Joy Ohagwu is a “new to me author”. Until recently I have not had the privilege of reading any of her books. And that is a shame because I had no idea what I was missing out on.
What I loved most about two of her books, Whisper and Hunter, is that on almost every page, Christianity is boldly present. Not just a mention of Christ here, a Scripture dropped there, or a few words of a prayer sprinkled throughout. No. They are present and organically relevant to the main characters and the storyline.
The main characters are Christian, but just like real Christians, they are not perfect. They struggle with the same issues that everyone else does. Unmet expectations, broken dreams, grief, loss and, unfortunately, the consequences of mistakes made when we are in the midst of those emotions.
The characters are likeable and relatable, the chapter hooks are engaging and the content is strong with believable and plausible situations.
This is not one of those books where you’ll have to guess whether its Christian fiction. The Light of Christ shines from the pages while still pulling you into the story and leaving you wanting more.
My Goodreads rating for this novel is five stars and my Fiction With Faith Candle and Bread rating for this book is also five stars. The goodness of God, the Light of the Christian faith, and spiritual nourishment are tastefully abundant in these novels.
Joy Ohagwu is an amazing storyteller. And she just found herself a new fan.
Based on a true story, Dan Walsh’s award-winning novel, The Deepest Waters was inspired by true events that happened in September 1857.
The story is centered around three people. John and Laura Foster, and Micah, a slave aboard the rescue ship, the Cutlass.
The Foster’s are newlyweds who decide to set sail for a surprise visit to John’s family in New York. However, a violent change in the weather changes everything. John and Laura are heartbreakingly separated when a much smaller ship arrives with only enough room to rescue the women and children.
Micah is a slave aboard that ship, and he and Mrs. Foster form a friendship that changes both of their lives forever.
My Goodreads rating for this novel is five stars and my Candle and Bread rating for this book is also five stars. Dan Walsh weaved the goodness of God, the Light of the Christian faith, and storytelling seamlessly throughout this novel while also leaving the reader with plenty of spiritual nourishment to chew on long after the last page is turned.
A wise man once declared, ‘Demons exist whether we believe in them or not.’ Indeed, God and His angels exist whether we believe in them or not. In a morbid way, we all want the supernatural to exist. We crave stories of ghosts, hobgoblins, werewolves, vampires, and forest fairies. We delight in being frightened. We love the chills and thrills of a good ghost tale. But what we absolutely do not want is to encounter the paranormal in its raw evil form which may cause us harm. We desire supernatural experiences, but only on our own terms. Despite circumstantial evidence and extensive folklore, the creatures I’ve mentioned above probably do not exist, mainly because there are no universal origins from which their creation might ensue. But angels and demons? Well, that is a different matter altogether. – F. John Hurr, excerpted from the book, Light of the Damned.
OVERVIEW:
Bill Myers, best-selling author of ‘Eli’ and ‘The Face of God’ wrote…
“A great book! An imaginative and well-written story of suspense and intrigue set in the land of the Red Dragon. Hurr gives us the most convincing spiritual warfare between angels and demons since Frank Peretti’s classic This Present Darkness.
This book is perfect for those who want to descend into the spiritual and supernatural world of warring angels and demons. The author’s imaginative and graphic style of writing brings his characters to life so convincingly. So much so, that we should all give serious thought to the existence of an unseen spiritual realm. If you thought you knew all about the realm of angels and demons and the supernatural, then think again. Hurr’s book uniquely transports the reader into a totally convincing world where ordinary people, angels and demons enter into violent, life and death battles as evil forces attempt to usurp God’s kingdom on Earth.”
MY REVIEW
Nightmares. Murder. Greed. Deception.
The quaint village of Penrhos Bay has become a central point for spiritual activity. Wicked and saintly. Lucifer’s minions are on a mission to not only destroy the town but to desecrate it from the inside out. And it’s starts with the villages well-known but highly inept spiritual leader, the Reverend Stannard.
Light of the Damned is a supernatural suspense novel that not only gives depth to it’s human characters, but the spiritual ones as well. The first chapter will have you hooked. If you’re a fan of paranormal, speculative thrillers and suspense, then this is a must read.
MY RECOMMENDATION:
Highly Recommended.
Kara loves to read and write supernatural suspense thrillers and is an ACFW Genesis 2013 Finalist in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category. But Kara also loves to share stories about God’s love, mercy and faithfulness.
Kara will share more books and thoughts about faith and God’s unending mercy in bi-monthly posts on this site.
