Review: Theater of Illusion

Theater of Illusion (Spirit of the River series - Book 3) by Kathy Steffen

(E-ARC for review from Medallion Press)

Synopsis:

Combining elements of mystery, history, and romance, this compelling narrative explores the river frontier of West Virginia to the Midwest in the 1900s. Unconventional for her time, Sarah Perkins is driven to excel and be successful in a man’s world despite her traumatic childhood under an abusive father who strictly enforced traditional gender roles. Dreaming of one day being a riverboat pilot, Sara embarks on an adventure aboard the Spirit of the River, a premier paddleboat on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. She’s spent hours behind the wheel under the supervision of the captain, Jeremy Smith—her friendly rival and romantic interest—and longs to prove her worth. When a traveling troupe of entertainers, Le Théatre d’Illusion, discovers that a cast member has suspiciously disappeared while a mysterious and deadly illness afflicts the rest of the passengers, Sarah will find herself tested in unimaginable ways. Suspenseful and thrilling, this dynamic novel of hidden secrets offers an unflinching look at serious issues such as alcoholism, suicide, and gender, while maintaining a lively storyline full of adventure, independence, and life on the river wild.

Thoughts:

I've always been fascinated by the water. Whether it was a river, a lake, or the ocean. It's amazing to watch those television shows where you see the Captain of the vessel struggling with mother nature and the elements. It's not hard to see who is really in control. This book really hit the spot for me as far as adventure and thrills. It delved into some serious issues, but used the river wild as a background. The river was almost a character in the book.

Kathy Steffen has done a wonderful job of creating a character in Sarah Perkins, who is strong enough to balk at convention. Sarah is a woman in a man's world as a pilot of riverboat. She not only goes against the traditional gender roles of society, but she also goes against what her family believes is appropriate for a woman during that time period. I liked the fact that she marched to the beat of her own drum and followed her heart and her dreams. Her romantic relationship with Jeremy was also fun and filled with a lot of moments where the reader could feel the tension between them. I like those kind LOL...

This was a great addition to the Spirit of the River series. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Theater of Illusion as well as the other books in the Spirit of the River series are available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I am giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Here is additional information about Kathy Steffen.

Kathy Steffen's debut novel, First There is a River received several awards including first place in the CRW Award of Excellence. First, There is a River was also a finalist in the PMA Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice, the HOLT Medallion Award for Best First Book and won an honorable mention in the Hollywood Book Festival. Her second book,Jasper Mountain , won an honorable mention at the 2008 London Book Festival. Both of Steffen's historical fiction titles are published by Medallion Press, and her first published short story appeared in Quality Women's Fiction.

Kathy teaches writing at AllWriters Workplace and Workshops, the University of Wisconsin's Writer's Institute, Write by the Lake, and at the Rhinelander School of the Arts. She is a member of the Author's Guild, Novelists Inc., Mystery Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America.

Simply Marvelous Monday (33)

Shelia at, One Person's Journey Through a World of Books, gets all the credit for this one...

On Simply Marvelous Monday's here at Debbie's Book Bag, we want to know... What are you reading?

FINISHED LAST WEEK:

Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette (For review from Dutton/Penguin)

Plum Blossoms in Paris by Sarah Hina (E-ARC for review from Medallion)

The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell (For review from Henry Holt)

The Bishop (Patrick Bowers series - Book 4) by Steven James (For review from Revell)

Kaleidoscope: Seeing God's Wit and Wisdom in a Whole New Light by Patsy Clairmont ( For review from Thomas Nelson)

Simply from Scratch was a really good book, you'll have to read this one. The Reapers are the Angels was really cool for a zombie book. I put in a Christian Living book from time to time and Kaleidoscope was a good one. I've enjoyed my reading week in spite of making a wedding cake and getting very little sleep LOL... It was a really good week!

READING OR LISTENING TO THIS WEEK:

Theater of Illusion (Spirit of the River series - Book 3) by Kathy Steffen (E-Arc for review from Medallion)

Emma and the Vampires by Wayne Josephson (For review from Sourcebooks)

Vanishing Act by Liz Johnson (For review from the author)

With One Eye Open by Polly Frost (For review from the author)

His Princess Girl Talk With God: Love Letters and Devotions for Young Women by Sheri Rose Shepherd (For review from Revell)

The Paris Vendetta (Cotton Malone series - Book 5) by Steve Berry (For review from Media Muscle)

There are a couple of these I'm really looking forward to getting into. Emma and the Vampires, a take on a Jane Austen classic, Vanishing Act, written by a former publishing contact, a devotional book for my daughter, His Princess Girl Talk, a thriller, The Paris Vendetta, a book full of humor, With One Eye Open and the Spirit of the River series, book 3, Theater of Illusion, what a great line up!

