Tag: Christian Fiction

The Book in Room 316

The Book in Room 316
Author:  ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Published: July 10, 2018
Audiobook

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: October 30-November 11, 2019
Jessica’s Rating:  4 stars

Book Description:

Savannah Graham thought she had the perfect marriage…until grief drove her husband into the arms of his best friend’s wife. Now, she believes revenge is the only way her heart can heal from the betrayal.

For fifty-two years, Ollie Moss lived side by side with the love of his life, his wife Elizabeth. But now that she’s gone, so is his desire to live, despite the love from his children, and his beloved grandson Samuel. Can anything save Ollie’s life?

Anna Rodriguez just wants to work and provide for her three children by any means necessary. But her decision to break the law in order to get a job is threatening life as she knows it.

Trey Brown is known in his neighborhood as a hustler, so much so that the gangs want him to join their ranks…but there’s a reason the nineteen-year-old does what he does—he’s the only one left who can save his little brother.

Different circumstances lead each of them to The Markham Hotel, where they hope to find solace, comfort, and answers. Told from multiple perspectives, The Book in Room 316 will renew your strength and faith that there is always a way forward.

Jessica’s Review:

When I picked up The Book in Room 316 I did not realize it was Christian Fiction, but I did not have an issue with that.  It is not overtly Christian as some novels in that genre can be much to the detriment of the novel and then deter people from reading.  The Book in Room 316 pulls you in and is a novel that focuses on four different people in four very different circumstances that are all brought to room 316 in the Markham Hotel.  Besides being connected to a single hotel room, I enjoyed seeing how all the stories were entwined with each other. As big as our world is, it is also very small and we all affect each other in what we do, whether the connection is large or small.  This is a novel about faith: Being tested in your faith, losing your faith and getting your faith back.  I would love to see a continuation of these stories.

The Book in Room 316 is recommended.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters

Author:  Lisa Wingate
Published: September 1, 2015
400 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating:  3 stars

Book Description:

Wingate’s third Carolina book follows the highly reviewed, The Prayer Box and The Story Keeper as well as related three novellas.

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. . .

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at The Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a depression-era love story change everything

Kim’s Review:

A pattern seems to be emerging with Wingate’s works: I find them unsatisfying. It seems that when I read her books, I get really involved in the story, I like the characters, I want to find out what happens, the description draws me in, I’m fascinated . . . And then I’m left hanging. It’s not that all the questions aren’t answered, they are, they just aren’t answered satisfactorily. For example, Child is sent to an orphanage, Child disappears from orphanage, brothers and sisters of Child grow up, other lost children from the family reappear, at the end of the book, it’s implied that Child is dead, end of book. That’s it?? Cmon you gotta give me more than that!!!! And this book was exactly the same. The bones of the historical mystery come to light at the end of the book, but no details and no real resolution. End of book.

The story was really interesting and I wanted to learn as much as possible and I couldn’t wait to see what happened . . . And then nothing did. I think I may have to DNF any more of her books because I just can’t live with this emptiness inside!

Everything really was good, until the end. She captures the beauty and mystery of Appalachia, and after reading this book, I wanted to go out to Manteo to spend a weekend. I even mostly liked the characters. It was just unsatisfying.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Author Spotlight: Amy Wallace

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Courtesy of Amy Wallace

Amy Wallace has written five novels. Her writings are Christian Fiction. They are Mystery and Suspense with some romance thrown in as well.

Her book series Place of Refuge will be featured today.

Amy grew up all over the world, as a “military brat” moving every three years. But to her home was Louisville, KY. She currently lives in Georgia with her three daughters. She describes herself as: “I’m a homeschool mom, author, speaker, and avid chocoholic. I love crafting high-action suspense that delves deep into heart issues, but who I really am can be summed up in a few short words: I’m a daughter of the King learning to live and love with laughter.”

In addition to her two series she is a contributing author to several books: A Novel Idea: Best Advice on Writing Inspirational Fiction, God Answers Mom’s Prayers, God Allows U-Turns for Teens, Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series: Diabetes, and A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Moms. (Source: Amazon.com)

Amy’s Novels:

Ransomed Dreams (Defenders of Hope #1)
Healing Promises (Defenders of Hope #2)
Enduring Justice (Defenders of Hope #3)
Hiding in Plain Sight (Place of Refuge #1)
Nowhere to Run (Place of Refuge #2)


Here are the two books in Amy’s Place of Refuge Series

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Hiding in Plain Sight
306 pages in Kindle
Published: April 1, 2012

Description from Amazon:

In a quiet town with a thriving Mennonite community, police officer Ashley Walters finds her threadbare faith and way of life challenged by the Plain people whose simple dress and welcoming manner open her eyes to a God she left behind. Peace eludes Ashley until she realizes the answers she seeks aren’t found in starting over but in returning to the simple truth that it’s God who overcomes the world, not her.

Written for women who desire action-packed suspense, romance, and an escape into the peaceful world of the Mennonites, Hiding in Plain Sight delves into the painful struggle to fit in and the search for peace that so often eludes our fast-paced lives.

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Nowhere to Run
348 pages in Kindle
Published: October 1, 2012

Description from Amazon:

What happens when the promise to protect and serve forces a police officer to do the unthinkable…?

Police Officer Ashley Walters is being stalked. Her wedding plans are interrupted by an attack on her fiancé, and a detective is shot protecting her. Ashley is forced to flee for her own safety and the lives of those she loves.

Ashley finds refuge in a Mennonite community in Shipshewana, Indiana. But even in a peaceful town among gentle people she cherishes, danger stalks. All she has left is faith. But when faith fails, what survives?

Readers who love suspense coupled with the simplicity of the Mennonite life will eagerly devour book two in the dramatic Place of Refuge series.


If you read Christian Fiction and enjoy suspense with some romance thrown in, please check out Amy Wallace’s novels!

Contact Amy:
Facebook
Website

I have known Amy for 12 years. We met while taking a Citizen’s Police Academy class as she was researching one of her novels. Here is a picture of her and I at one of her book signings:

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