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Christian Novel Review

Having always been an avid reader, since becoming a Christian I have found a wealth of reading material in Christian bookshops and in various second hand bookshops. I have found that in Christian novels one often finds truths that help in one’s Christian walk. I enjoy reading about how the various characters deal with life, and I also find I am the richer for reading a really good Christian novel. Certain authors, through their books, give you a real insight into their joys and struggles, which I find very interesting. The books which I am going to review are those which I have really enjoyed, and have read at least twice – some books, for example the “Mark of the Lion “ series by Francine Rivers, I have read at least five times each. The first books that I am going to talk about are the latest two novels by Francine Rivers,


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Friday 15 December 2017

A DARING ESCAPE by TRICIA GOYER

A DARING ESCAPE by TRICIA GOYER is the second LONDON CHRONICLES novel, but it is not a sequel. They are separate stories.
The novel takes place before the outbreak of the Second World War. Hitler has taken over the Sudetenland and Chekoslovakia is the next country to fall into his hands. I am always amazed at the research that goes into historical novels, and this Author has given us a real insight into the turmoil in England and Europe in 1938/1939.
Amity Mitchell's brother, Andrew, works for the Home Office in London, and asks her to join him in Prague. She gets leave from her duties as tutor and joins him, not quite knowing what awaits her in that beautiful city. She feels the Lord has led her there, and soon finds that she is to work there to help with the Kindertransport. We see her dedication to the children and her trust in the Lord which helps her deal with the terribly sad situation in the country, and also with the hard work involved in trying to get the children to safety.
She has always felt inferior to her brother, but the work she does with the Jewish children makes her feel validated. She is encouraged by her employer and friend, Clark, and his daughter, Celia, both of whom she loves dearly.
Clark is an author who hasn't managed to write since his wife died, but his time with Amity in Prague and their involvement in trying to save the children
inspire him and he is soon full of ideas for a new novel.
I feel that we are shown what one's response ought to be when faced with evil. We see the compassion shown by the exhausted workers towards the mothers who will do anything to get their children onto a list that might get them to safety in another country. We see the incredible love of these parents who know they may never see their children again.
There are so many wonderful characters in this book, that I certainly cannot mention them all, and the story is complicated and really well worked out. It is a beautifully written book which is full of biblical truth and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

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Saturday 2 December 2017

FATAL COVER-UP by LISA HARRIS

I really enjoyed FATAL COVER-UP by LISA HARRIS, as I have all the books I have read by her. The story is set in Italy, and the Author makes us really feel we are in the beautiful cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, as we follow Talia Morello and Joe Bryant on their quest to find some stolen paintings.
Both Talia and Joe have suffered the loss of people who were important to them, and I like the way this is dealt with in the novel. This is really the main Christian message here - bad things happen, even to good people, because of the wickedness of man. It is not God who causes these things to happen, but He makes a way for His children to overcome their grief and carry on living their lives. He can bring good out of anything, and we see this happening for Talia and Joe.
I can highly recommend this novel for the exciting story and excellent Christian message.


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Thursday 12 October 2017

WHERE WE BELONG by LYNN AUSTIN.

WHERE WE BELONG by LYNN AUSTIN is based on the true story of two Scottish sisters who crossed the desert to Mt Sinai to find ancient Scriptures in the library at St Catherine's monastery to prove the authenticity of the bible. The author has included a fair share of romance and some very interesting characters to her story, which is set in Chicago rather than Scotland.
Top students, fascinated with history and literature, the Hawes sisters, Rebecca and Flora, start their plans for adventure by researching a European trip that they hope to go on with their father when they are fifteen and fourteen respectively. Rebecca is the most adventurous of the two but the sisters are very close, having lost their mother when Flora was born, and Flora is happy to follow Rebecca's lead. Their father, himself fascinated with ancient history and good books, encourages them to think for themselves and also sees to it that they learn languages that really help them on their travels. Through wise investments he has become extremely wealthy, and they have inherited his philanthropic nature.
The novel starts with the most exciting adventure of all - their trip across the desert to St Catherine's monastery at Mt Sinai. This is alluded to throughout the novel as we see the sisters' lives unfold.
Devout Christians, the two women really live their faith, looking after those less fortunate than themselves. Rebecca's passion is ancient history, and they are hoping to find a very old bible to prove to unbelievers that God's word is true.
It is a most enjoyable and interesting book. I love the different characters and the parts they play in the story. The Author, as usual, has done a great deal of research, and she is really good at describing what her characters are feeling.
There is a strong Christian message of wholeheartedly serving the Lord rather than being caught up in the social whirl of the times, and using one's wealth wisely to help those who have nothing. I love Lynn Austin's novels, and this one is certainly well worth reading. I can highly recommend it.