UP NEXT:

Getting There by Gerry Boylan (For review from Phenix)

The Wolf of Tebron (The Gates of Heaven series - Book 1) by C.S. Lakin (For review from Phenix)

Drawn to the Land: The Romance of Farming by Elizabeth J. Cockey and Barton M. Cockey (For review from Phenix)

The Winner's Brain: 8 Strategies Great Minds Use to Achieve Success by Jeff Brown, Liz Neporent and Mark Fenske (For review from Phenix)

Radiant Daughter by Patricia Grossman (For review from Ollie Media)

Third Times a Charm (Sister to Sister series - Book 3) by Virginia Smith (For review from Kathy Willis Communications)

The Wolf of Tebron looks awesome, can't wait to start that one. Third Times a Charm also has my interest piqued.

Enjoy your reading week!

Review: Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope: Seeing God's Wit and Wisdom in a Whole New Night by Patsy Clairmont

(For review from Thomas Nelson)

Synopsis:

Acclaimed author and Women of Faith speaker Patsy Clairmont causes womens' hearts to leap and their hopes to lift in this quirky, straight-to-the point look at the Proverbs.

Understanding the Christian life and the Bible can be a daunting task. But maybe God didn't mean it to be so hard. In Kaleidoscope of Proverbs, Patsy Clairmont pieces together some powerful messages from God and reveals new facets of beauty, inspiration, and instruction. Written for busy women, Patsy offers brief, powerful chapters that address the key aspects of their lives, hearts, and relationships.

In the Proverbs, God gives us small gems of hope and truth, and in Kaleidoscope of Proverbs, Patsy Clairmont unveils them for readers with her trademark humor and insightful teaching.

Thoughts:

The Book of Proverbs has always been one of my favorite books in the Bible. It's full of so much useful information for every day living. Living a Christian life can be on the difficult side sometimes and interpreting scripture can seem a daunting task. Author, Patsy Clairmont, breaks it down for women who are interested in learning more about being a woman of faith.

Proverbs may seem a bit disorganized to some people. But, I think it is full of little gems of information. There is something for everyone in Proverbs, singles and couples, children and parents, even wives and husbands and Patsy Clairmont is able bring it all together so that it makes sense to everyone as well.

Clairmont uses humor and wit to get the pearl from oyster so to speak. She brings all of these disjointed bits of information into something more cohesive and easier to understand. I liked this book a lot.

Kaleidoscope is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

Here is additional information about the author, Patsy Clairmont.

Petite, profound, and playful. These words help to describe her size, her message, and her humor. She has a command of God's word and with her quick wit and fast Patsy Clairmont paced humor she will keep everyone laughing. This light touch combined with scriptural knowledge makes Patsy an unusual package. You find yourself laughing God's truths right into your heart.

Patsy comes from an uncommon background. Her years of suffering as a prisoner in her own home, a victim of agoraphobia, have given her a deep appreciation of God's healing power. God has pulled together the emotionally fragmented pieces of her life. From her emotionally troubled background God has combined her humor and her knowledge of His word to remind you that imperfect, "cracked" Christians are God's specialty.

Patsy now travels throughout the U.S. providing humor for the heart and hope for the healing. Currently, she is a speaker with the Women of Faith conferences, speaking to tens of thousands of women each month. In her fourteen years with Women of Faith she has reached over 4 million women.

Patsy is also the author of the best-selling books "God Uses Cracked Pots", "Normal is Just a Setting on Your Dryer", "Under His Wings", "Sportin' a 'Tude", "Tea with Patsy Clairmont", "It's About Home; Creating a Place to Cherish", "I Love Being a Woman" and "Stepping Stones; A Garden Path", "Mending Your Heart in a Broken World, "The Hat Box", "The Shoe Box", 'I Grew Up Little' and 'Pillow Prayers', 'All Cracked Up', Dancing Bones, Living Lively in the Valley, I Second that Emotion and "Catching Fireflies". She also has written her first book of fiction, "Stardust on My Pillow; Stories to Sleep on". Her latest book is "Kaleidoscope".

