Review: Digital Winter by Mark Hitchcock and Alton Gansky

One January day in the very near future, the power goes out in San Diego. Then in Washington DC, and everywhere in between. At first, everyone thinks the blackouts are localised accidents, but it soon becomes apparent that the country is the victim of a cyberterrorism attack. The US military then realises the problem is global, so who is behind the attacks? And how will people in this digital age survive without electricity?

The first half of Digital Winter, detailing the initial power cuts from the viewpoints of different characters, was excellent. It was apocalyptic fiction of the best kind, both entertaining and thought-provoking (what would I do without electricity, even temporarily?). It was everything that Terri Blackstock’s Last Light wasn’t – scientifically plausible (at least to me), and featuring strong, intelligent and likeable characters.

But then Digital Winter moved from the immediate problem into the aftermath, eight days, eight weeks and (very briefly) eight months later. I found these later sections less compelling. They were more tribulation fiction, like the start of the Left Behind series, but with a flavour of Titanic: we know how the story is supposed to go, and that takes something away from it. I wanted that element of surprise, and although it was there in the detail, the big picture is a bit obvious.

Now, I am fully aware of how ironic this sounds coming from me. I read a lot of romance, and the romance genre is defined by the need for a HEA (Happy Ever After) ending. In a romance novel, you can pretty much tell from the first chapter how it is going to end, and that doesn’t bother me because that is what I expect. But the beginning of Digital Winter> was one thing while the end was another. And I liked the beginning more.

Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free book for review.

Review: Beauty to Die For by Kim Alexis and Mindy Starns Clark

Juliette Taylor is visiting the Palm Grotto Resort and Spa in Cahuilla Springs, California, to lead a Christian retreat weekend. The ex-supermodel has a brand of exclusive skincare products, JT Lady, and Palm Grotto is one of her main customers. However, an internal investigation suggests that products are being counterfeited.

Also on his way to Palm Grotto is Marcus, an expert in disaster prevention and recovery. He met Juliette decades ago when she was at the height of her fame, and fell hard for her. Marcus has been working with the FBI on a counterfeiting case, and it seems that Juliette's business has been targetted by the criminals, which gives him an excuse to reconnect.

Another spa guest is Raven, an ex-supermodel with a reputation for diva behaviour and temper tantrums, and a difficult past. Raven's presence is a puzzle that turns into a mystery when she is found to have died during a routine beauty treatment. Juliette joins up with Marcus to protect the reputation of her products by finding the real culprit.

Beauty to Die For didn’t really work for me, despite the cool cover and the catchy title. In the beginning, Juliette and Raven have a mini-showdown in the airport before arising at the resort. As a reader, I thought Juliette was totally misinterpreting what Raven said to her, and I couldn’t understand why. I still don’t, as it turns out that my immediate interpretation of Raven’s comment was, in fact, correct. But it took Juliette most of the book to work that out, even though she’s supposed to be this switched-on businesswoman.

We are told early in the book that people don’t really understand how difficult modelling is. Well, this isn’t really a statement that is going to gain sympathy from many readers, because it just seems to show how out of touch with reality the fashion industry is (many jobs in life are difficult. Supermodels have the advantage of having found a high-paying difficult job, not a minimum-wage difficult job). Later (much later) in the book, Juliette is remembering a photo shoot, and we are actually shown the difficulties she alluded to. This scene gave me a much better understanding of the issues, and made Juliette seem a lot more likeable. But it should have come earlier. As readers, we want to like our fictional heroines and heroes, so we need to be given reasons to like them.

I also got annoyed by the supposed incompetence of the police investigating Raven’s death. They didn’t actually feature in the story, except to get things wrong or to not look at vital evidence. Instead, Juliette was all over the resort, listening in on conversations and finding all the missing links. This also seemed odd – no one questioned that a guest (albeit an important guest) kept nosing around staff-only areas? And the counterfeiting seemed to be set up to be a major plot point, but really was just a device to get Marcus in the picture. There was potential, but aspects of the plot were too unbelievable, even for fiction.

It’s not to say I didn’t like Beauty to Die For at all. I thought the action scenes were well done, the ending was lovely, and I really liked the way the spa weekend was aimed at Christian women who spend too much time giving to others was great (sign me up!). But the second half of the book was not strong enough to make up for the weak first half.

Thanks to B&H Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: The Scent of Rain by Kristen Billerbeck

Daphne Sweeten has just completed training to be a ‘nose’ in the perfume industry, and has returned home to marry before starting a new life and a new perfume formulation job in Dayton, Ohio. But fiancé Mark Goldsmith doesn’t show up for the wedding, and she later finds out that he has abandoned her and taken her dream job in Paris. The house her father bought her as a wedding present is a dump. And to make matters worse, she seems to have lost her sense of smell.

