"Word of Honor" by Terri Blackstock

Word of Honor by Terri Blackstock is a fast-paced novel about Frank Harper, a Vietnam war veteran who suffered brain damage while saving others in his unit, who escapes from the mental hospital and plants a bomb in a post office of a small town which kills three people and badly injures a little boy.  Frank gets Jerry, an army buddy whose life he saved, involved by asking him to drive him to the post office that day.  While Jerry waits for Frank to come to meet him at a hotel later, the police arrive instead and Jerry takes Jill, the attorney staying in the adjoining room, hostage.  There is quite a bit of action in Word of Honor which addresses the question of keeping your word with a romantic subplot between Jill and Dan, a firefighter afraid of commitment.   

I really liked this Christian fiction book because the characters were very believable and likable.  Jerry was caught between keeping a covenant he made with his army buddy and breaking it to protect his family and save himself.  I think Terri Blackstock did a great job in this book at incorporating a challenge to be serious about giving our word and having a covenant relationship with God and our spouse.  I recommend it to everyone!

This is actually the third book of the Newpointe 911 series but can stand on its own. Others in the series are: Private Justice, Shadow of Doubt, Trial by Fire, Line of Duty. I look forward to reading these as well! I really like that her books have clean language and a sex free.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks is an amazing story about teen rebellion, love, friendship, romance, and forgiveness.  I can't say enough about how touching this book is.  The main character is a girl named Ronnie who held a grudge against her dad because he left, but her 10-yr.-old brother, Jonah, brought out her tender side.  One summer, she has to go live with him against her will and learns and grows into a mature woman who realizes she was not always right after all and everything is not about her.  I enjoyed watching her develop into a truly caring person and learn about forgiveness. 

It's a very good story and I liked it a lot! I liked the characters in this book because they were all very believable.  Parts were sad but overall, I liked the ending because it was very touching and happy at the same time.  This is a must read if you enjoy books about teens and parents.
(Karen's review)


I’ve been blessed to read a lot of really good books this year and I  add The  Last Song by Nicholas Sparks to the list.  At first, I thought,  “Oh, great, a teen novel.”  I’m not going to like it.  I LOVED it!  It  tells the story of Ronnie, a girl who has to spend the summer with her  dad and does not want to.  Turns out she had the best summer ever.   Superb writing.  This book is hard to put down.  The characters are very  believable.  There is nothing bad to say about this book.  I am so glad  to end the year with this wonderful book!  Do yourself a favor and read  this one.  You will be happy you did.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Other reviews of this:  Reading Without Restraint

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury is the story of single widow who’s an attorney and her little boy who wrote a letter to God asking for a daddy to do things with. A lonely widower decides to help by joining an organization that matches men up with boys who don’t have fathers to be their friend. Guy turns out to be the woman’s childhood friend who was a Pastor’s son and who Maggie asked to pray for a miracle for her. They wind up getting married at the end.
(Karen's review 11/07)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Between Sundays" by Karen Kingsbury

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury is Christian fiction about how God works in the lives of two NFL players, a low-income foster mom and her foster son. Each of them has their own issues which they turn over to God. I liked this book very much because it is about relationships and how God works in our lives. Although predictable, it is a fun and interesting read. I liked how it focused more on the private lives of the football players and their interaction with each other off the field between Sundays although the game coverage was interesting too. It pointed out some shortcomings of the foster care system and gives the website of www.AlexSmithFoundation.org where you can go to find out how you can help through the Guardian Scholars program. 

I rate this book 4 stars instead of 5, just because of its predictability. Even though I knew the end early on, I enjoyed seeing how it all unfolded and reviewing the discussion questions at the end. It's a quick, enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who likes football or stories about families or the working of God in lives. The message for the readers is what we do between our Sunday "huddles" at church is what matters most.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Sophie's Heart" by Lori Wick

Sophie's Heart is a contemporary, heartwarming Christian romance about a grieving widower and his three children who hire Sophie, a Christian immigrant from Czechoslovakia, to be their cook and housekeeper. It's a fun journey seeing how the family comes to love Sophie and how she slowly becomes more Americanized. Throughout the book, the author reveals Sophie's heart through her prayers and one can see what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by reading this book. I enjoyed Sophie's interaction with her friends, her driving instructor, Alec but most of all with his children. It was refreshing to see how the oldest one, Rita, helped her instead of resenting her. This book gives great insight into what Christian living is all about!  One of my favorites.
 (Karen's review 5/1/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Hope Chest" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

I enjoyed The Hope Chest by Wanda E. Brunstetter about an Amish family whose eldest daughter left the faith to marry an Amish man who chose to leave the Amish community because he liked the modern things.  An Amish man wanted to court her but she kept putting him off and encouraged him to court her younger sister instead who she felt was a better match for him.  Her younger sister, Rachel, actually did hope to marry him some day.    

Of the three books in the "Brides of Lancaster" series, I liked this one best.  It wasn't as depressing as the others I liked the main characters better in this one too.  It's a light, quick read.

(Karen's review 1/11/10)

comment received on other blog:

Loved your review! This sounds like a must read for me. Thanks!! http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com

By Tweezle on January 25, 2010 13:49

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"A Merry Heart" by Wanda E. Brunstetter

A Merry Heart by Wanda E. Brunstetter is the first of the “Brides of Lancaster County” series about a school teacher who is very bitter that her old boyfriend dumped her for someone else and blames God for not answering her prayers.  She struggles with the temptation of falling for a man outside of her faith but eventually she yields to God and experiences joy in her life with her Amish husband who she married for convenience.

Slow moving romance but gave insight into the Amish community through the main character and her family.  I really didn’t care for the main character throughout most of the book because she was so bitter over being dumped by her old boyfriend.  I liked how the book showed her inner struggles and her journey to having a merry heart in the end which I liked.  I liked it enough to continue on with the series.   Even includes a recipe for Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies which sound delicious!
(Karen's review 12/31/09)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is an interesting romance involving a single mom who took care of her elderly mother and helped her with the kennel, and a vet who felt the photograph he found of her in Iraq brought him luck so wanted to find her because he felt he owed her.  He walked across the country with his dog to find her and had a little run-in with her ex who happened to be the Sheriff.  He also had a dog who traveled with him which added to the interest of the story for me.  This was a good read if you’re looking for a light family type story with some suspense tossed in.  I liked it!

(Karen's review 10/25/09)

"The Reluctant Cowgirl" by Christine Lynxwile

The Reluctant Cowgirl by Christine Lynxwile is a story about following one’s dreams as well as romance.   

Basically the cowgirl leaves home at 18 pursuing a career on Broadway and returns seven years later to help take care of her family’s ranch. This is a Christian Romance that isn’t completely like a fairy tale as most.  My favorite part was when the little girl directed her dad and Crystal acting out “Sleeping Beauty” in the barn.  Although the ending is predictable, I liked it because there is enough tension and reality to keep things interesting.    

The Reluctant Cowgirl addresses grieving, letting go of the past, making tough choices, love of family, and God’s love.  

(Karen's review 8/5/09)

A Bride For Donnigan (Women of the West #7) by Janette Oke

I liked A Bride For Donnigan by Janette Oke because both characters were well developed and the plot was unusual about man out west and two of his friends ordering brides from overseas. Three women were matched up with the three men, sight unseen. When the woman arrived, they married right away. It was a fun and interesting read, and revealed the adjustments that were involved in making the marriages work. One did not. Donnigan felt a strong responsibility to teach his children and prepare them for life after death, but had to search the scriptures himself to find out about God and how to get to heaven because there was no church near by. It was a very enjoyable read!

(Karen's review May 2, 2008)