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Review: Undercurrent, by Michelle Griep

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Undercurrent, by Michelle GriepUndercurrent, by Michelle Griep (Risen Books, 2011)

In late-tenth-century Norway, Alarik regains consciousness to discover his cousin bleeding and his brother dead by Alarik’s own blade. With no memory of the fight, Alarik must flee or be executed.

Meanwhile, in the present day, Cassie Larson is a career-oriented professor and linguistics expert shepherding a group of university students on a tour of historic islands in England’s Northumberland Strait—until she falls over the side of the boat and surfaces beside Alarik’s small vessel.

Alarik’s cousin, Ragnar, is their village’s only Christian, who longs to convince his people of his Saviour’s reality and Alarik’s innocence. He’s often ridiculed, and his disfigured face keeps him unmarried, yet he dreams of a woman speaking a strange language, who will love him.

In some ways Undercurrent is a historical romance, filled with rich details of Alarik’s place and time. It’s also a time-travel fish-out-of-water story as a self-sufficient woman of our day learns to function in a primitive, male-dominated Viking society.

I enjoyed the characters, the peek into this period in history, and the occasional humour. Ragnar’s sincerity of faith is a good challenge to present-day Christians who may not feel our roles as ambassadors quite as strongly as he does among his people.

Michelle Griep has a fast-moving writing style that drew me in and made me care about the people and their circumstances. You can learn more about Michelle Griep at her website and her blog, Writer Off the Leash. She’s also the author of Gallimore and A Heart Deceived.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Knowing God, by J. I. Packer

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Knowing God, by J.I. Packer

Knowing God, by J. I. Packer (InterVarsity Press, 1973)

In this collection of material previously published in his columns in the Evangelical Magazine, J. I. Packer emphasizes the foundational importance of knowing God—and challenges readers to learn who the Bible says God is instead of going with who we think He is. As we come to know God’s character and attributes, we can trust Him. It’s hard to trust someone whose character you don’t know.

The book explores key attributes of God, including such things as His majesty, wisdom, truth, love, justice, wrath, goodness and severity, and His adequacy. It’s not meant for a casual read, but to be considered, pondered and prayerfully ruminated on. There is much in its pages to nourish Christians.

The writing style is scholarly and includes references to teachers and hymn writers whose names may be unfamiliar to contemporary readers. Taking the time to Google these names would introduce us to many stalwarts of the faith. Knowing God  is a valuable resource, and I’d love to see an updated edition for today’s readers. I think the deep content would be easier to process without textbook-level delivery.

Dr. Packer writes from a solidly Protestant/Evangelical point of view, and my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters won’t agree with his chapter about images of God. I’m not sure what to make of it, myself, but the chapter includes a challenge to examine one’s mental image of God to be sure it’s whole and true, and I found that very helpful.

Despite finding the book a hard read, I think it’s one that will benefit any Christian who takes the time to prayerfully work through it. For me, it’s a keeper that I’ll refer back to again.

Dr. Packer is a well-respected theologian and Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, Canada. In 2005, TIME Magazine listed him as “one of 25 most influential Evangelicals in America.” [Influential Evangelicals: J.I. Packer]

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Tadeo Turtle, by Janis Cox

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cover art for the book Tadeo TurtleTadeo Turtle, by Janis Cox (Word Alive Press, 2012)

Tadeo (TAD-ay-OH) Turtle loves who he is—until he starts comparing himself to others. Suddenly his beautiful shell feels like it’s holding him back. Without it, he’d be faster, leaner, more agile.

One night he dreams of life without his shell. Freedom! Or is it? When a hungry cat spies him, he’s not so sure he likes being unprotected.

Tadeo Turtle invites children to think about how they’re different from their friends, to recognize their friends’ positive attributes and to discover the value of their own individual skills and abilities.

In a society where so many people think poorly of themselves or of others, this little book is a good way to encourage respect for diversity. I appreciate the way it acknowledges God as the designer of our differences and thanks Him “for making me so wonderfully complex” (Psalm 139:13-14, NLT).

Children and adults alike will enjoy the whimsical watercolour illustrations as well as the story’s simple rhyme. The book includes a few easy craft activities, with more available online at Janis Cox’s Creative Saturdays page.

