Christian Book Review - A Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs

Annie’s Ink-Lings

Thorn in My Heart is a beautifully written, touching book by Liz Curtis Higgs, who does a masterful job of taking the beautiful story of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob from the pages of Genesis, setting it in a different era.

The story unfolds in 1788 Scotland, where twin brothers, Evan and Jamie McKie vie for a father's blessing. When the elder McKie gives the blessing to the wrong brother, chaos and murderous threats ensue. Driven away from the prosperous estate of Glentrool by his jealous brother, Jamie flees to his uncle Lachlan's property of Auchengray with the blessing of his mother, Rowena.  Once there, he hides his true intentions of seeking a bride among his cousins Leana and Rose, and agrees to work for a month for his uncle Lachlan while he decides which cousin to marry.

Somehow, everything goes wrong. From his wedding, to which woman he truly chose for his wife.  Plagued by the deceit of the past and the lies of the present, hidden secrets and two sisters that vie for his heart, Jamie is torn between what is right - and what truly belongs to him.

From the beginning of this book until the last page, your imagination and your heart will be captured. The very human struggles each character faces will engage your emotions. The harshness of a father. The love of two sisters. And the undeserved redemption and forgiveness offered to one man who neither wants nor deserves it. It is a thrilling peek into the lives of a family that is very much like our own, who face the same challenges we do, and are as human as we are.  A very engaging  Christian book.

To read the real biblical story in the bible, go to Genesis 25:19 through 29:29.

Blessings,

Annies

On this Foundation, by Lynn Austin - Book Review

“On this Foundation,” is the third and last book of The Restoration Chronicles by Lynn Austin.  I really appreciate how thoroughly Ms. Austin did her research for this series of books.  Once again, I was captivated by her story-telling skill and character building.  Her words became so alive in my mind’s eye that I could almost see the characters and the story taking place.

As the story begins Nehemiah, a Jewish exile, is the trusted cupbearer and chief of security for King Artaxerxes, ruler of the Persian Empire.  This empire included The Promised Land and its holy city, Jerusalem.  When Nehemiah learned that the wall of Jerusalem still had not been rebuilt, from its destruction nearly 20 years ago by the Babylonians, he became extremely distressed because the people and the Temple were completely unprotected from their enemies.  Feeling God’s call upon him, Nehemiah obtained permission from King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall.

This book depicts Nehemiah as a righteous man, who God blessed with courage and unfailing faith, just as he was written about in the Old Testament of the Bible.  No matter the danger from his enemies and their plans to either stop the rebuilding of the wall or kill Nehemiah if they had too, Nehemiah carried out his God-given assignment.  In his real lifetime, Nehemiah was an inspiration to his people and a perfect example of living by faith in God.  The biblical account of this man is still inspiring to me, as I am sure it is to many others.

This is an absolutely wonderful book, just like the previous two books in the series.

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

Blessings,

Annie

Bathsheba, Reluctant Beauty

When reading this book, one thing you need to remember is that this story of Bathsheba is from the imaginings of the author, Angela Hunt.  Although it contains actual biblical events, the story surrounding these events is fiction.  With that in mind and understood, Bathsheba, Reluctant Beauty, is a riveting love story about a beautiful young woman named Bathsheba, who is married to and madly in love with her soldier husband, Uriah.  As one of King David’s most faithful and valiant soldiers, Uriah is sent off to fight in a war against the Ammonites.  Thus begins the end of Bathsheba’s joyful and contented married life with Uriah.

As many women did in those days, their baths were taken in the privacy of their sun-filled courtyards, usually in the late afternoon, sometimes in the early evening.  On one such evening, King David stepped out onto his terrace, seeking fresh air and release from a feeling of restlessness.  Once he caught sight of the beautiful Bathsheba, he was struck to the core of his being with desire for this woman and he could not avert his eyes, as decently required.  Not caring who this woman was or her status in the community, not caring whether she was virgin or married, David demand that Bathsheba be brought to him immediately, where upon he forced himself upon her, and all the while Bathsheba was protesting, pleading, and declaring her love for her husband.  As the Bible tells us, Bathsheba became pregnant, which led King David to cover up his evil deed by planning the secret murder of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband.   He added Bathsheba to his harem under the ruse that he was taking her under his care in honor of the loyal and faithful soldier Uriah. 

