The Sinners' Garden by William Sirls

When I read reviews for The Sinners' Garden by William Sirls, I was excited to see how many people said they were hooked in the prologue. When I started reading the book, I was too. Unfortunately, I got "unhooked" somewhere along the way and ended up skimming through the second half.

The story begins with Andy Kemp and his mother and the abuse they suffered at the hand of Andy's father. The result of the abuse are the scars that Andy wears on his face as well in his soul.

Andy's mother struggles to reconnect with her son, along with the help of her brother, Rip. Andy begins hearing messages through his broken iPod. A "Summer Santa" begins breaking in and leaving unexpected gifts. A garden of wildflowers appears suddenly. All these things in the summary drew me to choose this book to review and, initially, kept me interested. I can't put my finger on exactly why I lost interest. There were several mysteries in the story, but I guess I almost felt as though the author gave too many hints so that I had solved the mysteries well before the end of the book. The twists and turns weren't "twisty" enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.

I can't say this book wasn't good. It just wasn't great. I would probably pick up another book by William Sirls if it was sitting nearby, but I don't know that I would hunt it down.

This book was provided to me by Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sweet Olive by Judy Christie

I had the pleasure of reading Sweet Olive by Judy Christie for my most recent Booksneeze review. And now I have a new author to follow. I love it when that happens!

Camille Gardner heads to Samford, Louisiana to close an oil deal. She knows the oil business and feels confident she can get the job done - and then get out of Samford as quickly as possible. What she doesn't count on is falling in love with the people of the art community in Samford called Sweet Olive. She also never expected how returning to this tiny town, a place that holds painful memories for her, could do anything to heal her heart.

Judy Christie's writing is straight forward, easy to follow and fun. Her characters are believable, loveable, hateable and everything I generally hope to find in this type of fiction. This isn't a mystery, but there were enough twists to make it interesting and keep me guessing. I also learned a few things about the world of big oil.

I have always enjoyed reading new authors, especially ones who focus on a particular area. Christie’s focus in several of her works is in Louisiana, an area with which I am not familiar. I’m looking forward to reading more by Judy Christie.

I was given a copy of this book by Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion. My opinions are all mine. 

Memory's Door by James L. Rubart

In January I wrote about Soul's Gate by James Rubart.  It rocked my world, gave me all kinds of new things to think about and started me down a path of examining my identity and my beliefs about the power I have in Christ.  In short, I loved every page.  So, when I saw that the next book in the series, Memory's Door was available to be reviewed, I was excited.  I have to admit, though, that I was also cautious with my expectations.  I have, many times, gotten hooked on the first book in a series, only to be sorely disappointed by the sequel.  Well, that was certainly not the case this time!

Memory's Door is every bit as action packed, fast paced and well written as Soul's Gate.  It is a continuation of the story of Soul's Gate where Reece Roth leads the prophesied four warriors into their destiny, one of entering people's souls and setting them free from the inside out.  These four are continuing to learn how to believe how powerful they truly are in the midst of their battles for others' freedom.

In this book, I saw so clearly how the enemy deceives us with his lies.  Through the situations in the story, Rubart gives relevant examples of the ways Satan takes facts of our circumstances and weaves them into deceptions that look like absolute reality.  They actually are only his deceptions, but they convince us of the "what ifs" as though they've already occurred.  He also painted a picture of just how powerless the enemy is, until we agree with his deception and give life to his suggestions.

I loved this book as much as I loved the first, and I can't wait for the next one.  Definitely one I would recommend.  

I received this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey

There are some characters, ideas, time periods, life styles that so fascinate that they find their way into countless fiction and non-fiction works.  Sherlock Holmes is one of these.  I have seen several series with him as the hero, including one of my favorite series ever, the Mary Russell series by Laurie King.  So, when I saw Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye by Len Bailey in my list of available books on Booksneeze it was an easy decision to choose it for my next book review.

Sherlock Holmes and the Needle's Eye is an adventure in which Holmes and Dr. Watson time travel to investigate Biblical mysteries such as: Why did David take five stones against Goliath?  What did Jesus write on the ground in the John 8 story of the woman caught in adultery? Why did the Lord have the walls of Jericho Collapse?

The idea grabbed my attention.  The writing was good.  I think, however, that because I have so little time for pleasure reading, I just couldn't sink my teeth into this one.  It is obvious that the author is academic and intellectual.  Perhaps I am not, and that was the problem for me with this book.  Honestly, I didn't make it all the way through.  I ended up flipping through each chapter to find the answers to the questions (terrible, I know), but I just couldn't get interested enough to actually read the pages that led to the answers.  And in some cases, I didn't agree with his conclusions, if that matters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys informational books or Biblical investigations.  If you're just looking for a fun, easy novel to read, I would say pass on this one.

