It’s been a few years since her last full-length novel and I have to tell you, I’ve been missing her voice in redemptive fiction. You can imagine how excited I was to learn that not only had she written another novel but that I’d been offered the opportunity to read and review it! Yep, very excited. So much so that I devoured this long awaited, much anticipated new release in a day. Yep, a day. Devoured, I told you.

Her Mother's Hope is the first of two historical novels inspired by Rivers’ mother and grandmother and their sometimes strained, contentious relationship. The mother-daughter bond is complex, I don’t have to tell you that, and Her Mother's Hope explores the heartache and disappointment that can stem from such complexity:

Near the end of the twentieth century, fiery Marta Schneider leaves Switzerland and a difficult childhood behind, determined to find life on her own terms. She's driven by her father's assumption that she'll never amount to anything more than a servant and her mother's secret prodding to chase her dreams. But nothing has prepared her for the journey ahead and the sacrifices she must make as she travels through Europe, Canada, and finally to the Central Valley of California to raise her family.

Marta's hope is to give her children a better life, but experience has taught her that only the strong survive. Her tough love is often mistaken for disdain, especially by her oldest daughter, Hildemara Rose, who craves her mother's acceptance. As Hildie pursues her calling as a nurse, she falls in love and starts a family of her own amidst the turmoil of World War II. But when tragedy threatens the independence she's worked so hard to build, both mother and daughter must face their own shortcomings and the ever-widening chasm that threatens to separate them forever.

Her Mother's Hope is, as the description suggests, an epic story crossing multiple generations, an aspect of the story that frustrated me somewhat, especially at the beginning of the novel. Within a few pages, or a few paragraphs even, the story would jump three years then five years and so on. I felt hurried along the story when I kind of wanted to linger awhile. That being said, the latter part of the book maintained a more consistent tempo; that, or I had grown accustomed to the epic nature of Marta’s story. I will admit that I liked the second part of the book, Hildie’s story, more so than the first. I also liked how the novel captured the tumultuous times of the world wars, touching on Japanese interment camps, for example, as well as the heightened prejudice against Germans.

Marta as a protagonist was a remarkably flawed character that I at turn liked, sympathized with, pitied and more than once wanted to shake some sense into. Such is real life–remarkably flawed–and Rivers’ portrayal of choices and consequences provide the kind of realism I like in a novel, even though I am sometimes frustrated by it.

I don’t know if Her Mother's Hope is my favorite Francine Rivers’ novel but I will say I liked it, very much. So much so I stayed up far too late and left too many tasks undone in order to read it in a days’ time. Rivers is a master at her craft and her storytelling skills do not fail her here. I will be eagerly awaiting the next novel in the series and the resolution of Marta and Hildie's story!

We have a copy of Francine Rivers latest novel to give away to one of you (U.S. and Canadian shipping addresses). Please leave a comment if you want to win. We'll announce the winner in our giveaway post on March 24.

Wife and mother, Bible teacher and blogger, Lisa loves Jesus, coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, books. Read more of her reflections at Lisa writes….

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One thing that I liked about Fireworks Over Toccoa is that it's a quick, easy, inviting read. It's only 272 pages, and the writing is descriptive and yet not overly flowery (which I sometimes enjoy, but I have to admit it does take more time to wade through).

So–if you are a mom who wants to read, but don't have a lot of time, this is the kind of book you want to pick up. Give yourself a few hours, and you can brag that you read a whole book!! Perhaps you are like me, and don't need extra incentive to while away the hours by reading instead of cleaning your house. Fireworks Over Toccoa has something for you as well. No matter how much we read, any of us like that immediate satisfaction of finishing a book quickly!

I also think that this book will appeal to

• Fans of World War II era fiction
• Georgians (the state, not those from English historical period)
• Military wives
• Romance-readers

Read my review of Fireworks over Toccoa to find out about what I liked about the book.

