FEARLESS by Eric Blehm

ABOUT THE BOOK

Fearless takes you deep into SEAL Team SIX, straight to the heart of one of its most legendary operators.

 

When Navy SEAL Adam Brown woke up on March 17, 2010, he didn’t know he would die that night in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan, but he was ready: In a letter to his children, not meant to be seen unless the worst happened, he wrote “I’m not afraid of anything that might happen to me on this Earth, because I know no matter what, nothing can take my spirit from me.”

But long before Adam Brown became a member of the elite SEAL Team SIX—the counterterrorism unit that took down Osama bin Laden—there was a fun-loving country boy from Arkansas whose greatest goal had been to wear his high school’s football jersey. An undersized daredevil, prone to jumping off roofs into trees and off bridges into lakes, Adam was a kid who broke his own bones but would never break a promise to his parents … until he grew older, and his family watched that appetite for risk draw him into a downward spiral that eventually landed him in jail.

FEARLESS is the story of a man of extremes, whose determination was fueled by faith, family, and the love of a woman. It’s about a man who waged a war against his own worst impulses and persevered to reach the top tier of the U.S. military. Always the first to volunteer for the most dangerous assignments, Adam’s final act of bravery led to the ultimate sacrifice.

FEARLESS is the intimate story of a devoted man who was an unlikely hero but a true warrior, described by all who knew him as just that—fearless.

Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Adam Brown was a highly decorated combat veteran with numerous awards including the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, Purple Heart Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals (total: 5), Iraq Campaign Medal (Total: 3+), Afghanistan Campaign Medal (Total: 4+), Global War on Terrorism (Service) Medal, Global War on Terrorism (Expeditionary) Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Combat Action Ribbon (Operation Iraqi Freedom), Combat Action Ribbon (Operation Enduring Freedom), and numerous other personal and (and confidential) unit decorations.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About Eric

Eric Blehm is a bestselling and award-winning author of nonfiction books. In 2006, he won the Barnes & Noble Discover Award for The Last Season (HarperCollins), a gripping account of the disappearance of legendary National Park Service ranger Randy Morgenson; The Last Season was also named by Outside magazine as one of the ten “greatest adventure biographies ever written” in 2009. Blehm’s next book, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller The Only Thing Worth Dying For (HarperCollins, 2010), was hailed by former congressman Charlie Wilson, of Charlie Wilson’s War, as a “must read” among books about the current war in Afghanistan.

In 1999, Blehm became the first journalist to accompany and keep pace with an elite Army Ranger unit on a training mission. His access into the Special Operations community and reportage set an important milestone for American war journalism two years before reporters began to gain widespread embedded status with the U.S. military in the War Against Terror. Blehm’s immersion with the Rangers is what led him to the previously untold story of an elite team of eleven Green Berets who operated in the hinterland of Taliban-held Afghanistan just weeks after 9/11 (The Only Thing Worth Dying For), as well as to his current book: Fearless (Waterbrook/Multnomah; Random House). On sale in May 2012, Fearless is the heartrending and inspiring story of Naval Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Adam Brown, who overcame tremendous odds in his rise to the top tier of the U.S. military: SEAL Team Six.

Blehm is the founder of Molly the Owl Books, the independent publishing company behind Molly the Owl—his popular nonfiction children’s book about a barn owl and her family—which won the 2011 Nautilus Award and the 2011 San Diego Book Award. Currently, he is working on his next nonfiction book, which takes place during the Cold War era.

Blehm lives in Southern California with his wife and children.

His website is http://www.ericblehm.com/

MY REVIEW

We all need heroes in this world. We need people who we can look up to and emulate. We need people with integrity, honor, humility, strong faith and belief in the Living God, Jesus Christ. Someone who loves God, Country and Family more than they love themselves.

Adam Brown was just one of those heroes. He was a strong military team member of the SEAL Team Six. His life before becoming a SEAL wasn't perfect. He had many flaws. But the one thing he did have was an inner drive that wouldn't quit. He didn't believe in quitting.

