Rebel Book Reviews

Shirley Corder's Strength Renewed: Mediations for Your Journey through Breast Cancer Shirley Corder's Strength Renewed is not just for those who suffer or have suffered from breast cancer...it is also for those who suffer from depression, anxiety, lethargy, pain, and all other "cancers" in life. From page one I found myself uplifted by Shirley's words. Although I have read the passages of Scripture before, I reread them with new understanding and new life. Just as her book provides new life to hope. I am listing a few things at the beginning that captured me so thoroughly that I went back and reread that chapter of meditation: " Jesus and his disciples came across a man who had been blind all his life. 'Who's to blame for this man's blindness?' the disciples asked Jesus. 'No one," Jesus replied. He explained that God's power would be revealed as a result of the man's disability.... ...Cancer is finite. God is way

Neal Lozano's Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance from Evil Spirits Recommended by Christian musician friend, Lance Edward of Angel Dean ( hear a sample of his song in this book trailer: Mississippi Nights or as part of The P salms Pro ject : Psalms 1 ), this book will take you beyond a simple walk with Jesus and into a deeper relationship. Letting go of the past isn't as simple as some may think. The devil will still try to hold those bonds of servitude against you. As you read, little by little, taking notes along the way, you will experience how to let go of the pain, of the shame, of the anger, etc. and how to keep it away forever. Many people may not want to talk about Hell and Satan; choosing, instead, to ignore that part of spirituality. If a person believes in the Almighty God and Jesus, then Satan is just as real and he doesn't want to lose a soul. A spiritual battle is waged every day, every hour. This book helps the reader in fighting this war, becaus

For many years, Pentecostals are one of the most misunderstood denominations in Christianity. They are different. They are vibrant. They are emotional believers. Ada Brownell does an excellent job in showing the life of a Pentecostal, the ups and downs, the doubts, the fears, and the wisdom that life offers. Through her book daily life is broken down and bits and pieces of what makes a Pentecostal is laid bare. Unlike some of the prejudices directed at those of the Pentecostal faith and the untruths about who they are, Ms. Brownell shows how each of them are just as plain and just as flawed as the rest. The one difference is the enormity of their faith and their determination to abide by God's Word. As I read through this book, despite the typos and grammatical errors that pop up from time to time, I was held in awe. Her faith started out as a babe, and then became nurtured, sometimes faltering. Many times, she was reminded of her sin or lack of faith, which only strengthe

All the Gods of Eisernon (1973) , The Elluvon Gift (1975) , The Trumpets of Tagan (1992) , Timeslide (1993) , Hopeship (1994) Written under the pen name, Simon Lang, by Darlene Hartman, this series tells the story between Earth and the conquered world of Eisernon. Like all worlds that are conquered, the ruling members are either killed or incorporated into society. But the story isn't about how the world was conquered, but how the world became to be Earth's greatest ally. Through political mistakes, friendly fire, and misunderstandings many atrocities are committed. The ruling Han of Eisernon are no more and the only surviving heir, Marik Dao, becomes the second in command to the stellar starship of the Federation, USS Skipjack and under the command of Captain Paul Riker. With the beginning of All the Gods of Eisernon , the reader witnesses the love-hate relationship between Marik and Riker, and learn of Marik's distrust of his new allies. As a top doctor, or

Uncharted by Angela Hunt Published by Thomas Nelson-2006 David Payne dies in a horrible wreck. Five friends from college decide to honor his memory and finish his charitable service project. Various reasons they give: out of guilt, for publicity, for an alibi. Meet Karyn & Kevin. Divorced ten years ago, with a fifteen year old daughter. Karyn is an actress for a daytime soap opera. Kevin is a high paid executive for a candy company. Both are absorbed with their success. Lisa is a woman, never married and secretly harboring an infatuation over an old friend, who runs a daycare and cares for her ailing parents. She obsesses over the rewards she receives from her church and being noticed. Susan, an interior designer, is financially stable through the death of her older husband. She agonizes about her looks and her status. Then there is Mark. An used car salesman, out to make a quick fortune, who hides a horrid secret. On the way to the Marshall Islands, a s

