The Irish Princess by Karen Harper

The Irish Princess by Karen Harper ISBN-13: 9780451232823 Trade Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: New American Library Released: February 1, 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover (modified):
Born into a powerful family in Ireland and with royal ties on both sides, Elizabeth Fitzgerald--known as Gera--finds her world overturned when Henry VIII imprisons her father, the Earl of Kildare, and brutally destroys her family.

Torn from the home she loves, her remaining family scattered, Gera dares not deny the refuge offered her in England's glittering royal court. There she must navigate ever-shifting alliances even as she nurtures her secret desire for revenge. Beautiful and bold, Gera attracts the attention of several suitors, but she holds a private attachment to Edward Clinton, a handsome, ambitious courtier who understands her strong-willed spirit. Even as Gera looks for a way to get revenge on King Henry and restore her family to power in Ireland, she forges bonds with his daughters, Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth, whose future becomes linked with her own.

From County Kildare's lush green fields to London's rough-and-tumble streets and the royal court's luxurious pageantry, The Irish Princess follows the journey of a daring woman who won't be satisfied until she restores her family to its rightful place in Ireland.


My Review:
The Irish Princess is a historical novel set in 1533-1559 in Ireland and England. The story appeared to be very well-researched, and the author said she kept true to the facts about Elizabeth "Gera" Fitzgerald and simply filled in with fiction what history didn't record. The author did an excellent job of weaving historical details into the story without ever slipping into a history lecture. The vivid setting and historical details brought the story alive in my imagination.

While it seemed like there was always something momentous happening, this novel did have the somewhat slower pacing typical of historicals. There was some suspense created by wondering if Gera and Edward would ever be able to marry each other and the danger of death to anyone who misstepped at court.

The characters were complex and interesting. Gera sometimes took foolish risks, but her age and anger made them understandable. I liked how Edward didn't "rescue" her so much as act as a sympathetic and tempering force in her life. I liked how Gera apologized to him for being a bitter woman during the years she plotted revenge.

There was a minor amount of "he cursed" style bad language. There were no graphic sex scenes. (And, though beautiful, Gera didn't try to seduce anyone.) Overall, I'd recommend this well-written and interesting historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Whitehall Palace, London
January 25, 1547

I, Gera Fitzgerald, was going to kill the king. He was dying, but I was going to kill him anyway.

In the dim back servants' hall, I pushed the hidden panel that led to the king's bedchamber. It seemed I had waited for this chance my entire life. I had been forced to bide my time until the king was alone in the small back rooms so few knew existed.

Henry Tudor, king and tyrant of all England and of my beloved, battered Ireland, was living his last moments on this earth. I pressed the dagger I had secreted in my shawl to be sure it was still there. Yes, its sharp steel, warmed by the heat of my body, waited to strike with all the power and passion that festered within me.

My pulse pounded in my ears as I hesitated but one moment. I could bear up to it if I were caught, I tried to buck myself up.

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Blood Covenant by Lisa Harris

Blood Covenant by Lisa Harris ISBN-13: 9780310319061 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: February 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
When fighting erupts between government forces and renegade Ghost Soldiers deep within the Republic of Dhambizao, thousands are forced to leave their homes. Dr. Paige Ryan, who works with Volunteers of Hope International, is sent to lead a team to set up a refugee transit site—where the immediate needs for shelter, water, sanitation, and food are critical. Nick Gilbert, a bush pilot for Compassion Air, joins the team to help fly supplies in and out of the area.

With the refugee camp already experiencing overcrowding, raids, and uprisings, a group of American mountain climbers is attacked by the Ghost Soldiers. Paige’s medical team responds immediately, rescuing survivors and taking them into the camp. When it’s discovered that one of the trekkers is carrying an infectious disease, the harrowing conditions of the camp are forgotten.

In desperate need of vaccines and the Ghost Soldiers blocking the only road out until their demands for amnesty are met, it won’t be long before the disease is out of control … and there is nowhere to run.


My Review:
Blood Covenant is a fast-paced Christian thriller with some romance. It's the second novel in the series, but the lead characters have changed. However, reading this novel first will spoil some major events in Blood Ransom, so I'd recommend reading that excellent novel first.

I think this novel will appeal to both men and women. The story was set in a fictional third-world Africa country with a corrupt government. It focused mostly on the perils of life in a refuge camp which were made worse by fighting going on nearby. The vivid setting and job details brought the story alive in my imagination and made me feel like this really could have happened.

The tension remained high throughout the story and mainly came from the physical danger to the characters. There were more good-guy point of view characters than just the main romantic couple, and the romance was more what you'd expect from someone in this situation (as in, "I admire how they're dealing with the situation and want to get to know him/her better when this is done"). The characters were smart but acted realistically, like I'd expect of normal people caught up in a very scary and overwhelming situation.

