ON DISTANT SHORES by SARAH SUNDIN

ON DISTANT SHORES by SARAH SUNDIN is the second book in the WINGS OF THE NIGHTINGALE series.  I have recently re-read both books (I reviewed WITH EVERY LETTER on 7th September 2012) and am looking forward to the third novel which is yet to be released.  In enjoy reading books in sequence, but of course each can be read as a stand alone novel.
Georgie Taylor joined the flight nurse programme because of her best friend Rose.  Georgie has been pampered and loved all her life by her family and boyfriend, Ward, and is called "baby" by them all! She battles with fear and is afraid she will not be able to cope in an emergency, causing danger to the soldiers in her care.  When she goes through tragedy and also shows fear in an evacuation, she feels that maybe the Lord is telling her that she should go home to the farm and live safely with her family and Ward.
John "Hutch" Hutchinson is a qualified pharmacist who is unable to become an officer, much to his chagrin, and who becomes bitter and resentful due to the lack of respect he is shown by some of the officers. He also loses his fiancee to another man.  He thinks that things would go better for him if pharmacists were treated the same as doctors in the army. It is only when he humbles himself and realizes that he is obsessed with wanting to become an officer, instead of accepting the situation and doing the best job he can, and chooses to please God instead of man, that he finds peace.
Hutch and Georgie become friends, and we see how they encourage each other. Their relationship is difficult as she is an officer and he isn't allowed to fraternize with her.
When Georgie is faced with tragedy and also with a frightening evacuation where she nearly fell apart, she feels that the Lord must be telling her to go home to the farm, her family and Ward.   When she goes home on leave she knows that she has started to grow as a person through all she has experienced and is no longer prepared to allow others to make decisions for her or to"baby" her. 
It is in the midst of the horrors of World War II that the characters live out their lives, showing bravery and faith in the face of death and disaster. The story is well told and exciting, the characters are very real and there is a strong Christian message.  I can highly recommend this novel.



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THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE BY JOEL ROSENBERG

THE AUSCHWITZ ESCAPE is the first historical novel by JOEL ROSENBERG and it is well worth reading for anyone who is serious about their walk with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! There is a great deal we can learn from this account of the atrocities carried out against the Jews in the German death camps. Whilst it is true that there were also Gentiles imprisoned by Hitler's regime, it was his unrelenting and diabolical desire to wipe out the entire Jewish nation that is so well described in this book. This is so relevant in today's world where we see anti-Semitism reaching new heights! The Bible tells us that the person or nation that brings harm to the Jewish people touches "the apple of God's eye" and will surely bring His wrath upon them. Conversely, those who bless His people will be abundantly blessed.
In the novel we see godly Christians such as Jean-Luc, a pastor, who is imprisoned for helping Jewish refugees, and who continues to minister to the prisoners inside the camp.
Against a backdrop of evil, of man's inhumanity to man, we see glimpses of tremendous courage and faith, and also God's miraculous intervention, not only in the day to day life of the prisoners, but also in the escapes themselves.
We see how God can bring good out of even the most impossible situation when we trust Him. We see how Jacob Weitz grows as a person through the suffering he endures. We see how his training under his beloved uncle Ari develops him into a strong member of the Resistance, and how he is taken prisoner when he is locked into a cattle car with some of the prisoners he is trying to liberate, and how his boyish naïveté is quickly changed into determination to survive.
After his escape he is frustrated at the seeming disinterest of those in authority in America and Britain, and their inability to see how their failure to act is costing more Jewish lives every day.
Running through the story is Jacob's love for his friends and for the beautiful Abby.
It is a story of horror and of hope, of hatred and of sacrificial love. It is very well researched and historically true. It is a book that I will read many times and I can highly recommend it. It is most thought provoking and leaves one with a desire to tell the world to wake up before it is too late, and make sure there is never another holocaust!


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IN THE SHADOW OF JEZEBEL by MESU ANDREWS

