For Such A Time by Kate Breslin

This is a clever novel. Breslin has taken the biblical story of Esther and generally recreated it in the Nazi era. I was impressed with the author's skill. It's a great plot and a clever parallel to Esther's story.

There is a heroine, Stella (Hadassah Benjamin), who is taken into the service of SS Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt. She will be his secretary but he also has eyes for her. He is in command of the transit camp Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia. She is powerless to halt the transition of her own people – on the way to Auschwitz.

She has an uncle, Morty, who she is surprised to see in the camp. He encourages her to have as much redeeming influence on the Kommandant as possible. And there is even the disgusting Captain Hermann, a man filled with ate toward the Jews.

The way Breslin has crafted this novel is downright clever. On its own it is a great historical novel. She shares in the Author's Note that much of the setting and events of the novel are based on historical fact. The character development is superb. The plot is believable and progresses very well. There is lots of suspense and some romance too.

This is Breslin's debut novel. It is so good I'll be eagerly looking for her next one!

Kate Breslin was a bookseller for many years. This is her first novel. She lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. You can find out more at http://katebreslin.com/.

Bethany House, 430 pages.

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

Arms Open Wide by Sherri Gragg

Gragg uses fictional narrative to draw us into God's presence. She has created stories around passages in Scripture. She had done a great deal of research and builds each narrative on an historical and cultural foundation.

These are touching stories. I was moved by the fictional narrative imagining the history behind the traumatic death of the widow's son (Luke 7:11-16). I felt her despair and then her joyous surprise when Jesus changed it all. Some of the other stories brought to life include the woman with the issue of blood, the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, the boy with the loaves and fish, the man let down through the roof, turning the water into wine, Mary and Martha, and many more – thirty four in total.

Gragg lists the Scripture upon which the narrative is based at the very beginning of the devotion. She concludes each reading with a prayer that comes from her heart.

I remember reading somewhere that one way to meditate on Scripture is to imagine the action going on in the passage. This would be an excellent resource for that kind of meditation. Reading through the narrative really helps you see the event with your imaginative eye. She has included details of buildings and landscape in her narratives, helping to bring the passage alive.

I really enjoyed these narratives. I felt like I was inside the story. Some of the narratives are written in first person, definitely making the reader part of the story. It would make a wonderful devotional reading for Advent or Lent.

You can find out more about Sherri Gragg at http://www.sherrigragg.com/.

Thomas Nelson, 224 pages.

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

A Match of Wits by Jen Turano

This novel is funny. Agatha is a kick. She is a good hearted woman but every time she gets in a situation, disaster happens.

Agatha is a feature reporter for the New York Tribune. Her investigations have created enemies and her life was threatened. She's sent out west for own safety. She stumbles upon Zayne, a one time almost fiancee who is now gold mining. He is in bad shape and Agatha tries to help him but in the process blows up his mine. She convinces him to go back to New York with her. When they return, it becomes all too clear that someone wants her dead.

The relationship between Agatha and Zayne is great. He has been disappointed in love and wants nothing to do with Agatha. Agatha was hurt by Zayne himself but is willing to help him get back to his family. Both of them fight their increasing love for each other and the things they do to try to hide it! Zayne does finally come to realize he wants to marry someone intelligent, a match of wits.

Add to the mix a pet pig and two body guards and you have fun. There were laugh out loud times in this book. There were times when the humor seemed forced but overall, a well done Christian comedic romance.

This is not the first in the series. I have not read the others yet I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, so it can easily be read on its own.

Jen Turano is the author of three books and one novella. She lives in a suburb of Denver. Find out more at www.jenturano.com.

Bethany House Publishers, 352 pages.

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

Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers

The inspiration for this novel, Rivers says in a Note from the Author, is from Ezekiel 16. There God speaks of His chosen people as an unwanted newborn. He had cared for them and even chose them for his bride. All of this even though they rejected Him.

