Reviewing: Murder Comes by Mail

Murder Comes by Mail

by A.H. Gabhart

The second installment of A Hidden Springs Mystery series is much like the first.  Gabhart excels at character development, continuing to build on characters introduced in her earlier book while drawing in the quirks of additional minor town members.  She also raises a decent plot with interesting crimes and murders and just enough action to raise the stakes.  Where she falls short is in hiding clues and creating mystery.  Once again I knew the murderer and the twists much earlier than I wanted to, Gabhart’s foreshadowing seems forced, and her clues are laying right out in the open. 

I am drawn to Gabhart’s small-town writing and character development, but I don’t go to Hidden Springs for a mystery I can’t solve.  Still, it’s a fun ride to take, and I recommend reading the series if you like sleuthing along and gathering the clues in a quick read.  I will likely check out the third book—in the hopes that I will be wrong and will find myself surprised at the end—to see where the characters end up.

I received this book from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour Program in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts shared are my own, and I was under no obligation to right a positive review.  This is disclosed according to requirements from the FTC.

Reviewing: Annabel Lee

Reviewing: Annabel Lee

By Mike Nappa

Annabel Lee is a suspense novel written by Mike Nappa, a lover of all things Edgar Allen Poe.  The novel and the protagonist take their name from one of Poe’s poems, and Nappa cleverly weaves “Annabel Lee” throughout this novel.  The book is well paced and well written, and the plot is on point (if quite disturbing and bordering on unbelievable . . . one hopes).  I enjoyed getting to know the main characters: Trudi Coffey, Samuel Hill (though I wish someone would simply call the poor man “Sam”—he’s just too informal himself to be constantly called such a big name), The Mute, and, of course, Annabel Lee herself.  This launches the Coffey & Hill mysteries, and I’ll probably check those out too.

What didn’t I like?  Some of Nappa’s descriptions were repetitive (literally, I wondered if I had read a certain paragraph twice only to find it was chapters apart), and he employed the use of character reflection far too often.  I actually exclaimed aloud when it arose again in the final chapters.  I wish he had shared some of the characters’ discoveries or actions as they were happening instead of consistently having the character reflect on the previous few days or weeks.  Finally, while Nappa’s introduction of God in his characters’ lives often felt natural and subtle, at times it also felt forced. 

All in all, read the book.  And read the Poe poem to go with it.  It’s fun to look for the deeper meanings and the deeper, unspoken ways Nappa weaves the poem into his story.  It’s obvious he loves the poem, and he’s used it to create deep relationships that will keep me coming back for more.

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review, and all views expressed are my own.  I’m disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Reviewing: Raising Uncommon Kids

Raising Uncommon Kids – 12 Biblical Traits You Need to Raise Selfless Kids

By Sami Cone

So I started reading Raising Uncommon Kids and then quit reading it at the 13^th paragraph: “If I wanted my daughter to change, I realized, the change had to start with me.”

Wait.  What?  I went back to the cover.  What had I missed?  How was this book meant to change my children from self-absorbed drama queens into beautiful Proverbs 31 women about changing me first?!  “12 Biblical Traits YOU NEED to Raise Selfless Kids.”  I missed the two simple words in all caps.  “YOU NEED.”  (So then I laughed nervously at my oversight, picked myself up off the floor, and took a few cleansing yoga breaths before I started reading again.)

Me.  It’s about me.  My children model so much about who my husband and I are . . . and their “uncommonality” and selflessness is bound to be no different.  Cone introduces and then dissects the 12 Biblical Traits we need to produce in our lives what we hope our children will emulate.  From Love and Harmony to Wisdom and Patience to Humility and Compassion, each chapter provides an explanation, a mirror to hold up and examine ourselves, a mentor moment that will allow us to share these truths with our children, and practical tips to cultivate these traits in our children.  And cultivate is the right word.  While Colossians 3:12-17 can feel like a giant to do list for creating peaceful homes, it is really a guide for what God can do through our homes and families as we submit to His way of thinking, parenting, and living together. 

These blog reviews always mean I have to read a book too fast to fully chew it, embrace it, and measure its change in my life.  As a result, some of them require deeper reading.  This is one of those books.  I hope I can find a group of parents to chew it and embrace it and measure its change in our families with me.