IN THE SHADOW OF JEZEBEL is another historical novel by MESU ANDREWS that I can highly recommend, for enjoyment and suspense as well as for biblical content and Christian truth.
It is the love story between Jehosheba, Jezebel's step granddaughter, and Jehoiada, Judah's high priest, which mirrors Christ's love for His bride, the church.
There is a wealth of biblical fact blended with enough fiction to make the story flow, and the whole brings the story of 2 Chronicles chapters 21 to 23 vividly alive for the reader.
Jehosheba has been brought up by her stepmother, Athaliah, to be a priestess of Baal and is largely driven by fear. She loves her father, king Jehoram, and is horrified by the way he is treated by Athaliah when he is suffering. His sickness and death has been prophesied by Yahweh's prophet because he turned away from the ways of his godly father, Jehosaphat, and even killed all his brothers. Athaliah has no time for the God of Judah and uses sorcery and cruelty to get her own way. She wants to rule Judah, even as her mother, Jezebel, rules Israel. The description of life in the royal palace at the time is well portrayed - full of pomp and intrigue. It is contrasted with the simple life of the Temple priests and the poverty of the common people.
When the beautiful young Jehosheba marries the elderly High Priest, Jehoida, she has many issues due to her upbringing. We see Jehoida's infinite patience with his young bride which leads to her emotional healing when she turns to his God. We see the contrast between the godliness of Temple worship as opposed to the wickedness of pagan worship and between the fear that comes from Baal and his priests, and the fear of the Lord that leads to obedience. Sadly, even some of the Temple priests and Levites have been caught up in the lure of pagan pleasures and there are not many left for service in the Temple.
Jehoiada is strong physically and spiritually. He is awed when Yahweh speaks to him through the Urim and Thummim and also when He speaks to both him and Jehosheba. Yahweh will not be mocked and we see how His children triumph in the end. The seed of David is saved, as it has been prophesied. In the book this is also largely due to Jehosheba's fervour, faith and courage.
It is a wonderful story, beautifully told! In no way do the fiction elements detract from the truth of the story and I cannot recommend this novel highly enough.


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DARK HOUR by GINGER GARRETT

DARK HOUR by GINGER GARRETT tells the story found in 2 Chronicles 21 to 23 of the wickedness of Athaliah, wife of Jehoram the king of Israel. She is Ahab's daughter and follows the sorceries of her mother Jezebel. She is determined to rule Judah and destroy all David's descendants in order to stop the worship of Yahweh and draw God's people into sin. I can't believe I have had this amazing book sitting on my shelf and hadn't read it before yesterday! Ginger Garrett brings the story alive and the characters are well portrayed as very real people. It is obvious that she has done a tremendous amount of research as she brings out the clash between the worship of Yahweh, the One True God, and that of Baal and the many pagan gods. The description of life at that time is well portrayed.
We see the Lord's miraculous intervention in keeping David's heir alive in hiding until he can become king of Judah when he is seven years old. We see Jehoshebeth's bravery and reliance on Yahweh as she snatches baby Joash from certain death at the palace and hides him at the Temple.
It is interesting to see how relevant things that happened in Bible days are to the days in which we live.  We shudder at the atrocities performed by self-seeking women who want to take over the God-given role given to men and also at the wholesale slaughter of babies so that Athaliah's wicked scheme to take over the throne may succeed. The story of Satan's attack on mankind, often through women, runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelations, as does the promise of Christ's victory over the forces of darkness.
The story follows the Bible account closely and the message is in no way diminished by it being a work of fiction. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.


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DISTORTION by TERRI BLACKSTOCK

DISTORTION by TERRI BLACKSTOCK is the second book in the MOONLIGHTERS series, and follows after Truth Stained Lies, which I reviewed on 21/3/13.
Juliet Cole is devastated when her brilliant surgeon husband, Bob, is shot and killed in front of her, and is even more devastated when she realizes that all was not as it seemed in her husband's life! As she keeps discovering more and more about  the man she has been married to for years, who seemed to be such a good husband and father, she gets really angry and determines to fight for her children's safety. They have been drawn into a dangerous situation and Juliet and her sisters, Cathy and Holly, her brother, Jay, and their friend, Michael, work hard to help uncover the truth.
Who can they trust when the very people they have always trusted have not proved to be reliable? The three sisters who work part time for Michael, the P.I, work tirelessly to solve the murder so that Juliet and her sons can live without fear.
Juliet is a strong Christian and we see the contrast between her faith and the mockery of that of her husband, who was a "pillar of society" and deacon in the church. It is reminiscent of the way she and her siblings were let down by their pastor father who left them and ran away with his secretary. We see how she manages to forgive those who have wronged her and also her unconditional love for little Robbie.
Once again this is the story of ordinary people dealing with the problems that life throws at them. It is a most exciting thriller with interesting characters. I enjoy their interaction with one another and the strong sense of family and friendship. This is contrasted with Bob's seeming indifference to his family and the danger his greed and lust have caused them. We are left with the impression that he may have been trying to make things right at the end, which action may well have led to his assassination.
This is a novel about betrayal, the importance of truth and transparency, forgiveness and compassion. It also shows the importance of the choices we make and the effect they have, not only in our own lives, but in those of our loved ones. I enjoyed this novel immensely and am hoping there will be a third one in the series. Whilst it can be read on its own, I recommend that you read Truth Stained Lies first.


