- From A Distance by Tamera Pierce - 3 stars
- Valeria's Cross by Kathi Macias -5 stars
[Excerpt] “Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness by then, and up close she could see her intended’s face as he gazed down at her, his dark eyes reflecting the longing she felt in her heart.”
- Havah by Tosca Lee - 4 Stars
[Excerpt] “We could not live as we had before. The world was different, and now we had to think of more than ourselves.”
- Love On Assignment by Cara Lynn James - 4 stars
[Excerpt]”She called Tim and Ruthie. When they came she surged ahead, chasing and tickling them as if she were still a child herself. But as engaging as the children were, it was Ms. Helm that Daniel found he studied.”
- * **Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson - 5 stars
[Excerpt] “When told that he had been found dead beneath the carriage, Lydia didn’t shed a single tear. The shock of her liberty – her sudden freedom from the unbearable misery that had been her fate – was more than she could stand. She fainted dead away.”
- The Private History of a Campaign That Failed by Mark Twain - 4 stars
- Patchwork Dreams by Laura T. Hilton - 3 stars
[Excerpt] “She didn’t know how long she’d sat there reading and praying for peace and understanding, as well as a reprieve from the evening’s plans, but finally a shadow crossed the door, and Mamm stepped in. ‘ You’d best kum down now, daughter. Amos Kropf is here.’”
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London - 4 Stars
[Excerpt] “Nothing daunted him. It was because nothing daunted him that he had been chosen for government courier. He took all manner of risks, resolutely thrusting his little wakened face into the frost and struggling on from dim dawn to dark.” - The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello - 4 stars
[Excerpt] “ I scrambled for the open front door, falling across the threshold. Cold air stung my burning throat. I stood, but suddenly doubled over. My stomach convulsed with dry heaves, eyes watering.”
- A Crown In The Stars by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow - 5 stars
[Excerpt]” And just beyond him, hands also bond, was…Kal! She almost said he name aloud. But the word stopped in her throat, she was so badly shocked. They were here. Kal was here.”
- **Pearl In The Sand by Tessa Afshar - 5 stars
[Excerpt] “Darkness pulled at him and he stopped resisting. Anything to stop hurting. The last image his eyes saw was the sight of Joshua’s bent head, praying”
- Blind Hope by Kim Meeder – 3 stars
[Excerpt] “‘Well I’m learning through the actions of my dog that happiness is a choice; it’s not just something that happens to people.”’
- A Time To Embrace by Karen Kingsbury – 4 stars
[Excerpt]“What in the world? He was going to be hit. Dear God…help me!”
- A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills - 4 stars
[Excerpt] Aiden wasn't known for backing down from a fight or giving up, and with Sage and Parker getting the best of him, the gang would make someone pay. Hopefully their revenge didn't mean another dead body.
- The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy - 3 stars
[Excerpt] The driver's door opened directly over her nose, and Zack stumbled out of the car, tripping over her body, reeking of something mind-bending. He saw Promise and their eyes met, each disbelieving the other. The palms of his hands went to his slick beanie-haired head, and drug-tainted remorse came out of him as a groan.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare- 4 stars
[Excerpt] Or if there were sympathy in choice, war, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, making it momentary as a sound, swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as the lightning in the collied night, that, in a spleen, unfolds both heaven and earth, and ere a man hath power to say, "Behold!" The jaws of darkness do devour it up: So quick the bright things come to confusion.
- **Journey To The Well by Diana Wallis Taylor - 5 stars
[Excerpt] Then she thought of her dream. It had come again last night and thinking of it calmed her. Who was the man in the dream? Would she ever know? She sighed. Her life was as God willed. She must not question His designs. With a start she heard the latch on the door lift. It swung open forcefully and Zibeon stood in the doorway.
- **Head In The Clouds by Karen Whitmeyer - 5 stars
[Exerpt] He peered down the barrel. The rear half of a dark horse stuck out from behind the rocks, its tail swishing the air. Juan had said the first fence cutter rode a painted horse with white markings. What he could see of this one was solid black. Cold read sunk like a stone in Gideon's gut.
"Adelaide." The whispered name fell from his lips at the same instant a gun shot echoed off the rocks.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling- 4 stars
[Excerpt] The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but blinked and Hagrid had gone.
- What The Heart Sees by Kathleen Fuller - 4 stars
[Excerpt] As his sister sped away to take care of her customers, Chris turned his attention back to Ellie. He tried to pinpoint why she looked so different. Or maybe she hadn't changed as much as he thought? He hadn't noticed her too much when they were growing up, not when his attention was always on Caroline.
He sure was noticing her now.
