Abridged ~ Review

Abridged
A Kennedy Stern Christian Suspense Novel #7
By Alana Terry

Kennedy and her roommate Willow are helping with the set up for the upcoming Truth Warrior's retreat for men at Pastor Carl's church. But the retreat for some reason has riled up any and all women's rights groups in the area. Kennedy just can't understand just what all the fuss and uproar is about. Even the church's assistant/youth minister Nick seems opposed to it. But then Nick seems to oppose almost anything Carl does at present.

But when the outcry takes an ugly turn and Carl is left in a life-threatening condition Kennedy is shocked. And when her own opinion is called into question her status on campus is also questioned. Who knew that standing up for women's roles in life whether at home or at a career could create such an uproar? Well, now Kennedy does and she is about to discover just how tolerant her fellow classmates are when it comes to freedom of speech and freedom of personal opinion. Tolerance only goes so far and Kennedy is about to discover just how far it can go at Harvard.

Abridged is the latest book in the Kennedy Stern series in which controversial issues of the day are explored with Kennedy usually absorbing what both sides are saying and balancing it with her own personal experiences. And one really has to feel for Kennedy, college life is certainly not easy for her but somehow she manages to get through it and learn something important along the way.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the author with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:
Kennedy's pastor and mentor has always been outspoken. Maybe too outspoken.

Carl's no stranger to political controversy, but when his church comes under fire for hosting the Truth Warrior's men's retreat, women's rights activists and feminist leaders aren't the only ones worried that the conference will unduly restrict women's roles in the church and at home.

On a college campus where safe spaces threaten free speech and academic freedom only exists as long as other students aren't offended, Kennedy dares to defend her friend in Harvard's student newspaper. She unwillingly becomes the face of a controversy that not only jeopardizes her academic career but lands Pastor Carl in the hospital, struggling for his very survival.

Fatal Trust ~ Review

Fatal Trust
By Todd M. Johnson

Following his father's death, Ian Wells took over his father's portion of the law practice. But his portion of the practice isn't doing as well as Ian had hoped. And caring for his mother who is suffering from Alzheimer's has added an additional strain to his growing pile of bills and worry. So when an unexpected case is offered, one where he must determine where the three beneficiaries meet all the qualifications, he accepts the case.

Ian agreed to take on this unusual case because of the payout, one that could end many of his current financial difficulties. But the deeper he digs, the more concerned he becomes at what he is discovering. And even more disturbing are the questions he is uncovering. And with time at a premium - one week to decide who is worthy of a share of nine million dollars he suddenly finds himself moving, not so slowly, to center-stage of a criminal investigation.

With time ticking down Ian needs to uncover the truth about the trust he has been charged with handling before it is too late. If he doesn't discover the secret that someone has been hiding for years this could be his last case ever.

Todd Johnson has created a page-turning mystery that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat as the suspense and danger steadily rises. Ian is a likable character whom one is rooting for throughout as he comes across the unexpected and deals his own past. This is a mystery where what you know could be as dangerous as what you don't know and Ian is caught between both.

I highly recommend this book to fans of legal thrillers. Having read Todd Johnson in the past I knew I would not be disappointed and my expectations were exceeded in every way. The story opens at the climax before taking the reader to a point 20 years in the past to an incident that seems unrelated to the story and yet has a bearing that is only fully understood when the climax is again reached. The motivations and layers that are revealed as the story unfolds in no way hints at what is to come so that the mystery is not given away early.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher Bethany House through their blogger program with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.



About the Book:

A Simple Job. 

An Unbelievable Payout. 

But in Risking It All On Blind Trust, 

He May Just Lose Everything . . .

Ian Wells is a young, ambitious Minneapolis attorney struggling to build up a law practice while caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. As the stress and bills mount, Ian is nearing the breaking point when everything changes with a single new case. All Ian must do, the client demands, is judge whether three men qualify for nine million dollars of trust funds soon to be paid out by determining whether they've been involved in any criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian's fee for a week's work: the unfathomable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.

The job seems too good to be true, and Ian wants to turn the offer down, but his needs weigh more heavily. He warily accepts the job--but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust money to an illegal enterprise dating back to Prohibition and the greatest unsolved crime in Minnesota history. Ian soon finds himself the target of a swiftly tightening criminal investigation--realizing too late that this so-called simple job has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.

