by admin | Oct 13, 2014 | Books, Dystopian
MY REVIEW:
Thunder is the first book in Bonnie Calhoun’s new Stone Braide Chronicles published by Revell. The story takes place along the east coast of the United States approximately 150 years after The Time of Sorrows when the earth was nearly destroyed by nuclear war and the resulting volcanoes, tsunamis, etc. Some humans survived the holocaust and some even thrived but their world was a strange one with stark contrasts. Many of the humans worked hard for their daily needs using fairly primitive methods while others lived in comfort in a scientifically advanced self-contained city in The Mountain. One would think that after such an apocalypse, people would learn to get along but human nature never seems to change and the practice of defining a person’s worth by their race or where they lived was as common as ever. In this fractured world, Selah was on the verge of becoming an adult and could not wait to prove herself but woke to find that everything she believed about her life was a lie.
Bonnie’s writing style is easy going and held my interest throughout the book. The plot moved along at a good pace and held plenty of adventure, mystery, and conflict to keep me engaged. The characters were well developed and exhibited believable actions and change as the story progressed. Although I found Selah frustrating at times, her behavior was typical of a person her age – eager to prove themselves an adult but not enough maturity to pull it off.
I did enjoy the book although I will be the first to admit that this genre is not among my favorites. I also confess that I still have plenty of unanswered questions, particularly about exactly who the Landers might be. I am hoping for more details in Bonnie’s next installment and hate that I have to wait so long to read it. Overall, Thunder is an excellent adventure and should be read for pure enjoyment rather than trying to analyze it too deeply.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The Time of Sorrows is long past.
The future of Selah and her people is shrouded in mystery.
And the clock is ticking.
Hidden in the tall grasses along a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city, a hunter crouches. It is the eve of her eighteenth Birth Remembrance and high time she proves to herself and her brothers that she can stand on her own two feet. Selah Rishon Chavez waits not for game but for one of the small boats that occasionally crash against the desolate shoreline. Because inside one of these boats she will find her quarry–a Lander.
These people from an unknown land across the ocean are highly prized by the Company and bring a good price–especially if they keep the markings they arrive with.
Everything falls to pieces when the Lander whom Selah catches is stolen by her brothers, and Selah wakes the next morning to find the Lander’s distinctive mark has appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her–Bodhi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell in the Mountain.
With evocative descriptions of a strange new world that combines elements of disturbing scientific advances, devious political conspiracy, and survival in a hostile wilderness, Bonnie S. Calhoun weaves a captivating tale of a society more like our own than we may want to admit. From the tension-laced first scene to the captivating last page, Thunder is an epic journey into the heart of humankind that explores how far we are willing to go when we’re pushed to the limit.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bonnie S. Calhoun teaches workshops on Facebook, Twitter, HTML, and social media at writers conferences. In her everyday life she is a seamstress and clothing designer. Bonnie and her husband live in a log home in upstate New York with a dog and two cats who think she’s wait staff. Thunder is her first YA novel. Learn more at www.bonniescalhoun.com.
by admin | Oct 13, 2014 | Books
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThunder (Stone Braide Chronicles)Revell (October 7, 2014)byBonnie S. CalhounABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bonnie S. Calhoun is Owner/Director of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, owner/publisher of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Northeast Zone Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the ACFW ‘2011 Mentor of the Year.”
She love to write, but it doesn’t make her happy unless there are the three B’s…body count, blood, and blowing things up. She also have mad skills at coding HTML, and website design. And she live in a log cabin in the woods with fifteen acres and a pond full of bass, though she’d rather buy fish at the grocery store. Bonnie shares her domain with a husband, a dog, and two cats, all of whom think she’s waitstaff!
Her sites are:
http://bonniescalhoun.com
https://www.facebook.com/bscalhoun
https://www.facebook.com/bonniescalhoun
https://www.goodreads.com/BonnieSCalhoun
http://www.pinterest.com/bonniecalhoun/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BonnieCalhoun
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting, though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah’s really after are Landers, mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if they keep the markings they arrive with.
Everything falls to pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers–and Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander’s distinctive mark has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her–Bohdi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.
With evocative descriptions of a strange new world that combines elements of scientific advances, political intrigue, and wilderness survival, Bonnie S. Calhoun weaves a captivating tale of a world more like our own than we may want to admit.
You can read Tremors, the prequel to the series for FREE on Amazon HERE.
If you’d like to read the first chapter of Thunder (Stone Braide Chronicles), go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Thunder is the first book in Bonnie Calhoun’s new Stone Braide Chronicles published by Revell. The story takes place along the east coast of the United States approximately 150 years after The Time of Sorrows when the earth was nearly destroyed by nuclear war and the resulting volcanoes, tsunamis, etc. Some humans survived the holocaust and some even thrived but their world was a strange one with stark contrasts. Many of the humans worked hard for their daily needs using fairly primitive methods while others lived in comfort in a scientifically advanced self-contained city in The Mountain. One would think that after such an apocalypse, people would learn to get along but human nature never seems to change and the practice of defining a person’s worth by their race or where they lived was as common as ever. In this fractured world, Selah was on the verge of becoming an adult and could not wait to prove herself but woke to find that everything she believed about her life was a lie.
Bonnie’s writing style is easy going and held my interest throughout the book. The plot moved along at a good pace and held plenty of adventure, mystery, and conflict to keep me engaged. The characters were well developed and exhibited believable actions and change as the story progressed. Although I found Selah frustrating at times, her behavior was typical of a person her age – eager to prove themselves an adult but not enough maturity to pull it off.