We are also going to host a sort of a bookclub here in mid-April, inviting you to link up your review or discuss the book along with us. Stay tuned for more details. However, I do know that anyone who links up a review by the deadline will be entered to win a $25 amazon gift card (sponsored by me — thanks to amazon affliliate rewards!)

If you are interested in receiving a copy of Fireworks over Toccoa and know that you will be able to read it and review it on your blog by mid-April, send an email with "blogger book" in the subject field to 5minutesforbooks (AT) Gmail DOT com. Tell me why you want to read the book, provide a link to your blog, and tell me why you'd be a good word-of-mouth advocate for this book (assuming you like it — we do want you to post your honest thoughts). This is open to U.S. and Canadian shipping addresses.

Not a blogger? Remember, anyone can still join in our bookclub and still be entered to win the amazon gift certificate.

• You can read over 100 pages of the book right now at FireworksOverToccoa.com. You can also enter to win one of 300 books!
• Read my full review of Fireworks over Toccoa at 5 Minutes for Mom to find out more about the book.
• Are you in a book club? The publisher would like to give you up to 12 copies of this book if you can read it for your April or May bookclub. Find out all the details about having Fireworks over Toccoa as your bookclub selection at 5 Minutes for Books.
• Email me (see above) to ask for a free review copy to feature on your blog. I'll write you back within a couple of weeks to let you know if you've been accepted.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

*Disclosure: This is a paid campaign with the publisher to help them reach bloggers and bookclubs. However, as always, our opinions are our own.

But they can also be hard to coordinate — finding a book that everyone will enjoy and have time to read.

And they can be expensive as everyone has to buy a copy of the book.

Or they can be risky, as some put their name at the bottom of a long line of library requests hoping to receive it before the next meeting.

We, along with the publishers of FireworksOverToccoa.com, want to solve this problem for you. That's right, we want to give you up to 12 copies of the book so that you can discuss it in your April or May bookclub.

You'd need to commit to meeting in April or May to discuss the book, which probably would involve switching some things around — but we'll send you the books, so it's probably worth it, right? Then you can report to us and let us know how the discussion went. We'll even be posting some discussion questions here later this month, so that's another difficult task out of the way.

Fireworks over Toccoa is a quick, easy, read, but one that will evoke feelings and emotions and memories. I think that the discussions will be rich. Click on the title to read my full review over at 5 Minutes for Mom.

The books can be sent out to one person, or to each individual member of the bookclub (U.S. and Canadian addresses). Then you just have to set a date, and get reading!

If you are interested in reading Fireworks over Toccoa for your next bookclub, send me an email at 5minutesforbooks AT gmail (DOT) com with "book club" in the subject line.

In the email let me know why you think that this would be a good fit for your bookclub, and when you would be meeting to discuss it.

I'll let you know before the end of the month if you've been selected (we're hoping to provide several bookclubs with books!), and the books will be shipped out at the end of the month, after the publish date of March 30.

• You can read over 100 pages of the book right now at FireworksOverToccoa.com. You can also enter to win one of 300 books!
• If you're a blogger, find out how 5 Minutes for Books is teaming up with the publisher to get this book in the hands of a lot of bloggers. If you read the book and post a review, you'll be eligible to win a $25 amazon gift certificate. Find out how you can be considered to receive a book in this post at 5 Minutes for Books.
• Email me (see above) to nominate your bookclub to receive up to 12 copies of the book.
• Read my full review of Fireworks over Toccoa at 5 Minutes for Mom to find out more about the book.

Check out our current giveaways. Subscribe to our feed. Follow us @5M4B on Twitter.

*Disclosure: This is a paid campaign with the publisher to help them reach bloggers and bookclubs. However, as always, our opinions are our own.

The official site, The Secret Lives of Princesses, has three of the princesses revealed already, with a fourth making her appearance on March 15th. (One of the three available now, who also graces the cover of the book, just happens to remind me of my almost 4 year old red-headed daughter: Princess Hot-Head. Oh yeah.) If you want even more updates, you can become a fan on their Facebook page, Being a Princess, as well.

