tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54089387268252455292024-03-25T08:03:19.845-07:00Christian Indie Book ReviewsChris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-64565432924108475442024-03-25T07:50:00.000-07:002024-03-25T07:50:58.465-07:00Review: Now I See by Janet Perez Eckles<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682210906l/126479331.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="500" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682210906l/126479331.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div><span><span style="font-family: times new roman; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C1TPF9J1/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Now I See </a></b></span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><b>How God's Amazing Grace Turned Betrayal, Blindness, and Heartache to Shining Joy</b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><b>by <a href="http://www.janetperezeckles.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Janet Perez Eckles</a></b></span><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">What happens to your peace amid today’s chaos? When the headlines foretell gloom and doom and personal suffering threatens to break you, yet, God’s promises speak of hope and glorious victory?<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Now I See</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> will strengthen your resolve!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Tragedy cannot stop you.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Janet’s transition from being a sighted mother to complete blindness at the pivotal age of 30 proves you can rise above pre-conceived limitations.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Grief cannot defeat you.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Janet’s path to healing after the murder of her son proves that even loss is no match for God’s healing power.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Injustice cannot bring you down.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> When her son’s killer was acquitted, Janet proves freedom still lives in forgiveness.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-bold" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700 !important;">Relationships cannot stifle you.</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Despite the end of her decades-long marriage, Janet proves life still holds promises of joy with fresh, new horizons!<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span class="a-text-italic" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic !important;">Now I See</span><span style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> stirs your heart as you’re reminded that God is alive, that He sees your tears, hears your sobs, knows your fears, and is ready to calm your storms.</span></p><p><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></p><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: large;"> </span>Now I See by Janet Perez Eckles is an autobiographical
account of a life journey from trial to triumph through faith. How could a blind
single mom accomplish anything, much less become an award-winning interpreter, multi-published
author, international speaker and ministry founder? Janet Perez Eckles
describes her life growing up in war-torn Bolivia through immigration to the
United States, and her struggles with early-onset Retinitis Pigmentosa and the
total blindness this eventually caused. Though blindness, loss of a son through
murder, bankruptcy, and divorce assailed her, her growing faith in Jesus
strengthened her, helping her find forgiveness and purpose. Those overwhelmed
with life’s trials and tragedies can find hope here that God has a plan and
purpose for their lives.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLp-lcpSLVBalscEsWCb0VlrqTq0A3m8ZF4mWX3uUOSTD3Aamv6tERnJw6aikeZrntBmSxtTGnrSDD_s2uGovbDcofx46SzTjrOJIV3wlTtq91U86fFuClxNMeCp9PPdJg9BoIhlX67UeM1OOKVJV8F93Gv3kQzeDz288M-xXD4LrcZutqmHqWYDPy5sc5/s310/RF5Star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLp-lcpSLVBalscEsWCb0VlrqTq0A3m8ZF4mWX3uUOSTD3Aamv6tERnJw6aikeZrntBmSxtTGnrSDD_s2uGovbDcofx46SzTjrOJIV3wlTtq91U86fFuClxNMeCp9PPdJg9BoIhlX67UeM1OOKVJV8F93Gv3kQzeDz288M-xXD4LrcZutqmHqWYDPy5sc5/w200-h200/RF5Star.png" width="200" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - squeaky clean</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - Janet's youngest son, is violently murdered. The number of knife wounds he received is staggering. This information is given, I surmise, to give some scope to the effort it took to forgive his slayer. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - squeaky clean.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">This memoir records Janet's journey to faith, and from physical and spiritual blindness to spiritual sight. A verse starts every chapter and is appropriate to the content of that chapter. Scripture is used a few times to underline a spiritual concept. Prayer is evident throughout, and answered prayer is recorded as God delivers or carries her through suffering.</div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div style="margin: 0px;">Now I See by Janet Perez Eckles is a well-written
faith-filled account of her life. Her life in Bolivia as a child is
well-depicted. The terror of war and the trials of poverty are put on stark
display, though softened through the eyes of a child playing in the war-torn
neighborhoods. I was struck by her account of one lady who claimed the
intersection of two broken walls as her home. The ostracization she felt as a
foreign immigrant, the fear as sight began to fail, the trauma of having her
youngest murdered, are all raw and riveting. I never knew that a blind person
could accomplish so much. A verse begins each chapter and is appropriate for
the content. I found it encouraging, uplifting, spell-binding, and inspirational.
Perfect for any Christian facing trials or tragedy, and needing encouragement
to stay the course. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683308711p5/5122399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="209" data-original-width="200" height="209" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1683308711p5/5122399.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">International speaker, author and founder of JC Empowerment Ministries, Janet Perez Eckles has been called an expert in overcoming adversity.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She’s the author of six books: Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow, Simply Salsa, Hola Happiness, and Contagious Courage and her newly released memoir, Now I See.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Janet's book, Now I See: How God’s Amazing Grace Turns Betrayal, Blindness, and Heartache to Shining Joy, empowers readers to discover the same glorious victory she reached after her own trials—blindness, the murder of her son, the acquittal of the man responsible, and the death of her 42-year marriage. But rather than be defeated, God’s grace lifted her to victorious triumph.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She shares that same path to glorious victory through the pages of her books and from the stage when she addresses English and Spanish-speaking audiences nationally and internationally. With a blend of Latina passion, insight, and biblical wisdom, she illustrates the beauty of restoration, the joy that comes after adversity, and the abundance that tenacity and faith bring.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Her writings have appeared in thirty-two Chicken Soup for the Soul titles, Guidepost Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and hundreds of print and on-line publications. Her joy-filled recount of her journey has been featured on Christian radio and TV programs from Focus on the Family to the 700 Club and on the cover of Hispanic Woman Magazine.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She’s the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Central Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Beyond Me Award from AWSA, Latina Women Who Make a Difference Award, Professional Excellence Award by Language Line Solutions, and first runner-up for the Ms. Senior Florida Pageant, 2022.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Janet travels across the globe empowering women to rise above the bitterness of this world and taste the sweetness of God’s triumphant success.</span><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Florida with husband Dale, adult children, and delightful grandchildren. She can be contacted at: </span><a href="http://www.janetperezeckles.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #00635d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.janetperezeckles.com</a><br /><b><br /></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-15937813554230886402024-03-04T21:33:00.000-08:002024-03-04T21:33:09.762-08:00Review: Spring Fever: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal (Book 2) by Victoria Simcox<p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638917385i/59770759.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="501" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1638917385i/59770759.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><a href="https://a.co/d/5Tgp3oi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spring Fever: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal (Book 2) </a></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">by <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria Simcox</a></span></p>It's me again, Norma Elliot. I’m still ten years old and sharper than a tack—what my dad says.‘Spring Fever’ is my second book, about what I did last Spring—mostly learning life lessons again and talking to God in my secret journal. The title is a great big hint of how I felt for at least part of the season.I’m still not a perfect angel kid—actually, the more I write in my journal, the more I realize I'm surely not perfect.Working at my first job, planting a garden, dealing with an annoying drunk slug, as well as annoying people, are some of the things you’ll read in this book.If you liked my first story, `Tis the Season,’ then I hope you’ll like ‘Spring Fever.’ I think, I mean, I hope you’ll like it just as much or maybe even more.Bye for now. <p></p><p> <b style="font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></p><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">When Norma Elliot gets the idea to plant a spring garden with her bestie Taylor, she has no idea the weather is not going to cooperate. But one thing this garden is going to teach her is patience. Even if it kills her. Meanwhile, her dad has decided to give her a job - one that pays five bucks a week! All it involves is becoming the family maid. Cleaning the bathrooms, the mudroom, and all those other messy places. Norma is at it again, finding that anger is a hard thing to control, especially when you see your little brother eating the seeds you'd been saving to plant!</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - Norma's next door neighbor seems to like beer a bit much, and teaches Norma that a half-empty beer can will get rid of a slug - or at least, make him too drunk to eat her vegetables.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - there is no violence done here, even to their obnoxious family pet chihuahua. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - As you might expect from a preteen girl book, there's some slight interest in boys, or at least the thought of that coming someday. There's a little more interest in that department, and one of the boys in the class seems to bring her a smile.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">Just like in book 1, this light-hearted romp may seem like fluff, but her nightly entries in her journal give an eternal spin on each day. There's meat in the mashed potatoes. There's Christ in the candy. Norma has to deal with many of the struggles girls her age do - anger, patience, self-control, lost friends... and her struggles can help girls that read this series with their own. Each night's prayer is kid-friendly and makes you think about your own day.</div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">Spring Fever: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal #2 by Victoria Simcox is a light-hearted journey through the struggles of a pre-teen girl waiting for the snow to subside so she can plant a garden. I was impressed with the progressive nature of Norma's writing, as her journal entries seem just a bit more thoughtful than in the first book, a natural characteristic of an older pre-teen. Short, fast-paced, fun, and whimsical, this is a clean and safe book for Christian families that want something appropriate for their own preteen daughters, who often struggle with the same things. I found it well-written, entertaining, witty, and satisfying. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother and a Dutch immigrant father. She now calls Western Washington home. Besides her writing career, Victoria taught elementary-school art for several years. Her past times are writing, reading, painting watercolors. She likes to read theological as well as some fantasy genres. Two of her favorite authors are R.C. Sproul and C.S. Lewis. </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Blog: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Face Book: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs">http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox">http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox</a></p><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-26562572057586382072024-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:002024-03-04T21:11:34.493-08:00Review: Tis the Season: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal (Book 1) by Victoria Simcox<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540659647i/42465486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="500" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1540659647i/42465486.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JPD8HFR/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tis The Season: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal (Book 1)</a></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">By <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria Simcox</a></span></p><p>I’m Norma Elliot. I know what you’re thinking. Who names their kid Norma nowadays? Believe me, I feel the same as you.</p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I’m a ginger―that means redhead. Actually, my hair isn’t red; it’s orange, but I guess redhead sounds better than orangehead. First, because it rhymes, and second, someone may get confused and think that my head is an actual orange.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I’m ten years old and sharp―what my dad calls me―that means smart, not pointy.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">My story is about what I did during the winter season. No brainer; the title gave that away. It’s mostly about me learning life lessons and spending time with God when I write to him in my secret journal.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Oh, I need to mention, I’m not perfect; definitely not. Just thought I’d warn you in case you’re expecting to read a story about some cute little angel type girl. If you were, you may want to find a different story to read. But then again, if you’re up for a story about a girl who’s a work in progress―what dad says our old house is―you may just like my story. I really hope you will.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Anyway, bye for now.</span><br /><br /><p></p><p> <b style="font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></p><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">When Norma Elliot gets a 'little kid' hand-me-down snowsuit from her big sister, at the same time she is given a journal to write in for a daily devotion, sparks fly. Especially when she has to deal with all the ribbing she gets from the bullies in the neighborhood, and the threatened loss of her best friend.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">But the snowsuit, she knows how to fix - if she binge-eats enough junk food, she couldn't possibly fit in the awful thing, and of course her mom would buy her a brand new one... right?</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - Unless you count chocolate and sweets. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - there is no violence done here, even to their obnoxious family pet chihuahua. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - As you might expect from a preteen girl book, there's some slight interest in boys, or at least the thought of that coming someday. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">While this light-hearted romp may seem like fluff, and Norma's sarcastic quips seem to be more self-centered than God-centered, her nightly entries in her journal give an eternal spin on each day. There's meat in the mashed potatoes. There's Christ in the candy. Norma has to deal with many of the struggles girls her age do - fear, bullies, hand-me-downs, lost friends... and her struggles can help girls that read this series with their own. Each night's prayer is kid-friendly and makes you think about your own day.</div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">'Tis the Season: Norma Elliot's Secret Journal by Victoria Simcox is a light-hearted journey through the post-Christmas let-downs and day-to-day struggles of a pre-teen girl. It's a quick read, and is a clean and safe book for Christian families that want something appropriate for their own preteen daughters, who often struggle with the same things. I found it fast-paced, entertaining, witty, and satisfying. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother and a Dutch immigrant father. She now calls Western Washington home. Besides her writing career, Victoria taught elementary-school art for several years. Her past times are writing, reading, painting watercolors. She likes to read theological as well as some fantasy genres. Two of her favorite authors are R.C. Sproul and C.S. Lewis. </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Blog: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Face Book: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs">http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox">http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox</a></p><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-30705547567214563652024-01-02T12:46:00.000-08:002024-02-16T05:40:16.321-08:00Review: The Prophesy by Victoria Simcox<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B865NXC?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_3&storeType=ebooks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Prophesy</a></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Victoria-Simcox/author/B005HFJL8K?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria Simcox</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81XCA57dFWL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="226" height="360" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81XCA57dFWL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br />The whole world of Bernovem is in chaos, thanks to Resucca and his followers. Kristina and company start out at Finimus Island―no more romantic, orchid-scented, and breezy, but raging with typhoons. Sentiz and her followers have given the citizens of the lands two choices―become Irguls or face a horrific death. </span><p></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Haunted by the gruesome, old hag and the serpent, as well as dealing with her personal teenage dilemmas, Kristina continues her mission of saving the lands. Get ready for a whirlwind of events to transpire as well as an ending that will change the course of everything in this grand finale of The Bernovem Chronicles.