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"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." (Martin Luther King Jr.)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Denise Hunter's Seaside Letters ~ Reviewed
Seaside Letters By Denise Hunter Published by Thomas Nelson ISBN# 978-1-59554-260-1 320 Pages
Back Cover:
Sabrina never intended to fall in love with Tucker McCabe, the man she serves coffee to every morning at a Nantucket café—especially since he’s unwittingly tied to a past she deeply regrets. But she’s fallen hard, though she’s kept her feelings a secret.
When Tucker learns Sabrina is the research assistant for a local mystery writer, he asks Sabrina to help him with a little sleuthing of his own…locating an elusive woman he’s fallen for online.
If Sabrina accepts the job, she’ll spend her evenings in close proximity to a man who can never be hers. If she turns him down, he’ll hire someone else—and that would be a disaster. Because if someone else sifts through all those letters and find out the truth, Tucker will discover her secret…
That the person he’s trying to find is her.
REVIEW:
At first this book reminded me of the movie, You’ve Got Mail, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It’s similar because it talks about an online relationship but brings in so many more twists and turns—it’s great!
Denise Hunter has a note to her readers, it says, “I’m so thankful to have a God who seeks me out, one who persistently pursues me—despite my efforts to hide and build walls—and lavishes love on me like I’m his only child.” What a insight into this creative story.
Sabrina is a waitress and Tucker is a customer at her café. Sabrina knows Tucker really well under the identity of Harbormaster. Tucker knows Sabrina by her computer name Sweet Pea. Neither of them realizes that they know the others secret identity. The only live conversation they have is Tucker asking for breakfast and coffee and Sabrina bringing it to him.
Sabrina has been hurt deeply and wants to keep the relationship at a safe distance—online safe. An internet relationship is easy, she could be accepted at face value; her opinions mattered and she could talk to her friend anytime. All was right with the world until Tucker wanted to meet her face to face. It had been a year and he wanted to take their on-line relationship to the next level.
Denise grabbed my attention from the very beginning and did not disappoint. With every page the plot thickened. I had no idea how this thing could end. Denise is a master at weaving a complicated but simple story with very colorful characters, she makes you root for and have compassion for them. It’s a delightful, fun, soul searching, redeeming love story—you won’t soon forget.
ETERNITY FALLS By Kirk Outerbridge Published by Marcher Lord Press ISBN# 978-0-9821049-7-2 370 Pages
Back Cover:
The stunning starlet Greta Darling, who looked 22 but was really 89, has suddenly died. Of natural causes. Desperate to assure their billions of clients that the Miracle Treatment really does work, company executives call in private investigator Rick Macey. Macey's job is to find out what really happened to Greta Darling-or, failing that, to simply come up with some other explanation for how she died. Macey is a war veteran with very special abilities, and his own reasons for taking this case.
What exactly is so wonderful about living forever? Who is really pulling the strings here? What do the religious clues at the crime scene mean? And who will be left standing...when eternity falls?
I loved the cover so much I wanted to read what was inside, so I signed up to received a review copy of this book. What a fun, wonderful, surprising wild action adventure, thrill ride reading this book was. I didn’t expect to find a story with heart, soul and something to think about in-between all the action. Wow!
Gen. Rick Macy with the Department of Civil Defense and Intelligence (CDI) office is the best, of the best in his field, That’s why he’s called in to this unusual case. Someone has died of natural causes but Sheila, the CEO of Miracle Treatment,thinks other wise. The victim Greta Darling had been taking Miracle Treatments to live forever. Death wasn’t a possibility. There had to be fowl play.
The character Macy reminds me of John McClaine, played by Bruce Willis in the Die Hard movies. The back drop of this book reminds me of a futuristic space drama. Macy one cop you don’t want to mess with but want on your side. Sheila will pay any price to get to the bottom of this murder. They both will pay more than then they realize.
This was an exciting cyber adventure you won’t want to miss. The author brings up some interesting issues this community and the CEO of Miracle Treatment have to deal with. It leads them to consider there is a God that wants a personal relationship with us. Here’s a sneak peek.
“Despite what the rest of the world does, our duty is to remain faithful as an example to others, don’t you think God could make everyone obey Him? So, why doesn’t He? I’ll tell you why, because God doesn’t want forced obedience. God wants love, and love involves a choice. Every human being needs to choose for himself”
The imagery in this book reminds me of the movie, I Robot with its crazy car chases, high tech. cyber fighting, and new fangled gadgets. Interesting communiation technology is explored in this book that, with an access code you could enter someone’s mind and talk to each other virtually, very cool! I’d read this book again!
