book review: Ryan's Father by June Foster

Buy on Amazon

Ryan's Father
June Foster

January 2014

WhiteFire Publishing

ISBN: 978-1939023186

From the publisher:

A young man at war with himself

The rippling influence of Ryan Reid's less than moral mother and absent father left a mark on his soul. Yet everything changed when the young teacher gave his life to the Lord...almost everything.
An earthquake hurls the beautiful Sandy Arrington into his life, tossing his world upside down. But when God calls him to build an annex for needy teens at his church, he finds himself battling an attraction toward his male partner in the project. His own struggles and Sandy's growing feelings for him force Ryan to face the issue he's long buried.

Can he dig his way out from under his secret to find Sandy's love?

My review:

First of all, kudos to June Foster for writing so sensitively about a subject that’s normally taboo in inspirational fiction, and thank you to WhiteFire for publishing it.

Lust, temptation, sin is a daily struggle for many people, forgiven or not, Christ-loving or not. Those who have even looked with lust upon another are guilty of sin…what if a faithful, Christ-professing young man looked with lust upon another man? Ryan Reid’s torture is very real and genuinely and eloquently revealed in this story. His anguish weeps from the pages, and readers can’t help but lift him up as he painfully struggles to realign his life.

Ryan’s female love interest, Sandy, is confused by Ryan, thinking at first that he has feelings for his friend’s girlfriend. Her journey to realization includes much self-healing as well; honestly felt, shared, and reckoned with.

Foster’s lovingly written story is fiction; she admits that the struggle and recovery period aren’t meant as a guide for those who truly want to take back their lives, but the story is one of hope and grace.

Recommended for those who can handle the tough side of faith matters.

CrossReads Book Blast With Sharon A. Lavy

 

Deadly Secret By Sharon A Lavy  

About the Book

The covering on Evalena Davidson’s head invites all kinds of confidences and sharing, a blessing on Denton Community Hospital’s oncology ward. But people expect her to be perfect, which makes living up to the promise of her Old German Baptist uniform a challenge. Pete Neper, head of the sanitation department senses unrest among the employees but finds it a challenge to track down the cause. Danni Wagoner, another oncology nurse is implicated in a drug scam. Old German Baptist Brethren with their adherence to traditional ways do not get involved with the law. But how can Evalena turn her back on a friend? This unlikely trio put their lives and reputation at risk to uncover a deadly secret in an attempt to identify a killer before someone else dies.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK

 

Sharon A Lavy Writer of Inspirational Women's fiction with a touch of Suspense. Sharon A Lavy lives with her husband in SW Ohio. When not reading, writing, or sewing for her family, she enjoys traveling with her husband in the German crafted Flight Design airplane they call PaPa. Sharon is best known in the novel writing community, as that German Baptist lady. In the Old German Baptist community she's a dressmaker, a pattern maker, and the sister who writes. And in her own mind she's a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, but above all a child of God. ~~ Her greatest desire is to be a woman after God's own heart~~ Sharon has a heart for hurting women, and writes women's fiction. Because when~~it's all said and done~~It's all about relationships.
Follow Sharon A Lavy  
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter below to enter a $50 amazon gift card, sponsored by author Sharon A Lavy! a Rafflecopter giveaway This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Non-fiction adventure book review: Two Are Better

Two Are Better book review

Tim and Debbie Bishop

 

Inspiration/Travel/Adventure

ISBN: 9780985624828

May 2013

Open Road Press

 
buy on Amazon

19.95 full color paperback

7.99 ebook

From the back:

Go for it! This unique and entertaining story proves it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. From an engagement to a cross-country trip in just ten weeks? And with no experience bicycle touring—or marriage! While Tim left behind a 26-year corporate career and familiar surroundings, Debbie was about to enter a “classroom” she hadn’t seen in 24 years of teaching. Was it a grand getaway or a big mistake?

My review:

Tim and Debbie Bishop are brave. They asked me to read and review Two Are Better, and I agreed, not realizing what an adventure I’d been given. My first shock was learning that the Bishops were my age when they undertook first-time marriage, followed by a cross-country bike trip for a honeymoon. My second shock was thinking, I wonder if I passed them, because some of the same roads they traveled out west were the same ones my husband and I took from the safety of our car, about the same time. We pass cyclists and shake our heads.

