Bibliophile Support Group

Within My Heart is Tamera Alexander's final book in her Timber Ridge Reflections series. In 1877 Timber Ridge, Colorado, Rachel Boyd is trying her very hardest to keep her late husband's dream of a ranch alive to honor him, and give her two little boys a better life. But running a ranch is difficult for anyone, especially a widow with two small children, piling bills, and a bitter cold that is thinning the herd. Yet Rachel isn't one to give up. Dr. Rand Brookston only arrived to Timber Ridge a couple of years ago and never met Rachel's husband, Thomas. He admires her from a distance and wishes she didn't seem to dislike him so much. What he doesn't know is that he reminds her of her father, and her opinion of doctors is pretty much set in stone. But there is more to him, and a past that causes him secret shame to this day. When tragedy strikes and a dear friend of Rachel's needs medical help, Rachel and Rand find themselves together more often - a tentat...

Welcome to the Bibliophile Support Group, Molly! Molly is the author of the YA historical fiction novel Call Me Kate (which I thought was a great read, for more details on what I thought read my review below). Call Me Kate seemed very authentic and full of period details - how much research did you have to do? I researched for several years, but it was not all for the book. I’ve been doing family history research since 1998. That was the year I realized how wonderful the internet could be for genealogists. The census and other records fascinated me, especially things like the employment and the death indices. Those records included occupations I’d never encountered and diseases/causes of death that were strange and terrifying. I also began to read old newspapers to get the flavor of the time period. How much of Call Me Kate (percentage wise) was true to life? I would say 80% of the book is true to life. The dates of events were factual, and the mining information was as close to ...

Masquerade is the new historical fiction release from Christy Award winning author Nancy Moser. It is 1886 and Charlotte Gleason has it all, has had it all for the first 19 years of her life in Wiltshire, England. But when her birthday party comes and she stands waiting and waiting in her finest for her friends and acquaintances, as well her potential fiance Ralph, and no one arrives except one rather haughty "friend" that leaves promptly - her life changes. She realizes that her aloofness has caught up with her, and the reality is that her family's standing in the community is in jeopardy. The laying off of half the Dornby Manor's staff had barely reached her notice, but now she sees it as stark evidence that the Gleason finances are in disarray. Her parents send her off to America with a mission: marry the besotted, extremely wealthy heir that she only ever, with disdain, corresponded with through letters and has never met. But this does not meet Charlotte's ...

In Every Heartbeat is the newest Christian historical fiction release of Kim Vogel Sawyer. The early tensions and rumbles of World War I is the talk of all the newspapers and the backdrop as Libby, Pete, and Bennett enter their first year of college in 1914. As scholarship students leaving their orphanage home (where none of them were ever adopted) for the first time, the three close friends are both excited and apprehensive about their future. Libby dreams of being a famous journalist, Pete wishes to fulfill his calling of becoming a minister, and Bennett isn't quite sure what he wants to do except have a blast and maybe pledge a fraternity. Problem is, as close as the three were in their many years at the orphanage, their different goals and hopes begin to slowly pull them apart. Before they know it, their lives seem to rarely overlap. But when Libby stumbles across a piece of information that has to do with Pete's past and the family that abandoned him it could either be ...

Roswell or Bust is a (slightly) older title from the YA sci-fi extraordinare Henry Melton. Shall he dazzle me again? We shall see! Joe Ferris wishes he could join a basketball team, like other teenage guys. He wishes he could hang out and do nothing after finishing his homework. But he has been raised to help guests and do what needs to be done as the third generation in his family's motel business. Barely anyone knows about little Las Vegas, New Mexico, but the Railroad Motel manages to get some regular guests - including one nice, keep-to-himself-type John Smith. However, when John Smith leaves his room in a hurry and forgets a strange item behind in his room, Joe is about to have much more adventurous time than he's ever had tidying up rooms and checking in guests. Especially when he meets mute Judith who is desperately searching for John Smith, whom she believes is in danger. How does this all end up involving the 1947 Roswell incident? Believe me, it does. :) Roswell o...

