Book Review: The Master’s Wall

Written by Sandi Rog
Reviewed by Nora St Laurent

Back Cover: HE FIGHTS FOR HIS FREEDOM. SHE FIGHTS FOR HER LIFE. TOGETHER, THEY FIGHT FOR EACH OTHER. After watching Roman soldiers drag his parents away to their death, David, a young Hebrew, is sold and enslaved to serve at a villa outside of Rome. As David trains to become a skilled fighter, he works hard to please his master and hopes to earn his freedom. However, an opportunity to escape tempts him with its whispering call. Freedom beckons, but invisible chains hold him captive to the master’s granddaughter, an innocent girl with a fiery spirit. David vows to protect Alethea from his master, the murderous patriarch, and contrives a daring plan—sacrifices his own life to save hers.

Review: I’m thankful to have received a review copy of this author’s powerful debut novel. Sandi Rog takes the reader on an amazing, colorful journey through history to the first century Rome, AD 76, a time when Christians risked their lives to meet together and share the gospel.

Sandi hooked me from the first page, “David tried not to cry, tried not to breathe or make a sound as he crept along the dark street… he followed the enemy. There were three of them. And they had taken his parents.”

I felt for young David as he watched the horrific scene of his parents being tortured to death. He tried to stop them but they were too big. They beat on him and left him for dead. When he awoke he found himself in a place he never dreamed he could be.

“A slave?…David had known slaves. But never had he imagined what it might mean to be one. He was to be bound to a master, to obey and do his every will” No longer free. How could this have happened?

Alethea’s a feisty, curious, little girl who gets in trouble a lot and doesn’t think twice about sharing what’s on her mind! Alethea loved to explore, stands up for what she believes in and has a vivid imagination. But this little girl’s heart is heavy; she’s lost the love of her life. She still has nightmares of seeing her dad murdered in the middle of the night. A night she should have been in bed.

Alethea noticed a slave named David has started to work at their house. She is determined to talk to him; even if it was forbidden to do so and could be punished. He looked kind and she needed a friend.

Alethea reminded David of his younger sister. He doesn’t know he wasn’t supposed to talk to her. David’s obedience, faith and courage are tested over and over; as he adjusts to the rules of a slave. He dreams of freedom but God has challenged him to share the gospel, his love and forgiveness to the people who have mistreated him.

My eyes were glued to the book as the story reached the climatic conclusion. I felt like I had my heart in my throat. I was clueless as to how this creative, sensitive author would bring this unbelievable story to an end. There were definitely twists, turns and a few surprises in store for the reader right up until the end. I love learning about history through this novel. It gave me a deep understanding of Roman culture and helped me get into the mind set of early believers.

I cared for David and Alethea and their unique situation. Sandi pens a vivid, heart wrenching story filled with great pain, loss, hope, second chances, honest emotions, forgiveness, and sacrificial love. These characters and their stories will be on your mind and in your heart long after you finish the last page. I highly recommend this historical fiction novel. I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the Iron and the Stone series. You will too!

NOTE TO READER: The first week of November, Sandi was diagnosed with Type A lymphoma –a very aggressive cancer that was manifesting on her brain. For every copy of The Master’s Wall that is purchased, either paperback or Kindle, her publisher will donate a dollar to the fund to help her family with the medical bills. To order Sandi’s book click this link http://deward.com/?p=1111

Nora St. Laurent
The Book Club Network
www.bookfun.org

Book Review: Never Without Hope

Written by Michelle Sutton
Reviewed by Nike Chillemi –

There’s something about Michelle Sutton’s Never Without Hope that kept me turning pages. Maybe it was because the author hooked me and got me to desperately want things to get better for heroine Hope Williams. But the author wouldn’t allow that to happen. Throughout most of the novel consequences keep piling up due to Hope’s sexual sin. It was as if every time Hope took a step forward, somebody dropped a proverbial safe on her head.

This novel goes where many fear to read, into the arena of male erectile dysfunction and what happens in an otherwise happy marriage when this medical condition occurs.

The novel opens with Hope is in a world of hurt. James, the husband she loves and desires has had waning desire for her for almost a year and their sex life has been nonexistent the past six months. Aching for affection in her marriage bed, Hope tires to communicate with James about the issue and he angrily rebuffs her. When she tries to seductively entice him back into the marriage bed, he actually pushes her, physically hurting her and humiliating her. After that, she is easy pickings for the extra-marital affairs she feels herself slipping into. However, Biblically, one could argue her husband had already broken their marriage vows by leaving Hope so bereft of affection in the marriage bed. Be that as it may, the author doesn’t in any way excuse Hope for her mistakes.

