Monday, February 21, 2011

The Promises She Keeps

I recently read The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy which tells the story of Promise. Promise is attending college and is looking to become a famous singer in spite of health problems that ensure she will not live to old age. Promise still attempts to become well-known through her modeling and posing for art classes. There are some close encounters with death that Promise experiences which a local sorceress, Porta Cerreto, attempts to explain as the key to immortality.

Although the book was a little different, I enjoyed the characters of Chase, who is an artist who has Autism, Zack, a photographer who attends the local college, and Porta, who owns an art gallery and is, as I mentioned, trying to connect Promise to the idea of immortality. It took me a little bit of time to “get into” the book, as it was science-fiction/fantasy which is not typically the type of books I read, but, in the end, I enjoyed the book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Friday, February 18, 2011

Angel Sister

Angel Sister, written by Ann Gabhart, tells the story of a family during the time of the Great Depression in a small town in Kentucky. The characters are ones that seem to come alive on the pages, as we learn about the Merritt family. Victor struggles with Alcoholism after his time spent fighting in WWI and Nadine attempts to keep her family together as she tries to deal with the various familial relationships in her life. Their oldest and youngest daughters seem to be insulated from the problems their family is experiencing while Kate, their middle daughter, tries to help keep her family together.

In addition to Kate taking care of her family, she becomes the protector of Lorena Birdsong, a young girls who is abandoned by her family because they do not have the means to care for her. As Lorena’s place in the small community is being questioned, Kate and her parents must face past relationships with their families. Nadine’s father, a pastor in the community, does not feel as if Lorena should be raised by the Merritt family so he designs a plan to have her placed within another home. Victor’s father, Preston Merritt, has never forgiven himself for the death of his other son, and he places that anger upon Victor.

Through the Merritt’s attempts to return Lorena to their home, they begin to face what went wrong in their pasts and how they can rectify those situations. It’s clear through the pages that the Merritt’s have a strong relationship with God, and this relationship is what allows them to get through the difficult times in their lives and begin to forgive one another for past mistakes.

Available February 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Lady in the Mist

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes tells the story of Tabitha Eckles, a young midwife who has resigned herself to the fact that she will never have a child of her own, as she is 24 years old and has no marriage prospects after her fiancé left her before their wedding. Through the chance encounter with a British indentured servant, Dominick Cherrett, Tabitha must face the realities of the tense relations between America and England.

I really enjoyed this book and liked the historical aspect which showed the tense relationship between America and England during the 1800s. British navy vessels were taking American citizens off the coast of Virginia during this time to serve in their military, with no hope of returning to their families in America. During the book, Dominick is on a mission to determine who is turning the Americans over to the British navy, and through this mission he finds himself falling in love with Tabitha. Throughout the story, there is not only the romance between the two characters but also a mystery as Dominick attempts to determine who is a traitor to their own country. Tabitha must use the knowledge she has gained when delivering babies to piece the puzzle together as to who would commit theses atrocious actions.

I was very interested in hearing about the historical background of Midwives in the first of The Midwives series of books, and I can’t wait to read more books by Laurie Alice Eakes to learn more about this historical background of midwives. I also enjoyed how both Dominick and Tabitha struggled with their relationship with God. Dominick felt as if he must prove himself to God, by doing something good, to atone for past sings. On the other hand, Tabitha has ended her relationship with Jesus because she felt he took everyone of importance from her, so he must not care about her. Although they were both struggling with their faith, together they were able to overcome these obstacles.

Available February 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Same Story, New Life

Same Story, New Life by Jan Silvious uses the stories of some of the most memorable women in the Bible, including Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Anna, Jehosheba, Abigail, Naaman's servant, Elizabeth, and present-day women. She uses their experiences to show women that through all situations, we can face different aspects of our life and follow God through our biggest struggles.

The chapters include: Realize it’s time, Don’t be held hostage by the past, Ask yourself good questions, Change your “I Can’t” to “I Can”. Delete the drama of the day, Forget the “What might have beens”, Discover the power of wisdom and courage, get past the resistance of fear, choose to bounce back, and the last chapter has not been written yet. There are stories told by both women in the Bible and women in the present who are facing these obstacles.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a very quick read. I read about two chapters each night as a devotional, and I loved hearing about these womens’ stories. I have always been interested in trying to learn more about Women in the Bible, but until this time, I hadn’t been able to find a book that captured my attention.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the>Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."