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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Copycat in Books
May 10, 2018
Traci Calloway Cole is about to release her 3rd book called <u>Copycat</u>, when she meets Simone Phillips. Simone is an aspiring writer herself and she loves Traci's books. After Traci agrees to read a few chapters of Simone's book and introduce her to a few people that could help get it published, Simone becomes obsessed. She wants to be just like Traci, but how far will her obsession grow?
This was a quick read for me. I have read a few books by Kimberla Lawson Roby and I have enjoyed them all. She is a great Christian Fiction author.
There are a few people in this world that I look up to and aspire to be, but I don't think would go to the same extremes that Simone goes through. She has quite the troubled past and has never truly discovered who she is as an individual. She already has so many positive things going on in her life. She has a decent job, a fiance and according to Traci, her book is going to be a hit. So why would she need to resort to the antics she pulls throughout this book? It makes her look weak and needy. Will she be able to see the error of her ways and turn things around before it's too late and everything she has worked for blows up in her face?
There are times where I felt sorry for Simone and other times I wanted to smack her and say, can't you see what you are doing is ridiculous and makes you look insane. Unfortunately the one person who told her this, she refused to listen to.
This was a quick read for me. I have read a few books by Kimberla Lawson Roby and I have enjoyed them all. She is a great Christian Fiction author.
There are a few people in this world that I look up to and aspire to be, but I don't think would go to the same extremes that Simone goes through. She has quite the troubled past and has never truly discovered who she is as an individual. She already has so many positive things going on in her life. She has a decent job, a fiance and according to Traci, her book is going to be a hit. So why would she need to resort to the antics she pulls throughout this book? It makes her look weak and needy. Will she be able to see the error of her ways and turn things around before it's too late and everything she has worked for blows up in her face?
There are times where I felt sorry for Simone and other times I wanted to smack her and say, can't you see what you are doing is ridiculous and makes you look insane. Unfortunately the one person who told her this, she refused to listen to.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Prisoner of Versailles (Darkness to Light, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
A PRISONER OF VERSAILLES is an improvement over the first in the series, [b:In the Shadow of the Sun King|4484156|In the Shadow of the Sun King (Darkness to Light, #1)|Golden Keyes Parsons|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266758461s/4484156.jpg|4753411], but still only an okay read. Readers who are interested in the series would benefit from reading the previous entry beforehand, as this does not standalone.
I don't generally read Christian fiction and would not have gotten this had I known ahead of time that it was an Inspirational novel (and the second in a series besides). Since that is partly my fault, I still decided to give it a fair chance and see if the basic plot could overcome my worries. Sadly, it didn't, but not necessarily because of the religious usages, which could be over-the-top at times, but mainly due to a plot that's rather unoriginal and uninspiring.
I did find myself enjoying the first half of the book, but then my interest started dwindling as the story lost my attention. Unfortunately, the main character, Madeleine, still isn't fleshed out enough for me to care what happens to her, but unlike the first book, there were a few characters who were better drawn out: Pierre, Philippe, and Robert. However, since Madeleine is supposed to be someone who readers should care and root for, this is a big downfall for the story.
All in all, the book is better written, the story flows better, and the characters have improved since the last novel, but I seriously doubt I'll look for the conclusion to the series. 2.5 stars
I don't generally read Christian fiction and would not have gotten this had I known ahead of time that it was an Inspirational novel (and the second in a series besides). Since that is partly my fault, I still decided to give it a fair chance and see if the basic plot could overcome my worries. Sadly, it didn't, but not necessarily because of the religious usages, which could be over-the-top at times, but mainly due to a plot that's rather unoriginal and uninspiring.
I did find myself enjoying the first half of the book, but then my interest started dwindling as the story lost my attention. Unfortunately, the main character, Madeleine, still isn't fleshed out enough for me to care what happens to her, but unlike the first book, there were a few characters who were better drawn out: Pierre, Philippe, and Robert. However, since Madeleine is supposed to be someone who readers should care and root for, this is a big downfall for the story.
