Ronie Kendig

Dear Readers,

One of the genres that I thought the Christian fiction market has long been lacking is a good spy novelist.  There have been many good attempts, but the books themselves seem to always bog down in the characters' problems with being a spy and a Christian at the same time.  This is not what the fans of Robert Ludlem and Tom Clancy are looking for.  We are looking for a fast-paced, keep us interested type book. 

Imagine my surprise in finding this type of book from one of the newest publishing houses to enter the fiction market.  Abingdon press entered the Christian fiction pool in just the last year or so and they are making quite a ripple.  In fact I have been telling readers that if the book is from Abingdon it is probably a good read. 

Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig was one of the first fiction books published by Abingdon and I am not exactly sure why I never got it read before this.  It could be as simple as the cover was trying too hard to be intriguing or maybe because I didn't get a free copy, who really knows, but whatever it was, I am glad I got a chance read it.

Shiloh Blake is doing exactly what she wants to do.  She is on an archaeological dive just off the coast of India.  Her best friend Kahlid is one of the dive team and Shiloh has made a couple very interesting discoveries.  One of them being a canister that doesn't really make sense to her.  That is until the bodies start falling in the water when their ship is attacked. 

Whether Shiloh wants to be or not, she is thrust into the middle of an international nuclear clash.  She knows that she is in danger and she needs to run for her life, but who can she trust?  Those that seem to want the best for her may actually be the ones putting her in the most danger.

This is a fast paced book.  All (nearly) 500 pages kept my interest.  I am going to say there was a couple different times that something did make me roll my eyes, but over all it was a very good read.  Even though Ronie is a woman author I feel like men will enjoy this very good spy novel. 

Happy Reading

New Releases July 4 - 9

Dear Readers,

For being a holiday shortened week it has been a long week.  The sad part of it is I am actually writing this on Tuesday.  :-)  Which makes me laugh, but the 3 day weekend was so busy and filled with fun stuff I believe I came back to work to rest.  LOL 

It might have been busy but it was a good busy and I still got a couple books read or at least mostly read.  There will be reviews of each coming soon.  One is on the shelves already and the other releaseses in Sept.  I know a couple of the books that released this week are on my to read list.  How about yours?

Happy Reading

Forever After - Deborah Raney - #2 of the Hanover Falls novels.
Ransome's Quest - Kaye Dacus - #3 The Ransome Trilogy
The Mountian Between Us - Charles Martin - Paperback
Unbridled Hope - Loree Lough - #3in Lonestar Legends series
The One Who waits for Me - Lori Copeland
The First Gardener - Denise Hildreth Jones
Love Finds a Home - Wanda Brunstetter - 3 in 1
The 12th Imam - Joel Rosenberg - paperback
Dancing on Glass - Pamela Binnings Ewen
A River to Cross - Yvonne Harris
Out of Control - Mary Connealy -  - #1  the Kincaid Brides
Wings of Promise - Bonnie Leon - #2 Alaskan Skies
The Colonel's Lady  - Laura Frantz
Blue Skies Tomorrow - Sarah Sundin
A Most Unsuitable Match - Stephanie Grace Whitson

Vickie McDonough

Dear Readers,

Luke's welcome home to Lookout, Texas is not what he expects.  He hoped to ride in quietly and settle into the Marshall postion with little fuss.  He instead is greeted by 3 hooligans who throw rocks at him and his horse.  When he catches up with one, it turns out the "boy" is really the daughter of the one person he wanted to avoid most.

So starts Anonymous Bride by Vickie McDonough.  It is the first book in the Texas Boardinghouse Brides series.   It is a one of those books and series that will make a wonderful summer reads.  It is a light fun romance that is always perfect for reading on vacation or sitting by the pool somewhere. 

It didn't take me long to read it, but I did enjoy it.  It has cowboys, the rugged west and lots of funny little things that go wrong, what else could you need.

Book #2 is Second Chance Bride and #3 is Finally the Bride.

Happy Reading

New Releases June 27 - July 2

Dear Readers,

Happy Independence Day at least here in America.  Can you believe our country is already 235 years old.  It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating our bicentennial.  Actually I do remember the bicentennial as I was in elementary school at the time and there were parades and activities in our little town all year long.

This year my big activity is to get my daughter and her girls out of town so my husband and a friend can surprise them with steps off their deck.  My daughter is my editor (not this post or it would give it all away) and this is just a way for us to say thank you.  I can hardly wait to see her reaction.  The fun thing about getting her and the girls out of town is I am taking them to the beach and that means I will get lots of reading done.  I love those days, spending time with the grandkids and reading.  Life is good.

Happy Reading

Thunder of Heaven - Tim LaHaye/Craig Parshall - #2 in Joshua Jordan series
Dandelion Summer - Lisa Wingate - #4 in Blue Sky Hill series
Water's Edge - Robert Whitlow
Wolfsbane - Ronie Kendig - #3 in the Discarded Heroes series

Taking Chance

Dear Readers,

I am not sure you will ever see a review like this on this site again. Of course I can't say for sure because one never knows, but right now there isn't another like it. At least on this blog.

Taking Chance is actually a DVD not a book.  I know, shocking, I actually do other things besides read.  :-D  It isn't one I expected to like, but it is one I recommend all the time here at the store and one day I thought I should write a review of it. 

