ATTRACTED TO FIRE by DIANN MILLS

 ATTRACTED TO FIRE by DiAnn Mills is a book that is well worth reading.  It is a story of intrigue and romance and has a good Christian message.
Ash Zinders is the Secret Service agent in charge of the team of six agents sent to guard the vice president's daughter, Lindsay, at a remote Texas ranch belonging to her father's best friend.  Ash is not at all impressed with the fact that one of the team members is a woman, Meghan Connors, as he is against women agents in general.  Meghan's dedication to her job, her efficiency and her beauty eventually win him over.  
Meghan has been chosen by the vice president specifically as she has had experience with addiction.  Her sister's addiction to drugs is very hard on Meghan and her mother.  
Lindsay is addicted to drugs and alcohol and has tried to take her own life.  There have been threats against her as well, and her wild behaviour whilst under the influence has the media in a feeding frenzy.  She is taken to the ranch in secret, but it is soon obvious to the agents that there is a mole in their midst who is working with the man who is trying to destroy Lindsay and her family.  When her father becomes president the attacks become more intense.
It is interesting to see how Lindsay responds to the agents and caregivers and comes to trust Meghan with her secret fear which leads her and Ash, with Chip's help, to the evidence they need to bring the conspiracy to an end.
We see this young girl, who has been controlled from her youth by an unscrupulous man who introduced her to drugs and alcohol, and who told her lies to make her feel unloved by her parents and not worth anything to anybody, finally able to make the right decisions for her life.
In this novel we see dedication to duty, to one another, and the effect that committed Christians have on those round about them when they live out their faith.  We also
see the singleness of purpose amongst those who have been entrusted with Lindsay's well being.  It is a very exciting book and hard to put down.  I really enjoyed it.

WHEN THE NILE RUNS RED BY DiAnn Mills

WHEN THE NILE RUNS RED by DiAnn Mills takes place in war torn southern Sudan. It is an exciting book and hard to put down.
Dr Larson Farid and her husband Paul are based in a small village where they have a clinic. They work all over southern Sudan amongst the very poor, looking after the sick and injured and ministering to their spiritual needs.
Paul comes from a prestigious Muslim family who are trying to kill him for converting to Christianity and are willing to use any means to do so.
Colonel Ben Alier is a hardened warrior who is fighting to liberate the south from the dictatorship of the north. He is in love with Larson, but knows he can never have her now that she is married to Paul. He is committed to keeping her safe. He is not interested in Paul and Larson's message of Christianity until after he is reunited with his nearly grown up son and the young woman he abandoned years ago, who are also Christians. We see Daruka and David's forgiveness and their unconditional love for the man who has come back to them, with selfish motives in the beginning, and also the change in Ben who ends up loving the woman he only married in order to be close to his son. The softening in his attitude towards others and to the message of Christ is due in part to an unexpected illness for which he refuses treatment until he sees that he has something to live for with the family he has just found.
It is a story of a couple living out their Christian beliefs in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances, of unconditional love for the people of this sad and beautiful land, of forgiveness and betrayal.
With the Farid's adopted son, Thomas, and Larson and Daruka's pregnancies, there is a strong message of hope for the future.
This novel is realistically written and the setting and the people of the land are beautifully described. We see the incredible faithfulness of God towards His servants and His protection and deliverance in extremely dangerous situations, which makes this an encouraging read. I can highly recommend this novel.

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THE WIND HARP BY B J HOFF

THE WIND HARP by B J HOFF is set in a mining town called Skingle Creek in 1904. It is the second book in The Mountain Song Legacy series, and after reading it I have ordered the first and third books! Although the novel can be read on its own, I want to read more about the very real characters portrayed in It.
Life in this mining town is hard and the author gives us a real insight into the kind of life that was led by the miners and their families at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Maggie MacAuley is a young woman of Irish descent with flaming red hair and
a vibrant personality. She has come back to Skingle Creek where she grew up in order to help her parents who are trying to make ends meet after her father has been badly injured in a cave-in at the mine. Maggie is a qualified teacher and has been teaching in Chicago since finishing college and is delighted when she is asked to teach the younger children at her old school by her old teacher, Jonathan Stuart. Mr Stuart is a caring teacher and is well loved by everyone in town, but with Maggie it is something more. She has always had a crush on him, but now that she is grown up she finds she is falling in love with him.
Jonathan and Maggie both care deeply for the children they teach and are very worried by the situation in the Lazlo household. We see the contrast of that awful set up with the MacAuley household where there is also very little money but where family affection and godly values are very strong.
The contrast between darkness and light runs throughout the story. We see the light of Christ that is brought into the darkness and abject poverty of the mining town and the people who have been swallowed up by it. The light is brought in by people like Maggie and Jonathan, Dr Gordon, Pastor Ben and his wife Regina, who are willing to lay down their lives by serving others. This light brings hope into even the darkest situations.
B J Hoff has blended her characters and setting into a story that is enjoyable and has a strong message of hope.


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