All in all, the book is better written, the story flows better, and the characters have improved since the last novel, but I seriously doubt I'll look for the conclusion to the series. 2.5 stars
The Sting Man: The True Story Behind the Film American Hustle
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The Sting Man: The True Story Behind the Film AMERICAN HUSTLE The inspiration behind the film...
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated God: The Most Unpleasant Character in All Fiction in Books
Oct 16, 2018
A striking book designed to hit Christianity in the heart.
(Please note: It is beyond the scope of this book review to go into whether or not there is a God, or if God is good.)
This book is written by Dan Barker, a former evangelical preacher. The inspiration for this book comes from a single paragraph in Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion, which goes as follows:
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomanical, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
Now that’s quite a statement! And it’s also what Barker’s book is centred around. In Part 1, Barker sets out examples of these 19 characteristics within the Christian bible.
Sadly for Christianity, not only had barker found examples of every single one of these 19 characteristics, but he usually found several examples in every case. In fact, the reason I haven’t given it a higher rating is because it was so repetitive, with so many examples of remarkably similar and disturbing passages. A whole chapter is dedicated to each of the descriptors in turn, and the whereabouts of each of the passages are clearly noted in bold before being presented underneath.
In Part 2, Barker takes the argument further still:
“He [Dawkins] forgot to mention that the God of the Old Testament is also a pyromaniacal, angry, merciless, curse-hurling, vaccicdal, aborticidal, cannibalistic slavemonger.”
Again, the following chapters are full of examples of these characteristics.
The book is predominantly a laundry list of evil requests and doings of the God of the Old Testament, but Chapter 28 asks “What About Jesus?” And here Barker even manages to find evidence that Jesus endorsed invasion and bloodshed (Deuteronomy 6.15-19), and encouraged the beating of slaves (Luke 12:47-48). Barker also sites a lot of Jesus’ bad advice
Several passages may be unpleasant for even strong atheists to read. I couldn’t get over how many times “fingers dripping with blood” comes up in the Bible.
Overall, Barker has little comments around and between the examples he sights, but I would suggest that this makes for a stronger argument, handing the role of jury to the reader. Obviously this book will upset just about any Christian who attempts to read it, and for those who do read it may feel better to recall that the analysis is only of how God is presented in the Bible, and not an analysis of any effect (if any) of God in their daily lives.
This book is written by Dan Barker, a former evangelical preacher. The inspiration for this book comes from a single paragraph in Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion, which goes as follows:
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomanical, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
Now that’s quite a statement! And it’s also what Barker’s book is centred around. In Part 1, Barker sets out examples of these 19 characteristics within the Christian bible.
Sadly for Christianity, not only had barker found examples of every single one of these 19 characteristics, but he usually found several examples in every case. In fact, the reason I haven’t given it a higher rating is because it was so repetitive, with so many examples of remarkably similar and disturbing passages. A whole chapter is dedicated to each of the descriptors in turn, and the whereabouts of each of the passages are clearly noted in bold before being presented underneath.
In Part 2, Barker takes the argument further still:
“He [Dawkins] forgot to mention that the God of the Old Testament is also a pyromaniacal, angry, merciless, curse-hurling, vaccicdal, aborticidal, cannibalistic slavemonger.”
Again, the following chapters are full of examples of these characteristics.
The book is predominantly a laundry list of evil requests and doings of the God of the Old Testament, but Chapter 28 asks “What About Jesus?” And here Barker even manages to find evidence that Jesus endorsed invasion and bloodshed (Deuteronomy 6.15-19), and encouraged the beating of slaves (Luke 12:47-48). Barker also sites a lot of Jesus’ bad advice
Several passages may be unpleasant for even strong atheists to read. I couldn’t get over how many times “fingers dripping with blood” comes up in the Bible.
Overall, Barker has little comments around and between the examples he sights, but I would suggest that this makes for a stronger argument, handing the role of jury to the reader. Obviously this book will upset just about any Christian who attempts to read it, and for those who do read it may feel better to recall that the analysis is only of how God is presented in the Bible, and not an analysis of any effect (if any) of God in their daily lives.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Lost Castle in Books
Feb 25, 2019
I'm a historical Christian fiction lover, but sometimes I find the multiple time lines hard to follow. However, reading this beautifully moving novel by the very talented Kristy Cambron was so easy to follow and was absolutely captivating. This book has what I call "all the feels". It's incredibly detailed, with characters that are chiseled magnificently. Each time line brings the reader to a character that will make way into your heart and stay their long after the book is finished.
