Deborah Heal

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

Expect More by Dittemore!

 Five Stars

I know I've been crabbing lately about not being able to find quality Christian fiction. Good news! I found another one I can recommend. I didn’t know until I’d finished reading Angel Eyes that it is Shannon Dittemore’s first novel. All I can say is Wow! I can’t think of a reason anyone—male or female; old or young; Christian or not—wouldn’t like this story. Ms. Dittemore gives a nod to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight: Her main character Gabrielle is immediately attracted to Jake the new guy at school—even though he neither sparkles in the sunlight nor sports fangs. But from there she takes us to the much more interesting, relevant (and scarier) world of angels and demons as they duke it out for the souls of hapless humans. I say angels and demons are scarier than vampires (And haven’t we had just about enough of them already?) because they actually exist. They’re usually invisible, of course, but when Jake lends Brielle his guardian’s mysterious golden bracelet (I can’t say more without giving away a cool detail) she gains the gift of eyes that see the spirit world. (No, not ghosts.) And what she sees convinces her her past doubts have been foolish. God is good. God is wise. We don’t have the whole picture.  Brielle’s choice is clear. How can she not join Jake in the battle to fight the Evil One’s plans? Ms. Dittemore hints at more books to come. I certainly hope so.

 

By Deborah Heal, author of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station. I received a copy of Angel Eyes from the author for the honest review above.

 

Labeling Christian Fiction?

It’s funny how widely opinions about books vary. T.L. Higley has at least four dozen reviews of her novel Pompeii: City on Fire on Amazon (Lucky her!), ranging from one-star to five. Most people gushed over how well-written, how realistic, how interesting the book was. However, one historian was in a twist because she got a detail about Pompeii wrong. And a couple of readers were annoyed to find that they had unknowingly picked up a dreaded Christian novel, and shouldn’t they be labeled with a fish or cross so people would know before buying or reading them?

I wondered when writing the back cover blurbs for my books if I should indicate their Christian nature more, but there didn’t seem to be any easy, non-cheesy way of saying this. I did worry about reader expectations. After all, the best murder mystery in the world will still be disappointing if you bought the book thinking it was a sweet romance (and vice versa). On the other hand, why should I have to label it Christian? The stories are about the adventures and mysteries solved of characters whose Christianity is as intrinsic as their personalities and looks. After all, no one writes blurs like this:

Abby and John, white, middle class Christians with brown hair and green eyes, while home on summer break from college have adventures in Miles Station, a little town settled by Col. Jonathan Miles, a Christian man.

I can see it now. Books and movies will be labeled G, PG, R, X or Christian so people can protect their families from danger. (Separation of Church and State, you know.) But if it gets to that, what about labels that let me know there’s going to be political statements I disagree with or blasphemous language that assaults my ears.

Oh, but wait, that would be a form of censorship, wouldn’t it? Aren’t we capable of sorting through opposing ideas when we read? Doesn’t it benefit us to read the ideas of others, even if (especially if) we disagree with them? The reviewer seemed most annoyed that he got sucked into the exciting plot of a well-written story that turned out to be Christian. I say, you go, Ms. Higley!

By the way, I was one of the gushers. Here’s my review of Pompeii: City on Fire by T.L. Higley.

A Wonderful Peak into Pompeii. Five stars.

I loved T. L. Higley’s Pompeii. It begins with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, ends with the destruction of Pompeii, and yet is a story of redemption and love. Higley pulls few punches when describing the depravity of the Roman Empire. But in the midst of the corruption, God calls people to his kingdom, calls them to stand and fight evil. Cato and Ariella wade through danger and political intrigue among the thrill seekers of the stadium and the debauched followers of Bacchus’ evil rites. And when the Gospel breaks down the walls that separate—the walls between male and female, Roman and Jew, free and slave, they find love and hope for the future.

I am so happy to have found T.L. Higley. She delivers the action, excitement, and characters readers long for (in a fascinating historical context) all the while deftly weaving in important Christian themes and ideas. She’s my hero.

I purchased this book from Amazon.com. 

 

Oh, Yes it Is Happening!

So Not Happening, by Jenny B. Jones.

 

Thank you, Jenny B. Jones, for Bella, a realistic, three-dimensional character who also happens to
be a great role model. Bella, like real people, has faults, and like real people, she is mostly blind to them. The reader feels a little like God must when we see her fumbling her way through the obstacles of life. As a shallow shopaholic, being forced to leave her cushy life in New York for a new one in rural Oklahoma seems like the worst possible thing that could ever happen to her. But she soon finds it could be—and is—a lot worse.

