The Visitation

Summary:  The sleepy, eastern Washington wheat town of Antioch has become a gateway for the supernatural—from sightings of angels and a weeping crucifix to a self-proclaimed prophet with an astounding message.
The national media and the curious all flock to the little town—a great boom for local business but not for Travis Jordan. The burned-out former pastor has been trying to hide his past in Antioch. Now the whole world is headed to his backyard to find the Messiah, and in the process, every spiritual assumption he has ever held will be challenged. The startling secret behind this visitation ultimately pushes one man into a supernatural confrontation that has eternal consequences.

Cons:  The only thing I didn't like about this book was that I didn't agree with all the religous views held by the main character in the book.  That annoyed me to a certain degree.

Pros:  I really enjoyed this book.  It was a page turner and even managed to creep me out just a bit (and, in my opinion, that is a hard thing to do when it comes to books).  I liked how the main character was not a perfect person but was struggling like everyone else.  However, he was a character that I easily came to like.

Overall, I would give this book five stars.

Recommended for ages 17 and up.

O Jerusalem

Summary: This remarkable classic recounts, moment by moment, the spellbinding process that gave birth to the state of Israel. The authors weave a brilliant tapestry of shattered hopes, fierce pride, and breathtaking valor as the Arabs, Jews, and British collide in their fight for control of Jerusalem (amazon.com).

Cons: Obviously, with a book like this, you can't be sure everything you read is totally accurate. Also, there are some graphic details in this book due to the fact that there were some terrible things that occurred during the birth of Israel. There are also a few curse words. However, they were very few and far between.

Pros: I really enjoyed this book. The authors did a great job of making this an interesting book to read, not just another history lesson. I also liked how the book went from the Jew's point of view to the Arab's point of view. It didn't show just one and not the other. I felt like that gave it a more rounded view of things.

I would give this book four stars.

Recommended for Ages 17 and up.

When A Secret Kills

Summary:
Investigative reporter Jillian Carter knows it's time to put the past to rest. She's tired of looking over her shoulder, letting a killer go free. She's no longer the scared kid who changed her name and disappeared. Now, no matter what the cost, Jillian must do what she is trained to do--ferret out the truth and expose it. Senator Frank Hoffman committed murder ten years ago--and Jillian watched it happen.

Didn't she?

Pros:  This has to be one of the most suspenseful books that I have ever read.  There was constant action, which I love, as well as some surprising twists and turns which kept me jumping. The author also did a great job of conveying the character's emotions.  I could feel the anger, sadness, and fear that dominated much of the book.  I have read very few books that can do that so well.  I also enjoyed Jullian's selfless love for her daughter.  I mean, she loved her.  She wasn't just tolerant of an annyoing little kid, she loved her, even though it made her life harder to raise her and keep her safe.   

Cons:  I have to admit that this book made me mad.  It was so well written and so enjoyable to read . . . except for one thing:  you find out in the first few chapters that Jillian has a daughter.  Basically, if you want to put it this way, she and her boyfriend made a mistake ten years ago.  Yeah.  Kinda ruins the whole story.  However, I will give the author credit that the boyfriend, Colton, realizes what he did was wrong (which was good!) and asks for her forgiveness.  At the same time, unfortunately, I felt as if Jillian didn't feel much remorse due to the fact that she loves her daughter so much (of course, it is good that she loves her daughter, but I still feel as if she should have acknowledge that what she did was wrong).  I also felt like Jillian and Colton moved very rapidly through their relationship.  But I am willing to let that slide considering Colton was on the verge of proposing to her before she disappeared.

My overall opinion of this book is that it was very enjoyable to read, however, the author did disappoint me with some of the things she chose to put in the story line.

I would give this book 4 stars. 

Recommended for ages 17 and up.

The Centurion's Wife (Acts of Faith Book 1)

Summary: 
This is the story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma. Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of firstcentury Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions. Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine's governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah's mistress, the governor's wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death and missing bodyis causing such furor (from amazon.com).


Cons: The main things you could point out as problems with this book (and I only noticed them on my fourth  read) are that you might not get into the book until you read the first two or so chapters (I honestly don't remember having this problem, but it is possible someone else could ) and it does move a bit slow at times.  Also, (and this doesn't actually count as a con) if you do not enjoy books that are set in the time period of the Bible and that involve some Biblical characters, then you will not enjoy this one.

