DOUBLE MINDS BY TERRI BLACKSTOCK

DOUBLE MINDS by TERRI BLACKSTOCK is a suspense novel which is set in the Christian music industry.  It is very exciting and keeps us guessing until the last few pages.
Parker James is a song writer.  She comes from a very musical family, and is in fact named after a guitar!  Her father, Pete, is a brilliant guitarist who has unfortunately ruined his life through his alcoholism.  Her mother, Lynn, is still in love with Pete, but they are divorced and she will only take him back when he has been free of alcohol for six months.  Parker has two brothers, Gibson who is a homicide detective, and LesPaul who is a sound mixer and musician.  They are a very close family, and when Parker has what she feels is her big chance to sing her own Christian songs during Serene's performance for Jeff Standard, the whole family rallies around to help and goes on tour with her.  Her mother even lends her her savings in order to make CD's for the tour.
Parker works at Colgate Studios in order to arrange recording time for her family, and also for Serene, her best friend, a brilliant singer and the one for whom she writes most of her songs.
Parker always has to be strong for Serene, who is anorexic and very "needy" due to her horrific childhood.  In spite of this, Serene is very loyal to Parker and is devastated when Jeff Standard doesn't keep up his end of the bargain with Serene and lets Parker down badly.  Parker finds it impossible not to love Serene in spite of everything and is particularly concerned about her friend's eating disorder.  They are both Christians, although we see more of the fruit of the Spirit in Parker, who really seeks to honour the Lord in all she does.  Parker sings for the homeless and for teens with her pastor, Daniel, who plays the guitar in Serene's band.  Her desire is to lead people closer to Jesus through her singing and through the words of her songs.
Parker writes  her songs as the Holy Spirit leads her, and a lot of her songs are inspired by her father, the only member of the family who refuses to accept Christ in his life.  In fact "Double Minds" is about him and his struggle to admit he has a problem with alcohol and his refusal to do anything constructive to kick the habit.
Serene is a famous Gospel singer, but when Jeff Standard offers her a contract he tells her she must change the words of her songs and take out all the "Christian" words.  Parker has to do this and is in two minds about it, but she also has a dream of making a name for herself in the singing industry and she needs to make some money to live on.  She would also rather do the changes herself than let just anyone do so.    
Serene makes Jeff Standard promise to let Parker come on tour and sing some of her own Christian songs during the intervals while Serene is changing, but he lets her down and she only does one performance.  Parker has a lovely way of leading people into worship with her songs, and Jeff finds it offensive.
Parker is shattered when Brenna, a young student, is murdered at Colgate Studios when she is sitting at Parker's desk, standing in for her.  Parker is afraid that she may have been the target instead of Brenna.  Her life becomes very complicated, and there are a lot of sinister things that happen that make her and her family very worried.
There is a lot of intrigue surrounding Brenna's murder, particularly due to the fact that her mother is Tiffany Teniere, a famous Gospel singer.  We see that not all those involved in the Christian music industry are in it to glorify Christ - for many the object is merely to make money and become rich, which is the case as far as Brenna's father is concerned.  The story is very relevant in today's society where the music industry is so vast, and where so many people try to make money out of "Christian" music, when their heart is not set on glorifying God at all!
In the end we see how Parker realizes what is really important.  She is no longer "double-minded" about what she wants from life.  The novel is well worth reading and has a strong Christian message.

