by admin | Nov 18, 2014 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Spiritural Warfare, Supernatural, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
I was unfamiliar with this author so when I received the book from Amazon’s CreateSpace, I was just a tad unsure whether I had made the right choice to review it, especially since my calendar seemed to be filling up much too quickly. I am happy to say that I did make a very good choice. I thoroughly enjoyed “Destiny Defied” – so much so that I stayed up well past 2:00 a.m. in order to finish it.
“Destiny Defied” is a page-turner for sure. A supernatural suspense, this novel features four college guys who have been friends for many years. A week on a deserted island seems just the thing for a fun and relaxing vacation for them until they discover an injured young woman who has washed up on shore. Their fun and games turn into a mysterious and dangerous adventure that challenges their faith.
While there is emphasis on spiritual warfare, “Destiny Defied” presents the gospel in an uncompromised manner. I believe that the way the “Fearsome Foursome” interacted with Riki had to be one of the best examples of living your faith that I have ever encountered in the many books I have read.
J.A. Marx has made a new fan here. I cannot wait until “Destiny Delivered”, the sequel to “Destiny Defied” is released.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A dramatic shipwreck emancipates Riki Hammad, but the island where she finds refuge is compromised. Unless she finds a power truly great enough to defeat her dark past, she will choose death over returning to captivity. Lord Vétis, high priest of a cultic underground, will stop at nothing to reclaim their chosen one. Using black magic, he manipulates Riki and her four self-assigned bodyguards, triggering a battle that consumes the entire island. The underground will never allow Riki to live out her dreams of a normal life…something she has never known.
Learn more and purchase a copy here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
J.A. loves writing embattled spirit novels — adventure and suspense with supernatural undertones. On the side, she dabbles in non-fiction articles and e-zine editing. J.A. owes many thanks Jerry Jenkins and the Christian Writer’s Guild for their support and education.
Find out more about J.A. at http://online.jamarx.net.
Frank Peretti meets a modern day Treasure Island! {And Kindle Giveaway!}
Welcome to the series launch of J.A. Marx‘s Destiny series. Book one, Destiny Defied, is a chilling tale of freedom from oppression and the Light that overcomes the dark.
J.A. is celebrating the launch of her series with a Kindle giveaway and a Facebook author chat party on December 2.
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire
- Destiny Defied by J.A. Marx.
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on 12/2. Winner will be announced at the Destiny Defied Facebook author chat party on December 2nd. RSVP for a chance to connect with J.A. Marx, to chat about the book, as well as to win some great prizes!
{NOT ON FACEBOOK? ENTER HERE.}
RSVP today and spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK, TWITTER or PINTEREST and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 2nd!
by admin | Jun 16, 2014 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Speculative, Spiritural Warfare
MY REVIEW:
What an exciting and eye-opening adventure Rubart’s Well Spring series has been! Each installment has been filled with fantastical exploits into the spiritual realm as the Warriors Riding have fought against the forces of spiritual darkness. With each mission some ground was gained and a bit more truth was revealed but the battle was not over and the greatest challenge was yet to come. Simon’s increased visibility and the introduction of Miyo added an extra spark to the tale.
I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the books in the Well Spring series but of the all, I believe “Spirit Bridge” has to be my favorite. Not only was it a wonderful story but I was personally challenged along with each of the characters as they learned how their own pride, unforgiveness, and need for affirmation opened them to the lies of their enemy.
I shared triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow along with the Warriors Riding. At one point near the end, I was so touched that I wanted to stand up and cheer (but my husband was sleeping). There are not enough words to relate my feelings about events in “Spirit Bridge” but I would recommend it and the entire series to anyone who ever enjoyed a Frank Peretti novel and to those who haven’t. At this point I would like to go back and read through all three novels to glean any nuggets of truth that I missed the first time.
Do yourself a favor and pick up this entire series.
This book was provided for review by the BookLook Blogger Program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing..
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Warriors Riding have battled in astounding supernatural realms, set captives free, and awakened thousands of hearts. But now their only chance of survival depends on calling for The Spirit Bridge.
Reece, Dana, Brandon, and Marcus have achieved staggering success in the spiritual realm . . . but each is reeling from vicious attacks. They need rest. A break from the war.
But the warlord Zennon is raging and will give them no quarter. The demon holds what he believes to be the trump card—a hidden strategy set in motion before Warriors Riding even began—that will detonate the team from the inside out. And he’s just set it loose.
The street magician Simon—finally free of Zennon’s alternate reality prison—is racing to remember his past before his ignorance obliterates his destiny. Then there’s Miyo—a brash young warrior with advanced knowledge of spiritual realities and supernatural armor even Reece doesn’t know about. These two will be pivotal in the final war.