The beautiful ruins of the castle that Ms. Cambron describes come to life for me. I could feel myself transported to the heart of France, finding the castle and living the life of these three women, Avaline, Vi and Ellie. I loved that feeling! It's not often that a multi timeline can do that and I was so pleased that it did.
Watching Ellie deal with her grandmother, brought back memories of my own dealings with Alzheimer's with my grandfather. It was a bittersweet time for me!
This incredible story is filled with longing, hope, faith, and finding love. I turned page after page of this 4 star novel until I reached the final one. I shut the novel, sat back and reflected on all I felt through this book, from smiles, to sadness, to butterflies in my stomach. Ms. Cambron has created another keeper in my opinion. This book will be one that I recommend to all, and have already asked my local libraries to carry it for others to read! Well done, Ms. Cambron! Well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Book Look Bloggers/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
The beautiful ruins of the castle that Ms. Cambron describes come to life for me. I could feel myself transported to the heart of France, finding the castle and living the life of these three women, Avaline, Vi and Ellie. I loved that feeling! It's not often that a multi timeline can do that and I was so pleased that it did.
Watching Ellie deal with her grandmother, brought back memories of my own dealings with Alzheimer's with my grandfather. It was a bittersweet time for me!
This incredible story is filled with longing, hope, faith, and finding love. I turned page after page of this 4 star novel until I reached the final one. I shut the novel, sat back and reflected on all I felt through this book, from smiles, to sadness, to butterflies in my stomach. Ms. Cambron has created another keeper in my opinion. This book will be one that I recommend to all, and have already asked my local libraries to carry it for others to read! Well done, Ms. Cambron! Well done!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Book Look Bloggers/Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Trusting Grace (Virtues and Vices of the Old West #3) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
I absolutely love Maggie Brendan and her books. She creates wonderful stories filled with beautiful characters, lots of quirks, and a plot line that will pull you in instantly. Trusting Grace is the third book in this series, but the first one that I have read. I'm so glad that I did!
Grace, Robert and the children were all wonderful characters. They came to life instantly, pulling me in, capturing my heart. The interaction between Grace and Robert and Grace and the children left me smiling. The sparks that fly between Grace and Robert are endearing and I loved watching Robert come to terms with the way he feels about Grace.
This is a story of anger, love, letting go and moving on. A story of learning to trust again. God works His way into the story line, leaving the reader with messages of hope and faith in the end.
If you love a story that will not only warm your heart, but is filled with captivating characters, history, and hope, then look no further than this beautifully woven novel. This is worth 4 star praises and recommendations to all Christian fiction lovers. Ms. Brendan will leave you wanting more! I can't wait to go back and read the first two books in this lovely series.
Tell me, would you give love another shot and trust again, after being hurt? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of one of Maggie Brendan's Virtues And Vices Of the Old West novels!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*<a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/revell-reads-review-trusting-grace-by-maggie-brendan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Grace, Robert and the children were all wonderful characters. They came to life instantly, pulling me in, capturing my heart. The interaction between Grace and Robert and Grace and the children left me smiling. The sparks that fly between Grace and Robert are endearing and I loved watching Robert come to terms with the way he feels about Grace.
This is a story of anger, love, letting go and moving on. A story of learning to trust again. God works His way into the story line, leaving the reader with messages of hope and faith in the end.
If you love a story that will not only warm your heart, but is filled with captivating characters, history, and hope, then look no further than this beautifully woven novel. This is worth 4 star praises and recommendations to all Christian fiction lovers. Ms. Brendan will leave you wanting more! I can't wait to go back and read the first two books in this lovely series.