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Friday 6 October 2017

DANGEROUS ILLUSIONS by IRENE HANNON

DANGEROUS ILLUSIONS by IRENE HANNON is not only a very exciting thriller, but it is also filled with biblical truth.
Trish Bailey has been through a lot with losing her father and husband in a car accident, which eventually led to her injured mother having a stroke. She is living with her mother, looking after her, when her mother dies due to an overdose of her medication. Trish is pretty sure she did not make a mistake with her mother's pills, but she seems to have been doing a lot of strange things lately and feels guilty.
Trish's parents were well off and believed the Scripture "from those to whom much is given, much is expected" and they started a foundation, giving to charities. Matt Parker has been their accountant for about a year and Trish's mother is really fond of him, and pushes him and Trish together shamelessly. He and Trish go out together a couple of times, but Trish is not interested, although Matt is keen.
Whilst there is no chemistry between the two of them it is a very different story when detective Colin Flynn comes on the scene!
With all that has gone on in her life Trish has never lost her faith, although Colin finds it hard to believe in a loving Heavenly Father with his unfortunate childhood. Craig Elliot is altogether another matter! We see evil personified in him and also in the Russian Mafia.
Both Trish and Colin have struggled with loneliness - now that her mother is dead she feels really alone and Colin hopes she will see him as someone she can rely on. His childhood friends, Rick and Kristen, are his only "family".
Matt is very keen to become a trustee for the foundation, and, although he came highly recommended by their pastor, who is a trustee, Trish is not sure about him and insists on signing all the cheques herself.
This is a really good read - I couldn't put it down - and I can really recommend it.


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Wednesday 20 September 2017

A TIME TO STAND by ROBERT WHITLOW

A TIME TO STAND by ROBERT WHITLOW is a courtroom thriller with a strong Christian message. 
We wonder if justice will be served in Deshaun Hamlin's case - after all he is black and was shot by Luke Nelson, a white policeman! It isn't long before there are rallies on both sides of the question, as the man in the street sets himself up as judge and executioner!
Will Adisa Johnson, a black female attorney, who has moved to Cambellton to look after her aunt, be able to act in Luke's defense, as she has been asked to do by her new boss, Theo Grayson?
Adisa's aunt Josie is in the same hospital as Deshaun, and Adisa is torn between wanting to see Luke pay for his crime and her legal responsibility to give him the best defense she can. In fact, Luke doesn't trust her, although both of them are being attacked.
The characters and their feelings are very well portrayed. I especially like Reggie Reynolds, the black pastor, who puts his career on the line to support Adisa, although he doesn't agree with her, aunt Josie with her evangelistic spirit, and Deshaun's grandmother, Thelma Armistead, who publicly forgives Luke in church.
One can't help feeling sorry for Luke and his praying wife, who stands with him and refuses to leave when things get really hot for them, even though they have a small child to consider.
This exciting legal drama has everything - a good plot, likeable characters and, most important of all, an excellent Christian message. I can highly recommend it.



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Wednesday 26 July 2017

DANCING FROM DARKNESS by ELEANOR ISAACSON & JEANETTE WINDLE

I have just read DANCING FROM DARKNESS by ELEANOR ISAACSON & JEANETTE WINDLE. It is Eleanor's life story and it really touched me deeply.
Born in America, unwanted by her parents, dropped off in Germany at the age of two, lonely and unloved, she lived through the horrors of World War II aware of a Friend who loved her and was always with her, keeping her from harm. We see the protection of Psalm 91 in the life of a child who had never been to church, read the bible or heard the gospel!
We follow her struggles to America. Still unwanted by her parents, barely tolerated by her mother, she gets on with life and is led to the Lord by a friend at work and comes to know her Heavenly Father - the Friend who has never left her!
She realizes that the hardships she has been through have made her into the person she is today. We see how the Lord restores the locust eaten years by giving her a husband at the age of forty, who truly is the love of her life.
Hers is still not an easy life, but as she keeps going in spite of all she is going through, she is an amazing witness of what God can do in someone who is surrendered to Him.
I don't want to tell you too much of Eleanor's story - rather read it for yourself and let her tell it to you herself. You definitely won't be sorry!