Several of the main characters were Christians with a strong faith in God which helped them endure the setbacks and sorrows they encountered. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting, well-written thriller.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Monday, February 21, 8:55 a.m.
Vensi, Mponi region

Dr. Paige Ryan hesitated in the open doorway of the Cessna Caravan before stepping down onto the grassy runway. An early morning mist lingered along the edges of the clearing, but even the cloudy veil wasn’t enough to mask the handful of thatched huts smoldering on the far side of the landing strip.

The familiar feeling of helplessness pressed against her chest. The last time she’d gone out with the mobile medical unit, the pilot had been forced to do a low-level pass before landing to scatter the herds of goats and the children playing soccer with their homemade balls on the airstrip. Today, all that greeted them was an eerie silence coupled with the bitter smell of burning huts.

Simon Love, head of emergency relief, stepped up beside her and tugged on the bottom of his Volunteers of Hope T-shirt. “Apparently the government’s statements that the rebel’s threats are nothing to worry about were exaggerated. It looks as if most of the villagers have fled this area.”

Except those slaughtered by the rebels. A lump swelled in Paige’s throat. She hadn’t wanted to believe the rumors. Seventeen dead in Mkondi. Six in Latasha. Fifteen near the border town of Marani...But if Simon was right, those deaths could easily be the tip of the iceberg.

Their pilot, Nick Gilbert, grabbed Paige’s medical bag from the storage compartment and handed it to her, temporarily distracting her from the haunting scene. Given another place and time, she’d have given his boyish good looks a second glance, but today all she could see was the smoky destruction in the distance.

“I’ll wait here with the plane, but we need to be in the air by eleven if we’re going to have time to visit the other villages and still make it back to Kingani before dark.”

The pilot’s strong southern drawl sounded out of place in the middle of the African bush, but to Paige it helped soothe the recent renewed pangs of homesickness. Tennessee had never seemed so far away.

She slung the bag over her shoulder and shot him a smile. “Then I reckon we’d better get moving.”

Nick’s reply was cut off by the loud rumbling approach of a beatup 4x4, replacing any feelings of familiarity with the reality of the situation. Fighting between government forces and renegade Ghost Soldiers had escalated in the past seventy-two hours, with the villagers scattered across the base of Mt. Maja caught in the crossfire of the conflict. And while the government insisted that President Tau’s army was maintaining control over the situation, the senseless killings being reported only reinforced her helplessness.

Read prologue and more of chapter one.

Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris

Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris ISBN-13: 9780310319054 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: March 2010

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Natalie Sinclair is working to eradicate the diseases decimating whole villages in the Republic of Dhambizao when she meets Dr. Chad Talcott, a surgeon on sabbatical from a lucrative medical practice now volunteering at a small clinic.

Meanwhile, things are unraveling in Dhambizao. Joseph Komboli returns to his village to discover rebel soldiers abducting his family and friends. Those that were too old or weak to work lay motionless in the African soil. When Chad and Natalie decide to help Joseph expose this modern-day slave trade--and a high-ranking political figure involved in it--disaster nips at their heels.

Where is God in the chaos? Will Chad, Natalie, and Joseph win their race against time?


My Review:
Blood Ransom is a fast-paced Christian thriller with some romance. I think this novel will appeal to both men and women. The story was set in a fictional third-world Africa country with a corrupt government. It focused more on the government corruption than the slave trade, though the two were connected. The vivid setting details made me feel like I was really there: walking through the market, facing the tragedy at Joseph's village, etc.

The tension remained high throughout the story and mainly came from the physical danger to the characters. There were more good-guy point of view characters than just the romantic couple, and the romance was more what you'd expect from someone in this situation (as in, "I think I want to get to know him/her better when this is done" rather than "I'm so in love, I can't resist him/her even though I've only known him/her a few hours."). The characters were smart but acted realistically, like I'd expect of normal people who want to do what's right but feel overwhelmed by the scary events they've gotten caught up in.

The good-guy characters were pretty much all Christians with a strong faith in God, but they still had moments of wondering why God was letting such bad things happen when they're trying to do what's right.

There was no sex and no bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this interesting, well-written thriller.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Monday, November 16, 3:11 p.m.
Kasili Outdoor Market

Natalie Sinclair fingered the blue-and-yellow fabric that hung neatly folded on a wooden rod among dozens of other brightly colored pieces, barely noticing the plump Mama who stood beside her in hopeful anticipation. Instead she gazed out at the shops that lined the winding, narrow paths of the market, forming an intricate maze the size of a football field. The vendors sold everything from vegetables and live animals to piles of secondhand clothing that had been shipped across the ocean from charities in the States.

