Talk about Tuesday Book Review - Truth-Stained Lies by Terri Blackstock

When truth doesn’t make sense, will lies prevail?

Cathy Cramer is a former lawyer and investigative blogger who writes commentary on high-profile homicides. When she finds a threatening note warning her that she’s about to experience the same kind of judgment and speculation that she dishes out in her blog, Cathy writes it off as mischief . . . until her brother’s wife is murdered and all the “facts” point to him. The killer has staged the crime to make the truth too far-fetched to believe. Working to solve the murder and clear her brother’s name, Cathy and her two sisters, Holly and Juliet, moonlight as part-time private investigators. Juliet, a stay-at-home mom of two boys, and Holly, a scattered ne’er-do-well who drives a taxi, put aside their fear to hunt down the real killer.

Stakes rise when their brother’s grieving five-year-old son is kidnapped. As police focus on the wrong set of clues, the three sisters and their battered detective friend are the only hope for solving this bizarre crime, saving the child, and freeing their brother.

It's been awhile since I read this book, but I never got around to writing my review about it.

What can I say? I love all of Terri Blackstock's books, and this is no exception!
A few things I enjoy about her writing: the books are suspenseful, easy to read, and well thought out.
This is book one in a trilogy, which I also enjoy because it means the story keeps going.

This book in particular has an excellent balance of all the characters, with good family dynamics and a bit of romance thrown in there. If you have a hard time following a lot of characters, then you might not like this one, but I thought it was well written and a fun read.

If you like suspense books, then this is one I would definitely recommend!

~Sela

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Some links are affiliate links, which I may receive a small compensation from in connection with their affiliate program.

Talk About Tuesday Book Review - The Watchers: Knight of Light

Talk About Tuesday is for reviews or just to let you know about a product I love. I mostly review books but occasionally something else will come available. Today, it's a book :-)

Watch the trailer: http://youtu.be/m-RxVN_FKL8 

All the training in Heaven couldn't prepare me for the war on earth, nor for the love, loss, or loneliness humans feel. There are things worse than death, and every last one of them is hunting people like us. Even though we all feel human at times, we must remember, we are not them, we are their watchers.

In England, 1270 A.D., Auriella flees her village after being accused of witchcraft. Pursued by nightmarish creatures, she struggles to accept the truth about her humanity. Filled with fairies, dwarves, pixies, dragons, demons, and monsters, Knight of Light is an enthralling tale that will capture the imaginations of readers young and old.

Auriella is special. How special we don't yet know. She is an orphan and must flee her home only to fall in with a witch, dwarves, pixies, fairies, knights, and even nobility. All as she is discovering who she really is and what special powers she possesses. She must endure many trials and hardships along the way, but she perseveres and becomes the Knight of Light.

What I liked:

The overall concept of the book was fun. The world in the book has enough fantasy but enough reality to make it relateable and easy to understand. The author uses common fantasy characters, such as pixies, dwarves, and fairies that really needed little explanation. The main character is easy to like, which is good :-)

What I didn't like:

The character development was very shallow. The book moved to fast to really tell a good deep story. There were some significant plot elements that got glossed over in a page or so where it could have really deepened the story and the credibility and personality of the characters. 

Overall, this book was a fun read, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series, but I am hoping that the characters are developed more as the series progresses.

~Sela

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free through Tomoson as part of their review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak up Saturday–Book Review–The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer

It’s been awhile since I posted any book reviews, really, so I’m going to try and get caught up. Because it’s not like I haven’t been reading them…just not posting my reviews :-)

From the publisher:

The future of the Immortals is in the hands of an orphan
My greatest fear was that they would find us and make of us a sacrifice beneath a full moon. Now you, Thomas, must help us destroy the circle of evil.
The last words of a dying woman would change the life of young Thomas. Raised behind monastery walls, he knows nothing of his mysterious past or imminent destiny. But now, in the heart of medieval England, a darkness threatens to strangle truth. An ancient order tightens their ghostly grip on power, creating fear and exiling those who would oppose them. Thomas is determined fulfill his calling and bring light into the mysterious world of the Druids and leaves the monastery on an important quest.
Thomas quickly finds himself in unfamiliar territory, as he must put his faith in unusual companions—a cryptic knight, a child thief, and the beautiful, silent woman whom may not be all she seems.  From the solitary life of an orphan, Thomas now finds himself tangled in the roots of both comradery and suspicion.
Can he trust those who would join his battle…or will his fears force him to go on alone?

