by Jason Joyner | Jun 17, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Deep In The Heart Of Trouble (Bethany House June 1, 2008) by Deeanne Gist.
My Wife Says:
She has been following Deeanne Gist since I found out about her first book being picked up as “edgy inspirational” fiction from Bethany House editor Dave Long, who established the (mostly quiet anymore, but once quite profound) faith*in*fiction blog. Beccy once again enjoyed Deep in the Heart of Trouble, the first sequel by Gist (this book follows Courting Trouble).
According to Bec, she really liked the main character Essie for her spunkiness and self-sufficiency. It was a fun book and a fun plot. Everything came together in a very satisfying way. She always passes a Deeanne Gist book around to all her friends. When it comes to romance, Gist is a can’t miss.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Deeanne Gist has been a busy lady. She had a career in elementary education. She raised four children. In fifteen years she has: run a home accessory/antique business, member of the press, penned freelance journalism for a few well-known publications, People, Parents, Family Fun and more. She was the CFO for her husband’s engineering company, she did all this in her home.
She also founded a publishing corporation for the purpose of developing, producing and marketing products which would reinforce family values, teach children responsibility and provide character building activities. In answer to Gist’s fervent prayers, God sent a mainstream publisher to her door who licensed her parenting I Did It!® product line and committed to publish the next generation of her system, thus freeing Gist to return to her writing.
Eight months later, she submitted A Bride Most Begrudging to Bethany House Publishers and they picked it up for their new “edgy inspirational” line of historical fiction. After its release in July 2005, Bride hit eight best seller lists and has sold over 100,000 copies and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2006. The Measure of a Lady was her 2006 summer release. It hit five best seller lists and won the Christy Award for BEST ROMANCE 2007. Gist is contracted to have a new book come out every summer. Courting Trouble was her 2007 summer release and it hit three best seller lists.
Deeanne lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-four years. They have two kids in high school, two in college.
ABOUT THE BOOK
A Texas-Sized Tale of Unexpected Love
Essie Spreckelmeyer is the last woman anyone in Corsicana, Texas, expected to see with a man on her arm. Independent and outspoken, she’s known more for riding bicycles in outrageous bloomers than for catching a man’s eye.
And the last man who seems willing to give her a second glance is Tony Morgan, newly hired at Spreckelmeyer’s oil company. The disinherited son of an oil baron, Tony wants most to restore his name and regain his lost fortune–not lose his heart to this headstrong blonde. She confounds, contradicts, and confuses him. Sometimes he doesn’t know if she’s driving him toward the aisle or the end of his rope.
That’s how life is …Deep In The Heart Of Trouble
If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE
by Jason Joyner | Jun 14, 2008 | Blog, fiction, reading, young adult
I have been in the habit of reading to my boys when they go to bed since they were little. We don’t do it every night, but most evenings we gather on the couch for our latest adventure. For the last year and a half or so we’ve been into chapter books. We’re reading through the Chronicles of Narnia and other books as well.
In March, the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy tour highlighted Andrew Peterson’s book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I thought my boys (8 and 6) would enjoy this book, and I was definitely right.
The first few chapters deftly use humor to build interest even as the conflict is slowly unfolding. The boys laughed at Janner Igiby’s trouble with the dog Nugget’s nuggest, and couldn’t understand why Gnag the Nameless (a nameless evil) had a name.
The humor continues in the book, but the adventure grows as the Igiby children run into trouble with the Fangs of Dang, and the mysteries of the Jewels of Anniera are eventually revealed. My boys started hanging on every chapter, threatening to pound me in the nose if I didn’t keep reading. Dark Sea does a great job of leaving each chapter hanging a little, making the boys very interested to see what happened the next night.
We finished the book this week, and the boys are already very excited that there promises to be two more books in this series. My oldest (who has only just finished 2nd grade) has, since Wednesday, read halfway through a book that is meant for a young adult audience.
