Fatal Deduction
By: Gayle Roper
Published by Multnomah Books
ISBN-13: 978-1-60142-013-8
Back Cover:
Twin sisters, deadly crossword puzzles, and a corpse on the doorstep are just the first clues to a family secret that goes back generations……..
Libby Burton longs to be close to her twin sister, Tori, but their lives have taken them in different directions. Forced to share Aunt Stella’s old Philadelphia home in order to receive their inheritance, Libby hopes for a change, but it isn’t looking good so far.
First, Tori tries to steal the affection and allegiance of Libby’s teenage daughter, Chloe. Then when a crossword puzzle with hidden threats shows up on their doorstep, Tori refuses to take it seriously ------in spite of the dead man who delivered it.
A stolen diamond and a botched kidnapping make Libby’s resolve to act faithfully more difficult. The answer to her problems lies in the riddles of the crosswords, but she is running out of time to uncover the truth.
In her latest romantic suspense novel, award-winning author Gayle Roper entices reader with her unusual blend of intrigue, faith, and clever crossword puzzle clues.
Review:
This story begins with high drama and follows through with it to the end. Crossword puzzles, family conflict, and a mystery are just a few items the reader has to solve in Fatal Deduction. Gayle Roper has created a novel that includes suspense, romance, and an emotional rollercoaster all at the same time.
The cast of characters come from all walks of life. I have twins, and if one of mine acted like Tori did, I would have to spank her—that is how emotionally provoking her character is. Nancy Drew meets modern day mom in the character of Tori’s sister. The characters were so realistic I felt like I could reach out and touch them.
The story line has more twists and surprises then a ride at Six Flags. The societal issues presented in the story run the gamut: single parenthood, effects of divorce on children, as well as, adoption versus abortion.
Fatal Deduction includes many spiritual lessons. It shows the value of being a spiritual light in a dark world. The characters of the twins shows the difference in a life lived for Christ and one lived for self. It also teaches how you choose to love family in spite of their flaws while entertaining to the end.
The story left me feeling hopeful about life. It reminded me that God does work things out for His good. I plan on getting my hands on every book written by Gayle Roper because it was just that good.
Reviewed by: Shellie Powell http://luv2read-luv2read.blogspot.com
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Dawn's Light
Dawn’s Light
By: Terri Blackstock
Published by Zondervan
ISBN# 978-0-310-25770-7
Backcover:
As the end of a worldwide crisis comes in sight, one family considers the lessons they have learned….and faces their ultimate test.
In the face of a crisis that sweeps the entire planet back to the age before electricity, the Brannings face a choice. Will they hoard their possessions to survive—or trust God to provide as they share their resources with others?
#1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts---and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world.
As the pulses that caused the power outage are finally coming to an end, thirteen-year-old Beth Branning witnesses two brutal murders. She narrowly escapes from the killer and runs away in terror. If she tells anyone what she saw, he’ll find her and kill her. But if she doesn’t, her silence could cost her life.
Meanwhile, as Deni’s ex-fiance returns to Crockett with a newfound faith and the influence to get things done, Deni is torn between the man who can fulfill all her dreams and Mark Green the man who inhabits them.
As the world slowly emerges from the crisis, the Brannings face their toughest crisis yet. Will God require more of them than they’re prepared to give? How will they keep their faith if he doesn’t answer their prayers?
Review:
There is a season for everything says Ecclesiastes 3:1, and Dawn’s Light covers many of those seasons. It is a story of beginnings, endings, and all the things in life that come in between.
Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? How do you forgive what seems unforgivable? How do you trust God when you can’t see Him? These are just a few questions answered in the story.
The last book in Blackstock’s Restoration series is the most powerful and thought provoking of them all. It is a book where the reality of life’s hardships and fiction meet. Prayer, faith, and compassion are all topics presented in the book. The story made me realize there is such a thing as a suspenseful tear jerker, and Dawn’s Light is it.
Dawn’s Light can be read as a suspenseful book that will keep you up at night, or it can be used to take the reader to a deeper spiritual level. I found it very challenging as I compared myself to how main characters dealt with conflict, revenge, suffering, and how I do. I have read several of Blackstock’s books, and this one moved me more emotionally and spiritually than any other. After reading the story, I wanted to know the God of the Branning family better and so will you.
By: Terri Blackstock
Published by Zondervan
ISBN# 978-0-310-25770-7
Backcover:
As the end of a worldwide crisis comes in sight, one family considers the lessons they have learned….and faces their ultimate test.
In the face of a crisis that sweeps the entire planet back to the age before electricity, the Brannings face a choice. Will they hoard their possessions to survive—or trust God to provide as they share their resources with others?
#1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts---and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world.
As the pulses that caused the power outage are finally coming to an end, thirteen-year-old Beth Branning witnesses two brutal murders. She narrowly escapes from the killer and runs away in terror. If she tells anyone what she saw, he’ll find her and kill her. But if she doesn’t, her silence could cost her life.
Meanwhile, as Deni’s ex-fiance returns to Crockett with a newfound faith and the influence to get things done, Deni is torn between the man who can fulfill all her dreams and Mark Green the man who inhabits them.