</span><br /> </p><p><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></p><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this final installment in the Bernovem Chronicles, Kristina is trying to get to Finimus Island, assisted by the dragon-riding friend from her past, James. The beautiful land of Bernovem is being destroyed by raging typhoons, earthquakes, and all the creatures are getting transformed magically into blood-sucking mosquitos, bats, or Irguls. </span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Prince Werrien is being transformed into an Irgal and being kept drugged so that he cannot discern truth from fiction. Queen Sentiz is focusing all her efforts on determining where the Medallion is, for in that bauble resides the key to her destruction and the undoing of all the damage she has wrought on Bernovem. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As Sentiz' powers continue to grow, and her grip on events becomes an irresistible force, Kristina drives on ahead, unaware that everything is drawing her to her doom.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There's no drinking here, but the prince is kept under the influence of a powerful mind-numbing potion. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - A laboratory holds many jars of dismembered creature parts, and when an earthquake causes these to fall to the floor and break, they merge into a giant amorphous blob of body parts, that must be killed with an axe. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There is some interest expressed between characters. A character leads another one on for her advantage. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">An undercurrent of faith and providence, divine intervention and guidance, threads its way through this final installment in the series. There is a final reconciliation between the faith exposed in Bernovem with the God of the Bible, as one might have suspected. There are evidences of self-sacrifice, of divine intervention, of good triumphing over evil. </div><div style="margin: 0px;">Though there is little in the way of scripture quoted, it's wisdom is evidenced and the sacred writings of Bernovem reveal some parallel guidance to what can be found in holy scripture. It's solidly faith-based, an evil entity on a level of the Accuser of the Brethren finally has his say, but not his day.</div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">The Prophesy by Victoria Simcox gives a very satisfying end to the Bernovem Chronicles. I was well-pleased with the plot twists, the action, the world-building, and the believable character development. The loose threads were all wrapped up, and the mysteries that had been haunting me throughout the series were finally resolved. It's a fast-paced. white-knuckle thrill ride with a very satisfying end. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1445383190p5/2971307.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother and a Dutch immigrant father. She now calls Western Washington home. Besides her writing career, Victoria taught elementary-school art for several years. Her past times are writing, reading, painting watercolors. She likes to read theological as well as some fantasy genres. Two of her favorite authors are R.C. Sproul and C.S. Lewis. </p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Blog: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Face Book: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs">http://tinyurl.com/3wl6gjs</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox">http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriaSimcox</a></p><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-32691359926680821762023-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:002023-11-29T14:15:31.768-08:00Review: Really? At Your Age?: A Better Late Romance by Jacqueline Diamond<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594854121i/54546694.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594854121i/54546694.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BK8G9MC" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Really? At Your Age?: A Better Late Romance </a></p><p>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21946.Jacqueline_Diamond" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jacqueline Diamond</a></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">At 52, the doctor dares set her sights on love and motherhood!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Survivor of a painful divorce, Dr. Cody Matchett has a fulfilling medical career but no children. After a quake rattles her small town, she’s jolted into considering the fate of her frozen embryos—along with her long-simmering attraction to hospital attorney Ben Wright.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">But as Cody seeks a lasting love and family, she and Ben uncover shocking secrets. Then there’s the tricky task of choosing a surrogate... a role for which Ben’s grown daughter volunteers!</span></p><p><b>My Take:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Dr. Cody Matchett appears to have it all together - a solid career in medicine at a local hospital in her small childhood California town. But appearances can be deceiving. She's managed to keep the attraction she has for the hospital attorney Ben Wright under control, since he's still loyal to his toxic wife murdered in a robbery. As if that weren't enough, Cody is 52 and can't have children, children she desperately longs for. A minor earthquake rattles Cody into considering the prospect of taking action on the six precious fragile frozen embryos she has in the vault. And it involves Ben too, as not only is his daughter being considered as surrogate mother to carry those embryos to term, he's the donor father for them as well!</p><p class="MsoNormal">As Cody tries to open dialogue with Ben about the embryos, Ben struggles with the attraction he feels for Cody, knowing that a relationship with her will prove difficult, as he's signed away any rights to the children they may have. And shocking secrets are about to hit the media that will upset both their lives.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismVuy_Pz8GYR3AhNVbWfO3xSCyg1EjFWcKdbCb-CT85Ool6ijnUNQwAOdEEVit8DMu3kY8wRr0s5RK1HqRLybKDRUbYYRlHWGvAXXJ5MA1u7hupljZrvK6HRRFhqXOqXsRMB-TtOE2sBgrsLmwmIzasPm5NphqI3B-ZEfdIeH4f_Fzy4gdEAlliqyGRc8/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismVuy_Pz8GYR3AhNVbWfO3xSCyg1EjFWcKdbCb-CT85Ool6ijnUNQwAOdEEVit8DMu3kY8wRr0s5RK1HqRLybKDRUbYYRlHWGvAXXJ5MA1u7hupljZrvK6HRRFhqXOqXsRMB-TtOE2sBgrsLmwmIzasPm5NphqI3B-ZEfdIeH4f_Fzy4gdEAlliqyGRc8/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"> <b>Content:</b></p><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Drug Content:<br /></b>PG – There's some drinking in this, bottles of alcohol in the fridge, casual drinking. A minor character has a drug addiction and makes bad choices that lead to disaster. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Violence:<br /></b>G – A murder occurred in the past, other than that, there's nothing at all.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Language:<br /></b>PG – There are a few mild swear words.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Adult Content:<br /></b>PG – There's adultery, pregnancy out of wedlock, discussion of fertility technology and sterilization surgery. There's a kiss or two but nothing further on screen.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Christian content:<br /></b><o:p>Not much. There's some discussion of God, and a few characters pray. Still, there are positive character traits on display, such as loyalty, fidelity, diligence, and self-sacrifice. There are negative character traits as well, infidelity, murder, lying, and the like. Plenty of life as we know it.</o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Final Analysis:<br /></b>I'm not usually a fan of lighthearted romances, but this one had me spellbound throughout. I can see why Jacqueline Diamond is a bestselling author. This book was well-written. The dialogue was on point, the settings were immersive, and the emotion raw and tangible. The characters were believable and the stakes were high. I found myself fully invested in the main characters and their struggles, unable to put the book down until the last page. I look forward to reading more by this author. Five Stars!</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1461624617p5/21946.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="137" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1461624617p5/21946.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">USA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Diamond has more than 100 novels to her name! A former Associated Press reporter and TV columnist, Jackie is best known for her Safe Harbor Medical romances (17 in all) and mysteries (four so far).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She is currently writing a series of romances about three sisters, all over 50, finding or rediscovering love. They are part of the Better Late collection of romantic comedies by Jackie and several other authors. Jackie's first romance in the series is Really? At Your Age?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Jackie has been honored with a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She and her husband, who have two grown sons, live in Southern California. You can learn more about her books at </span><a href="http://www.jacquelinediamond.net/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.jacquelinediamond.net</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">, where you can sign up for her free monthly newsletter. You can contact Jackie at JacquelineDiamondAuthor on Facebook or as @jacquediamond on Twitter.</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-54066013186777119532023-11-25T10:59:00.000-08:002023-11-25T10:59:08.994-08:00Review - Health, Healing, and Wholeness by Tracy Crump<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600745545i/55405622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600745545i/55405622.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J412QF9/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Health, Healing, and Wholeness </a></span><p></p><p>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20719254.Tracy_Crump" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tracy Crump</a></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Where do you turn for help when illness or injury strikes? No matter how bleak the prognosis, you can find hope and healing in Jesus. Through her work as an intensive care nurse, Tracy Crump witnessed lifesaving miracles when everyone involved had given up--everyone except God. She cared for patients, family, and friends experiencing major health crises and offered encouragement no matter the situation, knowing we don't always experience healing in this life.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Crafted with unique examples of God's miraculous power and saving grace, Health, Healing, and Wholeness blends Scripture-rich meditations with biblical principles that highlight God's mercy in times of medical need. Moving stories of a mother's sacrifice, children overcoming catastrophic accidents, the beauty of a life well lived, and joy despite traumatic brain injury instill hope.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Whether you are experiencing a medical crisis, walking alongside someone who is, or caring for a loved one, these thirty devotions will bring comfort and peace. Prepare to embark on a journey to wholeness.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4:2NLT)</span></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>My Take:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Imagine taking examples from a life as a nurse in critical care, holding the hands of the seriously ill, injured, and dying, and watching miracles happen before your eyes. Then bottling that up into a well-written 30-day devotional. That's what this is. Concentrated examples of God's grace, healing, and rescue in life-threatening situations. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU74LtFfRkyc6cjgB3vJBcFYeZhNw1saq4Y_LJkDK-rix0OLqBMmhfmuLyb0RbxaOWbZw-ayEtD6Mf0ApkgURpyTO5PJsufc5XgQq5VjCsqV71XqL2D7JQnuVom9eR77b6FVBvaAd_yspEvSEyh4t-FXOmLnjnMrBL4bB6l23gC18GnioCkJnob0fDS1D/s726/5star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirU74LtFfRkyc6cjgB3vJBcFYeZhNw1saq4Y_LJkDK-rix0OLqBMmhfmuLyb0RbxaOWbZw-ayEtD6Mf0ApkgURpyTO5PJsufc5XgQq5VjCsqV71XqL2D7JQnuVom9eR77b6FVBvaAd_yspEvSEyh4t-FXOmLnjnMrBL4bB6l23gC18GnioCkJnob0fDS1D/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><br /> <b>Content:</b></p><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>Drug Content:<br /></b>G – none. Well, unless you count lifesaving medications only available with prescription.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Violence:<br /></b>G – Though this book does discuss multiple instances of painful or repeated surgeries, there's nothing graphic or gory.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Language:<br /></b>G – Squeaky clean<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Adult Content:<br /></b>G – Squeaky clean.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Christian content:<br /></b><o:p>This is a Christian devotional. It's filled with references to God's love, His provision, His direction, His forgiveness, and His plan for your life. Every devotion begins with a verse and ends with a prayer and another verse. Scripture is referenced throughout. There are examples in here of patients who overcome incredible odds, terminal diagnoses, debilitating illnesses, devastating accidents, or even physical results of a life of poor decisions. </o:p>I will tell you without hesitation or apology, expect to meet with God between the covers of this devotional. If you're willing to do business with Him, He's willing to do business with you. And this little book can be a table where you meet.</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Final Analysis:<br /></b>This devotional is a quick read. I finished the back half of it on a treadmill trying to get some exercise in, especially after getting an idea of what a heart condition can do to you. And yet, while walking on that treadmill, I was getting a workout on a different kind of heart condition. Because that's what can happen in this devotional. But I digress. The book is a treasure. I'll be reading this to the family. There are 30 devotionals, each lasting less than five minutes minutes. So it's a good quick devotional for a month. Each one focuses on a different character trait and has a lot more meat than you'd expect for such a quick dive. Real-life experiences from the author's days as a nurse provide eternal truths. Well-written, engaging, convicting, and encouraging. Five Stars!</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616889416p8/20719254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1616889416p8/20719254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tracy Crump writes devotions of hope that heal the heart. Drawing from her work as an intensive care nurse and using storytelling skills honed in writing for anthologies, she brings God’s Word to life in Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Though this is her first book, Tracy is no stranger to devotion writing. Her work has appeared in Guideposts’ books as well as The Upper Room, Light from the Word, and other devotional publications. More than thirty of her short stories have been published, most in Chicken Soup for the Soul® books, and her articles have been featured in many national magazines. She proofreads for Farmers Almanac, is a freelance editor, and presents workshops through Write Life Workshops and at writers conferences across the country. She edits a popular writers newsletter, and her course on writing for Chicken Soup for the Soul is one of Serious Writer’s top sellers.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tracy has been married to her high school sweetheart, Stan, for forty-five years. They live in north Mississippi and have two sons and four completely unspoiled grandchildren. She believes Grandma is the most beautiful word in the English language. Visit Tracy at <a href="http://www.TracyCrump.com">www.TracyCrump.com</a>.</p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><br /></b></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-64832812097692212722023-11-16T12:15:00.000-08:002023-11-16T12:15:39.636-08:00Review: Before by Molly McNamara Carter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682389945i/136308175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="243" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682389945i/136308175.jpg" width="194" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CJTD1M34/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Before </a><p></p><p>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17419323.Molly_McNamara_Carter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Molly McNamara Carter</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">In the not-too-distant future, Leadership controls everything and everyone, and a new regulation threatens to take away 13-year-old Wren's little brother. Already reeling from her grandmother's relocation, Wren must give up school, her friends, and the protection of her parents to save her little brother from the cold grip of efficiency. Can Wren and her brother survive the exhausting journey, the scorching desert, and the threatening grasp of Leadership to cross the border to safety and freedom?</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJILiOtv9CTTdtxFT4n-31yc_BZEOfYjkFnLZfKLtzki1cBcPY_0oh9hN_Dg46LvXqNYDYUPcBYZdPb7_jU0pagJeuOWLArg3BHCMdp5mTRDN67Zxvz7hQsuzYHxqEKK63Blkh3Lazc2jYT7zxJCDBKW4rua2dTCNdhJNNWmlQAMtZOev_BgRzyT22mQ3E/s130/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="130" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJILiOtv9CTTdtxFT4n-31yc_BZEOfYjkFnLZfKLtzki1cBcPY_0oh9hN_Dg46LvXqNYDYUPcBYZdPb7_jU0pagJeuOWLArg3BHCMdp5mTRDN67Zxvz7hQsuzYHxqEKK63Blkh3Lazc2jYT7zxJCDBKW4rua2dTCNdhJNNWmlQAMtZOev_BgRzyT22mQ3E/s1600/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" width="130" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>My Take:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">"Efficiency is key for productivity, and productivity
is key for safety." This is the mind-numbing mantra of Leadership, which
tries to control the masses by eliminating their rights and freedoms. In the
Leadership Lands, the government controls everything you do. All for the sake
of efficiency. Before by Molly McNamara Carter is a dystopian tale of a teen’s
flight with her mute little brother from a totalitarian state to a land of
freedom. When Leadership announces that children who require special care will
be forcibly removed from their homes for re-education, permanently, Wren
realizes she will lose her little brother Kael, who is unable to speak. Under
cover of night, Wren is forced to flee the city with Kael, and cross many miles
of forbidding desert while pursued by the agents ordered to prevent their
escape, at any cost.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrxv70jGivGfn59sR51SNuJjG8wRSF6HaIgURb07rupB0EPFfOwKtLUNHfRq1aB0-FgAPkNqXvufl8U47n1n3MptahPS0kEiTf4vQDqlvJ3WBZNStRrtK27k2D6uLAlmy0SzGPsh3y2gZSkM8j9yaj25UypleTsHIwYAIC16IFjkYhLcaToFnagoIOe3e/s310/RF5Star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrxv70jGivGfn59sR51SNuJjG8wRSF6HaIgURb07rupB0EPFfOwKtLUNHfRq1aB0-FgAPkNqXvufl8U47n1n3MptahPS0kEiTf4vQDqlvJ3WBZNStRrtK27k2D6uLAlmy0SzGPsh3y2gZSkM8j9yaj25UypleTsHIwYAIC16IFjkYhLcaToFnagoIOe3e/w200-h200/RF5Star.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /> <b>Content:</b><p></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b>Drug Content:<br /></b>G – none<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Violence:<br /></b>G – A wolf
attacks one of the characters<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Language:<br /></b>G – Squeaky
clean<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Adult Content:<br /></b>G – Squeaky
clean.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Christian
content:<br /></b><o:p>Not much, but there seems to be a divine intervention going on in the protection of the main character. Wren puts her life on the line for her helpless brother again and again. People along the way take great risks to deliver these kids to safety.</o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Final Analysis:<br /></b>I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure-packed dystopian
thriller. Wren faces drones, soldiers, coyotes, scorpions, deadly heat, and
terrifying storms. The threats to Wren and her little brother are tangible.