I have read and reviewed two other books by this author, one I liked and one I did not, so I was a bit leery of reading this one, but I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.

This book is set in one of my favorite time periods, right around the time of King Arthur and the Knights of Camelot. It’s technically a bit after that, but it still has knights and castles and the like. The other reason I tend to like books set in this time period is because the dark ages were so full of the battle of good and evil, the church was in such turmoil, and the stories often could be categorized as “mystical realism”, which I just plain enjoy (almost as much as Science Fiction)

The Orphan King is book one in a series. I’m not sure how many books there will be, but book 2 is out already and book 3 will be released later this year. Also, I just found out that it is a revised version of a story collection that was previously released as Magnus.

I liked the story and the characters well enough, but it often felt like I was in the middle of the series instead of the beginning. There was a lot that went unexplained, which I’m hoping will be covered in the next two books. The mystery of it was interesting at the beginning, but after so much went unexplained still by the end of the book, it was a bit frustrating. 

This book is classified as Christian Fiction and is published by a Christian publisher, but I wouldn’t really classify it as such. Sure, there’s a bit about religion and a bit about the church of the time, but that’s not at all the focus of the book.

Overall, I liked this book, and I wouldn’t mind reading the others in the series, but it’s not a high priority to me.

~S

It would be a great help to me if you would please rate my review. I get the chance to review more books based on my rating, and there are cool contests and such. Thanks!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review–How Do We Know God is Really There?

I have just joined up with Mosaic Reviews to bring you reviews of more great products, both homeschooling and other products as they become available.

 

Anyway, I received this book a few weeks ago, and was excited to read it to the kids. Here’s the description from the publisher, Apologia:

Thomas and his father escape to their backyard tree house most evenings to watch the night sky through a telescope. Thomas is dazzled by what he sees of God’s creation, but he has questions. “Dad, how do we know God is out there?” he asks one night. “I know the Bible says He’s there. But how do we really know that’s true?” Together, Thomas and his father begin to examine the cosmological evidence for God’s existence. This is the first in an exciting new series of picture books designed to introduce kids to important questions of the Christian faith in terms even pre-readers can understand. Read this aloud with your family, and you’ll come away knowing that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1).

The first thing to note about this book is that it is very long for a picture book. This was fine for my 6 year old, but my almost-4-year-old was not a fan.

 

I liked the accuracy of it, both biblically and astronomically. I thought that the story was well done and it provided a good answer to the questions raised about creation of the universe by an intelligent designer versus the big bang theory or other related theories. I think my kids are a bit young for the spiritual content, but they enjoyed the story anyway. We will be starting Astronomy in the fall so this was a good introduction to some of the things that I hope we will be covering.

 

So, while my kids didn’t love it, yet, I think they will grow into it, and I look forward to having a good resource to answer their questions on this topic.

 

You can purchase the book here for $16.00 (ISBN 978-1-935495-96-3)

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book through Mosaic Reviews. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Some links may be affiliate links, which I may receive a small compensation from in connection with their affiliate program.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story

Ohmygoodness! When I got the review copy on this novella, I was ecstatic! Good thing it was short, because I don’t think my husband or my kids would have been very happy with me for ignoring them for more than a day :-)

Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story (or go here to get the ePub version right now, before the official release date!)

From the Publisher:

It's a summer of change for Jennifer O'Malley.
The busy physician has a pediatrics practice in Dallas, Texas, and meeting and falling in love with surgeon Tom Peterson is adding a rich layer to her life. She's sorting out how to introduce Tom to her family--she's the youngest of seven--and thinking about marriage.
She's falling in love with Jesus too, and knows God is good. But that faith is about to be tested, and in a way she didn't expect. The results will soon transform her entire family.

Why was I so excited to get this book? It completes the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson. This series was one of the first ones I read after getting a relationship with Jesus. This novella is about the only one of the O’Malley siblings that didn’t get a full length book, and for good reason which I will not divulge because it is part of the plot of the series.