DISCLAIMER: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers Program in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review, and all views expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Reviewing The Gift of Friendship

The Gift of Friendship

Edited by Dawn Camp

The Gift of Friendship is a collection of blog posts from various authors, speakers, and bloggers on the topic of friendship.  Centered around topics like “Building Community,” “It Takes a Friend to Be a Friend,” “Friendship on Purpose,” and “Vulnerability,” each essay Camp gathered follows the typical Blog formula: easy to read, a few lines of self-deprecating humor, and a quick message.  None of it gets too deeply, but much of it makes you smile.  And none of them will take you more than five minutes to read.

Reading this compilation made me arrive at three realizations: 1) I have a handful of really great, really deep, and really true friendships; 2) This may not be as common as I originally thought; 3) I don’t really like this Blog format of a book.  I found myself and my circle of friends in a few of the pages.  I was reminded to tell two of my closest friends how deeply connected to them I am and how grateful I am that they know me so well and still choose for some crazy reason to keep coming back to me.   And how amazing it was to spend the weekend in their company . . . all alone, no kids, no husbands, just these beautiful women and a few others from our circle. Those are gifts you find in some corners of your world, and Camp calls you to remember them and cherish them.

I didn’t love this book. It was fine. Good, even, in some parts. But I feel richer for the friendships, not for the words I read in the book.  Except for the nuggets Camp included in between some of the essays.  She quoted Scripture (which is always good, even in this case where it sometimes seemed a stretch to fit the topic), and she quoted other books on friendship. The C. S. Lewis quotes she included from The Four Loves are the real gems in this book.   And while I probably won’t pick up The Gift of Friendship to read again, I will definitely be borrowing The Four Loves.  From a friend.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour program in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.

Reviewing: Taming the To-Do List

Taming the To-Do List: How to choose your best work every day
by Glynnis Whitwer

I am a busy girl.  Or am I?  Yes, I do a lot of things.  But are they my best things?  And am I actually busy with them, or am I just making myself busy with other things so I don’t have to do them? 

These are the questions Whitwer asks and addresses in her book.  Because I’m busy (which I’m starting to think is not true and is definitely not God’s intention for my life), my review of it is coming later than it was supposed to.  And because I get these books and have to read them quickly to review them, I don’t have time to really dig into them like I want to and need to do in order to really apply their truths and declare them useful or not worth your time. All that said, Taming Your To-Do List is exactly what I need. Because those questions are at the start and at the end of each of my days . . . and in the middle too.

I’m finding myself obligated to do things I don’t want to do and am not certain I should.  I’m finding myself behind in things I want to do and feel like I should.  I’m finding myself unable to sit down and enjoy a few moments of solitude because of all the things I should be doing.  I’m not present where I need to be when I need to be, and everything I do feels like another opportunity for guilt.

Something’s got to give. 

And that’s what Whitwer is writing about.  From her personal experiences with procrastination and “busyness” and obligation and calling, she draws real-life examples, goals that are achievable, and practical applications that remind you to make room for what is important and good and right.

I know you’re busy.  We’re all busy.  But the truth might be that we’re too busy not to read this book.  I know I am.

Disclosure: I received this book at no charge from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour Program in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: Murder at the Courthouse

by A. H. Gabhart

Murder at the Courthouse is intended to be a small-town, cozy mystery.  On this, Gabhart both succeeds and falls short.

Small-town fiction tends to be heavy on character development—quirks, gossips, kind-hearted souls, and the like.  Gabhart gets that nearly perfect.  Her characters really become people to whom you feel connected, even after “knowing” them for such a short time.  This is especially important in a series which hopes to build on those characters and our affinity for them.  Courthouse is the first in “A Hidden Springs Mystery” series.  It is published by Revell so is a Christian book, but it isn’t overt or preachy, which I appreciate.

Where Gabhart fell short was on the mystery end.  It is a cozy, and I love cozies.  However, from the moment the body is found, Gabhart failed to bury any of her clues enough to keep me guessing.  The only reason I wasn’t positive who had committed the murders was because I kept telling myself it couldn’t be as obvious as it was.  Instead, every page left me more convinced as clues were left in the open.  I solved the crime faster than the hero, Deputy Michael Keane and wasn’t left guessing about anything, including the motive.

Overall, though the lack of mystery and even lightly hidden clues was disappointing, this early introduction to the characters (both living and dead) may bring me back for more of Hidden Springs.  But it won’t be at the top of my mystery list.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour program.  The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: Wild in the Hollow

Wild in the Hollow
by Amber C. Haines

Subtitled "On Chasing DESIRE & Finding the Broken Way HOME," Wild in the Hollow is at times memoir and at others rambling essay.  I mean that in the best way possible.  Amber C. Haines's prose isn't always easy to follow, but hang in there--what she's saying is worth hearing.  And it's all beautiful.

