Tag Archives: book reviews

Review: Murder at the Courthouse, by A.H. Gabhart

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Murder at the Courthouse, by A.H. GabhartMurder at the Courthouse, by A.H. Gabhart (Revell, 2015)

Michael Keane took the deputy sheriff position in small-town Hidden Springs to get away from the ugliness of big-city crime. He wants to help people, not get hardened like his former partner.

When a stranger is found dead on the courthouse steps, Michael will only solve the mystery if he can see the truth about his fellow citizens – and about himself.

Murder at the Courthouse is a gently-paced cozy mystery with quirky characters and a heaping helping of heart. I enjoyed the small-town feel, and it was easy to care about Michael, his aunt Lindy, and Anthony, the teenager who Michael’s trying to keep out of trouble.

Most of the story is told from Michael’s point of view, with a few snippets from his aunt. My favourite line:

…sometimes worry for his safety perched on her shoulder, digging its talons down all the way into her heart. [Aunt Lindy, about Michael’s police work, p. 43]

I did guess the killer’s identity, but that was only part of the mystery, and it didn’t affect my appreciation of the story. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the next Hidden Springs Mystery.

Ann H. Gabhart is a bestselling author of novels for adults and young adults. You can find her and her books at annhgabhart.com, and you can also read a sample chapter of Murder at the Courthouse.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: Simply Tuesday, by Emily P. Freeman

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Simply Tuesday, Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World, by Emily P. FreemanSimply Tuesday, by Emily P. Freeman (Revell, 2015)

Subtitled “Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World,” Simply Tuesday calls readers to live in the everyday moments without the pressure to perform or to push on to the next big thing. Even the cover art, a quiet bench with birds and dragonflies, calls us to slow down.

Sections consider our home, work, relationships and souls, as well as a vision for what’s ahead. Readers are invited to find ourselves and our loved ones in the present, and to be present to Jesus with us. The book is part memoir and part an exploration of Christian living, shared by one who’s still learning through life (as opposed to one who’s nailed the answers).

It’s approachable and easy to relate to, an invitation to embrace and celebrate our smallness instead of condemning ourselves for our humanity. My favourite lines:

What gives moments meaning is not the moments themselves but the presence of Christ with us in the midst of them. (p. 47)

True belief is movement toward God even in the midst of confusion or frustration or fear. (p. 78)

I can’t prevent storms from coming, but I can decide not to invent my own. (p. 209)

Emily P. Freeman writes with a transparency and a conversational style that will be familiar to anyone who follows her blog. Something I hadn’t noticed in her blog posts that made the book a little harder for me is the fluidity with which she shifts from past to present and back again. We do this in conversations, to add immediacy: “Fifteen years ago, I’m working at a local high school… It’s morning and the bell rings…” (p. 206) In printed form, I find this jarring. Maybe it’s the editor in me.

Simply Tuesday offers refreshment for anyone struggling in the try-hard life while her soul aches for a simpler pace and a bit of fresh air. It’s not anti-performance or opposing busyness. Instead, it’s a glimpse of what life might look like if we began to nurture the small things in our lives and if we accepted ourselves as who we are instead of always pushing to be more than we are. Highly recommended for weary souls.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Love Triangles, by Bobbie Ann Cole

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Love Triangles: Discovering Jesus the Jew in Today's Israel, by Bobbie Ann ColeLove Triangles, by Bobbie Ann Cole (Scrollchest, 2015)

Part travelogue, part memoir, and part biblical exposition, Love Triangles is a an insightful read for Christians. The book’s subtitle is Discovering Jesus the Jew in Today’s Israel.

Bobbie Ann Cole and her husband went to Israel as short-term volunteers, and stayed for a few years as immigrants. Love Triangles paints a picture of a land of beauty as well as danger, rich in heritage and full of meaning for a Christian wanting to know Jesus better.

Bobbie Ann is a Messianic Jew, and her husband, Butch, is a Christian. She talks about Jesus’ birth and death and certain instances of His life, and shows the extra layer of meaning which His Jewish culture would have given them. In some cases she expands the stories with some prayerful “what if” imaginings, for example Joseph’s reaction to Mary’s pregnancy. The book is clear that these are wonderings, not facts, but it does make a person stop and, well… wonder.

