TRAVELERS REST (ANN TATLOCK)

Story Description: 

Baker Publishing Group|May 1, 2012|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-7642-0810-2 

New Contemporary Novel from an Award-Winning Author Ann Tatlock 

 Jane Morrow has a dilemma.  She’s engaged to Seth Ballantine, a member of the National Guard’s 30^th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and he’s returned from Iraq severely wounded.  Jane hasn’t seen him for nearly a year and with trepidation she heads to the VA hospital in Asheville, North Caroline where he is being treated.  Seth isn’t happy to see her.  He’d asked her not to come.  He wants to end the relationship.  But Jane loves him, and despite his injury, she’s determined to convince him that they can have a life together.  Her faith has never been strong, yet she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what to do.  Beautifully written, Travelers Rest takes readers on a journey through pain and tragedy to a place of hope and redemption. 

My Review: 

This was simply the most beautifully written, heart-warming, yet heart-breaking story I’ve read in a long while.  Seth and Jane were engaged to be married until Seth returned from the war in Iraq as a quadriplegic with an attitude that his life is totally over.  Having been a carpenter Seth can no longer use his arms or hands and wishes he had died.  He told Jane not to come and see him, to move on and forget about him but of course, Jane wasn’t about to allow that to happen. 

Jane went to see Seth and he wasn’t happy to see her.  As hard as he made that first visit for her, the more determined she was to stay and help him through the pain of what he has lost.  Seth, on the other hand, doesn’t want help and asks Jane to help him die but she won’t have any part in that either.  Jane is still in love with Seth and wants to marry him but Seth won’t allow it and tells her he can’t deal with the engagement while dealing with everything else and tells her to remove her engagement ring. 

In the meantime, Jane meets Truman, a retired 70ish year-old doctor who lives at the VA hospital and helps out with the patients and keeps an eye on things.  He and Jane strike up a friendship that will grow into something absolutely beautiful. 

Jane doesn’t know what to do.  Should she leave Seth and move on like he wants her to, forgetting all about him?  Should she stay and insist they continue forward with their wedding and become a nurse to him instead of a wife?  She needs someone to tell her what to do and wants to ask God but she’s never gone to church and doesn’t know how to pray.  However, through her talks with Truman, Jane finds exactly the answers she was looking for and ends up with much more than she bargained for making for a very happy ending. 

At 342 pages I read this in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down.  Ann Tatlock has a special way of telling a story, she’s a genius and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. 

**Special thanks to Bethany House for the preview copy!**

ALL WOMAN AND SPRINGTIME (BRANDON W. JONES)

Story Description: 

Algonquin Books|April 25, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-1-61620-077-0 

Before she met Il-sun in an orphanage, Gi was a hollow husk of a girl, broken from growing up in one of North Korea’s forced labour camps.  A mathematical genius, she has learned to cope with pain by retreating into a realm of numbers and calculations, an escape from both the past and present.  Gi becomes enamored of the brash and radiant II-sun, a friend she describes as all woman and springtime.  But II-sun’s pursuit of a better life imperils both girls when her suitor spirits them across the Demilitarized Zone and sells them as sex workers, first in South Korea and then in the United States.  This spellbinding debut, reminiscent of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, depicts with chilling accuracy life behind North Korea’s iron curtain.  But for Gi and II-sun, forced into the underworld of human trafficking, their captivity outside North Korea is far crueler than the tight control of their Dear Leader.  Tender-hearted Gi, just on the verge of womanhood, is consigned to a fate that threatens not only her body but her mind.  How she and II-sun endure, how they find a path to healing, is what drives this absorbing and exquisite novel from an exciting young Algonquin discovery to its perfectly imagined conclusion. 

My Review: 

This was a fascinating, fast-paced story without a minute to put the book down!  Being caught up in the lives of Jasmine, Gi, II-sun and Cho was undeniably real.  I felt like I was being tugged along with these four women as they struggled through their daily lives, trying to make sense of who and what they are.  Being sold into prostitution was a huge blow to their ego’s and their inexperience was shamelessly embarrassing to watch.  My heart bled for these young women as they were forced into things they never even dreamed about.  Stripped bare of their innocence and purity was hard to swallow. 

Brandon W. Jones hit the mark with this one, showcasing the realities of human trafficking and what that type of life does to a person.  The ending was so sad and one I never saw coming and cried over.  All that angelic innocence lost forever.  I would highly recommend this book to everyone, don’t miss it!!

BECOMING SISTER WIVES (KODY, MERI, JANELLE, CHRISTINE, AND ROBYN BROWN)

Story Description:

Gallery Books|May 1, 2012|Hardcover|ISBN: 987-1-4516-6121-7 

The Brown family, open polygamists, are the stars of the popular reality program Sister Wives, a hit for TLC not only because of the unusual subject matter, but also because of the honesty and frankness of the entire Brown family.  Now in their own words they reveal even more to help viewers better understand the lifestyle, the family dynamics, the experience of living “on camera”, and the love shared in their unusual family, in a candid memoir that openly discusses the details of how their special relationship works. 

The Browns offer honest answers to the questions viewers who tune in every week can’t help but have.  How do all the wives feel special while sharing one husband?  How does a woman decide to become a sister wife, especially if she’s not born into the lifestyle?  How do the four relationships differ from each other?  How do child-rearing conflicts get resolved.  How does the sole husband navigate the emotions of the women and handle jealousy among his four wives?  With the trademark candor that has drawn millions of viewers to their show, the Browns tell readers everything they’ve ever wanted to know about life in a plural marriage. 

