Showing posts with label
FAITH AND INSPIRATIONAL NOVELS.
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Showing posts with label
FAITH AND INSPIRATIONAL NOVELS.
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... By April W Gardner
War woman Fierce Mink has loved Tall Bull as long as memory. He is beauty and power, but in the secret pockets of her spirit, he is vastly more. He is the brave to whom she swore her heart, the friend to whom she owes her life, and the chief to whom she will never be bound. Soon, he will be required to take a wife, but lamentably, Mink is severe, intimidating, hard-bitten by war—qualities a man appreciates in combat, not so under the bearskins. But perhaps it’s best he’s blind to her, for he clings viciously to the Beloved Path, and unbeknownst to him, she has joined her fire with Jesus.
Since his youth, Chief Tall Bull has treasured Mink. Even now, in their turbulent refugee world, she is comfort; she is home. Better yet, she shares his passion to preserve the Beloved Path and his fight to start anew in a land where they are no longer hunted. Then, a startling omen: before the blood moon, Tall Bull must make restitution for his transgressions, or the spirits will take payment. From her. A tragedy he would die to prevent.
Another portent looms—that of a horde of bluecoat soldiers pecking at their borders, threatening to drive the Red Stick Defiance into uninhabitable swamps. The Defiance will not go quietly, and as Tall Bull prepares for a brutal strike, he realizes the bluecoats aren’t his only enemy, and Mink’s life isn’t all he stands to lose.
OUR REVIEW
"Long have I loved you..." torturing her with his tender, broken voice. "In some fashion or other, I've loved you since the morning I saw wolf tracks in the dirt and knew you had saved me." Romance laced with a cool sensuality dominates this epic novel.
A great opening scene brings us back to the heart of the story. Strong emotion flows within the battles, friendships and the intense love that deepens as the story grows with the Spiritual Journey. It was fun to recognize a couple of characters that I read in Bitter Eyes, joining the two sagas into one main story. Although this novel is in a series, it can be read as a stand alone.
If you enjoy Historical Fiction Romance with intense detail, this is a must for your reading list.
Natalie Vellacott, a former police officer, set off from England hoping to make a difference as an independent missionary to the Philippines. After a bumpy beginning in Olongapo City, she settled in the nation’s capital Manila becoming quickly immersed in Filipino culture. Attached to an evangelical church in Cubao, she worked with the homeless people for several years.
How do you deal with a landlord who wants immediate access to your dwelling at all hours of the day and night? What to do when a large group of barely clad homeless people are eagerly awaiting a Bible study in the middle of a typhoon? Or when the bus you were hoping to travel on has a list of suspended conductors? Where to turn when an eight months pregnant, homeless lady faces the very real prospect of giving birth in the street? Or when a little beggar girl says that a relative put her in a sack and threw it in the river? Who will win the battle for supremacy, the kitten, the cockroach or the ever- growing numbers of mice that have invaded? And of course, what has happened to the “rugby boys” addicted to solvents?
Find answers to these questions and others as Natalie seeks to bring the Good News of saving hope in Jesus to Manila’s urban poor.
OUR REVIEW
"This account is a true story. However, some names may have been changed to protect the identities of individuals." Oh yeah, when I read that I knew I was in for a treat. Even the cover of A Missionary in Manila: (Missionary Stories) by Natalie Vellacot grabbed my attention with those suspiciously sweet looking mischievous little guys.
Vellacot runs the reader non-stop with amazing vignettes of her missionary work in the Philippines. Even though I have never been there, I truly caught the flavor of the country and people. Being a true story, my jaw dropped many times with what she had to deal with, some happy some sad and some just plain crazy! Some of her English translations made me laugh as she tried to explain that "Jesus was living in my cat," or "My coffee likes to drink me."
How Vellacot described the sadness of homeless children, the everyday substance abuse, pregnant young girls and a multitude of other everyday lifestyle will make you admire those who are serving God for His glory.
I think it takes special people called by God to do missionary work, serving others and helping meet their needs just to live a basic life. As Vellacot states: "We are a product of the culture we live in...We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We stand in need of His rescue."
