Book Review: A Darkly Hidden Truth

22 Feb

Felicity can’t possibly help Father Antony find the valuable missing icon. She’s off to become a nun. And then her impossible mother turns up unexpectedly. And a good friend turns up murdered…

Breathtaking chase scenes, mystical worship services, dashes through remote water-logged landscapes, the wisdom of ancient holy women, and the arcane rites of The Knights Hospitaller keep the pages turning. Will Felicity choose the veil – or Antony?

__________________________________________

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 36 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work.  A Very Private Grave, Book 1 in the Monastery Murders series, is her reentry into publishing after a 10-year hiatus. Book 2, A Darkly Hidden Truth, will be out this fall, and she is at work on Book 3, An Unholy Communion, scheduled for 2012.

Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho. They have 4 adult children and 10 grandchildren. Donna is remembered by Idahoans with long memories as a former Queen of the Snake River Stampede, Miss Rodeo Idaho and runner-up for Miss Rodeo America. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

My Impressions:

A Darkly Hidden Truth continues the mysterious doings of Felicity and Father Antony (begun in A Very Private Grave) as they endeavor to discover the whereabouts of a stolen icon from the Community of The Transfiguration (CT).  Felicity is a young American woman struggling with her spiritual path.  She has been studying at CT and is on the threshold of making a commitment to greater devotion by entering a convent.  Antony, a history lecturer at the community has decided against becoming a monk due to his increasing interest in Felicity.  But despite her determination to go on a pilgrimage of discernment, Felicity cannot help but be drawn into the mystery that soon involves more missing icons and the murder of a fellow student.

A Darkly Hidden Truth blends church history and modern mystery. Although it is book 2 in a series, it can be read as a stand alone novel.  Not familiar with the Church of England, I learned all kinds of things.  I didn’t know there were Anglican nuns and monks and that the break with the traditions of the Roman Catholic church was not as dramatic as with other Protestant denominations.  As Felicity and Antony visit various religious communities and shrines, the history of the church develops along with the mystery.

The characters of Felicity and Antony are well-developed.  Felicity is endearing and exasperating.  Her desire to take vows could not be more opposite to her impulsive personality.  And Antony is long-suffering in his devotion to Felicity. Felicity’s mother also makes an appearance and that adds to the conflict and tension in Felicity’s decision-making.

The mystery of the stolen icons is interesting and there are quite a few candidates for the crime.  The book keeps the reader guessing to the end.  One negative however is the pace of the story.  I didn’t feel the action moved along quickly enough.  But it did mirror the pace of the various religious communities that the characters visit.

If you like historical and mystery fiction, you will like A Darkly Hidden Truth.

(I received A Darkly Hidden Truth from Kregel in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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The Realms Thereunder and Alfred The Great

22 Feb

Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.

The knights are waking up.

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden city.

Freya Reynolds is a university student with a touch of OCD and an obsession with myth and folklore. Daniel Tully is living rough on the streets of Oxford, waging a secret war against an enemy only he can identify. Years ago, they found themselves in a world few know is real. They have since gone their separate ways and tried to put that adventure behind them.

But the mythical world is now bleeding into our reality-a dark spiritual evil that is manifesting itself in forgotten corners of the British Isles. Alex Simpson is a Scottish police officer who specializes in hunting mythical creatures. Together, they must confront the past, the present, and points beyond to defeat the ultimate threat to humanity.

Nothing they’ve seen so far prepares them for what awaits . . . in The Realms Thereunder.

The CSFF Blog Tour is reviewing Ross Lawhead’s first book of a new series, The Realms Thereunder.  The  book opens with an excerpt of the poem The Ballad of The White Horse by G. K. Chesterton and one of the characters refers almost constantly to Alfred the Great.  So I thought I would include a little about Alfred.

