book review

David Ponder is old.  Having recently lost his wife after amassing a fortune, going bankrupt, and acquiring an even larger one, he no longer cares about his growing fortune or place on this earth.  It’s while contemplating his purpose as a single man in his 70s that he’s visited by the archangel Gabriel, who whisks him away to a final Summit of other humans who have time traveled as he once did.  Ponder is charged with leading the meeting and finding the answer to restoring all of humanity’s individual and collective purpose before the current civilization self-destructs.  In only five attempts, can Ponder and his team of Travelers save civilization?

Amelia Devries is a world-renowned violinist in the midst of an identity crisis.  Michael Hostetler doesn’t want to be Amish, but he doesn’t want to disappoint his family.  When Amelia gets lost in the middle of a huge storm, her detour leads her directly to Michael – and the possibility of a peace she’s always longed for.  Can they find their way to their dreams – together?

Beverly Lewis writes a distinctly different type of Amish book than most out there.  Not a thriller, not a mystery, not your usual to-be-or-not-to-be-Amish type, Lewis pens a story of young adults seeking peace with their chosen paths in life – and of gaining the courage and the voice to reach for it.

Amelia and Michael each travel the road to maturity in a parallel way in this book, a road of searching their own hearts and then reaching out beyond themselves.  There are no mysteries, no stalkers, no pressure to be anything except what they are from anyone but themselves; yet this can be a hard lesson to learn.  Lewis writes about it with grace and depth, making this a story that anyone from their teen years on up could relate to.

I really enjoyed this story.  I felt that the romantic ending was somewhat predictable, but the quality characters and unusual circumstances – as well as the life lessons explored – made it a very worthwhile read.

I received a free copy of The Fiddler from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Silas Kent made a mistake when he left pilot Elle during his early smokejumping days.  Both are shocked to be called in to work the same wildfire in the Sierra Nevadas after years without contact. While Elle’s daughter fights mysterious seizures in the hospital, Elle flies a crew of jumpers out on a seemingly routine drop, but instead crashes in the fire.  Silas and Elle soon realize that the fire is not their only enemy, but they must quickly unravel the mysteries of the downed plane, missing jumpers, and an elderly homesteader – before the fire burns them alive.

Grady’s experience is obvious from the very first chapter of this book.  Full of technical terms and descriptions, most are explained in a natural way through the story.  Grady’s writing is smooth and and the plot contains several unexpected twists.  The story opened between fires, so the action started slowly and accelerated rapidly through the climax, keeping me on the edge of my seat.  The ending was rather abrupt, however, and while it suited the story perfectly, I wish there had been a way to change up the sequence a bit.

The cover artwork grabs at you and makes you wonder how the handsome man starring in it will escape the glowing fire in the background.  It made the book so action-packed that my husband picked it up and started to read!

If you enjoy reading both action-adventure and romance stories, then this is the book for you!

To read the first chapter of Falls Like Lightning or to buy this book, go here.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Cyd’s world turns upside down on her fortieth birthday – and her friends aren’t having such an easy time, either. Cedric, the best man at her sister’s wedding, is attractive and smooth, but he doesn’t share her faith. Dana caught her husband in bed with another woman, and Phillis wants her husband to share her faith more than anything and is depressed by his unwillingness to even listen to her heart. The members of the Daughter’s Fellowship hold each other up through thick and thin – but will they be able to help each other through all of this??

Cash’s book was not what I expected, and at first, as each woman’s life fell apart, I was disappointed by the blunt and worldly view of sex that was presented. As the plot continued, however, more of God’s truth entered the picture. By the end, a realistic view of sin and how to handle temptation had been presented. Cash’s characters were believable and and real. I will definitely look for her next book!

I was given a copy of this book by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an unbiased review.

 A young Amish woman harbors a difficult secret. Does she dare share the truth with the man she hopes to marry?

Elsie Keim doesn’t want to be left behind. Her twin sister, Viola, and her older brother, Roman, have both found love and are building lives of their own. But Elsie? She’s still stuck at home, being treated like a child. No one seems to consider her a capable woman-all they see are the thick lenses of her glasses, constant reminders that Elsie suffers from keratoconus and is slowly going blind.

Elsie knows there’s much more to her than her disease. That’s why when a new neighbor, Landon Troyer, shows some interest in her, she doesn’t want anything to scare him away . . . even if it means keeping her condition a secret.

Landon is ready to start a new life and feels like Elsie may just be the right woman to start it with. But when Roman steps in and shares the truth about Elsie’s illness, Landon is floored. His job is demanding and takes him away from home, sometimes for days at a time. How could he keep up with his responsibilities and take care of Elsie?

Eventide is an enjoyable story with a great faith lesson.  It’s a story of contrasts – an Amish family with more issues than a newspaper who find their way back to each other and to peace.

