Monthly Archives: May 2015

Audiobook Review: Distortion by Terri Blackstock

Audiobook Reviews, Book Reviews, , ,

Title: Distortion
Author: Terri Blackstock
Narrator: Nan Gurley
Published: March 2014 by Zondervan and Brilliance Audio
Genre: Suspense, Christian fiction.
Series: Moonlighters, Book 2
Duration: 8 hours, 48 minutes. Unabridged.

About the Book (from Publisher, Zondervan):

A husband’s lies can have deadly consequences.

When Juliet Cole’s husband of fifteen years is murdered before her eyes, she thinks it was a random shooting. Devastated and traumatized, she answers hours of questioning, then returns home to break the tragic news to her sons. But a threatening voicemail escalates this from a random shooting to a planned, deliberate attack.

Juliet realizes that she and her children are in danger too—unless she meets the killers’ demands. But as she and her sisters untangle the clues, her husband’s dark secrets come to light. The more she learns, the more her life is dismantled. Was her husband an innocent victim or a hardened criminal?

My Thoughts on the Story:

It was a pleasure to re-immerse myself into the world of private investigative “moonlighters” Juliet, Cathy, and Holly in this second book in Terri Blackstock’s Moonlighters series. This book reveals more about each sister’s unique personality, while immersing the trio in yet another mystery, with potentially life-or-death stakes. The sisters and their PI friend Michael make a great team, and it’s neat to see how much we learn about them each through their interactions in this story.

The author did a great job drawing me into the characters’ world and making me feel for them. Juliet in particular is going through a lot in this book. Not only has she lost her husband and father of her children, she’s also being forced to face the possibility that his character and their relationship weren’t quite what she thought they were. Consequently, the book takes on something of a mournful tone to match her mood. It’s not really a light read, but it is an emotionally gripping one.

The mystery element is suspenseful and at times quite exciting. It kept me turning the pages. Okay, not literally, since I had the audio edition, but you get what I mean, right? Did not want to hit that pause button. :)

At one point, the villains’ reasoning for escalating the situation didn’t make logical sense to me. Either I missed something or the characters did. But that instance aside, I was impressed with the story’s development. Plot twists came unexpectedly, but on thinking back, the clues were there, hiding in plain sight. Nicely done. I also liked the way Juliet’s faith colored her reactions within the story, particularly at the end.

You don’t have to have read Book 1 in order to understand and enjoy Book 2, but I’d recommend starting with Book 1 anyway (see my review). Why? The books in this series feature many of the same characters, and if you enjoy one, you’ll probably want to read the others too. And since they do take place in a particular chronological sequence, it kinda makes more sense to read them that way. 😉

Speaking of which, I remain curious to see how certain threads from Books 1 and 2 will be resolved in Book 3. And what kind of mess this family of moonlighting PIs will find themselves facing in the next installment.

My Thoughts on the Audio Edition:

The narrator who read this audiobook (Nan Gurley) is not the same one who read the earlier book in this series (Gabrielle De Cuir). I’m happy to report that I did not find the change jarring or unpleasant. The narrator for this audiobook did a great job with the reading, and I think her style and vocal quality were similar enough to what I remember of the earlier narrator’s performance that the change did not feel out of place. She did a great job reflecting the characters’ emotions, which made the story feel very true to life and gave an added sense of urgency at times. Character voices were differentiated enough that I could easily keep track of who was talking when, within a scene. Overall, a great choice for listening.

Thank you to Brilliance Audio for providing a copy of this audiobook for review purposes.

Quick Links: About the Book | Goodreads | Author’s Site

Find the Audiobook: Audible | ChristianBook.com | christianaudio

Three for the Books: Featured Reads in Christian Fiction, May 2015

Featured Reads

Featured Reads in Christian Fiction, May 2015

The monthly “Three for the Books” post is where I feature new (Hot Off the Presses), best selling (Topping the Charts), and award winning (Cream of the Crop) Christian fiction books. I select one title to feature in each category, as well as providing links to where you can browse additional newly released, best selling, and award winning titles. Have you read any of these featured titles? Any others you’d like to give a shout-out? Comments are always welcome!

Hot Off the Presses

Fatal Trauma by Richard Mabry releases today (May 19, 2015) from Abingdon Press. It sounds like a great choice for fans of medical suspense. Happy release day! :)

Quick Links: About the Book | Author’s Site | More New Releases

Topping the Charts

The Crimson Cord by Jill Eileen Smith is a fictionalized retelling of Rahab’s story from the Bible. It’s also first in the Daughters of the Promised Land series. It appears on the CBA’s May 2015 Best Sellers list for historical fiction.

Quick Links: About the Book | Author’s Site | More Best Sellers

Cream of the Crop

Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren won the 2014 Christy Award in the Contemporary Series category. It’s the first novel in the popular Christiansen Family romance series, which is currently four novels and two novellas strong with a fifth novel releasing in July.

Quick Links: About the Book | Author’s Site | More Award Winners

Book Review: By Your Side by Candace Calvert

Book Reviews,

Title: By Your Side
Author: Candace Calvert
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication Date: February 2015
Genre: Medical Romantic Suspense
Series: Crisis Team, Book 1

About the Book (from the Publisher’s Web site):

ER nurse Macy Wynn learned essential, gritty lessons in the California foster care system: land on your feet and trust no one. She’s finally located the fellow foster child she loves like a sister, but the girl’s in deep trouble. Macy’s determined to help, no matter what it takes. Her motto is to “make it happen” in any situation life throws at her—even when she butts heads with an idealistic cop.

