The 49th Mystic

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Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago.  Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams.

 

They are wrong.

 

In the small town of Eden, Utah, a blind girl named Rachelle Matthews is about to find out just how wrong.

 

When a procedure meant to restore Rachelle's sight goes awry, she begins to dream of another world so real that she wonders if Earth might be only a dream experienced when she falls asleep in that reality.

 

She is the prophesied one who must find and recover five ancient seals - in both worlds - before powerful enemies destroy her.  If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign.  If she fails, both worlds will forever be locked in darkness.

 

So begins a two-volume saga of high stakes and a mind-bending quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity.  The clock is ticking:  the end rushes forward.

 

Ready?  Set?  Dream.

 

Review

 

It's been a loooong time since last read the riveting "Circle" series when the world was first introduced to Thomas Hunter, the man who slept on Earth and dreamed in another time and place - the land of the Scabs, Roush, and Shataiki.  A land where you had to die to truly live.  A place in which the battle between good and evil was very real.  It was a thrilling series, and if you have not read it yet, I highly recommend you do so!  So, it was with great anticipation that I awaited for The 49th Mystic in order to return back to this world.  Overall, I was not disappointed. 

 

As there are two "Earths", there are two parallel stories, and both were equally exciting.  It did take me a few chapters to get into the story(ies) as there was a lot of laying the groundwork so readers who are not familiar with the Circle series would be comfortable diving into this book right away.  But once the story was underway, the suspense ramped up quickly, and I couldn't devour the pages fast enough.  Saturday morning last week I literally had to just sit down and read until the book was finished - I couldn't put it down! 

 

Aside from the action packed scenes, there was a lot of meaty, heavy dialogue in the book.  At times it felt like a theological discourse in an abstract sort of way (think Jesus' parables) as Rachelle learns about the gravity of her mission, and the message she is to share with the world.  The dialogue was thought-provoking, and not something one could easily skim over.

 

I'm super happy to have had this opportunity to dive back into the Circle, and I truly cannot wait for the sequel!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

A Chance at Forever

 

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Determined to protect the children of Teaville, Kansas, from the bullying she experienced as a child, Mercy McClain finds fulfillment working at the local orphanage and serving on the school board.  When Aaron Firebrook, the worst of her childhood bullies, petitions the board for a teaching position, she`s dead set against his getting the job.

 

Aaron knows he deserves every bit of Mercy`s mistrust, but he`s returned to his hometown a changed man and is seeking the forgiveness of those he wronged.  He doesn`t expect Mercy to like him, but surely he can prove he now has the children`s best interests at heart.

 

Will resentment and old wounds hold them back, or can Mercy and Aaron overcome the past in time to battle the threats against the future of the town`s orphans?

Review

I was quite excited to dive back into the "Teaville Moral Society" series, having enjoyed the debut novel, A Heart Most Certain.  The newest novel in the series follows the tradition of a heartwarming romance carried by wonderful characters. 

There was one slight departure in this story, however, by the inclusion of a darker element: bullying.  Bullying is something that has become highlighted more and more in society today as with the advance of technology so has the means and opportunities of bullying increased.  (I'm not saying technology is bad - just that some misuse it to harm others, which is aggravating and disappointing to say the least.)  But no matter the means or time period, bullying always has and always will leave a strong mark on the victims of it.  Everyone has a duty to step up and speak out if they see someone being bullied to ensure that the practice is not endorsed in any way, shape or form. 

In the story, Mercy became the target of bullying because of a physical disfigurement.  Her main tormentor was Aaron Firebrook, which made me rather curious how the author, Melissa Jagears, would be able to turn him into a romantic love interest for Mercy.  How can one erase years of hurt and pain?  However, Melissa did the impossible and deftly pulled it off.  She crafted a wonderful and believable relationship between Mercy and Aaron that allowed Mercy to live up to her name, all the while pointing to the true source of grace and forgiveness - Jesus. 

Postscript:  Generally, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Christian romance to high-school teen girls.  However, the bullying aside, there was an inclusion of another dark element to this book that would make me hesitate recommending it even to high-school aged children: sexual abuse against children.  Perhaps it would be best to have a parent read the novel first before deciding whether or not to allow their child to read it.


Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

A Most Noble Heir

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When stable hand Nolan Price learns from his dying mother that he is actually the son of the Earl of Stainsby, his plans for a future with kitchen maid Hannah Burnham are shattered.  Once he is officially acknowledged as the earl's heir, Nolan will be forbidding to marry beneath his station.

 

Unwilling to give up the girl he loves, he devises a plan to elope - believing once their marriage is sanctioned by God that Lord Stainsby will be forced to accept their union.  However, as Nolan struggles to learn the ways of the aristocracy, he finds himself caught between his dreams for tomorrow and his father's demanding expectations.