Alfred was an unlikely person to become the only English king to be called Great.  The youngest son, he was not even supposed to inherit the throne of Wessex.  But as king he did so much for his country — unified the Anglo-Saxons, fought and repelled the Danes, established a navy, set up a system of education and law and brought many of his enemies to Christianity.  Benjamin Merkle has written an excellent history of Alfred entitled The White Horse King.  I read this book shortly after I began blogging and reviewing books.  You can read my review HERE.  The book is highly readable — more like a story than dry history.  So after you finish The Realms Thereunder and you want to know more about Alfred, pick up The White Horse King.

Sometimes the heroes of history are truly worthy of the golden reputations they carry. 

 King Alfred united Anglo-Saxon England against a Viking invasion, led the English into battle against the Danish hordes, created a renaissance of literature and the arts, reformed the legal system, and set the stage for a revival of Christian worship. But that’s not what made him great. Ben Merkle unravels the tale of how a great man came to power during one of the most difficult periods in English history, how he led his nation through them, and how he laid the groundwork for England’s coming triumphs on the global stage.

(I received both of these books for review and the opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Check out the posts of other participant on the CSFF tour:

Gillian Adams 

Red Bissell  

Thomas Clayton Booher

Keanan Brand  

Melissa Carswell 

Jeff Chapman

CSFF Blog Tour  

Theresa Dunlap 

Emmalyn Edwards  

April Erwin  

Victor Gentile   

Tori Greene   

Nikole Hahn   

Ryan Heart   

Bruce Hennigan

Timothy Hicks   

Christopher Hopper  

Janeen Ippolito

Jason Joyner   

Carol Keen    

Krystine Kercher   

Rebecca Loper

Margaret

Marzabeth   

Shannon McDermott   

Rebecca LuElla Miller   

Miriam Neal   

Eve Nielsen  

Nissa   

John W. Otte   

Donita K. Paul   

Joan Nienhuis  

Crista Richey  

Sarah Sawyer   

Chawna Schroeder   

Kathleen Smith    

Donna Swanson  

Rachel Starr Thomson 

Steve Trower   

Fred Warren   

Dona Watson   

Shane Werlinger   

Nicole White   

Dave Wilson

Rachel Wyant 

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Book Review: The Realms Thereunder

21 Feb

Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.

The knights are waking up.

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden city.

Freya Reynolds is a university student with a touch of OCD and an obsession with myth and folklore. Daniel Tully is living rough on the streets of Oxford, waging a secret war against an enemy only he can identify. Years ago, they found themselves in a world few know is real. They have since gone their separate ways and tried to put that adventure behind them.

But the mythical world is now bleeding into our reality-a dark spiritual evil that is manifesting itself in forgotten corners of the British Isles. Alex Simpson is a Scottish police officer who specializes in hunting mythical creatures. Together, they must confront the past, the present, and points beyond to defeat the ultimate threat to humanity.

Nothing they’ve seen so far prepares them for what awaits . . . in The Realms Thereunder.

My Impressions:

With a name like Lawhead, you know it must be good!  Really?  Really!   Although it is not really fair to judge Ross Lawhead’s first solo, full length novel by his father Stephen Lawhead’s reputation, it is probably a temptation nonetheless for some reviewers.  So I tried really hard to have no expectations of The Realms Thereunder.  I think I succeeded in keeping both an open mind and not trying to fit the novel into any Lawhead framework.  But I have to say, Ross Lawhead has done the family name good in the first offering of the Ancient Earth Trilogy.

Freya Reynolds and Daniel Tully went missing from a school trip when they were 13 years old.  Since then, they have struggled.  Daniel has drifted along looking for purpose to his life, while Freya has just tried to forget the whole ordeal. Neither has come away from their experience unscathed — Daniel is living on the streets and Freya is coping with an obsessive/compulsive behavior with doorways, especially arched entrances.   Eight years later they are still dealing with the aftermath of the month they spent in an underground world filled with heroic knights, strange creatures, and a quest only they could complete.  And after all this time, the mission they undertook is still incomplete.  Strange and unexplained deaths, suicides and crimes have cropped up in England and they all seem to be tied to Freya and Daniel.

