Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Hunter's Moon


Bethany House (February 1, 2010)


by


Don Hoesel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:





Don Hoesel was born and raised in Buffalo, NY but calls Spring Hill, TN home. He works as a Communications Department supervisor for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communication from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal.

Don hopes to one day sell enough books to just say that he's a writer. You can help with that by buying whatever his newest novel happens to be.

He lives in Spring Hill with his wife and two children.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Every family has secrets. Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them. Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there's one story from his past he's never told. One secret that's remained buried for decades. Now, seventeen years after swearing he'd never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past. With Graham Baxter, CJ's brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it's no match for power and money. There are wounds even time cannot heal.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Hunter's Moon, go HERE

When Heaven Comes Down: Experiencing God's Glory In Your Life by Che Ahn

This is a powerful book that ignited a new hunger for God in me – and continued a journey that I feel the LORD started me on within the past year, but that really began in my childhood. The knowledge that God is still moving in signs and wonders and is speaking and wants us to learn to hear Him loud and clear on a daily moment-by-moment basis. He wants us to have a relationship with him! And what does relationship involve? It involves getting to know each other (although He created me, so He already knows me even better than I know myself) – what does He like? What makes Him laugh? What delights His heart? What makes His heart break? How does HE see others around me that He also created? And trust me, it’s often a lot different from how I see them!

Che Ahn’s book begins as a testimony of what the LORD is doing right now around the world – many things that my own family has witnessed also. As people are spending time getting closer to the LORD, praising and worshiping him and getting hungry for more of HIM – both corporately and separately, He is showing up. My own family has seen gold dust appear on people, tasted manna (wafer-like food from heaven) that appeared and they’ve seen angels. Che Ahn tells about things that he has witnessed and also shares the stories of others – people being raised from the dead, seeing angels, things appearing such as angel feathers (I asked my sister, since she has seen angels and she says that yes, many of them do have wings with feathers), flawless gems and gold dust, rain inside of buildings, etc.

“God releases His glory for a purpose: to bring salvation and transformation to His people and the world, until the whole earth is filled with His glory. As believers, we must allow ourselves to be transformed by His glory and, in turn, release His glory throughout the world in which we live.”

Before you think that I am getting excited just about the experiences – but trust me, how could an experience with God not be exciting? Please understand, I believe that the purpose of experiencing God’s glory personally in our lives ultimately bring HIM glory, changes us for the better and MORE THAN ANYTHING is meant to help fulfill the Great Commission of letting the world know about him.

“When I gave God the opportunity to reveal Himself, He manifested His presence, immersing me in a profound experience of His love, joy, mercy and goodness. From that moment on, my life has never been the same.”

Something that my Dad heard as a young Christian and that I heard recently was “be careful that you are not seeking experiences more than God.” When my Dad first became a Christian about thirty-five years ago, he had some amazing experiences with the Holy Spirit. When he went to church and told people about it, they told him this. My question is: If I am seeking experiences more than God, why would He answer my prayer to experience more of Him? (and how could it be bad/wrong to experience more of God?). I don’t think He would answer my prayer to reveal more of Himself – or anyone else’s prayer either – if it wasn’t a good thing.

“When God’s glory comes, all of His goodness comes. And when His goodness comes, there is mercy, compassion, love and healing. Our God is a good God.”

God is a good God…”We need to realize that God is not the one causing our tragedy, pain or illness.” John 10:10 – The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

The LORD intends for the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead to be at work in our lives. As Che says, salvation is the beginning, but He does not intend for His mighty power at work in our lives to stop there!

“We all have the potential to see God’s glory released through us with evidence of His mighty resurrection power.”

Healing…”Jesus conquered not only our sin on the cross but also our sickness.” Romans 8:11, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Jesus not only died to set us free from sin, but also so that our physical bodies can be completely healed!

This book not only encourages you to experience God’s glory in your life, but it includes a clear explanation of the keys to living your life in such a way that this can happen. A primary topic that stood out to me was the importance for holiness in our lives.

I have begun praying for God’s holiness and glory to fill our home and our lives – this includes praying over our daughters after they’re asleep at night. Since I have begun praying this, both of our daughters have dreamed that the LORD took them to see Heaven!

This book was provided for review by Chosen Books a division of Bethany House Publishers.

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Never Say Never


Bethany House (February 1, 2010)


by


Lisa Wingate

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa lives in central Texas were she is a popular inspirational speaker, magazine columnist, and national bestselling author of several books. Her novel, Tending Roses, received dozens of five-star reviews, sold out thirteen printings for New York publisher, Penguin Putnam, and went on to become a national bestselling book. Tending Roses was a selection of the Readers Club of America, and is currently in its fourteenth printing.

