Finding Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley - REVIEWED

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Finding Mercy David C. Cook (October 1, 2014) by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Landon Jr., son of television legend Michael Landon, is an award-winning storyteller, first in television and film, and now in books. His print works include One More Sunrise co-written with Tracie Peterson. 
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Cindy Kelley is the co-author of the novel The Silent Gift, and Traces of Mercy. Her career as a screenwriter with long-time writing partner, Michael Landon, Jr., began with the adaptation of Margery Williams’ classic story, The Velveteen Rabbit, which had a theatrical release. Several television movies followed, most notably Love Comes Softly, (based on Janette Oke’s novel) which won a CAMIE Award and the Epiphany Prize for Movie Guide’s most inspirational television movie of 2003. Cindy and her husband, Jim, make their home in the Southwest; have three adorable grandchildren and four big dogs who rule the house.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Mercy abandons Captain Elijah Hale to search for her true identity, he goes after her. With the threat that bounty hunters might be hot on her trail, Mercy does all she can to stay ahead of the danger, frustrating both the bad men who are after her—and Captain Hale who wants to find her and escort her safely home. But when she stumbles upon clues that help her learn who she is and where she's from, the danger escalates and she has to learn to keep her friends close and her enemies even closer—if she can determine which is which!




My Thoughts:

“…don’t forget, I am a woman who is prepared.”  (p. 379)

Mercy is a woman who overcomes a great deal in spite of amnesia that has stolen her past completely.  She knows only what she has recorded in her journal, and the information found there seems to draw more and more trouble.  Mercy’s story began in Traces of Mercy, and as her journey continues in Finding Mercy, it becomes quickly apparent that justice is something meted out by whomever can pay the highest price.

I thought Mercy’s troubles were pretty severe when she was almost hanged for treason, but with bounty hunters on her heels at every turn as she seeks to uncover her true identity, well….the woman has trouble galore!  I love the way her character develops as she uncovers the truth about her past and the decisions she must face as her life is put in jeopardy time and time again.

From the moment I understood that Mercy was a woman sharpshooter brave enough to fight in the Civil War, I was captured by her story.  I never dreamed it possible that the second book of the series would have more twists and turns than the first! What a thrill ride!  I highly recommend this book to everyone!  It is most excellent!

Read my review of Traces of Mercy HERE.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Finding Mercy, go HERE.

To Everything a Season by Lauraine Snelling - Reveiewed

About the Book:
Beloved Author Lauraine Snelling Returns Again to Her Popular Red River Valley Setting
Trygve Knutson is devoted to his family and his community. With his job on the construction crew, he is helping to build a future for the North Dakota town of Blessing. Though he loves his home, he sometimes dreams of other horizons--especially since meeting Miriam Hastings.

Miriam is in Blessing to get practical training to become an accredited nurse. She's been promised a position in the Chicago women's hospital that will enable her to support her siblings and her ailing mother. Although eager to return to her family, Miriam is surprised to find how much she enjoys the small town of Blessing. And her growing attachment to Trygve soon has her questioning a future she always considered set in stone.

When a family emergency calls Miriam home sooner than planned, will she find a way to return? If not, will it mean losing Trygve--and her chance at love--for good?

My Thoughts:

“Lord God, I will not get through this without your peace.  I know the days ahead will be hard.”  (p.331)

I’ve followed Lauraine Snelling’s Red River of the North characters since the first book of the series was published years ago.  I actually remember having to wait until the next book was released to find out what happened to the Norwegian families in Blessing North Dakota.  I have walked through many trials with Ingenorg Bjorklund, and her prayer for God’s peace is as strong and foundational as breathing.  It wasn’t always so.  Thorliff, Pastor John Solberg, Haaken, Trygve, Astrid, Elizabeth, ----I know their lives from the moment they entered the world.  I know the struggles, the sacrifices, the losses, and triumphs.  When they tell Manny and Miriam they have a family in Blessing, I want to say, “It’s true! They are family!”  They feel like family to me!

