Three Reasons to Read Candace Calvert's "The Recipe"

The Recipe by Candace Calvert
Reviewed by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Adorable Contemporary Novella
Five Stars *****
I am not a contemporary romance reader, in general, but I recently had the opportunity to read this novella as part of a collection in a paperback book. Candace Calvert vividly creates heroine, Aimee, a hospital dietician and pastry chef wannabe, aims to win a bake-off but after an altercation with a difficult nursing assistant leaves her serving extra time at the nursing home, she's short on time.  But, she also gets to spend extra time with the grandson of a frail resident, a lady who seems bent on letting her life ease away.


Why you should read this novella:

1) Crisp writing. Candace Calvert knows how to convey information succinctly but beautifully in this novella!

2) Engaging characters. For her to engage my historical romance loving heart, you know she had to have created a hero and heroine who were compelling, and they are!

3) Lovely voice. That indefinable something that makes the book distinctly a Candace Calvert book. She has a hopefulness and spriteliness in her voice that propels the book forward and reflects a strong Christian World view.

This is an adorable read!

Giveaway: A paperback copy of Chance of Loving You with this 2015 story by Candace Calvert and also a story from Susan May Warren and Terri Blackstock. Answer this question: Do you read contemporary romance and have you read any of Candace's books before?

Marian's Favorite Novels for 2012

My favorite novels for 2012 in no particular order.

__________________________________________________________________

The Wings of Morning
by Murray Pura

One of the biggest surprises of 2012 was to discover author Murray Pura's books. After reading The Face of Heaven I was sold and have also read his other 2012 releases: The Wings of Morning, A Bride's Flight from Virginia City, and all the volumes of The Rose of Lancaster series. All these titles are on my favorites list for 2012. 
The Wings of Morning has also released in Dutch.

__________________________________________________________________

Love in Three-Quarter Time
by Dina Sleiman

The first book I read by Dina Sleiman was marvelous. I can't find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book! I'm certainly going to read any other books Dina writes.

__________________________________________________________________

The Tutor's Daughter
by Julie Klassen

Julie Klassen's books are always something I look forward to reading. With her latest book she wrote her best book yet—in my opinion. And what a gorgeous cover!
This book will release in Dutch in 2013.

__________________________________________________________________

Words Spoken True
by Ann H. Gabhart

Ann H. Gabhart has given me some pleasant reading hours with Words Spoken True.

__________________________________________________________________

Central Park Rendezvous
by Ronie Kendig, Dineen Miller,
Kim Vogel Sawyer & MaryLu Tyndall

I'm a big fan of Ronie Kendig's writings. When I saw she wrote in this novella collection I had to get it. It was also great to get to know the other author's works as well. The novellas were very nicely woven together. A really original read!

__________________________________________________________________

Gone to Ground
by Brandilyn Collins

I usually don't read books twice and certainly not twice in the same year. I have read Gone to Ground twice in 6 months time! This really is a page-turner and a must-read for suspense lovers. 
This book will release in Dutch in 2013.

__________________________________________________________________

High Desert Haven
by Lynnette Bonner

Lynnette Bonner's books are amazing. 

High Desert Haven is the second book in The Shepherd's Heart Series which released in June 2012. Books 3 and 4 have also released this year, but I didn't have the chance to read them yet.

__________________________________________________________________

Love's Reckoning
by Laura Frantz

Laura's books are always a feast to read and definitely worth the wait—but oh! why does a year take so long!

__________________________________________________________________

Trauma Plan
by Candace Calvert

What a pleasant surprise it was to find Candace Calvert's book! Candace has found a new fan in the Netherlands. Trauma Plan is also releasing in Dutch next year. 

I surely hope our Dutch readers will enjoy the book as much as I did.

__________________________________________________________________

Firethorn
by Ronie Kendig

With Firethorn Ronie Kendig ended an awesome series. How I miss those guys! 

I'm definitely going to read this series again! Anything Ronie writes is worth the read.

__________________________________________________________________

The River
by Michael Neale

The River was an amazing and emotional ride!

__________________________________________________________________

Injustice for All
by Robin Caroll

Robin Caroll has been on my favorite authors list for a couple of years now. She writes original and fast-paced suspense novels. I really enjoyed this first book in her latest series. The second book in this series also released this year and was an awesome book as well.