Finding Gobi ~ Review

Finding Gobi

The True Story of One Little Dog's Big Journey
By Dion Leonard

Let me start out by saying LOVE IT! This is one of the best dog books ever and that in part is due to the fact that Gobi does not die. All too many pet books that are true have an unhappy ending because the beloved pet dies or the person to whom the pet has bonded has died. 

This book is written for middle-grade readers and I believe that third graders who have advanced to chapter books that are just under 200 pages. There may be a few words that will need grown-up help (such as names that may be unfamiliar) but not too many. The story is told from the perspective of both Gobi and Dion, the runner to whom Gobi picks as her person. 

Gobi joins a group of runners on the second day of a race. But this isn't an ordinary race that most people would take part in - this race is 155-miles across a desert, rocky terrain, and rivers. Along the way Gobi manages to find a way into Dion's heart and by so doing this changes both their lives in ways never to be expected. 

This is a story of loyalty and commitment that will touch the reader's heart as Gobi and Dion are separated just when the way for them to be together permanently is smoothed out. And this difficulty will lead to yet another journey - one that will be a search for the little dog who captured his heart - a truly an incredible journey!.

If you love animals and dogs have a special place in your own heart you have to read Finding Gobi. Though this book is for young readers it able to be enjoyed by any age and would be an excellent family read-aloud choice.  And as an added bonus towards the end of the book (page 140 - 141), there are 8 pages of photos highlighting Gobi with and without Dion. 

I was provided a review copy of this book through BookLook bloggers with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

About the Book:

Bring home the incredible true story of a friendship so strong that it crosses the globe! You will love the inspiring tale of Gobi, a lost dog who kept pace with an ultramarathon runner, Dion Leonard, across a vast desert. Follow their unlikely friendship through the challenges of an 80-mile race and Dion’s struggle to bring Gobi home for good.

Finding Gobi: The True Story of One Little Dog's Big Journey is the incredible true story of Dion Leonard, an athlete who was befriended by a stray dog while running an ultramarathon through the Gobi Desert. Named for the desert in which he found her, Gobi became Dion’s closest companion for 77 miles of the 155-mile race across China. The scrappy little pup ran mile after mile alongside Dion, through treacherous conditions, and across raging rivers. He let her sleep in his tent and share his food, and eventually, his focus shifted from winning to the newfound friendship he and Gobi shared.

They crossed the finish line together—not first, but together—and Dion decided to bring Gobi home to Scotland. Just before they were about to leave, however, Gobi disappeared, setting off a worldwide search for the stray. In a town of more than 3 million people, the search seemed hopeless, but this tale of friendship will surprise and delight you as you find out what happens!

Join the almost too-good-to-be-true story of hope, friendship, and beating incredible odds in Finding Gobi: The True Story of One Little Dog's Big Journey by Dion Leonard.

Summer on Earth ~ Spotlight

About the Author

Peter Thompson grew up in Illinois, and lives near Chicago. He remembers how excited he was when the first astronaut stepped on to the moon. He has had an appreciation of space, and all its possibilities ever since. His love of children’s books developed while reading to his three sons. His first novel, Living Proof, was a thriller published by Berkeley Books. Summer on Earth is his first book for younger readers. It will be released in August of this year.

WEBSITE and SOCIAL LINKS:

Peter Thompson website | Twitter

About the Book:

Title: SUMMER ON EARTH
Author: Peter Thompson
Publisher: Persnickety Press
Pages: 293
Genre: Sci-fi / Middle Grade

BOOK BLURB:

The night that eleven-year-old Grady Johnson looked out his window and wished upon a shooting star, his life changed forever.

Grady, his Ma, and younger sister Luanne are having a hard summer. Dad has died and the family isn’t the same. Though Ma is trying her best, Grady knows they don’t have enough money to get by.

The shooting star he saw was a space craft plunging to Earth, and landing at the back of their farm. Extraterrestrial engineer Ralwil Turth has one goal, to fix his power drive and go back home. But things don’t go as planned. Stuck in human form, he gets to know Grady and his family as he works on their farm. He starts to learn about what it means to be human, and the exotic charms of this planet like the taste of potatoes, and how amazing bugs are.