Lauraine Snelling has brought her readers back into the Blessing family to introduce new members and watch the lives and faith of those familiar to us take the next step on their journey of life. Trygve and Miriam are the characters of the next step, but so much richness dwells within the lifework of the characters who are now like family.  Hard work, expansion, trials, overcoming tragedy it’s such a cycle of life, rich with God’s blessings!  I hate to come to the end of these books!

If you love rich, historical fiction, Lauraine Snelling has such a wealth of good book to offers her readers! And the Red River of the North series and all of the following books will allow you to experience God’s family in a very real way.  Such strong, enduring faith! Such trials! Such triumphs!  Don’t miss this!  To Everything a Season is not only the title of Snelling’s latest novel, but it is a daily truth we can trust.  God is in every single moment of every single season, and the character’s in Snelling’s books walk it out in a very real and transformational way! 

About the Author:

Lauraine Snelling, an award-winning author of fifty-plus books with sales of over 2 million copies, also writes for a wide range of magazines and teaches at writers' conferences across the country. She and her husband make their home in Tehachapi, California. Visit www.laurainesnelling.com

Keepers of the Covenant by Lynn Austin - REVIEWED

About the Book:
In Their Darkest Hour, Where Would Hope Be Found?In one life-changing moment, the lives of the exiles in Babylon are thrown into despair when a decree from the king's palace calls for the annihilation of every Jewish man, woman, and child throughout the empire in less than one year.

Ezra, a quiet but brilliant scholar, soon finds himself called upon to become the leader of his people. Forced to rally an army when all his training has been in the Torah, he struggles to bring hope in a time of utter despair, when dreams of the future--of family and love--seem impossible.

In Keepers of the Covenant, acclaimed novelist Lynn Austin weaves together the struggles and stories of both Jews and Gentiles, creating a tapestry of faith and doubt, love and loss. Here, the Old Testament comes to life, demonstrating the everlasting hope displayed in God's unwavering love for His people.

My Thoughts:
"That's what we are going to Jerusalem to do.  To rebuild our nation according to His law. To be keepers of His covenant."  (p.325)

Lynn Austin has written a beautiful story of love and grace using the Old Testament book of Ezra as her foundational building block.  She weaves the rich history of the Jewish culture into every aspect of her story, and she builds her characters' lives into a believable community of relationships that become concrete in the reader's mind and heart.  The culture of the Jewish people, the Laws and the Torah that governed their lives, the many enemies that came against them time and time again, God's chosen people represent so much of the mercy and grace that came to earth in the person of Jesus in the New Testament. 

And Lynn Austin doesn't miss one instant of this intricate foreshadowing found in the book of Ezra. I have to be honest, I had to get my Bible out and read this book of the Old Testament. It is a book that is rich in story, of trouble, of redemption, just every aspect of God's mercy and grace that has been present in the lives of His people throughout time.  I fell in love with the constant faith of Ezra, and Devorah, of Reuben and Amina.  And what I loved most of all was that each had to be drawn into relationship with God.  Each had to endure sore trials, loss and deep wounds.  Each had to make the choice to continue to follow God.  It is such a precious and tender story of mercy and grace!

If you enjoy Biblically based fiction, you don't want to miss Keepers  of the Covenant!  You will understand how important a covenant relationship is from the Old to the New Testament....and even including your own personal covenant relationship with God through Jesus!  This is a fabulous, intricate story that you will remember for a very long time!

Purchase your copy HERE!


About the Author:

Lynn Austin has sold more than one million copies of her books worldwide. She is an eight-time Christy Award winner and an inaugural inductee into the Christy Award Hall of Fame, as well as a popular speaker at retreats, conventions, women's groups, and book clubs. She lives with her husband in Michigan. Learn more at www.lynnaustin.org.

An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare - REVIEWED

About the Book:

Behind the backdrop of our daily lives, a hidden war is raging. The players are as powerful as they are invisible. What's on the line: your very heart and soul.

