Bad Analysis by Colin Knight

Goodreads Summary

In London, a delusional racist aristocrat, invisible, privileged, and well-protected by his station, ruthlessly coordinates a diabolical attack, a slaughter disguised as a domestic terror assault.  Deep in the core of MI5, a traitor, misuses, redirects and controls official resources.  Manipulating a group of cowards, rapists, murderers, and virulent racists culled from the ranks of the English Defense League, the aristocrat and the traitor aim to throw England into a state of xenophobic frenzy.  Only two men stand a chance of stopping their fanatical plot.  One is a victim of state-sponsored madness twice over, a humble Egyptian cab driver who brought his family to England in search of a better life.  Aalim is meant to be a scapegoat for the actions of his captors, a "rag-head" who can be made to take the blame for their actions lest his innocent wife and son, taken hostage, suffer a terrible fate.  The other, Wilson, is a crotchety intelligence analyst.  An iconoclastic workaholic, rapidly losing patience with his superiors' political gamesmanship, Wilson relies on his own brand of intelligence analysis when one of the plotters makes the attack personal and when one of his closest friends at MI5 pays the ultimate price for discovering too much.  Can Aalim's faith and humanity overcome his fear of the monsters keeping his family captive?  And can Wilson overcome the Bad Analysis that infests a system that, from the very beginning, was set against him?

My Thoughts

I was contacted by Mr Knight and asked if I would like to read and review his novel, Bad Analysis.  I agreed and am glad I did!  I admit that I was hesitant when I first read the summary of this book.  It is not the typical genre that I read so I wasn't sure how I would feel about it.  To be perfectly honest, there were a few things that I personally didn't love (the detailed violence and the choice language) because I'm just not a violence and terror kind of girl but I could totally see this becoming a movie!

Bad Analysis was well written and extremely detailed.  Colin Knight certainly did his research!  This is not a fluff book or one for the faint of heart!  If you enjoy reading Thrillers then you will probably love this book!  Go get it!

*Note:  I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I Said Yes by Emily Maynard Johnson

Goodreads Summary

When her high-profile search for romance led Emily Maynard to dead end after dead end, real love finally found her.

Millions know Emily Maynard Johnson from her unprecedented double appearances on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Millions also know that neither of the relationships from those shows lasted much longer than a commercial break.

Overcome with embarrassment following her nationally televised failures at romance, Emily finally committed her heart to the only one she knew would never leave her empty and alone. Abandoning her desire to be chosen by men and finding peace in the fact that she was already chosen by God, Emily found the joy she had been looking for in serving God.

In I Said Yes, Emily tells the story of her life before and after reality TV fame, describing the profound new reality she discovered when she forsook fame in favor of the Lord. At the end of a long, fruitless search for a man, this courageous young woman found the truest love of all waiting right in front of her. To that love, Emily said yes.

My Thoughts

I watched The Bachelor and The Bachelorette when Emily was on and I remember her being my favorite.  I was pulling for her and hoping she would find love both times and was sad when things didn’t work out for her.  So, when I saw this book I was so excited to read and review it!

I wasn’t disappointed at all!  I really enjoyed reading about her life and experiences.  I like reading books that are inspiring and full of faith and you definitely get both in this book.

Since I watched both of her seasons I guess I kind of felt like I knew her.  It made reading this book even more entertaining.  I found myself feeling so happy for her in the end.  I definitely recommend reading I Said Yes, especially if you watched her seasons.  I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

By the Hands of Men Books 1 and 2 by Roy M. Griffis

Goodreads Summary

By the Hands of Men

Book One: The Old World

“With elements reminiscent of Hemmingway’s “A Farewell to Arms,” in the midst of World War I, a relationship develops between an English lieutenant and a young Russian nurse – a surprising tenderness against the backdrop of war…with likeable characters, spending more time in the “Old War” is an appealing prospect.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A truly remarkable historical novel – so finely rendered in period detail – that the reader becomes one with the plot and characters.  Mr. Griffis has a superb talent for capturing the small details that make up the whole – from the horrors of war to the very intricate procedures involved with early 20^th Century Wartime medicine.  Charlotte Braninov is a very complex character, one who is beautifully drawn by the pen of Mr. Griffis.  Her conflicting feelings on war and her intense emotions sparked by her time treating Lieutenant Robert Fitzgerald left me breathless – they were so emotionally powerful.  This is a novel that will not only entertain and inform, but pull at your emotions as well – a truly beautiful novel set during a horrific time in history.”

AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ

RICK FRIEDMAN, FOUNDER, THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB

With the Great War raging around them, wounded Lt. Robert Fitzgerald falls in love with Russian nurse Charlotte Braninov.  Torn apart by illness and betrayal, they pursue separate quests that take them across a world on the verge of change.  From Shanghai to revolutionary Russia, they learn that hands of men can create a hell on earth – or, through the redemptive power of love, a heaven in which to truly live.

By the Hands of Men

Book Two: Into the Flames

Charlotte Braninov, traumatized by loss and her service as a frontline nurse, returns to war-torn Russia to find her family.  Captured by the Red Army, she exchanges one hell for another.  Her still-loyal Lieutenant, Robert Fitzgerald, believing the woman he loves is dead, struggles to recover from the ravages of combat and typhus.  In a desperate bid to rediscover himself, he commits to serve his country as a pawn in distant Shanghai.  Forging their destinies in a world reeling after The Great War, Charlotte and Robert will learn anew the horror and the beauty the hands of men can create when they descend into the flames.

My Thoughts

Wow…

That is the best word I can find to describe these books.  Wow!  So Good!

Roy Griffis contacted me and asked if I would like to read and review the first two books in his By the Hands of Men series and, of course, I said yes.  I was honored and, to be completely honest, a little nervous.  I haven’t read many historical novels and I have never read any about war.  I wasn’t sure if I would like them and I really, really hate writing negative reviews!  Mr. Griffis sent me the novels and I was so excited when I checked the mail and they were there!  I love getting new books and was thrilled to see that he signed them for me too!  I was ready to dive in!  I was already in the middle of another book so I made sure I set enough time in my day to get through it so I could jump into my new, beautiful books.

I’m not sure why, but I felt intimidated when I first started reading book one, The Old World.  War…it made me nervous.  Please like it, please like it!  Well, as I read I quickly realized that I was nervous for no reason at all!  It was so good!  I couldn’t put it down!  Before I knew it, I looked at the clock and it was after 1 o’clock in the morning!  I had to make myself put it down so that I wouldn’t be a zombie at work the next morning.  As soon as I got home from work I picked it back up and devoured the rest of the book.

Right after I finished the first book, I picked up book two, Into the Flames.  Once again, I was sucked right back into this beautifully written novel.  Oh my word!  It was possibly even better than the first book!  I didn’t want it to end!  So Good!

I highly recommend reading both of these wonderfully written books and I can’t wait to read the third as soon as it becomes available!  Thank you so much, Roy Griffis, for sending these beautiful books to me!  These are definitely books that I will read over and over!

*Note: I received copies of these books from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Ex-Isle by Peter Clines

Goodreads Summary

It's been years since the tidal wave of ex-humans washed over the world.  Since then, thanks to St George and his fellow heroes, the community known as the Mount has been the last known outpost of safety, sanity, and freedom left to humanity.

But even for the Mount, survival still balances on a razor's edge - and after a disaster decimates the town's food supply, the heroes must make a risky gamble to keep its citizens from starving.

And then the news arrives of a strange, man-made island in the middle of the Pacific.  An island populated not just by survivors, but by people who seem to be farming, raising children, living - people who, like the heroes, have somehow managed to keep the spark of civilization alive.

Paying this place a visit should be a simple goodwill mission, but as the island reveals itself to be a sinister mirror-image of what the heroes have built at the Mount, the cost of their good intentions becomes dangerously high.

My Thoughts

Ex-Isle by Peter Clines is actually the fifth (I believe) book in the Ex-Heroes series.  I think that because of this, I was a bit lost.  I really struggled with this book... a lot.

First of all, like I already said,  this was book five.  Second, maybe this isn't my genre.  I wanted to like this book so much!  I would much rather like every book I read!  Unfortunately,  I just didn't like this one much at all.

After I finished this book I went to Amazon to see what other people thought.  I learned that it does have several positive reviews.  I think that the key is to read all of the books in the series in order to be able to enjoy this one.  In my opinion, it just definitely is not a stand alone book.

