Tag Archive | Bethany House

The Seeds Of Change by Lauraine Snelling With Kiersti Giron

Aug19

Safe In His Shadow

The Seeds Of Change by Lauraine Snelling with Kiersti Giron is a most charming Christian historical novel that will swell your heart with love. It is the first book in Leah’s Garden series which promises to be fabulous.

The action is set in 1865 as we follow a family of four sisters as they journey westwards across America in search of a new life and safety. The girls have a pioneering spirit and are not afraid to muck in where needed on the wagon train.

We see the fragility of life as characters are struck down with illness or accidents. Medicine is primitive, often relying on herbs and natural remedies to help to heal. It is important to trust God. “I trust Your healing.”

Everyone grows up quickly on the wagon train. It is a community that must pull together if they are to survive. There is strength in numbers. They travel six days a week, knowing the importance of rest and a day for the Lord.

Knowing God and putting Him central to our lives is important. “You got to think and ask God for guidance.” God knows us better than we know ourselves and we can trust Him. “I choose to trust You. Peace eased out tension.” When we know God, we can experience a supernatural peace despite our circumstances.

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Chasing The Horizon by Mary Connealy

Aug8

Forging Towards The Frontier

Chasing The Horizon by Mary Connealy is a thrilling historical Christian novel that I just could not put down. It is the first book in A Western Light series which promises to be marvellous.

This is a pioneering adventure as we follow a wagon train going west in 1869. There is much bravery as it is unchartered territory ahead. The way is thwart with danger. The reader is able to empathise when tragedy strikes.

As well as striving forwards, there is a running away from a greedy, tyrannical husband and father. He is merely interested in the fortunes of his wife and daughter, and not concerned for their welfare. His greed and lust for riches blinds him to all else.

The leading lady is brave and forward thinking. Since her mother was incarcerated in a mental institution three years earlier, Beth has planned a way of escape.

There are some kind hearts within the novel who help those in need. This reminds the reader of the Biblical story of The Good Samaritan. The kind hearts cannot overlook the injured.

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Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl

Jul24

One Breath, One Heartbeat

Cold Vengeance by Nancy Mehl is an absolutely cracking contemporary Christian suspense. It is the third book in the Ryland & St Clair series but can be read as a stand-alone. For maximum enjoyment I recommend reading the previous two books first, especially as there is a story thread that runs throughout the three books.

River Ryland is a newly returned Christian. She is learning to trust God to do the things that she cannot. “She… asked God to take over.” Giving God the driving seat of our lives is always a wise thing to do.

We all have a past. Sometimes we are still hurting from our pasts. “When she let God back into her life, healing had begun.” Surrendering our lives to God is always the best thing that we can do.

We all have scars. Some are visible, others are not. “Wounds can leave scars… Give yourself some compassion.” Scars speak of where we have been, not necessarily where we are going. We cannot alter the past but we can learn from it. “I can’t fix the past, but maybe we can build something new.”

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Night Falls On Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

Jul23

Hope In The Dark

Night Falls On Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright is a marvellous Christian dual timeline novel that completely consumed me.

The action alternates between 1901 and present day. It is written in the first and third person, mainly from two alternating points of view, and also of ‘her’ – whom we need to guess the identity of.

Stories in both time periods run parallel. They are similar but different. Both have sisters in them, are haunted by events, and there is a necessity to find the perpetrator of evil acts.

Within both time periods, there is fear. “Fear is a lack of hope.” Different characters fear different things. They need to let go, and let God guide their lives. A glimpse of hope in the dark is all that is needed for lives to change.

We see that grief paralyses. “She had barely learned to survive.” Grief keeps us rooted in the past. “The notion that time healed and lessoned pain was a myth. Time merely mocked the absence.” We cannot live in the past, we need to move forwards and learn to live again. “Don’t be afraid to live… I’m not afraid to die.” When we know God, death is no longer a foreign country to fear.

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