ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT BY T. DAVIS BUNN

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT BY T. DAVIS BUNN is a suspense story with a romantic twist.
Wayne Grusza is asked by his sister, Eilene, to look into the finances of a seniors' complex where she ministers from time to time. Eilene and Wayne were orphaned quite young and, as the older sister, Eilene despairs of her brother ever settling down and prays constantly for his conversion to Christianity. Wayne has been through a lot and his past troubles him. Having been in special ops, married too young and divorced by his wife while serving in Iraq, he is bitter and very angry. He has come to the end of himself and has nowhere else to go, so he goes to work at the seniors' community and finds friendship and acceptance there. While he was in the armed forces he was put in an office job where he found an incredible aptitude for figures. He finds that the residents have been badly conned and gets their money back in a most unorthodox manner!
Eilene is a pastor who has a church in Orlando with an outreach centre. She has a beautiful friend, Tatyana, a lawyer who works for Ted Easton. There is something strange going on in his company and Tatyana asks Wayne to use his expertise to look into the books. Easton is a Christian who is forced to stay under virtual house arrest due to a threat against his life. He has been warned by an "angel", and the same person also warns Wayne of danger.
There are a lot of likeable characters in this novel, including the elderly Victoria who prays without ceasing for Wayne, Foster and Jerry who become his friends and who, together with Julio, the teenager his sister asks him to take under his wing to save him from the gangs, back him at every turn.
We see broken and lonely people restored to wholeness and hope. We see the power of intercessory prayer as Victoria prays for those The Lord brings into her life. We see how Wayne and Tatyana become able to love again when they let go of feelings of betrayal and anger and learn to forgive.
I can highly recommend this novel, it is an exciting read and is full of Scriptural truth.







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SCREEN PLAY: A NOVEL BY CHRIS COPPERNOLL

SCREEN PLAY: A NOVEL by CHRIS COPPERNOLL is a charming book about a young girl's dreams, and like the play Apartment 19, there are many layers to the story.
Harper Gray is a young actress who has been through a difficult year, her thirtieth year, without work, living in an apartment in Chicago with nothing to do.  Her boyfriend has left her and her best friend, Avril, has left for New York where she is doing well in the acting scene.  She is ready to give up until she meets Bella who invites her to church and gently leads her into a relationship with the Lord. 
She gets a call from Ben, a friend from college, who is now a director, telling her that his leading lady's understudy has left suddenly and he wants her to come to New York and take her place.  She knows this is an answer to prayer and is very grateful.
We see how she copes in a difficult situation, with an impossible leading lady, an unfriendly director's assistant and a feeling of not fitting in anywhere.  
She is a young Christian but she makes a definite stand for the Lord.  She feels she has been placed in this situation for a reason and is determined to see what He wants her to do here.
One of her dreams is to become a good actress and the other is to meet the right man. Avril has found a boyfriend online called Jon, with whom she is madly in love, and Harper very tentatively joins the Love.Set.Match website where she meets Luke from Alaska.  Harper has great compassion and finds herself praying for the people she comes in contact with, even the men she meets online.  When she is acting in the play, she takes it to a different level by praying with all those involved before going on stage.  We see how the other actors come to love her and stand up for her when she is maligned by Helen Payne.
We see the difference between Harper and Avril.  Avril misses the underlying meaning in Apartment 19, whilst Harper relates to a character enduring life in a difficult situation as she has  been doing just that for the past year.  Avril seems to live a charmed life, and is sadly disillusioned when she finds her boyfriend has been lying to her. Harper sees clearly the difference between acting and reality.  She feels acting is her ministry, and succeeds in her first dream.  
Although in the natural Luke seems to be quite wrong for her, living such a different lifestyle and being so far away, Harper comes to see that he is the soul mate she has dreamt about for so long.
This is a novel that I enjoyed immensely.  It is beautifully written and has tremendous depth and a strong Christian message.  I love the interaction between the characters, and Harper is a heroine that one cannot help taking to one's heart.  

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SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN BY BRANDT DODSON

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN by BRANDT DODSON is a novel which brings home the message of forgiveness, which is not surprising considering the title!
Colton Parker is a former F.B.I. Agent, turned private investigator, who is called upon by a wealthy business man to find his missing wife. Things are not as they seem, and when he finds the man's wife he is forced to face the mother who abandoned him as a baby, and is drawn into doing battle with  some very dangerous people.
Colton is struggling to forgive himself for his wife's death, which he feels was his fault, and he is also trying desperately to connect with his thirteen year old daughter, who has lost the mother she adored and who blames him for her death.
Colton's struggles are well portrayed, and we are left with the feeling that he is finally ready to turn to the One who died so that his sins could be forgiven.  We also see the importance of facing up to what one has done wrong in order to be set free from guilt.
The plot is exciting and well worked out and there is a strong Christian message. I really enjoyed this book.  I have read two other Brandt Dodson novels, WHITE SOUL and DANIEL'S DEN,  which I can also recommend.