__________________________________________________________________

Glamorous Illusions
by Lisa T. Bergren

Lisa T. Bergren started a new Young Adult series with Glamorous Illusions. 

I loved reading every page of this book. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next books in this series.

__________________________________________________________________

A Change of Fortune
by Jen Turano

Jen Turano had me laughing out loud with her entertaining novel A Change of Fortune. This certainly is a fun read!

__________________________________________________________________

Veil of Pearls
by MaryLu Tyndall

This book was so good! Definitely my favorite MaryLu Tyndall book so far. The story had me crying and smiling—so beautiful it was! 

Overcoming the Burden of Single Parenting - With God's Help

Parenting isn't for the faint of heart. And that goes triple for single parenting. I was spared the difficulty of divorce, unlike Candace Calvert our guest this week. Two broken engagements were easier than two divorces. The most difficult job I had in my life was single parenting my nephew when I was a young adult.  My older sister's husband divorced her when their son was only two-years-old.  It took its toll and he stayed with me for two years,at the same age my son is now which is that transitional time between childhood and the teen years. They didn't call it tween years, though, back then.  


And I didn't even carry the load of shame some single parents, like one friend of mine, carried. This dear woman, brought up in a prominent family, was crushed when she was divorced, left with two children, and had to go back to work to provide for them. 


I haven't read Janine Turner's book 

Holding Her Head High: Inspiration from 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History

but it looks great.  

Do you have a word of encouragement today for Christian single parents?

Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert Reviewed by Marian Baay

Trauma Plan by Candace Calvert

(Tyndale House 2012)

Reviewed by Marian Baay

5 Stars *****

More than a year earlier ER nurse Riley Hale was injured in a brutal attack. Because of her injuries she can’t perform the tasks needed of an ER nurse. Now she’s working as a chaplain in the hospital—hoping that someday she will be able to work as ER nurse again.

Daredevil Dr. Jack Travis runs a free clinic. When Jack meets Riley and learns about her condition, he offers her to help at his clinic to practice her skills. Despite her fears of Jack’s reputation she accepts his offer. While working together Jack discovers that he not only needs her in his clinic, but also in his personal life. Riley learns that the rumours she heard about Jack are not completely true and she starts to care for him.

While reading about the growing attraction and romance between Jack and Riley, we also meet some nice secondary characters. Bandy Biggs and his lovely dog on carts,  Hobo, really made me smile. Then there’s Vesta Calder who knows something about Jack’s past, but she’s too scared to talk. And Riley’s friend Kate also has her own secrets to deal with.

This book is the first in a new series, but can also be read as a stand-alone. I learned that Riley’s character first was introduced in Code Triage, but you don’t have to read that book first. I haven’t read Candace Calvert’s previous books and I didn’t feel like I was missing something. Candace’s writing is impeccable, the characters easily loved and the plot nicely developed. This book is on my favorites list of 2012!

*Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me a free eBook for review.*

Candace Calvert's books can be purchased on CBD, Amazon and other bookstores.


GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week's contest. Drawing will be late Saturday. Candace is offering two paperback giveaways of each of the books reviewed this week and we are offering an e-book of either one, for a total of five possible chances to win this week!

Marian Baay Reviews Critical Care by Candace Calvert

Critical Care by Candace Calvert

(Tyndale House 2009)

Review by Marian Baay

*4 stars*

Claire used to be an ER nurse, but when her brother came in during her shift severely burned and died, she panicked and couldn't work the ER anymore. She promised herself never to set foot in the ER again. She took a new job at another hospital and tried to stay away from the ER. But when the ER team are dealing with a tragedy she is needed to evaluate the staff if they can handle the situation.

Dr. Logan Caldwell is not happy to see Claire counseling his staff. His experience is that counseling doesn't help. He thinks one must set their problems aside and do a good job. But with his gruff demeanour he's making working with him almost impossible.
When he is showing indifference to Claire's work she's not afraid to tell him the truth. For Logan that is a surprise. No one ever talked to him that way.