- Love Remains by Kaye Dacus - 4 stars
[Excerpt] Now, more than ever, he wanted to clear her name from the suspect list as soon as possible - so he could start rebuilding their relationship without that hanging over them. She might assume things always turned out badly. But he had enough optimism for both of them.
- A Trail Of Ink by Mel Starr - 4 stars
[Excerpt] The uproar from Arthur's side of the chamber increased, but I was too much absorbed in my own struggle to take notice of it. Two men were upon me, perhaps three, for I felt my hands, arms, and legs pinioning me from all sides. I attempted to yell for help, but as soon as I opened my mouth a woolen rag was stuffed into my muffled cry.
- Michal by Jill Eileen Smith - 5 stars
[Excerpt] "Considering I am with the man who as slain a giant, I should think I am perfectly safe."
David stepped behind her and placed one hand on the small of her back, urging her forward. His touch sent pinpricks of delight through her soul. "Some giants are easier to slay than others." he said softly, leading her toward the garden gate. "You are far to tempting a foe, and I am too weak a man." She turned to him then, and searched his face. His bright eyes bespoke the fire of his longing, and Michal's heart leaped for joy. Perhaps in time he could love her too.
- The Bridge of Peace by Cindy Woodsmall - 5 stars
[Excerpt] She gasped. "Dear Father, no!" She spun around. "Grey! Go. Go." She pointed at the door, and they both ran.He made it outside first and searched for what had her so upset but saw nothing. Lennie passed him, pointing. "The pasture. The bull."Once glance and his body halted. His wife stood in the field some two hundred feet out, facing the bull while waving her arm.
- Code Triage by Candace Calvert - 4 stars
[Excerpt] She sat back and stared down in a daze, seeing the blood, a river of red soaking through her blouse, her skirt, and pooling in her lap, warm and sticky. She clutched her stomach, grabbed a fistful of flimsy flowered fabris, tried to staunch the flow even as she realized everything around her was going gray and fading away.
- Plain Proposal by Beth Wiseman - 5 stars
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving - 2 stars
- O' Pioneers by Willa Cather - 4 stars
[Excerpt] Carl shook his head mournfully. "Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be missed. But off there in the cities there are thousands of rolling stones like me. We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing. ..."
- The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello - 5 stars
[Excerpt] "I will never forget that." Jack said.I looked over. His eyes matched the green-blue water below, and as I stared into them, the landscape seemed to fade away. I could hear the blood again, rushing in my ears.
"And I will never forget that I saw it with you." he said.
- **Wounded Spirits by April W. Gardner - 5 stars
[Excerpt] "Where are you, God? In all of this...where are You?" Zechariah's voice cracked. He lifted his face toward the dark sky. Smoke blurred the stars, and ash stung his eyes. He clenched his fist and screamed. "Where are You?"
- Bartleby by Herman Melville - 3 stars
- Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson - 3 stars
[Excerpt] I smile and think "I wouldn't be caught dead in this aqua dress," but instead I hug her and her warmth. Her flowery smell and her cherry breath on my cheek take my heart away to a place called love.
"You make me feel like a princess, Grammie"This is completely true and has nothing to do with the dress.
- Beyond the Horizon, a play in three acts by Eugene O'Neill - 4 stars
- **Jewel of Persia by Rosanna White - 5 stars
[Excerpt] The shuffle of feet moved toward the door, and Kasia knew she must face her king. Her husband. As she turned, she wondered what other similarities she would find between this man and the one she had met at the river. The king stood at the mid-point of the room, his eyes locked on her. Eyes that were filled with light. He had a nose, straight and strong. A mouth quirked up into a half-smile.Kasia let her eyes go round, let the last of the anxiety seep out. "You? You are the king?"
- Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs - 5 stars
[Excerpt] Lord, when we feel like the baddest of the bad, give us the humility to repent. Exchange our dirty hearts for clean ones. Fill us with fresh hope for our forever with you.
- The Journey by Wanda Brunstetter - 4 stars
[Excerpt] There was a hole in the wall, and as he bent to examine it, he discovered an envelope sticking partway out. He reached town an gave it a tug. The envelope ripped open and he gasped. There was a wad of money inside - a lot of money!
- Helen Keller - The Story of My Life - 3 stars
[Excerpt] For, after all, every one who wishes to gain true knowledge must climb the Hill Difficulty alone, and since there is no royal road to the summit, I must zigzag it in my own way. I slip back many times, I fall, I stand still, I run against the edge of hidden obstacles, I lose my temper and find it again and keep it better, I trudge on, I gain a little, I feel encouraged, I get more eager and climb higher and begin to see the widening horizon. Every struggle is a victory. One more effort and I reach the luminous cloud, the blue depths of the sky, the uplands of my desire.
