Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Petra: City in Stone by T.L. Higley from B&H Publishing. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise; however, I would like to state that I was very pleased with the writing and the story line. It’s always interesting to consider the lives of the early Christians and how the church survived despite intense persecution.

The story centers on a Roman man running from God’s call and a Syrian woman, desperate to escape an abusive relationship with a con man and find a place for her son to belong. Their separate paths lead them both to Petra, the magnificent stone city that is oppressed by spiritual darkness.

When Cassia discovers that her son is heir to the throne of Petra, she believes that her search for belonging is over. However, her heartache is just beginning. Ripped from her son, she discovers the love and acceptance of the Christian church, who rallies around her and plots her son’s rescue.

Julian, after witnessing his friends devoured by lions as persecution for their faith, flees Rome and tries to escape God’s call on his life to be a leader. But God pursues him in Petra, and soon Julian must face his past and his future.

Julian and Cassia’s paths converge as they strive to save her son and fight the overwhelming darkness that overshadows the city. They must find their strength in God or continue to fail in their endeavors.

Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Wolf of Tebron by C.S. Lakin from AMG Publishers. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise.

If you’re looking for an allegory somewhat along the lines of Pilgrim’s Progess, I would highly recommend this book. Joran is Everyman, hoping to fit in and live out a simple existence working as a blacksmith, surrounded by family. But with the disappearance of his wife, he must venture into the unknown and face despair and defeat before he can rescue his wife and return a whole man.

Joran’s unique ability to talk to animals has always set him apart, but now it may just save his life. On one of the first days of his journey, he rescues a wolf caught in a trap. The wolf befriends and counsels him, and shadows him throughout his journey.

I thought C.S. Lakin wove a fascinating fairy tale and am looking forward to reading more from this series, The Gates of Heaven.

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar is a worthy read!

If you’ve ever wondered why God allowed Rahab the prostitute to be part of the Messianic family tree, I would highly recommend reading Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar. It was well-written and thought-provoking. The foreward by the author is worth reading, too; she is humble enough to recognized that her work is just fiction, but does explain her reasons for hypothesizing about Rahab’s character and actions. I really appreciated her insight and research into the life of Rahab.

Forced into a life a prostitution by her father at the age of 15 to save her family, Rahab strives to retain some self-respect in a degrading profession. She carves a niche for herself and her family in Jericho’s social structure, which seems secure until the city is rocked by stories of the advancing Hebrews, protected by a God who controls both land and sea. Rahab chooses to believe in this new God and align herself with the Hebrews with a faith which awes the Hebrews, all except one skeptical warrior named Salmone. Repulsed by Rahab’s past yet attracted to her faith and character, Salmone struggles to

keep Rahab out of his heart and life. But God has bigger plans for them, if only Rahab and Salmone can learn to trust Him and let go of the past.

Only a few mistakes discovered and not too distracting. On page 214 there is an errant quotation mark before his and on page 217 heals should be heels. If is placed on a line by itself on page 218 and an end quote is missing in one of Joshua’s dialogues on page 238. On page 303, of should be if. That’s it. Hopefully these mistakes will be cleaned up when the book is printed.

Overall, an excellent read!

Original Sin by Beth McMullan

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure by Beth McMullan from Hyperion. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise; however, overall I thought it was an interesting secular spy thriller.

Known as Sally Sin in her former life as a spy, Lucy tries to keep a lid on the ghosts of the past while juggling a diaper bag and play dates for her three-year-old son. Besides staking out her son’s preschool, she seems to be succeeding in leaving her past in the past. Until her former boss turns up to inform her that she will be the bait to lure her archenemy out of hiding. Through a series of flashbacks, the reader gains a glimpse of her adventures as a spy and understands the love-hate relationship she shares with her nemesis Ian Blackford.

Okay, I have to point out the mistakes I found. This will probably not change anything--sigh--but too many years as an English teacher led me to this point. On page 18, lead should be led in the following clause: “which might have lead...” On the top of page 32, there are some problems with punctuation/capitalization: “The one thing you never understood,” he said. Is that...” There should be a comma after he said and another quotation mark with a lower-cased i to restart the dialogue. On the top of page 97, McMullan writes, “In my room, I lied down on my bed.” Lied should be lay. On page 111 there should be a question mark in the first line instead of a period after insane. Again lied should be lay page 154. Also on page 154 in the last paragraph there is an extra comma that should be deleted after “victory,.” Final mistake I saw was on page 172 when she writes brief case instead of briefcase. Is this information necessary in a review? I don’t know. I just know it jars me out of the fictional world the author creates when I find mistakes. My teacher-trained brain gets so bothered by the errors that it takes me a while to start enjoying the story again.

Sharpshooter Misses the Mark for Me

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Sharpshooter in Petticoats by Mary Connealy from Barbour Publishing. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise. My feelings are mixed about this story. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t “I-don’t-want-to-sleep-till-I-finish-this-book” good. The main characters were interesting and certainly unique; I can’t quite put my finger on what in the book left me unsatisfied.

