Book Review: When God Intervenes by Dabney Hedegard

This is not just another story of a woman surviving cancer.  This is not just another story of God stepping in and performing miracles.

Dabney Hedegard faced death many times.  When I say faced death I mean she was at the state where her next breath most likely would be her last.  Six weeks into her first pregnancy an eight-inch tumor embedded in her chest was discovered.  With abortion not an option she'd consider, treatment was postponed until she had progressed in the pregnancy.  This was the beginning of her ten year battle against cancer, cardiomyopathy, mitral valve prolapse, pulmonary embolism, acute pneumonia, kidney failure, respiratory failure, and heart failure.

Dabney is not a woe is me person and she had every right to be.  She took every step as it came, the good and the bad.  She put her life in God's hands.  She did fall to the floor and cry at one point but who's to blame her?  She's suffered more than anyone's fair share.

Why did God send her to the brink so many times and then bring her back each and every time?  She doesn't know.  We don't know.  All we know is He did.  This is Dabney's story.

God is in control.  He does things we don't understand, but He also cares for us.  When it's not our time to go He won't take.  When it's not Dabney's time to go, He lets her stay.

I read this book as a review request from netgalley using Adobe Digital on my laptop.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Top Ten Tuesday

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Ten Words/Topics That Will Not Make Me Pick Up a Book

1. Vampires

This obsession the world has with vampires has made me want to stay away from anything having to do with them.  This includes the classics like Dracula, which I have not read.  I know it's a classic and not like the sexy vampire stuff of today, but I just don't want to pick it up.  This vampire love makes me sick.

2. Anti-Christian

If it's anti-Christian/sacrilegious in topic and/or the title suggests that it could be I will not read it.  I'm not going to read something that blasts my religion, my beliefs, and my faith.  I'm not sorry.  Why should I?  It's not about being open-minded.  It's about not reading something that will just make me angry.  Why put myself through that?  Plus, I don't want to support someone who writes negatively about my religion.

3. Charles Dickens

The title of an author is a topic, I think.  It counts for me.  I had a bad experience with Great Expectations in high school and it's made me steer clear of any other books (minus A Christmal Carol) by Dickens.

4. Stephenie Meyers

Ugh.  What can I say?  I don't like her works.  I won't read a book written by her.  I don't expect good literature or a good reading experience.

5.  Cussing/Swearing in the Title

If the title has a swear word more likely than not the rest of the book will, too.  I'm not perfect.  I've said a cuss word a time or two, but that doesn't mean I should subject myself to reading them.  I'm not going to throw away a book because it has a cuss word in it, but if it's so blatantly in the title I'm not going to pick it up.  I'm not going to want to hold the book or look at it.

6. Business

Books on business, running a business, being a good manager, how to get clients, blah, blah, blah.  No way, Jose!  We've had a few of those float around the house growing up as my dad had to read them for work.  I wouldn't crack one of those open for all the money in the world.  

7. Horror

If it's horror I will most likely stay away.  I'm not a fan of horror.  It's not that it scares me.  Some does, some doesn't.  Mostly, it bores me.

8. Mythology

I'm not a fan.  I'm sure there are some great stories, but I've been hit with too many boring and bad stories that the topic greatly disinterests me.

9. Steamy Romances

Hell to the No.  These are also referred to as trashy romance novels.  I'm not going to read a dirty book.  No.

10. Fae/Fairy

I scrunch my nose.  I can't really explain why I don't like it.  I think it's everything associated with it that I can't get out of my mind when it comes to the topic.

There are always exceptions (except the Stephenie Meyer, anti-Christian, and most likely steamy romances) if I come across something I believe is a good story.  Can't count everything out.

Book Review: The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love by Angela Hunt

The Note was one of Hallmark's most popular movies so they wanted a sequel.  Angela Hunt had not written a sequel, but they created a screenplay anyway.  Hunt then created a novel based on the screenplay.  This is more of a sequel to the Hallmark movie rather than the novel.  That explains the differences.