I did enjoy the book although I will be the first to admit that this genre is not among my favorites. I also confess that I still have plenty of unanswered questions, particularly about exactly who the Landers might be. I am hoping for more details in Bonnie’s next installment and hate that I have to wait so long to read it. Overall, Thunder is an excellent adventure and should be read for pure enjoyment rather than trying to analyze it too deeply.
by admin | Oct 12, 2014 | Books, Dystopian, Novella
MY REVIEW:
Tremors is the novella prequel for Bonnie S. Calhoun’s new dystopian Stone Braide Chronicles series and its first novel Thunder. Tremors is a free ebook download and is quickly read. Bonnie offers just enough background details and action to guarantee that most readers will want to grab a copy of Thunder as soon as possible. If you are a fan of “The Hunger Games” or other dystopian fiction, you will definitely want to grab your free copy of Tremors. You probably need to go ahead and purchase your copy of Thunder while you’re at it. You won’t want to wait on it.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In this gripping prequel to Thunder, unsettling secrets change Selah Chavez’s life forever in the days before her 18th Born Remembrance.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Bonnie S. Calhoun teaches workshops on Facebook, Twitter, HTML, and social media at writers conferences. In her everyday life she is a seamstress and clothing designer. Bonnie and her husband live in a log home in upstate New York with a dog and two cats who think she’s wait staff. Thunder is her first YA novel. Learn more at www.bonniescalhoun.com.
by admin | Oct 11, 2014 | Amish, Books, Romance
This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingA Love UndoneWaterBrook Press (September 9, 2014)byCindy WoodsmallABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written fifteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy’s been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has worked with National Geographic on a documentary concerning Amish life. In June of 2013, the Wall Street Journal listed Cindy as one of the top three Amish fiction writers.
She’s won Fiction Book of the Year, Reviewer’s Choice Awards, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Contest, as well as one of Crossings’ Best Books of the Year. She’s been a finalist for the prestigious Christy, Rita, and Carol Awards, Christian Book of the Year, and Christian Retailers Choice Awards.
Cindy and her husband reside near the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains in their now empty nest.
(Since that last line sounds sad and bare, I thought I’d add an “epilogue” of sorts. Our two oldest sons are married and live only a couple of miles from my empty nest, and below are my three adorable grandchildren! ?)
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A husband and son abandoned to forge a path alone.
A young woman who sacrificed her dreams.
How will the God of grace and hope help them find their way?
At nineteen years old, Old Order Amish Jolene Keim was on the brink of happily-ever-after when everything changed, stealing the future she expected and burdening her with an unbearable decision. For the next ten years, Jolene throws herself into family life—and then she meets Andy Fisher. The horse trainer and father to a sweet nine year-old challenges her and holds up a mirror to issues Jolene has been unwilling to face.
Andy is cautious about his deepening friendship with Jolene, but he believes she knows the truth about him – that he is a grass widower. As a man whose wife has abandoned him six years past, he is unable to divorce or remarry according to the Amish ways. Andy has wrestled with God concerning his reality, and he had found peace with the solitary future facing him…until he met Jolene.
As Andy and Jolene find themselves confronted by difficult choices, will they trust in God’s guidance—or will the allure of their deepening friendship only lead to further temptation?
If you would like to read the first chapter of A Love Undone, go HERE.
by admin | Oct 11, 2014 | Books, Christmas, Historical, Romance, WWII
MY REVIEW:
What a treat – a collection of Christmas novellas by three of my favorite authors who write novels about the World War 2 era! Beginning with a brief prologue and ending with an equally short epilogue, “Where Treetops Glisten” features three siblings in the Turner family during the years 1941 through 1945. Each segment takes place during the days and weeks before Christmas of each year. From the gorgeous cover to the added bonus of recipes featured within the stories, “Where Treetops Glisten” is an absolute delight.
A common element in each of the novellas is that fear of being hurt again has caused Abigail, Pete, and Meredith Turner to avoid any possibility of romance. However it seems as if the Lord has other ideas for each of them as well as for Jackson, Grace, and David who also feel that marriage is not meant to be for them. I enjoyed reading each of their stories and seeing how learning to give to and help others resulted in healing and peace for themselves.
Each of the novellas flowed together as one cohesive novel so well that it was difficult to distinguish one author from the other. Character development was superb and I enjoyed reading about how their lives were affected by the war both at home and overseas.
I always enjoy these weeks leading up to the Christmas holidays because I have the opportunity to read and review many of the latest Christmas novels. “Where Treetops Glisten” has earned its place as one of my favorites ever. Its message of hope and faith during the uncertainty, loss, and deprivation of war is an encouragement for our own uncertain times. Be sure to pick up a copy. I can almost guarantee you will enjoy it.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
A trio of award-winning authors, Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin, unite for holiday-themed World War II-era love story collection in Where Treetops Glisten. Curl up in front of the fire with the perfect Christmas read.
The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime
Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas
Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.
In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.
Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?
In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.
The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
TRICIA GOYER is a prolific author of nearly forty books, including “Chasing Mona Lisa,” and a speaker and blogger.
CARA PUTMAN is the author of twenty books including “Shadowed by Grace.” She is the winner of the 2008 Carol Award for historical fiction.
SARAH SUNDIN is the critically-acclaimed author of the Wings of the Nightingale series, the Wings of Glory series, and the forthcoming Waves of Freedom novels.
Find out more about Goyer, Putman, at Waterbrook Multnomah.
