Jody Hedlund

Captured By Love

by Jody Hedlund

It is 1814 and the British have taken hold of Mackinac Island and its fort, forcing American residents to swear an oath of loyalty to the British crown in order to retain their land. Pierre Durant is a voyageur--a fur trader who left his family home to find freedom and adventure. He's been gone five years and when he returns, his family's farm is at the mercy of the British invaders.

Torn between the life he's grown used to and guilt over leaving his brother and mother, he's drawn back into the loyalist fight against the British--and into a relationship with Angelique Labelle, a beautiful local girl who's been befriended by the daughter of the British commander. As tensions mount and the threat of violence increases, both Angelique and Pierre must decide where their loyalties rest, how far they will go to find freedom, and how much they will risk to find love.

MY REVIEW

2 Stars Out Of 5 

                

Captured by *KISSSES*

Captured by kisses, is what the title of this book should have been. Although the story of the book was interesting, I found myself disappointed by too much description of the physical attraction between the characters, and way too much kissing in this book.

It seemed like Pierre and Angelique only liked one another for their physical appearances. There are numerous times when one thought of another's body, curves, muscles. Too much was put in stock in the physical in this book and it practically replaced a great story line.

I would not recommend this book to any girl under 18 years old. It's gives a false message of what true love is. Most Christian fiction authors write books from "love from the first sight" perspective. That needs to be changed. Love doesn't grow on physical appearance alone.

I was so frustrated and annoyed to find so much kissing in this story that I can't write about anything else.

When I think over this book this is all I remember:, "kissing" and "desiring". Christian romances shouldn't be read like worldly romances. Just because you throw God here and there, it doesn't make it a Christian read.

I received a free copy of Captured by Love from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

90 minutes in Heaven

90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN

by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey

Publisher's Description


On the way home from a conference, Don Piper's car was crushed by a semi that crossed into his lane. Medical personnel said he died instantly. While his body lay lifeless inside the ruins of his car, Piper experienced the glories of heaven, awed by its beauty and music.

Ninety minutes after the wreck, while a minister prayed for him, Piper miraculously returned to life on earth with only the memory of inexpressible heavenly bliss. His faith in God was severely tested as he faced an uncertain and grueling recovery. Now he shares his life-changing story with you.
90 Minutes in Heaven offers a glimpse into a very real dimension of God's reality. It encourages those recovering from serious injuries and those dealing with the loss of a loved one. The experience dramatically changed Piper's life, and it will change yours too.

ATLAS GIRL

ATLAS GIRL

By: Emily T. Wierenga

Emily Wierenga has the heart of a poet. You will know it as you are carried along by her graceful prose and by the way your heart dips and soars. She tells her story, in her memoir Atlas Girl, with honesty and deep humility.

It is the story of a little girl so hungry for love she nearly died from starvation in a desperate attempt to find it. It was a battle she would fight for many years.

As a young woman, she continued to run after love, searching in relationships, Christian service, and far-away places. Her journey took her across continents and ended in the last place she expected - home. Home - to the family she had run away from and to the God whose love she finally understood.

It is a story of redemption, forgiveness, grace and unconditional love. It is our story. Us, with all our faults and failures, finding a way back to God and to the people closest to our hearts.

I was given this book by the publisher for an honest review.

Publisher's Description

Disillusioned and yearning for freedom, Emily Wierenga left home at age eighteen with no intention of ever returning. Broken down by organized religion, a childhood battle with anorexia, and her parents' rigidity, she set out to find God somewhere else--anywhere else. Her travels took her across Canada, Central America, the United States, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. She had no idea that her faith was waiting for her the whole time--in the place she least expected it.

Poignant and passionate, Atlas Girl is a very personal story of a universal yearning for home and the assurance that we are known, forgiven, and beloved. Readers will find in this memoir a true description of living faith as a two-way pursuit in a world fraught with distraction. Anyone who wrestles with the brokenness we find in the world will love this emotional journey into the arms of the God who heals all wounds.