My Review: 

Hmmm….don’t know quite what to say about this book.  It was well-written and read fast but I found it to be blatantly honest and open with no-holds barred.  The honesty and clarity which each member of the family spoke was truly eye-opening.  I felt in reading the book that the family doesn’t appear to be quite as happy as they appear to be on television and was somewhat surprised at a lot of things they wrote about in the book. 

I don’t agree with their lifestyle but to each his own and I guess it’s these oddities that make our world go round.  Just for interest sake, you might find this book revealing.

THE HEADMASTER'S WAGER (VINCENT LAM)

Story Description: 

Percival Chen is the Headmaster of the most respected English school in Saigon.  He is also a bon vivant, a compulsive gambler, and an incorrigible womanizer.  He is well accustomed to bribing a forever-changing list of government officials in order to maintain the elite status of the Percival Chen English Academy.  Fiercely proud of his Chinese heritage, he is quick to spot the business opportunities rife in a divided country.  He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him choosing instead to read the faces of his opponents at high-stakes mah-jong tables. 

But when his son, Dai Jai, get into trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival must face the limits of his connections and wealth, and is forced to send him away.  In the loneliness that follows, Percival finds solace in Jacqueline, a beautiful woman of mixed French and Vietnamese heritage, and Laing Jai, a son born to them on the verge of the Tet Offensive.  Percival’s newfound happiness is precarious, and as the complexities of war encroach further and further into this world he must confront the tragedy of all he has refused to see.  

Blessed with intriguingly flawed characters moving through a richly drawn historical and physical landscape, The Headmaster’s Wager is a riveting story of love, betrayal, and sacrifice. 

My Review: 

Vincent Lam’s novel The Headmaster’s Wager seemed to be a bit slow and I had a hard time keeping my mind from wondering off and thinking of other things, then would have to come back and re-read the paragraph.  However, the story did seem to pick-up somewhat after he meets Jacqueline and has a son with her and a surprise I never expected. 

All in all, I could easily have given this book a pass.

THE NIGHT THE ANGELS CAME (CATHY GLASS)

Story Description: 

HarperCollins(UK)|November 14, 2011|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-00-744262-1 

Eight-year-old Michael is part of a family of two, but with his beloved father given only months to live and his mother having died when he was a toddler, he could soon become an orphan.  Will Cathy’s own young family be able to handle a child in mourning?  To Cathy’s surprise, her children insist that this boy deserves to be as happy as they are, prompting Cathy to welcome Michael into her home. 

A cheerful and carefree new member of the family, Michael devotedly prays every night, believing that when the time is right, angels will come and take his Daddy to be with his Mommy in heaven.  However, incredibly, in the weeks that pass, the bond between Cathy’s family, Michael and his kind and loving father, Patrick, grows.  Even more promising, Patrick is looking healthier than he’s done in weeks. 

But just as they are settling into a routine of blissful normality, an unexpected and disastrous event shatters the happy group, shaking Cathy to the core.  Cathy can only hope that her family and Michael’s admirable faith will keep him strong enough to rebuild his life.   

My Review: 

A well-written and beautiful story of one young boy’s struggle with the impending death of his father.  Eight-year-old, Michael, had already lost his mother when he was just a toddler so and he and his beloved Dad, Patrick, have been a two family home since that time and they have a bond like no other. 

When Patrick ends up in hospital dying from cancer, Cathy takes in Michael and worries that her own children may be affected by the gloomy circumstances but much to everyone’s surprise her own children take to Michael like a brother. 

However, when Patrick dies, things change quickly and it wasn’t what I was expecting.  Excellent novel that everyone should read!



AMONG THE GODS (CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS BOOK #5) (LYNN AUSTIN)

Story Description: 

Fleeing King Manasseh’s tyranny, Joshua leads the faithful remnant to their new home in Egypt.  But as years pass, Joshua’s desire for vengeance becomes an obsession.  Blinded by hatred, he makes rash decisions, placing his loved ones in jeopardy.  

Amid Joshua’s turmoil comes an unexpected awakening of love – a love that burns so intensely it draws him from the dark inner seclusion where he often retreats.  But what will it take for him to grasp the great love his heavenly Father has for him…and for the chosen people of Judah? 

My Review: 

King Manasseh is an idol worshipper and ignores Yahweh’s commands much to his detriment in the end.  Joshua who was best friends with the king when they were children harbours an immense amount of hatred toward him and therefore suffers in all things in his own life.  Can and will these two ever get back to worshipping the God they’re supposed to worship and be able to live out their days relatively happy? 

This is the last book in the series and it was an excellent series which I would highly recommend to everyone!!



FAITH OF MY FATHERS (CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS BOOK #4) (LYNN AUSTIN)

Story Description:

ISBN: 978-0-7642-2992-3 

Constant companions in their youth, Manasseh, son of King Hezekiah, and Joshua, son of the palace administrator, have been primed for leadership of Judah.  But anger toward God begins to smolder in Manasseh’s heart upon his father’s unexpected death.  As Manasseh comes to power, his insecurity leads him down the path of sorcery.  Fearing a conspiracy, he lashes out at the leaders of his father’s regime. 

As the mayhem of Manasseh’s reign begins to unfold, Joshua and his family suffer devastating loss.  The battle lines are drawn as Joshua seeks revenge against his boyhood friend.  And with the future of god’s faithful remnant at stake, Joshua struggles with whether to run from Yahweh…or to Him. 

My Review: 

Another wonderfully written novel by the very talented Lynn Austin.  The Chronicles of the Kings series has been a magnificent read.  I’m about to begin Book #5 which is the last in the series titled: Among the Gods.