To her credit, Hope does not dwell on the speck in her husband’s eye, but rather, she fully focuses on the issue of her own sin. The author depicts for us the metamorphosis of a church going Christian wife and mother who has slipped from saint to sinner. She has failed not just her family, but her God. In fact, Hope fears her sin has become so deeply rooted and pervasive in her life that God cannot forgive her. She has been drinking from another woman’s well. Yes, Hope is sleeping with another woman’s husband.

The author skillfully moves Hope through a series of emotionally devastating situations to the point where she discovers God’s love, grace, and redemption.

If I’m going to be a bit nit-picky, I’d have to say at times I got a bit tired of Hope’s first person narrative. I would have enjoyed having the story broken up some, perhaps with a scene here and there in James point-of-view.

Even thought it was Hope’s story, I felt horribly for James. The man, so frustrated and debased by his sexual dysfunction, refused not only to discuss this with his wife, he also would not see a doctor. James suffers a heart attack and discovers his erectile dysfunction was a symptom of heart disease. His treatment is successful and he and Hope begin working through their trust, marital, emotional, and spiritual issues.

This novel falls squarely into the category of edgy Christian fiction. There are some explicit scenes. However, this book just might ease the pain of a woman in the throes of an affair and help her to find her way out of that bad situation. It certainly offers spiritual encouragement to any woman with an affair in her past. This novel encourages the reader to deeper faith.

Book Review: Christmas at Harrington’s

Written by Melody Carlson
Reviewed by Nora St Laurent –

Back Cover: Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life after false accusations landed her in prison, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret? This tender story about fresh starts will charm readers as all of Melody Carlson’s Christmas offerings do. Full of redemption and true holiday spirit, Christmas at Harrington’s will be readers’ newest Christmas tradition.

Review:  Since I’m a huge Melody Carlson fan, I was thrilled to receive this review copy of Christmas at Harrington’s. Melody knows how to tell a story to prepare your heart and mind for Christmas. Reading this book is the perfect way to start the holiday season. This novel opens with Lena Markham heading to New Haven for a fresh start.

Lena quickly adjusts to this new town and finds herself helping out a neighbor by watching her daughter, Jemima, as she looks for a job. Lena discovers an unexpected job herself as Mrs. Santa for Harrington’s Dept store. Who’d-a–thought, her new life would begin as Santa’s wife. Not what she had planned, but the pay wasn’t bad and it was the only job in town.

As Lena played Mrs. Santa, she listened to the children and their Christmas wishes. She adored the children. Lena’s numb heart started to feel again. She realized, “Even though some people kicked me down, there where a lot who didn’t.” There are good people, many encouraged her even when they found out about her past. Lena was heart broken and lost her desire to fight for what mattered to her most in life.

When Lena told the Christmas story to Jemima and the kids, the message and hope was touching their hearts and hers. Lena said, “Santa has asked me to come here and talk to you, to remind you about Jesus’ birthday…I had told you earlier about how it’s impossible to be good all the time, remember?…God understands that. And that’s why he sent his Son to forgive us and teach us to forgive others. Doesn’t it feel good when someone forgives you for making a mistake?…So Santa and I want you to remember that when you’re thinking about Christmas.”

I love Melody Carlson and the stories she writes, and this one is no exception. Melody has unforgettable characters that I cared about from the beginning and the story line got my attention as it was very unusual. I had to see where all this would be leading. I hurt for Lena and the spiritual journey she had been on up until this point. It was heart breaking and fascinating all at the same time. This author has a unique way of writing a story that the reader can connect with, and then leave like they’ve just spent time with good friends. This is a meaningful, touching story that will become your families’ favorite; you’ll want to read it again and share with friends. Thanks Melody, for a story that touches the heart and shows the love we need to show each other all year long…not just at Christmas!

Nora St.Laurent
The Book Club Network
www.bookfun.org

Book Review: Back On Murder

Written by J. Mark Bertrand
Reviewed by Nike Chillemi –

This is the Christian crime fiction novel I’ve been waiting for. It’s intelligent and well written. Author J. Mark Bertrand knows his police procedure and has got cop culture down.

Main character detective Roland March wants back on murder. He’s kind of flushed his career due a dark depression he’s been wallowing in which has led to his apathy about the job. As result he’s been assigned a string of undesirable cases, none of them homicide. Even his old partner, once a close friend, wants nothing to do with him. Then he notices a detail at a murder scene the other cops have missed and that lands him squarely on the case. This is his last chance to redeem himself and resuscitate his failed career.

Roland’s instincts tell him this homicide at a drug house, missing it’s female victim’s body, is linked to a high profile missing person’s case, where the other young female victim is a church going good girl. Sometimes it seems as if he’s trying to make the pieces fit. Sometimes he might be hoping they fit to prove a theory of the case that will allow him to exact revenge upon his old nemesis on the police force.