Author-illustrator Janis Cox is a former teacher who’s now concentrating on painting and writing.  For more about Tadeo Turtle, including a spot for children to share pictures of their turtle-related crafts, visit Tadeo’s page on the author’s website.  There’s also a Facebook page for Tadeo Turtle.  Best way to get to know the little guy? Read my Interview with Tadeo Turtle.

[Review copy from my personal library.]
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Review: Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman

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Seraphina, by Rachel HartmanSeraphina, by Rachel Hartman (Doubleday, 2012)

What’s a young woman to do when she needs to be anonymous but has a musical gift that won’t stay hidden? Seraphina is an outsider. She doesn’t fit in, and she can’t risk letting anyone close enough to discover her secret. But her new job is to assist the court composer, direct the orchestra in his absence, and teach harpsichord to Princess Glisselda.

The story world has a mediaeval European or British feel, with kingdoms, castles and knights. And dragons who can look like humans. The dragon/human war ended in a truce almost 40 years ago, but there’s still deep distrust between the two sides. As the anniversary celebrations approach, hostilities are increasing.

Seraphina herself is a half-dragon, and that’s the source of her (and her father’s) shame. She looks human, except for a few scaly spots that she keeps hidden. She’s a biological impossibility, and an offense against both laws and morals. But the very things she thinks disqualify her from belonging may be the gifts she brings to keep the peace.

Because she understands both perspectives, she finds herself drawn into preventing a crisis that could plunge the world back into war. This means working closer than she’d like with Princess Glisselda and the handsome Captain of the Guard, Prince Lucian Kiggs. The more Seraphina cares for them both, the harder it is to deceive them about her true nature.

Seraphina is one of those rare books that I wanted to read slowly to make the story last. The characters, setting and plot weave a rich and enjoyable tapestry. They feel real, despite being so clearly not of our world. This is a novel I will read again.

Rachel Hartman has done a beautiful job of letting the characters struggle with issues many of us know intimately: belonging and truth. There’s no sense of a forced agenda or message-driven plot. The characters, especially Seraphina and Kiggs, live their questions in front of us, and we can relate.

There’s much more to the novel than I can describe in a review. If you’re at all fond of fantasy or historical novels and you’re not threatened by a quirky fictional religion, give it a try. And prepare to lose yourself in the pages. It’s a young adult novel by nature of the characters’ ages, but it’s a satisfying read for adults as well, especially those who may struggle with belonging or who love music.

Seraphina is, unbelievably, a debut novel. I’m glad there’ll be a sequel. You can learn more about Rachel Hartman and about Seraphina on her website.

[Review copy from my personal library.]
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Review: Deadly Devotion, by Sandra Orchard

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Deadly Devotion, by Sandra OrchardDeadly Devotion, by Sandra Orchard (Revell, 2013)

Research scientist Kate Adams’ mentor died from toxic herbal tea, and the police rule it self-inflicted if possibly accidental. Since they won’t investigate it as murder, Kate vows to find the killer herself.

Detective Tom Parker, the newest member of Port Aster’s small force, warns her that nobody is who they seem to be. Although the case is closed, Tom starts some quiet checking, more to keep Kate from endangering herself than out of agreement with her theories. Attraction grows between them, but this case is only one of the issues likely to keep them apart.

Deadly Devotion is a murder mystery plot delivered as romantic suspense. There are at least three very plausible suspects, and they kept me guessing until very near the end. Even then, I guessed right but for the wrong reason.

Sandra Orchard creates complex characters whose personalities shape how they react to the story unfolding around them. In Deadly Devotion, Kate sees the best in people—well, everyone other than the police—and she has no idea how to recognize a villain. Tom, on the other hand, deals with flashbacks and what looks like post-traumatic stress syndrome from his FBI work. It’s hard for him not to see threats and deception all around.

We also meet Tom’s father, Keith, an ex-cop who’s withdrawn into grief after losing his wife. And with Kate’s background in herbal research, we glimpse the world of herbal tea and natural remedies… and poison.