There were multiple points in the book that my pulse was pounding in my ears,
fully invested in the story, and hiding there in the dark with Wren, who
transforms during the adventure from a slightly rebellious, carefree teen to a
responsible and determined adult. is a well-written, action-packed thrill ride,
but it’s more than that. This novel is a thought-provoking delve into a
possible future devoid of freedom, all for the sake of efficiency. The
world-building was immersive, the character development realistic, and the
outlook, hopeful. The cover art by Denitsa Shopova was stunning. Before by
Molly McNamara Carter is perfect for lovers of dystopian teen fiction and
coming-of-age adventures. Five Stars!</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b>About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1672448597p5/17419323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="200" height="201" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1672448597p5/17419323.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="color_15 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: avenir-lt-w01_35-light1475496, avenir-lt-w05_35-light, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: helvetica-w01-light, helvetica-w02-light, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.01em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Molly has been writing stories since she learned to read them. For her and her sisters growing up, she created magical lands full of adventures that were never far off. Molly continues to delight her own children with her </span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: helvetica-w01-light, helvetica-w02-light, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.01em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">stories and passion </span></span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: helvetica-w01-light, helvetica-w02-light, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">for books. She has lived in big cities, little towns, on islands, in mountains and in deserts. She loves adventures like jumping out of airplanes, riding camels, and even swimming with sharks. When she's not reading, writing or working on an art project, she loves to explore with her favorite people. One of her greatest joys is bringing the magic of stories to her readers. Visit her website at <a href="http://mollymcnamaracarter.com">mollymcnamaracarter.com/</a></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-73002667274236015552023-11-16T11:43:00.000-08:002023-11-16T11:43:38.535-08:00Review: Claw & Order: Fairy Goose Unit: The Pignapping by Donna Boock<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696296202i/199263800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696296202i/199263800.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white;"><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CHWJYDCR/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Claw & Order: Fairy Goose Unit: The Pignapping</a> </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18985029.Donna_Boock" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Donna Boock</a></span></span></p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;">This time, the little piggy couldn’t go wee-wee-wee all the way home from school. Instead, a big, bad ransom note points to a pignapping! Fairy Goose Unit detectives Clawed McDiddle and Allie O' Dumpling search for clues to bring home the bacon. But can they solve this mystery so the Swine family can live hogfully ever after?</span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Nivya Kuriakose, illustrator, and Donna Boock, author, the duo who brought you Moo-La-La-Ti-Da! (2021), team up once again in this rollicking fun and funny chapter book series.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Uc_UAHaqQfQDAH-QTNhtgopeqAC8WOV9oo6y0VyTDE8G839eoyHrXpZgociFeB-XEs1IrC4ZPxdT4PquMbAc_ISYLNr9r0UWGS4hZhhMFqzEylonQvDkorgUO8m-2sEIfbpGz3zxKR9l34m722ZnI9iUxVmfAVyEk38Mxypjl7HPN6OsFpefKwJYDA32/s130/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="130" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Uc_UAHaqQfQDAH-QTNhtgopeqAC8WOV9oo6y0VyTDE8G839eoyHrXpZgociFeB-XEs1IrC4ZPxdT4PquMbAc_ISYLNr9r0UWGS4hZhhMFqzEylonQvDkorgUO8m-2sEIfbpGz3zxKR9l34m722ZnI9iUxVmfAVyEk38Mxypjl7HPN6OsFpefKwJYDA32/s1600/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" width="130" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><b><span style="font-family: times;">My Take:</span></b></span></p><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">In Claw & Order: Fairy Goose Unit: The Pignapping by
Donna Boock, This Little Piggy has gone missing and didn’t go wee wee wee all
the way home from school. Clawed McDiddle, the Missing Creatures Detective cat
in Fairy Goose Land, is just settling down for a quick catnap at the station
when he gets the call. He and his friend Allie O’Dumpling team up and are
on the case! They interview the family, the teacher, and the bus driver,
uncovering clues, identifying suspects, and clearing them one by one. Charming
artwork on each page contains hidden clues you might miss, so it’s important to
keep your eyes and ears open and look for evidence! In true mystery fashion,
these two examine the clues and follow them in hopes of bringing the pignapper
to justice and bringing home the bacon!</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrxv70jGivGfn59sR51SNuJjG8wRSF6HaIgURb07rupB0EPFfOwKtLUNHfRq1aB0-FgAPkNqXvufl8U47n1n3MptahPS0kEiTf4vQDqlvJ3WBZNStRrtK27k2D6uLAlmy0SzGPsh3y2gZSkM8j9yaj25UypleTsHIwYAIC16IFjkYhLcaToFnagoIOe3e/s310/RF5Star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrxv70jGivGfn59sR51SNuJjG8wRSF6HaIgURb07rupB0EPFfOwKtLUNHfRq1aB0-FgAPkNqXvufl8U47n1n3MptahPS0kEiTf4vQDqlvJ3WBZNStRrtK27k2D6uLAlmy0SzGPsh3y2gZSkM8j9yaj25UypleTsHIwYAIC16IFjkYhLcaToFnagoIOe3e/w200-h200/RF5Star.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p><b>Content:<br /></b><b>Drug Content:<br /></b>G – none.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Violence:<br /></b>G – There is
discussion of turning This Little Piggy into bacon. And there’s a kidnapping.
This is an early reader book. I mean, come on. It’s soft edges.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Language:<br /></b>G – Squeaky
clean<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Adult Content:<br /></b>G – Not a bit.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Christian
content:<br /></b>This is on the
level of Mother Goose, but there’s nothing Christian in it. Just a kid-friendly
mystery.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Final analysis:<br /></b>Claw & Order: Fairy Goose Unit: The Pignapping by Donna
Boock is a well-written, engaging mystery story for early readers, and left me
hungry for more books in the series. This charming mystery is not scary and is
a cozy mystery for the younger set, concerning a safe space that the younger
kids can feel comfortable in. Entertaining illustrations on every page add
depth to the story, and it’s a quick read. It’s loaded with many baffling
clues, and you encounter many well-loved nursery rhyme characters, like Jack
and the Beanstalk, the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, Simple Simon, Wee
Willie Winkie, Little Boy Blue, and Little Miss Muffet. Some of them help find
clues, and some might just be suspects! This clean, delightful, illustrated
mystery book is a sure winner for early readers and lovers of a cute mystery.
Five Stars!<br /><o:p> </o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p><br /></o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><o:p><b>About the Author:</b></o:p></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587074451p5/18985029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="200" height="133" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1587074451p5/18985029.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">When Donna was eight years old, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Or maybe a news reporter. Or the person who names lipstick and nail polish those fun names like “Mauve-alous Darling.” But now she can’t imagine anything but writing books that allow her to be part of the very special moment when children are ready to take off and read. It’s pure magic! Donna is also the author of the very funny chapter book series Kinzie’s Kinventions and a picture book called Moo-La-La-Ti-Da!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Donna also loves sharing her passion for reading and writing by coming to play, oops- I mean, visit schools both in person & virtually. She also creates free materials like lesson plans, discussion guides, puzzles, and worksheets to support the incredibly special adults who support those incredibly important young readers. Stay in touch at </span><a href="http://www.donnaboock.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.DonnaBoock.com</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> and also on her YouTube channel at </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCri9QOvcoAooXYuRy9s5vIQ" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCri9...</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;"> where you can find recorded readings, Kinzie’s “ViewTube” videos, and lots of upcoming fun!</span><br /><o:p><br /></o:p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>
</p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-11901085535997501472023-11-02T13:32:00.000-07:002023-11-16T11:06:47.739-08:00Review: The Sins of Men: Tragic Saga of the Cabin Boy by Danny J. Bradbury<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C543B6ZD/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WShO3oXgL._SY466_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="298" height="466" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71WShO3oXgL._SY466_.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The Sins of Men: Tragic Saga of the Cabin Boy</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><p></p><p>by <a href="https://www.dannyjbradburyauthor.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Danny J. Bradbury</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Can an impoverished boy overcome his humble beginnings, abduction and abuse to participate in a series of pivotal events in world history? In the same manner as John Jake's classic saga, The Bastard, this novel attempts to document the boy's trials and follow his journey in conquering his past. Set during the turbulent period leading up to the American Revolution, the boy must either slay his demons or perish to be lost as another footnote in history. The story will tear at your heart, but will you believe that such a boy can actually make a difference?</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">My Take:</b></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915;"> Peter Beale is a young boy from an impoverished family in England. He steals to help his large family have food to eat, and this lands him in prison, where he is selected and impressed into His Majesty's Navy, to serve as a cabin boy and the HMS Progress under Captain Auger. He is tasked with assisting the cook in preparing meals, swabbing the deck, and personally serving the captain dinner, in his cabin, alone. Some of the crew, and especially the greasy cook, have some idea what the captain does to little cabin boys. Peter manages to escape while the ship is being repaired in Boston, and is adopted by a wealthy merchant. But the demons from what happened on that ship continue to torment him. As he matures and war with England looms, will Peter gain victory over his past, or die in the process?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-Za04y05xaCWPExjaUyTziDf-mcsubru3IrlovL6GG-dzhPtRhAz17wJwRXKwVx7ED155vJ82w4WU-3cz92X1_Yt1-OGsXKmYGEdXAvlri4xEM9vTkxZYkOkRba5Zdxc-I0crkJ_bqASKxW5LltWeOyUEyhHvemN53b0UlejrpHowSDw76ZZKB5ryN8u/s727/4star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="727" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-Za04y05xaCWPExjaUyTziDf-mcsubru3IrlovL6GG-dzhPtRhAz17wJwRXKwVx7ED155vJ82w4WU-3cz92X1_Yt1-OGsXKmYGEdXAvlri4xEM9vTkxZYkOkRba5Zdxc-I0crkJ_bqASKxW5LltWeOyUEyhHvemN53b0UlejrpHowSDw76ZZKB5ryN8u/s320/4star.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b style="color: #1e1915;">Content:</b></div><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Drug Content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG - There is drinking and drunkenness</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; font-family: Lora, Lora-fallback, Georgia, Times, serif; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;">, but not any more than you might find in a Disney film.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Violence:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG-13 - Wartime is a bloody mess. Crewmen are hung, and men are shot, bayonetted, and mangled by cannon fire. A character loses a limb in a battle. </span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Language:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - Squeaky clean.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Adult Content:</b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #162127; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve-breaks;"><span style="font-family: times;">R - Early in this book there is a somewhat graphic description of an act of sodomy with a boy. Many other acts like that occur but occur completely off-screen. If it was not for that first graphical depiction, this would be PG.</span></span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Christian content:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">This book is not overtly Christian in nature or content. However, faith plays a significant part in multiple characters in the work. A mysterious protector in the jail teaches the bible to the boy. The sister of his adoptive mother uses the bible to teach him to read, and her husband is a pastor. In several instances, there is a call to pray for guidance and protection. Self-sacrifice, courage against overwhelming odds, and faith in God's cause are significant threads in this tapestry of the American Revolution.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Final analysis:</b></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><p><span>The Sins of Men: Tragic Saga of the Cabin Boy by Danny J. Bradbury is a well-researched historical novel, with gripping action, immersive worldbuilding, and high stakes. It is emotionally charged, and the author put enough into that first scene of sodomy to draw me into the work in hopes the victim would get his revenge. There were issues with tense and pacing in the first half, or I definitely would have given this one five stars, because it was extremely well-written, and by the end of the book I was fully invested and could not put the book down. Four Stars!</span></p><p><span><b>About the Author:</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1676904296p5/22904771.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1676904296p5/22904771.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="font_9 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.875em; margin-block: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Danny J Bradbury is originally from Greeley, Colorado. He has a lifetime love of history and telling stories which he learned from his father. After spending years working in corporate America, he started writing alternate historical fiction novels to share his accumulated knowledge.</span></p><p class="font_9 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.875em; margin-block: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><p><span></span></p><p class="font_9 wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.875em; margin-block: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He is married and has three grown daughters and two grandsons. He served in the US Navy and now resides in South Carolina.</span></p><p><span><br /></span></p><p><span><br /></span></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-85818871009076272632023-10-04T14:43:00.005-07:002023-10-04T15:14:34.387-07:00Review: The Place of Voices (Time Drifter #1) by Lauren Lynch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411934880i/22784992.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1411934880i/22784992.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LCN212O/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">The Place of Voices </span></a></p><p>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4524432.Lauren_Lynch" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lauren Lynch </a></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Anna is devastated by a fire that left her orphaned, dependent on an uncle she never knew existed and far from the only home she has ever known. Brendan struggles with a life limited by crippling illness and a family torn by the loss of his mother. Tzutz Nik faces an arranged marriage to the prince of a ruthless dynasty in order to unite their fractured kingdoms. A mysterious invitation gives them each an opportunity to escape their struggles for a while and view their lives from a new perspective. Deep in a remote jungle, amid long-forgotten ancient ruins, they discover the true meaning of sacrifice. In the shadows, a relentless evil presence lurks, threatening to lead them astray. Will they triumph over their adversary or be trapped in his web of lies?</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></b></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">My Take:</b></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915;"> Anna faces an uncertain future at the hands of an uncle she never knew she had, all because a mistake of hers caused a fire that destroyed her home and killed her parents. Brendan has faced a life of near immobility thanks to the polio ravaging his body that took his mother. Tzutz Nik is about to face an arranged marriage to the prince of a ruthless dynasty, to avoid the destruction of her people. In each of their lives, a mysterious invitation pulls them to a jungle sanctuary, a Place of Voices where these three go on a vision quest together. Assisting them is a talking elk named Ben, but an evil enemy also is in this place and is bent not only on Ben's destruction but on their own downfall as well. To each of them, this tempter presents a web of lies geared to make them betray all they hold dear.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0t2M_NEx6E1VjhN-RQOX_VlhmJtJe0iDcN5KaHGYENzUNo-pwMYifJlm94Jgyhe2bQ2T_wEqUmEiOFF7iKT0Eb0F1T4CDjv_xV4djRvp2TWjBinIV30XDWDhAQXDcPdzsb3pEL9RoKaMYoq5P6xtnzg0vh0eqSCWTMCQeRcSKeCntpDP0-1GTELRrrbW/s320/5star.png" style="color: #0000ee;" width="320" /></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Content:</b></span></div><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Drug Content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - There is none.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Violence:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG - Animal and human sacrifice is discussed. Someone is terribly mutilated as they are being murdered. This happens off-screen.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Language:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - Squeaky clean.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Adult Content:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - There is a hint of romance. </span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Christian content:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">This novel is full of Christian symbolism. The evil found in the enemy is obviously a typecast of satan. In one instance he speaks to the children from smoke as a snake, and laments how he was forced to travel on his belly. Ben is a typecast of Jesus, giving his life for the sins of others. The animal familiars who escort the children into the Place of Voices parallel the activity of angels. This book is loaded with content for healthy Christian discussion - the battle of good and evil, the need for a savior, the importance of repentance and forgiveness, and the power of praying for others.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Final analysis:</b></p><p><span>The Place of Voices is a good addition to any Christian's library, but especially those who are fans of fantasy and looking for clean reads, especially if they are looking for something on the level of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The world-building was stellar. The character interaction was engaging and believable. Each character had their own issues and arc. The stakes were high and the action was gripping.</span><span style="color: #1e1915;"> Five Stars!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422994604p5/4524432.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="200" height="266" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1422994604p5/4524432.