"The Inheritance" by Tamera Alexander (Christian Historical Fiction)

The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander takes place in Colorado during the late 1800s.  McKenna and Robert Ashford, older sister and 14-yr-old brother, move to Colorado to live with their cousin until they can get a fresh start when they cannot make the payments on their home and livery business their parents left them.  When they get to Colorado, they find things are not at all what they expected.  McKenna soon finds herself struggling to be a mother to her cousin’s little girl, Emma, when her cousin died in childbirth shortly after McKenna and Robert arrived. 

This is a good Christian historical fiction novel about a rocky relationship between a sister and her rebellious brother whom she feels sorry for and responsible for.  I liked the main character and of course the predictable ending that is characteristic of Christian fiction.  The story line with Robert and the U.S Marshall added an interesting dimension to the book.  It has discussion questions in the back for book club use.  

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

LOVED "Mr. Mercedes" by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King centers on two men—Mr. Mercedes who mowed down people with a car and got away with it and a retired detective, Bill Hodges.  When Bill receives a letter from Mr. Mercedes taunting him for not catching him and vowing to do it again, Bill gets back into the case and wants to catch Mr. Mercedes.  I loved this book which is “vintage King.”  It kept me turning pages saying “Wow, this book is good!” over and over.  What a great book to start 2015 with. 

(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Our Favorite Reads For 2014

As usual, we both read a lot of good books this year.  Those we both liked a lot are listed with links to our reviews, but we each chose our top favorites to include in our videos.  If you want to read a review of one not listed below, you can search for it using the search box in the upper left corner at the top of our blog.

There were quite a few books we both liked a lot which we highly recommend.  Here's that list with links to our reviews:

Think Twice and Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline (Karen's favorites)
That Night by Chevy Stevens (Karen's favorite)
The Winter Horses by Philip Kerr (Karen's Favorite)
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriary (Both our Favorite)
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer (Both our Favorite)
What She Saw by Sheila Lowe (Karen's Favorite)
A Letter to My Dog by Robin Layten (Gerard's favorite)
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer (Gerard's Favorite)
A Dog Named Slugger by Leigh Brill (Must read for dog lovers!)
Weekends With Daisy by Sharron Kahn Luttrell
Heaven Sent Rain by Lauraine Snelling (Karen's Favorite)
Eyes on You by Kate White (Gerard's favorite)
Tuesday Tucks Me In by Luis Carlos Montalvan (children's book) (Karen's Favorite)
Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau (Karen's Favorite)
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta (Karen's Favorite)
In the Blood by Lisa Unger (Gerard's Favorite)
 
Karen read 88 books this year and many were very good. Here is a video showing her top favorites in fiction and non-fiction categories.



Gerard read 120 books in 2014.  This video shows his top 16 fiction and top 12 non-fiction:


Correction:
I included the wrong bible in Gerard's video by mistake.  It should be this one:

Feel free to share your link to your favorite reads for 2014 in the comments. Read on in 2015!

"In Doubt" by Drusilla Campbell Lacks Action

In Doubt by Drusilla Campbell is about a young girl who takes a case of a young boy who shot the governor in California.  This book digs into the background of Donny, the young boy, who was the shooter.  I found it to be okay, but would have loved a little action.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays: 3 This Week

Since MizB over at Should be Reading is taking a break for the holidays and not posting the teaser meme, feel free to leave your link to your teaser post in the comments here.

Gerard's:
  
She dropped the phone and ran to the window in time to see the governor collapse.  In the park there was a moment of stunned silence, and then the screaming began.

From page 35 of In Doubt by Drusilla Campbell.

Karen's: 

Yet even in such moments she didn't doubt that God existed.  She just sometimes wondered whether He remembered that she did.

Pg. 33 from The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander.

For me, Jack was worry and constant work.  He was also adorable and sweet, but the former far outweighed the latter.

From Loc. 1109 on Kindle, pg. 86 from The Dog Next Door:  and Other Stories of the Dogs We Love edited by Callie Smith Grant.


Happy Reading!