Book Review - Liar's Winter by Cindy Sproles.

By Ian Acheson - @achesonian

Blurb

Lochiel Ogle was born with a red-wine birthmark--and it put her life in jeopardy from the moment she entered the world. Mountain folks called it "the mark of the devil," and for all the evil that has plagued her nineteen-year existence, Lochiel is ready to believe that is true. And the evil surely took control of the mind of the boy who stole her as an infant, bringing her home for his mother to raise.

Abused and abandoned by the only people she knows as family, Lochiel is rescued by a peddler and given the first glimpse of love she has ever known. The truth of her past is gradually revealed as is the fact that she is still-hunted by a brother driven to see her dead. Unsure if there's anyone she can truly trust, Lochiel is faced with a series of choices: Will she continue to run for escape or will she face her past and accept the heartbreaking secrets it reveals? Which will truly free her?

Set in the wild and beautiful Appalachian Mountains of nineteenth-century East Tennessee, Liar's Winter is an unflinching yet inspirational exploration of prejudice and choice. 

Review

Wow. What a story. This is frankly one of the best stories I’ve read in recent times. Certainly in 2018. It is simply breathtaking, as other reviews have mentioned.

There’s a whole sub-genre of stories based around the Appalachian Mountains in America. Having a writer friend who is a local Appalachian I’ve found it an intriguing sub-genre.

Lochiel (‘low-kill’) Ogle was born with a birthmark that disfigured one side of her face all the way down her neck and shoulder. In the late nineteenth century such disfigurement was considered the work of the Devil. Lochiel, as a baby, is taken from her sleeping mother’s arms and ‘adopted’ by another family. Besides having this birthmark she is also part Cherokee Indian that adds to the complexity of her background.

We meet Lochiel at 19 with frequent backstory inserts by her brother, Gerald, plus her own reflections. When we meet her she has been left for dead having been bashed by Gerald. He dumps her in the forest only for her to be found by a wandering trader who goes by the name of Walt. Walt rescues her but we’re soon involved in a chase when Gerald finds out she is still alive. Driven by hatred, Gerard wants her dead.

The themes of racism, superstitions, sibling rivalry, not fitting in, abandonment, and familial love are powerfully woven through this story. Love, forgiveness, and God’s truth are contrasted against the hatred and bitterness born out differences between cultures and race.

We see the transformation of a young girl from being fearful, untrusting non-believing to a loving, God-fearing secure in God’s love young woman. 

The descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains are spectacular as we follow Lochiel and Walt in a journey that transcends the beauty of nature but also the wonder of familial love and faith.

It is edge-of-the-seats suspenseful and spoken in the first person mostly by Lochiel we get to experience her native tongue (which I love) and all the variety of emotions she experiences on this journey of discovery and redemption.

Perhaps it wrapped up a little too well but that would be my only slight criticism.

Book Review | The Making of Mrs Hale by Carolyn Miller

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

We first met Julia Hale in Winning Miss Winthrop, when Julia ran away to Gretna Green to marry Thomas Hale in defiance of her family's wishes.

But, as the old saying goes, "Marry in haste; repent at leisure." 

Julia is left destitute after her husband disappears. Six months later, she has sold everything she can and has no choice but to return to her friends and family in London and ask for help. They are pleased to welcome her home, believing she is either an abandoned wife or (possibly) a widow. They are less pleased when Thomas Hale returns home ...

This means The Making of Mrs Hale follows one of the lesser-used romance tropes: a married couple falling in love. Or perhaps they are rediscovering their love, as Julia clearly still has feelings towards Thomas and vice versa. But Julia has to fight to keep what she has—a marriage to a man she loves.

There is also an exciting suspense thread. Thomas is concerned his ending up in a Spanish prison may not have been an accident. This threatens him, Julia, and their attempts to rebuild their relationship while surrounded by disapproving family members.

I have always been a big Regency romance fan, and Carolyn Miller has established herself as a leading author in the Christian Regency genre. Her research is spot on, yet never gets in the way of the story (I wish this was universal, but I find there are more authors who think they can write authentic Regency than actually can).