I was so encouraged reading about Adam Brown and his life. So many times I was brought to tears over his struggles as he became one of the top SEAL Team members. I laughed over his various antics and crazy stunts he would pull. And my heart went out to and broke over the various lives he touched in such humble ways. 

Eric Blehm's style of writing is alive and impacting. Reading Fearless, was almost like reading a novel, easy to read, smooth, and riveting. I couldn't stop reading it, even though I knew what would eventually happen to Adam. Blehm kept me glued to the book because he knew there was more to Adam's story than his bravery in the face of danger. 

Fearless is the incredible story about an incredible man who would tell you, if he were here, that his wife and his brothers were the hereos, he was just doing what he believed he was suppose to do.

This e-book review copy was provided to me free of charge for the purpose of reviewing by Blogging for Books. 

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FINDING OUR WAY HOME by Charlene Ann Baumbich

ABOUT THE BOOK

When the road home becomes daunting—sometimes a very capable girl on a bicycle can help find the way.

“Charming, surprising, familiar, and just downright wonderful.”
—Allie Pleiter, author of Yukon Wedding and Bluegrass Blessings

When principal ballerina Sasha Davis suffers a career-ending injury at age thirty-eight, she leaves her Boston-based dance company and retreats to the home of her youth in Minnesota. But Sasha’s injuries limit her as much as her mother’s recent death haunts her. Concluding she can’t recover alone, Sasha reluctantly hires a temporary live-in aide.

Enter the übercapable Evelyn Burt. As large-boned as Sasha is delicate, Evelyn is her employer’s opposite in every way. Small town to Sasha’s urban chic, outgoing to Sasha’s iciness, and undaunted where Sasha is hopeless, nineteen-year-old Evelyn is newly engaged and sees the world as one big, shiny opportunity.

Evelyn soon discovers Sasha needs to heal more than bones. Slowly, as the wounds begin to mend and the tables tilt, the two women form an unlikely alliance and discover the astounding power of even the smallest act done in the name of love. Finding Our Way Home is a story of second chances and lavish grace.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charlene Ann Baumbich is the author of the Dearest Dorothy series, Stray Affections, and Divine Appointments, as well as several nonfiction books of humor and inspiration. She is also a popular speaker, an award-winning journalist, and lives with her husband in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. 

MY REVIEW

This is the first book I have read by Charlene Baumbich and I have to say I was completely entertained from beginning to end. She is a wonderful writer with strong characters and an equally strong plot. She must have a great sense of humor because I found myself chuckling often over the antics of Evelyn. Charlene also has a strong faith in God because grace and faith was a central theme throughout the story.

I found myself sighing with Sasha while she dealt with continuous pain during her healing process. I also emphatically felt the thrill and excitement of each leap and jump she completed in her dances as she replayed them in her mind. 

But the what I especially enjoyed was the relationship between Evelyn and Sasha. Watching it develop from an employee and employer relationship to one of deep friendship, was beautiful, hopeful and quite moving.

Evelyn was not only Sasha's helper, she brought light and music back into Sasha's life. Sasha was not only Evelyn's boss, she brought stability into her life by providing a place to work and live. 

The two of them were almost as different as night and day, yet there was plenty of shared laughter, tears and shared secrets that made their relationship work.

This e-book was made available for review through Blogging for Books. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

 

THE CORRUPTIBLE: A Ray Quinn Mystery by Mark Mynheir

ABOUT THE BOOK

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?

Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator—but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.

As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.

In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Mynheir is the author of the Christy Award nominated The Night Watchman, the first Ray Quinn mystery. He has worked undercover as a narcotics agent, as a SWAT team member, and now investigates violent crimes as a detective with the Criminal Investigations Unit in central Florida, where he lives with his wife and three children.