What appeals to me about the series? The characters are believable and their emotional struggles are real. They are fun to follow along because they are more, well, celebrity for lack of a better word. I mean, they all have fairly high profile lives, but it’s fun that way. If you’re going to read a book, might as well make it something that is fantastical.

The part that I enjoy the most, however, is their stories of faith. How each one, especially Jennifer as told in this novella, come to know their Savior is powerful and awesome. Jennifer is the one who prompts the others to examine their lives and what they really believe, so to learn how her conversion came about was great.

I read this book in one evening, good thing it was only a novella! It prompted me to want to read the entire series again :-)

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Some links are affiliate links, which I may receive a small compensation from in connection with their affiliate program.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

I told you to watch for a blast of reviews…

A Voice in the Wind: (Mark of the Lion #1)

From the Publisher:

This classic series has already inspired nearly 2 million readers, but both loyal fans and new readers will want this 20th anniversary edition of a Christian classic, which includes a foreword from the publisher, a letter from and Q & A with Francine Rivers, color map, an illustrated glossary, and discussion questions suitable for personal and group use.

The first book in the bestselling Mark of the Lion series, A Voice in the Wind brings readers back to the first century and introduces them to a character they will never forget—Hadassah. Torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, this young slave girl clings to her faith in the living God for deliverance from the forces of decadent Rome.

I mentioned in my last review that The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson was one of my favorite series of books. Well, this book, A Voice in the Wind, is the first book in my favorite of all times series! I can’t believe that it’s been 20 years since she wrote this first one, wow.

I think I first read this book about 10 years ago, and I’ve read it probably five more times since then. I figured I was about up for reading it again, so I was very happy to receive this 20th anniversary edition for my kindle.

What do I love about it? It’s so masterfully written. It’s well researched. It’s about a difficult, yet well documented, time in ancient history. The emotion that it pulls out of you is simply astounding. The characters are so deep, so developed, that it’s so easy to fall into this story. I don’t think my kids like it very much when I read this book because I get drawn so far into the story, I have a hard time paying attention to anything else!

To break it down as the synopsis has done misses so much of the story. It’s set in about 70 ad, just as Jerusalem is being sacked by the Romans. It’s about Roman culture, slavery, love, corruption, but most of all, true and tenacious faith in the one true God.

One warning: this is the FIRST book in a THREE book series. Don’t stop here…keep reading! This one ends with a gut punch, but reading the next one smooths it out. Francine Rivers uses that technique in the Marta's Legacy Series too, which is very effective, got me to read the second one in that series too!

Have I mentioned yet that I love this book?!? Go, get it, read it! If you want to borrow mine, let me know! I now have two different kindle versions plus the paper version, and I am happy about it :-)

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Some links are affiliate links, which I may receive a small compensation from in connection with their affiliate program.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Full Disclosure

From the Publisher:

Ann Silver is a cop’s cop. As the Midwest Homicide Investigator, she is called in to help local law enforcement on the worst of cases, looking for answers to murder. Hers is one of the region’s most trusted investigative positions.

Paul Falcon is the FBI’s top murder cop in the Midwest. If the victim carried a federal badge or had a security clearance, odds are good Paul and his team see the case file or work the murder.

Their lives intersect when Ann arrives to pass a case off her desk and onto his. A car wreck and a suspicious death offer a lead on a hired shooter he is tracking. Paul isn’t expecting to meet someone, the kind that goes on the personal side of the ledger, but Ann Silver has his attention.

The better he gets to know her, the more Paul realizes her job barely scratches the surface of who she is. She knows spies and soldiers and U.S. Marshals, and has written books about them. She is friends with the former Vice President. People with good reason to be cautious about who they let into their lives deeply trust her. Paul wonders just what secrets Ann is keeping, until she shows him the John Doe Killer case file, and he starts to realize just who this lady he is falling in love with really is . . .

I realized that I have not written my review yet on this excellent book, slacker!! I received this as an Advanced Reader Copy back in August, I think, and finished it very shortly after I received it.