To Darkness Fled, By Darkness Hid, From Darkness Won By Darkness Hid, To Darkness Fled, From Darkness Won: The Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson Published by Marcher Lord Press- 2009, 2010, 2011 Jill Williamson may sit beside the authors Tad Williams with his Sword of Sorrow series and George R.R. Martin with his Game of Thrones series. She succeeds them with her Blood of Kings trilogy. Follow the whirlwind journey of Achan, a young man whose status is lower than a slave, who not only discovers that he is the long lost heir to the throne, but also the one anointed by the One True God. Not a believer at first, Achan soon walks in fellowship with Arman. Gifted with the legacy of bloodvoicing, Achan is the strongest one of all. He is befriended by Sir Gavin. Before long, Achan is thrust into a terrifying war to claim his birthright and destiny. Knights, Giants, a boy who is really a girl, Duchesses, Dukes, and demons are only a few of the companions and foes. Temptat

  The First Gardener by Denise Hildreth Jones  published by Tyndale House Publishers 2011 One couple...two tragedies. If one death could steal your joy, then what would two deaths do, steal your soul? Gray and Mackenzie are brought from joy to despair to hope and then thrown into the pit of hell. A review will never capture the essence of what this story does. It shows that no matter how big the hurt, the pain, the hope, etc., nothing is too big for God. The chapters intermingled with Jeremiah's POV give a true Southern taste and how deep our roots go when it come to leaning and trusting our Lord. This story had me laughing and a lot of times--crying (and that is hard to do). Riveting at its best, and poignant at its worst, I have never read such a story with such heartfelt sincerity and bold honesty. As Jeremiah says: "When God call you to sump'n big, ever'thing in your life gon' be big. Your mountains and your valleys--the

Konig's Fire by Marc Schooley published by Marcher Lord Press 2010 (blog was written March 1, 2011) Reading the blurb for this book does not prepare the reader. Written in first person, you quickly lose yourself in the story. You are becoming Sascha Konig. Set in the time of WWII at the height of the Third Reich, a young man, a  Christian hidden under the teachings of Hilter's Youth, must battle the evilness of the Nachthaus, a secret underground cave that houses torture chambers and the oven, dubbed Dante's Inferno by Konig. Earning the name of Nebuchadnezzar, Konig strokes the fire seven times hotter than it had ever burned before. It isn't the evil of Nachthaus that Konig, and his two fellow Christians-in-hiding, must contend with, but the evil that resides in the heart of all men. For all are sinful and all can fall, but only those who face the time of the final testing and overcomes (so says the philosopher-face) will see the resul

Shawn Grady Through the Fire   published by Bethany House 2009 Aidan O'Neill, a fireman with an innate ability to read fire, knowing when and how it will burn, becomes overconfident in his gift and it leaves him with the guilt of another fireman's tragic accident. It is a blow to his pride and to his faith. Told with a great deal of knowledge, not only in a fireman's line of work, but also in a man's struggle to cope with a loss and with guilt. This isn't a carefully weaved tale of salvation, but one of redemption. Even though he encounters betrayal through the hands of family, Aidan finds love through the hands of another. Shawn Grady writes a great tale. It causes you to turn page after page until you suddenly find yourself at the end and wishing for another book of his. The only downside: using first person POV is tricky and there are a few paragraphs that are repetitiously beginning every sentence with "I". Other than that, thi

The Sleeping Rose by Angela Elwell Hunt   (This blog was written December 23, 2011) Have you ever loved something so much that it became more important than anything else in your life? This unique tale of a beautiful white rose that is requested by the King and Queen prove that sometimes the most beautiful thing can be found in the most surprising place. Baldrik spends his entire time caring for the most perfect rose plant during winter. Its one and only bloom opens on the first day of May. So famous is the rose, that the King and Queen invites Baldrik to their castle. Soon Baldrik's hobby becomes an obsession since his dream has always been to be a master gardener for the royal gardens. Through his concern for the rose his pride rises and he forgets about his compassion for those around him. Then the unthinkable happens, and the rose refuses to bloom, but it is the love and thankfulness of a beggar that shows Baldrik that the most important thing in life

The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman The Wonder of Your Love by Beth Wiseman published by Thomas Nelson 2011 (this blog was written on January 27, 2012) I picked this book to read to do research on the top ten sellers in Christian fiction. What made them the books that people went to over and over? What formula was used? Imagine my surprise as I started reading, I became engrossed by the story. Even though I started reading it quite a few days ago when time permitted, I finally sat down and finished the last 200+ pages of the story. I did not want to put this down. Romance is not my typical genre. The Wonder of Your Love is the first Amish romance I have ever read. Stereotypical Amish romances, from reviews and perusing of some books, are usually cookie-cutter type books of fluffy happiness and goody-two shoes characters. Not this book. Each character had flaws. Secondary characters strengthen the story and foreshadowed upcoming titles. The