Wild in the Hollow follows Haines's literal journey from her roots in the hollows of Alabama to her small house with acreage in Arkansas.  It also details her spiritual journey, lived through addiction and running from God to the ache of loneliness in the middle of a marriage and the art of pursuing His heart in the midst of personal dreams.  And with Haines's "soulful" way of writing, it's all stated matter-of-factly with no judgment and full transparency.

I enjoyed both journeys.  And I enjoyed seeing my own journey to find "home" in the pages.  As Haines reveals the culmination of her journey (to this point anyway) in her life, her marriage, her church, her friendships, her faith, and her parenting, I found myself in there as well.

Nobody writes like Amber C. Haines.  I'm telling you--even the acknowledgements contain nuggets I want to never forget.  She writes beautifully and vividly and honestly.


Disclosure: I received this book free through the Revell Reads Blog Tour program in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to read a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: Last Chance Hero

Last Chance Hero
by Cathleen Armstrong

The fourth installment in Cathleen Armstrong's A Place to Call Home series, Last Chance Hero, tells the story of Jess, a young doctor who moves to Last Chance to open a rural medical practice, and Andy, former Last Chance football hero turned high school football coach.  It's a sweet romance in its truest form without feeling cheesy or contrived.

I chose to read this book because I'm intrigued by small-town relationships and drawing faith into fiction without making it preachy.  Armstrong does both very well.  She paints characters vividly with dialogue--from long paragraphs that are spoken quickly to a daily joke that is at once simple and profound--and description.  Though this was my first visit to Last Chance, I left feeling like I knew the characters well.  And, I left feeling encouraged in my faith even when things don't go according to my own plans.

Without saying too much and ruining one of the story lines, I do wish Armstrong had given us more of one of the characters and had devoted more of her page to him.  At the same time, every word he is given paints him--and God's grace--vividly.


Disclosure: I received this book free through the Revell Reads program in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing Warrior Chicks

Warrior Chicks: Rising strong when life wants to take you down

By Holly Wagner

Life is hard.  Sometimes it’s big events—cancer, a death in the family, divorce—other times it’s the day-to-day living.  Whether it’s one big thing or a hundred small things, sometimes it seems like life truly does want to take us down.  And then we have two choices: go down or rise strong.

Wagner, founder of the GodChick ministry, wrote Warrior Chicks several years ago in response to her own personal journey through one of life’s big events.  Revell re-released the book this year, and this was my first experience with it. 

After 18 months of “big events” in my own life, coupled with the day-to-day living of working nearly full time, trying to pursue my own dreams in life, being a wife to an employee and grad student and a mother to three girls—the oldest with anxiety, the middle with a sensory processing disorder, and the youngest full of extreme stubbornness—and selling our house and moving into another, I am both exhausted and feeling down for the count.  In that frame of mind, I was excited to get this book and fought for time to sit down and read it.  In some ways I wasn’t disappointed.  In others, I feel a bit let down.

Warrior Chicks is written in what I call “blog” format.  The paragraphs are mostly one to two sentences long.  Wagner includes in them motivational thoughts and words but not a lot of new information.  It really seems more like a speech or a rallying cry and less like tips or support in how to actually rise strong.  It provides you with the want to and the inspiration but not the training you might need, though Wagner does address the need for this physical, emotional, and spiritual training.  For me, the format was difficult to get through.  When I could finally look past that, I did finish the book feeling inspired.

The cover of the book has boxing gloves (pink, of course).  Warrior Chicks isn’t going to be the daily training a boxer needs to make it into the ring or the muscles and body building required, but it will be the pep talk in the corner after each round to get you back out there, ready to keep fighting.

Disclosure: I was given this book free by Revell Reads Blog Tour Program.  The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: Untangled

Untangled: Let God Loosen the Knots of Insecurity in Your Life

By Carey Scott

I'm not good enough. I'm not smart enough. I need to be skinnier, prettier, funnier. 

Life is full of "not enoughs" and "-ers" that will tangle us up into a knotted mess. In Untangled, Carey Scott shares her own life's journey--and the journeys of other women--as they step back and allow God to untangle the knots into smooth cords of beauty. We weren't created to focus on the ways we fall short. And we weren't created to compare ourselves to the women around us who might be better cooks, chaperones, athletes, mothers, wives, employees--the list goes on and on. 

