To Light the Way Forward by Nancy Naigle - A Book Review

  

This sequel to The Shell Collector is just as delightful as its predecessor. What a pleasure to be on Whelk's Island visiting with Amanda, her children, Paul, Tug; and their new friend, Rosemary. Their story is beautiful, poignant, and romantic, but not without disappointment, grief, and uncertainty. The theme of having a grateful heart open to love and light that will, eventually, overcome our disappointment and worries if properly placed in God and supported by those He sends us, is an important one. Finding pleasure in the moment not out of self-indulgence, but out of accepting God's blessings is the key. Readers may be reminded of Isaiah 43:18-19.

While To Light the Way Forward can be read as a stand-alone read, it will be best enjoyed after reading The Shell Collector. If these are your first Nancy Naigle books, they will have you searching for more. Fans of Grace Greene will delight in discovering Nancy Naigle and vice versa. Both authors are skilled in crafting stories of difficult realities made easier through love and grace, stories that warm the hearts of readers. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Naigle's latest release from WaterBrook and Multnomah via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Smoky Mountain Escape by Rhonda Starnes - A Book Review

  

While I have enjoyed other books by this author, this one had enough instances in which one of the characters acted in an illogical manner that it spoiled the story for me a bit. The premise was good: a young woman previously targeted by a serial killer, now running from two killers after she encountered a sheriff who had stumbled upon them while hiking in the Smoky Mountains. The main characters are people that are easy to like. The setting is perfect for the events. This book has a lot going for it. It is true that I read an advanced reader copy provided by Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley without obligation. Some of the concerns I had were likely reconciled prior to the final draft being published. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch - A Book Review

  

I am giving The Other Sister a five star rating because, if I were a fan of intense psychological thrillers, this would be a perfect book for me. It is well-written. The plot holds many unexpected twists and turns, especially just after the half-way point. The problem was that it was a bit too psychologically intense for me even though it is a clean read. Around the sixty-five percent mark while reading on my Kindle, I had to bail because it was more than I could handle. I did jump to the ninety-seven percent mark to see how everything fell into place at the end because, as we all know, it almost always does. This ending was quite satisfying for one character, but left quite a cliffhanger for another. Might a sequel be in the future?

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Other Sister from Harlequin via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

The Voice We Find by Nicole Deese - A Book Review

  

The Voice We Find is a well-told story that involves three narrators whose stories intertwine. Two of the narrators share their stories in real time while the third shares through past voice memos. In addition to the multiple storylines, Deese has masterfully dealt with multiple important themes in this book: prodigals, strained familial relationships, inclusive communication for the deaf community, forgiveness, and reconciliation. While the references to the physical beauty of the three central characters may have been a bit overplayed, they were offset by the focus on their personalities, virtues, and talents. The dialogue was very realistic as were the emotional reactions displayed in this highly emotional story. I highly recommend this book and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Bethany House via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Davidson Politano

 

Early on in reading The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House it felt like a fantasy story. Then I decided, that while fanciful, it wasn't exactly fantasy. A bit further in, I realized that, whatever the genre, this was a novel that reveals deep and meaningful truths through a beautiful story that in many unexpected ways reveals the relationship God wants to have with us. His presence is unobtrusive but there for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, just as it is in our everyday lives. It is a story of questions, that while not about God, whose answers lead ultimately to Him. The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House is a love story with God; a love story of one who is willing to lay down his life for another; and a love story of two people who, in spite of their distinctly different circumstances, bond over the similarities they share at their very core. It is written in a winsome and whimsical style that draws the reader in, helping them envision themselves within the walls of fantastical Blakely House as well as upon the beach and the open sea.

