Reviews Archives - Page 3 of 17

When the Snow Comes — B.J. Robinson, author

January 26, 2017 by JudyAnn Lorenz Leave a Comment

Readers will find other reviews for books from B.J. Robinson’s pens at Cardinal Bluff.

When the Snow Comes is one of the best books I’ve seen from this author. If you are looking for a gentle pleasure read during a busy time, this story would be a good fit.

The author’s style lets readers put the book down to finish holiday tasks, stir the soup and start a load of laundry while making plans for company or school activities! Sometimes there isn’t an opportunity to crawl off for an afternoon and just READ!

Waiting for the first snows of winter, a seemingly star-crossed couple take their time to become re-acquainted without high drama. Amber and Adam build romantic foundations for their future in the midst of intricate descriptions of the scenery, wildlife, Victorian homes, farm homes and creative art work. Readers will learn of painting, fine furniture and good cooking as they enjoy being a part of Amber and Adam’s plans. These readers will be introduced to local events and tourism in the Winter mountains…waiting for the first snow. Adam’s family is particularly creative. Both Adam and his mother have found their artistic lives fulfilling and profitable. These abilities contributed to misunderstandings between Amber and Adam when he had difficulty understanding that she needed to leave the community to pursue her dreams of becoming a nurse. He didn’t anticipate that their faith could be rewarded by employment for her right back in the community.

A special family recipe for Louisiana Cornbread Dressing for the author’s family is included. You’re permitted to skip to the end for this, so you can treat your family to some good Southern eating right away!

When the Snow Comes has a strong fundamental Christian focus, but spares readers tiresome dogma. There is no profanity or violence.

Atonement of Emily Adams, Susan Lawrence, author

January 26, 2017 by JudyAnn Lorenz Leave a Comment

Susan Lawrence’s debut novel faces the saddest of events that one could imagine. When Emily Adams is driving down a street, being watchful of a nearby bicyclist, a small boy, Isaiah, rides his skateboard in front of her car. Cars move too fast — no way could she have stopped. Cars are too much for a little kid and the child dies.

The rubber tunnel of grief and guilt that comes next threatens to destroy Emily’s marriage while Isaiah’s parents are in painful limbo. Emily feels she might be able to silence her guilt by doing good things…especially participating in marathons and runs to raise funds for charity…until she suffers an injury that seems to block that effort.

Isaiah’s grandmother’s faith leads to some beautiful connections which in the end honor this little boy’s memory. A subplot surfaces with the assault of Isaiah’s aunt, Carrie Anne, in her Central American mission city. Carrie Anne’s devotion to the children of the mission put her in a dangerous situation, yet a place she would probably go again to rescue the child who has come to the mission language classes. Carrie Annis sent home to her mother (Isaiah’s grandmother) to recover . When she gets there, she finds there is work for her in providing some spiritual support for her family.

The nasty, ambulance chaser lawyer is maybe a little over-drawn, but plays his part pretty well as he lures Isaiah’s parents into the possibility of a wrongful death law suit against Emily.

Writing from the wooded country of Iowa and releasing this first novel, Susan Lawrence has taken her own experiences as a teacher before she was an author and speaker, blending and bending imagination to scenarios of reality that no imagination can top. A sweet, sad, moving story that is not difficult to read. No profanity or offensive content. Bring a Hanky.

Redemption of Carolynn Hayman, Carole Brown, author

January 26, 2017 by JudyAnn Lorenz Leave a Comment

Reminding myself that nothing fictional can ever be dreamed that can be more outrageous than what happens in real life. In her debut novel, Carole Brown surely pushes readers’ tolerances in this book. Expect to be incensed and on the defense of people who want to escape cults or who can be sucked into that sort of spiritual mire. (You can find more releases from Carole Brown at her Amazon page in the link)

Caralynn Haman’s story is one of the spiritually and physically damaging religious cult life. Be prepared for graphic violence, physical and emotional abuse, lurid scenes and profanity.

