christian fiction

Book Review: Burning Beauty

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Burning Beauty by Temple Bailey

Burning Beauty
by Temple Bailey

4.5 out of 5 stars

Virginia is overshadowed by her selfish brother Rickey, who is convinced that he has the genius to write a bestselling book. He potentially sells the manuscript to a famous editor, Michael McMillan, who is smitten with the lovely Virginia. But Virginia is also being wooed by rich Anthony, who impresses her with his fancy country estate. Virginia must choose if she will marry for money or for love, but her brother’s selfish concerns take precedence and Virginia runs away from both her suitors in order to take care of Rickey.
Rickey is obsessed with a wealthy socialite called Marty that he dubs his “silver witch”. She is his muse for a new book, but she is just toying with him. He barely notices the sweet Mary Lee who truly loves him.

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Book Review: DragonFire

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DragonFire by Donita K. Paul

DragonFire (DragonKeeper Chronicles, #4)
by Donita K. Paul (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

In this fourth book of the series, Kale and Bardon have been married for three years, but they are forced to go on separate quests and they do not like being apart for such a length of time. Kale goes with her father to recruit as many dragons as they can, to fight in the war against the evil wizards. Bardon is sent to shore up the defenses along the coast against an attack of monstrous octopi. They will both be tested beyond their endurance in the midst of this war, but they trust in God to keep them safe and bring them together again.

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Book Review: Paul Faber, Surgeon

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Paul Faber, Surgeon by George MacDonald

Paul Faber, Surgeon
by George MacDonald

4 out of 5 stars

Paul Faber is an atheist, but still remains friends with Thomas Wingfold, the curate. The two have lively discussions about God and Christianity, but Paul still continues to deny the existence of God even though he respects Thomas as a person. Paul is called to the bedside of a young woman and, with his skill as a doctor, brings her back from the edge of death. Juliet is a lukewarm Christian at best, and she soon comes to think that Paul might have the truth on his side. Their romance is shadowed by secrets from their past. They try to create a perfect dream of love and happiness together, but they don’t trust each other with their darkest secrets until they begin to seek healing from Christ.
Juliet befriends Dorothy, the daughter of a local minister who has fallen into poverty and begins to doubt his faith when he feels that God has forsaken him. Dorothy also has her doubts about Christianity and feels miserable until she can find her faith again as she sees how God is working in her father’s life.

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Book Review: DragonKnight

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DragonKnight by Donita K. Paul

DragonKnight (DragonKeeper Chronicles, #3)
by  Donita K. Paul (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

In this third book of the series, the story picks up three years after the previous book. Although, Kale joins the story later on, we mostly follow Kale’s friend Bardon, as he tries to make a decision about whether he wants to become a knight of Paladin. He is sent on a sabbatical to ponder his decision, but is swept up in a quest to assist an old granny to find her missing son, a knight who has been cursed with a sleeping spell.

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Book Review: Prisoners of Thornbrill

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Prisoners of Thornbrill by Hannah Pennington

Prisoners of Thornbrill (The Tindoria Chronicles, #1)
by Hannah Pennington (Goodreads Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars
Melanie and her brother Jason discover a dragon egg while camping near the Grand Canyon. They hide the little dragon and name him Scalaed. The dragon grows up and leads Melanie and Jason into another world. There they are captured by an evil huntress and imprisoned in her dark fortress. The huntress is using dark magic to create an army of dragons, and she wants Scalaed for a special purpose.

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Book Review: Quest of the Dragon’s Princess

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Quest of the Dragon's Princess by Lee Watts Th.D.

Quest of the Dragon’s Princess
by Lee Watts Th.D.

5 out of 5 stars

Princess Samantha is searching for true love, and she seems to have found it with Prince David, until he humiliates her at the grand ball. The heartbroken princess decides to take matters into her own hands, and she sets off on a quest through a magic portal to find true love, expecting that somehow she will find her way back to Prince David. When Prince David discovers that she is gone, he sends his best knight, Sir Zachary, to bring her back. But he’s not the only one searching for the missing princess. The royal family has their own dragon, Hubert Firetongue the Incomparable. The dragon teams up with Sir Zachary and they follow Samantha through the magic portal. But when they arrive on the other side of the portal, she is nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to any of them, they are all being pursued by a murderous dark knight.

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Book Review: The Man Born to be King

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The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers

The Man Born to Be King: A Play-Cycle on the Life of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
by Dorothy L. Sayers

5 out of 5 stars

This collection of radio plays follows the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It tells the history of Christ from the perspective of the ordinary people around Him. The Three Wise Kings visit Bethlehem, John the Baptist preaches in the wilderness, and the twelve disciples are called to follow Jesus. Christ begins his ministry, performing miracles and healing people. Gradually Judas Iscariot is tempted into betraying Jesus. Caiaphas and Pilate and King Herod all try to manipulate the political situation at Jesus’ trial, ending with His crucifixion. The women find His tomb empty on the third day and Jesus visits his disciples after His resurrection.

These plays really capture the completely extraordinary experience of meeting God Himself in human form and shows how ordinary people were drawn to Christ. It’s really interesting to imagine more details around the actual history in the Bible. Some of the dialogue is straight from Scripture, and some of it is imagined or paraphrased.

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Book Review: The Girl from Montana

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The Girl from Montana by Grace Livingston Hill

The Girl from Montana
by Grace Livingston Hill

3.5 stars
After her parents and her brother die, Elizabeth is all alone in their remote cabin. A group of rowdy men threaten her, and Elizabeth flees in the night. She rides her horse across country, worried that the men might pursue her. She encounters a fellow traveler, a man who is lost, and they ride together for a few days. They form a tentative friendship, but are separated once they reach civilization again. Elizabeth travels on her own, searching for her relatives back East, and hoping to find her friend once again.

This is such a sweet and wholesome story! I actually cried a couple of times because Elizabeth is so incredibly brave and good. She suffers terribly, but manages to keep her heart pure. It was really inspirational to read about how she doesn’t let the everyday ugliness of life tear her down or make her bitter.

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Book Review: FootNail: Genesis Awakens

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Footnail by Howard Haugom

Footnail: Genesis Awakens
by  Howard Haugom, Akorede Adekoya, Ken Steacy (Illustrator)

2 out of 5 stars

Genesis returns home from college when her grandfather dies, and discovers that he left behind an ancient relic of great mystical power: one of the nails from the cross of Christ. Genesis must protect the relic from the powers of darkness and discover the strength of her own faith.

I really liked that this book uses a lot of quotes from the Bible, and has a clear message of faith in Christ. I always think it’s a very interesting premise that the nails from the cross could be imbued with power. It’s a cool mixture of fantasy and history!

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Book Review: Promises and Prophecies

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War of the Realms by Lee Watts, Th. D.

War of the Realms: Promises & Prophecies
by Lee Watts, Th. D.
3.5 stars
SYNOPSIS: Alexander is fighting a massive war against the Ramillie. With enemies on every side, he is desperate to make some allies. He gambles everything on one last surprise attack that could mean the end of the war.
Sosimo Larouche, the pirate captain, is closer than ever to finding the lost treasure of the famed Vault Keeper. With his first mate, Mei, he makes a daring plan to steal the final clue, a massive gem.
The angelic guardian, Merrick, tries to undo his mistakes from centuries before. He races against time to stop demonic forces from entering the world.

All the characters and their story lines from the first two books come together in this final epic book in the trilogy. The entire fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance, and each soul must decide whether they will accept the forgiveness and grace of God, or side with the evil forces.

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