Tag Archive | Rhoda Hardie

Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl

Mar19

A Fabulous New Series

Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl is an absolutely marvellous contemporary Christian suspense that I just could not put down. It is the first book in the Ryland & St Clair series and I cannot wait for the next book in the series. As book one ends, it is perfectly poised for book two.

Of the two lead characters – one is a Christian and the other has wandered away from God. She has placed earthly values on her heavenly Father, judging Him as she judged her own father. She is just waiting, and expecting, God to walk away and let her down – but God loves us. He will never walk away and He will never let us down. God loves us, even when we reject Him. God works for us even when we turn our back on Him. We can always trust God. “If God could love her through her anger and rejection of Him, she knew He would never abandon her like her father had.”

No one is ever too far from the heart of God. “No matter what you do, He’ll always take you back.” God longs for us to return to Him, if we stray.

Forgiveness is a major theme. Sometimes we need to forgive others. Sometimes we need to forgive ourselves. When God forgives us, He also chooses to forget our transgressions.

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Countdown by Lynette Eason

Mar16

Thrilling

Countdown by Lynette Eason is a thrilling contemporary Christian suspense that I just could not put down. It is the fourth book in the Extreme Measures series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Once again, Lynette Eason has crafted a well thought out and executed plotline that has the reader glued and guessing as we try to join the dots. The action comes thick and fast as the past collides with the present.

All our choices have consequences, sometimes with far reaching effects. “She … wished she could go back in time to make different decisions.” We cannot alter the past but we can learn from our poor choices.

There is the theme of trust. Life has dealt some hard blows. A character prefers to trust no one but herself, not even God – but living life in isolation can be very lonely. She realizes she has to “consciously make the choice to trust God.” We can trust God with our lives. He will never let us down. Even when we don’t see Him working or feel His presence, God is there, walking beside us.

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All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese

Mar6

Heart Warming

All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese is the most beautiful contemporary Christian novel that will leave you smiling as you celebrate the goodness of God.

The story is about the riches of life. These riches are never found in possessions or bank accounts. These riches are found in people. We see characters’ lives opening up as they realise that their true worth is found within. They are more than the clothes they wear. They are more than all their mistakes. They are all priceless sons and daughters of the King.

The main setting is in a house for older teens who have left the foster system. They are all trying to make a life, whilst carrying their baggage from the past. They “were more than the scars they wore from their pasts.”

Everyone is unique and everyone has individual talents. We need to celebrate our uniqueness and stop trying to mold ourselves into the shape of another. “Stop trying to hide what God has created to be seen.” Celebrate the gift you have been given.

 None of us know what tomorrow brings. We need to trust God and “don’t borrow worry.”

Lives are not always able to be controlled by us. Things will always happen that are out of our control. In the midst of the storm, rest in the arms of the Father. Trust His timing. “God continued to prove His timing was right on schedule. Even when that schedule wasn’t made by me.”

A character has known God but drifted away. “I spoke to the God I’d believed in as a girl.” All of heaven rejoices when the prodigal returns home.

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The Secret Keepers Of The Old Grocery Depot by Amanda Cox

Feb10

Delightful

The Secret Keepers Of The Old Depot Grocery by Amanda Cox is the most delightful Christian dual timeline novel that filled my soul with love.

The novel is set in present day and from 1965 working forwards. It is a story of family and love and life.

A character has been grieving her whole life for a boy who went to Vietnam and never returned. Life still kept turning and she had to learn to live again in spite of her grief. Grief never leaves us. We just need to find our way through it.

We witness the horrors of war in the lives of those who return. “How could they find normal after that? Love when they’d been baptized in hate.” Some lives buckle with PTSD and they escape through alcohol and drugs.

There is the theme of guilt. A character is drowning in it, carrying burdens that were never meant for her. “I’d become so tainted by darkness that I couldn’t feel the warmth of the sun anymore.”  It is time to let go and let God.

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