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Into the Free by Julie CantrellParchment Girl is blogging regularly again and has a newly updated blog design.  I appriciate her reviews because she reviews so many books I would not otherwise pick up.  It is not that I don’t like Christian Fiction, it is that I just don’t really trust it.  I have read so much bad Christian fiction, books that are neither realistic about life as it happens in the world, nor books that reflect the God that I know.  So much Christian fiction just feels like it was designed to make the reader feel better.  A very light tension and conflict, salvation and then all is right and everyone lives happily ever after.

Parchment Girl, while she read many other books beside Christian fiction seems to have a gift for reading and thinking about Christian Fiction in a way that I appreciate.  Here is the first paragraph of her review:

Into the Free is a story that exists in a grey area. Millie’s father is brutally abusive towards her mother, but the author doesn’t reduce him to the role of a stereotypical villain as one might expect. By the end of the novel he reads more as a tragic character—a tortured soul who couldn’t help his violent urges. I have mixed feelings about this. While I fully believe in the concepts of mercy and grace, I feel like Jack was let off the hook for his actions. I don’t want to oversimplify the book by reviewing it as though it were a political statement; it’s just something I thought a lot about while reading it.

continue reading the rest of the review on Parchmentgirl.com   

Scandalous Risks by Susan HowatchSummary: A young woman recounts her affair with the Dean of Starbridge.

One of the things I have enjoyed about reading the Church of England series is learning more about the actual Church of England.  A Dean of a Cathedral is essentially the pastor of the Cathedral.  In Scandalous Risks, Neville (Stephen) Aysgarth has risen from his role of Arch Deacon (assistant to the Bishop that oversees a geographical area of Churches) to the Dean of the Cathedral.

As Dean of one of the most prominent (fictional) Cathedrals in England Neville has risen to become one of the most powerful clergy in the Church of England.  Unfortunately for him, the Bishop of Starbridge is now Charles Ashworth, Neville’s conservative rival.

But Scandalous Risks is not simply a continuation of Ultimate Prizes (#3). It is narrated by Venetia Flaxton.  Young Venetia is 26, wandering around trying to find purpose in life.  Her best friend, Primrose (daughter of Neville) draws her to Starbridge and Venetia finds a number of friends, a job working for the Bishop and eventually an affair with the Dean (Neville).

Continue Reading…

Growing in Grace by George Moss

Growing in Grace by George Moss

4 of 5 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

These can be your best days as you awaken to righteousness and leave the old life of the flesh behind and pursue God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Growing in Grace teaches how to step into the Spirit of God and walk and live in the fullness of His Spirit every day of your life. You have all the power you will ever need. Learn to access it. Access starts first with the love of God and forgiveness. He will talk to you if you talk to Him. God is no respecter of persons. Four key definitions of “grace,” • God divinely moving upon your heart, giving you the ability to do what you could not do in and of yourself and receiving what you could not receive, again, in and of yourself. • Unmerited favor. • God’s riches at Christ’s expense. • A relationship of favor, which gives one access to another’s wisdom and power.

Composing Amelia: A Novel by Alison Strobel

Composing Amelia: A Novel by Alison Strobel

352 pages, 21 of 23 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Audiobook is discounted to $3.99 with purchase of Kindle Book 

Can a brand-new marriage withstand the weight of generations-old baggage?
Newlyweds Amelia and Marcus Sheffield are recent college grads, trying to stay afloat in LA while searching for their dream jobs. Marcus hopes to become a mega-church pastor. Amelia has an esteemed music degree, and longs to play piano professionally. The Sheffields are clearly city people.
But when a small town church offers Marcus a job, the couple’s dedication to their dreams and each other is tested. After a risky compromise is made, Amelia falls into a dark emotional place, where she finds skeletons she’d fought hard to deny. In desperation, she calls out to God. But why can’t she find Him? While Amelia struggles, Marcus learns news that nearly crushes him. He must lean on his faith to withstand the pressure… or risk losing his wife forever.

