Kregel: Direct Hit by Mike Hollow

Song Stuck on the Brain: Angel Baby by Dean Martin   - my sister Angel calls this her song, she says Dino is singing it to her. :)

Direct Hit

by

Mike Hollow

MY TAKE:

I always enjoy a good mystery. A good historical, too, when done well. The second world war is a favored time period for me, so when Direct Hit became available, I was intrigued with the premise of solving a murder in the midst of WWII England after a bomb obliterates the evidence. How do you solve a murder with everything destroyed?

Detective Inspector Jago  does it. He's old school and brilliant. Despite being his own man, I could sense a touch of Sherlock mixed with a hint of Poirot flowing beneath the surface. Mike Hollow did a great job. Direct Hit has an authentic feel, with just the right amount of grittiness and charm.

Unfortunately, for me the story seemed to unfold a little slow for my taste. The opening scene is grabbing, but it takes about eight chapters before it makes any sense to the story. I'd nearly forgotten about it when the incident came up again. That was me, and I admit, I wasn't able to devote as much time to read this one in a straight shot as I normally do, so this could be completely my on perception. The story does pick up and the mystery is very intriguing.

I would consider Direct Hit a strong genre read. If you enjoy this era and style of novel, then this is most definitely for you. Looking to branch out and try something new? Give it a try and make sure to give yourself time to adjust to a style and pace that's unique to this genre.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

First in a crime series set in London during the Blitz in 1940-41

The jagged blast of high explosives rips through the evening air. In the sky over East London the searchlights criss-cross in search of the enemy.

On the first night of the Blitz, a corpse is discovered in a van in the back streets of West Ham. Detective Inspector John Jago recognizes the dead man as local Justice of the Peace Charles Villers. But then a German bomb obliterates all evidence.

Villers, not a popular man, was both powerful and feared. As the sirens wail, the detective must start matching motive to opportunity--and it doesn’t help when his boss foists an intrusive American journalist on him.

Jago soon discovers the dead man held many secrets, some reaching back to World War I. A lot of people wished Villers dead--and an air raid is a good time to conceal a murder. - See more HERE.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Hollow studied languages at Cambridge, then worked for the BBC, and then Tearfund. Now a freelance writer and editor, he lives in Basingstoke with his wife Margaret. A popular poet, his work has been widely performed and has appeared in many collections.

Kregel: Peril by Jordyn Redwood

Song Stuck on the Brain: F.U.N. from Sponge Bob. My nephew was here last night and we watched the video. He danced and I sang it for the next 24 hours. :)


Today I'm touring on behalf of Kregel:

Peril

Bloodline Trilogy #3

By

 

Jordyn Redwood

MY TAKE:

Jordyn Redwood brings the best of psychological, medical, murder mystery and suspense together in on explosive story that also weaves in faith and true love effortlessly. Her books have been brilliant.

Peril is the third book in the Bloodline Trilogy, and I have to say, I hope it's not the last. The opening scene was enough to have me holding my breath and getting chills. Imagine just what the rest of the book does. It's an electrifying roller coaster ride. ( probably the only rollercoaster I'll willingly ride. ) :)

Be sure to read more about the first two books in the series: Proof and Poison

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Dr. Thomas Reeves is at the pinnacle of his career. The Department of Defense has awarded him a lucrative contract for his new research into superior autobiographical memory, which promises the ability to create combat troops able to quickly learn complex battle plans and enact them perfectly under the most demanding battlefield scenarios.

An elite unit has received neural grafts from fetal cadavers of genetically altered brain cells with enhanced NMDA receptors. The results are remarkable . . . until the recipients begin suffering hallucinations, nightmares, paralysis, . . . and death. Dr. Reeves searches for answers, but DOD insiders want him to stop the search.
The situation becomes public when pediatric ICU nurse Morgan Adams, Dr. Reeves’s daughter, is taken hostage by three research subjects in an attempt to force Dr. Reeves into disclosing why they are sick. If answers aren’t revealed within twenty-four hours, patients in the pediatric ICU will be killed.

This spine-tingling conclusion to the Bloodline Trilogy raises spiritual and ethical dilemmas torn directly out of today’s headlines. When does life begin? How far does commitment to family go? And can the sins of the father ever be forgiven?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 Jordyn Redwood has served patients and their families for nearly 20 years and currently works as a pediatric ER nurse. As a self professed medical nerd and trauma junkie, she was drawn to the controlled chaotic environments of critical care and emergency nursing. Her love of teaching developed early and she was among the youngest CPR instructors for the American Red Cross at the age of seventeen. Since then, she has continued to teach advanced resuscitation classes to participants ranging from first responders to MD’s.

