The Spirit of Rejection

"The only way to get rid of them for good is through truth. The person must submit to truth to stay free. This strips them of their legal right to be there. Fighting demons without removing their right to be there is like trying to get rid of a mighty oak tree by plucking its leaves."

I have to say with all honesty, that this was the hardest novel to read, not in terms of the writing style but based on the content. This one really hit home for me in my own personal walk. You see at 17 before I was a Christian, I had an abortion. It was for the same reason the characters in The Spirit of Rejection by Eric M Hill wanted one, but mine was successful in the procedure was complete but the internal torment never ends. Even as a believer and through confession of my sin, the enemy runs rampant in my mind with this situation and it brought me back to that moment but from another perspective. One in the spiritual sense I had never considered. That unseen realm between demons and angels, good over evil and that struggle between our salvation and our unsaved souls.

For anyone who has ever had an abortion or better yet considering one, read this novel. I hope in the end, you will make a different choice than I did, because I can tell you that this decision will haunt you forever. The emotional upheaval women go through but don't speak of, haunts us in those quiet moments and it truly is like living with hell on earth. This novel takes us into the heart of Becca Simmons who was rejected by her birth parents Heather and Vincent before she was born, and after two failed attempts to abort her, the spirit of rejection took up residence in her heart. Afterwards she was mistreated horribly by her birth parents and when her sister was born, she garnered all the attention that should have been Becca's.

She struggles with trying to find ways to appeal to her parents love, but it only comes back rejected. She feels unwanted, alone, hopeless, and a dozen other emotions and soon each demon takes up residence within her as the angels of mercy and truth intervene only when prayers from her grandparents reach out to her. They don't know the horrors that Becca has had to endure as she keeps them locked away only to face their onslaught and torment in the darkest hours of her day. There are so many take aways from this novel that really have forever changed me, the biggest being that the trials and persecutions we face are nothing in light of an eternity damned in hell without our eternal salvation in Christ and that is the theme throughout this novel. I don't think I can ever look at another human life without considering what I garnered through this novel. It is remarkable and truly life changing in its content and how beautifully it is orchestrated.

I received The Spirit of Rejection by Eric M. Hill compliments of SunHill Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from an eBook copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased personal opinions. The theme of this novel is perspective on the redeeming qualities that can only come from Jesus Christ no matter what we have done and gone through, Jesus can give us that new start in life. The alternative is chilling and not something I would wish upon my worst enemy. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 even though it brought me to tears more times than I could count, it has forever embedded itself in my heart and soul. This is the second novel in the Demon Stronghold Series, the first being The Spirit of Fear, and fans of such Spiritual Warfare fiction like Frank Peretti will absolutely LOVE this author and series! This novel is currently only available in eBook formats for now.

For more information about The Spirit of Rejection, Eric M. Hill or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Spirit of Rejection by Eric M. Hill 

You can find Eric M. Hill on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To pick up an electronic copy of this book, please visit Amazon. 

Jilted

"My daughter, Ruthie, always called me a glass-is-half-empty kind of person, but she was wrong."

I love it when novels open with a opening statement that truly makes me want to read more and more. Kinda like that first bite of your favorite food. Memories are a lot like that. Just the smell or the taste of something can bring us back to the very essence of that moment. For Lynda Turner and Clyde Felton are each working through their own set of memories and in this case they are not at all pleasant.

Lynda has been abandoned by men her whole life and now she is dealing with the consequences of coping with those losses in the form of depression. She goes through episodes now and again and finds solace driving out to watch the windmills turn and cast shadows that will capture and move her memories to the past where they belong. She just needs to find a way to keep moving forward, while working at the local diner as a cook now.

For Clyde Felton, is seems if there is any crime in the town of Trapp, Texas, everyone seems to think Clyde may have had a hand in it or is responsible. After all, once a criminal always a criminal right? But with Clyde's criminal past, even though he served his time and is trying to find a way back, the residents can't seem to see him as anything but a tarnished penny. Unworthy or unneeded to be polished back to its former glory. Maybe that is why he developed feelings for Lynda. They say opposites attract, but in this case much like the scripture from the Bible in Ecclesiates 4:9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." This is the theme we see played out between Lynda and Clyde.

