Darkness Rising by Lis Wiehl and Pete Nelson

Terri Blackstock meets Frank Peretti - supernatural murder mystery.  That was the feeling I got while reading this book, along with the first installment of this series, Waking Hours.  In Darkness Rising, Wiehl and Nelson hit us with a chilling, but thrilling, story of the evil that has taken up residence in East Salem, NY -  a mostly affluent suburb of New York City - and the fight against it.  The spiritual realm, which is usually unseen to most of us, suddenly becomes visible, and those caught in the middle of the good-versus-evil fight that ensues may not make it out alive.

Wiehl and Nelson are gifted story tellers, and this one, along with the first one, will keep you on the edge of your seat.  These two are obviously history buffs, and parts of this story leave you feeling it could really happen.  You won't be disappointed.  Read this story, but read Waking Hours first.  I can't wait for the third installment!

I was provided this book by Thomas Nelson and their Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.   

House of Mercy by Erin Healy

Choices.  Consequences.  Mercy.  These are the topics that Erin Healy tackles in her fourth solo novel, and it may be her most powerful yet.  As the story begins, we meet Beth Borzoi, a girl who dreams of becoming a vet, and who believes she may have healing powers.  Her family operates a ranch, the Blazing B, that gives second chances to its tenants.  But Beth makes a choice that could bring it all to an end.  She, like all of us, tries to mend things on her own, but instead she causes a downward spiral that seems to have no end in sight.  To save the ranch, she must find her grandfather, a man she’s never met, and on her journey, she has an unusual companion to guide her way.

                As is with Erin Healy’s other novels, and her co-authored stories, she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.  House of Mercy is suspenseful and fast-paced, and also spiritually challenging and supernatural.  And as all the good writers do, she leaves you scratching your head at the end.

                I would definitely recommend House of Mercy, as well as Healy’s three other novels, and I would rate this story as 4 out of 5 stars.

                I was provided this book by Thomas Nelson publishers and their Booksneeze program in exchange for my honest review.

The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo

From the back of the book: "Immortal vigilantes from the time of Moses have planned the unthinkable.  But how can you stop what you can't see?"

In The 13th Tribe, Liparulo tells the story of a group of people whose sin punishment was to walk the earth forever, never able to see the face of God again.  These people, given the moniker of The Tribe, take it upon themselves to remedy their situation in a very unusual way: by removing the earth of all sinners, all the while hoping God will accept their work and call them home.

Liparulo forces the reader to think while enjoying his story, and very few authors have the ability to pull this off successfully.  Is killing ever justified?  What about when it's taking the life of someone who is guilty but never served punishment?  Should children be held accountable for their mistakes?  These questions will take root in your mind as you read this story.

And lastly, we’ve all seen instances where the harsh realities of life have hardened people’s hearts.  Imagine what 3500 years of these realities can do to someone’s heart.  But, as is in life, redemption is there for the taking.  You just have to know where to look.

READ THIS BOOK!  You won’t be disappointed.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for an honest review.   

Life Support by Robert Whitlow

You’ll meet several characters in this story:

1.      Baxter Richardson.  He has everything he wants, but “plunges” off a cliff, which should be certain death, but he somehow survives – paralyzed and on life support.

2.      Alexia Lindale.  Hot-shot divorce lawyer who always seems to find a way to win.  But her life changes when she gets assigned to …

3.      Rena Richardson.  Baxter’s wife.  The reader quickly learns of her childhood issues, issues which led to her husband’s demise.  She wants to “pull the plug” on her husband.  But she runs into the resistance of…

4.      Baxter’s father, who wants to keep Baxter on life support, but for what reasons?

From there, the story takes many twists and turns.  But it didn’t do it for me.  For one, Alexia, the intelligent lawyer, can’t seem to wrap her head around the fact that she’s obviously being deceived.  And then there’s the “oh yeah, this is a Christian fiction book so we need the character to meet Christ” conversion towards the end that seems rushed and disingenuous.  Lastly, the end isn’t really an end - the story continues in Life Everlasting.  And from what I’ve read, this story could be told in one book, but Whitlow stretches it out to two books, causing both to suffer.