The special offer for even more fun are the promotional puzzle card packs for The Secret Lives of Princesses. With seven princesses highlighted on these cards, there's also a logic puzzle to solve that reveals a code to unlock a hidden page on the site! We're happy to offer TEN packs to giveaway to 5 Minutes for Books readers. Just leave a comment here to enter. We will announce the winners in our regular giveaway posting on 3/24.

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Dawn found herself identifying with several of the princesses in this book, usually the more wacky ones! Her wackiness is on full display on her blog, my thoughts exactly.

To be honest, at the beginning of the novel, I wasn't sure if it was working for me. First Adam is very unlikable. Very. You get his backstory and understand why, but even so. . . and then there is the dog's point of view. I'm not such a conventional reader that I can't suspend reality enough to read a book narrated by a dog. I have, and though I haven't loved any of them, I enjoyed them and thought it was a novel approach (no pun intended, unless you are laughing at my cleverness). But by the end of One Good Dog I realized that this story couldn't have been told in any other way, and worked in this book's favor.

In fact, by the end, I couldn't avoid the metaphor of a pit bull being "a victim of his breeding," just like those street kids who fought him, and even Adam himself. For good or bad, aren't we all?

As the metaphor strengthened (always used effectively and never crossing the line into trite), Adam also becomes more self-aware, and thus more likable as well. Both the dog and the man recognize what they really need. Their understanding of freedom, power, and success began to change.

There was some great dramatic suspense at the end that made me fly through the last 50 pages, and like any great animal story, left me reaching for my tissues.

We have a few copies of One Good Dog to give away. Please leave a comment if you'd like to win (U.S. and Canadian residents only). We'll announce the winner on March 17.

The winners of last week's contests are:

St. Patrick's Day Supplies – #7 – Nikki
This Book is Overdue – #18 – Sarah E

Jennifer Donovan has one good dog herself. She chronicles life with her family — furry and otherwise — at Snapshot.

Bluestocking also mentioned The Dana Girls a few months back and I'd encourage you to go read her post as she gives a good introduction to them. Actually, I'm going to quote from her review of the Dana Girls (with permission) and then you ought to go and read it yourself!

The Dana girl mysteries are about two sisters Louise and Jean Dana. They are orphans being raised by their uncle, Captain Ned Dana, and their Aunt Harriet with the maid Cora Appel. They attend a private boarding school called Starhurst, whose headmistress is Mrs. Crandall. They have their friends Evelyn Starr and enemies Lettie Biggs and Ina Mason.

This month I delved into The Secret At Lone Tree Cottage which is the second book in the Dana Girls series. I've never been able to locate a copy of the first. I did buy up a few Dana Girls books as I saw them, but unfortunately I've never been able to see how the series began! In this second book, Louise and Jean Dana are helping solve the mystery of a kidnapping which involves the English teacher at Starhurst. Due to some interesting family dynamics, their teacher's family doesn't want the police informed of the kidnapping, instead choosing to rely on the detective prowess of the Dana sisters. Such confidence in their abilities! Such amazing trust! Periodically, of course, the sisters suggest that perhaps this is a job better handled by police but in the end, even police involvement doesn't matter. Naturally, the Dana Girls solve the crime and locate the missing teacher! What ho! Hurrah! Cheers all around!

Naturally, the Dana girls have as interesting a publishing and author history as any of their peers. The first four books were written by Leslie McFarlane who also used the pseudonym of Franklin F. Dixon (which should ring a bell to you Hardy Boy fans!) The Dana Girls were also written by authors of the Nancy Drew books. This series is quite enjoyable and I add my enthusiasm to Bluestocking's in recommending them to you. If you haven't heard of them before, you can get a quick history of the Dana Girls from THIS WEBSITE.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward, once again, to seeing what you all read and wrote about this month! Hope you are (still) having fun!

We have a special giveaway just for you! Jennifer has a brand new copy of The Whispering Statue that she'd like to send to one of you (U.S. shipping addresses only).

