How Huge The Night

Sometimes we fail to see just how dark some parts of our life can be. Some times hate for one person's race can be just as dark, or how people can judge you based purely on the company you keep, while others will be blinded that all men are truly evil.

In the novel How Huge The Night by Heather and Lydia Munn we are called as witnesses into the lives of three very unique children thrown together by the circumstances of World War II. This novel is based on actual events and you, the reader will be held spell bound to see how each of them fare in the end.

First we meet, Julian Losier, whose family has just relocated to his father's hometown from Paris, France, fleeing Hitler's advancing army. Praying that his family will be safe, he begins attempting to live a normal life by attending school. However once people there learn that he is from Paris, he becomes treated as an outcast at school. Left all alone on the school ground, he only ally, is his roommate Benjamin, whose parents have left him in the care of the Losier family. He is a Jewish-German and his parents hope for a normal life and education for him.

However, Julian finds that he can quickly work his way into the social group of boys since they have treated him and Benjamin as outcasts. When he informs them of Benjamin's race and religion, it will cost Julian more than just being one of the in-crowd. Julian will have to chose which side he will stand with.

Meanwhile, Nina and Gustav have just lost their father as sickness claimed him in the middle of the night. Leaving them with instructions to burn their resident cards declaring themselves Jewish, he makes them promise to flee Austria and find a way to Italy where he hopes they can find safety. He makes Nina promise to cut her hair and assume the identity of Niko, a boy and warns her that men are evil.

Fleeing for their lives, they are befriended by a man who only asks to be called Herr. He agrees to show them the gaps in the fence lines between Austria and will get them to the border of Italy for 50,000 francs. When Niko fears that there is more to his intentions than helping them cross the border, the children make a run for it in the middle of the night, not realizing that Herr has their pack with all their money and food inside. How will they make it alone in the midst of the war to safety?

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and couldn't put it down. I can't imagine being a young teen in any of the circumstances and try to find a way to make it through the impending war that is looming on the horizon, not sure how or if you or your family would make it out alive and who would you trust to help you along the way. This is an amazing story of survival in the most difficult circumstances and truly worth reading. For anyone who has a love for historical Christian fiction, than this one is a 5 out 5 star book.

Here's even more great information about the book, the authors and even where to purchase a copy of this wonderful novel.

How Huge The Night by Heather and Lydia Munn

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing How Huge the Night Kregel Publications (March 9, 2011) by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn



ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Heather Munn was born in Northern Ireland of American parents and grew up in the south of France. She decided to be a writer at the age of five when her mother read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books aloud, but worried that she couldn’t write about her childhood since she didn’t remember it. When she was young, her favorite time of day was after supper when the family would gather and her father would read a chapter from a novel. Heather went to French school until her teens, and grew up hearing the story of Le Chambonsur-Lignon, only an hour’s drive away. She now lives in rural Illinois with her husband, Paul, where they offer free spiritual retreats to people coming out of homelessness and addiction. She enjoys wandering in the woods, gardening, writing, and splitting wood.

Lydia Munn was homeschooled for five years because there was no school where her family served as missionaries in the savannahs of northern Brazil. There was no public library either, but Lydia read every book she could get her hands on. This led naturally to her choice of an English major at Wheaton College. Her original plan to teach high school English gradually transitioned into a lifelong love of teaching the Bible to both adults and young people as a missionary in France. She and her husband, Jim, have two children: their son, Robin, and their daughter, Heather.







ABOUT THE BOOK

Fifteen-year-old Julien Losier just wants to fit in. But after his family moves to a small village in central France in hopes of outrunning the Nazis, he is suddenly faced with bigger challenges than the taunting of local teens.



Nina Krenkel left her country to obey her father's dying command: Take your brother and leave Austria. Burn your papers. Tell no one you are Jews. Alone and on the run, she arrives in Tanieux, France, dangerously ill and in despair.



Thrown together by the chaos of war, Julien begins to feel the terrible weight of the looming conflict and Nina fights to survive. As France falls to the Nazis, Julien struggles with doing what is right, even if it is not enough-and wonders whether or not he really can save Nina from almost certain death.



Based on the true story of the town of Le Chambon-the only French town honored by Israel for rescuing Jews from the Holocaust-How Huge the Night is a compelling, coming-of-age drama that will keep teens turning the pages as it teaches them about a fascinating period of history and inspires them to think more deeply about their everyday choices.