Pros:  This book brings the time right after Jesus's death (and the early church) alive.  I find it easy to forget how the people in the Bible were real people, and that there were other real people that they interacted with (I'm sorry if that sounds strange).  Also, the authors of this book are very talented at bringing the land of Israel to life.  For years, this book has been one of my favorites to read and read-read. 

Note:  This is the first book of three of the Acts of Faith series.  While I will not write book reviews on the other two, I will mention that they were just as fantastic as this one and that I would highly recommend them.

This book easily gets five stars.  Recommended ages 15 and up.

This Present Darkness

Summary:
Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful, hardworking pastor begin to investigate mysterious events, they suddenly find themselves caught up in a hideous New Age plot to enslave the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race. The physical world meets the spiritual realm as the battle rages between forces of good and evil.


Cons:  I can honestly say, that I can't think of anything negative about this book.  However, one must keep in mind that when someone writes about the spiritual realm, they are only speculating.  And that is all that this book (and I think the author) meant to do.  The author is simply throwing out an idea of how it might be. 

Pros:  Frank Peretti does a masterful job of weaving a tale involving the spiritual realm.  The story is fascinating and suspenseful and the writing style is magnificent.  Besides that, the reader is given a glance into the spiritual side of things making the book even more interesting and unique.   

I would give this book five stars.  Recommended for Ages 17 and up. 

House

Summary:
Enter House—where you'll find yourself thrown into a killer's deadly game in which the only way to win is to lose . . . and the only way out is in.
The stakes of the game become clear when a tin can is tossed into the house with rules scrawled on it. Rules that only a madman—or worse—could have written. Rules that make no sense yet must be followed.
One game. Seven players. Three rules. Game ends at dawn.




  

Cons:  I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as I thought I would.  Perhaps it was built up too much for me and then when I read it I found out it wasn't quite what I was expecting. 

Pros:  First off, it was written by two of my favorite authors (who did a great job writing it).  The plot line was exciting and crazy, and the over all meaning was good.  However, if you get creeped out easily I would not recommend this book to you.  Otherwise, read away!

Overall, I would give this book four or five stars.

Recommended for ages 17 and up.

Thr3e

Summary: 
By all accounts seminary student Kevin Parsins is leading a good, if not virtuous, life. But like all people, Kevin has his secrets. And someone wants them revealed.  While driving home from a day at graduate school, Kevin receives a call from a mysterious stranger who calls himself Slater. Slater demands Kevin confess his sin in the next three minutes or the vehicle he is manning will be blown to pieces.  Thus starts a harrowing chain of events. After narrowly escaping his exploding car, Kevin continues to receive phone calls from Slater, each with another riddle, another consequence, and another three minutes to confess his sin.  The problem is Kevin is unsure of what that sin might be. And Slater's cycle won't stop until he figures it out.(from amazon.com)





Cons:  None.  Though, this type of book is one that takes certain tastes to enjoy.  I could easily see someone not liking it.

Pros:  This book was well written and from the first page to the last was filled with twists and turns.  It took me only one day to read because I was so eager for the ending.  And, though I tried, I was unable to predict the final twist that left your head spinning.

I would give this book five stars.

Recommended for ages 17 and up.

Nightmare Academy (The Veritas Project)

Summary:
Enter a place where gravity is turned upside down, time runs backward, and nightmares are real.

The Veritas Project is their code name—but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why—the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena.

Welcome to their nightmare case . . .

He was once a normal fifteen-year-old boy. But that teen and that life have become . . . nothing. His whole mind seems to have been erased.

Now he only stares into space and whispers two ominous words . . . Nightmare Academy. And the only way to solve the case is for Elijah and Elisha to step inside his nightmare.


Cons:
  Again, nothing.

Pros:
  I have a lot of the same praise for this book that I had for Hangman's Curse.  Like the other, it is suspenseful and well written, as well as a page turner.  If you read Hangman's Curse, then you most definitively need to read Nightmare Academy.  

  I'd give this book five stars as well.    

  Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Hangman's Curse (The Veritas Project)

Summary:
They could be anyone, anywhere . . . even the person walking by you right now.

The Veritas Project is their code name--but only a handful of people know teens Elijah and Elisha Springfield have been covertly commissioned by the President to investigate strange mysteries that delve into the paranormal and supernatural. Their charge is to find out not only what happened, but why--the veritas (Latin for truth) behind the seemingly impossible phenomena.