But through all her trials and tribulations, Bella is fabulously funny and smart alecky (although without the overdone cynicism of so many teen story heroes). Bella grows beyond the shallow person she was, into a courageous and determined investigative reporter for her new high school paper. Together with her handsome editor, she uncovers the dark secrets circulating through Truman High School. And she doesn’t forget to ask God for help, which comes (like in real life) not exactly how she imagined.   

Note to self: Read more Jenny B. Jones books.

Note to self: Write characters like Bella.

 

 

The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson

Zondervan

I always love a good Beauty and the Beast story! In this version, set in 1352 Medieval England, a merchant’s family has fallen on hard times. Annabel (in true fairy tale manner) is the only one of her family with any honor or integrity. So when the family is close to being expelled from their home for non-payment of taxes, she indentures herself to Ranulf, the beastly new lord of Glynval, to work off the debt.

Ranulf, who bears ugly scars and a deformed arm, is of course, no beast at all, but a wonderful wounded hero. The relationship between Ranulf and Annabel of earthly lord and servant beautifully parallels that of the Heavenly Lord and His people.

Their love for one another develops when Ranulf offers Annabel the one thing she has always dreamed of: the chance to actually hold and read the Holy Bible. Even the local priest doesn’t own a copy, and he preaches a warped, misogynistic version of the Scriptures. But when Annabel reads the Bible for herself, its beautiful message of faith and hope transform their lives.

By Deborah Heal, author of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station

Out of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

This is the second book of her trilogy, and again I loved it. I read it through in one night!

At the end of book one, when Annie leaves Strat’s 1880 world to return to her own a century later, she has no idea that he will be charged with insanity because of openly discussing Annie’s time-traveling ability. Now, when she returns, she is the only one who has even a slim chance of rescuing him from the asylum where he is being confined.

 One thing I like about both books (and it seemed to come through even stronger in book II) was the honor and integrity of the hero. Strat is a man who pays his debts of honor—to Katie, the girl in the mental asylum (there only because she was born with a cleft palate) who befriends him. To Harriet, who loves him and needs him more than Annie, the woman he loves. And he loves Annie so much, in fact, that he finds “strength to pull away, and kiss no more…” For him, this is “the definition of love: not touching a woman until marriage.” Annie loves Strat for his goodness, even when it means she must suffer because of it.

Cooney continues to compare and contrast the 1880s with the 1980s. Both centuries have their benefits and their downsides. One flaw in Annie’s century would sure makes life easier when it comes to making the hard decisions she and Strat have to make. Because in the 1980s, Annie says, “people let you use any excuse. . . .You never had to be responsible for what you did, because it could always be somebody else’s fault.”

Out of Time has great messages, great characters, and great story.

By Deborah Heal, author of Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station. I purchased this book and have given it my fair review.

Both Sides of Time by Caroline B. Cooney

I highly recommend this book!

Annie is a “romantic in the wrong century,” but her boyfriend is more interested in his old cars. But one day at the derelict mansion outside of town, when “something was wrong with the day, or something wrong with her” she falls back one century and falls in love with Strat, a boy who is everything she’s been dreaming of—everything her boyfriend is not. He is handsome, honorable, and heir to the Stratton mansion and fortune.

The 1880s seem incredibly romantic to Annie, so much better than her own ugly, plastic century. It is an age when men are men and women are women and no one mistakes one for the other. The men are charming and chivalrous. Their courtliness is so attractive to girl whose boyfriend expected her to load his tools in his truck for him. What could be better than to wear beautiful, feminine dresses and live in a luxurious mansion?

But it’s also a time of tremendous stiffness and formality. Even young people call each other by their formal titles of Mr. and Miss. And everyone is expected to “modulate” themselves and be subject to elaborate “rules of behavior.” Women’s lives are even more restrictive than the corsets they wear.

Strat is fascinated by this beautiful free-spirited girl that lands in his world. He is both attracted to and shocked by her unconfined body and bare legs. Unlike his peers, he seems willing to let her be who she is, and loves her in spite of her alien nature.

But Annie realizes that we don’t own time as we think we do with our clocks and watches. Time owns us. We are a product of our time. Will her relationship with Strat be sustainable in a world where men make the rules and govern the lives of their women, own their women?  A world where  a woman who doesn’t marry ceases to have any value? In Strat’s world women are so desperate for marriage that they sometimes  give up relative freedom and a chance to go to college to marry repellant men old enough to be their fathers, men who only want their money.

Annie is a "Century Changer.” She can choose which century she wants to live in. But no matter which century she chooses, someone will be unhappy. She has made a mess of it on both sides of time. If only she can keep everybody safe and still get a happily ever after for herself.