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br />About the Author:</b></span><br /><div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #373e3e; white-space-collapse: preserve;">LAUREN LYNCH writes faith-infused historical fantasies created to challenge readers of all ages. After many years of focusing on visual arts, she found she could also paint with words and now enjoys dreaming up stories where the real world collides with the fantastic. She lives in a log cabin in North Carolina with her husband, teenage son, a feisty dog, three cats, two escape-artist goats and even the occasional bat. To learn more about Lauren and her other books, visit <a href="http://www.laurenlynch.com">www.laurenlynch.com</a>.</span></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-50858919018891411602023-09-18T11:37:00.001-07:002023-09-18T11:38:45.693-07:00Review: Things He Hadn't Told Her by Vicky Whedbee<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474650780i/32187398.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474650780i/32187398.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Things-He-Hadnt-Told-Her-ebook/dp/B01M0JJNLP/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Things He Hadn't Told Her</a><p></p><p>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15860965.Vicky_Whedbee" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vicky Whedbee</a></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Chad Edwards & Cole Rivers have been best friends since grade school. "Blood brothers forever" they declared, after Chad saved Cole's life. Years later in college at the University of Tennessee, Chad is a student of Sports Medicine, and Cole is the Vol's star quarterback. That's where they meet Maggie Thompson. Ask either one of them and they would tell you, "Maggie is perfect". So, it's no surprise they both fall in love with her. As fate would have it, Maggie falls in love too, but only one of them is the recipient of her affections. It's what happens next that will surprise you.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">They made a pact as boys. Can they keep that pact as men?</span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>My Take:</b></span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915;">Chad Edwards saved Cole Rivers' life one day when he pulled him from a flood-swollen and dangerous river. Since that time, Chad has been looking out for Cole, making sure he doesn't flunk his classes and get tossed off the football team. Quietly making sure his reputation isn't ruined. Cole is destined for greatness, a star quarterback in High School who goes on to QB the Tennessee Vols in college. Chad, who wants to go into sports medicine, follows him there, and continues to keep Cole out of trouble. It seems that nothing could come between these two friends.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915;">Except, perhaps, Maggie.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915;">Beautiful, talented, compassionate, and full of life, Maggie is perfect. And Chad quickly falls for her. But Maggie falls for Cole. Devastated, Chad has to decide whether to keep his true feelings secret, hurt the two people he loves best, or quietly fade away.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0t2M_NEx6E1VjhN-RQOX_VlhmJtJe0iDcN5KaHGYENzUNo-pwMYifJlm94Jgyhe2bQ2T_wEqUmEiOFF7iKT0Eb0F1T4CDjv_xV4djRvp2TWjBinIV30XDWDhAQXDcPdzsb3pEL9RoKaMYoq5P6xtnzg0vh0eqSCWTMCQeRcSKeCntpDP0-1GTELRrrbW/s320/5star.png" style="color: #0000ee;" width="320" /></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Content:</b></span></div><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Drug Content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - There is a little casual drinking in a few places.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Violence:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG - Tragic accidents leave people somewhat mangled. There is no intentional harm done here. No graphic descriptions either.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Language:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG - There are a few scattered mild expletives.</span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Adult Content:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - There is romance and some kissing. </span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Christian content:</b></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">The characters in this book struggle with where God is in their suffering, but remain steadfast in their faith. Church attendance is encouraged, and nightly prayers with the family are present occasionally. Prayer for healing and safety are not uncommon. Discussion is made about people being in heaven when they die. The raw conflict, self-sacrifice, and ensuing depth of character in the protagonist is stunning. </span></p><p><b style="color: #1e1915;">Final analysis:</b></p><p>Things He Hadn't Told Her <span style="color: #1e1915;">by Vicky Whedbee is a heartwarming tale of unrequited love. The characters have tragic real-life struggles and deal with them in a faith-filled and realistic way. The settings are immersive, and the dialogue engaging. The author has a talent for drawing on common emotional situations, and depicting them well enough to bring even an old granddad like me to tears. This book covered multiple years of interaction in the main characters. During the first half of the novel, the level of detail in the interactions and experiences of the characters was a bit overwhelming, but it set a gorgeous backdrop for the back half of the story, when things really took off. I was well satisfied with the end, and thought Vicky Whedbee did an excellent job carrying the reader through. Good plot, excellent characters, raw emotions and a heartwarming conclusion. Five Stars!</span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494344091p5/15860965.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1494344091p5/15860965.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></span></div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br />About the Author:</b></span><p></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Vicky Whedbee was born and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she resided until her 40's when she relocated to San Mateo, Florida, where she currently resides with her husband. An avid reader, she wrote her first novel over a period of years as a labor of love and fulfillment of a life long dream that began with the encouragement of her Engish teacher in high school.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">With a diagnosis of cancer for her dad, she decided to become an independent author and published her novel on her own in order to present a finished product to her father before his demise. She was in the process of reading said novel, "Things He Hadn't Told Her", to him at the time of his passing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She wrote her second novel "Sarah's Song", which was a collaboration with her father set in the time of his childhood in the rural Appalachian mountains, with notes taken prior to his demise. Both books have been met with stellar 5-STAR reviews on Amazon & Goodreads, as well as awarded the 5-star review seal from Reader's Favorite.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">After numerous requests, she wrote a sequel to Sarah's Song, titled Sarah's Home, which could also be read as a stand-alone. It, too, is being received with love and 5-STAR reviews.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">She is currently working on her next novel.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px;">Visit & contact her through her website </span><a href="https://crwvao.wixsite.com/vickywhedbee" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://crwvao.wixsite.com/vickywhedbee</a></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br /></b></span></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-27494280308921437912023-09-09T08:05:00.003-07:002023-09-09T08:08:10.915-07:00Review: River Rising (Carson Chronicles#1) by John A Heldt<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075RQ1XHY/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">River Rising (Carson Chronicles#1)</a></span></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/John-A.-Heldt/author/B007A23EQS?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John A. Heldt</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505927545i/36274542.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="528" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505927545i/36274542.jpg" width="264" /></a><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1505927545i/36274542.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><br /></a>W<span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">eeks after his parents disappear on a hike, Arizona engineer Adam Carson, 27, searches for answers. Then he discovers a secret web site and learns that his mother and father are time travelers stuck in the past. Armed with the information he needs to find them, Adam convinces his younger siblings to join him on a rescue mission to the 1880s.</span></div><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">While Greg, the adventurous middle brother, follows leads in the Wild West, Adam, journalist Natalie, and high school seniors Cody and Caitlin do the same in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Like the residents of the bustling steel community, all are unaware of a flood that will destroy the city on May 31, 1889.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">In RIVER RISING, the first novel in the five-book Carson Chronicles series, five young adults find love, danger, and adventure as they experience America in the age of bustle dresses, gunslingers, and robber barons.</span><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>My Take:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">Professors Tim and Caroline Carson mysteriously disappeared during an anniversary hike near Flagstaff Arizona. Their grieving five children search for answers until the family lawyer turns over a sealed envelope informing them their parents are time travelers stuck in the past. A secret website gives the oldest, Adam the information needed to rescue them from 1888. The five adult children go back to the gilded age to find them. </span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">Greg, the middle brother, runs afoul of the law in the Wild West and ends up on the run with a bounty on his head, while Natalie settles into a journalist position at a local paper, where she interviews Mark Twain, writes a transformative column on the prognosticating Puxatawney groundhog on Groundhog Day, and falls for her handsome editor, Sam Prentiss. Twins Cody and Caitlin, high school seniors, try not to let the truth out that they are from another century while trying to fit in at school. And Adam tries to research and find his parents while falling for the beautiful hotel manager. The family adjusts to the slower pace of life there </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">in Johnstown PA, all blissfully unaware of the catastrophe about to strike, when the dam will break and destroy the town.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0t2M_NEx6E1VjhN-RQOX_VlhmJtJe0iDcN5KaHGYENzUNo-pwMYifJlm94Jgyhe2bQ2T_wEqUmEiOFF7iKT0Eb0F1T4CDjv_xV4djRvp2TWjBinIV30XDWDhAQXDcPdzsb3pEL9RoKaMYoq5P6xtnzg0vh0eqSCWTMCQeRcSKeCntpDP0-1GTELRrrbW/s320/5star.png" style="color: #0000ee;" width="320" /></div><div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Content:</b></span></div><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Drug Content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - There is a little casual drinking in a few places. </span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Violence:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG-13 - Some people are shot and killed. There is no graphic violence due to man, but the descriptions of the horrors of the flood and the corpses afterward earned this a PG-13</span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Language:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">G - I think I may have found one mild expletive in the entire work.</span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Adult Content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">PG - There is romance and some kissing. A married couple have a mild scene with a bubble bath, with no on-screen action.</span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Christian content:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">The people in the 1800s were quite religious and people are encouraged to go to church, find a church home, and pray. Faith plays a significant part in their lives, especially when tragedy strikes. There are multiple instances where characters sacrifice for one another.</span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>Final analysis:</b></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;">River Rising by John A Heldt is the first in a five-book time travel series. The pace is quick, the plot gripping, the stakes high. The author obviously did a lot of research into the life and times of the day, the character and life of Mark Twain, as well as significant details about the tragic flood. The characters were well-fleshed out, from coping with differences in the times to dealing with tragedy and loss. </span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534110589p5/5754231.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="177" height="266" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1534110589p5/5754231.jpg" width="177" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #373e3e; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">John A. Heldt is the author of more than twenty bestselling time travel novels. The former reference librarian and award-winning sportswriter has loved getting subjects and verbs to agree since writing book reports in grade school. A graduate of the University of Oregon and the University of Iowa, Heldt is an avid fisherman, sports fan, coin collector, and reader of thrillers and historical fiction. When not sending contemporary characters to the not-so-distant past, he weighs in on literature and life at johnheldt.blogspot.com.</span><p></p><p><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><p><br /></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-4900787649412106742023-09-07T12:05:00.002-07:002023-09-07T12:08:23.844-07:00Interview: Dan Morrow, author of A Heartbeat in Danger<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIK6yZ2MEJSLBFzhX279tpF4ejgvpqKaqUpQ_49sOKV0v_k-tWKnDOEvoKCjs0H7GyNindAX5ecgut48NbVnc2pKjIsu37szifM8HKQAHGvPh06fbxSiBCz8DvOkGWvG1XUZ6aLKgfPm-5DyWfR8zKNOlG5kpbf7ZyQfiGeZVWVdZAJhZOdznwsPfEcqO/s206/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="206" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIK6yZ2MEJSLBFzhX279tpF4ejgvpqKaqUpQ_49sOKV0v_k-tWKnDOEvoKCjs0H7GyNindAX5ecgut48NbVnc2pKjIsu37szifM8HKQAHGvPh06fbxSiBCz8DvOkGWvG1XUZ6aLKgfPm-5DyWfR8zKNOlG5kpbf7ZyQfiGeZVWVdZAJhZOdznwsPfEcqO/s1600/Headshot.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Today it is my privilege to interview <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14221399.Dan_Morrow" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Morrow,</a> author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098QTMQX8/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Heartbeat in Danger</a>, a novel about a cheerleader named Stacy with an unexpected pregnancy and an uncertain future.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dan is a multi-published author, husband, and father, and took time out of his busy schedule to visit and answer a few questions pertaining to his craft and this novel as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Dan, welcome. Let's talk for a bit about the beginnings of this journey you are on.</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>At what point did you decide to be an author? What was
your path to publication?</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">From an early age, I gained an appreciation for the written
word. There was something about how authors would string words and phrases
together and come up with a beautiful picture you could see in your mind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">For
publishing, I searched online and found a publisher who I hoped would work with
me to create something wonderful. While I was satisfied with the result, it
wasn’t what I expected. Turns out, a ‘Vanity Press’ isn’t the best approach.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Appreciate your candor and advice. That's been the determination of a lot of people in the industry. There is even a website dedicated to warning writers called <a href="https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">WriterBeware</a>. Thankfully I ran across that site before publishing my own works, and published via Amazon KDP, which has worked well for me.</i></span></p><p><b style="color: #222222; font-family: times; font-size: large;">What do you do when a new idea jumps out at you while
you’re still working on a book?</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Any idea that springs to mind, I immediately have to write
it down. If I don’t, chances are good I’ll forget what it was.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>I've heard that from a lot of writers. Most carry a notepad or leave one by the bed for ideas that hit at night.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>In your book, A
Heartbeat in Danger, Stacy Kent, a cheerleader, faces some difficult decisions
concerning an unwanted pregnancy. What prompted you to write about this
subject?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I had a conversation with our daughter’s best friend. We’ve
known her since they were in third grade, and she’s become family. One night
when I was taking her to a friend’s house, she was overcome with emotion about
being pregnant. All the cliches we’ve heard from frightened young women in this
situation came out that night. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As I pondered what she was dealing with, I multiplied her
situation by thousands and realized maybe this was a common theme among all
girls facing unexpected pregnancies. From that thought, the overview of the
book took shape.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Wow. Real life does tend to prompt the best stories, and personal experience, even just in your immediate circle of connections, tends to motivate and give the work compelling force.</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot
and plan, or is your writing more organic?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Kind of a combination of all of these, really. When an
idea comes about, I’ll write down a brief description of the main plot/idea for
the book. From there, I’ll begin the framework of what will happen, then who
the characters are and what they do. As I’m writing, it’s more a fly by the
seat of my pants approach. I like to be as surprised as the reader at what will
happen.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>What are some books or authors that you would
recommend to our readers?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">If you’re into Renaissance/Romance genre, investigate
<a href="https://thedancingbardess.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cheyenne Van Langevelde</a>. If you like a somewhat gritty romantic story, check out
co-authors <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DCBNovels" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dana Bowen and Chloe Brogan</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>If you had a chance to leave one piece of advice to
someone who was interested in writing, what would that be?</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Somewhere along the way, I heard someone say it best –
you need to write.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Direct, and to the point. If you are a writer, write. With all the distractions to be had here online, that's good advice.</i></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Describe your book, A Heartbeat in Danger, in 30 words
or less for people who are just learning about it.</b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">It will challenge any preconceived ideas you may have
of the issue of unexpected pregnancy. Read with an open mind.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222;">Is there anything you would like people to take away
from your book?</span></b></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Understand, this issue is more nuanced than we paint
it to be. There is more gray area to this matter than we like to admit. It’s
easy to shout ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when it’s not you facing uncertainty. But when you
or someone you love is caught in the darkness of fear, it becomes complicated.
