REUNION BY KAREN BALL

REUNION by KAREN BALL is a beautifully written book and one that I have just read and enjoyed for the second time.
Taylor Sorensen has always been a loner, afraid to trust others except for her family. She is afraid of opening up to people because she doesn't want to get hurt. Her late husband, Josh, who lost his life in saving a young boy at a Christian camp, was her soulmate, and she feels angry towards him for leaving her and also angry with God for allowing the tragedy to happen. Her father is a minister and she has been brought up in a loving family with strong Christian beliefs.
Taylor has a Siberian Husky called Sasha and a horse called Topaz. She gets on better with animals than with people. She becomes very excited when she hears that people have heard wolves howling, and she is even more excited when she sees one when she goes to her special place, Reunion. She is afraid that the local farmers will destroy these beautiful animals.
She lives on Galloway Glen, a large property in Wyoming, where she and Josh had started a retreat for people in the ministry to come and unwind in the wilderness setting. After a year of widowhood she decides to carry on with building up the retreat and puts an advertisement in the local paper for a handyman.
Connor Alexander resigns from the Wildlife Awareness Coalition as he wants to photograph wildlife. His boss, Harry, sends him on one last assignment which is to follow up the rumours of wolf sightings in Wyoming and to try and photograph them.
He applies for the job as handyman at Galloway Glen. When Taylor finds out that he has not told her the truth, she is very hurt and he is devastated to think that he has hurt someone who has already been so badly hurt.
We see Taylor and Connor working through their feelings towards one another and both learning to forgive and to ask forgiveness.  They are passionate in their desire to save the wolves that they love so much, and through everything they go through together they are drawn to one another and Taylor learns to trust once again.
This story shows the importance of forgiveness, trust, integrity and honesty. There is a great deal to learn in this novel and I can highly recommend it. The wolves, with their protective instincts, are woven through the story, and we learn from them as well. There is an interesting plot, as there are those who are trying to destroy Taylor's plans to save the wolves, some for selfish reasons and one man who is trying to save Taylor from being ostracized by her neighbours for wanting to save the wolves.  There is also a young man who tries to protect the wolves and Taylor because of feelings of guilt.
I can highly recommend this book.



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A PROMISE TO BELIEVE IN BY TRACIE PETERSON

A PROMISE TO BELIEVE IN BY TRACIE PETERSON is the first book in THE BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY series. The story takes place in 1879 in a remote area of Montana where Gwen, Beth and Lacy Gallatin run a stage stop called Gallatin House. They are running it on their own after their father has been tragically shot. His death is ruled an accident but the girls, especially Lacy, feel there could be more to it. Lacy is determined to procure justice for her dead father, who she believes was murdered, and cannot let this go. Lacy is the tomboy of the family and tends to try and do things in her own strength. She is trying to make up for her mother's death in childbirth which she feels is her fault.
Gwen, who is the oldest, feels her life is cursed and thinks The Lord is punishing her for her disobedience in going to a fortune teller against her mother's wishes and feels responsible for her mother's, father's and husband's deaths.
Beth, the middle daughter, is a hopeless romantic, and spends her life reading romance novels, imagining she is the heroine. She feels guilty that, although she dearly loved her father, she now feels relieved that they will no longer be moved all over the country by him. The constant moving from one place to another has affected her.
Gallatin House is next door to Rafe's saloon and the activities that take place there are most offensive to the law abiding neighbours.
When Hank Bishop, Gwen's deceased husband's brother, comes on the scene, the girls are suspicious of him. Gwen realizes that Harvey has been far from honest with her, and that makes her unwilling to open up to anyone for fear of being hurt again.
In this novel we see how Gwen comes to grips with her fears and comes to understand better the sacrifice of her Lord at Calvary and what this means in her life. She sees that He became a curse for her and her disobedience has been forgiven.
It is a charming novel with a fair share of intrigue, lovable characters and a good Christian message.

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BELONGING BY ROBIN LEE HATCHER

BELONGING by ROBIN LEE HATCHER -   is a book I can highly recommend.  It is beautifully written and has a strong Christian message.  In fact I have ordered the sequel, BETRAYAL, which is only coming on to the market today!
Felicia Brennan Kristoffersen comes to Frenchman's Bluff, Idaho, to be the new schoolmistress. Orphaned at ten and separated from her brother and sister, taken in by the elderly and unaffectionate Kristoffersens, she hasn't felt she belonged anywhere since her beloved mother died. One thing that she does have, however, is a close and personal relationship with her Lord, who has sustained her throughout her life. We see her love for Him throughout, and how she is reminded through the Scriptures to let go of unforgiveness and to be thankful for what she has. She is excited that she has been given this new start and is totally committed to inspiring the children, especially the girls, to carry on with their education and thus open up opportunities for the future.
Colin Murphy is on the school board and is Felicia's landlord. He is the owner of the mercantile. He has also had sorrow in his past, having lost his wife and being left to bring up his daughter, Charity, on his own. Along the way he seems to have lost his faith in God.
Charity is an outgoing little girl who soon becomes fast friends with "Miss K". Colin, who with Mrs Summerville, voted against employing a young unmarried teacher in case she got married and left the children without a teacher, soon becomes enamoured with this beautiful and godly young woman. At last he has hope that Charity will overcome her reading problems when Felicia helps her with her studies in the evenings.
Kathleen Summerville is the widowed mother of two daughters. Her mother-in-law is controlling and Kathleen longs to be free of her in-laws and have a home of her own. She and Felicia become friends in spite of Mrs Summerville's interference.
The interaction between the characters is an interesting study of human behaviour and the longing to belong flows throughout the story. The importance of standing up for oneself when controlling family members try and run one's life, and of letting go of the past, living in the present and looking forward to the future, is also brought out strongly in the novel.