In contrast, Carolyn Miller consistently comes up with realistic yet detailed plots. 

She fills her novels with realistic, complex characters facing issues that are true to the historic period, yet resonate with modern readers. Her novels are also definitely (and perhaps defiantly) Christian. They're not just "clean". Her characters are forced to evaluate themselves and their relationship with God, which is a refreshing contrast to a lot of the fiction being published by CBA publishers. Overall, I recommend Carolyn Miller and The Making of Miss Hale to anyone looking for genuine Christian Regency fiction.

Thanks to Kregel Publications and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

CALEB Award Review | Camp Max by Penny Reeve

Review by Jenny Blake | @ausjenny

Omega Writers is a Christian writing group serving Australian, New Zealand, and South Pacific Christian Writers. They held their annual writing conference the last weekend on October, in Adelaide, South Australia.

One much-anticipated part of conference is the Saturday night award ceremony for the CALEB Award. CALEB stands for:

Christian Authors Lifting Each others' Books

About Camp Max

Attention, campers! Seeking maximum adventure? Looking for maximum fun? You need CAMP MAX!

Tania's all set to go on camp! She's planned which cabin she'll be in, what snacks to take, she's even arranged for her best friend Emily to come.

There's one small problem though: Emily's parents gave away the money that would have bought her ticket. Luckily the town talent show offers camp tickets as a prize - all they have to do is win.

During their rehearsals, no one's expecting Tania's own ticket to go missing. And when it does, Tania knows she's going to need more than just talent to avert maximum disaster.

A sweet new story about challenges, friendship and family with Tania Abbey.

My Review:

This was an enjoyable book by Penny. I am sure Primary aged children will enjoy the book and also relate to the story. The book is about Tania and her brother Daniel and Her friend Emily and her brother Sam. Tania is so excited about going to Camp Max. She has been a couple of times and can't wait to go again this time with her new friend Emily. The only problem is we learn Emily and Sam didn't apply to go to camp as they used the money for a different reason which you will find when reading the book. The reason leaves Tania questioning why and if she would do the same thing if she was in the same position.

Tania finds a flyer for a talent show with two tickets to Camp Max as prizes. The two girls and boys enter with their own acts to win. What they didn't count on was Tania's ticket going missing. The what ifs start to happen. What if only one wins a ticket etc. Reading the bible helps Tania with some hard questions and we see how it all plays out. I don't want to say to much as I hate giving away stories.

I read this book while in the city to watch cricket. I was able to read it during break time and loved every minute of it. This would be a great stocking filler for a young Girl for Christmas.

About Jenny Blake

AUSJENNY is a cricket fanatic who loves reading although not reading as much as she use to. She loves to be able to help promote good Christian books and support authors.

You can read the introduction to Camp Max below:

CALEB Award Review | The Elusive Miss Ellison by Carolyn Miller

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Omega Writers is a Christian writing group serving Australian, New Zealand, and South Pacific Christian Writers. They held their annual writing conference the last weekend on October, in Adelaide, South Australia (and you can read my recap post here).

One much-anticipated part of conference is the Saturday night award ceremony for the CALEB Award. CALEB stands for:

Christian Authors Lifting Each others' Books

This year, there were four categories for the CALEB Award:

• Published Fiction (romance or romantic elements)
• Published Non-Fiction
• Published Children's Fiction
• Unpublished Young Adult Fiction

The winners were:

• Grand Prize and Published Children's Fiction: Penny Reeve for Camp Max
• Runner-up and Published Fiction: Carolyn Miller for The Elusive Miss Ellison
• Published Non-Fiction: Jen Gibbs for SHE: A Journey of Faith, Hope & Love with Women of the Bible
• Unpublished Young Adult Fiction: Susan J Bruce

Over the next few weeks, we're going to be reviewing the three winning books as well as more recent releases from these three wonderful ladies.

