Susan Meissner's White Picket Fences ~ Reviewed

WHITE PICKET FENCES
By: Susan Meissner
Published by: Waterbrook
ISBN#978-1-4000-7457-0
358 Pages

Back Cover:

When the storybook-perfect Janvier family temporarily "adopts" their teenaged niece, Tally, they assume they'll be helping her. But when Tally befriends her cousin, Chase, she soon realizes that he badly needs encouragement, too. When the troubled teens interview two holocaust survivors for a sociology project, will they trigger the healing process that everybody needs?


REVIEW:

Secrets! When is it ok to keep a secret? This is what Amanda; Tally’s aunt says about them, “My grandmother had her secrets. My father had his. You have yours. And I… What do they really accomplish anyway? I mean, think about it. What secret did anyone any good? Can you think of one?”

Tally does think of a good secret. Josef and Eliasz told of their secret operation to save babies from the horrific conditions of the ghetto. It had to be kept a secret so that lives could be saved. Tally knew that her Aunt was hinting around that she should tell her the reason her father was off on a sudden trip to Europe. Her father has asked her not to tell and she wasn’t sure why but she wanted to keep the secret.

Tally’s father Bart is a drifter. Tally has lived more places than she could count. Bart left her at her grandmother’s house so that he could head to Warsaw to uncover a family secret. He would come for Tally after he found what he was looking for. But something neither of them planned on happened at her grandmother’s house.

After that unfortunate event Tally goes to temporally stay with Aunt Amanda and Uncle Neil, with their two children Chase and Delcey. Tally observes this two parented family. This is the first time for her to stay with them. Delcey isn’t crazy about sharing her room or having anything to do with her. Chase is in the same grade and they team up to do a project for school. Chase included his best friend in the mix as well. The three of them head out to learn about the Holocaust and its survivors. Chase just so happens to know two men in a nursing home they can talk to.

When Josef and Eliasz start sharing their story something is stirred in Chase and he can’t shake it. He starts to have nightmares and soon realizes that what he’s haunted by in his sleep is real. He searches for the missing pieces of his families past that will help him uncover some family secrets that have to be exposed. He could not be tortured by them anymore.

Susan once again pens a remarkable story I hadn’t expected. Her characters are believable, and talk about things you only think of, but don’t say. I truly liked how she discussed the horrific subject matter of the Holocaust, the survivors and the matter of family secrets. Which do you keep and which ones need telling no matter how painful you might think it will be to expose them. This is one very compelling story, of fighting for what is right, loving till it hurts and developing relationships that are loving and matter. I received a review copy of this book and I’m very glad I did.


Nora St.Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction

Roseanna M. White's A Stray Drop of Blood ~ Reviewed

A Stray Drop of Blood

By Roseanna M. White

December 2009

WhiteFire Publishing

978-0-9765-4446-3

Review by Michelle Griep

Beautiful is a dangerous thing to be when one is unprotected.

For seven years, Abigail has been a slave in the Visibullis house. With a Hebrew mistress and a Roman master, she has always been more family than servant…until their son returns to Jerusalem after his years in Rome. Within a few months Jason has taken her to his bed and turned her world upside down. Maybe, given time, she can come to love him as he says he loves her. But how does she open her heart to the man who ruined her?

Israel’s unrest finds a home in her bosom, but their rebellion tears apart her world. Death descends with Barabbas’s sword, and Abigail is determined to be there when the criminal is punished. But when she ventures to the trial, Barabbas is not the one the crowd calls to crucify. Instead, it is the teacher her master and Jason had begun to follow, the man from Nazareth that some call the Son of God…

Born free, made a slave, married out of her bonds, Abigail never knows freedom until she feels the fire of a stray drop of blood from a Jewish carpenter. Disowned by Israel, despised by Rome, desired by all, she never knows love until she receives the smile of a stoic Roman noble.

A Stray Drop of Blood is a fast-paced story that keeps you guessing until the very end. The unexpected plot twists and action make for an entertaining read—not your average ‘I-know-how-this-is-going-to-end’ type of tale.

One thing that author Roseanna White really nails is influencing a readers’ emotions via characterization. When main character Jason Visibullis was introduced, I took an instant dislike to the man, which rapidly turned to disgust. However, later on, White managed to completely change my opinion of him, and he became one of my favorites.

I think this is an important book because of how well it describes the plight of women. Granted, this happens to be told from a slave’s point of view, but even contemporary women will relate to the way heroine Abigail is treated. Ultimately this is a story of hope and contentment.

If you’re a lover of Biblical era novels, then this is the book for you…or a great Christmas gift for someone you know that has a Bible times penchant.

Tim Kehoe's The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow ~ Reviewed

The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow
by Tim Kehoe
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0316056650


Description:

Vincent Shadow isn't particularly good at sports and is constantly being picked on by his classmates at Central Middle School. But it is Vincent's unusually creative mind that truly separates him from other kids his age.

Vincent's top secret attic lab is crammed with toy prototypes --from Liquid Superballs to Bullz-I Basketballs and Sonic Snorkelz--and he has a sketch book filled with drawings of toys he still wants to build. So when a chance encounter with an eccentric toy inventor offers him the opportunity to go from unknown weird kid to toy inventor extraordinaire, Vincent realizes that playtime is over: it's time to get serious about toys.


Review:

Vincent Shadow, a winsome, spunky eleven-year-old, has lost his Mom, his cohort in inventing toys. . Creating a new stepmom equal to Cinderella's, along with two annoying stepsisters, Kehoe delightfully adds a third stepsister, Stella. With Stella as his new stalwart encourager, Vincent wildly attempts to move from being the school's weird kid to winning the Annual Whizzer Toy Contest (and may I add that the emphasis there is on "wildly."

Except for getting exhausted from charging through his experiments with Vincent working night after night after night with no sleep, and except for constantly worrying how many children are going to read this book, attempt one of the experiments, and blow up his or her house, I found the book a perfect blend of appealing character, a captivating friendship, and a thrilling exploration of scientific ideas. Along with it being a fast-paced, fun romp, The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow will add wonder and excitement to any grade schooler's love of science.

Reviewed by Barbara Davidson

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.

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction
Christian Fiction On-line Mag - Columnist

Kirk Outerbridge's Eternity Falls ~ Reviewed

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?

To read chapter one click HERE.


REVIEW:

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!

Reviewed by: Nora St.Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction

Tim Downs's The Ends of The Earth ~ Reviewed

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.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer

Chi Libris Members' A Novel Idea ~ Reviewed

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.



Reviewed by Ane Mulligan

Editor, Novel Journey