The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel by Jennifer LeClaire

Much was said about 20 years or so ago in the Christian world about the "Jezebel Spirit." Demons and evil spirits were much discussed and perhaps given a little too much glory. Jennifer LeClaire got some of her early experience with this subject through that movement. She has now experienced much along these lines and refined her take on this subject. As she mentions early in the book, many times forceful women or even just women with poor social skills have been labeled with this Jezebel spirit but this spirit is much more subtle and pervasive than that.

No matter what you choose to call it, this spirit is prevalent in the church world. Much of the mainline Christian denominations have compromised the Word of God by allowing false teachings and doctrines and just watering down and candy-coating the gospel message. "Secret" sins such as pornography and pedophilia are rampant in large sections of the church world. Cults introduce strange doctrine. Churches and ministries in many cases are more interested in their bottom line than maintaining Christian purity. All of these things simply put are idolatry and immorality.

There is much thought provoking material in this book and it is worth reading and taking to heart.

I received a copy of this book from Chosen books for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge

This book was a little out of my usual scope of reading material but I found it very intriguing. Juliet Belleno, a widow, is a blogger and spends most of her time alone with her writing. She runs into her favorite author one day in the grocery store and the rest is a blur. She end up kidnapped and wondering what is happening to her. Meanwhile, her father and her husband's former partner, Chris, start looking for her and find out a whole lot that they didn't know before about how Juliet's husband died. It all builds with increasing suspense until you can't put it down till you find out all the details. You also find some insight into the minds of writers in the process. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone for an exhilarating read.


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Angels in the Fire by Dann Stadler

Angels in the Fire is the story of a couple who survived a horrific car crash and all they experienced in the process. They were visiting family in Florida and heading back to the wife's parents' house at night on a divided highway (6 lanes on their side) when a drunk driver going the wrong way on the freeway hit them head-on at a high rate of speed. By rights they should have been dead but they survived. Tracey (the wife) had an encounter with an angel and with Jesus at the scene. Both had multiple life-threatening injuries and long recoveries. The story of all the miracles God performed in their lives is inspiring. They were not miraculously healed in an instant and they are not free from pain, even to this day, but the ways the Holy Spirit touched them throughout the years following the accident is truly amazing and is well worth the read. I could not put this book down till I finished it.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Another fun book from Karen Witemeyer. Not too long ago I read her previous book, Short-Straw Bride. This book is about the younger brother of the "hero" in the previous book. This book, however, will stand alone. If this is the only one you read you will still have a great read! Joanna's father, a reformed outlaw, kidnaps a preacher for her off the train for her birthday because her dream is to fill the pulpit in their tiny church. The preacher in question is on the way to try out for a position in a neighboring town. His name is Crockett Archer. Not pleased with the turn of events, he eventually gets pulled in to Joanna's dreams anyway and pastors her church. There is the predictable marriage-hungry young lady and her mama to throw a monkey wrench into the works but Crockett and Joanna only have eyes for each other. Just a fun tale. I highly recommend it for some light reading.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock

This book takes place in 1931, with a prologue and epilogue in 1981. The time frame of the book is during Prohibition and the time when all the big names in crime such as Al Capone were on the scene. Eve moves from a high crime area in St. Paul, MN to Mercy, OH where her uncle has a hotel/resort in what she views as a small town / safe area. As it all transpires, she finds out that bootlegging and illegal activity is widespread and not exclusively in the big city. She meets some interesting people and finds out some interesting things about herself as she works in Mercy.


This book was fascinating to me because it is the time frame in which my mother grew up and she would have been close to the same age as Eve. She grew up in rural Oklahoma, but I'm sure a lot of the headlines and news stories were the same.


I love the characters in this book and the way the story flows. I would not have normally chosen a book on this era to read but I found it fascinating and noteworthy and would recommend it to anyone who just enjoys a good story with some surprising twists and turns.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

This story takes place in an Old Order Mennonite community in Tennessee. The story is told in first person by Rachel, the main character in the story and by her old bishop Amos King, now deceased. This was an unusual way to tell a story and some questionable theology involved, but very effective nonetheless. The story was a page turner. I never put it down till I finished it.


This book purports to be a "modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter." Since I don't remember a whole lot about that classic that I had to read at some point in school I didn't have a whole lot to compare here except public attitude, which is, I believe, a big part of The Scarlet Letter.


The characters here are very believable and all have an issue or story of their own which make them very interesting to the reader.


It involves adultery, cancer, twins, young love, loss and a myriad of other situations but surprisingly it all weaves into a very compelling story and does not lead you to the conclusion that the author had an overactive imagination to come up with so much trouble for everybody. I had that experience with another book I read recently but this one did not have that feeling to it at all.


Since the blurb that Amazon offers on this book is very appropriate to the story, I will not give away any plot by embellishing on it. I will just say that this author is one you will want to watch in the future!


I received a copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

This was a fun book that I could not put down. I read right through it. It is about German immigrants that came to the U.S. around 1880 to escape oppression in their homeland. My own ancestors came here around that same time and settled in Ohio. These immigrants settled in Michigan.


The story is about Carl Richards, really the son of the noble family that ruled in the area the immigrants came from in Germany. His father was whose oppression they had escaped. When Carl is falsely accused of attempted murder in Germany, he flees to Michigan at the behest of his manservant whose brother is living in Michigan. The brother is awaiting a relative being sent to marry his widowed daughter and take over her farm. Carl arrives ahead of the prospective groom and helps on the farm while hiding from the law.


The characters were interesting and likable and the book was well researched. I learned a lot about that day and time that was very interesting to me. Even though my ancestors settled in a city rather than on farms, I felt I learned a lot about what their lives may have been like. But more than that, this was just a good story that left me wanting more.


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not receive any compensation for completing the review. All opinions are my own.