Bout of Books 21

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 8th and runs through Sunday, January 14th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 21 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

It's time for another round of Bout of Books—I'm so excited! I intend to have a fantastic reading week, since I decided to go back to school this year and probably won't have too much reading time later in the semester. So, without further ado, here's the list of books I'm hoping to get read:

-Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer*

-The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty*

-The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

-Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

-Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

-Oath of Honor by Lynette Eason

-The Princess Bride by William Goldman

-A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White

-The Uncloaked Trilogy (The Uncloaked*, Tearing the Veil, Charging the Darkness) by J. Rodes

-Winter Solstice by Elin Hilderbrand

* = started reading before January 8th

And throughout the read-a-thon week, I'll be posting here with my progress. (Feel free to join the reading fun by signing up over at Bout of Books!)

Happy reading!

The Friday 56 & First Line Friday | The Lacemaker

The Friday 56 is hosted weekly by Freda's Voice.
First Line Friday is hosted weekly by Hoarding Books.

Happy Friday (and New Year)!

Laura Frantz's The Lacemaker has been one of my most anticipated releases for months, and I'm so happy to finally be reading it. It's so good so far, and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with it this weekend.

High-Stakes Action & Adventure | Mojave Rescue by Tanya Stowe

ABOUT THE BOOK

Brilliant, electronic warfare engineer, Drina Gallagher is riddled by guilt and determined to create a weapon to protect American soldiers. Cal Norwood is a CIA agent working undercover. For two years he’s been trying to infiltrate a highly organized group selling secret plans on the black market. He’s scheduled to connect with operatives at a wind farm in the middle of the desert where he’ll be taken by helicopter to meet with the leader. He arrives at the meeting place only to discover the men have kidnapped Drina and plan to kill her. Cal must make an instant choice, keep his cover and stop the organization or save Drina. Cal chooses Drina. They race across the Mojave Desert to escape the killers and Drina discovers that Cal is a man of action grounded in unbreakable faith. His personal walk gives Drina the confidence she needs to confront the guilt of her past. Can He possibly forgive her and allow her and Cal to escape their pursuers? Or will all her hopes and dreams die in the desert?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

Baseball & First Love | Steal Away Home by Billy Coffey

ABOUT THE BOOK

“This is a powerful story of grief, love, forgiveness, and holy mystery, and I loved it. Billy Coffey is a master storyteller.” —Lauren Denton, USA Today bestselling author of The Hideaway

Owen Cross grew up with two loves: one a game, the other a girl. One of his loves ruined him. Now he’s counting on the other to save him.

Owen Cross’s father is a hard man, proud in his brokenness, who wants nothing more than for Owen to succeed where he failed. With his innate talents and his father’s firm hand guiding him, Owen goes to college with dreams of the major leagues—and an emptiness full of a girl named Micky Dullahan.

Owen loved Micky from the first time they met on the hill between their two worlds: his middle-class home and her troubled Shantytown. Years later he leaves her for the dugouts and the autographs, but their days together follow him. When he finally returns home, he discovers that even peace comes at a cost. And that the hardest things to say are to the ones we love the most.

From bestselling author Billy Coffey comes a haunting story of small-town love, blinding ambition, and the risk of giving it all for one last chance.

“In one evening, a single baseball game, Coffey invites us into a lifetime. With lyrical prose and aching description we join Owen Cross on a journey of love, loss, faith, the unexpected—and America’s favorite pastime.” —Katherine Reay, author of Dear Mr. Knightley and The Austen Escape

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

A Unique Contemporary Christian Romance | The Esther Paradigm by Sarah Monzon

ABOUT THE BOOK

The daughter of missionaries, Hannah Pratt dreams of starting a school for the Bedouin clan with whom she spent her childhood. After completing her education in the United States, she returns to the desert to pursue that dream—only to learn her parents have been receiving threats from within the community they serve. As the danger escalates, Hannah must decide how far she’ll go to stay faithful to a calling that could cost her everything.

As sheikh, Karim Al-Amir feels the weight of responsibility as the leader of his people. When a mysterious illness ravages the clan’s flocks and threatens to destroy their centuries-old way of life, some of his people believe the American doctors and their daughter, his childhood friend, are to blame. Karim must do something to keep Hannah and her parents safe—even if the only solution is to be found within marriage vows.

In a society where the line is drawn between us and them, where Christianity is outlawed and foreigners suspect, will Karim and Hannah’s union heal wounds . . . or inflict a final, fatal blow?

Old Testament history meets twenty-first century tensions in this compassionate, tender inspirational romance.

Goodreads | Amazon