Vengeance

Sometimes when you finish a book and lay it down, it can be hard to imagine that it is simply all a story. That it hasn't happened. But also that it could very well happen just as it is laid out in the book you just read. Vengeance by Newt Gingrich is a chilling political suspense novel that once more pits Major Brook Grant against her nemesis known only as the Falcon. He has sworn a death threat against those she loves before he targets his attacks directly on her. While an unknown terrorist breaks through barricades at her wedding, she didn't realize that the President would make a last minute appearance. Even though all attempts to stop the rental truck from drawing too near to the event, Oklahoma would be remembered after this deadly explosion that would claim the lives of more than 300 people and barely leave Brooke alive with only her daughter as the last remaining family she had left.

Now that the President has been killed, the Vice President moves into the Oval Office and he isn't going to take any chances now that a nuclear device has been bought on the black market and known terrorist groups like the Falcon are planning on making America pay for all the retribution and Muslim lives that have been lost while trying to turn America away from being the once great nation it claims to be. The Vice President is about to use some unorthodox methods of catching the Falcon and locating the nuclear device and now it is time for vengeance to rise to the top. He doesn't want them brought back alive, he wants all of them dead and the device recovered before it can be used against American's.

Brooke is just the right candidate for the team known only as KTB or Kill the Bast**d. She just isn't prepared to work with agents from other countries that have their own reasons for wanting the Falcon dead including an Israeli Mossad agent and a Saudi intelligence officer and this time all bets are off. There is nothing keeping this team from accomplishing what needs to be done and with full authorization from the White House, Brooke is about to take the game to the Falcon's playing field and this time the game is about to change.

I received Vengeance by Newt Gingrich compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups. This is a chilling look at what could quite possibly be going on in the dark shadows in our own country with countless groups looking to take down our political leaders and turn this county into one of great fear and submission. Yet like all good novels, our goodness rises to the top and for Brooke, it will be a duality of sorts, coming to terms with her own personal vengeance and saving the country she has vowed to serve so valiantly even if it costs her everything. She truly has nothing more to lose and the action never lets up until the last page. This is what draws me to novels like this, a true adrenaline rush and an unforgettable roller coaster ride of emotions. Another 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion. This is the third novel in the Brooke Grant series.

For more information about Vengeance, Newt Gingrich or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Vengeance by Newt Gingrich 

You can find Newt Gingrich on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Vengeance, please visit Center Street Publishing Group's website. 

Mercy Triumps

Christian persecution.

Refugees.

Muslims.

Any of these three terms, most people on earth are aware of one or more of them. Did you realize how difficult it is for Muslims who convert from their faith to embrace the salvation of Jesus Christ instead? If they are immediately killed by their family members in order to retain the families honor in their own country, then they are immediate sought after by those who now have labeled them as "infidels" by their own religious standards.

I have had the distinct pleasure to read all the novels by Jana Kelley, based on the true life events of three distinct women who now have to face the foundations of the Christian faith, even if it means being killed. From an American missionary wife and mother, Mia, to one Muslim sister, Halimah, on the run for her very life, and the other Rania, trying to keep her own faith from being discovered by her family, all the while trying to figure out how to get out of the rapidly approaching arranged marriage to a Muslim man. The stakes have never been higher as each of these women will have to face just how strong their Christian faith is while living in a Muslim population where there is no tolerance for those who are trying to convert others to the Christian beliefs.

From Side by Side and then to Door to Freedom, Mercy Triumps is the third novel that has documented the lifestyles of each of these women. From Mia who longs for someone to share her faith with, while trying to share her own testimony with those around her, without subjecting her family to violence, jail or being killed. She and her family are awaiting the approval of their passports to return home for a short while but they remain in the hands of one man who believes that Islam is the only religion. Halimah is faced with working in Nairobi after flying from her family who wanted to kill her. She desperately misses them and loves them but knows she can never return. She must be discreet if she contacts her sister Rania, who has been hiding her own newly found faith in Jesus. Perhaps the greatest reminder of what Christians in other countries face is the opening verse, "Mercy triumphs over judgement." James 2:13. This is the central theme of this novel.

I received Mercy Triumphs by Jana Kelley compliments of New Hope Publishers and Litfuse Publicity. This is so eye opening to those of us that live in America where we still have the freedom to practice our own religious faiths and persecution for us, just might be harassment from co-workers, family or friends who don't agree with our own beliefs. This will not always be the case as we watch the slow erosion of our freedoms beginning to slip away without noticing it is happening. Meanwhile things like persecution of Christians in other countries remains a segment on the news if even they care to report it, but we know it is happening on a daily basis without anyone knowing it is happening. I have LOVED this entire series because it highlights just what it might mean to those who are willing to die for their beliefs might just be the ones we want to embrace the most, including those 12 disciples of Jesus Christ who while spreading God's messages to the world, suddenly found themselves being the first of those who would die for their faith in Jesus Christ. For me, I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars and hope others will find the message of hope, faith and mercy in this book.