 

Forces work to keep the couple apart at every turn, and a solution to remain together seems farther and farther away.  With Nolan's new life pulling him irrevocably away from Hannah, it seems only a miracle will bring them back together.

Review

I really enjoyed this read!  The main characters are two honourable and extremely likeable people that make you yearn for their happy ever after as much as they do.  Nolan is a hardworking young man who wants to be able to look after his mother and sweetheart through his own means.  His dream is to become a farmer and raise a family.  But once his employer discovers that Nolan is his son, his dreams are thwarted at every turn as Lord Stainsby does everything in his power to mould Nolan into a nobleman's son - a son worthy to be called his own.

 

But Nolan is more like his father that anyone realizes.  For Nolan is stubborn, wilful, and at times, a bit rash.  And he will do everything in his power to ensure that he lives the life he desires - no matter the cost.

 

To describe this book in one word would be: riveting.  I had the most difficult time putting this one down!  Jane Austen and Julie Klassen fans alike will appreciate A Most Noble Heir.  This period drama is chock full of family tensions and secrets, long-held desires, and spurned affections.  Just when you think matters are going well, another twist and turn are thrown into the mix that sends the characters into a tailspin.  It was truly an excellent read - particularly how through it all, the characters learn to look God for direction, and cease leaning on their own strength.

 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

The Golden Vial

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When a hidden evil threatens to destroy the realm, a young orphan, untested and untrained, could mean the difference between victory and total defeat.

 

Vulnerable and weakened by grief after a terrible loss, Hyam has been struck by a mysterious illness that threatens to claim his life.  Seeking to help Hyam and restore the realm, Queen Shona travels to Hyamn's remote hometown to find answers an doffer aid.

 

Dally has always had abilities far beyond those of a normal human - far-seeing and magic come naturally to her.  Before the arrival of Shona and her army, Dally had always kept her abilities secret.  But when an ancient evil bearing down on her village and the fate of the realm hanging in the balance, the orphaned servant girl steps forward to do what no one else can.  Will the battle claim more than Dally is willing to give?

Review

I brought this book on a weekend camping trip with my family.  I was in the mood for a good fantasy, and The Golden Vial sure did not disappoint!  The second evening we were camping, my Dad walks into the cabin living room to find my Mom and me engrossed in our novels (Mom was reading A Dangerous Legacy). We had already been reading for a good hour, and my Dad asked, "Aren't you ready to do something else?"  Mom and I slowly lifted our eyes from our books to look at Dad and reply simultaneously, "No."  And then we promptly went back to our stories.  (Don't feel too sorry for my Dad; my brother-in-law rescued him to go for a walk.)  But simply put, The Golden Vial was too good to put down!  I found myself sitting down to read on as many occasions as I could over that weekend, and the only disappointment I encountered was having to finish the story!

 

Book 3 in the "Legends of the Realm" series, The Golden Vial introduces a new character by the name of the orphan Dally, whose abilities - and the magnitude of them - surprise no one more than herself.  Her past is tragic, having lost her family in a horrific manner.  Dally struggles with feelings of inadequacy and finds solace in her connection to the wolfhounds that her master and mistress breed.  When the opportunity arises to assist Queen Shona in eradicating the evil permeating the land, Dally jumps at the chance to leave her difficult mistress and seek justice for her family.  What follows is not only a journey of self-discovery, but a pulse-pounding adventure full of monsters, mayhem, battles, and lots of magic.

 

Thrilling and fast-paced, The Golden Vial is probably my favourite of the series.  It is also, sadly, the conclusion of this trilogy.  I so hope that Thomas Locke (pseudonym for T. Davis Bunn) crafts another fantasy series as I will dearly miss the Realm and all its fantastical adventures!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Keturah

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In 1772 England, Lady Keturah Banning Tomlinson and her sisters find themselves the heiresses of their father's estates and know they have one option:  Go to the West Indies to save what is left of their heritage.

Although it flies against all the conventions, they're determined to make their own way in the world.  But once they arrive in the Caribbean, conventions are the least of their concerns.  On the infamous island of Nevis, the sisters discover the legacy of the legendary sugar barons has vastly declined - and that's just the start of what their eyes are opened to in this harsh and unfamiliar world.

Keturah never intends to put herself at the mercy of a man again, but every man on the island seems to be trying to win her hand and, with it, the ownership of her plantation.  She could desperately use an ally, but even an unexpected reunion with a childhood friend leaves her questioning his motives.

To keep her family together and save the plantation that is her last chance at providing for them, can Keturah ever surrender her stubbornness and guarded heart to God and find the healing and love awaiting her?