Tell me, would you give love another shot and trust again, after being hurt? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of one of Maggie Brendan's Virtues And Vices Of the Old West novels!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Reads and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*<a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/revell-reads-review-trusting-grace-by-maggie-brendan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Feb 22, 2023
EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Knight of The Dead III: Fortress in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Knight of the Dead III: Fortress continues the adventures of Ronan and his family as they struggle to survive in the Zombie Apocalypse. The third book is a non-stop action-packed adventure as Ronan really starts to build up his fortress in a school building, slowly growing his kingdom. He has finally saved enough people that there really starts to be some interesting dynamics between the survivors and a look to the future can begin to happen. In this book, the stakes are raised as the zombies continue to change and seemingly become smarter and more dangerous. With the stakes raised, his family finally in a stable situation, Ronan sets out full force to save as many others as he can.
Without a doubt, my favorite part if this series is the unique take at apocalypse fiction by throwing in medieval fighting. This book does not disappoint as there are thrilling action scenes, plenty of training sequences, and the knight continuing to become a legend in the modern world. This unique touch simultaneously gives the story a fun and engaging layer while also somehow adding to the believability of the world that author Ron Smorynski has created. With the detailed fighting knowledge, and the time spent on gathering food, training, getting water, and fortifying the school, as a reader you can believe that they would have survived this long.518hheXuwoL._SY346_
This book focuses more on rescue then the previous books and as the cast of characters continues to grow there is less time spent one on one with people. This decreases the amount of individual tension between characters, but there is still tension as Ronan is the dictator and continues to push his Christian values on everyone within his fortress. This dynamic makes sense in the situation, but I like the moments when Ronan gets to be humanized more in small moments. A hug with his wife or children, a cute moment with him and the children, his appreciated a moment of laughter. These moments are very sweet in the otherwise horror-filled world they live in, and Ronan gets to relax the least as a leader.
Pet peeve of mine in apocalypse fiction is the idea that you are completely alone in the world. That although you survived no one else on the planet could have. Smorynski does not fall into this trap. He acknowledges the bigger world, although his characters have very little contact with it. And there is a good balance between the characters feeling alone and being alone. Many people have died in the month of the apocalypse, but they are still finding survivors. There are other people who are holding on. This makes the series more exciting for me and also keeps me excited for the books to come as I enjoy watching the growing community of survivors.
This series is exciting and gripping from beginning to end. Smorynski does a good job of justifying the risks that his characters take and ups the stakes and consequences as the book progresses, making the danger feel read from beginning to end. If you like zombie stories or apocalypse fiction, then I would highly recommend checking this series out. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here!
Without a doubt, my favorite part if this series is the unique take at apocalypse fiction by throwing in medieval fighting. This book does not disappoint as there are thrilling action scenes, plenty of training sequences, and the knight continuing to become a legend in the modern world. This unique touch simultaneously gives the story a fun and engaging layer while also somehow adding to the believability of the world that author Ron Smorynski has created. With the detailed fighting knowledge, and the time spent on gathering food, training, getting water, and fortifying the school, as a reader you can believe that they would have survived this long.518hheXuwoL._SY346_
This book focuses more on rescue then the previous books and as the cast of characters continues to grow there is less time spent one on one with people. This decreases the amount of individual tension between characters, but there is still tension as Ronan is the dictator and continues to push his Christian values on everyone within his fortress. This dynamic makes sense in the situation, but I like the moments when Ronan gets to be humanized more in small moments. A hug with his wife or children, a cute moment with him and the children, his appreciated a moment of laughter. These moments are very sweet in the otherwise horror-filled world they live in, and Ronan gets to relax the least as a leader.
Pet peeve of mine in apocalypse fiction is the idea that you are completely alone in the world. That although you survived no one else on the planet could have. Smorynski does not fall into this trap. He acknowledges the bigger world, although his characters have very little contact with it. And there is a good balance between the characters feeling alone and being alone. Many people have died in the month of the apocalypse, but they are still finding survivors. There are other people who are holding on. This makes the series more exciting for me and also keeps me excited for the books to come as I enjoy watching the growing community of survivors.
