Feel Your Way Through - A Review

 

Feel Your Way Through

by

Kelsea Ballerina

A Review

like a dandelion can bloom

through a crack in granite

you can become something beautiful

wherever you’re planted

Kelsea Ballerina, country star, has published a set of 52 poems designed to be read and thought over. She touches on helpful subjects (as demonstrated by the example above) and some very difficult subjects (eating disorders, gun violence, and suicide). These obviously come from a heart that has experience brokenness and found relief from her pain.

I was touched by the authenticity the author brought to her work. Though each poem did not touch my pain points, they did touch me as I moved through the collection. Many were meaningful to this reader and forced him to re-examine his own walk through recovery.

I may have met Kelsea Ballerina through her music; but I will remember her because of her poetry. I give this collection five-stars.
______________
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.

Deadly Target - A Review

 

Deadly Target

by

Elizabeth Goddard

A Review

Her life was threatened on Puget Sound in Washington by an almost tragic accident. Her life was threatened while visiting Cooper Hill Burying Ground in Boston while working with a Big Rapids, MT, police detective on a decade old cold case. Her life was again threatened while helping the same police detective follow-up on an attempt to kill his father near the Casper Creek Dam. She was tired of it.

Criminal Psychologist Erin Larson would spend the next few weeks running from trouble as she sought to discover who was doing the threatening and why. The plot is attention grabbing and movie worthy. Erin’s history is dramatic and will bring danger to her mother, sister, and community. The author presents a tale worth spending late nights reading - this reader wanted to finish as quickly as possible to see how the pieces of the puzzle went together.

For the reader looking for a Rocky Mountain thriller, Deadly Target will fill the bill. I easily give the book five-stars.
______________
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.

Dead Fall - A Review

 

Dead Fall

by

Nancy Mehl

A Review

I reached out to the only Person 

who could show me who I was truly meant to be. 

I found God. Without Him, 

I have no idea where I’d be right now. 

You see, positions, success, praise from people

— none of that lasts. 

If you judge yourself by human standards, 

you’ll fail. The only way to truly know yourself 

is to know the One who created you. 

Without Him, we’ll never find our way. 

No matter what happens, 

nothing will ever rob me of my identity again.

                                                                       -- Nancy Mehl

They were retired FBI Special Agents - and somebody killed them. Now the same UNSUB was trying to kill active FBI Agents. Somebody will have to stop the murders or the BAU will be gone.

It would not be easy and the active members of the BAU would find their lives in danger. Following the themes and practices known to fans of Criminal Minds, the story kept this reader awake as the members of the BAU follow the evidence to identify and apprehend the UNSUB.

The characters are real, with strengths and weaknesses they each have to use and overcome. The ending was a surprise (almost), but worth waiting for. I give the book five-stars.
_____________
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.

Lights Out - A Review

 

Lights Out

by

Natalie Waters

A Review

The President is traveling to Egypt, terrorists are on the lose throughout America, and private defense contractor SNAP is stymied in it search for those out to destroy the country before the President walks into his own assassination.

Brynn Taylor, CIA Analyst, finds herself unexpectedly assigned to work with SNAP. She would prefer to work the case in Egypt, but Director Frank Peterson has made his decision - now she will need to work alongside her ex-boyfriend or not work the case at all. The story will take the reader from Washington DC to Houston to California to Guam to Egypt. This well-written faith-based thriller will keep the reader’s attention from beginning to end.

Only two concerns prevent me from giving this a five-star review. First is that though promoted as a faith-based book, it is only moderately so. This might make it more saleable to a secular book market, but not as appealing to a Christian audience. Secondly, the conclusion of the book seemed to sneak up on this reader - it was stumbled on rather than discovered through the usual deductive techniques one would expect in an international thriller. I am giving this book four-stars.
______________
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.

Crosshairs - A Review

Crosshairs

by

Patricia Bradley

A Review

After reading Patricia Bradley’s previous book in the “Natchez Trace Park Rangers” series, I had put the Natchez Trace on my bucket list. Given the number of murders and other events in the first five of 71 chapters of her most recent faith-based book, I am not so sure:

1. Assault of a 94-year-old woman in her home
2. Theft of a 150-year-old diary
3. Death of a 16-year-old out behind the old Methodist church
4. A tornado that swept through part of the county
5. Illegal marijuana sales

Nope, not sure I want to visit.

Having said that, the crimes and writing did hold this readers attention. When the local sheriff, the Investigative Services Bureau of the National Park Service, and the FBI, are all involved in the mess that defined the Trace that week, things do get interesting. The mix of crimes, law enforcement agencies, and characters, easily make for a 5-star book.
______________
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.

Her Daily Bread - A Review

 

Her Daily Bread

by

Kate Wood

Reviewing this book requires me to ask two questions First, would I purchase this book for myself?  Second, would I purchase this book for my wife or daughter-in-law?

This is a devotional book with one recipe substituted per week in lieu of the devotional. The devotionals are personal reflections on the author’s life. They each conclude with a Biblical reference or two, related to though not directly addressed in the daily devotionals.  The individual entries are not scholarly, but they are well-written thoughts offered for six days a week for a year. 

The recipes offered each week come from seven distinct categories: Snacks, Soups, “Sides, Salads, and Sauces”, Entrees, Breakfast, Beverages, and Desserts. The recipes, themselves, are a bit more high-end than I would expect at my daily family’s meals - perhaps at a special meal when entertaining guests.

 

Back to my two questions. Would I buy this book for myself: NO! Would I buy this book for my wife or daughter-in-law: maybe, as a birthday or Christmas present? They would find refreshment in the devotionals. I do not know how much use they would make of the recipes.  I will give the book 3-½ stars.

______________ 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.