I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
…took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. (1 Kings 19:21)
This was my first time to read Patricia Bradley, and it definitely won’t be my last! I instantly connected with this story, because I’m a Louisiana/Mississippi girl myself, so the Natchez Trace automatically swept me in.
There were several twists and turns I wasn’t expecting (some were heart-wrenching!). Some that I did guess, so it was a balance between the two. And yes, I did know who the “bad guys” were from the first third of the book, but I did still enjoy reading how everything played out. I thought the suspense was solid and well-written and the mystery element was pretty good too.
The Christian content was more in the form of Daisy’s mentorship than the actual two main character’s personal Christian walk. It mentioned Brooke going to church, but Luke didn’t because of dangerous work—which, I’m not faulting it for that. There was a moral lesson, more from Brooke’s side than Luke’s (now that I think of it, I don’t really know of a big “lesson” Luke learned other than not being afraid to settle down). Personally, I felt it was more of a moral read than a Christian read.
The chemistry between Brooke and Luke was great. There was a sort of love triangle going on with Jeremy added as well. Judging it just based on that, it was very well done. However, when my seventeen-year-old sister asked if she could read this, I was hesitant, because it did focus a lot on the physical attractions. There was only one kiss, but it was semi-detailed.
Gripping writing is a definitely 5-star for me.
Christian/romance theme makes it more of a 4-star. So we’ll go with the invisible 4.5 star.
This definitely has me looking forward to the next book in the series!
*I received this book from the publisher and happily provided my honest review*
About the Book
The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It’s the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it’s being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.
John’s daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father’s murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her. Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who’s going to keep him safe when he realizes he’s falling–hard–for the daughter of the man he failed to save?
Award-winning author Patricia Bradley introduces you to a new series set in the sultry South that will have you wiping your brow and looking over your shoulder.
Wilt thou also disannul My judgment? wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous? (Job 40:8)
Last summer, I was introduced to the Lantern Beach books and enjoyed the mystery and suspense of them. This one is no different. Christy takes a broken hero and heroine, brings them together, and throws them into a plethora of trouble. Her books are exciting tales. In some ways, they seem to be lighter reads—possibly because she has more of an equal balance between civilian life and the mystery they’re unraveling. But things definitely got more suspenseful in the end.
I would categorize these more as clean reads than Christian reads. I do think in the beginning there was a mention of God and prayer, but there was absolutely none at the climax when the characters were in the throes of trouble.
The romance in this book never went too far, but it was very present. For a non-romantic like me, it was just too frequently mentioned how much they noticed sparks or good looks or such. But, for someone who likes watching romantic chemistry at work, they’d probably enjoy it.
*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*
Book: Dark Water
Author: Christy Barritt
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 28, 2020
A FORMER NAVY SEAL HAUNTED BY HIS PAST
Colton Locke can’t forget the black op that went terribly wrong. Desperate for a new start, he moves to Lantern Beach, North Carolina, and forms Blackout, a private security firm. Despite his hero status, he can’t erase the mistakes he’s made.
A WIDOW WITH SECRETS
For the past year, Elise Oliver hasn’t been able to shake the feeling that there’s more to her husband’s death than she was told. When she finds a hidden box of his personal possessions, more questions—and suspicions—arise. The only person she trusts to help her is her husband’s best friend, Colton Locke.
THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
Someone wants Elise dead. Is it because she knows too much? Or is it to keep her from finding the truth? The Blackout team must uncover dark secrets hiding beneath seemingly still waters. But those very secrets might just tear the team apart.
Click here for your copy!
USA Today has called Christy Barritt’s books “scary, funny, passionate, and quirky.”
A Publishers Weekly best-seller, Christy writes both mystery and romantic suspense novels that are clean with underlying messages of faith. Her books have sold more than two million copies, and two are currently being developed as movies.
Christy’s books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery, have been twice nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and have finaled for both a Carol Award and Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year.
She’s married to her prince charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious–but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado.
Christy currently splits her time between the Virginia suburbs and Hatteras Island, North Carolina. She loves spending time with her husband, her two sons, and her four dogs.