Both Claire and Logan are suffering loss and disappointments. Claire is a believer, but Logan doesn't believe in the power of prayer. He tried that, but it didn't work. Claire had her future plans worked out, but they're all falling apart.
Will those two hurting people find healing—and love?

Secondary characters ER head nurse Erin and workaholic nurse Sarah are making the story more interesting. All the characters fit nicely in the story—even the one-eared cat is a character to love. :)
I really love reading Candace Calvert's work. She has such a pleasant voice and she knows how to captivate me. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Candace Calvert's books can be purchased at CBD, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other book stores.  

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Candace is offering two paperback giveaways of each of the books reviewed this week and we are offering an e-book of either one, for a total of five possible chances to win this week!

Carrie Fancett Pagels Interviews Candace Calvert

CandaceCalvert  is the author of Trauma Plan and of the Mercy Hospital series. I met Candace through Facebook and fellow ACFW members.

Candace, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

God blessed me with a quirky wit and buoyant optimism, but I didn’t come to really know Him until after a “triple whammy” turned my life into a bad country song. In a span of eighteen months, I experienced a painful and unexpected divorce, the Northern California floods of 1997, and (just when I was coping like a champ, no problem) an equestrian accident that left me with fractured ribs, a bleeding lung, broken back, neck fractures and a spinal cord injury. With no warning, my comfortable life was gone and I became a single mother, a disaster evacuee, and a patient in my own trauma room. I sometimes say that God took drastic measures to get my attention!

In the months of rehabilitation, I healed in body and spirit. And came to fully understand the difference between being a “strong” woman and a woman of strength. The difference is faith, and that lesson has been my biggest blessing. My story, “By Accident,” appears in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul, and launched my writing career. Readers of my Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series will find that my fictional characters struggle with similar issues. In fact Riley Hale, heroine of Trauma Plan, suffers from lingering disability after a spinal cord injury.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Though it’s hard to choose a favorite, I’d have to say Jeremiah 29:11, the verse that became the Scriptural base for my first novel, Critical Care. I love that it so beautifully shows God’s loving plan for our lives and that it speaks of hope. Hope is a recurrent theme in my work, and I’m always pleased when folks call me the author of “medical hope opera.”

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print.

The first book in my Mercy Hospital series, Critical Care, is available in large print and has recently been recorded by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is my hope that my other books will follow suit. All of my e-books have audio capability.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

As I mentioned before, my medical fiction themes all center around hope—and healing. I offer exciting glimpses into the world of emergency medicine and, more importantly, into the hearts behind the stethoscopes, people with wounds—physical, emotional, and spiritual.  I love when readers call these characters “relatable,” telling me that these struggles, doubts, fear—and joys—mirror their own.  We are all flawed human beings; we make mistakes and need second chances. My characters may be medical heroes, but it is through the grace of God that they find true hope and healing. I’m heartened when readers feel encouraged by that.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

At the core of my stories—in both the Mercy Hospital & Grace Medical series—is the issue of post traumatic stress. I address the serious emotional toll taken on rescue, fire, medical, and law enforcement teams who put their hearts and lives on the line in service to others. In my book, Disaster Status, I needed to write from the point of view of a hospital worker suffering PTSD as a result of his service in the Gulf War. A member of my church, a retired Army Lt. Colonel, offered to sit down with me and share his memories of fighting in that desert conflict. Some of it was difficult for him to voice—and for me to hear. His input added much to the character of Sarge Gunther, and I was deeply touched that he wanted to help with my story so that it might offer “hope to other people.”

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier, all of my books deal with the subject of critical stress (“burn out,” post traumatic stress disorder). Trauma Plan offers coping strategies for people (medical teams as well as civilians) who have been emotionally affected by tragedy. It also gives encouragement to victims of violent crime, and for those who must cope with debilitating injury in its aftermath. Fear (vs. faith) is an overarching theme, and the subject of agoraphobia is explored via a secondary character.

Thank you Candace for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Website Link: http://candacecalvert.com/

You can purchase Trauma Plan through Amazon 

through Barnes and Noble, as well as CBD and other book stores.

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, she makes her home in northern California. 

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Candace is offering two paperback giveaways of each of the books reviewed this week and we are offering an e-book of either one, for a total of five possible chances to win this week!