Ross Lawhead has written two stories — the time Freya and Daniel spent underground and the story of their present lives.  The stories are told together — going back and forth with chapter changes.  Sounds kind of confusing?  It never was for me.  Lawhead makes sure the reader knows just where and when he is by designations at the beginning of each story shift.   To me, that just made me read faster so I could find out what happened next.

The characters are likable and sometimes lovable — as in the two sleeping knights Freya and Daniel awaken.  The strange creatures they come across are not always what they seem leaving the reader to find out along with Freya and Daniel just who can be trusted.  Not all is black and white; for me the verdict is still out on some of the characters.  And of course being the first book of a trilogy, the story is unfinished.  That was not frustrating, it just left me wanting more.

All in all, The Realms Thereunder is a wonderful fantasy novel.  There is a lot that can be analyzed — themes, metaphors, symbols, etc.  But bottom-line it is just a good story.  (And if you like that other Lawhead, I think you will like this book too.)

Recommended.

(I received The Realms Thereunder from the publisher in return for a review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Check out what other blog tour participants are saying by clicking on the links below:

Gillian Adams 

Red Bissell  

Thomas Clayton Booher

Keanan Brand  

Melissa Carswell 

Jeff Chapman

CSFF Blog Tour  

Theresa Dunlap 

Emmalyn Edwards  

April Erwin  

Victor Gentile   

Tori Greene   

Nikole Hahn   

Ryan Heart   

Bruce Hennigan

Timothy Hicks   

Christopher Hopper  

Janeen Ippolito

Jason Joyner   

Carol Keen    

Krystine Kercher   

Rebecca Loper

Margaret

Marzabeth   

Shannon McDermott   

Rebecca LuElla Miller   

Miriam Neal   

Eve Nielsen  

Nissa   

John W. Otte   

Donita K. Paul   

Joan Nienhuis  

Crista Richey  

Sarah Sawyer   

Chawna Schroeder   

Kathleen Smith    

Donna Swanson  

Rachel Starr Thomson 

Steve Trower   

Fred Warren   

Dona Watson   

Shane Werlinger   

Nicole White   

Dave Wilson

Rachel Wyant 

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Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour — The Realms Thereunder

20 Feb

This week the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour is reviewing Ross Lawhead’s new book The Realms Thereunder.  If the name sounds familiar, Ross is the son of author Stephen Lawhead.  I will be posting a review of the book tomorrow.  But in the meantime, here is more info about the book and the author:

Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days.

The knights are waking up.

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden city.

Freya Reynolds is a university student with a touch of OCD and an obsession with myth and folklore. Daniel Tully is living rough on the streets of Oxford, waging a secret war against an enemy only he can identify. Years ago, they found themselves in a world few know is real. They have since gone their separate ways and tried to put that adventure behind them.

But the mythical world is now bleeding into our reality-a dark spiritual evil that is manifesting itself in forgotten corners of the British Isles. Alex Simpson is a Scottish police officer who specializes in hunting mythical creatures. Together, they must confront the past, the present, and points beyond to defeat the ultimate threat to humanity.

Nothing they’ve seen so far prepares them for what awaits . . . in The Realms Thereunder.

Ross Lawhead comes from a literary household and has written since he could hold a crayon. He has collaborated with his father on a trilogy of speculative fiction, written and illustrated a graphic novel, and published two volumes of “awful” poetry in a series called “The Colour Papers.” He lives in Oxford and this is his first full-length novel. For more on Ross’ musings on comics, movies, books and culture, visit www.rosslawhead.com/blog/.

Check out what other blog tour participants are saying by clicking on the links below:

Gillian Adams 

Red Bissell  

Thomas Clayton Booher

Keanan Brand  

Melissa Carswell 

Jeff Chapman

CSFF Blog Tour  

Theresa Dunlap 

Emmalyn Edwards  

April Erwin  

Victor Gentile   

Tori Greene   

Nikole Hahn   

Ryan Heart   

Bruce Hennigan

Timothy Hicks   

Christopher Hopper  

Janeen Ippolito

Jason Joyner   

Carol Keen    

Krystine Kercher   

Rebecca Loper

Margaret

Marzabeth   

Shannon McDermott   

Rebecca LuElla Miller   

Miriam Neal   

Eve Nielsen  

Nissa   

John W. Otte   

Donita K. Paul   

Joan Nienhuis  

Crista Richey  

Sarah Sawyer   

Chawna Schroeder   

Kathleen Smith    

Donna Swanson  

Rachel Starr Thomson 

Steve Trower   

Fred Warren   

Dona Watson   

Shane Werlinger   

Nicole White   

Dave Wilson

Rachel Wyant 

(I received a copy of The Realms Thereunder from the publisher in return for a review.  Any opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway

16 Feb

February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day.


What better way to celebrate than by having a giveaway hop.  Read for Your Future and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer have teamed up to bring you the Random Acts of Kindness Giveaway Hop.  The dates for this hop are February 17th to 21st.  To find the list for all the great blogs giving away books and bookish things, click HERE.

I am giving away a hardback copy of Night Road by Kristin Hannah to one lucky winner.

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy– until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

To enter my giveaway, please leave a comment with your email address included.  (Please note:  no email addy = no entry).   The winner will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced on this blog by February 24th.

Book Review: Eric’s War: The Cougar And The Lamb

13 Feb

The year is 2075. God has sprinkled his powers on Man, turning the ordinary into extraordinary and the extraordinary into…heroes.

Eric D’Tra’val and Michelle Johnson are two such extraordinary people with incredible mental abilities called psionics. Eric has the ability to move objects using his mind and Michelle hears the thoughts of others.

Eric’s conscious is pricked during a near-death experience forcing him to question his life. As angels work to help him, devils strive to confuse.

Michelle is warned in a dream from God that Eric will be tested and fail, plunging him to evil. Fearing for his soul she works to keep the dream from coming true.

Zahab, one of Satan’s elite, hatches an elaborate scheme to force a confrontation between Eric and his nemesis, McAllistar. His goal is for Eric to kill or be killed. Either way, Zahab wins and Eric will be his. In time, his plotting bears fruit. A final showdown erupts between Eric and McAllistar with the added bonus of Michelle’s life in the balance.

(From the author’s website) —  Kenneth Bliss was born in Michigan and graduated from UM-Flint with degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. His drive to write for the Lord began in earnest in 2009.  Eric’s War was a finalist in the Westbow Press writing contest of 2010.

Ok, that’s the official blurb from the back cover.  Now, the rest of the story…

I’m a small-town boy born in 1966.  I live in Lansing now and work for a multi-billion dollar company.  I may live in “the big city” (well, it’s not that big, but still bigger than my small town of Ortonville), but I still call that small town I grew up in…home.

I wrote what is now Eric’s War back in 1994-1996.  It was definately a mainstream Sci-fi novel rife with obscenities and other unpleasant situations.  I came to the Lord in 1997 and knew the manuscript would not please Him in the least, so it sat, and sat, collecting dust, and sat some more.

In 2007, the bug to write came back and I decided to convert my manuscript into something that God would appreciate.  I gave some of the characters a Christian background and changed what the entire reason for the main character’s being.  Also, I decided to take the original manuscript and divide it up into three parts.  The beginning became the climax of The Cougar and the Lamb and I wrote more story to explain the lead up to this new climax.

The rest of the manuscript will become the second and third books to the planned trilogy.  I do not know exactly when they will come out, but you will see them in print.

My Impressions:

Eric’s War is a Christian science fiction novel.  Yes, that’s right, the Christian market actually has a variety of genres, not just bonnet and buggy books!  In Eric’s War, Kenneth Bliss brings us the world of the future — a world filled with high tech gadgets, artificial intelligence and superheroes or psions.  Sometime during the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, men and women began developing mind-bending abilities. Some can alter their physical bodies, others can defy gravity and still others can read minds.  Of course, most of these abilities are used to further the psions’ own goals.  But there are a few dedicated to the greater good; enter Eric.