PASSING BY SAMARIA BY SHARON EWELL FOSTER

PASSING BY SAMARIA by SHARON EWELL FOSTER is a beautifully written book in which we see man's inhumanity towards man portrayed very vividly.  We see people looking at the outside, instead of what is in a person's heart.  We see that true freedom only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and in trusting Him for His protection.
Alena lives in Mississippi with her mother and father, Evelyn and Amos, who have brought her up to be proud of her heritage as a young black woman.  Their Christian faith and church life is everything to them.  They are a very close-knit family.  Alena loves her parents and her home, and is furious when they decide to send her to her Aunt Patrice in Chicago in order to be out of harm's way after her friend J.C.'s murder.  Alena loves to write.  She tends to be outspoken and is shocked that her father, who has always taught her to stand up for what is right, seems afraid to speak out against this latest racial crime.  
Aunt Patrice runs the Bread of Life Mission in Chicago, and, like her sister Evelyn, she is a very wise and godly woman.  She is patient with Alena's rebellious attitude and prays for her to not turn away from her Christian faith.  Alena loves her aunt Patrice, but is determined to dislike James, the young man who her aunt and her mother have been talking about as a marriage prospect for her.   Patrice tells James not to give up with Alena as she is confused.  In fact, at one stage, Alena is tempted to run away with the worldly Pearl, who she met on the train to Chicago, and to give up her Christian walk.
James' best friend is Jonathan, a young white man from a wealthy family, who together with his sister Dinah, help out at the Mission.  James and Jonathan run a printing shop where they hope to spread the truth of what is really happening in the country.  Although Alena is really interested in their work, she pretends disinterest, as she is angry with her parents for what she sees as cowardice on their part, and also manipulation.  She fails to see that it is their intense love for her that caused them to send her away to safety.
All the characters, whatever their race or situation,  have problems which are brought out very sensitively as they interact with one another.  The problems are seen from both sides - there is no judging who is right or wrong.  We see that they spring from man's sinful nature and the hatred and fear that grow in the soil of rebellion against God.
Back in Mississippi, we come across Miranda, Bates' wife, her children and her friends "of the different coloured eyes",  who are described by their various personalities.   Miranda is horrified by what Bates and his followers are up to, although she loves him very much. She tries to stand up for what is right, but is also confused.  She doesn't want her husband's bigotry to pass on to their children, Isaac and Amanda.  We see her struggle.  We also see the bravery of the minister who helps her do what is right.  We see her come into true freedom in Christ.
Bates' friends are also described by their personalities.  
Patrice says that Chicago is Alena's "Samaria".  It is while she is there that she realizes that God truly made all men, whether black, white or yellow, and that we all have the same things to overcome in life, and the same need to feel worth something to those around and about us.  She overcomes her distrust of Jonathan and Dinah when she comes to know them and sees the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
I love the way the author brings out so much Scripture throughout the novel.  It is a very thought-provoking book, written in the most beautiful prose.
The ending is beautiful.  We see love and forgiveness overcoming so much hatred and fear.  This is the first of Sharon Ewell Foster's books that I have read and it will most certainly not be the last.

LEOTA'S GARDEN BY FRANCINE RIVERS

LEOTA'S GARDEN by FRANCINE RIVERS is a book about family relationships, forgiveness, restoration and the importance of communication between family members.
Nora Gaines, Annie's mother, is the product of a difficult childhood where she felt unloved by her mother, and for that reason she is determined that her children will have everything she never had as a child.  She is compulsively controlling, and has no idea that she got pretty close to destroying her daughter, Anne-Lynn.  Fortunately Annie went to a Christian camp with her friend Susan, and gave her heart to the Lord.  She is determined not to hate her mother and to never become bitter like Nora.  Annie yearns for her mother's unconditional love and acceptance in much the same way that Nora longed to be loved by Leota.
After being "encouraged" to excel at school, gymnastics, piano and other activities Nora felt were essential for her daughter's education, Annie runs away from home and studies art instead of going to the prestigious college that Nora has always wanted her to attend.  Nora is furious and does all she can to force Annie to come home and obey her.  In a way Nora is living her own life vicariously through the life she envisions for Annie.  Nora is not a Christian although she feels the church owes her a lot as she is a church-goer and has given large sums of money to the church.  She is furious when Annie speaks about her love for the Lord, and even more furious when her pastor tells her she needs Jesus in her life!  She is a very selfish and proud woman who lives a life totally focused on her children's success, and on the family's social success. She has quite a martyr complex, and is always complaining about all she has sacrificed for her family.  Her third husband Fred loves her dearly, but he is firm with her and is embarassed by the way she behaves.
Annie is a sweet and gentle girl of eighteen who is trying to follow her Lord in all things.  She feels it is not the Lord's will for her to go to Wellesley, but that she should follow her talent for art.  Her mother is very disparaging and says she has no talent and should rather go to a college where she will meet the "right" people.  She is very unkind in her criticism of her daughter and is prepared to do anything to bring her back home.  Annie has spent eighteen years trying to live up to her mother's expectations, and realizes no amount of success on her part will ever satisfy Nora.  She is afraid of coming to hate her mother and keeps quiet rather than answering her back in case she says something she will regret.  She cannot converse with her as Nora always knows best!
Neither Nora, whose real name is Eleanor, nor her brother George have any time for their mother, Leota Reinhardt.  George because he is too busy making money, and Nora because she feels her mother never had time for her when she was growing up.  
When the reason for Leota's perceived neglect of her children comes out, Nora's hard, unloving attitude starts to melt, especially when she realizes how much her mother sacrificed and how much her mother loved her.
Annie Gaines goes to live with her friend Susan in San Francisco.  She is afraid of upsetting her mother and is afraid of disobeying her and going to see her Grandma Leota, who she has only met a few times in her life.  She has been warned by her mother that her grandmother is a selfish woman who never loved her children and left them to be brought up by their German grandmother so that she could live her own life.  Annie loves her grandmother immediately and Leota, who had nearly given up hope of any family interaction, is happy at last, although she is afraid that her granddaughter will soon tire of spending time with such an old woman.  They have a very special relationship, and together with Corban Solsek, a student who starts out hating Leota for her bluntness, and Susan's brother Sam, they get the garden looking lovely again.  Leota has always loved her garden and found great solace there.  She was always inviting her children to come and work in the garden with her, but they resented her for spending so much time there and didn't realize she was reaching out to them.
Corban starts out with Leota as a project for a social study so that he can get better grades.  He has an idea that old people who are poor would be better off living in state funded facilities, and volunteers to take Leota shopping every Wednesday in order to get to know her.  It is only when Annie comes into Leota's life that she opens up at all, and Corban comes to genuinely love the old lady as well. 
The theme of the garden is throughout - the pruning, manuring, planting, watering, weeding and preparing the soil is very like what God does with His children in order to make them fit for His purpose in their lives.  The fruit trees that have been pruned will bear fruit again, and we see the fruit, good and bad, that is borne by the characters because of the choices they make in their lives. Annie makes the garden a blaze of colour and adds artistic touches of her own to make it a fun place to be.  She paints some of the drab old walls of the house and generally brings life to the place.  We are reminded of the importance of gardens in Scripture and all the important events that happened in a garden.  We see Leota's garden becoming a place of beauty once again, and even as a place of entertaining, as neighbours and friends are drawn there. Leota's garden is now a happy place, full of friends, children and laughter,thanks to Annie.  
We see Leota's loyalty to her husband Bernard and to his secret, and also to her father-in-law who she didn't want to humiliate by telling anyone the truth of their situation, in spite of the fact that her mother-in-law treated her with disdain and open hatred and poisoned the children against their mother, in very much the same way that Nora has tried to poison Annie and Michael against Leota.
Throughout the book we see the Lord bringing restoration and life to the situation, largely through Annie's obedience to Him and her love for Grandma Leota. It is a sensitively written story where the characters' struggles are very real and beautifully portrayed.