We have one standard, and one place from which to draw our worth, and there is great news!

He thinks you're amazing. 

And He wants you to see that too. In Untangled, He gave Carey the words to share practical ways to break through the lies and the ways Satan tries to tangle even our good desires. Carey offers stories, strategies, Scripture references, practical questions, and a prayer to help women navigate marriage, singleness, motherhood, friendship, work, and even social media. This book will have a treasured spot on my nightstand as I pray through my day with the reminder that I truly am worthy of love...just because God created me that way. 

I received this book from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour program in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review. 

Reviewing: Desperate Measures

Desperate Measures

By Sandra Orchard

This is book three in Sandra Orchard’s Port Aster Secrets series.  It might be worth noting at the outset that I did not read books one and two.  In spite of my coming in rather “in the middle” (or “closer to the end,” it seems) I thought this was a good book.  The romance that began in earlier books between Kate and Tom continues, but it doesn’t do so from a place that one would be lost without knowing their history.  Orchard also brings her new readers up to speed on the mystery that has traveled throughout the series.

While the mystery wasn’t necessarily gripping for me (maybe greater investment comes from reading the entire series), the characters are written well enough to draw in the reader and make us care.  In addition, Orchard creates suspense where it is lacking by leaving the reader guessing about who to trust.  Her method of telling the story in an alternating fashion between Tom and Kate makes this possible.

My biggest complaint is with the romance.  Orchard writes the ups and downs in Tom and Kate’s relationship rather than making them meet, fall madly in love, and enjoy a rosy future together.  That was a good thing.  But for much of this book, Kate alternates between furious with Tom (and rightly so, given some of the things he did) and wishing they were together.  As a reader, I do understand the resolution for them it felt a bit contrived and tidier than it should have done.  Finally, there is a minor character Orchard dropped completely.  He has a history in Port Aster—one that may have been included in the other books but I was able to easily piece it together—and I wish I knew more about his future.

I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour Program in exchange for my honest review.  The views I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive response.

Reviewing: Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls

Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls

By Rob Elliott (author) and Jonny Hawkins (illustrator)

Since this book recently available from Revell is meant for girls under 12, I turned it over to one of my three girls who fits that age.  Well, the truth is I turned it over to all of them, but the middle one claimed it as hers and never looked back.  I told her she’d have to blog her review of it since she stole it.  Even that didn’t make her give it up.  So she’s next to me on the sofa—I’m merely the typist here and only because I’m faster.

(From Megan, age 7)

This book is so funny!  I like this book because it fits me—because I’m crazy, and it is too.  There are crazy jokes like “What’s a wolf’s favorite book?”  (The answer is “Little Howl on the Prairie.”)  It isn’t just jokes either.  There are riddles and doodles you can finish and color.  It means a lot to a girl who likes to have fun.

(From Mom, age older than 7)

Meg LOVED this book.  As soon as she opened it she was cracking up at the jokes and making us laugh with them too.  She is also an artsy girl, and the doodles are fun for her.  They also get her mind going.  It’s hard to imagine her being bored with this book in her hand on a long car ride or a rainy day. 

Revell and Amazon note Laugh Out Loud Pocket Doodles for Girls is meant for girls ages 9-12.  My daughter is obviously 7, and she loves it.  Some of the jokes go over her head but not many.  I would say you could expand down a few years to include the 2^nd and 3^rd graders in your life as well.  This book is a great alternative to the “I’m bored—can I play on a screen” chorus of summer.


I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour Program in exchange for my honest review.  The views I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive response.

Reviewing: Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets
by Irene Hannon

Buried Secrets is the first in Irene Hannon’s new series about the three McGregor brothers, all members of elite military branches.  Mac McGregor, the oldest brother, has stepped down from life as a Navy SEAL and is easing into a new role as a county detective.  Similarly, Lisa Grant is ready for a quieter existence than what she experienced as a detective in Chicago’s homicide division.  She is now the chief of police in a small town in Missouri.  When human bones are unearthed, Lisa’s and Mac’s paths cross as they partner to solve the decades-old mystery.

The premise of Buried Secrets was very promising to me.  I enjoy detective stories—I like to see how the detectives interact with each other, how the evidence is discovered and the clues are planted, and how the good guys take down the bad guys.  This is a romantic suspense, however, so the crime and its solving take a backseat to the romantic sparks flying between Mac and Lisa.  As each chapter unfolds, Hannon moves from a third person focus on Mac to a third person focus on Lisa.  This allows a glimpse inside Mac’s head and Lisa’s—the dual focus can be appealing to people who enjoy romances and like to see how men think (though, written by a woman it’s hard to know if this is actually how men think). 