Our brave young men and woman have for hundreds of years have been willing to sacrifice themselves for our freedom.  In recent years this has become something that is constantly on the news.  Whether because a local person was killed or because there are people out there that believe they can capitalize from someone else's sadness, the news has made sure we always know what is going on.  I hate to admit it, maybe am even ashamed to admit it, but in some ways it makes me not appreciate it as much as I should.  This movie changed that.

Chance is a young PFC (private first class) fighting in Iraq when he is killed in a fire fight.  Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl, played by Kevin Bacon, hears about it and volunteers to escort Chance home.  This is the story of that trip home.  It is the story of how Chance's story affects Michael, but also how the different people he meets along the way show respect and gratitude towards a fallen hero. 

This movie is a wonderful look at the heart of America and the people who live there.  It is a moving story of one man's rediscovery of why he loves his country. 

There are no big secrets in this movie so I am not worried about giving anything away by talking about this scene.  There is a scene filmed at one of the airports on the way home.  Chance's body is being off loaded from the plane.  Michael is standing by getting ready to salute and the men and women working in that area of the airport realize what is going on and stop what they are doing to stand quietly by the airplane while the body is being moved.  They don't say anything they just stand there very respectfully watching.  It was an very very amazing scene.  There are several others like it in the film, but I don't want to mention them all as I want you to be able get the full impact of the movie. 

I will admit I didn't think that a movie could move me everytime I watch it, and I have seen this one here at the store several times now, and every time I almost come to tears at certain parts.  In fact there is one scene I still refuse to watch because I would be sitting in the middle of the store crying and I don't really want to do that. 

Yes I did time this review to release on 4th of July weekend.  It would be the perfect time to watch this movie, of course anytime would be a great time to watch this movie.  If you are not proud of your country once you get done watching it, then maybe you should watch it again. 

Happy (watching)

Robin Parrish

Dear Readers,

Today I took advantage of fellow employee Louis McBride's review of a new fiction title.  Louis is our academic buyer and usually I find him with his nose in a book that has little on nothing ot do with fiction.  There are certian types of fiction books he does like and I try to encourage him to write reviews for them.  He doesn't like to review fiction books, but I think he did a great job and it does really help me as I just can't seem to get them all read. :-)  

I did include a link to his website at the end of the review,  that way you can check out Louis' other reviews. 

Happy Reading

 “Vigilante” by Robin Parrish – A Review

28 Jun

I started reading Robin Parrish’s book, Vigilante, to kill some time one day and before you knew it I was hooked. I’ve read some of Parrish’s books in the past and enjoyed them. In particular, I enjoyed his Dominion Trilogy (Relentless, Fearless, and Merciless), now regrettably out of print.

Vigilante is very much a guy’s book. The hero of the book, who the media has dubbed “The Hand,” is like a modern day Batman and Rambo all rolled into one with his custom-made body armor and a conglomerate of great gadgets that every super hero should have. As he nears his debut as a crime fighter he’s plastered the country with bill boards announcing a “I will show you a better way.” He realizes his fight must be fought on two fronts: directly confronting criminal activity and secondly, by inspiring people with hope that there is a better way. “The Hand” will be that symbol of hope. Along the way “The Hand” finds himself not only battling a major crime lord (ironically created and empowered largely due to “The Hand’s” crime fighting efforts) but also the President of the United States who is unsure of our hero’s motives and his questionable methods.

Vigilante is full of intense fight scenes and a couple of graphic images of executions. “The Hand” struggles throughout the book with the issues that are raised by someone who’s attempting to do the impossible: change the world. As a previous POW he carries buried deep within him the pain of that experience and he only allows people in to his world when necessary. While the character development is thin you get to know them well enough that by the end of the book you can genuinely feel for them.

To be perfectly honest the way Parrish has ended his books has sometimes left me less than satisfied. The same cannot be said of Vigilante. I was very happy with the ending. There were a number of twists which kept me guessing and while I wouldn’t describe the ending as a happy one I would say it is raw and real. Reality forces idealism to face its limitations.

http://bbhchurchconnection.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/vigilante-by-robin-parrish-a-review/

New Releases June 20 - 25

Dear Readers,

I am almost done with the books that have been picked for me instead of my deciding which book I am going to read next.  It is a funny feeling, having someone else pick your books for you.  I am not sure I like it.  What was available to read next wasn't always what I was in the mood for.  I even found there were a couple books on the list were authors I hadn't enjoyed in the past.  That made it very difficult not to go into the book with a preconceived  notion.

So now that I can choose for myself again I don't even know where to start.  I have a huge pile of books waiting to be read and so many good titles.  I am still not sure where to start, but I will have to decide soon.   I hope to be finished with the last book by Wednesday or Thursday of this week.   I maybe reading one of these titles listed first. 

Happy Reading
Chris

Learning - Karen Kingbury - #2 in the Bailey Flanigan series
The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck - Kathleen Y'Barbo
Canary List - Sigmund Brower
The Muir House - Mary DeMuth
Jefferson Burke and the Secret of the Lost Scroll - Ace Collins
Hostage in Havana - Noel Hynd