I loved it!!! One of my favorite series of books that I have read since becoming a Christian is the The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson. I love the family dynamic, I love the suspense, the romance, the intertwining of the plots. Full Disclosure brings those characters back in glimpses while bringing in new characters that are equally interesting and a joy to get to know.

Dee Henderson is a master storyteller. She can teach you all about a person and their personality without making it laborious and while adding in other plot elements to sweeten the deal. The interactions between the characters are believable, true to life, yet pure and inspiring. The characters in her books, and Ann and Paul are no exceptions, show many characteristics that inspire me to be a better God-follower. Ms. Henderson brings their personal traits into focus, so you can see the good and the bad from their personalities and how they can really relate to me and my relationship with God.

Aside from all that, the story was fun! I truly enjoyed the plot, the characters, the visits from old friends from the O’Malleys, the new relationship between Ann and Paul. I will definitely read it again! Right after I get it back from the second friend that I loaned it to…

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Bethany House and Dee Henderson. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Some links are affiliate links, which I may receive a small compensation from in connection with their affiliate program.

Speak Up Saturday– Book Review–Isle of Shadows by Tracy Higley

 

 

Isle of Shadows

From the Publisher:

Revised and updated from the original, Christy-award finalist Shadow of Colossus.
Enslaved in a World of Money and Power, Tessa Dares to be Free.
Raised as courtesan to wealthy and powerful men, Tessa of Delos serves at the whim of her current patron, the politician Glaucus. After ten years with him, Tessa has abandoned all desire for freedom or love, choosing instead to lock her heart away.
But when Glaucus meets a violent death in his own home, Tessa grasps at a fragile hope. Only she knows of his death. If she can keep it a secret long enough, she can escape.
Tessa throws herself on the mercy of the Greek god Helios, but finds instead unlikely allies in Nikos, a Greek slave, and Simeon, Glaucus’s Jewish head servant. As Simeon introduces her to a God unlike any she has ever known and Nikos begins to stir feelings she had thought long dead, Tessa fights to keep her heart protected.
As an assassination plot comes to light, Tessa must battle for her own freedom—and for those to whom she has begun to open her heart—as forces collide that shatter the island’s peace.

 

I just finished reading this book, and I haven’t decided exactly what I think of it. Overall, I guess I would say that I enjoyed it. I find that I enjoy historical fiction, especially well-written and well-researched historical fiction. So, let me tell you the things that I liked about it first before I tell you the things that I didn’t like.

 

I really liked the look into the society of ancient Greece. I find that part of history fascinatingly similar and different from our culture today, and Ms. Higley draws those things out nicely. I felt that it was a well researched book, and that was confirmed for me in the end pages of the book when she stated that she has been to Rhodes, where the story is set, twice in order to really get a feel for the place as she was writing the story. In fact, you can go to her website to see pictures from her adventures there.

 

I also thought the character development was decent and the interaction between characters was mostly well played. Those of the main characters was excellent, with the romance not being too pronounced but still being real and relevant. I do not enjoy reading romance books, but I do like it when a good book has a bit of romance thrown in, and this book had exactly that.

 

As for the things that I did not like, there were 2. The first was the length. It wasn’t too terribly wordy, but I feel that the story could have been told more succinctly with just as much effect. But, historical fiction tends toward lengthy descriptions due to explaining the culture and the location, so this wasn’t a huge deal.

 

What really did it for me, though, was the Christian element. I felt it was very forced. I understand that it would be difficult to squeeze it into a book that was written about “the dark times between the Old and New Testaments”, as she put it in the afterword, but if it was going to be that hard, why do it at all? Or why not develop the characters of Simeon and his family more and have them be more central? I didn’t like the way that Tessa came to faith in the One God in the span of a few short pages, but I am very glad that the story came back around to that. When we initially meet Simeon’s family and Tessa and Nikos spend time with them, it was very pleasant enjoyable, I just wish there had been more time spent on that.

 

Again, though, I enjoyed this book overall and think that anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction would enjoy it. I think that it tends to be more of a “girl” book, but if you’re a guy that likes historical Greece fiction, then you might enjoy it too!

 

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–The Biggest and Toughest

Prepare for a blast of book reviews! I’m still backed up and I don’t want to be anymore!

