own. In later years, she became my best friend. It was long after she died before I found another person I could confide in like I had in Granny.

One particular day, after being seriously betrayed by a friend, I rushed to Granny's grave and spilled my heart to her, just like always. Sobbing, I pulled a rose out of a jar atop her gravestone and breathed in its sweet fragrance. My fingers picked at the petals while tears wet my cheeks and bitter words tumbled from my mouth. Without thinking, I closed my fist around the delicate flower, crushing its perfect beauty.

Tossing the broken petals aside, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. Eventually the overwhelming fragrance of roses caught my attention. It sweetened the air all around me…but clung strongest to the hand that had crushed the rose.

Granny? God? Are you telling me something?

Driving past a local church the next day, my gaze fell on their marquee, which read, "Forgiveness is the fragrance given by flowers when trampled upon." The words hit me like a two-ton sledge. I pulled my car to the side of the road and wept.

That’s what God and Granny had tried to convey with the rose—to forgive, just as that helpless flower forgave my cruelty, leaving its fragrance on my killing hands. And just as did the Rose of Sharon, Who blessed those who rejected Him with the sweet aroma of Salvation.


Note: This post is part of Mary DeMuth's Thin Places Blog Tour. Join in for your chance to win a FREE Kindle reader.

Note 2: Credit for the beautiful rose in this post goes to Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Please take time to browse through his outstanding botanical art.

Review: The Pastor's Wife

by Jennifer AlLee

Six years after abandoning her husband, her marriage, and a congregation of saints, Maura Sullivan returns to Granger, Ohio for the reading of a will. Its contents will bring the bitter woman not only back to a town she never wanted to see again, but trapped in the parsonage she disliked even as a newlywed. And back to the church that robbed her of her husband’s time and affections.

Maura is mad at God, and equally angry at Nick. And the secret she harbors within her heart leaves little room for healing or forgiveness. It also could be the one thing that forever destroys any chance of reconciliation with her estranged husband.

Nick Shepherd doesn’t know whether to be mad or glad when the will of a departed parishioner stipulates that he open his home for six months to the woman who left him without a word of good-bye. For six years, he and his wife have had no contact—not a phone call, not a letter, not even a greeting card. Can they live under the same roof now, with so many things unsaid, so many wounds untended…so much love unheeded?

In this charming portrait of hurt and healing, of sin and redemption, Jennifer AlLee paints an eye-opening peek into parsonage life. In Maura and Nick’s story, pastors and their wives become people—real people, with real problems and concerns. With lives and loves and marriages that suffer from lack of attention when the church becomes “the other woman” in the relationship.

Everyone who has ever had a pastor should read The Pastor’s Wife. Every pastor with a wife he’d like to keep should read this book. Every pastor’s wife who feels neglected, abandoned, and unappreciated should read this story. Any person who plays any kind of role in the church should read it, and be prepared to see their shepherds in a brand new light.

Nice writing, and thoughtful handling of a delicate issue.

Another Answer to Prayer

I got a job!

I promised to give GOD the glory if I got this job TODAY. I really, really wanted THIS one, of all those I've applied for in the past few weeks. On the way over to the location, I thought, "I'll probably just get to drop off my resume." I mean, truly, how many places hire on the spot any more?

Well, I decided I was tired of playing the waiting game. So ... I prayed all the way over there, asing Him to please let me find favor with the employer (if it was within His will), and not only that, but to have them make their decision TODAY. I walked into their office just after noon today, and I start working tomorrow morning.

My God NEVER fails!

Virginia Smith Book Giveaway

Wanna be a winner? Sure you do! Here's the thing ... someone's going to win ALL of Virginia Smith's books. Interested? Check out the details at My Book Bag.

Review: Third Time's a Charm

by Virginia Smith

Tori Sanderson loves her job. She loves the great pay checks and the trendy clothes she buys with them. She especially loves the distinct possibility of a great promotion, but she’ll have to win the favor of an overbearing boss to get it. What she does not love is trying to make it happen with her competition breathing down her neck—both professionally and … well, unprofessionally.

Outside of the office, her closest friends are her sisters. When Joan and Allie decide Tori’s job is taking over her life and it’s their duty to help her find Mr. Right, little sister is in for a rollercoaster ride of change.

She can’t imagine herself with a man like Ryan Adams. No money, no real career, absolutely zero interest in expensive clothes and toys. Still, something about the handsome farm boy sends tingles down her spine. Trouble is, it’s hard for Tori to trust love when her own father didn’t love her enough to stick around.

Pressure builds in the office. Emotions threaten to suffocate her at home. And love comes calling without an invitation. Can Tori release old hurts to make room for new happiness? And will she allow a heavenly Father to show her the love her earthly one did not?

This final offering in Virginia Smith’s Sister-to-Sister series is filled with laugh-out-loud humor on the one hand, and tear-jerking sentiment on the other. It’s a sometimes painful look into the hurting heart of a woman abandoned by every little girl’s natural hero—her daddy. While the author’s style seems light-hearted, there are moments of genuine, bald emotion that make the tale unforgettable. Smith possesses an admirable ability to deliver compelling storylines with messages of faith so subtly interwoven as to be near undetectable.

Good writing, good storyline, good way to tie up a series!

***********************************************************************

That's my review of Virginia's wonderful finale in the Sister-to-Sister series. I loved it, and I know you will too. How does it sound to you? Have you read it? What did you think? What about the other books in the series? Leave a comment with your thoughts -- and your e-mail address so I can notify you if you're the winner -- then be sure to follow the author on her 40-blog tour.

Why should you make that effort? Well ... in Virginia's own words: “Because at the end of the tour, each blogger will select a commenter’s name to be put into a drawing for a grand prize – a complete Virginia Smith Library! That’s right, one person will received an autographed copy of all ten of my published books, plus a letter from me with “behind the scenes” information about each one.”

Enough incentive for you? Then here's the travel plan:

Monday, February 1

Write By Faith

A Book Lover

My Book Bag

Blessed Diablog

Gatorskunz and Mudcats

Layers of Life

Tuesday, February 2

Come Meet Aus Jenny

Relz Reviews

My Heart Belongs to Books

Window to My World

A Path to Joy

Cheryl's Book Nook

Mamas Money Savers

Wednesday, February 3

Pix and Pens

Write to the Point

Book Reviews by Buuklvr81


Thursday, February 4

One Man Revival

The Daily Grind

The Nearsighted Bookworm

Faith Family and Fun

Girlfriends Get Real

Faith Creativity Life

Michelle V's Blog

Writing Canvas

So Many Books

Critty Joy

Friday, February 5

Lighthouse Academy

Corn Huskers Academy

Tara's View of the World

Christy's Book Blog

Heartprints of Hope

PPW

Stamped with Grace

Getting All My Ducks in a Row

Tina's Book Reviews

Winning Reading

Between Feb 1 and Feb 5

Pam Thibodeaux's Blog

Book Bargains Reading Room

A Whole New Me

Coming Home