Monday, December 10, 2012

The Oath - Frank Peretti

May's 2013 book.

An ancient sin. A long forgotten oath. A town with a deadly secret.

Something evil is at work in Hyde River, an isolated mining town in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest.

Under the cover of darkness, a predator strikes without warning—taking life in the most chilling and savage fashion.

The community of Hyde River watches in terror as residents suddenly vanish. Yet, the more locals are pressed for information, the more they close ranks, sworn to secrecy by their forefathers’ hidden sins.

Only when Hyde River’s secrets are exposed is the true extent of the danger fully revealed. What the town discovers is something far more deadly than anything they’d imagined. Something that doesn’t just stalk its victims, but has the power to turn hearts black with decay as it slowly fills their souls with darkness.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

The God Cookie - Geoffrey Wood

April's book 2013

Would you know if he did, if God really spoke to you– would it be booming from the heavens or just in your head?

If it was in your head, how would you know if it was God or wasn’t?

Is God speaking right now but we’re just not listening?

And if God does tell you something…what would you do about it?

Meet Parrish. He’s a regular guy, owns a coffee shop. He happens to be shooting the breeze with his buddies at the neighborhood Chinese buffet, talking about the dents in golf balls and such, when the discussion develops into a debate on whether or not God still speaks to people.

When his friends skip out and he is left alone, Parrish tells God he's “all in.” Ready to listen, do what he’s told, and see what happens. Only moments later, back at his table, he opens his fortune cookie to find a surprise -- instead of a proverbial statement, he reads a directive from God.

“Take the corner.”

God, via cookie, sends him on this first step of a seemingly absurd adventure. His quest sends him to the corner bus stop, where he finds a dropped and forgotten letter, written in a desperate tone, to help those God brings across his path. There, Parrish befriends Audra, a nursing student who rides the bus home. And together they begin to follow the god cookie message, pursuing the random threads of the experiment, tying them together and discovering more about themselves than either ever imagined possible.

The Tutor's Daughter - Julie Klassen

March's book 2013

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.

When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame...and which brother to trust with her heart?

The Breath of Dawn - Kristen Heitzmann

February's book - 2013

Morgan Spencer has had just about all he can take of life. Following the tragic death of his wife, Jill, he retreats to his brother's Rocky Mountain ranch to heal and focus on the care of his infant daughter, Olivia. Two years later, Morgan begins to make plans to return to his home in Santa Barbara to pick up the pieces of his life and career.

Quinn Riley has been avoiding her past for four years. Standing up for the truth has forced her into a life of fear and isolation. After a "chance" first meeting and a Thanksgiving snowstorm, Quinn is drawn into the Spencer family's warm and loving world, and she begins to believe she might find freedom in their friendship.

The man Quinn helped put behind bars has recently been released, however, and she fears her past will endanger the entire Spencer family. As the danger heightens, she determines to leave town for the sake of the people who have come to mean so much to her.

Fixing problems is what Morgan Spencer does best, and he is not willing to let Quinn run away, possibly into the clutches of a man bent on revenge. But Morgan's solution sends him and Quinn on an unexpected path, with repercussions neither could have anticipated.