ALL THINGS NEW BY LYNN AUSTIN

ALL THINGS NEW by LYNN AUSTIN is set in the South in 1865 at the end of the American Civil War.
Eugenia Weatherly, who has fled White Oak plantation to live with her sister and family in Richmond Virginia, and who has lost her husband Philip and oldest son Samuel in the war, decides to take her daughters back home.  They have been reduced to poverty by the war, their home has been vandalized by the Yankees, and they are left with only two of their former slaves, Otis and Lizzie, who are still at White Oak with their three children.
Eugenia is a very strong woman and she is determined to salvage  their old way of life out of the ruins.  She has a very imperious attitude towards the former slaves and has instilled this attitude into her children.  When her son Daniel comes home from the war his attitude towards the Negroes and the Yankees nearly gets him into serious trouble.
We see how clinging on to the old ways brings hatred and dissention.  Eugenia is very conscious of her family's social standing and is shocked when her oldest daughter Josephine refuses to see the importance of behaving in a socially acceptable manner and instead helps Lizzie with household chores and in the vegetable garden.  Her youngest daughter, Mary, is timid and longs for life to come back to normal.  Eugenia hates seeing her children suffer and does all she can to win back the five years that the Yankees have stolen from them.
Otis and Lizzie are also concerned for their children and are delighted when Alexander Chandler of the Freedmen's Bureau opens a school for coloured children.
Otis has a strong faith in God and Lizzie relies heavily on her husband.  They are afraid to move away as the other slaves have done because they want a better life for their children and want them to better themselves by getting an education.
Relationships are very tense all round and when the Negroes are attacked and the school is burned down by vigilantes who want things to go back to the way they were, where the slaves "knew their place" and the Yankees were still the enemy, it is largely through Jo's intervention that all out fighting does not break out again.
Jo keeps telling her family that all things are to become new and that they can no longer strive to bring back the past.  They need to all work together to grow cotton again, to grow vegetables and concentrate on the things that are truly important in life. 
She has been brought up to listen to the men in her family but she is disappointed in her brother's disinterest in farming and antagonism towards Mr Chandler and the former slaves.  She doesn't want to hurt her mother, but she does not want to be forced into the social scene nor does she want to marry anyone she does not love just because he comes from an aristocratic family.  In spite of all the heartache, the war has actually set her free to marry for love and to live the life she chooses to live.  All things are indeed becoming new.  It takes her a long time to realize this, even as it takes the former slaves a long time to realize that they are truly free.  We see how behaviour and attitudes are ingrained in people from childhood.
Alexander Chandler and Jo become friends, much to Daniel and Mary's horror.  Alexander is a committed Christian who believes that the Lord has sent him to the South to show love and forgiveness towards the enemy.  He comes from a family of Quakers and only joined up because he felt that God hated slavery and wanted him to help set the slaves free.  In joining up he goes against his upbringing and is estranged from his family until he chooses to never again take up arms.  He is implementing a share-cropping plan where the Negroes work on the plantations as free men with a share of the profits.  The local white population treat him as their enemy but Jo comes to see the true goodness of his character and he is instrumental in leading her back to faith in the Lord.
In the end we see mercy and forgiveness triumphing over hatred and bigotry.
It is a sensitively written book and one that teaches us a great deal about relationships in a family, in a community and in a country.




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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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TROUBLED WATERS BY RENE GUTTERIDGE

TROUBLED WATERS by RENE GUTTERIDGE is a book about relationships, forgiveness and restoration.
Macille (Macey) Steigel is a successful news anchor, with the chance of getting into television broadcasting in New York, but she is neither happy nor fulfilled.  Her inability to sustain relationships is largely caused by a secret which keeps her tied to her past.
She was brought up by loving Christian parents on a farm in a small tight-knit community.  Her father, a godly man and a deacon in the church, had very strict rules about right and wrong, and, when she overstepped the mark, he reacted in anger and condemnation.  Macey is devastated by this rejection and leaves home at seventeen to make a new life for herself.  She turns away from the faith of her youth as she failed to see love and forgiveness in her father, the man who she wanted to please above all and by whom she had always felt loved and accepted until she failed to meet his standards, and wants nothing to do with God if He is anything like her father!
Her feelings are conflicted when she gets a message that her father has died, but she goes back to her childhood home for the funeral to be with her mother, Evelyn.
Evelyn has been praying for years that her husband and daughter will be reconciled, for she knows things that Macey has never known, and is angry that her prayers are unanswered.  However, her joy at seeing Macey again and the loving support and wise counsel of her friend Patricia, who had nursed her husband Jess until he died, make her realize that the Lord is indeed in control and His ways are not our ways.
Noah and his twin girls, with their unashamed love for the Lord and their desire that all should  come to know Him, have a lot to do with her restoration.  
It is a sensitively and beautifully written novel with believable characters. We learn a great deal about human nature and the importance of not trying to make things better in our own strength, which often makes things worse, and also of not being quick in jumping to conclusions.
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WITH EVERY LETTER BY SARAH SUNDIN

