I’m joining Carolyn Astfalk and Catholic Mom for An Open Book. Here’s what I’ve been reading and/or working on for the past month.
Summer at West Castle by Theresa Linden
Amazon Synopsis: College student Caitlyn Summer arrives at the Wests’ castle-like house to fill in for their live-in maid. After a recent decision blows her vision of the future, this ideal job and the peaceful surroundings are just what she needs to seek God’s will for her life. That is, until Jarret West, not wanting a repeat of past mistakes, backs out of a summer-long field study overseas and returns home. The two have never gotten along, and unforgettable baggage from the past makes it hard even to be cordial. While Jarret’s faults convince Caitlyn he hasn’t changed, she forces herself to offer kindness. Her act of mercy puts them on an unexpected path where Caitlyn is challenged to look beneath the surface and Jarret struggles to trust that God wills good for him.
Note: to avoid spoilers, read this story only after reading Anyone but Him.
My review: I thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful prequel of Anyone But Him and was so very sorry to see the story end. When I read Anyone But Him a few years ago, I had hoped the author would write the prequel of how this unlikely couple fell in love. Summer at West Castle does not disappoint, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a clean but compelling romance!
Ashes Visible & Invisible by Catholic Teen Authors
Now available from Catholic Teen Books (My short story is highlighted below):
Finishing the Journey: When Liz’s faith journey hits a roadblock, will an unexpected detour and chance encounter set her back on track?
Follow Me: A teen’s future was all set-before his tragic loss. But his best friend’s secret past just might save it.
Take Up Your Cross: Justin’s religion is outlawed. When an unbeliever asks him about the meaning of life, what can he say?
A Big Ask: Could God be asking Paul to sacrifice a piece of himself for Lent–literally?
Lent Royal & Ancient: A modern American teen discovers what faith, life and love are like in seventeenth-century Scotland.
No Greater Love: Teenager Lexie Dugan struggles to understand the sacrifice of Lent when she’s asked to help take care of her siblings while her pregnant mother is on bed rest.
A Very Jurassic Lent: When a risky Ash Wednesday mission to sterilize T. rex eggs goes wrong, fasting is the least of Joshua, Darryl, and Harry’s worries.
Lucy and the Forsaken Path: A medieval girl stranded on a forsaken path confronts threats from without and turmoil from within.
Bread Alone: Struggling with loss, hunger, and temptation, Ethan finds himself walking in the steps of Jesus.
Prepare the Way: Asher’s desire to prepare for the Messiah intensifies after he’s robbed by bandits, but would fighting alongside the Zealots be the best way?
The Saint Michael Chaplet – A Divine Catechesis on the Angels and Gifts of Heaven
By Carol Puschaver
Amazon Synopsis: What if an angel … were to teach you a prayer to honor the Angels? Not just any angel, mind you, and no ordinary prayer, either. Too impossible to believe?
Well, consider … St. Michael the Archangel, Prince of the Heavenly Host, revealed the Chaplet that bears his name to a Carmelite religious in 1751. As this book makes clear, he did much, much more than teach a formula of pious words, presenting instead a wonderment of divine catechesis on the nine celestial angel choirs. The author’s deeply insightful meditations on the Archangel’s teaching are bound to encourage a fresh and finely nuanced perspective on the angels, and also inspire a far deeper, richer appreciation of these marvelous beings who, among many, many wondrous deeds, guard [us] in all [our] ways. (Psalm 91. 10)
You do believe in angels, …don’t you?
My review: This is a beautiful book written by my friend Carol Puschaver. If you want to read more about St. Michael, the St. Michael Chaplet, and the Angels, this is the book for you. God’s people have been given a great gift in Saint Michael, protector and intercessor. The demons would like you to believe that they don’t exist. Not only do they exist, but they are constantly trying to turn God’s people away from Him. Highly recommend!
Into the Mind of Infinity by Joe Livingston
Amazon Synopsis: The author received a powerful spiritual experience, and this book is the result of that experience. It brings science and religion together to prove the existence of God.
My review: This is a beautiful little book that seeks to prove the existence of God. Many great points are made from a scientific standpoint, and it is definitely worthwhile reading.
Coming on Valentine’s Day from FQP:
Stitch in the Ditch (Mibs Monahan Mysteries #3) by Joan L. Kelly
Synopsis: When the curator of the Gregory Tuppence Museum is stabbed to death with an antique Toledo steel dagger, Lieutenant Jace Trueblood and his team of detectives work diligently to track down the killer. They soon discover evidence that the murder was connected to the forgery and theft of valuable items from the museum.
Along with investigating the curator’s death, Jace, with the help of his intuitive fiancée, Mibs Monahan, search for the person providing fake identifications to high school students. Fake licenses directly contributed to DUI accidents, resulting in injuries and death.
Despite the challenges and activities of their busy lives, the couple finds joy in preparing for their upcoming wedding. However, that joy is disrupted when a DNA test shatters Mibs’ life. This new information has her wondering who she really is and what she has to do with a twenty-year-old kidnapping.
Plot Line and Sinker (Ellen Gable, Author) 
I loved Summer at West Castle too! Theresa Linden did a great job with it. I have to get caught up with the Mibs Monahan mysteries too.