Sunday, May 31, 2015

Blackheart's Legacy by Sally Copus (Review)

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I'm currently 44% through. The main character, Jon, is a young boy who traveled back in time with his grandmother. They were looking to visit the signing of the Declaration of Independence but something went wrong and they ended up about a 100 years earlier. Jon gets separated from his grandmother and ends up on a pirate ship as a cabin boy.

This book is written in third person omniscient view. We know what the character knows and the person being followed changes to give different views. Mostly we follow Jon, Gramm (Jon's grandmother who is thought to be an adolescent boy), Blackheart and Shark Scar, and later Jon's grandfather, Alistair. This is an easy read and flows nicely from page to page.

I have just completed this book and, boy, what can I say? This book is an intriguing, MUST read, entertaining book. Sally Copus keeps your attention and mind hopping as you try to figure out what will happen next. Even though this book is clearly fictional fantasy, it mixes in bits of history, like the earthquake that occurs on June 7, 1692, which actually did happen.

Alistair says that he was given computer equipment after his son and daughter-in-law were killed. I was a bit confused as to who is looking for an answer and what he is supposed to figure out. Whatever that answer is that he is supposed to figure out is what got his son killed.

This is a Christian mom approved book. Although, clearly discretion is advised since the whole book is about time travel and what happens to the individuals that go back to the 1600's.

5 out of 5 stars. I already requested to review the next book in the trilogy and can not wait to see what happens. Recommended for all.



Information from the back of the book:

What could be more exciting to a computer-savvy, twenty-first century boy than suddenly finding himself aboard a pirate ship...in 1692...sailing out to sea captive? Mysteriously abandoned in time by his time-travel capsule, Jon Sinclair is kidnapped and conscripted into the crew of a rogue captain, BlackHeart. In her frantic search for Jon, his grandmother, disguised as a male galley cook, joins a rival pirate crew on the hunt for BlackHeart. As Jon endures hurricanes, sea battles, and gold-lusting pirates diving for treasure, will his final reward be to battle his loving grandmother when these pirates face off against each other? Can his grandfather, left behind in 2010, intervene to save them from pirates and impending death in the 1692 earthquake that will destroy Port Royal? 

Monday, May 25, 2015

Deceived by Laura Wharton (review)

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. It opens up with the cops on the scene investigating a cop's death while on the job. We finally meet Molly who is mentioned on the back of the book in chapter 9, after Sam is run off the road by an SUV.

There is a lot if telling going on, which makes for a slow read. It is told from the third person pint of view with Sam as the focus.

Lots of technical boat terms are used and everything is way over explained. Sam's partner, Lee, was killed before the book began and it takes us over 100 pages to finally get the first taste from Molly about why he was killed.

Beginning in the last third of the book we finally get the fast paced action expected from the back of the book.

**Christian Advisory**

Sam cheated on his wife sometime before the book opens and she left him.

 Molly tells Sam that her meeting him was Karma.

In chapter 22 Sam considers being intimate with Molly even though he mentioned her being too young for him. They end up running for their lives and she almost gets killed

Chapter 30 we learn that the wife of one of Sam's fellow officers was having an affair with her husband's boss as well as at least one other officer. 


If you are looking for a 1-night page-turner, this one is not it. I would recommend this book. 3 out of 5 stars due to the slowness of the action. Christian approved.




Sunday, May 24, 2015

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore (Review)



A wonderful 5 out of 5 star book.
Usually I stick to Christian fiction romance but decided to branch out a bit and see if anything came up when searching for Chriatian fantasy. I love science fiction fantasy and had read all the Harry Potter books before I became a Christian.
I came across Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittmore and figured on giving it a try.
This book gives an amazing look at what could be behind the veil, just out of our sight, of angels and demons and what they see the world as. Ms. Dittmore portrays an amazing story of how a high school student, Brielle Matthews, comes to the Lord and falls in love with an angels charge, Jake Shield, and how they overcome darkness together, despite everything that stands in their way.
Book rear cover information: 
Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.
Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.

A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.
 
Check out Angel Eyes

Once Upon an Ever After by Angela Blount (Review)


Another 5 out of 5 star book by Angela Blount.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This book is truly amazing, especially after reading the first book. This is a continuation of Once Upon a Road Trip. 

Our main character, Angie, previously went on a road trip by herself, met numerous people she was friends with in an online writing community. On her road trip she ends up in a long distance relationship, with ups and downs occurring. Vince is truly an amazing guy, but has a moment of weakness and tries to change the status of their relationship based on peer pressure. Angie and Vince overcome great odds; making a long distance relationship work especially at such a young age and marrying despite what everyone must think and then moving clear across the country, away from everything she knows to be with the guy she loves.

This book was an amazing love story based on God's principles. I would highly recommend this book to all my friends.

Thank you Angela for sharing your story with the world. I can not wait to see what she may have in store for us next.
 

Once Upon a Road Trip by Angela Blount (Review)



WOW! Excellent coming of age novel. Can't wait to read the next one. This book gets 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. When I first received the request to review this book, I was hesitant as I do not usually read memoirs. I am extremely glad I took a chance and decided to review this book. First off, it is on the long side but by the end I was sad there wasn't more. 

Very descriptive characters without being told. Very clear settings and scenes. Love the journal entries throughout and the part quotes.

Angie plans to go on a road trip to find herself after she graduates from high school. She is 18 and is a part of an online writing club where she has gotten to know other writers. She plans to stay with some of these people on her road trip from Minnesota all through the east coast and Canada. She has a clear love of God and discusses it when asked but does not force it on people. She lives for God and sticks by his standards regardless of the situation. She has her ups and downs and is made stronger from it. She is true to herself and tries to get others to be true to who they really are. 

Along the way we meet people like Scott, Kal, Vincent, their friends, and others. I fell in love with Angie's journey and felt her emotions. I could not put this book down and stayed up late a bunch of nights to find out what happened next. Our author has an amazing talent for bringing everything to life on the page. I can't wait to see what is in store for Angie and Vince next. 

I will recommend this book to all my friends, young and old. This was truly an amazing read. Check it out. Once Upon a Road Trip

Book review purpose

Hi. My name is Jenny Falcone.  I'm 29, married and have 2 kids. I have a BA in English Writing Secondary Education.  About 7 years ago I became a born-again Christian. I started to analyze the books I was reading and movies I was watching. I altered many things like this upon God's conviction. When looking for books to read I check the back cover for mentions of faith and the inside dedication page that usually tells you which version of the bible any scripture verses were taken from.

Sometimes when looking at ebooks on Amazon and other sites they will label books as "Christian" that are clearly not. I tried a book with one such label from Amazon that clearly was NOT Christian. Before picking a book I always look at the reviews and everyone had said that it was a great book. After this I started thinking about these people that write these reviews and realized that I could do my part and tell everyone what I think.

A Christian friend of mine has two kids in a New York public high school and told me that she reads all the assigned books first and her kids skip anything she does not want the reading. As Christians we have to be mindful not to infiltrate our kids minds with the wrong stuff. We need to teach our children from a very young age what is good and what is evil so that they can pin point it when they grow up.

I am part of the Read it and Reap reviewers on Goodreads.com and now do my part. I also post my reviews on Amazon. I read fantasy, science fiction, romance, suspense, historical and more. I love when the main character falls in love at the end after whatever struggles occurred along the way. Whether Christian or not I bring my Christian-view into my reviews and advise other parents/readers about sexual content as well as writing style, flow and readability.