Book Review: The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft/2 Stars

About the book:

When a business offer turns into something more personal, Amelia is torn between what logic tells her is right, and the desire of her heart. 


A widow with two small children, Amelia Beiler is struggling to make ends meet. She is running her late husband's business, but it's not what she was raised to do, which is run a home. When she gets an offer for the business from Eli Fischer, she's only too relieved to consider it-especially when it looks like Eli's interest might include more than just the shop. But when she begins to experience strange physical symptoms and is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, it's difficult not to question God's will. If she pursues the treatment she believes in, she risks going under the bann. But how can she allow Eli to court her when she can't promise him a future?

Includes instructions to make the quilt block featured in the novel.

My thoughts:

I feel like I've hit a rut with reading.  You know what I mean...nothing seems to grab your attention, you struggle to finish a book, you find other things to do that are more exciting, and on and on.  That's where I'm at right now...nothing is blowing me away, and I hate that.  What's worse is that the Amish genre is one that has always been steadfast for me, always intriguing.  And because it's been a good while since I've read an Amish novel, I was hoping that this book would snap me out of my funk.

Well, it didn't.  It never felt like the author knew where she wanted her story to go.  First off, you've got these three women who are so painfully difficult to tell apart in the beginning, and for the most part, they're pretty opinionated to be Amish.  It seemed for awhile that I had stepped into a modern women's fiction novel rather than an Amish one.

Secondly, you've got the thread of this mysterious illness that has plagued Amelia for weeks, and almost has her on a wild goose chase to Mexico for treatment.  Now, I'm not bashing that people do stuff like that when they've exhausted all other options, but please...we're talking about the Amish here.  None of that part of the storyline was believable to me at all.

Thirdly, there's the drama of Amelia selling her business, which ruffles the feathers of quite a few of the local Amish men.  I thought it was embarrassing that the men with whom she had been friends with for years berated her for even thinking of selling to an Englishman.  What nerve!  She had no choice at the time but to consider all of her circumstances, including her children, and it just made me so mad that all these men seemed to gang up on her.

Lastly, there's this nagging tooth problem that Amelia has (which is very instrumental to the overall story, so I won't spill the beans too much).  I'm not a dentist or a tooth expert, but I have a little bit of knowledge about teeth since I worked in a dental office a few years ago.  I don't know how much detailed research the author did on this particular part of her story, but there were some issues with procedures and pricing that were not accurate at all. 

I really doubt I will read the rest of the series.  There were too many plot twists and too many stories going on at once to make much of it remotely believable.  It may be a great read for other Amish fiction fans, but it was not the book for me.

2 Stars

**Many thanks to Faithwords and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Southern?  No
Sass?  Surprisingly, a little bit.

CFBA Blog Tour: Angel Harp by Michael Phillips

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Angel Harp FaithWords (January 26, 2011) by Michael Phillips


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Phillips has been writing in the Christian marketplace for 30 years. All told, he has written, co-written, and edited some 110 books. Phillips and his wife live in the U.S., and make their second home in Scotland.



ABOUT THE BOOK:

Widowed at 34, amateur harpist Marie "Angel" Buchan realizes at 40 that her life and dreams are slowly slipping away. A summer in Scotland turns out to offer far more than she ever imagined! Not only does the music of her harp capture the fancy of the small coastal village she visits, she is unexpectedly drawn into a love triangle involving the local curate and the local duke.

The boyhood friends have been estranged as adults because of their mutual love of another woman (now dead) some years before. History seems destined to repeat itself, with Marie in the thick of it. Her involvement in the lives of the two men, as well as in the community, leads to a range of exciting relationships and lands Marie in the center of the mystery of a long-unsolved local murder. Eventually she must make her decision: with whom will she cast the lot of her future?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Angel Harp, go HERE

Book Review: Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

About the book:

Life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother’s “nerve” problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.

As her life careens out of control, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious boy from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there’s the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.

Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

My thoughts:

I have to be honest here....I almost did not finish this book. It started off so slow and sad that I just knew it wouldn't be a book that I would enjoy. But since I cannot leave a book unfinished, I persevered and continued on with Sammie's story. By the time I made it halfway through, I couldn't put it down.