It was entertaining enough.  Since I prefer my mysteries with a side of romance rather than the other way around, it took me a while to get into the book.  I had to slog through the mutual attraction and the “we can’t be together because we work together” until I got to the meat of the mystery.  Once I was there, I really enjoyed the way Hannon broke it down.  Because of the prologue, we never truly wonder who buried the bones.  In a way that made the story interesting—instead of trying to guess who did it, I got to wonder how they would be caught, and I got to enjoy that process.  For lovers of romantic suspense, I can see that this is a well-written book and would recommend it for them.  For lovers of crime fiction, it’s probably worth the read as long as you don’t mind romance in the form of lingering looks, fingers accidentally brushing, and racing hearts.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads (http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/revell/revell-reads) program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.

Reviewing: 30 Events That Shaped the Church

30 Events That Shaped the Church: Learning from Scandal, Intrigue, War, and Revival
by Alton Gansky

How can one not eagerly pick up a book with a subtitle like that?!  I love to learn from scandal and intrigue!  I'm happy to report that Gansky's book did not disappoint.  There was scandal and intrigue and war and revival . . . and a lot in between.

I can't even imagine how many years Gansky spent researching the 30 events he chose to include in this book, but each hour is obvious.  While this book was interesting and a fairly quick read, it could certainly serve as a starting point for further research into any of the events he mentioned.  In fact, I often thought, "If my kids ever need to write about the history of the church, this is the perfect primer for them."  From obvious events like Pentecost to the less obvious "Rise of the Neo-Evangelicals," every one of the 30 chapters can stand alone while also flowing from one to the next in a cohesive timeline.  Gansky often refers back to another chapter as he's explaining a new event.  Then, in the end, he ties the rise of atheism back to the birth of the church and offers hope that we can again come through these current days stronger and more unified.

Through this journey from AD 30 to the present day I found my faith sharpened and reaffirmed.  It was fun to read about the birth of Protestantism and see where the church I love today--and the Church I love today--got its start and has been forced to change and grow in order to stay alive . . . and where it refused to compromise.  This book is a great journey for the seasoned follower of Christ, the new believer, and everyone in between.  I think it would also be great for an adult Sunday School as it would spur conversation and a critical look at where we were, where are now, and where we need to go.


Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program.  The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: The Crimson Cord

The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story
by Jill Eileen Smith

The concept for this book is an interesting one.  It is a deeper look at the story of Rahab.  She merits only a few verses in the Bible but also earns a spot in Jesus' lineage . . . so what is her story?  Obviously we can't know for sure.  So Jill Eileen Smith imagines a tale for her--how did she become a prostitute, what was that life like for her, how did she come to know the Israelite spies and save them, and how did she end up married to an Israelite and the great-great (several times) grandmother of Jesus?

It's always fun to speculate and add meat to stories with few details and eternal impact.  So the concept is interesting.  Unfortunately, I found the delivery to be lacking.  Smith does a decent enough job creating sympathy for Rahab.  She also creates multidimensional characters in Salmon, Rahab's younger sister, and Joshua and his wife, Eliana.  Beyond that, Smith asks the reader to suspend disbelief a little more than is fair.  She uses various stories from different parts of the Bible and builds them into Rahab's story.  Because the Bible doesn't put them there it is distracting to have them and other random lines from Scripture tucked into places where they don't belong.  Rahab's transition from a prostitute into a follower of Adonai borders on realistic but falls flat in the end, as does her official entrance into such a holy family tree.

One final note.  Because these stories take us into a time we can only otherwise read about in our Bibles, they invite us to witness events that have built the foundation of our faith.  To that end, there was one line that jumped out at me and made this otherwise flat story worth my time.  Seeing these events come to life--even in an unbelievable, disappointing, and at times distracting way--serves as a reminder that through all the events of our lives God is worth trusting.  As Rahab herself reasons: ". . . If Israel truly gained victory over the warriors of Jericho . . . there was no reason to doubt a God who could part the Red Sea."


Disclosure: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: Hidden Agenda

Hidden Agenda
by Lisa Harris

This is the third installment in Lisa Harris's Southern Crimes series.  I haven't read the first two books, but this series is an interesting one.  Instead of following only one main character in her books, Harris introduces us to the Hunt family--book one is about one daughter, book two is about another, and book three is about their brother.  All of the family members are in one way or another connected to law enforcement, and the books--"Romantic Suspense," a genre which is new to me--tell their love stories against a backdrop of suspense and action.

