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Category: Religious & Inspirational

Review: The Waiting by Suzanne Woods Fisher

[ 6 ] April 18, 2011

Reviewed by Meg Massey

In the second book of her Lancaster County Secrets series, author Suzanne Woods Fisher presents readers with Jorie King, a young Amish woman who has waited for several years for her first love, Ben Zook to return home.

Jorie has loved Ben Zook since she was a teenager, and everyone in her community knows it. But when she receives word that Ben has been killed, she finds comfort in the friendship of his oldest brother, Caleb, who also recently lost his wife, Mary Ann to leukemia. And while Caleb’s family and friends try to fix him up with every nice Amish girl in the community, he can’t seem to take his mind off of Jorie. And Jorie, much to her surprise, finds herself looking at Caleb in a whole new light.

But when the unexpected happens, will a new romance continue to grow between these two people? Or will these events drive them apart forever?

Born and raised not too far from Lancaster county Pennsylvania, I love to read about the Amish community and their commitment to God and one another. The Waiting is a great tale about the power of love to overcome the unexpected tragedies that inevitably happen in our lives.

The rich characters of Jorie and Caleb are enriched by interesting supporting characters, such as Caleb’s brothers, Ephraim and Matthew, and his headstrong daughter. My only complaint is that the end seemed to wrap up a little too quickly and abruptly for my taste. I would have liked to read a little more about what happened to these characters. But all in all, this is a very enjoyable read, particularly for those who are interested in the lifestyle of the Amish community.

Rating: 3.5/5

Check out our review of Suzanne Woods Fisher’s The Choice

Meg lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, Ryan. Marketing professional by day, freelance writer by night, Meg writes about life, entertainment and everything in between on her blog.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Revell. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Making of Tibias Ivory by D. Allen Jenkins

[ 5 ] April 17, 2011

Reviewed by Denise Gabbard

The Making of Tibias Ivory is set in a small southern town (named Principle for some mysterious reason) in the early 1970’s. As the book opens, we meet Bethany Ivory, the preacher’s daughter, at the grave of her slain lover, Mahognus. “Hog” was hung from a tree and killed a few years before, during the volatile times of racial strife in the late 1960’s. Though it isn’t really spelled out in the book, his relationship with a white girl may have played into the killing. His murder had never been solved.

It is a big day for the town of Principle, and for Bethany, posthumously “Hog,” and their illegitimate and bi-racial five year old son. It is Independence Day, and a parade and celebration are planned, with a plaque being dedicated to Hog in the park. Along the way, we meet Hog’s family, and Bethany’s, though her father has disowned her years before. D. Allen Jenkins takes us through many of the familiar reactions of people to interracial couples that we’ve seen in our own lives, at least those of us who are old enough to remember when it was a huge taboo. He introduces us to the characters and makes us like some, and really despise some of the others – an excellent job of putting the reader right into the story.

Tibias, for all the drama surrounding his young life, is just an innocent five year old who loves everybody and does not see in only black and white. Events set in motion before he was born have largely determined his fate on this summer day.

D. Allen Jenkins takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the story, and really makes us think about our own feelings and reactions to people who are just a little different from us. I highly recommend The Making of Tibias Ivory to everyone.

Rating: 4/5

With a diverse but unsatisfying career background, Denise made the decision to pursue what she loves: writing! Her first novel, of course, is in the works. More info about her is available at her blog http://makemoney-writingonline.blogspot.com.

Review and giveaway copies were provided free of any obligation by Casa de Snapdragon LLC. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: No Going Back by Jonathan Langford

[ 3 ] November 24, 2010

Reviewed by Jessa L.

Paul is growing up in Arcadia Heights, Oregon and leads the typical Mormon lifestyle until he decides to admit that he has sexual feelings for males. Thus begins the downward spiral of his social life and reputation, as well as the turbelent feelings that come with being gay in the Mormon church.  Paul first reveals his “same sex attraction” (which is the phrase the Mormon church uses for homosexuality) to his best friend, and another member of the church, Chad. Chad is horrified and acts as if homosexuality is contagious and/or going to turn his friend into an uncontrollable nymphomaniac.

Paul, immersed in guilt brought on by his religious beliefs, confesses to the bishop, who also happens to be Chad’s father. The bishop explains to him that same sex attraction is not a sin in and of itself, but acting upon the feelings is sinful. He finds out that Paul has also been masturbating and tells Paul what to do in order to gain forgiveness and avoid the act from now on.

