REFUGE ON CRESCENT HILL by Melanie Dobson

NOTE:  Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson will be available on Amazon Kindle FREE for one week starting October 31!

Melanie Dobson successfully weaves several mysteries and cliff hangers into Refuge on Crescent Hill. The surprises are fun to experience, and will keep you turning pages.

Ms. Dobson grew up in Ohio and this captivating story is about an old Ohio mansion that’s presumed to have been part of the Underground Railroad, providing a haven for escaping slaves. My husband also grew up in Ohio, and this subject fascinates us. We were eager to read Ms. Dobson's novel. Also, the author now resides in the Pacific Northwest, and so do we.

 

Camden Bristow inherits a dilapidated mansion, but can’t afford the necessary repairs and upkeep. The mansion and the Bristow family history hold many secrets for Camden to unravel. At the same time, someone is wandering around upstairs, and you will be surprised by who it is. Fortunately, she has good people to help her, and to steer her clear of those who are not so good. She takes risks, but survives and all ends well ... even with a touch of romance.   

The storyline is outstanding, although as an editor I would have proposed more showing and less telling.  



Melanie Dobson

Thank you to Kregel Publications for providing us with a copy in exchange for an honest review. We appreciate it and thoroughly enjoyed the saga.

—Gail Lewis

Melanie Dobson's bio on Amazon.com says she was hired at Focus on the Family where she met and later married Jon Dobson. Her career as the author of Christian fiction has since taken off. She published several novels before her Christian mystery, Refuge on Crescent Hill.

PRODUCT DETAILS:
Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Kregel Publications 
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0825425905
ISBN-13: 978-0825425905

FLOWER CHILD by Sheila Deeth

Sheila Deeth’s rare imagination is only exceeded by her exceptional writing skills.

Flower Child weaves the story of Megan, a young woman who loses her unborn daughter and finds it difficult to let go of grief even after having a son, Daniel. In Megan’s dreams, her daughter visits and even helps with her new little brother. She is unsure whether the daughter is real or imagined. In spite of her husband’s displeasure, Megan continues to welcome her daughter’s visits and watches her grow to become a rebellious teenager. The exercise makes it apparent to her how difficult a job it would have been to mother the actual child.

Is Megan really seeing her daughter, or are the visits merely dreams and imaginings? We might wonder too, until Angela begins to tell her own story. She explains the Garden she is in is tended by angels. Is that where souls begin? She watches as other babies are released from their tethers and whisked away to their parents, while she and a few others remain. Those young ones who are left want to know their parents, and find they can visit them in their dreams. It’s only by dreaming that Angela can visit her mother and experience life as a human being. 

Sheila Deeth weaves a bit of Genesis into this story too. Is the garden where the children’s souls begin actually the Garden of Eden? Is there an adjoining Hell, as well? Will Angela ever escape the Garden? If so, will she be a human, an angel, or a demon? Or, none of these?  

Sheila Deeth’s vivid description brings this unusual story to life. If it sounds a bit incredulous, so what? It’s a fascinating piece of fiction that makes an entertaining, introspective read; and Ms. Deeth’s lovely details paint stunning images.  

We thank the author for providing us with copy of Flower Child in exchange for an honest review. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

—Gail Lewis

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 72 KB
Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing (September 24, 2011)

Language: English

ASIN: B005PGMT4O
Lending: Enabled

Link to FLOWER CHILD on AMAZON.com

THE BAKER'S WIFE by Erin Healy

Don't miss the opportunity at the bottom of this review for a chance to win a Kitchen Aid mixer.

The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy is a novel I didn't want to put down. It was a quick and fun read. The author knows how to hook readers and keep them wondering, me included.

·         Audrey and her husband run a bakery now, but why was her husband removed as pastor of their church?

·         What is the strange gift that enables Audrey to experience others’ pain?
·         Who is the mysterious woman recently released from prison, and what's her attachment to the bakery?  

·         After Audrey's car strikes a motor scooter and there is blood all over it, where did the rider go?  

·         Will the rider ever be found, and why are they missing?  

·         Why does the city's detective hate Audrey and her family so much?  

·         Our heroine is called upon to rescue those she loves from the threat of death by solving an apparently insurmountable problem. Will she succeed?  

·         What terrible crime did Diane Hall commit to put her in prison for 25 years, and will her ghosts ever be put to rest.  

This novel rapidly goes from one puzzling question to another, continually ratcheting up the suspense. The pace seldom slows, and Erin Healy’s writing does an excellent job of showing, not telling.

The Baker's Wife is one of Christian Fiction's better novels. We're grateful to Thomas Nelson for providing us with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

— Gail Lewis

 

Let the flour fly! Beginning October 24th, Erin's celebrating the release of her latest page turner, The Baker's Wife, with an outstanding KitchenAid baking prize package giveaway that includes a brand new KitchenAid Mixer, cook books, and all you need to whip up some fabulous bread or sweets! Then and on November 10th she'll be wrapping up the release of The Baker's Wife with an Author Book Chat Party on Facebook! Don't miss a minute of the fun!