Andrea Grigg has previously reviewed The Elusive Miss Ellison here at Australasian Christian Writers, and you can click here to read her review.

And here's my review (previously published at Iola's Christian Reads).

The Elusive Miss Ellison is everything a good Regency romance should be: it’s consistent with the writings of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, and features plenty of wit and sparkle in the dialogue, especially that of the titular Miss Lavinnia Ellison. She reminds me of a combination of Austen and Heyer heroines, and there is a definite nod to the BBCs Ehle/Firth version of Pride and Prejudice in terms of the characters.

The plot isn’t P&P (thankfully), but again has echoes of Austen. 

The big difference (improvement) is that The Elusive Miss Ellison is clearly Christian fiction: Livvie is a minister’s daughter with a real faith in God, and unwilling to be romantically involved with any man who doesn’t share her faith. Especially not the man she holds responsible for the death of her beloved mother, and who appears to hold too little regard for the wellbeing of his tenants.

Nicholas obviously has his own personal and faith journey, and I think his is the stronger story—he’s the one with the obvious character faults which need to be changed through the influence of a good woman. And perhaps her love as well ...

I’m a big Regency romance fan, so very much enjoyed the authentic Regency voice and attention to detail. Some of the writing was a little shaky, and the pacing was somewhat uneven. Parts of the novel sparkled with wit, but others felt as though the sparkle had been scrubbed out.

I’ll be keen to read the sequel, The Captivating Lady Charlotte (love the title!). Recommended for fans of Christian Regency romance.

Update: Carolyn now has six novels published, and I've read them all. She gets better with each one.

Thanks to Kregel and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

You can read the introduction to The Elusive Miss Ellison below:

Book Review | Write Smart Write Happy by Cheryl St John

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

I thought Write Smart Write Happy was going to be a book about writing—and it is. And it isn't. It isn't what I was expecting (which was something about how to write better). It is about writing, but it's not about the craft of writing. It's more about the mindset behind writing—what it takes to be a successful multi-published author. One of her big points is to focus on what we can control.

A publisher declining your manuscript is out of your control. But there are two things you can control:

1. The quality of your work
2. Your attitude and strategy in selling

I listened to a podcast last week where the author said she made $3,500 in book sales in August, and wants to be making $5,000 a month before the end of the year. That, according to St John, is not a good measure of success because it's out of the author's control (I also read a blog post today that points to more weirdness in the Kindle store, and I've seen many reports of authors seeing a huge drop in Amazon income from August to September. So this author's $3,500 in August may well be a happy blip, not an upward trend).

We can't control whether an agent will take us on or whether an editor will acquire a manuscript. 

If we traditionally publish, we can't control how many books we sell or know what marketing activities result in sales. (Self-published authors have a little more control in that they can see their daily sales and therefore make a connection between daily sales and marketing activities).

Defining our success by matters outside our control is only going to lead to stress and unhappiness. Instead, we should focus on what we can control: how much we write, how many submissions we make to publishers, how many books we write (and self-publish, if that's our chosen path). St John says:

We only fail when we neglect to set goals and work towards them.

St John goes on to say:

Saying I want to write and traditionally publish a bestseller is like saying I want world peace. If we set goals that are nearly impossible to obtain, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment and frustration.

We can't rely on external factors for our writer happiness. That's not smart and it won't make us happy. Instead:

Our self-esteem must come from a job well done and having given our best.

The book is also full of inspirational quotes from other writers, such as this line from Ann Landers:

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognise them.

St John is full of handy tips to write smart, and write happy, such as changing the font colour to white if we want to write freeflow without the internal editor getting in the way. Clever.

Being a successful writer is work. Hard work. 

There is no Secret Handshake, no secret key to success, no information that the successful published authors are withholding. But there are blogs and books like Write Smart Write Happy which share many valuable tips (e.g. all the different types of editing a traditionally published novel goes through).

If you're looking for a book about how to write better, then Write Smart Write Happy isn't the book for you. But if you're looking for some encouragement in your writing journey, or tips on how to be a more consistent and productive writer, and how to set (and achieve) realistic goals, then Write Smart Write Happy might be right for you.

