Speak Up Saturday Book Review + GIVEAWAY!–The Last Plea Bargain

From the publisher:
Plea bargains may grease the rails of justice, but for Jamie Brock, prosecuting criminals is not about cutting deals. In her three years as assistant DA, she’s never plea-bargained a case and vows she never will. But when a powerful defense attorney is indicted for murder and devises a way to bring the entire justice system to a screeching halt, Jamie finds herself at a crossroads. One by one, prisoners begin rejecting deals. Prosecutors are overwhelmed, and felons start walking free on technicalities. To break the logjam and convict her nemesis, Jamie must violate every principle that has guided her young career. But she has little choice. To convict the devil, sometimes you have to cut a deal with one of his demons.
I have to be honest. This is the first legal drama/thriller that I’ve ever read. It might be a new favorite genre. That is, as long as they flow like this one.
I really enjoyed this book. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it. I tried reading another book of similar genre by another author, but that was over ten years ago, and it wasn’t nearly as engaging as this one.
The book flipped between first person narrative from the main character to third person for the supporting characters. Each character had a depth to them that I enjoyed. There were not too many characters either, so following each one was easy.
The plot was complex, yet not too complicated that I couldn’t easily follow it which is good because my reading time is now generally while I’m nursing the baby and referring the other two kids. This book had me staying up way too late though once I got into it. I think I read the last half in two days, much to the irritation of my husband who was trying to converse with me.
If you have read any other book reviews from me, you know that it’s the ending that will make or break a book for me. I can really enjoy the rest of it, but if I don’t like the ending, I will not read it again or recommend it to others. The ending of this one was great. It managed to surprise me, it was exciting, and it was thorough with all the ends being all tied up.
So, I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to reading more of his books in the future!

You can read the 1st Chapter .PDF or go visit Randy’s website here.
And now for the giveaway…
You will be receiving a certificate for The Last Plea Bargain, which you can redeem at your local Christian bookstore or if no store is available, it can redeemed through Tyndale. All of the instructions appear on the back of the certificate. Along with the certificate, the winner will also receive a bookplate signed by Randy that can be put in your book once you get it.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product through Tyndale Media Center Blog Network in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review–Attracted to Fire by DiAnn Mills

Welcome to Speak Up Saturday! I promised my husband I would only post reviews on Saturdays now because having a review-only blog has never been my intention. However, I really enjoy reviewing products and books, so here’s our compromise :)

From the Publisher:

Special Agent Meghan Connors’ dream of one day protecting the president of the United States is about to come true. Only one assignment stands in her way. After the vice president’s rebellious daughter is threatened, Meghan is assigned to her protective detail on a secluded ranch in West Texas. Unfortunately, working with Special Agent in Charge Ash Zinders may be as tough as controlling her charge. Ash has a reputation for being critical and exacting, and he’s also after the same promotion as Meghan. But when the threats escalate and security on the ranch is breached, it becomes clear this isn’t the work of a single suspect—it’s part of a sophisticated plan that reaches deeper and higher than anyone imagined. And only Ash and Meghan can put the pieces together before it’s too late.

“Christian” fiction is so hit-and-miss. Sometimes its indistinguishable from secular fiction, which I’m always disappointed by. This book, however, was very satisfying. It was not heavy reading, but nice and light. The story was solid, and the characters developed at a good pace.

It’s a basic romance/adventure book, with a good balance of both. The characters were well developed and the dialog and interaction between characters fun and believable. Each character shares where they are in their relationship with God at some point, and the main characters were real in their faith and their struggles.

The story moved at a good pace throughout the book, not stalling to develop the characters, but adding plot elements throughout. I thought the ending was good too, not too fast and not too contrived.

Overall, I liked this book and will be looking for more by this author. I’ve heard that Breach of Trust and Sworn to Protect are both at least as good as this one was. Four stars – I would recommend to others, but I may or may not read it again.

 

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this product free through Tyndale Media Center Blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Book Review – The Narnia Code by Michael Ward

From the Publisher:

Millions of readers have been captivated by C. S. Lewis’s famed Chronicles of Narnia, but why? What is it about these seven books that makes them so appealing? For more than half a century, scholars have attempted to find the organizing key—the “secret code”—to the beloved series, but it has remained a mystery. Until now.
In The Narnia Code, Michael Ward takes the reader through each of the seven Narnia books and reveals how each story embodies and expresses the characteristics of one of the seven planets of medieval cosmology—Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Luna, Mercury, Venus and Saturn—planets which Lewis described as “spiritual symbols of permanent value.”
How does medieval cosmology relate to the Christian underpinnings of the series? How did it impact Lewis’s depiction of Aslan, the Christlike character at the heart of the books? And why did Lewis keep this planetary inspiration a secret? Originally a ground-breaking scholarly work called Planet Narnia, this more accessible adaptation will answer all the questions.

I wanted to like this book, The Narnia Code, really. I heart the Chronicles of Narnia, I think I’ve read them at least half a dozen times. And now I’ve picked them as the first chapter books to read to my four-year-old, and she loves them too. When I read the synopsis above, I was excited about the theme of the book and the subject. But I have to admit, I had a really really hard time reading it.

It wasn’t that it didn’t cover any of the things it said, but you could tell that it had been a “scholarly work” to begin with in it’s formulaic writing style. For each chapter, there was a thesis paragraph, the body broken down into reasonable subgroups, a review paragraph, and a sentence or two about the next chapter. 

The content was interesting enough, including background about why our days of the week are called what they are (based on the Roman names for the planets) and in-depth information about each planet as it related to one of the Narnia chronicles.

I think what I really didn’t like about was the overall conspiracy theory about CS Lewis and the Narnia books. I’ll leave them as what they are, excellent allegorical children’s fiction, and be satisfied with that.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishing 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review – Still House Pond by Jan Watson

Lilly Gray Corbett loves living on Troublesome Creek, but she would much rather play with her best friend than watch her little brother and the twins. Her mama, Copper, is often gone helping to birth babies, and Lilly has to stay home. When Aunt Alice sends a note inviting her to visit in the city, Lilly is excited to go, and Copper reluctantly agrees to let her. Later, when they hear the news that the train crashed, Copper and her husband, John, rush to find out if their daughter is injured . . . or even alive.

This fifth book in the Troublesome Creek series was a nice “vacation book”. Nothing too heavy, yet thoroughly enjoyable. The author provides good character development and an easy-going plot. The book summary is a bit misleading because the train scene doesn’t happen until about 2/3 of the way through the book. But thinking about the book as a whole, I think it’s as good a synopsis as any because the story mostly just meanders through the three main characters’ lives; Copper, Lilly, and Manda.

I did not know when I started reading it that it was in a series, but it didn’t make that much of a difference. I plan on reading the other ones now that I know because I think they will add depth of character and the book was a nice light read.

I give this book a 4 stars. Light, engaging, and good characters.

~S

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishing 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”