If only the Warriors knew which side Simon and Miyo are truly on. If only they knew how to fight against Zennon’s final assault.
The Spirit Bridge is the epic conclusion to acclaimed author James L. Rubart’s Well Spring series, which will propel each of the Warriors Riding on a quest of true identity, ultimate freedom, and a final battle that will leave them changed forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James L. Rubart is a professional marketer and speaker. He is the author of five novels, including the best-seller “Rooms” and award-winning “Soul’s Gate,” the book that precedes “Memory’s Door” in the Well Spring series. Rubart and his wife have two sons and live in the Pacific Northwest.
Find out more about James L. at http://jameslrubart.com.
by admin | Oct 29, 2013 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Spiritural Warfare, Suspense
MY REVIEW:
In the exciting conclusion of The East Salem Trilogy, Tommy Gunderson and Dani are joined by Quinn, Cassandra, and Reese as they race against time to help save the world from the forces of darkness which include both men and demons. The evil administrators of St. Adrian’s Academy have groomed chosen students to implement their sinister plot. The school has an apparent alliance with Linz Pharmaceuticals whose new wonder drug Provivilan is not at all what has been advertised to the public. Everything indicates that the major conflict will take place on Christmas. Is the team ready for battle?
I can truthfully say that I enjoyed “Fatal Tide”. The plot moved along well for the most part except for the time or two that I got a little bogged down in the details. I liked the primary characters and their determination to do what was right in fighting to protect those in danger. I was also pleased with the ending and their discussion giving the credit to the Lord.
I know there are those who will criticize “Fatal Tide” for its theological shortcomings. I remind them that the book is entirely a work of fiction and should not be viewed as a doctrinal statement. I agree that there is an entire supernatural realm that most people never even get a glimpse of. I also believe that most spiritual warfare is carried out through prayer. That being the case, I personally viewed Tommy’s battles against the forces of darkness with his guns and other human weapons as just a part of the story and perhaps symbolic of the battles we must fight in the spiritual realm. Once again, “Fatal Tide” is FICTION and should be enjoyed at face value. It should also be a reminder of the war that surrounds us and should encourage us to pray, pray, pray because God and his angels are waiting to act on our behalf.
This book was provided for review by Thomas Nelson Publisher’s BookSneeze program.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In East Salem, the elite St. Adrian’s Academy is at the nexus of a satanic apocalypse—and the fatal tide is rising.
When Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights is reunited with the pagans who commissioned it, a dark prophecy begins to unfold in East Salem, beginning with a savage double-murder by hellish creatures straight out of the painting itself. The lone survivor of the attack, a seventeen-year-old Brit, finds sanctuary at Tommy Gunderson’s home—and the place is soon surrounded by demons who seem to be biding their time…but for how long?
Tommy’s pond has been contaminated with Provivilan—an insidious drug that could transform New York City’s children into an army of violence-addicted murderers. But for an occult cabal in the upper echelons of Linz Pharmaceuticals, contaminating the water supply is just part of an ancient conspiracy against all of humankind.
As the clouds gather, Tommy and Dani realize they must infiltrate Linz and St. Adrian’s to stop the dissemination of Provivilan. Even then, it could take a tangible eruption of the battle between angels and demons to save humanity from the supernatural evils that have been summoned to East Salem.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Lis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. Currently, she is the legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel and Bill O’Reilly’s sparring partner in the weekly “Is It Legal?” segment on The O’Reilly Factor. Prior to that she was O’Reilly’s co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She is also a Professor of Law at New York Law School. Her column “Lis on Law” appears weekly on FoxNews.com.
Prior to joining Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office.
Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland.
Wiehl is also the author of The 51% Minority, which won the 2008 award for Books for a Better Life in the motivational category, and Winning Every Time.
She lives with her husband and two children in New York.