Thanks to Writers Digest and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, works as a freelance editor, and has recently introduced an Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Book Review – Portrait of Vengeance by Carrie Stuart Parks

By Ian Acheson - @achesonian

BLURB

Gwen Marcey has done a good job keeping the pain of her past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn’t believe in coincidences. So what’s going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nez Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming—and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, Gwen’s ex-husband is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen’s past and present collide, she’s in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

MY REVIEW

This was a challenging story as there were many different plot points to it. The serial killer, the connection to Gwen’s upbringing, the separate issue of her parents (who were they, why’d they die, what they were investigating, what were their names), the dam incident and the possible romantic link between Gwen and Seth. The story sure kept me on my toes. And then there was the suspense that made sure I was never at ease when reading it.

I find Carrie’s 1st person style engrossing and Gwen Marcey is such a remarkable character that it’s very easy to cheer her on. Gwen is so real and vulnerable, she makes mistakes. I love that. So many authors (myself included) don’t allow our characters to make mistakes. And Beth – she is such a good sidekick. And their friendship is delightful to watch. Seth was very real too.

The pace was good. I always felt I had to be alert and on my toes to keep abreast of all that was going on and with all the plot twists I certainly was never bored and there were one or two plot twists that surprised me including one relating to a key character.

I also particularly appreciated the setting being The Nez Perce Indian Reservation that added a strong flavour to the story.

I didn’t want this story to end and I so hope Gwen, Beth and Winston make another appearance. I believe there’s plenty of legs left in the Gwen Marcey series. This is the second I’ve read after the “A Cry from the Dust” and I’ve loved both. Principally because of Gwen, she is simply such a great character. I’d like to see her on TV. Her vulnerability, her honesty about breast cancer, prosthetic breasts, divorce struggles, mothering struggles, her forensic skills and so on. Just brilliant.

You don't have to have read any of the preceding 3 stories (I've only read one) to be thoroughly captivated by Gwen Marcey and her best mate, Beth. Give one of them a try, you won't be disappointed.

BTW, “Portrait’ recently won the Carol for Best Mystery/Suspense/Thriller to add to its INSPY from earlier in the year.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook pageand Twitter

Book Review | Long Way Home (Potter's House 4) by Brenda S Anderson

Review by Christine Dillon @ACWriters

This author is a new one for me and I’ve been impressed by her writing. She writes both women’s fiction and romance. This particular books is part of the new ‘Potter House’ series with a book each from different authors.

Book Description

Can she forgive the man who once bullied her,

and learn that love keeps no record of wrongs?

Having overcome the crippling insecurities of childhood bullying, Lauren Bauman is eager to start her new job 1,000 miles away, and road-tripping across the country with her brother Nate and his new friend seems to be the perfect way to celebrate the move. But her confidence is shaken when she meets Nate’s friend—the kid who’d bullied her years before, trapping her in a decade-long shell of self-doubt.

For Jet Wurm, losing his job and getting kicked out of his apartment were the best things that ever happened to him. Thanks to the friend who rescued him, he’s finally shedding the loser label he’d worn for years. Nate even invited him along on a cross-country road trip with his sister, and Jet couldn’t be more excited. But then he meets Lauren, and her fearful reaction tells him they must have met before. Where, he can’t recall, but he has no doubt he’d somehow hurt her—like he’d hurt so many others in his past. And now he’s stuck on a six-day road trip with a woman who obviously deplores him.

Though Jet is clearly not the same person who’d bullied her years before, Lauren still struggles to forgive him. But if she doesn’t find the courage to forgive, will that convince Ryan he’s as worthless as he’d always been taught to believe? Or will they learn that real love keeps no record of wrongs?