This was a fun book to review with my kids:

The Biggest and Toughest: The Short Story of David's Big Faith

From the Publisher:
What would you do if you saw a GIANT scaring a whole army? Would you run away too? Or would you bravely take him on, if that’s what God wanted you to do?         David, a small shepherd boy, shows gigantic faith and courage when he battles the nine-foot-tall Goliath using only a slingshot and stone!
Magnificent Tales are rhyming Bible stories with clever art and clear lessons that the whole family will enjoy. The stories and illustrations are so engaging that you won’t grow tired of reading and re-reading a Magnificent Tale night after night!

Nate really liked it! There were several things he particularly liked about it: the pictures, the age appropriate wording, and the fact that it was on mommy’s kindle-computer :)

I liked the biblical accuracy, yet not too advanced for my 3-year-old. I felt like it was an excellent retelling of the story of David and Goliath. I also enjoyed the rhyming flow of the book. While it might seem cheesy sometimes, I’ve noticed that it really works to get the story stuck in their heads. Nate is just catching onto rhyming words, so this worked particularly well for him.

The only drawback of reading it on my kindle is the formatting. It is not super-smooth, like one might hope. The words end up on one page and the picture on another. I used this “feature” as an opportunity to discuss the pictures in more detail than I might otherwise, so it wasn’t all bad.

Can’t wait to check out some other titles in this series! (4 stars due to Kindle formatting, story was 5 stars!!)

~S
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review- Then Sings My Soul 3

Wow, it’s been a loooongggg time since I got this book! Remember what I said about 2012 not being nice to me? Yeah, book reviews are one of those things that fell aside…

From the Publisher:

The long-awaited third installment!

In 2003, Robert Morgan released what would become a future classic for over a million readers, a unique book entitled Then Sings My Soul.  This collection of the world’s greatest hymns and the stories behind them stirred an entire generation to better understand the heritage of our faith through song.

Now, in the long-awaited third volume of this series, Morgan expands his material to include the great history of worship, the first biblical hymns, biographical sketches of the most interesting composers, and almost 60 generations of hymn singing. The new book also includes a collection of the greatest hymns you’ve never heard, with lead-sheets included.

All of this is in addition to even more standard hymns and the stories of the composers behind them.

Morgan’s conclusion guides the reader into enjoying all of God’s music, blending the old and the new into a symphony of praise that keeps the worship alive for a new generation.

The first thing that you notice when you hold this book is the pages. They are thick, uneven in an antiqued sort of way. It’s comforting. Matches the theme of the book. I know each book in the series is like this, but I still like it :-)

The sections in this book are The History of Hymnody, Do You Know These Hymns?, Six Hymn Stories I Love to Tell, and Hymning in Private and in Public.

I appreciate his breadth of knowledge and research that went into this book. Each hymn has a full page of information about the hymn, which is interesting and relevant to the hymn. The music and words are included for each hymn, which if I ever get back to playing the piano, I will love having.

Not growing up singing hymns and not having many hymns in our current church, I really enjoy reading about the history of the hymns. The whole premise of the book, as stated on the front cover, is Drawing Strength from the Great Hymns of Our Faith. I agree. I think we have a lot to learn from hymns and can draw closer to God through them.

Thank you to Robert J. Morgan for allowing us young’ns to feel the power of the hymns through this book and the other two in the series.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday - Book Review–The Chase by DiAnn Mills

From the Publisher:

To the FBI it's a cold case. To Kariss Walker it's a hot idea that could either reshape or ruin her writing career. And it's a burning mission to revisit an event she can never forget.
Five years ago, an unidentified little girl was found starved to death in the woods behind a Houston apartment complex. A TV news anchor at the time, Kariss reported on the terrifying case. Today, as a New York Times bestselling author, Kariss intends to turn the unsolved mystery into a suspense novel.
Enlisting the help of FBI Special Agent Tigo Harris, Kariss succeeds in getting the case reopened. But the search for the dead girl's missing mother yields a discovery that plunges the partners into a witch's brew of danger. The old crime lives on in more ways than either of them could ever imagine. Will Kariss's pursuit of her dream as a writer carry a deadly price tag?
Drawing from a real-life cold case, bestselling novelist DiAnn Mills presents a taut collage of suspense, faith, and romance in The Chase.

