Tag Archive | redemption

Marley’s Remarks: Recipes and Redemption (Book Review)

Apr5
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Marley’s Remarks: Recipes and Redemption (Book Review)

Hi, I’m Marley, a nine-year-old Teddy Bear (Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu) that was recently adopted by Susan. She’s keeping me busy with trying to teach the younger member of the pack how to be a dog, but then  she conscripted me to write this review as well. Apparently, it is the job of at least one of the dogs in the pack to do this, but since most of the time I get to sleep under her desk in a comfy bed while she works, I suppose I can oblige her. Maybe, at some point Oliver will be old enough to share the duties. We’ll see.

Karen Malley’s second installment of her Chester County Couples romances is out! What a sweet thing to finally get to read Erin’s story in Recipes and Redemption. Erin was a secondary character in the first book Moonlight and Mystery. You can find the series prequel, Lilacs and Love Letters at her blog and read it for free!!!

Erin is a widow with a young son and now has her brother’s girlfriend, Beth, as her roommate. She’s started a catering business in her home with the help of Beth. Having loved and lost in the recent past she has no dreams of ever finding love a second time around.

Rusty is a friend of her brother. Funny and loyal, he is a fan of her cooking and willing to be there whenever she has a need. But he longs for much more with the lovely widow. He rises to the occasion to rescue her when she turns to him more than once for help.

With yummy food, danger, a near-death experience, unexpected surprises from Erin’s past, difficult choices and a crisis of faith, Karen Malley weaves a tale that will keep you reading and wondering just how, if ever, will the sweet widow realize the man she really loves has been there all along?

Now, I’m only a dog and new at this book review business, but because mom snuggled me while reading it and the responsibility for this review, I will say that it’s a good book worthy of snuggle time with a dog because no dog wants a book that the reader will put down quickly and disrupt snuggles. So, I’ll give it four paw prints… because that’s all the feet I have available. Go get this book and do the author a big favor: if you enjoy it, write a review on Amazon!

 

Writer Wednesday: Lindsey Bell

Apr6
Reading Time: 3 minutes

I’d love you to welcome author Lindsey Bell to Writer Wednesday! I really do enjoy hearing how unique each author’s journey is. Be blessed.

When did you decide you would be an author? Was it something you fell into, felt called to…?

I have loved writing for as long as I can remember, but I didn’t actually take it seriously until a college professor urged me to send in an article I had written. That article was accepted for publication, and that’s when I thought, “Maybe I’m not too bad at this!” That first article gave me the courage to send in another. And then another. And then another. And that eventually led me to write books as well.

One quote that stuck with me that I read years ago was from Kaci Calvaresi. She said, “God can’t use a redemptive story that you’re not willing to tell.” THAT, for me, is why I write…so that God can use my story to help others.

What’s your pet peeve?

I think my pet peeve -which is completely unrelated to writing – is when people don’t do what they say they are going to do.

What was your most embarrassing moment as a writer?

My most embarrassing moment as a writer..that’s a tough one. I’m a people-pleaser and I don’t like conflict, so I think my most embarrassing moment as a writer was when I wrote something that faced criticism. It was difficult to NOT take it personally.

What has been your most difficult challenge as an author?

There are two aspects of being an author that are especially challenging for me: facing criticism and building an audience. I’ve always struggled with self-promotion, especially as a Christian author. It’s challenging to find that sweet spot between sharing God’s story and sharing your own…shining the light on Him versus shining the light on yourself.

How do you process rejections and/or negative reviews?

Not well, lol 🙂 In my head, I know it’s not personal, but in my heart, that is sometimes hard to accept. The best thing I can tell myself is that this particular person was not my target audience. My message must be meant for someone else. It’s also important to learn from the negative reviews that offer helpful feedback. I have a sticky note on my computer that reads, “Mistakes are evidence that you tried.” This note helps remind me that failure (or negative reviews, in this case) can also be helpful, and, if nothing else, they show that I tried…that I put myself out there…that I gave it my best effort.

What do you feel is the best success so far in your writing career?

My books for sure, especially Unbeaten. That is my heart on the page…God’s story in my life.

What is your current work in process?

I’m at the very beginning brainstorming process of my next book, so I’m actually not sure.