4.5 stars 

I've found myself a new favourite author. Brenda writes ordinary stories about real people and she writes them really, really well. No slips up, no being jerked out of the story. Stories of struggle, stories about imperfect people and stories of hope in our perfect God. The One who can change any heart. Loved too the looking at bullying from the side of the bully. For lovers of Francine Rivers, Deborah Raney. This story would also be great for mid-late teens. Even a book for a youth group to read and discuss.

About Christine Dillon

Christine never intended to become an author. The only kind of writing she wondered if she might do was biography. However, it was a surprise to her to write poetry, non-fiction and now fiction (Grace in Strange Disguise, 2017; Grace in the Shadows, 2018).

Christine was a physiotherapist but now she writes ‘storyteller’ on any airport forms. She can legitimately claim to be this as she has written a book on storytelling and spends much of her time either telling Bible stories or training others to do so from her base in southern Taiwan.

In her spare time Christine loves all things active – hiking, cycling, swimming, snorkeling. But she also likes reading and genealogical research, as that satisfies her desire to be an historical detective.

You can find Christine online at:

www.storytellerchristine.com (for fiction)
www.storyingthescriptures.com (for Bible storytelling)
https://www.facebook.com/storytellerchristine/

Book Review | Influencer by Brittany Hennessy

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Just to prove I occasionally read non-fiction ...

If the teen in your life (or even you) dreams of being the next big YouTube or Instagram sensation, then you need this book. It takes readers through the nitty-gritty of what it takes to be an influencer, and the basics of how to run your own influencer business.

And influencing is a business. 

Influencing isn't just taking a pretty photo and posting it on Instagram. It's also learning skills like design, photography, writing, social media, websites, modelling, and public speaking (because many of the successful influencers. The bigger influencers are mostly posting pictures of themselves, so it's also hiring the photographer to take those shots, and perhaps even the makeup artist and hairdresser so you look like Wow! not woah.

The focus of Influencer was on fashion, lifestyle, and travel influencers—the glamour end of the game. But many of the principles still hold true for us smaller-scale book bloggers. For example:

• Blog on WordPress.
• Be on social media, if only so people can tag or mention you.
• Secure your username on every platform so no one can steal it.
• Be honest.
• Have a balance between organic content and advertisements.
• Ask a question to build engagement (yes, I'm still working on this one).
• Plan and prepare your content in advance.

(If you've followed me for any length of time, you'll know I've been recommending all these things to writers since forever.)

Hennessy also says:

If you are in this business for the right reasons, creating create content, and engaging with your audience, the followers will come. This isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Never forget that.

(Also remember that sprinters spend just as many hours a day training as marathon runners!).

The one weakness of Influencer was the chapter on building an audience—how to get people to follow you and engage. She makes some good points (don't buy followers. Or Likes. Ever. Use hashtags. Follow hashtags.) But the chapter is light on detail.

Key learning points:

• It takes time. The interviewed influencers worked on their blogs and Instagram profiles for two to six years before starting to make money.
• It takes a lot of time. Even when you've "made it", this is a full-time job because you're a business owner.
• It takes skill. You need to be able to write great content and sell products. And you need to be able to take direction.

The chapters on contracts and agents hit home the fact that being an influencer is a lot more than living an Instagram-ready life. It takes business savvy, hard work, and a determination to succeed. It takes knowing your "why"—why do you want to do this?

All in all, becoming a successful influencer sounds a lot like becoming a successful author.

A lot of hard work with no guarantees, so you need to learn to find joy and success in the process.

Recommended for anyone who wants to get into influencing on a small or larger scale, or anyone who is curious as to how and why anyone can justify paying some blogger thousands of dollars for posting a few photos on Instagram.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Book Review - Crafting a Rule of Life by Stephen A. Macchia

By Ian Acheson @achesonian

BLURB

Your personal rule of life is a holistic description of the Spirit-empowered rhythms and relationships that create, redeem, sustain and transform the life God invites you to humbly fulfill for Christ's glory. 

All of us have an unwritten personal rule of life. We wake at certain times, get ready for our days in particular ways, use our free time for assorted purposes and practice rhythms of work, hobbies, and worship. There is already a rule in place that you are following. Isnt it time to give up your unwritten rule and prayerfully write one that more closely matches the heartbeat of God? 