Pete Nelson lives with his wife and son in Westchester, New York. He got his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop in 1979 and has written both fiction and non-fiction for magazines, including Harpers, Playboy, Esquire, MS, Outside, The Iowa Review, National Wildlife, Glamour, Redbook. He was a columnist for Mademoiselle and a staff writer for LIVE Magazine, covering various live events including horse pulls, music festivals, dog shows, accordion camps and arm wrestling championships. Recently he was a contributing editor and feature writer for Wondertime, a Disney parenting magazine. He’s published twelve young adult novels, including a six-book series about a girl named Sylvia Smith-Smith which earned him an Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. His young adult non-fiction WWII history, Left For Dead (Randomhouse, 2002) about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis won the 2003 Christopher award as was named to the American Library Association’s 2003 top ten list. His other non-fiction titles include Real Man Tells All (Viking, 1988), Marry Like a Man (NAL, l992), That Others May Live (Crown, 2000) and Kidshape (Rutledge Hill, 2004). His novel The Christmas List was published by Rutledge Hill Press in 2004. He wrote, with former army counterintelligence agent Dave DeBatto, a four book series of military thrillers, including CI: Team Red (2005), CI: Dark Target (2006), CI: Mission Liberty (2006) and CI: Homeland Threat (2007) published by Time-Warner. A More Unbending Battle; The Harlem Hellfighters’ Struggle for Democracy in WWI and Equality at Home, was published in 2009 by Basic Civitas books. His novel, I Thought You Were Dead, will be published by Algonquin in 2010. He also has two CDs out on the Signature Sounds label, the first entitled The Restless Boys Club (1996), the second called Days Like Horses (2000).
by admin | Sep 1, 2013 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Speculative, Spiritural Warfare
MY REVIEW:
The second book in Rubart’s Well Spring series, “Memory’s Door” continues the story of the Warriors Riding as they continue to seek the Lord and fight spiritual battles as directed by the Holy Spirit. As the team prepares to “go deeper” they are warned that each of them will face greater resistance from the enemy. They soon discover that it is not always easy to identify the enemy’s distractions and must rely on the Spirit’s leading to stay on track.
As in “Soul’s Gate”, the first novel of this series, I found “Memory’s Door” to be brilliant. While it has a fast paced plot with riveting and sometimes amazing action, there is so much more to this story. More than one scene illustrated how the enemy of our soul can appear to us as an angel of light and the entire story draws our attention to how oblivious we are to much of what is going on in the spiritual realm that surrounds us. And what healing could take place in our emotions if we could grasp just a bit of what the team learned about letting go of regrets and walking in forgiveness.
I very much enjoyed both books in this series so far and have recommended them to friends. I am looking forward to the next installment and it cannot be published soon enough as far as I am concerned.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The prophecy brought them together—to fight for the hearts of others and set them free.
But the Wolf has risen, and now their greatest battle begins.
The four members of Warriors Riding have learned to wage war in the supernatural, to send their spirits inside people’s souls, to battle demonic forces, and to bring deep healing to those around them.
But their leader Reece is struggling with the loss of his sight. Brandon is being stalked at his concerts by a man in the shadows. Dana’s career is threatening to bury her. And Marcus questions his sanity as he seems to be slipping in and out of alternate realities.
And now the second part of the prophecy has come true. The Wolf is hunting them, and has set his trap. He circles, feeding on his supernatural hate of all they stand for. And he won’t stop until he brings utter destruction to their bodies . . . and their souls.
Purchase a copy here.
Visit Jim’s website for more.
Watch the trailers:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James L. Rubart is a professional marketer and speaker. He is the author of five novels, including the best-seller “Rooms” and award-winning “Soul’s Gate,” the book that precedes “Memory’s Door” in the Well Spring series. Rubart and his wife have two sons and live in the Pacific Northwest.
Find out more about James L. at http://jameslrubart.com.
James is celebrating the Memory’s Door release with a fantastic Kindle Fire HD giveaway.
One winner will receive:
- A Kindle Fire HD
- Soul’s Gate and Memory’s Door by James L. Rubart
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 7th. All winners will be announced September 9th at James’ blog.
Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to visit James’ blog on the 9th to see if you won! (Or better yet, subscribe to his blog (enter your email in the blog sidebar) and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox!)
by admin | Jun 12, 2013 | Books, Contemporary Fiction, Medical, Spiritural Warfare, Suspense
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingAn Open HeartDavid C. Cook (June 1, 2013)byHarry KrausABOUT THE AUTHOR:
A Word from Harry:
I started writing my first novel during my last year of surgery training at UK. I was a chief resident, and started writing Stainless Steal Hearts in a call room at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Lexington. It was a crazy time to write! I had a very demanding schedule, often spending days and nights in the hospital. I had two sons at that time, and I recognized the wisdom in my wife’s urging: “Now doesn’t seem the right time for this dream.”
My experience as a writer is far from typical. Having received my formal training in biology and chemistry and medicine, my only preparation for a writing career was a love for reading. The longest thing I’d written before my first novel was a term paper in undergraduate school. My first novel was accepted by Crossway Books and published in 1994, and it wasn’t until after I had FOUR published novels that I even opened a book of instruction about the craft of writing fiction. This is not what I recommend to others! Yes, I was successful, but I was bending the “rules” without knowing it. I had a natural talent for plotting, but I realize my initial success may have stunted my growth as a writer. I’d have made faster progress if I’d have gone to the fiction teachers sooner.
