Two New Book Reviews--Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris and A Case for Love by Kaye Dacus

Today I want to share two new books out by two of the best new authors on the scene in the past few years. I have met both of these authors at ACFW conferences, and know they are genuine followers of Christ who seek to use their writing talents for Him. And we get to reap the benefits of reading stellar writing from a Christian worldview. And both of these ladies write in more than one genre, so I know you can find something you will like here.

Until I read Blood Ransom, I had only read historicals by Lisa Harris, but I am so glad she took the chance on branching out to international political intrigue. Blood Ransom is set in a fictional nation in Africa, the continent which Lisa knows very well after living there the past several years with her husband as missionaries. I hope you will find out more about her and her books by visiting her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com and her blog at www.myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com

In Blood Ransom we are introduced to Natalie Sinclair who works for an agency which is trying to eradicate diseases in Dhambizao. She is thrust into the middle of slave trade and election rigging, even a possible assassination attempt when she reconnects with a former translator, and also a doctor, Chad Talcott, who is on sabbatical from his clinic in the States to volunteer at a small clinic in Dhambizao. This trio has to decide how much they want to be involved in African politics, and whom they can trust along the way.

Although this book is very different from anything else I have read of Lisa's, I am so glad I did. Her poignant words and masterful plot swept me into the drama surrounding Natalie and Chad and made me want to read it as fast as I could to find out what happens to them and the people they are trying to help. I hope you will order a copy from Lisa or www.amazon.com so you can travel this exciting journey, too.

Kaye Dacus is also pubbed in two genres--several books in the regency category and what I consider modern romantic comedy with her The Brides of Bonneterre series. The book I am reviewing today is the final book in that trilogy. The title is A Case for Love, and the subtitle gives you the romantic comedy feel I mentioned--All's Fair in Love and Lawsuits.

I just checked out Kaye's website at www.kayedacus.com and saw that she is currently writing another modern series entitled The Matchmakers. I can't wait to read them!

But, back to the review for A Case for Love. I have read all three of the books in this series, and I believe they just keep getting better and better. If you haven't read the first two books, Stand In Groom and Menu for Romance, you are in for a treat! I suggest you first read them, for the sheer enjoyment, and to know more about the Guidry family as you begin this story of Forbes Guidry, a lawyer who has been a major character in the other two books, but now takes on the starring role as the male love interest, instead of standing in the wings, manipulating his brothers' and sisters' and cousin's love lives.

His heroine, Alaine Delacroix, has also been introduced in the other books, and this book lets us get to know her better, even sharing some of her family secrets and her own desires. Alaine is a local newscaster who feels torn when her family's business is threatened by the Guidry family. Can she stay neutral and watch what her parents have worked all their lives for be taken away? Is there any way a Romeo/Juliet match can be successful in this modern-day conflict? You'll have to read the book and find out. Kaye's website mentions seven places where you can order any of her series, so hurry on over! Happy reading!

The winner of The Bartered Bride by Erica Vetsch is...Charity. And now, for our new contest...

Everyone except Charity who has a US mailing addy and leaves a comment and email info during the month of December will be entered in the drawing to win a copy of Love Finds You in Revenge Ohio by Lisa Harris.

If you have read any of the other Love Finds You In... books or any of Lisa Harris's other books, you will know you are in for a well-anticipated treat, so I hope you will leave a comment this month and give yourself the gift of reading this fun book. It's a well-written read and has many twists and surprises to keep you reading quickly to the end. Below is the back-cover blurb to give you a glimpse into what you can look forward to:

"The only thing worse than being a spinster is being a twice-jilted spinster. At twenty-five, Catherine Morgan is hardly an old maid. But she's given up on marriage and instead manages the family's general store in the small town of Revenge, Ohio. Bound by a promise to care for her three sisters until they marry, she'll do anything to keep them safe. But Sheriff Corbin Hunter stands in her way. He has evidence that her sister's fiance is really an infamous bank robber--and the man who murdered his father. Catherine finds herself torn between saving her sister's heart and losing hers to the man who jilted her seven years ago. Will Corbin's desire for revenge cause him to lose Catherine a second time?"