The main character in the novel is Abra, a newborn baby abandoned under a bridge. Pastor Zeke, on his early morning walk, felt led to go to the bridge and discovered the child. He and his wife took her in and raised her until the wife died. Then Abra was gladly taken in by another family in Haven.

When a teen, Abra fell to the temptation of a flashy playboy. That began a life of hurt and confusion leading all the way to Hollywood. Pastor Zeke and his son Joshua never stopped praying for her, seeking God's hand to move her to return to Haven.

Rivers says that Abra is like so many of us, wounded, confused, chasing happiness where we will never find it. “My prayer," she writes, "is that the story of Zeke, Joshua, and Abra will draw you into a closer relationship with the God who sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for you so that you might live forever in Him.” (462)

I like the premise of the story. It is a prodigal daughter type of narrative. Even while Abra was away seeking something she never would be able to find, those who loved her back in Haven continued to storm heaven for her. The only thing that makes this less than a perfect novel is its length. I felt the story was repetitive and could have been shorter. This is a character driven novel and we do read through much of what the characters were thinking. That aspect of the novel could have been shorter too. I have to admit, I did skim some of the long contemplative passages. Readers who like to immerse themselves in the life of a character will like this novel.

Francine Rivers wrote for the general market from 1976 to 1985. She was born again in 1986 and wrote Redeeming Love as her statement of faith. Since then she has written many best-selling novels in the Christian genre and has won or been nominated for numerous awards. She and her husband live in northern California, have grown children and grandchildren. You can find out more about her and her books at www.francinerivers.com.

Tyndale House Publishers, 468 pages.

The Day I Died by Freddy Vest

Vest was participating in a rodeo when he fell off his horse. He was dead. Fellow cowboys did CPR continuously for the forty five minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive.

Vest shares his childhood in a Christian home and how his dream to be a cowboy was birthed. He tells how he veered from the straight and narrow and his return to God. He also reveals the spiritual lessons he learned.

His experience while physically dead is unlike most others I've read. He didn't see any angels or loved ones but he did see a representation of the prayers of believers. He experienced love from Jesus that was so real he thought of nothing else.

Vest says dying was the easiest thing he's ever done. It was the shock of being alive again that was hard.

He writes, “being in heaven with Jesus is an intensely private experience – so private it almost seemed off limits for conversation.” (93) He asked God for guidance on what to do with his experience. He realized God would give him the appropriate message each time. He knows he has something of eternal value to share with others.

He completes is book by looking at what Scripture says about heaven and other topics and what that means for our Christian lives.

This is not a book for people who want the latest description of what it is like in heaven. Rather, this book is for those who need reassuring that heaven is more real than anything we can imagine. It's a good book for any Christian who fears death. It would be a good book to give to someone who has lost a loved one (providing that person was a Christian). It would also be a good book to give to an unsaved friend as the eternal importance of faith in Jesus comes across clearly.

Freddy Vest is a custom home builder, part-time cowboy, and full-time Christian. He has been married for twenty-seven years and has three children. He has acted in several movies and commercials. He has told the story of his life-after-death experience on CBN's The 700 Club and shares his testimony in churches.

Charisma House, 240 pages.

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

The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind by Bill Johnson

Johnson desires that Christians experience all that is promised in the Bible. That includes co-laboring with God. This book is a wake-up call to the promise of Jesus that “greater things than these you shall do.”

Johnson writes about the mind of the believer. “The challenge before us is to give ourselves completely to the full purpose of God for the mind of man through the model that Jesus gave us, thereby giving us access to His supernatural lifestyle.” (21) Johnson writes, “I have come to see that the normal Christian life means miracles, spiritual intervention, and revelation.” (25) The Holy Spirit in us makes it impossible to be content with life on a merely physical plane.

Johnson gives many encouraging examples of people moving in God's will and experiencing the supernatural. He reminds us that God's purpose is not merely our salvation but that we would demonstrate the will of God. We are encouraged to view reality from God's perspective. We must have our minds, our way of thinking, transformed. The mind is a tool of God, a powerful instrument of the Holy Spirit. Johnson helps us recognize revelation, seek it, and put it into action.

