Review of Kim Vogel Sawyer’s Fields of Grace
September 25, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Fields Of Grace
Bethany House (October 2009)
by
Kim Vogel Sawyer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Best-selling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer is a wife, mother, grandmother, author, speaker, singer of songs and lover of chocolate… but most importantly, she’s a born-again child of the King!
A former elementary school teacher, Kim closed her classroom door in 2005 to follow God’s call on her heart to write and speak. Now blessed with multiple writing contracts with Bethany House, Barbour, and Zondervan Publishing, Kim enjoys sharing her journey to publication as well as the miraculous story of her healing from a life-long burden of pain and shame.
Kim’s gentle yet forthright testimony lends credence to the promise of Ps. 117:2–”Great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
Will their Mennonite faith be shaken or strengthened by the journey to a new land?
With their eldest son nearly to the age when he will be drafted into military service, Reinhardt and Lillian Vogt decide to immigrate to America, the land of liberty, with their three sons and Reinhardt’s adopted brother, Eli. But when tragedy strikes during the voyage, Lillian and Eli are forced into an agreement neither desires.
Determined to fulfill his obligation to Reinhardt, Eli plans to see Lillian and her sons safely settled on their Kansas homestead–and he’s equally determined that the boys will be reared in the Mennonite faith. What he doesn’t expect is his growing affection for Lillian–and the deep desire to be part of a family.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Fields Of Grace, go HERE
Sally Says: This is my first time reading a book by Sawyer. I’ve known about her for a number of years, having “watched” her receive her first contract and many others on my writers’ email loop. I’d heard that Janette Oke endorsed her first book, and I would say that’s a good author comparison.
Fields of Grace is the story of Lillian, an immigrant whose husband dies en route to America. Her husband’s close friend Eli, a single man who’s never married, is traveling with them, and to keep things looking proper and to provide for his friend’s wife and sons, Eli offers to marry Lillian. It’s a very believable marriage-of-convenience story.
The book is not fast moving, but it’s by no means boring. It did start a little slow for my tastes; but after a few chapters things began to pick up, and I was eager to see how the relationship between Lillian and Eli would develop. Readers who loves historical fiction or a tender romance will find Fields of Grace an enjoyable, relaxing read.
September 24, 2009
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Just Between You and Me
September 11, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Thomas Nelson (September 1, 2009)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight , but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.
When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.
My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.
Okay, that’s not exactly true.
Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:
-watching E!
-updating my status on Facebook
-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and
-writing my name in the dust on my furniture
I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.
Maggie Montgomery lives a life of adventure. Her job as a cinematographer takes her from one exotic locale to the next. When Maggie’s not working, she loves to rappel off cliffs or go skydiving. Nothing frightens her.
Nothing, that is, except Ivy, Texas, where a family emergency pulls her back home to a town full of bad memories, painful secrets, and people Maggie left far behind . . . for a reason.
Forced to stay longer than she intended, Maggie finds her family a complete mess, including the niece her sister has abandoned. Ten-year-old Riley is struggling in school and out of control at home. The only person who can really handle the pint-sized troublemaker is Conner, the local vet and Ivy’s most eligible bachelor. But Conner and Maggie keep butting heads–he’s suspicious of her and, well, she doesn’t rely on anyone but herself.
As Maggie humorously fumbles her way from one mishap to another, she realizes she’s going to need to ask for help from the one person who scares her the most.
To save one little girl–and herself–can Maggie let go of her fears and just trust God?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Just Between You And Me, go HERE
Sally Says: I didn’t request this book, but I got it anyway so I thought I’d post the information here. I haven’t yet read any of Jenny’s books, but I know she’s a very funny lady. And I’ve heard good things about the book from other people.
If you read the book or have already read it, feel free to post your own review here.
The Blue Enchantress by M. L. Tyndall
September 9, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Barbour Books (August 1, 2009)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
M. L. (MaryLu) Tyndall grew up on the beaches of South Florida loving the sea and the warm tropics. But despite the beauty around her, she always felt an ache in her soul–a longing for something more.
After college, she married and moved to California where she had two children and settled into a job at a local computer company. Although she had done everything the world expected, she was still miserable. She hated her job and her marriage was falling apart.
Still searching for purpose, adventure and true love, she spent her late twenties and early thirties doing all the things the world told her would make her happy, and after years, her children suffered, her second marriage suffered, and she was still miserable.
One day, she picked up her old Bible, dusted it off, and began to read. Somewhere in the middle, God opened her hardened heart to see that He was real, that He still loved her, and that He had a purpose for her life, if she’d only give her heart to Him completely.
She had written stories her whole life, but never had the confidence to try and get any of them published. But as God began to change her heart, He also showed her that writing had been His wonderful plan for her all along!
Her other current release in the Charles Towne Belles series includes The Red Siren.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Betrayed by the man she longed to marry, Hope Westcott is about to be auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder on an island in the Caribbean . After enduring a difficult childhood in an unloving home, Hope’s search for love and self-worth have led her down a very dangerous path. All she ever wanted was to find true love and open an orphanage where she could raise children with all the love she never experienced as a child. But how can a woman with a sordid past ever hope to run an orphanage, let alone attract the love of an honorable man?