RETURN TO APPLETON by SYLVIA BAMBOLA

RETURN TO APPLETON by SYLVIA BAMBOLA
In this sequel to Waters of Marah, we find Gloria back in Appleton  with new found confidence after her year of independence in Eckerd city.  Her mother is amazed at the way she doesn't get rattled any more, and at how loving she is, even while being firm.  She is no longer the doormat that left Appleton a year before!  Although Tracy has always told Gloria she has no backbone, she is not too happy with the new Gloria who stands up for herself and for what she believes in!
We get to know Cutter Price better in this book and we see Gloria's feelings for him change from revulsion to friendship.  Could Gloria have found love in the last place she thought she would? We see him change from being a rather pompous and prideful womanizer, to being someone who is caring and dependable. 
Gloria learns from her grandmother, who she loves dearly, the reason for her mother's unhappiness and for her controlling spirit.  When this all comes out in the open, Geri and her mother are reconciled after years of unforgiveness and pain. and Gloria's relationship with her mother is greatly improved.  We see the importance of forgiveness and unconditional love in a family.  We see Gloria's growth as a Christian and her obedience and compassion.  She is confident in the Lord's love and faithfulness. Her relationship with Jesus is the most important aspect of her life, and she knows she can never marry a man who doesn't share her faith.

Cutter's mother, who is Geri Press's best friend, asks Gloria to visit her. She is very ill and dying and is very afraid.  Gloria has always been scared of Virginia Press, but she feels sorry for her now.  Cutter's relationship with his mother is not good at all.  She has controlled him all his life, without showing  him any love, and in fact only telling him she loved him just before she died.  He feels he has been cheated of a mother's love.  Gloria is  worried about Virginia Press dying without Jesus and is very firm with her, refusing to visit her again unless she allows her to share her faith.  Gloria stands her ground and her prayers for Virginia are answered.
Gloria worries about Tracy as well, who used to be her best friend.  She loves her but realizes that there is nothing she can do for her, and Tracy gets involved with an ex jailbird and works in a bar.  Tracy asks her for money, which Gloria gives her the first time, although she can't afford it, but she realizes that by giving her money she is not helping Tracy make the right decisions in life. When she refuses Tracy it is very unpleasant.  Gloria asks Tucker to give Tracy her old job back, and he does offer it to her, only to be scorned by Tracy who calls him "the Monkey".

