"An Angel on Main Street" by Kathi Oram Peterson

Every year we see a new crop of Christmas stories that warm the heart and remind us what the season is really about. Kathi Oram Peterson's newest book, An Angel on Main Street is one of those special holiday offerings.

Micah Connors, his mother, and little sister have only been living in Bolton, Idaho for a few weeks, but Christmas, 1953 is not looking to be a happy one. Micah's dad died in the recent war and his mom struggles just to put food on the table. Added to that, they moved to Bolton to get Micah away from some friends who were headed down the wrong road, and his little sister, Annie, is very sick. They've had to sell all of their nice furniture to pay for her medical bills and while Micah could seriously use a new coat and shoes, he's not complaining because he's trying to be the man of the house.

When the sheriff catches Micah in the wrong place at the wrong time, they makes a deal to keep it a secret from Micah's mom. Then a mysterious stable and nativity figures begin to appear in the island at the intersection in front of Micah's building, and he begins a quest to find out who's putting it there.

Through bad choices, bad timing, and a Christmas miracle or two, this book will touch your heart and make you yearn to bring the real reason for the season back into your home. At only 99 pages, this story is just the right length to curl up with for an hour or so of relaxation.

This is the second of Kathi Oram Peterson's books. You can learn more about the author at her website or her blog. Her books are available on Amazon, Seagull Book, Deseret Book, and many, many other stores. Check out one of her sites to see which stops are on her book tour this month!

"As Time Goes By" by Jerry Borrowman

As German bombs fall over London and England is drawn into war, members of the Carlyle family are forced to make choices that will deeply affect their lives-and the lives of thousands of others. Family patriarch Philip, a member of the House of Lords and a confidant of Winston Churchill, has been struggling for the esteem of his peers since joining the LDS Church. As he slowly gains acceptance, little does Philip realize there is someone very close to him who would like to see him destroyed-even if it means taking the entire country down with him.

As the Carlyles scatter across three continents, family divisions hewn by supposed political beliefs grow wider than the geographical distance that separates them, and it seems the family will never be together again. In this time when safety is only momentary, for one member of the Carlyle family perhaps the most dangerous enemy is himself.

An unforgettable reading experience, this poignant tale of World War II from acclaimed author Jerry Borrowman is a stirring tribute to the remarkable survival of the human spirit.

Jennie Hansen had this to say in here review (the full thing can be read here). This is a fast-paced, gripping novel, perhaps Borrowman’s best. It is well-researched by researchers on both sides of the ocean and carries powerful messages concerning the value of freedom, family loyalty, duty, and both the strengths and weaknesses of individuals.

This is the third title of four in this series by Borrowman, who now has eight published books. You can learn more about the books, read excerpts, and learn more about the author on his website.

Josi Kilpack's "English Trifle"

Josi has made a name for herself in her women's fiction that hit hard issues like internet predators, prescription drug abuse and identity theft, but earlier this year she launched a completely different kind of series with her culinary mystery Lemon Tart--which hit the Deseret Book's best seller's list. The second book in the series, English Trifle was released this summer and is also doing very well.

Here's the back liner:

Things to do in England:

• Visit Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and the London Zoo
• Take the Jack the Ripper tour — creepy!
• Sample authentic English scones and crumpets
• Discover a dead body

What begins as a holiday trip for amateur sleuth and cooking aficionado Sadie Hoffmiller and her daughter, Breanna, turns into a bizarre mystery. First comes the discovery of a dead body in the sitting room of an English manor belonging to the family of Breanna’s boyfriend, who is also heir to the family title. When the body comes up missing, Sadie and Breanna are stranded at the estate until the police can clear them to leave.

Armed with a jogging whistle, her personal recipe collection, and an unfailing sense of American justice, Sadie begins her own investigation to find the killer. But when she seems to encounter one dead end after another, Sadie wonders if anyone is telling the truth — or if the case is really as hopeless as it appears to be.

Layer by layer, Sadie uncovers a mouth- watering mystery with an English flair. Included are Sadie’s favorite new recipes for American English Trifle, High Tea Lemon Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, Wake ’Em Up Breakfast Casserole, Sausage Rolls, Crumpets, and Sadie’s Scrumptulicious Scones.

Josi is a very busy writer, mom, business owner, professional editor, and probably a dozen other hats. She has a great website with more information on all of her books, including a first chapter for this one, a blog, the blog she the other editors for Precision Editing Group maintain with great writing tips, and various other blogs.