I appreciate how Kate and Tom integrate their Christianity into the grief and suspense they encounter in the novel. Sometimes it comes up in their conversation, but usually it’s just the force shaping how they view their world and how they act within that world.

Deadly Devotion is one of those novels where each chapter hooks you into the next one without stopping. Suspense balances with quieter scenes for an intriguing read without the high intensity of a thriller. It’s well-crafted, with some fresh descriptions. I’ll share my two favourites:

Setting the scene and introducing Kate and Tom (Parker) in the police station: “Parker glanced tiredly into each of the three coffee cups sitting on his desk, stacked them, and chucked them into a wastebasket.” (p.13) It’s just a day-in-the-life moment, but I can feel the atmosphere and I sense a bit about Tom.

Kate, feeling a bit uneasy: “A creepy bugs-under-the-collar sensation pitter-pattered across her neck as she stepped past him.” (p. 33) We’ve all felt it, but I’ve never thought of it that way before.

Deadly Devotion marks Canadian author Sandra Orchard’s first step into longer-length novels (she also writes the shorter Love Inspired Suspense novels). She handles the longer format well, and I prefer them. I’m looking forward to book two in the Port Aster Secrets series. The murder mystery was solved, but there are questions from Kate’s past, among other things.

You can find a sample chapter, deleted scenes, interviews with Kate and Tom, and more on the Book Bonus Feature of Sandra Orchard’s website. You can also interact with Sandra on Facebook.

[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.]
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Review: Captured by Moonlight, by Christine Lindsay

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Captured by Moonlight, by Christine LindsayCaptured by Moonlight, by Christine Lindsay (WhiteFire Publishing, 2013)

Captured by Moonlight is the second book in Christine Lindsay’s India-based Twilight of the British Raj series. Readers who enjoyed book one, Shadowed in Silk, will be glad to get hold of book two, and if you missed the first one you can jump in here.

Shadowed in Silk was predominantly Abby’s story although it did introduce Laine Harkness and Eshana, the heroines of Captured by Moonlight. Abby doesn’t play a significant part in this novel, but readers who count her a friend will appreciate seeing what’s going on in her life now.

The series is set in the early 1920s as the British rule in India is faltering and as Gandhi’s teachings are gaining hold. Historical figures are occasionally mentioned, but the central characters are fictional. Captured by Moonlight opens with Laine and Eshana rescuing (the authorities call it stealing) a pregnant Hindu temple prostitute who’s only 14. They’ve done this once before, but this time they’re seen.

Laine, a military nurse, could face disciplinary action. Eshana, a Christian who was once Hindu, could face much worse, especially if her family gets hold of her. To them she’s an offense: according to tradition, as a widow she should be hidden away, garbed in white and with a shaved head, not running a Christian mission.

Laine and Eshana leave the city of Amritsar in a hurry, Laine to work with two missionaries doing cholera research in Madras and Eshana to deliver the recovering temple prostitute to another mission where the girl will have a chance to gain an education and a happier life.

Both women encounter people they would have avoided at all costs: Laine meets her former fiancé, Adam, who broke off their relationship during the war. Eshana meets her uncle, who imprisons her. When Eshana’s friends realize she’s missing, Doctor Jai Kaur leaves Amritsar to search for her. He’s a devout Sikh, and she’s a Christian, each seeking God as they understand Him and each wishing the other could see God their way so they could be together.

Eshana is physically a prisoner, and her struggles to encourage herself in her faith are authentic and inspiring. I love how she dances her praises in her tiny room. Adam is a self-imposed prisoner on his estate with his former army troop, trying to keep his ongoing feelings for Laine at bay. Eshana longs for release, but Adam clings to his “cage”. Both will need help to walk into freedom.

The romances of Laine and Adam, Eshana and Jai, play out against a lush and dramatic setting involving tigers, cholera, monsoons, poisonous snakes and the after-effects of war. Captured by Moonlight is a richly detailed and evocative read, and I look forward to the third installment in the series, Veiled at Midnight, releasing in 2014.

You can read an excerpt from Captured by Moonlight or learn more about award-winning Christian author Christine Lindsay by clicking the links in this sentence. You can also find Christine Lindsay at her Facebook page.