This is the second book that I have read by this author, and it was just as fun as the first.

It was an fun and entertaining look into the life of an author researching a book, kept me interested throughout the book. It moved at a good pace without keeping me up all night reading (a problem I’ve been known to have).

As with the last book of hers that I read, the character development was well woven into the story. The characters wove together to make a good story from beginning to end. The interactions between the two main characters especially were true to life.

I have learned that I really enjoy this genre (if it qualifies for it’s own genre, maybe it’s a sub-genre?) This would be the light suspense, light romance, from a Christian perspective, with maybe a bit of mystery thrown in, genre. Surprisingly, I feel like there are quite a few books out there that fit that category, and I have yet to be disappointed by one. I like them, and this one in particular, because they are interesting from start to finish, but not too heavy. A “vacation read”, if you will. I think after all the other books that I read for bible study, for homeschooling, for parenting, etc, that something that’s just fun is a good thing. And it doesn’t hurt if it only takes me a few hours to finish either.

All that to say I would recommend reading this book if the genre appeals to you :-)

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–TOS Review–Your Child’s Profession of Faith

Wow, my last crew review!! It’s been a busy reviewing year, and while it’s been really good, and we’ve received a ton of products that we have loved, I’ll be taking a break from the TOS crew for the upcoming year. That doesn’t mean that you still can’t go find out about some excellent homeschooling products, though, simply go to Schoolhouse Review Crew to see what is being reviewed now!

Okay, on to today’s review! Grace and Truth Books gave us the choice of a few different products, but given the age of my kids, I picked this book ~ Your Child’s Profession of Faith by Dennis Gundersen

From the Publisher:

New, updated edition - with a fresh chapter on baptism, and helps for parents and pastors.
Gundersen's unique treatment of this rarely-addressed subject can make the difference between parents who participate in their children's deception and presumption, or parents who truly guide him to eternal life. If a small child tells us he thinks he's saved, do we take his words at face value? How do we test his profession, especially without seeming to doubt the child and discourage him?

The book sounded intriguing, given where Kahlen is at right now, so I was excited to read it. However, it fell short of my expectations. I was hoping it would be more about what a child’s faith looks like, how it differs from a child, and some questions to ask or ways to tell if your child’s profession of faith is real and lasting. While it covered these things, it was only in the last 26 of the 94 pages. The first 68 pages were spent on discussing the childness and immaturity of children. I have three of them. I didn’t really need that many pages to explain that to me. I suppose that if I didn’t have such an awesome church, which emphasizes training up our children in the way they should go, I might have found some of his discussion eye-opening, but such is not the case.

Also, his writing style seemed very cumbersome and unpolished. The thoughts were simple but the vocabulary was more complex. It did not lead to smooth reading. I had to read several sentences multiple times in order to figure out what he was trying to say.

With those things said, I really did enjoy the last three chapters. I could have skipped the rest and just read these chapters on The manifestations of faith, When your child is ready for baptism, and some concluding counsels as well as the questions for pastoral interviews with children about baptism. This part was more what I was hoping for. The main points and the scripture references were very helpful. I still felt like his writing was cumbersome, but if I just read the bolded main points and pulled out the scriptures related to the topic, then I gained something useful in my interactions with my kids, specifically my almost-6-year-old.

This book sells for $7.50 on the Grace and Truth website. Make sure to check out their other products as well, many of which were reviewed by fellow crew members.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review- Halflings by Heather Burch

Why, oh, why do I really think I have already written the review for this book? I seriously feel like I have, but I cannot find it :( Sorry if this is duplicate, but I think I might be losing my mind.

Okay, anyway, Halflings by Heather Burch:

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.
A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

This is definitely teen fiction. Maybe even young teen fiction. Although the characters are 17ish, so maybe not. Anyway, I tend to like this sort of book for a nice easy read. Also, the romance in teen fiction, while it can be painfully awkward, is also sometimes easier to handle than adult fiction. It tends to be so much simpler.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I didn’t really feel like there was anything new or different about the plot, and I’m not entirely certain that I agree with her theology of half-angel/half-human beings, but there was nothing overtly wrong with it. I just haven’t really studied the parts of the Bible that discuss the existence of such beings to have a formed thought about it.