I just wanted to follow up on this book to explain how much my boys liked it, and to encourage parents out there to let their kids experience this take of adventure, peril, lost jewels, and the toothy cows of Skree.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 14, 2008 | Blog, fiction, reading, young adult
I have been in the habit of reading to my boys when they go to bed since they were little. We don’t do it every night, but most evenings we gather on the couch for our latest adventure. For the last year and a half or so we’ve been into chapter books. We’re reading through the Chronicles of Narnia and other books as well.
In March, the Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy tour highlighted Andrew Peterson’s book On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness. I thought my boys (8 and 6) would enjoy this book, and I was definitely right.
The first few chapters deftly use humor to build interest even as the conflict is slowly unfolding. The boys laughed at Janner Igiby’s trouble with the dog Nugget’s nuggest, and couldn’t understand why Gnag the Nameless (a nameless evil) had a name.
The humor continues in the book, but the adventure grows as the Igiby children run into trouble with the Fangs of Dang, and the mysteries of the Jewels of Anniera are eventually revealed. My boys started hanging on every chapter, threatening to pound me in the nose if I didn’t keep reading. Dark Sea does a great job of leaving each chapter hanging a little, making the boys very interested to see what happened the next night.
We finished the book this week, and the boys are already very excited that there promises to be two more books in this series. My oldest (who has only just finished 2nd grade) has, since Wednesday, read halfway through a book that is meant for a young adult audience.
I just wanted to follow up on this book to explain how much my boys liked it, and to encourage parents out there to let their kids experience this take of adventure, peril, lost jewels, and the toothy cows of Skree.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 5, 2008 | Blog, fiction, reading, reviews
When I pick books, I tend toward the action, suspense, sci-fi, or fantasy genres. Typical guy stuff, I suppose. However, I can be swayed by a clever, inviting back-copy, and that’s what happened when I first heard about Rene Gutteridge. While looking at book options for the CFBA tour, I read the synopsis for Scoop, the first book in her Occupational Hazards series. It was funny and quite intriguing, so I asked for the book. Scoop turned into my favorite book of 2006.
Rene is back with the latest book in the series: Skid. As with the first and second book, (Snitch), she nails the landing with this new tale.
The Occupational Hazards series focuses on the Hazards, a family of homeschooled kids who are strong in their faith. Their parents also owned a clown company that the whole family helped staff – until the parents’ untimely hot tub accident. After the funeral the kids sell the business and it funds their attempts to go into the world and find an occupation.
Hank Hazard, who we saw introduced in Snitch, fell in love with flying and applies for a special job at struggling airline Atlantica: being a spy on their planes evaluating customer service by haranguing the flight attendants with incessant requests. Hank is such a nice guy though, he can’t help but be the most polite yet irritating customer.
Gutteridge here applies her trademark twists and laugh-out-loud turns as Hank’s flight includes a mysterious pilot who has survived the Bermuda triangle, a pig, a Dutch convict, a diamond smuggler, and a jilted young woman in polka dots. The plot moves along with continuous hijinks that kept me chuckling throughout the book. Just as one situation seems to be boiling over, another pot bubbles up as well. Gutteridge is able to make all of her humorous characters believable, and keeps the reader hooked for the whole crazy flight.
Publisher’s Weekly said that, “No Christian fiction novelist can tickle a funny bone like Gutteridge“, and I agree. Skid continues her impressive and greatly enjoyable run through various Occupational Hazards. I highly recommend this whole series for anyone who likes very readable books with a planeload of humor. You won’t be disappointed.
by Jason Joyner | Jun 5, 2008 | Blog, fiction, reading, reviews
When I pick books, I tend toward the action, suspense, sci-fi, or fantasy genres. Typical guy stuff, I suppose. However, I can be swayed by a clever, inviting back-copy, and that’s what happened when I first heard about Rene Gutteridge. While looking at book options for the CFBA tour, I read the synopsis for Scoop, the first book in her Occupational Hazards series. It was funny and quite intriguing, so I asked for the book. Scoop turned into my favorite book of 2006.
Rene is back with the latest book in the series: Skid. As with the first and second book, (Snitch), she nails the landing with this new tale.
