I believe that reviewing for Inspirational authors is my calling and ministry. The desire of my heart is that my blog is a light and source of encouragement for both readers and authors.
Bella couldn't be happier that two of her long-feuding relatives have finally admitted their love for one another and are getting married. Their forties-style wedding is sure to be a night to remember. But when the Rossi house begins to fill up with family from Italy--and an old mobster from New Jersey--life starts to get complicated. Will a friend from the past drive the happy couple apart once more? And will Bella ever have time to think of her own rapidly approaching wedding amid the chaos?
Full of humor, plenty of Italian passion, and a bit of Texas gumption, It Had to Be You will have you laughing out loud and wiping a tear from your eye.
My Review: I had not read the previous two books in this series, in fact when I agreed to read this book and write a review about it I didn't even know there was a series. I read the book description and saw that it had to do with an Italian family and jumped on it! I am full-blooded and knew I would love it and I did! The book was incredibly adorable! I absolutely loved Rosa and Laz! They reminded me of Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. All of their joking around and their love of food just seemed to fit them. You could smell the food through the pages, something Italians are known for. Bella, and D.J. were just as fun and delightful! I found this book to be a light entertaining read. The message was so clear, and I liked how Ms Thompson presented it without being preachy; that keeping yourself until your married is so completely important no matter how old you are. This book could be read as a stand alone it was easy to follow along. I highly recommend this book.
Award-winning author, DiAnn Mills, launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. Currently she has over forty books in print and has sold more than a million copies.
DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels.
Six of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA Best Seller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents. Five of her books have won placements through American Christian Fiction Writer’s Book of the Year Awards 2003 – 2007, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005 and 2007. She was a Christy Awards finalist in 2008.
DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope and Love, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also a mentor for Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild.
She lives in sunny Houston, Texas. DiAnn and her husband have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church.
ABOUT THE BOOK
They took away everything she loved...now, she’s out for revenge.
Sage Morrow had it all: life on a beautiful Colorado ranch, a husband who adored her, and a baby on the way. Until five ruthless gunmen rode up to their ranch and changed her life forever. Now Sage is a bounty hunter bent on retribution.
Accompanied only by her majestic hawk, she travels throughout the Rocky Mountains in search of injustice, determined to stamp it out wherever it’s found. The stakes are raised when two young boys are kidnapped and Sage is forced to work with Marshall Parker Timmons to rescue them. But Sage may ultimately get more than she bargained for.
In this exciting historical romance set in the late 1800s, murder, intrigue, kidnapping, and questions of faith will keep you in suspense until the final pages.
My Review: Another DiAnn Mills book that did not disappoint! I was drawn in by the first page and was on the edge of my seat until the very last word. DiAnn has a real way to pull you in and keep you hooked. Set in the beautiful rocky mountains of Colorado you will be able to just smell the air, and feel the emotion. I highly recommend this book!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to E. G. Lewis for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Edward (E. G.) Lewis was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. A former newspaper editor and publisher, his articles have appeared in many national and regional magazines. He also wrote and directed corporate training films.
Mr. Lewis holds a graduate degree in Economics from Ohio State University and worked in Planning and Corporate Management before choosing to become a fulltime novelist. He writes both Biblical fiction and Commercial fiction.
A lifelong Christian with a burning interest in the life and times of the early Church, he feels we are privileged to follow in the footsteps of these earliest believers in the teachings of Christ. He and his wife, Gail, also a writer, live on the Southern Oregon Coast.
Visit the author's website. Visit the publisher's website.
Product Details:
List Price: $18.99 Paperback: 318 pages Publisher: Cape Arago Press (November 9, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 0982594909 ISBN-13: 978-0982594902
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
I would have seen the lion if those clods of dirt flying past my head had not distracted me.
There I was, relaxing on a hill, bothering no one. The sheep poked around the sparse pasture for the last clumps of edible forage while I sang Psalms and wove a basket. The summer sun had browned the grass and baked the Judean hills, turning them tan as barley bread.
My tongue swept around my mouth tasting the gritty dryness of the afternoon as another clod sailed overhead. It struck the ground in front of me and broke apart in a spray of dust.
All sorts of strange objects took flight whenever I tended the sheep. Overripe figs, half-eaten pomegranates, sticks, and now clods of dirt had sprouted wings and flew through the air.
The boys did it to upset me, to make me cry. Once upon a time it had worked, but no longer. If I cried, they won. And I would never let them win.
Jumping to my feet, I spun to face them.
Two more clods headed toward me.
Ducking under them, I rested my hands on my hips and glared across the ravine at the boys throwing them. “Stop, or you will be sorry,” I yelled and adjusted my headband.