I received this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion.

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley

Once I find an author I like, I read everything I can find by them until I have to move on to a new author or wait for them to come out with a new book.  I was very excited when I read and loved the book So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley because now I have a new author's books to devour.

So Shines the Night is set in Bible times in Ephesus, after Jesus has walked the earth.  While it is a fictional novel, much of the story is based on biblical writings, the writings of Ephesians.  The main character, Daria, is an educated widow, trying to find a way to support herself using that education and her intellect.  She faces, not only the challenge of the time period when women were not respected or honored in educational settings, but also the intense darkness that followed her from the last city she fled.

The characters in this book were intense and intriguing, the setting was fascinating, and the story itself drew me in.  I love the time period when much of the New Testament was written and I really liked the fact that Higley elaborated on the scriptures in Ephesians to write the story.  It gave me a much greater context for what life in that time was like, the culture and what the Ephesian church was facing.  The way she portrayed Paul, Timothy, Pricilla and Aquilla and several others helped me to understand better many of the things Paul wrote to the Ephesians.

I have already finished another of Higley's books, Pompeii, and I fully intend to find more of them at my library.  I highly recommend her books.

I was provided a copy of So Shines the Night by Booksneeze.  My opinions are all my own.

Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart

I almost feel like I need to write two separate reviews for this book - one for the actual book and another for what the reading of this book has done to me.

Soul's Gate by James L. Rubart grabbed me from the first page.  It is fast paced and just detailed enough, with interesting characters and the right amount of defeat, victory, scary moments and peaceful scenery.  The story is smart and intriguing and imaginative. Except that almost everything that happens in this story are things that happened in the Bible.  That's where it starts messing with your head a bit.

Reece Roth was chosen 30 years before to lead the prophesied four warriors into their destiny, one of entering people's souls and setting them free from the inside out.  These four will have to overcome their own demons and come to believe how powerful they truly are in the midst of their battles for others' freedom.

My favorite quote from the book: "It's time to live from your strength, to fight from your glory, to battle from the core of your gifting."

The thing about this book is that it made me think, "What if?"  What if we really could do the things they did in this book?  What if it was true?  The crazy thing is that most of what these four do happened in the Bible.  This is a fictional novel, but it is a historical novel!  I see nowhere in scripture where anyone actually traveled into someones soul (and at the end of the book the author says neither does he), but the other elements of the book are based on scripture.  It made the battle of the unseen, the battle that we are right in the middle of every single day, seem so real and so tangible.  And, unlike other books of that nature that I have read, it reminded me that though "we battle not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12) and we have an enemy "who comes to steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10), that "Greater is He in you than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4)  Rather than finishing the book scared and wanting to hide under my covers, I finished empowered and encouraged, ready to fight with an awareness of my authority in Christ.

And it made me wonder.  If I could learn what it really looks like to "...live from your strength, to fight from your glory, to battle from the core of your gifting." who could I set free?

The Choice by Robert Whitlow

The Choice by Robert Whitlow is a story about a young girl who makes a poor choice, only to be faced with an even greater one.  Set in the 70's, a time when teen pregnancy was taboo, The Choice addresses both sides of the abortion/adoption issue, as the main character, Sandy, decides which path she will take for herself and her unborn child.

I have read several books by Robert Whitlow and had high hopes for this book, as I have loved every other book I've read by him.  This book had a different flow than the others of his I've read.  It was much slower paced and much more detailed.  Sometimes I got bogged down in the details a bit and wished it would move a little faster.  There was one moment about a third of the way through the book, when a new character was introduced, that I thought, "Okay, exciting, it's going to pick up."  Instead, it went back to painting the story of Sandy's pregnancy and decision.

The second half of the book was definitely more engaging, but again, got bogged down with less than exciting characters and details.  There was a definite story being told, but it felt as if drama was being fit a little bit here and there, rather than it being an overall engaging story.

I would read another Robert Whitlow book in a heartbeat.  He is a talented author.  I probably wouldn't recommend this book, though.  It just didn't grab my interest.

This is a review for a book I received through Booksneeze.  The opinions are my own.

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

It's been a while since I've done a book review for Booksneeze.  For the Beth Moore Bible study I did at the beginning of the year we were asked to "sanctify" ourselves by fasting something throughout the duration of the study, and I chose reading novels.  I didn't think it would be a big deal, but it was much more painful than I thought it would be.  I really hope it worked.

I just finished the book Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble.  It is set in the late 1800's in an area of Texas with lots of land but very little else.  The main character, Lucy, has accepted a marriage proposal made by a large land owner on behalf of his son, Nate, in a desperate attempt to provide for her siblings and keep them all together.  Little does she know that the man has more reasons behind his offer than simply providing a suitable wife for his son.