Mandy Gray, quickest gun in the west, finds herself caught in an agonizing dilemma: marry the man she loves and condemn him to death or remain isolated with her three small children, held hostage by the Cooters who have declared a blood feud on her family. When Tom Linscott breaches her protective walls and forces her hand, she fights him every step of the way. Together they must end the blood vendetta if they don’t destroy each other first.

As always, it disappoints me when I find errors. These weren’t egregious ones, but I do hate to see these get past the editors and proofreaders. On page 37, one of the sentences begins, “The fuses where ready...” Where should be were. And on page 305, it says, “The train bumped to a haul...” I believe haul should be halt.

Overall, an interesting read. Perhaps one of the elements that bothered me in the book was that all the women seems to be characterized the same: overbearingly bossy and domineering towards their husbands. Anyway, these are my thoughts on the book!

Loved it!

I received an advanced reader’s copy of Rugged and Relentless, Kelly Eileen Hake’s new book from Barbour Publishing. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise; however, I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun read with engaging characters set in the wild, wild west.

Four young women, determined to handle the curveballs life has thrown them, set forth to revive Hope Falls, a ghost town demolished by a mining accident that destroyed their investments. To save the town, they determine to establish a sawmill and, for their protection and success in their venture, they conclude that they need husbands. However, their advertisement blitz for God-fearing men that have knowledge of logging brings them much more than they expected.

Hake excels in creating vivid characters. I loved them and found myself laughing out loud at the antics and exchanges between the four women. The story centers most on Evie, the enterprising cook who left a successful cafe in Charleston to accompany her sister out west. She quickly establishes a new venture in the mining town, and I found my mouth watering more than once at the description of her culinary creations.

Jake Granger, fighting for his family’s honor in tracking down his brother’s killer, is the other central figure. Believing the shiftless gambler Twyler has seen the advertisement and set his cap for a rich wife, Jake takes on an assumed name and finds himself enmeshed in the drama unfolding in Hope Falls. Attraction and exasperation battle his sense of honor as he strives to protect the four women while pursuing his elusive enemy.

Fresh writing and funny exchanges kept me entertained. This book was a light-hearted escape from reality and definitely worth the read! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series as Hake writes it...

Can I get a spell check, anyone??

Through netgalley.com, I received access to an advanced digital copy of The Crossing, Gilbert Morris’ new book from Barbour Publishing. I was not required to write a review, positive or otherwise, on the book and no money exchanged hands. However, I really hope someone from the publishing company reads this review and takes the time to correct some obvious mistakes!

Like a traditional Morris hero, Yancy Tremayne must find his place in the world, making peace with God as a man of war. He is introduced as a 12-year-old in the story and becomes the endearing hero of the tale. The reader feels with him the agony of his heritage, part-Indian warrior, part-Amish peacemaker, and wholly at odds with his identity.

Not till Yancy is befriended by Stonewall Jackson and his wife do the pieces of his identity come together: taken as a protege of Jackson at the Virginia Military Institute, he excels as a cadet, utilizing both his Indian shooting skills and his Amish work ethic to make an admirable soldier. As the years pass, Yancy develops into a leader, a man of character and integrity.

As the Civil War tears the country apart, Yancy serves as a courier to Stonewall Jackson, and the reader gains insight into the thoughts and personal life of the great Confederate leader. On one of his courier escapades, a life-changing event on the battlefield shakes Yancy’s view of the world and eventually leads him to love and faith.

In some ways, the book is predictable. I have read many books in the House of Winslow series, and it seems that almost all of them center on a strong male figure who struggles to find his faith in God and place in the world; this book is no exception.

It is, however, an interesting read from an historical perspective, making me wonder if the “real-life” characters are represented accurately. I don’t know much about Stonewall Jackson’s personal life and have never read of the eccentricities he exhibits in the book, such as sucking on lemons daily and eating only one item at every meal. Nor did I know that he had lost his first wife and child as well as the first child born to his second wife. Morris’ account of the Civil War from the South’s perspective was also an interesting one. I felt that he tried to portray both sides fairly and convey the true horror of war.

And now to my pet-peeves--spelling and grammar errors!!!!!!! On p. 23, there are three s’s in the word crosssed. How could a simple spell-check program not catch this error? Same goes for the bottom of p. 272: belongd is missing an e. The following errors are a little more complex: On p. 115 a person quotes scripture in his dialogue; therefore, single quotes should be used around the scripture. Instead, double quotes are used. Faraway on p. 284 should be far away (note: as far as I understand, faraway is only used to precede a noun; not as a stand-alone adjective). The sad thing is that I wasn’t reading the text closely, like I would if I were proofreading; I was simply reading the story for content and these errors jumped out at me. Please, someone, fix these mistakes before the book shows up on the shelves in February!