For Duty and Honor by Leo J. Maloney

This action packed novella was my introduction to operative Dan Morgan. He'd been captured by the Russians and imprisoned in the Gulag. He's been tortured and is under threat of more. But even in the prison confines Morgan finds unlikely allies. He is willing to face death, his duty and honor, to fight for what he holds dear.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella even though I have not read the earlier novels featuring Morgan. I was happily surprised to find that this novella contained enough well plotted action and tidbits of back story so that it captured my interest and kept me reading to the surprising end. This novella was crafted so well that I'd like to read the full length novels too.

I recommend this novella to anyone who would like an exciting and well crafted story that you can finish of an evening. It's a good mix of character information wrapped around an exciting plot and bathed in suspense.

I am taking part in a tour of this book. Click here to view the 'For Duty and Honor by Leo J. Maloney' Tour Participants.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Leo J. Maloney is a proud supporter of Mission K9 Rescue, www.missionk9rescue.org, which is dedicated to the service of retiring and retired military dogs and contract dogs and other dogs who serve. Mission K9 rescues, reunites, re-homes, rehabilitates, and repairs these hero dogs. Leo donates a portion of the proceeds from his writing to this organization. To find out more about Mission K9 Rescue, or to make your own donation, please visit www.missionk9rescue.org or go to www.k9gala.org

Catch Up with Mr. Maloney on his Author's Website, on Author's Twitter, and on Author's Facebook!

** (Photo Credit Carolle Photography)

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller, Political Thriller
Published by: Kensington Books/Lyrical Underground
Publication Date: November 22nd 2016
Number of Pages: 96
ISBN: 1616509813 (ISBN13: 9781616509811)
Series: Dan Morgan #5.5

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Read an excerpt:

The prisoner’s body was a brick of exhaustion and pain.
Steel cuffs chafed against his raw wrists and ankles, the rough uniform scraping the burns and cuts that lined his arms and legs and pocked his torso. Even under the blackness of his hood, the prisoner smelled stale sweat mingled with his own breath: iron from the blood, acetone from the starvation. He could barely hold himself up against the jolting ride. All that was keeping him upright were the two thick guards at his sides boxing him in. At the outset, hours ago at the landing strip, the guards were in high spirits, joking and jesting in Russian, which the prisoner could not follow. Whenever he couldn’t hold himself up anymore and leaned into one of them or into the front seat, they would box the prisoner’s head and laugh, forcing him to sit upright again.
But as they drew nearer to their destination, and the car’s heating lost ground against the cold, the guards grew quiet, like there was something grim about the place even to them.
The prisoner swung forward as the jeep came to an abrupt stop, tires on gravel. The doors opened and the spaces on his sides cleared as the men got out, leaving him exposed to the frigid Siberian air. Against this cold, the canvas uniform felt like nothing at all.
The guards unlocked the cuffs and yanked the prisoner out. Too tired to offer any resistance, he walked along, bare feet on the freezing stony ground. Someone pulled off his cowl. He was struck by a hurricane of light that made him so dizzy that he would have vomited, if there were anything in his stomach. It took a moment for the image to stop swimming and resolve itself into the barren landscape of rock and creeping brush lit by a sun low in the sky.
The Siberian tundra.
They prodded him forward. He trudged toward the Brutalist conglomeration of buildings surrounded by tall mesh fences and barbed wire. Prison camp. Gulag. The prisoner’s trembling knee collapsed and he fell on the stony ground. A guard gave him a kick with a heavy, polished leather boot and pulled him to his feet.
They reached the top and entered the vakhta, the guardhouse. He passed through the first gate and was searched, rough hands prodding and poking at him. They then opened the second, leading him through, outside, into the yard. His gaze kept down, he saw guards’ boots, and massive furry Caucasian shepherds, each taller than a full-grown man’s waist. He didn’t look up to see the bare concrete guard towers that overlooked the terrain for miles around or at the sharpshooters that occupied them.
He was pulled inside the nearest boxy building, walls painted with chipping murals of old Soviet propaganda, apple-cheeked youngsters over fields of grain and brave soldiers of the Red Army standing against the octopus of international capitalism. On the second floor, they knocked on a wooden door.
“Postupat’.”
The guards opened the door, revealing an office with a vintage aristocratic desk. They pushed him onto the bare hardwood.
A man stood up with a creak of his chair. The prisoner watched as he approached, seeing from his vantage point only the wingtip oxfords and the hem of his pinstriped gabardine pants, walking around his desk, footsteps echoing in the concrete office.
“Amerikanskiy?”
“Da,” a guard answered.
The man crouched, studying the prisoner’s face. “You are one of General Suvorov’s, are you not?” His voice was deep and filled with gravel and a heavy Russian accent.
The prisoner didn’t respond—not that he needed to.
“You are tough, if he did not break you.” He stood, brushing off unseen dust from his suit jacket. “And if he had broken you, you would be dead already. I am Nevsky, the warden. Welcome to my prison.”