When she discovered she also had a fondness for answering medical questions for authors, this led to the creation of Redwood’s Medical Edge. This blog is devoted to helping contemporary and historical authors write medically accurate fiction.

Jordyn lives in Colorado with her husband, two daughters and one crazy hound dog. In her spare time she also enjoys reading her favorite authors, quilting and cross stitching.

Jordyn loves to hear from her readers and you can contact her at jredwood1@gmail.com.

Connect with Jordyn:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001524971656
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5448455.Jordyn_Redwood
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jordynredwood/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JordynRedwood

Kregel: The Reichenback Problem by Martin Allison Booth

Song Stuck on the Brain: House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

The Reichenbach Problem

by
 

Martin Allison Booth

 

 

 

 

MY TAKE:

I love Sherlock Holmes. His curmudgeonly brilliance and tactlessness is somehow endearing despite every bit of reason that says it shouldn't be. I've enjoyed Sherlock and Doc Watson in just about every form presented. SO I was sure I would love the fictional tale of Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant man who most likely was more like Sherlock than he ever cared to admit. I was rather excited to start this book.

Then I actually did start the book and found myself forcing myself to turn pages and propping my eyelids open. The begining is very slow and dry, in my opinion, and it takes way too long for the mystery to truly begin. It was too slow paced and dry for my tastes, I believe I'll stick with the original Sherlock himself.

I have to give the author credit for a feeling of authenticity, the language and feel of the setting felt very much like a Sherlockian/Conan Doyle book. And the character Conan Doyle himself was interesting. How could he not be? The man did a little bit of everything! The book did have it's moments of pleasure, just not enough for me personally to balance the scales.

I will say, to each his own. Everyone's tastes vary, so if it looks intriguing to you, please don't let my opinions stop you from trying it yourself. For your info, the book description, excerpt and trailer is below.
 

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:
 

Arthur Conan Doyle is on the run from his own fame. Taking a much needed holiday, Doyle flees to a picturesque village in Switzerland nestled beneath the imposing Reichenbach Falls. There he hopes to find anonymity, but even in this beautiful rural setting, peace eludes him when he finds himself immediately recognized by a fan who pressures him into looking into the death of a fellow visitor.

All too soon, Doyle’s somewhat unwilling gentle probing into the case begins to cause the finger of suspicion to turn towards him. But can the creator of the famous detective actually do the sleuthing himself? Although able to pen the character of Sherlock, he soon begins to learn he does not share his leading creation’s characteristics, but rather Watson’s. Can the “sidekick” see enough of the picture to solve the case for once?

Sherlock Holmes has fascinated readers ever since he first burst into fiction, over one hundred years ago. In this novel, the first in a trilogy, we meet his author and discover the difficult relationship between them.

 

Read an excerpt HERE.

 



Kregel: Death Be Not Proud by C.F.Dunn

Song Stuck on the Brain: Inspector Gadget theme song. (nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah Inspector Gadget....)


Today I'm touring on behalf of Kregel Publications:

 

Death Be Not Proud

The Secret of the Journal #2

 

by

 

C.F. Dunn

 

 

MY TAKE:

 

It's finally here! I've been waiting on pins and needles for Professor Emma D'Eresby to return with her journal. Just last September, I reviewed Mortal Fire, the first in the series. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?!? Hurry up, go read it.... Okay, now that you're ready for book two, here goes.

 

Emma is in London healing from her attack and struggling with knowing what is really going on with Matthew. She's recovering from what I would call PTSD like symptoms and just plain heartbreak. But the opportunity also arises for her to finally research the journal, and the answers she's been looking for with Matthew are surprisingly attached to what she finds inside. The story may seem old, but it's more present than expected. 

 

It's so tempting to give it all away! What I'd love to do, is sit down with a cup of coffee and examine all the Ins and outs of the plot with you, but I can't bear to give away any of the great little surprises. It's what makes it so much fun to read. I called this an intellectual's spin on Twilight the first time around with all respect for both author's. I still stand by that, but it is a very distant comparison. This time around the story does center more around Emma and her personal state and the decisions she needs to make, but it also brings so many of the answers we were searching for in Mortal Fire. Kudos to the author for not dragging that out too long. :)  And although the end does leave you with a hefty amount of "I want to know more-itis", it wraps up in a very satisfactory way.