I’d like to re-read those sections of the book again, to deepen my understanding of Jesus’ earthly life. That’s definitely my favourite thread in the narrative.

The couple’s experiences living in Israel are interesting, as well. I had no idea about the difficulty faced by Messianic Jews, who believe Jesus (Yeshua) is the Messiah. Bobbie And explains why this is so offensive to other Jews, and reveals that, although it may be changing, the immigration process is designed to accept Jew, Christian, atheist or believer in anything else, but to reject Jews who believe in Jesus.

Love Triangles will entertain and educate… and it will inspire Christians to pray for Jewish believers and for the chosen Land of Israel itself. The book actually ends with some suggested prayers.

Bobbie Ann Cole presently divides her time between Canada and the UK. She’s also the author of the spiritual autobiography, She Does Not Fear the Snow. You can learn more about the author at her website, Testimony Train.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: I Always Cry at Weddings, by Sara Goff

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I Always Cry at Weddings, by Sara GoffI Always Cry at Weddings, by Sara Goff (WhiteFire Publishing, 2015)

What if your dream wedding was fast approaching – and you suddenly realized it was a huge mistake?

Ava breaks her engagement and gets stuck with an enormous bill. The stress affects her performance at work, and her only supporter, her mother, is fighting cancer. Ava was with Josh for five years. How will she even begin to look for true love?

Desperation prompts some risky choices, and Ava has some narrow escapes. She’s drifted a long way from God, although she’s trying to find her way back to faith.

Set in the whirl of New York City, I Always Cry at Weddings is the story of one woman’s attempts to find out who she really is, and to follow her dreams even when it looks like her life is falling apart.

This is Christian fiction that reads much like a clean mainstream novel. The faith element is sprinkled in small doses, and Ava is clearly a seeker, not an example of mature Christianity. She feels like a real person, and while I sometimes had trouble understanding her actions, I was definitely rooting for a happy ending.

I Always Cry at Weddings is a skilfully crafted novel with an appealing voice. Author Sara Goff is the founder of Lift the Lid, an organization which supports underprivileged schools and encourages young people to exercise their creative expression through writing.

[Review copy provided by the author.]

Review: A Draw of Kings, by Patrick W. Carr

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A Draw of Kings, by Patrick W. CarrA Draw of Kings, by Patrick W. Carr (Bethany House, 2014)

This review contains spoilers for the previous novels in the series. If you haven’t read them but enjoy clean, epic fantasy and Christian allegory where it’s all story and no preaching, grab an ebook copy of book 1, A Cast of Stones, from your favourite online bookstore (it’s a free download) and check it out. If you’re interested, my review is here: A Cast of Stones.

A Draw of Kings is a satisfying conclusion to a series I fully enjoyed. The world-building is rich and detailed, the characters are people I care about, and despite an honest, realistic feel, nothing was upsetting to me as a reader. From the first book, A Cast of Stones, these stories pulled me in, and I wanted to spend more time with the characters.

In this story, the kingdom of Illustra faces attack on multiple fronts. King Rodran has died without an heir, and the protective barrier will fall. The main characters from the previous books split up on various desperate missions, still not knowing whether it’s Errol or Liam who will die to save them all.

None of these characters are perfect or heroic (except, perhaps, Liam) but they fight for their kingdom the best they can. Those who survive come out stronger. And face more challenges.

We need more Christian fantasy fiction of this calibre. For more about the author and his books, including new material releasing this fall, visit his website: patrickwcarr.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Plum Upside Down, by Valerie Comer

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Plum Upside Down, by Valerie ComerPlum Upside Down, by Valerie Comer (GreenWords Media, 2015)

Chelsea Riehl is fairly new to the farm that her sister Sierra and friends founded. The farm community offer courses and event hosting and Chelsea thought her event planning skills would be her contribution to the mix, but so far she’s spent most of her time peeling plums, processing tomatoes, and cutting up beef.

Everyone else who lives on the farm is married or engaged, except Chelsea… and Keanan, the hippie-style guy with the guitar. Neither one of them is looking for a relationship – especially not with the other.

Chelsea and Keanan are polar opposites – and they start out with an instant dislike for one another. I found that a little irritating at first, but they quickly discover a budding attraction and I just as quickly developed a fondness for them both. Keanan’s faith is so deep that it stirs a longing in Chelsea’s spirit and causes her to struggle with comparisons and a sense of unworthiness.

