Allon by Shawn Lamb

Glass Road PR Blog Tour

It has been a while since I've read young adult or fantasy so this book was an exciting change. This story is set in the land of Allon, which was once a paradise, but is now overcome by the Dark Way as King Marcellus rules. Marcellus and his team are pawns of Dagar, the evil lord, and his shadow warriors.

An ancient prophecy tells of the future restoration of Allon and the Guardians, which are angel-like creatures and followers of Jor'el. The prophecy speaks of two individuals who will bring together Guardians and men to usher in this return to paradise. Those individuals are Ellis and Shannon. This book follows both characters. Ellis learns his identity and trains to fulfill his destiny, eventually travelling through the provinces of Allon completing tests to show his readiness to take the throne; and through Shannon, the Guardians begin to return.

It takes a unique mind to create a cohesive fantasy world, and Shawn Lamb has done that. I admit I had a little trouble reconciling all of the storylines and characters at the beginning, but as the story progressed and I became more engaged, I was able to connect the dots. The characters were likable and three-dimensional. I enjoyed the Biblical connections and allegorical nature of the story and characters. I did find a couple of editing errors or typos, but overall this was a good young adult fantasy and an interesting read. I look forward to continuing through the series and following the adventures in Allon.

I am curious about two things, I'd love to be able to ask Shawn:

1. How did you choose the characters' names; there were a few that I could see the significance, but others I wondered about?

2. Have you thought about graphic novels...with your daughter's artwork, I think this would make a graphic series!?!

For more information about Allon or the author, visit www.allonbooks.com. There you will find the book trailer, an interactive map of Allon, an excerpt from the book, and artwork and information about the characters and about Shawn and her family.

I received this book free through Glass Road Public Relations in exchange for my honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday: April 28

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Attention Ted Dekker fans...

Last Monday Ted Dekker announced via Facebook "a new trilogy to eclipse The Circle!!" If I could scream through this post, I would: "WooHoo!!" He will be working with Tosca Lee, whom I also love; she is the author of Demon: a memoir and Havah. The first book in this series will be entitled Forbidden and Dekker talks about it more here on his facebook page. Check it out!! It sounds very exciting!! As far as I could see there is no release date yet, so we may be waiting a while, but I am sure it will be worth the wait!

Kathi Macias Amazon Blitz!

Order No Greater Love (Book 1 of the Extreme Devotion series)on Amazon today--Tuesday April 27! Then visit Kathi's blog and find out how you can get a free copy of More than Conquerers, #2 in the series!.

It looks as though there will be two more coming in this series; Red Ink (Oct 2010) and People of the Book.

I just completed my order for No Greater Love now...I think the series looks great and I am excited to read it. You should definitely check it out!

In my Mailbox Monday: April 26

In my Mailbox Monday originates from two blogs: The Printed Page and The Story Siren. I am using it to highlight any books that come into my house the previous week, whether they are from the library, from a store, from a friend or actually in the mailbox.

This week I received three books for review and an order from Christian Book Distributors.

For review:

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann

The Last Christian by David Gregory

(with an extra copy for giveaway!!)

From CBD:

A surprise fiction box with 10 books: In the Company of Secrets by Judith Miller, Home Another Way by Christa Parrish, Across the Years and A Love Woven True by Tracie Peterson, Never too Late and Angels Watching Over me by Michael Phillips, Waiting for Summer's Return by Kim Vogel Sawyer, Ulterior Motives by Mark Andrew Olsen, Wind River by Tom Morrisey, and Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman.

I saw this and could not resist checking it out. I got some good titles too! I already have a couple of them, so they will be gifts. And a few are numbers 2 or 3 in a series, so I'll have to start looking for the rest of the series!! Overall I think this was a great assortment for a great price!!

Not a Sparrow Falls by Linda Nichols

Life has led Mary Bridget Washburn down some rough roads. She feels stuck at a dead end, but instead she turns around and runs in the other direction. Unfortunately, she has a hard time letting go of the wrong turns she has taken. She ends up in Alexandria, going by her mother's name--Bridie. She finds refuge in a church and sees a troubled pre-teen that draws her heart. Bridie makes a life in Alexandria and grows to care for the people there, but she knows it is only a matter of time before her past catches up to her.

This book starts with an elderly woman praying through the night. Hattie sees a vision of one of God's people in battle and she fights with everything she has--in prayer. This kicks off a key theme of prayer. The conversations between God and the characters were moving and powerful. I loved the messages that each one brought. This was a story of growth and faith not only in the main characters but also in many of the secondary ones. Each of the characters was well-written with depth of emotion and personality. The images were clear, and the storyline was smooth. The internal and external struggles were real and the resolution was satisfying. This book takes the reader on a faith journey as well. I took away life lessons from each of the characters. Not a Sparrow Falls is a keeper. It is definitely on my list of favorites for this year! I would recommend it to any Christian fiction lover!

I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. Thanks Bethany House, I loved it!!