 

Believe me, it's a can't-put-the-book-down-until-four-am kind of read. Can't wait for book three.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

 

Following the vicious attack by a psychotic colleague, and reeling from the suspicion that Matthew Lynes is not all that he seems, Professor Emma D'Eresby flees her college teaching position in Maine to her hometown in England--taking the mysterious seventeenth--century journal she stole from the college's archives with her.

Broken physically and emotionally, Emma drifts until, fearing for their daughter's sanity, her parents invite a family friend to assess her. In the course of their conversation, Emma discovers that he spoke to Matthew over thirty years before.

This finally spurs her into action and soon, when she finds what certainly must be a reference to Matthew in the journal, she begins to understand Matthew's profound secret.

But when Matthew arrives to confess his love for her, she must decide if she can trust him--and he must decide if he can share his extraordinary secret with her. Drawn by a deep connection that both feel but don't quite understand they find they must set aside their doubts and trust each other.

Readers will be thrilled by the second installment in The Secret of the Journal from British author C. F. Dunn. Mixing suspense, romance, and the supernatural, Death Be Not Proud explores the profound moral implications of a life seemingly invulnerable to time.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 

C. F. Dunn creates romantic thrillers with a historical twist, drawing on a degree in history and a career in literacy development. She is blessed with a historian husband, two creative daughters and a quirky Corgi called Stig and she divides her time between running her specialist school for dyslexia and autism in Kent, and writing in Cornwall. Visit the author at her site: http://www.cfdunn.co.uk/, and on Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.
 



Kregel: Poison by Jordyn Redwood

Today, on behalf of Kregel, I'm touring:

Poison

Bloodline Trilogy #2 

by

Jordyn Redwood

My Take:

I knew before cracking the spine that I was going to love Jordyn Redwood's latest. I've been anticipating Poison since I closed the cover on Proof, book 1 in the Bloodline Trilogy.

Jordyn has a great feel for tension and pace. The action doesn't flag your attention, it grabs you by the throat. Both past and present, their is evil personified and the journey to safety and justice is just breathtaking. I hate to give anything away, this is the kind of book where you want surprises. So please take my word for it and go pick this one up right away.

Read my review of book 1, Proof.
 

About the Book:

Five years ago, Keelyn Samuels's armed, mentally ill stepfather took her family hostage in their house in rural Colorado. She and her half-sister Raven made it out alive, but others did not. Authorities blamed the father's frequent hallucinations about a being named Lucent, but in the end, even the best of the FBI's hostage negotiators failed to overcome the man's delusions and end the standoff peacefully.

SWAT team member Lee Watson was there that day. He watched it all unfold and was able to pull Keelyn and Raven from the grip of their demon-possessed father. Though partially successful, his team had still failed, and the outcome of that day--and that tortured family--has continued to plague Lee ever since. Though unusual for SWAT to reconnect with survivors, Lee bumped into Keelyn two years after the crisis, and they both found some peace in their budding relationship. But peace is hard to maintain when the memory returns . . . in the flesh.

Lucent is back, and he's no hallucination. In fact, he is a very real person with dangerous motives. He has kidnapped Raven's daughter, and--Keelyn worries--maybe has hurt Raven as well. Though she is estranged from her sister, Keelyn feels the immediate need to find Raven and save what family she has left. But when others who were involved in that fateful day start dying, some by mysterious circumstances, Keelyn wonders if she and Lee can emerge unscathed a second time.

The highly anticipated second installment of the Bloodline Trilogy explores the boundaries of faith and family and what happens when both are put to the test.

About the Author: 

Jordyn Redwood has specialized in critical care and emergency nursing for seventeen years. A member of both the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the American Christian Fiction Writers association, Jordyn lives in Colorado.

Follow on Twitter @JordynRedwood

Kregel: The Sons of Jude by Brandt Dodson

The Sons of Jude

by

Brandt Dodson

MY TAKE:

Gritty, and a little hard boiled. The story has a feel of authenticity that you expect from an author that has walked in his characters shoes. I enjoyed it, it had a different feel and tone than the books I typically review, but it's nice to broaden my horizons. Although I read across a lot of genres, I usually only review Christian Fiction. Not to say this isn't Christian, The Sons of Jude has a strong moral  message, but the setting is honest and true to life. Be prepared for drinking, bars, strip clubs and a rougher crowd. It's handled tastefully. Nothing gratuitous or overly descriptive, nothing felt excessive or out of place for the story, but I know some would prefer to know this before reading. Overall, it put me in mind of authors like Shawn Grady, J. Mark Bertrand, maybe even a little Clive Cussler or James Patterson. If you enjoy these authors, give Brandt Dodson a try. You'll feel like you're walking the cold and windy beat of Chicago with him.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A new series of gritty, fast-paced thrillers

The body of a young woman is found in a dumpster in Chicago and detectives Andy Polanski and Frank Campello are charged with finding the killer. The two are polar opposites. Polanski is the son of a disgraced Chicago police officer and is fastidious about his reputation. He has also recently been transferred from another district having blown the whistle on some corrupt cops. Campello, however, takes a live-and-let-live approach to his life and job.