Like the bigger shepherds, I carried my shebet, a small club, and my sling tucked in my sash. I tugged the sling out and stooped to gather stones. Imagining myself David, I threw my shoulders back and rolled the stones in my hand. Seeing their startled faces when one of these rocks bounced off their forehead would do my heart good.
But there would be no rocks to the head this day, I thought with a sigh. No matter how angry they made me, there was little I could do. On Mt. Sinai, the Lord gave Moshe the stone tablets containing the Law which commanded, Thou shalt not commit murder. The boys had nothing to fear and they knew it. Gavriel and Simeon could throw things, call me names, and torment me without fear of retaliation.
“Perhaps you should go to Jerusalem and apprentice yourself to a fuller.”
Simeon’s head snapped back. His eyes popped open wide.
Beside him, Gavriel snickered at the idea of seeing his friend removing lanolin from wool cloth by plodding knee-deep in a vat of stale urine.
Simeon’s face reddened.
Gavriel’s snickers became laughs. They grew louder until he doubled over, holding his sides and choking.
“Go away! You do not belong here,” Simeon shouted. He stuck out his tongue and did a little dance, daring me to do something about it.
“Do too belong here. I am tending my flock.” The smooth stone slid between my thumb and fingers.
Where to hit him?
“Sheep are for shepherds.” He gestured toward his loins. “Shepherds. Understand little girl?” He spat on the ground, clearing his mouth of the despicable word girl.
“There are shepherds and there are shepherdesses, you evil little boy. Take a look. What do you see? A shepherdess with her flock. Now go away, you are making the sheep anxious.”
A rock to where he pointed would give him good reason to dance. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Not only did Yahweh’s law rule my life, but Abba’s did as well. My father would never approve of me hitting a boy in the loins with a stone.
Abba’s stern voice echoed in the back of my mind. “Rivkah, my little dove, will you never learn? A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. Do not fight with the boys. Exhibit the comely behavior and feminine demeanor befitting a daughter of Avraham.”
Easy enough for him to say.
“There is no such thing as a shepherdess,” Gavriel hollered.
I shook my fist at him. “Did an unclean spirit turn you into a goy?” He glared at me for calling him a gentile, not that I cared. “What about Laban’s daughters, Leah and Rachel? Have you never heard of Jethro’s seven daughters, of Zipporah the shepherdess and wife of Moshe?”
Behind me the sheep bleated nervously. I ignored them. The boys and their dirt balls not only upset me, they bothered my sheep as well. Sometimes they threw things into the midst of the flock scattering them. It took a lot of effort to chase after those sheep and bring them back together.
We stared daggers at each other across the narrow gully.
I fit a stone into the pouch of my sling and let it dangle at the end of its straps. Shepherds used their slings to drive off small beasts and vermin. Gavriel and Simeon qualified.
Swinging it up in a practiced arc, I whipped it around in a tight circle. The whirling blur above my head buzzed like a hoard of locusts.
The boy’s mouths dropped. They glanced at each other nervously, at me, and then at each other again.
My warning shot smacked the ground in front of their feet, boring into the dry soil and scattering dust over their bare toes.
Gavriel laughed. “Ha! You shoot like a girl, little shepherdess. You would miss the side of a camel if it were standing right in front of you.” He stuck his fingers in the corners of his mouth and made a face.
“May the Lord will your face to remain like that for the rest of your life.”
There were several more stones in my left hand. If they wanted war, war they would get. The boys jumped when they saw me reloading my sling.
But I never threw that second stone.
Shemu’el appeared behind them while they scoured the ground for ammunition. He is three years older than we are, almost twelve and soon to become a man. Shemu’el is tall, and stronger than Gavriel and Simeon put together. And, most importantly, he is my friend. It upsets him when the boys bother me.
They were so busy hunting for rocks, his footsteps went unnoticed.
Taking long strides, he marched up behind them and grabbed each of them by a shoulder.
I grinned when the boys winced and howled as he shook them.
“Go take care of your sheep, you little fools. They are beginning to stray.” He spun them around and gave them a shove.
Today’s battle may have ended, but our war had not. The boys shot me a look that promised revenge, then slunk away.
Shemu’el swung out his staff spanking them as they left. He turned, glanced up at the ridge behind me, and gave a start.
The expression on Shemu’el’s face made my stomach quiver.
He studied the hillside a moment longer, then, quick as a gazelle, leaped the ravine and ran to where I stood. “Look, Rivkah,” he whispered. “A lion.”
Cape Arago Press
North Bend, OR
www.capearagopress.com
My Review: First I want to thank E.G. Lewis for his help in getting me the copy of this book that would work with my e-reader. This was a book unlike anything I have ever read and I was completely blown away. I highly recommend it.