In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon

Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than 35 novels, including Against All Odds and An Eye for an Eye. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviewsmagazine. For more information about Irene and her books, visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.

In Harm's Way is the third book in her Heroes of Quantico Series, and I have enjoyed them all. This one starts quickly with a riveting prologue. The book focuses on another FBI agent, Nick Bradley, who meets with a woman who at the FBI office one Friday night. This woman is Rachel Sutton, who is bringing a Raggedy Ann doll to the FBI's attention because when she picked it up she felt intense fear. Before that scares you off, I was a little hesitant at the new age feel here too (with Rachel's "bad vibes") but it was well handled with an interesting twist. All I can say is-- things are not always what they seem...You will have to read it to find out what that means! Nick and Rachel both feel an instant attraction to each other despite the odd introduction, and as they work together on issues relating to the doll a friendship develops. The conversations that they share and the time they spend together were a beautiful way to create the intimacy between them. I loved the growing confidence and trust that they have with each other. A link is found between the doll and a missing child, and Rachel's life is at risk due to her connection to the case. Nick wants to be sure that nothing happens to her.

WOW!! What a ride! This was an incredible book. It grabbed me from the beginning and moved at a good pace toward a satisfying end. It was suspenseful with some great twists along the way. It was fun to revisit the main characters from the first two books, and the hero and heroine in In Harm's Way were strongly developed by giving us interesting glimpses into their pasts. Nick is Christian and he shares that with Rachel as he reveals his history and takes her to church. The element of faith is richly woven into this intense plot with very real conversations and a life-changing decision.

In Harm's Way is available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. And I strongly encourage fans of romantic suspense to check it out, along with the rest of the series!! You won't be disappointed!

I'd like to thank Revell for providing me with a free copy of this book. This in no way influenced the above review!!

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Check out my reviews for the first two books in this series, Against All Odds and An For an Eye.

Teaser Tuesday: In Harm's Way

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
4. Share the title and author as well so that other readers can add the book to their wish lists if they are enticed!

***Be Careful Not to include Spoilers!! (Make sure that your teaser doesn't give too much away so that you do not ruin it for future readers!)

I am almost done with this one and I can't wait to finish. Look for my review soon! Here's my teaser from In Harm's Way by Irene Hannon, page 260:

"The rock slipped from Rachel's numb fingers. Again.

Tears sprang to her eyes, and she fought them back.

Don't cry! Don't Give up! Keep working!"

In My Mailbox Monday: April 19

In my Mailbox Monday originates from two blogs: The Printed Page and The Story Siren. I am using it to highlight any books that come into my house the previous week, whether they are from the library, from a store, from a friend or actually in the mailbox.

I received two books this week, both were giveaways...Yay!.

From RelzReviews, I won Once in a Blue Moon by Leanna Ellis

And from A Christian Writer's World, I got Abbie Ann, book 3 in the Daughters of Jacob series, by Sharlene MacLaren.

An Eye for An Eye: Book Review

An Eye for An Eye is the second book in Irene Hannon's Heroes of Quantico Series; although Hannon admits that this was the first one she wrote. Against All Odds was the first book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but didn't remember how much until reading this one. Irene Hannon creates real characters and always has at least one strong Christian in her books. In An Eye for An Eye, Emily Lawson is that person. After 20 years she runs into her first love, Mark Sanders, minutes before a sniper takes a shot at them. Mark is a member of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and is away from Quantico recovering from an accidental shooting that resulted in some bad press, so he is the obvious target; however Emily gets shot. As Emily recovers and Mark delves into the case surrounding the shooting, the two get reacquainted. The case is not a simple as Mark hoped and questions arise about who the target really was, and what the motive was.

This book has romance, suspense, personal growth, and a strong Christian message: all the things that I look for in a great book! The book was written well, with a strong storyline and well-developed characters. I rooted for the hero and heroine and had empathy for the "villian." The plot moved quickly and smoothly, and most importantly there was a strong message and theme throughout the book. I would highly recommend this series.

Look for my review of In Harm's Way, book 3 in the series, later this week as part of the Revell Blog tour.

Friday Finds

This is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading where you can list the books that you discovered this week. I said on Wednesday that I would post a list of recently released books that I want to read so that is what this is.

This is a bit of a stretch because many of these books I've know about or discovered a few weeks ago on other blogs, but a few I just discovered this week. I think I'm getting She Walks in Beauty and The Six-Liter Club for review. The rest of them and the previous list posted of upcoming titles are great ideas for my birthday that is coming up next month...Hint, hint!

The Bride Collector

By Ted Dekker

Seasons in the Mist

By Deborah Kinnard

The Bridegrooms

By Allison Pittman

Six-Liter Club

By Harry Kraus

City of Refuge

By Ashley King

She Walks in Beauty

By Siri Mitchell

The Memory Thief

By Rachel Keener

Refuge on Crescent Hill

By Melanie Dobson

Rooms

by James L. Rubart

Waiting on Wednesday:

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I've decided to just make a list of 10 titles that are releasing in the next two months that I am looking forward to reading.

