
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Debut of Shiloh Winter May

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wisdom Hunter, by Randall Arthur (Multnomah)
Some novels are character driven, others plot driven. Wisdom Hunter is unabashedly agenda driven.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
"Katia" to be Contracted by OakTara!
In case you missed the synopsis from my earlier post, here it is.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Centurion, by L.D. Alford (OakTara)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Rocky Mountain Oasis, by Lynnette Bonner (OakTara)
In Rocky Mountain Oasis, Lynnette spins a tale with a unique twist that keeps your attention from the front cover to the back. Brooke Baker is on her way west, a mail-order bride escaping an abusive past, but with little hope of a less abusive future. And her lack of hope would have been justified, but for Divine intervention through the initiative of one Skylar Jordan of Pierce City, Idaho.
Sky discovers the slovenly Jason Jordan has bought himself a bride. Pricked at the thought of any woman left at the hands of his sot of a cousin, Sky buys the rights to her during one of Jason’s drunken stupors. He meets his unseen, newly betrothed with the chivalrous intention of protecting her from local men less genteel than himself through the coming winter, then granting her the freedom to return east in the spring. But the moment the beautiful girl alights from the stagecoach, his world changes.
Brooke holds the ruggedly handsome Sky—and her own heart—at arm’s length, convinced that all men are like her cruel Uncle Jackson and brutal ex-fiancĂ©, Hank. Fighting her own emotions, and the draw of the kind and thoughtful Sky, she struggles to escape a past that refuses to let her go. The question is, can Sky’s patience and prayers heal the wounds on Brooke’s heart? It’s slow going, and, at times, becomes as agonizing for the reader, it seems, as it is for Sky. But the story is worth the agony.
Ms. Bonner captures the smell of the towering pines and the chill of the mountain air on every page of Rocky Mountain Oasis. She also brings home the power of righteous prayer in purging the dregs of human tragedy. The story is well conceived, and will linger with you long after you’ve read the last line and began researching when Lynnette’s next book is scheduled for release.
By the way, Rocky Mountain Oasis is based upon actual events, people and places. As an added treat, pull up Google Maps on your computer and type in “Pierce, ID” as a keyword. Select the satellite view, zoom out, and you’ll get a great visual of what Ms. Bonner does such a fine job of describing. You can feel the trip from Pierce City westward to Lewiston almost as Sky and Brooke did as they wound down mountain paths and forded rocky river beds. Neat story!
Stray Affections, by Charlene Ann Baumbich (WaterBrook)
The beautiful snowglobe sparks long-dormant memories for Cassie, of her beloved Grandpa Wonky, the stray she rescued as a child, and the painful roots of her combative relationship with her mother, “Bad Betty” Kamrowski. Life in Wanonishaw, Minnesota is never dull, though, and Cassie keeps the recollections at bay, busy balancing her boys, her home daycare operation, and being a good friend to best pal Margret. But after a strange—flurrious, as Cassie deems it—moment happens with the remarkable snowglobe, Cassie and the people she loves are swirled into a tumultuous, yet grace-filled, and life-changing journey.
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Thursday, August 27, 2009
Culpa, by Morgan D. Jones (OakTara)
I, just this minute, finished reading Culpa. I eyes haven't cleared yet, so please forgive any typos.
This was s-o good. I wasn't sure at the beginning how I would receive Mr. Jones's offering. It's a hefty 519 pages, but the climax is well worth the journey.
My first concern was that Mr. Jones penned his tome in the third-person omniscent voice. That means he tells the story as a narrator who has all the facts from the beginning to the end, and can share them with the reader at will regardless of how far the tale has progressed and what his characters know--although there is contemporaneous dialog and action, don't worry. That style has the potential pitfall of disassociating, or distancing, the reader with the characters themselves. Not so with Culpa.
Culpa follows the life of one Brock Stowolski, a former seminarian who has abandoned his calling for the trappings of the world. Enticed by the lure of the self-made man, Brock follows his dream; that is, his egocentric dream of self-fulfillment and wordly success apart from the God who called him. And he falls into most of the traps such a deception has to offer--but he thrives in those traps, deceived by the grit, determination and talent instilled in him by God, but used apart from God. You genuinely come to hate Brock. You really do. Until...
I won't reveal the 'until.' There is a family he destroys, a business he nurtures through guile and ruthlessness, and a soul he places in serious peril. But God has another plan, right at the point of the story where you believe there is no hope, no salvation for such a man as Brock. God, as He is wont to do, turns the tables and forces us to examine our own attitude toward the sinner.
Mr. Jones has done a great job in developing plot and character to the point to where you think you have them nailed, then only to discover there is hope and there are foibles in those whom we thought were capable of neither.
Bravo! Good book. Buy it!