The story was written very well, but it's very heartbreaking. Sammie had more thrown on her in one short year than most of us, as adults, have to endure in five years. And while I'm used to reading novels featuring kids, this is the first time that I've read an adult novel that revolved entirely around a kid. This is where Carla's talents as a writer shone the most, in my opinion. Sammie was portrayed as a completely normal 12-year-old trying to find her way through school, having her first almost-boyfriend, and praying that nothing ever happens between her dad and Aunt Vadine. She was a very well-mannered child trying to mature, while occasionally having an outburst that's all too common at that point in life.

Carla definitely has a bright future as an author, and I, for one, cannot wait to read more of her work! I'm really hoping there will be some sort of sequel in the future because I would love to visit with the people of Graham Camp again.

**This book was provided to me by the publisher through CFBA in exchange for my honest opinion.

CFBA Tour: Chasing Lilacs by Carla Stewart

This week, the 



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Chasing Lilacs 



FaithWords (June 17, 2010) 



by


Carla Stewart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carla Stewart’s writing reflects her passion for times gone by. She believed in Jesus, the power of the written word, and a good cup of coffee. She's a country girl living now in a mid-sized city with her engineering husband who just happens to be her best friend and biggest fan.She and her husband have four adult sons and delight in the adventures of their six grandchildren.

FROM CARLA:

I grew up in the Texas Panhandle with two younger sisters and loving parents. Small town school. Great neighbors. Today, those small-town, fundamental things resonate within me -- the twang in people's voices, the art of being neighborly and just being a decent human being.

Growing up, I preferred the company of books over TV and playing outdoors. I imagined myself in many different careers, but given my down-to-earth raising, I settled on nursing. I didn't faint at the sight of blood and did well in science, so it seemed a natural choice.

I worked as a registered nurse off and on through the years, but primarily I stayed home with my four rambunctious boys and dreamed of the day when I could write the novels I loved to read. When our youngest son was in high school, I quit my job as a nursing instructor and settled in to pen my first novel. It's been quite a journey. One I wouldn't trade for anything.

I'm committed to writing the stories of my heart and am truly thankful to Jesus, my Savior, for allowing me this freedom. May all the glory be His.

Chasing Lilacs is her first book!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

It is the summer of 1958, and life in the small Texas community of Graham Camp should be simple and carefree. But not for twelve-year-old Sammie Tucker. Sammie has plenty of questions about her mother's "nerve" problems. About shock treatments. About whether her mother loves her.

When her mother commits suicide and a not-so-favorite aunt arrives, Sammie has to choose who to trust with her deepest fears: Her best friend who has an opinion about everything, the mysterious kid from California whose own troubles plague him, or her round-faced neighbor with gentle advice and strong shoulders to cry on. Then there's the elderly widower who seems nice but has his own dark past.

Trusting is one thing, but accepting the truth may be the hardest thing Sammie has ever done.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Chasing Lilacs, go HERE.

Book Review and Giveaway: The Art of Compassion by Martin Smith

About the book:

What happens when musicians from around the world get together to dream, to write songs, to create an album and give away all the proceeds to the poorest of the world's poor?

Challenged by the poverty he saw all over the world, musician Martin Smith of the band Delirious? gathered together twelve of today's most talented and respected Christian singer-songwriters, to write and record an album of songs with the direct aim of the relief of global poverty.

This book is the record of the journeys that brought them there.

My thoughts:

Through all the stories told by the Christian artists in this book, there is no doubt that they feel very strongly about this new journey God is taking them on. Each one has a similar opinion on poverty, and what it's going to take to turn things around. I was especially moved by Martin Smith's chapter when he felt God calling him to take this step. He and his wife wrote a diary of their experiences in third-world countries, and their longing to make a difference.

In addition to the book, all of the Christian artists got together and recorded a CD. All of the proceeds from the book and CD will go directly to Compassion Art charities around the world....WOW! Talk about amazing....not one of these artists is in it for themselves. Not a one of them is getting a single dime for their efforts, and they wouldn't have it any other way. After reading each chapter and each artist's thoughts on worship and music, I really want to get a copy of this CD. From what I've gathered from the book, the CD isn't the typical worship music that you hear in church or on the radio, but rather songs that have a deep message and a call to action for all Christians.

