All That Was Promised, by Vickie Hall

All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall brought me quickly through its front page to 1847 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. I was immediately interested in this LDS novel because my grandparents were from Llantrisant, Glamorgan, Wales. The backdrop has always fascinated me, which only added to my being "hooked" by Vickie's engrossing tale of conversion and persecution in and around Cardiff. Vickie weaves a beautiful story of love and betrayal within the pages of her book, along with backstory from the point of view of many of her characters. The reader empathizes with the Latter Day Saints plight, struggles as they struggle, rejoices as they rejoice, fear as they fear . . . .

Not only does Vickie have the ability to catch my interest, but she kept that interest in the engaging tale in All That Was Promised. I found danger, humor, concern, anger, laughter, compassion and a multitude of other feelings as she captivated me at each new turn in the road.

Richard and Leah Kenyon are the main characters: a young Methodist minister and his wife, who had already known disappointment and bereavement in the loss of their unborn children. It seemed as though the very gates of hell had opened up its wide mouth to consume them, yet they came through the Refiner's fire with conviction and spirit.

Add to the Kenyon's fiery storms a deranged brother (and his evil wife), a niece caught up in a terrible drama, a missionary whose family suffers tragedy of their own, a barmaid who ultimately cleaves unto the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a deluded murderer who would kill all "Mormons" if given the opportunity, and you have All That Was Promised . . . an engaging story that doesn't let you up from its absorbing pages until the very last word is spilled out.

Would I recommend the book to others? Yes, it was a tale that needed to be told . . . in a beautiful country, the county of my own ancestors.

That said, please be aware that the book is seriously flawed with a multitude of POV changes within each scene, something its editor(s) should have pounced on from the very first page.

Chocolate Never Faileth by Annette Lyon

Annette Lyon has outdone herself this time. From the moment her book, Chocolate Never Faileth, arrived in my mailbox, I have spent hours perusing the book and going over the recipes in great detail, including all the lead paragraphs introducing each recipe. Chocolate Never Faileth opens with important notes on non-chocolate ingredients as well as vital information on chocolate, itself. For goodness sakes, don't skip these two sections as they will be well worth your time.

Afterward, Annette dives right into Chocolate Cakes, one of the most daunting experiences (for me). Making a great homemade chocolate cake is something I've never achieved in my half-century of baking experiments. But, Annette makes it sound so easy; she actually starts this section with Devil's Food Cake and moves on from there to Chocolate Oatmeal Cake, then Cockeyed Cake, which is merely dumping all the ingredients into the baking pan and mixing it well with a fork before baking it (I'm sure I can make this one as it seems so simple a child could easily do it. Just wait until you reach Annette's Hot Fudge Cake (ooh, sounds so yummy!). She doesn't skip out on cheesecake, either, which is a true classic. The 3-Minute Microwave Chocolate Cake, which would be a great holiday gift to give with cute Christmas Mugs (microwave safe, of course), with the dry ingredients already stirred inside, and a little bow with a label that instructs on the wet ingredients to add and the baking/microwave directions.

Don't get me started on the Cookie section in Chocolate Never Faileth, with 14 cookie recipes ranging from delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies to Chocolate Coconut Macaroons, and a dozen more in between. The Brownies, Bars & Other Single-Serving Bliss recipes follows the Cookie Section, and covers Chocoholic Lemon Squares, Gooey Turtle Brownies, and several more heavenly bar recipes that sound so simple to throw together, I know even I can make them.

Annette's directions are clear and precise and the side notes are laugh-out-loud funny, such as on page 73, where it says, "Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but she can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake." So true in my case.

The section on Mousses, Pies, Puddings & Stuff in Bowls is yet another chocolate treasure to lick your way through, and assures the reader: "Countless numbers of people have eaten chocolate for breakfast and gone on to lead normal lives." This section contains recipes like Luscious Chocolate Tart, White Chocolate Filling and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. Annette offers Classic Chocolate Mousse in this section and it is positively as yummy as her Easy Chocolate Pudding, which is pretty much foolproof. Chocolate Cherry Cordial Ice Cream is one recipe I plan on trying this summer when we have one of our family get togethers because I've now learned the recipes within the pages of Chocolate Never Faileth are completely trustworthy. And, Annette's pie recipes, of which there are several that tempt me almost too much, including French Silk Pie, are too yummy to even attempt to explain.

Under the heading Snacks & Gifts, Annette gives us a large variety of fudges, including Orange Fudge, and "Symphonic" Peanut Butter Fudge, and of course, the best Perfect Chocolate Milk.