Determined to overcome the shame of his mother’s past, Nathaniel Mason worked for many years to build his own fleet of merchant ships in an effort to finally acquire the respect of Charles Towne society. Ignoring the call of God on his life to become a preacher, he forges ahead with his plans for success at a distant port in the Caribbean , when he sees a young lady he knows from Charles Towne being sold as a slave. In an effort to save Hope, he is forced to sell one of his two ships, only to discover that her predicament was caused by her own bad behavior. Angry and determined to rid himself of her as soon as possible, Nathaniel embarks on a journey that will change the course of his life.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Blue Enchantress, go HERE
Sally Says: I’ve read a number of MaryLu’s novels, and they’re all lighthearted, fun adventurous romances set somewhere in the Caribbean with pirates and plunder aplenty.
Arg.
With all the drama and comedy of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Blue Enchantress continues the story of Hope, the I’ll-do-anything-for-love Wescott sister. What made me want to read the book was the knowledge that she was being auctioned off as a slave after stowing away on Lord Falkland’s boat — only to find he was already married. Whoops. I wondered how that predicament would work out and had to read the book.
The Blue Enchantress is a fun read about a woman who believes it might be too late for her to have a happily-ever-after, with God or with a man. Fans of historical romance and adventure (think Julie Lessman’s Daughters of Boston series) and anyone who enjoys a good pirate escape will love The Blue Enchantress, The Red Siren, and any of MaryLu’s other novels.
You Can Find Me At . . .
September 4, 2009
. . . Sharon Ball’s blog A Break from the Norm. Sharon’s a client who finaled in this year’s Genesis contest (Go, Sharon!), and she recently asked me some great questions about working with a freelance editor. If you’d like some professional help on your manuscript, I think you’ll enjoy the interview.
Review of Call of Zulina
September 4, 2009
This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Abingdon Press (August 2009)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Of Kay Marshall Strom’s 34 published books, four have been book club selections, nine have been translated into foreign languages, and one has been optioned for a movie.
Her writing credits also include numerous magazine articles, short stories, two prize-winning screenplays, books and stories for children, and booklets for writers. Her writing has appeared in several volumes, including More Than Conquerors, Amazing Love, The NIV Couple’s Devotional Bible and The NIV Women’s Devotional Bible, and The Bible for Today’s Christian Woman.
Her work also is included in a number of compilations, including various books from the Stories for the Heart series. Her best-known book is Once Blind: The Life of John Newton, which is packaged with the recently released DVD Amazing Grace. She also has written several books with her husband, Dan Kline. Kay is a partner in Kline, Strom International, Inc., leaders in communication training. She currently lives in Eugene, Oregon.
As an activist against modern slavery, Kay Strom takes an indirect approach to calling attention to that issue with her newest fiction title, the first of three planned in the Grace in Africa series, set in West Africa in 1787.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Grace Winslow, the daughter of a mixed marriage between an English sea captain and an African princess, is swept up in a slave revolt after she escapes the family compound to avoid an odious betrothal.
As the truth about the fortress of Zulina unfolds, Grace begins to grasp the brutality and ferocity of the family─the capture and trade of slaves.
Despite being held for ransom, viciously maimed by a runaway slave, and threatened with death, Grace sympathizes with the plight of the captives. She is especially moved by the African Cabeto’s passion, determination, and willingness to sacrifice anything, including his own life, for his people’s freedom. Leaning on the faith of her nanny Mama Muco, Grace risks everything to follow her heart.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Call Of Zulina, go HERE
Sally Says: Remember a few reviews ago when I said Pirate Hunter had one of the most heartbreaking depictions of life on a slave ship? I have to take it back. The Call of Zulina is the story of a daughter of a slave trader and her eye-opening exposure to the treatment of slaves in Africa.
Since I’ve had kids, I have a hard time reading stories where people are abusing others. I’m not talking a good suspense story or anything like that but just stories where horrible cruelty is acted out on others. And that happens in this book. Grace’s English father owns a slave fortress and through her attempt to avoid the man her parents want her to marry, she ends up at the fortress and is trapped in the middle of a slave revolt about to explode.
Not only is Grace’s father cruel and cold-hearted, but so is her mother Lingongo, an African princess, who has no problem with capturing other Africans and putting them in manacles until there are enough for a slave trader to buy and take to the Americas. The treatment of the slaves in the fortress, the casual neglect of basic necessities and human life — it was difficult for me to read at times.
I did have a hard time following some of the events throughout the book, and I found some technical problems with the story which always diminishes how much I enjoy a book. But I think those who grew up with historical Christian fiction will enjoy The Call of Zulina. The author’s bio says that she’s an activist against modern slavery, and you have to admire her desire to open the eyes of others to what’s still going on in the world. I hope this book does everything she hoped for and more.