Waiting On:
Title: Land of Silence
Author: Tessa Afshar
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication: May 1st, 2016

Synopsis:
From GoodReads

Before Christ called her daughter . . .

Before she stole healing by touching the hem of his garment . . .

Elianna is a young girl crushed by guilt. After her only brother is killed while in her care, Elianna tries to earn forgiveness by working for her father’s textile trade and caring for her family. When another tragedy places Elianna in sole charge of the business, her talent for design brings enormous success, but never the absolution she longs for. As her world unravels, she breaks off her betrothal to the only man she will ever love. Then illness strikes, isolating Elianna from everyone, stripping everything she has left.

No physician can cure her. No end is in sight. Until she hears whispers of a man whose mere touch can heal. After so many years of suffering and disappointment, is it possible that one man could redeem the wounds of body . . . and soul?

Why I'm  Waiting:
Tessa Afshar is one my favorite authors. Her writing is just beautiful and she is able to make the characters so real and alive as you read. I can't wait to read this book to see how she brings this Biblical story alive.

What are you waiting on?

Topic:

Who are your most favorite authors?
And what topic did you pick this week?

Waiting On:
Title: A Daring Sacrifice
Author: Jody Hedlund
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: March 1st, 2016

Synopsis:
From GoodReads

In a reverse twist on the Robin Hood story, a young medieval maiden stands up for the rights of the mistreated, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. All the while, she fights against her cruel uncle who has taken over the land that is rightfully hers. Forced to live in the woods and hide with the poor people she's grown to love, she works to save and protect them, but she never anticipates falling in love with the wealthy knight who represents all she's come to despise.

 What I'm Waiting
Jody Hedlund is one of my all time favorite authors. Her first book in this series was just fantastic and I can't wait to read more!

What are you waiting on this week?

Title: Until the Dawn
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Publisher: Bethany House
Pages: 368
ISBN: 978-0-7642-1720-3
Publication Date: December 1st, 2015

Synopsis:

Fascinated by Dierenpark, an abandoned mansion high atop a windswept cliff in the Hudson River Valley, Sophie van Riijn sees no harm in setting up a rooftop weather station for her work with the newly established Weather Bureau. While the villagers are suspicious of the mysterious estate and its tragic history, Sophie has come to see it as her own enchanted piece of paradise.

The first Vandermark to return to the area in sixty years, Quentin intends to put an end to the shadowy rumors about the property that has brought nothing but trouble upon his family. Ready to tear down the mansion, he is furious to discover Sophie trespassing on his land.

Instantly at odds, Quentin and Sophie yet find common ground when she is the only one who can reach his troubled son. There's a light within Sophie that Quentin has never known, and a small spark of the hope that left him years ago begins to grow. But when the secrets of Dierenpark can no longer be kept in the past, will tragedy triumph or can their tenuous hope prevail?

Review:
Elizabeth Camden is a phenomenal storyteller. She has the ability to to bring together so many aspects seamlessly.  You can have mystery, history, a bit of suspense, and romance all together, but neither over power each other. But the main thing I love about her stories is her ability to bring to attention smaller back grounds or little known facts of history. In Until the Dawn, it is the start of the Weather Bureau. You hear about how when records were first started, but who started them?

Until the Dawn is another fantastic story. I really enjoyed Sophie, she was a smart girl and caring, but I also understand Quentin. They each have backgrounds that aren't fun in this area and they are both trying to work through them. Quentin comes off a bit cold at first, but he is a single father trying to do the best for his son. Sophie is a girl just trying to make a living. And in all honestly, with the way that Quentin and Sophie meet, I was surprised to how calm Quentin was in their meeting with the circumstance. It did give them good grounds to build from.

Pieter was a sweet kid to read about, however, the poor kid has had to deal with a lot and then thrust into a creepy introduction to his new home. That is a hard thing to deal with, but it played out well with the story. Pieter and Sophie were great together.

The settings for this story were great. They enhanced and pushed the story forward. But really hooked me was the history. The research that Elizabeth Camden did for this book just shone. It flowed effortlessly and just made the story pop!

Too Read
4.5 out of 5

About the Author:
Elizabeth Camden is the author of eight historical novels and has been honored with a RITA Award, Christy Award, and Daphne du Maurier Award. With a master's in history and a master's in library science, she is a research librarian by day and scribbles away on her next novel by night. She lives with her husband in Florida.
Learn more at www.elizabethcamden.com.







Thank you to Bethany House, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a while since I've done a stacking the shelves. So here is a catch up for the last couple of weeks.

For Review:


Bought:


 What have you gotten to read lately? Anything you have been excited about?

Topic:

Title: On Shifting Sand
Author: Allison Pittman
Publisher: Tyndale House
Pages: 383
ISBN: 978-1-4143-904-4
Publication Date: March 20th, 2015

Synopsis:

Long before anyone would christen it “The Dust Bowl,” Nola Merrill senses the destruction. She’s been drying up bit by bit since the day her mother died, leaving her to be raised by a father who withholds his affection the way God keeps a grip on the Oklahoma rain. A hasty marriage to Russ, a young preacher, didn’t bring the escape she desired. Now, twelve years later with two children to raise, new seeds of dissatisfaction take root.

When Jim, a mysterious drifter and long-lost friend from her husband’s past, takes refuge in their home, Nola slowly springs to life under his attentions until a single, reckless encounter brings her to commit the ultimate betrayal of her marriage. For months Nola withers in the wake of the sin she so desperately tries to bury. Guilt and shame consume her physically and spiritually, until an opportunity arises that will bring the family far from the drought and dust of Oklahoma. Or so she thinks. As the storms follow, she is consumed with the burden of her sin and confesses all, hoping to find Russ’s love strong enough to stand the test.

Review:
This is only the second book by Allison Pittman that I have read, but I am sold on her story telling. Allison has such a talent in bringing you fully into the story and submerging you to where you feel apart of all that is going on.

On Shifting Sands focuses on a very hard topic, but one that is really an ageless topic. It is something that many families have had to deal with, worked to fix, or have fallen apart over. It is a story that even though set before the dust bowl of the mid-west, can still be understood and empathized with in today's world in some form or fashion.

This story shows the issues and pain that this issue causes. It doesn't glamorize or condone the actions, but shows the heartbreak and pain that go along with it in the whole family.

On Shifting Sands was just a beautifully written story and it was so hard to put down. The detail and the characters all worked amazingly well. They kept pushing me to find out what was going to happen next and how things were going to turn out.

I really enjoyed this book and the storytelling. I honestly can't wait read more books by Allison Pitman.

Too Read!
5 out of 5

About the Author:
Award-winning author Allison Pittman has penned more than twelve novels, including her series set in the Roaring Twenties—All for a Song, All For a Story, and All for a Sister. Allison resides in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, Mike, their three sons, and the canine star of the family—Stella.
For more information, visit www.allisonpittman.com



Thank you to Tyndale Blog Network, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.