RESURRECT by DAVID E. STEVENS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book 1 in the Resurrect Trilogy.

Preventing his burning fighter from crashing into a neighborhood, Navy Commander Josh Logan ejects ... too late.

Critically injured, he's offered a new life and mission exploit highly classified military technology to stop a global cataclysm. The price? He'll be dead to everyone he knows.

He wakes in a city hospital with a genetically enhanced body and no identity. With the help of his brilliant, Neuro ICU nurse, and guided by nothing but a voice, he must infiltrate the military-industrial complex to develop the world's most powerful weapon ... to protect humanity?

Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/faaOD

ABOUT DAVID E STEVENS

A Navy fighter pilot with hundreds of aircraft carrier landings, Commander David E Stevens holds degrees from Cornell and the University of Michigan with graduate work in astrophysics. He test piloted new fighters and received an aviation patent. With a Top Secret clearance, Dave served as Strike Operations Officer for the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm and led classified defense programs. He's traveled to over two dozen countries.

Find out more about David E. at http://www.resurrecttrilogy.com/

MY REVIEW

I always enjoy the opportunity to read a book by an author I am unfamiliar with and this book was no exception. The fact this is book one of a trilogy is also exciting because that means there will be more to learn about Commander Josh Logan and what is going to happen next.

David is an exceptional writer. His characters are strong and his plot is suspenseful. I was captured from the beginning and found myself caught up in the story.

Set in current times with futuristic concepts, Commander Logan is faced with following the instructions from a voice only he can hear and try to save the world or not existing. 

Throughout the book Commander Logan has to deal with his faith in something he can't see, only hear; try and figure out answers to questions that we all ponder at one time or another.

Stevens draws on his own experience in the military to write a novel that exciting, thrilling and yet philosophical at the same time. Though his primary target reader is men, I believe this is something women, especially those of us who enjoy a good Clancy novel, will also like.

Litfuse Publicity Group provided me with a free copy of this book in order to write a review.

Read more reviews here: http://litfusegroup.com/author/DStevens

 

To celebrate the release of Resurrect, David E. Stevens has teamed up with his publisher, Kregel Publications, for a Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Author Chat Party {12/4}.

One "thrilling" winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Resurrect by David E. Stevens

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on December 3rd. Winner will be announced at the "Resurrect" Author Chat Facebook Party on 12/4. Connect with David, get a sneak peek of the next book in the Resurrect Trilogy, try your hand at the trivia contest, and win some great prizes—gift certificates, books and a Book Club Prize Pack (10 copies for your book club or small group)!

So grab your copy of Resurrect and join David on the evening of December 4th for a chance to connect with David and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 4th!

 

 

SONS OF JUDE by Brandt Dodson

WATCH THE VIDEO TRAILER HERE!

ABOUT THE BOOK

A new series of gritty, fast-paced thrillers
 

The body of a young woman is found in a dumpster in Chicago and detectives Andy Polanski and Frank Campello are charged with finding the killer. The two are polar opposites. Polanski is the son of a disgraced Chicago police officer and is fastidious about his reputation. He has also recently been transferred from another district having blown the whistle on some corrupt cops. Campello, however, takes a live-and-let-live approach to his life and job.

 

It soon becomes clear, as another young woman--a potential witness--is murdered, that a sex-trafficking operation in Chicago is preying on illegal aliens. As the ill-matched pair dig deeper, an influential alderman and his son are implicated. Then Polanski is framed for a narcotics offense, devastating the cases against the corrupt officers and the alderman. Only when Campello is challenged by a local minister, whom he meets when visiting Polanski, does he find the motivation to seek justice.

 

READ AN EXCERPT HERE! 

 

ABOUT BRANDT DODSON

 

 

 

 Brandt Dodson comes from a long line of police officers, and was employed by the Indianapolis office of the FBI. He has lived in Chicago and travels to the city regularly. He is the creator of the Colton Parker series and author of several stand-alone thrillers. You can find Brandt at www.brandtdodson.com.

MY REVIEW

Sons of Jude is a well-written, exciting crime thriller. The first page had me more than ready to read the rest. I had to find out what happened to Campello's partner. Then in comes Polanski, his new partner that everyone despises. 

Brandt did exceptional in creating his very believable characters. I could understand why Campello wasn't excited about working with not just another partner but one who "betrayed" his fellow officers. And Polanski, here was an officer who wanted to do what was right, and his family is harassed as well as the grief he went through from the other officers.