Like the previous movie but unlike the previous book, the story is set in Middleborough, NC at the Middleborough Times.  Peyton MacGruder is still The Heart Healer.  In the book she was given a two week notice to turn her writing around, but in the movie she was just reprimanded for not being like the previous Heart Healer.  In The Note II she has gained a following and has hopes for getting syndicated.

Peyton has to figure herself out in The Note II as she did in the original.  She receives harsh criticism from a reader.  "Interviewing" or having a conversation as she calls it, the author of the criticism helps Peyton discover herself as well as connecting the criticizer with something from her past.

I don't fault Hunt for anything in this book.  As I recall, she had no plans for a sequel but Hallmark wanted one.  At the end of the book is an explanation from Angela Hunt as to why this book is remarkably different than the first.  This isn't her story as much as it is the screenwriter, Douglas Barr's.

Hallmark has a third movie, Notes From the Heart Healer, coming out later this year,  but I don't think we'll see a companion novel from Angela Hunt any time soon.

I read this for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Book Review: The Note by Angela Hunt

Over the waters of Tampa, Florida Flight 848 bursts into flames.  Everyone on board is killed.  After a week of many news outlets covering the story and believing the people are tired of the subject a woman approaches The Heart Healer for the Tampa Times,  Peyton MacGruder, with an artifact that has washed ashore from the wreckage.  It is a note from a father to his child declaring all is forgiven.  To T, signed Dad.

Given a two week notice because Peyton's Heart Healer has shown no heart in her writing and is nothing like the previous Heart Healer's column, she hopes the search for T can help her find her heart.  Along the way she finds something she never dream she'd come across.

There is real emotion in this story.  Fighting Peyton over the note is a national newscaster wanting to be first.  After the first Heart Healer article on the subject she tries to upstage Peyton in everything she does.  I really felt anger toward this character.  I wanted to give her a punch in the nose.

The story was turned into a Hallmark Channel Movie starring Ted McGinley and Genie Francis.  I try not to hold that against the novel. :p  Hey, it was an okay movie but nothing comparable to Angela Hunt's book.  This is another fabulous piece by one of my favorite Christian authors.

I read this for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Book Review: The Dance (Restoration #1) by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

Jim Anderson comes home from work to find his wife is gone.  No longer happy in their relationship, Marilyn has left him.  He doesn't pay any attention to her, listen to her, or provide her with the kind of love she deserves.  Most of all, she's never danced with him, not even on their wedding day.

How do Jim and Marilyn bring themselves back together?  Is it even possible?  Will it tear apart their grown (and almost grown) kids?  Can their marriage be saved?

This is a story of sacrifice.  Sometimes we have to do things we may not want to do for those we love.  We have to show love.  We have to be love.  We can't just profess love.  Saying "I love you" isn't enough.  This is what Jim has to learn.  

Dan Walsh  has presented us with a sweet story about how a relationship really should be.  It's about give and take, doing things for your loved one that you may not want to do because he or she wants you to do them.

I read this as a review request from netgalley.com using the Adobe Digital app on my laptop.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Book Review: Facing the Music by Nick Carter

To be released: September 24, 2013

I'm not going to lie.  In high school and college I was a huge Backstreet Boys fan.  After their Black and Blue album when they took their 2 year hiatus I stopped paying much attention to them.  I sort of kept up with them.  I sort of knew what was going on with them.  I sort of knew about their music.  That means I sort of knew about Nick Carter and his disastrous ways.  I knew he dated Paris Hilton and I vaguely remember hearing about the House of Carters television show.  I also sort of remember hearing about his DUI.  I did hear about his sister's death and I Googled the heck out of that for reactions from Nick and his brother, Aaron.

This book was an eye-opener.  Nick talks about how he basically threw his life down the drain.  He was heavy into alcohol and drugs.  He came from a very dysfunctional family and it spiraled as he got older.  It was news to me as I hadn't paid much attention to him since 2004.