WITH EVERY LETTER by SARAH SUNDIN is the first book in her WINGS OF THE NIGHTINGALE series. The novel is set in 1942 during the second world war, mostly in North Africa.
Philomela Blake (whose name means "nightingale") has spent a great deal of her life in the jungle with her botanist father, and has always been a bit of a misfit due to her unusual looks and desperate shyness. Her mother, who died in a car accident when she was two years old, was half Filipino, which accounts for her rather exotic looks. She has a large mouth and is afraid to smile because of the cruelty of her classmates who say she looks like a monkey when she smiles, and she has never cut her hair, which she wears plaited in coils around her head. Her father says she is a rare orchid. She is afraid that if she cuts her hair she will end up like her mother, who became a party animal after cutting her hair and neglected her husband and daughter.
Mellie, as she is called by her father with whom she is very close, and later by the nurses in the army air force, has a real problem making friends. She has a scrapbook with photos she has cut out of magazines, and these are her "friends". Some are photos of real people who have terrible problems, one of whom is Tom MacGilliver whose father was executed for murder when Tom was seven, and Mellie prays for him and others who are suffering in various ways. She has a compassionate heart, is a caring and efficient nurse, and does all she can to help her patients, often singing to them with her beautiful voice. Her father calls her an angel of mercy. Being friendly comes easily to her in a hospital ward, but in she is hopeless at social functions. She has no self image and doesn't see how beautiful she really is when she looks in the mirror. She cuts her hair when it becomes hard to manage in North Africa, and realizes that cutting her hair will not make her like her mother! She is a person in her own right and is responsible before the Lord for her own actions and not her mother's or anyone else's.
She is transferred from the Walter Reed Memorial Hospital to the air evacuation unit at Bowman Field. We see how hard she tries to make friends, as her job depends on it, and the mistakes she makes along the way. She becomes involved in anonymous letter writing, and finds that she can really be herself in this kind of relationship.
Tom MacGilliver is her anonymous correspondent. He can also be himself in such a situation. He has a lot to live down being the son of a murderer, but he will not take the easy way out and change his name. He has some happy memories of his father before he became a drunkard. Tom smiles a lot and is determined not to be seen as a killer. He finds it hard making friends and finds leadership hard. He befriends a dog in the war torn country and lavishes affection on him. He calls him Sesame, and when Mellie sees him with the dog she knows he is her secret correspondant. He is an engineer and wants to build bridges between people, not kill them. He nearly gets his sergeant, Larry Fong, who is his only real friend in the platoon, killed, because he doesn't shoot an enemy sniper when he has the chance. He is a strong Christian and tries to do the right thing in every situation. Both Mellie and Tom have let friends down, been the target of cruel attacks and have been betrayed by those they thought they could trust.
The relationship between Mellie (Annie) and Tom (Ernest) flourishes as they can really open up to one another. They become really good friends and eventually fall in love. Will Mellie, who knows Tom's identity, take the chance of revealing her own identity to him and risk being hurt if he is repulsed by her looks? She feels she owes it to him and is being selfish putting her own fear of being hurt before his feelings.
This novel has a really good message and I can highly recommend it. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series.




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THE BREAKING POINT BY KAREN BALL

I have just reread THE BREAKING POINT by KAREN BALL and can highly recommend it. It is a story about family relationships and marriage. We see how God's amazing mercy and grace can restore, not only a broken marriage, but also broken people.
Renee and Gabe grow up in completely different families. Renee's parents are godly people who love each other, their family is very close, and her childhood is wonderfully happy. She feels secure in her parents' love for her. Her parents's marriage becomes an idol in her life, and she is frustrated with Gabe who is not at all like her father. She tries her hardest to change him.
Gabe's father was an angry and violent man, and there was no peace in their home. Gabe was afraid of his father until one day he became angry and hit him back, Even though he still was beaten on a regular basis, he made anger his friend and was no longer afraid. Gabe was also good at acting as if everything was fine. This became his way of life, and after he miraculously survived a fall down a cliff, he became active in church to fulfill a vow he had made to God. He was good at preaching, as he used his acting ability to help him. He didn't realize the Lord hadn't called him to ministry until his seminary professor helped him see the truth.
Renee and Gabe's marriage starts off on the wrong foot and goes downhill very fast. They go through years of counseling and are greatly helped by Grace and Oren, an elderly couple who belong to their Bible study group.
Renee, Gabe and their Siberian husky, Bo, are stranded in a snow storm after being away for a few days in the mountains. This is where everything comes to a head. They roll down a bank, Gabe is injured and unconscious and Renee is afraid he will die if she doesn't go for help. He wakes up when she has gone and is scared that she is lost and that he will never see her again. We see how they both turn to the Lord in this crisis and how He answers their prayers and how He uses this time to show them the truth about themselves. There is no room for blaming one another for their predicament, nor is their room for play acting.
Renee sees how critical she has become and realizes that she and Gabe are not her mother and father but that they are very different, and Gabe sees how he has hurt Renee by not appreciating her love for him. He has never felt good enough because of his father's physical and verbal abuse, and learnt to
protect his heart by playing a part instead of being himself. He sees how he has pushed Renee away with his outbursts of anger.
We see how a couple can be restored to one another if they are determined not to give up on one another, if they follow godly counsel and ask the Lord to change them rather than trying to change their partner.
This is a story of forgiveness, faith and redemption and is full of scriptural truth.





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A BEAUTIFUL FALL BY CHRIS COPPERNOLL

A BEAUTIFUL FALL BY CHRIS COPPERNOLL is is the second novel by Chris Coppernoll that I have read.  I posted a review on Providence by him on  the 18th April.  I really enjoy his writing style and can highly recommend his books. 
Emma Madison grew up in Juneberry in a community where she was loved and well cared for.  Her closest friends were Samantha, Christina and Michael.  
Emma's father, Will, is a loving father who has had to bring Emma up alone after his wife died when his daughter was five years old.  There is something missing in Emma's life and as a child she was always looking for her mother, who she couldn't really remember.  There was a certain oppression in their home which was filled with photos of her mother, and when she is given a box of mementos that meant a lot to her mother, she buries it.  She is ashamed of her feelings and is afraid of telling anyone how she feels.  This is what leads to her decision to leave Juneberry behind her. She doesn't even say goodbye to Michael, with whom she has had a very close relationship, and who everyone thought she would marry one day.  She hasn't been back for twelve years when she receives a message that her father has had a heart attack and is in hospital.
Emma is a successful and beautiful young lawyer and is a partner in a law firm in Boston.  She has just won a very important case for her firm.  Colin, one of her colleagues, is also a successful lawyer and it is felt that they would make an ideal couple.  Emma has a good life in Boston, but life there is completely different to life in Juneberry.  There is not much chance to unwind in Boston.
Emma loves her father dearly and feels terribly guilty for not having been home to see him for so long.  Her return to Juneberry is a turning point in her life.  Her friends welcome her with open arms and unconditional love.  From the moment she is met at the airport by Noel, Christina and Jim's son, to when she is taken to the airport for her return to Boston, she feels the love of the Lord in all the wonderful people that have played such a big part in her life.  She comes to the painful realization that she has shut people who love her out of her life and not only wounded them, but also wounded herself.  
There is still a strong bond between her and Michael.  She is in turmoil, like a leaf that is blown about by the fall wind, but he is at peace with himself and his Lord, like a tree firmly rooted in the ground.  
The weather plays a big part in this story.  For example, when she returns to Boston to an important meeting, it is cold and raining heavily.  Before returning to Juneberry she had forgotten how beautiful it was in the country.  The heavy rain and cold in Juneberry gives rise to happy memories and times spent with the man she still has feelings for.
She is not ready to return to her life in Boston and stays longer than she originally intended.  Colin keeps phoning her to see how she is getting on, telling her she needs to come back "where she belongs".  But where does she really belong?  She is determined not to be rushed, as she has given the firm years of her life and now is determined to make her family her priority.
Robert Adler, her boss, is not used to people saying no to him, and is exasperated at her long absence from the firm.  She compares the greed and manipulation shown by Robert when she is back in the office and he offers her huge money and even political success in order to keep her, with the Christian love  and forgiveness she has just experienced, and realizes that people are more important than position and success.
Will Madison is a praying man.  He has always been there for Emma, even though she wasn't always there for him.  He is grateful for his heart attack as it has brought his daughter home for a few days.  The way he welcomes his "prodigal daughter" home and then lets go of her when she has to go back to Boston at the end of the week, reminds us of God's amazing grace towards us.  This time, however, she does say goodbye to those she loves.  Michael also lets her go, but this time he goes to Boston to see what choice she is really going to make this time!
This is a story of love, forgiveness and God's mercy.  We see the importance of the choices we make, not only in our own lives but in the lives of those we love.  We see the relationships between the different characters and what love and commitment produces in their lives.  There is a strong Christian message and a lot to learn and enjoy in this sensitively and beautifully written novel.