I found that Johnson has given very practical teaching on moving into the area of supernatural ministry. He explains how we grow, what we are to look for, how we can endure uncertainty, how to identify demon activity, and much more.

This book is a challenge to our comfortable Christian experience. It is a timely and much needed wake-up call to the body of Christ.

Bill Johnson is a fifth-generation pastor. He and his wife serve a growing number of churches that have partnered for revival, crossing denominational lines. They are senior pastors of Bethel Church, Redding, California.

Destiny Image, 173 pages.

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

Truth be Told by Carol Cox

One of my requirements for good historical fiction is that I learn something about the time represented and the events taking place. This novel does exactly that.

The era is 1893 in a town near Prescott, Arizona. Amelia Wagner comes to visit her father for the summer, finds him ill, and then takes over his weekly newspaper when he dies. Her father was a stickler for printing the truth and she is determined to follow in his footsteps.

Her father had printed a few critical articles about a new mining company in the area. Amelia sets out to continue her father's investigative reporting. The owner of the company tries to thwart Amelia's efforts by assigning the handsome Ben Stone to the task of getting to know Amelia, convincing her of the upstanding nature of the company, and encouraging her to print a retraction.

The plans are thwarted when Ben begins to have affectionate feelings for Amelia and she for him. Amelia's life is threatened when she refuses to back down from reporting the truth. Will Amelia uncover evidence of the mining company's illegal actions before it is too late?

I was surprised that people in the 1890s would be concerned about damaging land through hydraulic mining. Cox mentions the Cominetti act which reintroduced such a practice. Apparently such an act did, in fact, happen. So that aspect of the novel is based on historical fact. I do wish Cox had included an historical note to let readers know that.

This is definitely a character driven novel. There are long passages of the characters thinking that I felt slowed down the novel. I found Amelia to be a mix of character qualities. She is strong in her determination to continue her father's work. She apparently has migraines which, on occasion, cause her to make irresponsible decisions. She has a temper and it gets her into a deadly situation. She came across as a strong heroine yet with at least one glaring defect in character.

I appreciated the theme of telling the truth. Amelia was determined to find the truth and report on it. Ben comes to the place of making a decision about the truth. His strong faith propels him to make the right decision.

I did like the novel and I do recommend it.

You can read an excerpt here.

Carol Cox is the author of over thirty novels and novellas. A native of Arizona, she likes to bring alive the Old West in the minds of her readers. She lives in northern Arizona with her husband and daughter. You can find out more about her and her books at http://authorcarolcox.com/.

Bethany House Publishers, 352 pages.

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

Dangerous Passage by Lisa Harris

I like a good police mystery and this is a good one. The heroine is Avery North, Atlanta detective. She is on the case of the murder of two young Asian women, each with a specific tattoo. Also involved is assistant medical examiner Jackson Bryant. With support from Jackson, Avery pursues clues that take her to the terrifying world of human trafficking.

I really like Avery as a character. She is tough and a strong protagonist. She is also a widow and mom of a tween, trying to juggle all of her responsibilities. Coming into the picture is Jackson. It looks like romance may be on the horizon.

I liked the police work. The case Avery is working on is complex. She also has to deal with her own emotional issues as she pursues the murderer. Her brother had been murdered in a police operation that went bad and she is determined to find out who was responsible for it. That distracts her at times.

I really enjoyed the novel. At the end, we are left hanging with a clue from her brother's death. I will certainly read the sequel.

Lisa Harris is a Christy Award finalist and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from Romantic Times. The author of more than twenty books, she and her family have spent over eight years living as missionaries in Mozambique, where she homeschools, leads a women's group, and runs a nonprofit organization that works alongside their church planting ministry. Find out more at www.lisaharriswrites.com, or follow her blog at http://myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com.

Revell, 320 pages.