Review: What Once Was Lost by Kim Vogel Sawyer

A Beautiful Story

Christina Willems is the director of a poor farm, the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor in Kansas, having inherited the role from her father. She has dedicated herself to Christian services on behalf of the poor and needy, but finds her world rocked when the farmhouse is badly damaged in a fire. The need to find temporary homes for the twelve residents brings her into contact with local mill owner Levi Johnson.

I have only read one other book by Kim Vogel Sawyer, and What Once Was Lost reminded me why I should seek out more of her titles. Her novels are plainly US Western historical romance, but they have more depth than many of the titles available on the market (not that I have anything against those titles—I enjoy the more lighthearted novels by authors such as Carol Cox, Jen Turano and Karen Wittemeyer. But it’s nice to find something a little different).

Christina is a well-written character. She is strong-willed and wants to take responsibility for all ‘her’ people—the only family she has. But in serving others, she sometimes forgets what she wants, and that what she wants might not be what God wants for her. That’s something many of us can relate to.

I also liked Levi. He’s not a Christian, yet still takes in Tommy, the blind boy no one else wants. He has his own emotional journey throughout the novel, as caring for Tommy forces Levi step outside his solitary existence to interact with Tommy and Christina. He’s also attracted to Christina, and I thought the romantic element of the plot was particularly poignant.

I especially liked one quote from Tommy:

Seems to me that folks with scars [are] the ones who really need someone to treat them like there’s nothing wrong with them. Hard enough to be different without everybody treating you different.

There’s a lesson there. We all have scars, but some are more visible than others. It reminds me that sometimes it’s okay to not mention the elephant in the room.

What Once Was Lost
is recommended for those who enjoy US Western historical romance.

Thanks to WaterBrook Press and Blogging for Books for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Kim Vogel Sawyer at her website.

ARCBA Review: Faith in the Great Southland by Mary Hawkins

4 - 8 November

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

Introducing

Faith in the Great Southland

(Barbour Books October 1, 2012)

By

Mary Hawkins

 

About the Book

Elizabeth Waverly never dreamed that taking a convict transport back to her home in Australia would change her life. But from the moment she lays eyes on John Martin, she cannot resist her growing attraction to him. She knows the man faces a life sentence for murder, but her heart refuses to believe he is guilty of the charges against him. How could someone who so valiantly protects others and accepts another prisoner's punishment be a brutal felon? Yet once the transport ship lands in Australia, their paths are bound to head in very different directions. Is their love destined to become a bittersweet memory of what might have been, or will faith show them another way?

 

About the Author

Mary is a multi-published Australian romance author with 19 titles. After being published by Harlequin Mills and Boon medicals, Heartsong Presents and Barbour, her most recent single title Bargagula series was published by Ark House Press in Sydney. She is a member of the Society Women Writers Tasmania, Romance Writers of Australia, Omega Writers, Australian Christian Writers Fellowship, American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers America and their Faith Hope Love chapter. Her Heartsong Presents back list titles are being released by Truly Yours Digital Editions. Faith in the Great Southland is now available with the other three in this series to be released June and July. She is available to speak and share what she has learnt about writing novels, her writing journey and faith in our incredible God. For more about Mary, go to her website.

 

My Review

Faith In The Great Southland is the first of four novels in the Australian Outback collection. I actually purchased this collection years ago, and have read and enjoyed all four of the stories, but I think Faith In The Great Southland, the story of John and Elizabeth, remains my favourite.

Mary Hawkins knows how to create compelling characters and a page-turning plot. She gives readers a clear understanding of the horrors of the criminal transportation system without being overly graphic (and after one character makes an early comment to another that conditions are much better than they used to be). While this story is fiction, transportation was fact and Faith in the Great Southland gives the reader an appreciation for what early Australian settlers—criminal and free—went through in the early years of colonisation. Well worth reading.

You can find out more about Mary Hawkins at her website.

If you’d like to buy the Kindle edition, you can follow the links above to purchase at Amazon. Those Down Under can buy from Koorong (Australia) or Soul Inspirationz (New Zealand). Koorong also sells epub editions.

Review: Dark Justice by Brandilyn Collins

More ‘Seatbelt Suspense’ from Brandilyn Collins

Hannah Shire and her mother, Carol Ballard, are returning from a weekend away when they come across a car accident. The sole victim, Morton, is injured, mentions his daughter and tells the ladies not to tell anyone—but not to tell them what? Later at home, Hannah finds a flash drive in her pocket, and surmises Morton must have put it there. Later that evening, two FBI agents visit and interview her—but are the really from the FBI? Who can they trust? What follows is a suspenseful chase as the two women, assisted by Hannah’s daughter, Emily, try and find the solution to the puzzle while evading the FBI and the police before the deadline Emily discovers encrypted in the flash drive.