In this practical workbook Stephen A. Macchia looks to St. Benedict as a guide for discovering your own rule of life in community. It is a process that takes time and concerted effort; you must listen to God and discern what he wants you to be and do for his glory. But through the basic disciplines of Scripture, prayer and reflection in a small group context you will be lead forward in a journey toward Christlikeness. 

The invitation is transformational, so brace yourself for sweet release. By letting go and trusting God, you will receive the gift of life in its fullest and richest form.

MY REVIEW

To borrow another reviewers headline: "We all arrive somewhere ... very few of us get there on purpose." Macchia provides a compelling rationale and detailed workbook on how we can all draft our own 'rule of life' and be intentional in observing it.

Having studied the Spiritual Disciplines work of Foster, Willard and co, Macchia helps bridge the gap between how we can successfully orient our lives around intentional rhythms incorporating the disciplines so we can live a life that does indeed bring glory to the Lord. In much of modern ministry there's a lot of energy around the doing but action should only come out the essence of our heart that is being increasingly filled by more and more of the heartbeat of God. But we need to be intentional about how we draw close to God's heartbeat. Macchia's work helps provide a roadmap.

Providing examples from the Bible and a historical figure in each chapter, Macchia challenges us to contemplate and respond to a series of questions around each priority of our lives: relational, missional, vision, giftings and desires.

This is a challenging workbook and one needs to give yourself plenty of time to work through it. I suspect it will be something I refer back to regularly as we should with our 'rule of life' as we enter different seasons in life.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook pageand Twitter

Book Review | Liana's Dance by Rosanne Hawke

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Liana Bedford is half Australian and half Pakistani, and has spent most of her life in an international boarding school in the north of Pakistan while her parents work in the rural villages. She speaks the language and is comfortable in her surroundings ...

Until the bomb.

Mikal Kimberley has never left Australia before. Now he's got a job as a music teacher in an international school in Pakistan, near the Himlalayas. He doesn't speak the language or know the culture. But he has an ulterior motive: to find the father and sister who don't even know he exists.

Both are caught up in the worsening political situation as the local population seeks to rid the area of of Amriki—Americans. No matter that Liana, Mikal, and many of the others students and teachers are British or Australian. The attacks get closer and closer to the school, until the decision is made to evacuate the children to the safety of their national embassies.

That's when the trouble starts ...

Nothing goes according to plan, and Liana and Mikal find themselves hiding in plain sight, trying to rescue Liana's missing classmates while knowing the consequences of being caught.

Liana's Dance is a fascinating insight into another culture, and into the lives of missionaries and other international workers in countries hostile to the gospel. It's also an insight into the sacrifice they and their families must make, as they are separated for long periods during the year.

The writing is strong, and I enjoyed the occasional touches of humour, like the reference to the temperature being "a cool thirty degrees centigrade". I think that's about ninety degrees Farenheit. Thirty is definitely a warm summer day here in New Zealand!

I recommend Liana's Dance to anyone who wants to better understand the challenges for expatriate workers and their children, for anyone looking for a strong young adult novel with plenty of adventure, and for anyone who wants to expand their own knowledge and understanding of other cultures:

Isn't that food for thought?

Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Book Review: Sensible Shoes: A Story about the Spiritual Journey by Sharon Garlough Brown

By Ian Acheson  @achesonian

BLURB

A 2013 Midwest Publishing Awards Show Honorable Mention Sharon Garlough Brown tells the moving story of four strangers as they embark together on a journey of spiritual formation: Hannah, a pastor who doesn't realize how exhausted she is. Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past. Mara, a woman who has experienced a lifetime of rejection and is now trying to navigate a difficult marriage. Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right. You’re invited to join these four women as they reluctantly arrive at a retreat center and find themselves drawn out of their separate stories of isolation and struggle and into a collective journey of spiritual practice, mutual support and personal revelation. Along the way, readers will be taken into a new understanding of key spiritual practices and find tangible support for the deeper life with God. If you want to travel this journey with others, you will find a group study guide and book club resources at www.sensibleshoesclub.com.

