Sisterchicks in Gondolas, by Robin Jones Gunn

So here we are, another set of Sisterchicks off to Italy this time. Jenna has been invited to cook for a small retreat group, with airfare and lodging included and a free ticket for a friend – unbelievably in Venice!  Having been on her own since her husband walked out on her when their daughter was only 3 month old, and now with her daughter grown and out of the nest, Jenna felt this was the perfect opportunity to get a fresh start in her life.  Of course the perfect companion for this trip would be her best friend sister-in-law, Sue, who only required a small amount of coaxing to accept Jenna’s invitation.  For the last couple of years Sue had been caring for her husband and helping him to recover from a serious auto accident that had left him paralyzed.  Sue really needed a retreat of her own to help her get over her anger at God for letting this happened to her husband.

With only a few Italian words between them, I found their attempts at communication with the shopkeepers to be hilariously funny.  I loved their goal of eating a new flavor of gelato everyday.  Yum!  With all the shopping, sightseeing, riding in gondolas, and exploring the city, I’m surprised that Jenna and Sue were still able to find time to do the grocery shopping and cooking for the conference.

As the women spent more time together, they were able to open up and share about their past hurts and unpleasant experiences.  They found that they were being drawn into a deeper relationship with God and the bond between them was growing ever stronger.  A healing had begun and they realized that God was not done with them yet.  A bright future was waiting for them.  Yes, God does answer prayer.

I love this definition,  “SISTERCHICK n.: a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and provides a reality check when you’re being a brat.”

One of the reasons I like the Sisterchicks books so much is because they remind me of the escapades of my two sisters and me and all the fun we have when we get together.  And also because God is woven throughout the stories and there’s always a message that points us to Him and how to apply it to our lives.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Persecuted, I will not be Silent! by Robin Parrish

As John Luther ran in blind panic through the woods, desperately trying to get away from the men who abducted him, he couldn’t believe this was really happening to him.  It didn’t make sense; what did they want with a preacher, a God-fearing, peace-loving man with a wife and a daughter, devoted to teaching the truth of God’s word.  Who would want to harm the man who was considered the most popular evangelist of his day?  Barely stopped to catch his breath, he suddenly doubled over, coughing and gagging, and threw up on the ground.  His body was sluggish, his brain foggy.  He knew he had been injected with some kind of drug.  Then suddenly he sank into darkness.

It was in all the news – John had been charged with the rape and murder of a young teenage girl.  Horrified by the filth the media was saying about him, John knew that somehow he must prove his innocence and find out who had set him up, who was framing him.  Thinking that it couldn’t get any worse, John found that he was wrong.

The strain of evading both the police and the men persecuting him was taking its toll, but at least he had discovered the reason for his life being turned upside down.  John had refused to lend his support of a new religious-equality bill for which his senator friend had been pressing him.  And his endorsement was critical.  Was the senator the mastermind behind this plot or did it go higher up – as far as the White House?

I love to read suspense novels and this one did not disappoint every bit as suspenseful as a John Grisham book.  This is the first book I’ve read by Robin Parrish and the first present-age religious persecution story I’ve read.  It was well written, moved quickly, and stayed suspenseful until the very end.  I look forward to reading more of this author’s books.

Bethany House Publishers provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review.