Overcoming Obstacles by Terryann Scott

Scott wants to encourage us. She gives many good suggestions in a devotional format. Unfortunately, no practical steps are included as to how to carry out those good suggestions.

For example: “Be yourself; move pass (sic) the negatives and embrace the love.” Great advice but a whole book could be written on how to do that. She encourages us not to put off opportunities - “Beware of procrastination...” I have read entire books dealing with procrastination. When we are hurt, she writes, “forgive them and reflect on God's love; strive to do that which is right.” That is easier said than done.

I wish completing the actions Scott suggests were as easy as they are made to be. When writing about getting rid of baggage, she writes, “If you are wondering if this can be done, the answer is yes and you do this by making the choice to not let your past affect you anymore nor determine the outcome of your present or future state.” I really do wish it was as easy as merely making a choice. Getting to the point of not letting the past affect you is a tough process and may take much time, energy, and work of the Holy Spirit.

The aspect of this book I appreciated the most was the Scriptures given at the end of each chapter. They are good for reminding readers to rely on God and put their trust in Him. “God is willing to help and He is just a prayer away.”

The book does have some typographical errors, such as the one presented above. The last quarter of the book contains the author's bio and snippets about her other books.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Terryann Scott is an author, educator, speaker, minister and counselor. She is the Women's Director at Living Waters Christian Center Church in Jamaica and founder of SRM Foundation, a Christian based organization dedicated to restoring and transforming lives. She and her family live in Jamaica, West Indies, where they have a recording studio, a music school a video production company and a booking agency. You can find out more at http://terryannscott1.wix.com/terryann-scott.

Scott's Publishing, 58 pages. The book is a free Kindle download, available here.

More Than Conquerors by William Hendriksen

Hendriksen's book is a refreshing change from those of contemporary authors trying to fit today's headlines into Revelation's scenes.

Hendriksen was a Christian Reformed pastor and professor at Calvin Theological Seminary (he died in 1982). This book presents the Reformed view of John's Revelation. This may be a different interpretation than most readers of prophetic books are used to these days. That the book I reviewed is a 75^th anniversary edition shows that the Reformed view has something to offer that is lasting, unlike popular prophetic books that quickly go out of print.

Hendriksen wants us to view Revelation as relevant, no matter what era we live in. It shows God's hand in history, His Protection, and His ultimate victory. “In the main,” he writes, “the purpose of the book of Revelation is to comfort the militant Church in its struggle against the forces of evil. It is full of help and comfort for persecuted and suffering Christians.” (13) The theme of the book is the victory of Christ and His Church over Satan and his helpers. It may seem like Satan is winning, but Christ is victorious in the end.

What about those who want to find contemporary events in its scenes? Hendriksen says a sound interpretation of the book must have as its starting point that the book was intended for believers in John's day. We should ask how the first readers understood the book in light of the conditions and circumstances of their day. We then realize that the book is also intended for believers in the centuries following.

A general overview of the book is given, a late date (A.D. 95 or 96) is defended, the author is discussed as are the major themes (conflict between the Church and the world, judgment upon persecutors, victory through Christ).

I really appreciated Hendriksen's discussion about the images in Revelation. He notes that they are so broad that they should not be confined to a particular era. He says they cover the entire gospel age in a parallel fashion. The bowls of judgment always follow the trumpets of warning, he says, in an ascending order leading to the final judgment.

I also liked his section on interpreting symbols. Don't press too hard, he suggests, just like with the symbols in the parables Jesus taught. We shouldn't try to find “deeper” meanings. He sees them as impressions describing the Church, satanic conduct, and human behavior.

Hendriksen does identify representations of visions. For the helpers of the dragon in chapter 13, he notes the first comes from the sea and the second from the land. “The first is Satan's hand,” he writes. “The second is the devil's mind. The first represents the persecuting power of Satan operating in and through the nations of this world and their governments. The second symbolizes the false religions and philosophies of this world.” (161) He adds that this image represents the opposition to the Church throughout the gospel age. Armageddon “is the symbol of every battle in which, when the need is greatest and believers are oppressed, the Lord suddenly reveals His power in the interest of His distressed people and defeats the enemy.” (181)

He takes us through the sections of the book, helping us grasp their meanings in light of his understanding of them. It helps us see Revelation as a book of comfort and encouragement.