Are you ready for the battle?

After spending years as a medium, witch and ghost hunter, Kristine McGuire emerged from behind enemy lines to reclaim her identity in Christ. She brings unique insight, revealing Satan's 7 favorite battlefields as well as the most effective tactics he employs in the battles we face everyday.

In this essential guide to the spiritual war zone, you will learn 30 battle-tested strategies for victory from a spiritual warrior who has been there. Kristine's simple but powerful insights will empower you to engage your enemy without fear . . . and, in the power of Jesus, to win.

My Thoughts:

“Spiritual warfare.  It is in the prayers we say or forget to say.  It is in the choice to be kind or hurtful.  It is in our work ethic or lack thereof.  It is in the people and relationships in whom we choose to invest or not to invest.  It is in the experiences, mundane or supernatural, we accept or deny. It is the causes we take up or reject.  Every day the battle wages.  You are a spiritual warrior.  The time has come.  Take up spiritual arms.  And with God’s help, make your stand.”  (p. 226)

WOW!  What a powerful book!! Beginning with a clear definition of what spiritual warfare is not, accurately defining what it IS, and then Biblically unpacking our identity as God’s children, identifying each piece of our armor and then accurately pinpointing common battlegrounds….well folks, Kristine McGuire leaves you fired up and ready to walk into battle!

I don’t mean that in a glib, cheerleader, shallow way.  I mean this book Biblically teaches you about spiritual warfare in a way that is clear, concise and easily understood.  The chapters are brief, and each one ends with questions to consider, Scripture to ponder and a practical way to apply what you’ve learned.  It is a powerful tool to equip every believer for battle!

I was able to identify some areas of false belief in my own life about this subject.  When the light of God’s word illuminated the truth, I was so amazed at what I was able to understand and apply!  I am very grateful to have this book in my library!!  I was introduced to Kristine’s work when I read Escaping the Cauldron:  Exposing Occult Influences in Everyday Life.  Her personal testimony is a sweet testimony to God’s faithfulness, mercy and grace! 

I am happy and excited to recommend this book to all believers!  Your life will be changed through the work of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s precious Word!!  Thank you Kristine for this powerful book!!

About the Author:

Kristine McGuire grew up in church but, as an adult, became immersed in the occult. In 2007 she renounced her occult affiliations and recommitted her life to Christ. Now, as a popular speaker and writer, she shares her unique insights with others. Her writing has been featured with Faithful Devotions, Praise & Coffee Magazine and Charisma News. She lives with her husband, Thom, in Grandville, Michigan. Visit her at www.kristinemcguire.com.

Thunder by Bonnie S. Calhoun - REVEIWED

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Thunder (Stone Braide Chronicles) Revell (October 7, 2014) by Bonnie S. Calhoun

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year.”

She loves to write, but it doesn't make her happy unless there are the three B's...body count, blood, and blowing things up. She also has mad skills at coding HTML, and website design. And she lives in a log cabin in the woods with fifteen acres and a pond full of bass, though she'd rather buy fish at the grocery store. Bonnie shares her domain with a husband, a dog, and two cats, all of whom think she’s waitstaff!

Her sites are:
http://bonniescalhoun.com
https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun
https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhoun
https://www.goodreads.com/BonnieSCalhoun
http://www.pinterest.com/bonniecalhoun/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BonnieCalhoun

ABOUT THE BOOK

In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting, though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah's really after are Landers, mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if they keep the markings they arrive with.

Everything falls to pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers--and Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander's distinctive mark has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her--Bohdi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.

My Thoughts!

“Short-term discomfort for long-term gain.”  (p.316)

Selah learns her true identity only after her actions enable her brothers to steal Bodhi Locke – her first effective capture of a Lander.  Selah’s brothers, Cleon and Raza, follow the leadership of the only father they’ve ever known, and begin to move immediately toward The Mountain where they will be able to receive financial reward for Bodhi’s capture.

