Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

Sophie van Riijn's life revolves around taking weather readings and cooking at the abandoned mansion known as Dierenpark. When Quentin Vandermark, the grandson of Dierenpark's owner, arrives unexpectedly with plans to demolish the mansion and put an end of generations of superstition and rumors about the land and its owners, Sophie's life is thrown into upheaval. Her weather station gives her a sense of purpose and the information she gathers is vital to the Weather Bureau. Willing to fight for Dierenpark, Sophie engages Quentin and sparks fly often. However, Sophie is able to help Quentin's son and hope begins to emerge. Will Quentin destroy Dierenpark and Sophie's dreams? Or will love find a way to prevail when secrets of the past are exposed?

Although Until the Dawn is not my favorite Elizabeth Camden novel, I enjoyed it overall. The mysterious history of the Vandermark family held my interest. The plot moved along well. The love story between Sophie and Quentin was intriguing, but a bit unrealistic due to the extreme opposites of character. The mix of opposites attracting and light shining into the darkness is a great ideal, but it didn't quite pan out with the authenticity I was hoping for.

At any rate, I still feel that Until the Dawn is worthy of reading. Camden knows how to tell a story and I found myself hoping for a sequel that would explain more about Marguerite's Cove. Until the Dawn does have a prequel, Toward the Sunrise, but those characters were barely mentioned and Until the Dawn read fine as a stand-alone novel.

Read an excerpt from Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden on the publisher's website.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson

Kristen Jane Anderson's teen years were filled with one painful experience after another. Seeing no hope, she laid down on a set of railroad tracks and waited for the train to kill her. Unbelievably, after thirty-three freight cars ran over her, she was still alive – but missing her legs. Thus began a completely new part of her life. It was hailed as a miracle that she survived and Kristen's recovery was slow and painful. Only after her suicide attempt did Kristen come to know Jesus on a personal level. In Him, she found a reason to hope, to live, and to walk.

Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson with Tricia Goyer is not a book I would want to read every year, but it is well worth reading at least once every few years. Despite the heavy topics it deals with, the book was a quick read. Kristen's experiences are related gently and authentically to the reader. However, I think the book and its readers could have benefited from having more information about Kristen's healing from the sexual assualt in addition to the details she gives of her physical healing and struggles with depression. I felt like most of her issues prior to the suicide attempt were consolidated under the blanket of depression and only mentioned occasionnally after the suicide attempt.

I found this book to be very encouraging as I personnally struggle with depression. I appreciated that the author boldly, but kindly declares the need to know Jesus as a personal Savior. Truly, her relationship with Jesus not only saved her soul and brought healing, but also enabled her to reach out to others struggling with the same issues. I think this book could help anyone who is dealing with depression or who knows someone dealing with depression. The encouragement notes directly from Kristen were especially kind. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for an inspirational read.




Click here to read an excerpt from Life, In Spite of Me: Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogging for Books as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Deadly Disclosures

Dinah Harris was a one time a highly skilled FBI agent. Now she has been delegated to teaching a class while she fights depression, numbness and alcohol addiction. When a former partner, pressures her to help him with the murder case of the secretary of the Smithsonian, she hopes to escape the emptiness inside. Unfortunately, the emptiness remains. Through events related to the case she is brought into contact with a former friend of the deceased secretary who seems to think that the murder may have been motivated by the secretary’s religious beliefs. When additional bodies appear, Dinah must fight her personal issues at the same time she searches for a murderer.

Deadly Disclosures by Julie Cave was very interesting to read. The plot was well-written and the mystery element of the story kept me guessing about who was behind the murders and why were the murders done. The ending satisfactorily closed the case and the story; however, it certainly left a strong hint about the upcoming sequel to this book. The author did an excellent job of addressing Dinah’s depression and alcohol addiction. She did not gloss over it and seemed to express the situation realistically. I appreciate authenticity.

Although I certainly consider myself a Creationist, I must admit that all the Creationist talk at times got to be a little to much for me. Not that I disagreed with what was said, but it seemed like certain characters would go on long diatribes explaining Creationism. I think one weakness of the book is that it almost blasts the reader over the head with Creationism. I certainly am not against Christian views being presented by Christian authors in Christian fiction books; however, I think it could have been done with more tact. It certainly would not have appealed to someone who was not a Christian. With a little different style, the material could have been presented in a way that an unbeliever would still be interested in the story, at least. Unfortunately, the way the material was presented was more overwhelming than appealing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from New Leaf Publishing Group as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."