This is not the kind of book on Revelation that will generate speculative headlines. It is a book that has stood the test of time in its understanding of John's message for us today. I highly recommend this book to those who are open to investigating the meaning of Revelation in a manner not tied to the novelties of current events.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

William Hendriksen (ThD Princeton Theological Seminary) was professor of New Testament literature at Calvin Theological Seminary.

Baker Books, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

The Young Scientifics: Return to the Dinosaur Planet by Cousin Summers

This book is a delightful one for preteen readers. It reminds me of the sci-fi books I loved to read at that age.

Peter, a precocious twelve year old, and his younger sister Pearl have been sentences to spend the summer with their father while their mother is on a dinosaur dig in Africa. They had always gone along on their mother's digs but their father thought they needed to be “regular” kids this summer.

Their father's new job is at a huge museum in Jefferson City. The kids pretty much have the run of the museum. Only it's much more than a regular museum. It had a huge park, a zoo, and buildings housing scores of exhibitions. Peter soon meets Casey. He's also spending the summer at the museum. He's staying with his zoologist aunt and entertaining a monkey on a summer break from working for NASA.

Casey has spent many summers at the museum and is on a quest to find a scientist who disappeared from the premises years ago. Peter joins him in the hunt and before long the two are having adventures they could have only imagined.

This is a fun story of secret passages, mysterious doorways, time travel, dangerous journeys, and much more. There are some science lessons in here too, tucked neatly within the story line. This book contains exactly the kinds of adventures aspiring preteen scientists enjoy.

Besides the adventures, there are also subtle learning opportunities for young readers. One is about the rules parents give, for example. Rules “are merely safeguards against disaster.” (102) Another lessons deals with honesty and being noble. And, of course, there is the model of Peter being a good older brother to his often troublesome younger sister.

I really enjoyed this novel and recommend it to preteen readers who love sci-fi adventures. You'll be entertained. And besides, you'll find a reasonable explanation for the Loch Ness Monster. Sheesh.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Cousin Summers (the Mysterious) is a pseudonym for someone who has lived in a lighthouse on Summers Island for a long time. Summers is a shy person busy writing stories in the lighthouse. If you visit the island, you find Miss Lilly and the Captain, as well as others who live there.

Summers Island Press, 195 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through The Book Club Network for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

The Shock of Night by Patrick W. Carr

I like a fantasy novel that I can follow and understand. Carr has done an excellent job in giving us a compelling story that takes place in another kingdom and another time with characters and a plot I understood.

The location of this novel is the Kingdom of Collum. It is one of six kingdoms on the continent that border The Darkwater, a sinister forest. Our main character is Lord Willet Dura, an investigator for the king of Bunard. We were introduced to Dura in the novella By Divine Right. (That novella is free and I suggest you read it to get an idea of how well Carr writes as well as having the stage set for this novel.)

Dura is called to investigate a murder. He looks over the scene and finds one brutally dead but the other missing. The second man had been mortally wounded and was at a passing house, a place for those dying. But the man is not quite dead. As Dura approaches him, the man grabs Dura and screams a foreign word before he dies. That action changes the course of Dura's future and sets him on a course of extreme danger.

This novel has many Christian overtones. There is a three person God, one of whom lived among the people. The major theme emphasized in the novel is the gifts God gives. Aer, God, has given gifts to people. These gifts are to be passed down to the next generation before the holder of the gift dies. If the person dies suddenly, the gift is “lost” and is given to someone else by Aer. There are serving gifts, gifts of musical talent, and many others.

The gifting that is at the center of this plot is one that allows the holder to go into the mind of another. We find that, as is often the case with gifts from God, that gift can be used for good or for evil.

This is a novel about minds, what is in them and how they work. Some have dark areas in their minds that are locked away. Those who have been in The Darkwater forest and survived have an especially dark area locked away. Even those with the mind delving gift cannot get into that black area.

This is a novel about good and evil. It is not always a clear cut battle between the two and that was the case here. Sometimes I was unclear about who was a good guy and who was not. There were plenty of surprises as actions and characteristics of people were revealed. It kept me paying attention or I would have been lost.

