Sunday, October 04, 2009

IF ONLY YOU KNEW, by Mags Storey


The Christian Mystery Writer's Forum welcomes you to another Christian Fiction Review Blog tour, this month, IF ONLY YOU KNEW, by Mags Storey.

Maybe because I'm old, maybe because I'm a guy and romances aren't really my thing, the book just didn't seem to come together like I wanted it to. It is well-written in every other aspect, but I found the pacing a bit off. Some things seemed a little predictable, although this was twisted a bit so you weren't really sure if your first instincts were correct.

Okay, now that I've gotten the negatives out of the way I can get right to this really great work. Romance writers always fight an uphill battle with me, so the above comments should be taken with about a bag or so of salt. IF ONLY YOU KNEW is about the life of Joanne Mackenzie. It's summer and she's between high school and the rest of her life. As she looks around she feels like everyone else has their lives mapped out, but Jo doesn't have a clue. She's living with her cousin, jobless, and not all that interested in getting a job. (I remember those day). She doesn't think she's ugly, but less than average. If the short end of the stick were given out as a prize she would be sure to win it...every time. Her perception of herself doesn't change after meeting this gorgeous guy who asks her out. Of course his ability to meet her at the appointed place and time may have had something to do with that, as well as her falling off a railing into the lake below, then being escorted out by a guy she saw earlier get dumped by a "psycho".

IF ONLY YOU KNEW is filled with personal insights into the conflicting emotions of a young woman trying find her bearings in life. At times it is humorous, and other times you just want to slap some sense into her. One of the absolute best things about this book is Mags Storey's ability to make you feel your way through. That is to say, she draws you so far into the characters that you experience their emotions, their feelings, their triumphs and failures, that you feel like you know these people. I know I'm probably supposed to say things like, "Jo meets a guy she saw run down a year ago and now has to deal with the fact that he not only survived, something she totally thought impossible at the time, but someone who ends up becoming a key figure in her life." I'm choosing to take another route, because this isn't so much about who did or did not get run over as it is about a young woman so lost she will turn against herself if she happens to have a good day. She's a real person in this sense.

Apart from the pacing problem mentioned at the outset, IF ONLY YOU KNEW is an amazing story that deserves your consideration. You will be delighted in Mags Storey's story telling abilities. You will find yourself wondering why such and such happened, or why she just doesn't get this or that. It's fun to read, exciting and fresh. Check out the links below and get your copy today.

Now don't forget to visit Mags' site. I visited it and although I'm not big fan of the romance genre, she has a really great site and talks about some really interesting things. She doesn't preach at anyone...except maybe herself. You'll find her site HERE

Some of the places you can purchase her book are:

ChristianBook.Com

Amazon.Com

Barnes & Noble

Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.
Careful now. You might just find some people posting more than once, also you can visit any CFRB member's site and, hopefully, you will find a standard post. The links below indicate that you will find special posts.



IMPORTANT
The Christian Fiction Review Blog (known as CFRB) is a ministry that promotes quality Christian fiction in order that the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be shared with others who might otherwise not hear it, at least in a context that they would appreciate and understand. Each book is "previewed" in order to maintain the quality and content of the book. Books that are accepted for blog tours are given to the members by the author to review, according to the number of members requesting a copy. It is the belief and practice of CFRB to post positive reviews as a type of payment for these books. However, I want to emphasize again that these books first go through a preview stage where they are deemed of a high enough quality to tour.

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Tangerine

Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith



This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about Tangerine (Revell, January 2007) by Marilynn Griffith (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and mother of *GULP* seven!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marilynn Griffith is wife to a deacon, mom to a tribe and proof that God gives second chances. Her novels include Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006), Pink (Revell, Feb. 2006), Jade (Revell, June 2006), and If the Shoe Fits (Revell, 2007). Her other credits include Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Cup of Comfort Devotionals and her Shades of Style series (Revell, 2006). She lives in Florida with her husband and children. To book speaking engagements or just say hello, email: marilynngriffith@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Tangerine is the third book in the Shades of Style Novels.

Fans of Pink and Jade will eat up Tangerine, the third book in the cutting-edge Shades of Style series. Jean Guerra, a designer at Garments of Praise design firm, doesn't like surprises. These days though, the unexpected meets her everywhere. Since Jean's return to the church a year ago, her God-encounters occur with increasing frequency, along with thoughts of her husband-the one she vowed to divorce and gave up on long ago. The one nobody at work knows about, not even her best friend, Lily, or her boss, Chenille. But when the designer assigned to work with Jean on a line of men's suits shows up, her heart flips. It's her husband, Nigel Salvador. Jean is finally rendered speechless. Can her bruised heart become whole enough to love again? Or will she remain in the trenches of loneliness forever?



The book link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0800730429


Marilynn's website link: http://marilynngriffith.typepad.com/rhythmsofgrace/

THE 3RD COVENANT - a Comparison

The following table shows where THE 3RD COVENANT stands against 7 top authors and 14 other books.

Title

Author

Times out

times per month

Judge and Jury

Cold Moon

Death Dance

Promise Me

The 3rd Covenant

The Camel Club

Violet Dawn

3rd Degree

The Collectors

Web of Lies

The 12th Card

Words of Silk

Above and Beyond

Entombed

No Second Chance

James Patterson

Jeffery Deaver

Linda Fairstein

Harlan Coben

David Brollier

David Baldacci

Brandilyn Collins

James Patterson

David Baldacci

Brandilyn Collins

Jeffery Deaver

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown

Linda Fairstein

Harlan Coben

CHO 9

CHO 17

CHO 17

CHO 16

CHO 11

CHO 21

CHO 4

CHO 34

CHO 2

CHO 2

CHO 17

CHO 29

CHO 30

CHO 19

CHO 31

2.25

2.43

2.43

2.28

1.83

1.71

1.3

1.08

1.00

1.00

.94

.94

.91

.82

.72