Terri Blackstock: Golden Rose Spotlight I welcome Terri Blackstock , a NY Times bestselling author, and a remarkable lady. It is my honor and privilege to have interviewed her. Short blurb for Predator : The murder of Krista Carmichael's fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God's justice and protection. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, will Krista be able to control the outcome? Ryan Adkins started the social network GrapeVyne in his college dorm and has grown it into a billion-dollar corporation. But he never expected it to become a stalking ground for online predators. One of them lives in his town and has killed two girls and attacked a third. When Ryan meets Krista, the murders become more than a news story to him, and everything is on the line. Joining forces, Ryan and Krista set out to stop the killer. But

Laurie Alice Eakes & Her book Choices of the Heart Laurie Alice Eakes brings forth three charming tales with her Midwives series. Historically accurate, lovingly crafted, and beautifully told, each book immerses the reader into a lesser known community of Colonial times. Her books Lady in the Mist , Heart's Safe Passage , and Choices of the Heart deal with healing, love, heartache, strength, but above all faith. Laurie Alice is skilled in bringing the characters to life, even the secondary characters, and never shying from the harsh ways of life during those early times in America. The romance is beautifully written, not only the romance between characters, but the romance between a character and God. Her books will strike a chord within every heart, plunging the reader into a melody of history and time. Highly recommended, Laurie Alice Eakes' Midwives series is a definite read, a book to keep forever on the shelves and to read over and over again.

Amanda Cabot & Waiting for Spring Amanda Cabot has a way with words that leaves the reader spellbound. This delightful romantic read brought forth an accurate portrayal of a widow and her son set in the late 1800's. Page after page left me reading and longing for more of the story until the final page was turned, and still I wished for more. Heartfelt, beautiful, and truly a wonderful read, Amanda Cabot captures the beauty of a timeless age and of the Wyoming frontier. Above all, the spiritual lesson within the story was subtle at best and uplifting, hope given to all who have suffered and long to be healed and long for that second chance at life. This read was a breath of fresh air and a burst of new life. Read below for more about Amanda Cabot and her thoughts on why she wrote Waiting for Spring ; plus find out what else is in the works... "Thanks so much for inviting me to be part of your blog.  I’m delighted to be here today, talking with you and

Author Carole Towriss & In the Shadow of Sinai Everyone knows the story of Moses, but with this story you live and breathe it. Seen through the eyes of a character that witnesses the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt and told in an astoundingly vivid way In the Shadow of Sinai gives the reader an unique Old Testament experience. I was swept along the dusty march in the desert (literally tasting the dust in my mouth), held in awe of the parting waters (felt the water's spray cool my skin), amazed at the miraculous events (held in awe of the awesomeness). New light was shed on an old, old story.   published by DeWard Publishing 2012 Read below to see why Carole wrote her biblical fiction and learn a little more about her next book, which I had to opportunity to glimpse. It will be another astounding piece and another book by Carole Towriss to have on your bookshelf. " The idea for Sinai first came to me as I was reading in Exodus. God

Author D'Ann Renner & Dancing from the Shadows published by Ambassador International 2012 In her own unique way of writing, D'Ann brought forth a truly wonderful tale. From the first page I was captured and pulled into a story that gave me a heart-rendering and intimate look inside life with a special needs child. To make it even more potent, D'Ann Renner shows, not just tells about, life with an adopted special needs child. From laughter to tears and back again, this book is more than just a story...it's a look into true family love. The title, to me, is most profound. Life with a special needs can be hard, at most times frustrating. It can feel as though you are living in the shadow of the world, but it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. Her portrait of the heartache, the joy, and the wonder of life is an eyeopener to a world most cannot even imagine, and it is a definite must read. Read below for a more intimate look inside D&#

Tonight I will start off with Judy Azar LeBlanc's I AM THAT I AM: Tracing the Footprints of God.  published by CrossLink Publishing 2012 Judy Azar LeBlanc presents a truly remarkable way of viewing God. Starting with the names of God, she presents in detail each covenant of the Old Testament up to the New Testament and final Covenant. When discussing the Ministry of Christ, LeBlanc starts with Parables. I was surprised to find viewing the parables in a new light. Ideas I have never considered nor imagined were brought forth. With the explanations of the Spiritual Principles of the Kingdom of Heave, misconceptions and/or lack of understanding were corrected. Another thing I felt that really set this book apart was the comparisons made between the Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. LeBlanc took into account the personalities of each and how each Gospel recorded the same occurrence, but from a different point of view. At first, I was unsure if LeBlanc wo