Age
Appropriate For: 16 and up for some violence and
romance
Best
for Ages: 18 and up
Description:
Growing up,
goody-two-shoes Kirra Jacobs and troublemaker Reef McKenna were always at odds.
Now paired together on Yancey's search-and-rescue canine unit, they begin to
put aside old arguments as they come to see each other in a different light.
Then a call comes in from the Iditarod that will push them to their limits.
Kirra's uncle, a musher in the race, has disappeared. Kirra and Reef quickly
track the man, but what they discover is harrowing. Frank's daughter has been
kidnapped. In order to save her, the man must use his knowledge as a mechanical
engineer to do the kidnapper's bidding or she will die. Kirra and Reef, along
with the entire McKenna family, are thrown into a race to stop a shadowy
villain who is not only threatening a girl's life, but appears willing to
unleash one of the largest disasters Alaska has ever seen.
After finishing three of
these books in a matter of a week, I was eagerly looking forward to the last
installment of this series. By the time I finished, it was sad to say goodbye. I
have really come to love the McKenna family and wish there were more adventures
to come. However, the series wrapped up everything nicely in the end.
One of the things I have come
to really love about Pettrey’s stories is that she tackles some really hard
issues without going into so much detail as to horrify the reader, but also
doesn’t gloss it over. That is a hard balance, especially with the topic in
this book, but she manages. It is always hard to read about someone else’s
pain.
Neither Reef or Kirra were my
favorite characters, nor did I feel especially close to them. Yet, their story
drew me in. I think that Pettrey’s strength is that she draws the reader into
the story, no matter how they feel about the characters. My favorite part of
the whole story has to be Jack trying to propose to his girl, but he keeps
being interrupted.
Out of all the series, this
had to be the strongest mystery. Some of the others had some holes, but this
one was pretty tight, and felt more suspenseful. It kept me flipping pages and
made the ending highly satisfying.
The romance was not my
favorite of the McKenna’s, and I thought one of the romantic scenes at the
beginning was a bit dumb, but it quickly got better. Pettrey did a great job of
showing her characters as being committed to purity, without preaching about
it.
The faith element in this
story also seemed stronger than it had in any of the other stories.
Understanding why God allows bad things to happen, how He helps us to heal, and
trusting again were all covered in a very strong and powerful way.
I highly recommend this book
to those who liked any of the other books in the Alaskan Courage series, those
who like mysteries, and anyone who enjoys romance.
I received this book from Bethany House in
exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive
review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Even though I have been struggling with Ceder fever (a horrible allergy to have right now), I have been working almost daily on my writing in some form or fashion. I have completed two more short stories (One will be coming out next month) and am now knee deep into the final edits for Brothers and Betrayal. Thanks to my awesome editing team, they have been a breeze so far.
What else have I been doing? I have been going through my old blog posts, adding pinnable images, and deleting a few that really had no real meaning. It has been fun to see how far I have come, as some of the early posts were rather funny. However, I am also remembering how much fun those early blog posts were. I wasn't trying to impress anyone or build a following that hung on my every word. I was just sharing my life and thoughts with people. I want to get back to that.
So, this is the first of (I hope) many blog posts to come that just share my normal life with you.
We talk about justice, we forget
mercy.
We ask for fairness, and ignore the
verses about forgiveness
We shout about our rights, and mock gentle
answers
We instantly judge, not even bothering to think about the other side of the story.
We have lost our kindness
We have lost our gentleness
We have lost or compassion
The past few weeks, I have been
thinking a lot of how we as a Christian community have come to react to things.
I watched as a friend on Facebook cheered the death of a criminal, ugly
comments being made about our president, a dear friend of mine found her family
receiving hate mail as a result of a news story.
It got me to thinking about how I
respond to things, and how we as Christians respond. We (this includes me) to
often fall into the trap of the Pharisees. Instead of mourning a wasted life,
surrounding a criminal with prayer and love, we cast the first stone. Instead
of being the first to offer the respect our leaders, no matter who they are, we
are the first to hurl insults. We rush to judgment and forget to have
compassion on the people behind the story.
By this everyone will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:35
But they don’t know us by our love.
They know us by our political stances, and our fiery sermons meant to scare
people. We are the first to judge our fellow Christians, and often abandon the
ones who are hurting.
We have lost our love.
I for one plan to reclaim it: To
love the sinners without condoning the sin, to stop shouting about my rights and
start speaking with kindness, to give our leaders the respect they deserve, and
to be slow to make a judgment. Will you join me?
When I was asked to be part of the advanced reader team for this book, I jumped at the chance, but I was a little worried when I opened up the document. After all, Resistance had been so good, what if King’s Scrolls couldn’t measure up? I shouldn’t have worried. This book exceeded my expectations by far.
This book took many twists and turns. Some of them were exciting and exhilarating, while others were heart wrenching and brought me to the brink of tears. This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster that took me some time to recover from … in a good way.
I had so loved some of the early works by this author (written under the name Molly Evangeline), because they were so unabashedly Christian. I was worried that as she got older and her writing matured, her message of faith, heart for salvation, and love for the bible would fade. I am so grateful that they haven’t. Yes, her writing has matured as well as how she portrays her faith, but it is still strong and such a blessing.
The characters, both old and new, are wonderful and so real I felt like I have met each one. Kyrin is still my favorite, but Jace is a close second. Kyrin and I have a lot in common, and I just love how strong her faith is even though she goes through some doubt during some of the very, very hard things that happen in this book.
