by Jason Joyner | Mar 13, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reviews
The CFBA blog tour for Monday – Wednesday this week is the latest book from Robin Lee Hatcher, A Perfect Life. Robin is a highly prolific and talented author. When I asked my wife if she would like to read one of her books for the tour, I got the most enthusiastic response from any time I’ve asked her.
So without further ado, a special review from my wife, Beccy:
Robin Lee Hatcher is one of my favorite authors, so I was excited to get to read this book (in one day!) For a start, I loved this book because it was set in Idaho – a place I’m familiar with. It talked about a good Christian woman who had ministered to so many ladies with broken marriages and lives, and she was now thrust into the same type of situation.
This book is about heart issues. When faced with the same things she had said to others, she didn’t believe what her own advice had been. She had to come to the bottom of despair to realize that God was there for her, as well as the other women she had counseled. It made her a stronger, wiser woman.
The characterization was great. The reader knows the characters from the inside out. The realism in these people kept me interested enough to finish in one day. I don’t know what more to say, because it was a well written, enjoyable story.
by Jason Joyner | Mar 7, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, chocolate, fiction
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Truffles by the Sea by Julie Carobini.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Carobini is an award-winning writer whose stories often spotlight her family, the sea, and God’s timely work in the lives of those around her. She lives with her husband, Dan, and their three children in Ventura Beach, California.
She also likes to blog! Go leave her a comment at Waves of Grace.
Julie left you all a special message:
To celebrate my upcoming CFBA tour March 5-7, I’ll be giving away a copy of Truffles by the Sea AND and a 1/2 lb. box of yummy truffles to three of your readers.
All they need to do is drop by my blog
http://juliecarobini.blogspot.com/ during the tour and leave a comment and a way to contact them if they win!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
If you read, Julie’s first book, Chocolate Beach, then you might remember Gaby as Bri’s dramatic, lovesick best friend. Unfortunately, things get worse—much worse—for her before they get…well, best not to give it away.
Sometimes all a girl has left is chocolate…
Gaby Flores has a penchant for drama and an unfortunate knack for dating Mr. So Wrong. After breaking off yet another relationship, watching her apartment building burn to the ground, and discovering that her dippy delivery guy has run off with most of her business, Gaby decides it’s time to turn things around.
So she moves to a tiny waterfront loft and takes on a new motto: “Be gullible no more!” With help from her friends, she works to rebuild her flower shop—and her life. But when legal troubles and quirky neighbors and two surprising romances enter her beachy world, Gaby’s motto and fledgling faith are put to the test.
Can a young woman prone to disaster in both work and love finally find happily ever after?
“Truffles by the Sea is delightful! Julie Carobini has a new fan in this reader, and she’s earned a spot on my keeper shelf.” –Kay James, RomanceReaderatHeart.com
“This book is a delight to read, and the author has us rooting for Gaby from page one. This girl’s never-say-die attitude is incredible, and her life is filled with all kinds of foibles. This is chick lit with heart – about so much more than finding a man…. While keeping the light chick lit tone, this book satisfied while avoiding the tired old formulas. Just when I’m ready to give up on the genre, I stumble across an author who can write without relying on stereotypes.” –Cara Putman, writerinterrupted.com
“I liked Julie Carobini’s first novel, Chocolate Beach, but her sophomore release, Truffles By The Sea, greatly surpasses it. I thoroughly enjoyed Carobini’s second book and felt her writing was much stronger throughout. The characters are deeper and yet funnier – a great combination…. It’s a great read for a cold winter day – you can curl up with the book, a nice fire and pretend you’re the one by the sea.” –Jill Hart, RadiantLit.com
by Jason Joyner | Mar 7, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, chocolate, fiction
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Truffles by the Sea by Julie Carobini.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Julie Carobini is an award-winning writer whose stories often spotlight her family, the sea, and God’s timely work in the lives of those around her. She lives with her husband, Dan, and their three children in Ventura Beach, California.
She also likes to blog! Go leave her a comment at Waves of Grace.
Julie left you all a special message:
To celebrate my upcoming CFBA tour March 5-7, I’ll be giving away a copy of Truffles by the Sea AND and a 1/2 lb. box of yummy truffles to three of your readers.
All they need to do is drop by my blog
http://juliecarobini.blogspot.com/ during the tour and leave a comment and a way to contact them if they win!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
If you read, Julie’s first book, Chocolate Beach, then you might remember Gaby as Bri’s dramatic, lovesick best friend. Unfortunately, things get worse—much worse—for her before they get…well, best not to give it away.