Because I received this book from Revell to review I didn't know much about it or the series walking into it.  As I mentioned, "Romantic Suspense" is a new genre to me.  This left me wrestling through much of the book as to whether it was a love story with a crime or whether it was a crime story with a romance.  Now that I understand Harris was trying to write a love story set against elements of crime and suspense, I do think she did a good job.

Hidden Agenda takes place over only a few days.  In that time, and through use of memories and flashbacks, Harris manages to develop two characters about whom the reader can care and in whom the reader can invest.  The characters wrestle with trust and regret, and this is well fleshed out despite the pace of the novel.  Given the short time frame in which the story is set, however, I did feel the romance was a bit unrealistic in its development. For lovers of romance, though, it was a sweet love story tucked into some intrigue.

In addition to this character development, there are moral ambiguities I always enjoy finding in books I read.  The reader can question how he or she (most likely she, for a book like this) would respond when faced with similar decisions, and this was laid out well without being in any way preachy.  The family dynamic in the Hunt family is also one that is lovely to see and had me in tears at times.  I also appreciated that things weren't neatly tied up in a bow at the end.  There is still more to be worked out.

I'm addressing the "crime" and "thriller" aspects of this book last, because that's what it seems the book did as well.  The crimes needed to happen in order for Michael and Olivia to be thrown together in a way that they can have their character and relationship arcs.  Because of this, the suspense wasn't intense, and my heart wasn't pounding.  I did wonder how things would come out, how the bad guys seemed to always be one step ahead, and who could be trusted (which ended up surprising me in the end), but it wasn't scary or truly thrilling.

All in all, I would recommend Hidden Agenda to people who enjoy romance with a deeper plot than the "will they or won't they" that is typical of so many romances.  I can also say that I added Dangerous Passage and Fatal Exchange to my "to read" list, because I am interested to spend more time with the Hunt family.  I hope, too, that Harris writes more books in the Southern Crimes series so we can revisit Michael and Olivia as background characters.


Disclosure: I received this book free from Revell through the Revell Reads Blog Tour program (http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/revell/revell-reads).  The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 (www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html).

Reviewing: Steel Will

Steel Will
Staff Sgt (RET) Shilo Harris with Robin Overby Cox


Shilo Harris is one of the many veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who have come home with scars from wounds that anyone who comes across them can easily see.  In fact, his scars are hard to avoid.  Harris was riding in a Humvee that was blown up by an IED while he and his men were clearing a road referred to as Metallica.  The blast caused his ears, part of his nose, and some of his fingers to be blown off, and the heat and flames from the ensuing fire burned much of his body.  Due to the nature of these wars, wounds like this are nothing new.  Harris and Cox detail many of them--all horrifying to imagine, but some gut wrenching to endure through Cox's almost too-vivid descriptions--in Steel Will.

What makes Staff Sgt. (RET) Shilo Harris different from many veterans is that he has chosen to talk about his journey.  Steel Will is subtitled "My Journey Through Hell to Become the Man I was Meant to Be."  This is an accurate description for the road he walked--he describes the flames and the heat so intense it caused ammunition in the Humvee to discharge and his uniform to melt into his body--and a figurative one as well.  Harris doesn't shy away from sharing his own growing pains and mistakes as he grew up in the home of a Vietnam vet suffering from undiagnosed and self-medicated PTSD.  He also doesn't shy away from his own selfishness as a young adult and the pain those choices caused for the people around him.  So it's no surprise that he doesn't sugar coat the realities of living through his medically-induced coma as his body struggled to heal, the impact of his new life on his family, his guilt over surviving, the cost of his activism, and his children's desire to protect him from stares while they are together in public.

And, through it all, the missteps, the pain, the hell on earth, the hell in his mind, the suicidal thoughts, Harris credits God with helping him endure.  I expected faith to play a bigger, more active role in the story Harris and Cox lay out in Steel Will.  Instead, it is sort of an underlying theme.  And, true to his willing transparency, the faith often belongs to Harris's wife.  When he doesn't have his own, he draws on hers.  When he can't draw on hers, he humbly draws on his young daughter's.  In the end, the steel will to endure might not belong to Shilo Harris.  It might belong instead to Kathreyn and Elizabeth Harris.

