The Family Bible Devotional Volume 2 - A Review

 

The Family Bible Devotional

Volume 2

by

Sarah M, Wells

The subtitle describes this book well: “Stories from the Gospels to help Kids and Parents Love God and Love Others”. What the author has done is to compile a set of 50+ devotionals for parents to share with their children.

After briefly giving some brief suggestions on using the material found in the book, each of the 52 devotions follows a similar pattern:

1. A one-paragraph description of the setting for the chosen text.
2. The week’s scripture is quoted using The Message
3. Some suggested Bible study questions and provide an opportunity for each member of the family to ask their own questions
4. “A Closing Thought” summarizing the lessons that may have come from the passage
5. A “Prayer Prompt” based on the lesson is provided
6. A couple of activities are suggested to help all participants cement the lesson
7. Each lesson concludes with a brief bit of trivia taken from scripture, history, culture, etc.

Though my kids are long gone from home, this year’s collection of studies is among the best I have seen for use in family worship. It would make a great gift for a church to make to families with middle school or junior high school students. With a bit of work and patience, it might even be used with a younger family. Though not designed for a church setting, it might also be used as the basis for the weekly study with a small youth group. I can easily give this book five-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Your Words Your Worlds - A Review

 

Your Word Your World

by

Louise Bélanger

A Review 

Jesus wins

Against Satan

We know the outcome

We know the end

It is written in the Bible

“And they lived happily ever after”

Will happen

I’d rather have

That certainty

Than one wish granted

By a story book genie

Even three

Poetry is not often something I would jump at reading, but this book caught my eye - I was not disappointed. The author has composed a set of 28 pieces of Free Verse poetry speaking to the author’s and the reader’s relationship to God and the world. They are thoughtful and meaningful - often addressing real questions that are not simply answered. 

Each poem is two to four pages in length (the snippet above is a fraction of the entire poem), including colorful photographs that draw the reader in. Each poem has its own theme: creation, the Trinity, Fairytale Endings, etc. This thoughtful collection of poems is worth 5-stars.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are mine alone.  

Dark Intercept - A Review

 

Dark Intercept

Attributed To

Andrews & Wilson

A Review

The authors present a four-star plot with a two-star theme. The story is good and would make a great faith-based book except it attempts to embody spiritual warfare into real armies, both good and bad. The plot would work very well without the addition of the fictionalized creation of spiritual beings that can read people’s minds while also attempting to coerce them to act in ways that are against their best interest and the best interest of humanity. I felt like these “spiritual” elements were sometimes added because the authors did not know how to make the necessary transitions without their additions to the story.

The underlying plot - a young girl being kidnapped, and a former Navy Seal being asked to find and rescue her, would make a great thriller. But with addition of spiritual warfare, the story lost its thrill. Spiritual warfare is real, but not as personified in this book.

If written as a fantasy, rather than a faith-based story, it may have been more acceptable. I will look forward to reading more of these "fantasies"; however, as it is, I have to give the book three-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Trace of Doubt - A Review

 

Trace of Doubt  

by

DiAnn Mills

A Review

Why do I remember

The sins that stalk my soul?

Why can’t I hold on to the

Forgiveness that makes me whole?

Ashes rise to steal my breath.

I choke from downing fear.

Help me, Lord, to cling to You

In never-ending prayer.

When I pick up a new book by DiAnn Mills, I expect to experience the best in Romantic Suspense. Trace of Doubt is no exception. Marissa is the epitome of evil; even the fifteen-year prison sentence had not changed her. Now she would kill her sister and her daughter and break her father’s heart.

Two narrators trade places throughout the book as Shelby Pearce and Denton McClure take turns telling their stories and how those stories interact with Marissa’s malignant behavior. It would not be easy as they each had to deal with lies and misconceptions that wounded their lives and the lives of those around them. They each would need to experience far more of God’s forgiveness and grace than they thought they needed. But He would provide.

The book was intense at places and held my attention. My only concern was the implication that a pastor can provide the level of counseling needed by two of the main characters. Unless the pastor had at least a MS in Counseling, the kind of support needed by Aria and Shelby should normally be done by a professional counselor. Seminary training is not sufficient for the consistent therapy these two women needed. I would suggest that an appropriate warning be added as part of the front matter or immediately following the book’s epilogue. Despite this oversight, the book is worthy of 5-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Strawberries and Crime - A Review

 

Strawberries
and Crime

by

Elle Brooke White

A Review

A relaxing cozy mystery with a highly intelligent pig. The setting is Little Acorn, a rural town in Southern California among the hills of the Santa Barbara Mountains. Most of the action takes place on the Finn Family Farm or on the local farms owned by the murder victim or the various suspects.

I learned a great deal about farming, particularly organic farming. Assisting the human population in solving the murder/suicide of Linc Pierce are a variety of animals including Horse (a pig who ate like one), Mrs. Robinson (a ladybug), and Fred and Ginger (a pair of nesting barn owls). It was concerning when Charlotte Finn and the Chief of Police took much of the last chapter walking through the evidence to educate their audience and the reader as to how they solved the crime. One would expect a well-written cozy mystery not to require this kind of detail.

The book was a relaxing read and worthy of a four-star review.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Labyrinth of Lies - A Review

 

Labyrinth of Lies

by

Irene Hannon

A Review

Cate Reilly, a detective for the St. Louis MO Police Department, and Zeke Sloan, an agent assigned to the DEA, have both gone undercover at the Ivy Hill Academy, an elite girls’ private high school. She to help locate two missing teens; he to investigate a drug cartel that seems to have connection to the same school.

Two problems immediately present themselves. First, the two cases appear to be interconnected. Second, Cate and Zeke have a years-old relationship that went bonkers eight years ago - a breakup that left both very disturbed. Working at a girls’ high school would seem like a cushy assignment except both Cate and Zeke will find their lives in danger. The story is well-written, though at times gaps appear in the story. For example, at one point Cate is out, lost, on a snowy road. The next time we see her, she is on the phone conversing with her handler. No explanation, no hint from where her help came.

The faith-based story held this reader’s interest and might easily appeal to anyone interested in suspense or romantic-suspense literature. I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.