Dark Justice flips back and forth between the action in February 2013 (told in the first person by Hannah) and a subsequent Select Committee Investigation into the events of February 2013. This both adds and removes suspense. It adds suspense because it shows that Hannah, Carol and Emily have been caught up in a major event, but I did feel it also took away from some of the suspense because of the very fact it was in the future.

The scenario presented in Dark Justice isn’t unique (Firestorm and Digital Winter each had a similar premise), but the approach is different. Hannah is an ordinary person. She’s a widow with an adult daughter, and is the primary caregiver for her mother, who suffers from dementia. On the face of things, there is nothing special about her. But she is hard-working, intelligent and brave, and those qualities come to light as the novel progresses. Carol is a sad and stubborn woman who reminds us of how dementia steals people from us, and Emily is an intelligent and useful addition to the plot.

B&H Publishing have announced their intention to withdraw from the Christian fiction market, which leaves authors like Brandilyn Collins without a publisher. I hope she finds one, because I really enjoy her books. On the other hand, B&H pulling out of the fiction market is good news for Kindle owners, because several of their new and recent releases are on sale for $2.99 or $3.99, so it’s a good opportunity to stock up for your summer reading (or winter reading, for those in the Northern Hemisphere).

Dark Justice is a very good read (although I personally preferred Double Blind), and not recommended for when you are alone in the house or have some pressing deadline that’s going to stop you reading right through to the end.

Thanks to B&H Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Brandilyn Collins at her website.

If you’d like to buy the book or Kindle edition, you can follow the links above to purchase at Amazon. Those Down Under can buy from Koorong (Australia) or Soul Inspirationz (New Zealand). Koorong also sells epub editions.

Review: The Crown by Lynne Stringer

Not exactly a review ...

Every now and again I read a book I enjoy so much that I’m apprehensive about reading the next book from the author, especially when it’s a sequel. I often find the second book in a series doesn’t measure up to the first. I thoroughly enjoyed Lynne Stringer’s debut YA novel, The Heir, and I was anxiously waiting for my copy of The Crown to see what was next in the adventures of Sarah and Dan.

But when I got my copy, I found I was reluctant to read it. What if it wasn’t as good?

I had nothing to worry about. I loved it.

My only grouch is the last page, which confirms that I’m going to have to wait six months until the release of The Reign, the final book in the trilogy, when I’ll get to find out what happens in the end. Yes, The Heir and The Crown have that same addictive quality as some other well-known YA series.

I’m not going to give you any information about the plot, because this is a sequel and any information I give will effectively spoil The Heir for those of you who haven’t read it. It’s enough to say that if you’ve read and enjoyed The Heir, you’ll really enjoy The Crown.

I’m even hesitant to tell you about the characters, because one of the features of the two books is that things aren’t exactly what they seem, yet when the truth is revealed it’s a bit like a Miss Marple mystery: the clues were there all along and I wonder how I missed them. There are also other clues which appear to be setting up the plot and conflict in The Reign.

If you haven’t read The Heir and you like YA science fiction with a touch of romance, buy The Crown now. (I’ll even make it easy for you: click this link and you can have the Kindle version in thirty seconds. Or buy the paperback from Light the Dark or Amazon). Please note that while The Heir and The Crown are not classified as Christian fiction, the author is a Christian and the books reflect Christian values.

Recommended for all science fiction fans.

Thanks to Wombat Books for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Lynne Stringer at her website, or in this interview.

CrossReads Book Blast: Here Today Gone Tomorrow by Carlene Havel

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

By Carlene Havel

About the Book

Disappointed, dumped, divorced. Everything Casey Slaughter counted on is gone. While contemporaries start their families, Casey works two jobs to haul herself out of debt. Friends and family recommend a new husband to solve all her problems, but Casey resists their well-intentioned advice. Although she longs for a soul mate, the last thing her flattened self-esteem needs is more rejection—and comparisons to her beautiful, talented older sister do nothing to enhance Casey’s confidence. Unable to have children, she feels she has nothing to offer in marriage. Will bitterness and insecurity destroy her, or can renewed faith in God provide some measure of comfort for this wounded heart? Can Casey ever find love again, or will a string of disasters keep her forever on the run?

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK

Carlene Havel has lived in numerous US states, the Philippines, and Turkey. Like most writers, Carlene has always loved to read, and her taste is eclectic. Her other hobbies include sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery. She especially enjoys Bible study, normally devoting one day each week delving into the scriptures with a small focus group. The Havels make their home in San Antonio, Texas, in the midst of a big, extended family.

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