Their new assignment: Hangman's Curse

In Baker, Washington, three popular student athletes lie in an incoherent coma, with loss of muscle coordination, severe paranoia, and hallucinations. It's whispered that they're victims of Abel Frye--a curse that's haunted the school since a student died there in the 1930s. Now the curse is spreading, and students are running scared. The Veritas Project must go undercover to find the truth . . . before it's too late.

Cons:
  None that I can think of.

Pros:
  A well written exciting and suspenseful book.  How much better can you get?  Frank Peretti did a wonderful job of making you wonder what is going to happen next.  It is most definitively a page turner.  It's been awhile since my first reading of it, so I can't remember completely remember my first reaction besides that I loved the book.

  This is a five star book.  I absolutely loved it.

  Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Golden Filly Series

Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Tricia Evanston and her father share something very special: their love of horses. With Tricia as jockey and her father as trainer, the two have big dreams of winning the Triple Crown. Tricia has other pressures, too, like declining grades, a strained relationship with her mother, and the constant worry about her father's failing health. But Tricia's faith in God always gives her the strength to push her limits.



Cons:
  Tricia basically  falls in love with three different guys, which is rather annoying.  Also, every now and then, the books will mention someone swearing.  While it doesn't show any words, it disturbs me that a Christian family would do that.  

Pros:
  I love Tricia's journey through the latter part of her teen life and the different issues she struggles with.  She's not a perfect teen with a perfect life.  She has problems just like anyone else.  They could be as simple as hiding something from her parents, or as complicated as losing her dad.  She learns to overcome each one.  

  I would give this series five stars.  It's has always been one of my favorite reads.

  Recommended for ages 13 and up.

Danger in the Shadows (Prequel to the O'Mally Chronicles)

Summary:
The bureau owns her.
Under FBI protection, Sara isn't even Sara Walsh anymore.  Her name is what they tell her.  Her home is where they send her.  And she's never there for long.
A stranger owns her.
Though faceless, he haunts Sara's dreams.  He's the man who abducted her as a child and continues to stalk her.  He's the one who is determined to end their connection-and Sara's life.
But most of all, fear owns her.
Which makes falling in love with a man as high profile as Adam Black a bad idea.  And a dangerous one.  For both of them.  Sara's world is unsafe place for love-and certainly an unsafe place for the children Adam longs for.  No one knows that better than Sara, and she can't take the risk . . .


Cons:
  For the most part, none.  

Pros:
  This book is well written and has an engaging story which imparts a good reminder that we need to hand our fears over to the Lord.
  Through the whole book, Adam's determination to get to know Sara is sweet, and funny at times. And again, the mix of romance and suspense is just about perfect (though I would have preferred that there be a bit more suspense then there was).
  I read this book after I read the O'Malley Chronicles and it was nice to hear more about Dave Richmond (who is a main character in The Negotiator) and Sara (who is also mentioned in The Negotiator).  It also clears up some questions you have about them.

  This book easily gets five stars.  For those of you that like Christian romance and suspense, this book is definitively for you. 

  Recommended for ages 15 and up. 

The O'Malley Chronicles

Summary:
  FBI agent Dave Richman is about to meet Kate O'Malley, and his life will never be the same. She's a hostage negotiator. He protects people. He's about to find out that falling in love with a hostage negotiator is one thing, but keeping her safe is another!

Summary:

  A federal judge has been murdered. There is only one witness, and an assassin wants her dead. U.S. Marshall Marcus O'Malley thought he knew the risks of the assignment . . . but he was wrong. 

Summary:
  Women are turning up dead, and Lisa O'Malley has a habit of walking into crime scenes, curious. She's a forensic pathologist, and mysteries are her domain. U.S. Marshall Quinn Diamond has found loving her is easier than keeping her safe. Lisa's found the killer, and now she's missing too.     
                










Summary:

  Jack O'Malley is a fireman who is fearless when it comes to facing an inferno. But when an arsonist begins targeting his district, his shift, his friends, Jack faces the ultimate challenge: protecting the lady who saw the arsonist before she pays an even higher price.

Summary:
  Rachel O'Malley works disasters for a living. Her specialty? Helping children through trauma. When a school shooting rips through her community, she finds herself dealing with more than just grief among the children she is trying to help. One of them saw the shooting, and the gun is still missing. 