I received Jilted by Varina Denman compliments of David C Cook Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my personal and unbiased opinion. The hardest thing for anyone who has faced a bad past is the ability to find a way to move forward, and be able to leave it behind. For both Lynda and Clyde, they have to come to terms with doing so in different ways. Lynda has to deal with the issues of abandonment from those in her life, willingly or unwillingly. Clyde has to deal with always feeling like an outsider and that nothing he does will ever be good enough, especially within the church he attends. It seems hard for people to apply the Bible to their own lives and instead find ways to sit back and judge the actions of those around them, instead of seeing them like God does with love and unconditional grace and mercy. I give this novel a 4 out of 5 stars and this is the third in the Mended Hearts series. A book club discussion guide is included at the conclusion of this one.

For more information about Jilted, Varina Denman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Jilted by Varina Denman

You can find Varina Denman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Jilted, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page.

Can all things really work together for good, and can the joy of living be found once again? Don't miss one woman's story in book three, Jilted, of Varina Denman's Mended Hearts series. Lynda Turner has struggled with depression since her husband abandoned her and their young daughter fifteen years ago. Yet unexpected hope awakens when a local ex-convict shows interest. As long-hidden secrets resurface, Lynda must fight for her emotional stability and for a life where the shadow of shame is replaced by the light of love.

Celebrate the release of Varina's Jilted by entering to win a $50 gift card.

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of Jilted to kick off a summer of reading
• A $50 Kohl's gift card to make your summertime sweet

The giveaway ends on July 1st. The winner will be announced July 5th on Varina's website.

The Sea House

Sometimes in searching for the truth behind the legends we have read about we find more than we bargained for. In the debut novel, The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford, the reader is tossed between the past and the present surrounding those who have made the Sea House, their home. For Ruth and Michael a newly married couple just starting their new lives together, they dream of restoring this old home into a Bed and Breakfast nestled high above the ever present crashing Scottish sea. While they are in the process of removing the old floorboard, they discover a secret that has been buried beneath the house for more than a century. A small wooden box that bears the skeletal remains of what appears to be a child with fused together legs that leads Michael and Ruth to believe they have discovered what could be a mermaid child.

The image and knowledge lodge into Ruth's mind to uncover just who this child was and why was it buried beneath the Sea House. What stories are waiting to be told. It seems that as Ruth is going through the research on the child, she finds herself drawn very much into the parallel life of the child and her own missing family. The only knowledge Ruth has of her own family, is that her mother drowned one night leaving her to spend her childhood years being shuttled from foster home to foster home. Never knowing who her father was, Ruth can identify with the child she has discovered beneath her home. Perhaps in a way, if she can uncover who this child is, she can put to rest the haunting of her own past of not knowing where she came from as well.

What she learns takes her back to 1860 where she learns the Sea House belonged to Reverend Alexander Ferguson, the vicar for the small town in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland. The Reverend believed in the legends of sea people called Selkies, that his family originated from but there is no physical proof that has been discovered to prove the stories as true or simply the legends of the past. So he begins his own search looking for proof among the lives of the people who live among the island. He finds himself faced with his own personal dilemmas when his faithful maid, Moira faces the eviction of her own family under the land they live on owned by Lord Marstone. Since they are unable to make a living on what they can farm there because of the poor soil and harsh terrain, they are forced to buy food from Marstone. When he comes calling upon their payment of debts and they have no way to pay, he forces them to flee aboard a ship and takes what meager possessions of theirs as payment and burns the homes to the ground. 