Carol Cox

Truth Be Told

by Carol Cox

When Amelia Wagner takes over the running of her father's newspaper in Granite Springs, Arizona, she vows to carry on the paper's commitment to reporting only the truth. But Amelia soon learns that even the truth can have consequences. Her father's revealing articles about Great Western Investment Company's business methods have caught the notice of the wrong person, and pressure mounts for Amelia to retract her father's statements.Determined to find the truth, Amelia goes through her father's notes and begins to interview members of the community. She can't seem to shake Benjamin Stone, a Great Western employee who's been assigned to keep tabs on her for the good of the company.The more Ben and Amelia learn, the more Amelia's father's claims appear to be accurate. In fact, it's probably worse than he realized. Even Ben is beginning to wonder if he's become a pawn in the workings of a corrupt empire. But Great Western isn't about to stand for a female reporter and one of their own men bringing down their lucrative schemes. Working against time, and never knowing what danger lurks around the next corner, Ben and Amelia set out to reveal all they've discovered before Great Western silences them for good.

A Triple Knot by Emma Campion

A TRIPLE KNOT
by Emma Campion

The critically acclaimed author of The King's Mistress brings another fascinating woman from history to life in an enthralling story of political intrigue, personal tragedy, and illicit love.Joan of Kent, the renowned beauty and niece of King Edward III, seems blessed with a life of royal privilege until her father is executed for treason and she becomes a ward of the king, living amongst those who deem her the daughter of a traitor. Joan begins to understand the brutal constraints and dangers inherent in being of royal blood. There is one at court who loves her, but his love proves the greatest threat of all.

As an impetuous teenager, she escapes into a clandestine marriage in a bid for freedom, then must hide it for nearly a decade, as her guardians marry her off to another man. After her first husband's death, Joan - now a mother of four - enters into another scandalous relationship, this time with the heir to the British throne, Prince Edward, hero of Crécy and Poitiers, who has loved her all along. But his devotion comes at a terrible price. Haunted by nightmares of her father's execution and the ruthlessness of her royal kin, Joan must reconcile her passion for the crown prince with the potentially tragic costs of a royal life.

A Beauty so Rare by Tamera Alexander

Belmont Mansion Series #2

A Beauty So Rare

by Tamera Alexander

Product Description

She's plain, practical. No stunning Southern beauty. And she never wears pink...Eleanor Braddock, a spinster at 30, has long since dismissed any hope of marriage. But when a dying soldier whispers his final words, she believes her life can still have meaning and determines to find his widow. But this compassionate deed takes a harsh turn, and Eleanor finds herself dependent upon the richest woman in America and the most despised woman in Nashville--her aunt, Adelicia Acklen, mistress of Belmont Mansion. A clandestine act of kindness leads Eleanor to an unlikely path for her life--building an orphanage, a place that will house widows and orphans from the Civil War. And while Eleanor knows her own heart, she also knows her aunt will never approve.

Jessica Dotta

Price of Privilege

Born of Persuasion

The year is 1838, and seventeen-year-old Julia Elliston's position has never been more fragile. Orphaned and unmarried in a time when women are legal property of their fathers, husbands, and guardians, she finds herself at the mercy of an anonymous guardian who plans to establish her as a servant in far-off Scotland.

With two months to devise a better plan, Julia's first choice to marry her childhood sweetheart is denied. But when a titled dowager offers to introduce Julia into society, a realm of possibilities opens. However, treachery and deception are as much a part of Victorian society as titles and decorum, and Julia quickly discovers her present is deeply entangled with her mother's mysterious past. Before she knows what's happening, Julia finds herself a pawn in a deadly game between two of the country's most powerful men. With no laws to protect her, she must unravel the secrets on her own. But sometimes truth is elusive and knowledge is deadly.

Mark of Distinction

London is said to be the glittering jewel of society, a world unto itself - but to Julia Elliston it is a city of shadows. Her life is swiftly dissolving into scandal. And in Victorian society, even a whisper of scandal - substantiated or not - can be the death of a young woman's reputation.

When Julia discovers that Lord Roy Pierson, her guardian and one of most influential men in England, is the father she has never met, she begrudgingly accepts his protection. But Chance Macy's power is far-reaching as well.

Thrust into society as the Emerald Heiress, Julia is the toast of London, a celebrated curiosity. But in reality she's trapped between the clutches of two powerful men. Aided only by a gentleman whose intentions she prays she can trust, Julia must finally take control of her own fate - but outwitting one's foe rarely goes according to plan.