Sometimes all a girl has left is chocolate…
Gaby Flores has a penchant for drama and an unfortunate knack for dating Mr. So Wrong. After breaking off yet another relationship, watching her apartment building burn to the ground, and discovering that her dippy delivery guy has run off with most of her business, Gaby decides it’s time to turn things around.
So she moves to a tiny waterfront loft and takes on a new motto: “Be gullible no more!” With help from her friends, she works to rebuild her flower shop—and her life. But when legal troubles and quirky neighbors and two surprising romances enter her beachy world, Gaby’s motto and fledgling faith are put to the test.
Can a young woman prone to disaster in both work and love finally find happily ever after?
“Truffles by the Sea is delightful! Julie Carobini has a new fan in this reader, and she’s earned a spot on my keeper shelf.” –Kay James, RomanceReaderatHeart.com
“This book is a delight to read, and the author has us rooting for Gaby from page one. This girl’s never-say-die attitude is incredible, and her life is filled with all kinds of foibles. This is chick lit with heart – about so much more than finding a man…. While keeping the light chick lit tone, this book satisfied while avoiding the tired old formulas. Just when I’m ready to give up on the genre, I stumble across an author who can write without relying on stereotypes.” –Cara Putman, writerinterrupted.com
“I liked Julie Carobini’s first novel, Chocolate Beach, but her sophomore release, Truffles By The Sea, greatly surpasses it. I thoroughly enjoyed Carobini’s second book and felt her writing was much stronger throughout. The characters are deeper and yet funnier – a great combination…. It’s a great read for a cold winter day – you can curl up with the book, a nice fire and pretend you’re the one by the sea.” –Jill Hart, RadiantLit.com
by Jason Joyner | Feb 23, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews, suspense
Ted Dekker doesn’t need much introduction in the realm of Christian fiction. If any readers here think that a book from Christian fiction authors aren’t worth checking out, then his new book Adam is very likely to change your mind.
I’ve enjoyed the other books of his that I’ve read (Blink, Thr3e, and Showdown). I have been busy enough with reading that I’ve haven’t managed to read every one of his books. He has a powerful imagination and loves to explore the tension between good and evil.
Adam is the latest book to examine this theme. From the back cover:
FBI behavioral psychologist Daniel Clark has become famous for his well-articulated arguments that religion is one of society’s greatest antagonists. What Daniel doesn’t know is that his obsessive pursuit of a serial killer known only as “Eve” is about to end abruptly with an unexpected death-his own.
Twenty minutes later Daniel is resuscitated, only to be haunted by the loss of memory of the events immediately preceding his death.
Daniel becomes convinced that the only way to stop Eve is to recover those missing minutes during which he alone saw the killer’s face. And the only way to access them is to trigger his brain’s memory dump that occurs at the time of death by simulating his death again…and again. So begins a carefully researched psychological thriller which delves deep into the haunting realities of near-death experiences, demon possession, and the human psyche.
I’m not a person who reads a book in one sitting, but I really wish I could have with Adam. He knows how to capture an audience and hold them to their seats, knuckles white from gripping the book. The main characters all suffer from some obsession, and the individual reactions to the scenario are intriguing. As they work together to hunt down the serial killer “Eve”, the tension ratchets up to a surprising turn of events that throws the book from being a taut thriller about tracking a murderer to something much more haunting and personal.
Dekker’s writing is fast-paced, and there is not a lot of flowery exposition – he hits the action hard and keeps the plot moving. He uses an interesting technique in this book. There is a fictional Crime Today magazine serial of 9 articles discussing how a serial murderer comes to be. Basically he gives away who the bad guy is from the get go, but is still able to keep the suspense at high levels in tracking the path throughout the serial articles and the narrative. Very challenging to pull off, yet he does it very well.
My only critiques lie with the medical aspects, which play into the plot prominently. He has done his research well, and it is all written well and believably. My problem is that I am a physician assistant, so I can see a few minor inaccuracies. Aren’t I picky? I’m sure that it won’t be a problem for any other readers.
Overall, this book has reminded me of why Ted Dekker is the premier Christian suspense author today. He deftly handles issues of darkness and light and is a master of drawing his reader into the the battle that ensues. I highly recommend this book, and I’ve got a new itch to read more of Dekker’s work.
by Jason Joyner | Feb 23, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews, suspense
Ted Dekker doesn’t need much introduction in the realm of Christian fiction. If any readers here think that a book from Christian fiction authors aren’t worth checking out, then his new book Adam is very likely to change your mind.