ENGLISH IVY BY CATHERINE PALMER

ENGLISH IVY by CATHERINE PALMER is a charming novel which takes place in 19th century England and is highly reminiscent of the writings of Jane Austen.
Ivy Bowden lives with her parents and her three sisters, Caroline, Madeline and Clementine in Brooking house, near Otley. She is happy living with her family, but when her father arranges a marriage for her with Mr Creeve, she agrees out of obedience to her father, although she is not looking forward to spending the rest of her life with such an unpleasant man.
When Mr Colin Richmond comes to his country house, Longley, with a message for Ivy, she learns that those who she had always thought were her parents are in actual fact her uncle and aunt, and her sisters are actually her cousins. She is badly shaken by the news and further shaken by the fact that her marriage to Mr Creeve was arranged by her father in order to benefit her adoptive family financially. Ivy is caught in a difficult situation when she learns of her birth father's stipulation that In order to access her vast fortune she must marry Mr John Frith, who is the son of his best friend. Neither man is at all appealing and she knows that both men are after her money. There are legal arguments and an attempted murder which are caused by her fortune and the conditions attached to her receiving it. In fact this fortune is threatening to ruin Ivy's life and make it impossible for her to marry for love.
Mr Bowden is a well read man who,delights in having the right quotation for every occasion. Ivy loves him dearly and knows that he loves her. She also knows that God loves her even more than Mr Bowden does. Ivy is a godly young woman and is determined to please her Heavenly Father and to use her vast inheritance in order to help those in need. She is already known as an "angel" amongst the poor who she visits and helps in the area, and they are expecting more from her once she comes into her inheritance. She feels that an awful lot is expected of her!
Colin Richmond is a man of the world who is to take over his father's shipping company which is based in India. His father gave him the commission to find Ivy and give her the news of her inheritance which she will obtain on her twenty-first birthday, if she complies with the conditions laid down by her birth father, Mr Kingston. He is obeying his father, Ivy is trying to obey both her dead father and her adoptive father, but above all she wants to obey her Heavenly Father. Colin and Ivy are drawn to each other, but Ivy is duty bound to marry either Frith or Creeve, and Colin feels totally unworthy of someone as pure and lovely as Ivy.
Ivy and her sisters first meet Colin Richmond when they are attacked on their way to Otley. Ivy is hit on the head by one of the ruffians and is taken to Longley Park where she stays until the doctor sees fit to let her go home.
Ivy feels there is something familiar about Mr Richmond and there are smells and sounds that keep coming back to her, which she realizes are memories of the first years of her life when she lived in India.
There has been a lot of speculation about the young Mr Richmond, and rumours abound. Some even say that he is a pirate and a vagabond who has a different woman in every port!
Ivy is pleased to hear that Colin has changed his ways and has made a commitment to follow Christ.
The plot has many twists and is very exciting, the characters are well portrayed, and there is a strong Christian message. It is a delightful book and I can highly recommend it.





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LOVE'S SACRED SONG BY MESU ANDREWS