For more information about Mercy Triumphs, Jana Kelley or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Mercy Triumphs by Jana Kelley

You can find Jana Kelley on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Mercy Triumphs, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page. 

Door To Freedom

"A great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me." 1 Corinthians 16:9.

This quote sums up the entire theme behind Jana Kelley's latest novel Door to Freedom, her sequel to Side by Side in which the Weston's,  a missionary family working for the Keller Hope Foundation in Sudan. For Michael and Mia along with their three children, they truly believe it is God's calling on their life to spend their next two years working for the foundation and offering hope to the Muslim community who wants to know more about Jesus, whom they refer to as Isa. It's not as simple as simply accepting Christ.

For a Muslim to deny their faith often means death, especially when that faith leads them to Jesus. For one family it meant the beating of their oldest daughter Halimah who fled from her family and has no contact with them any longer. They don't even recognize her as being their daughter and any word of her whereabouts would most certainly lead to her death. Now her sister Rania has faced growing up without her sister and now struggles with the Muslim customs of an arranged marriage with any man her father chooses. She finds hope in the New Testament that Halimah left her and told her that this book contained all the answers she would ever need in her life. Could it be so simple that one book held all the answers to whatever she faced in life? If that is the case, then why would so many people be opposed to reading it?

Michael and Mia face their own opposition at work where they can be investigated by the local authorities for even speaking about their Christian faith. It is a death sentence for anyone to attend to convert a Muslim to Christianity. During the Bible Study through Acts, they both believe that whatever the opposition in the community or at work is worth the price to tell others about Jesus, even if it would cost them their very lives.

I received Door To Freedom by Jana Kelley compliments of Litfuse Publicity and New Hope Publishers. This is a remarkable story based on true events that shows readers that the life of a missionary isn't as always as easy as we might think it is. It is dangerous and often times results in the deaths of those simply trying to share the message of hope to those lost in Islam and all the restrictions that family members, especially women face. The best part is the message of hope and salvation that comes to those who find the true light and truth in Jesus Christ. I easily give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Door To Freedom, Jana Kelley or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Door to Freedom by Jana Kelley

You can find Jana Kelley on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

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

A Violent Light

People talk about world peace all the time. From beauty pageant contestants to world leaders yet it remains the one thing that no one can seem to solve. So when world leaders send ten Muslims and ten Christians youths from all over the globe to a Peace Initiative Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, they might just be able to do what one one has done before. Without their input, the next generation might just be one of a divided world separated not only by racial differences but also religious ones as well. If these twenty youths can figure out what their leaders can't perhaps there is hope for the future.

Yet something goes entirely wrong when they are kidnapped without their knowledge still believing that they are participating in the peace conference, under some horrific conditions. First they are all locked together, male and female in the same room without any of their personal belongings in absolute darkness until one by one, they all awakened from their drugged out stupor to discover they have no way out and no idea what is going on. Until a group of men arrive and begin to describe that they will be put into teams of two and given particular assignments to accomplish before the end of their shifts.

Each member of the group begin to discuss that this might be a way to force people of different cultural backgrounds and religions to learn what tears them apart instead of resolving to discover peace which is what they all agreed to do. So one by one, they discover something unique about one another, what sets them apart, what makes them different and how they can compromise to ensure they all work together as one instead of letting the fear of the unknown drive them apart. It seems like a perfect plan until one by one they leave the room only to never return again, with stories about where they have gone. Is this a social experiment gone wrong or is this something more sinister? One thing is for certain, people everywhere are watching.

I received A Violent Light by Jim Baton compliments of the author and Create Space Independent Publishing. This truly gives the reader an idea into what causes division among us, from the people in our same families to same cities and countries. The one underlying theme is that we can appreciate those differences in one another without letting them come between us and cause a division that can never be unified again. We see this happening all across not only America, but across the globe where religious, racial and political issues divide more than unify us into the one thing we all have in common and that is being a human with like-minded needs like love. This was not something I had expected to find upon reading this novel which is the third in the Peace Trilogy series and thus give it a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about A Violent Light, Jim Baton or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Violent Light by Jim Baton

You can find Jim Baton on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

You can find this novel available for purchase in paperback or eBook format at Amazon or other retailers. 