These actions lead to much pain and discomfort for Selah.  She discovers that her course of action was determined long before she encounters Bodhi.  The long-term gain of Selah’s short-term discomfort becomes a conceivable vision only after traversing many dangerous and deadly paths that lead her into the heart of a world filled with illusion and deceit of the most evil sort.

Bonnie Calhoun has created a dystopian society that mirrors the timeless depravity of the world we inhabit today. She has created medical, political, physical and emotional scenes that resonate with the trials we have all faced from time to time.  Her characters must make sacrificial and dangerous choices time and time again for their survival – and the survival of others whom they know nothing about.  All they know for certain is that the Landers have been mercilessly hunted for decades, and the time has come to seek their freedom.

Thunder is a book to be experienced.  Traditionally, this has been a genre I’ve had difficulty understanding and being drawn to.  However, this is a book I couldn’t put down.  The characters are strong and compelling, and the challenges they face are equally complex and intriguing!  If you enjoy a book with lots of action, danger, intrigue and uncertainty, then pick up your copy of Thunder today! You will enjoy a thrill ride of adventure from cover to cover!

With evocative descriptions of a strange new world that combines elements of scientific advances, political intrigue, and wilderness survival, Bonnie S. Calhoun weaves a captivating tale of a world more like our own than we may want to admit.

You can read Tremors, the prequel to the series for FREE on Amazon HERE.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Thunder (Stone Braide Chronicles), go HERE

The Mason Jar by James Russell Lingerfelt - REVIEWED

About the book: 

What if your old college roommate called, raving about a book someone sent her, calling it the most beautiful book she's ever read? "But," she said, "it's about you." The author is your college ex.
 

In The Mason Jar, Clayton Fincannon is a Tennessee farm boy raised at the feet of his grandfather. He and his grandfather leave letters for each other in a Mason jar on his grandfather's desk---letters of counsel and affirmation. When Clayton attends college in Southern California, he meets and falls in love with a dark debutante from Colorado. However, when an unmentioned past resurrects in her life and she leaves, Clayton is left with unanswered questions.
 

Clayton goes on to serve as a missionary in Africa, while he and his grandfather continue their tradition of writing letters. When Clayton returns home five years later to bury his grandfather, he searches for answers pertaining to the loss of the young woman he once loved. Little does Clayton know, the answers await him in the broken Mason jar.
 

A story about a girl who vanished, a former love who wrote a book about her, and a reunion they never imagined.
 

Written for the bruised and broken, The Mason Jar is an inspirational romance that brings hope to people who have experienced disappointment in life due to separation from loved ones. With a redemptive ending that encourages us to love again and written in the fresh, romantic tones of Nicholas Sparks, The Mason Jar interweaves the imagery of Thoreau with the adventures and climatic family struggles common toDances with Wolves, A River Runs Through It, and Legends of the Fall. 

Purchase your copy HERE.

My Thoughts:

“None of us really know what we’re doing in this life.  We just live the best we can with the knowledge we have, and that’s all anyone can hope for.” (p. 163)

Clayton Fincannon’s grandfather shared a lot of wisdom with his grandson through a series of letters.  I think it was more a way of each of them working out the hard things they faced in life, and in writing it out, they gave each other the courage to explore their own circumstances and feelings.  Living the best we can with the knowledge we have is not the best we can hope for.  There is more than what we are able to know with our minds, and our hearts can’t be trusted.  What is better, indeed what is best, is faith and hope in a risen Savior.

But I digress.  When first love (lost or found) determines the course of one’s life and overshadows everything with longing and discontent, well, I can’t imagine anything more miserable.  Both of our main characters were first loves of someone, but not at the right time.  So there are hurt feelings, misunderstandings and a ton of regret.  And, I’m sorry, but I didn’t read anything that would compel me to cheer when these two regret-filled, apologetic people find their way back to each other after a lot of years, baggage, and broken dreams….sorry, but that boat has sailed for me.