Patsy is excited to now be a children’s author! The 'Tales from the Pantry' series contains five children’s books 'Meatball', 'Soccer', 'Stinky', 'Spud' and "Basil and Parsley".

Patsy has been married to Les for 43 years and they have two sons, Marty and Jason, daughter-in-law Danya, and grandsons, Justin and Noah.

Weekly Reminders!

I have a couple of reminders of this week.

1.) Please keep in mind that there will not be an August comment giveaway in order for me to catch up a little bit. I hope you will still come by and comment until I can start another comment giveaway in September.

2.) The Blind Hope giveaway will end at midnight on August 11th.

Thanks everyone, and have a great weekend! I'm off to my nieces, wedding later today!

Winner: To Conquer a Highlander

The giveaway for the book, To Conquer a Highlander ended at midnight on August 5th. There are two winners for this giveaway and the publisher will be sending out the books to you. Thank-You to everyone who participated and I look forward to other giveaways for you....

The Winners are:

throuthehaze

&

misusedinnocence

Review: The Bishop

The Bishop (The Bower Files series - Book 4) by Steven James

(For review from Revell)

Synopsis:

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's cutting-edge 21st-century geospatial investigative techniques and impeccable logic have helped him track some of the country's most grisly killers. But those skills are pushed to the limit in this new installment of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning The Bowers Files series.

This time it's a congressman's daughter who is found dead even as her killers launch a spree of perfect murders in the Northeast. With nothing to link the crimes to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet--even as his personal life begins to crumble around him.

Known for his intricately woven, masterfully plotted novels of high-octane action and spine-tingling suspense, Steven James delivers once again. The Bishop is a gripping, adrenaline-laced story for readers who are tired of timid thrillers. Strap on your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride. The game is on.

Thoughts:

This isn't your typical suspense novel. It's fast paced, adrenaline pumping and full of surprises. The Bower Files series by Steven James is one of those series of books that you can't wait for the next installment to come out. It's action, action, action... from the first page to the last. James' style puts me in mind of James Patterson's action based thrillers. If you got to attend the facebook launch party, I'm sure you were able to get to chat with this wonderful author.

In this installment of the series, Bowers is after a killer. The congressman's daughter is dead and it's up to Bowers to figure out who did and why. This book is filled with some pretty gruesome descriptions and lots of great forensic science. It reminds me of those really really intense episodes of CSI. Patrick Bowers is such a great character. He is witty and very intelligent, which is always attractive in a leading character. I felt like the way he solved the crime wasn't fraught with a lot of coincidences. It was how a real agent might go about solving the crime. It was very authentic and well written.

The plot development was excellent. The story really flowed together. The overall feel of the book was edgy and packed with all the suspense we have come to expect with this series. If this is your first experience with Steven James, you'll love it and want to read all the other books in the series.

The Bishop is available from your favorite bookseller August 2010 from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

This one is definitely a 5 out of 5 apple book, from my book bag!

Here is additional information about Steven James.

Critically acclaimed author Steven James has written more than twenty books, including the bestselling thriller series The Bowers Files. One of the nation's most innovative storytellers, Steven developed his skill as a performer at East Tennessee State University (MA in storytelling). He lives in Tennessee with his wife and three daughters.

Review: The Reapers are the Angels

The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell

(For review from Henry Holt)

Synopsis:

Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.

For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

Thoughts:

This type of book is not one I would normally consider my cup of tea. That happens from time to time when you do reviews. But, this one really changed my mind about Zombie books. I didn't think I would like them, but I got caught up in this one from the beginning. It was interesting to read about America in such a different light and from a totally different perspective than I was used to. I've read other books that are set in America or England after some natural catastrophe or war, but never with Zombies. Made me think of the Will Smith movie, I am Legend when I was reading it.

The main character, Temple is a very engaging and full of idea's, but her path isn't an easy one. She has isolated memories from before the time of the Zombies, but she can't remember a lot. She is looking for a home away from all the chaos. It's as if she's on a journey not only to find a new life but to find herself in the midst of everything else. Bell, made her a very unforgettable character. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to her next. And a few Zombies thrown in, didn't take away from the book either, it really enhanced the story and gave it a very surreal kind of feel.

I can't say this is my favorite book ever, but it certainly opened my eyes to a new genre and type book to read. The writing was superb. The characterizations were spot on and I even liked the Zombies... LOL!

I am giving this one 3 out of 5 apples. Definitely a good book and many readers who haven't read this type of story before will find a new genre to enjoy!