 One grand prize winner will receive:

• Empire Red 4.5 QT Ultra Power KitchenAid Stand Mixer
• Black & White Kitschy Apron
• Black Silicone Oven Mitt
• Black OXO Rolling Pin
• Wilton 9X5 loaf pan
• At My Grandmother's Knee Cookbook by Faye Porter
• Second Helpings with Johnnie Gabriel Cookbook
• The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 9th. Winner will be announced at The Baker's Wife Author Book Chat Facebook Party. Erin will be wrapping up the The Baker's Wife celebration with a book club chat and giving away a bunch of "sweet treats"! So grab your copy of The Baker's Wife (it's okay if you don't have one yet- you might win one!) and join Erin on the evening of November 10th for a book chat, some "baking" trivia and lots of "sweet" giveaways (books, and Amazon, iTunes & Starbucks gift certificates)!

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends. Hope to see you on the 10th!

Enter to win a KitchenAid Mixer and RSVP for Facebook Party on 11/10!

PRODUCT DETAILS:
Paperback: 352 pages 
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 4, 2011) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1595547525 
ISBN-13: 978-1595547521

THE SPIRIT WHO SPEAKS, God's Supernatural Intervention In Your Life, By Peter H. Lawrence

In the introductory portions of The Spirit Who Speaks Peter Lawrence establishes his belief that God can and does speak to his people. He does this by referencing some of the many times God spoke in the Bible. He begins with Genesis where, “In the beginning, God said, Let there be light…” He points out that God also spoke to Adam and Eve, Abel, Noah, Abraham all the way down through Moses and Malachi who began, “Thus says the Lord…” He also spoke to the world through Jesus and, on Pentecost, he spoke through the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit that continued to speak through the Early Church era to Peter and the other Apostles, to Paul and Barnabus, Ananias, Phillip, the elders and other believers.

Okay, he’s made the point well. God is a God who spoke to all those people. That was then, but what about today? Does God still speak to his people? Lawrence insists he does and provides a multitude of examples from his own life to bolster his argument.

One of the things that I liked about the book is that Lawrence is honest enough to record the times when he thought God was speaking…only to find that apparently he wasn’t. Like the time he wandered aimlessly on a blustery beach desperately searching for the suicidal person God “spoke” to him about. The person, of course, was never there to begin with. He does this to illustrate the extreme danger of claiming the Holy Spirit spoke to you.

Not that he doesn’t believe that the Holy Spirit speaks, he does. However, he’s humble enough to acknowledge that while God is never wrong, man does not enjoy the same prerogative. To this end he reiterates over and over the need for discernment, even going so far as to provide mental checklists to help the reader determine whether they’re hearing the Holy Spirit, their own imagination and ego, or in the worst case scenario, a demonic force. This is what I most enjoyed about the book, Lawrence’s ability to point out and even chuckle at his foibles and flops.

Because Peter Lawrence was an Anglican Vicar, I expected a no-nonsense British approach to things. That isn’t what I found. Apparently the Church of England covers a wider range of religious expression than I gave it credit for…including the charismatic. In a final, poignant chapter Peter Lawrence addresses his impending death. (He died before the book was published.) There is also a comprehensive discussion/study guide included.

—E G Lewis

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (September 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434765296
• ISBN-13: 978-1434765291

KISSES FROM KATIE by KATIE DAVIS with Beth Clark

I am fortunate to have heard about this book. Kisses From Katie shines a light on the poverty and pain of Uganda, but also on love and what can be accomplished with enough faith. 

Katie Davis had everything an American girl might dream of. She was her high school’s homecoming queen and was elected senior class president. She drove a yellow sports car and was in love with a boyfriend she expected to marry. It was assumed that after graduation, her parents would cover tuition to any college of her choice.

Yet, Katie had always admired Mother Teresa. At 16 she announced she wanted to do missionary work after graduating from high school. A three-week trip to Uganda with her mother led to an offer there to teach kindergarten for a year. She accepted with a promise to go to college when she returned home. However, after a year she didn’t want to leave.  In an effort to honor her parents’ wishes, she attended a semester of college, but it wasn’t where she wanted to be. Katie’s heart remained with the needy, sick and starving children of Uganda.

This book is filled with many touching stories. Learn how, at only 22, she gradually became the adoptive mother of fourteen Ugandan babies and girls. She also supports over 200 other children with several meals a day, clothing, baths and education. Each child’s story will move you.

The only criticism I have of this book is that, like so many Christian books, it is preachy. The Christian messages are fine, just repetitive. I suspect that Beth Clark might be responsible for many of them. Katie was raised Catholic and most Catholics lead by example. Katie certainly does this.

Katie’s descriptions of the children’s plights, and her attempts to help, are captivating.  Although not every person and child in Uganda receives the assistance they need, and countless die every day, each individual who is helped is a blessing — a precious child of God and their life a miracle. It’s those miracles we need to focus on and how we, too, can help.

Read Katie’s book and visit her non-profit organization, Amazima, which means Truth. They provide medicine, food, clothing and education to as many as they possibly can. It’s your donations and mine that will save more and more lives.

http://www.amazima.org/katiesbook.html

Thanks to Jennifer Smith at Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, for providing us with an advanced reading copy. We are grateful to have read it and been made aware of Amazima. We highly recommend Kisses From Katie.




KISSES FROM KATIE at Amazon.com