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Tuesday 18 July 2017

AN EYE FOR AN EYE by IRENE HANNON

AN EYE FOR AN EYE by IRENE HANNON is well worth reading for the exciting, suspenseful, story and for the really good Christian message. The Author is so good at making the Christian message an integral part of her stories, and, as we follow her characters' lives, we learn so much that is applicable in our own walk with the Lord.
Emily Lawson and Mark Sanders meet unexpectedly in the park after twenty years. They had been madly in love as teenagers. Their meeting is disrupted when a sniper shoots at them, injuring Emily. Mark is on loan to the local FBI from the Quantico Hostage Rescue Team, trying to get over an incident that has left him very shaken. Emily is still suffering the effects of losing her fire fighter husband five years earlier, and is afraid of falling in love again, especially with someone in a dangerous line of work.
Emily is a clinical psychologist with a very full schedule, helping people on a radio show and at a women's shelter in her free time. She really lives her faith.
It is uncertain which of the two were targeted - had Emily enraged an abusive husband by suggesting his wife should leave him, or was this pay back from the family of the teenager that Mark had shot at a convenience store robbery?
The novel is fast paced and hard to put down. Compassion and forgiveness as opposed to revenge and hatred, faith instead of fear, and love instead of hatred, loneliness and loyal friendship, are some of the subjects that are dealt with in the novel. Also we see the danger of wrongly interpreting the Word of God and demanding "an eye for an eye"! I know this book is the second novel in the Heroes of Quantico series, but I have read it as a stand alone. It is really a good read and I can highly recommend it.


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Tuesday 13 June 2017

HIGH AS THE HEAVENS by KATE BRESLIN


I have been looking forward to the release of KATE BRESLIN's latest novel, HIGH AS THE HEAVENS, for some time, and am definitely not disappointed! The story takes place during the First World War, mostly in German occupied Belgium. The Author paints a picture of the horrors of life in war torn Europe, where there wasn't much food and the struggle for survival often led to betrayal. In fact, it was very hard to know whom to trust.
Evelyn Marche, a British Red Cross nurse, goes to work in Belgium to be with her widowed mother and younger brother and sister, after her husband of a few weeks is thought to have been killed in action.
She works in a hospital in Brussels, treating Allied and enemy patients with equal care. She and her mother live with her aunt and uncle above their restaurant where Eve works in the evenings when she gets back from the hospital.
Eve is a secret member of La Dame Blanche, part of the Belgian resistance, and is sent to meet a "package" one night, only to have the British airman land practically at her feet in the village square! It is thanks to her quick thinking that the man's life is saved, and from there on things get very complicated! Add to that an unlikely double agent, an unusual relationship with the hospital administrator, and her plans to find her siblings in France and smuggle them back into Belgium, and you have a very exciting plot! Suspicion is rampant and there seem to be enemy eyes everywhere.
Eve has a secret which makes her feel unworthy and guilty, and it is only when she is able to confess the awful truth and accept God's forgiveness, that she is able to love again. She finally experiences God's love, that is indeed "high as the heavens", and is able to forget the horrors of the past.
This is a story of courage, intrigue and sacrificial love. It really is a love story with a difference. My only complaint was that I read it much too fast, being unable to put it down!

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Monday 12 June 2017

BREAD OF ANGELS by TESSA AFSHAR

TESSA AFSHAR has done it again - BREAD OF ANGELS is another beautiful novel, this time telling the story of Lydia of Thyatira, maker of purple dye, who we meet in Acts chapter sixteen.
We follow her journey from Thyatira to Philippi, where she meets Paul and Silas and other followers of Christ.
The Author not only has an incredible insight into the time in which the story takes place, but the truth of the Gospel runs through the novel, showing her faith in the Lord and knowledge of the Word.
Lydia's struggles, especially the struggle with fear that has dogged her since she was a child, make her very human and easy to relate to. I love the way we follow her from her childhood, where she lived with her father in Thyatira, to her new life in Phillippi.
I love all this Author's novels, but this one has become my new favorite! The story is exciting and meaningful, the characters very real, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!