Endorsements

“The Munns have written an engrossing historical novel that is faithful to the actual events of World War II in western Europe during the tumultuous year 1940. But How Huge the Night is more than good history; it is particularly refreshing because the reader sees the conflict through the lives of teenagers who are forced to grapple with their honest questions about the existence and goodness of God in the midst of community, family, and ethnic tensions in war-ravaged France.”—Lyle W. Dorsett, Billy Graham Professor of Evangelism, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University



“Seldom have the horrors of war upon adolescents—or the heroism of which they are capable—been so clearly portrayed. I loved this coming-of-age story.”—Patricia Sprinkle, author of Hold Up the Sky



“The book expertly weaves together the lives of its characters at a frightening moment in conflicted times. As we read of their moral dilemmas and of their choices, we too wonder, Would I do has these in the story have done?”—Karen Mains, Director, Hungry Souls

If you would like to read an excerpt from How Huge the Night, go HERE



Watch the book video:

Next To Love - Giveaway and Review

"In the last 3, 421 years of recorded history, only 268 have seen no war." - Will Durant, 1968.

A story of war, love, loss and the scars they leave behind, Next to Love, follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II and its aftermath, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, after the man have finally returned to a nation changed beyond recognition.

Beautifully crafted, moving, and unforgettable, Next to Love by Ellen Feldman, depicts the power of love and friendship, and illuminates a transformational moment in American history.

I received the book, Next to Love by Ellen Feldman,compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and got so much more than I expected. I didn't realize just how different each person related their experience to war. From the men who saw it as a sense of duty and honor, so leaving for them even though it was difficult was an adventure of sorts, a way to protect the lives of the families and friends they left behind.

While for the women, they tried so many times to put up the brave face of a woman who supported her man. They wanted the last remaining memories of their time together with their loved ones to be positive and filled with love. So many times, they held back their fears, afraid to voice their concerns that the moment they left, might be the last time they saw them.

Told through the lives of Babe Huggins, Grace Gooding, and Millie Swallow, we see how each of them deals with the men they love as they head out to war. This is a personal struggle for each of them and along the way, they will be forever changed by the circumstances that the war will impose on them all.

This book rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars and does contain some profanity that may offend some readers but overall, I truly believe this is a true story of how many women and men dealt with the war, and the aftermath that follows when some return home and others do not. For more information about the book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

Next to Love by Ellen Feldman

Thanks the the generous folks at TLC Book Tours and Ellen Feldman, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky reader of this blog. Here are your guidelines:

1. You must be a follower of this blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. You must be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address.

3. I must have a way to contact you if you are the lucky winner, so please make sure to include your email address along with your comment. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

4. Leave a comment telling me why you'd love to win a copy. The giveaway will end on June 16th and I will notify the winner by email at that time.

Shattered

Cleo Neilson's best friend is moving away and she wants to make Lola's last night in town special. For Cleo, that means going to the big Christian concert in the city, but her mom won't allow her to go. She says that area of the city is too dangerous for two unchaperoned teenage girls.

Convinced her mom is just being overprotective "helicopter" mom, she sneaks out of the house. After all, her mom has to let her grow up sometime, right?

Cleo now faces the chilling consequences of her actions and a secret that is eating her up inside. As Cleo fights through her grief and guilt, she learns about faith in God and forgiveness through him.



In Melody Carlson's new novel, Shattered, the reader gets to explore deception and its consequences through the story of Cleo and her overprotective mom. Considered spoiled by most of her friends, Cleo's facing a graduation without her best friend who is moving away. Faced with finding the perfect way to celebrate one final night, what no one knows is exactly what things will be placed in motion by one simple phone call to her mother.

This is such a compelling read for anyone who has teenagers and provides a safe way to experience what happens to one family when things go too far and get out of hand. This is a must read and comes with a 5 out of 5 star rating. It's edgy, controversial, and definitely a wake up call to everyone from parents to teens.

I received this book from Glass Roads Public Relations for my honest review and LOVED it! As a parent, time is so precious and this was a wake up call for me. For more information about this book, the author and where to get a copy, please click on the link below:

Shattered by Melody Carlson

True Courage

Everyone can recall as a young child having the courage to head out the door whether it was to your first day of school, your first little league game, or your first night away from home. Then life takes over and you lose your bravado, giving in to the fears of the world around you.

In True Courage: Emboldened by God in a Disheartening World, best-selling author and Bible teacher, Steve Farrar aids readers in discovering a God who provides incredible courage to us in the midst of uncertainty, even through treacherous, evil days, and the courage to face lions in their den - or an unexpected job loss, the diagnosis of a sick child, or the return of a debilitating cancer.