Natalie stepped across a puddle and turned to glance beneath the wooden overhang at the stream of people passing by. Even with the weekend over, the outdoor market was crowded with shoppers. Hiphop-style music played in the background, lending a festive feel to the sultry day. But she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Someone was following her.

She quickened her steps and searched for anything that looked out of place. A young man weaved his bicycle through the crowded walkway, forcing those on foot to step aside. A little girl wearing a tattered dress clung to the skirt of her mother, who carried a sleeping infant, secured with a length of material, against her back. An old man with thick glasses shuffled past a shop that sold eggs and sugar, then stopped to examine a pile of spark plugs.

Natalie’s sandal stuck in a patch of mud, and she wiggled her foot to pull it out. Perhaps the foreboding sensation was nothing more than the upcoming elections that had her on edge. All American citizens had been warned to stay on high alert due to the volatile political situation. Violence was on the rise. Already a number of joint military-police peacekeeping patrols had been deployed onto the streets, and there were rumors of a curfew.

Not that life in the Republic of Dhambizao was ever considered safe by the embassy, but neither was downtown Portland. It was all a matter of perspective.

Read more of chapter one.

Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll

Fear No Evil by Robin Caroll ISBN-13: 9780805449815 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: B&H Books Released: August 2010

Source: Review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
With his father in a nursing home and his mother needing support, former Great Smoky Mountains park ranger Lincoln Vailes moves to the bayou town of Eternal Springs, Louisiana, to become a police officer. Recent college graduate and eager social worker Jade Laurent has also moved there to try and right the wrongs of an abusive past. But someone is running her car off the road and pointing guns in her direction. As Lincoln investigates her case, he uncovers ties to big-city gang warfare up north that appears to be making its evil way down south.


My Review:
Fear No Evil is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the second in a series but is essentially a stand-alone novel. You don't need to read the first novel to understand this one, and reading this novel first will spoil only the romantic outcome of the first novel.

The characters were likable, complex, and dealt with realistic struggles. The two main themes were gangs and domestic abuse. The suspense was created by physical danger to several of the characters and stress from work problems and family illness. The setting details were sparse, but there were a fair amount of job and gang details woven into the story. There were some Spanish words used, but typically they were brief phrases that were then interpreted in the character's thoughts.

Many of the characters were Christians. One main character struggled with trying to be in control of her life and realizing she wasn't, and the other struggled with his anger at God for letting his dad (a pastor) get Alzheimer's Disease. There was some praying, and God brought a fair amount of (quoted) Scripture to the characters' minds to answer their questions when things seemed their worst.

There was no sex. There was one explicit bad word and a minor amount of "he cussed" style bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable, suspenseful novel to those who like romantic suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Lightening flashed, splitting the dark southern sky.

Kaboom! The windows rattled. Positives and negatives of nature colliding.

Much like the collision course of Lincoln's life. His thirty-five years of life experiences hadn't prepared him for this latest installment.

"Officier Vailes, are you listening?"

Lincoln snapped his attention from the onslaught of rain, turned, and met the stare of Chief Ethan Samuels. "I'm sorry, what?" Three weeks as a policeman, but he still couldn't get used to the formality of being addressed as officer.

"I said the National Weather Service has upgraded Francis to a class three." Ethan reached for a first-aid kit. "Hurricane season's coming a bit early this year."

Lincoln had no idea what was expected from him during a hurricane.

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And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Follower Love Giveaway Hop for Solemn Oath by Hannah Alexander OR Deadly Ties by Vicki Hinze. Including Twitter entries, we had 75 people enter. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


Priscilla P
who won Solemn Oath

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of this book from your favorite bookstore or see if they have it at your local library.

A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin

A Woman's Place by Lynn Austin ISBN-13: 9780764228902 Trade Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Bethany House Released: November 2006

Source: Bought at a library book sale.

Book Description from Back Cover:
They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well.

Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world.

Under the storm clouds of destruction that threaten America during the early 1940s, this unlikely gathering of women will experience life in sometimes starling new ways as their beliefs are challenged and they struggle toward a new understanding of what love and sacrifice truly mean.


My Review:
A Woman's Place is a Christian historical fiction set in December 1941 through October 1944. It follows four women from very different backgrounds who start work in a war factory to help with the WWII war effort.

The characters were varied and had realistic struggles. The book was a quick read, and the suspense was created mainly by relationship tensions and concern about those serving in the war. Vivid details about the time period and setting were woven into the story. However, at times, I felt like the author was trying to cover too many of the issues relating to the time period. This was especially true at the end, which was wrapped up so quickly that issues involving important secondary characters were left hanging.

There were several characters with a strong Christian faith, one who never learned about God before now, and one who rejected God because He let her loved ones die due to illness, accident, and war. There were ongoing themes about forgiveness and trusting God. There were also scenes of Rosa asking funny questions about God because she knew so little and of Jean trying to teach her what God's grace means.