[Review copy from my personal library.]
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Review: Reimagine Your Retirement, by Joyce Li

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Reimagine Your Retirement, by Joyce Y. Li (Word Alive Press, 2013)Reimagine Your Retirement, by Joyce Li

Reimagine Your Retirement is a practical and informative book designed for workers looking ahead to their retirement years and for those who have already retired from the workforce. Author Joyce Li is also a motivational speaker and trained counsellor. She calls the retirement years our “better half of life” and invites us to “Strategically approach each year of your retirement with purpose and intention.”

I appreciated reading a resource that offers both a Canadian and a Christian perspective. Non-Canadians will need to research the specifics of their own retirement financial planning details. This information should be easily available from one’s employer or local government office to augment the material in this book. Whatever your nationality, I think you’ll find a wealth of strategic planning help in Reimagine Your Retirement.

Reimagine Your Retirement challenges readers to consider our future contributions to our world.  There’s no biblical basis for stopping serving God because of age, and Joyce Li challenges us to show God’s glory to the next generation.

As people live longer, they enter the retirement years with plenty of strength and vitality remaining to be enjoyed. We may have spent our careers working to pay the bills but not necessarily in a way that fulfills our passions. Retirement offers a time to retrain or realign ourselves to work in line with our dreams or callings and with the legacy we want to leave in the lives of those around us.

The book explores the aging process, debunking a few myths and offering strategies to assist in aging gracefully. Topics include the standard strategic planning for the future, realities of retirement, and physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Inspiring and encouraging quotes and brief case studies make the chapters easy to process.

The section titles provide an overview of the content: Recognize the Many Possibilities, Living Your Best, Discovering Yourself, Vision and Calling, and Putting Legs to Your Plan. The book includes a step-by-step guide to aid individuals or groups in detailed planning, motivation, defining a life mission statement and developing a measurable action plan.

Joyce Li has written a practical and understandable resource to help readers plan ahead to maximize the benefit of our retirement years. It’s relevant to me now in the pre-retirement years, and I can see how I’ll benefit if I work through it again as I move through the aging process.

To learn more about the author or to read a preview of Reimagine Your Retirement, visit her website, Fullness of Life. You’ll also find practical information on Joyce Li’s blog.

[Review copy provided by the author.]
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Review: Mask, by Kerry Nietz

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cover art: Mask, by Kerry NietzMask, by Kerry Nietz (Marcher Lord Press, 2013)

In an unspecified year in Earth’s future, after natural disasters and the breakup of the United States, the country of PacNorth includes at least part of Washington State. Overpopulation is a global problem, and in PacNorth it’s controlled by popular vote. Rack up enough negative votes against you, and you’re tagged “incon” (inconvenient) and you disappear.

Radial Crane may be the one who “collects” you, but you won’t know it’s him behind the mask.

He’s good at what he does, and we see that in the opening pages. He obeys orders and asks no questions. Until it becomes personal. Until he does the unforgivable and rescues an incon he’s supposed to collect. And until he begins to find out what’s really happening behind the scenes.

The novel is written in the present tense, with a stream of consciousness feel as Radial tells us what he sees as he moves through this disturbing future world. I enjoyed the immediacy of it, and the puzzle of trying to figure out what was going on. Some of the technology sounds fantastic, and some is better left un-invented.

From the cues Radial gives as he moves through what used to be Seattle, I think readers who know the present-day city will be able to recognize key landmarks. If I ever get to visit, I’ll want to go through the book again first.

The three novels in Kerry Nietz’s DarkTrench Saga have each been finalists for EPIC awards, with book 3, Freeheads, winning an EPIC 2013 eBook Award in the Science Fiction category.

Mask looks destined to follow that pattern. The ending hints at a possible sequel, but the final pages offer a sample chapter of his next novel, which looks like a step away from the dystopian Earth theme: Amish Vampires in Space. I kid you not. The author’s note says “because someone had to do it.” And because Kerry Neitz is that someone and I like his writing style, I expect I’ll give it a shot.

