Pit of Ambition

Pit of Ambition

This is the second book of the Caselli family series.

Tillie Caselli has married Alex Martin a famous lawyer. Before they were married he’d do anything to spend time with her but, now this young man is too focused on work, fame and fortune. Tillie is sick an can barely go to school. She goes to the doctor to find out she’s pregnant.

Noah Hansen has married Carrie and they are very happy together until the tragic death of Carrie’s mother  then fishy stuff starts happening. Carrie is expecting again and Noah is the best husband that anyone could have, coming home from work to check on his wife not working late more than he has to.

Guiseppi  finally realizes he made a big mistake by not telling Tillie what him and her mother knew about Noah from before they met. He can’t tell her now though, what good would that do? It would only make matters worse.

Alex and Noah are still good friends, Guiseppi meets Noah when he comes to Sioux Falls to check on a job building Angelo’s 2, Guiseppi’s second restaurant. He’s regretting the decision he has made.

This book was just as good as the first and I cannot wait to read he third one A Blackguards Redemption.

Ta`Mara Hanscom has worked on The Caselli Family Series since 1996. Within three weeks she had created a 900 page rough draft of what would become a five- novel series of the epic love story of Tillie Caselli and Noah Hansen.

Loving all things Italian, Ta`Mara created the Caselli family true to their ethnic name. Born and raised in South Dakota, she brings this traditional family alive on the Great Plains where she has spent the entirety of her life.

I got this book from my mom’s bookshelf.

Though My Heart is Torn

Though My Heart is Torn

"Lonnie only ever wanted to be loved. Now that she won her husband's heart will his past destroy their happily ever after?"

In the Blue Ridges Mountains of Virginia, Gideon and Lonnie O’Riley settle down. Gideon hadn’t planned on a wife, but when he did something he shouldn’t have they were forced to get married. Off they went to find a home, Gideon’s temper got the best of him and when Lonnie could not keep up with him walking he got abusive. Jebediah saved her and Gideon started to change. He started living his life for the Lord. Lonnie and Gideon love each other and have a son named Jacob. When a letter comes that Lonnie’s mother is sick, Gideon agrees to go back to Rocky Knob but, when they get there they find out it was only a trick. Now Gideon must face his past. You see, before he and Lonnie were married he was married to Cassie Allen but, Gideon wasn’t exactly the husband type and she didn’t want him around anymore so they signed the divorce papers and Gideon was free, or was he? Cassie was supposed to take care of the papers and give them to the clergy man to take to the courthouse. Now Gideon is forced back into this relationship with Cassie and must leave the family he loves with all his heart, the only ones he will ever love. How can Gideon make the best of this situation? What’s going to happen to Lonnie and Jacob? Lonnie feels betrayed, hurt, and lied to because Gideon never told her. She wants to hate him with every part of her but she can’t she loves Gideon with all her heart. Read the book to find out the rest of this story that will have you on our toes wanting to know what happens next!!

 This book was really good. Now I want to go back and read he first one Be Still My Soul. The third book in the Cadence of Grace Series, My Hope Is Found, will come out in October 2013. Joanne Bischof is a great author, I really enjoyed this book. To find out more about her go to her website here.

Thank you Waterbrook Multnimah for sending me this free review copy!

The Pretender

My Jean-Marc’s uncle was married to an English woman, and she told us once, a very long time ago, that in this world there are men of two kinds.

The one, the KNIGHT, is the man possessing only strength and quality of moral character. He will never ask a lady to compromise her honor for less than a vow, and never, ever will he consider another once he has captured her heart. A knight keeps his vow, even when it hurts, and the honor of a knight is a thing a country is built upon. A knight comes along only seldom these days.

Now, a BLACKGUARD is a man who can be found quite easily, for it is an easy thing to be a blackguard. He attempts to trick the young ladies into taking him home and caring for him, making them believe their honor can be given away as a mere trifle, offering no vow, and making only human demands. The blackguard is to be avoided at all costs, for to settle for someone like him is to settle for something less than ideal.

I Rapid City, South Dakota, Tillie Casseli meets Noah Hansen. After a weekend of fun in the beautiful Black Hills and Mount Rushmore, it's love at first sight. They make a promise to each other before Tillie goes back home promising to return again. But when she returns a few weeks later she cant's believe what she sees. Could it be real or just a mistake? But Tillie doesn't stay to find out. Is Noah a blackguard or a knight? Tillie can usually see a blackuard from a mile away. What happened this time? How could she be wrong?

I love this book so much! I stayed up until 1 in the morning I don't know how many nights. I could not put it down, my mom was "making fun" because she doesn't normally see me with a book in my hand constantly. Ta'mara had me hookat first chapter and I cannot wait to read the second book!! I could give you the whole story but that would give it away when you should really read it yourself. She has five book out and writing the sixth one as well as seven and eight. Book two is Pit of Ambition. To learn more about Ta'mara go to her website here.

I Still Believe

• I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp

In I Still Believe Jeremy talks about his life from childhood till now. He talks about many things we ourselves face in our own lives. In his teen years Jeremy went out with his friends for a "fun night" in the town, drinking, smoking, and there is no telling what else they did. But the summer after his sophmore year at camp he gave his life to the Lord, and came home changed. He transferred highschools because he didn't want to face the temptation of that again. He graduated highschool and moved to a Bible College in California. It wasn't until after he graduated college he met the one he knew he was supposed to marry. Jeremy and Melissa dated for a while but things didn't fall into place and they broke up. Jeremy was heart broken because she was the ONE and he knew it. Later on in 1999 Jeremy found out Melissa had a cyst that was cancerous. She went through ups and downs in and out of the hospital , Jeremy did all he could to be helpful during her chemo treaments. One day Melissa told Jeremy she finally realize she loved him too, and a few days later he asked her to marry him. She said yes and they got married after the doctors told her the cancer was gone. They went to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Soon after they got back home she finds out the cancer has returned, three and a half months after their wedding she passed away from the ovarian cancer. Jeremy took it hard she was supposed to be healed!! Why would God take her if He wanted Jeremy to marry her?? Not wanting to do anything after Melissa's death, Jeremy's world crashed around him. But one day Jeremy felt God telling him to pick up his guitar and play. Jeremy was finally being able to express his feelings again through writing songs. God began healing Jeremy. He has written many songs especially during his hard times with Melissa's battle. He wrote Walk By Faith and has witnessed to many people with that song and Melissa's story.

This is a great book!! So many teenagers go through the years where they want to look good to their friends and will do anything to be accepted. My heart goes out to them, I just want to tell them that they don't realize how special they are to God but not only to him to their family and me. They don't have to destroy their bodies with all the drugs and alcohol or anything else. They just need to find good godly friends that will lift them and encourage them not bring them down. So many people lose loved one today from some kind of cancer, Jeremy has been throught that too and knows how it feels. With God's help he got through hard times he faced and kept his faith through it all. Most of the time we see music artists as people who never go through anything bad and they just live it up, but they are humans too. They go through sad times, times they don't understand, and times they think their world is falling apart. Just because they are popular and everyone loves them doesn't mean they are perfect and everything goes perfect for them, a lot of times we fail to realize that. This book shows up that they go through the same stuff we have gone through.

Jeremy Camp is a Christian music artist who just had a new album released this month called Reckless. To earn more about Jeremy Camp, check out his website here.

Special thanks to Tyndale Publishers for providing me with this book for reviewing purposes.