Ends of the Earth (Bug Man Series) Tim Downs Pub. Date: September 2009 Publisher: Thomas Nelson Format: Paperback, 358pp ISBN-13: 9781595543080
Description:
Nick must face the realities of lost opportunities and the passing of time as he struggles to protect a mother and her child from agro-terrorists in this latest novel from award-winning author Tim Downs.
Dr. Nick Polchak is called to a farm community in eastern North Carolina to investigate a murder. The victim is the owner of a failing organic farm who had developed a drug problem, and the police think his murder is drug-related.
Nick finds the remains of a bale of marijuana scattered in the tomato fields--but the South American marijuana seems to be strangely infested with a common North Carolina insect: the tobacco hornworm. To further confound the mystery, the bugs are infected with a fungus from Asia. Nick suspects the man wasn't killed because of the marijuana, but because of the insects it contained.
He then discovers that a vicious agricultural scheme is underway to cripple the U.S.'s corn and ethanol production. But just how far will these terrorists go in their quest?
Review:
I love Nick Polchak. And I love Tim Downs' writing.
Ends of the Earth mostly satisfied my need for more of the above. Mostly.
Nick was classic Nick; focused, clueless in the art of human interactions, sarcastic and brilliant. The story was full of freakishly icky things that hopefully are not likely to become reality. Fascinating plot points include: agroterrorism, dog heroism, bugs, organic farming, murder, bugs, forensic entomology, farming, and autism.
Add to that a love triangle unlike any I've ever encountered and you've got a great, entertaining and detailed read.
However, I struggled a bit with the triangle. I've read all the bug man series within the past couple of months so I have a pretty good feel for what's going on for Nick romantically. Or I thought I did anyway. But I didn't buy some of the dialogue between a couple of characters. There were a couple of conversations that bordered on annoying and unbelievable. I also struggled a bit with the interest in one particular woman. I didn't read sparks in the first story and didn't buy into the long-term emotional connection that seemed much stronger in Ends than it ever did in the original story. Also, there were times where Nick was too far offstage and I really missed his presence.
I feel picky for even stating my issues, but, if you are a fan of Downs/Polchak I want to warn you. The end is very open as well. As a matter of fact, Downs, wants the reader to pick the ending from two different possibilities on his website. I haven't done that yet but plan to. If you aren't a fan of Downs and you like forensic, fun science facts, sarcastic characters and descriptive writing, you really should become one. This series is great.
A Novel Idea By the members of Chi Libris Published by Tyndale ISBN: 987-1-4143-2994-9
Description:
Have you always wanted to write the next Great American Novel, but don't know where to start? Do you have a story just asking to come out, but aren’t sure how you should set up the plot? Want to know what really defines Christian fiction?
Tyndale House Publishers is pleased to announce the release of A Novel Idea: Best Advice on Writing Inspirational Fiction, a compilation from a collection of Christian authors including Jerry Jenkins, Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Randy Alcorn, Robin Jones Gunn, Angela Hunt, and any other beloved authors, that answers many questions budding writers or seasoned pros may ask.
In this guide to fiction writing, you will find tips for writers block, how to market your writing, and personal stories from the authors who have been through it all before. This valuable guide also contains tips on plotting, dialogue, point of view, characterization, marketing, social networking, and more!
Review:
A Novel Idea is a writers conference in a book. Besides all the great chapters, there are sidebars, which are like the workshops at a conference. Things like the need for conflict, creating characters not constructing them, authentic dialogue, research, a character's "aha" moment, and a ton of others.
To top it all off, all proceeds will benefit MAI (Media Associates International), an international organization whose goal is to help fledgling writers and publishers produce
Christian literature that is culturally relevant.
I have a lot of book about writing, but I haven't seen one yet with such great advice by so many multi-published and best-selling authors. Novel Journey and I give this book a high recommendation.
Dead Reckoning By Ronie Kendig Published by Abingdon Press ISBN 978-1-4267-0058-3
Description:
Trapped by a nuclear terrorist plot in Mumbai, underwater archeologist Shiloh Blake is consumed with passion for the water and inflamed at the injustices of life.