For more information, visit her website: www.christybarritt.com.
Dark Water is the fourth series in the Lantern Beach Universe. When I created the fictional island of Lantern Beach, NC, I had no idea how popular it would be. I’ve fallen in love with the people there, and they feel more like friends than fictional characters.
Dark Water is about a group of former Navy SEALs who band together to former an elite private security firm. But they all share secrets, as well as guilt over the death of their SEAL leader. In order to move on, they must find answers.
I introduced Colton Locke in the last book of the Lantern Beach PD series—Plan of Action. I knew he needed his own book and that I wanted to develop his character more. That turned into a four-book series featuring Colton and three of his friends. Blackout contains suspense, mystery, and romance—all of my favorite things!
Why died I not in the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? (Job 3:11)
Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that He would let loose His hand, and cut me off! (Job 6:8-9)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Fear is the primary reason we fail to share the gospel with our friends, family, and coworkers. We’re afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We’re afraid we won’t have the right answers to their questions. We’re afraid that if they reject the gospel, they’re really rejecting us. We don’t want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones’ ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it’s not, but it’s just so hard to get over our fear.
Apologist Ray Comfort can help. In Anyone but Me, he shows you how to overcome your fears by developing ten critical, biblical characteristics so that you can confidently share the message of salvation with those you care about most. If you’ve been longing to see a dear friend, family member, or coworker come to Christ, now is the time to begin becoming the faithful witness they need. Because we never know how much more time we will have to proclaim God’s good news.
My Review
Once you know how to find the words and their root words in a concordance, you can use simply the Bible as a concordance for the Bible. For instance, from the passage above, I can search for the word “sanctification” and I come up with:
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8) (emphasis added)
After the death of her mother, Emmalin Hammond discovers she is not the heiress she’d always assumed she’d be. The revelation exposes her fiancé’s true intentions when he withdraws his marriage proposal, leaving Emmalin heartbroken and humiliated. When she discovers the father she believed to be dead is still alive and living in the Oregon Territory she decides it is time to meet the man who has been hidden from her all of her life.
Accompanied by her Uncle Jonathon, she sets out for the Oregon Territory in search of answers and hoping for a renewed relationship with her father. When tragedy strikes, she confronts the terrifying challenge of completing her quest alone. Faced with few options, she entrusts her life to a mountain man named Jacob Landon who agrees to transport her to a small settlement in Southern Oregon called Deer Creek, a place also known as the Land of One Hundred Valleys.
Emmalin is not prepared for the hardships of life in the Oregon wilderness. Each day presents a new challenge. Newfound friends, including the reserved Jacob Landon, who unexpectedly stirs her heart, come alongside to help her adapt. Yet she feels out of place. Should she brave the arduous journey back to Philadelphia for the life she once knew or remain and hope for something better in the Oregon wilderness?
| My first impression from the first chapter was that it really “felt” the historical fiction feel. And overall, the lifestyle and things that the author brought out gave it a good historical flavor. There were a couple things that seemed far-fetched for the era (such as someone traveling the Oregon trail and extra three weeks’ trip for selfish purposes…), but that may just be me.
Jacob was by far my favorite character. His struggle of not knowing where he fit in society (whether with the natives or the whites) was a good plot point. As far as romance goes, from all that I can remember, it was a pretty clean read. I don’t remember any innuendos that made me feel uncomfortable. I definitely appreciated that aspect of the story. Spiritual-plot wise, God was mentioned, prayer was mentioned, and characters were Christians. There were some spiritual lessons threaded throughout the story, but they weren’t prominent. If you just like reading a book where a girl is going along life’s journey, and things happen to her, and she continues through life’s journey, then you’ll probably enjoy this book. I struggled to fully enjoy this book because the characters felt underdeveloped and I couldn’t figure out what the plot was. This was my first time reading Bonnie Leon, and I try to not have any unrealistic expectations when reading a new author. I wish I could say I absolutely fell in love with this book, and I tried, but it just didn’t click with me. *I received this book from the Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review* |
About the Author
Amanda Tero Books 