We'd love for you to receive this book and read it before the end of the challenge in June (but there are no strings attached). It could be your first Nancy Drew Mystery or a return to an old favorite. Indicate in your comment that you are interested in winning the book (if you aren't, you can still comment on this post). We'll announce the winner on Wednesday March 17.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.

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Alisa Stewart is well acquainted with loss and heartbreak, her oldest son having been murdered in New Orleans a few years prior. Her second son, Kurt, is caught in the throes of drug addiction. When a policeman comes to her door, she assumes Kurt is dead, the drugs finally taking his life. Instead, the officer is investigating the murder of a known drug dealer that Kurt has dealt with in the past. When Kurt calls for the first time in months and tells Alisa he has checked himself into rehab, Alisa chooses to hope for the best though her forced optimism leads only to self-deception. Alisa discovers evidence that could implicate Kurt and makes a decision that will affect both her and Kurt’s futures.

Alisa is a believer, on staff at her church, and a successful grief counselor. She has been careful to present an image of strength and hope, a pretense that begins to deteriorate in light of Kurt’s struggles and her own struggling marriage. Her faith is tested and Alisa realizes she is not all she pretended to be.

Leaving Yesterday is written in Alisa’s voice, making it a deeply personal story. At times I grew frustrated with Alisa’s dogged self-deception and her sometimes willful determination to avoid what must be true. All is wrapped up rather neatly at the end–and don’t get me wrong, I like neat endings–but after wading through the ethical and moral quagmire presented by Alisa and Kurt’s choices, a neat ending seemed a little too neat.

All in all, Leaving Yesterday is a compelling and honest exploration of a mother’s love and grief and what it means to believe God even in heartbreak and disappointment.

Thanks to Bethany House publishers for providing a review copy. If you’re interested, Bethany has provided an excerpt of Leaving Yesterday HERE.

One of you (U.S. and Canadian residents only) can win a copy as well. Please leave a comment if you'd like to win. The winner will be announced on March 17 in our giveaway post.

Wife and mother, Bible teacher and blogger, Lisa loves Jesus, coffee, dark chocolate and, of course, books. Read more of her reflections at Lisa writes….

I'm sure that I'm not the only little bookworm who discovered this amazing woman and was driven to find out more and more. I loved the inspiring story of this intelligent person trapped by her lack of vision and hearing until she was given the gift of language by her teacher Annie Sullivan.

I don't specifically remember the names of the books I read as a child, but in late elementary school and perhaps early middle school, I was fascinated by Helen Keller. After the first book I read, I remember trying to find out more about her, and specifically more about Annie Sullivan.

My tween self would have been delighted if Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller had been around at this stage in my life. The fact that the title is written in Braille on the front cover would have thrilled me! I still remember learning the "finger alphabet" from the back appendix of one of the books I read as a child.

This novelization by Sarah Miller of the early months that Annie Sullivan spent teaching Helen Keller is heavily based on William Gibson's play and the subsequent movies of the Miracle Worker. Having just seen The Miracle Worker on Broadway, I feel as if I have more of an understanding (and a continued unflagging love) of the amazing story of these two women.

The stage production was absolutely wonderful — specifically the acting and in particular Alison Pill's portrayal of Annie Sullivan was incredible. They were all amazing, and I have to think that this play and Miller's book are accurate, since they portray exactly the same spirit.

This post is supplementing my review of The Miracle Worker on Broadway over at 5 Minutes for Mom (It's a giveaway, too — if you can get to New York, click over and enter). I received two complementary tickets to the show for review purposes.

Please feel free to leave a comment here about the book, Miss Spitfire, or to share your own love of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, but if you are hoping to enter the giveaway for tickets to see The Miracle Worker on Broadway, remember to click over to the post at 5 Minutes for Mom (and see an adorable picture of my daughter with Abigal Breslin after the show).

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Managing editor Jennifer Donovan loves a good story in any form — in the pages, on the stage, or on the screen. She also contributes at 5 Minutes for Mom and blogs at Snapshot.