For more information, please visit http://www.compassionart.tv/.

4 stars
___________________________________

The fabulous people at Hatchette have given me one copy of this book to giveaway. If you'd like to be entered, simply leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you do not leave your email address, you will not be entered in the drawing. Drawing will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19th.

Odds of winning are based upon the number of entrants. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Void where prohibited.

Book Review: The Voice and Angel of Wrath by Bill Myers/4 Stars

This month, the Christian Fiction Review Blog is featuring a wonderful new book by Bill Myers--Angel of Wrath. Angel of Wrath is book 2 in his Voice of God series.

Synopsis of book one, The Voice:

Charlie Madison is a burned out Special Forces Agent and his world is about to be turned upside down. When his 13-year-old niece barges into his reclusive life, Charlie must come out of retirement to rescue her parents and a computer Program that has recorded the actual Voice of God--the implications of which have shaken the world's religions to their core. Together, with the help of the attractive and mysterious Lisa Harmon, Charlie and his niece circle the globe, tracking down the religious radicals who have kidnapped his sister and brother-in-law. But, there is far more at stake than the safety of the parents or even religion. If the Voice of God created reality, It can destroy it. If controlled, It would become a weapon of mass destruction making all others obsolete. Soon the trio not only fights against various religious powers, but major governments as well . . . until the Program is discovered and played back with unimaginable results.

My thoughts on The Voice:

I am no stranger to Bill Myers' books. My first experience was with The Face of God, which had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. The Voice was no exception. It was a roller-coaster ride of emotions, both good and heart-wrenching, as well as non-stop, heart-pounding action. I felt as though I was experiencing an entire season of 24, only in book form.

The only problem I had with The Voice was that I didn't feel a connection with the main characters, which I attribute to the very fast pace of the book. I felt for Jazmin all the way through simply because she's got more to deal with than most teenagers. On the other hand, Charlie and Lisa's abrupt romantic connection at the end didn't seem very realistic to me at all. In spite of that, I was still very anxious to read the next book, Angel of Wrath.

Synopsis for Angel of Wrath:

Thirteen-year-old Jazmin, her ex-Special Ops uncle Charlie, and former FBI agent Lisa are reunited in the second of the Voice of God series to stop a an assassin driven to murder members of a megachurch led by Lisa's brother. This assassin has drawn in a coven of teens toying with satanic practices to support his efforts. The naive youth engage in ceremonies that appear to usher in the death of each of his victims. When their rituals open a portal into the spiritual realm, a terrifying and mysterious entity crosses over to our world.

The battle culminates with the capture of Lisa's father as the next target and a Black Mass requiring both their deaths as a sacrifice. The team will, once again, have to rely on all their wits, strength, and faith to survive in this action-packed, unearthly warfare.

My thoughts on Angel of Wrath:

While I did enjoy The Voice as a whole, I absolutely LOVED Angel of Wrath. I read this entire book in one sitting because I just could not put it down. Spiritual warfare is not a topic I come across very often in fiction, and Bill Myers' portrayal in this book was very reminiscent of Frank Peretti's earlier works on the same topic.

As with The Voice, I felt the same way about Angel of Wrath being similar to watching 24 on tv. There is one scene in the book where Charlie is hunting down Kristof (the bad guy). Charlie has managed to put a tracking device on Kristof, and has chased him down to a local carnival. Charlie then relies on a friend of his to help him locate Kristof in a massive crowd of people. Just reading lines like, "Two meters ahead, two o'clock," and "He's right on top of you, don't you see him?" made it so easy to visualize, and compare to a tv show. (Sorry, you'll have to read the book to see if Charlie caught up to Kristof.) :o)

To sum it all up, if you want some good, heart-pounding, action-packed couple of books, then here you have it. I would very much love to see a third book come out in this series as I think it would help to tie up a few loose ends.

4 Stars for both books

Southern?  No
Sass?  Yes



Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.