Eric’s War has another level, though.  There is non-stop action with plenty of special effects (easily imagined even by this non-techie).  There is also a spiritual fight going on.  As in the real world, what we can see is being influenced by what can’t be seen.  God and evil are alive and well in this future world.  And as today, God is definitely in control.

As stated, Eric’s War provides action from beginning to end.  I would have liked a bit more character development — I had trouble connecting with the characters on a personal level.  And a glossary of the psi terms would have been great as well.

If you are a science fiction enthusiast and are looking for a deeper message than usually provided by secular science fiction, take a look at Eric’s War.

(I received a copy of Eric’s War from the author in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

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Book Review: Sweeter Than Birdsong

13 Feb

When Ben casts lovely Kate Winter to sing in his latest show, they find they share a love for music and ideas. But Kate’s mother wants her daughter to marry a rich man. Ben has given his life to God, not to the pursuit of wealth.

Kate Winter will be the first female graduate of Otterbein College, and every young man in town courts her. But Kate’s dark family secrets leave her unspeakably shy. When Kate joins the Hanbys in their dangerous work on the Underground Railroad, she finds her courage and her voice. Can Ben and Kate find a way to be together in spite of the obstacle of Kate’s family?

Rosslyn Elliott is the award-winning author of Fairer than Morning, the first in the Saddler’s Legacy series. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and a Ph.D. in English from Emory University. Her study of American literature and history inspired her to pursue writing fiction. Elliott lives in Albuquerque, where she homeschools her daughter and works in children’s ministry.

Visit www.rosslynelliott.com for more information.

My Impressions:

Sweeter Than Birdsong continues the story of the Hanby family of Ohio, a true life family that was devoted to ending slavery and worked selflessly in the Underground Railroad during the first half of the 1800s.  In this second installment in the Saddler’s Legacy series, Ben Hanby is a college student determined to make a difference in the abolition movement.  His early experience with the loss of life and love among those who had been enslaved has shaped his character and his dedication to the cause.  It is difficult and dangerous work, but he is determined to make a difference.  Kate Winter is the shy daughter of a wealthy yet troubled family in Wersterville.  Also a student at Otterbein College, Kate’s desperation to escape her  circumstances puts her in Ben’s path. Kate’s introduction to the plight of slaves changes her attitude and the direction of her life.

Sweeter Than Birdsong, a stand alone novel, tells more than a story of new love and romance.  It is a fact based historical novel that brings the years leading up to the Civil War to life.  The Hanby family is real and their experiences with the Underground Railroad are well documented.  And Ben Hanby was the prolific writer of songs, one of which echoed the fight for freedom.  The story is also a reminder of the need for personal freedoms within the structure of God’s love. Rosslyn Elliott has again captured the Hanbys’ wonderful story in a way that keeps the reader turning the pages.  If you like history, suspense, or just a good story well told, pick up Sweeter Than Birdsong.

Recommended.

To read my review of Fairer Than Morning, click HERE.

To read the views of other reviewers, click HERE.

(I received a copy of Sweeter Than Birdsong from LitFuse in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Be sure to check out the iPod Giveaway to celebrate the release of Sweeter than Birdsong:

One fortunate winner will receive:

  • A Brand new iPod Nano (Winner’s choice of color!)
  • Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott
  • Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on February 28th. Winner will be announced at Sweeter than Birdsong Author Chat Facebook Party on 2/28. Rosslyn will be chatting with guests, sharing a sneak peek of the next book in the series, hosting a trivia contest, and more! She’ll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, Seasons 1 and 2 of Downtown Abbey and a soundtrack DVD, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club AND a LIVE Author Chat for your group with Rosslyn.)

So grab your copy of Sweeter than Birdsong and join Rosslyn and friends on the evening of the 28th for an evening of fun.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 28th!

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Book Review: Night Road

11 Feb

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy– until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

From Kristin Hannah’s website:

I was born in September 1960 in Southern California and grew up at the beach, making sand castles and playing in the surf.   When I was eight years old, my father drove us to Western Washington where we called home.