LOVE'S SACRED SONG by MESU ANDREWS is the story of Solomon's marriage to Arielah, a shepherdess from Shunem,  his treaty bride.  For Solomon, who already has many wives, it starts out as a contract to bring peace amongst the Israelites in the northern region, but he becomes totally infatuated with this godly woman who is so different from the many women he has known.  Solomon, with his upbringing in the palace, has never had the close family life that Arielah has had, and is thus unable to understand what love and commitment are all about.  Arielah's father, Jehosaphat, prince of Shunem, is to become the king's ambassador in the area in accordance with the terms of the treaty.  The people of Shunem are particularly angry about the fate of one of their daughters, Abishag, who comforted king David when he was dying, but who was looked upon as "tainted" and was not treated honourably by the royal family after his death.  
When Arielah is born Jehosaphat has a dream that his daughter, whose name means "lion of God", will marry the king and bring peace between Judah and Israel.
Arielah falls in love with Solomon when she sees him for the first time at the age of seven and knows in her heart she will marry him one day.  It is through the little shepherdess and her godly family that king Solomon comes to know what love really is. Although she is hurt by his behaviour she learns to forgive him and to love him unconditionally.  
God has given Solomon amazing wisdom, and in his desire to build his kingdom he makes treaties and trade agreements with  foreign kings and governors.  In exchange he is given many foreign wives.  Where he is so wise in worldly matters, he is sadly lacking in wisdom as far as love and commitment are concerned.  The wisdom God has given him serves him well in the world of commerce, but he lacks his father David's shepherd's heart.  David was a warrior king; Solomon is to bring peace to the land during his rule by using his great wisdom.  He is also to build the Temple that his father David wanted to build.  He is very aware of his duties to his people and the importance of obedience to Jehovah.
The novel is full of scriptural truth, and their love story follows the Song of Solomon.
There is intrigue, deception and jealousy, not only between the wives and concubines, but also between Judah and Israel.  There are men at court who do not have the king's or the country's best interests at heart.  These men, led by the cruel Ahishar, together with the twin Daughters of Jerusalem, stir up dissention and make the most of the jealousy in the harems and the pagan worship practised by the foreign wives and concubines, to try and usurp power in the kingdom.
The meaning behind Jewish betrothal and wedding practices are beautifully explained and we can't help but make the parallel between these and the betrothal and marriage that takes place between the believer and Jesus.
In this novel we are reminded of God's unending love for each one of us, how He alone brings about changes in our characters as we seek to be obedient to His will.  How it is perfectly safe to trust Him with our very lives and with the lives of those who are dear to us. He is the Great Shepherd, and it is often when we are alone, surrounded by His creation, that He speaks to us and shows us what to do.
We see Arielah's obedience, which very nearly leads to her death, and are reminded of the sacrifice of Christ when she speaks to the people of the north at the Passover festival, and her wounds remind us of the wounds of Jesus, our sacrificial Lamb.
God's mercy and grace, the importance of repentance and forgiveness and of obedience to His Law, run through the story from beginning to end.  
Jehosaphat is a godly man, and he is a father or "abba" to many, including to his son-in-law, king Solomon.  He honours his daughter's free choice and doesn't force her to marry the king, even though his heart breaks when he realizes what she will have to suffer to bring about peace in the kingdom and in Solomon's heart.
When Solomon is parted from Arielah after her attack, he not only realizes how much he truly loves her, but also comes to seek the Lord in true repentance.  This time, when he fetches her from her father's house, they do not go straight back to the court at Jerusalem, but they spend some time of restoration and refreshment at his vineyard.
The novel is beautifully written and the characters are very real and well portrayed.  Of course this is a work of fiction, but this does not take away from the truth of the story or the scripture that it is based on.  It is a really inspirational book and most enjoyable.
 

RARE EARTH BY DAVIS BUNN

RARE EARTH BY DAVIS BUNN is another Marc Royce adventure. This time he is sent to Kenya by Ambassador Walton to investigate suspected underhand activities at Lodestone, a company with its headquarters in the States, whose operatives supply food, tents, etc, as well as security, in the drought-stricken and war torn country.  He goes in undercover as a former accountant and is put in charge of getting supplies to the refugee camps. An Israeli aid worker, Serge Korban, has been kidnapped and he is also looking for him.
In the camp he meets Serge's sister Kitra, who works in the camp clinic. She dislikes him to start with, as she holds Lodestone responsible for her brother's disappearance, but when she sees his compassion for the poverty-stricken refugees, she comes to trust him.  Marc feels that he may at last be ready to move on, as it is over four years since his wife died.  He and Kitra have feelings for one another, but Kitra's life is complicated and he doesn't know if he can give up his life to become part of hers.
We see Marc's respect for both the elders at the camp and also for those that he meets in the slums of Nairobi. They have been let down badly by white men in the past who are trying to take over their land, but they trust Marc, especially when Philip, a young chief who is a believer in Christ, says he is sure that Marc is the deliverer he has seen in his dreams. They like his humility and commitment to help. 
He doesn't hurry them in their deliberations and he allows them all the time they need to make decisions.
Marc has to use all the skills learned in the military and during his time in the C.I.A. in the dangerous situation in which he and his allies find themselves.   
Marc goes to Israel at Kitra's insistance and  stays with her parents in a Kibbutz in the Judean desert.  In this desolate place they extract elements from rare earth which are used to manufacture components for  mobile phones and nuclear reactors, to name but a few. Now he understands why the villages are being evacuated - they are going to be taken over by the Chinese, aided by rogue African mercenaries. The Chinese already have the monopoly in the industry and can thus charge exhorbitant prices. This is the secret that Serge discovered and which led to his abduction.
Marc and Crowden, and those who are with them, have full permission from as far up as the White House to do what is necessary to stop the Chinese from appropriating the villagers' land, so as to counteract their monopoly.
Serge and Kitra have come to Kenya to search out the rare earth in order to have a supply for their kibbutz. They have come to "heal the land", as their way of extracting the substances from the earth is not harmful like that of the Chinese. In fact there are people that are being treated by Red Cross doctors for  unknown diseases which are directly caused by the extraction factory. They do not want to take away anything from the Africans, but they want to work together for the mutual good of both countries.
God has brought about an amazing miracle in Kenya where people from warring tribes have come to faith in Christ and are now living as brothers. Marc, as a believer himself, relates well to them, and also to Kitra's parents and the occupants of the Kibbutz who are Jewish believers in Christ the Messiah.
Philip, his uncle Oyango, and the other elders see Marc's involvement in their plight as a miracle as well.  They are so glad he has come to help them in a situation where they feel absolutely hopeless and helpless.
Davis Bunn has a good grasp of the culture and lifestyle of the African continent. The story is convincing and one can feel the dryness of the landscape, the brooding of the volcano and the fog caused by the ash. This fog serves its purpose when the villains at the extraction plant are overpowered by Marc and his men, who seem to be far more in number and whose blowing of the "vuvuselas" make one think of the destruction of Jericho when the Israelites blew the trumpets!
The story is exciting, the characters are well portrayed and there is a strong Christian message.





