{Zondervan Blog Tour} Heart of Lies (Irish Angel Series) by Jill Marie Landis

Book Description:  Raised in a tribe of street urchins, Maddie Grande was taught to be a thief and beggar on the streets of New Orleans. But Maddie doesn't know her real name or where she came from. Raised by Dexter Grande, Maddie and her twin 'brothers' have recently left New Orleans and moved to the bayou. The twins are rarely there, but Maddie has come to love the swamp. She has learned to fish and trap and sell pelts at the local mercantile. Maddie longs to change her life but knows that her brothers will never give up their lawless ways. When they kidnap the daughter of a wealthy carpetbagger, the twins force Maddie to hide the precocious eight-year-old while they return to New Orleans to wait for notice of a reward. Pinkerton agent Tom Abbott is assigned to the kidnapping case in which Maddie has become an accomplice. In a journey that takes them to Baton Rouge, a mutual attraction becomes evident, but Tom and Maddie cannot trust each other. Will Maddie and Tom listen to their hearts or will they choose honor over love? Will Maddie ever discover who she is? Will her real family ever find her? 

My Review:  Having read Heart of Stone I was thrilled to read Heart of Lies.  And I must confess  that this is such an engrossing book that I was truly captivated!  
Maddie Grande is an orphan and has spent most of her life in the street gangs of New Orleans.  She now lives in the bayous with her twin "brothers" who are always on the prowl for trouble and a quick buck.

The twins bring home an eight year old girl, Penelope, that they have kidnapped from a wealthy family in hopes of gaining a big reward.  Maddie is torn-should she take matters into her own hands and return the precocious child, Penelope, or keep peace in the "family" and help bring in the reward?

In the meantime, a Pinkerton agent, Tom Abbott, has been hired by a woman to find her long lost sister.  Tom's investigation brings him into Maddie's territory.  Not only is Tom looking for a long lost sister but also for the missing child,  Penelope.  Ahh!  This where the story really begins and the plot thickens!  This plot has more twists and turns than a Colorado mountain road!  But the suspense and page turning will keep the reader on the edge~turning each page and wondering what will happen next.

A fantastic adventurous read that is well written!  If I had one disappointment about this  Christian read it would be that  I expected a more spiritual renewal from the heroine as she comes to "know" her wrong doings.  But that fact doesn't make this any less of a grand-tastic read.
Looking forward to reading her next book, Heart of Glass, due out in 2012.

*This book was  provided for review by Zondervan*


Check out Jill Marie Landis Blog HERE!

 The first Irish Angel Book

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

DRAGONS Legends & Lore of Dinosaurs

Book Description:  Explore the links between dragon myths and the reality of dinosaurs through vivid illustrations, interactive pages, and fascinating insights!

Did you know?

There are dragon legends in nearly every culture, from China to Australia, India to Europe, and Persia to the kingdoms of the fiercest Norse warriors.

Eyewitnesses to these last dinosaurs include Job in the Bible, Alexander the Great, and Marco Polo.

Drawings on cave walls and on ancient art show images that closely resemble beaked dinosaurs and flying pterosaurs.

Re-visit history as you trace the tracks of these creatures throughout cultures in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and more, learning the facts, and revealing the fallacies of dragons. Whether battling saints or terrorizing medieval castles, these creatures provide a fascinating link to man's earliest history, as well as a shadowy mystery now found only in the pages of ancient texts.

My Review: DRAGONS Legends and Lore of Dinosaurs is an interactive book with beautiful, colorful multi-page layouts, neat lift-up-flaps, and informational envelopes that inform the reader of the history of dragon lore and legends.  This includes proof of dragon existence from real-life witness accounts and scriptural references. 

Many recognized men of ancient times from Roman Philosopher and Statesman, Marcus Cicero (45 BC) to 17th Century Jesuit, Athansius Kircher, have give written accounts of these creatures as well.  Ancient artists have recorded similar creatures in picture form on ancient artifacts and petroglyphs. 

This is a wonderful.from.a.christians.presective book of the accounting of dragons, dinosaurs and like creatures.  This is not for the evolution minded reader for these accounts are taken from a creationists point-of-view and from the biblical standard. 

