Rising Darkness by Nancy Mehl

Rising Darkness is Nancy Mehl’s third book in her Finding Sanctuary series.  Having read her second book in the series (but still haven’t read the first!) I was eager to find out more about the town of Sanctuary.

Sophie has left her strict Mennonite hometown far behind her.  She is earning her degree and is working for the local newspaper where she aspires to be investigative reporter.  While at work she overhears about a convict who has contacted many local news outlets as he has information regarding a wanted man.  She follows his lead and goes to Sanctuary.  She takes on a false identity and a false reason for being there in order to secretly look for the suspect.  While there she receives threatening letters and is even attacked.  While there she runs into someone she hasn’t seen since she fled the town she grew up in.  Someone she loved and thought she would never see again.

While Sophie pursues her leads she remembers many thing from her dark past she has tried many times to forget.  The people in Sanctuary, both the Mennonite people and all the others are there to help her and encourage her.  Will she learn to put her trust in God?  Will she learn that God loves her?  Will she herself fall in love?

Nancy Mehl has done a remarkable job!  This book was very hard to put down.  Whenever I was forced to put it down I couldn’t wait to pick it up again and read more.  Near the end it became almost impossible to put it down until I was finished!  She masterfully draws you in and leaves you in suspense of who the guilty party is until the very end.  When you find out near the end, you are just as surprised as Sophie!  I found she did a wonderful in expressing how Sophie was feeling about her past and the secrets and deep hurts she still carries as a result.  I can’t wait to read more in this series! (And I really need to get my hands on the first book!)

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Vendetta by Lisa Harris

 

Vendetta tells the story of Nikki Boyd.  Nikki is an agent on the Tennessee Missing Persons Task Force.  She works hard and pushes hard to find missing people.  The driving force to help bring back these missing people, is her own missing sister Sarah, who has been missing for ten years.

While on a mountain climbing trip with her friends Tyler, a girl goes missing an Nikki is called into to help. A Polariod picture is found at the scene of the missing girl.  The same tactic as the person who took her sister several years ago, a fact that was never released to the public.  As she hunts down the missing girl and the person who took her, Nikki her self if also hunted down.  It is the same person who took her sister?  Will she find the missing girl alive? Will this finally give her answers about her sister?

This the first book in Lisa Harris series The Nikki Boyd Files.  Lisa is an excellent writer and makes the book very hard to put down! It draws you in from the very start and you don't want to take your head back out of the book until the end! It's a nail biter and keeps you on the edge of you seat.  She has a great way of making you feel like you personally know each character in the book and draws you into their lives.  The story of Nikki and Tyler leaves you falling in love with them and wanting to hear more about them!

The sneak peak at the end of the book for the next one in the series, leaves you wishing the book was out now!  I can't wait for the spring to get my hands on the second book!

I received this book from Revell for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting, a Mother's Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace by Terri Roberts

 

Forgiven is the story of Terri Roberts.  Terri is the mother of Charlie Roberts, who in 2006 entered an Amish school house in Nickle Mines and shooting ten girls, killing five of them, before killing himself.   Through this story Terri tells the remarkable story of grace and forgiveness she learned from the Amish, from the very people who's lives her son forever changed.

 Terri tells the story of what happened the fateful day in October when her son entered into the Amish school house.  While she was struggling to understand how and why her son would do something like this, someone she never expected to reach out to her and support her and be with her did.  The Amish.  Even on the day that it happened, one person whom her husband would drive around came over to their house and did their best to comfort a family who lost their son and the unimaginable heartbreak they were feeling knowing their son was the cause of all that happened.  She tells how through the Amish she was able to learn to forgive her son for what happened.  She was able to reach out and develop a friendship with the families of those who lost daughters.

Mrs Roberts book was remarkable.  You could feel the heartbreak she felt and the struggles she went through.  She did a good job at telling her story, what she learned, and how we can apply what she learned to our lives.

What struck me the most was when she talked about praying for her sons.  One her friends told her to take Colossians 1:9-13 and instead of "you" or "ye" to insert her sons names.   At that time I was teaching my Sunday School on prayer.  Part of that weeks lessons was those exact verses.  I read those verses seven times, entering in a different student's name each time.  

This is a well written book and I would recommend it.

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers  for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

 

On This Foundation by Lynn Austin

 

On This Foundation is a biblical historical fiction story on the book of Nehemiah.  She retells the story of how Nehemiah asked the king's permission to go back to his homeland and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  She continues the story of how the wall was built and the excitement and joy felt in the city.

Through the story we meet people we read about in the Bible, including Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.(Whom I quickly learned to hate!)   Not only that but in the list of names of those that rebuilt the walls and what section of the wall they rebuilt, the Bible states in Nehemiah 3:12 "And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters."  She take that and expounds on it by introducing us to his three daughters, including the oldest Chana.   Chana was to be married but her intended was killed.  Through the rebuilding of the wall she learns to feel joy again and most of all she learns to love again.

Many other characters are introduced including Nava whose family is just one of many going through hard times due to the drought the city is experiencing. She willingly sells her self to servitude to help out her family.  The story is beautifully told and you feel the joy and sorry all the characters experience.  From Nehemiah feeling the desire and longing to rebuild the wall, the fear he had of how to approach the king, the joy when he was able to come back, the desperation he felt when he saw how bad it was, and the total celebration and joy of the city as the wall was completed and the rain began to fall!

Lynn Austin did a masterful job in telling this story.  It made the story of Nehemiah come so alive.  Once I started reading this book, it was so hard to put it back down!  One thing that I really enjoyed about reading this book was that my pastor at my church just recently (in the last couple of week) finished preaching through Nehemiah.  Reading this book for me brought back a lot of what he preached about.  

I highly recommend this book!!

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers  for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.