You can learn more about the author at nietz.com and read interviews with him at The Barn Door Book Loft and at Trish Perry’s blog.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: The Good Girl, by Christy Barritt

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cover art: The Good GirlThe Good Girl, by Christy Barritt (WhiteFire Publishing, 2013)

I wouldn’t have picked this one up based on the title, but as a fan of Christy Barritt’s Squeaky Clean Mystery Series, I know her non-Love-Inspired novels include some off-the-wall-but-lovable characters and more than a splash of humour. The Good Girl does not disappoint.

Tara Lancaster is a 20-something woman who essentially runs away from her Florida home to dog-sit for her sister in Minnesota. Their father is a high-profile preacher, and while her sister inspired his book The Wayward Daughter, Tara has spent her life learning—and living by—”the rules.” She’s not legalistic in a judgmental way, but she’s had this idea that living the “perfect” Christian life will keep her safe, earn approval and blessing, and be the right thing to do. And that if her thoughts don’t always line up with the externals, that’s okay.

Tara had the textbook Christian life and was a role model for her generation, until false allegations stripped away her job and her marriage. Now she’s ashamed, disgraced, and not sure what she thinks about this God who may not even exist.

Hiding out at her sister’s sounds ideal until she arrives to find a menacing note—pinned by a knife—in the kitchen. The house may be haunted, but good Christians don’t believe in ghosts, do they? Or there may be a more human explanation, but that’s still pretty scary. On the plus side, she meets a helpful and charming neighbour, Cooper. And her sister’s friend Candy adopts her for the duration. Candy is the main quirky character in the book, and she’s genuine despite her look-at-me exterior.

Tara’s an over-thinker, wounded and perhaps a bit neurotic, but she makes a good narrator for the story. With all that’s going on in the house to scare her, and with her rebounding from “Good Girl rules” to redefine her life, she doesn’t always make the right choices. But she’s on the way to finding herself and maybe even finding another chance at life, faith and love. If whoever’s trying to scare her to death doesn’t succeed.

Here’s a link to an excerpt from The Good Girl—check out the snappy, first-person writing style. Or visit award-winning suspense and mystery author Christy Barritt’s website to learn more about her series and stand-alone novels. Her newest novel, Home Before Dark, released in April 2013.

[Review copy from my personal library.]
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Review: Stress Test, by Richard Mabry

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Stress Test cover artStress Test, by Richard Mabry (Thomas Nelson, 2013)

On his final night of hospital duty before taking up a less stressful medical teaching position that might allow him to marry and settle down, Dr. Matt Newman is kidnapped and barely escapes with his life. Waking up as a patient with a head injury is bad enough, but as he’s trying to piece together what happened to him, his car is found… with a dead body lying on top of Matt’s own wallet.

Suddenly the police think he’s a villain instead of a victim, his prospective fiancée cuts him off, and his new boss can’t finish the hiring process. And there’s still someone out there who wants him dead.

Matt is a likeable man doing his best to figure out what’s going on and to stay alive. His lawyer, Sandra Murray, just broke off a relationship with another doctor because he didn’t share her faith. Matt’s faith has been on hold for quite a while, but there’s something about the attack and false accusations that get him praying again. Sandra and Matt sense a growing attraction that they need to resist until he’s cleared of charges—or arrested.

Most scenes are from Matt’s or Sandra’s point of view, but we also see what’s going on with Matt’s enemies, even though we’re not really sure who’s calling the shots. And there are shots being called, sometimes literally. Matt’s the victim of a complex conspiracy that isn’t fully clear until the story ends.

Stress Test reads like a medical tv drama, with enough facts to flavour the atmosphere but not to bog down the story. I found the opening abduction scene intense enough to not read at bedtime, but the rest of the book carries more of a “mystery” suspense level than that of a thriller.

Award-winning author Richard Mabry is a retired M.D. and his knowledge adds a layer of realism to the hospital scenes—whether Matt is working or being a patient. You can learn more about Richard Mabry and his novels at his website, and you can read a preview of Stress Test at the Thomas Nelson site (scroll down the page). To read an interview with Richard Mabry, visit A Christian Writer’s World.

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[Review copy provided free from the publisher through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze® book review bloggers program in exchange for an unbiased review.]