When her first large-scale dig traps her in the middle of an international nuclear arms clash, she flees for her life. When she spots a man trailing her, the questions are, "Who is he?" and "How is he always one step ahead?"
Reese Jaxon is a former navy seal and now serves his country as a spy. His life is entangled by the beguiling Shiloh Blake as he hunts down the sources to a nuclear dead drop in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai, India.
The only way to end this nightmare and prevent a nuclear meltdown is to join forces with Reese. Will Shiloh violate her vow to never become a spy?
Review:
Reading Dead Reckoning was like watching an action-adventure film. A spy-thriller, it grabs you by the imagination from page one and doesn't let go until the end. I don't like to give anything away on a novel, so suffice it to say the characters are well developed and complex. The plot is completely believable, and Kendig keeps the tension high throughout. I read it on a flight from Atlanta to Seattle, and she made a 5 ½ hour flight seem like a 90-minute one. I definitely recommend Dead Reckoning to anyone who loves spy thrillers. You won't be disappointed!
A Star Curiously Singing Kerry Nietz Paperback: 308 pages Publisher: Marcher Lord Press (October 1, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0982104987
Description:
If he fixes the robot, will he break his world? In a future ruled by sharia law machines are managed by debuggers, who in turn are owned by masters. Sandfly is a level 12 debugger. He is sent into Earth orbit to repair a robot-a robot that went on an experimental flight into deep space... And tore itself apart. As Sandfly digs into the mystery aboard the space station, he discovers what the bot heard around that distant star. He discovers that the bot heard...singing. As Sandfly pieces together the clues, the masters spread the trap before his feet. Everyone is racing to the same conclusion, but only one side welcomes what the singing represents.
Review:
The only reality Sandfly knows is that of the dystopian future, in a world where Islamic moral law controls a technology driven society. A debugger of robots, Sandfly is enslaved body and mind to the will of his master, controlled by an implant in his brain, yet ironically possessing greater mental capacity than those who are free.
When Sandfly’s master sends him to a space station to fix a robot that self-destructed after a groundbreaking deep space flight, he immediately faces a mystery beyond his means to grasp. As he works to “debug” the fragmented robot, he begins to suspect the cause of its self destruction may change the nature of the universe as they know it.
Sandfly’s distinctive voice helps make an alien world feel real and provides a strong connection point to him as a character. As he struggles with faith, his role as a slave, and the mysteries he faces, his tale grows in interest and intensity and culminates with a satisfying ending that still leaves room to anticipate the coming sequel.
THE SWISS COURIER By Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey Published by: Revell ISBN#978-0-8007-3336-0 324 Pages
Back Cover:
She's risking her life to save a man she doesn't know. But who can she trusts along the way?
It is August 1944, and the Gestapo is mercilessly rounding up suspected enemies of the Third Reich following the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler's life. Gabi Mueller is a young woman working for the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services (the forerunner to the CIA) in Basel, Switzerland. When she is asked to put herself in harm's way to safely "courier" a German scientist working on the atomic bomb project into Allied hands, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. This fast-paced, suspenseful novel will whisk you along the treacherous twists and turns of a fascinating- and deadly- time in history.
REVIEW:
Because I’ve read other books by Tricia Goyer that inspired me and this time period-talking about the Gestapo, intrigued me, I signed up to receive a review copy of this book. Once again Tricia working with Mike Yorkey created unforgettable characters and brought history to life. Historical fiction gives you the best of two worlds, one, I learn about history and two, I was moved by the story of brave, heroic characters going up against the odds of their time period for the greater good.
I wondered how things escalated in 1944 with Hitler’s rule and when the atomic bomb was developed. It was amazing how many people risked their lives to see justice was done to fight against the Gestapo and its plans to dominate.
There’s a good blend of the colorful characters and the unbelievable events that made this book quite an enthralling read. I was so thankful for the list of character names and rank in the beginning of the book. I found myself referring to the list to make sure who was on whose side. It was fascinating how farmers, shopkeepers, soldiers all came together for the common good, risked their very life to fight the good fight and see that their agenda was achieved for man kind.
I liked how the authors tell you about Valkir (in the preface), the last attempt to kill Hitler that failed and how it escalated the development of the Atomic bomb. After that event is when this story picks up. Wow!! You’ll want to read this for sure and see history come alive.
