Fablehaven (Brandon Mull)

For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.
Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken — Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good — powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.

I was actually surprised that I liked this book. My kids have been trying to get me to read this book for a few years now and I finally gave in after attending 2 launch parties for books number 3 & 4. This is a series of books about mythical creatures. I do enjoy Brandon Mull's imagination, it keeps you interested enough to keep reading.

By Morning Light (Rachel Ann Nunes)

Can a heart, once broken, heal enough to love again?Kerrianne Huntington's perfect life was shattered one seemingly ordinary morning when her husband was killed in a car accident. Now, four years later, she still struggles with picking up the pieces. Being a single mother of three active children keeps her plenty busy, but she can't help the loneliness that tears at her heart.Then, on an other ordinary day, she discovers Ryan Oakman, a widower with two children of his own. Ryan has many talents, including making Kerrianne's hands suddenly develop ten thumbs, and he never fails to catch her at the most embarrassing moments. For years Ryan has delivered her mail and has been an unwitting guardian of her sanity; now his new involvement in her life forces her to look beyond her loss toward a future she hadn’t considered possible. Can a woman love a man with the same heart that still mourns another? Or does she have to choose?By Morning Light is a poignant, often humorous tale of love and friendship that opens a world we are rarely able experience so intimately. A thoroughly satisfying addition to the Huntington family novels, it can be read alone or enjoyed as part of the larger family saga.

I enjoyed this series of the Huntington Family. They are all quick easy reads and for the most part predictable, but they are cute love stories all featuring different struggles we all face while finding our true love in life.

Finding Nouf (Zoe Ferraris)

Zoë Ferraris’s electrifying debut of taut psychological suspense offers an unprecedented window into Saudi Arabia and the lives of men and women there. When sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing, along with a truck and her favorite camel, her prominent family calls on Nayir al-Sharqi, a desert guide, to lead a search party. Ten days later, just as Nayir is about to give up in frustration, her body is discovered by anonymous desert travelers. But when the coroner’s office determines that Nouf died not of dehydration but from drowning, and her family seems suspiciously uninterested in getting at the truth, Nayir takes it upon himself to find out what really happened to her.This mission will push gentle, hulking, pious Nayir, a Palestinian orphan raised by his bachelor uncle, to delve into the secret life of a rich, protected teenage girl -- in one of the most rigidly gender-segregated of Middle Eastern societies. Initially horrified at the idea of a woman bold enough to bare her face and to work in public, Nayir soon realizes that if he wants to gain access to the hidden world of women, he will have to join forces with Katya Hijazi, a lab worker at the coroner’s office. Their partnership challenges Nayir, bringing him face to face with his desire for female companionship and the limitations imposed by his beliefs. It also ultimately leads them both to surprising revelations. Fast-paced and utterly transporting, Finding Nouf offers an intimate glimpse inside a closed society and a riveting literary mystery.

I enjoyed this book, the mystery kept you trying to put the pieces together. It was also interesting to see how men and women in Saudi viewed each other.

Homesick Creek (Diane Hammond)

Is marriage a test of how little one can live with-or how much one can give? Hammond tackles this thorny question in her second book about Hubbard, Ore., where the only through street is a highway, work is seasonal and everyone's known each other since forever. The two couples at the heart of this wise, moving novel are diner waitress Bunny and her car salesman husband, Hack, who have more money than love, and Bunny's best friend, the once lovely Anita, and Anita's secretive spouse, Bob, who have more love than money. They're all a good 20 years into their adult lives, plenty long enough to darken their vision of marriage, but not long enough for them to get insight into their own misbehavior. Hammond carefully investigates the good motivations and stark damage fueling her character's self-deceptions, bad decisions and, yes, beautiful gestures, telling her story with spare language and good humor that easily encompasses rich commentary on marital physics. And in that journey comes more than one answer about the test of marriage-witness Anita, who asks for the least and suffers the most. "See?" she tells Bunny. "You think you know all there is to know about someone, and then it turns out you didn't know a damn thing

The little bit of this book that I read had a good story, but the language was too bad. I tried to read on, but the language was hard to read when I don't use that type of language. The story takes place in a small town seaport, so there are a lot of sailors and they use vulger sailor verses throughout the story.

Rogue Angel, Destiny (Alex Archer)

Archaeologist and explorer Annja Creed's fascination with myths and mysteries of the past leads her to a crypt in the caves of France, where the terrifying legend of the Beast of Gevaudan hints at the unimaginable. What she discovers is shattering: an artifact that will seal her destiny; a brotherhood of monks willing to murder to protect their secret; and a powerful black-market occultist desperate to put his own claim to centuries-old blood money. Annja embarks on a high-tension race across Europe and history itself, intent on linking the unholy treachery of the ages with the staggering revelations of the present. But she must survive the shadow figures determined to silence her threat to their existence.

This book was full of action. It also had historical mysteries that had me interested in how they all linked.

The Buck Stops Here (Mindy Starns Clark)

Using her investigative skills, Callie throws herself into the most important mystery she has ever attempted to solve. As she heads to Louisiana to answer questions surrounding her husband's death, will the answers Callie seeks put an end to her relationship with Tom—or will she find what she needs to know in order to move forward and begin the next great adventure of her life?

This is the final book of the Million Dollar Mysteries Series. I really enjoyed this series, it is one I couldn't put down until I was finished reading it.

Allison's Journey (Wanda E Brunstetter)

Growing up with her impatient, disinterested aunt and five older brothers, Allison Troyer is more comfortable playing ball than keeping house. Now, the nineteen-year-old tomboy must learn to run an Amish household. But a future of domestic bliss is hopeless; her lack of femininity will repel any potential husband. Aaron Zook and his family have finally recovered from the heartache of their father's death. Refusing to revisit such pain, Aaron vows never to marry. When his baseball team gets stuck with the new girl, aggravation quickly changes to admiration. Allison is like no girl he has ever met... and he likes that. Will Allison's journey in life take her in another direction, just when love seemed possible? Fall in love with this inspiring love story and our entire collection of Christian romance novels from Heartsong Presents!

Book #4 of Brides of Webster County Series. I have really enjoyed this series. It is an easy read and a cute love story.