It wasn’t terrible, but not great either.  3 out of 5.  If you want to get involved in a good Whitlow story, check out The List.  (And if you'd like to read some quality Christian fiction, check out Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker.)

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers and their Booksneeze Blog Book Review program.  In turn, I agreed to write this review.

The Fight of Our Lives by Bennett and Leibsohn

From the inside cover:

“America’s devotion to political correctness has crippled its ability to accurately interpret and respond to the motives of its fiercest enemies.  Unless we change course and re-engage the fight, the costs of our tolerance will prove tragic and immeasurable.”

In “The Fight of Our Lives: Knowing the Enemy, Speaking the Truth & Choosing to Win the War Against Radical Islam,” New York Times Best-Selling Author William J. Bennett and Seth Leibsohn directly take on our nation’s  inability to recognize radical Islam for what it really is.  It begins with the Fort Hood shooting, where a US military member who subscribed to the radical Islam ideology took many innocent lives in the name of his religion.  Sadly, the report thereafter failed to mention anything near the word “Islam” or “terror” and stumbled all over itself to make sure that the military’s diversity didn’t become a causality as a result of the shooting.

From there, it takes you on an eye-opening journey at our country’s marriage with political correctness and how it has weakened us to the point where we can’t recognize evil for what it is, much less tell anybody that we think they are wrong about ANYTHING.  The authors’ straight-shooting, no holds barred approach makes this an enjoyable read.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers and their Booksneeze Blog Book Review program.  In turn, I agreed to write this review. 

MOS Study Guide by Joan Lambert and Joyce Cox

Book description:

Demonstrate your expertise with Microsoft Office 2010! This all-in-one guide is designed to help you practice and prepare for the four core Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams.
With the MOS 2010 Study Guide, you get full, objective-by-objective coverage for:

• Exam 77-881: Microsoft Word 2010
• Exam 77-882: Microsoft Excel 2010
• Exam 77-883: Microsoft PowerPoint 2010
• Exam 77-884: Microsoft Outlook 2010

Use the book’s easy-to-follow procedures and illustrations to review the essential skills measured by the MOS exams. And you can apply what you’ve learned hands-on—using the downloadable files for all the book’s practice tasks.

This book provides valuable information for someone who aiming to obtain a Microsoft Office Specialist certification.  I downloaded this in order to study for the Excel exam.  While a textbook is almost impossible to "enjoy" while reading, I would have to say that this book proved to be very taxing to read.

All in all, it did give the promised information.

I would rate this book 3 stars.

Disclosure:  I received this book for free from O'Reilly Books through their blog book review program.  These opinions are my own.

The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead

Book preview:

"ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY Kit Livingstone has led a terribly humdrum life. Even his girlfriend is dull. But soon all that changes when, with the help of his deceased great-grandfather, Kit is catapulted into worlds unknown in The Skin Map, the first book of the Bright Empires series by prolific writer Stephen R. Lawhead. Dynamic settings are mixed with unpredictable adventures as we follow Kit through his new life, which includes parallel worlds and time travel. Most interesting is the lost map many are battling to find, the map that is crucial to traveling the cosmos and, more importantly, getting back to Earth. And yes, it's tattooed on the mapmaker. But soon the reader discovers that, as intriguing as the map is, that's not the real prize. It's only square one."

Sound interesting?  Too bad I never made it out of the first chapter.  I tried.  I really did. But try as I might, I could not seem to make it out of the gate with this book.  I'm a bit ADD when it comes to books, so if the book fails to grab me early on, I move on to the next one that does. 

This may be a great book.  Who knows?  Certianly not me...

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from Book Sneeze. All thoughts and opinions are my own.