"Paige Torn" Book Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Paige Torn Think (May 1, 2013) by Erynn Mangum
MY REVIEW:
         Paige is a people pleaser that can't say "no" when of course everything people are asking of her are good things that someone should be doing and God would want her to help out. Right? This book really hit home to me as I saw her life unfolding with more and more stress, less and less time for herself and finally at the point where she herself wasn't even really there anymore. Is that really where God wants us? To the point of losing ourselves because we are so busy doing good things? 
         Paige is a wonderful character that I can't wait to visit again in the next book, and she has a wonderful support cast with her friends and co-workers. But honestly the best part of this book for me was seeing the eye opening truths in it that I really needed spoken into my own life right now. Like Paige, I will be doing some praying to see what I can let go of to find myself again. With 7 kids, homeschooling, owning my own business, running fundraisers and much more... I'm not sure where that will start but I think God can help me figure it out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A few things about her: So, if we were having this conversation in person, we would probably be hanging out at Starbucks or one of the cute coffeehouses in town. I’m nuts about all things coffee, I’m crazy about all things pink and girly, and I love, love, love the Food Network! I’m married to my best friend and the most amazing guy ever, Jon. He is amiable toward coffee, does not like anything pink or girly and tolerates the Food Network. So, we make a good match! In July 2010, we became parents to one of the funniest, cutest, sweetest little guys in the whole world (and nope, we aren’t biased at all!), our Nater-Tot, who is legally known as Nathan. Most days, I’m cleaning up messes, making goofy faces, trying to fit some writing in, and just LOVING the life that God has given me!



ABOUT THE BOOK

Everyone knows they can count on Paige Alder. But between volunteering at church, putting in overtime at work, and helping her best friend plan an anniversary party, she's lucky to grab a cheese stick for dinner. Paige can't even remember the last time she had a few minutes to relax or dig into God's Word. Then she meets laid-back Tyler, an attractive, Jesus-loving guy. Will he be able to help Paige get her priorities on track?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Paige Torn, go HERE.

"Pieces of the Heart" Book Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pieces of the Heart Abingdon Press (June 1, 2013) by Bonnie S. Calhoun
MY REVIEW:
     I received this book very later for the blog tour, but I had been anticipating it for quite awhile. It was worth the wait. I love WWII and am always excited to see a fresh perspective on it. Pieces of the Heart has a VERY fresh perspective. An African American girl and boy meet when they are young and just know they will get married someday - this is their story... filled with twists and turns and most dramatically filled with Bernard going off to WWII while Cordelia stays home to work in the factories. I was quite taken with the characters and the life breathed into them. There are a lot of supporting characters that surround them, including both sets of their parents with their own issues and Cordelia's friends. They add lots of dimension to what is going on in the lives of Bernard and Cordelia. 

     I was unaware of what a lot of African Americans soldiers went through in WWII as well as lots of the segregation still on the home front up north - even among light skinned and dark skinned African Americans. I was moved by the threads of forgiveness and prayer wrapped up in this story and I truly enjoyed this newest book in the Quilts of Love line from Abingdon Press.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year,” President of (CAN) Christian Authors Network, and Appointment Coordinator for both the Colorado Christian Writers Conference (CCWC) and the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference(GPCWC).

For the last six years she has taught workshops in Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, and creating Social Media promotions at both CCWC, and GPCWC, and in 2011 at the Montrose, Pa Christian Writers Conference. She also taught a Facebook workshop at the 2012 ACFW conference.

Bonnie and her husband live in a log cabin in upstate area of New York with a dog and cat who think she’s wait-staff.

Her sites are: https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhounsnarkandsuspense
 https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun

 ABOUT THE BOOK

Cordelia Grace watched Bernard Howard, the love of her young life, go off to fight for our country in WWII. And she has spent the last three years creating the Pine Cone quilt that will grace their marriage bed when he comes home. Each row of triangles signifies a layer in her life, sets of memories, hopes, dreams, and prayers for her future, enough spoken words to cover them forever. Her image of their “happy-ever-after” grows proportionally as the quilt expands.

But is the man that returns from the war, the same man that she remembered? Are the dark shades of color that she had to use for the outside edges of the beloved quilt prophetic of her life to come? Can love and faith overcome all?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pieces of the Heart, go HERE.

"An Open Heart" Book Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing An Open Heart David C. Cook (June 1, 2013) by Harry Kraus
MY REVIEW:
     Sadly, this is my first Harry Kraus novel. It won't be my last. "An Open Heart" is a interesting blend of mystery (no one knows what really happened the night the governor's wife died), medical (lots of procedures and surgeries that are uncannily interesting), mayhem (living and trying to function in the corruption in Kenya) and murder (no one is safe with political intrigue and witch doctors running things). There are so many facets to this book that it is mind boggling. It is big, deep, and very layered. Overall, I enjoyed it. There were parts of the relationships that didn't always ring true for me - especially between Jace and Heather. And the ending was way too swift for me. But all told I enjoyed this book enough that I will be reading more from Harry Kraus.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from Harry:

I started writing my first novel during my last year of surgery training at UK. I was a chief resident, and started writing Stainless Steal Hearts in a call room at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Lexington. It was a crazy time to write! I had a very demanding schedule, often spending days and nights in the hospital. I had two sons at that time, and I recognized the wisdom in my wife's urging: "Now doesn't seem the right time for this dream."

My experience as a writer is far from typical. Having received my formal training in biology and chemistry and medicine, my only preparation for a writing career was a love for reading. The longest thing I'd written before my first novel was a term paper in undergraduate school. My first novel was accepted by Crossway Books and published in 1994, and it wasn't until after I had FOUR published novels that I even opened a book of instruction about the craft of writing fiction. This is not what I recommend to others! Yes, I was successful, but I was bending the "rules" without knowing it. I had a natural talent for plotting, but I realize my initial success may have stunted my growth as a writer. I'd have made faster progress if I'd have gone to the fiction teachers sooner.