As the world slowly emerges from the crisis, the Brannings face their toughest crisis yet. Will God require more of them than they’re prepared to give? How will they keep their faith if he doesn’t answer their prayers?
Review:
There is a season for everything says Ecclesiastes 3:1, and Dawn’s Light covers many of those seasons. It is a story of beginnings, endings, and all the things in life that come in between.
Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? How do you forgive what seems unforgivable? How do you trust God when you can’t see Him? These are just a few questions answered in the story.
The last book in Blackstock’s Restoration series is the most powerful and thought provoking of them all. It is a book where the reality of life’s hardships and fiction meet. Prayer, faith, and compassion are all topics presented in the book. The story made me realize there is such a thing as a suspenseful tear jerker, and Dawn’s Light is it.
Dawn’s Light can be read as a suspenseful book that will keep you up at night, or it can be used to take the reader to a deeper spiritual level. I found it very challenging as I compared myself to how main characters dealt with conflict, revenge, suffering, and how I do. I have read several of Blackstock’s books, and this one moved me more emotionally and spiritually than any other. After reading the story, I wanted to know the God of the Branning family better and so will you.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Courting Emma Review
Courting Emma
By: Sharlene MacLaren
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 978-1-60374-020-3
A Story Survival, Mystery, and Unexpected Love
Twenty-eight year old Emma Browning has built a barricade around her heart to survive the pain of growing up with her alcoholic father, Ezra. As she runs Emma’s Boardinghouse, she plays host to an array of unkempt, earthy characters while trying to maintain a protective emotional distance from people. No one has succeeded in getting to know the beautiful yet steely edged proprietress. That is, not until Little Hickman Creek’s handsome new pastor, Jonathan Atkins, takes up residence in the boardinghouse and begins to dismantle her carefully controlled world…
Clinging desperately to her stubborn ways and unable to forgive her father, Emma begins receiving letters from a mysterious sender who somehow knows about her and has secret information about Ezra’s past. Amidst all this, she is surprised—and unsettled by the attentions of both Johnathan and Billy, the smooth-talking traveling showman.
When the town of Little Hickman Creek is stunned by an unexpected turn of events, will Emma risk removing her protective shell to accept the love of God---and the love of a man?
Review:
The story begins with Emma struggling with hard-heartedness toward God, her father, and anyone who dares to get to close. A childhood schoolmate, now pastor, is led by God to help restore the broken relationship between Emma and her earthly father, as well as, her heavenly one.
Sharlen MacLaren touches on a variety of topics such as forgiveness, grace, prayer, and self-worth in the story. She does a splendid job incorporating scripture throughout the book. I counted sixteen Bible quotes. Some of the sermons told by the fictional pastor are so inspirational they could be used in one’s personal devotion time.
Besides the spiritual wisdom revealed in Courting Emma, it is also a fun read. The book leaves you with a good feeling about God, others, and life in general. It also reminds you that God values you just because you're, you. When I finished the last page of Courting Emma I found myself wanting to relive the experience all over again.
By: Sharlene MacLaren
Publisher: Whitaker House
ISBN: 978-1-60374-020-3
A Story Survival, Mystery, and Unexpected Love
Twenty-eight year old Emma Browning has built a barricade around her heart to survive the pain of growing up with her alcoholic father, Ezra. As she runs Emma’s Boardinghouse, she plays host to an array of unkempt, earthy characters while trying to maintain a protective emotional distance from people. No one has succeeded in getting to know the beautiful yet steely edged proprietress. That is, not until Little Hickman Creek’s handsome new pastor, Jonathan Atkins, takes up residence in the boardinghouse and begins to dismantle her carefully controlled world…
Clinging desperately to her stubborn ways and unable to forgive her father, Emma begins receiving letters from a mysterious sender who somehow knows about her and has secret information about Ezra’s past. Amidst all this, she is surprised—and unsettled by the attentions of both Johnathan and Billy, the smooth-talking traveling showman.
When the town of Little Hickman Creek is stunned by an unexpected turn of events, will Emma risk removing her protective shell to accept the love of God---and the love of a man?
Review:
The story begins with Emma struggling with hard-heartedness toward God, her father, and anyone who dares to get to close. A childhood schoolmate, now pastor, is led by God to help restore the broken relationship between Emma and her earthly father, as well as, her heavenly one.
Sharlen MacLaren touches on a variety of topics such as forgiveness, grace, prayer, and self-worth in the story. She does a splendid job incorporating scripture throughout the book. I counted sixteen Bible quotes. Some of the sermons told by the fictional pastor are so inspirational they could be used in one’s personal devotion time.
Besides the spiritual wisdom revealed in Courting Emma, it is also a fun read. The book leaves you with a good feeling about God, others, and life in general. It also reminds you that God values you just because you're, you. When I finished the last page of Courting Emma I found myself wanting to relive the experience all over again.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Review of Healing Stones
Healing Stones
By: Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
Published By : Thomas Nelson
ISBN-13: 978-0-8499-1890-2
With One Flash Of A Camera, Demi’s Private Life Becomes Public News, She Doesn’t Know It Yet, But Her Healing Has Just Begun.