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WINGS OF REFUGE BY LYNN AUSTIN

 WINGS OF REFUGE BY LYNN AUSTIN 
I have read every Lynn Austin book I have come across, and I have enjoyed them all and gained a great deal of spiritual insight from her novels, but if I had to choose a favourite it would be WINGS OF REFUGE.  The setting in Israel, the characters spanning generations and how their stories are interwoven, make this a fascinating and inspirational read. We start with Abby, a forty-two year-old wife and mother of two, a history teacher, who travels to Israel with a church group to do some holiday archeological excavations.  She is going on this pilgrimage to try and get over the hurt and betrayal that she feels when her husband has an affair with a younger woman. Her first impressions of the Holy Land are shocking when a kind Israeli man who sat with her in the plane and helped her overcome her fear of flying by quoting psalms, is brutally murdered at the Ben Gurion airport and dies in her arms.  
Through her friendship with Hannah, Ben Rosen's cousin, Ari, her son-in-law, and Marwan a Palestinian Muslim, she is given a crash course in Israeli politics.  Through them and their stories, and what they dig up about Leah, a first century Jewish woman who goes from being a slave to being married to a wealthy tax collector, she learns the necessity of forgiveness.  Each of the characters in this book have a choice of whether they will forgive those who have hurt them and betrayed their trust, even those who are their sworn enemies.
There is so much biblical truth revealed in this novel as we follow all the characters and see how the decisions they make affect their lives and the lives of those round about them.  Their stories are very effectively woven together.  The mosaic that Hannah gives Abby, which had belonged to her daughter, reminds us that only God sees the full picture and that we don't always see why certain things happen in our lives, but that God's plans for each of us are perfect when they are woven into His perfect mosaic!
Through all that Abby goes through, she goes from being a nominal Christian and church-goer, to someone who chooses to walk closely with the Lord.  He becomes her strength in a strange land and in terrifying circumstances.
Our enemies don't deserve forgiveness, but Jesus forgave His enemies when they nailed Him to the cross, and the forgiveness He bought for us was very costly - He paid for it with His blood!  This fact should give us the strength to forgive others, even our worst enemies!






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I DARED TO CALL HIM FATHER BY BILQUIS SHEIK

I DARED TO CALL HIM FATHER by BILQUIS SHEIKis one of my most favourite books - right up there with FOOLISH TO BE WISE by Roy Peacock (see post June 2011) and APPOINTMENT IN JERUSALEM by Derek Prince (review posted February 2012). It is a wonderful book and one I have read and enjoyed many times. I was so glad to find a copy at a Christian bookshop recently when I was on holiday, as my original copy disappeared a while ago!
This is the story of Begum Bilquis Sheik, a wealthy Pakistani aristocrat who, after having two most unusual dreams, has a very real experience with the Lord Jesus. We see how, in her quest for the truth, she goes to see a young missionary wife, Synnove, who is led by the Spirit to explain the meaning of her dreams. She starts reading both the Bible and the Koran and is amazed when she find scriptures in the Bible that are in her dreams.
A nun, who is a doctor at the hospital where she takes her grandson, sees her reading the Bible. She explains her dilemma. After centuries of Muslim heritage, she sees,through reading both holy books, that Allah and the God of the Bible are not the same. She needs to know who she should follow. The nun shocks her by saying that she should speak to God as her Father! She asks herself which one is more like a father, and she sees that the God of the Bible is a loving Father to His children, and that we don't have to earn His approval by our works. Her close relationship with her own father draws her to the God of the Bible. Her earthly father loved her dearly and was never too busy for her.
She makes a decision to follow Christ that will change her life completely. As a Christian she will not only lose her elevated position and be looked down on as a sweeper, but she will be ostracized by everyone, including her own family. She also stands the risk of being murdered as an infidel.
Synnove Mitchell and her husband David, become her closest friends. We see the importance of meeting with fellow believers as she meets with them and the Olds' every week for fellowship. She is grateful to the Lord for giving her new friends to replace those she has lost.
This book teaches us so many things especially about the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Lord becomes everything to her and she is prepared to lose everything to follow Him. She wants to please Him rather than man, and doesn't want to do anything that would take her out of His loving presence, which she first felt as a beautiful fragrance while walking in her garden. She has never been very brave, but feels she can go through anything with Jesus by her side.
One of the hardest things the Lord asks her to do is to forgive her ex-husband Khalid. When she feels the Lord's presence leave because of her refusal to forgive him for treating her so badly, she cries out to the Lord to help her forgive him. After this she finds she can feel love for him and even prays for him. She knows this has to be the Lord's doing - she couldn't have done this in her own strength.
Bilquis has become rather a recluse after her husband Khalid divorced her, and she spends hours in her garden, restoring it to a thing of beauty. Her grandson, Mahmoud, lives with her, as her daughter and her husband cannot resolve their differences. She has adopted Mahmoud and he, his mother Tooni, and Bilquis are very close. When she becomes a Christian she is afraid that Mahmoud's father will take him away from her.
She is obedient and is baptized, even though she could be signing her own death sentence. She is desperately lonely and tries to reach out to her family and friends. She loves them, is upset that she is hurting them and prays for them regularly. 
She reads about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and asks the Lord to baptize her in the Spirit while she is alone in her bedroom. She loves the Word of God and spends hours reading the Bible.
When she is warned by God at the age of sixty to leave Pakistan, she does so, and she and Mahmoud live in the United States where she preaches the Gospel in obedience to her Lord.
This new edition has an epilogue by Synnove Mitchell which tells us about Bilquis and her experiences from her side of the story and also about the end of Bilquis' life.
This book is very inspiring, especially being a true story, and I recommend it very highly.