Don’t be so quick to judge someone based on what they do.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>What has been the toughest criticism you have received
as an author? What has been the best compliment?</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Someone who promised to review my book messaged me asking
if this was an anti-abortion book. After convincing him to continue reading, he
finally gave up, claiming he couldn’t support something that had a message
counter to what he believed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The
greatest compliment I’ve received is one word – ‘Wow’. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>What is your favorite line from your book?</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“And what is life
without persuasion?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>To date, what is your
favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The latter part of
Chapter 6 in Heartbeat. It speaks to a delicate subject surrounding unexpected
pregnancies yet manages to dance in the middle of this confusion. It doesn’t
tell you what’s right or wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>So, what's next? Are you
working on a new novel, and if so, give an elevator pitch or back cover blurb
for it. When do you think this will release?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">As far as the next
release, honestly, I’m not sure I can predict when the next book will come out.
I’m not even sure which one of the many ideas I’m working on should be next. I
haven’t sorted out the details and this has caused a rather lengthy delay in
what’s next.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>What do you like to do
when you’re not writing?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p>Spend time with my family. Being with my wife and two adult
children is pure solitude. I find rest in their presence. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><p>It was really good to connect with you, Dan. For those of you who want to follow Dan, here is his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dan.morrow.37201/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-morrow-58670667/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Linked In.</a> Below I've included a link to his book, A Heartbeat in Danger.</p><p><br /></p><p><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673221295i/75663905.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A Heartbeat in Danger" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673221295i/75663905.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heartbeat-Danger-Dan-Morrow-ebook/dp/B098QTMQX8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2YRZ31S7HRWPT&keywords=a%20heartbeat%20in%20danger%20dan%20morrow&qid=1656488982&sprefix=%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1&fbclid=IwAR3tRcuxKUB23dqfuaLtHFS0yi4hLdYZsJo_cyHSkv3m7YO9E_TXaRDB2WA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Heartbeat in Danger</a></span></div><div><br /></div><br />High school cheerleader Stacy Kent dreams of an ideal future with her boyfriend, star halfback Tucker Hamilton. After unexpected tragedy befalls the couple, she is left with a life-altering decision. Surprised to discover she is pregnant and feeling isolated from her divorced parents, Stacy is confronted by a future she never expected. In a misguided attempt at avoiding this responsibility, she is met in her dreams by a stranger, who carefully guides her through an unknown future for her child. Exposed to both beautiful and unsettling glimpses into her child's life, Stacy must reexamine her belief that to remain free of this responsibility is the right one. Forced to watch her child endure hardship and success, Stacy comes to a surprising realization about her own tenuous relationship with her mother. Will she seek to repair the damage done from years of defiance, or will she continue to embrace the unsettled anger between them? Will she allow her child the freedom to discover life on her own or chase her now-hollow, unfulfilled dreams? Whatever the outcome, it will require a level of commitment she is uncertain she can attain.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673221295i/75663905.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><p></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-57564385864060572122023-09-01T05:52:00.000-07:002023-09-01T05:52:00.085-07:00Review: The First Unicorn by Kathleen J. Shields<div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689795241i/181330855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1689795241i/181330855.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C9FZ7TW2/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The First Unicorn</a></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">by Kathleen J. Shields</div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Almost everyone knows what a unicorn is, but do you know where they came from? Who was the first unicorn? How did he get his golden horn? And why did others follow in his footsteps?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Aden is a young horse, who believes that giving of his time and gifts is the best way to share hope in the world. One evening, he is visited by an angel who bestows a gift of gold upon his forehead, “You cannot see or spend it. It’s for others to behold.” Yet, when he returns home that evening, the herd sees the horn as a weapon and chases him away.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sad but not discouraged, Aden continues to help and care for others. However, when his mother gets injured, he discovers his horn can perform miracles. It was that first miracle that softened the hearts of the others and inspired them to lead a God-filled life as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">This story is about love, acceptance, kindness and giving. It is the story of the First Unicorn and how God’s creation would succeed at greatness.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">“Anything is possible if love is what you choose. Miracles can happen if you share the good news.”</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPLxUHSmEOJKuHDifwyiT-1ld86sC3frwvW9lvaGJl_vnYGoBG4GAvisGRpSFywmiiF0tuvQV7DBKQUdEx5UnU2dof1rwP7JDzHPOLrZtvPOaQQBT3VKKChUbmUxbauoexugF4o-a2M39jQ9f61cTK6SxHdFIjMRMRGNKBHYf_-UuSg2Gus_NGE7LzP9b/s130/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="130" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDPLxUHSmEOJKuHDifwyiT-1ld86sC3frwvW9lvaGJl_vnYGoBG4GAvisGRpSFywmiiF0tuvQV7DBKQUdEx5UnU2dof1rwP7JDzHPOLrZtvPOaQQBT3VKKChUbmUxbauoexugF4o-a2M39jQ9f61cTK6SxHdFIjMRMRGNKBHYf_-UuSg2Gus_NGE7LzP9b/s1600/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" width="130" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><b>My Take:<br /></b>The First Unicorn by Kathleen J. Shields is a delightful
faith-filled tale of how the first unicorn came to be. Long ago, in a far away
land, a herd of horses lived out their lives day to day in a mundane cycle of
eating and sleeping. While most of the horses in the herd go about their dreary
lives just eating, a young colt named Aden fills his time giving to others,
having fun, and doing good deeds. He rescues the weak and comforts the lonely.
His actions and care for others eventually result in a gift from God – a
beautiful golden horn! But that’s when Aden’s troubles really start. Will Aden
find a way to help others when his new appearance frightens even those who knew
him well?<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdSRGz4jxgdwrQUrW8nSYh1xRAKIskZLd9kDfuHyyL4Ob5lxNZ8dmFMixd8Y1F-dAyHrPSUeWk49_Un8BKwq8Y81bK5wBEtchyOezSq2rAnXzs39MkdgVTV-3QL_EE_U-8f1sWBSOF6eftWWb7AuVuuJBXCY-3Cc2t1VxlEG2DgaPgTxNZeBkwS4XXXGY/s310/RF5Star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdSRGz4jxgdwrQUrW8nSYh1xRAKIskZLd9kDfuHyyL4Ob5lxNZ8dmFMixd8Y1F-dAyHrPSUeWk49_Un8BKwq8Y81bK5wBEtchyOezSq2rAnXzs39MkdgVTV-3QL_EE_U-8f1sWBSOF6eftWWb7AuVuuJBXCY-3Cc2t1VxlEG2DgaPgTxNZeBkwS4XXXGY/w200-h200/RF5Star.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: helvetica;">Content:</b></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Drug Content:<br /></b>G – none<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Violence:<br /></b>G – A wolf
attacks one of the characters<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Language:<br /></b>G – Squeaky clean<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Adult Content:<br /></b>G – Squeaky
clean.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Christian
content:<br /></b>This is a
Christian book. Unicorns are found in the Bible, depending on the
translation/version you prefer. (Job and Proverbs) Aden loves life and God and
helps all the woodland creatures. Even when tragedy strikes he doesn’t lose hope.
And even when shunned because he is different, he does not lose trust. This story is about love, goodness, kindness, acceptance, giving, and sharing the Good News.<br /> <o:p> <br /></o:p><b>Final Analysis:<br /></b>The First Unicorn by Kathleen J. Shields is a heartwarming
story of the first unicorn. Each page is beautifully illustrated by Aashay
Utkarsh, and complements the poignant poem contained within this early reader
treasure. Short footnotes define difficult or unfamiliar words, and the reading
level of this book ensures Elementary-age children will enjoy reading it to
themselves. It’s liberally laced with faith and encouragement to children to do
the right thing, even when it’s hard. The pacing is perfect, and the plot
engaging. Aden is a delightful character, and who doesn’t like stories about
horses and unicorns? At 50 pages, it is a very quick read with an engaging
storyline and an eternal message. Perfect for young Christian readers and fans
of fantasy, unicorns, and faith! Five Stars!</span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382627131p5/4153809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="200" height="232" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1382627131p5/4153809.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></div><div style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Kathleen J. Shields is a very creative, highly imaginative and extremely dedicated, hard working individual. She runs her own website and graphics design company, a publishing company and has published over 21 books; from fully-illustrated rhyming stories for ages 4 and up, children's chapter books for ages 8 and up, and young adult stories with plans for a few romantic adult stories as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Kathleen has been writing poetry and stories for years both for fun and for hire in custom greeting cards and for local speaking outlets. She enjoys sharing her stories and talking with children and adults about how they too can write if they put their mind to it.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Kathleen also writes a blog with inspirational and educational posts both regarding her endeavors as an author as well as a business woman.</span></div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-90941750208798243182023-08-31T20:18:00.001-07:002023-08-31T20:18:23.184-07:00Review: I Am Sarah by James Davison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684788741i/157481779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684788741i/157481779.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1666765279/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1666765279&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Am Sarah</a><br /><p>by James Davison</p><p> This is the
entertaining and intriguing account of Sarah, a woman who has been alive for
more than a millennium. She fell ill in her nineteenth year of life, died, and
was resurrected by Jesus Christ. Pursued by the authorities who view her return
to life as an abomination, she has been traveling through history with two
others resurrected by Jesus, Lazarus of Bethany, and Elan, the son of the widow
from Nain.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">After learning
that their resurrections conveyed immortality, the three set out to discover
why. While Lazarus is intent on preserving the beginnings of Christianity and
Elan is happily exploring new geographies, Sarah searches for her life’s
purpose. Having fought alongside Lazarus and Elan in the Crusades, she now
finds her place as a teacher, mentor, and gifted healer. But her new life is
soon tested in a way she wasn’t prepared to face.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4foFjN-iRFGbxFzdpBV1wuTup4KX6FqQjNWaRuSrX22Y95N4wZ3XyFabC1asZzrOBh4vQmeCDJrNaFuUcUlwknlrjUJDZT8Y-A4jGDMhlZzXsZDJYgk_wATp8nBd1UL7__pFGZEcpPqs2rKzQBF4stmY-8WO7kIBJJ14SbywbjMWwG8Dr5LzbxrcKV_X/s130/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="130" data-original-width="130" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4foFjN-iRFGbxFzdpBV1wuTup4KX6FqQjNWaRuSrX22Y95N4wZ3XyFabC1asZzrOBh4vQmeCDJrNaFuUcUlwknlrjUJDZT8Y-A4jGDMhlZzXsZDJYgk_wATp8nBd1UL7__pFGZEcpPqs2rKzQBF4stmY-8WO7kIBJJ14SbywbjMWwG8Dr5LzbxrcKV_X/s1600/RF_Official_Reviewer.png" width="130" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>My Take:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">I Am Sarah by
James Davison is an action-packed continuation in the chronicles of three
people raised from the dead by Jesus Christ – Lazarus of Bethany, Elan the son
of the widow of Nain, and Sarah, the daughter of Jairus. Three people who,
through their resurrection, received immortality. Down through the centuries,
with the guidance of the angel Gabriel, these three are given tasks to perform
to ensure the preservation of the faith, becoming catalysts for change and
agents of mercy or judgement. In this novel, Sarah takes over guidance of a
school in Italy to assist women in learning the healing arts, while dealing
with her inner demons over her participation in the violence of the Crusades.
All while she and her immortal friends avoid capture by a secret faction
dedicated to returning them to the grave… permanently!<o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RPxFwdy415uWggHlQanM7fgicFNmzHIRToAnh-GBr020Nb1-VQTwIt-W2lYfE1_7BAwCK0RRAMhODiU-NsDo5rNm7_z1uXmUxqmef3cTXirPsXIR5rTksNVqwAzNFKTHfy4uQIvn4sp-5RUXGBuQrp41U6HJ8WVuTPrHLAYd1049w7pSw5VdlcpR8jVP/s310/RF5Star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RPxFwdy415uWggHlQanM7fgicFNmzHIRToAnh-GBr020Nb1-VQTwIt-W2lYfE1_7BAwCK0RRAMhODiU-NsDo5rNm7_z1uXmUxqmef3cTXirPsXIR5rTksNVqwAzNFKTHfy4uQIvn4sp-5RUXGBuQrp41U6HJ8WVuTPrHLAYd1049w7pSw5VdlcpR8jVP/w200-h200/RF5Star.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Content:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Drug Content:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">G – little mention
of even alcohol or intoxication here.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Violence:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PG-13 – Torture
occurs several times here. A woman is burned at the stake.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Language:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">G – Squeaky clean<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Adult Content:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">PG-13 – Discussion
is made of a rape, and an occurrence of multiple attempts at that. A man is
wounded in his manhood as a punishment. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Christian
content:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This novel is
Christian in nature, and discusses multiple characters from the time of Jesus
who received immortality in their resurrections. Angelic visits and guidance
occur repeatedly throughout. Faith, justice, deliverance, and providence are
strong themes here. The saving resurrection power of Jesus Christ is on clear display. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>Final analysis:<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I thoroughly
enjoyed this amazing adventure through the middle ages. And what’s not to like?