She and Julie Wright are planning a western states book tour next month. To learn more abut her plans and see if they can fit your book group or other organization into their schedule, check out this page. Her book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book, Seagull Book and anywhere else LDS books are sold.

Medieval romances without the saucy wenches

Okay, maybe there is a saucy wench or two in Joyce DiPastena's historicals--but they aren't the main characters. I've always been a sucker for a really good historical romance, but most of them are so full of stuff I don't want to read, that I hesitate to pick up any of them. No worries with Joyce's books, however. Her first book, Loyalty's Web, was selected as a Whitney Award finalist for 2007--and it thoroughly deserved the honor. Her second book, just released this summer, is Illuminations of the Heart. Joyce is an expert at writing spine-tingling kisses that stop at kissing, weaves her history into the story so it feels organic, and adding plenty of inner tension in the story. She's also brilliant at marketing her book and getting the word out.

And here's the blurb for Illuminations:

“Clothilde.”
He spoke the name on a breath like a prayer. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Her heart is lost in that first embrace, her world shaken to its foundations. There is just one problem: her name is not Clothilde. It is Siriol de Calendri. Trained in the art of illumination in the far-off city of Venice, Siri is directed by her late brother’s will to the county of Poitou in France, where she enters the guardianship of her brother’s friend, Sir Triston de Brielle. Once in Poitou, Siri hopes to find employment in an illuminator’s shop—until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his late wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife’s shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri’s face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston’s past returns to threaten them both. Will his tragic life with Clothilde be repeated with Siri? Trapped between the rivalry of the king’s sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. But how can he bear to lose her again?

Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman’s shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint. But can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston’s soul and make his heart beat for her alone?

In case you need more recommendations than my own, you'll find a list of the people and dates of reviews from her blog tour here. You'll find her website here, which has excerpts and news about her books, along with more reviews, and where you can buy the books.

Rachel Rager's "By Love or By Sea"

Rachel Rager is new to the bookshelves, her first book By Love or By Sea was just released. She's right in the middle of her blog tour, so there will be lots of opportunities to read reviews and the occasional author interview about her. Rachel specializes in non-preachy clean romance. Here's her blurb:

Alice Lind Frank never forgot the boy she loved when she was just six years old, even after he was lost at sea. Now a young woman, Alice has found happiness in living and working with her grandparents, and in the affections of Clarence Hielott, the wealthy shipyard owner who intends to make Alice his bride.

When a ragged sailor appears in town, Alice is reminded of the young boy who once held her heart. Upon learning that the sailor is in fact her childhood love, Caleb, she finds herself yearning to trust him again.

But Clarence refuses to let this ghost from the past destroy his plans for the future. He exposes the secrets of Caleb s past and Alice realizes that the boy she once knew is now a man with a dark history. Soon Caleb and Clarence are locked in a fierce competition for Alice s heart.

Can Alice trust Caleb with her heart once more? And what will she do about Clarence? Action, adventure, and most of all, romance, make By Love or By Sea a thrilling and emotional love story you won t soon forget.

Watch her book trailer


and check out her website to learn more about the author and read an excerpt of her new book.

Here are the stops on her blog tour:

September 28 - Jaimey Grant - http://romanceoldschool.blogspot.com

September 29 - Kaylee Baldwin - http://kayleeseye.blogspot.com/

September 30 - Cindy Beck - http://www.bythebecks.blogspot.com/

October 1 - Kim Thompson - www.scribbledscraps.blogspot.com

October 2 - Alison Palmer - www.alisonpalmer.blogspot.com

October 3 - JoAnn Arnolds - http://www.authorjoann.blogspot.com/

October 5 - Rebecca Talley - http://www.rebeccatalleywrites.blogspot.com/

October 6 - Anna Arnett - http://frespafan.blogspot.com

October 7 - Heather Justensen - http://heatherjustesen.blogspot.com/

October 8 - Rachelle Christensen - www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com

October 9 - Joyce DiPastena - http://jdp-news.blogspot.com

Also doing a review - Liz Adair - http://sezlizadair.blogspot.com

Humorous suspense in "Wake Me When It's Over" by Robison Wells

Robison Wells is one of the funniest guys I know (virtually), so there was no question when I picked up his books that I would be entertained. Rob published three books, then decided he needed to feed his family on a regular basis and returned to school to earn his MBA, just in time for him to graduate last spring after the economy tanked and jobs disappeared like a mirage. The good news is that unemployment has given him plenty of time to start writing again, so we look forward to yet more entertaining books. He seems to be managing to squeeze in writing with his family, blogging, and being president of the Whitney Awards committee again.