This book is not simply a travelogue, but a reflection on undertaking a life-transforming journey at what most people consider middle age. Changing one’s entire lifestyle by marriage is one thing, but then to go on a trip for which they both declared they were unprepared immediately thereafter is an interesting throw-you-in-the-deep-end method of learning to swim. The Bishops were honest about the trip and their feelings, and the events, throughout the trip.

Maps with the stops accompany the narrative, most of which is written by Tim, with paragraphs inserted in a different color by Debbie. My husband is a teacher, and I kept thinking while reading, he’d never, ever, allow himself to get home only hours before starting a new school year. He’s a different kind of teacher, though. I read the account also from a perspective of being married for more than half my life. It takes special people to be brave and blissfully ignorant to attempt a trip like this. I loved the photographs and accounts of crossing our country, what they learned about each other and themselves, as they traveled. While Tim’s style of writing occasionally waxes eloquently, a few quotes stuck out: “A delicate balancing act of making progress on multiple fronts was an instructional tutorial on married life.” “Most fears have some basis in reality, but we usually give them too much power….Everyone has the opportunity to come face to face with discovery.” And from Debbie, “Later, I came to realize that life as I had known it was gone forever....Although change may be more difficult [as we age], that doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t happen. When we stop changing, we stop growing.”

This is a great book for couples at any stage of their relationship, whether or not you’re planning an adventure. The Bishops are also working on a tutorial book about bicycle touring.

Book Review: The Love Thief novella by Daisy Jericho

The Love Thief
Daisy Jericho

Novella!
.99
Prism Book Group

From the Publisher:
When the jewelry gallery she works at is robbed, Sandra is not just the prime suspect; she is the only suspect. Desperate to clear her name, she reluctantly agrees to work with sexy former jewel thief, Alex Daniels, to recover the jewelry and catch a thief. 

He reminds her of the men who lounge half-naked across Ferraris in fragrance ads, aloof and confident in their looks. Alex can't believe anyone as naive and trusting as Sandra can be for real. Thrown together to solve the robbery, Alex feels his heart begin to thaw towards Sandra. As his feelings become stronger, Alex must ask her to rekindle a romance to her recently paroled ex-boyfriend, who holds the key to solving the robbery. 

In the end, Sandra must decide if it is more important to clear her name or follow her heart.

My Review:
The Love Thief author Daisy Jericho is from my home state, so of course I had to try it. A young lady with a boyfriend who set her up as a patsy in a past theft wants to keep her name clear when the jewelry store she works at is robbed. The consultant who works with a detective assigned to the case has a troubling history as well, and sparks fly when the young lady and the consultant match wits to catch the thief.

I enjoyed this quick read; the characters were fun, the story moved along quickly and the ending satisfying. Those who enjoy novellas--vastly different from full-length books-- and romances--which by nature are predictable--will enjoy Jericho's book. Enough twists and fun snarkiness, and a dog! to keep the reader enjoying each turn of the page.

Venture into Faeraven with Janalyn Voigt - special pricing today

Just seeing the cover of Janalyn's first book, DawnSinger, made me want to jump onto a wingabeast and fly into Faeraven. Naturally I was devastated when that first story came to an end. But now WayFarer is come! And hop on over to AuthorCulture for a special lesson about the fantasy creatures on Faeraven on January 8.

Amazon Kindle

Barnes and Noble Nook

Pelican Books e-book

 

Books paperback

DawnSinger: A headstrong young princess and the guardian sworn to protect her fly on winged horses to the Gate of Life above the Well of Light in a desperate bid to release the DawnKing, and the salvation he offers, into a divided land. Will they each learn in time that sometimes victory comes only through surrender?

 

 

 

WayFarer: When an untried youth ascends to the high throne of Faeraven, his mistakes tear kingdoms apart and allow just one chance at redemption. He must humble himself before the man he banished.

