Book Review: The Refrain Within

 

The Refrain Within

by Liz Tolsma

Independent Publishers Group 

Kregel Publications

 Christian  |  Historical Fiction 

Pub Date 29 Sep 2020

It’s 1944, and Hungary is a dark place.  The invasion of the Nazi have invaded and turned the country upside down, their evil making its way into every life.

Eva Bognar is a clarinetist, she’s engaged engaged to conductor and composer Patrik Kedves,  and she’s happily planning her wedding .  She doesn’t think the war is going to directly affect her at first, because she believe everyone around her can be trusted.  But after her Jewish best friend, and sister in law Zofia goes missing, a friend blames Patrik that lead Zofia away, and not the Gestapo.  

Did Patrik betray everything that Eva, and the family stood for?

After the rest of the families lives are directly threatened, Patrik’s secrets must come to light.  The Bognar’s then have to flee to Palestine. 

Eva finds herself having to put her life, and the lives of the family she loves, in the hands of Partik, the man who betrayed her.

I give The Refrain Within five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Tattooed to Death

 

Tattooed to Death

by Heather Redmond

Severn House 

Severn House Publishers

 Mystery & Thrillers 

Pub Date 05 Jan 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Tattooed to Death through Severn House Publishers and Netgalley:

Mandy Meadows is a single Mom barista and journaling video blogger extraordinaire, she finds herself distracted from her shift in the University of Seattle Hospital coffee bar when her friend , nurse as we,l as fellow journaling video blogger Reese O’Leary-Sett , receives a massage from hell at the hands of Coral Le Charme, the hospital’s new massage therapist.  The concerns over Coral’s dubious skills becomes the least of Mandy’s worries after she finds a dead body by a dumpster later that evening.

Now they must find out, what the dark secrets were that Coral was hiding.  Thankfully Mandy’s tenant homicide detective Justin Ahola, is on the case.  He has Reese firmly in his sights.

Mandy digs deeper into Coral’s life, determined to help her friend, and in doing so she makes some discoveries that alarm her.

Can Mandy Meadows clear Reese’s name and bring a killer to justice?

I give Tattooed to Death, five out of five stars!

Book Review: Where Fortune Lies

 

Where Fortune Lies

by James Short

BooksGoSocial 

Historical Fiction  |  Mystery & Thrillers 

Pub Date 26 Apr 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Where Fortune Lies through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:

In the town of Solvidado, the townspeople regretted the senseless loss of life when the lovers, Thomas and Penelope, drove their wagon over the cliff to escape pursuers, but what they regretted even more was the disappearance of the Gold, the couple had stolen.  Since the tragedy a century prior treasure hunters have searched Solvidado and its environs for the hidden gold.

fast forward a hundred years later, in a hotel room, April, A new bride, is preparing to take her own life, her husband Phillip had just stormed out of the room in a rage.  Ravela, a demon from April’s past has once again shown up, this time convincing her that the only cure for her hopeless feeling is to kill herself.  But after Aquino a cat burglar, breaks into the bridal suite and interrupts her preparations.  Aquino persuades April to delay her suicide for the night.   He has this strange idea that she, and she alone is uniquely able to help him find the treasure by reliving the events leading up to the pursuit over the cliff. They exit the hotel off the third story balcony.

In the Meantime Jacinto has met the ghost of a Portuguese undertaker, a witness to the tragedy, he assures him that the treasure is hidden where an honest person would change it.  Jacinto then offers to guide him through Solvidado and narrate the story of Thomas while Philip tries to solve the riddle.

April and Phillip are then taken on a nighttime journey that takes them to the previous century, they encounter the unusual love affair between Thomas, a man who lives well but has no apparent source of income, and Penelope, a young woman who always wears a veil in public.  They each find different pieces of their puzzle they have to put together are a child lost in Paris, a master who is a servant, a locked door to a cold room, a rancher with a scarred lip out for revenge, a high-stakes poker game for the hand of a young woman, a foggy night, a burning wagon, a Portuguese undertaker and his pig.

Before the mystery is solved and the treasure discovered.  April soon finds herself on the edge of the same cliff, the couple drove a hundred years ago, wrestling with her demon  Ravela.  Will she survive?

I give Where Fortune Lies five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Red Ribbon

 

The Red Ribbon

by Pepper Basham

Barbour Publishing, Inc. 