A faith-filled fantastic journey down through the ages laced with charm and
wit. The banter between these immortals and the world-changing figures they
visit is engrossing and thought-provoking. The characters were realistic, the
stakes were high, the action was intense, and the world building was exquisite.
I Am Sarah by James Davison mixes the historic with the fantastic with grace
and care. The eras described and the settings throughout history show research
and vision, and I found the whole of it an immersive and enjoyable read. I
highly recommend this novel to fans of faith-filled Christian fantasy. Five Stars!</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-88112205009222792552023-08-25T14:50:00.000-07:002023-08-25T14:50:32.379-07:00Welcome!<br />
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<br /></div></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-26190345697299873772023-08-25T14:48:00.001-07:002024-02-16T05:37:49.762-08:00Review: The Medallion by Victoria Simcox<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01INT0O82/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Medallion</a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2971307.Victoria_Simcox" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Victoria Simcox</a></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BIQWgdw7L._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="226" height="360" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81BIQWgdw7L._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br />The 3rd installment in The Bernovem Chronicles. This time Kristina’s stayed on in the magical land, to join Hector Mysteria, in the search of the wizard, Azaril Crimson, who has hidden Bernovem’s Book of Prophecy in the forsaken land of Jalmara. Sentiz is also back and in search of a key item―the Medallion that she’ll need in order to cast her final spell to rule Bernovem. Join Kristina as she continues her adventure on her dangerous journey, where she’ll soar high above the land and seas, on the back of a dragon, as well as meet someone from her past she’d never dreamed of seeing in Bernovem.</span></span><p></p><p><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></p><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this third installment of the Bernovem Chronicles, Kristina has remained in Bernovem, to join forces with Hector Mysteria and thwart the plans of the evil witch Queen Sentiz. In the second book we learn that the bullies at Kristina's school are actually from this magical land, and had come to earth to trap her for the nefarious purposes of Queen Sentiz.</span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Terrible plagues and blights had spread in Bernovem, turning dwarves and humans alike into ravening Irgals, bats or blood-sucking giant mosquitos. The crown prince has disappeared and nobody knows where he is, while it is rumored his parents have died in a terrible tragedy at sea. Kristina is rescued from certain death by a mysterious dragon rider, who knows far more than he will say, making her wonder if he's on her side, or working for the enemy. All the queen's focus is on finding the last piece to a terrible and permanent spell over the land - the Medallion, a mystical object that will protect it's bearer in the cataclysms of the Last Days. Kristina unknowingly carries this fabled talisman, but has no idea of its powers or how to activate them. And yet the Medallion may be the key to the queen's demise.</span></span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There's a bit of drinking in this. A drinking party leaves some of the characters with hangovers. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - There is some graphic violence in this. A character drinks water that turns magically to maggots. Some people are ripped open. Some evil transformations happen against the victim's will, in some detail. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There is some interest expressed between characters. A character leads another one on for her advantage. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">There are good and evil powers at work in the background of this novel. Yolen, representing the creator and sustainer, is prayed to and answers prayer with miraculous circumstance. Resucca, the dark entity guiding the evil queen's wicked plans, seems to have mastery of the lands. Holy books are referred to and faith is discussed. Loyalty and self-sacrifice are on display here, and trust in the creator when all seems lost brings rescue and relief.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">The Medallion by Victoria Simcox does not disappoint. It is a satisfying continuation to the Bernovem Chronicles, filled with adventure and fantasy. Dwarves, monsters, fairies and magic make for a exciting fantasy romp with a solid amount of world-building. Engaging character arcs and immersive scenery contribute to a satisfying stay in this unique land of magic. Fans of clean fantasy will find this an enjoyable and quick read. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s266/vsimcox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s1600/vsimcox.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;">I was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. I now lives in Western Washington with my husband, Russ and our three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Beside being a writer, I am a home-schooling mother of thirteen years and an elementary school art teacher of twelve years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Website: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></span><span style="font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/"></a></span></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-18679091249944304952023-07-27T06:07:00.000-07:002023-07-27T06:07:24.231-07:00Review - WHOO'S IN THE BOAT by Lisa Burch<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYK5kHK5_noLbB3rb6wNVoa0H3M558xpNiDH6aJsADQz73c9I2tTq1qTvee-O0X3-hbfznK-398A4n0kcm3qHzapMyTfLpb3lFOi6LLRAhjR7sFs7L1mMT5p32S1vrgopg8P9bKHdh98uX5B2Hbx2aoyjskTpzjAsT63NMi_FMJ5fNPTwsYzPdMbNk23BU/s499/whoosintheboat_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="499" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYK5kHK5_noLbB3rb6wNVoa0H3M558xpNiDH6aJsADQz73c9I2tTq1qTvee-O0X3-hbfznK-398A4n0kcm3qHzapMyTfLpb3lFOi6LLRAhjR7sFs7L1mMT5p32S1vrgopg8P9bKHdh98uX5B2Hbx2aoyjskTpzjAsT63NMi_FMJ5fNPTwsYzPdMbNk23BU/s320/whoosintheboat_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Whoos-Boat-Lisa-Burch/dp/1667874233/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AGUVIWUAGT65&keywords=whoos+in+the+boat&qid=1690461173&sprefix=whoos+in+the+boat%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1" target="_blank">WHOO'S IN THE BOAT</a></b></h2><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">by Lisa Burch</h3><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Illustrated by Kristi Goldsmith</h3><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Whoo's In The Boat details the spiritual journey of Jody, his dog Salty, and Good owl.</span> </p><p><b style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">My Take:</b></p><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Jody's life in a harbor town is filled with dreams of being a fisherman, and also one day of being a Fisher of Men, following Jesus' Great Commission to tell others about Him. When he finds a shipwrecked small sailboat while wandering the shore, he gets a clear call from God to use it to spread the word. So with the help of his dog Salty and his friend Good Owl, he repairs the boat and sails into the unknown with God as his captain, and a dolphin named Harmony as his guide.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s1600/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Content:</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Well, this is a children's picture book, and is squeaky clean on every level. The main point of the book is to carry the Good News to others and share God's Love with them. At 32 beautifully watercolor illustrated pages, it's about a 15 minute read in a family or Kids' Ministry setting</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Just right for a night when you want to share with children the desire God has for us to share His Good News. </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The Christian content of the book is pretty evident throughout, and the concepts are down on the bottom shelf, worded in language that a five year old can grasp. Between the covers here we find adventure, prayer for protection, diligence, perseverance, and obedience. Jody listens for God's voice and direction. God provides guidance and protection. Jody does what he can, and his efforts bear fruit. At the end of the book is a set of verses recorded, a Captain's Log that are key verses for sharing the Gospel. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Five Stars!</span></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-align: left; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: small;">About the Author</span></span></h3><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></p><div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 6px 10px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lisa Brubaker Burch grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and currently resides in Mississippi. While pursuing a career in nursing, Lisa worked as a daycare instructor and kindergarten assistant teacher at St. Luke United Methodist. She also has taught in various children's programs including Sunday school, vacation bible school, and gymnastics. As a critical care nurse she served as a patient caregiver, educator, and team leader. Later she conducted cardiac research studies at Memphis Heart Clinic which led to her current occupation as a health and wellness instructor. She has a passion for assisting others to a better life mentally, physically, and most importantly, spiritually.</span></div><div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 6px 10px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 6px 10px !important; text-align: left;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: small;">About the Illustrator</span></span></h3><div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 6px 10px !important;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kristi Goldsmith grew up in a family that always encouraged her to pursue her artistic passions. She studied fashion at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and fine art at the Art Academy of the University of Memphis. When her dear friend, Lisa Burch, wrote Whoo's In The Boat, Kristi knew she wanted to contribute to the project because it spoke to her artistic creativity and resonated with her religious upbringing. Kristi maintains a close relationship with God and is eager to help children establish their own relationships with Him.</span></div><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></p>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-41365511505788455452023-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:002024-02-16T05:36:24.826-08:00Review: The Shard by Victoria Simcox<p> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F6CGMY0/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Shard by Victoria Simcox</a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81u+oxey9lL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="226" height="360" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81u+oxey9lL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse. Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the "Black Shard," Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.</span><br /><p><br /></p><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></h4><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In this second installment of the Bernovem Chronicles, Kristina has moved on with her life, and her experiences at Bernovem are beginning to seem a fading dream. Only the music box and the dormant Warble remind her that any of that happened. But when her family forces her to go to a horse camp over the summer with the school bully, she knows her life is about to turn a miserable corner. Her old arch-enemies Hester and Davina are there and try to hurt her in a dangerous prank. But the prank sends the three of them back to Bernovem, where her old friend Prince Werrien is about to sail to his homeland, Tezerel. On the voyage, things seem idyllic, almost perfect. But visions of an evil hag in her reflections, and undercurrents of a deadly plot centered around a dangerous Shard threaten to prevent Kristina from ever returning home. And staying would mean disaster for everyone, including her.</span></span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - There's a small bit of drinking in this. Not even on the level of Disney.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - There is little violence in this. A near drowning. A poisoning. Evil races are created through magic transformations. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - This is, again, on a level with a Disney movie. There is a little childhood romance, and a first kiss. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">There is an undercurrent of direction by a divine and benevolent but unrevealed character. There is prayer and answered prayer, faith and guidance. Self sacrifice and a clear depiction of evil vs good here. As the stakes rise and the plot thickens, things are revealed concerning the spiritual forces at play here.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">The Shard is a fantastic read, a satisfying continuation to the Bernovem Chronicles, filled with adventure and fantasy. Dwarves, monsters, fairies, magic, evil queens, and talking animals make for a page turner of a fantasy with a solid amount of world-building. Engaging character arcs and immersive scenery contribute to a satisfying return to the land of magic. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s266/vsimcox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s1600/vsimcox.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;">I was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. I now lives in Western Washington with my husband, Russ and our three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Beside being a writer, I am a home-schooling mother of thirteen years and an elementary school art teacher of twelve years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Website: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></span><span style="font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/"></a></span></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-72087632701340120462023-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:002024-02-16T05:34:47.952-08:00Review: The Warble by Victoria Simcox<p> </p><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91XfVz0-wOL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="226" height="360" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91XfVz0-wOL._AC_CR0%2C0%2C0%2C0_SX480_SY360_.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br />Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift that transports her to the land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, she is honored as “the chosen one” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Warble” in its resting place. She must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before reaching her destination. Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, a prince, and an evil queen; all these and more can be found in The Warble, an enchanting tale of intrigue and adventure. </h4><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></h4><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Kristina is a shy and bullied girl whose only friend seems to be a pet rat named Raymond. Her teacher gives her a Christmas present in a strange hatbox. A hatbox some of the bullies on the bus try to steal from her. Inside the locked hatbox is a small tarnished silver ball called a Warble - one that transports her, and anyone who touched the hatbox, into another land called Bernovem - a land under a spell by Queen Sentiz. And only the Chosen One can take the Warble and place it in its rightful place, an act that will end the evil queen's reign on Bernovem. But of course the powerful queen will do anything to prevent that from happening.</span></span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There's a bit of drinking in this, mainly by the bad people. One of the antagonists is a drunkard and his stupor causes hilarious mistakes.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The violence in here, while significant, is reminiscent of Narnia or Disney movies. The bad monsters are killed and turn conveniently to dust. The queen is completely without pity, and pushes a servant who is sick to the point of death, then wonders why he is not moving to obey her whim.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - This is, again, on a level with a Disney movie. There is a little childhood romance, but not even a kiss. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">None. There is however the admonishment to have faith, and the story does revolve around being chosen for a great purpose, and to be true to that purpose against insurmountable odds. Friendship and loyalty play a big part in this novel, as do betrayal and evil. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">The Warble is an exciting read, filled with adventure and fantasy. Dwarves, monsters, fairies, magic, evil queens, and talking animals make for a page turner of a fantasy with a solid amount of world-building. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s266/vsimcox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwo7WUOPAOZg4rQrzXSh35GHcdxUAIc-V_zsqQ2w92i4ws37ejW-zJyTx6-Dkq84G_jB_TAPgtQSiy8r0sO52ksHKaNGFKD31L8u4eqfG-PQVYOXGOpbLUR_LljJvqwwz9wCUoKm7YEUnnzDmwxbZEwVpzGfltKvL0yrotoeOvPYHuSxGq7IHUNPO2nQ/s1600/vsimcox.