I cannot say enough about this book, so I will simply leave off by saying that I highly recommend it to those who love non-magical fantasy, adventure, and powerful tales of faith.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was
under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are
entirely my own
About the Author
You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Etsy.
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"It was then that I realized the Apostle Paul could say the following to me! "Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" Galations 3:3
My motives were pure, but my methods were attempts in my own strength." ~ Karen
"Yes, I’m going on a date with THAT God. The One and Only, who happens to be my One and Only right now." ~ Natalie
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it Here
Description:
New
difficulties arise for Sir Kenneth Dale in the exciting final installment in
The Comrades of Honor Series. As a favorite of the Earl of Birmingham, his life
appears tranquil – until the both beautiful Lady Clarissa and a headstrong
orphan named Brion arrive in the castle. It is not long before Sir Kenneth
finds himself not only in love, but also the master of the most difficult
squire Birmingham has ever harbored. Brion de Lantenac is nothing short of rebellious.
Hatred for Sir Kenneth’s strict rules vents itself in constant disobedience,
triggering continual clashes between himself and his new lord. But there is a
reason behind his self-centered character. The murder of his family has caused
heartbreak he may never recover from. Will he ever reveal his true identity to
Sir Kenneth? And what about Guthrie, the man who sullied his father’s shire
with treacherous hands and now seeks his demise? Caught between a hopeless
romance, a rebellious squire, and the enemies on all sides, Sir Kenneth finds
himself challenged. Amidst battles, heartache, and dark mystery, he must
somehow rise to meet the difficulties of his life with honor. Will he ever win
his squire’s heart? Will he and Clarissa be forever separated? Join Sir
Kenneth, Brion, and all the comrades of honor in a tale of perseverance,
chivalry, and unconditional love. Treachery abounds and evil seems
insurmountable. Will rising to the challenge preserve honor and win the day?
Okay, this review is way overdue. Perhaps
it is because I wanted to wait until I could do justice to the amazing story
this book contained. It was, by far, the strongest of the series, with a
message that our generation needs desperately: perseverance.
Too often, even Christians bail out when
things get hard. We reach out to those who need the hope only Jesus can give,
but when they do not respond or become angry, we give up. A relationship in our
lives becomes broken, and instead of fighting to restore it, we walk away. This
book exemplified perseverance, even when all hope seems lost. I was touched and
moved by the message, and I hope that it will stick with me for many years to
come.
The characters were some of the best
that Alicia has ever created. Brion, the bitter and hurt young man who is
forced into becoming a squire even though he is the heir to his own castle. Sir
Kenneth, a knight of honor who is determined to help Brion, but struggles to
follow through. Lady Clarissa, the obedient but also strong daughter of a noble
father who is determined she will only marry a man of wealth and title. This
cast, as well as many other characters, made this book the most interesting of
Alicia’s stories.
One of my favorite things about Alicia
is that her books are never graphic even if they deal with harder things. I
would feel just fine handing this book to a very young person, even though
there are sword fights and battles, because nothing is ever described in such a
way as to be disturbing.
I highly recommend this book to those
who love G.A. Henty, historical fiction, and fiction that is driven by a strong
Christian faith.
I received this book from the author in
exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review.
The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
I talked a couple of weeks ago about my struggle with
depression (insert link here), and I was blessed and overwhelmed by the
response. So today, I would like to share with you some things I learned
because of my time. Please know that this is not a list of dos and don’ts for a
magical cure; this is merely a list of helpful advice
I overused movies and books to escape
While I have no problem with reading books and watching some
movies, I found myself spending almost all my time escaping into the fictional
worlds when I was struggling with depression. While that would have been fine
if I had been doing it in moderation, it only prolonged the duration of the
depression.
I should have spent more time in the ‘real’ world
I often hid behind my computer, TV, books, or siblings so I
didn’t have to interact with others much. I wish I had pushed myself sooner to
spend time with people, even when it hurt. I wish I had gone to some events, or
joined in some activates, because I really think it would have helped me.
I wish I had faced my doubt sooner
I was so afraid to ask questions and face my doubt, because
I thought I might lose my faith. I didn’t want to do that. I was petrified that
I wouldn’t find the answers I desperately felt I needed. When I finally stopped
letting my fear rule me and asked the questions, a huge burden lifted. It took
a while, and there were some scary times, but in the end, God helped me.
Sometimes I found that I didn’t need an answer; I didn’t need to lean on my own
understanding; I could trust God.
I learned that God was not angry at my
questions or my doubt
Have you read the Psalms? You know, most of them are written
by David, the guy after God’s own heart? Have you counted how many times this
guy questioned God, doubted he was even there? Yet God loved David. Even Jesus,
as he was dying on the cross, asked where God was and why he had abandoned him.
That is right, those of us who doubt are in good company.
I need to focus on what was true
After reading Elizabeth George’s amazing book Loving God with all your Mind,
I worked very hard on changing my thought patterns. Sometimes, I was allowing myself
to sink deep into the pit, because I was allowing untrue thoughts to have rein
in my mind.
I needed to rebuke the evil one
Sometimes, we forget that what we are going through can be
spiritual warfare. We need to be in prayer, and sometimes we need to rebuke the
evil one. We should rebuke him aloud in the name of Jesus. I am not an expert
on spiritual warfare, but when I did this, there were times that I would feel
immediate relief.
I pray that you find these tips helpful. I also want you to
know that you are not alone.