Barbour Books

 Christian  |  True Crime 

Pub Date 01 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of The Red Ribbon through Barbour Publishing:

Red Ribbon takes us back to Carroll County, the year is 1912 and Corn Shucking is the social event of the season, that is until a mischievous kiss leads to one of the greatest tragedies in Virgina’s history.

Ava Burcham isn’t like most Blue Ridge Mountain Girls.  She has had a habit of courting trouble.  She has a bad habit of courtin’ trouble, and her curiosity has opened a rift in the middle of a feud between politicians and would-be outlaws, the Allen family.    Ava’s tenacious desire to find a story worth reporting may land her and her best friend, Jeremiah Sutphin, into more trouble than either of them planned.   Out of all this came The Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912.

If you are looking for a true crime story that reads like fiction I recommend  Red Ribbon, one of the True Colors series, featuring true crimes throughout American History.

I give Red Ribbon five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Nine

 

Nine

by Rachelle Dekker

Revell 

 Christian

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Nine through Revell and Netgalley:

Zoe Johnson has spent the majority of her life living in the shadows.  She never drew attention to herself and never invested in people or places.  But after a wide-eyed, bedraggled teenager with no memory walks into the diner where Zoe works, everything changes.   It is against her better judgement that Zoe who has spent these years avoiding her painful past, finds herself helping a young teenage girl who seems to have no past.

The girl Zoe is trying to help knows only one thing that she must reach a woman hundreds of miles away in Corpus Christi Texas, before the government agents who are searching for her catch up to them.

If you are a fan of action and suspense, I highly recommend Nine!

Five out of five Stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review:Bluebirds and Faith

 

Bluebirds and Faith

by M. Gail Grant

Keebie Press 

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

 Christian  |  Poetry  |  Religion & Spirituality 

Pub Date 07 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Bluebirds and Faith through Keebie Press and Netgalley:

Bluebirds and Faith is a poetry collection that celebrates God’s gift of eternal grace by finding joy, humility, and comfort in our surroundings.  This collection was inspired by the death of Grants beloved Father.

Grant shares her journey of sorrow and healing in a world that seems so incredibly far away from heaven.  This books talks about Finding mercy in the wings of a bluebird.  It shows how Grant discovers that the separation between Heaven and Earth may not be as great as we think.  

In Bluebirds and Faith Grant uses poetry, one of the world’s most treasured artistic expressions, is the vessel used to explore faith in a world stricken with fear and sin. Free verse and Haiku poetic forms are spread heavily throughout

If you are looking for a book that may bring solace  in the time of grief, I recommend Bluebirds and Faith.

Five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Do It Afraid

 

Do It Afraid

Embracing Courage in the Face of Fear

by Joyce Meyer

FaithWords

Christian

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Do It Afraid: Embracing Courage in the Face of Fear through FaithWords and Netgalley:

In Do It Afraid, Joyce Meyer reminds us that fear is everywhere and it affects everyone.  It has been around since the beginning of time, and it will be here as long as the earth remains.   But we are reminded though fear rules many people but it doesn’t need to be that way.  We are reminded too that though fear will never disappear from our lives, we can confront it and overcome it. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is moving forward in the presence of fear.

We are reminded too that God has a plan for our life and it is a good one, but Satan has a plan for our lives too and it is not a good one. It is up to us what path we choose, because we were given free will.  

Meyer goes on to point out that God never stops loving us and doesn’t even become angry with us because we choose fear, but it does make Him sad because He wants us to live the best life we can live.

It is pointed out too that God expects us to obey Him, not offer excuses for why we didn’t obey Him.   

We are reminded too that fear  has no real power over us if we understand what it truly is.  Meyer goes on to tell explain the only way to live free from fear is to confront it, or “do it afraid.”  It is pointed out that We can choose to face fear with faith. We can feel fear and still do it afraid!

It  is pointed out that  whether we walk in faith or fear is a decision we must make many times throughout our lives.  And that we need to develop a habit of looking for God everywhere, and you might be surprised where He will show up.

Do It Afraid reminds us that fear is the number one weapon the devil uses against us.  We are reminded too that it is important not to let doubt steal our Faith.  We are reminded too that don’t  just pray for fear to go away. Instead pray for God to fill you with boldness, courage, and confidence.

