Archive | April 2020

The Executions by Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

Apr15

Mightier Than The Pen

The Executions by Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer is a marvellous Christian historical novel and the first book in the Choctaw Tribune series.

I was completely engrossed from the start as I travelled back to 1892 and Indian Territory. The novel surrounds the Choctaw people. They are a peaceful people with the two main characters being in charge of the local paper. “We need people to stand up and speak truth.” They will not sugar coat the news, they tell the facts and reveal the injustices. This makes them unpopular with the local white people.

The reader witnesses the horrors of the times – the lynching’s, the racial prejudices, belief that the white man is supreme. It is a time of ignorance and poor choices for some. “Things didn’t just happen. They resulted from a chain of choices that eventually… shackled a man.” We will always have the choice to do the right thing.

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The Trouble In Willow Falls by Pat Nichols

Apr9

Wonderful, Warm And Welcoming

The Trouble In Willow Falls by Pat Nichols is a delightful contemporary Christian novel about the ups and downs of small town living. It is the second book in the Willow Falls series.

Once again it is charming to have a return visit to Willow Falls. The characters are warm and welcoming and there is a real community spirit. Willow Falls is the place where love blooms, hearts and bodies heal and dreams do come true.

Seen as a failing town in terms of tourism, the whole town pulls together to reinstate the town on the tourist trail.  As buildings are renovated and brought back to life, the reader sees parallels in the characters. Those whom society has forgotten have the chance of new life in Willow Falls.

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Echoes Among The Stones by Jaime Jo Wright

Apr8

Not Over

Echoes Among The Stones by Jaime Jo Wright is a marvellous dual timeline Christian suspense that will completely consume your heart, soul and emotions.

One character straddles the two timelines. She is a teen in 1946 and a grandmother in present day. The past intrudes on the present as old crimes need solving and laid to rest.

The novel is a study in raw grief as lives are suspended in a moment in time. No matter where you go, you cannot outrun grief. “Time healed no pain.” Two leading characters are battling grief. For one, it suddenly interrupted life, for the other she knew it was coming. For both, they cling to their loved one and are shaken to the core.

The reader sees the effects of grief. Some characters are angry at God. “How does God allow something this – this heinous?” God does not ‘allow’ pain, man has free will. God walks alongside us in our pain. He is there in the middle, He does not leave us alone.

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Lost Down Deep by Sara Davison

Apr6

Receive His Gift

  Lost Down Deep by Sara Davison is a marvellous Christian contemporary suspense that will have you on the edge of your seat as you read. It is part of the Mosaic Collection.

The novel concerns temporary amnesia as a character forgets their recent past but remembers their relationship with God. This shows the reader the importance of being deeply rooted in God, so no matter what happens we remember Whose we are.

Prayer is important. “God had answered her prayer.” God longs to answer our prayers. They may be as simple as ‘help’ or as long as we like but God hears and God answers.

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