This is a long novel and I recommend it to those who love to get lost in another world in another time. I really enjoyed it. We are left hanging at the end so I will be looking for the sequel.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

I am taking part in a Christian Science Fiction & Fantasy blog tour of this book. You can read the reviews of other participants at the links below:

Thomas Clayton Booher Keanan Brand Beckie Burnham Carol Bruce Collett Carol Gehringer Victor Gentile Rani Grant Rebekah Gyger Bruce Hennigan Janeen Ippolito Carol Keen Rebekah Loper Jennette Mbewe Shannon McDermott Meagan @ Blooming with Books Rebecca LuElla Miller Nissa Audrey Sauble Chawna Schroeder Jessica Thomas Robert Treskillard Shane Werlinger Phyllis Wheeler Nicole White Michelle R. Wood

Patrick W. Carr graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984, has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, done work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. For the last eight years he has been teaching high school math in Nashville, Tennessee. He and his life have four sons and live in Nashville. You can find out more at http://www.patrickwcarr.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 464 pages. You can buy the book here.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the CSFF blog tour for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

By Divine Right by Patrick W. Carr

This is a great novella that introduces us to The Darkwater Saga series. Having read the first full length novel in the series, The Shock of Night, I do recommend reading this prequel to set the stage.

We are introduced to Willet Dura, an investigator to the king of Bunard. He had once studied for the priesthood but had been called to war before his studies were over. He had an experience during the war that seriously affected him. He is a night walker and sometimes he comes back with blood on his cloak.

Dura's specialty is investigating murders. He is called to investigate the death of an old man, thought to have died from a stroke. But Dura sees signs of murder. As he investigates, he finds out this man was gifted. Aer (God) gives gifts, gifts that are to be passed down before death to the next generation. If a person dies without passing on the gift, it may be stolen.

As Dura continues his investigation he is faced with a startling possibility. Is someone systematically stealing gifts, assembling them to have great power? Is it possible that the divine right of kings, the special gifting Aer gave to the ruler, could be duplicated? Dura must find the answer – and the culprit – before it is too late.

If you like fantasy with a hint of Christian belief, you'll like this series. There is definite good and evil, a three person God, lots of suspense and the possibility of romance. The events of this novella are frequently referenced in The Shock of Night, so read this novella first. It's a free way to be introduced to the fantasy and Carr's great style of writing. And you'll find out how Dura became Lord Dura.

You can download it for free from Amazon here and from CBD here.

Patrick W. Carr graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984, has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, done work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. For the last eight years he has been teaching high school math in Nashville, Tennessee. He and his life have four sons and live in Nashville. You can find out more at http://www.patrickwcarr.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 119 pages.

A Shenandoah Family Christmas by Lisa Belcastro Giveaway

This Christmas treat is part of the Winds of Change series. I've not read any others in the series yet I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. The link to enter the giveaway it at the end of this review.

It seems there is time travel involved. Our main character, Rebecca, has traveled through a time portal back to 1777. Our story picks up when Rebecca has been there two years and is married to Ben, the captain of a tight ship, the Shenandoah. They have a one year old daughter.

It is nearing Christmas but tension is in the air. Rebecca's daughter has a high fever and she fears influenza, deadly in this time period. Her husband suspects smallpox since his first mate has succumbed to the disease. The only answer might be the outlawed cowpox vaccine. Ben sends his brother and two others through a blizzard to the nearby doctor who has the life saving medicine. Ben and Rebecca pray the men will succeed in their journey before it's too late.

This is an enjoyable short read. There is suspense as Rebecca and Ben await the vaccine. The men have to make it through a terrible blizzard so that heightens the suspense. There is also a hint of romance involving one of the men on the journey. That's going to be the next story, I think.

I always like to learn a little something when I read fiction and this time it is about Isaac Watts and the hymns he wrote. In an Author's Note, we learn of Belcastro's research, making sure her characters sang hymns that were available in 1777. I also learned about smallpox and its treatment by using the cowpox vaccine, a sister illness. It was interesting to read about General George Washington's decision to use the vaccine. It was also interesting to learn about how the colonists celebrated Christmas, or rather, didn't celebrate it. It was a solemn holiday in colonial times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas novella and recommend it for a satisfying evening's read.

My rating: 5/5 stars

Lisa Belcastro sets her stories on Martha's Vineyard, where she lives. Her debut novel, Shenandoah Nights, won the Christian Small Publishers Association Romance Book of the Year in 2014 and the RWA New England Chapter's Reader's Choice Award that same year. Shenandoah Nights and Shenandoah Crossings, the second novel in the Winds of Change series, were finalists in the SELAH Award and The Carolyn Readers Award, Inspirational Romance category, as well as other awards. She is an ambassador for TEAM 413 and writes a cuisine column for Vineyard Style Magazine. You can find out more at www.lisabelcastro.com.

Washashore Publishing, 124 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novella through Celebrate Lit for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

Christmas Star Sapphire by Hallee Bridgeman

Bridgeman has penned a delightful Christmas novella centering on two very wealthy families.