As an attractive, spirited, challenging woman, Cara is the perfect foil for a religious cult where women are supposed to be nothing and are aggressively kept in ‘submission’. An interesting and not incorrect touch are the female characters who provide the foil when they show the power that women exert while keeping their sisters in obedience and submission.

Cara’s situation and character has led her to be rather amoral…after the death of her daughter at the hands of one of the cult leaders, she bides her time and lets disaster take its course to achieve vengeance. In some cases, Cara gives ‘fate’ a little push!

Her youthful love, Daune, raised in the cult with Cara, returns from college where he has seen the light and hopes to bring change to the cult believers. Because this cult is largely a business arrangement and not spiritually guided in any way, the suspense and plot thickens when his hopes are resisted. And when Cara’s submission is one of the goals to be achieved at any cost. Daune’s witness reaches Cara and several of the others about the truth in Christ overcoming the ‘gospel according to their destructive leader’ before the final scene where the real bad guy gets justice.

As this type of story goes, the writing is decent if not profound. If the read seems to be a little over the top at times, be kind and forgive the plot. These cults are not imaginary. The merit in the writing is to reveal the abuse; nothing works to slow the progress like tattling.

Hummingbird – David Stearman

December 22, 2016 by JudyAnn Lorenz Leave a Comment

A moving tale of young people, immigration, crime, faith and friendship!

The story follow the main character, Alexandra from her early childhood when she was brought from Mexico to the US by a ‘coyote’ along with her mother. Her life was totally redirected when her mother was detained by border patrol who didn’t understand the language and pleas that this woman was leaving her small daughter.

Spending years in a foster home, Alexandra had no idea that her status was illegal, but that is one aspect she had to deal with along with a detour into crime that sent her back over the border to escape the law. Did the ‘relationship’ Alexandra develops with a geriatric Hammerhead shark become one of those ‘what goes round, comes round’ situations? You decide.

Most of the story is Alexandra’s experience building faith and eluding bounty hunters along the way. Her friends also find their way to Christ and her new nickname, Hummingbird, expands in meaning to her and the others. With a young woman’s tender heart, Alexandra/Hummingbird gives generous guidance to a homeless child and a homeless near-child who has supported herself through prostitution.

There is some violence, but no profanity as Alexandra experiences protection in her beliefs while the bad guys’ fate brings justice down on their heads. Stearman can be depended upon to bring Christianity into the stories and spiritual growth that sometimes surprises the characters. You can learn more about David Stearman‘s writing at his Amazon page and his ministries at DavidStearmanMinistries.org.

A pleasure read that moves fast and is not low voltage. I recommend Hummingbird.

Everlasting Light — Andrea Boeshaar

December 22, 2016 by JudyAnn Lorenz Leave a Comment

Everlasting Lights, a Civil War novella is fast moving and surprising. The characters find themselves in the throes of war recovery…all of the soldiers in the family accounted for.. Some dead, some wounded and one missing, premed dead. This man is the one for home an everlasting light burns. Families and friends do not survive the destruction of war.

Is this man, Braeden McKenna, really dead as it seems? His wife, Alaina, cannot accept that. She is mildly supported by his parents and one faithful Negro. She is ‘assailed’ by his best friend who also has always admired her and encourages her to move on and marry HIM. There are shades of domestic problems in scenes before Alaina and Braeden are married…as one other reviewer put it, the second man is probably more mature and responsible. That isn’t how fate works…Alaina loves Braeden, the man had a jealous snit when she danced with his best friend before the war and who survived but assumed she died in an epidemic, so didn’t bust himself to be certain. He does come home finally, after the friend has left to ‘go West’ in his economically broken situation. Almost everyone else in the book died during the War, either from battle wounds or small pox, which contribute to Braden’s assumption that they all died. War is terrible as the various scenes included make plain. Death and destruction along with political confusion made for horrific conditions.

It seems as if there is a lot of emotion and history sort of ‘crammed’ together to get a complicated story run through in the novella length. That is an engineering condition often suffered by a shorter story…not wrong or bad, but there. The book has definite Christian points presented, no profanity, no smut and makes a wholesome pleasure read for a long winter afternoon. Andrea Boeshaar has a long list of books for readers to enjoy.

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