Throw in the inquisitive, sharp reporter who leaves no stone unturned... and a case with more sneaky turns than straight answers, you have got an awesome novel!

Reading this book from beginning to end, I found I have to read the next one and the ones after that. I was so thoroughly entertained and hooked I couldn't quit reading it. Brandt Dodson has a new fan in me!

And guys, this is a gritty book that you will enjoy. I have an eclectic taste in reading material and I happen to like gritty crime thrillers. But that doesn't mean you wouldn't like it too. There is just enough toughness in these great characters that you will most definitely relate to them better than me. 

I also wanted to note how laid-back Brandt was in bringing out the ethical aspect in the story-line. Polanski is the Christian in this unwanted partnership but Campello doesn't realize it until the both of them are facing some real life and death moments in this crazy case they are working on. 

Well I don't want to spoil the rest of the book. So be sure to get your copy today. It's available through your favorite bookstores.

Kregel Publications made this review possible by providing me with a free review copy. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

 

 

MORTAL FIRE: The Secret of the Journal by C.F.Dunn

About the book

Twenty-nine-year-old, independent, and self-assured Cambridge history professor Emma D'Eresby has one obsession in life: the curious journal of a seventeenth-century Englishman, a portion of which was left to her by her late grandfather.

When an unexpected opportunity to study the journal in its entirety presents itself, Emma finds herself leaving Cambridge to take up a year-long position at a prestigious university in Maine. Anticipating a quiet year of research, Emma quickly discovers her work impeded by a range of unforeseen complications. 

From the start, there is the well-intentioned matchmaking of her vivacious Russian colleague, Elena Smalova, and the unexpected jailing of one of her post-graduate students. More troublesome, however, are the unsolved, brutal night attacks on women near the university and Emma's suspicion that they might be linked to the sinister English professor, Kort Staahl. But, most diverting and disconcerting of all, is Emma's growing attraction to the strikingly handsome Dr. Matthew Lyons, whose kind but deliberately distant demeanor puzzles her.

Suspense and dread mount when Kort begins to take a persistent and unsettling interest in Emma. What are Kort's intentions, and what is he capable of? And the mystery surrounding Matthew only deepens when Emma discovers a link between him and the journal. What is Matthew trying to hide?

Read Chapter One here

C.F.Dunn runs a specialist dyslexia and autism school in south east England, and writes in the south west.

Here is the link to C.F. Dunn's website

My Review

I am always excited to receive a package in the mail. Invariably it contains a new book for reviewing. I usually have a few books going at the same time in the review process, so I will let a new one wait until I get the others finished. Can't get too many books going at once. 

However, today when I received the review copy of Mortal Fire, I knew it was a book that couldn't wait to be read. The cover alone was intriguing. Dark and mysterious, old books in the foreground and an eye surrounded by wisps of smoke. Very intriguing, indeed. But the best part lay in-between the pages. 

Once I began reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I only stopped because my dogs wouldn't stop pestering me to take them outside. I had to know what was going to happen next. 

Extremely well-written, strong, bold characters and a plot so tight with suspense I found myself holding my breath more often than not.

Emma D'Eresby, a visiting History professor from England, is on a journey, a quest, searching for a lost journal. The people she meets at Howard's Lake College in Maine, USA, are a cast of characters in and of themselves. Sam Wiesner, the "lady's man;" Elena Smalova, intelligent and excitable, and Matthew Lynes, mysterious, strong, and maybe even something more.... just who is he?

Mortal Fire is a book you want to read with the lights on and during the day. But if you are like me.... you won't be able to put it down.

You can purchase your copy here: 

http://store.kregel.com/searchproducts.cfm

www.amazon.com

This review was made possible by Kregel Publications providing me with a free review copy. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

 

 

THE JESUS SCANDALS by David Instone-Brewer

ABOUT THE BOOK

30 scandals uncovered in historical sources

If tabloid newspapers had existed during the first century, Jesus would have featured constantly in the headlines, linked with scandals of all kinds. Details of these were recorded in historical documents by both his friends and his enemies. They provide insights into Jesus' life and teaching that have been obscured by the centuries. They tell us what his contemporaries really thought. These scandals include:  

• his parentage and accusations of alcohol abuse and fraudulent miracles
• the dubious status of his followers - poorly educated, ex-prostitutes and the certifiably mad
• his anti-religious teaching on temple practices, eternal torment, easy divorces and judgement in this life
• his thoughts of suicide, shameful execution and impossible resurrection

Faithful to the biblical text, this carefully researched book can be read as a whole or as stand-alone chapters.