Farrar takes a look at the courageous life of the prophet Daniel and shares God's process for shaping and molding everyday guys into men He can use. Daniel was a man who was used mightily by God, but he wasn't born bold. He was shaped and molded by a process in which God worked providentially, strangely, and slowly to equip Daniel for his calling.

I received this book compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review. I believe this is a book to read especially in these tough and turbulent times we find ourselves in where men can begin to question whether or not they have the courage to move forward. This book will aid them in finding out how Daniel dealt with similar circumstances and how he rose to the challenge time and time again.

This book is available in paperback and eBook formats and rates a 4 out of 5 stars. For more information about this book, the author and where you can pick up a copy of this book, please click on the link below:

True Courage: Emboldened by God in a Disheartening World by Steve Farrar

The Lady of Bolton Hill

Clara Endicott and Daniel Tremain have been friends since childhood. Their love and passion of music is what drew them together despite their differences in backgrounds and wealth. Clara was from a wealthy family, her father a pastor of a large church and her brother Clyde, a missionary working with the Navajo Indians.

Daniel Tremain came from a difficult upbringing. His father was killed in a boiler accident at the steel mill where they both worked, with Daniel's natural ability to think outside of the box and come up with a solution that would free him. Fortunately it worked, but his father died from burns and injuries from the weight of the boiler. Now faced with raising his three younger sisters and helping his mother cope with the loss, Daniel's only escape is in meeting with Clara to share his gifted love of music.

As they grew older, Clara's father feared that her attachment to Daniel would grow into love and he had her shipped to London to continue her career as a writer and pursue her achievements without the distraction from Daniel.

Daniel struggled with dealing with his mother's suicide, leaving him to care for his sisters and find ways for them not to go hungry at night. Gifted not only in his musical ability, Daniel also found ways to invent new ideas to make the railroad industry more profitable and thus his patents made him a wealthy man.

Now circumstance will bring Daniel and Clara together once more with God having a destiny in mind for them both. For Daniel it will be dealing with his parents death and the bitterness he can't let go of, and for Clara it will be seeing the best in people despite what her family wishes for her.

In the latest novel by Elizabeth Camden, The Lady of Bolton Hill, is a great story that shows just how much bitterness and revenge will ultimately cost some who refuse to allow God to handle judging others. Set in Baltimore, Maryland in the late 1800's, the reader is in for a treat and this one won't rest until you've read the final page.

I received this book compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and this one hands down receives 5 out of 5 stars. When a book is rated this high it means you will stay up reading it long past the time you need to sleep just so you can find out what happens next. This one you won't want to put down until you see how it all turns out in the end.

Here's even more great information about the book, the author and where to get a first chapter sneak peek.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Lady of Bolton Hill Bethany House (June 1, 2011) by Elizabeth Camden



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A research librarian and associate professor, Elizabeth Camden has a master’s in history from the University of Virginia and a master’s in library science from Indiana University. She has published several articles for academic publications and is the author of four nonfiction history books. Her ongoing fascination with history and love of literature have led her to write inspirational fiction. Elizabeth lives with her husband in central Florida.



A word from Elizabeth: I am a college librarian in central Florida by day, but by night I can be found pounding out inspirational historical novels the moment the sun goes down. I love writing books about fiercely intelligent people who are confronted with profound challenges. As a rather introverted person, I have found that writing is the best way for me to share my faith and a sense of resilience with others.



As for who I am? I love old Hitchcock films, the hour before sunset, a long, sweaty run through the Florida countryside, and a glass of good wine. After spending my entire adult life on a college campus (either as a student or a librarian) I have finally been able to pursue my ultimate goal of writing professionally.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Female journalists are rare in 1879, but American-born Clara Endicott has finally made a name for herself with her provocative articles championing London's poor. When the backlash from her work forces a return home to Baltimore, Clara finds herself face-to-face with a childhood sweetheart who is no longer the impoverished factory worker she once knew. In her absence, Daniel Tremain has become a powerful industry giant and Clara finds him as enigmatic as ever. However, Daniel's success is fueled by resentment from past wounds and Clara's deeply-held beliefs about God's grace force Daniel to confront his own motives. When Clara's very life is endangered by one of Daniel's adversaries, they must face a reckoning neither of them ever could have foreseen.



When Clara Endicott and Daniel Tremain's worlds collide after twelve years apart, the spark that was once between them immediately reignites into a romance neither of them thought possible.



But time has changed them both.