Nick realizes the mistakes he's made and the damage he's done to himself.  He doesn't know what damage he may have caused his body, but he knows he wants to fix what he can.  This book is for him to help himself and give him the chance to help others.  He dedicates it to his late sister Leslie whom he wished he could have helped and brought back from the brink.

If you are or were a Backstreet Boys fan I think you'll enjoy this look into Nick's life.  He's not afraid to tell the embarrassing moments.  He gets deep and knows when he messed up.

I read this as a review request from netgalley using the Adobe Digital app on my laptop.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Like a village matchmaker, the salesman grinned and fixed her up with this sleek blue machine, which he kept calling a crossover--a cross between a sedan and an SUV.  She had a feeling the vehicle was too big to be economical or politically correct, but since an entire row of similar vehicles waited behind a fence at the dealership, the manager was probably eager to move his inventory.
P. 10 The Note II: Taking a Chance on Love by Angela Hunt

Book Review: The Rockin' Chair by Steven Manchester

John's wife, Alice , has Alzheimer's. This leads to the end of her life.  The end of her life leads to some retrospective thinking for John as well as the return of his grandkids to the family farm.  Death brings the kids home.  Death brings the memories back.

The story opens with John and his daughter-in-law, Ellie, taking care of Alice, but the story really revolves around John's son, Hank, and Hank's children coming home to the farm.  Hank lives on the farm, but not in the same house as John and has a bad relationship with his father.  His three children live in various US cities and have their own problems to deal with.

What is the importance of the rocking chair we find in the title?  You have to read to find that out.  This blogger is not up for spoilers.

It's another Steven Manchester story.  He has this style where I feel he's telling the timeline of a story rather than really diving deep into the tale.  I don't know if that's an accurate description, but it is the closest I can get.  I didn't appreciate this one as much as the other two, but it was still a good read and that's what's important.

I read this as a review request using the Kindle App on my laptop.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Book Review: A Sound Like Fire by K.D. Veron

Revelation.  While we may not all be familiar with the final book of the Bible we know what it signals: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Dax's brother, Zack, a preacher, had been trying to instill in him the love of God while Dax's family turned more and more away from Him.  Dax's daughter even joined a New Age cult.  As Dax turned away so did the rest of the world.

This is the story of what happens when it's Revelation's turn.  There have been many post-apocalyptic books out there, most famously the Left Behind series. Veron hopes to add another to our collection with this piece.  He takes all of Revelation, all the years, trial, torment, and triumph, and packs it into one novel.

I think it was too much to put into one novel.  There's too much information and time that is passed over.  Nothing gets enough detail as it needs.  Veron spends most of the time telling rather than showing.  Such and such happened over this period of time.  Most of what happens, though, is Dax being on the run.  Uneventful if you ask me.

I do believe this story could have been better written.  If you are into post-apocalyptic/Revelation stories you might enjoy this one, but really, I think there are better out there.

I read this as a review request from Booksneeze using the Kindle app on my laptop.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Book Review: Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson

Secrets. This book is full of them and it's up to Paul Falcon to figure them out.  It's a serial murder case that brings FBI Murder Cop Paul Falcon and Midwestern Homicide Investigator Anne Silver together, but it's a case involving a former Vice President that keeps them close.  Another great suspenseful romance novel from Dee Henderson is here.

Dee Henderson has a way of combining suspense and romance to bring in the women readers.  I've read suspense from male authors and they don't have what Henderson brings to the table and I suspect I like because I am a female who likes normally what females like.

One big secret which you will find out near the beginning ties all of Henderson's worlds together.  I don't want to tell what it is for if you don't know I want you to be surprised.  I never suspected it and thought it was pretty cool.

I read this book for pure pleasure.  All opinions are my own.  I was not compensated for this review in any way.

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can playing along!  Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

Be careful not to include spoilers! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

"Then I've got a question for you.  Something I've wondered at.  Who do you talk to, Ann, when you have a really bad day?"
P. 225 Full Disclosure by Dee Henderson