Merry Christmas
Book Recommendation – Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman
Book Description:
When Livy O’Brien spies a young boy jostling a man walking along the boardwalk, she recognizes the act for what it is. After all, she used to be known as Light-fingered Livy. But that was before she put her past behind her and moved to the growing town of Chestnut, Illinois, where she’s helping to run an orphanage. Now she’ll do almost anything to protect the street kids like herself.
Sheriff’s deputy Jake Russell had no idea what he was in for when he ran into Livy—literally—while chasing down a pickpocket. With a rash of robberies and a growing number of street kids in town—as well as a loan on the family farm that needs to be paid off—Jake doesn’t have time to pursue a girl. Still, he can’t seem to get Livy out of his mind. He wants to get to know her better . . . but Livy isn’t willing to trust any man, especially not a lawman.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I really liked the story premise and enjoyed reading this book. Livy is an intriguing character with a heart of gold. Her faith helps her overcome her difficult childhood. She has a genuine desire to help the orphans and street kids who have appeared in her small town. Livy is drawn to Jake, despite fearing he will discover the truth about her past.
Jake struggles to understand why Livy has a soft spot for the street kids, who seem to be the source of trouble in the town. Explosive secrets are revealed that take Jake and Livy on a dangerous journey to seek the truth and bring justice to the town of Chestnut, Illinois. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a fast paced and beautifully plotted historical romance.
Book Recommendation – Reign: The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel by Ginger Garrett
Book Description:
Beyond the Drama, Her Heart Was Real
From the moment her marriage to prince Ahab thrusts her into the intrigues of palace life, Jezebel’s exotic beauty opens doors and her will breaks down walls. Torn from her homeland and wed to power in a strange country, Jezebel vows to create a legacy and power all her own. Some might call her a manipulative schemer, bent on having her way. But they don’t know the whole story, and she was much, much worse.
As she moves through the halls of power, her heart struggles between devotion to the gods she worships, the prince who loves her, and her thirst for revenge. She sparks a battle between her strangely powerless gods and the God of palace administrator Obadiah—a God who confronts her with surprising might. She will fight, though victory may cost her everything.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I found Reign a fascinating story to read. It was a little confronting to walk in Jezebel’s shoes as she became the princess and ultimately queen of Israel with her husband, Ahab. Her despicable and evil acts including idolatry, child sacrifices and killing the Lord’s prophets are covered in the book. We gain an insight into her hatred of the prophet, Elijah, and her unquenchable desire for power.
Ahab is stuck in the middle. He is unable to please his wife and the people who have remained faithful to the Israelite God. He allows Jezebel to encourage the Israelites to worship her foreign gods. Both Ahab and Jezebel suffer the consequences of God’s wrath and judgment.
We are given a fictional perspective on their dysfunctional marriage and family life, and plausible reasons to explain their life choices. I recommend this book to those looking for insightful and challenging Biblical fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley and David C. Cook for providing a review copy.
Book Recommendation – An Unholy Communion by Donna Fletcher Crow
Book Description:
First light, Ascension morning. From the top of the tower at the College of the Transfiguration, voices rise in song.
Felicity’s delight turns to horror when a black-robed body hurtles over the precipice and lands at her feet, the strange emblem of a double-headed snake clutched in his hand.
Matters grow murkier as Felicity and Antony, leading a youth pilgrimage through rural Wales, encounter the same sinister symbol as they travel. Lurking figures follow them through the land of dragons and old Celtic saints. Then a body is found face-down in a well …
An Idyllic pilgrimage through Wales becomes a life-and-death struggle between good and evil.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading An Unholy Communion, Book 3 in The Monastery Murders series. I’ve read Book 1, A Very Private Grave, and it was good to journey with Felicity and Father Antony again. Felicity is an American who studies at an English monastery where Father Antony is a lecturer. This book differs to the typical Christian fiction book because it explores the historic Anglo-Catholic roots and traditions of the Anglican Church in England. The Monastery Murder series have plots that are connected to the early church in Britain, going back as far as the early centuries AD when the saints lived and the Christian faith spread through the known world from Rome.
Antony and Felicity are engaged to be married, and become embroiled in a modern day murder mystery when a dead body falls out of a church bell tower during the Ascension morning service and lands at Felicity’s feet. The man is holding a piece of paper with a distinctive snake emblem on it. Felicity reaches for the paper and it ignites, reducing to ashes for no apparent reason. Antony and Felicity embark on a youth pilgrimage walking tour through Wales, following in the steps of Saint David. They are accompanied by a quirky group who add colour and flavour to the story. A series of unusual events occur that suggest a supernatural force may be at work. I recommend this book to those interested in reading a supernatural murder mystery that explores early British church history.