This is book 5 in the Farm Fresh Romance series, where each novel features different characters from the expanding Green Acres farm community. I’m not really a fan of romance as the main plot thread, but what I like about this series is that along with engaging characters and the romance thread, there’s also a faith thread and the chance to vicariously live life on a self-sustaining farm.

Most, if not all, books in the Farm Fresh series include a recipe (this time it’s Plum Upside Down Cake). New for this story, the author has created a playlist of Keanan’s songs, and a list of the Bible verses that he shared with Chelsea.

Don’t let that last item scare you. This isn’t a preachy novel. Chelsea’s biggest issue is that she doesn’t dare believe that God really loves her personally. Naturally, as she opens up to her friends about this, the conversation will be about faith, but it’s clearly Chelsea’s need and not an author-driven agenda (although I’m sure the author agrees!)

Valerie Comer is a prolific Canadian author of Christian romance (plus one clean mainstream fantasy novel). As well as the Farm Fresh series of novels, she writes the Riverbend Romance novellas. For more about the author and her books, visit valeriecomer.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Dreamlander, by K.M. Weiland

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Dreamlander, by K.M. WeilandDreamlander, by K.M. Weiland (PenForASword, 2012)

Dreams weren’t supposed to be able to kill you. But this one was sure trying its best. [Kindle location 91]

What if… when you fell asleep, your dreams were real in another world?

Chris is a Gifted, one of very few who can cross the boundary between our world and the other. Each Gifted is brought to the other world to help in time of need, although the nature of that help isn’t immediately apparent.

We first meet Chris in present-day Chicago, where he’s a journalist afraid of commitment, avoiding his down-and-out father and basically drifting through life. Lately he’s been having strange dreams, and when he falls asleep and catapults into the Kingdom of Lael, all he wants to do is go home and make the dreams stop.

Princess Allara Katadin of Lael is a Searcher. Her role is to locate a Gifted when he or she crosses over, and to help the Gifted acclimatize and fulfill his or her role as that becomes clear. She was a child when her first Gifted arrived, and that episode of her life was a failure. A second Gifted in the same Searcher’s lifetime is practically unheard-of, and it’s the last thing Allara wants.

Lael is a mediaeval-type kingdom, with horses and swords. They do have guns, powered by hydraulics, and cable-cars which connect distant towns. They’re also under threat from a neighbouring country and from a dissenting faction within their own.

The world has different plant and animal life than Earth, including two other bipedal species and a guardian-angel type of being called the Garowai, a wise, mythic-looking creature who only tells Allara as much as she needs to know.

The world-building is thorough and intriguing, different enough to be fun but not deliberately strange to keep readers off balance. The characters and culture are richly-developed and relatable. This is another of those stories I didn’t want to see end. Happily, it’s a long one.

My favourite line:

Chris’s breath, trapped in the back of his throat, seeped free. [Kindle location 2709]

The narrative slips between Lael, where Chris, who doesn’t believe in second chances, desperately needs a way to right the wrong he does in the beginning – and stop a war – and Chicago, where he’s trying to evade a hit-man. Between the two worlds, Chris may gain the wisdom needed to make his life count.

Dreamlander is a satisfying novel, the sort that leaves me mulling it over for a while before I can open another book. K.M. Weiland has two other novels, Behold the Dawn (historical) and A Man Called Outlaw (western), as well as a collection of resources for writers. She has a page on her website with extras and bonus features for Dreamlander, and her Helping Writers Become Authors site has a wealth of writing resources.

[youtube=https://youtu.be/mOLD_rTDTBU]

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene H. Peterson

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A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene H. PetersonA Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene H. Peterson (IVP Books, second edition 2000)

Subtitled “Discipleship in an instant society,” this book is as relevant today as it was when first published in 1980. If anything, we need it more now, since the pace of life is increasing.

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction is a call to Christians to leave the “tourist” mindset and take on the “pilgrim” perspective. Each chapter looks at one of the Psalms of Ascent (sung by the ancient Israelites on their route to Jerusalem) and applies it to an aspect of “long obedience” discipleship.

This is one of those classic books that can benefit any Christian reader. It’s approachable and down-to-earth, designed for everyday folk who want to learn to live, enjoy and thrive in their faith.

