Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz, Book review

Publisher: Revell
ISBN-13: 978-0800720414

Synopsis:
 

On a bitter December day in 1785, Silas Ballantyne arrives at the door of master blacksmith Liege Lee in York, Pennsylvania. Just months from becoming a master blacksmith himself, Silas is determined to finish his apprenticeship and move west. But Liege soon discovers that Silas is a prodigious worker and craftsman and endeavors to keep him in York. Silas becomes interested in both of Liege's daughters, the gentle and faith-filled Eden and the clever and high-spirited Elspeth. When he chooses one, will the other's jealousy destroy their love?

In this sweeping family saga set in western Pennsylvania, one man's choices in love and work, in friends and enemies, set the stage for generations to come. Love's Reckoning is the first entry in The Ballantyne Legacy, a rich, multi-layered historical quartet from talented writer Laura Frantz, beginning in the late 1700s and following the Ballantyne family through the end of the Civil War.

My thoughts:

Laura Frantz needs little introduction as each of her Christian novels resounds with spirited historical authenticity and good fellowship! This latest novel promises to be as well received as her book 'The Colonel's Lady' - see review (here).

In 'Love's Reckoning', first book in The Ballantyne Legacy, you find yourself stepping in a tableau of 18th Century American frontier of such dimension, you can be certain to experience even the heat of a blacksmith's forge or the bitter cold of the winter of 1784!
Such is Laura Frantz's exquisite penmanship! She is well on her way to become the grand Dame of American Frontier Historical Fiction!

Silas Ballantyne is a man skilled in the art of ironwork and a wonderful fiddler, a Scotsman determined to carve a future for himself in the American wilderness. His stern devious master is inclined to hold with tradition: this new apprentice shall marry in the family thus establishing a stronger place for the blacksmith in the county.
Cunning Elspeth holds little appeal for Silas however once he meets Eden, the gentle daughter who thirsts for the 'Buick' word.

Once again Laura Frantz offers us a beautiful story to discover, each character richly defined, her historical research impeccable and the opportunity to learn about a country carved out of the wilderness by sheer audacity surely with God's blessings!

'Love's Reckoning' spans over a decade of bittersweet events leading us to witness the often heart wrenching events which plagues Silas and Eden's feelings for each other, their lives steadfastly promised to each other.

A novel as beautiful as the cover hinted at, the main characters' faith shining like a beacon in a storm, this first installment in the Ballantyne Legacy has much promise for a historical fiction aficionado such as myself!
Laura Frantz' special attention to such details as billets doux placed by Silas for Eden to uncover during her long hard days of toil are nothing but genial! There is a chance for us all to feel the quiver of tender feelings anew!
To say nothing of such lines as James Thompson Poetry:
'Thine is the balmy breath of morn, 
Just as the dew-bent rose is born...,

Love's Reckoning is a graceful story you will want to share with others, no matter their age, a story of strong will, determination and pure love. Standing fast despite the odds, Silas and Eden's love reflects the teachings of the Lord of the universe's love letter to us, as read in the Book of John!

Bravo! 5 Stars!!

“Available September 2012  at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

 

About the Author:

Laura Frantz tells us:
'I was born and raised in Kentucky, living first in Ashland, Mammoth Cave, Bowling Green, and then Lexington. But my heart has always been in Berea, Madison County, the place my family has resided since the 18th-century. I came to know Christ there at the age of 12, was baptized in our Baptist Church, and spent my childhood roaming through the woods and swimming in the rivers of my books.
My earliest memories are of the public library, standing in front of shelves filled with those little biographies of famous historical figures like Daniel Boone and George Washington and Sacajawea. I began scribbling stories at age 7 and thankfully never stopped. My passion then and now is history and all the wonders of past centuries...'

Read more about this lovely lady on her website (here).

I received this book free from BAKER/REVELL as part of their blogger review program.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Menu Du Jour...

Day three...This cold will not go away...
Age catching up? Blah...
See you tomorrow with a great review (Psst, just a hint...Laura Frantz is the author!)

Feeling Under the Weather

Day two of this nasty cold...
See you tomorrow...

All Is Now Quiet...

Labour Day (U.S.) is over...Which means peace and quiet for all year residents such as ourselves...
Until next year...Absolute bliss...

All that remains of a beach party...