Gloria enjoys her work for Paul and Wanda and ends up being able to buy out their printing business.
Gloria is still involved with trying to expose the environmentalists and Harry Griswald continues producing flyers in spite of the danger.  Cutter helps in this as well, as he is in danger of losing his property. In spite of a  murder and the fact that Gloria is being stalked, they are determined to reveal the truth. We are kept in suspense until right at the end as to the outcome.  Her friends in Eckerd city are very important to her and she is afraid of causing them harm, as it seems as though the criminals want to destroy her and all that is dear to her.  She is determined, however, to listen to the Lord and to do what He wants her to do.  She feels she must stand for what is true and somehow bring about justice for Perth's father and the others whose lives were destroyed by these unscrupulous men.
In this novel we see Gloria grow in maturity and we see the effect of her love,compassion and faith upon the people in her life.   

WATERS OF MARAH BY SYLVIA BAMBOLA

WATERS OF MARAH by SYLVIA BAMBOLA is the story of Gloria Bickford.  We see her search for love and her secret adoration for her best friend Tracy's brother, Tucker, who she feels is far beyond the reach of someone as plain and ordinary as she is.  On the other hand we see how she falls in love with "her beautiful Jesus", and each chapter is headed with a verse from the Song of Solomon.  In her search for a more exciting life, when she finally manages to cut the apron strings and leave Appleton and her domineering mother, she struggles to please the Lord and not get drawn away into temptation.  It is beautifully and sensitively written, and as we read the thoughts of this young woman and see her actions as she tries to give glory to Jesus in all she does, we see the beauty of her character.

Gloria's mother was a beauty queen and names Gloria after Gloria Swanson, hoping her daughter will also be a beauty. Gloria knows her mother is disappointed in her looks.  This makes her timid and easily manipulated by both her mother and her best friend Tracy, who is striking looking and very outgoing.  Gloria works for Cutter Press, who she dislikes intensely as he teased her unmercifully when they were at school.  Gloria's mother and Cutter's equally overbearing mother, Virginia Press, try to arrange a marriage between their son and daughter.  Gloria is horrified and manages to tell Cutter that she won't marry him because she doesn't love him.  This is quite an achievement as she is not very brave!

She escapes to Eckerd City with Tracy's help and feels her dreams are about to come true as she will be working for Tucker. The Lord has given her a promise to give her the desires of her heart, and she feels that this may be the fulfillment of His promise.  Her eyes are opened living in the big city and working in a big office.  She is taken to buy more suitable clothes for her job in Tucker's office and is told to sort out her hair.  She does all this and loves the effect.  She realizes that she may have done nothing with her hair and makeup in order to spite her mother.  She really looks good afterwards, although the whole situation is quite humiliating.

She makes some very special friends when she is obedient to the Lord.  She goes the second mile for Perth, and finds such satisfaction in having a "little sister", even though she was full of misgivings at the beginning. It is hard to get rid of a lifetime of fear and a feeling of unworthiness, but she does this with her precious Jesus at her side.  She finds He is all she needs and that she need never be lonely again.  She finds work that she loves and that she is good at.  Her friend Tracy has always said she has no backbone, and is surprised when Gloria stands up for herself and for what she believes is right.  She learns to stand up to her mother and Tucker as well.  Her relationship with her mother improves when she is firm with her, but  she always tells her mother that she loves her.  She does her best to mend fences with Tracy, whilst still standing her ground.  She also gets involved in a lot of intrigue and is determined to do what she can to uncover the evil she hears about.  The plot is exciting,  the characters are very real and there is a lovely message of overcoming one's fears and inadequacies when one follows closely after the Lord.