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THE SCROLL BY GRANT R JEFFREY & ALTON GANSKY

 THE SCROLL by GRANT R JEFFREY & ALTON GANSKY
takes place in Israel in the near future.  It is a prophetic novel with a strong Christian message, fast-paced and full of action. 
David Chambers is professor of archeology at Harvard.  He has also written books, given lectures and become quite famous with his discovery of Herod's tunnel in Jerusalem.  He used to love biblical archeology, uncovering so much proof of the truth of God's word, but gave it up and gave up on God as well, blaming his father for his disillusionment.  His father was an archeologist who stayed on in Israel at a dig while David's mother was dying of cancer.  David was very angry and believed the worst of his father without knowing the truth. He also blamed God for his mother's death and his father's supposed insensitivity. David had been engaged to Amber, also a doctor of archeology, but she broke off the engagement when he changed.  He became difficult to be with, was very volatile, and gave up on the Truth and on biblical archeology.  Amber is a committed Christian and her faith is very important to her.
David and Amber are thrown together when their friend and mentor, Abram Ben-Judah, asks each of them, without letting the other know, to join in excavations funded by American billionaire Trent and backed by the prime minister of Israel and Israeli military, to find hidden treasure from the Second Temple.  They are to follow the rather well hidden clues found in the Copper Scroll.
Nuri Aumann is also part of the team.  Nuri is a real thorn in the flesh to David, especially because of his friendship with Amber Rodgers, which looks like more than friendship to him!  They work well together, in spite of everything, but keep taking digs at each other.
The first treasure is found in an Essene cave.  David leaves in a huff when he feels they are not following correct scientific procedure and are in too much of a hurry, but Hiram Landau, who is in charge of their security "persuades" him to stay on.  the team members are fed up with David's anger, self absorption and childish behaviour!
The work is dangerous, especially when it is leaked to the media that the Jews are looking to rebuild the Temple.  A Hebrew student is shot and there is an explosion in the tunnel where the first treasure is found.
It is thought that Hussein Al-Malik, a former Jordanian archeologist turned terrorist, who has ties with Hamas, is behind all the violence and that he has infiltrated the project by inserting one of his men in the crew.  There is an exciting discovery made in a natural tunnel leading off Herod's runnel.  The enemy does all it can to destroy David and to stop the excavations.  They are not after the treasure, they simply do not want the Temple to be rebuilt.  
Ben-Judah wants to find the ancient Temple artifacts so that the Jews can rebuild the Temple according to biblical prophecy.  He feels this will make a statement to the world that Israel is here to stay.  The building of the Third Temple has been a dream of the Jews since the first century AD and could radically change the world.
David feels responsible for the deaths as he is team leader and he wonders whether the project is worth it after all, however, when he sees his mentor on his knees worshiping God, overcome by the discovery of the Holy Table of Shewbread and the Temple Menorah, he is deeply moved.
Ben-Judah is a godly man with a passion for the God of the bible.  For him archeology is "an act of worship and service to God."  This used to be the case with David too, until he turned away from God and started to see it merely as a way to make an income and be successful.  He has become a little too proud of his achievements and is surly and unpleasant to be with.  Ben-Judah says David is a passionate man and a great archeologist, and as they get more involved in the work, David's excitement mounts and he is drawn back to his love of the Lord and of biblical archeology.  He now reads the bible in order to have a closer relationship with his God and not just to find archeological clues.
In this book we are reminded of the importance of forgiveness, of self-control, of unselfishness and of not losing faith in God.  As the suspense builds up we wonder who the mole is, if the project will succeed, whether Amber will choose the more charismatic Nuri or whether she and David will get back together again.  The characters are well portrayed and the setting in the ever volatile land of Israel makes this novel an exciting read.  I can highly recommend it.





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ALLAH'S FIRE BY CHUCK HOLTON & GAYLE ROPER

ALLAH'S FIRE takes place in Lebanon. It is part of the Task Force Valor series. It is a very exciting book and has a strong Christian message. I have read all three of the novels and enjoyed them all. They can each be read as stand alone books, but I feel you get more out of them if you read them one after the other.
Liz Fairchild was brought up in Lebanon by her free-thinking parents, Charles and Annabelle, and her sister Julie. They are American, but have a great love for Lebanon and her people. Liz is a journalist and she has come back to Lebanon to interview Palestinian women in the refugee camps.
Julie, while studying in England, falls in love with a handsome Lebanese called Khalil. While living in Britain all goes well with their marriage, but when they return to live in Lebanon, their differences pull them apart. She is not as radical a Christian as her sister, but she has made a commitment to the Lord. She is afraid of telling her parents that she is a Christian because of her father's criticism of Liz's faith. It is when she is alone and afraid during her imprisonment that she learns to really trust in the Lord as her Saviour, and promises to profess her faith instead of keeping it hidden, if she manages to escape.
Julie and Khalil are at a reception at the Hotel Rowena, which is blown up by a terrorist group using a new explosive called ITEB, a liquid which explodes on exposure to air. Julie manages to escape through a window in the ladies, restroom, but she is abducted by three Palestinians.
John Cooper and the rest of the Task Force Valor team are seconded to the CIA and sent to Lebanon to find where ITEB is being manufactured and to destroy it, as it poses a terrible security threat. It is stored in bottles and looks like water.
John has always been a committed Christian, but when his friend Doc Vernon James is blown up when he is trying to help a young Islam woman who he believes is giving birth, he doesn't know what he believes any more.
When Julie disappears Liz's faith is badly shaken.
Julie and John met three years previously and lost touch with one another. They meet up again at this stressful time, and Liz, who goes off on her own to find Julie, becomes part of Task Force Valor's mission.
John and Julie not only find one another again, but their faith in a faithful God is restored.



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HARVEST OF RUBIES BY TESSA AFSHAR