Side by Side

Two women of two very different faiths will realize how great the saving power of Jesus can be when they have to work together to keep them both alive. Based on real events in the Sudan, author Jana Kelley uses her knowledge of missions work in other countries and the struggles Muslim women face when they convert to Christianity. For most it is a death sentence in keeping honor within the family and women are always considered lower than any male living in the family regardless of their age. It is an eye opening look at what is involved for Muslim women to walk away from the life they have always known to follow Jesus.

Mia and Michael have always wanted to live in another country and when the job offer opened for Michael with the Kellar Hope Foundation, in Sudan to aid in missionary work, they decide to pack up their family of five and leave the life they have known in Texas to make a new life in a small town of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. While things are vastly different, Mia is hoping for an opportunity to share her faith of Jesus with some of the Arabic women living nearby, but she isn't quite certain how. A co-worker of Michael's, Beth offers a suggestion to meet the neighbors using their children as common grounds to get to know one another.

But Mia lacks a broader knowledge of the Arabic language and soon faces her own barriers as she tries to share her faith with her neighbor who becomes distant when it is first mentioned. Mia believes she isn't ready to hear the gospel just yet, and struggles to find a place to fit in, while being at home all day with the children. She wonders if this trip was really God's calling after all.

For Halimah, she is struggling to find time to know the Jesus she is learning about in her Arabic Bible, the truth seems to find a place in her heart where she wants to believe everything she is reading about him. It will take an answer to prayer for Halimah to finally accept that Jesus is real. But if she tells her family, it might mean the end of her life, but she is hoping her family might be open to at least hearing all that she is learning about the Jesus of the Bible.

I received Side by Side by Jana Kelley compliments of New Hope Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. What I loved most is how both Mia and Halimah discover God's divine purpose for both of them being precisely where they are despite the odds facing them both. It is difficult at times to fathom how violent a family can be against their own daughter when professing a faith in Jesus contrary to their Muslim upbringing and how degraded women are treated in that culture. Truly eye opening in that it showcases how truly blessed we are in the United States to have the freedom to worship and not face any retribution from our country or our family. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Side by Side, Jana Kelley or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Side by Side by Jana Kelley

You can find Jana Kelley on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Side by Side, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.

People of the Book

Farah Mohammed Al Otaibi lay bruised and bloody on the floor beside her bed. The image of her soft mattress floated in and out of her consciousness, as did the rank smells of urine and feces and blood. But she had no strength to drag herself from her current position. Even the slightest movement brought stabs of excruciating pain, so she tried to remember to keep her breathing shallow and her body still.

How long had she been here? Hours, certainly. Days? She couldn't be sure. Her father and brother had covered the windows with heavy, dark cloth, blocking out any light that might help her keep track of time.

Hunger wasn't an issue, for who could think of food when the pain was so intense? But thirst? Oh, how she longed for just a sip of cool water! Surely her mother would sneak in son and bring her some. She had always taken care of her before -

Before ...

The memory was back, though she tried desperately to block it out. Impossible. She could never forget that moment in time, for it was the dividing line between the before and after of her life. Before the tragedy that led to her brother's discovery. Before her father had flown into a rage over what he considered his daughter's betrayal and treachery. Before they had threatened to kill her in order to preserve teh family's honor. Before he mother had tried to intervene.

Hot tears pricked the back of Farah's eyelids, as the vision of her mother's face before - and after - swam in front of her eyes. The pain in her heart at that moment far exceeded anything she felt in her body. Then suddenly, inexplicably, the meaning of her name - Farah, joy and cheerfulness - burst into her consciousness. Despite her agony and sorrow, Farah was unable to hold back the brief burst of laughter that exploded from her aching chest. How absurd that her parents had given her a name that implied happiness, and yet she now wondered if she had ever truly understood or experienced an of it in her not quite nineteen years of life.

But then she had met Isa, and everything - both good and bad - had changed forever.

In the novel, People of the Book by Kathi Macias, we get the opportunity to view first hand through the eyes of Farah, what it's like living in Saudi Arabia and living as a practicing Muslim. However when Farah's life is interrupted by a vision from Isa, Jesus Christ, she feels conflicted in whether what she has believed all her life has been a lie, and with that knowledge, changing her faith is not that simple. It would mean certain death if her family found out. Will she be willing to take that risk?

I received this novel compliments of Kathi Macias for my honest review and once again she doesn't disappoint her readers. This one was a 5 out of 5 star in my personal opinion and gave me insight into just how much we take our religious freedoms here in the United States for granted. No where can someone select another religion and feel free to practice their beliefs and remain safe. Whereas, in places like Saudi Arabia, you may in fact lose your life for choosing something other than Islam as your religion.

For more information on this book, the author and where you can pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:

People Of The Book by Kathi Macias

You can also find her on Facebook by clicking here.