Daniel is an industrial titan with powerful enemies. Clara is an idealistic journalist determined to defend underprivileged workers.



Can they withstand the cost of their convictions while their hearts, and lives, hang in the balance?



If you would like to read the first chapter of The Lady of Bolton Hill, go HERE.

Desert Gift

Jillian Galloway was on top of the world. A successful radio host of Recipes for Marriage, an author about to start her first book tour for She Said, He Heard, as well as a wife and mom. What she didn't expect as her and husband, Jack, were planning to get ready to leave on her first debut whirl wind book tour, was an announcement from Jack asking for a divorce.

How could this happen? She had devoted her life to making sure everything in Dr. Jack Galloway's life flowed smoothly from running the house, paying the bills, and being what she thought was the perfect wife. She thought their communication was excellent since Jack was her source of inspiration for helping other married couples through their difficulties. How can she possibly move forward in her career as a marriage expert when her own was falling apart?

In the book, Desert Gift by Sally John, Jillian is faced with a choice between fighting for her career or her marriage. Yet how do you fight for your marriage when your husband won't talk to you, tells you that he doesn't love you any more and has moved out? Jillian is struggling with these decisions while her agent Gretchen keeps her working on her book tour as she becomes more sad and depressed as she discovers more about herself than she would have imagined through a series of encounters with the most delightful cast of characters.

Faced with blunt honesty at times, Jillian is forced to face the reality that God has bigger plans for her, and the more she resists Him, the longer her road to recovery will take. This book is a great way to look at how marriages will come to a crossroads at a midway point that most call a mid-life crisis. The things that Jillian will learn along her way will help us look deep within our own marriages and see them through a new pair of eyes.

I received this book compliments of Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review and can honestly say, there were a few areas within my own marriage I was able to give a hard look at to make sure we keep our foundation strong. Desert Gift rates a 5 out of 5 stars and a must read for any marriage. This book is available in paperback and eBook formats.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

Desert Gift by Sally John

You can also visit her at her website by clicking here.

The Trigger

Josh McGuire, Scott Cunningham and Chief Yang all have a very important role to play in becoming the Trigger for Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They will be the team that will preach the final message to the last group of people who need to hear the message about Jesus Christ. Their prophetic message is "Do Not Fail".

While the forces of good and evil battle unseen in the fulfillment of the age old prophecy found within the final book of the Bible, Revelation, we see the wrath of the trumpets and bowls being poured out upon the Earth in God's judgement.

Josh McGuire is the pastor/missionary team member of a vast church that has grown with God's blessing over the years. In between conducting underground church movements in China and other countries, he is faced with being arrested in China by Chief Yang, who controls the MSS or equivalent of the CIA in China. They have evidence that he knows the names of Christians and their underground churches in China. Without disclosing that information he will be placed in one of China's prisons. Seeing the opportunity to preach the message of Jesus to the Chief, he discovers that he has been possessed by demons for three years. Only when he is free, does Chief Yang become the newest believer.

Scott Cunningham works with his church group in Australia conducting missionary work as well, and when the three men converge through prayer, they are provided with God's last remaining remnant that needs to here the message of redemption. Only the enemy isn't about to let that happen. Under the guise of reorganizing the United Nations, French president Dominic Dubois, takes over leadership of this new group in hopes of restoring the economies of the world, eliminating terrorism, and providing hope to a fallen world. He becomes the anti-christ of the Bible and thus the prophecies of the book of Revelation come to life in the pages of the latest novel by Hon Hoh, The Trigger, A Novel on The Revelation.



This action packed book unveils the consequences of the trumpet blasts and subsequent bowls of God wrath being unleashed through the fictional story of the coming Apocalypse on Earth. Time is running out for the final few to make their decision for Christ or accept the mark of the beast and face God's judgement on man. While Michael and Gabriel work to help the saints on Earth along with a multitude of angels, Satan and his legion are about to make sure he prevents the Trigger from being unleashed.

This book rates a 5 out of 5 stars for me and I received this book compliments of B & B Media Group for my honest review. This is another great book that uses the events describe in the book of Revelation from the Bible and shows a possible way it could take place in a fictional way, much like the Left Behind series did. This one portrays the rapture of the church coming after the Great Tribulation and shows what could happen if believers are on Earth when God's prophecy comes to the ultimate fulfillment in the year 2035. I couldn't stop until I read the final page. It's that good and a must-read. Every believer and non believer should read this book!

For even more great information on this book, the amazing author and where to pick up this book, click on the link below:

The Trigger: A Novel On The Revelation by Hon Hoh