When Paul is dragged to a Gay-Straight Alliance club (GSA) by a friend, he becomes torn between the tolerance taught by the club and open opposition towards homosexuality by the Mormon church.

As someone who grew up in a strict Mormon household, I am very much aware of Mormon teachings and beliefs. Unfortunately, I was also told that I was a terrible person if I didn’t do exactly as God had commanded. At one point in my life, I had some very bad experiences when I admitted I had some questions about the religion. I also ended up being disowned simply for leaving the church. Needless to say, my own neighbors aren’t very kind to me or my children. I had a very hard time resisting the urge to toss No Going Back into the nearest trash can, but I tried my best to read it with an open mind and objective viewpoint.

Thus saying, I still couldn’t enjoy No Going Back. The reviews by BYU professors and the LDS Sexual Recovery Program didn’t help the matters either. Jonathan Langford has the appropriate writing and story telling skills that someone with his education would have, but the subject matter was something I just couldn’t handle. I’m fine with people having different preferences and opinions, but there’s no need to be hateful and intolerant towards people with a different sexual preference. The only people I know that would like this book are other staunch Mormons.

Jessa lives in Utah with her husband, 2 sons, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. She goes to school full time as an English major with a focus in creative writing. She likes anime and reads books and plays video games in her moments of spare time.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Zarahemla Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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“Her Mother’s Hope” by Francine Rivers

[ 6 ] June 14, 2010

Reviewed by Amanda S.

In Her Mother’s Hope, Francine Rivers lays out the first two generations of a family that emigrated from Europe in the late 1800’s. Marta comes from a family that was abusive, strict, and hard-working. She vows to live a different life than the one she’s been dealt and sets off on her own at a very young age. Her mother kept telling her to “fly,” and so fly she did…all the way to Canada.

In Canada, Marta sets up her boardinghouse and meets her husband, who then moves her to America, but not without a fight. Marta doesn’t like the idea of doing what her husband tells her to do and so she fights it with all she has. Following the move, Marta gives birth to their second child, Hildemara Rose. Weak and ill from birth, Hildemara is a special child. But Marta refuses to coddle Hildie and is harder on her than on any of her other children. Rather than take these criticisms and turn them into a positive, Hildie internalizes the hurt and feels unwanted and unloved by her mother.

As Hildemara grows, she is determined to not allow her mother to bring her down and to live her life the way she wants to live it: serving others. Hildie becomes a nurse, marries, and starts a family of her own…only to become ill, forcing her to ask her mother for help. Will Marta come and help Hildemara or will she only push Hildie away like she’s always done?

[amazonify]1414318634[/amazonify]Francine Rivers weaves another beautiful tale for us that comes partially from her own family history. We see the pain each character goes through, their joys, their triumphs, and their sorrows. In many ways we can see ourselves in the different characters. Have we been harder on one child than on the others, especially if it’s for their own good? Or have we coddled one child over another because they were weaker or needed more help? Have we, like Marta, been so adamant not to relive our childhood that we pushed ourselves to the opposite extreme, and became almost hateful in our dealings with our spouse or children?

Her Mother’s Hope ends rather abruptly and with a huge cliffhanger, much like Voice In The Wind (from The Mark of the Lion series by Rivers). The main character is on the brink of death, and we have to wait until the next book to find out what happens….which is months in coming! While not liking the cliffhangers in Francine River’s books, I will never turn down the opportunity to read one of her works! The second book, Her Daughter’s Dream, comes out in the fall of 2010.

For more information, please visit Francine Rivers’ website.

Amanda lives in Missouri with her engineering husband and two boys. In between homeschooling and keeping up with church activities she loves to read Christian Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and any Chick-Lit. She never goes anywhere without a book to read!

This book was provided free of any obligation by Author Marketing Experts, Inc. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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“That Certain Spark” by Cathy Marie Hake

[ 6 ] June 3, 2010

Reviewed by Sophia C.

When the first page of a novel begins with an old wise woman having a premonition about a young man finding a wife, the reader can safely assume that the ensuing pages will be in service of that prediction. Such is the case for Karl Van der Vort, twin and co-owner of the town forge and livery. He meets his match in Taylor Bestman, the town’s newest arrival. Does Cathy Marie Hake make sparks fly as she couples these two main characters in the fourth novel set in late nineteenth century Gooding, Texas?

