A Cowboy at Heart by Lori Copeland and Virginia Smith

A Cowboy at Heart is the third in the Amish of Apple Grove series, also known as Amish-meets-Wild West adventures. The first book, The Heart's Frontier, is about how a group of cowboys meet the Switzer family (Amish). One of the Switzer girls marries a cowboy. In the second installment, A Plain and Simple Heart, another Switzer daughter seeks out a cowboy she had a crush on as a girl. A trip to jail and other humorous happenings land her in love with the sheriff.

From the back cover: 1886—Jesse Montgomery is beginning to feel restless. Though he’s grateful to his friends Colin and Emma for helping him get on his feet again after a few bad choices and some hard living, surely the Lord doesn’t want him to stay in Apple Grove forever. Doesn’t the Almighty have plans for this reformed rowdy cowboy to build a life of his own?

When an unscrupulous cattle baron tries to steal Amish land, Jesse intervenes and is wounded. Lovely Katie Miller, the young healer in the district, attends to him while trying to guard her heart. This sweet Amish widow cannot risk falling in love with an Englisch cowboy, charming though he may be. And yet—she believes God has a life for her too that is more than what she can presently see. Could there be a future with Jesse only He could bring about?

My review: This third installment is the best, I think. Without giving away the story, I will just say that none of the Amish characters chooses to leave the sect. In most Amish fiction, at least one of the characters doubts his or her faith, and often they ultimately leave the Amish life. This story is as much about the cowboy's search for faith as it is about the Amish. There's drama, humor, and danger---all the elements of an entertaining story. In addition, you get an education about Amish attitudes about achieving peace without violence.

I highly recommend A Cowboy at Heart. You can start with this story and work backwards to the others without losing any of the value of the story. Summaries for all three books in this series are on Virginia Smith's site here. I reviewed A Plain and Simple Heart here.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Harvest House with the expectation that I write a review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Songbird under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer

Image Source: http://www.triciagoyer.com/historical-fiction/

Tricia Goyer has written a number of excellent historical fiction books based on the WWII era. This one is set in post-WWII Germany. Betty Lake is a USO singer who's come to sing for the soldiers who are taking part in the post-war occupation.

The USO uses the very opera house in which the great Wagner's operas were performed. Hitler was very enamored of Wagner's work, and he often attended performances. And, here's where the mystery comes in. There's a "phantom of the opera" who has devious designs on the Americans who have defiled Wagner's fine opera house. Someone has sent warnings to the Americans that there is danger.

Betty meets Frank, a supposed photographer, who is also a CIA (or whatever they called it then) agent. He's out to discover what the danger is. Kat, another singer who performs in the USO show, is Betty's roommate, but one night, she disappears. It turns out Betty has been murdered. And the suspense builds from there.

Other reviewers complain that this is a work of Christian fiction and that the book is not "marked as such." I did not find the references to faith at all distracting. Anyone who is familiar with Tricia Goyer's work should know that she writes for the Christian market.

I bought this book at a used book store simply because Goyer was the author. In my opinion, it's not as good as the novels she's written about events that occurred during the the war. Still, its a good read. I give it three out of five stars.

Disclaimer: I have no connection with Tricia Goyer or her publisher.

The Covenant by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis is a prolific author of inspirational fiction.  The first in a series called Abram's Daughters, The Covenant won the ECPA Gold Book Award for 2006.

I don't know what possessed me to choose an Amish inspirational novel---perhaps because it was free on Kindle. Also, I knew that Beverly Lewis was a popular author. Set in Lancaster County, PA, the story is well-written. It is mainly about the adventures of Sadie Ebersol, the oldest daughter of Abram Ebersol, who sneaks around with an Englischer boyfriend. Leah, the next oldest daughter, helps her father with the farm work because there are no sons. She, too, has a love interest, but not the person her father would choose for her.

Like some other reviewers, I had trouble keeping up with the sheer number of characters. Since this book is the first in a series, I'm sure the author felt she had to introduce them all, whether she had time to cover them well or not. Two other sisters are twins, Hannah and Mary. And, there's a new baby sister born to the Ebersols in this first volume, setting the series up for total of five books. I was disappointed that the story ended so abruptly. No "closure" at all. So far, I have not been tempted to read the other books in the series. If it's still free on Kindle, you might enjoy it, so I won't discourage you.

Do take some time to check out all the awards Lewis has won on her website here.

Image source, Baker Publishing Group: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/the-covenant/247036
Disclosure of Material Connection: This book was (and probably still is) free on Kindle at Amazon.com. I was not required to write a review.

The Tehran Initiative by Joel C. Rosenberg

Picking up where The Twelfth Imam left off, The Tehran Initiative is a political thriller about what could happen if Iran gets nuclear weapons. At this point in the story, an Iranian strike seems imminent. They have the nuclear bombs, it's just a question of when they will use them.

David Shirazi, CIA operative, is in a quandry. He's managed to go into Iran undercover and gain the trust of some of the major players in the government. But, he's come back to the US to be with his dying mother. His parents were born in Iran and escaped when the Shah was deposed in 1979. David speaks the language and is now perfectly positioned to locate the Iranians' nukes. He finally tells his father why he has to leave. To his surprise, his father gives his blessing.

So it's back to Iran for David (undercover name Reza Tabrizi) to try to get the location of the nukes so that they can be neutralized. The Iranians believe the time is right to destroy Israel and America because their messiah figure, The Twelfth Imam, has appeared and plans to establish the longed-for Caliphate. But, Jesus is active in the story, too. Iranians who are secret Christians work to give information to the Americans.