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Remember and Return by John MacArthur

“Love for the Lord Jesus is the defining reality in the life of every true Christian,” MacArthur writes. (8) But what can we do when the fire of that love grows cold? MacArthur has written a thirty-one day series of devotionals aimed at reigniting that love and keeping it growing.

MacArthur reminds us what we have in Christ and what He has done for us. He takes us through several passages, exploring Greek terms and giving us a great deal of information. He also includes a Daily Challenge at the end of each reading.

MacArthur writes in a somewhat academic way. He writes from a framework of knowledge rather than passion. His style is one of instruction. He does not use any personal stories as illustrations or encouragement. (He does tell a few stories similar to sermon illustrations.) Rather than drawing us back to a passion for Jesus, he tells what we ought to be doing. A good example is the Daily Challenge of Day 5. He writes about our ultimate purpose of worshiping God and our reward in heaven. “That was 'the goal' Paul strived for in this life,” MacArthur writes, “and it certainly ought to be the focus of those who would return to their first love.” (39) I would have rather read an encouragement written with passion for the Daily Challenge.

I recommend this book to those who respond well to devotions written with intellectual rigor rather than personal passion. This book is a very good reminder of who Christ is and all He has done for believers. Reading this book will increase your knowledge of what Christ has done for you, or remind you of it. You will better understand what Christ has accomplished for you. I am just not so sure it will reignite love for Christ, unless that love arises out of increased knowledge and understanding. This would make a good book to read leading up to Easter.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker. He has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church since 1969. He has a daily media ministry, Grace to You. He is president of The Master's College and has written hundreds of books and study guides.

Baker Books, 216 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Fatal Frost by Nancy Mehl

This novel is the first in a new series from Mehl. It is not the best I've read from her.

Mercy is a deputy U.S. Marshal. She has issues with her father and her past boyfriend, also a Marshal. A drug cartel is trying to infiltrate and take over St. Louis. Mercy's father had been working undercover and is murdered. Mercy's boss knows there a mole in the department though he is unsure who it is. It might be Mercy or she might have some information the cartel wants. She and two other agents, including her old boyfriend, are sent out of town to check on a witness protection individual. They get stuck in a snow storm and suddenly their lives are in danger.

I felt the plot was a little far fetched to me. I felt the flow of the novel was uneven too. For example, Mercy and the other agents would have long conversations when there was imminent attack. The whole operation by the agents did not make sense to me. It was not well thought out and, of course, fell apart. I don't like it when there is suspense because of some one's stupidity and I saw that here. There is one point where Mercy walks by a handcuffed villain and he grabs her ankle and trips her. And she's supposed to be a trained agent? And Mark, her old boyfriend, figured out a villain (as did I) early on but did nothing about it. Of course, great suspense resulted from his lack of action.

I did not like Mercy's character or the way it was developed. There is much back ground history important to this plot. Although I did learn some, I kept feeling like I was reading the second book in a series. Her intense dislike of Christianity is a case in point. She lied to the other agents and they lied to her. The whole workings of the agents just did not sit well with me.

There is some romance and Mercy does come to grips with her relationship to God. The novel is a good effort but it is not Mehl's best.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Nancy Mehl is the author of twenty two books and received the ACFW Mystery Book of Year Award in 2009. She has a background in social work and lives in Missouri with her husband. You can find out more at www.nancymehl.com.

Bethany House Publishers, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Earth Psalms by Francine Rivers with Karin Stock Buursma

Scripture tells us God's invisible qualities are revealed in the created world. (Rom. 1:20) “God is an artist, and his earth and the universe are His canvas,” Rivers writes. (ix) She shares here spiritual lessons gleaned through her observations of God's creation.

There are 52 readings. We learn facts about nature in some of them. For example, we find out apple trees need to be grafted to guarantee the kid of fruit produced. Apple trees grown from seeds produce apples of different color, taste, etc. We learn how the stenocara beetle gets enough water to exist while living in the Namib Desert.