I didn’t always like protagonist Roland March. He can be petty, mean, dense, and not above begging. Near the beginning of the story, something snaps inside him and he manhandles a very drunk woman trying to get into her car outside a bar he frequents. He takes her keys away and might’ve even saved her life, but his behavior was over-the-top. Later, it’s revealed what personal demons drove him to conduct himself in so vile a manner.

The novel is definitely edgy. The main character is not saved and doesn’t get saved by the end of the book. One of the murders has highly sexual overtones. One of the characters may or may not have date raped a girl and Roland does little to nothing about it. There’s tons of violence. More than a few scenes take place in a cop bar. The hero thinks about sex with his wife more in sexual terms than in a romantic manner…or perhaps it’s in a habitual way. The autopsy scene is graphic. All this adds up to edgy Christian fiction. But it’s a fantastic ride. A detective story reader’s dream comes true.

I’m glad this is going to be a series. I don’t want to see Roland March go away any time soon. I’ll put this book up against any secular crime fiction best seller. Though writing style and hero personality is different, the book is comparable to Michael Connelly’s long running Harry Bosch series.

What makes Roland compelling is his cop’s sense of righting a wrong on behalf of the victim. He particularly wants justice for the nameless, faceless girl whose body is missing, but who so obviously died in that drug house. While Roland obviously has a gazillion negatives to his personality, he can also be noble, brave, loyal, and doggedly persistent.

Roland March is not a spiritual man, yet he’s the perfect one, to objectively show how the secular world views the church. He’s saddled with a new female partner, a Christian, who’s easy on the eyes and he’s ogled her, only to be slapped down. He later comes to respect her as a woman, cop, and valued partner. Through his eyes, we meet the young missing person victim’s mother, a church worker who indeed lives her faith. We get to see her at first through his jaded eyes and then slowly see she’s the real deal. We marvel at her compassion, just as he does.

I highly recommend this book to crime fiction fanatics of every stripe, or anyone looking for a terrific police procedural/thriller. This is an intelligent, complex, gritty mystery and the writing is excellent. It’s a real page turner.

Review: The Best of Evil

Written by Eric Wilson
Reviewed by Donald James Parker –

Ever try reading a book at an airport and then later on a plane?  My average reading speed is usually about a page an hour in those situations.  The distractions of people-watching, shuddering jets and people climbing over me to reach the restroom usually pry me away from the written word, causing me to spend half my reading time searching for the sentence that was half digested when my attention was diverted.  I encountered no such problem with The Best of Evil. My eyes were riveted to the pages both on the way to my destination and on the way back on flights that seemed to end too soon. I arrived home at 5:30 AM after almost an all night journey. Before succumbing to sleep, I was compelled to return to this book to find out how this story ended. Like performing a successful gymnastic routine, “sticking the landing” is imperative for an author to receive high marks. Eric Wilson’s finale was flawless, leading me to the conclusion that this is one of the best books I’ve encountered in Christian fiction, perhaps even Best of Class.

Authors are often advised not to write in first person since the challenges are many. Wilson took on those challenges and ascended the slippery slope nicely. I really like first person POV (point of view) novels and think they offer readers an intimate look into a person’s life.  That technique in this story allows us to get to know Aramis Black very well. He certainly is no choirboy, Eagle Scout type, but despite his rough edges, he is a character who attaches himself to a reader’s heart. A debate sometimes rages about whether a plot driven novel is better than a character driven one. Either can be good, so doesn’t it stand to reason that a combination of those two would present the best of both worlds? This story has combined those paradigms seamlessly.

I was once told by an acquaintance that she knew a person who could speak twelve languages but couldn’t say a thing of worth in any of them. I think some writers are like that. Their mechanics and manipulation of language is superb, but the value of the message they convey is of dubious worth. Like cotton candy, their prose possesses beauty but, in reality, contains no substance. In my opinion, Eric Wilson could never accurately be accused of producing cotton candy fiction. His penchant toward Proverbs type down-home philosophy and wisdom is never far from display. His insight into life and people is very evident. His style occasionally wanders from straight forward and concise to eloquent. His humor is low-key but very effective when employed. The salient nuggets of wisdom pass the fools-gold test.

I share this passage from The Best of Evil to give you an idea of the depth of Wilson’s writing:
She gave a cautious laugh – that of a bereaved mother trying to wear a strong face for her little ones. Some who lose loved ones never rediscover that spring of genuine mirth, while others lay their stories of grief in the water’s path, creating richer sounds of bubbling, gurgling life.

I believe the spring’s out there, a source of heavenly strength.

Each day, in my own fumbling way, I look for it. And I listen.

I’d venture to say that Eric Wilson’s The Best of Evil is a book that has plenty to say to you – if you’re prepared to listen.

About the reviewer: Donald James Parker is a novelist and computer programmer who resides in Crossville, Tennessee.  Check out his website at www.donaldjamesparker.com?tcp

Next Page »