Only this jelly fish on the beach...

The mainland seems so near! In a few days we will have dry dock, no ferry will run for weeks and we will gladly embrace our castaway state!

Nursing a cold, drinking peppermint tea and reading yet another good novel...

The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby, Book review

Publisher: Soft Skull Press 
ISBN-13: 978-1619020023

 Synopsis:

The Salt God's Daughter by Ilie Ruby is the story of a loss of innocence as told by Ruthie and Naida, a mother and daughter who are forever changed by violence, by family mysteries, by towering acts of love. In an oceanic wilderness where identity is as changeable as the ocean, they face the rites of passage necessary to endure and find in themselves a strength and connection that survive the ages. Theirs is a story that brings to light the primal divinity of the isolated, the marginalized and of those bonded by blood and myth as seen through a lens of transcendent beauty. A stunning, raw, evolutionary tale about the ties that bind, and how far we'll go to save the ones we love.


FIRST...A word from the Author:

The stories of the women who populate THE SALT GOD'S DAUGHTER were inspired by the confluence of real life and Celtic myth, which I learned from a folksong my mother liked to play on the guitar, The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry. While the myth is the map, its many roads reflect the experiences of my grandmothers, of my mother, of my friends, and of four young girls I never knew but whose histories found me and begged to be written down and shared. 

My wish was to illuminate the female experience through generations--not only those times that are shrouded in shadows, but also those that are lovely and beautiful, and made indelible with light. At its heart this is a story about true love, sometimes found between mothers and daughters, in the secrets of sisters, and in the arms of the first person with whom you ever shared your heart. 

When all is said and done, this novel belongs to resolute sisters Ruthie and Dolly. Their journey of discovery and survival is at the center of this story. 

My thoughts:

I might never have reached for this novel on a display and I would have lost something!

Ilie Ruby's second novel - The Salt's God Daughter - (the first one was called 'The Languages of Trees) is stunning in its creativity!

Too often we pick up a book whose scenario is so predictable we anticipate its development after the first or second chapter. In this instance be prepared for the unexpected for this author's perception of society reveals our most inner thoughts. 


Inspired partly by the Selkie lore the story transcends over three generations of women, each different yet each of them an extension of the other.

Beautifully written, poetically articulate and refreshing in its uniqueness you might wonder why you never heard of this author before.

Here is an excerpt to help you see what I mean:


'I recalled how my eyes had followed the swan like neck of a ballerina, the pink blossoms on her flushed cheeks, the rest of her captured in strumming white-gold strokes. below, a rectangle of light on the hardwood floor, and the barre, touched with gold, too. The ballerina's lip would part slightly, her fingers caught in that space. I'd examined a certain dark lavender hue, deciding that a flat brush had been used. I defined form in terms of instruments used to create it. As I paged through books, I hunted for patterns and repetitions, just as I did with my mother's almanacs. A blue lavender hue might trail above a fire near a hearth, and also make up the iron tub where a different woman hitched her foot and unrolled her stockings before she stepped into her bath.'

Ilie Ruby's novel is certain to capture your imagination with her descriptions of Diana, Ruthie and Naida, the past, the present and the future. 

Diana is the wanderer, a product of the troubled sixties, a struggling single mother who follows the Farmer's Almanac predictions, a traveler living day by day in 'Big Ugly', a green station wagon with her two daughters. The moons balances her life, around her neck you would see a St Augustine medal and a Star  of David. 

Ruth and her sister Dolly live a wild childhood caring for their drunken mother, dodging social services and surviving somehow all sorts of deprivation but always together.

Ruth or Ruthie is the daughter who after a tragic event finds purpose in life and reaches out to others finding a fulfillment as a caregiver for those whom society has no place for. 
Her one fear is the ocean...

Feeling rejected, unloved and yet full of hope, Ruthie meets mysterious Graham who seems to emerge from the ocean always carrying a wet suit only to disappear again and again. With him she learns to  love again.
Months later Ruthie gives birth to a daughter she names Naida, meaning 'Hope' in Russian. 

Naida is the child who is different...An excellent swimmer, the ocean and its creatures draws her powerfully...She lives in hope to meet one day her father...
Faced with prejudice Naida learns to be strong and discovers her place in this universe. 

Ultimately individuality is often a stigma as we well know!  