I purchased this book and have given my fair and honest opinion.

 

Saving Grace by Annie Jones

Steel Magnolias, It’s Not

I received this ebook from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group to read and honestly review.

The following review of Saving Grace should remove any doubt that I am letting a free review copy get in the way of being honest, because  to be honest, weak plot structure, confusing point of view switches, and overdone southernisms  got in the way of some  nice characterization, witty dialogue, and a good story.  

I was all set to enjoy a good story about the friendship of four women’s friendships but felt cheated. Maybe if I had read the first book (I found out Saving Grace is a sequel only afterward.) I would have been more interested in the plot. But come on! Whether or not to restart the prayer group seems a weak vehicle for the characters to ride. And helping Grace seems like the obvious thing for good Christian women to do, not something they should have to be talked into.

And the story was confusing. Other reviewers blamed themselves for not having read the first book. This no doubt would have been helpful, and I suggest you do read it first. But the main reason for the confusion was the bewildering point of view switches. The (rather pointless) prologue sets up the book to be about Naomi and her husband, but then the point of view jumps around among the characters in no consistent, recognizable pattern, making it difficult for the reader to commit to the story.

I’ll take the author’s word that the southernisms in the story are authentic. But whether they are or not, they don’t read authentic and are as overdone as red eye gravy on grits. This too gets in the way of the story. Whenever the four women get together, not much real, character- building conversation occurs—just a lot of odd expressions get tossed around in ways that don’t advance the plot.

Now with all that negative critique out of the way (for which I am truly sorry), I loved the parts that focused on each individual woman and her man. In those passages, the point of view focuses in on one character long enough for the reader to get caught up in her thoughts and problems. There, the characters become real and the reader wants to know more.  There, the excessive southern dialect gets out of the way, and the conversation is clear and true.  I especially enjoyed seeing the interaction between Ben and the endearing Lucy. I laughed out loud at several exchanges.  I could really sympathize with her embarrassing faux pas and yearning for a husband and children.  It is because of such passages that I kept reading Saving Grace and why I plan to check out other titles by Annie Jones.

Old Houses Have Soul

I discovered a cool new site that you might want to check out: Blogging for Books. They will give me free books if I agree to review them. What a deal! So I signed up and they randomly chose the first book for me to consider. It was a spooky! Susan Meissner's  A Sound Among the Trees is spooky, indeed. But that's not what I mean. It's spooky that the first book I review has so many eery similarities  to my own novel Time and Again: Charlotte of Miles Station.  Meissner talks of her house's "soul" and her novel also highlights the Civil War era. In a way, her characters also do some time traveling when they uncover old letters written by an earlier inhabitant of the house and a major theme is spiritual redemption. How could I not like the book? Below is the review I posted: 

 

The delicious brooding quality of Susan Meissner’s s reminds me of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.  Marielle, like the narrator of Rebecca, is a new bride who comes to live in her predecessor’s ancient family home. And like Maximilian de Winter, Marielle’s husband Carson seems oblivious to the emotional toll she pays to live there in his dead wife’s shadow.

Adelaide, Carson’s nearly ninety-year-old grandmother-in-law, although no Mrs. Danvers, is a bit cold and distant. She has suffered greatly. Her teenage daughter Caroline had run away to a life of drugs, alcohol and sex, returning only once to give her infant daughter into her care. And now that granddaughter is dead and Carson has brought Marielle to replace her.  Adelaide believes that a “slow waltz of destiny” falls on “all women born to Holly Oak” to suffer and do penance for the sins of its earlier daughter Susannah, who allegedly betrayed her family and the Confederacy. Adelaide labors at sewing Confederate uniforms for modern day Civil War re-enactors. She says it’s because “some things are worth remembering” but it seems to be her personal penance too.

The War Between the States continues to cast its shadow over Holly Oak. The house withstood the Battle of Fredericksburg, but still bears a war wound; a cannonball is lodged in its side. Adelaide’s friends, the “Blue-Haired Old Ladies, believe Susannah haunts Holly Oak. Adelaide believes it has a soul, like a “sentient being.” Indeed, Holly Oak, echoing with violent memories, is as much a character in the story as Manderley is in Rebecca.

But when Adelaide’s prodigal daughter Caroline returns home, whole and healthy, having found redemption among ministering nuns, Adelaide and Marielle discover the truth about Holly Oak. It becomes, finally, what a house is meant to be, “a place of safety and refuge.”

Here is an exerpt of Sound Among the Trees.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.