HARVEST OF RUBIES by TESSA AFSHAR takes place during the reign of King Artaxerxes in Persia.
Sarah is a young Jewish girl whose father is a scribe in the royal palace, and she is the niece of Nehemiah, the king's cupbearer.  She lost her mother when she was young and her father, who is a very shy man, doesn't show her any affection, although he loves her deeply.  This makes her feel that she is unlovable.  She teaches herself to read and write, and is amazed that her father is supportive of her in this, which is unheard of for women at the time, and she feels that her value as a person is only in proportion to her ability as a scribe.  
Sarah turned from God when her mother died.  She used to recite psalms to her mother when she was dying, and later on we see how Nehemiah's wedding gift scroll comes to mean a great deal to her and how God's word helps her when she is unhappy in her marriage.
Uncle Nehemiah feels that the Lord has given her this special talent for reading, writing and languages for a special purpose, even as He used Queen Esther's beauty for the saving of the Jews in Persia when Haman was trying to destroy them.  Nehemiah is a godly man and wants her to fulfill her God-ordained destiny.
Sarah becomes Queen Damaspia's chief scribe and lives at the palace.  She loves her work and is good at it.   Her world is shattered when the queen arranges a marriage for her with a royal relation, a nobleman called Darius.  Darius' mother was Jewish and he promised her that he would not marry a woman who wasn't Jewish so the queen feels she has found the ideal candidate in Sarah.  Damaspia arranges this marriage in gratitude for Sarah's work in uncovering the truth behind a conspiracy to discredit her and cause dissention between her and the queen mother.
Sarah feels that God has abandoned her and that she has to do everything in her own strength.  She is outspoken and not good with relationships.  She has great pride in her work as a scribe and feels she will be worth nothing without it.  She feels that she is ugly and has nothing to offer her noble husband.  
After the wedding, at which she makes a complete fool of him and of herself by looking hideous - she had no patience for the preparations that women went through to look beautiful - he abandons her at his palace.  
Here she humbles herself and enjoys the beauty around her, after spending some time lying in bed and feeling sorry for herself!  Once she sees how her husband's estate is being run into the ground by a wicked and dishonest steward, she takes an interest in what is going on and puts herself in danger to get proof of his dishonest activities. 
She makes friends with the few loyal servants that are there and she also has her beloved maidservant, Pari, who is sent with her.  She also comes to love Darius's dog, Caspian. 
She learns a lot from the elderly gardener, Bardia, who teaches her that vines need to be pruned drastically in order to bring forth fruit.  She takes this lesson to heart and longs to produce "good fruit", even as she is being "pruned" in this strange situation in which she finds herself.  He also tells her a lot about Darius, who he has known since he was a little boy and who he loves dearly.  She begins to understand her husband better.  She finds Darius angry and sarcastic and is unable to make him understand that she did not hurt him intentionally.  He thinks she is a liar.  The picture Bardia paints of him is very different.  His pride was badly hurt by the wedding.
When Darius comes back he is grateful to her and she feels that at last she can be of use to him in sorting out his accounts and working as his scribe. She realizes how selfish she was on their wedding day and wants to make it up to him.   She doesn't see herself as being pretty, and cannot believe that anyone could possibly love her for herself.    
Darius and Sarah are called to the court at Ecbatana and it is there that she falls in love with him. He doesn't trust her and is about to send her away, but when she is attacked when out hunting with the queen,  he realizes that he cannot live without her.  At last she sees that, not only do people love her for herself and not for her achievements, but that God also loves her for herself.  She decides that, even if Darius never comes to love her, she is loved by the Lord, and that is enough.  
Darius is kind and thoughtful and they start afresh with what they have and leave the past behind them.  He is touched by her love for his servants, who are more friends than servants, and for his favourite dog, Caspian.
This book is rich with descriptions of life in Persia and at the king's palace.  It is beautifully written and we learn a lot from the way in which the characters deal with the situations and circumstances in which they find themselves.  We see how the Lord never lets His children go, even when they turn away from Him, and how He lovingly draws them back.  How He can bring forth a "harvest of rubies", not only from the pruned grapevines, but also in the life of someone who has learnt to trust Him  and who has become stronger through the difficulties she has been through.  I can highly recommend this novel.

THE HARBINGER BY JONATHAN CAHN

I have just read THE HARBINGER :the Ancient Mystery that holds the secret of America's Future by JONATHAN CAHN and cannot recommend it enough!  It is a prophetic book which ties up the prophecies of the Old Testament, where the Jews were promised judgment instead of blessing if they turned from the Lord and did things in their own strength, with the judgment that has come to America because of the people's willful turning away from God and pride in their own strength.  We see how the nine harbingers, or warnings, received by Israel before her destruction tie up with the warnings given to America.
He shows how in both cases "the walls were breached" by the enemy, and how Biblical prophecy was fulfilled at Ground Zero and with the collapse of Wall Street.
He shows how the Lord is a God of mercy and desires above all that all men be saved and that He longs for them to turn to Him in obedience to His Word - how He warns them and yearns for them to come to Him - in fact their very future depends upon their reaction to His warnings.  There is definitely hope here, as we see God's great love for those He has created to have fellowship with Him and to follow His ways, ways which lead to His protection and incredible blessings.
There is too much in this book, which is more of a conversation and a teaching than a novel, for 
me to do it justice, and I suggest that you look up www.theharbinger-jonathancahn.com for more information.
It is a very exciting book, and I feel that the warning is not just for the United States but for all people everywhere to choose to return to the Lord before it is too late!

TRUE DEVOTION BY DEE HENDERSON

TRUE DEVOTION by DEE HENDERSON is the first book in the Uncommon Heroes series.  
Kelly is a lifesaver who saves a young boy's life when he is taken out to sea in a riptide.  She almost dies in her attempt to save him, but is herself saved by Joe, a navy SEAL who has become her best friend. Joe was her late husband, Nick's, commanding officer and best friend.  Nick died in saving Joe's life in a mission that went wrong.  Kelly was devoted to her SEAL husband, and for three years drifts far from true devotion to the Lord as she blames Him for his premature death.  When Joe saves her from drowning she tells him she loves him, which she realizes is the truth, but she is afraid of losing him as a friend if things don't work out for them romantically.
This near death experience causes Kelly to rethink her relationship with the Lord.  She is truly grateful to the Lord for saving her life and turns back to prayer and bible reading in her desire to get close to Him once again.
Charles, Ryan's father, shows his gratitude to Kelly by giving her lavish gifts, but there is something about him that Joe doesn't trust.  He thinks it is probably because Charles seems to be after Kelly's affection.  Kelly likes Charles and both she and Joe become very fond of Ryan.
The characters in this story show friendship, loyalty, single-mindedness, determination and heroism.  There is also much fun, camaraderie and a love of life amongst them, especially in view of the dangerous work they are involved in. We see Joe and Kelly's unselfishness as opposed to the selfishness and greed of those they are up against.
The story is fast-paced and exciting, and I like the almost conversational way that it is written.  It is easy to read and gives an insight into the lives of those who lay their lives on the line in order to keep the citizens of America safe. It is a story of devotion to one another, to their country and to the Lord.