REVIEW

This is quite a unique story, part instructional non-fiction, built around the fictional account of four women from different backgrounds who meet at a Scared Journey retreat. It's compelling reading as we get into the detail of each of these women's lives and their journey towards God's heart. Even though I'm a man I was able to relate to all four of them at various stages of their journeys. Whether it was Charissa's perfectionism, arrogance and thirst for information, to Hannah's being lost in her calling, to Mara's struggle with a non-believing spouse and Meg's struggle with the loss of her parents and fiancé, I found a bit of myself in all of them.

I particularly enjoyed how Brown combines the heart journey and desire for intimacy with God with the telling of the ladies lives. It's a tremendous practical demonstration of how we can pursue the heart of God while going about our lives incorporating various spiritual disciplines plus the importance of community (ie, each other) and guidance from a mentor (in this story it was the leader of the retreat: Katherine).

The novel is filled with spiritual insight plus instructional guidelines as to how to incorporate various spiritual disciplines and provides a wonderful insight into a scared journey with the Lord.

I'm excited to read the next one in the series.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Book Review | The Nowhere Child by Christian White

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Kimberley Leamy is an Australian photography teacher whose everyday life is interrupted when a random stranger—an American—introduces himself and tells her he believes she is actually someone else. 

He believes Kim is actually Sammy Went, who was abducted from Manson, Kentucky, twenty-eight years earlier.

It's a great opening scene.

The story then flips back to Manson, Kentucky, in 1990, to days before two-year-old Sammy Went was kidnapped. We meet her family—her fundamentalist Christian mother, her unbelieving father, her rebellious older sister, her inquisitive older brother. It's a world where "fundamentalist" is a dirty word, because they're the extreme kind of Christian, snake handling and all.

(No, The Nowhere Child isn't Christian fiction, despite having a church setting.)

We find out pretty early on that Kimberley is Sammy Went, but that is only the beginning of the mystery. How did a two-year-old American girl end up in Melbourne, Australia, with no memories of her earlier life? Who kidnapped her? Why? How?

The story alternates between Kimberley's present journey to find her past, and the past story. It's strong suspense, where nothing is as it seems. The characters unfold scene by scene,

The writing is generally strong (some of the dialogue tags annoyed me, but that's my only significant complaint). Kimberley's story is told in first person, while the past story is told in third person from the viewpoints of various different characters. It's an interesting technique, but one which works well in the split timeline structure.

The Nowhere Child is a great example of a split timeline story. 

The two stories are closely intertwinned and the past story influences and impacts on the present until we reach a climax where all the questions are answered. The ending was unpredictable, but it fit.

Thanks to Affirm Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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Book Review | A Daring Venture by Elizabeth Camden

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Rosaline Werner lost both her parents to cholera when she was just ten years old. The loss changed her life, but eighteen years later she's back in America, working as a biochemist fighting to eradicate waterborne diseases including typhoid. She's convinced the answer is to chemically treat the city's supply of drinking water with chlorine, but not everyone agrees.

Nicholas Drake is a plumber, and a commissioner of the State Water Board of New York, responsible for ensuring the citizens have access to clean water. But he can't see that adding poison to water is the solution—he prefers the tried-and-true method of filtering the water.

It's a great set-up: two people who want the same thing.

Two people with noble reasons. But two people who fundamentally disagree on the best process, to the point where their factions are fighting it out in court. It's a plot that isn't going to allow for compromise. Rosaline will win, or Nicholas will win. Unless Rosaline can convince Nicholas to change his mind ...

It's also a unique concept for a novel. Plumbing. Water. Dams. Chlorination. Filtration. Most of us in developed countries take safe drinking water for granted, and it's hard to believe that it's only been a little over a century since the idea was mooted, accepted, and popularised. Elizabeth Camden is known for taking little-known and intriguing historical factoids and turning them into compelling historical novels with plenty of romance and more than a little suspense.