Whether you are called to be a missionary or not, this book will sink into your soul at how the mighty power of God works within us.
Amazon Review
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| Linda |
OUR REVIEW
I was totally taken off guard at first reading of The Wager by Mike Brister. Thinking that this book was going to be your regular Christian romantic novel with a bit of humor, I was in for an amazing surprise.
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| Linda |
The story sets the background of two opposite characters, giving vivid descriptions of their personalities, while not using the extra verbiage of when the character speaks, leaving it up to the reader to add our own interpretation or feeling of what we have imagined in our mind. While the story continues of how these two unlikely characters meet under the unusual circumstances, I found myself actually reading it in a Southern accent, which is a credit to Brister in his style of writing.
I will say, I had that "ah-ha" moment when I connected the title to the story.
The humor is a flow of unbelievably funny and sarcastic banter, making it reminiscent to me of Lauren Bacall in How to Marry a Millionaire. I wondered how the two main characters could even tolerate each other, but found myself actually laughing out loud, especially at their encounter on the plane and dinner at the parents.
As the story progresses, you gain a deeper understanding of why these two act the way they do to each other, and immediately your emotions are racing to find out what happens, in fact I went back to the beginning to re-read about their personalities and whoa, I even had more intense feelings for these two.
Not to give any spoilers, but I will say my heart broke and yes, I needed my tissues since I fell in love with these characters. I appreciated the authors wrap up of the book, and yes...you will understand why buying this book will help a family get a goat in Haiti.
An Inspirational Romance Novel ... First in the series
Mending the Motocross Champion (Team Macachek Book 1) ...by Jean C. Gordon
Physical therapist Dana VanAlstyne’s dreams of a family were lost in the dust of a motocross racecourse. Although she’s filled her life with her work and church activities, it hasn’t filled the empty space inside her. Nor has it eased the heartache of being abandoned by a man who wasn’t ready for a wife and children. Now her dream is to open her own private practice. All she needs is the capital to make that happen.
Anton, “Mac,” Macachek may be the top professional motocross racer in the country but he still has one race that matters more to him: winning a championship at Unadilla Raceway and showing the hometown folks the bad boy did amount to something. But when a horrific accident sidelines those plans, he makes a deal with the woman he once loved with all his heart. A woman who abandoned him. If Dana will get him back in racing shape, he’ll fund her new practice. Then an even more dangerous risk is revealed. If Mac races again, he could die.
Does Dana have enough faith to risk her heart again? She loved Mac once, but feared he loved motocross racing more than he loved her. If she helps him mend his broken body, will it also mend her broken heart? Or will it all be lost again in the dust and danger of a motocross racetrack?
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| Linda |
Amazon Review
The Living Miracle (a love story) ... by Donna D. Vaal
Is Izanagi Okamura a monster or just a man afraid to die?
There is a new world without God, sorrow or love for others, only self. One man attempts to control life. Another tries to reintroduce it.
Hiroto Okamura is given a doll, L4-13354, for his birthday. He quickly discovers that she is special. Together, they struggle to hide her secret until it is time to reveal her true existence.
A greedy perfect world; the choice between morality and covetousness; and the created life that will change everything.
This story takes Hiroto on a journey through life, love, passion, death and spiritual growth. The devotion these two innocent children share is both pure and enduring as they fight to remain together. Follow them as they travel the world telling their story and restoring the Christian faith.
OUR REVIEW
Donna D. Vaal is the self-published author of The Living Miracle: A Love Story.
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| Debra Sue |
This is definitely a book for the mature reader. The way the author describes the workings of the human body is very detailed, and the interaction between the characters is unlike most traditional situations that you find in typical novels. Vaal’s Sci-Fi story shows how the characters find faith and understand that God’s purpose will always be found, even in the most unlikely circumstances.
Amazon Review
In the Light of Dark, three Amish siblings come face-to-face with a conspiracy of rebellion that has been passed down from generation to generation from ancient times and is about to explode in long-anticipated fulfillment. It's the very last thing the Weavers (or most anyone else) wanted to invade their lives!