Review

I've been a fan of Lisa T. Bergren's work for awhile now.  Her series, "Rivers of Time" is one of the best young adult works I've ever read.  Seriously.  You don't have to been a young teen to enjoy a sweeping, romantic, suspenseful, time-travel series!  So it was with great expectations that I began reading Keturah, the first novel in "The Sugar Baron's Daughters" series.  I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed!

With breath-taking descriptions, Bergren draws readers back in time to the 1700s, the time of slavery, dangerous travel in the high seas, unpredictable occupations of running a sugar plantation, and when death by fever was a very real probability.  It required a certain kind of man to have the strength and courage to make a living by harvesting sugar cane in a land where law and order was quite questionable, and for a woman to embark on such an adventure would be seen as nothing short of foolhardy.  Because of these elements, Keturah is everything an adventure story needs to be.  It is dramatic, loaded with solid, spiritual gems, romantic, thrilling, and all together page-turning.  In fact, I've already started to read through it a second time (and am enjoying it just as much)! 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

I Will Not Fear

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While her white schoolmates were planning their senior prom, Melba was facing the business end of a double-barreled shotgun, being threatened with lynching by rope-carrying tormentors, and learning how to outrun white supremacists who were ready to kill her rather than sit beside her in a classroom.  Only her faith in God sustained her during her darkest days and helped her become a civil rights warrior, an NBC television news reporter, a magazine writer, a professor, a wife, and a mother.

 

In I Will Not Fear, Beals takes you on an unforgettable journey through terror, oppression, and persecution, highlighting the kind of faith we all need to survive in a world full of heartbreak and anger.  She shows how the deep faith we develop during our most difficult moments is the kind of faith that can change our families, our communities, and even the world.

 

Encouraging and inspiring, her story offers hope that faith is the solution to the pervasive hopelessness of our current culture.

 

Review

 

Wow.

 

If I ever complain about the comforts of my life, please remind me of Melba and her story. 

 

Even from birth - seriously, literally from birth where Melba's mother agonized through a painful, long labour in a hospital closet because people of colour were not allowed to be admitted as real patients and provided with full medical care - Melba's life story is akin to climbing Mt. Everest.  Every day an uphill battle to overcome the racist stigma of society leveled against her; and all because of the colour of her skin.

 

In the 21st century where racism is denounced, it is easy to forget or not comprehend how difficult it was for targeted people in times past to just live their lives normally as everyone else.  Even just getting groceries or using a public restroom could be a trial.  And Melba entered into the fray even deeper by being one of the 9 youth selected to integrate the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.   It was truly a time of going exactly where no one else wanted you to go.  Think of it: how often do you go somewhere you are not wanted?  Generally, human nature pushes us to just go where love and acceptance is.  But Melba chose the hard path.  She chose to help forge the way so that all may attend school regardless of their skin colour.  And what a resistance she and the rest of the Little Rock Nine met!  Death threats became constant, so much so that Melba began to feel a prisoner in her own home.

 

Melba rightly points to God as her only source of strength and courage for getting her through those dangerous times.  And as she illustrates through the rest of the book, true faith in God is what sustains us through the difficult circumstances and unexpected turns in life.  While it doesn't mean we won't make decisions we will later forget - as we are all still human - God is always there for us to turn to and pull us out of the messes we make.

 

I Will Not Fear is a powerful read.  It also a difficult one, so I would hesitate to recommend it to all age audiences.  It would be fine for mature high school students with an adult to help them navigate through the various social and moral issues raised in this memoir.

 

 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Beneath the Surface

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She thought she'd be safe when she moved back home.  She was dead wrong.

 

After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change.  She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital.  But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her down and reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.

 

Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team.  When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer - one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.

Review

Lynn Blackburn is my new favourite author.  Beneath the Surface, the first novel in her series, "Dive Investigations", captured my attention from the first page with believable characters and a thrilling plot.  It became clear early on that Blackburn is not afraid to drag her characters through some pretty intense situations, causing some equally nail-biting moments for readers  as we are left wondering, what is going to happen next?!  Is the bad guy going to get away?!  Eeeek!

Dramatics aside, as I mentioned earlier, Blackburn has created some very believable, down-to-earth characters to fall in love with.  It's easy to relate to their thoughts and emotions, which makes it especially difficult when people whom you've come to love are thrown into dangerous events that made me wonder at a time or two whether all characters would be left standing at the final page! 

And let's not forget this incredibly cool (no pun intended) job Blackburn has chosen to highlight: underwater investigators.  I have not read any other books that have highlighted this particular field, and found the descriptions quite fascinating.  The next book in the series cannot come soon enough!!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.