Although the first child of David and Bathsheba died as punishment for David’s great sin, eventually another son is born to them, who was named Solomon.  God told David, through the prophet Nathan, that he was to anoint Solomon to succeed him, and that his seed would rule forever as long as Solomon was obedient to God.

As could be expected, contention and strife grew between the older sons of David as to who would one day become king.  There follows deceit, treachery, and murder from Solomon’s half-brothers, and Bathsheba’s constant struggle to protect Solomon until it was time for the prophecy to be made known.

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

I hope you take time to enjoy the blessings of reading a good book.  Thanks for stopping by.

Annie

The Woods Edge, by Lori Benton (Christian Historial Fiction)

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, especially when it includes stories of our American Indians.  Author Lori Benton’s book, “The Woods Edge,” hooked me on the very first page.  Although a new author to me, apparently she is a well-known writer of Christian historical fiction.  This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but she is now on my favorite authors list because her storytelling is beyond exceptional – the characters finely woven together in the mist of well-researched historical events of the early New York frontier, home to the Oneida tribe and to the British colonials. 

The story begins as the white flag of surrender is raised over Fort William Henry, finally ending the six-day siege by the French soldiers.   During the fighting, noise, and confusion, the wife of Major Reginald Aubrey of His Majesty’s Royal Army, suffered 20 hours before giving birth to a son, who died within a few minutes of his birth.  Being completely exhausted by the painful labor, the Major’s wife Heledd fell into a deep sleep, not even looking at her baby and not knowing that he had died.  Fearing that, upon being told of the baby’s death, Heledd’s mind would not bear the trauma and that she would no longer have the will to go on.   Pacing in the hallway, holding his dead son, Major Aubrey glanced into another room where a young Oneida Indian mother lay asleep on a pallet, having herself just given birth to twin boys, one with fair skin and one dark.  Half out of his mind with worry and grief, and while the Indian mother Good Voice slept, the Major made a desperate decision to switch his dead son for the living fair-skinned baby.  Thus begins the story of lies, deceit, regret, grief, heartbreak, broken lives, love, and forgiveness.

I was blown away by the spirituality in this story, experiencing the faith journey of each character as an individual.  I felt as though I was actually witnessing salvation come to real people.  One statement in particular burned in my mind, when the second twin Two Hawks said about his salvation, that the Gospel covered him with the red blanket of Christ's goodness.  I was in tears at this point!  Now, I can hardly wait for the sequel, which will be released in 2016 called, “A Flight of Arrows.”

 My recommendation is, "You've gotta read it!"  So happy reading,

Annie

I received The Wood's Edge from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my unbiased review.

Book Review - The Patmos Deception

Davis Bunn is one of my favorite authors of Christian fiction.  When I learned about his new book, “The Patmos Deception,” I could hardly wait for my copy to arrive and get busy reading.  And as expected, I was not disappointed.  After all, Patmos, a part of the Greek islands, is where the Apostle John was exiled in AD 95 and where he had his Apocalypse vision and wrote the book of Revelation.  It was fascinating to read a story that took place on an island that has so much biblical history.

Nick Hennessy, an investigative reporter, is secretly hired by the assistant director of an organization called World Heritage Sites, to investigate the disappearance of historical and artistic icons from the Greek islands.  Needing an expert in Grecian antiquities, Nick hires Carey Mathers, a forensic archaeologist who is also a long-time friend.

The third main character is Dimitri Rubinos, who lives on the island of Patmos, owner of a charter boat business that is about to go under, as most of the other businesses on Patmos already had, due to the economic crisis in Greece.  Desperate to earn enough money to support his aging father and grandmother and to save his business, Dimitri agrees to use his boat to pick up and deliver cargo for an extremely wealthy English man.  At the time, Dimitri thought that what the cargo actually was made little difference to him.  By accident, he discovered that it made a great deal of difference because this cargo made him a smuggler.  What could he do to make good come of this?  He didn’t know, but he would figure it out; he would make a plan.  Then, Dimitri discovers that the investigation by Nick and Carey has led them to him!

Davis Bunn is a real storyteller.  I really like how this story starts out with mystery, then danger creeps in, and then the level of suspense grows and grows with every turn of a page.  I got so caught up in the story that I just could not put the book down until I knew the ending!  I would recommend it to anyone.  Also, it is appropriate for church libraries.

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