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WHAT LIES WITHIN BY KAREN BALL

WHAT LIES WITHIN by KAREN BALL is the third book in the FAMILY HONOR SERIES.  I have read and enjoyed all three and, although it is better to read them in sequence, each can be read as a stand-alone novel.  In fact, I have only just read the first two, having read WHAT LIES WITHIN many years ago.  It has been great re-reading it in sequence.
Kyla Justice has taken over her deceased father's construction business, JuCo, and has made a name for herself in a male dominated profession.  She is not emotional like her sister Annot, or Annie as she is called, and is disciplined and driven rather than passionate.  She and Annie, with their brother Avidan, or Dan,  are a very close family and they look after one another, especially since their parents' deaths.
In spite of her success, she is not satisfied, and longs to build something worthwhile, something that will be pleasing to God and will make a difference.  Her first reaction to her father's old friend Fredrik's request to help with rebuilding the church into a Teen Centre, in the middle of the 22's territory, is that it is impossible, but she soon gets drawn into the vision. She feels strongly that the Lord is calling her to do this.  
This leads to trouble and Kyla is in grave danger from those who are trying to stop the project from being finished in time. JuCo has made a lot of money and she does what her father used to do when he came across a project that he felt was worthwhile, and that is to do it out of her accumulated profit.  
Rafe Murphy is an ex Marine who was injured on duty and now runs a coffee shop.  He meets up with Kyla, who he has been in love with all his life, when she comes in for coffee.  She doesn't recognize him, but he knows who she is, and their relationship is quite volatile as he tries to keep her safe, while she thinks she is capable of looking after herself.  Her sister Annie calls her "Sister-Mommy" because of her bossy and protective ways.  Her siblings wonder what happened to her to quench her passion and put such a tight rein on her emotions, but Rafe knows.  Through all they go through in the "war zone" she is drawn to him and second guesses her engagement to Mason.  Rafe's Marine unit is loyal to him and they are more than willing to help in the situalion.
The story follows closely the story of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, where the Israelites trusted in God to keep them safe.  They held a sword in the one hand and a building tool in the other.  Their enemies were determined to stop Jerusalem from being rebuilt, and did everything in their power to hinder the work.  Nehemiah soaked the whole project in believing prayer, and Fredrik is the one who, with his elderly deacons, does the same for the modern rebuilding project.  It is a beautifully worked out story, with believable characters, and the biblical story is paralleled  in the modern world with gangs, the greed of business tycoons, threats and betrayals,  The power of prayer is shown strongly together with the importance of trust.  I like the verses at the beginning of each chapter, many of them taken from the book of Nehemiah.
This is a novel I can highly recommend.

FATAL JUDGMENT BY IRENE HANNON

FATAL JUDGMENT by IRENE HANNON is the first book in the GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE series. It is a fast-paced thriller with a strong Christian message.
Deputy U.S. Marshall Jake Taylor is placed on protective duty and is surprised to find that Elizabeth Michaels, the high profile judge he is protecting, is his best friend Doug's widow. He has pre-conceived ideas about her because of the derogatory remarks Doug made to him about her, however his opinion changes as he gets to know her better. What starts out as a purely professional relationship turns into something more. The truth is that, just as her murdered sister Stephanie's husband abused his wife physically, Liz's husband abused her mentally.
Jake has more or less given up on God because of his wife's death, and Liz understands how he feels as she was tempted to do the same when Doug died.
The Taylor family are very close and are all involved in law enforcement in one way or another. Their mother is a godly woman and they were brought up in a Christian home. Cole is a detective and Alison works in child services. Stephanie was Liz's only living relative and she feels desperately lonely when she is alone in the condo where she is being kept safe until the killer is apprehended. She is drawn to Jake and he becomes her lifeline to normalcy. She looks forward to his visits and they come to trust one another and open up to one another. Jake has to put up with some subtle teasing from his siblings and his co-workers as it is obvious that he and Liz have feelings for one another. They are both looking forward to being able to pursue a romantic relationship once the case is solved.
Liz has developed a strong faith in God over the years and she encourages Jake to take up Alison's invitation to go to church with her. It is when Liz is in mortal danger that his childhood faith in the Lord is re-awakened.
The characters are well portrayed and their relationships with one another and with the Lord come through strongly. The importance of family and friends, of forgiveness, kindness and understanding, shows throughout the story.
We see how a diabolically clever killer, with weird anti-government ideas, has his plans thwarted by the very government agencies he is trying to expose! I can highly recommend this book. I have read the next two novels in the GUARDIANS OF JUSTICE series, where Cole's and Alison's stories are told, and can highly recommend them as well.











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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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