As the daughter of a former National Guard chaplain who survived my father's deployment to Iraq--a deployment that brought home a different father than he brought over--I can recognize that there are no unwounded soldiers.  And there are no unwounded soldiers' families.  Being one of those, this was a hard book to read.  I read portions of it to my husband, and he asked me to stop.  The descriptions turned his stomach.  But you know what?  Those are the costs of freedom.  When we don't have family members or friends or neighbors who serve, it gets easy to debate the merits or horrors of war as theory.  When we read a book like Steel Will we are forced to confront them.  I think that even though it's hard, this is a book well worth reading.  It's worth it to understand just a bit about where our soldiers and their families are and what they endure.  It's also worth it to see that in our own ways, God brings each of us through a hell in order to make us into the people we were meant to be.  And when it gets too hard to endure, He gives us the steel will of the faith of those around us to help us make it.


Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Reviewing: The First Time We Saw Him

The First Time We Saw Him: Awakening to the Wonder of Jesus
Matt Mikalatos

Mikalatos begins The First Time We Saw Him with a disclaimer: "Remember, the point is not to breathe new life into the Scriptures.  It's to remind us that they're already alive."  And, boy, are they ever!

Let me also include a disclaimer: I have been a Christian my entire life.  There have been moments that I have "taken off" my WWJD bracelet (or attitude), but there is no possible way for me to separate myself from Christ.  I know that.  BUT . . . I find that the stories, the parables, can get a bit stale.  I've read them so many times that I feel like I know them by heart.  There's a danger then in hearing what they are saying to you . . . or even listening long enough to believe they might have anything to say.

The truth is, that I'm exactly the kind of person for whom Mikalatos was writing this book.  Awakening to the wonder.  That's what so many of us need.  Not adding wonder, or uncovering wonder.  Awakening to it.  Because the wonder is there.  It's in every word, and every story Jesus told.

Using modern language, names, and situations, Mikalatos retells Jesus' story as recounted in the Gospels.  From Jesus' birth to a young girl named "Miryam" ("Mary" in Aramaic), through the miracles and signs and wonders, to his resurrection and ascension, each story comes alive with beauty and wonder.  And conviction.  Mikalatos writes lovely prose, and he captures the heart of the reader, bringing us in to the story where we eavesdrop on the lessons and can even nearly glimpse the eye of Jesus Himself as He looks deeply into our hearts, piercing our souls with conviction and grace.  When needed, he adds his own thoughts and narration.  When that will get in the way, he simply lets the retelling of Jesus' story speak for itself.

As he is wrapping up this short book, Mikalatos retells the Great Commission.  For his purposes, he refers to it perhaps more accurately as "The Great Thing Entrusted to Us," where he suggests Jesus' commission to us is more than that.  It's a command and a blessing and a promise and an invitation, all rolled in to one.  This was perhaps my favorite chapter in the book.  It was the heaviest on author narration, because I think we often misunderstand what Jesus was saying and doing as He stood on the mountain with his closest followers.  Where often this message gets bogged down in guilt, Mikalatos reminds us there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.  This isn't an order or a guilt-driven demand.  This is an invitation.  It's an empowering.  It's a gift that we get to share.

I began my review with a quote from the beginning of the book, and I'll end it with two from the end:

[The new believers] are watching [Thom], leaning forward, eager to hear what he might say.  He smiles and begins another story of what he has heard, what he has seen with his eyes, what he has looked at, and what his hands have touched.

And they stay with him until long after dark, gathered around the great light and enveloping warmth of his stories.

Mikalatos is talking about Thomas and the missionary work he did following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  But he could as easily have been describing how I felt about this book--and what we, as believers, are invited to share in our love and spreading of the Gospel.  Stories of what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at, and what our hands have touched.

One last note.  When Mikalatos closes the Epilogue, he subtly addresses Communion in one of the most beautiful ways I can imagine.

Pete lifts his wine glass.  "In his memory," he says, and we toast together, and we drink, and we tell stories long into the night, and there is raucous laughter and there are tears and comforting arms and hymns and on the way home we link arms and hold car doors for one another and there are kisses on cheeks and warm hugs and we tuck into our beds warmed by our memories and, when the sun wakes us, we rise to make another day of memories together with him, here, in the real world, where he lives.

This, friends, is our world.  The place where we live, and the place where He lives, and the place where we still get to make memories together.  Thank you, Matt Mikalatos, for awakening me to the wonder of that gift.