Most of the story is anything but peaceful, however.  With the full extended family trying to tell her what to do, Elsie has to figure out what she wants and how to get it – while dealing with her family at the same time.  Throw in a new love interest – a first love interest – and Elsie’s storyline alone will keep the pages turning.

What I appreciated most by the end of the story, however, was how aptly named this book truly is.  Gray ties up all the loose ends with thoughtful, peaceful reflection, which contrasts starkly to the drama of the story and shows just how far everyone has come.  She paints a picture of relaxing in God’s grace that is both beautiful and hopeful.

Eventide is the perfect ending to this series – and I can’t wait to begin the next one.

You can read other reviews on this blog hop here.  Click here to purchase your own copy now.

Shelley Shepard Gray is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the “Sisters of the Heart”, “Seasons of Sugarcreek”, “Secrets of Crittenden County”, and Families of Honor series. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town’s bike trail.

Connect with Shelley here: http://www.shelleyshepardgray.com/

I received a free copy of Eventide from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

When her country needs her, will she have the courage to surrender her glittering world and her one true love?

Susan May Warren is the bestselling, RITA Award-winning author of more than forty novels whose compelling plots and unforgettable characters have won acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. She served with her husband and four children as a missionary in Russia for eight years before she and her family returned home to the States. She now writes full-time as her husband runs a lodge on Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, where many of her books are set. She and her family enjoy hiking, canoeing, and being involved in their local church. Several of her critically acclaimed novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award. Five of her books have been Christy Award finalists. In addition to her writing, Susan loves to teach and speak at women’s events about God’s amazing grace in our lives. She also runs a writing community for authors. Visit MyBookTherapy.com to learn more. For exciting updates on her new releases, previous books, and more, visit her website at www.susanmaywarren.com

I received a free copy of Duchess in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Covington has been clean and sober for nearly a year, and that’s after completing a year-long rehab program.  Her family has moved away from her former haunts and she’s enrolled in school, working hard to show the dramatic change that has taken place inside her – and then her car blows up.  Suddenly people are dying and Emily’s mother’s worst fears are coming true:  is Emily having a relapse?  Are the drugs, the lapses in time logical or the result of something more sinister?

While I’ve been known to laugh out loud or cry at a book, rarely do I have any other outward reaction, but there’s something about the Covington family that makes me become more involved.  Several times during the reading of this book I nearly had to put down the book and walk away – only because I could see how Emily’s current train of thought could lead her to trouble, and being unable to warn her, I had to take a breather.

Misunderstandings and communication issues caused many of the family issues in this book, and isn’t that totally common?  Typical teenagers, Emily and her brother Lance assume that harm can’t come to them because they have pure motives, while Mrs. Covington worries herself sick instead of talking matter-of-factly with her children about her fears.  The sheer reality of these problems made me think about how I might handle these issues with my teens, and I have a few years to go!

The best books write you into the script; you become the main character and channel their thoughts, feelings, and abilities, but in Downfall, you don’t just become Emily, you are Lance and Mrs. Covington, too.  Blackstock writes each character so seamlessly and completely that your mind and emotions transition smoothly from one to another.  You see each side of every conflict, and the result is a more thorough examination of the Covington family and how you, the reader, might handle their issues.

Downfall is the perfect ending to the Intervention series.  Another wonderful suspense story from Terri Blackstock – I wonder what is next?

I received a free copy of Downfall from Shelton Interactive in exchange for an honest review.

Called to be a missionary in the far-away land of India, Priscilla White eagerly awaited her first appointment.  Dr. Eli Ernest had spent a year exploring the wilds of Oregon, meeting the native Nez Perce and establishing support for the first Christian mission in the area.  Both were devastated ed when their backers refused to send them to the mission field unmarried.  With few choices and their calls urgent on their hearts, they quickly marry and set off overland for Oregon.  Yet faced with a rigorous six-month journey never before faced by a white woman, will their vision of a mission … their marriage … will they survive?

As a huge fan of the old Oregon Trail computer game and women’s history in the American West altogether, I devoured this book.  I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen around the next bend in the trail!

Periodically I would wonder just how realistic it was to marry someone after only a few brief discussions and travel across a continent to begin something new, yet I realize in that time women were forced to do just that.  Still, I was shocked when I read the author’s note at the end and found that this book was based upon the very true story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman!  Not only did Hedlund’s characters seem real, but they were.  Their trials, tribulations, and victories were true, and yet I never felt as if I was reading from a history text.

I loved Hedlund’s tapestry of fiction, truth, and history.  I can’t wait to read more!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Juliet Cole’s life has been dismantled by the murder of her husband. She doesn’t know who—or what—to trust when everything she has believed to be true about her marriage has been a lie.

Readother reviews on this bloggy hop here or purchase your own copy now.

 

Creative and complicated, Jade McKinley felt like a weed in a rose garden growing up in Chapel Springs. When she left, she thought she’d never look back. But now, pregnant, alone, and broke, she has no other choice but to return.