Annette's section on Molded Suckers & Mints will surprise you with the ingenuity and eye-appealing recipes found there, including Cherry Cordial Popcorn, Gourmet Gorp, and Hot Cocoa Mix.

An entire section is devoted to chocolate delights in the form of Pastries, and another for Icings, Toppings & Dips. Annette even includes a section she calls Fancy (But Easy) Bliss, which includes among its many recipes Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries, Chocolate Pizza, and even Chocolate-Dipped Boxes.

The last section, which entirely surprised me, is called Non-Edible Chocolate Bliss, which gives a number of body products such as Body Scrubs, Play Dough, Lip Gloss . . . you get the picture.

Along with the recipes within the pages of Chocolate Never Faileth, Annette Lyon has included many photos of the recipes already prepared, and they are very stylishly done. Sometimes the photo alone tempts me to try the recipe. If all this is not enough, Annette reminds the baker, "While there is chocolate, there is life." I couldn't agree more.

Great work, Annette. Will there be a sequel?

Books by Laurie Alice Eakes

I've been reading Laurie Alice Eakes' novels lately. She writes for Heartsong, and her novels have become rare treasures to my bulging collection.

The first novel of Laurie's that I read was titled, Better Than Gold and tells the story of Lily Reese, who can't wait to escape Browning City, Iowa, for the big city. She can't see the loving family of townspeople around her for the stars in her eyes for something larger and grander. It takes a humble Ben Purcell to teach her to recognize that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. Included within the pages are the rumors of a long-lost cache of gold somewhere in the building where Ben Purcell resides. The readers will soon find themselves face to face with danger and intrigue . . . which melds beautifully into the romance budding between Ben and Lily. Better Than Gold is set back in the 1870's and each scene is reminiscent of that time frame, for Laurie has done her research well. It is such a delightful story, and one I will always recommend.

Next, I read Laurie's novel, The Glassblower, which I didn't believe (at first) could come close to capturing my attention as eagerly as did Better Than Gold, however, I was pleasantly surprised. From the very first page to the very last, I was engrossed and could scarcely put it down. The story is about Meg Jordan, daughter of the wealthy owner of Jordan Glassworks. Meg dreams of becoming a teacher for the poor, local children in Salem County, New Jersey, and not the wife of Joseph Pyle, whom her father seems set on her marrying. Set in the early 1800's, The Glassblower, also known as Colin Grassick, arrives at Jordan Glassworks from Scotland, where he has mastered the art of blowing glass into intricate and beautiful pieces, and he quickly becomes the lead glassblower for Meg's father. When Meg and Colin first meet, it is apparent that he captures her heart as quickly as she captures his. But Colin will never qualify as suitor to Meg because her father has a much wealthier man, Joseph Pyle, in mind for her. But, Meg's heart is quickly stolen by Colin and she begins to see Joseph Pyle in a much more sinister light than she could have imagined. Mystery, intrigue and an enduring romance are all key elements of The Glassblower and it is another of Laurie's novels I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Enter The Heiress, which takes place a few decades later than The Glassblower and I am just now beginning this third novel by Laurie Alice Eakes. With Laurie's two earlier novels under my belt, I'm looking forward to reading The Heiress, with just as much enthusiasm as I did the first two. Somehow, I know I won't be disappointed.

True Miracles with Genealogy, by Anne Bradshaw

Within moments of the book, True Miracles with Genealogy, arriving at my doorstep, I was lying on my bed reading it. Being an avid family history nut, I found the stories Anne Bradshaw compiled both compelling and inspirational. Of course, two of my own stories are found within the pages, which gave me an extra advantage in wanting to read the others. To my delight, I found all of the other stories drawing me in (although I was quite disappointed when each story ended, as I wanted to read more and more from each author).

My only regret is that the volume wasn't a thousand stories long, as I am sure there are many, many more delightful experiences out there just waiting to be told by others.

Anne has a real knack for gathering and compiling stories that touch the heart and enlighten the mind, and True Miracles with Genealogy is no exception. I hope Anne compiles another one just like it, only hundreds of pages longer. I could read such inspirational stories all day long!

Great work, Anne! Thanks for sharing this remarkable little book with the rest of us.

IMPRINTS by Rachel Ann Nunes

I loved the cover for Rachel Ann Nunes new book, Imprints, and quickly found myself unwilling to put it aside for very long. It is a fascinating read and a great novel.

Quoting from the back cover: A young woman is missing. In desperation, her parents turn to Autumn Rain for help. Autumn reads imprints -- emotions mysteriously left behind on certain treasured objects. But will this ability enrich her life or destroy it?

