Teresa S. Mathews' 2013 Favorite Books

This year has been filled with lots of amazing books; here is a list of some of my favorite ones.

A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano

Jen Turano is a great writer with a fabulous sense of humor.

I fell in love with her books when I read the first one in this series, A Change of Fortune. These next two books in the series continue with characters we meet in the previous books. If you like Heroines that just can't seem to stay out of trouble, and of course they have to be rescued by a handsome Hero, then this is a series you MUST read! 

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A Talent for Trouble by Jen Turano

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Burning Sky by Lori Benton

In this outstanding novel by Lori Benton we are introduced to a beautiful girl named Willa Obenchain, who was captured by Indians and renamed Burning Sky. Forced by circumstances to return to her white family, will she find she no longer belongs there? This captivating story held me spellbound to the very end.

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Dance From Deep Within by Dina Sleiman
The only words I can use to describe this tremendous book is....it is a must-read.

Dina Sleiman weaves a story of three college-aged young ladies that are each searching for something deeper. One an all-american ballerina who is disillusioned by harsh religion. Another a beautiful Muslim girl that knows there has to be more than what she has been taught. The third a free-spirited "hippie" who is searching for more than the mundane life she has lived in her short years.

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Elusive Hope by MaryLu Tyndall

This is a new series by MaryLu Tyndall and what an amazing series this is! Not only did I love the characters and of course the descriptive writing MaryLu is famous for, I learned a history lesson. I have lived in South Carolina all my life and I had never heard of the exodus of hundreds of Southerners to Brazil after the Civil War. If you have or even if you haven't ever read a book by Ms. Tyndall this is the perfect series for you to read. It's like taking a mini-vacation to Brazil with a whole set of friends. The Second Book continues the story after they have established their new colony and I will tell you there is some many strange goings on in that jungle! 

You DO NOT want to miss this series!

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Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall

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Heaven Is Not far by Marian Baay

This is our very own sweet Marian's debut novel and let me tell you I love her like a daughter and she really made "mom" proud. This is a heart stirring love story of a young couple barely married when the husband decides God has called him to fight in the Civil War. Has he made the right choice and will he survive to return to his true love that is waiting for him? 

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Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz

In this second book in the Ballantyne Series, we meet beautiful Ellie Ballantyne, youngest daughter of Silas and Eden, whom we met in book one Love's Reckoning.

Ellie leaves finishing school and is stranded by a storm with seemingly no way to get home when finds herself rescued by not none other than Jack Turlock, a member of the infamous Turlock clan! Could it be possible Jack has changed or is Ellie just dreaming of a love that can never happen? If you have ever read a book by Laura Frantz you know what a treasure it is and this one is no exception to that. I have never picked up one of Ms Frantz books and found myself bored with it after a few pages, she has a talent to bring the tale to life while you are reading it.

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Return to Shirley Plantation by Carrie Fancett Pagels

This debut story by our sweet Carrie is nothing short of fantastic!! It is the tale of a beautiful freed slave that could pass for white that has the chance to leave Shirley Plantation before the war comes to her doorstep but chooses to stay and try to free her niece and nephew so she can take them with her. After Shirley Plantation is taken over and used as a field hospital for the wounded Angelina meets Matthew Scott son of a Copperhead that was conscripted into the Confederate Army. Can they find happiness in the midst of war and will Matthew find the answers to questions he has about his family at Shirley Plantation?

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Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Oh my goodness what exciting books Karen Witemeyer writes! This is the sequel to Short-Straw Bride, and in it we learn more of the handsome brother Crocket, preacher man of the Archer clan! When he is kidnapped from a train by outlaws he has no idea he is to be introduced to a beautiful young lady, Joanna Robbins whose only birthday wish is a Preacher! Will Crockett be able to help make her dreams come true or will he continue on to the church interview he had been headed too?

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Strand of Deception by Robin Carrol

There is nothing I like better than a good suspense and Robin Caroll is a master of it! In this Justice Seeker book we find a prominent Tennessee politician's daughter has gone missing and later found dead. SAC Nick Hagar and Forensic Specialist in DNA; Maddie Baxter team up to find the killer. Maddie is horrified to think it could he the man that broke her heart! During the investigation Maddie finds she is being stalked by someone intent on harming and possibly killing her. Can Agent Hagar keep Maddie safe and can Maddie keep her heart safe from this handsome man?  If you need a little something to rev you up then grab this and sit back and hold on to the edge of your seat!

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Vanished by Irene Hannon

Irene Hannon is another master storyteller that will have you hanging on for dear life when reading her books and this one was no exception to that rule. Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost on a back road in the pouring rain (perfect scary beginning) when out of nowhere a woman is standing in the road in front of her. Trying to avoid hitting her Moira is forced to serve and ends up in a ditch and promptly passes out, When help arrives and she tells her story no one believes her because the young woman is no where to be found. Did Moira only think she saw someone? Moira is not convinced she imagined the woman so she hires a private investigator to help her sort out what happened. What they discover could cost Moira her life! What a wonderful story this was, Irene is a pro at snatching your attention from the first page until the very end! 

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Widow of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green

Jocelyn Green certainly knows how to write a heart-wrenching book. This story will take you through the horrors of the Battle of Gettysburg and the days that followed as seen through the eyes of a young Union widow, Liberty Holloway. When the first shots of that horrific battle started Liberty had no clue before the day was over she would find herself caring for the wounded and dying Confederate Soldiers. Jocelyn's descriptions were so intense it was like you could almost hear the sounds of the gunfire and smell the smoke, it was a hard book to put down. If you like Civil War tales, then you shouldn't miss this one!

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Love at Any Cost by Julie Lessman

The amazing Julie Lessman once again has swept me off my feet with a brand new series set in San Francisco. I was so sad to tell the O'Connors goodbye but I knew Julie would make the transition to a new family I would fall in love with an easy one. Cassidy McClare trying to get over being jilted by a no-good fortune hunter, heads west to visit with family in California. As soon as she gets there she runs into Jamie McKenna, another man seeking to marry well but little does he know she is as poor as he is!! What a great tale this was...Julie had my heart pumping on more than one occasion, as only Julie can do!! The Second book in this series Dare to Love Again, is scheduled to release in January and I can't wait to get my hands on it!! 

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The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson

If you love fairy tales and happy-ever-afters then you have to read Melanie's books. The Captive Maiden is Melanie's spin on Cinderella. What an amazing story it is; Gisela's life hasn't been the same since her dear father died and left her in the care of her wicked step-mother. Gisela has daydreamed since a little girl of being rescued by the handsome Lord Valten. After a chance meeting in the marketplace could it be possible Valten could care for her, or will the plans of her step-mother forever ruin her chances for happy-ever-after?

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GIVEAWAY: We are giving away a paperback copy of Karen Witemeyer's Stealing the Preacher to one lucky person who tells me THEIR favorite book for 2013. (US Residents Only). Don't forget to include your email address!