spring value fiction--"grab bag" blog tour

A few weeks ago, I received an intriguing email from the people at Blogging for Books. They would randomly select and send me two titles from eight they were re-releasing at a price of $6.99 each--pretty good for a full-length paperback! I signed up without hesitation--and really hoped I'd receive Deep Harbor, as I'd just read the first book in that series and loved the prospect of receiving book two for free. Alas, that wasn't one of my books. Instead, I received Yesterday's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin and The Golden Cross by Angela Elwell Hunt.

First, I'll review those two books. Then, I'll include the press release attached to my invitation email so you can see which books are available. They can all be purchased by going to waterbrookmultnomah.com. Of the books I didn't receive, I'd recommend Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn (one of the authors I mentioned in my last post) and Deep Harbor. If you enjoyed Gunn's Christy Miller series, you're sure to enjoy Secrets, book one in her Glenbrooke series. As for Deep Harbor, I haven't read it yet (though I did purchase it after receiving my "grab bag" books), but if it's anything like the first book in the series, it's going to be quite enjoyable!

Yesterday's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin
Rogan Chantry arrives in South Africa hoping to follow his murdered uncle Henry's map to gold. Evy Varley, the girl Rogan loves, faces her own trials in England, as Henry's murderer is still unknown ... as is her own heritage.

This is book two in Chaikin's "East of the Sun" series. Perhaps if I had read book one prior to reading Yesterday's Promise, I would have enjoyed it more. As it was, I spent the first several chapters trying to understand who everyone was and how they all fit together. Also, Rogan and Evy spend almost all of the book apart, and I found myself not really caring if they ended up together. My guess is that their romance really develops in the first book, and anyone who read book one would be more invested in the characters. The book is well written, but I struggled to make it through the book--it just bored me. The action does pick up near the end, as Henry's murderer is revealed and Evy learns about her parents.

Should you read it? Only if you read and enjoyed the first book in the series.

The Golden Cross by Angela Elwell Hunt
I didn't have high hopes for The Golden Cross after slogging my way through Yesterday's Promise. After all, The Golden Cross is also book two in a series! However, this book grabbed my attention from the get-go, and I read it in less than two days!

Aidan O'Connor is a barmaid in Batavia, a Dutch colony in Indonesia, but she dreams of becoming an artist. Her life changes forever when she meets renowned cartographer Schuyler Van Dyck and he takes her under his wing. Due to her relationship with Van Dyck, Aidan travels to undiscovered lands, becomes an enemy of a very dangerous man, and meets the love of her life.

I absolutely loved The Golden Cross! It is book two in Hunt's "The Heirs of Cahira O'Connor" series. The book begins with prologue featuring Kathleen O'Connor, who is possibly one of Cahira's heirs. She researches Cahira and learns the stories of Anika, featured in book one, and Aidan, the heroine of The Golden Cross. Kathleen again takes center stage in the epilogue, where she wraps up Aidan's story. From what I can tell, Kathleen is the link that ties the series together. Since each book focuses on a different heir, the books work as stand-alone stories, though I would now like to read the other books in this series!

Should you read it? Absolutely!

Now, for the press release:

Value Fiction For Your Spring Break

Colorado Springs, CO— Fiction lovers don’t need to budget to travel this spring break with Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group’s six full-length novels by beloved Christian authors (WaterBrook, February 16, 2010). At the low cost of only $6.99, these well-read “get-aways” provide quality entertainment at a price that any reader can afford.

Full-length novels offered include:

Secrets
by Robin Jones Gunn - Jessica has moved to a new town to start a new life. But a friendly fire-fighter and a suspicious boss both want to know what she’s hiding.

Beneath a Southern Sky
by Deborah Raney – Daria Camfield is expecting her first child when her husband Nate is reported dead on the mission field. Devastated, she returns to the States and soon marries again. But two years later Nate is found alive in the jungle. How can Daria possibly choose between he two men who love her?

The Golden Cross
by Angela Elwell Hunt – Aidan O’Connor may be a poor barmaid but she’s also a gifted artists. When a famous cartographer takes her on as a student, Aidan is swept into an adventure that will bring her back to her heavenly Father, and into marriage with the love of her life.

Deep Harbor
by Lisa Tawn Bergren – Tora, Elsa, Kaatje, and Karl face trouble, tragedy, and treachery across the West, Hawaii, Japan, and the high seas. These four immigrants from Bergen, Norway, each grow closer to God and learn afresh the value of faith, family, and coming alongside each other in times of need.

Faithful Heart
by Al and Joanna Lacy – The adventures of certified medical nurse and dedicated Christian Breanna Baylor continue as she travels by wagon train to visit her sister, Dottie, in California. Little does she know that her most dangerous encounter might be with Jerrod, her brother-in-law, who’s suffering from dementia caused by combat fatigue.

Yesterday’s Promise
by Linda Lee Chaikin – Rogan Chantry faces danger from tribesmen, ruthless politicians, and his own family as he searches for gold in South Africa. In England, his beloved Evy is injured by a mysterious assailant. The greed and intrigue surrounding the diamond mines could very well drive them irrevocably apart.

These books were provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.