It soon becomes clear, as another young woman--a potential witness--is murdered, that a sex-trafficking operation in Chicago is preying on illegal aliens. As the ill-matched pair dig deeper, an influential alderman and his son are implicated. Then Polanski is framed for a narcotics offense, devastating the cases against the corrupt officers and the alderman. Only when Campello is challenged by a local minister, whom he meets when visiting Polanski, does he find the motivation to seek justice.

Read an excerpt her HERE



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandt was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, which he would later choose as the setting for his Colton Parker Mystery series. Although he discovered in grade school that he wanted to be a writer, it would be another twenty-one years before he would put pen to paper.

“I knew in fifth grade that I wanted to be a writer. Our teacher had given each of us a photograph which we were to use as inspiration for a short story. The particular photo I was given was of several young men playing handball in New York City. I don’t remember all of the particulars of the story now, but I do remember the thrill that writing it gave me.”

In high school, Brandt’s English teacher uncovered his growing desire and encouraged him by saying: “If you don’t write, you’ll regret it the rest of your life.”

Kregel's Mortal Fire by C.F. Dunn

Today I'm touring a book on behalf of Kregel Publishing:

Mortal Fire

 

by

 

C.F. Dunn

 

MY TAKE:

Author C.F. Dunn

I am so excited about this new series! Mortal Fire is kind of the intellectuals' turn at Twilight. I say that with all respect for Stephanie Meyers' series, I love Twilight. It's not that Twilight isn't intelligent, but the setting and characters for this series are older and more academic.

Emma is quiet, private and obsessed with a a very unusual part of history - torture, all kinds throughout history and how it's affects have touched humanity. Although a gruesome subject, Emma sees it differently and her unique research has led her to the states to teach and study a diary. Emma's sheltered academic walls of safety begin to crumble when the evil she studies intellectually becomes real on the campus.

Then there is the handsome doctor Matthew Lyons. She's drawn to him despite her efforts to avoid romantic entanglements. He's unexplainable and always there to protect her. In fact he begins to seem more than human.

I love the mix of academia, mystery, faith and dare I say, possibly a little of the supernatural? I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. I read half the night and couldn't wait to pick it up the next morning. C.F. Dunn has you speeding through the pages all the way to the ending that makes you say, "WHAT?!"

Don't worry, there's a second book coming and there is a preview in the back of the book, which may have just saved my sanity. Fantastic start for a very promising author.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

First book in a new series from an author to watch.

Twenty-nine-year-old, independent, and self-assured Cambridge history professor Emma D'Eresby has one obsession in life: the curious journal of a seventeenth-century Englishman, a portion of which was left to her by her late grandfather.

When an unexpected opportunity to study the journal in its entirety presents itself, Emma finds herself leaving Cambridge to take up a year-long position at a prestigious university in Maine. Anticipating a quiet year of research, Emma quickly discovers her work impeded by a range of unforeseen complications. From the start, there is the well-intentioned matchmaking of her vivacious Russian colleague, Elena Smalova, and the unexpected jailing of one of her post-graduate students. More troublesome, however, are the unsolved, brutal night attacks on women near the university and Emma's suspicion that they might be linked to the sinister English professor, Kort Staahl. But, most diverting and disconcerting of all, is Emma's growing attraction to the strikingly handsome Dr. Matthew Lyons, whose kind but deliberately distant demeanor puzzles her.

Suspense and dread mount when Kort begins to take a persistent and unsettling interest in Emma. What are Kort's intentions, and what is he capable of? And the mystery surrounding Matthew only deepens when Emma discovers a link between him and the journal. What is Matthew trying to hide?

Check out C.F. Dunn on Facebook at Mortal Fire Secret of the Journal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

C. F. Dunn creates romantic thrillers with a historical twist, drawing on a degree in history and a career in literacy development. She is blessed with a historian husband, two creative daughters and a quirky Corgi called Stig and she divides her time between running her specialist school in Kent, and writing in Cornwall. Her books can be found at www.kregel.com and http://www.cfdunn.co.uk/.


