Archive | May 2017

Love’s Unfading Light by Naomi Rawlings

May17

Gifts Freely Given

Love’s Unfading Light by Naomi Rawlings is a delightful Christian historical romance which I loved. Naomi Rawlings words warmed my heart from the start as I sank into the novel.

The novel is highly amusing with warm and wonderful characters who love deeply. This love oozes from the pages, enveloping the reader. By the end, I had made new friends and I cannot wait for the second book to continue the story.

God is present throughout. Life’s knocks may mean we feel unworthy of God’s love. “He has no plan for me. He forgot about me long ago.” Life may have made us angry with God as we feel unloved and forgotten. God never forgets us. He never stops loving us and He has a plan for our lives. No matter how dark it feels, God is still there. “It doesn’t matter how dark and cold the night is, because it [God’s love] always rises again in the morning.”

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My Nanny by Julia Wilson

May16

Still Missed

Forty years ago today my Nanny died. I still miss her. She was my friend, my confident and she loved me unconditionally.

My Nanny was born towards the end of the nineteenth century, she was number seven of eight children. When she was just two years old, her mother died and my Nanny was given to her aunt and uncle to raise. As a teen she moved in to help her older sister raise her children. The first World War gave my Nanny the opportunity to work outside the house in a munitions factory. My Nanny married in the 1920’s and had my Uncle John and then my Dad. In November 1942 my Nanny became a widow looking after two young lads. At a time when there were no widows pensions, life must have been so hard.

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Policed by Alana Terry

May15

Big Issues

Policed by Alana Terry is the third book in the Kennedy Stern series but can be read as a stand-alone. Alana Terry writes contemporary Christian stories about issues that are relevant today. Policed covers two big issues – racism and HIV. Alana Terry uncovers the myths and the realities.

It is a sorry state of affairs that racism still exists in the twenty first century. That people are seen by the colour of their skin rather than the state of their heart. Fortunately there are more people willing to stand against racism, so that Martin Luther King’s peaceful protests were not in vain.

The novel reminded me at times of Edmund Burkes statement “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Thank goodness for people who will fight against injustice.

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The Innkeeper Of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen

May15

OIde Worlde Charm

The Innkeeper Of Ivy Hill by Julie Klassen is the most charming Christian historical novel and I adored it. Set in Wiltshire in 1820 the reader is indeed transported to another era with Julie Klassen’s delightful descriptions. As an English woman, it was wonderful to read a novel set in England. I found it easy to picture the Bell Inn, farm and village – a little like a Constable painting in my head.

The village community was perfectly captured. I ‘walked’ through the novel, alongside the characters. It was a quintessential English village, with all the various characters one finds in there.

The inn is at the heart of the village. If that dies, the infrastructure around will crumble and the community perish. Old enmity must be put aside as people work together to revive the flagging inn.

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