Jesse Lightner is a middle manager at a struggling consumer products company, and isn’t happy to have a new employee foisted on him when his department is already struggling to make budget. But, prompted by his assistant (who also happens to be his pastor’s wife), Jesse does the right thing and tries to make Daphne feel welcome and wanted.

What follows is an enjoyable romance with a quirky cast of characters, including an ambitious marketing executive, two stereotypical scientists, a solo father (Jesse) and a bereaved almost-bride trying to pull her life back together and making a fair few mistakes along the way. There was one scene that was probably supposed to be funny but I found rather cringe-inducing and parts of the plot did require a bit of suspension of disbelief, but, on the whole, this a was a fun romance between two unlikely people.

The Scent of Rain is the first Kristen Billerbeck adult romance novel I have read, although I have previously read one of her YA novels (Perfectly Dateless) and a novella from Smitten. Based on The Scent of Rain, I would certainly read more. It was a quick and easy read, perfect for a relaxing afternoon.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze® for providing a free book for review.

Review: Angel of the Cove by Sandra Robbins

Anna Prentice has her life planned out, and is sure that those are God's plans too. She has always wanted to be a nurse, and has been accepted into nursing school in Bellevue, New York. Her brother, Robert, sees this as a potential drain on the family's resources and is reluctant to let her go even though their father had approved. But he has died, and Robert is now head of the family and gets to make those decisions.

Fortunately for Anna, Uncle Charles comes to her rescue with an opportunity to spend the summer working with Granny Lawson, the midwife in the remote Smoky Mountains settlement of Cades Cove. Robert has agreed that Anna can attend school if Mrs Lawson gives her a good report.

At Cades Cove, she meets Brother Simon Martin, a young man who grew up in the Cove and who is now the community minister, despite his own early dreams of being a pastor in a large city church and leading hundreds of people to Jesus. Simon is challenged by the instant attraction he feels towards Anna, and the attraction is mutual. But Anna and Simon will have to reconcile her desire to move to New York for nursing school with his place preaching in the Cove.

The beginning of Angel of the Cove is reminiscent of the plot of Christy, Catherine Marshall's famous novel that lends its name to the Christy awards for Christian fiction. It has the young woman going alone to work with the people of the Great Smoky Mountains, the older mentor and the handsome young minister, although it is missing the enigmatic doctor (in this case, the doctor is Anna's uncle, and there is no ‘other man’ to choose between).

Anna is a bit too good to be true. There is a suggestion at the beginning of the book that she is too concerned with her own plans, but apart from that, she is perfect. The children love her, and even the ones with a reputation for mischief like and obey her. If only it were that easy!

We never get told exactly how old Anna is, although I would guess late teens based on the fact that she is soon going to nursing school. Nor do we get told how old Simon is (beyond the fact that he has completed three years of college), nor do we ever find out exactly when the story is set (my guess is mid-1870’s, but it could be anywhere from 1873 to 1910). While these details are not vital, they do help the reader to understand the background to the story.

We might not know Anna’s physical age, but we get plenty of examples of her immaturity. Simon isn't much better. Although it is obvious that he has fallen for Anna, I never really understood why, beyond the immediate attraction of her pretty face and nice clothes. I would have hoped that the hero in a Christian novel was not so shallow, especially when he is a preacher.

Overall, Angel of the Cove wasn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t that good. The opening didn’t capture my interest, I didn’t find the primary characters engaging, it took a long time to get going, the courtship was too fast and the ending was predictable, rushed and not quite believable.

Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Confessions of a Control Freak by Priscilla Knox Morrison

Confessions of a Control Freak: And Hope for Those Who Know One starts by giving us seven signs of a control freak:

• nagging others
• trying to orchestrate outcomes
• butting into others’ affairs
• worrying about things beyond your control
• feeling anxiety about the future
• never feeling peaceful
• needing everything to be in perfect order

While I recognise that I may have a tendency to display any or all of these signs, I don’t think I let these tendencies control me (although I could just be deluding myself).


However, the author shows that control isn't all bad. There are times (especially as a parent or when in any leadership role at work or at church) that it is valid to be in control. Self-control and self-discipline are important. But there are times when our tendencies to control are signs of deeper issues that do need sorting, and the author does through her seven ‘confessions’, which relate to common issues such as pride and worry.

Some 'confessions' will be more applicable than others. They apply to the mildly managing as well as to the full-blown control freak, and can apply equally to men and women (although I suspect the tone will appeal more to the female reader). These are not quick fix answers - they are lessons the author has learnt over her lifetime as a pastor's wife and mother of six. The advice given comes from a strong Christian foundation, with a clear gospel message, and the answers are based in reading the Bible, and prayer.

“Live intentionally. Rely on God’s wisdom, not your own. Rely on His power to change what should be changed and to help you relinquish what you need to give up.”

In summary, whether we the control freak or we live with one, Priscilla Knox Morrison reminds us that God is in control. There is freedom in that truth. Recommended for anyone who has an issue with control.

Thanks to Harvest House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.