The Tending Roses series continued with Good Hope Road, the Language of Sycamores, Drenched in Light, and A Thousand Voices. In 2003, Lisa's Texas Hill Country series began with Texas Cooking, and continued with Lone Star Cafe', which was awarded a gold metal by RT Bookclub magazine and was hailed by Publisher's Weekly as "A charmingly nostalgic treat." The series concluded with Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner.

Lisa is now working on a new set of small-town Texas novels for Bethany House Publishers. The series debuted with Talk of the Town and continued with Word Gets Around and Never Say Never. A new series is also underway for Penguin Group NAL, beginning with A Month of Summer (July 2008), and continuing with The Summer Kitchen (July 2009) and Beyond Summer (July 2010). Lisa's works have been featured by the National Reader's Club of America, AOL Book Pics, Doubleday Book Club, the Literary Guild, American Profiles and have been chosen for the LORIES best Published Fiction Award. In 2009, A Month of Summer was nominated for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Kai Miller floats through life like driftwood tossed by waves. She's never put down roots in any one place--and she doesn't plan to. But when a chaotic hurricane evacuation lands her in Daily, Texas, she begins to think twice about her wayfaring existence.

And when she meets hometown-boy Kemp Eldridge, she can almost picture settling down in Daily--until she discovers he may be promised to someone else. Daily has always been a place of refuge for those the winds blows in, but for Kai, it looks like it will be just another place to leave behind. Then again, Daily always has a few surprises in store--especially when Aunt Donetta has cooked up a scheme.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Never Say Never, go HERE

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing 
Beguiled(Bethany House March 1, 2007) byDeeanne GistandJ. Mark Bertrand
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S):

Deeanne Gist, the bestselling author of A Bride Most Begrudging and The Measure of a Lady, has a background in education and journalism. Her credits include People magazine, Parents, and Parenting. With a line of parenting products called "I Did It!® Productions" and a degree from Texas A&M, she continues her writing and speaking. She and her family live in Houston, Texas.

J. Mark Bertrand has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. After one hurricane too many, he left Houston and relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her... Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston's wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.

Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Beguiled, go HERE.


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The Judas Ride by Peggy Sue Yarber

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


The Judas Ride


Tate Publishing (December 8, 2009)


by


Peggy Sue Yarber


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Peggy Sue Yarber, PhD in psychology, lives in central California with her husband, two daughters, six turtles and two dogs. She works in the field of education.

The Judas Ride was inspired by her current and previous students. She has seen and experienced and seen similarities between the students and Jesus’ traitor, Judas Iscariot. She has always been fascinated with Judas. Yarber went to a catholic school when she was young and Judas was always portrayed like a mysterious rebel.

She ventures to say, “I guess he was my James Dean of the Bible. But in a good way! In the way that…he did something so wrong so that the entire world could be saved. He had to betray Jesus in order for the rest of the story. I have always wondered what it would be like to not do that one bad thing that would lead to that one great thing. So I had the Vader character sort of run through the paces of Judas.”

Redemption and reality are the two distinguishing features about Yarber’s writing. Not all teens find redemption in The Judas Ride. Yarber considered trying to show the negative outcomes as much as the positive. She wasn’t thinking in terms of positive and negative but she did try to balance the two sides. Yarber says she often sees people daily that , “…have even more screwed up lives than these characters.” Yarber admits sometimes there is not an ending to the madness unless someone dies and then even after the death the ripples still linger. She has written another novel TARE and a children’s book Rocketships to Heaven and the SOS Fuel Station. She loves to run, read, shoot guns and watch her daughters play soccer.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An unwed (and unwanted) teen pregnancy with two possible fathers. Abusive relationships. Drug and alcohol addiction. Rape and molestation. The struggle to understand grace, forgiveness, and free will versus predestination. The Judas Ride hits the road running in the opening pages, where Sonia and Xavier argue explosively about whether Sonia should have their unborn child and about who the father is: Xavier, a struggling Christian, or Vader, an abusive and abused drug dealer. As the pages turn, readers continue to meet a hodgepodge of troubled teens and eclectic characters, including Pastor Manny, a quirky immigrant pastor infatuated with John Wayne. Pastor Manny desires to help the tortured souls in his community but finds that it takes more than unconditional love to reach them. Secrets literally kill in The Judas Ride, an edgy, in-your-your face Christian novel that boldly explores the struggles of modern-day young people.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Judas Ride, go HERE

Back Cover Review:
The Judas Ride is a diamond in the rough. A novel that deals with a variety of serious issues facing teens today, it reads alot like a synopsis - one that if further fleshed out contains the material for five novels. The biggest challenge of this book is that in much of it, the novel "tells" the reader without showing them. Secondly, is the broad spectrum of characters - I was unable to keep track of all of them. I feel that the story would have greater impact if it focused on the turmoil of just one or two of the teens.