This book was an easy read.  I liked the setting and am always drawn to the strength of the women in that time period.  They had to be resourceful and determined.  There were times in the book that those qualities were a disservice to Lucy rather than an asset.  It made it difficult for her to receive Nate's love when it was finally offered.  By the second half of the book I was actually a little frustrated by her stubbornness.  Maybe that part dragged on a bit for me?  I wanted them to get on with things and just fall in love already!  But at the same time I could see how it applies to many of us in real life.  We can be just as stubborn about receiving love.

Some of the transitions in the book were a little off for me, how the characters would go from one emotion to the next or one difficulty to the next.  And there were a few times when I thought, "Okay, enough with the drama."  Lucy alone was cornered by a wolf-dog, attacked by a nasty ranch hand and bitten by a rattlesnake.  That's before you even mention the other characters and their various problems and aside from the drama of the story in general.

All in all it was a good book, and I would recommend it to a friend.

I was provided with a copy of this book by Booksneeze, but my opinions are my own.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

I love fast paced thrillers and mysteries. But I don't like graphic descriptions that make my stomach hurt and give me nightmares. I was very pleased to find that Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl met both my criteria perfectly.

Heart of Ice is the third of three books in the Triple Threat series. The main characters are Allison, a Federal Prosecutor, Nicole Hedges, an FBI Special Agent, and Cassidy, a crime reporter. The three friends bring their special skills together to solve crimes in their hometown of Portland.

The villain in Heart of Ice is Elizabeth, a beauty queen who uses her charms to lure her victims in.  She deceives everyone she meets, uses them for her purposes and then disposes of them.  Literally. 

I enjoyed this book.  It was a quick read with a good story line.  The author gives the reader a chance to become familiar with the characters without giving too many details for the side story lines.  The three main characters are diverse enough to be interesting but have enough in common that it makes sense to the reader that they are friends.  The author created Elizabeth to be calculating and vicious.  The reader gets a clear picture of the way that Elizabeth's mind works.  But I appreciated the fact that while enough was implied to write the story well, graphic details weren't used.

I'm glad I had the chance to read this book.  I'm always looking for new authors to try, and I'll be looking up the other two books in this Triple Threat series.

This book was given to me by BookSneeze.  The opinions are mine all mine.

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

I just finished my second book from BookSneeze.  The first book I reviewed was excellent, and writing a review was super easy.  This time may be a little more tricky. 

I have a healthy respect for how difficult it is to write a story in a way that grabs the interest of the readers.  I know developing the story is a delicate balance between too many and too few details.  I am always very careful in my opinions of other people's work, whatever the nature.  I like to beat around the bush when asked my thoughts.  I never want to seem critical or insensitive to the creator's hard work.  See? Too many details. 

Alas, I have to write a review of The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn, and I did not enjoy this book.

Jonathan Rush was adopted as a child.  As an adult with anger issues, he embarks on a journey to discover why his mother abandoned him at an early age.  Along the way, he meets a woman named Mercy, who knows much more about his past than she is ready to reveal.  He makes an unlikely friend in the form of a tenacious reporter.  And he finds the truth about his childhood as well as the truth about healing and forgiveness.

The book is short.  The development of the characters even shorter.  I had a hard time connecting with the story, although the premise of it was good.  Conflict, both person-to-person as well as the main character's emotional conflict,  was resolved too quickly for my taste.  Even at the risk of stereotyping, I'm going to have to say that conflict was resolved in typical male form.  What's the problem?  How can we most logically fix it?  Okay, we'll do that.  Done. 

Would I recommend this book?  As much as I hate to be negative, no, I wouldn't. 

BookSneeze

A friend (Thanks, Hannah!!) recommended the website http://www.booksneeze.com/ to me. It is a site that offers free books in return for a review on your blog as well as a review on a consumer retail site. This is my first review and all the comments and opinions that follow are mine, all mine.

 I love Jesus, but I do not always love Christian fiction.  Many times while reading Christian novels I find myself thinking, "Cheesy, unauthentic and boring!" and reading about every third page. Shocking confession, I know, but I like to think that I am not cheesy, unauthentic or boring, and I don't want what little time I spend reading for pleasure to be any of those things.  (If I am cheesy, unauthentic or boring, please, for the love of heaven, tell me!)  But I really liked Softly and Tenderly.  I felt like it was an honest portrayal of what it's like to suffer, feel real emotion and then lay those emotions, feelings and your will at the feet of Jesus.  This book had enough twists and turns, both in the story line and in the characters' responses to them, to keep things interesting without frustrating the reader.  It definitely gets a two thumbs of from me and I highly recommend it to you.