I’ve enjoyed the other books of his that I’ve read (Blink, Thr3e, and Showdown). I have been busy enough with reading that I’ve haven’t managed to read every one of his books. He has a powerful imagination and loves to explore the tension between good and evil.
Adam is the latest book to examine this theme. From the back cover:
FBI behavioral psychologist Daniel Clark has become famous for his well-articulated arguments that religion is one of society’s greatest antagonists. What Daniel doesn’t know is that his obsessive pursuit of a serial killer known only as “Eve” is about to end abruptly with an unexpected death-his own.
Twenty minutes later Daniel is resuscitated, only to be haunted by the loss of memory of the events immediately preceding his death.
Daniel becomes convinced that the only way to stop Eve is to recover those missing minutes during which he alone saw the killer’s face. And the only way to access them is to trigger his brain’s memory dump that occurs at the time of death by simulating his death again…and again. So begins a carefully researched psychological thriller which delves deep into the haunting realities of near-death experiences, demon possession, and the human psyche.
I’m not a person who reads a book in one sitting, but I really wish I could have with Adam. He knows how to capture an audience and hold them to their seats, knuckles white from gripping the book. The main characters all suffer from some obsession, and the individual reactions to the scenario are intriguing. As they work together to hunt down the serial killer “Eve”, the tension ratchets up to a surprising turn of events that throws the book from being a taut thriller about tracking a murderer to something much more haunting and personal.
Dekker’s writing is fast-paced, and there is not a lot of flowery exposition – he hits the action hard and keeps the plot moving. He uses an interesting technique in this book. There is a fictional Crime Today magazine serial of 9 articles discussing how a serial murderer comes to be. Basically he gives away who the bad guy is from the get go, but is still able to keep the suspense at high levels in tracking the path throughout the serial articles and the narrative. Very challenging to pull off, yet he does it very well.
My only critiques lie with the medical aspects, which play into the plot prominently. He has done his research well, and it is all written well and believably. My problem is that I am a physician assistant, so I can see a few minor inaccuracies. Aren’t I picky? I’m sure that it won’t be a problem for any other readers.
Overall, this book has reminded me of why Ted Dekker is the premier Christian suspense author today. He deftly handles issues of darkness and light and is a master of drawing his reader into the the battle that ensues. I highly recommend this book, and I’ve got a new itch to read more of Dekker’s work.
by Jason Joyner | Feb 15, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews
I’m excited this week to discuss the new book My Name Is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder for the CFBA book tour.
I spent time from 2005 – 2006 hanging out at faith*in*fiction, a blog and forum established by Bethany House editor Dave Long. There was great discussion on the issues affecting Christian fiction. One of the clever folks that were there was Mr. Mike Snyder. We heard a little of the development of his book at that time. I’m glad to say that the fruition of his initial effort is well-worth the read.
The book follows the titular Russell Fink through some mis adventures as we see life through his eyes. He is dealing with a job he detests, a severe bout of hypochondria (stemming from his twin dying of cancer as a child and his fear of sneaky cancer cells), a clingy fiancee, and his televangelist father trying to overcome past scandal. Along the way he finds a way to move out of his parents’ house, investigates the apparent murder of his beloved dog Sonny, and meets an old flame who stirs some passion into this drifter.
The strength of this book is the writing. As I mentioned the clever folks from f*i*f before, Snyder was one of the tops in that category. His writing sparkles with wit and whimsy. You never know where he is going to turn next, from whiskey-soaked dog biscuits to microwaving oranges and breaking into zoos (see, you’ll just have to read it to figure out what all that means). At first Russell is a hard character to like, since he is so passive and basically irresponsible in all of his conflicts. However, as he slowly grows into accepting some responsibility and starts to make a change in his life, you start pulling for him. All the time, the writing keeps you on your toes and with a grin on your face.
The plot suffers a little confusion at the end, and I couldn’t always follow where certain threads came or went, or if all of the major plot points were resolved. There is one point I want to write the author to ask him about, it was such a dangling string. Still, I can recommend this book because, even if isn’t fully sure of where it is going, the journey there is a lot of fun by the enjoyable writing. I look forward to seeing where Michael Snyder goes from here, having his first book under his collar…I mean belt.
