Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Goodbye to Yesterday... a book review

Print

Goodbye to Yesterday, Discovery Series #1   -     
        By: Wanda E. Brunstetter


 

 
 
Goodbye to Yesterday 
 
Series: The Discovery
Part 1 of 6
A Lancaster County Saga
 
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Barbour Publishing
Available: February 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61626-085-9
 
 





Life is not so simple, even in the Amish community, when jobs are lost and families are trying to stay afloat.  Luke and Meredith are recently married when he loses his carpentry job at a local furniture store.  When no job offers come, they are left in a quandry.  Should Merrie go to work?  or should they accept help from their parents?  When all seemed lost, his uncle offers him a chance to learn a new trade.  Unfortunately, Luke needs to travel from Pennsylvania to Indiana during treacherous winter weather to not only learn the trade, but also buy his uncle's tools.
 
Along the way, trajedy enters their lives....

I enjoyed Wanda Brunstetter's new novella Goodbye to Yesterday, but it ended much too quickly.  With it only being 121 short pages, you are pulled into the story of their lives just when the book ends.  I understand this is the first of six in the series, but I had hoped it would be 'meatier' than it is.

My suggestion... purchase the books together and read at one time!

The Silence of WinterBook 2 in the series The Silence of Winter is expected out March 2013.



I received a complimentary copy of Goodbye to Yesterday from HandleBar Publishing for my honest review.  I received no other compensation.

Blessings,

    Ellen

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Claiming Mariah... a book review

Print
 
ISBN: 9781414380964
Available: NOW in ebook format
Tyndale House Publisher
354 pages
 
I love the cover art!
 
 
Mariah:
Independent, compassionate, God-fearing
 
Slade:
Dark, strong, unforgiving
 
"In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family."  Instead of receiving a postal response,  Slade Donovan rides into Mariah's Lazy M Ranch with his plans laid out.  He will take what was taken from his father; the ranch and land bought with stolen gold.
 
Mariah knew there was bad blood between the two families; she just didn't know how deep it went.  Could it be true that her loving father not only stole money from Mr. Donovan, but also shot him?  While she ponders how to handle the news and the demanding Slade, Mariah seeks wisdom from her grandmother and God. 
 
Read Chapter One HERE
 
"With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear."  Can Mariah find forgiveness rise over resentment between her and Slade?  Or will the sins of the fathers forever alter their future? 
 
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
 
Pam Hillman has written a beautiful story of forgiveness that we can all model in life.  It is also a wonderful reminder that the sins of the father DO NOT need to be generational sins; the chains can be broken.  Thank you for a wonderful book! 
 
I received a complimentary e-copy of Pam Hillman's Claiming Mariah for my honest review.  No other compensation was received.
 
Blessings,
 
     Ellen


Sunday, January 13, 2013

Deadline... a book review

Print
Deadline
 
ISBN-13: 978-1590525920
448 pages including a Reader's Guide
2006 (repacked edition)

Publisher's Description...
 
Heart-Pounding Murder Mystery

Involved in a tragic accident under suspicious circumstances, award-winning journalist Jake Woods teams with detective Ollie Chandler to uncover the truth. This alluring repackage of the Randy Alcorn bestseller finds Jake drawing upon all his resources in an ever-intensifying, dangerous murder investigation. Unaware of the imminent threat to his own life, Jake struggles for answers to the mystery at hand and is plunged into a deeper search for the meaning of his own existence.

His Body Hung Suspended Between Two Friends--His Soul Between Two Worlds

Doc’s shoulder jammed into Jake as he swerved the Suburban sharply to the right, cut between a telephone pole and a billboard, then careened into a ten-foot high embankment. Sometime between the sound of Doc’s last cry and the sickening crunch of bent metal from the car’s first roll, Jake lost consciousness. The last sensation he felt was that of being crushed between the two men he had known since childhood…

When tragedy strikes those closest to him, award-winning journalist Jake Woods must draw upon all his resources to uncover the truth about their suspicious accident. Soon he finds himself swept up in a murder investigation that is both complex and dangerous. Unaware of the threat to his own life, Jake is drawn in deeper and deeper as he desperately searches for the answers to the immediate mystery at hand and—ultimately—the deeper meaning of his own existence.

Deadline is a dramatic and vivid novel of substance, filled with hope and perspective for every reader who longs to feel purpose in life.
 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * *  * *  *  *
 

This was Randy Alcorn's first novel published originally in 1994.  Although the book's description eluded to a murder mystery genre, this was more a Christian fiction with its depiction of heaven and earth.  Jake, a newspaper columnist, is the only one to survive this car crash.  During his investigation, his personal life continues to fall apart.  He is estranged from his ex-wife and teenage daughter.  They are back in his life when his daughter has an unplanned pregnancy, a deadly virus, and suicidal thoughts.  As he walks this emotional road with his teenager, his eyes are opened to the many decisions which are now in the hands of government agencies including sex education and free condoms to school children and specific target groups advertising "hook-ups" at the public library.  His column takes a shift from very liberal to conservative as he begins to see the deterioration of our country's morals.
 
Randy Alcorn gives the reader a glimpse into how our actions now affect our eternal life with (or without) God.  His insight into the abortion issue is well-written as this decision does affect everyone: the child, the mother, and the father. 
 
This novel did not click with me until well after the 10th chapter.  Once the plot began moving, I began to feel a part of the narration.  I usually read a 400 page book in about a week.  This book has taken me 3 weeks to read.
 
My rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of Deadline from Multnomah Publishing and their Blogging for Books program for my honest review.  I received no further compensation.

Blessings,

      Ellen
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...