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Monday 29 May 2017

THE DAY OF RECKONING by KATHY HERMAN

THE DAY OF RECKONING is the second novel in the BAXTER series by KATHY HERMAN, but it can be read as a stand alone. I have read all the novels in the series except for the first one, which I have ordered, and can highly recommend them all for the exciting stories and the strong biblical content.
In this novel the town of Baxter is shaken by the horrific kidnapping of two teenage girls, and the subsequent cruel messages by the kidnapper.
Tayler Logan, the daughter of the unpopular G R Logan, the wealthy businessman who caused a great deal of misery to his employees when he closed down his textile mill five years ago, is the real reason for the kidnapping, but, because she is always with her friend Sherry Kennsington, the two girls are taken hostage together.
Sherry's father, Joe, is the principal of Baxter High School. He is a Godly man, and he and his family join with their bible believing friends in constant prayer, as soon as they realize the girls are missing.
G R, on the other hand is angry with everyone, says he doesn't need God, and tries to manipulate the situation by offering money for anyone who can shed light on his daughter's whereabouts.
The book starts with a quotation from Hebrews chapter 12 verse 15, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many," and this really sums up the message in the story. We are reminded of the importance of forgiveness and of the danger of allowing bitterness to take hold of one's character. We are also reminded that God never leaves His children alone and that He can bring good out of even the most awful situation. This author really has a way of drawing us into the story, and making us think about where we stand as far as these biblical truths are concerned! It is an excellent read.




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Sunday 30 April 2017

WAYWARD WINDS by MICHAEL PHILLIPS

If you are looking for a light and entertaining read then WAYWARD WINDS by MICHAEL PHILLIPS is not for you, but if you are looking for an inspiring novel that will shake you from complacency and draw you closer to the Lord, then you are in for a treat!
We learn in the first book in THE SECRETS OF HEATHERSLEIGH HALL series, Wild Grows the Heather in Devon, that Amanda Rutherford has left home and joined Emily Pankhurst and the women's suffragette movement in London. She has rebelled against her family's commitment to Christianity, and sees her father as wanting to control her by forcing his beliefs on her.
Throughout the novel we see her parents' great sadness and we share in their prayers for their wayward daughter. They and their other children never give up on her and join with their great friends Bobby and Maggie McFee and Timothy Diggorsfeld in praying for her safe return home to them and to Father God. It is the story of a prodigal daughter whose eyes are slowly opened to her Heavenly Father's love by memories of her earthly father and his love for her, as she becomes horrified by the situation in which she finds herself.
The Author has captured the situation in England and on the continent during the early part of the twentieth century, leading up to the First World War. Things were not as they seemed, especially in political circles, and no one knew whom to trust. Gradually Amanda, who had set out to make a difference in the world, realizes she doesnt really have a home, and the people she has lived with since leaving Heathersleigh are using her for their own purposes.
The novel is very exciting, informative, and beautifully written. It should be read slowly in order to get the most out of the Christian teaching, and I will definitely be reading it again! I am ordering the next two books in the series.


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Saturday 18 March 2017

A SECRET COURAGE by TRICIA GOYER

TRICIA GOYER's latest novel, A SECRET COURAGE, takes place during the Second World War at Medmenham near Henley in England, where Emma Hanson is one of the WAAFs employed at the photographic reconnaissance unit.
Emma is from Maine in the US, and has an adventurous spirit and a keen and observant mind. Growing up, she and her brother played many spy games. Emma really wanted to become a lighthouse keeper, and had read many books on the subject. It was on one of her days off that she met Will Fleming at a bookstore in London where she went to collect a book she had ordered - the life story of her hero, Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper who, in her rowing boat, saved many sailers who were in danger of drowning.
Will is an artist who uses his talent to cover what he is really doing during the war. His mother is German and his father was British. He keeps tabs on German spies in England, as a kind of double agent.
Both main characters have quite a lot of baggage from their respective pasts, and the author gives us a real insight into what life was like at the time, where people were dealing with the horrific reality of a country at war as best they could.
There is intrigue and there are spies from both sides , making it difficult to know who to trust. And right through it all runs a delightful love story.
Emma and Will are drawn to each other. Faith is important to them both, although Emma has problems in understanding why both her father, who was lost at sea when she was small, and her brother, presumed dead in a plane crash, have been taken from her. Will is instrumental in helping her understand that bad things do happen in a fallen world, and that she mustn't blame either herself or God for what happened to them!
It is an exciting story, full of biblical truth, and is well worth reading. In fact, I read it straight through twice! I am looking forward to the next novel in the London Chronicles series.



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Tuesday 7 March 2017

REDEEMING GRACE by JILL EILEEN SMITH

I have read a lot of JILL EILEEN SMITH's novels which I have enjoyed for the lovely stories and strong Christian message, but REDEEMING GRACE is definitely my favorite!
It is not only the story of Naomi and Ruth, and Ruth and Boaz, but the Author goes right back to tell us about Boaz and his first wife Adi, and also what life was like in Moab when Naomi and her family moved there. It is obvious that she has done a great deal of research into the times in which they lived.
We see the difference between the Moabite religion, which was really a religion of death, debauchery and sacrifice to their god Chemosh, as opposed to the Israelites' worship of Yahweh, the one true God.
It is the story of redemption, grace and sacrificial love. I can highly recommend this novel.


