Friday Fifteen and Giveaway: Janet Bly

It's time for another Friday Fifteen! Today I'd like to welcome Janet Chester Bly, Janet is the widow of author Stephen Bly, and she's here today to introduce her new novel, Dawn ... and to tell us about her fifteen favourite authors. Welcome, Janet!

Fifteen Authors Who Influenced my Life and Writing by Janet Chester Bly

1. George MacDonald

Historical 19th century Scottish romances, edited and made available for contemporary readers by Michael Phillips

This was my introduction to Christian fiction. Great stories.

2. Louisa May Alcott

Little Women and character Jo’s writing journey and advice given, “Write what you know.”

3. Eugenia Price

Strangers in Savannah, a Civil War epic, longest novel I ever read that kept my interest throughout until Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

4. Frank Peretti 

This Present Darkness, 1989 groundbreaking early Christian fiction bestseller that brought hope of dusting off and re-writing manuscripts hidden in drawers for lack of publisher interest

5. Edgar Lee Masters 

Spoon River Anthology, fascinating story style through a collection of post-mortem autobiographical epitaphs of former citizens of the fictional Spoon River town.

6. Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God, introduced to me in a black heritage college literature class

7. Catherine Marshall

Nonfiction, inspirational, and fiction works including Christy and Beyond Ourselves – the story of her writing journey as a widow inspired me early on.

Christy and Julie are two of my favourite Christian novels.

8. Anne Perry

English historical detective fiction, best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series

(She used to live in New Zealand, where she's better known for inspiring Heavenly Creatures, one of Peter Jackson's early movies)

9. Mary Higgins Clark

Her use of three names, including maiden name, and her suspense novels

10. Sue Grafton

The clever development of her A-Z titled series

11. Brandilyn Collins

Author of memorable, contemporary fiction standalones and well developed, unpredictable Seatbelt Suspense® novels

Aren't they great?

12. Randy Alcorn

Intriguing novels with concurrent scenes in heaven

13. Karen Kingsbury

Fast writer of family and relational stories with emotional impact

14. Kristin Heitzmann

Excellent contemporary romantic suspense

15. Stephen Bly

My late husband, award-winning western author who was my partner in writing and editing, research and publishing.

Introducing Down Squash Blossom Road

WHAT SECRET LIES DOWN SQUASH BLOSSOM ROAD?

Cowgirl Reba Cahill’s schedule is full. Save the family ranch. Free her mom from a mental institute. Solve a murder and kidnapping. Evade a stalker. Can she also squeeze in romance?

Reba Cahill focused on the duties of the ranch, along with her widowed grandmother. But a crippled Champ Runcie returns to Road’s End in a wheelchair and seeks revenge for the accident that put him there. He blames Reba's horse. Meanwhile, a letter from her estranged mom forces her and Grandma Pearl back on the road: I can leave now. Come get me. Love, Mom

When they arrive in Reno, her mother issues a demand and refuses to return to Idaho. They head west instead. In California, Reba’s friend Ginny’s marriage is on the rocks. The family business is threatened. And squabbles turn deadly.

Reba digs deep to find the courage to forge a relationship with her mom and escape a crazed man’s obsession. She also hopes for a future with a horse trainer who offers her a new horse to replace the one she lost in the accident. But why does he have a photo of a pretty woman on his wall? 

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Leave a comment to be entered in drawing to receive copy of Down Squash Blossom Road, Book 2, Trails of Reba Cahill, Janet Chester Bly’s newest release.

Giveaway ends midnight Central Time on 3 February. Winner will be contacted on 6 February.
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About Janet Bly

Janet Chester Bly is the widow of Christy Award winning western author Stephen Bly. Together—his, hers, theirs--they published 120 fiction and nonfiction books for adults and kids. Janet and their three sons finished Stephen’s last novel, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot, a Selah Award Finalist. Down Squash Blossom Road is Book 2 in the Reba Cahill contemporary western mystery series. Book 1 is Wind in the Wires. Find out more at www.BlyBooks.com

Connect with Janet Chester Bly on these Social Media links:

'Like' Bly Books on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlyBooks
Bly Books Blog: http://www.blybooks.com/blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janetchesterbly
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janetcbly/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/269265.Janet_Chester_Bly
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blybooks/
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/janetchesterbly
Google+: http://bit.ly/2iXYwaQ
Check out other favorite authors at On the Western Trail blog: www.blybooks.blogspot.com

Review: Maybe It’s You by Candace Calvert

Warning: Triggers

If you’re looking for a light-hearted fun romance, Maybe It’s You isn’t the book you’re looking for (but I’d recommend Kara Isaac or Jen Turano). While there is no on-the-page sex or violence, the main character is an ER nurse with a history of hanging out with the wrong people, and a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You have been warned.

But if you’re on the lookout for a true-to-life medical drama with a side of Christian hope and forgiveness, then Maybe It’s You could be the book you’re looking for. It's the third book in the Crisis Team series, but you don't have to have read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this.

Sloane Wilder has changed her name, address and job to escape her past … but now it seems to be catching up with her. She's working as an ER nurse in LA and trying to stay under the radar, but that's difficult when a nosy reporter sees her rescue a teenage girl, and when the hospital's marketing manager wants to put her face on a billboard as the 'face' of Hope Hospital.

That's what's happening on the surface. Underneath, we come to know Sloane as a damaged person—an alcoholic, and a victim of abuse—who is trying to overcome her past. I think this is the strongest part of the novel, as she gradually learns to believe in God, and believe that He can love even someone like her.

The romance and suspense parts of the plot were also well done. There was an excellent twist at the end (excellent meaning I didn’t see it coming, but it fits in hindsight), and I appreciate that. Overall, an excellent medical thriller with unexpected spiritual depth.

Thanks to Tyndale House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Candace Calvert at her website.

Review: A Harvest of Thorns by Corban Addison

It's hard to know how to rate this book. I selected it from NetGalley for review because it was a new-to-me author (and a male!), in a genre I enjoy (legal thriller), and from Thomas Nelson (an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, which is important to me when I'm choosing books to review. Hey, my blog is called Iola's Christian Reads. The clue is in the title. I want to read and review Christian fiction).

As far as I can tell, this is Corban Addison's first book with Thomas Nelson. 

His previous highly acclaimed books were from a general market publisher. As this should have been, because A Harvest of Thorns is a general market legal thriller, not Christian fiction.

It has swearing and a rape scene and while a couple of characters go to church a couple of times, it's clearly because that's what people 'do'. The only people of faith were Muslim--and I have no objection to reading fiction about Muslims if that's what I'm looking to read. But in this case, it wasn't (see point above about the name of my blog!).

Okay, that's enough ranting about the genre. What about the book?

Some of the writing was outstanding, like the opening line:

The sparks danced like fireflies in the semi-dark of the storeroom. 

Some of the writing was below average, like the awkward dialogue tags. Some was overly intellectual. I have a pretty large vocabulary, but found myself stopping to look words up at least half a dozen times while reading (hurray for the Kindle dictionary!). I also found the structure awkward, as it flip-flopped back and forward in time, and was written in several Parts, each of which started at Chapter One.

Now to the actual plot and theme of the novel. 

Cameron Alexander is head legal counsel for Presto, a multi-billion-dollar retail chain, and the centre of a scandal involving a factory fire in Bangladesh. Cameron is responsible for putting out the resulting PR fire, and for improving internal compliance so Presto’s reputation isn’t compromised again. Almost two years later, Joshua Griswold is the journalist challenged with finding the truth behind the fire and Presto’s real involvement, and bringing it to the world’s attention through a legal case.

There were a lot of excellent things about A Harvest of Thorns. 

The author obviously has an extensive understanding of the law, business, global supply chains, and how easily things can go wrong (which makes me wonder how many other companies have such irregularities in their supply chains). It also reinforces that people do what you pay them to do, even if you tell them otherwise.

The underlying theme of A Harvest of Thorns is social justice: can we in the First World truly justify our never-ending consumption of cheap imported goods, made by sweatshop workers and slaves? And if we do have a problem (and as Christians, we should), what do we do? From this point of view, it’s certainly a novel that Christians should be reading.

