Showing posts with label WaterBrook and Multnomah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WaterBrook and Multnomah. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
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.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Review of Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews
About the Book ~
In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king.
Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name--Zibah, delight of the Lord--thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation.
For more information about Mesu Andrews and her books, check out her website here!
My Thoughts ~
If you love stories that open the Bible to you in a whole new way, then Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews needs to be added to your mountainous - I'm assuming - TBR pile! ;-)
Do NOT miss this story!
Isaiah's Daughter starts while Ishma/Zibah and Hezekiah are young, giving us backstory and young love, and it ends in the last fifteen years of Hezekiah's life. These pages are filled with triumph, devastation, sickening sin, and beautiful revelations. The characters, their hearts, and God's loving truth will stay with you long after you shut the cover.
One of the things I loved most about this book was the prophecies and seeing how the characters applied them to their everyday lives, while also looking to the future. Isn't that what we do? We look at a verse that was written or prophesied to someone long ago a hundred different times, then BAM! Meaning and life flow from it like a spring. It is the Living Word of God, after all! <3
Bookish friends, remember that this story is Biblical Fiction. In her Author's Note, Mesu Andrews shares with readers some of her research, timeline frustrations, and areas where she took artistic license. She has stayed true to the Bible, but has pieced the information together in a way that we may not have considered before now. And it is truly breathtaking!
Five Stars ~ Isaiah's Daughter does not disappoint! While it's not necessary to read Love in a Broken Vessel first, I thoroughly enjoyed being reunited with beloved characters from that story! However, Isaiah's Daughter is an excellent stand-alone story!
I received a copy of Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews from WaterBrook & Multnomah. 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 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.
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