I am just not feeling today’s Top 10 Tuesday topic — last 10 books I did not finish, or DNF. I just don’t DNF often to have enough for a post. And I have posted a few times on this subject and don’t want to repeat myself. So . . . I am going way off script and continuing my Reading American History series with novels featuring Americans overseas in WWII. Hope you enjoy my non-topic selections. I can almost guarantee you will finish all these books. 😉 You’ll notice that several of the books are from author Sarah Sundin — she does WWII fiction so well, that her books are always a must-read for me.
Reading American History — Americans Overseas in WWII
Daisies Are Forever by Liz Tolsma
Far on The Ringing Plains by Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig
The Last Year of The War by Susan Meissner
The Long March Home by Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton
Happy Tuesday! Today is a REWIND day at TTT, so I am mashing a few of the prompts and presenting my husband’s specially curated TBR list. Curated by yours truly. 😉 I have created a little shelf consisting of books I have read that I think my husband might like, plus books that I purchase for him for birthdays, Christmas, or whenever. His TBR doesn’t dwindle much, but it sure does grow. I hope you find a book that you or that special man in your life may enjoy.
The Barrister And The Letter of Marque by Todd M. Johnson
As a barrister in 1818 London, William Snopes has witnessed firsthand the danger of only the wealthy having their voices heard, and he’s a strong advocate who defends the poorer classes against the powerful. That changes the day a struggling heiress, Lady Madeleine Jameson, arrives at his door.
In a last-ditch effort to save her faltering estate, Lady Jameson invested in a merchant brig, the Padget. The ship was granted a rare privilege by the king’s regent: a Letter of Marque authorizing the captain to seize the cargo of French traders operating illegally in the Indian Sea. Yet when the Padget returns to London, her crew is met by soldiers ready to take possession of their goods and arrest the captain for piracy. And the Letter–the sole proof his actions were legal–has mysteriously vanished.
Moved by the lady’s distress, intrigued by the Letter, and goaded by an opposing solicitor, Snopes takes the case. But as he delves deeper into the mystery, he learns that the forces arrayed against Lady Jameson, and now himself, are even more perilous than he’d imagined.
Blood Mountain Covenant by Charles E. Hill
The factual account of a late nineteenth-century Georgian mountain town, “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” is the story behind the gruesome murder of John Lance, a man who preached the word of God and was loved by the friends and family of his small town.
Trouble begins for John Lance and his family when Jim, the narrator of the story and son of the late John Lance, is attacked by a group of notorious outlaws and viciously beaten. This incident serves as the catalyst for John Lance’s outcry of injustice over this violent assault, and ultimately leads to his murder and his son’s revenge on the people who committed this act against his family. With photos, documentary pages and actual testimony from the trial of John Lance’s murder, Charles Hill’s “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” paints a detailed picture of the people and daily life of a North Georgian town in the nineteenth century, and one family’s struggle to walk the path of righteousness, while warding off the treachery in their midst.
The Eagle’s Claw by Jeff Shaara
The factual account of a late nineteenth-century Georgian mountain town, “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” is the story behind the gruesome murder of John Lance, a man who preached the word of God and was loved by the friends and family of his small town.
Trouble begins for John Lance and his family when Jim, the narrator of the story and son of the late John Lance, is attacked by a group of notorious outlaws and viciously beaten. This incident serves as the catalyst for John Lance’s outcry of injustice over this violent assault, and ultimately leads to his murder and his son’s revenge on the people who committed this act against his family. With photos, documentary pages and actual testimony from the trial of John Lance’s murder, Charles Hill’s “Blood Mountain Covenant: A Son’s Revenge” paints a detailed picture of the people and daily life of a North Georgian town in the nineteenth century, and one family’s struggle to walk the path of righteousness, while warding off the treachery in their midst.
Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill
After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she’s worked for: a transfer to San Antonio’s Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.
As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she’s forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.
Tom Threadgill is back with another riveting page-turner featuring the detective who is willing to put everything on the line to see that justice is served and lives are protected.
The Paris Betrayal by James R. Hannibal
After a rough mission in Rome involving the discovery of a devastating bioweapon, Company spy Ben Calix returns to Paris to find his perfectly ordered world has collapsed. A sniper attack. An ambush. A call for help that brings French SWAT forces down on his head. Ben is out. This is a severance–reserved for incompetents and traitors.
Searching for answers and anticipating a coming attack, Ben and a woman swept up in his misfortunes must travel across Europe to find the sniper who tried to kill him, the medic who saved his life, the schoolmaster who trained him, and an upstart hacker from his former team. More than that, Ben must come to grips with his own insignificance as the Company’s plan to stop Leviathan from unleashing the bioweapon at any cost moves forward without him–and he struggles against the infection that is swiftly claiming territory within his own body.
Award-winning author James R. Hannibal ratchets up the tension on every page of this suspenseful new thriller.
The Scepter And The Isle by Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig
CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST — HEMINGWAY 20TH CENTURY WARTIME FICTION
It did not end with Guadalcanal. It did not end with one island. There were more islands… an island with snow-capped peaks, friendly people, blue seas, where Bud found love with his Tongan princess. Where Billy breathed the clean air of mountains where no danger lurked. Where Johnny found a way to drain the hate that drove him mad. They found life again after the death-filled frenzy of Guadalcanal But the God of war was not done with them. More islands sent their siren call from beyond distant horizons and they were cast upon dark shores. Islands with coconut palms, dense green jungle and death. Islands that took more life than they ever gave back. Islands where women killed like men, islands filled with the most brutal soldiers the Japanese Empire could offer. Tarawa. Saipan. Islands that had to be endured. Islands they had to survive. There was no other way to bring the war to an end. There was no other way to get home again.