The one possible fault with A Daring Venture is that while Elizabeth Camden's earlier novels were definitely Christian, this (and the previous novel in this Empire State series, A Dangerous Legacy) do not have any overtly Christian content. But nor are they general market titles, with all that implies. Perhaps it's that the faith element is woven in so subtly that it's not noticeable.

And in some ways, it shouldn't be. A Daring Venture isn't a faith-based story. It's the story of clean, disease-free water, and some of the people who helped change our world for the better by fighting for what was right. Which, if you think about it, is the outworking of the Christian faith.

A Daring Venture is an excellent novel with a unique premise.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, especially romances and novels with a basis in historical fact. I hope there will be a sequel, because I want to see more of Nicholas and his growing family.

Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About A Daring Venture

As a biochemist in early 1900s New York, Doctor Rosalind Werner has dedicated her life to the crusade against waterborne diseases. She is at the forefront of a groundbreaking technology that will change the way water is delivered to every household in the city--but only if she can get people to believe in her work.

Newly appointed Commissioner of Water for New York, Nicholas Drake is highly skeptical of Rosalind and her team's techniques. When a brewing court case throws him into direct confrontation with her, he is surprised by his reaction to the lovely scientist.

While Rosalind and Nick wage a private war against their own attraction, they stand firmly on opposite sides of a battle that will impact far more than just their own lives. As the controversy grows more public and inflammatory and Rosalind becomes the target of an unknown enemy, the odds stacked against these two rivals swiftly grow more insurmountable with every passing day.

You can find A Daring Venture online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Book Review: Falling for You, by Becky Wade

Review by @CarolynMAuthor

Famously beautiful model Willow Bradford is taking a temporary break from her hectic schedule to work as the innkeeper at her family's small-town bed-and-breakfast. She was enjoying the peace of her hometown, Merryweather, Washington, right up until she came face-to-face with Corbin Stewart, the man she loves to hate. A thoughtful rule-follower by nature, Willow threw caution to the wind four years ago when she entrusted her heart to Corbin--and suffered the consequences when it all fell apart.

Former NFL quarterback Corbin is forceful, charming, and accustomed to getting what he wants . . . except where Willow Bradford is concerned. Unable to forget her, he's never stopped regretting what happened between them. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, he's determined to make her give him a second chance.
When a decades-old missing persons case finds Corbin and Willow working together, they're forced to confront their past and who they've become--and whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.

Okay, full disclosure here: I’m a Becky Wade fan. Ever since reading My Stubborn Heart she’s an auto-buy for me, so I was fully expecting to enjoy her latest novel. So it took me by surprise to take a while to engage in Falling For You. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to being extremely beautiful or extremely rich. Maybe it’s because I can’t relate to the culture surrounding NFL players. It took almost a third of the book before I could start to care, then wow, a revelation about Willow’s past that demanded attention, as it’s a topic not often discussed in books released by major US Christian publishers.

I do like that about Becky Wade’s books; they feel real, and she’s not afraid to touch on issues that give a grittier substance to both the character’s faith and subsequently the romance portrayed. This is the second novel in the Bradford sisters series, and we see the interweaving of her sister's stories giving hints as to what those novels may be about. (But I’d love to see her write something that doesn’t involve anyone rich!)

If you enjoy books with clever narrative prose and touches of humour, with characters that ultimately experience relatable challenges, then check out Becky Wade’s contemporary romances. As for me, I can’t wait to see what happens in Britt’s story!

Available at Koorong, Amazon, etc

Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. Together with her husband she has pastored a church for ten years, and worked part-time as a public high school English and Learning and Support teacher. 

A longtime lover of romance, especially that of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer’s Regency era, Carolyn holds a BA in English Literature, and loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency novels include The Elusive Miss Ellison, The Captivating Lady Charlotte, The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey, and Winning Miss Winthrop, all available from Amazon, Book Depository, Koorong, etc

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