I recieved this book free from Kregel ( lucky ME!) in return for my honest opinion.

A Darkly Hidden Truth by Donna Fletcher Crow

Song Stuck on the Brain: Sigh No More from the Much Ado About Nothing Soundtrack

Today I'm touring a book for Kregel Publications

A Darkly Hidden Truth

by

Donna Fletcher Crow

MY TAKE:

I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing A Very Private Grave in 2010, the first book in the series, and was excited to have the opportunity to review it's sequel. After tearing through it, I assure you it's as exciting as the first. A Darkly Hidden Truth has as many twisty turns and secrets as the many ruins and historical sights would suggest. I also enjoyed seeing inside a world that's foreign to my everyday life, both in religious practice and culture. Curl up with your favorite cuppa tea and prepare to be whisked across the Pond to a whole new world.

WHAT THE AUTHOR HAS TO SAY:

Welcome, Donna, to ProjectingA. Thank you for being here and answering my questions.
1. Here at ProjectingA.blogspot.com, music is like air, it's necessary for life. Do you have a favorite song or style of music? How does it fit into your writing life, does it inspire you?

Donna: Fortunately, April, I love English choral music, especially church music, and the earlier the better— Gregorian chant, for example. I say fortunately, because that’s what Felicity hears a lot of in her life as a student at The College of the Transfiguration. Even Felicity, who had little church background when she came to life in this “parallel universe,” quickly learns to love the ethereal melodies, the echoes rising to the vast vaulted ceilings and the sense of peace she never found in the outside world.

2. A Very Private Grave introduced Felicity and Father Antony to your fans and gave us a unique glimpse inside the monastic life. What led you to write about a modern woman wanting to become a nun?

Donna: Well, the old saw of “write what you know” holds true here. I had wanted to tell the stories of ancient English saints for many years, but I never found the right avenue until our daughter, who studied classics at Oxford found she didn’t like teaching school in London and went off to study in a theological college run by monks in a monastery in Yorkshire. Sound familiar? Other than that background, Felicity isn’t at all like our Elizabeth, but visiting her gave me an opportunity to get to know and appreciate this very unique expression of Christianity— an experience I wanted to share with my readers.

3. Your stories are so well researched, The Monastery Murders are so detailed, many times it felt as if I had stepped back in time with the characters. What do you love most about research? What was the most exciting part of A Darkly Hidden Truth to research?

Donna: Thank you, April! That’s exactly what I hope to achieve— giving my readers a sense that they are there. The on-site research is always the most fun. In 2008 I was able to visit all the settings for A Darkly Hidden Truth: The headquarters of the Knights of St. John in London, the cell of Mother Julian in Norwich, and those soggy, boggy Norfolk Broads where a body could just sink into the ooze. I invite your readers to take a look at my research album and pick a favorite spot for yourself: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/book2.php since I could never decide which was the best.

4. You've revived the English mystery genre and made it fresh and exciting for everyone, combining all the historical charm with modern day suspense and conflicts. Is there an author or book from your past that made a genre new and exciting for you?

Donna: The many excellent writers working in the clerical mystery subgenre really opened my eyes to the possibility of combining church life and mysteries. Kate Charles, Julia Spencer-Fleming and Phil Rickman are some of my favorites, but I think the very best clerical mystery is P. D. James: Death In Holy Orders and I was privileged to meet Baroness James when she spoke about writing that book at the Community of the Resurrection which serves as the model for my Community of the Transfiguration.

5. What are your future plans for Felicity and Father Antony? Are there more adventures to come?

Donna: Absolutely! Thank you for asking, April. I’ve just completed the rough draft of Book 3 An Unholy Communion. Felicity joins Antony in leading an ecumenical youth pilgrimage across Wales. Felicity was reluctant, but Antony promised her a time of peace and quiet in a beautiful landscape. If I tell you that the theme is the reality of evil you’ll get some idea that it didn’t exactly work out that way.

Life never works out the way we want, but it never fails to amaze me that no matter the evil in the world, Jesus and the beauty that He created is always there. Many times I stop and think, this may not be what I planned, but praise God I'm here! His plan was so much better!

Thanks again for sharing, and especially your travel album link. What beautiful pictures, Donna. They also prove just how well you describe these scenes. I felt like I recognized several of them. :)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Felicity can't possibly help Father Antony find the valuable missing icon. She's off to become a nun. And then her impossible mother turns up unexpectedly. And a good friend turns up murdered...