Summary:

  Stephen O'Malley is a paramedic who has been rescuing people all his life. His friend Meghan is in trouble: Stolen jewels are turning up in interesting places, and she's in the middle of it. Stephen is about to run into a night he will never forget--a kidnapping, a tornado, and a race to rescue the woman he loves.

  Considering it would take me forever to say the different things that I loved and hated about each one of these books I will just try to pick out the things that carried through the whole series that I liked or didn't like.

Cons:  
  I had only one main major complaint against these books.  In each one a Christian begins to fall in love with a non Christian.  While everything always ends up alright at the end, I still it frustrating because that is not what always happens in real life.  

Pros:
  Each book is well written making it a pleasure to sit down and read one.  The basic overall story of the family itself and how they became a family is very unique which makes for an out of the ordinary setting.
  While this may seem silly, I love how all the males in family are very chivalrous and protective of the females.  That really raises this series in my eyes.       

  Even with the few problems it has, I would give this series five stars.  It is definitively one of my favorite reads of all time.

  Recommended for ages 16 and up.     

Blink

Summary:
Seth Borders isn't your average graduate student. For starters, he has one of the world's highest IQs. Now he's suddenly struck by an incredible power--the ability to see multiple potential futures.

Still reeling from this inexplicable gift, Seth stumbles upon a beautiful woman named Miriam. Unknown to Seth, Miriam is a Saudi Arabian princess who has fled her veiled existence to escape a forced marriage of unimaginable consequences. Cultures collide as they're thrown together and forced to run from an unstoppable force determined to kidnap or kill Miriam.

Seth's mysterious ability helps them avoid capture once, then twice. But with no sleep, a fugitive princess by his side, hit men a heartbeat away, and a massive manhunt steadily closing in, evasion becomes impossible.

An intoxicating tale set amidst the shifting sands of the Middle East and the back roads of America, Blink engages issues as ancient as the earth itself...and as current as today's headlines (from amazon.com).

Just a quick heads up.  There are two versions of this book out there.  There is the first version released in 2004, then there is the updated version released in 2007.  I'm not quite sure what all the differences there are between them since I have only read the one released in 2007. 

Cons:
The main problem I had with this book was that through the whole book you are unsure what conclusion Miriam comes to about Christianity.  Does she realize that there is a difference between the god she worships and the God of the Bible?  While I think both Seth and Miriam are supposed to become Christians, it is rather confusing at times.  Also, the moral of this book was love and how it changes everything. God's love can change everything (if you choose to let it to), yes, but the story seemed to revolve around how the love between two humans changes everything.  

Pros:
Throughout the book, Seth relies on his own strength to keep Miriam and himself safe.  However, at the end, he realizes just how helpless he is and is forced to turn to God to help them.  I love that.  It is a good reminder of how our strength is not enough.  We have to rely on God and God alone.  

I would probably give this three stars.  It was a suspenseful book that I greatly enjoyed but there were just some problems with it that I just can't get past.

Recommended for ages 16 and up.

The Witness

                                    Summary:
Police Chief Luke Granger's witness to a murder, Amy Griffin, has been on the run for years. Her family thinks she was murdered eight years ago, but Amy chose to accept a life in the shadows in order to protect her sisters' lives. Now unveiled secrets about their father have thrust the sisters into the public spotlight. The man who wants Amy dead now sees her sisters as the way to locate her. Luke and two of his homicide detectives are determined to stand in the way. They are each falling in love with a different sister, and it's become a personal mission to keep them safe. But chances are that at least one of them will fail, and facing the future will take a faith deeper than any of them currently knows (from amazon.com).


Cons:
I felt like through the whole book that the Christianity side of things was forced.  It seemed like the writer pushed it to the sidelines and then brought it in at random times without a real focus in mind.  A good question or two came up, but that was about it. 

Pros:
I'm not a big romance person, but I love how Dee Henderson mixes romance with suspense.  It makes it much easier to read and much more enjoyable.  I also loved how I was unable to predict certain things that were going to happen (my pulse hiked once I was so startled).

Over all I would give this book four stars.  I really loved it, however, like I said, there were certain things I was disappointed with.  I would certainly suggest it to anyone who loves suspense and romance.

Recommended for ages 15 and up.