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Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts

Friday, November 26, 2010

Book Review: Nightingale by Susan May Warren & Contest



I'll just say it right up front: I loved Nightingale. RITA award-winning author Susan May Warren's writing improves with every book she publishes--and Nightingale gripped me from the opening scene to the last page.

As a writer, I've attended three of Susie's writing retreats where she challenges attendees to write breathtaking stories. With Nightingale, and the previously published Sons of Thunder, Susie puts into practice what she teaches.

The main characters in Nightingale, Esther, a nurse, and Peter, a German POW, are complex and compelling. The challenges they face are daunting--and the choices they make sometimes aren't between right and wrong but rather two things of equal value.

Sounds like real life, doesn't it?

At one point while I was reading Nightingale, I talked with Susie and said something like, "There better be a happy ending!" Susie smiled and said, "Well, I like happy endings too."

But sometimes the happiness we're looking for--the love we long for--is a long-time coming. And Susie doesn't write fluff. She writes about characters facing disappointments and heartaches--and having to make the choice to live a life of faith or one of doubt.

Flip Nightingale

The Letters From Home Giveaway!

Enter the Contest: Nightingale is about letters, the power of written correspondence to convey thoughts and emotions to those far away. And sometimes near. Letters are forever, they are something we savor and pull out to read again and again. They are often cherished and kept in a special place.


To celebrate the release of Nightingale, Susan would like you to write a letter. One grand prize winner will receive a Flip HD Camcorder. Five runners-up winners will win a signed copy of Nightingale. There are two ways to enter the contest by writing letters:

1. Write a letter to a soldier. At the end of the contest we’ll print out and mail your letter for you.

2. Write a letter to a friend, loved one, family member, enemy. Tell them something you wished you’d told them before. Tell them you love them, or maybe how they touched your life. Perhaps an apology is in order or a thank you. Or perhaps you'd like to relate a funny tale or just share life. Whatever it is, submit it here along with your email address and we’ll send it for you.

Enter here or at the SHARE page on the Brothers in Arms website. Or simply click on the button above.

Read what others are saying about Nightingale here.


*I received a copy of Nightingale to review, but was not compensated in any way to post a positive review of the book.*

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Book Review: Wiser Than Serpents by Susan May Warren



**Contest for Mission Russia Series at Susan May Warren's blog**

First, a confession: I've read a lot of Susan May Warren's books. Translation: just about all of them. But The Mission:Russia series is the only series I've read backwards--meaning, last book first, then second book . . .
And, you know what? I still loved Wiser Than Serpents. It's got Susan's trademark fast-moving plot, well-developed characters and--as always--a few surprises along the way. But writing this book was more than just writing a good book.


A note from Susan:
Did you know that there are 27 million people around the globe held as slaves today – more thank 80% of them women and children, and up to 50% minors. In fact, there are MORE slaves today than were in the time of William Wilberforce. That leaves me horrified, and it was those stats that compelled me to write a story with a human trafficking plotline.

Wiser than Serpents is a continuation of the Mission:Russia series, a thriller about Yanna, whose sister is snatched through a Russian dating service, and disappears. Yanna enlists the help of Delta Force Captain, David Curtiss to find and rescue her. Readers who’ve read, In Sheep’s Clothing and Sands of Time will recognize Yanna as the tech expert, and David as the solid Christian of the group. (Read the 5-Rose Review here!)

The book is written from the point of views of the rescuers, not the victims, and offers hope and empowerment, instead of feelings of helplessness. It raises awareness without lowering the standards of Christian fiction.
However, the world is real, and the need to get involved is great. I so greatly admire people who take their beliefs and put action to them –hence why a portion of the proceeds of Wiser than Serpents is going to help the International Justice Mission, (www.ijm.org), an organization dedicated to rescuing victims and fighting the scourge of slavery.