 

{I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Book Bloggers program.  I have expressed my own opinions, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.}

Reviewing: Dynamic Women of the Bible

Dynamic Women of the Bible: What We Can Learn from Their Surprising Stories
by Ruth A. Tucker

They were wives, mothers, daughters, and friends.  They were faithful and faithless.  They were benevolent and they were brutal.

But always, they were real.

This text from the back cover is intriguing to me.  Because I think that's what is lost about the women in the Bible.  I grew up in the church, and when I wasn't there or at Sunday School I was playing church, baptizing my dolls, wearing my grandmother's fur collars over my play clothes, having fake conversations with the ladies while our imaginary children ran around sneaking cookies.  I know the stories.  Eve brought sin into the world.  Rahab sneaked the spies out of town over the wall.  Esther saved her people.  Bathsheba was an unwitting victim of King David's lust while Potipher's wife, Delilah, and Jezebel made victims of their own.  And then the new testament.  Mary is the sweet, innocent mother of Jesus.  The other Mary followed him around, learning from him and believing in him, even when his other friends didn't.  As I grew up and heard the stories I began to understand they were a bit more complicated than I originally thought--Adam is just as guilty, right?  Rahab was a what?!  Couldn't (shouldn't?) Bathsheba turned down the king's advances?  And how did Mary actually love Jesus (hey, I adore "Jesus Christ Superstar" and can sing nearly every word)?

But how real have these women ever really been to me?

Obviously Sunday School needs to quiet things down and make its subjects rather one-dimensional.  I mean, five year olds can barely sit still and listen, let alone understand who Rahab was when she wasn't aiding and abetting spies.  And then, when you get a little older, and you start sitting through sermons and your own readings of the text, the writers of both testaments give too little time or space to these women to make them any more than two-dimensional characters.

Tucker takes those two-dimensional women who lived and died so long ago and breathes life into them.  Yes, it's conjecture.  It has to be.  There is no one living today who sat with Bathsheba and talked with her about the pros and cons of getting involved with the king while her husband was away at war (but wouldn't that be an interesting conversation?!).  So Tucker looks at what the Bible does give us about fifty Biblical women--both the commonly known and the obscure--and asks the "what if" questions.  In the introduction, she wisely notes that this book isn't about the hows or the whys of the decisions they made and the lives they lived.  There are no real answers here.  Like 17th-century philosopher Spinoza writes (and Tucker quotes in her introduction), "the purpose of the Bible 'is not to convince the reason, but to attract and lay hold of the imagination.'"  So there are a lot of questions about what makes these women real--and how that relates to us as women today.

Dynamic Women isn't perfect.  I found the sidebars confusing and disruptive to my reading.  Tucker includes those and questions--fluffy and more intentional--that can guide a small discussion group.  There were several chapters I found myself wishing I could talk about with my friends, if only to ask the "what if" questions with them.  But many of the chapters have stuck with me, and I look forward to rereading these women's stories in the Bible with new eyes that long to see beyond the few verses they are given and imagine what depth those women have.

As Tucker writes, "The Bible is a big book, but brevity is too often the rule . . . [these women] are far more . . . than what the Bible tells us."  And, Tucker would have us believe that by considering what more they are, by allowing the wonderings to lay hold of our imaginations, we can learn more about their stories, about ourselves, and about God.  I think she's right.


{I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Book Bloggers program.  I have expressed my own opinions, and I was not required to write a positive review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.}

Book Twenty

The Next Chapter
by Bryn Jones

Bryn Jones started following me on Twitter, so I started following him back and checking out some of the books he's written. All are available on Kindle, generally for quite an affordable price. The Next Chapter is the third and first full-length story of his that I've read.


The premise, as stated in the Amazon summary, is that an author who has recently endured a family tragedy has become embroiled in a kidnapping and probable murder of a young girl. The kidnapper forces Sal to write the next chapter, ultimately ending (the kidnapper hopes) in murder. At the same time, a police officer, fresh from tragic events of his own, is slowly tying the kidnapping to kidnappings from decades earlier--as the bodies of those young women begin appearing, staged to match Sal's novels.

Jones writes Christian fiction in a subtle way. His books are certainly not "Amish fiction," nor are they pretty and all tied up in the end. While some of them have allegorical elements, most seem to match the every-day struggles many Christians face as they try to live out faith in a world that poses more questions than answers. The Next Chapter is certainly one of these. And, while some portions felt trite or "neat" or a bit far fetched, I think Jones wrote a clever story with a fast pace and characters for whom I wanted to root.