Not By Might (Angel of Mercy) by Al Lacey - A Review

Not By Might the eighth book in Al Lacey's Angel of Mercy series is a Christian novel set in the Old West. The product description leads you to believe the novel will be written from the viewpoint of two different women. Breanna, the wife of U.S. Marshall John Brockman, and Natalie Fallon a new nurse at the hospital where Breanna works. Natalie is a supporting character in the novel but has very little dialog in the book and is a non-entity until the last couple of chapters.

I found it extremely hard to develop any interest in the book or its characters. From the drama of revenge from an outlaw-done-wrong to the constant and annoying insipid Christianity spouted by the main characters everything fell flat. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Christian and I am not against novels that have a strong Christian message or with quoting scripture. However, when the same verse is used over and over repeatedly with no real depth behind it, it becomes a turn-off instead of a blessing. These characters were so sugary sweet it felt as if I had eaten a mouthful of frosting with no cake, much less a hearty meal beforehand.

I think if the author had concentrated less on beating the gospel/faith message over her reader's heads and more time on developing depth and feeling in their faith the novel would have been a much better read. As it is I could hardly stand to pick it back up to finish in order to write this review. I am exceedingly glad I didn't pay for it.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group does not require a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Carter Newsletter 2012

Carter Newsletter 2012_2

Christ-Centered Christmas by Hal and Melanie Young (E-book) - A Review

Christ-Centered Christmas is a charming 80 page e-book that introduces you to the Christmas traditions of the Young family. As its title implies the e-book's focus is on keeping Christ in your CHRISTmas. Hal and Melanie virtually open their doors to their home and take you on a tour of their favorite traditions with a warm blend of history, how-to's, and recipes.





In their e-book you will find the following topics:

Decorating

Celebrating Advent

Caroling Parties

and more . . .

One of my favorite sections in the e-book is the history behind why we decorate our homes with evergreen at Christmas time. This was a piece of history of which I was unaware. Like most, I grew up with the tradition of the Christmas tree and never thought much else about it. As an adult, I heard various arguments for and against with the opposing side citing it as a pagan tradition and therefore not appropriate in a Christian home. Our family has always loved having a tree and kept that tradition despite occasionally wondering if the naysayers had some truth in their argument. Well, I will happily put up my tree and my wreaths now in celebration of a Christ-Centered Christmas. Oh, and if you want to know the story . . . well, you'll just have to buy the e-book!

Hal and Melanie Young's Christ-Centered Christmas is definitely a keeper. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to learn or add to their traditions of having Christ as the focus of your Christmas. It certainly left me with some new ideas and affirmations of old ones.

Plus, they included some really fantastic recipes!

Thank you Hal and Melanie Young for providing me with a free copy of Christ-Centered Christmas to review. They did not require that I provide a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

If you would like to find out more about Hal and Melanie Young or purchase Christ-Centered Christmas please visit www.raisingrealmen.com. Download this gorgeous 80 page, full color book (a $15 value) now for their introductory price of $6!! http://www.raisingrealmen.com/ourstore/christmas/

The Christmas Singing by Cindy Woodsmall - A Review

The Christmas Singing, despite its title, is not really about the holiday. This was a bit of a disappointment for me since I was looking forward to reading a Christmas themed Amish romance.

It is a charming novel about a scatterbrained baker named Mattie and her love life. Mattie has been hurt in the past and therefore is determined to not give her heart to any man again. Through a disaster she must confront her old love and all the feelings he stirs up. This is ultimately a novel about forgiveness and the wounds that are left behind when deception enters a relationship no matter how well meant.

I enjoyed the book as a nice light read. It's typical of the genre and worth a couple hours entertainment.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group does not require a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann - A Review

I don't think I've had a harder time, so far, coming up with a review for a book. Indelible is a romantic suspense novel by a Christian author. The Christian aspects of the story were very low key, at least to me. The title refers to the main character Natalie Reeve who has an eidetic memory that imprints a person's face and all their inner being indelibly in her mind. Her only method of removing the image is to sculpt it immediately into clay. Because of this she rarely looks at anyone's face and thus comes across as evasive. However, if she does look at someone she can see beyond the surface and her stare is hyper focused which makes anyone she does look at extremely uncomfortable.

She meets our hero, Trevor MacDaniel when he rescues her nephew from the jaws of a young mountain lion. Trevor battles his own personal demons. Thus, you have two flawed protagonists who must overcome their past and current issues in order to connect emotionally.

Then interjected into the story of Natalie and Trevor is a weird inner dialogue and passages from an obscure book. I had to go read other reviews before I knew that the passages were from Paradise Lost by John Milton. A poem I had never read and, frankly, have no intention of reading. I found these interjections to be distracting, disjointed and had a difficult time even comprehending how this twisted person even fit into the story.

You are never introduced to this deeply troubled individual. You are given clues to his personality through his ramblings but it's not until you get three quarters through the book that you have any idea why he's doing what he's doing. It's the last few chapters that really explain who he is and it's not until then that you have any understanding or sympathy as to why this person does what he does.

I also found the relationship between Trevor and his former girlfriend to be quite disturbing. She is married and has a child yet she is constantly worrying about him and getting in his business, etc. This is not a romantic relationship that has turned into a pseudo sibling connection. It definitely came across, to me, as someone who just wouldn't let go. Honestly, if I'd been her husband, I would not have been as complacent as he was for so long.

I did not enjoy this style of writing at all. I really didn't like the ending either. I won't tell you why because if you intend to read the book my reasons could spoil the story for you.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group does not require a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky - A Review

Biblical archeology, murder, intrigue and a man who has lost his faith in God are the main themes in "The Scroll". Dr. David Chambers, due to a painful experience, has lost his hope in the scriptures that used to drive his passion. Known as the leading archeologist in the Holy Land, his work set the standard in biblical research. But, that was then. Now, drowning in doubt and depression and on the verge of leaving his passion for the Holy Land in the proverbial dust, David has the chance to redeem his faith and his career.

David's old friend and mentor Abram Ben-Judah calls him with the offer of one last dig. With the enticement of riches and a discovery unlike any other Dr. Chambers heads back to Israel. He quickly finds himself confronted with those very things he wanted to leave behind. Drawn into a fight for his life will his faith in God return or be forever lost?

I found that "The Scroll" was a little slow to start but an enjoyable read. Think Indiana Jones meets the bible meets end times prophecy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in biblical historical fiction with a little bit of action adventure thrown in.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group does not require a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.



The Scroll by Grant R. Jeffrey and Alton L. Gansky (ch. 1 excerpt)

Sodastream Fountain Jet Soda Maker Starter Kit Bzz Campaign

So, over at www.bzzagent.com they are holding a contest, of a sort, to get into the Sodastream Bzz Campaign. Now I have been lusting over the Sodastream setup for over a year now. I'm not a big soda drinker but I do like to pop open a cold fizzy drink, especially when I am feeling stressed. However, the biggest drawback for me in drinking soda is how sweet it is. So I started researching if there was any way I could make my OWN soda that had the flavors I liked and less of that comatose inducing sweetness.

I found http://www.sodastreamusa.com/ and was very excited about the possibilities. Plus, who doesn't like experimenting to get your very own custom concoction? Needless to say I was over the moon excited to find out about this http://www.bzzagent.com/daily/view/sodastream-daily-bzz#

Now, I'm not the type to do a video, but I can sure babble away on my blog about my excitement and hopping up and down anticipation of actually being able to get into this Bzz Campaign.

Go Me!!

I'll let you know whether or not I get in. Because I know that you'll be waiting with fingers crossed just like me! :)