Sometimes we learn interesting facts, such as how and why window boxes came into use. We are introduced to the huge work of small earthworms. We also find out about the loyalty of geese and the history of potatoes.

Sometimes we even learn a little history, like that of the trees providing pine nuts and shade for Roman roads. We also find out about gophers and their role in ridding the California coast of Russians in the 1840s.

Rivers includes a spiritual lesson in each of the readings. From a father quail watching over his young Rivers reminds us of our Father watching over us and warning us of danger. We read about the folly of going after false light like moths do and about relationships from crab spiders.

Each reading also includes quotes from the Bible, hymns, and from noted people, questions for reflection, suggestions for an application of the lesson, a prayer to say, as well as beautiful photographs.

The subtitle of the book is “reflections on how God speaks through nature.” I am not so sure that accurately describes the contents of this book. I would say it contains spiritual lessons or truths one can relate to nature observations. The lessons are mostly about God's relationship with us rather than His eternal power, as noted in Romans 1:20. The photographs are from stock photo suppliers. While they are nice, I would have rather had photos that had some relationship to the authors.

The authors hope that this book will encourage readers to look at the world God created and find their love for Him expanded. (xi)

You can watch a video and download a chapter of the book here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Francine Rivers is a New York Times bestselling author. She had a successful career in the general market before becoming a Christian. She wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. She has since published numerous novels with Christian themes. Her works have been nominated for and received many honors. She and her husband live in northern California. You can find out more at www.francinerivers.com. You can also follow her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FrancineRivers) and Twitter (@FrancineRivers).

Karin Stock Buursma has worked in publishing for more than fifteen years, first at a publishing house and now as a freelance editor and writer. She lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with her husband and two daughters.

Tyndale House Publishers, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My thoughts are an independent and honest review.

Finding Margo by Jen Turano

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Turano has given us great characters in an engaging plot with good scenes of suspense and even some romance.

I really like Margo Hartman. She's an international pop music star. She has just come off a grueling tour and is ready for a rest. Her overbearing mother has other plans involving interviews and an international tour. Margo does a daring and desperate act. She gets in her Mini Cooper and takes off on a road trip. She needs time away from her super stardom.

A week later Margo is driving through rural Ohio when a duck hits her windshield and falls through the sun roof. After she calms down, she drives to the nearest town looking for a vet. Margo finds the vet and meets deputy sheriff Brock Moore. He's taken time away from his work at the FBI and arranged this sheriff work so he can investigate the recent death of his sister.

Margo's adventures have just begun. She is happy to find that no one in this town knows who she is. Not even the handsome deputy sheriff. But people do seem to think she looks like one of the young Amish women living nearby. Brock and Margo go to the Amish farm the vet says the duck belongs. But when they arrive, Margo's life is in danger and Brock realizes there is more mystery surrounding this woman than he thought.

Margo and Brock are great characters. Their conversations are snappy, full of wit and laced with humor. Margo gets herself into all kinds of situations that were a delight to read about. While I am not a fan of the over worked Amish theme, I enjoyed it here as a complementary part of the plot.

I recommend this novel as one with well crafted characters and a good plot. It has refreshing scenes of humor throughout. There is a decent mystery involved too. It contains all the elements I like in an entertaining novel.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can find links to other reviews and read a guest post from the author here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Jen Turano is a USA Today bestselling author writing contemporary and historical romances with quirky characters and unusual story lines. She and her husband are empty-nesters and live just outside of Denver, Colorado. You can find out more at http://jenturano.com/.

Gilead Publishing, 320 pages. You can buy a copy here.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Listen Love Repeat by Karen Ehman

This may be the best book yet that I have read about living a life loving others. The insights are great and the examples inspiring. If there is one book I'd recommend to practically learn about a selfless life, this is it.

Ehman reminds us that we live in a self saturated society. Living as a person who thinks of others first will take effort on our part. But that effort will be much easier after reading this book. Ehman gives practical suggestions to bless others. She pays particular attention to the physical and emotional needs of others.

People around us are longing to be loves, Ehman writes. She reminds us we need to be proactive in our faith, living alert and opening our lives to sacrificial living. She draws from examples in the Bible, from her own life, and from the lives of others. She has a great section on what to say and not say when others are hurting. She includes 39 passages from the New Testament that tell how, and how not, to treat other people. She has excellent suggestions for interacting with those who are grieving. She inspires us to use our homes and our stuff to show our love for others.