The Occupational Hazards series focuses on the Hazards, a family of homeschooled kids who are strong in their faith. Their parents also owned a clown company that the whole family helped staff – until the parents’ untimely hot tub accident. After the funeral the kids sell the business and it funds their attempts to go into the world and find an occupation.
Hank Hazard, who we saw introduced in Snitch, fell in love with flying and applies for a special job at struggling airline Atlantica: being a spy on their planes evaluating customer service by haranguing the flight attendants with incessant requests. Hank is such a nice guy though, he can’t help but be the most polite yet irritating customer.
Gutteridge here applies her trademark twists and laugh-out-loud turns as Hank’s flight includes a mysterious pilot who has survived the Bermuda triangle, a pig, a Dutch convict, a diamond smuggler, and a jilted young woman in polka dots. The plot moves along with continuous hijinks that kept me chuckling throughout the book. Just as one situation seems to be boiling over, another pot bubbles up as well. Gutteridge is able to make all of her humorous characters believable, and keeps the reader hooked for the whole crazy flight.
Publisher’s Weekly said that, “No Christian fiction novelist can tickle a funny bone like Gutteridge“, and I agree. Skid continues her impressive and greatly enjoyable run through various Occupational Hazards. I highly recommend this whole series for anyone who likes very readable books with a planeload of humor. You won’t be disappointed.
by Jason Joyner | May 23, 2008 | Blog, CFBA, fiction, reading, reviews, speculative fiction
This was a busy week for me with blog tours. Two Christian Fiction Blog Alliance reviews and the Christian Sci/Fi Fantasy tour highlighting Mindflights webzine. Phew.
Today the CFBA tour features Broken Angel, the latest book from author Sigmund Brouwer. He is the author of eighteen best-selling novels for children and adults. His last book was Fuse of Armageddon and his novel The Last Disciple was featured in Time magazine and on ABC’s Good Morning America. A champion of literacy, he teaches writing workshops for students in schools from the Arctic Circle to inner city Los Angeles. Sigmund is married to Christian recording artist Cindy Morgan, and they and their two daughters divide their time between homes in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada and Nashville, Tennessee.
Broken Angel has a very intriguing premise. In the near future there are two nations carved from the United States: Appalachia, where religious people resettled en masse to live in a “godly” land, led by the enigmatic Bar Elohim, and the “Outside”, a land that the Appalachians fled to live according to their beliefs. Appalachia is strictly controlled. Even though most people appear happy and satisfied, the occasional but inevitable malcontents pay their debt to society by working in the factories. The truly wicked are stoned to death. Some try to escape to the Outside, but they have to face the mysterious Clan, rumored to kill any who enter their territory and the enemy of Bar Elohim.
Caitlyn is a 15 year old girl carrying a terrible burden in her disfigured body. Hiding in the cover of Appalachia, she lives with her father quietly until the day that they are forced to run for their lives. When her father is taken from her before he can fully reveal painful secrets, she must use all she’s been taught to survive bounty hunters, the wilderness, and the Clan.
Broken Angel is a book of strengths and weaknesses. The various characters are memorable and stand out from each other. Brouwer creates an insanely fast paced thriller. It is not a long book, and there is hardly a moment to relax, as each character faces trials and trouble in trying to accomplish their goals – from the expert bounty hunter tracking Caitlyn, to the Sheriff and the agent from Outside trailing both of them.
Unfortunately, the book suffers at times from the fast pace. Characters are introduced fast and furious initially, making it hard to keep them straight. The futuristic scenario is interesting but thinly developed. The premise has a lot of potential, but it is skimmed with the pace and shortness of the book.
Overall, it is an easy, entertaining read. I haven’t read any of Brouwer’s books before, and he is definitely talented. I wonder if the scope of the story was hampered due to size restraints. I liked the book, but I’m left wanting more. However, if you are looking for a fast-paced escapist summer read, this book would fit the bill.
If you would like to read the first chapter, go HERE.