His second book, Wake Me When It's Over is a humorous suspense--the first of a three-book series whose back cover blurb follows:

It took months for Eric to work up the courage to ask Rebekah Hughes out, and now the woman of his recent dreams is gone. Kidnapped! At least that's what Eric believes. It's difficult to clearly recall recent events when you're lying semi-conscious, bleeding in the snow. Now it's up to Eric to rescue his new girlfriend--well, his almost-girlfriend. In the great teeter-totter of love, Rebekah has been sitting solidly on the ground, casually ignoring the fact that Eric is dangling four feet above the sandbox. So far, his brilliant, passive approach to winning Rebekah's love hasn't worked--now, perhaps, his unusually daring heroics will sway her. It's worth the trip to find out in this seriously funny, full-throttle ride into the human heart.

"Hire a babysitter, order up a pizza, and take the phone off the hook. Because once you pick up Wake me When It's Over, this book won't leave your hands until you've read it straight through to the last page." --Kerry Blair, author of This Just In.

You can find this book and the second in the series, The Counterfeit, at Amazon.com. you can read their first chapters on Rob's website. To read funny tidbits about Rob's life and writing experiences, check out the blog link at the top of the post.

"Alma" by H.B. Moore

Heather B. Moore is a two-time Whitney Award winner **for her historical fiction, who doubtless would have garnered far more Whitney's for her previous work, if the award had been around that long. Though she wrote for several years before she began work on her Out of Jerusalem series about Nephi's family, she has found her niche in the LDS market doing just that.

Alma is the second in a series of three stories which started with Abinadi, and is expected to end with Alma the Younger, which she is diligently working on right now.

New York Times Best-selling author Jason F. Wright said this about the book. "Alma has it all: vibrant characters, danger, spiritual challenges, and bittersweet joy. Moore has created an epic tale that's simply impossible to put down."

Heather's currently in the middle of her blog tour for the book, and has a list in the sidebar of her blog with links to the various reviews. Some of the bloggers have been giving away copies, so there may still be a chance to enter to win one. You can also check out her website to see the first three chapters of her books here.

I look forward to reading Heather's latest masterpiece myself.

**Don't know what a Whitney Award is? Check it out here.

Laura Bingham's YA fantasy, "Alvor"

I recently had a chance to sit with Laura Bingham at an event for local school librarians (local to me, not to her--she drove a long way to be there). I would say I signed with her but, well, I didn't have copies of my book yet. Her book, Alvor, the first in a series of G-rated YA fantasies sounds like a great book, which is now on my very lengthy to-read list. It is geared for kids about fourth grade through high school. Here's the back cover blurb:

Erin and her twin brother, Bain, never expected to find that the cabin in the woods near their home is actually a secret entrance to a magical world. Surrounded by pegasi, dragons, and fairies, they discover new powers within themselves and a secret they have unknowingly been preparing for: they are training to become elves. Now they are faced with the decision to stay in this dream world or return home to the life they knew.

A spellbinding tale of fantasy and fairy tale, Älvor draws you into an enchanting world of all things magical.

Laura is the mother of five and teaches clogging--how she finds time to write and do so much publicity I'll never know. Her hard work in getting the word out is paying off however, as I understand her bok has already gone back for a third printing--and it's only been out for a few months.

You can read a review of the book here. Check out Laura's website here, (which has a first chapter posted) or for regular updates through her blog, check her out here. She's currently giving away a copy of her book--in celebration of one year since she got her contract. If you check out her blog and leave a comment on Wednesday, September 23rd's post before October 17th, you could be the lucky winner.

Cami Checketts "The Sister Pact"

Cami Checketts' third book, "The Sister Pact" was recently released. It's a romantic suspense that's full of mysteries. the back cover blurb reads:

Savanna Compton is devastated when her sister and best friend, Allison, falls into a coma after a tragic accident. Or was it an accident? Even with a charming and handsome detective at her side, it seems Savannah may never discover the truth. But if she doesn’t her family could be in even more danger. And Savannah’s past holds its own secrets that could change everything.

Now she must prove her innocence to the one person who is beginning to matter most. Join Savannah as she struggles to summon hope and rely on faith even in the darkest of circumstances, and learn how the bond between sisters can overcome anything.

A review I posted to the Facebook group is found here. Cami's website which has an excerpt of the book can be found here, and her blog which has other reviews, her upcoming signings, and other great information about the author can be found here. This books is available at Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book, and anywhere else LDS books are sold.