I love Christmas beauty from the first to forever. Thank you, Jesus.
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Love Christmas music and who better than Chris Botti to play some?
Father, thank you for your musicians. Whether they know it or not, their beautiful gifts come from you. Thank you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Elizabeth Dyer has written an enticing thriller about a burned female CIA (former military) sniper and a Delta Force Operator who's been held captive in a dirt pit in Columbia for 18 long months with very few individuals knowing he's still alive. While she's been running for her life, he's been wishing for death. They've never met in person, but they've had some interesting conversations both work-related and not. Her skills have helped his team and saved his life, but he doesn't know one of her assignments was responsible for a tragic outcome. She calls in her last favor to find the operator's location hoping to save his life.
Fearless (Somerton Security Book 3) is an exciting, sometimes hopeless, compelling story with determined and mostly likeable characters and a clever, satisfying ending. It's very well written, and I would strongly recommend it with R-rated language warnings, but the intense and explicit sex scenes ruin pages of the novel. It's fairly clear the secular audience – and its publishers – favor these kinds of accounts with intimate renditions of the sexual dance. I can't figure out why. What is it that makes people want to indulge in the written renditions of all kinds of foreplay and sexual intercourse?
This story would be so much better without pages and pages of intimate details about two lost souls seeking solace in one another while trying to save another's life, fantasizing about their sexual prowess and escapades. Hinting at the extreme attractions and sexual energy is expected but defining it? Is it really necessary? It is not.
I want to reiterate this is a very well-written good story, but it's overloaded in certain sections with pointlessly explicit sexual encounters.
Father, we're desperate for you, your truth, goodness, mercy, and grace. Please bless this gift you've given Elizabeth. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
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http://www.standardnewswire.com/news/2762214696.html
https://www.redemption-press.com/shop/race/
The e-book rendition of Race will be available soon. The print copy has been priced at $11.99 at the Redemption Press link above. Amazon first posted it at the same price but now has it listed at $16.67. Hopefully, this will be resolved when the Kindle version is ready. Working out the kinks in the release of this book . . .
Father, this is your book. Do with it what you will. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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I will give thanks and praise to you, O Lord, for you are good. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Thankful for the beauty that is your creation even after The Fall. Thank you, Lord. We're desperate for you and thankful for your rescue. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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Thank you, Jesus. We were desperate for you then just as we are now. Always. Savior. King. Light of the world. Thank you is never enough.
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Robin Patchen gives us Reagan McAdams (aka Rachel Adams) who asks herself how she got so good at making up lies in Convenient Lies (Hidden Truth, Book 1).
Reagan McAdams faces too much tragedy and sorrow as a young girl in her hometown so after she moves away for college she changes her name and persona, leaving behind her once best friend and her first love with a bitter, drama queen resolve. After graduating, she travels Europe seeking out secrets for her journalist mindset and meets a gorgeous, charming, and wealthy man (Julien) who whisks her off on his yacht, marries her, and they travel to Tunis (north Africa). Her naivete runs its course and shortly after bearing their son in Paris, she gathers the minimum she can take and leaves a note for her husband who is away on business that she will be going to see her sick grandmother. She breaks into his always locked office to steal information about his criminal activities, knowing it's not enough to convict him but perhaps enough for some leverage because she knows he will come for her even though he has no knowledge of her real name or where she's going in the states.
Her plans are sketchy and hit their first enormous roadblock when she finally arrives at her grandmother's home. It isn't long before her long ago love shows up at the house with a definite hitch in his heart over the way things ended between them. Seeing him only makes what she plans tougher to do, and it doesn't take long before everything she hoped to accomplish goes awry.
Convenient Lies is a story of multi-faceted conflicts, inserted lies – some made just to survive – and the kind of love that just doesn't disappear with time and circumstance. Reagan McAdams realizes the life she's created for herself is filled with trouble, trauma, and unfulfilled dreams. Her one great joy is her son who she knows Julien would never hurt if found. At the hardest moments she remembers her grandmother's faith but can muster none of her own. Brady has tried his entire life to get over his first love but has yet to succeed. Seeing her again, knowing her situation, only makes him want to try harder to be the hero. He does everything he can to discover just how deep her troubles go but is determined to rescue her and her son from them all.
Reagan's fear was well done, but she was a major drama queen. Her lies only compounded her problems, her emotions were often uncontrolled and dishonest. Brady put up with a lot but remained the steadying force in spite of Reagan. At his most challenging moment his hopeless faith called out to God, but the faith elements in this story were kept to a minimum with these characters.
Robin's written an entertaining story with international intrigue invading the quiet small hometown atmosphere. Good – but some frustrating – characters.
Father, please continue to bless Robin's life and give her the inspiration she needs to keep writing those stories you have just for her to tell. Encourage her and keep her safe. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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". . . This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Acts 1:11 (NIV)