 

 

 

Enjoy the Trailer

 

 

About Janalyn Voigt

As children, my older brother and I would beg my father for bedtime stories, and he would give them.  His deep voice rumbled against my ear at his chest as he unfolded stories of exotic places like Oz and Neverland. My imagination carried on with the tales even after he closed the book for the night. When eventually he stopped reading stories, I began creating my own.

Within a few years I’d become storyteller of my neighborhood. The other children would gather in a circle on our lawn while I invented stories to entertain them. No one, including myself, thought of this as anything unusual. It wasn’t until my sixth-grade teacher pointed out my ability to spin a tale that I and my parents took note. This is how at the age of twelve I decided to become a novelist. At it turns out, the fulfillment of that dream took a few more years than planned. 

Find out more about Janalyn, her closet writing office, and her books at the author website for JanalynVoigt.

CrossReads Book Blast: Serenity to Accept by Elizabeth Maddrey

Serenity to Accept By Elizabeth Maddrey

About the Book

Karin Reid has never had much use for God. There's been too much pain in her life for her to accept that God is anything other than, at best, disinterested or, at worst, sadistic. Until she meets Jason Garcia. After his own mistakes of the past, Jason is committed to dating only Christians. He decides to bend his rule for Karin, as long as she comes to church with him. As their friendship grows, both will have to decide if they'll accept the path God has for them, even if it means losing each other.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK | LINK TO AUDIOBOOK

 

 

 

Elizabeth Maddrey Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace. Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

Follow Elizabeth Maddrey Website | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter below to enter a $50 Amazon Gift Card, sponsored by Author Elizabeth Maddrey!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Kiddy Lit Steampunk! Leonardo Ramirez and the Jupiter Chronicles

Jupiter Chronicles

The Secret of the Great Red Spot

By Leonardo Ramirez

A Steampunk Children’s Series

C. 2012 Leonardoverse

ISBN: 978-0615633336

Leonardoverse.com

 Ebook 1.99

Pbook 5.99

Buy
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

 

About the Book, from the author:

Book One of a Steampunk Children'’s Adventure Series

Witness the dawn of Steampunk!

It is the year 1892 and Ian and Callie Castillo have had to suffer the hardships of a single parent family since their father went missing five years ago. Since then Ian has refused to use the last gift that his father left the wounded boy; a telescope that sits collecting dust in the attic.

When Callie decides to peer through its murky lens it activates the device and sends the Castillos to the steam-powered floating cities of Jupiter to rescue their father and save the Jovians before the Martians launch their attack.

What follows is the beginning of an era that will forever be known by its strange name...

. . .Steampunk.

Combining Children’s Science Fiction with Fantasy, this action-packed Chapter Book series takes you on an adventure into the world of Steampunk chronicles the birth of a new era!

Join the adventure now!

 My Review:

Ramirez enjoys his world, it’s easy to tell. There’s enough steam engines and gadgets, gears and wishful thinking for any young reader to love in The Jupiter Chronicles, without too many details over the head of nine to eleven-year-olds.

Young readers join Callie and Ian as they blast off in a mystery mission to Jupiter where they encounter the false lizard emperor, robots, and other cool gadgets. The gadgets and creatures not only help them learn the secret of the red spot, something that Ian’s wondered about since his dad disappeared five years ago, but save that world.

A nice read, a little less than a hundred pages, geared toward middle graders, Ramirez also packs in some fun facts about real people like Nikola Tesla and some art from the book. What might these machines have looked like? The story is told from the children’s viewpoint, and keeps the reader turning pages with nice action. Those who enjoy quest stories, gadgets, space travel, and bloodless shoot ’em up video games will like this story. Beautiful cover. The date of the setting is mentioned in the book description on the author’s website and online retailers, but not in the book.

Ramirez’s website is packed with fun things to do, and a guide for educators who might want to schedule a visit. Children are also invited to send in artwork.

 

About the Author:

Leonardo Ramirez is a writer whose joy first comes from being a husband and a dad and enjoying life with his family.

He’s the author of the Haven: The Graphic Novel and Haven of Dante.

Web: http://www.leonardoverse.com