She’ll also keep you updated on the newest releases in Christian fiction and upcoming writing contests.
To contact Kara, email her at fictionwithfaith@gmail.com or by choosing one or more of the below links:
That is the mantra that global communications expert and advertising guru Trent Cooper wants to get out to the world. But he has a problem. Five people, from different cultures and backgrounds, believe they have heard from God. And the message? Hope is anything but dead.
MY RECOMMENDATION
The Turning, by Davis Bunn is a refreshing read. You won’t find here an old familiar story plot repackaged. In depth characters and an intriguing plot line makes The Turning a very interesting and inspiring read. Recommended.
BOOK BLURB
The message was unexpected but instantly recognizable. A voice resonated from a distance and somehow from within. Against all earthly logic, it carried a divine command. And five very different people knew they were summoned to obey.
Their actions were demanding, but not particularly grand. Only later would they see a pattern emerge — one that links their tasks together and comes to challenge the cultural direction of the nation. They realize that one small personal response unveiled a new realm of moral responsibility. And this affirmation of everyday hope captures the attention of millions.
But power and money are at stake. Malicious elements soon align themselves to counter the trend. To succeed they must also undermine its source. Can we really believe that God speaks to people today? Surely this must be dismissed as superstition or delusion. These well-intentioned but misguided individuals should not be allowed to cast our society back into the Dark Ages. The public debate and media frenzy place an unprecedented spotlight on knowing and doing God’s will. The five encounter threats, but try to remain steadfast in their faith.
Had God indeed imparted wisdom on selected individuals? Is this sweep of events part of his divine purpose?
Please leave a comment below if you’d like to be entered into a drawing to receive a free copy of this book.
A copy of this book was supplied to me by the publisher.
Kara loves to read and write supernatural suspense thrillers and is an ACFW Genesis 2013 Finalist in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category. But Kara also loves to share stories about God’s love, mercy and faithfulness.
Kara will share more books and thoughts about faith and God’s unending mercy in bi-monthly posts on this site.
She’ll also keep you updated on the newest releases in Christian fiction and upcoming writing contests.
To contact Kara, email her at fictionwithfaith@gmail.com or by choosing one or more of the below links:
The entry date to win a copy of Jericha Kingston’s, Waiting For Lily Bloom, is this Friday, April 18th!
THE STORY:
James Bloom has prayed three years for rain and five years for a wife. His dreams are demolished on Palm Sunday, 1935, when a catastrophic dust storm hits Oklahoma, and his neighbor’s niece has to ride out the storm at his house–-overnight. The next day, he’s forced to marry her, an East coast city girl who can’t speak. Could this be God’s plan?
Condemned to a future married to a stranger in the dusty Oklahoma wasteland, Lily Driggers longs for her home. Yet somehow, her new husband is the only one who understands her silent pleas.
As Easter approaches, Lily and James wonder if there is hope after the storm.
MY REVIEW:
If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you laugh, cry and want to fall in love all at the same time – then this is the book for you.
Jericha Kingston weaves a story of hardship, humor and Easter holiday reverence in this unforgettable novella that will leave you begging for more at the end of every page.
Highly recommended.
THE GIVEAWAY:
Five winners will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter.
The entry dates are April 18th – April 30th.
The 5 gifts available for the giveaway are: One $15 Starbucks gift card
One $10 Amazon gift card
One copy of Faith House, by Robin Patchen
One copy of Bright Copper Kettles, by Candice Sue Patterson
One copy of Waiting for Lily Bloom, by Jericha Kingston
Leave a comment, retweet the giveaway and follow Jericha Kingston on Twitter by April 30th at 5pm for your chance to win one of the five gifts above! (U.S. residents only)
Winners will be announced here at Fiction with Faith on Thursday, May 1st.
Can’t wait for the giveaway to end? Click here to purchase your copy of Waiting for Lily Bloom to enjoy it now! Available from Pelican Book Group, Friday, April 18th.
“Billions of dollars flow through Jason Dunn’s banking office each year. When he suffers a series of career setbacks and his marriage begins to crumble, he and his attractive new assistant devise a plan to disappear with a slice of the bank’s cash flow. The unwelcome appearance of his brother on the scene, just released from prison, threatens to sidetrack Jason’s plans. But Jason’s brother “Flip” has his own problems with a parole officer who isn’t fooled by this dangerous parolee. In the race to the jackpot between Jason and Flip, and the unwinding of their troubled history, the question soon becomes, Who will get burned?”
MY REVIEW: Who will get burned? Everyone.