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DRUMMER IN THE DARK by T. DAVIS BUNN

DRUMMER IN THE DARK by T. DAVIS BUNN takes place in the Washington political scene and is full of intrigue. It is a political thriller which is very hard to put down. We see the frantic activity in the money market as Hayek carries out his diabolical plan to cripple America, getting rid of anyone who gets in his way. He is working towards the total collapse of the United States currency.
Wynn Bryant and Jackie Havilland each have their reasons for wanting to see Pavel Hayek destroyed. Jackie is a private investigator who is employed by Esther Hutchings, wife of the United States Congressman who has been stopped by illness from carrying on with his mission to bring financial reform to America, to investigate Hayek. Congressman Hutchings, a committed Christian, has seen the imminent destruction of the American financial system, brought about by illegal activities in the banks and hedge funds. He has also been lobbying to help third world countries financially, and wants this to be a global trend. Wynn is put forward by his brother in law, Grant, as Hutching's successor, with strict instructions to fight the Jubilee Amendment, which Hutchings and his followers feel will save America's economy.
Wynn feels that he has been thrown in the deep end, but instead of playing safe and going along with what is expected of him by Grant and his cohorts, he makes it his business to find out what the Jubilee Amendment and Graham Hutchings stand for. His is a lonely road as he stands for the truth, as is Jackie's, and they form a strong bond as they strive to do what is right. There are also those like Colin and Eric, who work for Hayek, who are willing to expose the truth about his activities, at great danger to themselves.
Wynn and Jackie start out on the wrong foot, but they come to realize that they can trust each other and are on the same side. They each have issues to deal with due to their similar family situations and have much to work through. Jackie holds Hayek responsible for her brother's death. She is forced to face her worst fears when she agrees to investigate Hayek's group, and both she and Wynn find themselves in grave danger as they try to uncover the truth.
In this novel we see the ends to which men are driven by greed, and the wickedness of many who are in positions of authority, as opposed to the compassion and kindness we are called to show to others by the Lord Himself. We see these traits in Wynn's sister Sybel, who has a living relationship with God and lives to serve those less fortunate than herself. She has always been a huge influence in Wynn's life, but, whilst she has the same missionary zeal that their parents had, Wynn blames God for taking his parents' attention away from him, and also for allowing them to die in Cairo in His service. It is Sybel's greatest desire to see her little brother saved, and she hopes that all he goes through will lead him to the truth. She feels that he has just been existing for far too long, and that is why she manoeuvres him into this job.
I enjoyed this novel immensely. It is exciting and informative, and has a strong Christian message.



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WINNER TAKE ALL by T. DAVIS BUNN

WINNER TAKE ALL by T. DAVIS BUNN is a sequel to THE GREAT DIVIDE and is every bit as good. It is a Marcus Greenwood courtroom drama with many of the same characters as in the first book, and I highly recommend that the novels be read in sequence, although they can each stand alone.
I particularly enjoy Davis' descriptions which make the settings and the different characters' emotions come alive! This, added to an exciting plot and a strong Christian message, makes this an extremely good read.
In The Great Divide we see Marcus facing up to his demons, and in Winner Take All it is Kirsten's turn to face up to her past. We see the importance of honesty, especially as far as relationships are concerned, and of not expecting perfection of one's partner or of oneself.
When Marcus is asked by Dale Steadman to represent him in a child custody case, his first instinct is to refuse, as Dale is now head of New Horizons, the factory that he does battle with in The Great Divide. Dale's ex-wife, Erin, is a beautiful opera singer, who seduces Dale and then kidnaps their child, Celeste, who she has never taken notice of before. Dale adores his baby daughter and is willing to do anything to get her back.
There is a definite undercurrent in the case - why would a woman, who doesn't love her child, kidnap her and try and overturn Dale's custody order, making him out to be an unfit father?
It is while Kirsten is involved in helping Marcus with the case, and while she has to revisit places that evoke nothing but bad memories, that the healing begins and she is able to feel love for Marcus at last.
Their relationship is in stark contrast with that of Dale and Erin and even with that of Kedrick and Evelyn Lloyd. Both Erin and Kedrick are obsessed with their love of opera and with their sense of self-importance.
The novel is fast-paced and exciting and we are kept in suspense till the end. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!



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