Breathtaking chase scenes, mystical worship services, dashes through remote water-logged landscapes, the wisdom of ancient holy women, and the arcane rites of The Knights Hospitaller keep the pages turning. Will Felicity choose the veil - or Antony?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 36 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning Glastonbury, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work. A Very Private Grave, Book 1 in the Monastery Murders series, was her reentry into publishing after a 10-year hiatus. Book 2, A Darkly Hidden Truth, is now available, and she is at work on Book 3, An Unholy Communion, scheduled for 2012.

I received a free copy of the featured book from the publisher. I receive no compensation for my review.

Kregel: The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale

Kregel Publicatons offered me the opportunity to review a newly released picture book for children. Since I happen to collect children's picture books, I thought this was a perfect partnership.

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale, isn't a new story. Neither to me, or to literature in general. I have read other versions, and yet this one resonated with me the most. The story is beautiful, illustrating how the dreams and desires we have can be fulfilled in the most surprising and beautiful ways. It's a story of Hope and Redemption as it shares the message of Jesus's birth, life and Resurrection from the viewpoint of three trees.

Part of what makes this telling so well done is the simplicity. It's easily read by younger readers and for those not at that reading level yet, it's easy to comprehend as it's read to them. The artwork is beautiful, with muted, lovely colors in a traditional folk art style. At first, seeing the characters dressed in more modern clothing felt a little surprising since it's telling a Biblical era story, but the style suits the tale. It also gives the viewer an opportunity to connect a little more with the story, by allowing us to see ourselves in the pictures. Children should find this style of art easy to identify with, yet intricate enough for them to spend many hours looking at all the details hidden in the pages.





If you would to read an excerpt from the book, click HERE.




DESCRIPTION:

Three forest trees dream of what they will one day become. One dreams of becoming a royal throne; one of being a ship that can withstand any storm; and one longs to stay in the forest and grow as tall as tall can be. When they are felled, it seems their dreams are over. But as each tree is crafted into a new item--a manger, a fishing boat, and a rugged cross—it becomes clear that through the role they play in one important life their hopes are more than fulfilled.
This traditional folktale is accompanied by stylish artwork from a highly sought-after children's book illustrator, and will help set the Christmas and Easter stories into the overall context of the Christian faith.

The Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale. Elena Pasquali, Sophie Windham

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elena Pasquali studied romance languages at university and has a special interest in researching folk tales. She worked for some years in children's publishing before going on to be an author in her own right.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Sophie Windham has illustrated books for Bloomsbury and Orchard and was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal for Unicorns! Unicorns! by Geraldine McCaughrean.


I received this book for free from Kregel Publications for this review

Glastonbury Tor by LeAnne Hardy

Song Stuck on the Brain: My December by Josh Groban

(Yes, he did sing it. At his live concert. You can find the video on Youtube.com)

Glastonbury Tor
A Novel

by

LeAnne Hardy

MY TAKE:

A fantastic read. Authentic on every level and hard to put down. Glastonbury comes to life, alive and full of memory, it through the mists of time like only Scottland seems to do. Colin quickly becomes someone you want to see succeed in his journey. The circumstances that set him on his path may be far different from yours or mine, but the struggles in his heart and his desire to find peace is universal. I connected with him and loved every moment.


ABOUT THE BOOK:

His mother wanted him to be a monk…
His father wanted him to be a man…
A priest tempts him to pursue power…
But Colin must find his own way.

After his mother’s tragic death, seventeen-year-old Colin Hay is so consumed with anger that he tries to kill his cruel father. Running from these tormenting desires and his home, he seeks the protection and cleansing of the Glastonbury monastery, at a time when King Henry VIII is closing monasteries all over England.

But Colin’s past has followed him to Glastonbury. As he now pursues forgiveness and salvation, Colin is conflicted by the doctrines he learns at the monastery and the grace he receives from a local family with a forbidden English Bible. And then there is a quick-tempered priest whose lust for power threatens to compromise Glastonbury Abbey, and to destroy the astonishing treasure it holds—the Holy Grail.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LeAnne Hardy has traveled the world responding to God's call to be a missionary, a call that has taken her to Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe. The diverse settings and plots in her books have been inspired by her real-life encounters there. Many of the stories and scenes from her books come from her family's experiences on the mission field or are based on true stories of others.

I received this book free from Kregel Publishing for review.