Secrets. Lies. Greed. Betrayal. Manipulation. Scheming. Deceit. Revenge … and lots of it. Add intrigue and suspense into the mix and the result is Cash Burn.
The beginning of this book was difficult to get through. For me, the authors writing style was hard to follow and the first couple of chapters were loaded with minute and boring details, to the point where several times it jarred me out of the story. Redundancy was also an issue. But, I kept reading. I am glad that I did.
Soon the pace quickened, the plot thickened and the twists kept coming.
And the characters began to show their true colors.
In the end, Cash Burn is about choices. And it all starts with two young people who were in love and a choice that they made. Fast forward twenty years and the results of that choice prove catastrophic. And deadly.
Recommended. I base my recommendation of a book on whether the story survives the last page and finds purchase in your head after you’ve put it down. If you like intrigue and suspense and are not tied to a “and they all lived happily-ever-after” conclusion, this book is for you.
The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz is an enchanting tale of true love, growing loss, forgiveness and memories of long ago. Memories which stem from four childhood friends, two of whom are siblings, whose lives were forever changed by one man in the lowcountry of South Carolina.
Ash and Magnolia Black, brother and sister grew up in the lush countrylands of 1929 Levy, South Carolina with their friend George Jacobs. Soon after, they were briefly joined by childhood genius Joe Stackhouse, a young boy not originally from Levy but whose short stay with his “magician father” turned the small but quaint town into a show of horrors for the four children.
The story is told from the different point of views of the main characters. It is now eighty years later and they now reside in Harmony House, an assisted living facility. The reader is then taken on a journey back to a fateful day in 1929 Levy, SC. Magnolia, lovingly known as Maggie, has since married her childhood sweetheart George. They are later reunited with their long lost and brilliant friend, Joe. But the golden years have not been kind to either Maggie or Joe as they both suffer from the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s.
The heartbreaking journey back to 1929 Levy starts with a life sized portrait of Maggie being mysteriously delivered to Harmony House followed by a host of letters written by someone who knew them long, long ago. George reluctantly embraces the fact that the time has come for him to accept the reality of what happened that awful day. Unable to make peace, he increasingly becomes anxious and uneasy as he continues to read the letters and decides that a trip back to where it all started eighty years ago, is long overdue. And he takes Maggie and Joe back with him.
The Inheritance of Beauty simply deserves nothing less than five stars from this reviewer. Reading about what happened from the point of views of so many characters if not done right, can become quite confusing, but Mrs. Seitz was able to do this seamlessly. It was a true delight to read the pages of this book that also offered deep insights into what may be going through the mind of an Alzheimer’s patient as they endure the slow emptying of a lifetime of memories. The love that George shows for his wife as they both suffer various physical and mental ailments comes through the pages and straight to your heart.
Highly recommended. This is a book you do not want to miss.
“Lady In Waiting” is two stories in one. The first story is of Jane Lindsay. The owner of an antiques store whose life is turned upside when her husband of twenty-two years, unexpectedly announces that he needs some space and subsequently packs his belongings and leaves. Jane is floored. Her husband had suggested that she knew that there were problems in their marriage, so this really shouldn’t be a surprise. But the problem is that Jane didn’t know anything. Up to that point, she really believed her marriage was fine.
The second story is about sixteenth-century Lady Jane Grey, as told through the eyes of Lucy Day her dressmaker and confidant. We are introduced to Lady Jane as a young girl of nobility whose story of sorrow, irrevocable choices and faith are journaled as she quickly rises to Queen of England. Even if it was only for nine days.
“Lady In Waiting” is about choices. The choices we make, the one’s we don’t and the choices we choose to ignore. Both Jane’s struggle to find a happy medium between the choices they want and the choices that have already been made for them. For one of them, finding that balance may have come too late.
And in the middle of both women’s stories…the ring. An ancient relic purchased at a British sale for Jane Lindsay’s antique store, with a Latin inscription and the name Jane engraved into the band.
The story is definitely an enjoyable read, although in some parts, the storyline moved along slowly. However, there was also a suspense element that kept me turning the page and wanting to read more. The story is very well told and moves seamlessly across the centuries. The book will definitely challenge you to rethink some choices you have made. And it will also cause you to think twice about that new antique you just purchased as well. Does it have a story to tell?
You bet.
“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”
If you like fast paced, edge of your seat action, you’ll love this book. If you like romance, you’ll love this book. If you’re a fan of suspense and intrigue, you’ll love … well, can you see where I’m going with this?