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Sunday 5 February 2017

LONG WAY GONE by CHARLES MARTIN

LONG WAY GONE by CHARLES MARTIN is an amazing book which follows the parable of the Prodigal Son in such a way that one is left with a feeling of hope that truly "no gone is too far gone" for Father God! He never stops loving us, never stops hoping we will turn from our selfishness and sin and hear His voice calling us back into His Presence!
Coop or "Peg", the nickname he was given by his father, has a real gift for music, and from an early age he played and sang at his father's tent revival meetings. His father taught him that the songs he is given are a gift for others, and that they need to be given away in order to heal the broken - hearted. He needs to "let out" the songs that are within him in order to set the captives, himself included, free.
In spite of Coop's teenage rebelliousness and all he goes through as a result, we see throughout, not only the father's love and forgiveness, but also the son's repentance and love for his father.
I like the way he finds Daley, who has fallen on hard times after their climb to fame together, reminding us that there are no coincidences with the Lord and He is indeed able to restore the locust eaten years.
This is truly an inspiring novel and I cannot recommend it highly enough, both for the story and the strong Christian message. Good news - CUM has copies in case you are not an ebook reader like me!



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Wednesday 1 February 2017

LOOKING INTO YOU by CHRIS FABRY

LOOKING INTO YOU by CHRIS FABRY is the beautifully written story of a mother and child searching for each other, and then not being sure how to react to one another when circumstances find them at the same college.
Paige, the only child of missionary parents, is covered with guilt when she falls pregnant at seventeen, and is practically forced by her mother to give up her baby for adoption, so as to not bring shame on her parents' life work. It breaks her heart to do this, but she imagines that her child will be brought up by loving parents who will give her the life she, as a teenage single mother, will never be able to give her.
This does not happen and Treha is pushed from one foster home to another. She is often treated like a freak because the drugs her mother was given during pregnancy caused her to look a bit different. She is suspicious by nature and afraid of being hurt, especially when she suspects she is being lied to.
The story is involved, the characters are very true to life, and the Author has an amazing way with words that describe how they are feeling. This flows into the theme of the love of reading and writing that Treha has inherited from her mother.
It isn't until Paige finds her daughter, that the blockage that was stopping her from writing her doctorate on mothers and daughters in literature, disappears. In fact the main theme of the novel is the relationship between mothers and daughters, the redemptive power of a mother's love and that the love of Father God does indeed cast out all fear. It is an encouraging story of second chances. It is a book I have read through twice and will definitely read again.


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Thursday 12 January 2017

FLOWER SWALLOW by ALANA TERRY

FLOWER SWALLOW by ALANA TERRY is the the moving life story of a little boy who lived through the famine in North Korea, as he tells it to his teacher. The simple way the story is told is both heart-wrenching and heart-warming. The Author's characters are always so real, and Woong, the flower swallow, definitely tells it how he sees it!
Throughout the novel we see the Lord's protection of this child and we see true Christianity in someone like Auntie, the young woman who takes care of the abandoned children, feeding and loving them. She has never seen a Bible but she knows what Jesus did for her on the cross, and Woong can see she truly loves her Lord.
This novel really opened my eyes and I can highly recommend it.


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Monday 2 January 2017

TURBULENCE by ALANA TERRY

ALANA TERRY's latest novel, TURBULENCE, is a gripping story which can be read as a stand alone, but I suggest you read it in sequence with the first four Kennedy Stern novels.
Kennedy and her Harvard roommate, Willow, are on their way to Alaska to spend Christmas with Willow's family, when disaster hits their plane.
Kennedy is such an interesting character, brilliantly clever, but with a rather poor self image and a real propensity for panic attacks (which is not surprising considering the brushes with death she has had in the nineteen years of her life!) Willow, on the other hand, is dramatic, rather New Age and "politically correct"! And yet the pair get on well, largely, Kennedy fears, due to the fact that she doesn't share her Christian faith with her friend.
I love the way that the Author makes her characters so real - they are definitely flawed, as are we all - and I have really enjoyed seeing Kennedy's growth throughout the novels.
I like the contrast between Kennedy's missionary upbringing and Willow's unorthodox one but with both sets of parents devoted to their daughters. Grandma Lucy is a delightful character, and we come across Dominic again - is he perhaps about to become something more in Kennedy's life?
There is a balance in this novel between trying too hard to be a "good Christian witness" and trusting God to come through as we rely on His Holy Spirit.



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