It's definitely a thriller, and I recommend it, not because I am a thriller fan. I hope many people will read it because it provides a what if scenario for the Middle East political situation. I probably would never have read this book if I hadn't "bought" The Twelfth Imam free for Kindle. Little did I know that it was the first of a trilogy. David makes progress in The Tehran Initiative, but the reader is left hanging yet again. Fortunately, the third book in the trilogy has recently been released. Check out Damascus Countdown on the author's website.

Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my public library.

Persecuted, the Global Assault on Christians

 Did you know that, every day, somewhere in the world, Christians are shunned, tortured, and killed just for being Christian? It's true. But, why don't we hear about it on the evening news or in our newspapers?

Persecuted is a joint effort by three authors. Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute is an expert on religious freedom, international relations, and radical Islam.  Lela Gilbert contributes to several news publications and is an adjunct fellow at Hudson Institute. Nina Shea, a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute, is an international human rights lawyer.

The authors describe incident after incident where people are abused, ostracized, or killed for their Christian faith. And, they have done their homework, having documented their claims with 62 pages of references and an extensive index. They offer three reasons Christians are persecuted. First, in Communist countries, Christianity is a threat to government control. These governments are called totalitarian because they want total control over the population. Second, in countries where Hinduism or Buddhism are prevalent, Christians are pariahs because they threaten the established social order. And, finally, where Islam flourishes, the Muslims what total dominance.

It's hard for Americans to identify with people who face danger for their faith. For now, at least, we can practice our faith freely. This is a hard book to read. It's full of examples of unspeakable horrors visited on people just for professing Christianity. And, we never see news reports or read articles in the mainstream media about these horrors. And, that is why everyone should read this book. We need to know about it before we can become outraged. And, we usually don't take action until our outrage moves us to action.

Check with your public library. Buy or borrow this book. Help raise awareness about this wherever you can. See the book summary on Thomas Nelson site.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255  : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg

Someone posted on Facebook a few days ago, "The Twelfth Imam is free on Kindle today." So, I clicked over, took a look, and "bought it." I had no idea what I was getting into. As it turns out, this book is the first installment in a trilogy of political thrillers about Iran's race for nuclear weapons and how that dovetails with end-times prophecy. Once I started reading, I was hooked.

David Shirazi is a CIA agent posing as a telecommunications expert selling the services of a German company to the government of Iran. He speaks Farsi because his parents are Persians who escaped Iran during 1979 American embassy hostage crisis. They raised their three children in the U. S. and kept in contact with the couple who helped them get out of Iran. David is enamored of their daughter, but they live too far apart to make a go of it.

Now, David is embroiled in the race to stop Iran from getting nukes. At the same time, the long-awaited "messiah" of the Muslim faith, the twelfth imam, appears to have finally come. The imam encourages the destruction of Israel and the USA to celebrate his arrival. Meanwhile, David earns the trust of the powers that be in Iran and helps to bug their communications. The story ends rather abruptly, probably to pique your interest about what happens in the next book.

Author Rosenberg weaves a compelling tale, including a turning point in the story centering around 9/11. David and his love interest seem to have hopes for a reunion, but he's entangled in his mission. The book ends with Iran setting off an underground nuclear test, which is first mistaken for an earthquake. What will happen to David, his love life, his compatriots in the CIA, Israel, the world?

I think Amazon's marketing strategy for the trilogy worked on me. The theory is, once you read the first one for free, you'll break down and buy the others. I'm waiting to see if I can get the second one, The Tehran Initiative, at my public library. The third, Damascus Countdown, releases March 5, 2013. Learn more about the author on his website.

Note: If you click on the graphic of the book cover, you'll link to Amazon.com where the book is no longer free. If you link from this blog and purchase the book, I will get a small commission. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.

A Higher Call by Adam Makos

Image Source: PenguinGroup.com

Full title is A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos with Larry Alexander, Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin.

This is the story Franz Stigler, a German ace fighter pilot, who, in the skies over Europe on December 20, 1943, chose NOT to shoot down yet another B-17 bomber. He not only spared the bomber, but he also escorted it past the German flak line on the coast. In making that choice, Stigler saved 9 American lives, but he put his own life in danger. If anyone in the German military had seen him do that, he would have been shot, no questions asked.

The damaged bomber barely made it back to England, and all the crew survived except for the tail gunner, who was already dead when they had their encounter with Stigler. American Charles Brown, the bomber pilot, always wondered why Stigler did not take them out.

Stigler didn't know why himself. He said, at first he didn't know what came over him. Later, he'd say it was his sense of honor, chivalry, if you will. The courageous bomber crew was still flying despite incredible damage to the plane, and they had no way to defend themselves. Years later, in the 1990s, Stigler and Brown met in person. They became friends, and Brown made it possible for Stigler to meet the other crew members whose lives he'd saved.

The book may include more detail than you want to know about the early lives of Stigler and Brown. But, looking at the WWII story from the German's point of view helps the reader understand how an honorable person (not a member of the Nazi party) could get caught working for the evil regime that had taken over his country.

It's a great read for aviation and WWII buffs, but I think anyone wanting to know more about the WWII era would enjoy it, too.

Take a look at this video about on YouTube: http://youtu.be/RkVc5o1UXAA.

Image source: http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/CoverImagePopup/0,,9780425252864,00.html

Note: This book was not provided to me by the authors or the publishers