The Christmas Joy Ride by Melody Carlson

Can you believe that Christmas is in 56 days?!

So to get ready for the upcoming Christmas season I just read Melody Carlson's new book The Christmas Joy Ride. It is the story of 85 year old Joy Jorgenson (who is also known by her blog name "Christmas Joy" ) who decides to take a road trip from Chicago to Phoenix in a RV that is completely decked out for Christmas with lights in the windows, Sparkling garland taped on the sides and a huge wreath tied to the front of the RV. Her neighbor Miranda is worried about Joy's health on such a long trip and being that she is unemployed and facing foreclosure she agrees to come along and help out. Joy had posted a contest on her blog that 6 people were going to win Christmas. She did not tell them what the prize was but she wanted to know why they needed a little "Christmas Joy" this year. Miranda and Joy are going to go to each of the winners home or business and put up Christmas decorations , hand out cookies and get them into the Christmas spirit. The places they go varies as much as the people themselves, like a Nursing home that needs a little hope,  A diner where a single mother is struggling to keep her restaurant open so she can support her family or a little girl that has not had Christmas since her mother died . Each of the stops are to very different people in all stages of life but they may not get to finish their trip because Joy's health is starting to fail. Will they be able to make all of their stops and still get to Phoenix for Christmas? Or will the coming winter weather and Joy's health concerns force them to abandon their mission?


I thought that the book was well written and that the characters were sweet. The only thing that I did not like in the book was that it mentions Santa Claus a lot and did not mention the meaning of Christmas (which is the birth of  Jesus) . Yes, they did have a nativity given at all of their stops but they also had Santa Claus. I wish that somewhere in the book Joy would have explained to Miranda or one of the winners from the contest what the true meaning of Christmas is, since you cannot have any Christmas joy without the real reason for the season.
Overall, It is a heartwarming story with a OK ending. I give it 3 stars ***


If you want to check this book out or other books by Mrs. Carlson, You can check out her books by clicking on the link pasted below. (  I recommend Double Take or Grace Unplugged by Melody Carlson)

http://www.melodycarlson.com/index.shtml




 I would like to thank Revell , A division of Baker Publishing Group for allowing me to review this book in exchange for a free copy, I was not required to write a favorable review, just an honest one.

Vendetta by Lisa Harris

Hey Everyone, I have just finished reading Vendetta  by Lisa Harris. It is the story of Special Agent Nikki Boyd whose sister, Sarah was abducted 10 years ago. Nikki has been weighed down with guilt since her sisters disappearance because she blames herself since she was not on time to pick her sister up that day. While spending the day with her friend Tyler, She receives a call that informed her that a young girl named Bridget Ellison had gone missing, First they thought that she just wondered off a trail since her brother and some of her friends were spending the weekend in the woods for her birthday, but then the evidence started pointing towards her being taken by a boy she met online. They discover that whoever she was meeting created a false profile online and has been tracking her by the GPS on her phone.  They find some clues that point to her being taken to a national park where they uncover a Polaroid picture of Bridget. Nikki notices that the evidence and the MO ( A word  is used by the Police to describe a criminal's characteristic way of committing a crime) was similar to the person who abducted her sister and worries that her sisters abductor is back after 10 years. While looking up evidence at the officer who worked on her sisters case, she receives a creepy phone call from the man who took Bridget. Now it seems that the man she has hunted for, for ten years is now hunting her...
When they find evidence that Bridget was at a campsite near them, The team goes to see what they can find, But when someone on the team turns out to be the man they are looking for, All of their lives are in danger, Can Nikki and Tyler escape alive ?  Will anyone be able to save Bridget... If she is still alive? Guess you will have to read it to find out!!!



I loved the book! This book is the first in the "Nikki Boyd Files" series and I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in the series. The book reminded me a lot of watching a Crime Drama on TV, where the plot takes some time to develop but then its like "Whoa, What just happened!!!" towards the end, and I have to say... the end is the best part!!! Oh, I wish I could tell you how the book ends! but I don't want to spoil it for you. (Nobody likes Spoilers) I definitely recommend that you read the book, but don't read the sneak peek at her next book that she includes in the back of the book, It is like one of those horrible "To Be Continued..." that you see on TV because the book does not come out until Summer 2016!!!
(huge sigh,) I guess I will have to wait until next year to see what happens.
Overall I rate it 5 stars *****

If you would like to read this book or the other amazing books she has written, just click on the link below:  
http://www.lisaharriswrites.com/books/

Happy Reading  :)


 I would like to thank Revell , A division of Baker Publishing Group for allowing me to review this book in exchange for a free copy, I was not required to write a favorable review, just an honest one.

Love Everlasting by Tracie Peterson

So I just finished reading Tracie Peterson's newest book, Love Everlasting. It is the story of Abrianna Cunningham,a 21 year old girl that has grown up in a bridal finishing school run by her 3 aunts.  Since she the day she came to the school, She has been friends with Wade Ackerman, The boy next door.  Now that she has turned 21, She has found that her feelings for Wade have changed and that somehow she had fallen in love with her best friend! Thankfully Wade feels the same way and proposes to Abrianna., Even after the wedding proposal, a rejected suitor named Priam Welby (Welby for short)  decides that he will not let Abrianna marry Wade because she will be marrying him. Despite being rejected several times , He is determined to make her marry him at all costs, Not because he loves her but because she is a "challenge" to him. Meanwhile Abrianna is having doubts about marrying Wade, She is worried that she will not be a good enough wife because She did not pay attention to her homemaking classes at school, and she can't cook. but under the good counsel of her Father and her Aunts, She is reassured that Wade will love her no matter what, especially since he knows her better then anyone else because they have been best friends since childhood.  Welby is looking for anyway to get to Abrianna and realizes that the only way to her is through her family, So he sees the opportunity and has her father beaten and arrested, Then he has Wade thrown in jail and falsely accused of murder. So Welby approaches Abrianna and tells her the only way that her family will be released from jail and not hung for murder will be if she agrees to marry him.  She still refuses and he tells her that he will not only have Wade and her father killed but then he will cause harm to fall on her Aunts and her friends to. Abrianna fears for her family's safety and agrees to marry Welby if he will get her father  and Wade out of jail and if he will leave her family alone. So Welby agrees and has the wedding set for a month later on October 19th and Abrianna attempts to convince everyone that she is in love with Welby.  As the Wedding day approaches, Abrianna does not see any way out of this mess that she has gotten into,  Will God help her to get out of this mess or will she be forever stuck with a madman for a husband? Will Wade ever forgive her for breaking his heart?
Guess you will have to read the book to find out!

I loved this book!  I read this book as a stand alone, It is book 3 of the Brides of Seattle series. While it was a great book by itself, I would recommend reading the other books prior to reading this one because I got lost during some parts of the book. One thing that I loved was the faith that both Wade and Abrianna show., Especially when Abrianna was fighting with Welby and she told him that he was not the only one with friends in powerful positions, She also had a friend in a powerful position, That her hope is in the Lord.  One of the best parts in the book , So check out and tell me what you think. :)

I rate the book 5 Stars *****


  As I said before, I loved the book, but I need to find the first two books in the series so that I can see what I missed. In case you want to check out this series or other books by Mrs Tracie Peterson, I have included a link to her website below.

http://www.traciepeterson.com/books.html

Happy Reading!!!



I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.