A Stitch in Time by Allison Bottke

It’s not often a character comes along that says, “I know you. You and me, we share a lot.” Thankfully it was the heroine of Allison Bottke's début novel A Stitch in Time rather than one of Ted Dekker’s villains. However, Ms. Bottke’s Dee Decker actually goes farther than I have ever dreamed and has dealt with marital problems I’ve not known (thank you, Lord)—kind of like the Indiana Jones for recent empty-nesting moms. I loved it. Fresh and sassy, Ms. Bottke paints her scenes with clarity and drops you right into galas aboard the Queen Mary and mansions in the Las Vegas desert. The first-person-present style makes you privy to Dee’s most intimate thoughts. I didn’t know those thoughts had ever escaped my addled brain, but rather than scare me, it was nice to know I wasn’t alone. As the back cover will tell you, “Dee is out to prove that middle-aged Christian woman can be faithful, fashionable, and fabulous!” I think she makes her case. A fashionably fun read, I highly recommend A Stitch in Time.

DragonKnight by Donita K. Paul

When Donita K. Paul asked if I would like to review her third installment in her DragonKeeper Chronicles series, I decided take her up on her offer—not because I know her work or love the genre, but because I’ve met her. Ms. Paul is kind and funny, plus she had made a special effort to sign a book for my nephew. I generally do not read fantasy. Not that I have anything against it but having read C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I doubted anything would compare. I was wrong.

DragonKnight caught me up into the land of Amara and never let me go. Ms. Paul’s descriptive talent is so strong, I could easily see each character, every setting as if I stood in the midst. The writing is as pure and fanciful as Lewis or Tolkien on their best days and I believe Amara will soon be included when others speak of Narnia or the Shire. But of course, this means I need to go and buy DragonSpell and DragonQuest. Ms. Paul hooked me with DragonKnight. As good as it is, though, may I make a suggestion? Buy all three books at once and start with DragonSpell so you won’t be in my shoes—grabbing my credit card to buy two more books.

Read Any Good Books Lately?

I've started doing reviews and decided to dedicate a blog just to that.