THE SANDS OF ETHRYN By C.S. Lakin

ABOUT THE BOOK

The ancient and acclaimed land of Ethryn is dying from pervasive drought, and while the king searches to find water, a mighty tower is uncovered in the desert. King Kael hopes the scroll found near the altar will tell of water sources, but when he touches the gemstone set in the altar, he falls into a coma that transports him back five thousand years, where he is a slave building the tower. Thus begins the tale of God's appointing the first Keeper of the sacred site, revealing heaven's intolerance for wickedness and his relentless pursuit of the ones he love.

MY REVIEW

I was very excited when C.S. Lakin contacted me in regards to reviewing her sixth book of The Gates of Heaven series, The Sands of Ethryn. When the book finally arrived I impatiently tore open the package so I could begin to read it. 

From the first book in The Gates of Heaven series, The Wolf of Tebron, to this one, I have been captivated with the imagery, allegories, and masterfully woven tales Lakin has created.

The Sands of Ethryn is extremely well written. Lakin weaves her characters with love, life and a beautiful tale of the pursuit of God and the ones he loves. I couldn't help but be carried away to Ethryn. 

Each description and detail transported me to Ethryn. I could feel the sand against my skin, the heat of the desert, the coolness of the fountain. I could hear the sound of the footsteps behind me, feel the evil emanate from the vizir. My favorite character is a young woman named Ra'daf. Her love for her grandfather,kingdom and king and a certain young man leaps from the pages. 

There is just so much to enjoy about this sixth book. I couldn't stop reading it. The tale carried me away to another time and place yet left me grounded knowing no matter where I am or where I go, God never leaves me. 

This review was made possible by AMG Publishers and of course my favorite fantasy author, C.S. Lakin. They provided me with this free Advanced Readers Copy.

Look for this sixth book to become available in your favorite bookstore soon!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

   

C.S. Lakin works professionally in California as a freelance copyeditor and writing coach, and teaches workshops at writing conferences and assists new writers with polishing their books. Her websites for writers www.LiveWriteThrive.com and www.CritiqueMyManuscript.com provide detailed instruction for aspiring novels, and she often guest blogs on top writing site.

The Sands of Ethryn, the sixth installment in the seven-book fairy tale series, will release in March 2014 in print book form. In addition to writing her fantasy series, she has penned a teen sci-fi adventure called Time Sniffers and has written five contemporary drama/mysteries, including Someone to Blame, winner of the 2009 Zondervan First Novel Contest (released October 2010). You can learn more about her writing and editing at www.cslakin.com.

Glittering Promises by @LisaTBergren | Win an Italian feast delivered to your door & RSVP for Facebook Party!

Lisa T. Bergren is celebrating the release of her new book, Glittering Promises, by giving away a $200 Italian feast from Williams-Sonoma and hosting a fun Facebook party on October 29th.

 
  One winner will receive:

• A $200 Italian feast from Williams-Sonoma delivered to your door
• The three-book Grand Tour set

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 29th. Winner will be announced at the "Glittering Promises" Facebook Author Chat Party on October 29th. Connect with Lisa for an evening of book chat, European trivia, and prizes, and get an exclusive look Lisa's next book.

So grab your copies of the Grand Tour series and join Lisa on the evening of October 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the books, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 29th!

MY REVIEW!

Have you ever taken a great vacation and hated to see it end but at the same time glad it was over? That's a bit how I felt about reading the last book of the Grand Tour series. I enjoyed reading about the wonderful places the family went and yet, knowing the tour was winding down was a bit of a relief. They were finally headed home to explore their future as different people. Hopefully, better men and women.

Cora faced a lot of challenges through-out this whole tour. The biggest one was finding out who she really was, what her strengths and weakness were. Did she really trust in her relationship with God and would her new position in society effect that relationship. She also had to trust God with her relationships with her siblings and friends, including William.

William had his own set of challenges, one of them being able to accept Cora's wealth. He also had to trust God in his relationship with Cora. After all, he wasn't the only one in love with her. Who would she chose to spend the rest of her life with?

Vivian and Andrew had their own problems and I found it quite intriguing how that rocky relationship wove throughout the plot of the whole story. Things take quite a turn.

Lisa wrote another wonderful book and her characters are still as alive as the first book. Her plot is tight and very intriguing. I have to say things didn't turn out the way I had expected. She threw in some very wonderful twists that I think her readers will enjoy discovering.

This review was made possible by Litfuse Publicity Group. They provided me with a free review copy.

 

TOO BAD TO BE TRUMAN By Chris Well

MY REVIEW

Okay Truman fans, here is another installment that is worth reading. Chris Well has written another comical story about down-and-out Truman. This time Truman finds himself trying to get out of writing a biography about a really bad man and trying to stop a murder-for-hire. 

Well throws in lots of humor, laugh-out-loud scenes and lots of twists in this crazy story. 

This is definitely a "guys" book, not that women wouldn't enjoy it. However the humor is "guy" humor and may not be appreciated by most women. I did enjoy the story though it is a bit out of my usual reading genre.  

If you haven't read Too Good To Be Truman, I suggest you get a copy of it before you read Too Bad To Be Truman. It isn't a stand-alone book. The characters you will meet in Too Good To Be Truman are carried over into the second book. So reading the second book would be like jumping into the middle of the story. 