Book Recommendation – Yesterday’s Tomorrow by Catherine West
Book Description:
She’s after the story that might get her the Pulitzer. He’s determined to keep his secrets to himself.
Vietnam 1967.
Independent, career-driven journalist Kristin Taylor wants two things: to honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning overseas correspondent, and to keep tabs on her only brother, Teddy, who signed up for the war against their mother’s wishes.
Brilliant photographer Luke Maddox, silent and brooding, exudes mystery. Kristin is convinced he’s hiding something.
Willing to risk it all for what they believe in, Kristin and Luke engage in their own tumultuous battle until, in an unexpected twist, they’re forced to work together. Ambushed by love, they must decide whether or not to set aside their own private agendas for the hope of tomorrow that has captured their hearts.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I loved reading this book, and I couldn’t put it down. Kristin and Luke are fascinating and complex characters who struggle with a number of issues. They are thrown together in an intense and dire situation, and live each day not knowing if it will be their last. They are flawed people who must cope with the extreme pressures of war. As a result, their relationship evolves in a different direction to the typical Christian romance.
Yesterday’s Tomorrow provides a realistic portrayal of life in Vietnam during the war. The story addresses the hardship faced by people who served their country without receiving honour and recognition back home. I highly recommend this book to those looking for an authentic and powerful romance set during the Vietnam War.
Book Recommendation – Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel
Book Description:
God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she’s done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and goes across the country to live with Daphne—her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save.
Confident, successful, fun-loving Daphne sets about helping Rachel reinvent herself, and for a while it’s exciting. But when another tragedy shakes Rachel to the core, what little bit of self-possession she has left begins to unravel. A true-to-life story that will draw you in and keep you biting your nails until the end.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this book despite not particularly liking the main character. At the start of the story Rachel comes across as shallow and naive. She views the non-church attending people in her life as potential ‘projects’ to convert rather than potential friends. Her world falls apart and her faith is shaken because God hasn’t given her a perfect life.
I struggled to identify with Rachel during the first few chapters because she acted like a spoilt princess and seemed to lack an understanding of how suffering is part of the Christian journey. I nearly put the book down but I was intrigued by the story premise. I’m glad I kept reading.
We journey with Rachel as she turns her back on her childhood faith. She explores a different world in Chicago that is foreign to her previously sheltered life experiences in California. Without her faith to define her decisions, Rachel struggles to build a meaningful new life. Tragedy strikes and Rachel is forced to evaluate the direction of her life. I recommend this book to those interested in reading a story that shows what could happen to young believers who fall away from a childhood faith that hasn’t prepared them to face real world challenges.
Book Recommendation – Her Minnesota Man by Brenda Coulter
Book Description:
A HEARTWARMING CHRISTIAN ROMANCE NOVEL
Tender, funny, and thought-provoking, this novel is one you’ll remember long after you’ve turned the last page.
Rock star Jackson Bell has just given his heart to God. Resolved to abandon his wicked lifestyle and eager for instruction in Christian living, he heads home to Owatonna, Minnesota and the girl-next-door he’s secretly loved for years. Dismayed to find Laney Ryland in the midst of a faith crisis, “Jeb” quickly formulates a plan: He’ll help Laney get her faith back, and then he’ll find her a good Christian man to marry so she can get started on that big family she longs for.
It won’t be easy, watching another man slide a ring onto Laney’s finger. But she deserves only the best, and Jeb means to see that she gets it. Now if only her great-aunts, those pesky 79-year-old matchmaking triplets known as the Three Graces, will just stay out of his way . . . .
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading this book. Jeb and Laney were fascinating characters with a complex history that set the stage for a compelling romance. Jeb’s desire to turn his back on his old rock star lifestyle and learn how to live according to his new found faith was both realistic and endearing. Laney was juggling the many responsibilities in her life, and struggling with her faith and her inability to meet ‘Mr. Right.’
I loved journeying with Jeb and Laney as their unique friendship became something more. The ‘Three Graces’ were adorable and interesting characters who added many moments of humour to the story. I highly recommend this book to those interested in reading a fun and inspiring contemporary romance.
Book Recommendation – Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol by Creston Mapes
Book Description:
Millionaire Rock Star Everett Lester Had It All . . .
His metal band DeathStroke played bars and honkytonks until a NYC record label discovered them and the band experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the record charts — and super-stardom.
Despite Everett’s unfathomable popularity and riches, he was spiraling out of control into a dark existence where everyone wanted a piece of him, and where drugs and alcohol were his only comfort.
