Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews Review

About the Book ~

Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted the need of it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago as the Babylonian army ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She honed her skill while living among the Medes, bowing her knee to both gods and men.

Now, as Daniel's wife and matriarch of her family, Belili things she's safe and can live out her days in Babylon without fear -- until the night Daniel is escorted to King Belshazzar's palace to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. On that very night, the Medo-Persian Army invades, and Belili's tightly-wound secrets begin to unravel.

As Yahweh's sovereign hand guides Jerusalem's exiles to the end of captivity, can the frightened Hebrew girl break the chains of survival and dare to live in truth? And how will the conqueror, King Darius, respond to Babylon's longest-living wise man, a man who prays to Yahweh alone? Experience, with Daniel and Belili, the majesty and splendor of Yahweh, the God of fire and lions.

For more information about Mesu Andrews and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts ~

Guys, Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews took stories of faith and deliverance that I have been reading my entire life and paired them with a fictional journey of unrelenting, freeing, and redeeming love, bringing the story of Daniel to life in a whole new way! Truly, this beautiful story will move many hearts with the abundance of truths waiting within it's lovely pages!

Daniel and Belili's love story is full of pain, secrets, and -- at long last! -- freedom! Even though the novel spans almost seventy years, I really felt like I knew the characters. The author didn't paint Daniel as an infallible hero of faith -- and I greatly appreciated that! In fact, I wanted to shake some sense into him a couple of times! Daniel is portrayed as a realistic man with desires, hurts, and fears in addition to the faith we know so well from the Bible! Belili's journey deeply moved me, and I found myself crying for her and rejoicing for her. Each facet of her progression as a character was realistic as she made her way from child to matriarch, from orphaned slave to cherished daughter of God, from a life of sin and secrets to one lived in truth and love!

I love Biblical Fiction because Biblical truths come alive with the power of story, and Of Fire and Lions does this so well! If I had to boil the spiritual theme of this book down to one line, it would be when Daniel says (and I'm paraphrasing) that the comfortable has made them afraid to trust God for the uncomfortable. Whether it's for supernatural protection, divine arrangement of events, or revealing painful secrets, this truth is evident throughout the story.

Four Stars ~ Of Fire and Lions will leave you breathless as you travel this fictional story of redeeming love that parallels the real accounts found in the book of Daniel in the Bible! Of Fire and Lions is the second novel in the author's Of Prophets and Kings Series, but readers will have no issue reading it as a standalone! I can honestly say that whatever Mesu Andrews writes, I want to read it! I can't wait for her next epic story!

Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and Weddings, Willows, and Revised Expectations, and she is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Connect with Joy on her website, personal blog, devotional blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Amazon Author Page!

Any questions? Check out my Disclosures and Policies Page!

Review of No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert

About the Book ~

When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

For more information about Katie Ganshert and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts ~

If I could describe No One Ever Asked in one word, that word would be "think." This is a novel designed to make you think and ask hard questions, including how you can, "be the change where you're at."

Written in the poignant style Katie Ganshert is known for, No One Ever Asked follows the shocking revelations, struggles, and heartaches of three woman, each so different and complex, yet they think they have each other pegged. And they couldn't be more wrong.

Inspired by a real events, the author's heart is clearly poured onto the pages of No One Ever Asked. Katie Ganshert tackles difficult topics like racism and adoption in a candid, open way. Despite the heavy topics, the novel moves faster than a raging river. Katie Ganshert even uses things like e-mails, text messages between secondary characters, and school flyers to help tell the story without bogging the reader down in the details, adding a level of reality to the story that I rarely see. At the core of this deep novel is another truth: that accepting and extending God's forgiveness is the only way to be completely, utterly free.

Four Stars ~ A deeply intense read sure to make her readers think! No One Ever Asked is a standalone novel, but Katie Ganshert has other excellent novels, ranging from romance, YA, contemporary, and novella!

Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.

Any questions? Check out my Disclaimers Page!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Review of Life After by Katie Ganshert

From the Back Cover:

It could have been me.

Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost.

A year later, Autumn Manning can’t remember the day of the bombing and she is tormented by grief—by guilt. Twelve months of the question constantly echoing. Why? Why? Why? Searching for answers, she haunts the lives of the victims, unable to rest.

Paul Elliott lost his wife in the train bombing and wants to let the dead rest in peace, undisturbed and unable to cause more pain for his loved ones. He wants normalcy for his twelve-year-old daughter and young son, to see them move beyond the heartbreak. But when the Elliotts and Autumn are unexpectedly forced together, he fears she’ll bring more wreckage in her wake. 

In Life After, Katie Ganshert’s most complex and unforgettable novel yet, the stirring prose and authentic characters pose questions of truth, goodness, and ultimate purpose in this emotionally resonant tale.

For more information about Katie Ganshert and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts:

Life After, oh, Life After...

Life after having the pleasure of reading you is bittersweet. There were times I had to put you down and weep, so overcome with sorrow. Other times you gut punched me with such poignant truths. And other times my heart felt like it would burst from joy and smiles.

Autumn feels like she's drowning from guilt. Oh, so much guilt. But she's not afraid to ask questions. BUT once she's willing to listen, then God answers. They're just not the answers she's been expecting. And Paul, he's struggling with guilt, too. I really loved his resolution. I don't want to give away any spoilers... ; ) Suffice it to say that he experiences a dump of God's sacrificial love.

As you may have guessed, this is not a light read. This is one of those books that does not avoid the hard, the hurt, and the pain that life gives you. It tackles those questions head on, kind of like an angry bull attacking the man in red. What you're left with is a deeply moving, beautiful story with stellar writing.

Four and a Half Stars. A fabulous novel! I'm looking forward to whatever Katie writes next!

I received Life After by Katie Ganshert from WaterBrook & Multnomah. All opinions expressed are my own.

God bless you guys, and I'll see you next time!

Hugs!
~V. Joy Palmer