After working in a trendy advertising agency, I decided to go to law school. “But you’re going to be a writer” are the prophetic words I will never forget from my mother. I was in my third-and final-year of law school and my mom was in the hospital, facing the end of her long battle with cancer. I was shocked to discover that she believed I would become a writer. For the next few months, we collaborated on the worst, most clichéd historical romance ever written.

After my mom’s death, I packed up all those bits and pieces of paper we’d collected and put them in a box in the back of my closet. I got married and continued practicing law.

Then I found out I was pregnant, but was on bed rest for five months. By the time I’d read every book in the house and started asking my husband for cereal boxes to read, I knew I was a goner. That’s when my darling husband reminded me of the book I’d started with my mom. I pulled out the boxes of research material, dusted them off and began writing. By the time my son was born, I’d finished a first draft and found an obsession.

The rejections came, of course, and they stung for a while, but each one really just spurred me to try harder, work more. In 1990, I got “the call,” and in that moment, I went from a young mother with a cooler-than-average hobby to a professional writer, and I’ve never looked back. In all the years between then and now, I have never lost my love of, or my enthusiasm for, telling stories. I am truly blessed to be a wife, a mother, and a writer.

My Impressions:

Night Road was the February selection for my book club, By The Book.  We have been meeting for 9 1/2 years and started out as a fellowship group through my local church.  We have since added members from other churches and have been autonomous for the last 2 years.  That being said, we still read books published for the Christian market.  Night Road was a departure for us, not in content, but because it was written for the secular market.  It contained profanity and a few sex scenes, not our usual fare!  But it scored high with our members. Almost everyone loved it, despite its lack of a faith message and the things mentioned above.  Why?  It produced some of the best discussion we have had on a book and made us examine our own motivations and choices.

Night Road tells the tale of Jude Farraday, an overachieving helicopter mother — you know the ones — perfect lives, perfect children, always hovering and Jude’s daughter’s best friend Lexie — former foster child and child of a drug addict.  Everyone loves Lexie and includes her in the Farraday family until the incident on Night Road.

Night Road underscored for us how hard (or impossible) it is to raise children, survive tragedy, live life, basically to live at all without the foundation of a life in Christ.  We hated Jude, we loved Lexie, we cried and cried at the tragedy and were happy with the ending.  But as one of our members stated, the grief expressed in this book was exhausting, and another said she had a hard time finishing due to the despair portrayed.

So were we happy we departed from the usual.  Yes!  Would I recommend this book.  Yes again!  Night Road is a great discussion group book, even (or maybe especially) for Christian book groups.  We thank ReadingGroupGuides.com and St. Martin’s Press for the lovely copies they provided.  (We won Night Road in a contest!)

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By The Book’s March Selection — Heart of Ice

10 Feb

Elizabeth Avery is a stunningly beautiful woman. But her perfectly managed exterior hides the ice cold heart of a killer. She ingeniously manipulates everyone who crosses her path to do exactly as she wishes–from crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, who thinks Elizabeth is her new best friend, to a shy young man Elizabeth persuades to kill for her.

As Elizabeth leaves a trail of bodies in her wake, Federal prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI agent Nicole Hedges must piece together clues from seemingly unrelated crimes. Can they stop her before she reaches her unthinkable, ultimate end-game?

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Book Review: Honor Redeemed

9 Feb

During rush hour one cold November night, a jumbo jet crashes on a busy highway…most of it, anyway. Honor Mackenzie and Rowdy, her trusty Search and Rescue dog, join the SAR team to search for the tail section, reported by witnesses to have landed in the dark and rainy woods along Baltimore’s Patapsco River.

Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Matt Phillips, forced to leave his SAR work behind to ensure his motherless twins would always have a dad, leaves the boys with a neighbor and heads to the woods, intent on getting another breaking story. It takes weeks to figure out why she’d given him such an icy reception: Another headline-hungry reporter–whose less-than-accurate story–ended her career with the fire department. In his effort to prove that not every reporter sacrifices “truth” for “story,” Matt finds himself attracted to the beautiful sad-eyed redhead.