When Everett begins to rely on the services of a personal psychic from L.A. for guidance and solace, he gradually finds a sinister form of evil seeping into his fractured life that threatens to end his career — and destroy his existence.
Through it all, he receives uplifting notes from a young lady in Kansas who claims she’s not a fan, but a friend who’s praying for him.
A murder trial ensues and the eyes of the world are watching courtroom B-3 in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
With tension on every page, Amazon #1 Best-Selling author Creston Mapes demonstrates why he is a “Top Pick” among mystery, fiction and thriller lovers.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I was initially unsure if I’d like reading this book. The author presented a realistic picture of Everett’s celebrity rock star lifestyle, including drug use, and the story included flashbacks to earlier events in Everett’s life leading up to his arrest. After the first few chapters I was hooked, and I read this book very quickly. The powerful story stayed in my mind and I gained an empathy for Everett’s character as the story progressed.
I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks, but the parallel story line that blended past and present events worked really well and heightened the tension and suspense in the story. The spiritual warfare theme was an integral part of the plot and revealed the dangers for those dabbling in the occult. I loved Karen’s character and her unwavering faith in the power of prayer. I highly recommend this book to those interested in reading a thought provoking and compelling spiritual warfare story.
Book Recommendation – Congo Dawn by Jeanette Windle
Book Description:
While former Marine lieutenant Robin Duncan is no stranger to corruption or conspiracy, she has always been able to tell the good guys from the bad, and the Congo jungle at first seems no different. But as her security team tries to track down an insurgent killer, Robin has to face a man who broke her trust years ago, and she discovers the gray areas extend farther in this jungle wilderness than she anticipated.
A ruthless global conspiracy begins to surface, run by powerful men who can’t afford to leave any witnesses. Her life at stake, Robin doesn’t know who to trust and wonders how she can help protect innocent people. Why is God silent amid all the pain and injustice? And how do these people of faith continue to rejoice in their suffering?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
Congo Dawn is another brilliant international intrigue thriller, this time set in Africa, by award winning author Jeanette Windle. I loved reading Veiled Freedom and Freedom’s Stand, set in Afghanistan, and Congo Dawn lived up to my expectations.
Robin is a compassionate deep thinker who struggles to understand how God can allow so much pain and suffering in the world. She takes on a merchant security contract job in the Congo because she desperately needs the money to help her family. Robin is shocked to see Michael again, a doctor now working in a nearby village. They share a tragic past in Afghanistan that has left Robin with more questions than answers.
The complex relationships between all the characters creates compelling emotional conflict. The jungle setting is rich with sensory detail that brings the story alive on the page. The intricate plot and fascinating characters kept me turning the page and I read Congo Dawn in less than two days. I highly recommend Congo Dawn to those looking for a fast paced and action packed thriller set in war torn Congo.
Book Recommendation ~ Rainbow’s End novella collection
Book Description:
Join a geocaching adventure in the spectacular Lake of the Ozarks wilderness, with Lyssa, the enthusiastic volunteer who can’t see past her own plans; Madison, a city girl paired with an outdoorsy guy who gets on her very last nerve; Hadley, who doesn’t know enough about guys to realize she’s met a womanizer; and cautious Reagan, who meets an equally cautious guy. Will they find the treasure they’re looking for … or something else entirely?
Back Cover blurb:
It’s always an interesting group of strangers who show up for the first annual Rainbow’s End geocache hunt, and the spectacular scenery along the bluffs of the Lake of the Ozarks is just one reason…
Topaz Treasure by Valerie Comer
Lyssa, hoping she can get over her fears and point folks to the treasure found in Jesus, is startled to find her former college professor among the group. Will he upset her mission?
Beneath the Surface by Annalisa Daughety
City girl Madison is annoyed that her sister signed her up and then bailed – but now she’s been paired with a complete stranger! Worse, he’s one of those outdoorsy types.
Love’s Prize by Cara C. Putman
Reagan has always played it safe, doing everything by the book. And then she meets her brother’s frat brother, a guy who’s got his life mapped out, too.
Welcome Home, Love by Nicole O’Dell
After winning her life-long battle to get fit, Hadley can’t wait to meet the people who didn’t know her “before”. But Brad is that species of guy she has no experience with: a player.
God only knows if this adventure in the woods will lead to heartache… or love.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading this novella collection. Each romance centers around the Rainbow’s End geocache hunt. I learned more about geocaching in each story and I liked the outdoors summer setting. The stories run concurrently and one of the novellas has a suspense element. I recommend this novella collection to those looking for fun romance stories with an outdoors theme.