And practical Ehman is. She is down to earth in her suggestions. Having others over? Forget the fancy recipes. Have a baked potato bar or build your own burger dinner. Better lots of meat loaf and mashed potatoes than a fancy new dish you saw on social media having ingredients no one recognizes. Her suggestions for touching the heart of the cantankerous are worth noting. I love the idea of giving unbirthday gifts and scattering kindness.

I highly recommend this book to those ready to live a selfless life. You will find great encouragement and very practical suggestions.

Food for thought: “Sometimes the best strategy is to keep your mouth shut and your hands open.” (181) And, “The only way to go about loving the difficult is to expect nothing in return.” (182)

You can find out more about the book and read excerpts at http://www.listenloverepeatbook.com/.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Karen Ehman is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, a New York Times bestselling author, and a writer for the online devotional Encouragement for Today. She has written ten books. She is married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of three. You can find out more at www.karenehman.com.

Zondervan, 260 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Icon Media. My comments are an independent and honest review.

The Remnant by Monte Wolverton

I thoroughly enjoyed this dystopian novel. It is entertaining and is full of thought provoking scenes and interesting insights.

The year 2062 saw what was called the Final War. Major cities and nations were devastated. The war, combined with environmental disasters and pandemics, has left the world with merely a tenth of its previous population. A world government was formed and the World Federation banned all religion. All religious literature was destroyed. If a person would not sign the Affidavit of Renunciation, they were taken to work camps. The world economy was now based on this free work force.

In 2131, Grant and a number of others escape from their work camp. His parents and grandparents had been Christians and he still believed. He and his small band set out on a quest to find authentic Christianity. What they find is a commentary on what happens to Christians when there is no Bible to guide them, no authority or standard.

Grant and his group stumble across several “Christian” groups as they look for a genuine Christian experience. There is the leader who is obsessed with Christ's second coming. He's given dates for the return – all of them wrong. But he is really a con man and has a dedicated group of followers. Then there was the “health” group. Disease is of spiritual origin and they have incantations and odd foods to cure people. Their secret weapon was a “Holy Ghost cockroach.” Another group venerated a saint. Another group ingested drugs and had “spiritual” experiences. As I was reading this book I kept thinking of the many segments of Christianity we see promoted today.

There are a number of issues explored in this well written novel. How do groups get taken in by an errant leader? How would we survive if we didn't have our Bibles? Wolverton has deftly brought in lots of church history into the novel. How familiar are we with heresies from the past so that we could recognize them today? And, what is the real meaning of “church”?

Of all the issues covered in this book, perhaps the last one is the most important. Is it better for Christians and Christianity to have Christianity be against the law or to have it be accepted and used by the empire? We'll find out in a sequel.

I recommend this novel to readers who are ready to be challenged by a very possible future of being in a post apocalypse world without having been raptured.

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

You can read excerpts here.

Find out more on Facebook and Twitter.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Monte Wolverton is an award-winning author and syndicated editorial cartoonist. He is associate editor of CWR magazine. He is an ordained minister and holds a MA from Goddard College in Vermont. He and his wife make their home in southwestern Washington State.

Plain Truth Ministries, 272 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received as complimentary digital copy of this book through Litfuse. My comments are an independent and honest review.

End of the Roadie by Elizabeth Flynn

I enjoyed this British police procedure mystery, the third featuring D.I. Costello. It starts out with a bang, literally. D.C. Houseman and his date attend the concert of a popular singer. The rock star uses guns and whips to add sound effects to his performance. All goes well until after the concert is over. Houseman hears noise in the alley by the theater. Investigating, he finds the body of one of the band members. The man has been shot.

Flynn has given us a narrative with a good mix of police work and character development. The action is methodical and consistent. There are no scenes of suspense nor is there really any danger to any officers. I do like the personal nature of the narrative, getting to know Costello as she interacts with her team. We get to learn a bit about the theater, especially how a possible ticket scam might be run.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy a good one about British police investigations. The thorough nature of Costello's work uncovers layers of misdeeds, including blackmail. This book is from England so there might be a little confusion with some of the terms. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the novel, the consistent police work, and knowing a bit more about Costello's team.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Elizabeth Flynn is a Londoner of Anglo-Irish parentage. She has a background in theater as both an actress and in stage management. You can find out more at http://elizabethflynnauthor.com/.

Lion Hudson, distributed in the U.S. by Kregel, 304 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.