I have three sons: Joel, Evan, and Samuel. Look closely in all of my books and you'll see them there. My lovely wife, Kris, provides the basic composition for all those beautiful, athletic, dedicated women in my novels.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Their Messages—From Beyond the Grave—Might Destroy Him ...

They hover between life and death, their hearts stopped on the surgery table. And the messages Dr. Jace Rawlings’ open-heart surgery patients bring back from beyond the grave cannot be ignored. For they predict the deaths of people around him, and point a finger of suspicion straight at him.

It thrusts Jace into a firestorm of controversy and danger. A maeltsrom blown by the darker winds of political intrigue and spiritual warfare. And the forces working against him will do anything to stop him from uncovering a truth they will kill to hide. He’d come to Kenya to establish a heart-surgery program for the poor. But what he will find in that place where he grew up will put everything at risk–his marriage, his career . . . his life.

If you would like to read the first chapter of An Open Heart, go HERE.

"That Certain Summer" Book Review

Karen and Val are family--yet they're anything but close. Karen has carried the burden of responsibility for her aging mother ever since her gorgeous sister left town years ago to pursue a career in theater. But Val had darker reasons for leaving town--as well as a secret to keep--and coming home has never been an option . . . until their mother suffers a stroke.

Reunited in their hometown, Karen and Val must grapple with their past mistakes, their relationship with each other, and their issues with a mother who is far from ideal. When a physical therapist raising his daughter alone and a handsome but hurting musician enter the picture, the summer takes on a whole new dimension. As their lives intersect and entwine, can each learn how to forgive, how to let go, and how to move on? And strengthened by the healing power of faith, might they also find the courage to love?

With her trademark compelling characters and heartwarming hope, fan favorite Irene Hannon offers her readers an inspiring true-to-life tale of complex family relationships, transgressions revealed and forgiven, and the complicated process of finding love.

MY REVIEW:
      I am a fan of Irene Hannon's mystery/suspense books. They are some of my favorites in that genre. When I saw that she was writing a women's fiction with no suspense I was worried. Worried because I was afraid that it couldn't possibly be as compelling as her other books. But I wanted to check it out anyway. Thank goodness that this book was one of my biggest surprises of the year. It was a big surprise because it was every bit as compelling as one of her mystery/suspense books, but not for the same reasons. The characters in this book are some of the most real I have read lately. Good, bad and ugly. The relationships are almost eerily true to life, sister to sister, daughter to mother, daughter to dad, new love... the conversations are engaging and the situations are real. There is forgiveness, finding new purpose in life, finding new love, following God's plan... this book is so much more than I could ever have predicted. As much as I love Irene Hannon's mystery/suspense... I am looking forward to her next women's fiction book and I'd love for her to bring these dear friends back again.

"The Judgement Stone" Book Review

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Judgment Stone Thomas Nelson (May 14, 2013) by Robert Liparulo
MY REVIEW:
        Robert Liparulo has created a world that is really interesting here... overall the world is as we know it, except that there is a contingent of people that were present at the Golden Calf in the Old Testament when Moses came down from the mountain. They were punished with immortality and are now trying to do whatever it takes for God to forgive them so they can die. This is book #2 and you could read it alone, but I would certainly recommend reading it after book #1. Most of the characters in this book were present in book #1 except for a whole gang of bad guys that actually like being immortal and have no intention of asking God forgiveness for anything. They set out to wreck havoc on the world when the Judgement Stone is discovered. The stone reveals to anyone that holds it, what is going on in the spiritual world around you. To some this is good. To the bad guys... this is a ticket to find those close to God and destroy them. Jagger is out to take care of the bad guys while his wife and son are just trying to stay alive, and keep from getting kidnapped, and keep the priests alive... um, yep... it gets really good. I love Robert's writing style. He creates something amazing every time he writes. And he has done it again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Former journalist Robert Liparulo is the best-selling author of the thrillers Comes a Horseman, Germ, Deadfall, Deadlock, and The 13th Tribe, as well as The Dreamhouse Kings, an action-adventure series for young adults. He contributed a short story to James Patterson’s Thriller, and an essay about Thomas Perry’s The Butcher’s Boy to Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner. He is currently working on the sequel to The 13th Tribe, as well writing an original screenplay with director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive).

When not writing, Liparulo loves to read, watch (and analyze) movies, scuba dive, swim, hike, and travel. He lives in Monument, Colorado, with his wife Jodi and four children: Melanie, Matthew, Anthony, and Isabella.

ABOUT THE BOOK

What if praying became a curse instead of a blessing?

Former Army Ranger Jagger Baird thought he had his hands full with the Tribe—the band of immortal vigilantes fighting to regain God’s grace by killing those opposed to Him. But that was before he encountered the ruthless group of immortals called the Clan. The Clan is after a prize that would give them unimaginable power—a piece of the Ten Commandments known as the Judgment Stone.

Those who touch the Stone can see into the spiritual world: angelic warriors, treacherous demons, and the blue threads of light that signal the presence of believers in communion with God.

By following the blue beam radiating from those closest to God, the Clan plans to locate His most passionate followers and destroy them.

Jagger quickly realizes his high-tech gadgetry and training are no match for these merciless immortals. But how can he defeat an enemy who hunts believers through their prayers . . . and won’t stop until they’ve annihilated all those close to Him?

In this high-action thriller, best-selling author Robert Liparulo examines the raging battle between good and evil on earth . . . and beyond.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Judgment Stone, go HERE.