UNBLOGGER: Discovering the Power of Story in a 'How-To' World by Darrell Vesterfelt

UNBLOGGER: Discovering the Power of Story in a ‘How-To’ World by Darrell Vesterfelt

4 of 4 reviews are 5-star, Lending Enabled

In a world that’s obsessed with blogging and online publishing, UNBLOGGER is about uncovering your hidden motivations and rediscovering your purpose when it comes to blogging.

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Kindle Daily Deal Romance Daily Deal
Kindle Daily DealBerried to the Hiltby Karen MacInerneyCustomer review: “This book is excellent for foodies.” 

Deal Price: $1.99

 

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Kindle Daily DealBeach House No. 9by Christie RidgwayCustomer review: “A funny and heartwarming story.” 

Deal Price: $1.99

 

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Science Fiction & Fantasy Daily Deal Kids Daily Deal
Kindle Daily DealMidnighters #1by Scott WesterfeldCustomer review: “This is a great horror story.” 

Deal Price: $1.99

 

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Kindle Daily DealA Prince among Frogsby E. D. BakerCustomer review: “This story kept me hanging.” 

Deal Price: $2.99

 

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Audible.com First in Series Sale

Audible’s First in Series Sale ends tomorrow. There are more than 200 Audiobook that are the first in a series. A lot of very good books here. Each book is only $4.95.

Deployed (Called to Serve) by Mel Odom

Deployed (Called to Serve) by Mel Odom

417 pages, 23 of 26 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Lance Corporal Bekah Shaw joined the United States Marine reserves to help support herself and her son when her ex-husband, Billy Roy, decided they were no longer his responsibility. But when her team is activated and sent to Somalia on a peacekeeping mission, Bekah struggles with being separated from her son and vows to return safely.

Once a successful Somalian businessman, Rageh Daud has lost everything. Determined to seek revenge on the terrorists who killed his wife and son, he teams up with a group of thieves, killers, and others displaced by war. Despite his better judgment, Daud becomes the protector of a young orphaned boy—who becomes a pawn between the warring factions.

To defeat the terrorists and bring peace to the region, Bekah and her team must convince Daud that they are on the same side.

This Very MomentThis Very Moment by Rachel Ann Nunes

212 pages, 17 of 19 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Bill Dubrey is a sought-after plastic surgeon for LA’s prestigious and wealthy, and an equally sought-after bachelor. On the surface it appears he has it all—money, respect, and fame. Yet behind his aloof exterior lurks a tragic past that prevents him from finding lasting happiness.

All that changes on the day Kylee Stewart reenters his life. She alone knows Bill’s secret agony, and she is determined to help him face his past. During the years they’ve been apart, Kylee’s own life has been far from easy, but unlike Bill, she has turned to God in her need, finding a faith to which she desperately clings.

The tentative friendship they begin has Bill rethinking his stark future, yet he keeps his heart in check—afraid to commit, afraid to lose again. During Kylee’s darkest moment, when she needs him most, will he be there for her?

A Joyful Break by Diane Craver (Dreams of Plain Daughters)

A Joyful Break by Diane Craver (Dreams of Plain Daughters)

280 pages, 6 of 6 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

After her mother’s untimely death, a twenty-year-old Amish woman has a difficult decision to make: Choose to break from the Plain community and her boyfriend and live in the English world permanently…or join the Amish church.

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I am a big fan of the Wool (and its later series Shift). One sale today is the collections of the novels, Wool has 5 volumes and Shift has 3. So Bookwi.se reviews are Wool 1-3, 4-5 and Shift 1, 2, 3 (review is scheduled for this week).

Kindle Daily Deal Romance Daily Deal
Kindle Daily DealHugh Howey’s Silo SagaThis series is destined to be a Science Fiction classic, the Wool and Shift Omnibus Editions.

 

Deal Price: $1.99 each

Audiobook is discounted to $0.99 with purchase of Kindle Book

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Kindle Daily DealOur Husband by Stephanie BondCustomer review: “I fell in love with each character.”

 

Deal Price: $0.99

 

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Science Fiction & Fantasy Daily Deal Teens Daily Deal
Kindle Daily DealDead Witch Walking by Kim HarrisonCustomer review: “A captivating and suspenseful supernatural crime thriller!”