I received The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford compliments of St. Martin's Press and Litfuse Publicity as a free copy for my honest review. I did not recieve any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I have to applaud Ms. Gifford on her first novel. This is truly the stuff you would expect to find when you read an exceptional novel. The writing style reflects both the language and dialog of the past and present in Scotland so it feels authentic. The setting and rich details of both the historic past and contemporary present are so well written, you can feel the salt air on your face, and hear the crashing waves on the rocks below the Sea House. It truly draws the reader in for something unexpected much like searching for mermaid legends and instead you find the truth you've been searching for all along. 

The characters are well written and I would have liked to have known a bit more about the history behind Lord Marstone a bit more than I got. Readers should be warned that there is some profanity in this one, but these are based on cultural differences between the literature in the US versus that of the UK as I've been told. It doesn't distract from the story in any way. This was truly had me captivated much like Ruth's character as she began to unravel the smallest details bit by bit. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and look forward to more novels from her in the future. 

For more information about The Sea House, Elisabeth Gifford, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below. 

The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

You can also find Elisabeth Gifford on Facebook to stay up to date with her latest novels. 

To read more reviews on The Sea House please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page. 

Don't miss The Sea House, a stunning fiction debut from the UK. Set in a house on the windswept coast of the Outer Hebrides, Elisabeth Gifford's haunting tale effortlessly bridges a gap of more than a century. Adeptly interweaving two tales involving residents of the titular house, Gifford sets up an absorbing mystery revolving around local lore and myths about mermaids, selkies, and sealmen. Stretching seamlessly back and forth through time, layers upon layers of secrets are slowly and effectively peeled away in this evocative debut (Booklist).

Celebrate with Elisabeth by entering her Kindle giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 19th. Winner will be announced October 20th at Elisabeth's Blog.

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Bounce Back

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ~ Albert Einstein

Most women desire to be women of faith, with spiritual depth and maturity, but how can you do that when dealing with pain, anger, sadness, discouragement, hopelessness and desperation? Why can you find encouragement while life hands you a truck load of lemons? How do you push past the emotions that are longing to keep your bound to your current lot in life when all you want to do is leave it all behind and move forward?

How do you overcome dealing with a spouse that has walked away from your marriage, leaving you a single mom with responsibilities of dealing with bills, the house, kids and going back to work?

How do you deal with losing someone you loved to death or disease when you know God could have healed them?

How do you push past the pain from abuse in your childhood that happened decades ago and now are having to confront the nightmares and emotions even though you thought you left it all behind?

How do you deal with a spouse that has walked away leaving you holding the bag while they move on with a women half your age and now years later he wants your forgiveness while you are still holding on to the bitterness and resentment?

How do you deal with the fifth miscarriage in your life while hoping to fill your home with the sounds of a family and children and are now told you can't have any more?

Do any of these terms describe you or perhaps all of these?

• Overstressed

• Overworked

• Underappreciated

• Underpaid

• Burnt out

If you are like most women, you can lay claim to one or more of these terms even if you don't want to. Most of us simply don't know how to break out of being burdened, in bondage or carry emotional baggage that is too heavy for one person to carry. We realize we are broken but don't know how to fix it.

We want to be set free, to break out and to bounce back!

That is the reason for the book, Bounce Back from Julie Clinton, that has been written to show you how you can not only break free but to bounce back and see your life from a completely different perspective, using stories she has gained from women going through those very things mentioned above. She shows you how to have hope again. That God does love you and He wants a better life for you. He does have a way for you to move from where you are, to the better life of your future and that you can bounce back from what has been holding you back.

I received Bounce Back by Julie Clinton compliments of Worthy Publishings for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. I think every woman at some point in her life can look back and see times where her own set backs have held her back more than she wanted. Julie's book not only shows you that God is with you every step of the way, but through the stories she shares of what other women went through and got through, you can share in the hope we can bounce back and move forward through our circumstances no matter how difficult. They are all 100% survivable! I easily give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

For more information about Bounce Back, Julie Clinton, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Bounce Back by Julie Clinton

You can also find Julie Clinton on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Bounce Back, please visit Worthy Publishing's website.