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #373e3e; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;">I was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. I now lives in Western Washington with my husband, Russ and our three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Beside being a writer, I am a home-schooling mother of thirteen years and an elementary school art teacher of twelve years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;">Website: <a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">victoriasimcox.blogspot.com</a></span><span style="font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://victoriasimcox.blogspot.com/"></a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-8021938953746427042023-03-28T15:21:00.000-07:002023-03-28T15:21:13.854-07:00Review: The Tell-All by Libby Howard<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072R235GS/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Tell-All</a></span></p><h2 id="bookSeries" style="background-color: white; color: #382110; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 4px 0px;"></h2><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 12px;"><span class="by" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">by</span> </span><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Libby Howard</span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"></span></span></p><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br /><span style="font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA530f0PSDf48rqfcivsA0CahsGcmly6XZgVehKdU_4DdbYmWF6uYiAYjF4tuigYIQ1OfKUEjQ-YRiEXEikYIcJjIUMdIR3xM18_9VALcOo6K8yNn24QBuIZQmYZBiSU_tHwcYRI4prOzc4syydf6X3VdE4IDcyzSEUJZfPo56nr9UZqeSmGWgCEC8rQ/s2500/The%20TellAll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1629" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA530f0PSDf48rqfcivsA0CahsGcmly6XZgVehKdU_4DdbYmWF6uYiAYjF4tuigYIQ1OfKUEjQ-YRiEXEikYIcJjIUMdIR3xM18_9VALcOo6K8yNn24QBuIZQmYZBiSU_tHwcYRI4prOzc4syydf6X3VdE4IDcyzSEUJZfPo56nr9UZqeSmGWgCEC8rQ/s320/The%20TellAll.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Life at sixty isn't quite what Kay Carrera expected. She's working as a skip-tracer for a PI who is desperate to land his own reality TV show. She has a new roommate who arrived with more than the usual amount of baggage. And her attempts at knitting are less than stellar – way less than stellar. Worse, the cataract surgery that restored her sight has also delivered an unexpected and disturbing side-effect. Kay sees ghosts. And when the dead turn to her for help, she just can't say no.</span></span></span><p></p></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></h4><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: large;">Kay Carrera is getting life redefined at sixty, the hard way. Her husband she's spent her life with has recently passed after suffering for years after a terrible accident. She's picked up a job as a skip-tracer for a PI, one who'd rather be a star. In order to keep her house, she's had to take on boarders... ones with problems of their own. She's had cataract surgery too, which cleared things up a lot, but gave her an unexpected side-effect - she's seeing ghosts. In the small town of Locust Point, there's not a lot of excitement... but all of that is about to change too.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: large;">With the discovery of a prostitution ring in their small town, things get really dicey, especially when the Madam turns up dead. And the ghost in Kay's eye is asking for help to solve the murder.</span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - There's a significant amount of drinking in this, mainly social drinking, but there's also a keg party where teens are drinking. The main character chides herself over how often she's seen with alcohol by her new tenant.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - This is a murder mystery, so somebody is killed. Not a lot of blood and gore though.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">R - Sorry to pop an R on this one, as there's no real sexual content on screen at all. This isn't erotica, which I don't review. But there's a prostitution ring that was operating in the city, and there are a ton of kinks discussed in some detail in the book, or at least defined. People can be pretty sick. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">Nada. There's one mention of praying, but it's to a goddess, and likely that's in jest. That having been said, there's some value here in at least the desire of a dad to hold his family together, and love of family. There's an instance where someone puts themselves in harm's way for someone else. There's also an undercurrent of persistence and diligence in getting to the bottom of an injustice. As many of us have had to do, Kay deals with a recent death of a loved one with grace and a few tears. Death is something all of us have to deal with here, and this book touches on grief well.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">I'll drop a warning here that there's a few short passages in here that might be triggers for some. But the writing in this novel is entertaining, witty, and engrossing. It rolls across the pages as a comfortable cozy mystery with a bit of spice and sauce, and I found it hard to put down. I liked the character development and even through all the sauce and sass there were some real moments. Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author</b></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjko61vMgt7VvXLLacaVD1utvSD5WY4VXTynhLe8JFMUcY9439i11Cms8btL4mlDD_ryVipju5ypBG1FGlGGIx3e__-hcKSjEORQDpUaHldeKqFBWlawRlsXGly4T9WrcaDUBMB4NXJSoX1jsZUW57uGynQ-sJeL7ql5Ajg_hLmbCdxy1bPxgU3ujdA/s449/bmc7equ04hg0vg6qs0gsqne0k9._SX300_CR0,0,0,0_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjko61vMgt7VvXLLacaVD1utvSD5WY4VXTynhLe8JFMUcY9439i11Cms8btL4mlDD_ryVipju5ypBG1FGlGGIx3e__-hcKSjEORQDpUaHldeKqFBWlawRlsXGly4T9WrcaDUBMB4NXJSoX1jsZUW57uGynQ-sJeL7ql5Ajg_hLmbCdxy1bPxgU3ujdA/s320/bmc7equ04hg0vg6qs0gsqne0k9._SX300_CR0,0,0,0_.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />Libby Howard lives in a little house in the woods with her sons and two exuberant bloodhounds. She occasionally knits, occasionally bakes, and occasionally manages to do a load of laundry. Most of her writing is done in a bar where she can combine work with people-watching, a decent micro-brew, and a plate of Old Bay wings.</span></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #373e3e; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Ember, amazon_ember, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-26407330379772036262023-03-23T10:47:00.006-07:002023-03-23T10:55:43.433-07:00Review: Glory Revealed by Paula K Parker<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0990976181/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0990976181&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Glory Revealed</a></span></p><h2 id="bookSeries" style="background-color: white; color: #382110; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 4px 0px;"></h2><div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: left;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 12px;"><span class="by" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">by</span> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><a href="http://www.paulakparker.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Paula K Parker</a></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMXAVZ20jTlmIbDAY3msEBLSAmYOcejkypaczHx55jQnkNBIbKp34Bgp9vrHBd2VgH0AdqxaOjGyBlNRvsKJM9-qLWKP45_B1MWdCkQfMM5t1KzrKffPY7gV5v1ul-xNNy0cJUxhoRl1o81sr33zSw1hktPyZqqeqfZ9oDVcGNNTn5PbU_UjiBbr7OQ/s952/31355704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMXAVZ20jTlmIbDAY3msEBLSAmYOcejkypaczHx55jQnkNBIbKp34Bgp9vrHBd2VgH0AdqxaOjGyBlNRvsKJM9-qLWKP45_B1MWdCkQfMM5t1KzrKffPY7gV5v1ul-xNNy0cJUxhoRl1o81sr33zSw1hktPyZqqeqfZ9oDVcGNNTn5PbU_UjiBbr7OQ/s320/31355704.jpg" width="202" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #1e1915;"><br />Beauty Unveiled, the first book of the SISTERS OF LAZARUS series, introduces Martha and Mary, the two sisters of Lazarus, who couldn't have been more different. Martha, the elder, is plain and self-conscious; Mary, the younger, is beautiful and vain. One saw her value only in serving, while the other believed her outward appearance was her only asset. Their worlds were turned upside down when Lazarus offered hospitality to an intriguing new teacher named Jesus.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915;">GLORY REVEALED: Sisters of Lazarus, Book Two picks up immediately where Beauty Unveiled ended, and carries the story of Christ to its glorious conclusion as seen through the eyes of those who witnessed firsthand the greatest story ever told.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="color: #1e1915;">Paula K. Parker's evocative writing draws readers in, allowing them to feel like a fellow guest sharing the sisters' wonder at meeting Jesus and his transforming power.</span></span><p></p></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></h4><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">When Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha invite the Teacher Jesus ben Joseph to visit one night a week before Passover, they know that they are inviting more than just a rabbi into their home. After all, raising Lazarus from the dead is only one of many miracles this prophet has performed.</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">But when Mary breaks open an alabaster vessel of spikenard that night and anoints Jesus' head and feet with it, the scandalous and wasteful act contributes to the untimely death of their friend. But, WAS it untimely? As WAS the act wasteful, or a pure act of worship to one who is far more than he seems? </span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s726/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrPK8Ha42iZxNH73HUc0Wsldp6kmXyxMcxgpq4x_2RXT7eeZn7f3_feiIWfBYO-k3orWKSafoJBA-zi-vsrT_gMsyMiVqP_nWDlzmNzz_uXdfGnfOnMj5GuMVsor4oXhrpDlUeZWV9-SCxoaozlTLXiYGS7YV7yUf7pnoq4h3HzewvbmX5OA7gH7t54A/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - While wine is used in this novel, it's squeaky clean. The Roman soldiers are accused of being drunk, but even THEY weren't having any excess..</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - You cannot talk about or in any way describe the flogging by a Roman soldier, the abusive games by them, or the horrors of crucifixion, without getting rather gory. While this novel did a reasonable job describing the events of the crucifixion, the descriptions are not wantonly graphic, and fall far short of the Mel Gibson movie, Passion of the Christ. In one place the flogging, as it's going on, is dispassionately described as the torture it is, by one of the Roman characters.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">G - While there is some swearing in this book it contains none of the common curse words in English, and involves oaths more than cursing. The language in this book is squeaky clean. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There are quite a few conversations about marriage and the consummation of a wedding, but no details at all. A significant part of this book revolves around one of the characters and her fielding hopefuls for her hand in marriage, and the alignment of houses. In some ways the interactions could make the book more of a romance, but again, it's squeaky clean..</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">This is a retelling of the last week leading up to the Passover and crucifixion of Jesus. Christian content is heavily laced throughout. It covers the social and spiritual interactions leading up to that critical historical event from the juxtaposed perspectives of characters that are either aligned FOR, or AGAINST, the savior.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">This is a masterfully written, immersive vignette into the lives of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and the impact crater of Jesus Christ on their lives, both socially, and spiritually. The world-building is phenomenal. The plot is incredibly gripping, no matter how often you've read the biblical account. The character arcs are fully three-dimensional, and you get a better feel for the conflicts in such pivotal characters as Judas Iscariot, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Nicodemus. I couldn't put this book down, it made me late coming home from work, I had to finish it! Five Stars!</div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman"; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">About the Author:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "times new roman"; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zs2jIM0sK4NIAUe0c_JUjbyG6G2GZQto-fy4GxttCCHyPlS2FvIXhCbhwT3Jzrj8gxkD_5EI5dt6W2nFXyOxbTCEnEVBpkbaPEckQeKvbEMf_-iNSW431oahvxXg4iw_rfG6ZT5ZWMLf4nLNXm8znfAJ1mCvnRcvq7rPwzCdKU5D7_4wLpLa1KKv7A/s200/PaulaParker.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Zs2jIM0sK4NIAUe0c_JUjbyG6G2GZQto-fy4GxttCCHyPlS2FvIXhCbhwT3Jzrj8gxkD_5EI5dt6W2nFXyOxbTCEnEVBpkbaPEckQeKvbEMf_-iNSW431oahvxXg4iw_rfG6ZT5ZWMLf4nLNXm8znfAJ1mCvnRcvq7rPwzCdKU5D7_4wLpLa1KKv7A/s1600/PaulaParker.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Paula K. Parker has been writing as long as she can remember. With a poet father, writer mother and a story-teller grandmother, she has always been comfortable in the world of words. Early training in music and theater led Paula to a life-long love for the arts. This passion eventually brought her to Nashville, Tennessee, where she—along with her writer husband, Mike--helped establish Carpenter’s Playhouse and Springhouse Theatre Company [formerly LampLighter’s Theatre].</span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: left;">A stint in the public schools, along with seventeen years of home schooling her five children, resulted in not only a quick wit and a unique sense of humor, but also the ability to effectively communicate ideas on a broad range of subjects to a wide age of readers.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since 1995, Paula has been a professional freelance writer, with more than 1000 articles, sketches, plays, scripts, corporate copy-writing, nonfiction books and novels to her credit. She has written for such national publications as Christian Single, Christian Health, Clarity, Family Fun (Disney), Citizen (Focus on the Family), HomeLife, Living with Teenagers, the National Drama Service, ParentLife, Release Ink, PB&J, Profile and Bible Express magazines. She contributed to The Young Believer's Case Files with Stephen Arterburn (Tyndale), Thomas Nelson's award-winning Thomas Nelson Bible-zine, Becoming and their American Women's Bible. Online she has written for Crosswalk.com and was a contributing writer for the entertainment page at LifeWay.com for over twelve years. She is the Senior Editor for the online entertainment magazine, BuddyHollywood.com. Since 2013, she has written curriculum for the WinShape summer camp program.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Paula is an accomplished playwright, having written numerous produced full-length plays—which have been performed internationally—short sketches, and One-Acts. She is best known for her sparkling stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility and Jane Austen’s Emma.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 2010, her first novel was released, YHWH, The Flood, The Fish and The Giant, and the sequel, YESHUA, The King, The Demon and The Traitor, co-written with NY Times best-selling author, GP Taylor. Her biblical novel, SISTERS OF LAZARUS; Beauty Unveiled, reached Amazon’s Top Ten Best-seller’s list for biblical fiction. The sequel, GLORY REVEALED: Sisters of Lazarus, Book Two, hit Amazon’s Top 100 Hot New Releases in Christian Historical Fiction. The third in the series, GRACE EXTENDED, reached Amazon’s Top Ten Hot New Releases list for biblical fiction, and Amazon’s Top One Hundred List for Hot New Releases for Ancient History Fiction. Her novel, THE CARPENTER AND HIS BRIDE; The Birth of Hope debuted at #39 on the Bestsellers in Biblical Fiction chart.</div></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-88135474416825952512023-03-17T21:20:00.001-07:002023-03-17T21:20:51.974-07:00Review: 2700 Miles by Norbert Reichert<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 24px;">2700 Miles</span></p><h2 id="bookSeries" style="background-color: white; color: #382110; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 4px 0px;"></h2><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="by" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">by</span> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Norbert Reichert</span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8C0cGpMIm8XRBTRSYdgQB2JIkOz6KIlDV-VrnBPeCkAD1qRGTKBYUoUO9kqHKbtdFcGl8WMWHjgzlEePQv55ErQT3OCgOlAZWICwXWXDJVg64FzLf7kSES6YutjLinxgqEJz54FHBTbYujjiJhyDIknfLY60CIL5jKbgtdKvBztbvOY9F1z_tcX7Fw/s500/2700Miles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8C0cGpMIm8XRBTRSYdgQB2JIkOz6KIlDV-VrnBPeCkAD1qRGTKBYUoUO9kqHKbtdFcGl8WMWHjgzlEePQv55ErQT3OCgOlAZWICwXWXDJVg64FzLf7kSES6YutjLinxgqEJz54FHBTbYujjiJhyDIknfLY60CIL5jKbgtdKvBztbvOY9F1z_tcX7Fw/s320/2700Miles.jpg" width="226" /></a></div></div><p><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">After a nuclear holocaust, a mutated virus sweeps across the nation. Scientists find a cure, but not enough medicine is left to manufacture it. Frank and Simko leave their small community in a decrepit old semi truck, one of the few vehicles still working, to search through what is left of civilization for medical supplies.</span></p></div><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: left;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></h4><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Radiation from a nuclear holocaust produces a mutated virus that threatens to wipe out what is left of humanity. Scientists at what's left of the CDC race to find a cure, but even after one is found, supplies are too low to manufacture it. Simko and Frank leave the shelter of the barricaded facility in an armored semi, to raid hospitals around North America, to retrieve enough supplies to save a remnant of society. But the anarchy outside threatens to destroy them at every stop. </span></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJyNjTudGp5tNO572mE6atAEv5D9NUZkoZrGk0eKg3hu2tBHk5nVUEvIr32AjHxD4Qi9DZjLiGLSl-PIffBT0DGDnLLTS7VeMpeD2ceqJRrfpPksI625Z-95phc3m72sIKk5s6IE0R_H2eEcu0vtCOuY-CSQmCqxjw0gZ2QJeZAXFAa6H0aEAhES27w/s727/4star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="727" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJyNjTudGp5tNO572mE6atAEv5D9NUZkoZrGk0eKg3hu2tBHk5nVUEvIr32AjHxD4Qi9DZjLiGLSl-PIffBT0DGDnLLTS7VeMpeD2ceqJRrfpPksI625Z-95phc3m72sIKk5s6IE0R_H2eEcu0vtCOuY-CSQmCqxjw0gZ2QJeZAXFAa6H0aEAhES27w/s320/4star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - Characters are attacked by drunken raiders. Crystal meth is mentioned, the effects of drugs described, as is getting high.