The first two paragraphs caught my attention and the rest of the story kept it. I felt myself drawn to Autumn Rain, a remarkably kind woman with an ability to see the past through objects she touches. Autumn's adventures begin to unravel when she follows her instincts and joins a group she believes has brainwashed two women and is, perhaps, holding them captive against their will. Of course, she hopes to free the women, but how can she fight against the evil Dar and his mob?

Earlier, Jake entered her life. Jake is an uncommonly caring man whose devotion to Autumn is apparent from the very beginning. But, there's also Ethan, for whom Autumn feels a strange and exciting attachment. Will either man be "the one" to make her fall in love, or are both just toying with her emotions?

The chapter endings scream at the reader to "hurry and turn the page," as though the book has imprinted on us and we are lured into the story and absorbed by it. Even with the surprise twist at the ending, Imprints holds the reader to the page much like the spider lures the fly, until we have no choice but to be startled just when everything seems safe and sane again.

Imprints is one book you won't want to start late at night because you won't want to put it down until the very last word. Even then, you'll want to go back for a second read because the story has so many twists and turns that leave the reader breathless.

Two thumbs up for Imprints! Rachel is to be applauded for this truly captivating story.

Hanging by The Thread by Donald B. Anderson

Hanging by The Thread is the kind of novel you want to start early in the day because it will suck you in and keep your interest until you've turned the very last page. It begins with a presidential assassination and leads you through a series of bombings and potential bombings by a secret organization (calling itself The Thread) hiding amongst numerous government agencies. When an innocent young man finds a lost document that outlines The Thread's plans to blow up the state capitol building, he turns to his uncle, an FBI agent, to help him overthrow the plot and restore peace to the USA.

Donald B. Anderson's fast-paced novel is both intriguing and interesting. With numerous twists and turns, the reader is left guessing how the story will ever turn out when lives are in danger and the government is truly hanging by a thread. At the conclusion of the novel are a series of lectures on economics by one of the characters in the novel, giving a rich background into just how gullible we've really become and how easy it would be for such a group as The Thread to infiltrate our ranks.

Hanging by The Thread is one novel I heartily recommend to my readers.

Chesapeake Weddings by Cecelia Dowdy

Chesapeake Weddings contains three novellas under one cover. Written by Cecelia Dowdy, there are three stories within the pages:

1. John's Quest, the endearing tale of Monica Crawford, who becomes the guardian of her sister's blind son, Scotty, when the mother abandons him unexpectedly. The heartaches and concerns Monica feels for the child are tender and empathic, and are only enhanced when John French arrives on the scene to tutor Scotty, who is woefully behind in academics due to his biological mother's neglect. Monica can't quite decide whether or not to trust John French, but as they learn to know one another, her fears are put aside and she allows herself to fall in love. Does he learn to love her back? Well, I'm not going to spoil the story for you here. But, do read it.

2. Milk Money begins when Emily Cooper meets Franklin Reese. She is elbow-deep in the birthing process of one of her favorite cows. Not recognizing Frank as the accountant sent to audit the farm's books, she puts him straight to work helping her with the complicated birth. What ensues is a down-home romance that will kindle warm hope in any reader's heart. Complicated sub-plots regarding Emily's step-mother and two step-sisters only adds drama to the measure, so it's sure to be a story you won't soon forget.

3. Bittersweet Memories are all that Karen Brown has left. Karen, a character first introduced in John's Quest, returns home to live with her mother because her fiancee has disappeared, along with his "other" girl friend and a small fortune stolen from the church's treasury. She arrives at her mom's heart-broken and distrustful of men in general. Instead of her mother, Karen finds Keith Baxter, her mother's next-door-neighbor, working on the kitchen plumbing. Karen is a little snappy with him, but soon apologizes and a friendship ensues. But, can the friendship ever become romantic when Keith has sworn off marriage and is still unhappy with his brother? And, Karen doesn't know how to trust another man in her life, especially one whom her mother has apparently told "everything", leaving Karen with very little to share with him in the way of conversation. This story has its own twists and turns, but the reader will be surprised and pleased at the outcome.

All three novellas are Christian-oriented and, while not being preachy, they present a way of living that coincides with Bible-centered study. Cecelia Dowdy has woven into her characters their flaws and failings, then allows them to lift themselves out of the rubble and begin anew along a Christ-like path. At the conclusion of Chesapeake Weddings, the reader is asked to choose a favorite between the three novellas, and mine is Bittersweet Memories, though it was difficult to decide. I like the obstacles both main characters overcame in the story and I liked the family dynamics, as well.