Chris has a great dialog, strong plot and equally strong characters. I believe you will enjoy reading these books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Here's the deal: When I was in the first grade, my life goal was that I would grow up to be Batman. Because I thought it was a vocation -- you know, policeman, fireman, Batman. Once my first grade teacher crushed the dreams of that little boy, I guess I decided I would do the next best thing and make up stories about Batman. And then somewhere after that I learned about things like "intellectual property" and "copyright law" and "cease and desist" and decided that I would have to make up stories about my own characters.

So today, I do just that: Write stories about my own characters -- whether it's a doomed

hitman named Solomon Long or a grumpy old amateur sleuth named Earl Walker or an

out-of-work smart alec crime reporter named Truman.

My novels include the crime comedy TOO GOOD TO BE TRUMAN, the Earl Walker whodunit

NURSING A GRUDGE and the Kansas City crime shoot-em-up FORGIVING SOLOMON LONG.

Check out his website

Chris Well provided me with a free advance reader's copy for the purpose of writing this review.

 

 

DEATH BE NOT PROUD (The Secret of the Journal - Book 2) by C.F. Dunn

ABOUT THE BOOK

---

Following the vicious attack by a psychotic colleague, and reeling from the suspicion that Matthew Lynes is not all that he seems, Professor Emma D’Eresby flees her college teaching position in Maine to her hometown in England— taking the mysterious seventeenth-century journal she stole from the college’s archives with her.

Broken physically and emotionally, Emma drifts until, fearing for their daughter’s sanity, her parents invite a family friend to assess her. In the course of their conversation, Emma discovers that he spoke to Matthew over thirty years before.

This finally spurs her into action and soon, when she finds what certainly must be a reference to Matthew in the journal, she begins to understand Matthew’s profound secret.

But when Matthew arrives to confess his love for her, she must decide if she can trust him—and he must decide if he can share his extraordinary secret with her. Drawn by a deep connection that both feel but don’t quite understand they find they must set aside their doubts and trust each other.

Readers will be thrilled by the second installment in The Secret of the Journal from British author C. F. Dunn. Mixing suspense, romance, and the supernatural, Death Be Not Proud explores the profound moral implications of a life seemingly invulnerable to time.

WATCH THE TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YPwiAnZefs&feature=c4-overview&list=UUIaEHeBFvlcwnS_9L0B-5Dw 

 

READ AN EXCERPT HERE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C.F. Dunn runs a specialist dyslexia and autism school in south-east England. She is the author of Mortal Fire, book one of the Secret of the Journal. 

Learn more about her at her website

MY REVIEW

Not all authors can maintain the same momentum they began with when writing a series. However having said that, I believe C.F. Dunn not only maintains that momentum but exceeds it in her second book of the The Secret Journal series, Death Be Not Proud. Powerful and moving, Dunn continues the story of Professor Emma D'Eresby and Matthew Lynes. 

I found myself completely engrossed with this book just as I was with Dunn's first book, Mortal Fire. Many times I found myself holding my breath as I turned to the next page, in anticipation of what would take place next. 

Dunn's characters are strong and intriguing. Her story-line is flawless. She intertwines romance with mystery and suspense leaving her readers wanting more at the end of each story. 

I wait with great anticipation to her third book of this series, "Rope of Sand," and I believe her fans will also, after reading her second book, "Death Be Not Proud."

This review was made possible by Kregel Publications providing me with a free review copy. 

   

 

DEFENDING THE FAITH: Apologetics in Women's Ministry by Mary Jo Sharp

ABOUT THE BOOK

Women want answers!

A busy twenty-first century woman who has not taken the time to think through exactly what she believes about God, even why she believes in God, tends to live as a practical atheist. Today's Christian woman needs the transformation that having a reasoned belief in the reality of God's existence can bring, the intellectual confidence that will empower her to speak boldly on faith issues, with love and self-control.

It's not that women need different or special apologetics arguments; they simply need to be encouraged and instructed in the importance of apologetics in their daily lives. Women who are exposed to apologetics find themselves energized and excited about sharing their faith with family, friends, and coworkers.

Popular apologist Mary Jo Sharp issues a personal challenge for sisters in Christ to approach their faith on an intellectual level, along with a compelling call for women's ministries to help women love God with their minds by incorporating apologetics into their programs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Mary Jo Sharp is director of the nonprofit apologetics ministry Confident Christianity, Inc. She holds an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and is Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. Sharp maintains a rigorous speaking schedule throughout the year.

See more about her at http://confidentchristianity.blogspot.com/

MY REVIEW

Proverbs 4:5-9 says,

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her and she will watch over you. The beginning  of wisdom is: Aquire widsom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a garland of grace; she will present you with a crown of beauty (NASB).

Wisdom and understanding are the foundations of apologetics. Without those two important things our growth in our knowledge of God and His wondrous works is greatly stunted. 
 
I was a skeptic for many years and it wasn't until I took some Christian apologetic classes I found reason to stand firm in my faith and was able to convey to those I knew why I am able to stand in my belief.

I believe Mary Jo's book is very timely. She causes the reader to ask searching questions and she points the reader in the right direction to find the answers. Christian apologetics for women is not just necessary but vital in the church and in home. It is generally the mother who nurtures the child until they are of school age, unless she is homeschooling. It isn't enough to tell a child what to believe because that's what mom and dad believe. And unless the woman has a deep understanding of why she believes, she makes a poor witness to her neighbors, coworkers, and even her family. 

This book is one that I will refer to again and again. And I will definitely refer it to my friends and pastors.

This review was made possible by Kregel Publications. They provided me with a free review copy.