The characters were fairly shallow, but I would expect that from a teen fiction book, so it did not bother me. The flow of the story was fine; the pace was good, and there was enough going on to keep it interesting. The book ended abruptly, but it was to set it up for the sequel, Guardian, which I’m reading right now. So, I must have liked it enough to read the sequel!

One thing about the Kindle edition that I would hope they fixed with the purchased version: the formatting was all screwy. The graphics that are at the beginning of each chapter take up three pages on my kindle and the beginning letter or sometimes sentence is not in the correct place. It was a little hard to get used to, but wasn’t a huge deal.

An interesting read. Fine for a quick, non-thinking, kind of book, which is good every now and again.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren

As Little Cub and Grampa Bear’s fishing adventure is interrupted by mischievous otters, the young polar bear begins to question why we must love others…even the seemingly unlovable.
“Any time we show love, Little Cub, we’re sharing a bit of his love.”
In a sturdy format, ideal for the littlest hands at storytime, bedtime, or anytime, God Gave Us You assures each child that he or she truly is a treasured gift from the Lord

When I pick up a kid’s book, I’m looking for a few things. The first thing is good illustrations. You can say all you want to, but small children aren’t going to care what it says if the pictures are off. Second is the content; is it interesting? age appropriate? do I agree with what the author is saying?

I think the best part about this book is the illustrations. They are fun, colorful, detailed, and go along appropriately with the words.

The content. Well, it meets one out of my three criteria. I definitely agree with her points. However, it’s a board book and I feel like the content is way above my preschooler’s head. Some of the concepts are even above my 1st grader’s head, I think. There’s just too much information in one little book. She covers different types of love and how you can feel all of them. Why not just focus on one at a time? Write more books with less words if you’re going for the preschool audience. I found the story interesting enough, but my kids did not.

You can tell how much my kids like a book based on how many times they request I read it. I think I’ve read this one to them just two times and we’ve had it for a few months (Yes, I’m behind on book reviews…oops)

Not a bad book, just not a great one either.

This book is in a series of books by Lisa Tawn Bergren. You can see my review of God Gave Us Two here

~S

It would be a great help to me if you would please rate my review. I get the chance to review more books based on my rating, and there are cool contests and such. Thanks!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Speak Up Saturday–Book Review–Downfall by Terri Blackstock

There are a few authors whom I love to read and get excited any time they come out with a  new book. Terri Blackstock is one of those.

From the publisher:

Emily Covington has turned her life around after a drug addiction, but her family still has trouble trusting her. Though Emily has committed herself to a year-long treatment program and has been sober for almost a year beyond that, even her mother walks on eggshells around her, fearing she'll relapse. After her behavior during her drug years, Emily realizes she has a lot to prove. When police discover a homemade bomb under Emily's car, and she then learns the wife of one of her friends was murdered that same morning, she knows things are deadly serious. But who wants Emily dead? And why? A conversation she had with two men, an Alfred Hitchcock movie, and a plan for a double murder all conspire for one explosive ride ... and Emily is the only one who can identify the killer and save the life of the next potential victim. As she frantically works to solve this ever more complicated puzzle, Emily finds herself playing right into the killer's hands.

I haven’t read every single one of Ms. Blackstock’s books, but the ones that I have read, I’ve enjoyed. She falls into the Christian/Mystery/Suspense/Romance books. My husband likes to poke fun at these books, but I enjoy them as engaging and fun reads. This book was no exception.

I have not read the other two books in the Intervention series, but I was able to pick up enough of the story to still enjoy it. I plan on reading the other two in this series as soon as I can get my hands on them.

The book draws you in right away and keeps you engaged in the story and guessing who the bad guy is until the very end. The book is full of mystery, good character development, and interesting plot twists. I enjoyed the ending and the way that she tied up all the loose ends from the entire series.

A definite must-read for anyone who enjoys Terri Blackstock or Christian Suspense books!

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NetGalley as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.