Let's give a big welcome to the Bibliophile Support Group to Vordak! To all who don't know (yet), Vordak is the author of Vordak the Incomprehensible: How to Grow Up and Rule the World . You can read my review here . Can you tell us a little about it, Vordak? Absolutely. A spectacular and handsome Supervillain (ME!) gives awe-inspiring advice to undeserving little whelps (you) on how to take over the planet. Can you explain to us all what exactly makes you incomprehensible? Merriam-Webster defines INCOMPREHENSIBLE as: having or subject to no limits, impossible to comprehend. I think that pretty much covers it. What do you say to all of those kids who aspire to be the superhero, not the villain? I’ll be seeing somewhere down the line – preferably dangling over my tank of angry, underfed piranha. How do you convince people to read your book instead of, say, Harry Potter? I suppose Harry Potter can be an enjoyable read, but what are you left with when you finish? The story of a li...

Love's First Bloom is the newest Christian historical fiction by Delia Parr. A taste of what it's about: When scandal and ruin begin to reach Ruth's minister father in 1838 New York City, he tells her she must go far away - and take care of a baby that is not her own, in order to protect them both. She resists, not wanting to leave him when he is about to be charged with a crime he did not commit... a crime she knows he did not commit - but in the end she does what she asks, as the dutiful, loving daughter she is. But hiding from the reporters searching for her doesn't just mean leaving New York, it means pretending to be someone she is not. Not to mention pretending to be the mother of this child - despite knowing nothing about how to care for her. Yet Ruth is ready to wait, and hope, for her father's acquittal and try to make a temporary home in the seaside village she resides. And start to befriend Jake, an injured man that lives on the property she tends her g...

How to Grow Up and Rule the World is written by the incomprehensible (obviously) Vordak the Incomprehensible. In it, the brilliant supervillain (who has come close many times to ruling the world but has always been stopped by the irritating Commander Virtue, because of circumstances completely beyond his control) he provides never-before-seen insight and tips on how to, well, grow up and rule the world. This includes, but is not limited to, selecting an evil name, building an army of minions, choosing a location for your lair, picking a spine-tingling costume and everything you need to know about being a supervillain. So, How to Grow Up and Rule the World is targeted at 9-12 year olds, and I'm sure with a special focus on little boys. Thing is, this is an absolutely hilarious and entertaining read for all ages! It would be a great gift for young boys (and girls, of course, if they find humor in superheroes and supervillains) - but I must stress that this is worth reading for ev...

Today is my 23rd birthday! And what better way to celebrate it than to talk about an awesome YA paranormal anthology, Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love ? It is edited by Trisha Telep and has stories from tons of top-selling YA authors, such as Becca Fitzpatrick, Rachel Vincent, Maggie Stiefvater, and more! The basic idea of Kiss Me Deadly is a compilation of supernatural/paranormal YA short stories - all of which involve some sort of love story. I'm going to give mini reviews to each story - mainly just my impression of it without any plot details, so as to let you experience the sensation of reading Kiss Me Deadly as I did - which you totally should, by the way. :) The Assassin's Apprentice : This story starts off quick and has a poetic language that weaves a tale of suspense and danger, vengeance and mourning. To be honest, this was probably the weakest link to me in the anthology. Though it was good, it couldn't compare to the rest of the tales - and there wa...

The Vigilante's Bride is Yvonne Harris' debut historical fiction novel. The year is 1884, and in Chicago Emily McCarthy, 18 years old, finds herself in a difficult position. She has been raised in an orphanage, but now they need room to start teaching and housing some Indian children. Those who run the orphanage encourage Emily to accept a bride advertisement and go to Montana to marry a wealthy widower, Bartholomew Axel. Emily has absolutely no desire to do this, but since she can't find a job anywhere she doesn't see any other choice. Luke Sullivan has a tragic past that returns to the forefront of his mind when he catches a criminal while working with the vigilante Committee he is a part of, under his ranch employer. The criminal leads him to believe that the gambling loss that his father suffered (and began the troubles that would befall his family for years to come) was not the honest loss they all had believed - but a cheat. So, when Luke gets the chance to try...