It’s a book to keep, re-read, and share with friends. I’ve marked too many lines to share in a review. Here are a few samples:

My security comes from who God is, not from how I feel. Discipleship is a decision to live by what I know about God, not by what I feel about him or myself or my neighbours. [Page 87]

We can decide to live in response to the abundance of God and not under the dictatorship of our own poor needs. [Page 97]

In this second edition, the psalms and other Scripture verses are from The Message. This edition also includes a new preface and an epilogue.

Eugene H. Peterson is the translator of The Message version of the Bible, and the author of numerous books on Christian living. His Goodreads author profile gives more information about him and his books.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Trial Run, by Thomas Locke

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Trial Run, by Thomas LockeTrial Run, by Thomas Locke (Revell, 2015)

With Trial Run, Thomas Locke delivers an international techno-thriller set just beyond our current technology. Gabriella Speciale’s research team has fled danger in the US and set up a secret base in Switzerland, where their experiments with out-of-body consciousness have resulted in an unexpected casualty.

In the US, a shadow group within the government wants to replicate their work for the purposes of espionage.

The third key players are two California university students, Trent Major and a girl named Shane Schearer. The information Trent receives in dreams from an older version of himself puts them in the shadow group’s sights.

This is one of those novels you start reading without a clue about what’s going on. In the hands of a skilled writer like Thomas Locke, it makes for a good ride. (If you want an easier entry, read his free ebook novella, Double Edge, which introduces Gabriella and Charlie Hazard and explains the experiments.)

Trial Run is book one in the Fault Lines series, and I suspect questions that aren’t answered yet will be resolved in future books. (For example, does Trent really see a future version of himself, or who is it really? And how does future-Trent do this?)

The writing is tight and evocative. Some of my favourite lines:

He felt it too. Like the dark had grown claws that scraped the skin off his spine. [page 9]

It was a warrior’s grin. A drawing back of every facial muscle, exposing the raw power of a man who knew the business of death. [page 278]

Part of the plot involves quantum theory, which is presented in small, layperson-level instalments. I didn’t get it, but apparently most people don’t, and it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. Two minor things that did act as speed bumps: the use of “lay/laying” instead of “lie/lying” (I work so hard to get this right, myself) and the expression “Indian territory” for dangerous territory.

Revell is a Christian publisher, but Trial Run is a clean mainstream novel. If you’re looking for a faith thread, the closest you’ll get is one character’s unexplained compulsion to forgive select people. If you just want a fun read, this is it.

Thomas Locke is the pen name of well-known Christian author Davis Bunn. Under the Locke name, he’s writing this sort of near-future suspense as well as epic fantasy. I’ve reviewed his fantasy novel, Emissary, here. For more about Thomas Locke’s books or to sign up for his newsletter, visit tlocke.com.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: Love Rebel: Reclaiming Motherhood, an anthology

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Love Rebel: Reclaiming Motherhood, an anthology of 5 Catholic bloggersLove Rebel: Reclaiming Motherhood, by Anna Eastland, Monique LeBlanc, Bonnie Way, Monique Les and Melanie Jean Juneau, edited by Roberta Cottam (Village Acres Publishing, 2015)

Love Rebel is a refreshing affirmation of the value of at-home motherhood as a valid life choice.

According to the introduction, “The women featured in this book are rebels in today’s birthing and parenting culture.” They’re not angry or defiant like many rebels, and this isn’t a book that attacks the choices of working moms or childless women. These are grounded, articulate and educated women who have chosen to embrace a lifestyle that the majority of North America either devalues or deems impossible.

How many of us who are mothers have struggled with the well-meaning (or not-so-well-meaning) advice, pressures and expectations of others? These five writer-moms offer support, encouragement and hope.

The essays and poetry in this anthology celebrate large families, small moments, and the courage to follow one’s dream even if that dream is counter-cultural. Selections include survival tips and a “Recipe for creating a strong, flexible mother” as well as candid talk about subjects like parenting with hearing loss and the death of a child.

Love Rebel is an anthology of five Canadian Catholic bloggers, and while Protestants will note a few points of theological difference, they will find more points where they can agree. It’s a short book, and an encouraging read. I wish I’d had a copy of this book when my children were young.

[Review copy provided by the authors.]