Keeper of the Stars by Robin Lee Hatcher

Goodreads Summary

She blames him for her brother's death.  Can she let go of resentment and open her heart to love?

Penny Cartwright found it difficult to understand why her younger brother would choose to join a country singer's band rather than return to Kings Meadow after college...and the separation strained their relationship.  Then a car accident made certain her brother could never return.

Trevor Reynolds has chased stardom in Nashville for more than a dozen years, but it remains out of his reach.  After an accident kills his young drummer, Trevor goes to Kings Meadow to keep a promise - and perhaps to discover what truly matters in this life.

Thrown together by circumstances, Penny and Trevor must learn to give and receive forgiveness.  And if they do, perhaps something beautiful can rise from the ashes of heartbreak.

My Thoughts

I wasn't opposed to reading this book but I honestly wasn't really excited to read it either.  I have been in the mood to read exciting, suspenseful books and this clearly wasn't going to be that kind of book.  I was actually kind of dreading it a little bit.

However...

I really enjoyed it!  Keeper of the Stars has just the right amount of enjoyability, heart, love, faith, and a touch of sadness (not too much) to make it a really good and cozy read.  I give it two thumbs up!  I started it yesterday, late afternoon, and had to make myself put it down so that I could go to bed since I had to work this morning.  I finished it an hour or so after I got home from work.

I am happy to say that I have found a new author that I will be on the lookout for.  Keeper of the Stars  by Robin Lee Hatcher was well written and enjoyable.  Definitely one I will recommend to fellow readers.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

My Name is Mahtob by Mahtob Mahmoody

Goodreads Summary

The daughter at the center of the international bestseller and film Not Without My Daughter finishes the story that captivated the world: held hostage in Iran, escape over the mountains, growing up in fear of kidnapping, battling deadly disease, and leaning on the sustaining power of God's goodness.

Two decades ago, Not Without My Daughter (a global phenomenon are into a film starring Sally Field) told of the daring escape of an american mother and her six-year-old child from and abusive and fanatical Iranian husband and father.  Now the daughter tells the whole story, not only of her imprisonment and escape but of life after fleeing Iran: living in fear of re-abduction, battling recurring nightmares and panic attacks - all under the menacing shadow of her father.

This is the story of an extraordinary young woman's triumph over life-crushing trauma to build a life of peace and forgiveness.  Moving from Michigan to Tehran, from Ankara to Paris, Mahtob reveals the profound resilience of a wounded soul healed by her faith in God's goodness and his care and love for her.

My Thoughts

My Name is Mahtob is a companion book to Not Without My Daughter.  Mahtob Mahmoody shares her experiences in her own words.  She writes about her feelings, thoughts, and experiences while being held captive in Iran and even afterwards when she made it home.

I actually haven't read or watched Not Without My Daughter but that didn't make My Name is Mahtob any less interesting.  I enjoyed reading this book and I definitely plan on reading and watching Not Without My Daughter now.

I do have to say that after about the first half of the book it got pretty slow.  It wasn't bad but it wasn't quite as interesting as the first half of the book.  It got a little confusing at times because it wasn't necessarily in chronological order.

Mahtob Mahmoody did discuss her faith but not to an extent that it was overly religious toward any certain religion.  She is Lutheran but this book isn't offensive to readers of any religion.  It is just an autobiography of her life and faith and it is a lovely book.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Life-Changing Magic: A Journal by Marie Kondo

Goodreads Summary

“Does it spark joy?”

These four little words have the power to create a revolutionary shift in your mindset. By asking yourself which things, activities, and relationships spark joy—and which don’t—you can mindfully zero in on your ideal life. Peppered with quotes and inspiration from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, this journal is an invitation to apply Marie Kondo’s principles to not only the objects in your home but also the moments in your life, one day at a time.

My Thoughts

To be honest, I thought this was going to be one of those journals that have the prompts at the beginning of each page that kind of give you an idea of what to write.  I actually like those journals.  However, this journal isn't like that.  It leaves little spaces to write down a little something everyday for three years.  Here is a page to show what I mean...

And it also has little spots of "joy" here and there.  Little quotes and inspirational sayings every few pages.  Here's a sample...

All in all, I do like this journal.  It's different than I expected but that's a good thing!  I like it and will recommend it to journal lovers!

* Note: I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.