WOW!  What a book!  We discovered that the original biblical Hebrew text included the word "tannin" (land or seas monsters or serpents); in Greek, "drakon" was used.  

The comparisons made from legend to lore and myth or legend give the reader an accurate account of God's creation.  

My ten year old son loved the page entitled "Legends from around the Globe."  Miniature envelopes with note sized paper detail the country and then informs the reader of what happened with dragons in said country.  My ten year old was fascinated with Babylon which then told of 'Daniel and the Dragon.'  This is a legend but gave new meaning to Daniel In the Lion's Den.

I wish there were words to describe how absolutely terrific this book is made!  Our whole family is enthralled with the pictures, as well as, the writings.  

This is one of those rare books that any christian school or homeschool teacher should own because children (and maybe adults) are highly interested in this subject.  So, why not read it from the biblical point of view!

*This book was provided for review by Master Books/New Leaf Publishing*

{WOW! Warm Oven Wednesday} Homemade Popovers!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour

1 cup milk, room temperature
3T (salted) butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Divide butter into 12 even slices, placing one slice in each well of a 12 cup muffin pan. Whisk together remaining ingredients just until they're mostly mixed. Small lumps are ok. *Place buttered muffin tin into preheated oven (DO NOT add batter yet!) and bake until butter is a light golden brown and bubbly (approx. 2 mins).  Remove pan from oven. Fill each of the 12 wells about 1/2 way with batter, using all of it. Place back in oven for approx. 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Do not open oven until the baking time is almost up. Serve immediately.


*Preheat oven to 450. Divide butter into 12 even slices and place one slice in each well of a 12 cup muffin pan.  Like so:

Whisk together remaining ingredients just until they're mostly mixed. Small lumps are ok.

Place buttered muffin tin into preheated oven (DO NOT add batter yet!!) and bake until butter is a light golden brown and bubbly (approx. 2 mins.)

Remove pan from oven (careful, it's hot!!) and NOW it's time to use the batter. Fill each of the 12 wells about 1/2 way with batter, using all of it.

Back into the oven they go for approx. 15 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. **Important: NO PEEKING until the baking time is almost up!!

Depression Cookies by Tia Silverthorne Bach & Angela Beach Silverthorne

Book Description:  Abby needs some magic in her life, along with a white knight, respectful children, and an exciting career plan. Instead she is drowning in unfulfilled expectations, disappointments, and unmet needs. What she doesn't expect is to find the true essence of magic in the strength, friendship, power, and energy of the female spirit found in her mother and her mother's zany group of friends. Krista cannot believe it's happening again. Her father waltzes in and announces another move. And what does her mother do? Nothing. Don't they realize she's almost thirteen, and this could mean the end of her life? In the midst of teenage melodrama, she is determined to survive a new school, defeat the annoyances of two scene-stealing sisters, and deal with out-of-touch parents. Yet she quickly realizes the double-edged sword of growing up. Depression Cookies Two distinct voices, two stories interwoven within the walls of family and love.

My Review:  This read centers around the facets of a girl growing up and a mother who longs for more than just.the.mudane.  

Growing up can be tough and at times it seems to be too hard for those kids who feel that they don't have "roots."  Such is the case of Abby.  Thirteen that "magical" age where every pimple, every hair out of place and every move makes life seem too tough.

Abby longs/wants to be accepted and is trying to find her place in this world.  Of course, teen age drama comes with girls at age thirteen.  Abby feels that her two sisters get all the attention and that she comes in last. . . way last!  She also feels that her parents are out of tune with life.  How can they just pack up and move to another place when her life is just about to begin.  

But Abby moves on with the family hoping that she will survive a new school and new friends.  

Then the mom voice comes in...to be honest at times I was slightly confused by the mom's views.  

This is a lengthy book coming in at 553 pages.  Curse words are interwoven in this read.  It's not a christian read even though God is mentioned and how He created her being and how He can help her.  

The gist of this read is about a girl growing up, family dynamics and a lot of views from a thirteen year olds perspective.

This is not a great read in my opinion.  I felt that the story line was well thought out but I simply could not get involved in the story.  The use of curse words did not endear me to the read either but because the authors tried I give this 3 stars!

*This book was provided for review by Readers Favorites.com*