Chawna Schroeder's Beast ~ Reviewed

Beast

by Chawna Schroeder

October 2016

Gilead Publishing

1683700260

BACK COVER:

I am Beast. I serve the master.

For as long as Beast can remember, she has lived among her master's dogs. With them she sleeps. With them she eats. With them she fights and struggles to survive. But through hunger and cold she dreams of one day becoming her master's favorite, earning bones with meat and a place beside the fire.

When her pack scatters after a surprise raid, Beast must defend herself against slavers, hunting down the loners.

They are so strong, and she is only a beast . . . or is she?

For anyone who has found a monster within, Beast is a tale of truth and transformation.

MY REVIEW:

Ever doubt God loves you? Ever struggle with a lower than low self esteem? This story wrestles with those issues and is told from the perspective of an unlikely protagonist . . . a beast. But is it really a beast -- or is it you? I know, intriguing questions, right?

And a very intriguing story.

Just like life, the beast's circumstances go from bad to dire, yet has moments of kindness and seasons of love. Yet it's harder for her (yes, the beast is a female) to accept the good times instead of the bad because she feels like she is worthless. Through the efforts of a patient King and compassionate Princess, she eventually comes to see herself for what she is - a priceless creation. It's a beautiful parable of our own lives.

Chawna Schroeder's writing is fresh and well-crafted. I look forward to whatever her next book will be!

Reviewed by: Michelle Griep 

Christine Johnson's Honor Redeemed ~ Reviewed

Honor Redeemed
Christine Johnson
Series: Keys of Promise (Book 2)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (July 5, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800723511


Description:

Two Men Vie for Her Affection--Survival Will Depend on Choosing the Right One

Two years ago, Prosperity Jones waved farewell to her beloved David as the army sent him to faraway Key West. Now with her parents gone, she has but one prospect for the future: make the dangerous journey from Nantucket to Key West to reunite with David and secure a happier life. Arriving penniless in the South, Prosperity is dismayed to find David married to someone else. Scrambling to survive and nursing a broken heart, she gains the friendship--and the affection--of a kind doctor. Could he be the answer to her loneliness? Or will her life be upended by circumstance yet again?

With a deft hand, Christine Johnson fills the reader's senses with the sights, sounds, and smells of Key West in this heartwarming story of honor lost, honor redeemed, and a love forged in adversity.

Review:

Honor Redeemed is book two in “The Keys of Promise” series. In this book, we follow Prosperity Jones. Her fiance left two years ago, as the army sent him to the Key West for eight years. In the meantime, both of her parents have died. Since she has nothing to hold her to Nantucket, she decides to sail to Key West to be with David. What she doesn't realize is that David has gotten himself into a compromising position, with no memory of the incident, and is forced to marry a woman of ill repute as she claims she is expecting his child. Prosperity does not get the message in time, so when she arrives at David's door, she finds he is married and soon to be a father. Since she has no where to go, she stays with some new friends and gets a job at the hospital in town. But through different events, David and Prosperity's paths keep crossing, making it hard for them to forget each other.

It had been a while since I had read book one in this series, but it didn't take too long to put things together again. The main character from book one, Elizabeth, has a decent role in this storyline, and I love how she is involved in Prosperity's life. This was such a good book, and I so admired David, even though he made a mistake, or so he thinks, he is willing to step up and make things right, even if it means giving up the love of his life. 

Reviewed by: Sarah Meyers