I am very grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this novel from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Duplicity by Lisa Phillips - A Book Review

  

I received a complimentary copy of Duplicity from author Lisa Phillips, introducing me to her Benson First Responders series. While it is book eight, I was able to understand and enjoy the story without any confusion. Computer genius Simon Olson works for Vanguard, an elite investigative agency, trying to make up for things he had done under duress as a teenager. School Resource Officer Catalina Alvarez had found a place to continue to serve after being shot and watching her partner die when having responded to a robbery in progress call. Simon and Cat's paths cross as he goes undercover outside of his duties at Vanguard pursuing a lead in his own personal investigation. As a pattern of missing girls emerges, the two begin to work together, and maybe something a little more.

Duplicity is a quick, Christian, romantic suspense read, only 239 pages. The plot jumps around a bit, but comes together well in the end. The author creates a great sense of urgency throughout the story. The characters persistently seek justice at great personal cost. Tension rides high. Enough of the main protagonists' back stories are provided to build a desire in the reader for them to find closure on their old lives and to start something new. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from the author without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

This Promised Land by Cathy Gohlke - A Book Review

  

This is early in the year, and I have already found my second book that seems a likely candidate for my top five reads of the year! This Promised Land is an emotional story of loss: loss of hope, love, family, self-respect, identity, and dreams. It is also a story of redemption, forgiveness, and restoration. The story is populated by realistic characters, coping with situations that are unfortunately also realistic. The story points out that we all at some time in our life can be any one of the characters in the story of the prodigal son. It also points out that we don't have to remain in that role.

This Promised Land is very well-written. Cathy Gohlke is a gifted writer who balances emotions not leaving her readers without hope as her characters tackle weighty life circumstances. She points the characters toward a loving God in a winsome way. She has done just that in this story, making it easy for readers to put themselves in her characters' places, and to put the lessons the characters learn to use in their own lives. I most highly recommend This Promised Land and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Tyndale via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Murder in the Appalachians by Susan Furlong - A Book Review

 

If you are looking for a quick romantic suspense with lots of action and multiple plot lines, this is the book for you. Even though it isn't a long book, Furlong does a wonderful job of connecting readers with her characters, building compassion for them, and placing readers in her story's setting. It is amazing how well she is able to build on the deep themes of grief, suffering, and rebuilding one's faith in such a limited number of pages. The story is well written with regard to the mechanics of writing as well as with regard to the art of writing. Our two protagonists are each grieving the absence of a sibling, and wrestling with the unanswered questions regarding the reasons behind that absence. Together they search for answers, never abandoning their search in spite of life threatening consequences. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Murder in the Appalachians from Love Inspired Suspense via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

 

The Keeper by Charles Martin - A Book Review

  

David Bishop, AKA Murphy Shepherd, is a best selling novelist; writing is the way he processes life's difficulties and its joys. However, that is not all he is. As Murphy Shepherd he rescues people who have been abducted and trafficked. Shepherd says he rescues them twice, once when he knocks the door down, and again when he works to help them to be able to love and trust again as well as to once again feel worthy of being loved. This has been Murphy Shepherd's goal in life, placed in his heart by his beloved mentor, Ezekiel Walker, better known as Bones, throughout Charles Martin's Murphy Shepherd series of novels. The difference in this novel and its predecessors is that this one takes place after Shepherd has watched Bones' bullet-riddled body falling a hundred feet down a well shaft into a rushing underground river. Being forced to do this job when a close friend, and highly public figure, called saying all three of his daughters were abducted from their highly-secured home, is almost unimaginable without Bones there to accompany him, but with the support of his family, friends and colleagues, Murphy manages to do the unimaginable.

The Keeper is no less intense than any of the other novels in this series, all of which evoke strong emotions from the reader. Research says fiction reading builds empathy. These books exemplify that. Sometimes the reader will want to stop reading just to catch their breath and let their emotions calm down, but putting the book aside even for a short time is easier said than done. This series is best read in order; much would be lost in doing otherwise. If you haven't read any of the books in this series yet, you have the advantage of not enduring the wait until then next one is published, at least not until you reach this fourth book in the series. I give The Keeper five stars. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.