Deputy Fletcher Holt believes in a higher plan, the fair outcome—and his ability to handle that by himself if necessary. Now he’s been yanked from Houston, his mother is battling cancer, and he’s attracted to a strong-willed nurse who could be the target of a brutal sniper.

When everything goes wrong, where do they put their trust?

My Thoughts:

Here’s a romantic suspense novel with lots to love – witty banter, sigh-worthy romantic moments, great descriptions, and a suspenseful storyline to draw you in and keep you engaged. This is the first book I’ve read by Candace Calvert, and I look forward to reading more.

We meet Macy and Fletcher in the midst of a dangerous situation, and get to know and like them more and more as the story goes on. They’re both caring professionals out to make a difference. They each have a heroic side, and yet they come across as real people with flaws, histories, and challenges.

My favorite part of the story was the development of the romance between them. Sweet romantic moments lightened the mood between more dramatic and suspenseful incidents, bringing a smile to my face. Likewise, numerous examples of witty banter between the characters made me laugh with delight. “I’m a cop. We have great flashlights,” from page 197 was among my favorite lines of dialogue (though you kind of have to read the scene to fully appreciate it).

The main characters have different but parallel faith and life journeys that tie into the book’s overarching theme – trust. I thought those journeys were believably and beautifully rendered. Regarding trust, there’s one line of dialogue from page 245 that I simply have to share because it asks such a great and challenging question:

“Now is the tough part. When you’re forced to ask yourself that hard question: Do you fully trust God, or do you simply trust him not to let something bad happen?”

Wow! What a question, right? Definitely one that bears thinking about.

Many secondary characters, including Taylor, Seth, Charly, and Andi, also felt well fleshed out with their own problems, perspectives, and growth over the course of the story. I enjoyed the glimpse into emergency services and crisis chaplaincy afforded by this story and its characters and I look forward to seeing more as the Crisis Team series progresses.

Occasional scenes from the villain’s viewpoint added tension and foreboding to an already intense story. I’ll admit, there was one point in the plot where coincidence played a bigger role than I was expecting, but that factor didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. In the end, I thought the epilogue did a really clever job of wrapping things up while calling to mind some delightful scenes from earlier in the book.

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

Quick Links: About the Book | Author’s Web Site | Discussion Guide

Find this Book: Goodreads | Amazon

Christian Fiction Book Club Connection, May 2015

For Book Discussion Groups

Book Club Connection

Welcome to the May 2015 edition of the Christian Fiction Book Club Connection. Thanks for stopping by. Whether you’re a pastor or ministry leader thinking of forming a book discussion group at your church, a current member of a book club, or simply a fan of Christian fiction hoping to connect with other readers, you’re in the right place!

This month’s post includes a featured book that I think is well suited to discussion, as well as links to upcoming online discussions. Then I’ll wrap up the post with a discussion question I’d like YOU to chime in on.

Featured Read

Title: Born of Persuasion
Author: Jessica Dotta
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication Date: August 2013
Genre(s): Historical, Inspirational
Series: Price of Privilege, Book 1

This is the first in a series I just finished reading (actually listening to in audio format). With its complicated characters and surprising plot twists, it’s the kind of book that when you finish reading, you want to talk about it. That and read the rest of the series, which tells the rest of Julia’s tale. If your book group enjoys discussing historical fiction, this series could be just the thing.

Quick Links: About the Book | My Review | Goodreads | Author’s Web Site

Online Discussions

The ACFW Book Club‘s May selection is Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay, with discussion scheduled for May 25-30. You can subscribe to the group’s e-mail list now, by following the instructions on their Web site, to be sure not to miss any announcements or discussion questions.

For May, the Christian Fiction Devourers group on Goodreads is discussing Deceived by Irene Hannon AND Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann. Grab your copies and head on over to the discussion forum to check in with others who are in the midst of reading these books.

The Fans of Christian Romance Goodreads group is reading The Cowboy Takes a Wife by Davalynn Spencer for its May discussion.

For fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Jamie of the Books and Beverages blog hosts a monthly Inklings discussion series. Sometimes fiction, sometimes non-fiction, the title for the month of May is If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath. Discussion is scheduled to begin on May 20.

The #HedlundChallenge2015 features discussion of one of author Jody Hedlund’s historical fiction novels each month. The discussion is hosted in alternating months by Jamie of Books and Beverages and Cassie of Bookshelves and Windows. For May, participants will be discussing Out of the Storm and Love Unexpected at Cassie’s blog beginning May 26 (discussion details here and here). I reviewed both these titles recently over at the Edgy Inspirational Romance blog. Looking forward to discussing them!

Let’s Chat!

This is only marginally book related, but…. With springtime here, I’ve been spending a lot of time out in the garden lately, weeding, planting, etc., and thought it might be fun to talk about our hobbies other than reading. So… Have any of your favorite hobbies been featured in books that you’ve enjoyed reading?

Some of my favorite hobbies besides reading and writing include gardening and photography. For gardening, the book that comes to mind was one of my favorites as a young girl – Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Photography brings to mind a book I’ve read more recently – A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert.

What about you? Hobbies? Books featuring hobbies? Please feel free to share, even if you can’t think of a book to go with your favorite hobby. Who knows. Maybe someone else will think of one you’ll want to read! I know I’d love to hear if anyone knows of any other good books featuring my favorite hobbies.  :)