SNEAK PEAK

Read Chapter 1 click here 

MY REVIEW

Ever watch the Mike Hammer t.v. shows? Read any of Mickey Spillane's crime novels? Well, Corruptible has a lot of that style. A tough ex-cop with danger on all sides, Ray Quinn is a character you can't help but love. He's a tough (teddy-bear) ex-cop turned private investigator with an assistant who is ready to back him in a heart-beat. Ray's new client and new case has more twists and turns than a switch-back trail. 

Mark does an incredible job in keeping the suspense high, the humor great and the pace fast, fast, fast. Through-out the story, he also weaves in Pam, the sister of Quinn's last case, who is a Christian. She helps Crevis (Ray's sidekick) prepare for the police exam, encourages Ray to let Jim (Jim Beam) go, and is there for him when he needs someone in a time of need.

Crevis is a wonderful sidekick for Ray. Impetuous, yet faithful, young and strong, Crevis acts as Ray's bodyguard, room-mate, and desires to become a cop. 

The rest of the cast in this great novel are all well-rounded, full-bodied and complete the adventurous tale of Corruptible.  

Fast-paced, an adrenalin rush from the first page to the end. This is one incredible novel. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by Mark Mynheir.

I received this free Kindle copy from Blogging For Books for the purpose of writing a review. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

 

 

 

    

 

As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur

The deadly "D's": Disappointment, Discouragement, Depression in it's various degrees - Dejection, Despair, Demoralization. One of my favorite bible teachers, Kay Arthur tackles the deadly "D's" and guides us through the Bible to not only read what God's Word says but learn how to apply His truth to our lives and heart.

We learn how to change "Disappointment" into "His appointment" and thus allowing the situation/heart-break or whatever disappointment we are facing and look at it through God's eyes. 

God allows everything to happen to us for a reason. The best reason of all is to bring us closer to Him, trust Him and allow Him to refine us as silver is refined, and that means going through the fire. Not once, not twice, but throughout our earthly lives.

I would most definitely recommend this book to any one who is struggling with any of the deadly "d's" only because I know how much it has helped me. I review a lot of books and sometimes I wonder why I pick the ones I do, until I get into them and listen to what the author is saying. I know God had me chose this one because He knew I needed to hear Him. I do thank Him and Kay Arthur for this book. I will be reading this one again because there is so much in it to chew on.

Kay Arthur is an international Bible teacher, four-time  winning author, and co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Kay’s exciting, practical approach to the Scriptures has drawn thousands to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Her distinguished Christian character, Bible teaching, championing of the Inductive Bible Study Method, and national and international media broadcasts inspires others to study the scriptures. She has a passion for people to be established in God’s Word.

Blogging for Books provided me with an e-book review copy for the purpose of review. Thanks Blogging for Books!

Worlds Collide by Alison Strobel

Can I begin a review by saying, “WOW!” a fictional novel that reads like a memoir/biography and not only pulls you into the story but leaves its imprint behind on your soul.

The lives of Jada, the writer, Grace, a school teacher and Jack, a big-time Hollywood actor, intertwine in a way that only God could orchestrate.

Jada Eastman is a reporter and biographer for various celebrities and received a call from Jack Harrington’s assistant that he wanted her to help him and his wife, Grace, write their story. Jada was pretty cynical of the Hollywood crowd by this time, after having seen the ugly side of various actors’ lives and written about them. But Jack Harrington held a special place in her heart, having had a crush on him since she was a teen.

When she meets with the Harrington’s the first time to discuss the project, she is expecting to hear about religion because through the grapevine she heard they were religious nuts. What she hears and observes instead is love, kindness and how two lives were changed. Those two lives, Jack and Grace, then were used by God to bring about change in an industry that is built on lust, greed and wantonness.

Jack and Grace’s lives (though this is only a novel) reached my heart and I found I couldn’t stop reading it. I had to know how God moved in their lives and how He brought about change in them and those around them. 

Alison Strobel, who is becoming one of my most favorite writers, has a gift of story-telling that just gets better all of the time. This novel has to be the best yet. Her website is http://alisonstrobel.com/

This is an e-book that was provided by Blogging for Books for the purpose of review. I am under no obligation to write anything except my own opinion.