- The First Escape by G.P Taylor - 4 stars
- Miranda and Starlight by Janet Muirhead Hill - 5 stars
[Excerpt] With a death hold on the short mane, Miranda pulled back with all her might. But the stallion kept up the chase, pushing the mare even faster. Miranda willed herself to stay on as she watched the ground blur beneath her. She heard the clanging of a bell behind her, marking the end of recess.
- Not My Will by Francena H. Arnold - 4 stars
[Excerpt] As always, Mrs. Stewarts eyes turned sadly to the mounds under the pines. Then she clutched Bob's arm. "Stop, oh stop! Bob, by the stone! Oh, we should have known she would come here!"
Bob was already running up the slope toward the pines.
- **Deadly Ties by Vicki Hinze - 5 stars
[Excerpt] Powel grabbed Lisa's arm, dragged her in that direction."I am not getting in that truck!" God help me. Please help me. Don't leave me in this tunnel. "Let go of me." She screamed and kept screaming. They tussled and Powell grabbed her left arm. She spun and popped him hard in the knee. He doubled over, dropped down. Lisa broke free, turned to run for it--and rushed straight into Edmunds flying fist.
- The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley - 2 stars
[Excerpt] Alistair Ingram was no longer standing before them. Clutching at his chest and tearing at his vestments, he sat heavily on the steps. The mother caught her son up in her arms. She turned his hear into her shoulder, covering his face. Alistair slumped sideways. Faith realized that she was standing in the aisle, then she began to ran towards the chancel steps.
- The Lightkeeper's Ball by Colleen Coble - 5 stars
[Excerpt] The next thing she knew she was flying through the air. She saw blue sky through the trees, then her attention turned to the mossy ground rising to meet her. She inhaled the feculent scent of decaying leaves and dirt, then hit the ground and went end over end.
- In the Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll - 4 stars
[Excerpt] Funny, she didn't believe him. But she also didn't look away from Maddox. The unspoken line had been drawn. No ay would she break eye contact first. Childish? Perhaps. But she wouldn't drop her gaze.
- Undercover Pursuit by Susan May Warren - 2 stars
[Excerpt] Her eyes filled, her hand pressed to her mouth. She shook her head, almost pleading, and with everything inside him wanted to yank back his words. But he had to seal the deal. For Scarlett's sake. For Lucia's sake. For the sake of the mission.
- **The Fire in Ember by DiAnn Mills - 5 stars
[Excerpt] No, please. Stop. I beg you. I'm not a boy!" Bert's last shriek could have been heard on the other side of the Rockies, but the silence it brought left them all speechless. Aaron and Mark immediately released the kid as though they'd touched hot coals.
- **Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren - 5 stars
[Excerpt] "Maybe its inside," I said to Lia, then trunted through another wave of pain. They were getting stronger. "An infection. Deep down." But the frantic pace of my heart was scaring me more now. I couldn't get it to calm down. It was pounding so hard I thought it might look like those old cartoons, with a heart-shaped pillar bouncing in and out of my chest. The men burst through the door, my medicine flask in hand. Marcello's face was white. "She's been poisoned,"
- **Cascade by Lisa T. Bergren - 5 stars
[Excerpt] Mom freaked out when she saw us, of course.I couldn’t blame her, with Lia in her medieval gown. And melooking like I’d been mauled by a bear. Especially when two meaty guards were hauling us into Dr. Manero’s tent. “It’s all right, Mom,”I said, hands out, as she rushed toward us.
- Mission: Out of Control by Susan May Warren - 3 stars
[Excerpt] Her hands shook as she slipped the phone back into her sleeve. She took a breath. Opened the door. And wouldn't you know it, there stood the Boy Scout on the other side."Gotcha."
- Disaster Status by Candance Calvert - 5 stars
[Excerpt] Erin's eyes widened. The triage nurse looked awful - pale, sweaty, teary-eyed. Sandy was holding her hand to her head, trembling. What happened? Before she could ask, Sandy's eyelids fluttered and her knees gave way.
- A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf - 3 stars
[Excerpt] Dear Father in Heaven, Esther prayed in despair. I came here because I thought that was what You wanted of me. Send me a sign. Please I beg of You, tell me what I am to do!
- **Return to Alastair by L.A Kelly - 5 stars
But Tiarra only stood and ran out. Surely my brother knows about me, she was thinking. Martica has told me he was old enough. And surely our father's kinsman who took him from this city would have known, too, that Tahn Dorn had a sister. Why has he never come seeking mer?