 

Deal Price: $1.99

Audiobook is discounted to $3.49 with purchase of Kindle Book

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Kindle Daily DealForge by Laurie Halse AndersonCustomer review: “My daughter read this at the age of 10 and loved it!”

 

Deal Price: $0.99

Audiobook is discounted to $3.49 with purchase of Kindle Book

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Pandora Park by Piers AnthonySummary: Two children find their way into a magic park.

This is Piers Anthony’s first children’s book and it shows. It isn’t horrible, but Anthony doesn’t really know his audience and it alternates between middle grade and older and I kept having this feeling of dread that some of his more erotic work was going to break through at any moment. It didn’t, the book is pretty clean, but there isn’t much to really recommend for it either.

I have read a lot of Piers Anthony’s books in the past.  But this isn’t one that is worth reading.

Luckily I picked it up for for free.

Pandora Park Purchase Links: Kindle Edition

I noticed today that a number of Baen Science Fiction or Fantasy Kindle books were available free.  I have read most of these below, but not all.  I have not reviewed any.  I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy and it is still one of my favorite genres, even if I do not venture into it much lately.  I believe that many of these will be free quite often (if not permanently) because most of them were part of the Baen Free Library, which for a variety of reasons is effectively closed down.  There are books that are not Baen listed below.

Sanctus: A Novel by Simon Toyne

Sanctus: A Novel by Simon Toyne

608 pages, 80 of 110 reviews are 4 or 5-star

If you are a fan of top-notch conspiracy fiction that keeps you up late nights turning pages—if the bestselling novels of Steve Berry, James Rollins, Dan Brown, Raymond Khoury, and Chris Kuzneski make your heart race faster—then remember the name Simon Toyne! Already a smash instant bestseller in the United Kingdom (“Intriguing and engaging…[with a] relentless pace” The Sun) Toyne’s Sanctus is, quite simply, one of the most extraordinary conspiracy thriller debuts in many years. In this electrifying, nonstop adventure, a young newspaper reporter, driven by the memory of her lost brother, uncovers a dark secret nurtured for 3,000 years by blood and lies by adherents of an ancient, unknown religion in a Vatican-like citadel hidden away for millennia from unwelcomed prying eyes.

There Will Be DragonsThere Will Be Dragons by John Ringo

752 pages, 40 of 51 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

In the future there is no want, no war, no disease nor ill-timed death. The world is a paradise—and then, in a moment, it ends. The council that controls the Net falls out and goes to war. Everywhere people who have never known a moment of want or pain are left wondering how to survive.

But scattered across the face of the earth are communities which have returned to the natural life of soil and small farm. In the village of Raven’s Mill, Edmund Talbot, master smith and unassuming historian, finds that all the problems of the world are falling in his lap. Refugees are flooding in, bandits are roaming the woods, and his former lover and his only daughter struggle through the Fallen landscape. Enemies, new and old, gather like jackals around a wounded lion.

But what the jackals do not know is that while old he may be, this lion is far from death. And hidden in the past is a mystery that has waited until this time to be revealed. You cross Edmund Talbot at your peril, for a smith is not all he once was. . . .

(Also free is book two Emerald Sea)

On Basilisk Station by David Weber (Honor Harrington Series)

On Basilisk Station by David Weber (Honor Harrington Series)

432 pages, 275 of 333 reviews are 4 or 5-star, Lending Enabled

Having made him look a fool, she’s been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.

Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship’s humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.

The aborigines of the system’s only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.

Continue Reading…

This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone (P.S.)
$1.99 Until 5/27 Wfas $15.99

The Uninvited Guests: A Novel (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $14.99

We Live in Water: Stories
$1.99 until 6/3 Was $14.99

Northline: A Novel (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Wfas $14.95

The Mirage (P.S.)
$1.99 until 6/3 Was $15.99

Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $13.99

The Tell (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $14.99

The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow: A Novel (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $14.99

The Great Lover: A Novel (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $13.99

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $14.99

Everything Beautiful Began After (P.S.)
$1.99 until 5/27 Was $14.99

A Fierce Radiance: A Novel (P.S.)
$199 until 5/27 Was $15.99