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Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

Lynn Dove's launch

As you know, Lynn Dove's Amazon launch of her book 'Heal the Wounded' is on Tuesday, Jan. 25. As an encouragement to Lynn and a reminder to everyone else, here is my review of the book.

HEAL THE WOUNDED - a review
by Tracy Krauss


HEAL THE WOUNDED is the second in a trilogy by Canadian author Lynn Dove.  The entire series is aimed toward the YA market, but it is worth reading no matter what your age. In HEAL THE WOUNDED , we are introduced to several teenagers who are facing some tough problems. First, Jake, a Christian from a loving family, has to deal with the fact that his mother has been diagnosed with cancer. He is still reeling from the death of a close friend and wonders where God is in all of this. His girlfriend Leigh is also struggling. Her insecurity and an untimely fire force the two apart. Meanwhile, another teen, who happens to be the brother of the deceased friend, has turned his anger and confusion inward and begins ‘cutting’ himself to ease the emotional pain. I don’t want to spoil the story by explaining what happens, but the author draws us into the emotional whirlwind that is the life of a teenager with skill and conviction. Her characterization seems very true to real life as she deals with some tough issues. In fact, the series has apparently been listed as a helpful resource for anti-bullying. My only negative comment, which in no way reflects on the author or the book, is that I think I may have gotten more out of this second book if I had read the prequel, SHOOT THE WOUNDED, first.  Dove does a good job of explaining the back story, however, which includes teenage pregnancy, gossip, stereotyping and other issues about making choices. In the end, this is a solid book that is entertaining yet manages to pack a wallop in terms of its message to teens. I highly recommend this, and the rest of the series, to young readers everywhere.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Review of Delia latham's book DESTINY'S DREAM

As a pre-cursor to Delia Latham's book launch, I'd like to post my review of her book.

DESTINY’S DREAM by Delia Latham has it all. There’s romance, mystery and action – all very skillfully woven together into a well told and satisfying story. Add to that a solid presentation of the gospel using real and believable characters, and you have a recipe for a great Christian romance novel. These elements on their own are enough to make this book worth reading, but Latham has taken her story telling to another whole level. There were so many unique things about this book that I’m not sure where to begin. First of all, the set up where the two main characters meet is pretty unusual. Destiny May and Clay Gallagher meet at her mother’s funeral. Yeah, that’s right – a funeral! Hardly the makings for a ‘happy beginning’, yet Latham manages to make this scene quite humorous without becoming irreverent. Also, Destiny’s profession is atypical, to say the least. She runs a dating service for Christians and sees it as a ministry that God has called her to. Rather than coming across as shallow, Latham manages to present both the heroine and her aspirations in such a way that it seems totally plausible – even inspiring. In fact, one of the things that impressed me most was the matter of fact way Destiny’s deep spirituality was dealt with in the book. There were plenty of references to the gospel message, redemption, prayer, and even some topics that other authors might shy away from such as angelic visitations, the use of anointing oil, and prophetic messages from God. Yet, Latham weaves all of these elements into the story in such a skillful and unobtrusive way that never once does the reader feel like they are being preached at or ‘taught’. This is good story telling at its finest. There are lots of solid Biblical principles, well rounded and sympathetic characters, and enough plot twists and turns to keep you on your toes – all put together so that in the end all you are left with is the satisfaction of a story well told.