Bravo to Peggy Sue for facing some topics head on that many Christians avoid. She is a great writer with alot of potential. I hope that she pursues editing with a passion and continues to develop her God-given talent!

The Last Day by James Landis

This week, the



Christian Fiction Blog Alliance



is introducing



The Last Day



Steerforth; 1st edition (September 1, 2009)



by



James Landis


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


James Landis lives in New Hampshire.


















ABOUT THE BOOK

Warren Harlan Pease, the young narrator of this spellbinding novel, returns to his native New Hampshire from the Iraq War and spends an entire day with Jesus visiting and contemplating his own life with fresh eyes, and a willing heart. He examines his relationships to those he loves─his girlfriend, his best friend, his father, his dead mother, his daughter ─ and grapples with the pain he has been carrying since the death of his mother when he was still a boy.

While in Iraq, armed with his sniper’s rifle and his deeply held faith, Specialist Pease traveled across ideological borders and earned an appreciation for his enemy’s culture and for what connects us all as human beings. He also learned how to kill and taught others to do the same. “War doesn’t test your faith in Jesus,” Warren comes to realize. “It tests your faith in yourself.” The Last Day answers some questions and asks many more. It’s a powerful meditation on religion and war, love and loss.

This work of compassion and healing grace will resonate with skeptics and believers, be shared and discussed between friends and among families. It is a book for our time, and forever.


If you would like to read an excerpt from Chapter one of , go HERE

The One-Day Way by Chantel Hobbs

The One-Day Way produces lasting results by taking you back to basics. No more complicated weight-loss strategies. No more expensive diet plans that achieve only temporary results. Instead, you will lose weight and get fit with Chantel Hobbs’s simple, high-energy meal plans and her at-home program for cardio exercise and strength training. She will teach you how to change the way you think, which leads to new actions. Before you know it you will be strong, fit, and healthy. All it takes is doing things differently for twenty-four hours—and then repeating it.

The One-Day Way gives you everything you need to lose weight and get fit in body, mind, and spirit:

• Break free from past dieting defeats
• Learn a realistic, life-changing way to measure success
• Change the way you think so you can change your life
• Translate your dreams into goals, and your goals into lasting achievements
• Get strong with thirty-one simple exercises, no fancy equipment required
• Take advantage of ten ways to eat better while you lose weight

By focusing on food, faith, and fitness, Chantel shows you not only how to lose weight, but how to build the new life you were designed to live. You don’t have to wait any longer. The One-Day Way gives you all the tools for success, starting right now.

Author Bio:
The author of Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer, Chantel Hobbs is a motivational speaker, life coach, personal trainer, marathon runner, wife, and mother of four whose story has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, the 700 Club, and the covers of People and First magazines. She appears weekly on two fitness-themed radio programs and promotes her One-Day Way Learning System on television. Visit Chantel at ChantelHobbs.com for fitness updates and coaching tips.

Back Cover Review:
One year ago, I read Chantel’s book Never Say Diet. That book introduced me to her common-sense approach to exercise and nutrition. One idea from her stuck with me all year…show up to exercise each day like it’s the job you’ve always wanted.

This year, I took her challenge and implemented much of what she suggested. Only seven months later, I had lost the weight that I set out to. I now weigh about twenty pounds less and am eating better than I have since I left home 16 years ago. And for the first time in my life – I love to exercise!

The One-Day Way includes some of her same ideas – but takes many aspects of it one step further and, most importantly, one day at a time. I still want to kick my workouts up a notch – or several notches. Her encouragement to do a new exercise for thirty minutes one day or to work out for an extra fifteen minutes with increased intensity in intervals are some very practical ways to do this. She also addresses the topic of learning to not let food have control over you – something that I still need help with. One thing that she encourages the reader to do, among other things, is to fast from one meal once a week to break the power of food over your life.

Another unique approach – and I don’t know how any diet could be successful any other way – is her concept of rewarding yourself on a weekly basis. I know for myself, if I choose to not eat something for an extended amount of time (for example: chocolate), when I finally do, I over-indulge. From my experience this past year, if you are “rewarding” yourself on a regular basis, you are less likely to over-do it!

This book is the next best thing to having a personal trainer. Chantel writes in such a relational way that you just might feel like you have one anyway!

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.