Suitable for house group leaders or discussion starters.

TO READ CHAPTER EXCERPTS AND MORE CLICK ON THE LINK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Revd Dr. David Instone-Brewer is a Baptist Minister who was seconded to the academic world by his denomination. He is now the Senior Research Fellow in Rabbinics and the New Testament at Tyndale House in Cambridge. He has written several academic books and articles on early Judaism and the Bible, as well as regular contributions to Christianity magazine. Other interests include computer programing and lowbrow movies.

MY REVIEW

The Jesus Scandals: Why He Shocked His Contemporaries (and still does today) is a great book for small bible study groups and individual bible study. Why? Because Dr. Instone-Brewer has taken thirty scandals that not just shocked Jesus' contemporaries, it also challenged them and their religious beliefs. 

These scandals may also shock you, challenge you and your religious beliefs as well. 

I found several things in the book that caused me to re-examine how I look at things like divorce, Easter, and even finances. 

Instone-Brewer takes a look scandals in Jesus' life, among His friends, and in His teachings, using historical references from Jewish historians and plenty of bible references.

Looking at these scandals from the eyes of the Jewish people of that time makes reading the New Testament more understandable. Sometimes it can be difficult to understand why Jesus would say something like forgive someone seventy times seven. Read "Bitterness and Hatred" to find out why. 

There is just so much I want to say about this book but fear of spoiling it for you. So all I will say is READ IT! It is worth your time. It will open up the New Testament for you in a marvelous way. 

Reading this book will give you a better understanding of those who wrote the New Testament, who the writers were trying to reach at that time and it will give you a better understanding of how it applies to your life. 

Dr. Instone-Brewer's compassion and love for Jesus and the church comes through each page in this well-written, easy to understand book.

Kregel Publications provided me with this free review copy. I am under no obligation to provide a positive review.

 

 

 

   

SON OF THE UNDERGROUND by Isaac Liu and Albrecht Kaul

His father was an enemy of the state. His mother was told to have an abortion. His teachers mocked him. He first met his father when he was four years old. He and his family lived for years on the run. 

Yet Isaac Liu, son of Brother Yun, survived to develop his own faith and character, and today is serving the Lord from his home in Germany.

My Review:

Though I have not had the privilege of reading the story of Brother Yun, The Heavenly Man, reading the story of his son, Isaac Liu, was riveting.

From the moment of his illegal birth in Communist China, to the harrowing journey to Germany, Liu's life was fraught with deprivation, hardship, hunger and fear. But in spite of all he and his mother and sister and grandmother endured in China, the Lord continued to be a source of light and life.

Reading about his grandmother reminded me of Timothy's grandmother, who was a godly influence in his life. She was a pillar in their village and would travel far to other villages to bring the Good News. Nai Nai actions and deeds in her Christian faith brought many people to Jesus. She would carry young Isaac on her back as they would travel to various villages to meet with other Christians.

I can't imagine what it must have been like for Isaac to have been ridiculed, mocked and tormented by his fellow students and teachers. They did that because his father spent so much time in prison for being a traveling minister. That made his father and his family an enemy of the state.

Many times he and his family had to deal with the state police searching their home, which wasn't more than an hut, looking for his father. When the danger of being arrested would arise, the family would move to another place and change their names.

My heart broke for this young man and all that he had endured. Yet at the same time, reading his story made me take a hard look at my own faith. Would I be able to hold onto the Lord's hand in such persecution? I can only pray I would. 

In the United States of America we are still free to worship as we chose. We still have the freedom to attend any church we desire to. We Christians, still have liberties that our brothers and sisters in other countries don't have.

I am thankful for these freedoms, yet I believe those freedoms are going to disappear. By reading books such as Son of the Underground, and The Heavenly Man and For Those Tears, the Nora Lam Story, we can be encouraged to hold fast to our faith in Jesus.

Stories like Son of the Underground need to be shared. They help make those of us who are complacent and unaware of the persecution our brothers and sisters around the world are enduring to be mindful of them and remember them in our prayers. Their stories can help strengthen our walk with the Lord, bring about repentance in our lives and encourage us to live more fully for Him.

Son of the Underground was provided to me by Kregel Publications for the purpose of review. Thank you Kregel Publications.