In this often emotional complex story you discover an inner depth of feelings you might never have thought you possess for Ilie Ruby holds your imagination with her recounting of people bound together by love and the many lives they touch as they travel along. 

And like the call of a siren, you find yourself listening to The Salt God's Daughter mesmerizing message...

5 Stars! 
Recommended for mature readers due to adult thematic contents.

Note: Publication date is today, 4 Septembre 2012!

About the Author:

Ilie Ruby is intriguing as her writing! Read more about her in this 'That Mag For Women' article (here) and discover a multi facet personality!
Also visit her website including her blog (here)

I received this book free from SPARKPOINT STUDIO as part of their blogger review program.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

The End by Mark Hitchcock, Book review

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
ISBN-13: 978-1414353739

Synopsis:

(From the back cover)

A Comprehensive Guide to Bible Prophecy and the End of Days!
What are the events, the characters, and the prophecies that will bring world history to its predicted climax? Will we be wise enough to see it coming? Will we be ready?

Bible prophecy is filled with numerous interpretations and positions, but that shouldn’t become a reason to ignore the prophecies presented in Scripture. These verses deserve our attention just as much as—or more than—other Scripture passages.

Mark Hitchcock, author of more than twenty books on end times Bible prophecy, has created the definitive resource that will answer all of your questions about the end times.

My thoughts:

At 518 pages, 'The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and The End of Days' by Mark Hitchcock peaked my interest with a brilliant compilation of what the Old Testament Prophets referred to as the Second Coming of Christ.

We know Bible scholars and laymen have different views on the end times scenario albeit most agree Jesus will return to claim His bride (the Church) at some point.
And most of us are familiar with Revelation 21:1-8
'Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying: "Look, God's home is now among his people!..."

Hitchcock presents us with an easily understood guide to this future event including lesser known biblical facts gleaned from Old Testaments Prophets as well as Scriptures from the New Testament which clearly indicates we are living in the end times: Christ will return!

 Like other believers you probably have many questions about the Rapture or the Mark of the Beast, the 144,000 saved during Tribulation, when will it happen and what you can expect.

In this book, Mark Hitchcock excels as he carefully presents readers a clear, concise and easily understood look at Bible prophecies, ways to interpret and study the many predictions we have been given to prepare ourselves.
He does not obsess with the prophecies but expresses his interest in the end times sharing with readers what he learned during his research. His first appendix shows a proposed chronology of the end times. His second appendix includes recommended books to further study whilst his thorough index is one of the best I have ever seen!

This Bible prophecy expert is the author of more than twenty books on the subject of the end times alone and to help us to prepare ourselves, he addresses questions that often arise amongst students.
The Great White Throne Judgement or seat of Christ, the Seven trumpets or Seven bowls...Will there be truly a battle of Armageddon...to name some I was interested into myself including the meaning of the word, what it is and what it is not and the ten main passages which describes Armageddon. I must admit I did not know for i.e. that the word Armageddon was only mentioned once in the Bible (Revelation 16:16).
.
Describing strengths and weaknesses of the often confusing points of views we have been shown throughout the ages, Hitchcock provides biblical terms, timeline, charts and diagrams to identify each stressed point.

The over all feeling you receive in reading 'The End' is one of a fellow Christian who shares his views and findings whilst inviting us to join him in the same quest!

This is an excellent reference book each of us can utilize to prepare ourselves to be a citizen of the new heaven and new earth and new Jerusalem. Learning the true purpose of the reign of Christ on earth, trusting that on that day, He will bring a new beginning to secure a perfect ending for each of us.

5 stars rating!

About the Author:

Attorney Mark Hitchcock thought his career was set after graduating from law school in 1984 and getting a job working with a judge at the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals. But after what Mark calls a "clear call to full-time ministry," he changed course and went to Dallas Theological Seminary, completing a masters degree in 1991 and a doctoral degree in 2006. Since 1991 Mark has served as senior pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He has authored numerous books related to end-time Bible prophecy and was the contributing editor for the Internet-based Left Behind Prophecy Club for four years.

 

I received this book free from TYNDALE as part of their blogger review program.

I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Always Take Time...

Always take time to laugh for it is the music of the soul...

Always take time to think for it is is the source of power...

Always take time to read for it is the fountain of wisdom...

Take a little time for yourself today! Laugh, think and read!