Ralwil grows to care for Grady and his family. On a trip to town, he realizes that money is what matters to humans, and is the cause of the family’s trouble. That night, he uses his technology to combine a twenty-dollar bill with an oak twig. Over the next week this grows to a towering tree, every leaf a twenty-dollar bill. This, Ralwil is sure, will solve all the family’s problems.

But the family’s wealth raises suspicion in this small town, and this soon leads to more trouble. With the family’s fate, and Ralwil’s life, on the line, Grady has to find the courage to help his family and save his friend.

Summer on Earth blends humor, adventure and poignancy to create an unforgettable story about finding home.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book Excerpt:

Before

     It was hotter than usual that night, and Grady couldn’t get comfortable, even with the fan on high. The June bugs thumped against the window screen, and the crickets chirped so loudly it sounded like they were right there in the room. He could hear the TV on downstairs, so he knew Ma was still awake. Ever since Dad died she’d stayed up late most every night.

Grady just stared out the window and looked at the night sky. Where they lived, out in the country, there wasn’t much light at night and the stars stood out more than they did in the city. Grady tried to find the constellations his Dad had taught him, just letting his mind wander. At some point he started to get sleepy. But before he fell asleep, he saw a shooting star. And when he saw it, he made a wish.

     This is the story of how that wish came true.  

Portrait of Vengeance ~ Review

Portrait of Vengeance
A Gwen Marcey Novel #4
By Carrie Stuart Parks

When the Interagency Major Crimes Unit that Gwen Marcey is currently working with is assigned a case that is too eerily like her past Gwen takes the case. The similarities to what she has hidden for years along with the proximity to where it happened is too coincidental to ignore.

But confronting her past may be more than Gwen can take when the very people she trying to help take offense with her very presence and her ex-husband is demanding sole custody of their daughter. But when Gwen targeted she can't help wondering if the danger is from the past or the present.

But with a young girl missing and the clock working against her Gwen has her work cut out for her. She is determined to bring Beatrice home and find the person responsible for what she believes is a string of serial killings. But is her determination to finally face her past making her see a pattern where none exists?

First off this is most definitely a mystery so mystery fans take note of this one. Second, this is the fourth book in the series, which I will admit I did not know before getting this book in my hands. Yes, I could have done a bit of research and easily found out that this was part of a series. But had I done so I might not have picked this book to review. Having not previously read the previous books I was not at a disadvantage when I started reading this book. I was not familiar with some references to previous cases, situations, etc., but that had no bearing on my reading experience.

I will admit there were a few scenes that were a tad gruesome for my normal reading fare but not to the point of where I felt a need to be done with the book. And her ex-husband is quite the "charmer" from the few scenes that he puts in an appearance. And in case you're wondering it is really hard to figure out just who the bad guy is in this one.

After reading Portrait of Vengeance and the small excerpt of the first book I have to read the other books (Time to pull out the library card!) If you want some reading that will keep up at night don't pass on this book. And for those who might find this of note Gwen is a cancer survivor and there are (I think) some attempts at humor in regard to this that I'm afraid I did not find humorous. But that could be me.

I was provided a review copy of this book by BookLook Bloggers /Fiction Guild with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

An unsolved case. 

A tempest of memories. 

The future’s at stake—and time is running out . . .

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn’t believe in coincidences. So what’s going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming—and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, Gwen’s ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen’s past and present collide, she’s in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

The Legacy ~ Review

The Legacy
Secrets of the Shetlands #3
By Michael Phillips

This book is the conclusion to Michael Phillips's Secrets of the Shetlands series which takes the reader on a journey through time and place. This is a story told on two fronts the past and the present and both take place in America and the Shetland Islands. And as anyone who has read Michael Phillips in the past will readily agree his stories are a delight and the reader does not get lost with the changes between time.