I have three sons: Joel, Evan, and Samuel. Look closely in all of my books and you’ll see them there. My lovely wife, Kris, provides the basic composition for all those beautiful, athletic, dedicated women in my novels.
Learn more about Harry and his books on his Website.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Their Messages—From Beyond the Grave—Might Destroy Him …
They hover between life and death, their hearts stopped on the surgery table. And the messages Dr. Jace Rawlings’ open-heart surgery patients bring back from beyond the grave cannot be ignored. For they predict the deaths of people around him, and point a finger of suspicion straight at him.
It thrusts Jace into a firestorm of controversy and danger. A maelstrom blown by the darker winds of political intrigue and spiritual warfare. And the forces working against him will do anything to stop him from uncovering a truth they will kill to hide. He’d come to Kenya to establish a heart-surgery program for the poor. But what he will find in that place where he grew up will put everything at risk–his marriage, his career . . . his life.
If you would like to read the first chapter of An Open Heart, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
An Open Heart is not only a suspense-filled and dramatic novel but it is also one that can open the reader’s eyes to some previously unknown points. It is obvious from the cover description that the reader will receive a glimpse into the spiritual realm that is seldom shared. I have often wondered why many of our missionaries are not prepared for the spiritual warfare they encounter when serving in foreign lands but the author offers a very good explanation for it. The missionaries who have experienced such battles are reluctant to share because they fear they will not be believed or considered crazy. Another detail I never considered before reading An Open Heart is the fact that doctors in substandard hospitals in other countries need to be even more skilled than the ones who practice in the U.S. simply because they do not have the advanced diagnostic equipment available to them. With this new knowledge, I have even greater respect for the men and women who serve on the missions field.
Aside from those facts that stood out to me, I enjoyed the novel. The primary character, Jace Rawlings is running from God but doesn’t realize it. In fact, he is not entirely sure what motivates him. Son of missionaries to Kenya, he has made a name for himself in the states as a skilled heart surgeon but after a serious accident, he sensed that his deceased sister wanted him back in Kenya. Upon his arrival in Kenya, Jace found himself in the center of a battle between the forces of light and darkness that threatened to end his life. His determination not to serve God endangers his eternal existence but God has not given up on him.
Harry Kraus paints a vivid picture of life in Kenya, especially giving readers an inside look at the life of medical missionaries. With plenty of drama, danger, and suspense as well as an intense spiritual thread, An Open Heart held my interest until the end.
by admin | May 31, 2013 | Adventure, Books, Speculative, Spiritural Warfare, Suspense
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing
The Judgment StoneThomas Nelson (May 14, 2013)byRobert LiparuloABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Former journalist Robert Liparulo is the best-selling author of the thrillers Comes a Horseman, Germ, Deadfall, Deadlock, and The 13th Tribe, as well as The Dreamhouse Kings, an action-adventure series for young adults. He contributed a short story to James Patterson’s Thriller, and an essay about Thomas Perry’s The Butcher’s Boy to Thrillers: 100 Must Reads, edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner. He is currently working on the sequel to The 13th Tribe, as well writing an original screenplay with director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive).
When not writing, Liparulo loves to read, watch (and analyze) movies, scuba dive, swim, hike, and travel. He lives in Monument, Colorado, with his wife Jodi and four children: Melanie, Matthew, Anthony, and Isabella.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
What if praying became a curse instead of a blessing?
Former Army Ranger Jagger Baird thought he had his hands full with the Tribe—the band of immortal vigilantes fighting to regain God’s grace by killing those opposed to Him. But that was before he encountered the ruthless group of immortals called the Clan. The Clan is after a prize that would give them unimaginable power—a piece of the Ten Commandments known as the Judgment Stone.
Those who touch the Stone can see into the spiritual world: angelic warriors, treacherous demons, and the blue threads of light that signal the presence of believers in communion with God.
By following the blue beam radiating from those closest to God, the Clan plans to locate His most passionate followers and destroy them.
Jagger quickly realizes his high-tech gadgetry and training are no match for these merciless immortals. But how can he defeat an enemy who hunts believers through their prayers . . . and won’t stop until they’ve annihilated all those close to Him?
In this high-action thriller, best-selling author Robert Liparulo examines the raging battle between good and evil on earth . . . and beyond.
If you would like to read the first chapter of The Judgment Stone, go HERE.