Christian college professor Demitria Costanas had vowed to end her affair with a colleague. But she gives into temptation one last time…..and a lurking photographer captures her weakness for all to see. Quite literally, she’s the woman caught in adultery. And almost everyone –herself included-has a stone to throw.
Enter Sullivan Crisp, a decidedly unorthodox psychologist with his own baggage. He’s well known for his quirky sense of humor and incorporation of “game show” theology “ into his counseling sessions. And yet there’s something more he offers……hope for a fresh start.
Reluctantly the two of them begin an uplifting, uneven journey filled with healing and grace. By turns funny and touching, this story explores the ways humans hurt each other and deceive themselves. And it shows the endlessly creative means God uses to turn stones of accusation and shame into works of beauty that lead us onto the path of healing.
An auspicious debut for a candid yet tender series about pain, healing, and God’s invitation for second chances.
Review:
This story is a captivating read and free - therapy session in one well-written package. Referring to one’s emotional and spiritual growth the fictional psychologists says, “Until we’re dead, none of us is done,” and that is just one of the many great quotes in the book. Healing Stones begins with the main character dealing with guilt feelings of a sin she has been hiding. After being caught in the act the story then progresses to reveal how her sin affects everyone around her.
Hypocrisy, forgiveness, and God’s love are themes that run throughout the story. As a child who was a victim of a family members affair, I found the book on target in showing the ripple effect of that kind of mistake. The storyline also includes a firefighter and how he deals with a loss caused by the twin tower attacks.
The dynamic duo Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn have succeeded in writing a book with both entertaining and spiritual value.
By: Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
Published By : Thomas Nelson
ISBN-13: 978-0-8499-1890-2
With One Flash Of A Camera, Demi’s Private Life Becomes Public News, She Doesn’t Know It Yet, But Her Healing Has Just Begun.
Christian college professor Demitria Costanas had vowed to end her affair with a colleague. But she gives into temptation one last time…..and a lurking photographer captures her weakness for all to see. Quite literally, she’s the woman caught in adultery. And almost everyone –herself included-has a stone to throw.
Enter Sullivan Crisp, a decidedly unorthodox psychologist with his own baggage. He’s well known for his quirky sense of humor and incorporation of “game show” theology “ into his counseling sessions. And yet there’s something more he offers……hope for a fresh start.
Reluctantly the two of them begin an uplifting, uneven journey filled with healing and grace. By turns funny and touching, this story explores the ways humans hurt each other and deceive themselves. And it shows the endlessly creative means God uses to turn stones of accusation and shame into works of beauty that lead us onto the path of healing.
An auspicious debut for a candid yet tender series about pain, healing, and God’s invitation for second chances.
Review:
This story is a captivating read and free - therapy session in one well-written package. Referring to one’s emotional and spiritual growth the fictional psychologists says, “Until we’re dead, none of us is done,” and that is just one of the many great quotes in the book. Healing Stones begins with the main character dealing with guilt feelings of a sin she has been hiding. After being caught in the act the story then progresses to reveal how her sin affects everyone around her.
Hypocrisy, forgiveness, and God’s love are themes that run throughout the story. As a child who was a victim of a family members affair, I found the book on target in showing the ripple effect of that kind of mistake. The storyline also includes a firefighter and how he deals with a loss caused by the twin tower attacks.
The dynamic duo Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn have succeeded in writing a book with both entertaining and spiritual value.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
the Will of Wisteria Review
God chose to use a written book (the Bible) and make it a living book by giving us Christ. Written words were how he chose to get his message out, and Christ was the living message that He sent with the Holy Spirit to teach, direct, and empower. There are many Christian books in our society today, and I want my blog to be used to find the truths of God's word in those books by people who have read them, enjoyed them, and been changed by them. The best Christian books, fiction or non- fiction, are the ones that point people to the living Word Jesus Christ and leads them to be more conformed to His image.
I finished the book, the Will of Wisteria, this week by Denise Hildreth. This book starts to work on your heart from the first chapter and continues to do so even after you have read the last line. It's about family, love, and never getting back those times missed out on. The key characters are four siblings that are challenged by their dead father to live a different kind of life for a year if they want to receive their wealthy inheritance. That year they learn about the spiritual bankruptcy in their life. The siblings are faced with a choice,which we all have to make,to either let God fix them or stay spiritually bankrupt. Do they all succeed at the challenge? Read the book to get that answer.
What Christian book have you read lately? What biblical truth did it teach you?
I finished the book, the Will of Wisteria, this week by Denise Hildreth. This book starts to work on your heart from the first chapter and continues to do so even after you have read the last line. It's about family, love, and never getting back those times missed out on. The key characters are four siblings that are challenged by their dead father to live a different kind of life for a year if they want to receive their wealthy inheritance. That year they learn about the spiritual bankruptcy in their life. The siblings are faced with a choice,which we all have to make,to either let God fix them or stay spiritually bankrupt. Do they all succeed at the challenge? Read the book to get that answer.
What Christian book have you read lately? What biblical truth did it teach you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)