Overall, I think this is a 4-star book. 

The writing ranged from average to outstanding. The plot, characters and overall theme were solid to excellent. But it wasn’t Christian fiction … which is what I expect from Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Authentic Living by Richard Exley

Authentic Living: 365 Devotions for Deliberate Faith. 

I liked the sound of the title. I liked the description. Unfortunately, the content didn’t match up.


The Amazon description says:

To live an authentic, fulfilled life we need to both understand and practice the core beliefs of the Christian faith. Being intentional about pursuing Christ is often challenging in our confusing, messy world, but like the biblical character Daniel who did not compromise his values, we must take small, deliberate steps to grow in spiritual integrity. The short, inspirational devotions in Authentic Living illustrate how we can be more deliberate in our faith each and every day through small actions like asking forgiveness, offering guidance, praying specifically, and more. With these simple yet profound readings, we can realize a more fulfilling life and faith one thought, one action, one day at a time.

Well, the devotions are certainly short. And simple. Profound? Not so much. At least, not for anyone who has read the Bible and has anything more than a basic understanding of the core beliefs of Christianity. And I certainly didn’t see it illustrating how to be more intentional or deliberate or authentic in my faith … which was what I was interested in.

I haven’t read the whole book, and I’m unlikely to. I can’t tell you how far I’ve got, because all the days run together in my review copy, with no dates or even ‘Day 1’, ‘Day 2’ etc. to separate them (which got a little confusing at times, as he often speaks on the same theme for several consecutive days. And that got a little repetitive).

It’s not bad. It’s all good, solid stuff. It’s biblical. It’s preaching God, not man. It’s just not what I was looking for.

Thanks to Worthy Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Review: Counterpoint by Marji Lane

New Romantic Suspense Series

Amazon Description

Someone is determined to finish a murdered hit man's final assignment.

Her father's gone. Her diner's closing. Her car's in the lake. Cat McPherson has nothing left to lose. Except her life. And a madman's bent on taking that away.

Her former boyfriend, Ray Alexander, returns as a hero from his foreign mission, bringing back souvenirs in the form of death-threats. When several attempts are made on Cat’s life, she must find a way to trust Ray, the man who broke her heart.

Keeping Cat safe from a fallen cartel leader might prove impossible for Ray, but after seeing his mission destroyed and several godly people killed, he knows better than to ignore the man’s threats. Cat’s resistance to his protection and the stirring of his long-denied feelings for her complicate his intentions, placing them both in a fight for their lives.

Can she survive when ultimate power wants her dead?

My Review

I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed Marji Lane’s previous Grime Beat series. The writing and editing might be better in Counterpoint, but the characters didn’t have the same enjoyable quirkiness as those in Grime Beat (hey, I think there is something intrinsically interesting about someone who makes a living cleaning up crime scenes). And it probably didn’t help that I guessed the identity of the evildoer too early, so spent half the book wondering when Cat and Ray would catch on (frustrating!)

The other frustrating thing was it was obvious Cat and Ray should be together, but Ray has male issues i.e. don’t sit down and have a sensible conversation about why you left your high school sweetheart without telling her. Just be the strong, silent type and tell yourself it’s never going to happen. Of course it’s never going to happen if you don’t do anything! Men. No matter whether it’s fiction or real life, they’re always last on board with the idea of talking about problems. On the other hand, it’s that frustration which kept me turning the pages. Will they or won’t they? Is this suspense, or am I going to get the romance hit I’m looking for?

However, there was plenty of suspense and that kept me turning the pages. There was the obvious—was someone trying to kill Cat (yes), and who? Then there was the question about the diner, and the ministry it supported—would Cat get to keep the diner? How would she keep feeding the homeless?

Then there were Cat’s own feelings of inadequacy, which were a classic lesson in how other people always see us differently to how we see ourselves. Cat worried that she wasn’t the minister her father was, that she wasn’t doing a good enough job in sharing the gospel of Jesus. Yet it was obvious to me, the reader, she was doing more than most of us, and she was using her gifts to the best of her ability. That’s all God asks of any of us.

Overall, a solid thriller with excellent characters, lots of action, and a strong underlying Christian message.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.