The saying goes “All is fair in love and war”. Of course, most don’t agree with this. Society as a whole condemned what happened in Nazi Germany during the years of the Second World War. This author ambitiously tackles the subjects of love and war during that turbulent time in that extremely turbulent place. Beth…
Mrs. O’Leary’s cow was falsely accused of starting the Great Chicago Fire. While it is accurate that the fire started in the O’Leary’s barn, no one is quite sure how. What is known is that hundreds died in the flames which claimed 3.3 square miles of the city. Into the Whirlwind takes this terrible tragedy…
I haven’t read an inspirational in years, mostly because the only inspirational I had read was drearily conservative and written in such a cheesy and sentimental way that it put me off the subgenre altogether. So it was with some trepidation I approached Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis, which is both an inspirational and a…
I started reading inspirational fiction and romance as a teenager and, while I have discovered some wonderful books, I find myself sticking primarily to secular fiction and romance because so many of the characters in inspirationals, particularly in contemporary inspies, seem too goody-goody to be true – or likable. In Home Another Way, debut author…
Earth to Betsy picks up right where Heavens to Betsy left off: with the reverends (and best friends) Betsy Blessing and David Swenson’s first date. The hitch is, David wants to get hitched. He proposes right there in the restaurant, and when Betsy accepts, he reveals two whole flocks of people hiding out right there…
Two Women of Galilee tells the story of Jesus’ ministry and crucifixion from the standpoint of a female observer, that of Joanna, one of the few women mentioned in the Gospels. Little is known about Joanna – she is only mentioned in scripture twice, and briefly – so most of this book definitely falls under…
I found this book to be disappointing; my sense was that because it falls under the Inspirational Fiction umbrella, the message was supposed to compensate for the flimsy plot and static characters. However, the message wasn’t even that strong, particularly not if it had to carry the whole book. New mother Esther Walker recently moved…
Ain’t No Valley is proof that the inspirational sub-genre is expanding its horizons. Sharon Ewell Foster has little in common with Lori Wick. Her characters are more flawed, more urban, less traditional, and certainly less white bread. The bread here is thick, warm, and full flavored. Unfortunately, the plot, such as it is, meanders, drags,…
Lori Copland’s latest book, Mother of Prevention, is a heartwarming read that sucks you in right from the beginning and holds on to you until the very last page. Kate Madison suffers a tragic loss: her firefighter husband dies, leaving her and her two daughters alone. Kate goes through the motions of living until she…
Paulo Coelho’s The Fifth Mountain is one of the most extraordinary works of historical fiction I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. The author fictionalizes the biblical story of Elijah, and as a very reformed Jew who welcomes the Prophet Elijah into the house every year at Passover to partake in a glass of wine,…