There has not been a book from Kingsbury that did not feature the Baxter family since Brush of Wings, which released in 2017. I have been hoping for a Kingsbury stand alone for a long time. That time is finally here. Continue reading “Book Review: A Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury”
The Perfect Daughter, the latest from D. J. Palmer, was not as good as his previous books, both of which I really enjoyed. Continue reading “Book Review: The Perfect Daughter by D. J. Palmer”
When bodies begin to appear, detective Sasha Frank is on the case. Deliberate Duplicity follows Sasha’s attempts to track down the culprit—a calculating, methodical killer who glues open his victims’ eyes and poses them along a park trail. Continue reading “Book Review: Deliberate Duplicity by David Rohlfing”
The Children’s Blizzard is based on actual oral histories of survivors of the January 12, 1888 Dakota Territory blizzard. This was a book that I expected to sucker punch me with emotion. However, it did not grip me as emotionally as I expected. Continue reading “Book Review: The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin”
Filled with characters that annoyed and a story that was only so-so made this reader glad to close Behind the Red Door. Continue reading “Book Review: Behind the Red Door by Megan Collins”
Let me put this out there first thing … I HATED the ending. Hated! Continue reading “Book Review: He Started It by Samantha Downing”
Historical fiction is usually not the genre I seek out. But this is Amy Harmon, whose book Making Faces is one of my all-time favorites, so I had to give it a try. Continue reading “Book Review: Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon”
The Time of Jacob’s Trouble is not what I expected, nor was the writing the Donna VanLiere that I’m used to.
A typical day at work turns into a nightmare for Emma Grady when her favorite patient and several colleagues vanish in front of her. What could make so many people vanish in a moment? And not just in New York, but all over the globe?
Do you remember the Left Behind series from the early 2000s? As a believer those books packed a punch. To me they were an easier way to see what the Bible describes in the book of Revelation. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble seems to be VanLieres way of doing the same thing. But this book did not work for me or pack the same punch the Left Behind series did. The characters lacked depth and their stories and how they are written felt jumbled and without flow. Then suddenly, the book just stops! I was not expecting a cliffhanger! What I didn’t know when I started this book was that it is the first book in a series.
Why did my Kindle say there was nearly two hours left in the book when I reached the end of the story? Because the rest of the book is segments titled Where in the Word? The best way I can describe these segments are as Bible study material. VanLiere dives into the scripture surrounding the events in the fictional chapters she has written. I did not read these segments because I was not prepared for them. Their inclusion was such a shock to me. I wasn’t prepared to study the end times as told in Revelation in depth. My head was completely in the fictional characters and what was happening to them.
While this did not live up to my VanLiere expectations, it was still an okay read. I’m not sure how this book is classified, but it seems better suited for a Bible study group to experience together. I’m not sure that I’ll read the next book, but I’ll probably read the fictional portion only and skip the study material if I do decide to continue the series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: The Time of Jacob’s Trouble
Author: Donna VanLiere
Release Date: March 17, 2020
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I go in to every book I read wanting to like it. Although I admit when it’s a new to me author, I also go in to the book with a touch of hesitancy. Will I find a new author I love? Or will I find an author that I feel needs work or that will forever be marked off my list? Needs work is where Amber Waves of Grace by Jessica Berg falls.
Corrie Lancaster moves back to the family farm where she must complete this year’s harvest, keep tabs on her old boyfriend and younger siblings, and watch her parent’s marriage crumble.
There is so much going on in this story! The book clocks in under 250 pages and I found that the stories lacked depth. The relationships didn’t feel real and believable. I don’t feel like I really got to know the characters and wish the book could have been expanded to include more details and exploration of the character’s lives. The stories unfolded too quickly in my opinion causing this reader to lose interest and skim most of the last half of the book. I was invested enough to want to know how everything played out, but at the same time I didn’t. Does that make sense?
I hate that I’ve done nothing but pick this book apart! I don’t enjoy bad mouthing an author’s baby. However, there is potential here and I would be interested in reading further works by this author.
The author provided me with a copy of the e-book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewer: Jennifer
Title: Amber Waves of Grace
Author: Jessica Berg
Release Date: February 3, 2020
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