Contest Info! Susan will be giving away 3 SIGNED sets of the Mission: Russia (In Sheep’s Clothing, Sands of Time, and Wiser Than Serpents) series. To enter the contest: click on over to Susan’s blog tour post here and tell us which ministries/charities you support and why. Susan will randomly select three winners.
To visit other blogs involved with Susan's book tour go here

Monday, June 30, 2008

Book Review: Act Two: A Novel in Perfect Pitch by Kimberly Stuart

**WIN A COPY OF ACT TWO BY LEAVING A COMMENT ON THIS POST. AND IF YOU HAVE A PIG STORY OF ANY KIND, I'LL PUT YOUR NAME IN TWICE FOR THE DRAWING!**

I just finished reading Kimberly Stuart's book Act Two: A Novel in Perfect Pitch. I always hope I'm going to like a book that I'm reviewing--and I'm happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed Act Two. The faith angle was delicately woven through the plot and her characters were believable--some quirky, some appealing, some laugh-out-loud funny. I would have like to see Mac's character developed a bit more, but overall I heartily recommend Stuart's book as a great summer read!

An almost-has-been opera diva stranded on a pig farm in Iowa? Where did you get the idea for the book?
I can’t possibly reveal that to the blogosphere, and I say that only partly because I’ve always wanted to use the word blogosphere. The other reason is that this one percolated for awhile. There was no lightning bolt moment. But I will say that I’m always interested in putting quirky characters in situations that make them woefully uncomfortable and allow the reader to laugh with gusto both at and with the character. A New York opera diva on a farm seemed like a situation that might work for that purpose.

You've got arias versus country music and uptown versus rural. But what else is Act Two about?
Grace, redemption, my love and respect for both urban and rural dwellers, and the under-used gift of laughter.

What kind of research did you have to do for the book?
It was intense. Lots of dangerous, Indiana Jones-type adventures, plenty of nights under the stars and without food or running water. Actually, I traveled to New York and was shuttled around by dear friends who love their city and were infectious in their excitement.
I also relied heavily on dear friends who own a pig farm in northwestern Iowa. Anything I got right on this end is due to their diligence. Anything I goofed is my fault entirely. My husband will tell you I don’t always listen well.

Check out Kimberly's Web site. (Pssst! While you're there, enter her contest to win an iPod Nano!)


Here are the blogs featuring Kimberly during our June 30-July 11 tour.
A Christain Romance Writer’s Journey
Behind the Mountain
Blog Tour Spot
Book Nook Club
Book Room Reviews
Canadian Prairie Writer
Chatter Matters
FictionaryFootprints in the Sand
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
His Reading List
I Don’t Wanna Blog
In the Dailies
Kells Creative Musings
Life with Missy
Lighthouse Academy
Musings on This, That, and the Other
Net’s Notes
Real Women Scrap
Refresh My Soul
See Ya On the Net
Sips ‘N Cups Cafe
So Many Books. . . So Little Time
Sumballo
The Friendly Book Nook
The Law, Books and Life
The Surrendered Scribe
Toni V. Lee
Write by Faith
Writing on the Edge

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Book Suggestion: Reading Between the Lines by Rick Hamlin


It's said you can't judge a book by it's cover, but we all do.
And, the truth is, I picked up Rick Hamlin's book Reading Between the Lines because I liked the title and the cover.
And once I opened the book, I liked the way Hamlin wrote. He has an unassuming writing voice. He doesn't yell at you with lots of over-the-top action or leave you dangling with cliff-hangers.
Instead, Hamlin's writing drew me into the lives of his characters. I cared about what happened to Jim and Elizabeth. I found myself wanting to read at stoplights ... and when I'd finished Reading Between the Lines, I skipped back to favorite sections of the book to re-read them.
I'll borrow one of the reviews from over at Amazon to give you a feel for Hamlin's book:

"Reading between the Lines is a unique tale of faith and romance, written
with surpassing charm and humor. Rick Hamlin finds magic in the lives of Jim
Lockhart and Elizabeth Ash, two busy but lonely New Yorkers. Beautifully drawn characters and imaginative plot twists make this a truly engaging -- and
enormously satisfying -- love story."
-- F. Paul Driscoll -- Editor in Chief, Opera News


Why a review from Opera News, you might wonder. Hamlin's book is set in the world of actors and actresses and musicians living and working and falling in love in New York.
So, there's another suggestion for your To Be Read (TBR) pile. I know I'll be looking for more books by Hamlin to add to my TBR pile!