#25 - Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury

(336 pgs) I am really enjoying this author! Her Christian fiction novels are super. This one is about Brad who is engaged to Laura and the wedding is 6 weeks away. However, at work, Brad is supposed to be coming up with an add campagin for Kotton Kids - a high end organic line of baby products. This takes Brad back to his past and his high school girlfriend, Emma, and some unresolved issues with them. Can he see Emma and make things right before moving on with Laura...or will seeing Emma cause them to fall in love again? It was a great story and I hope to find more Karen Kingsbury novels at the public library. I'm now a huge fan!

#24 - Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury

(293 pgs) This book I checked out from the public library when I was looking for Take Four by the same author. This isn't part of a series, is just a good, stand alone novel. In this story, Cory loses his mother at 6 years old, and goes to live with her friend from work, Megan. Cory is convinced his dad is 49ers quarterback Aaron Hill and wants to contact him. Megan, however, believes Cory has just made him up because he wants a father so badly. When Aaron shows up at the Youth Center where Megan volunteers for foster kids....things get interesting. Another great Christian novel that really deals with real life situations and shows how God can and will work in our lives when we just give Him the chance. I think I have a new favorite author...and looking at the books she has published, I can read her books for a long time to come!

#23-Take Four by Karen Kingsbury

(352 pages) I LOVE THIS SERIES AND AUTHOR!! As much as I loved the Yada Yada books, I was sad when I had finished all 7. I have finished this series by Karen Kingsbury since my library had Take Four and I have checked out two other titles by her. I can't wait to read all of her books! This was a conclusion to several story lines and a great way to introduce the new Bailey Flannigan series she has begun writing. Keith and Dane finish the making of their movie Unlocked and God makes their dreams come true and then some during the filming of this movie. Andi delivers her baby and it all wraps up beautifully - even finishing it at school I had to work hard to keep the tears from my eyes! Can't wait to read more of her books. Thanks Mom, for making the suggestion!

#22 - Take Three by Karen Kingsbury

(311 pgs) The next book in the Above the Line series...and now I want Take Four! It wasn't $.99 so I didn't buy it yet...and didn't figure I'd finish the others so quickly anyway! Again, this picks up with Keith and Chase trying to finish The Last Letter and get deals secured for Unlocked. Chase struggles with Kelly and his girls while Keith and Lisa worry about Andi and the distance she has developed from them. Bailey continues to date Tim but wonders about Cody while Cody worries about his mother and possible relapses. Love this series and the way the flow so easily from one to the next. I will be searching the libraries for Take Four to see how she wraps up the series.

#21 - Take Two by Karen Kingsbury

(298 pgs) This was the sequel to Take One and again, $.99 at Mardel. Love this series! Chase and Keith are trying to make movies that will are family friendly and will change peoples lives...cause them to turn to God. Meanwhile, Satan is doing all he can to bring them down and prevent them from being the witnesses they really want to be. The story picks up right where #1 left off, same characters, but the story lines continue and deepen. There are mentions of characters from her other books so I will have to look for those to read also. Anyway, great book and loving Christian fiction right now. Off to read Take Three!

#20 - Take One by Karen Kingsbury

(323 pgs) This is the first in the Above the Line series...again from the $1 sale shelves at Mardel. I really enjoyed this book about Chase and Keith who are former missionaries from Indonesia wanting to make a good movie with Christian values that will change people's lives. Of course, setting out to do something so right means they will encounter many obstacles but their committment to family and their faith see them through. Not that it is easy for them...but I love how God does show His faithfulness to them and their mission to share His love with a great movie. I'm off to read Take Two in the series!

#19-Texas Charm by DiAnn Mills

(478 pgs) This was yet another book Mom passed on from the $.99 sale rack at Mardel. Again, really 4 novels in one - this time all set in Texas. The first is about a widow named Paula (hmmmm-sounds familiar) who wants to open the bed and breakfast she and her late husband always dreamed of owning. She hires Rick Davenport, who happens to be a widower and you can see where this is going. The second is about Paula's adult daughter Kristi and the man who buys Rick's ranch, Jack Frazier. Jack has a past and is afraid Kristi won't accept him if she knows the truth. The third is about Cassidy - Jack's niece and the boutique she opens in town. She meets Carlos who is in charge of Jack's stables and she tries to decide if his plans for the future can include her considering her past. The last novel is about Rachel and her lawyer Adam as they try to fight her parents for custody of her 3 children...while Adam adjusts to having his nephew full time as well. They are all good Christian love stories and though the characters face trials, they remain faithful to God and trust His plans for their lives. And, they all live happily ever after.....not realistic but still good reads.

#18-Colorado Wings by Tracie Peterson

(478 pgs) This is one book but contains 3 short novels and 1 novella (the way the cover describes them). I was ready for a book that wasn't from my middle school library, and this was another Mardel find. All of the stories are linked by the characters so it was a fun read. Of course, each story has its set of problems for the characters to overcome, and surprise surprise, they overcome them and all live happily ever after. Fun to read sometimes, especially when your own happily ever after seems to have disappeared. In the first story CJ meets Brad as he tries to help her deal with the plane crash that killed her parents and seriously injured her. In the second story, CJ's brother Curt meets Christy and helps clear her from the DEA's drug investigation that her business has gotten involved in without her knowledge. In the third story, Erik helps Cheryl recover from her father's suicide and her fiance's double life and subsequent death. The final novella involves Debbie (Curt's DEA partner) and Nathan protecting her as the man that killed her husband Frank has escaped from prison. All nice, feel good stories that involve faith and God's word. Certianly worth the $.99 paid for it!

#17 - The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

(242 pgs) This one just looked yummy because the cover has cupcakes on it. The story is about Penny moving from Manhatten where she lived with her mom and dad, to Hog's Hollow where just she and her mom are living with her grandmother. Penny has hidden out at her mom's bakery over the summer so starting school with out knowing anyone makes it difficult. She starts with the most popular girl mad at her...and things build up from there. She meets Marcus on the beach behind Grams house, who seems to like her, but she seems to be invisible to him at school. It was a good book to read and finish on this snow day. I keep craving cupcakes....