Loni Ford has come to Whales Reef (Shetlands) because unknown to her she has familial ties to the land, ties that have given her unexpected inheritance. And this inheritance is more than one of monetary gain but rather the gift of knowing the part of her history that has been missing since her parents' deaths when she was but a young child. But Loni's arrival in the Shetlands was not without its drama as the island residents had to come to terms with an American, and a woman at that had inherited what they felt rightfully belonged to one of their own. And some claimants to the inheritance are not best pleased adding another layer to a complex story

But time has made Loni a favorite among the locals and her deepening feelings for David Tulloch seem to parallel the very journey her great-grandparents undertook in 1924. But will Loni be forced to choose between the long-held traditions of the Shetlands or the modern life she has created for herself in Washington, D.C.? But in 1924 it was Brogan Tulloch who was faced with choosing the life of the Islands and the role of chief and laird to the village or following his heart to the United States and a future with Emily Hanson.

But throughout is a thread of faith in both the past and present, one that binds the stories together in a legacy that has a definitive effect on the Island and those who call it home. Altogether this is a beautiful story that one has come to expect from Michael Phillips. If you haven't read the two previous books please do before starting this one. One can easily read this book on its own but the series as a whole is just some much richer. And don't be scared off by the occasional comments by the locals that tend towards the brogueish tongue - it will grow on you and adds a delightful touch.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:

The Dramatic Conclusion to Michael Phillips's Shetland Islands Saga

Loni Ford's unexpected inheritance of substantial real estate--not to mention a title--in the Shetland Islands has caused more than a stir in the quiet fishing hamlet of Whale's Reef. How is life ever to be the same with an outsider--and a woman, at that--playing such a pivotal role in the life of this conservative community? But it isn't just the locals who have deep misgivings about the current situation. Loni herself never imagined this in her wildest dreams. 

What Loni is more sure of, however, is that she is falling in love--with Whales Reef, with its hardy people, with its simple, peaceful way of life, and with local chieftain David Tulloch, whose inheritance she has usurped, at least in the eyes of some. 
But life in Whales Reef is not without drama. Deep rifts exist between certain lifelong residents, and when one local resident turns up dead, suspicion is cast in the direction of the island's most prominent family. How Loni and David deal with this challenge will go a long way in determining their future, and that of the quaint island community.  

The Soldier who Killed a King ~ Review

The Soldier Who Killed a King
By David Kitz

A true retelling of the Passion

Marcus Longinus has lived for years in the Judean region doing his duty for Rome. But this year the Passover celebration in Jerusalem is unlike any he has before experienced. The city and the people seem to be on the verge of an uprising. A most unlikely man is being heralded as if he were a conquering king - a man who has a most disconcerting ability of appearing to see into the very core of a person.

But the favor this man has found among the people is not shared with those who rule the spiritual and commercial aspects of the Jewish people. And this lack of favor is about to drag all who rule into its net. The week that follows is one that will make Marcus question what he has always believed.

The Soldier Who Killed a King is a look at the week leading up to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus seen through the eyes of the man who is charged with seeing the will of Pilate carried out. This is an emotional journey that takes the reader on the journey of Christ's final Passover, one that would change the world forever.

I have to say this is an emotionally moving work. The pain that Jesus must have suffered in His sacrifice is portrayed in such a way that I can say I felt sick at just what He suffered. David Kitz has truly brought this week to life. His portrayal of Herod, Pilate, and Caiaphas and the actions of each man to try to work and manipulate the outcome of events is remarkable.

I recommend this book - it is graphic and horrific,  but to truly appreciate a sacrifice one must to be able to comprehend the cost and The Soldier Who Killed a King can bring this home.

I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.  

About the Book:

A stunning story of Holy Week through the eyes of a Roman centurion

Watch the triumphal entry of the donkey-riding king through the eyes of Marcus Longinus, the centurion charged with keeping the streets from erupting into open rebellion.

Look behind the scenes at the political plotting of King Herod, known as the scheming Fox for his ruthless shrewdness.

Get a front-row seat to the confrontation between the Jewish high priest Caiaphas and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate.

Understand as never before the horror of the decision to save a brutal terrorist in order to condemn the peaceful Jew to death.

If you've heard the story of Passion Week so often it's become stale, now is the time to rediscover the terrible events leading from Jesus's humble ride into the city to his crucifixion. The Soldier Who Killed a King will stun you afresh with how completely Christ's resurrection changed history, one life at a time.