Book Review - Between the Sound and Sea

Joy and pain, life and death are found between the sound and sea in the latest release from Amanda Cox. Fed up with her current situation and looking for a break from scandal, Joey Harris goes out on a whim and applies for a position as project manager for the restoration of a decommissioned lighthouse on a barrier island off the North Carolina coast. She is propelled to the top of the list by merit of being the only option left, a fact that does not sit well with the grumpy grandson of her new employer. Walt is determined to right the wrongs of his youth by restoring the former home of his childhood best friend; protecting Cay’s secrets from wagging tongues is his top priority, and he hopes to find out what really happened on that night when lives were lost and others irreparably damaged. The discovery of hidden journal entries begin to fill in blanks left by history and secrecy, but they come with the mysterious antics of the island’s ghost. With history, mystery, and a great deal of gratification, Cox gives us a beautifully rounded story about heartache, heartbreak, and restoration. You will be as invested as Joey in the success of their venture on the island and in the lives of those to whom it matters. 

And that grumpy grandson? Well, he might tug your heartstrings as well.

Between the Sound and Sea by Amanda Cox is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House    Christian Book    Amazon    Barnes & Noble    Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Vita’s Prayer

Imagine for a moment that you have decided to write a novel about the early church in Rome, taking on the lofty responsibility of conveying truth within the historical context, while weaving a tale that fully absorbs the reader into it. Now add the complicating twist of choosing to write this story in your non-native language. The challenge is great, but Grace Liu meets it with aplomb in her debut novel, Vita’s Prayer. There is no chance of missing her passion for the good news and the early carriers of it as she pours into characters that come alive and settings that live and breathe through her descriptions. One of the things I appreciate most is the character development, as motivations are revealed through understanding; even the most reviled are driven by something, sometimes more than greed. With a plot full of drama and intrigue, the reader is immersed in the dangerous world where mere mortals do the work of their gods and of the one true God.

Vita’s Prayer is available now from Amazon.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Into the Starlight

Return to Sweetwater Crossing with the final installment of the Secrets of Sweetwater Crossing series by Amanda Cabot to finally learn what happened to Clive Finley and what will become of Joanna Vaughn. When the middle sister returns home from Europe, it is not as the accomplished concert pianist she hoped to become or as the wife she was for a short time, but as a widow whose struggle with pneumonia has robbed her of the stamina to pursue her high energy dreams. Furthermore, her joyful homecoming has been upended by changes that have come to Finley house in her absence and those that arrive on her heels in the form of Clive Finley’s former fiancée and his nephew, Burke. Of course, Sweetwater Crossing holds secrets only a Vaughn sister can bring to light, and working with Burke to unearth them gives him and Joanna an opportunity to find their own paths forward from a point of despair to a joyful future. Cabot reunites us with the Texas Hill County town and its citizens we know so well and introduces us to some vibrant new ones, rich with relatable dilemmas and a hope for what is yet to come. Into the Starlight could feasibly be read as a standalone, but I recommend enjoying the series in its entirety.

Into the Starlight by Amanda Cabot is available now from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Baker Book House        Christian Book        Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Walmart

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.