Spirit of The Rabbit Place by J. R. Collins
Gold can capture the heart of most common men. Its lustful color is said to have been the downfall of many throughout the known history. Few are safe from its deeply rich, heavy, golden pull. The Southern Appalachian Mountains of 1829 laid as a proper haven for the lost ones who would venture there in search of this absolute treasure. Riches beyond their wildest dreams danced in their minds as they trailed to lands they’d never seen. A quest to find streams filled with the easy haul of pure gold nuggets. Jebediah Collins, a lad of Irish descent, and his best friend Wolf, a Cherokee boy of pure ancestry, faced the challenge of living with this invasion of gold lookers. A greed uncommon to their way of life. This coming requires them to fight for their way of life in a valley the Indians call “Place of the Rabbits”. The settlers knew it as “Choestoe”, pronounced Cho-E-sto-E, or “Land of the Dancing Rabbits.” This spirit, known only to a few, but respected by all that experience it, exists in the heart of Chosestoe. The Cherokee knew it as Ga-lv-quo-di-a-da-nv-do Tsi-e-tsi-yi-i. Me and Wolf as . . . Spirit of the Rabbit Place.
Happy Friday! I am again spotlighting a guys book this week. My husband enjoyed The first book in The Islands series by Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig. I picked up book 2, The Scepter And The Isle as soon as I could! Book one featured Guadalcanal, and this one is set in Tarawa and Saipan. A third book is also planned. Check this series out for those who love the WWII-era time period.
Here’s the first line:
The world has changed — at least for the men of the 2nd Division.
CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FINALIST — HEMINGWAY 20TH CENTURY WARTIME FICTION
It did not end with Guadalcanal. It did not end with one island. There were more islands… an island with snow-capped peaks, friendly people, blue seas, where Bud found love with his Tongan princess. Where Billy breathed the clean air of mountains where no danger lurked. Where Johnny found a way to drain the hate that drove him mad. They found life again after the death-filled frenzy of Guadalcanal. But the God of war was not done with them. More islands sent their siren call from beyond distant horizons and they were cast upon dark shores. Islands with coconut palms, dense green jungle and death. Islands that took more life than they ever gave back. Islands where women killed like men, islands filled with the most brutal soldiers the Japanese Empire could offer. Tarawa. Saipan. Islands that had to be endured. Islands they had to survive. There was no other way to bring the war to an end. There was no other way to get home again.
Happy Friday! My husband loves a Western, be it a film or novel. So when I saw that Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig had a new series, I just had to get him book 1, The Drive. The Storm Riders series promises to have all the thing my husband likes, and I’m anxious to hear what he thinks. If you or someone you love are a fan of the Western genre, then check it out!
Here’s the first line:
Carson Budrow sat low in the saddle, his slicker doing little to ward off the chill wind and light drops of rain.
Out of the smoke and fire of the Civil War, an unlikely friendship is forged. Two men emerge from the war’s ashes, cross paths, and decide to ride together, even though Carson Budrow wore Union blue and Garrett Roads Confederate gray. They form a cautious partnership and hook up with a cattle drive heading from Texas to Colorado. Fierce twisters, deep rivers, heartless desperadoes, bold Comanche with faces painted for war, and gun-toting, strong women will be on this drive. Worst of all is the gang tracking them and gunning for Budrow’s life, something not even his partner Roads or the two women in Budrow’s life think they can do anything to stop.
I hit a home run with the purchase of a book for my husband. While we sometimes love the same books, more often than not the books I read my husband would not pick up. When I saw a blurb for Far on The Ringing Plains by Murray Pura and Patrick E. Craig, I took a shot and ordered. My husband loved this book set in the early days of WWII in the Pacific theater. I am featuring the first line in the hopes that you too (or a friend or spouse) may also find this book intriguing. It is the first of a planned three part Islands series. My husband is eagerly awaiting the next release.
When I first saw the Islands, it was August 7, 1942, at 0400 hours . . .
In the spirit of The Thin Red Line, Hacksaw Ridge, Flags of our Fathers, and Pearl Harbor.
Realistic. Gritty. Gutsy. Without taking it too far, Craig and Pura take it far enough to bring war home to your heart, mind, and soul. The rough edge of combat is here. And the rough edge of language, human passion, and our flawed humanity. If you can handle the ruggedness and honesty of Saving Private Ryan, 1917 or Dunkirk, you can handle the power and authenticity of ISLANDS: Far on the Ringing Plains.
For the beauty and the honor is here too. Just like the Bible, in all its roughness and realism and truthfulness about life, reaching out for God is ever-present in ISLANDS. So are hope and faith and self-sacrifice. Prayer. Christ. Courage. An indomitable spirit. And the best of human nature, triumphing over the worst.
Bud Parmalee, Johnny Strange, Billy Martens — three men that had each other’s backs and the backs of every Marine in their company and platoon. All three were raised never to fight. All three saw no other choice but to enlist and try to make a difference. All three would never be the same again. Never. And neither would their world.
Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the next twenty-six years as a worship leader, pastor, and seminar speaker in churches and at retreats, seminars, and conferences all across the Western United States.
After ministering for a number of years in music and worship to a circuit of small churches in Northern California, he is now concentrating on writing and publishing both fiction and non-fiction books.
Murray Andrew Pura was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and has traveled extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Ordained as a Baptist minister in 1986, Pura has served five churches in Canada and headlined numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the United States. He has five books published, was a contributor to the Life With God Bible, has been a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada.
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