NOT A SPARROW FALLS BY LINDA NICHOLS

NOT A SPARROW FALLS by LINDA NICHOLS  is the story of Mary Bridget Washburn, a young woman who is on the run from Jonah and his meth business.  She hasn't always been living this life of crime, she got caught up in it when her mother died and left her and her brothers and sisters without many options.  Her grandmother, a godly woman who never gives up on her granddaughter, isn't well enough to look after the children and welfare takes her younger siblings away not allowing Mary to carry on looking after them.  When this happens she is devastated, angry with God and everyone, and runs away with Jonah, a friend from school who has always fascinated her.  Jonah turns to drugs, becomes a dealer and a manufacturer of meth and is a complete addict.  Mary is not an addict but she helps him by buying what he needs for his factory and keeps house for him and Dwayne in the sordid apartment they live in. The drugs have affected Jonah's brain and Mary is afraid of him and also of Dwayne, who she feels may take advantage of her.  She is a beautiful girl.
She manages to run away to Alexandria where she starts a new life, taking the name and social security number of her late mother who was called Bridie, short for Bridget.  Bridie, as she now calls herself, is being drawn back to the faith of her youth, although she feels that God can't possibly have any use for someone as sinful as she is.  She goes into the Presbyterian church, where she loves the peaceful atmosphere, and sees a notice board with the words "Not a Sparrow Falls to the Ground Without Your Father Seeing" on it and sees a teenage girl rush in and pin a note to the board.  After the girl leaves she reads the note which says "Help me, God".  Bridie feels drawn to this young girl's plight and ends up being the nanny/housekeeper for her father, Alasdair MacPherson, the pastor of the church.  She meets Alasdair through one of his sisters, Lorna, who meets Bridie where she is working and invites her to Thanksgiving dinner.  The young girl, Samantha, has a twin brother and sister, Cameron and Bonnie who are not yet two, and the whole family needs a lot of love.  Bridie has her secrets and so does Alasdair MacPherson, who lost his wife Anna when the twins were very small. The house is dark and forbidding until Bridie comes and paints the dark walls, opens the heavy drapes and puts the old heavy heirloom furniture into the attic, making the place more child friendly.
We see how God can use anyone to minister to those in need,  Bridie, who feels she is totally unworthy and has enough problems of her own, and Lorna, who is the only one of Alasdair's sisters who is willing to lay down her life for the family.  Lorna has always gone along with her sisters' decisions until she realizes that the Lord has chosen her to make a difference in her brother's life.
There is a lot of intrigue and it is an exciting book, but more than that it gives us quite an insight into the workings of the human heart.  We see how God can move in even the most impossible situations when people   
decide to walk in truth.  He brings light into the darkest places and truly looks after all His "sparrows"!

EDGE OF THE APOCOLYPSE BY TIM LA HAYE & CRAIG PARSHALL

EDGE OF THE APOCOLYPSE 
by TIM LA HAYE & CRAIG PARSHALL is an end times novel with a legal twist.  The two authors combine well, with Tim la Haye who is well known for end time prophecy, and Craig Parshall who is well known for his legal dramas.  
Joshua Jordan was a colonel in the air force and is now a private military contractor.  He had a stellar military career and is disappointed that his son, Cal, is not interested in following a military career.  Their relationship is not all that good, and deteriorates further when Cal changes from an engineering major to art.  Cal takes after Abby, Josh's wife, and has come into a personal relationship with Jesus as she has.  His daughter, Deb, is also a born again Christian and she is the one in the family following a military career. Josh loves his wife and children very much, but doesn't see much use for Christianity.  He is very disciplined and feels that he can cope with anything, especially after having been in several very dangerous spy missions over enemy territory.
Abby is a very clever lawyer, and although she is retired, she is a great help to Josh in helping to keep him out of jail when he fails to co-operate with the politicians.
Josh has developed a weapon which is known as "Return to Sender" which he uses to save New York City from a missile attack.  He has seven minutes in which to launch this weapon and gets permission to do so from the vice-president, who later denies giving permission.   He is not sure that it will work, but there is nothing else that can be done to avert nuclear disaster.  The weapon returns the missiles to the North Korean ship which  launched the attack, destroying it and those on board. 
Joshua Jordan is first of all seen as a hero, and then  is attacked by the politicians who demand  all the data on the RTS.  He refuses, as he fears that it will get into the wrong hands and be used by enemies of the United States against them.
There is a lot of intrigue. The Russians, amongst others, are trying to get hold of the RTS.  A dangerous hit man comes into the United States through Canada with the express purpose of causing harm to Josh and obtaining the RTS by any means possible. The politicians are keen to use the RTS as a bargaining chip for obtaining oil and loans from other countries in order to bolster their failing economy and in order to win the next election, thus staying in power for another term.
The dangers of globalism are evident, and we see end time prophecy coming to pass.  We see those in the government about to bring in a global monetary system, and we see that things are moving towards global government followed by global religion.  This is explained to Josh by Abby's pastor, Paul Campbell, but Josh feels he can manage without the Lord in his life.  Josh is out to save the United States and the world by his own hard work and brilliant mind!
When a member of his family is in danger he finds that his own efforts are not enough.  We see the Lord coming through for him in answer to his wife's and her pastor's prayers, and also to his own desperate prayers.
It is an exciting and interesting book and I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series which is coming out soon.