This series is exciting and gripping from beginning to end. Smorynski does a good job of justifying the risks that his characters take and ups the stakes and consequences as the book progresses, making the danger feel read from beginning to end. If you like zombie stories or apocalypse fiction, then I would highly recommend checking this series out. I cannot wait to see where the story goes from here!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Followers in Books
Dec 17, 2018
My rating: 3.5
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The Followers</i> is the compelling second novel of the British author Rebecca Wait. Stephanie is living a mundane life with her daughter, making what little money she can at a local coffee shop. But then she meets Nathaniel, a man who says he wants to love her, look after her and make her happy. Stephanie and Judith move in with Nathaniel at a place known as the Ark, with a bunch of other people who are part of a religious cult. Nathaniel, who proclaims himself as a prophet, is determined for Stephanie to forget about her past and turn herself to God. Judith, however, is not so easy to persuade. However a turn of events raise questions as to whether Nathaniel should really be trusted.
The story begins with Stephanie in prison where she is serving her sentence for a crime the reader has no knowledge of. It then switches between “before” and “after” with “before” being when Stephanie meets Nathaniel and “after” involving the prison scenes. From the very start the reader knows something bad is going to happen, that Stephanie is going to break a law bad enough for her to be imprisoned. The following chapters keep readers guessing what exactly that offence would be.
The novel gets darker and darker as the truth about the running of the Ark is revealed. With violence and punishments being doled out, Nathaniel is no longer the man he originally appeared. As the book climaxes it is shocking when the reader realizes what it is that Stephanie is going to do.
As well as Judith there are other children living in the Ark, but the difference is they were born there and have known nothing else except doing things in the name of God. Judith on the other hand was not sheltered from the “evils” of the outside world and thus has a different opinion about the way Nathaniel treats his followers. As it turns out, Judith is right to distrust the ways of this man, but there is nothing she can do about her situation.
Although containing a strong religious theme, <i>The Followers</i> is not a piece of Christian fiction. The behaviour of Nathaniel and the members of the Ark does not reflect the average Christian, and everyone, whether religious or not, will be shocked by the happenings in this book.
It took a while to get into the storyline and the first few chapters did not feel particularly well written, however readers will quickly be sucked into the plot and will want to keep reading to find out what happens. <i>The Followers</i> is not a happy story and there are a few sad and distressing scenes, which make the reader really feel for some of the characters. Overall it is a very interesting read.
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
The Followers</i> is the compelling second novel of the British author Rebecca Wait. Stephanie is living a mundane life with her daughter, making what little money she can at a local coffee shop. But then she meets Nathaniel, a man who says he wants to love her, look after her and make her happy. Stephanie and Judith move in with Nathaniel at a place known as the Ark, with a bunch of other people who are part of a religious cult. Nathaniel, who proclaims himself as a prophet, is determined for Stephanie to forget about her past and turn herself to God. Judith, however, is not so easy to persuade. However a turn of events raise questions as to whether Nathaniel should really be trusted.
The story begins with Stephanie in prison where she is serving her sentence for a crime the reader has no knowledge of. It then switches between “before” and “after” with “before” being when Stephanie meets Nathaniel and “after” involving the prison scenes. From the very start the reader knows something bad is going to happen, that Stephanie is going to break a law bad enough for her to be imprisoned. The following chapters keep readers guessing what exactly that offence would be.
The novel gets darker and darker as the truth about the running of the Ark is revealed. With violence and punishments being doled out, Nathaniel is no longer the man he originally appeared. As the book climaxes it is shocking when the reader realizes what it is that Stephanie is going to do.
As well as Judith there are other children living in the Ark, but the difference is they were born there and have known nothing else except doing things in the name of God. Judith on the other hand was not sheltered from the “evils” of the outside world and thus has a different opinion about the way Nathaniel treats his followers. As it turns out, Judith is right to distrust the ways of this man, but there is nothing she can do about her situation.
Although containing a strong religious theme, <i>The Followers</i> is not a piece of Christian fiction. The behaviour of Nathaniel and the members of the Ark does not reflect the average Christian, and everyone, whether religious or not, will be shocked by the happenings in this book.
It took a while to get into the storyline and the first few chapters did not feel particularly well written, however readers will quickly be sucked into the plot and will want to keep reading to find out what happens. <i>The Followers</i> is not a happy story and there are a few sad and distressing scenes, which make the reader really feel for some of the characters. Overall it is a very interesting read.