Book Description: We are currently experiencing a renaissance of interest in Christian apologetics. Due to the virulent attacks of the New Atheists, the Internet Infidels, and all manner of Biblical Bashers, along with a rising anti-evangelical bias in the media, evangelical Christians are demanding training in how to defend their Christian faith. There is a need for a well-rounded training manual that provides the “how-tos” of defending the Christian worldview. William Lane Craig’s new book, On Guard, intends to be that manual.
A highly accessible, visual, and concise book loaded with helpful figures and interesting sidebars, On Guard is a one-stop guidebook to learn how to defend your faith. Combining the four core arguments for God’s existence with a case for the historicity of Jesus, this readable book also addresses difficult issues such as the problems of suffering and religious relativism. Writing in a highly personable way, Dr. Craig relates his own winding path to faith and tells the story of how God saved him and equipped him to become one of the world’s leading Christian apologists.
“American society has already become post-Christian,” writes Dr. Craig. “Belief in a sort of generic God is still the norm, but belief in Jesus Christ is now politically incorrect.” Packed with stories of Dr. Craig’s encounters with religious skeptics, On Guard provides more than philosophical arguments. It relates real life experiences that illustrate the themes of our current culture. Dr. Craig maintains: “If the Gospel is to be heard as an intellectually viable option for thinking men and women today, then it’s vital that we as Christians try to shape American culture in such a way that Christian belief cannot be dismissed as mere superstition.”
According to Dr. Craig, the role of apologetics is to shape culture, strengthen believers, and win unbelievers. On Guard is the tool by which shaping, strengthening, and winning moves from improbable dream to attainable reality. Using an interactive layout designed to provoke thoughtful reflection and discussion among readers, this approachable book will be an instrument of impact to believers who are searching for and struggling with this culture’s biggest questions.
On Guard simplifies Dr. Craig’s vast work in apologetics yet is not simplistic. It provides easy to memorize arguments for God’s existence and the resurrection of Jesus, along with answers to the objections that one will likely encounter in sharing these arguments with others.
My Review: What an AWESOME book on how we as Christians can defend our Faith simply and honestly yet not in a rude or haughty way. I've been walking with God for over 30 yrs and I found this book to be a great asset. I think this would be something for every Christian whether a brand new Christian or someone who has walked with Jesus for 50+ years. I highly recommend this book!
Book Description: Two rivers meet in Manaus, Brazil, at the turbulent head of the Amazon River. The different-colored tributaries do not give way or merge, but instead strain against their common seam. For ten miles, they share the same channel but remain distinct like oil and water.
Christendom finds itself at just such a murky and perilous juncture. The church is caught between its tried-and-true past and an all-bets-are-off future. Christianity throughout the world is stunning in its scope and spiritual impact, but what is happening to the Church as new technological, promotional, and generational shifts make their unavoidable mark? And what difference does it make for Christians in day-to-day life?
The Meeting of the Waters, a new book by Fritz Kling, identifies seven trends—including migration, machines, and the growing Mercy Generation—having an impact on today’s Global Church. Neither an institution nor a bureaucracy, the global Church is incredibly adaptive and vibrant. It has long been the world’s most effective relief agent, meeting needs across the globe through justice advocacy, material aid, counseling, biblical proclamation, education, and more. But what forces are shaping the global church, and what will it take in this unique place in time for the church to continue its mission of hope? Equal parts travelogue, character study, and global documentary, this breakthrough book seeks to answer these important questions and is written for anyone eager to make a difference in a changing world.
Kling’s experience as a foundation executive who has researched and directed investments to Christian ministries around the world has taught him how to “connect the dots”—to understand how forces secular and sacred, ancient and modern, spiritual and physical, domestic and international have informed Christian ministry. Over the past eight years, Kling has met with more than a thousand indigenous church leaders from forty different countries. He has made airlines re-think their frequent flyer programs, bounced through endless van rides, and drunk gallons of Coke and chai in both slums and skyscrapers. Secular commentators have long written about globalization’s wake, but Fritz Kling has witnessed it firsthand—through a Christian lens. The Meeting of the Waters is the byproduct of these experiences and is therefore able to give an original and incredibly well researched perspective on the growing need to understand ministry in a rapidly changing world. The Meeting of the Waters will be an important addition to the libraries of anyone who wants to make a difference for Christ in a global community. In particular, pastors, mission pastors, missions committees, seminary professors, missionaries, and mission agency employees will find this book a fascinating and useful tool.
My Review: I found this book very informative and interesting. I would recommend this book for those in leadership. I think it would make a great book for those who are elders, board members, or the like. I think it has a lot of great information and tools.