If you are looking for a book that will help you to understand and even overcome the Fear, Do it Afraid is a book I would highly recommend it.

I give Do It Afraid of five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Backlash

 

Backlash

by Rachel Dylan

 Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian 

Pub Date 06 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Backlash through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Layla Karam is a CIA Analyst who finds herself thrown into a dangerous DEA field operation against a cartel that puts a target on her back.  despite the fact that Layla never wanted to be a field agent Langley had other ideas.  Layla finds herself scrambling to find safety after one of her team members is murdered because of the fallout from the Op. 

It is as she is going through all of this that the CIA opens up an internal investigation against her.  Layla then turns to her ex boyfriend Hunter McCoy who is a private investigator for help in finding out what she can do about finding out who is trying to ruin her career.

It doesn’t take long for Layla and Hunter to discover there is a mole inside the DEA, and that the mole sold the teams identity to the cartel.  Now she must clear her name with the Agency and protect herself and her teammates from cartel retaliation.   Layla finds herself having to put her trust with hunter, with threats on all sides and pray they all make it out, but it’s hard for her to put her trust in the man who broke her heart.

I give Backlash five out of five stars, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys books of suspense and intrigue!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: In A Boat In the Middle of the Lake

 

In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake

Trusting the God Who Meets Us in Our Storm

by Patrick and Ruth Schwenk

Nelson Books 

Thomas Nelson

 Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality 

Pub Date 08 Sep 2020

I am reviewing a copy of In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake through Nelson Books and Netgalley:

There are times we all feel like we are in a boat in the middle of the lake.  We can feel that way because we lost a job, or we lost a loved one.

We can find ourselves stranded due to disability, divorce, or financial insecurity.  

Patrick and Ruth Schwenk found themselves feeling like they had been battered after five miscarriages and Patrick’s Diagnosis of Blood Cancer when he was only forty three.  They were drifting and alone, and that is when the transformation began.

This book reminds us that there are times when it is okay, not to be okay, and that we need to be honest about the pain.  We are reminded too that Denial most often leads to an avalanche of emotion. We feel it all. Everything from fear to anger to sadness and sometimes guilt. When the shock wears off, the emotions set in. It can all feel like a slide to the bottom of a pit.

We are reminded too that suffering hurts, but the reality we are in at that time is not our final reality.  We are reminded too that trust  requires humility. Trust requires saying, “I don’t understand, God, but you do.” Trust requires admitting our powerlessness. Trust requires giving up control. Which maybe is the hardest part. We like control. We like to be at the center of things. We like the comfort it brings us.

This book reminds us that God does not want us to be alone in whatever struggles we are going through.

The  Schwenks have created a book that has both compassion and power, they weave together lessons from their own experience with insightful Bible teaching to remind us that one of the greatest ways God transforms us is through trials.  They show us why Jesus called his disciples into the middle of a lake when dry ground was so safe and comfortable, they help us.

In A Boat in the Middle of the Lake helps us to understand why the depth of our hurt enables us to experience deep hope;learn to conquer fear to experience the freedom God has for us; anddiscover how God uses chaos, and not just the classroom, to shape and work through us.   

I give In A Boat in the Middle of the Lake five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Haven For Her Heart

 

A Haven for Her Heart

by Susan Anne Mason

Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian 

Pub Date 13 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of A Haven For Her Heart through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Olivia Rosetti is homeless after being released from a Woman’s Reformatory in 1939.  She is taken in by Ruth Bennington, who becomes her Angel of Mercy.  The two find out they both had painful pasts and together they decide to open a Maternity home for troubled Women.

The home is a success but Olivia is haunted by her inhumane treatment at the reformatory and the way her newborn son was taken from her.   She can’t help but feel she is undeserving of love, until she meets businessman Darius Reed.  Though his attention makes her heart soar, he can never learn of her past.

Darius Reed , a Greek Widower is determined to protect his daughter from the prejudice that killed her mother.  He is going to ensure her safety by marrying a woman from a respected Toronto family.  But after Darius meets Olivia, he founds that he is immediately drawn to her, beauty as well as compassion.

Can there love overcome prejudices and past mistakes?  Or will the secrets Olivia secrets to destroy any chance at a future together?

I give A Haven for Her Heart five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!