There was no explicit sex. There was a minor amount of "fake" bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical to those interested in learning about the struggles faced by women in America in the early 1940s.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
September 1942
* Virginia *

Ginny's morning began with the same old routine: fixing breakfast for Harold and the boys, packing their lunchboxes, retrieving all the things they'd lost or misplaced, reminding them to wear their jackets and to tie their shoelaces. But today she watched herself perform these tasks as if detached from it all, almost as if observing from a distance. And what she noticed was that everyone took her for granted. They never seemed to notice her, only her mistakes--and they always noticed those.

"I don't want this egg," Allan said, pushing it away. "I like the yellow part hard, not all runny."

"This coffee is too weak," Harold said as he dumped it down the drain. "I'll grab a cup at the office."

"You put oleo on my toast," Herbie complained. "I wanted jelly." She made him a new slice of toast with jelly, but later, when she tried to wipe jam off his face, he squirmed away.

"Stop smothering them," Harold said. "They aren't babies anymore."

Ginny watched as each one grabbed things and hurried out the door. The family dog lay sprawled on the kitchen floor, but everyone stepped around him or over him, ignoring him as if he were part of the furniture. Poor Rex. They'd loved him as a puppy, but now nobody even saw him. If he ran away from home, how many days or weeks would go by before anyone even noticed? Was it the same for her? No, her family would certainly notice if there weren't any meals on the table.

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A Thousand Shall Fall by Bodie Thoene

A Thousand Shall Fall by Bodie Thoene ISBN: 1-55661-190-0 Trade Paperback: 430 pages Publisher: Bethany House Publishers Released: 1992

Source: Bought in a library book sale.

Book Description from Back Cover:
The War to End All Wars is over, and the soldiers have come home. Birch Tucker, with his wife Trudy and his sons, makes his way back to Shiloh, Arkansas, his boyhood home, to carve out a new life for his family. Max Meyer, now a financial columnist for the New York Times , moves along the wealthy and influential stock barons of the world.

Life in America in the Twenties holds out the tantalizing promise of peace and prosperity.

But times are not what they seem. The peace is not permanent, and the prosperity moves toward its inevitable end. Birch and his family face the grim prospect of losing everything they have worked for. And Max may have to give up all his wealth and influence to gain the son he never knew he had...


My Review:
A Thousand Shall Fall is a historical novel set in September and October of 1929 and leads up to the stock market crash. This novel is the second in the series, but you don't need to have read In My Father's House to understand this one (though it will make it more enjoyable). Reading this novel out of order will partly spoil some events in the previous novel.

There were several point of view characters from different parts of America and different stations in life. The characters were interesting, and Birch's family was very engaging. Birch's sons got into a lot of very funny scrapes. However, the storyline with the boy, David, pushed past what I felt was realistic.

Since we know the stock market crash is only weeks away and will affect everyone in the book, the suspense was high from beginning to end. There were also some relationship tensions and occasionally physical danger to main characters to add suspense.

The historical and setting details brought the story alive in my imagination. Most of the historical details were about class differences and how prohibition and the stock market affected society. The book wrapped up very quickly and left a number of loose ends, but they might be answered in the next book in the series.

Several of the main characters were Christians. However, there wasn't much religious content until the small amount at the very end where they have to decide to trust in God even if they loose everything.

There was no sex. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable and well-written historical novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
Moonshine whiskey and cockfights--the two ingredients spelled MONEY, plain and simple. Prohibition had proven to be a profitable enterprise. Not a county in the entire nation remained untouched by the sale of illegal liquor at illegal sporting events held deep in some secret, wooded glens or black-road barns. The law knew, but hard cash or a stake in the profits silenced them. From near and far, men came to see the mortal combat--sometimes between cocks with razor-sharp metal spurs strapped on their legs, sometimes between pit-bull dogs raised from puppies for the sole purpose of battling to the death before a roaring crowd.

On still other occasions, those within the fighting pit were men--convicts, specially chosen from among their fellow prisoners for strength, endurance, and brutality. Their masters were guards who urged them to fight in the prison yard; the champion received extra food and special privileges.

There were no rules in such fights. Leg-irons, fists, and teeth were all equal weapons. Like ancient gladiators, they fought until one man lay unconscious in the ring of torchlight. Sometimes the loser lived. Sometimes he did not. But the winner was expected to fight again at some future date. The law did not even need to be bribed, because it was the lawmen who sponsored the fights and gloried in the profits.

Sheriff Myron Ring had discovered a champion among the human refuse of his Oklahoma chain gang. Ring had seen him take on three white men in the prison yard one sultry afternoon.