Book Review: The Third Dawn

 

The Third Dawn

The Dawn that Changed the World

by Thomas Nichols

Pub Date 14 Sep 2023 

BooksGoSocial

Christian| General Fiction (Adult)| Literary Fiction

BooksGoSocial and Netgalley provided me with a copy of The Third Dawn for review:

The young Jesus travels through the towns and villages of Israel, Palestine, and across the sea to Ephesus with his lifelong friend, Nur. Only at His side, Jesus experiences the joys and hardships of humanity-Jews and gentiles, rich and poor, believers and nonbelievers, freemen and slaves.

This unique perspective on the Messiah's life is presented by Nichols' gifted storytelling, providing a rare glimpse into His joys and suffering. When He pronounces the future on a mountaintop above Capernaum, and a spectacular miracle occurs below, the reader will experience the emotions of His power and authority.

I give The Third Dawn five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: All Our Lies are True

 

All Our Lies are True: A Novel

by Lisa Manterfield

Pub Date 12 Sep 2023 

Steel Rose Press

General Fiction (Adult)| Mystery & Thrillers

Steel Rose Press and Netgalley provided me with a copy of All Our Lies are True:

Abby Kirkpatrick has lived with survivor's guilt for too long. Her twin sister, Cassie, disappeared without a trace from the room where they slept when she was six, an unsolved mystery that haunts their family. She's ready for a fresh start, a new town and a promising career in child psychology. It may ease her conscience about Cassie's loss if she can save just one child.

After Cassie's remains are discovered, Abby's family faces a devastating "trial by media," with her father as the prime suspect. Despite her older sister's efforts to protect the family, Abby returns to the crime scene, determined to uncover the truth. When Abby unravels the web of secrets, she realizes her close-knit family could be hiding a killer.

I give All Our Lies are True five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Royal Christmas

 

A Royal Christmas

A Christmas Novella

by Melody Carlson

Pub Date 05 Sep 2023 

Revell

Christian| Romance

Revell and Netgalley provided me with a copy of A Royal Christmas for review:

Adelaide Smith doesn't have time for fairy tales. After working hard to earn her law degree, she is determined to stay focused now that the end is in sight. After receiving a letter, she learns that her DNA has proven her to be the direct descendant of King Maximillian V, ruler of the small East European principality of Montovia. It's understandable that she's skeptical. It's the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life.

Curiosity gets the best of her, despite the pieces of this family puzzle seeming too good to be true. The king invites Adelaide on a Christmas break trip filled with surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousy, and a handsome young member of Parliament--and the chance to experience a real fairy tale romance.

I give A Royal Christmas five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Surprising Genius of Jesus

The Surprising Genius of Jesus

What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher

by Peter J. Williams

Pub Date 10 Oct 2023

Crossway

Christian

Through Netgalley and Crossway, I am reviewing The Surprising Genius of Jesus:

When someone thinks of Jesus, "genius" is not likely to come to mind. Nevertheless, Jesus' teachings and interactions with others showed high levels of knowledge, insight, and verbal skill—demonstrating his genius. 

The Surprising Genius of Jesus by Peter J. Williams illustrates the genius, creativity, and wisdom of Jesus' teachings through the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Drawing on his knowledge of Jewish Scriptures, he used simple yet powerful stories to confront the Pharisees and scribes of his day. He points readers to who Jesus is and why that matters for them today, challenging those who question whether Jesus really is the origin of parables recorded in the Gospels. 

I give The Surprising Genius of Jesus five out of five stars!

Happy Reading! 

Book Review: Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams

 

Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams

by Shari Green

Pub Date 05 Mar 2024 

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Children's Fiction| Teens & YA

Disclaimer: This is a Young Adult Novel dealing with war and the protests leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The book is scheduled for release in March 2024.

The book Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams was provided to me by Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley for review

In Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams, a young pianist in East Germany struggles to make sense of love, duty, and the pursuit of dreams during the unsettling months leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s. Beautifully written in lyrical verse,

The story of Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams is one of hope, courage, romance, and the power of music to change and save lives.

I give Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Most Agreeable Murder

 

A Most Agreeable Murder

A Novel

by Julia Seales

Pub Date 27 Jun 2023 

Random House Publishing Group - Random House,Random House

General Fiction (Adult)| Historical Fiction| Mystery & Thrillers

Through Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley, I am reviewing A Most Agreeable Murder:

A feisty, passionate woman, Beatrice Steele does not fit the definition of a true lady in Swampshire, her small English township—she is terrible at needlework, has no musical ability, and her artwork is so bad it scares people that she makes people frightened. Although she has two younger sisters, beautiful Louisa and forgettable Mary, she lives a perfectly agreeable life with her marriage-scheming mother and prankster father. She harbors a dark secret, however: She is obsessed with true crime stories. She would be banished from respectable society forever if anyone in her etiquette-obsessed community found out.

In order to protect her family, she has vowed to put her obsession behind her. The Steele family hopes Louisa will win Edmund Croaksworth's heart at the upcoming autumnal ball. Martin Grub, their disgusting cousin, will inherit the family's estate if they don't, and they will be ruined or, even worse, forced to move to France. The ball is being hosted by a disgraced but alluring detective, so Beatrice must be on her best behavior.

Beatrice is just holding things together when Croaksworth dies mid-minuet. As the storm rages outside, the evening descends into a frenzy of panic, fear, and betrayal as they learn they are trapped with a killer. Beatrice must rise above decorum and decency to pursue justice and her own desires before anyone else is killed.

I give A Most Agreeable Murder five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Trailed

 

Trailed

One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders

by Kathryn Miles

Pub Date 03 May 2022

Algonquin Books

True Crime

Aloquin Books provided me with a copy of Trailed for review

According to the author, the majority of back trail murder victims are women, despite them being the minority in these locations. She shares her quest to solve the Shenandoah Murders.

Surely they were followed. This is the thought I return to after all these years.

 

In May 1996, two backcountry experts, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, camped in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park for a week. They met and fell in love while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women the previous summer. During their final days in the park, they pitched their tent in a hidden location along a narrow remnant of a trail. The pair failed to return home as planned, so park rangers found their tent slashed open, their dog missing, and both women dead in their sleeping bags. All who knew or encountered Winans and Williams remain haunted by their unsolved murders.

Kathryn Miles, an award-winning journalist and outdoors expert, investigates the case and discovers conflicting evidence, mismatched timelines, and details that don't add up. Having unprecedented access to crime-scene forensics and key witnesses, as well as a growing sense of mission and obsession, she begins to uncover the truth.  Miles believes an innocent man has been under suspicion for decades while the true culprit is a serial killer.

Trailed is an intimate, page-turning, and brilliantly reported story about love, justice, and a plea to make wilderness a safe space for women destined to become a true crime classic.

I give Trailed four out of five stars!

Happy Reading!