Never Let You Go by Erin Healy

(co-author with Ted Dekker of Burn and Kiss)

Published by Thomas Nelson, Available May 4, 2010

The Last Christian by David Gregory

Published by WaterBrook Press

Available May 4, 2010

Indivisible by Kristen Heitzmann

Waterbrook Press

Available May 4, 2010

This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson

Published by Revell Books

Available May 1, 2010

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes

Published by Tyndale

Available May 1, 2010

Predator by Terri Blackstock

Published by Zondervan

Available June 1, 2010

Tailor-Made Bride by Karen Witemeyer

Published by Bethany House

Available June 1, 2010

They Almost Always Come Home by Cynthia Ruchti

Published by Abingdon Press

Available May 1, 2010

Broken by Travis Thrasher

Published by Faithwords

Available May 25, 2010

The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel

Published by Zondervan

Available May 11, 2010

In the process of looking at all of these I found a number of book that have been released in the past couple of weeks that I want to read as well. Look for another post with that list.

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

Never Say Never is written in alternating points of view of Donetta Bradford and Kai Miller. Kai has been a wanderer since her childhood, while Donetta has lived most of her life in Daily, Texas. When a hurricane hits the town where Kai has been living, she evacuates. Traveling is difficult, but Kai helps three older women, Donetta and her friends, along the way. When the storm has cleared Kai finds herself in Daily with Donetta and a church group also displaced by the storm. Donetta, never able to have children herself, has a motherly and meddlesome love for her nephew, Kemp Eldridge. Kai and Kemp both have pasts keeping them from attachments, and Donetta, feeling "stuck" in her marriage, has relationship problems of her own. They each find themselves in humorous, trying, and eye-opening situations.

This was a light, fun romance. It was a little slow moving, but I enjoyed the characters. Even the secondary characters were well-developed with their own little quirks to add to the story. Wingate also created some vivid and amusing scenes. The romance between Kai and Kemp was cute, but it could have had more depth. I wanted to see her work through some of her past more, and clearly redevelop her relationship with the Lord.

I loved Donetta's story. It was particularly touching and beautifully resolved with a nice reminder for us all. Overall, this was an entertaining book.

Thank you to Bethany House, who provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Teaser Tuesday: An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
4. Share the title and author as well so that other readers can add the book to their wish lists if they are enticed!

***Be Careful Not to include Spoilers!! (Make sure that your teaser doesn't give too much away so that you do not ruin it for future readers!)

From An Eye for An Eye by Irene Hannon, page 122:

"He'd worked on that project. Done a good job too.

As he considered Evans's note, he suddenly realized that the tools to further deflect attention from his real target were staring at him."

In My Mailbox Monday: April 12

In my Mailbox Monday originates from two blogs: The Printed Page and The Story Siren. I am using it to highlight any books that come into my house the previous week, whether they are from the library, from a store, from a friend or actually in the mailbox.

This week, I received two books for review from Readers Favorite.

Blood Ransom

I have been reading about this one all over other blogs, so I am really excited to read it.

From Amazon: Romance and adventure drive Blood Ransom, by Lisa Harris, a powerful thriller about the modern-day slave trade and those who dare to challenge it. Deep in the heart of Africa, two American lives are about to change forever. Natalie Sinclair and Dr. Chad Talcott want to make a difference in underdeveloped African villages ... but they didn't count on risking their lives in the process.

Genoa Bay

This one just sounds inspiring...Here's what Linda Nichols, author of In Search of Eden, and Not a Sparrow Falls wrote about it (posted on Amazon): "In Genoa Bay Bette Nordberg delivers a warm, satisfying tale of a woman learning to recognize her Father's voice and find the courage to follow Him completely. Deftly written, with a keen sense of place, Genoa Bay will nourish as well as entertain.

I received one from a church celebration brunch: Fresh-Brewed Life: A Stirring Invitation to Wake Up Your Soul by Nicole Johnson.

Product description from Amazon: With wit and wisdom, Nicole Johnson leads the reader in a journey of awakenings--first, to God as you respond to His tender, passionate love for you; second to yourself as you embrace your identity as a woman, your gifts, and your dreams; finally, to others as you learn to love and communicate in ways that bring joy and closeness.

Nicole offers a freshly-brewed, heartwarming wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee guide to living life to the fullest. She encourages Christian women to recognize the areas in their lives where they are sound asleep--and let God wake them up again.

Challenging and immensely practical, Fresh-Brewed Life is a heartwarming book that's good to the last drop--good enough to change your life and help you touch the lives of others.

My sister also sent two home with me after a visit: Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake and The Jewel of Gresham Green by Lawana Blackwell. My sister and I usually have the same taste so these should be good. These are both historical fiction novels set in the late 1800s. They are both by relatively well-known authors, and surprisingly I have never read anything by either; although I have a couple of Hake's in my TBR pile.

Overall, a very exciting week of book arrivals in my home. Luckily I gave away a bunch of books last week, but I am still collecting them faster than I am reading them... Such is the life of a book-lover!