I know what it’s like to lose the love of my life, and I will not waste another minute longing for what I can never have.  God has something better and more fulfilling for me than a man has to offer.  Perhaps I was the wrong audience for this book.  This is romantic, but doesn’t fill me with hope, just despair that two desperate people waste a lot of their years looking for fulfillment in a relationship that ended a long time ago.  I don’t have any hope that it sailed into happily-ever-after.  That’s a pipe dream in this broken, fallen world.

But if nostalgic filled romance is what you like, the please read the Mason Jar.  You will love it.  Me, not so much.

About the Author:

About the author: 

James Russell Lingerfelt is the author of The Mason Jar and writes articles for The Huffington Post. James connects with readers at his blog, Love Story from the Male Perspective, and divides his time between Southern California and his family's ranch in Alabama.

Breathing Room by Leeana Tankersley - REVIEWED

About the Book:
AN INVITATION TO BREATHE

Catastrophe or no catastrophe, if you are unhinged, disoriented, suffocating, or otherwise generally dragging, I'm inviting you to pull up a chair at this table . .

Breathing Room is a beautiful release of self-condemnation, a discovery of the rest that comes when we offer ourselves some space to breathe. Vulnerable and winsome, Leeana Tankersley shows you how to stop beating yourself up, how to be radically on your own team, and how to truly experience grace. If you've been putting on a strong front and yet are secretly coming apart, you'll find in these pages a trusted friend.

My Thoughts:

“If you can’t breathe, stop.  Never move or act of that place.  Wait until you can breathe…Do the exact opposite of what that anxious defensiveness is convincing you that you must do.  The. Exact. Opposite.  Just be still.”  (p.66)

“I look to Christ who, last time I checked, has not asked me to do his job for him.” (p.68)

“Show up and participate in what life has in front of you, in what God is doing in your life.  Continue to lean in.  Continue to open your eyes.  Continue to scout the beauty.  Continue to create.  Continue to love.  Continue to get well.  Continue to breathe.  (p. 207)

Leeana Tankersley’s latest book, breathing room, has been a healing balm to my heart.  It has been like sitting down with a trusted friend and listening to her share her heart, and then, in turn, sharing my own heart – with God.  What a gift! Leeana uses her experience in a foreign country – with three toddlers – and a Navy SEAL husband who is gone a lot – to frame a common place that all believers find themselves in when they forget to breathe.  To breathe the love, the redemptive freedom, the solid foundation of relationship with Christ – and be nourished and be made whole.  When we allow the lies of the enemy to be the voice who constantly tells us how undeserving, how unloved, how imperfect we are, we forget to breathe in the truth of God’s love for us and the relationship He offers us daily.  And we must choose daily, to walk with Him despite what our circumstances may say about us.

I’ve pretty much highlighted this book to death.  Leeana has a way of stating things so clearly, so personally, so succinctly, I found myself thinking, “Yeah!  That’s right! That’s how I feel!  I need to remember this!”  Then, by the time I reached the end of the book, I found myself thinking, “I can have this same, honest, close relationship with God that Leeana does – despite the yuck I’m currently navigating in my life.

God knew the need of my heart, and He sent encouragement and words of life through the Leeana Tankersley’s book, breathing room.  I am SO GRATEFUL!!  How I praise God for this book!  I encourage everyone to absorb the truth in this book!  If you are struggling, hurting, are discouraged, defeated…you need to read this book!  If you just come through a challenge and everything is great, you need to read this book.  Every believer will recognize this journey.  Everyone will rejoice in God’s faithfulness to walk us through whatever trial we face, even if it is the voice of our own defeat, and show His love toward us through His renewed mercy – day by day.  What a gift!

About the Author:

Leeana Tankersley holds English degrees from Liberty University and West Virginia University. She and her Navy SEAL husband, Steve, are currently stationed in San Diego, California, with their three children: Luke, Lane, and Elle. Leeana writes about living from the spacious place on her blog, www.leeanatankersley.com.