The story does begin with a ‘certain spark’ which eases into a slow simmer throughout. Twins Enoch and Taylor Bestman are the eagerly-awaited veterinarian and doctor the small town has sent for from Chicago. An oversight and ambiguous first name leaves the town taken aback and divided when the new doctor, Taylor, turns out to be a woman. She arrives just in time to perform a dramatic surgery to save Karl’s life and limb from an injury at the smithy.

The story slows as Taylor and Karl settle into a bickering but deep friendship–akin to Shakespeare’s Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing –facilitated by his convalescence and chauffeuring her by buggy on house visits. The only obstacle to their love turns out to be themselves, as Hart doesn’t interject any competing love interests or socioeconomic considerations in their way. Initially shocked about the propriety of a female doctor, Karl develops an overprotective position around Taylor, for whom others in the town are still causing trouble.

If you enjoy the literary equivalent of hot apple cider, That Certain Spark will appeal to your love of wholesome characters who get together with a PG-13 rating. Taylor is a strong female character: principled, caring, intelligent and religious. Hart’s background as a nurse informs Taylor’s medical practice. Karl is a stubborn, but ultimately loving, respectful, and protective man. The rest of the town provides a charming backdrop for the main plot. (If you want more of Gooding, you can read Hart’s previous novels set in the town–Fancy Pants, Forevermore, Whirlwind –but they are not necessary prior reading.) However, if you are looking for sparks to fly, profound character development or social commentary, you’ll be missing the warmth of this historical Christian romance.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Bethany House Publishers. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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"A Slow Burn" by Mary E. DeMuth

[ 8 ] May 23, 2010

Reviewed by Dave N.

Emory Chance is engulfed by conflict. In Mary E. DeMuth’s A Slow Burn, the story begins just as Chance, a single mother, encounters the truth about her abducted and slain daughter, Daisy.

Daisy had been missing for weeks, a victim of kidnapping, and also her mother’s neglect. We find out little about the facts of Daisy’s disappearance, and know less about the struggle for her young life. Instead, it is Chance doing the fighting. She’s a cold and confused individual, ruined by a careless mother long before she struggled with motherhood herself. She is only one of DeMuth’s compelling narrators though. Her counterpart, in both plot and narration, is a black man named Hixon Jones.

As the narration changes from one life to the other, at its best when Jones’ and Chance’s presence overlap, there emerges a deep connection between them, from the reader’s vantage point. And as the story goes on, we realize the two fit together, as if pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.

Jones, a black man in Texas in the 1970’s, also has an unenviable past. A victim of abandonment and racism, he’s even had a brush with suicide. That is his past, though, and throughout valiant actions in the book, Jones is shown to be redeemed. That’s in no small part thanks to his devout religious beliefs. It’s the very redemption Jones found that Chance is lacking.

As the story expands, DeMuth brings the reader to terms with the single mother’s flaws. In her addictions, we feel her need to escape a tormented existence. In pointed memories lie the effects of full-force regret for being as bad a mother to Daisy as her mother was to her. All her relationships are strained and on the verge of cracking. At the time when she needs others the most, Chance is pushing away. She’s even pushing away from Jones, who through divine intervention, takes up the task of endlessly courting her.

A Slow Burn is full of hope and powerful religious symbolism. DeMuth’s choice of two opposing, yet intricately linked narrators makes their meanings even more succinct. In the face of death and doubt, the storyline rings with the redemption of the battered and broken.

The story encourages, offering a beacon for change. As the plot begins to shift to its conclusion, the way becomes clearer. Chance’s path was never brighter lit than when she forgave, not only those around her, but herself.

DeMuth does a fantastic job of planting the story’s seed in the reality we all live in, harsh, but not without comfort.

Dave is a writer, songwriter and journalist from Cleveland, Ohio. He spends his work days working and the rest of his time being as creative as possible.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Zondervan. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Falling Into the Sun by Charrie Hazard

[ 1 ] August 31, 2009

Reviewed by Claudia R.

It was with great anticipation that I looked forward to reading Charrie Hazard’s Falling Into the Sun. Having myself experienced two suicides and a bi-polar sibling, almost made it imperative reading material, a source of answers, perhaps, to my own unanswered questions.

In Falling Into the Sun, Kate witnesses her neighbor, Michael’s, suicide. From that moment on, Kate’s world is turned upside as she embarks on a journey to slay the inner demons Michael’s death has awakened within her. As Kate attempts to figure out what could have pushed Michael in to such a desperate act she is forced to face her own feelings of loss and fear, panic and disillusion, life and death, and of a sudden and utter dissatisfaction of her life.

