Tag Archive | Bethany House

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Jan21

The Rescuer

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a powerful Christian historical novel that consumed me from the start. It has its’ roots in facts and there are actual historical figures in the book.

The novel is set between the wars in the early 1930’s as Hitler is rising to power. Much of the novel is set in America but some is set in Berlin.

During World War I, a young German man in the navy found himself interred in an enemy alien camp in America. He wrote to his fiancée in Germany until the letters just stopped in 1917. His mother and fiancée are still waiting for news of him in 1932. A newspaper cutting means a young woman travels to America to find out what happened to her young man. This reminds the reader that when we are lost, God seeks us out. He will leave the ninety-nine in order to search for the one who is lost.

We learn that there were dodgy goings on in the internment camp. Only now, in 1932 are activities coming to light. A cold case springs to life as the truth is sought.

A life that stagnated in Berlin, buds and blossoms in America. “Her life had gone from the grays… of Germany to this multicoloured happiness… on a fledgling college campus.” America is the land of opportunity. This is in contrast to Germany where lives are being eroded and closed down.

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Tempest At Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright

Jan12

Love Is…

Tempest At Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright is a gripping Christian dual timeline novel that I just could not put down.

The action is set in present day, 1874 and twenty years earlier.

Once more Jaime Jo Wright has presented a dark and brooding novel where the elements mirror the action.

Obsessions dominate lives as they travel down the generations. Greed grips hearts. “Greed… it’s the root of … mankind’s problems.” The love of money is the root of all evil. When pound signs are all one sees, one is in trouble.

Greed and jealousy dominated a life who then inflicted cruelty on an innocent.

There is the difficult topic of domestic abuse. In the nineteenth century characters needed rescuing from their situations. We witness love stepping in. “Love meant giving oneself for another.”

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The Lost Boys Of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright

Jan3

Let Go & Let God

The Lost Boys Of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright is a powerful Christian historical dual timeline novel that I loved.

Once more Jaime Jo Wright has penned a dark and brooding novel that grabs the reader’s attention from the start. Scenes set at night and in an old dark theatre help to set the atmosphere. Amongst all the cloak and daggers, the reader tries to guess what is real and what is an illusion?

The action takes pace in 1915 and present day, with Barlowe theatre as its’ focus. There are rumours of lost boys and a woman in white walking abroad. What is real? Are there ghosts of the past that need to be put to rest?

In both time periods there are leading female characters who are struggling to find their place in society. Both feel abandoned by parents – one through death, and the other due to being adopted. They both struggle with feelings of self-worth. In 1915, one’s worth was attached to one’s position in society. “What would ruin someone of Eleanor’s status would merely go unnoticed by those in her world.” There are different rules for the different classes.

In present day the leading lady finds it difficult to trust that she is lovable as she was abandoned at birth by her birth mother. “Deep down… Kit felt disposable. Even her faith was challenged by the idea that God too must certainly have His limits of grace.” God is our loving Father. His love for us is unconditional and everlasting. The leading lady struggles to believe that God’s love is given freely to her and that she doesn’t have to earn it. “Human nature is conditional… But God is not.” Slowly her faith emerges. “A thin thread of belief that her value wasn’t based on conditions.”

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An Honorable Deception by Roseanna M White

Nov3

Truth. Family. Love.

An Honorable Deception by Roseanna M White is a powerful historical Christian novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the third book in The Imposters series but can be read as a stand-alone.

I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces, not only from earlier in the series but also from a previous series. This all helps to thoroughly immerse the reader within the tale.

The novel is set in 1912 in both Northumberland and London. The City is a grimy place full of dubious morals and entitled characters. In contrast, the air in Northumberland is fresh, and there is a lightness and freedom to be found. Kindness is the order of the day. The family help those whom society has marginalised. This care extends to widows and orphans too.

I loved the inclusion of the circus animals. Penelope, the monkey is adorable. They too, are saved from cruelty or worse.

There are the difficult themes of trafficking young girls and redundant ayahs into prostitution for the elite. This is sensitively tackled by Roseanna M White. We meet characters who are quite rightly outraged, and who will fight for those without a voice.

We see the importance of listening to the voice of God. “You’re too weak… It was mother’s voice in her head, reciting the phrase that had become her mantra.” Other voices speak lies to us. God’s voice speaks truth.

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