Kathi Macias is an award-winning author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction books. She has also ghostwritten and collaborated on books for a number of well-known individuals. She is a staff member for The Christian Communicator Manuscript Critique Service and a member of The Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network, Christian Authors Network, American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Writers Fellowship International, Advanced Writers/Speakers Association, for who she serves as membership chair, and orange County Christian Writers Fellowship. She is the 2008 winner of AWSA’s Golden Scroll Award.
A Former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Macias is a credentialed minister and served as an associate pastor at a large church in Southern California, where she did biblical counseling, trained small group leaders, and oversaw support/recovery ministries. She is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and has appeared on several radio and TV programs.
ABOUT THE BOOKS
...(set in South Africa in 1989, during the violence and turmoil just prior to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and the overthrow of Apartheid.
Forbidden romance, an unlikely martyr and an even more unlikely hero. Orphaned four years earlier when their parents, active in the African National Congress ANC movement against apartheid, were murdered16-year-old Chioma and her 15-year-old brother Masozi now live and work on an Afrikaner familys farm. When Chioma and Andrew, the farm owners son, find themselves attracted to one another, tragedy revisits their lives. Chioma escapes to join an ANC rebel band in her effort to survive and gain revenge for her family and culture. When cultures clash in life-or-death struggles, Chioma must choose between violence and revengeor forgiveness and selfless love. Loosely based on historical events and set near Pretoria, South Africa, in the violent upheaval prior to ANC leader Nelson Mandelas release from prison in 1990 and his ascendance to the presidency of South Africa, this story of forbidden romance produces an unlikely martyr who is replaced by one even more unlikely.
If you would like to read the Prologue and first Chapter of No Greater Love, go HERE.
Watch the video trailer:
...(set in Tijuana, Mexico, and also in San Juan Chamula, Mexico, which is deep in the heart of Mayan country)
True love ignites their passionate pursuit of His call With violent crime on the rise and the political climate changing throughout certain parts of Mexico, the opportunity for open Christian witness, particularly in some areas of Chiapas State, is rapidly decreasing. Hector Rodriguez pastors a small church in the tourist-popular border town of Tijuana. He also routinely carries Bibles deeper into the hostile areas of Mexico, where he ministers despite increasing difficulty and persecution. Hectors mother accompanied him on one of those trips and felt God called her to stay in the little village of San Juan Chamula, where she uses the Scriptures to teach reading to the families who are open to it. In retaliation for Hectors bringing the Bibles into areas hostile to Christians and in an effort to dissuade him from continuing to expand his ministry there, Hectors mother is murdered. Hector must decide if he will continue his work despite his worries about protecting his wife and children.
Book Description: Hope believes she is above sexual temptation; that she would never break that commandment like her husband's previous wives had done. After all, she is a good Christian and a loving mother. She has no reason to stray . . . until her husband starts neglecting her needs and things begin to look hopeless. Though she clearly communicates her pain to her husband, he refuses to get help. She starts to wonder…Will she never have sex with her husband again? She soon learns that she, too, is capable of such betrayal when she succumbs to the unthinkable.
But things that first seemed sweet and reasonable given her painful situation soon produce a bitter taste when combined with the overwhelming guilt. No substitute will ever replace her love and desire for her husband. If only he would touch her like he used to. If only they could make love again. She misses him so much and wants to tell him the truth hoping it will propel him to do something to fix their problem, but she fears his rejection. Yet, she can't continue living such a hypocritical life. She knows it's wrong even though she continues to crave physical intimacy. Steeped in the quagmire of adultery, Hope must find her way back to solid ground to save her marriage. But will she lose everyone she loves in the process?
My Review: I had so many emotions as I read this book. As a woman whose ex husband cheated on her I know first hand the pain infidelity brings. My heart hurt for Hope who was dying inside wanting to be touched by James, at the same time it was crushed because while she was having the affair and was getting the physical affection she was “yearning” for it wasn’t satisfying her because what she longed for and desired was the loving, and spiritual connection she had with her husband. Without giving too much away Hope realizes that she can’t have a full and intimate relationship with her husband until God became the lover of her heart and soul. I totally identified with that, God is becoming the lover of my heart and soul as I have been healing from the pain of my divorce from my ex husband, knowing that I cannot be someone’s partner until God is the complete lover of my heart and soul. This beautiful story gives hope to those who have been hit by the tornado of adultery. I was given new eyes of compassion for those who fall into the web of adultery, realizing that Satan really does use all kinds of trappings to ensnare us, and we really need to be praying for and with our mates daily. I can’t recommend this book enough, this would be a great summer read for the beach! It comes out in JULY!!!! I give this book a LIGHTHOUSE and SHINE a LIGHT on it for pointing a path to GOD!!! Way to go Michelle!!!!!!!