Madeline Viscolli is the daughter of a wealthy business tycoon. Noted for his flipping companies, her father heads Viscolli Enterprises with a chain of hotels and much more. Madeline is being groomed to take over direction of the business, obtaining her graduate degree. When she attends her first CRU (previously Campus Crusade for Christ) meeting, she meets a man who will change her life forever.

Joe Westcott is from the wealthy Westcott Marine, builders of everything from dinghies to battleships. But he has rejected his father's wealth, still bearing the scars of the man who beat him and made his childhood nearly unbearable. Sent off to military school by his mother for his own protection, he has not seen his father in over a decade. Serving as a CRU leader and living in a sailboat at the harbor suits him just fine. That is, until he feels the tingle of love when he sees Madeline.

This novella has all the good elements of a delightful Christmas romance. Madeline and Joe are both godly people. Madeline had been raised in a godly home but Joe found his salvation after being taken out of his ungodly home life. The development of these two characters is well done.

Even though Maddie and Joe experience mutual attraction, their future is unsure. Maddie plans to ultimately head her father's conglomerate but Joe hates the thought of big money and what it means. His mind tells him to push her away while his heart cries for her to be by him. Then Joe receives word that his father is dying and his life is about to be turned upside down.

This is a great novella to read during the Christmas season. Many of the life changing events take place around Christmas. It's a novella so some of the loose ends are not neatly tied up but, nonetheless, it was a delightful novella with a strong Christian message. This novella was inspired by The Jewel Series by Bridgeman but reads well on its own.

This would be a great novella for a group to read. There are good Discussion Questions included and even a suggested menu for a reading group luncheon, including the recipes for Blackened Grouper Sandwich with Chipotle Sauce, Coastal Cole Slaw, Homemade Potato Chips, and Gingerbread Cookies with Royal Icing.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Hallee Bridgeman is a best-selling Christian author who writes about true to life characters facing real world problems. She and her family live in central Kentucky. You can find out more at http://hallee.bridgemanfamily.com/ and www.halleethehomemaker.com/.

Olivia Kimbrell Press, 127 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novella through BookCrash for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck

There are good Christian romance novels and then there are very good Christian romance novels. This is a very, very good one.

Hauck has given us a delightful novel about love and hurts and forgiveness and reconciliation. The main characters are part of an extended family. Taylor and Jack are the young New York couple. They were so madly in love six months ago they eloped. Now reality has set in. Jack's career is on the rise and he is struggling. A coolness has developed between him and Taylor. Does he put his energy into his career or his marriage?

Taylor is a photographer trying to get her career going. She is given the opportunity to go back to her home town and do an architectural shoot. It's an opportunity she cannot pass up. But that means she'd have to see her dad, the man whom she's been mad at all these years for ruining her parent's marriage.

The shoot Taylor is to do is of a wedding chapel. It had been built over six decades ago by a young man in love. It was to be their own wedding chapel. But he had been called to serve in the military and she had not waited. She had left him for a career in New York. Now in his mid-eighties, he's ready to sell the chapel and finally let go of his dream and the one he has continued to love.

Hauck has woven these two love stories together so well it is breath taking. The plot is a bit complex but clear. There had been deception and lies all those decades ago and one wonders if all will ever come to the light so true love can win out. Taylor and Jack are right in the middle of it. While they see what is happening in their extended families, they must come to grips with a change in their relationship that could split them apart or make them ever closer.

I really like how Hauck has developed this intertwining story. As characters think of events in the past we are treated to flash backs. The relationship histories are developed slowly yet perfectly. I don't get emotionally involved in novels often but the way this one was crafted really tugged at my heart.

This novel is an excellent example of showing what lies do to a family. It reveals the scars left on a young boy by a despicable father. It counters with the reality of the true love an adoptive father can have. It points out the deep hurts that can result from misunderstandings. And, in the end, it shows what returning to the Father can mean for reconciliation and restoration.

I highly recommend this novel to readers who love a well crafted, intense, heart tugging novel. This is a really, really good one. There is an excellent set of Discussion Questions to help readers contemplate the themes of communication, misunderstandings, hurts, forgiveness, and much more.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can read other reviews here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Rachel Hauck is an award winning, USA Today best selling author. She is a RITA and Christy Award finalist. She and her husband live in central Florida. You can find out more at http://www.rachelhauck.com/.

Zondervan, 376 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse for the purpose of an independent and honest review.