M. Weidenbenner

Eclair Goes To Stella’s was a great story which my seven year old daughter loved. When Eclair’s mother gets sick and has to go away it leads to her dad taking Eclair and her sister to their grandmothers house. Their grandmother doesn’t like that name though and prefers to be called Stella.

Eclair doesn’t like Stella, she doesn’t want her dad to leave and she thinks Stella is harming her animals.

How things change in a day when Stella is given a pony and meets all the animals and changes her mind completely about Stella.

It was quick and easy read for my daughter, I read it the first time and she read it the second on her own. My daughter want’s to see what happens with Eclair next so it obviously gripped her.… (más)

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Oksana had a difficult life. Growing up in the poverty ridden area of Kazak, Russia, she was forced to scrounge around for food and even steal. Now at 13, she must not only steal to feed herself, but also her pregnant mother. She chances upon a soup kitchen run by an American pastor and his wife. Meeting them begins a chain of events that will change her life forever.

"Scattered Links" is a touching story of a young girl's journey transitioning in America. This was quite an emotional novel. The things that this child went through before she was adopted is absolutely horrible. The emotional detachment that she went through, and her inability to trust anyone was heartbreaking. I did fall in love with Oksana though. She was a very determined young lady, even when she did something reckless, she always had good intentions. This is a sweet story of unconditional love and trusting God to show you your path.… (más)

I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Police Officer Brett Reed had been fighting to get custody of his 5 year old daughter Quinn. Instead his drug and alcohol addicted ex-wife gets full custody. Her behavior causes Quinn to be found wandering in her pajamas, blocks from home, looking for her dog Max. As if Brett didn’t have enough stress, now there’s a person maiming pedophiles and leaving their appendages in geocaching sites. He needs to find the criminal before he strikes again.

This was a very emotional book for me. The heartbreak that Brett went through daily over not being able to keep his daughter safe was just so heart rendering. Then to see the psychologist connect and care so much for Quinn right from the beginning while struggling with her own demons, just melted my heart. I’m not sure if the author intended for this to be a Christian novel, but there were a few references to God, not in a preachy kind of way, so even a non Christian can enjoy it. I think this novel was a perfect example for those of us that persevere, that our struggles and trials in life are meant to make us stronger. This was a hard to put down crime novel with many tearjerker moments, so be sure to have some tissues nearby.
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What caught my eye first about this novel was the title. Our family are slightly obsessed with Geocaching, the kids adore it. What I wasn’t expecting was the obsession the novel became to finish it.

The story has a little bit of everything, a divorced couple that doesn’t think the other can properly care for their child, a murderer that disassembles bodies and hides them in geocaching locations. Which honestly, gives me reason to pause the next time we all head out on our adventures in caching. What is even stranger is that I am not all that against some of the victims that the murder chooses. A novel that causes me to think who really am I routing for is a rare experience for me. Once the media catches whiff of this unusual murderous spree- it takes on a whole new level of understanding human behavior. Would you be one of those people that could not be curious enough to go geocaching just to see what you find? I know we all initially say “Yes, I could or would never knowingly search that out!”, but deep down we are a curious breed.

Cache A Predator is one of my favorite reads this year, which I plan on reading again. While it may be disturbing in nature at time, it is still an amazing well written book. Keep in mind that the book is written to bring awareness to child abuse and truly is supporting the spread of exposing the very tough heartbreaking topic.… (más)