Bio:

Lindsey Bell is the author of Unbeaten and Searching for Sanity. She’s passionate about her two silly boys, her husband Keith, books of all kinds, and delicious dark chocolate. Her desire is to inspire and encourage other believers through honest dialogue about faith, family, and learning to love the life she’s been given. As a woman who has lost four babies to miscarriage, Lindsey loves helping others find God in the midst of heartache. Find Lindsey online at www.lindseymbell.com.

Website: www.lindseymbell.com

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindseyBell

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindseyMBell

Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Lindsey-Bell/e/B00H9NQETM

Latest book release: Unbeaten https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXZG3CZ/

Shattered Trust (J. Chris Richards)

Nov6

Reading Time: 2 minutesShatteredTrust_Ebook1 copyJ. Chris Richard’s debut novel, Shattered Trust is everything a suspense novel should be. Written for the inspirational market the journey to redemption by a police officer could not be more timely given the current events in our nation.

Officer Logan Taul realizes that he’s become a monster. Not a police officer out to protect the public but more to assert his authority. Confronting the evil within him is painful enough without the need to confront it from without and his transformation comes with a cost. Logan embraces this journey in spite of the pain and sacrifice to become the kind of police officer he intended to be when he started on the force. But his journey also reveals other areas in his life desperately needing reform.

A group of rag-tag teenagers adopt him and begin to show him what life and friendship are really all about. Although he’s tutoring some of them, he’s the one learning the real-life lessons he’d lost along the way. And when physical attacks come, and his reputation is torn to shreds, it is the faith of these young people who keep him moving forward to redemption.

He also confronts his real identity as a dead-beat father and strives to reconcile with his estranged ex-wife and children. This too is not easily done.

In our country, police are often maligned and while this story shows a corrupt officer, it is one of redemption, growth and earning the right to wear the badge. Officer Logan Taul shows how difficult and dangerous that struggle can be and his change and its ripple effect impact the lives of many around him.

This story grabs you and doesn’t let go. We all have monsters as part of ourselves and while this is a novel filled with suspense it is also one of hope and a story of healing and growth that is heartwarming. Kudos to J. Chris Richards for her rich characters and storytelling. Blue lives matter and she honors that beautifully. 

Freed to Forgive (Book Review)

Oct23

Reading Time: 2 minutesfreed to forgiveJulie B. Cosgrove has written two fabulous romantic suspense novels with a plot involving human sex-trafficking. Freed to Forgive is the culmination of those two previous stories. The first was Hush in the Storm followed by Legitimate Lies. Marisol’s story is woven in small nuggets into the two previous books but due to the demands of her readers, Marisol’s journey is finally in print.

Marisol is a young woman being abused by her father and brothers in a small village in Mexico. Anger burns within her so when the opportunity to go to America is presented she believes the lies she’s told and leaves. The journey there is harrowing and she finds herself using the skills she learned in her village to try to save another young slave who is still a virgin. Eventually, however, she finds herself pregnant. She gives up her child hoping it can live a better life. In the process she escapes her captors and strives to live a life free of her shameful past.

Ten years pass and she learns over and over that men are not to be trusted. When Jesse shows interest she struggles to accept that he could truly want to know her and not just use her for her body. She struggles to keep her past hidden but her bitterness and resentment over all that has happened bubbles up to torment her  and keep her stuck. Can God really help her forgive those who abused and trafficked her? And can she really move forward in freedom and the love of a godly man?

This story is an emotionally fraught one filled with some disturbing scenes. Julie does nothing to hide the horrors of all that Marisol and so many others in our own country endure at the hands of modern-day slave-traders. In spite of that she is not gratuitous or unnecessarily explicit in those descriptions but it is good for the reader to be aware. All the instances are necessary for the plot of the book.

The reality of human trafficking in America deserves fiction like this to help us understand the horrors. We all need to step up to stop this tragedy as well as help those either caught in it or recovering from it. Either through prayer, or awareness or engaging further in the fight. I’m glad Julie Cosgrove has had the guts to tell Marisol’s gritty tale. The reality is we are all at times trapped and wounded by the sins of others and the lessons Marisol learns are for us all. God forgives and there is freedom in Christ.