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">R - There's a good deal of graphic and gratuitous violence in this book. People are hunted like animals, and skeletal remains paint a stark portrait of the depravity of the human soul. Wounded humans are gunned down, run over, burned alive. Human cannibalism is a concern. Murder for sport is common.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - Jesus' name is taken in vain 6 times. God's name is taken in vain 25 times. Various other swear words are used periodically throughout. It's liberally salted with a significant dose of language. </div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - There are multiple references to gang rape, sex slaves, and necrophilia. Nothing occurs onscreen, though.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">The Virgin Mary is mentioned, and there are several instances where characters pray. Some characters struggle with the overwhelming desire to do what is right, in a world where only the evil seem to survive. Even in such a harsh world, there are some who care for and help others, and even risk their lives for total strangers. Others seem irredeemably evil, finding entertainment in killing strangers for fun. One enemy is praying over his killed son, and the characters feel hesitant to kill him while he's praying.</div><div><br /></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">I have to admit, while the pacing of this book seemed slow in parts, (735 pages!) and very slow to start, it was a gripping adventure once the direct action of the main characters began, and they seemed pitted against insurmountable odds. Every city they visited seemed to have its own deadly traps, enemies, and roadblocks. Some characters were three dimensional, and displayed haunting backstories and fatal flaws, while others had no depth at all. The worldbuilding was immersive, the characters reasonably real, the stakes as high as they could be. I would have given this a higher rating except for the tremendous length and pacing. Four Stars!</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbUSI1Uq05Prbq_EJy-NUsnBwrLnl_bZYSIorpKBKW8Esc30RexprrmGrCEmEA5jjpKDkPMbIXrDjPYYBeXq4Q9iInhab9tBI8D-GGV_dhvJimXgZWfBuWKe05VYGFpX4S_nAhEfCPf8VRp4uZVjk3mrUzXTOWuNxSJvZl-Ie0nHZdtRk8fmqI3dR3A/s200/6008595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="200" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbUSI1Uq05Prbq_EJy-NUsnBwrLnl_bZYSIorpKBKW8Esc30RexprrmGrCEmEA5jjpKDkPMbIXrDjPYYBeXq4Q9iInhab9tBI8D-GGV_dhvJimXgZWfBuWKe05VYGFpX4S_nAhEfCPf8VRp4uZVjk3mrUzXTOWuNxSJvZl-Ie0nHZdtRk8fmqI3dR3A/s1600/6008595.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">About the Author:</b></div></div></div></div></div></div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111;"><div id="bookAuthors" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 8px;">Norbert Reichert was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1977. He emigrated to Canada with his parents in 1989, and became a citizen in 1992. He went to college to became an electrical engineering technician, then soon after he started an apprenticeship in the elevator trade. Somewhere about 2011, he read a highly acclaimed book which he found unreadable, making him think that he could do better. That day he bought a laptop, and all the endless stories in his head started emerging on screen. While building the scaffolding of his first novel, he wrote the first two children's books in the Susie and Shadow series.</div><div style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></div></div></span></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-9689234143067890722023-03-14T11:19:00.000-07:002023-03-14T11:19:00.036-07:00Review: Heirs of Power by Kay MacLeod<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 24px;">Heirs of Power</span></p><h2 id="bookSeries" style="background-color: white; color: #382110; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 4px 0px;"></h2><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="by" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div class="authorName__container" style="color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16870760.Kari_Lynn_West" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px; text-decoration-line: none;">K</a>ay MacLeod</div></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSS9bH_dCHTzknsilj_WNGCzxb2rM3_daWZOI_oy4wyk8ls9PM0ls6oFASrk47uiErrXAoDMwGmWV2vw_sqnSfn6PIGnrglp2QpZ9ew6Oc2xni4EYLNGp_pHuKFWu-I871H_KktkNZOE3kFoMXFH3EybU_CAg2xsWLldKLH_mPNn-jJ4mQYGVnSKyaA/s346/Heirs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSS9bH_dCHTzknsilj_WNGCzxb2rM3_daWZOI_oy4wyk8ls9PM0ls6oFASrk47uiErrXAoDMwGmWV2vw_sqnSfn6PIGnrglp2QpZ9ew6Oc2xni4EYLNGp_pHuKFWu-I871H_KktkNZOE3kFoMXFH3EybU_CAg2xsWLldKLH_mPNn-jJ4mQYGVnSKyaA/s320/Heirs.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />Those gifted with power don’t get to choose a normal life.<p></p><p><br /></p><p>Kitty Fairlow’s hunting skills come from more than years of protecting her secluded village. She inherited an ancient spirit, a secret long kept, even from her. Until now.</p><p>Grey-skinned creatures out of portals to a barren land rip Kitty away from her idyllic life. Her quest is to gather a group of heroes capable of defending their world against a race that devours life energy. Though she hasn’t prepared for this duty, she was born for it. She is a Constellation.</p><p><br /></p><p>And she’s not the only one.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kitty, along with a high-born dancer and snarky juggler who can’t stand each other, must find the rest of their kind soon. Because otherwise they’ll be dead before they even realise they are the last hope to save the world.</p><p><br style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;" /></p></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman";">My Take:</b></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="font-size: 12px;"><div id="bookAuthors" style="font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">When Kitty Fairlaw discovers a group of men trying to activate what looks like a magic urn, it tosses her headlong into an adventure of discovery - about who she is, and where her incredible skills as an archer come from. On the way she discovers that a group of humans were empowered by a dying race with supernatural gifts and abilities, each different, to defend their world from an evil race bent on invasion and destruction.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">. </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s1600/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">PG - <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There are several instances of drinking, and one in which a girl's judgement is clouded by drinking, and she's almost taken advantage of.</span>.</span></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is about as much violence as you'd expect in Lord of the Rings. A few decapitations, a hand gets dismembered, there is some torture, and some creatures get stabbed in the eye. In this kind of war-level medieval adventure, these violent exchanges are expected, but enough of it gets described to earn this a PG-13</span>.</div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - A few mild expletives salt the pages in only a few places. </div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG-13 - <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">While there is no casual sex or unmarried sex, there are two scenes of attempted rape. Nothing happens, but a girl's outer garments are removed and she's tied to a tree. It's a fairly critical plot point, and it doesn't go further. </span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Several times a male attacker is kneed in the groin. One time a joke is made with an innuendo attached</p><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">There's nothing specifically Christian about this novel. Yet there are some eternal truths that are exposed in its plot. This book is packed with examples of selflessness and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, even for the benefit of others who have no idea there is a sacrifice being made, even for those who revile and persecute, and try to destroy. Loving your enemies. Giving or witholding quarter. Loyalty and a higher purpose are on display here, and trusting to the point of imminent death.<br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Families can find much to discuss here that would give them a chance to point so someone else who was willing to sacrifice himself. Just saying</span>.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">This was an outstanding, well-written adventure story filled with epic fantasy elements of magic and swashbuckling, the things I love to read about. The world-building here is phenomenal, epic backstories that are mostly merely hinted at, a multi-dimensional immersive rollercoaster ride. The characters are fully three-dimensional, with abilities, fatal flaws, and character arcs to identify with. Five Stars!</span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel6Y0c8v8m5bJ7ChW4Hslxm_jGwG89PDcVryJRHkrMOevmLYM6yxfi43CAp1w5rOBf3H68RjUE_wNJqNg_pOav1BSaUy_es6FaVH2AnMOqZdQcjRpb58mog0Zn2-O82Hcq33JDeer3nW11Zh9eJFWbKsGEUBHfXttBfTY5LGXBjlczyf86-6fGDOUJQ/s200/KMacLeod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="113" data-original-width="200" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiel6Y0c8v8m5bJ7ChW4Hslxm_jGwG89PDcVryJRHkrMOevmLYM6yxfi43CAp1w5rOBf3H68RjUE_wNJqNg_pOav1BSaUy_es6FaVH2AnMOqZdQcjRpb58mog0Zn2-O82Hcq33JDeer3nW11Zh9eJFWbKsGEUBHfXttBfTY5LGXBjlczyf86-6fGDOUJQ/s1600/KMacLeod.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author:</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span face=""Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #0f1111; font-size: 14px;"><div id="bookAuthors" style="color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Authentic characters, innovative abilities, serious snark!</span></div></span></span></div><p>Kay MacLeod is a fantasy addict from Nottinghamshire in England. She loves magical worlds and spends much more time in them than that boring real one.</p><p>If Kay isn’t writing, or thinking about writing, she’ll be immersed in reading, gaming, playing bass at church, or painting miniatures. She grew up addicted to Terry Pratchett books, Magic: The Gathering, and lording it over her fellow nerds as the DM in Dungeons & Dragons games. Fortunately, this gave her plenty of storytelling practice and made her grateful that all the characters do as they’re told now other people aren’t controlling them.</p><p>Kay’s gaming experience shines through in her works, from the Pokemon-inspired Maiyamon books to her epic fantasy, which readers say has a hint of a Dragon Age tale.</p><p>With character development at the heart of each story, they’re backed up by distinctive magic systems and a dash of sarcastic humour that gives Kay MacLeod her unique voice.</p><p>You can reach her at her website at <a href="http://kaymacleodbooks.com">kaymacleodbooks.com</a> or follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/KayMacLeodBooks">@KayMacLeodBooks</a></p><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5408938726825245529.post-4019524672317012362021-02-16T14:23:00.000-08:002021-02-16T14:23:16.178-08:00Review: The Secrets of Islayne by Kari Lynn West<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 24px;">The Secrets of Islayne</span></p><h2 id="bookSeries" style="background-color: white; color: #382110; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; margin: 4px 0px;"></h2><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span class="by" style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">by</span> <span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><div class="authorName__container" style="color: #333333; display: inline-block; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><a class="authorName" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16870760.Kari_Lynn_West" itemprop="url" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px; text-decoration-line: none;">Kari Lynn West</a></div></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiIVof3ED-d73TVUMn3EWNLU6oKgVq0ovvZsbp-b3wR5pw_XsOAZyDtFM08oN8TVkLzJNXO-d5m39n4Pa8oVLQ4xdi0S3CTkLFQgRXmECaX72JmLVgKIDCcrtMiX1BZ3eTXAJLEpSI2MG/s475/35176870._SY475_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSiIVof3ED-d73TVUMn3EWNLU6oKgVq0ovvZsbp-b3wR5pw_XsOAZyDtFM08oN8TVkLzJNXO-d5m39n4Pa8oVLQ4xdi0S3CTkLFQgRXmECaX72JmLVgKIDCcrtMiX1BZ3eTXAJLEpSI2MG/s320/35176870._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><span id="freeText10733060755745533281" style="display: inline; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A powerful island. A dangerous mystery. An impossible choice.<br /><br />For centuries, the island of Islayne has given certain residents the ability to revive other people’s memories. These gifted individuals are known as luminators, and sixteen-year-old Ronan Saunders desperately desires to join their illustrious ranks. As he struggles against the prejudice of the old, powerful families who have an iron grip on the trade, Ronan falls under the tutelage of a reclusive luminator, rumored to be insane.<br /><br />Just when his long-desired future is within reach, Ronan and his three friends discover a deadly secret on the island. As they delve deeper into the mystery, what they find forces them to question their loyalties, doubt long-held beliefs, and wrestle with the dire consequences of revealing the truth. Ronan finds himself torn between everything he loves and the only future he’s ever wanted. The entire fate of the lumination trade hangs in the balance of his decision.</span><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span face="Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="font-size: 12px;"><div style="font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: medium;">My Take:</b></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 8px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">Ronan Saunders faces a serious uphill battle trying to break into the esteemed ranks of the luminators, a guild of psychics with the ability to pull out and enhance fading memories... for a price. It is a very lucrative business, but one shrouded in mystery. The only place on earth where this ability seems to manifest is on the tiny island of Islayne, in one region of the island. And only certain families who live there seem to possess the gifts necessary to become a luminator. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">Yet Ronan possesses these gifts, though he is not from one of the guild families. His abilities and perhaps his close teen friends on the island give him some hope that he will be able to break into the guild, but all the odds seem stacked against him. Until, after a final crushing defeat, he is taken on by a rogue luminator as an apprentice. </span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">As Ronan's powers develop, and he gets closer to becoming a full-fledged luminator, one of his friends stumbles into a carefully concealed secret; a secret long kept hidden, one that will blow the entire luminator practice wide open. A secret certain powerful people will stop at nothing to keep hidden. </span></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s1600/5star.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="726" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb_KdmlW5vlbL6Y_XXkuUz0piCsPNKA-bbzWBfWBdEm1e8Sb6pO_6a5hZCBVn0-tRbiVAWO-c7UOmLd0uZBMLgsMD580VUpCfVt5y_dWmCYsYNH6Dz6eYVY1Hdk44RlVm6WSeK4KnpQCO/s320/5star.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b style="font-family: "times new roman";">Content:</b></div></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Drug Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818; font-family: lato, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><span style="font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"></span></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">G - There is a little alcohol use, among adults only. </span></div></div></div><div style="color: #181818;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="stacked" id="bookAuthors" style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Violence:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There are a couple violent scenes, one where a person is knocked out from behind. There is a kidnapping and restraint, but mostly the violence is internal and psychic.</div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Language:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - A few mild expletives salt the pages in only a few places. God's name is used in this book, but only as an expletive a number of times.</div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Adult Content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">PG - There are a few innuendos in the work, but no encounters. There's a bit of teen angst, and a bit of romance, but nothing further.<br /><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Christian content:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">Not really any. I wouldn't have any issue handing this to my kids to read, as they are all into their teens or beyond. It's an amazing adventure story, and a quick read. It has loyalty, friendship, trust, and self-sacrifice in it. Truth and justice are strong themes in this fast-paced adventure.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>Final analysis:</b></div></div></div><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;">I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Adventure, intrigue, mystery, and action. Good scenery, nice world-building, excellent plot twists and nice character development. For a fanciful getaway into adventure and suspense it's one to take home. Five Stars!</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="font-family: "times new roman";"><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><b>About the Author:</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="color: #0f1111;">Kari Lynn West writes contemporary YA fantasy—normally while drinking far too much coffee. She likes to create character-driven stories that are set in the real world with a twist, weaving fantastical elements into everyday life. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two daughters.</span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; margin-bottom: 8px;"><br /></div></span></span></div><div id="bookAuthors" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><br /></span></div>Chris Solaashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219720842062077633noreply@blogger.com0