Digitalis by Ronie Kendig is book #2 in the Discarded Heroes series. The series centers around Nightshade (which also happens to be the name of the first book). Nightshade is an elite black ops team of highly trained soldiers who secretly “intervene in hot spots no nation or government would touch.”
Digitalis focuses on Colton Neeley, a member of that team. Known as Cowboy to his Nightshade buddies, he is also known to them as the one who’s never missed. His position on the Nightshade team? Sniper.
Learning to lean on God as he struggles with deep private hurts and other personal issues, Colton prays that things will soon start to look up for him. Then he meets Piper Blum at a local mall. The beautiful young woman with the caramel eyes he can’t seem to forget. But something’s not quite right with Piper. Colton’s instincts tell him that she’s holding something back. And she is.
And it’s a doozie.
Mrs. Kendig then takes you on a whirlwind international tour of mystery, suspense and intrigue as Colton and the Nightshade team try to stop the carnage that results from Piper’s secrets and try to save her life and the survival of a nation in the process.
Highly recommended. If you’re not a fan of Ronie Kendig already, you will be by the end of this book.
As a teacher for a creative writing class for Christian teens, I was aware that books covering this latest phenomenon existed, even in our local Christian bookstores. However, I still had a hard time reconciling that with my heart and spirit.
That being said, when I received “Tandem” by Christian fiction author Tracey Bateman for review and realized it was indeed about vampires, I knew it wouldn’t be fair to the author or the book to put it away without at least giving it a shot, so I did.
One of my fears about the latest surge in the vampire craze (Christian or otherwise) aside from the obvious and spiritual aspect of it, is the way that vampires are glorified. Their lifestyle of bloodlust and violence have become seductive and sensual in nature and deemed as appropriate paranormal romances for teens, so much so that their behavior has been embraced by many a young adult.
And that was my concern about the book “Tandem”. But I have to admit, that as far as this book goes, it was unwarranted.
“Tandem” is essentially the story of three women. Amede Dastillon, her half-sister Eden and Missouri auction house owner, Lauryn McBride.
While researching and cataloguing items from an old Victorian home that she needs to auction off, Lauryn McBride comes across some letters, centuries old, written by an Amede Dastillon. Knowing the letters are personal in nature and would be treasured by her descendants, she is able to track down the Dastillon estate in Louisiana and sends them there. She has no way of knowing that the Amede who wrote those letters over a hundred years ago, is still alive. Amede is a vampire. And once she realizes that those letters were found at a home in Missouri, she heads their straightaway to find her long lost sister Eden.
And that’s when the trouble begins.
Abbey Hills, MO is now overwhelmed with ritualistic animal slayings and murders of their beloved citizens. Interestingly enough, they didn’t start until Amede came to town. But is she really the one responsible for them? And now the story gets really interesting. However, I can’t say more without having to list this review as a spoiler.
But the book does deal with vampires. And with that you usually get a plethora of blood trails, grisly murders and cultic activity. In “Tandem” however, although there were animal slayings and murders, they were not written out in graphic detail. As far as my own personal comfort level goes, I could have done without some of it (keep in mind that I’m of the squeamish sort anyway) especially in regards to the animal slayings, but all in all it did not sink to the level that I had presumed it would.
And there were Christian messages sprinkled throughout, but again they were subtle. Though I do believe her last sentence in the book explains the message she was intending.
Due to the multiple point of views in which the story was told it was a bit hard for me to follow, especially in the beginning. Though the further I read, the easier it became. I also was disappointed with the ending. It wrapped up really fast and seemed rushed.
However, what I loved about this book is the level of suspense it had. It kept me turning the page and just when I thought I knew what was going on and who was doing what it changed. These twists and turns were done very well by Ms. Bateman.
But most importantly, there were no gory graphic scenes or glorifying of vampires. What it did try to show was that our God is big enough to extend grace, mercy and salvation to the vilest amongst us, which in this case would include vampires (that is, of course, if they really existed).
I enjoyed reading “Tandem” by Tracey Bateman. It kept me interested enough to where I was able to finish it in less than a week. I kept going back to it because the storyline was compelling and intriguing. Will I read other vampire novels? No, probably not. The genre itself asks the readers to suspend a lot reality and that’s probably why sci-fi and fantasy novels are hard for me to get into. But would I read other books by Tracey Bateman?
Yes. I would.
“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”
Whisper- A Pete Zendel Christian Romantic Suspense Series Novel by Joy Ohagwu