Kate’s hesitant visit to a therapist opens doors within herself and demands she examine the issues and events taking place in her own life, events that are unsettling her world and testing the very core of her faith. A verbally abusive, alcoholic father; a violent, dangerous teenage son; a beloved, wise Godmother fighting cancer; a husband that seems to be pulling away; her own self-worth in shambles; temptation in the form of a handsome Priest, and a deep, buried need, fester and scratch at the core of her soul, compel Kate (and readers alike) to sink or swim, turn to, or away from “God”.

One of the things I adored about Falling Into the Sun was the depiction and rendering of Kate’s belief in “God”. Blending and fusing Christian, Hindu and Native American beliefs, male/female aspects, God/Goddess, the reader is pulled along Kate’s gripping and at times, crippling, journey without being forced to surrender to one singular belief. In fact, Falling into the Sun encourages readers to look outside the box in terms of ‘religion’ and instead look within themselves for deeper, truer, more spiritual answers.

While I found some conversations between Kate’s beloved Godmother, Jean, a little hard to swallow in their idealistic tone and timbre, a little too sugary sweet and wisdom’ful, I could not help succumbing to the chance of hope and promise, of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, that Falling into the Sun affords it’s readers.

Falling into the Sun competently and heart wrenchingly depicts the story of a family forced to deal with mental illness and alcoholism and the devastating effects they have, when left untreated, upon a person and family dynamics. Only with perseverance, strength, pure faith and the will to overcome all challenges, one minuscule step at a time, does the path to true peace and inner-power present itself.

Falling into the Sun not only demonstrates that with love and belief all things are possible, but forces the reader to take stock of their own situation, their own lives, and fall into God now and again, secure in the knowledge that, while invisible, His/Her hands will always be there to catch them.

Claudia resides on Cape Cod and is a wife and mother of two. She attended Lasell College in Newton, MA, after spending 18 years abroad as the daughter of a Diplomat, her latest post being Belgium. Her desire to work in the publishing business as an Editor.

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Review: Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love by Beth Pattillo

[ 1 ] August 26, 2009

Reviewed by Claudia Robinson

Meet the ladies of The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society – Eugenie, a later in life, second time around, newlywed, madly in love with her husband, who just happens to also be Sweetgum’s Pastor, suddenly finds herself defending her faith and loyalty; Merry, devoted wife and stay at home mother of two, a capricious teenage girl and bubbly baby boy, asked to make one of the most painful decisions a mother must make, career or family; Esther, newly widowed, is forced to sort out her new single life, dwindling financial status, with the sudden, unbidden, appearance of two very unlikely sources of ‘help’; Camille, owner of the designer clothing Boutique in Sweetgum, has always dreamed of leaving Sweetgum for better and bigger, when an old flame returns to town forcing her to reconsider her plans for the future; Maria, official town spinster, involuntarily returns to Sweetgum to manage her family’s home and business after the sudden death of her father; and Hannah, still in High School, forced to deal with the disinterest and abandonment of her own parents, a new love and the social peer pressures of Sweetgum High.

Together, these six, completely different, uniquely presented women form the Sweetgum Knit Lit Society; a once a month meeting of the minds and imagination, where literature is read and discussed, opinions expressed, accompanied by knitting projects best suited to the book choice of the month’s theme. When Eugenie settles upon Great Love Stories in Literature for the group, little does she know just how much each and every one of them will be affected by her choice and that the knitting of scarves and souls can be one and the same.

Beth Pattillo weaves a wonderful, warm tale of six women forced to examine their current positions/situations in life. Together with her readers, Beth journeys through the streets and homes of Sweetgum, exploring human nature, love, our desire to find happiness and the challenge of having and achieving our dreams. We get a front row seat in to the lives of these extraordinary women and the hard choices they make in order to remain true to themselves and watch as their friendships, some quite unusual, unfold and develop, as they help one another find their true paths and destinies without losing sight of their own.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love is like chocolate chip cookies and a glass of cold milk. A great little book to keep by your bed and bring out when snuggled under a down comforter and propped against plump pillows. Readers of all ages will cry, smile and cheer the Sweetgum Ladies on as they discover themselves and their true heart desires. A light, sweet read sure to please those in need of an uplifting, hope inspiring escape.

Claudia resides on Cape Cod and is a wife and mother of two. She attended Lasell College in Newton, MA, after spending 18 years abroad as the daughter of a Diplomat, her latest post being Belgium. Her desire is to work in the publishing business as an Editor.

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