As weeks pass, they discover that SAR missions aren’t the only things they have in common. Haunting attachments to 9/11 and the loss of a spouse have kept them lonely and alone…until they find comfort with one another. Much as he and his boys have come to care for her, Matt isn’t convinced that Honor will ever fully commit to him or the twins…especially after she takes a job in New York without even discussing it with him.

During his annual ski weekend with the boys, the heartbroken Matt gets word that Honor has gone missing during a search for a lost girl. He leads the search team, desperate to find her before a blizzard moves in. But even if he does, will they find their way back to one another . . .

. . . or back to living life alone?

 

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With more than 3,000,000 copies of her books in circulation, best-selling author Loree Lough’s titles earn 4- and 5-star reviews and industry/reader’s choice awards. She has received nearly 10,000 letters from fans who write to say she’s “a gifted writer whose stories touch hearts and change lives.” Her 9/11 series, First Responders (From Ashes to Honor, Honor Redeemed, A Man of Honor) is no exception, and it’s raising awareness and funds for organizations that assist soldiers and first responders, and their families. (For more information about these worthy groups, visit http://www.loreelough.com)

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My Impressions:

The First Responders Series by Loree Lough is a look into the lives of first responders — EMTs, Search and Rescue (SAR) professionals and firefighters — what motivates them and how their job choices affect their lives and relationships.  In Honor Redeemed, readers meet Honor MacKenzie, a devoted SAR trainer and dog handler.  Her life has pretty much become hopeless due to a scandal revolving around her and her former bosses with the Baltimore Fire Department.  Forced out of the job she loved, she now clerks at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, but in her off hours she spends her time training people and dogs for SAR work.  Matt Phillips, a star reporter, enters her life when she least expects or wants it.  Yet his determination to get to know Honor forces her defenses down, at least for a time.

Honor Redeemed is the second in the series, and there is a lot of backstory in the first book, From Ashes To Honor.  I did not read the first book and that was a mistake.  I had a lot of questions that left me feeling that I was missing something.  That is not a criticism of the book, just a recommendation that you start with the first book to understand all that is going on. One of the things I liked about Honor Redeemed was the very real struggle Matt and Honor have in their burgeoning relationship.  They are definitely attracted to each other and it would have been easy to rush things along.  But Lough has them both take a step back — Honor because of a past filled with abuse and Matt because of his twin boys that he has been raising alone from birth.  I first thought this would be a love at first sight/love will conquer all kind of story, but Lough brings a very realistic turn and tone to the novel.

As said before, this is a look at the lives of first responders.  There are some SAR scenes, but by and large it is a book about relationships.  I would recommend you read From Ashes To Honor first.  But don’t worry about the time involved, Honor Redeemed was a quick read.  Your only worry is the waiting time for the next installment, A Man Of Honor.

Recommended.

 

(I received Honor Redeemed from Pump Up Your Book in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.)

 

Monday, February 6

Book giveaway at I Am A Reader, Not a Writer

Tuesday, February 7

Book reviewed at Christian Bookshelf Reviews

Wednesday, February 8

Book reviewed at WV Stitcher

Thursday, February 9

Book reviewed at By the Book

Friday, February 10

Book reviewed at Legacy of a Writer

Monday, February 13

Book reviewed at Ashley’s Bookshelf

Tuesday,  February 14

Book review & book giveaway at Jersey Girl Book Reviews

Wednesday, February 15

Book reviewed at Splashes of Joy

Thursday, February 16

Book reviewed at Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book

Friday, February 17

Book reviewed at Reviews by Molly

Monday, February 20

Guest blogging at Colloquium

Tuesday, February 21

Book review & book giveaway at Colloquium

Wednesday, February 22

Book reviewed at Peeking Between the Pages

Thursday, February 23

Book reviewed at Life in Review

Friday, February 24

Book reviewed at Mad Moose Mama

Monday, February 27

Book reviewed at Reviews From the Heart

Tuesday, February 28

Book reviewed at A Room Without Books is Empty

Wednesday, February 29

Chat with Loree at Pump Up Your Book Live! Chat/Book Giveaway

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