Faith driven compelling love story

In Calming the Storm, author Melanie D. Snitker weaves a poignant tale of love, resilience, and faith. The story centers on Rachel Peters, a determined young woman whose difficult start growing up in the foster care system has finally given way to a semblance of stability. Just as she begins to build her life, a devastating accident takes her sister and leaves her with the overwhelming responsibility of caring for her young niece, Kendra.

 

Faced with the dual challenges of financial strain and emotional turmoil, Rachel struggles to provide for Kendra while contending with the real threat of losing custody. She trusts no one. Desperate to keep her niece, her only living family, Rachel considers drastic measures until Brandon Barlow, a compassionate former college professor, steps in with an unconventional solution.

Brandon, who has admired Rachel from a distance, is moved by her plight and proposes his proposition to secure her and Kendra’s futures. His offer involves marrying Rachel to ensure Kendra's custody, then annul the marriage once the legal issues are resolved. Yet, as Brandon becomes more involved in their lives, he falls in love with Rachel, complicating their pragmatic arrangement.

The novel’s gentle pace draws readers into a comforting world where personal growth and love take center stage. Characters are vividly portrayed. Their flaws and strengths make them both relatable and endearing. Rachel’s journey, marked by her troubled past and her struggle to create a stable future for Kendra, is depicted with a depth that evokes empathy and admiration. Brandon’s gradual romance with Rachel is portrayed with patience and authenticity, allowing their relationship to develop naturally amid the challenges.

Snitker’s faith-driven narrative is a central theme reflecting the belief that divine guidance and support are ever-present, even during life’s storms. This message of enduring faith offers solace and encouragement that resonates throughout the plot. I recommend this book to readers who appreciate clean faith-based romance.

Calming the Storm is a heartwarming exploration of love’s transformative power and the vital role of faith in challenging times. Its deliberate pacing adds to the story’s charm, providing a soothing and immersive reading experience. I thought the storytelling could use a little more showing and less telling but for those who appreciate a romance with emotional depth and a message of unwavering support, this thoughtful novel is a compelling and moving read. I’m happy to give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Unpredictable, emotional historical fiction anchored in faith hope and love

Nellie’s Gold is an inspirational coming-of-age story that follows tomboy Nellie Ward from childhood to adulthood as the youngest child of four. Author Danie Marie’s captivating storytelling, gives the reader a fly-on the wall experience back to the late 1940s, into the 1950s, in historic Folsom, California, where red-haired, freckle-faced Nellie Ward loves to read books while sitting in her favorite tree near the river. But homelife for this Ward family is not picture perfect like the Leave It to Beaver Ward family of 1950s Americana TV. In this Ward home, Nellie shares a room with her three older brothers, with only a linen curtain hanging between them for privacy. Her Papa is an abusive drunk and her mother is a Christian woman who prays for them all while making home life the best she can.

 

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Book review: Nellie's Gold

Danie Marie’s fly-on-the-wall writing style lets you feel what the characters feel, and her flawed, but lovable characters are easy to care about. The plot read like real life drama. An unpredictable emotional roller coaster, sometimes surprising, other times disappointing and even heartbreaking. It draws you in with the small things that seem big to a kid, as well as life-changing heartaches and loss that changes the course of life. This is a moving story anchored in faith, hope, and love. I highly recommend Nellie’s Gold to those who enjoy Christian fiction, inspirational fiction, those praying for loved ones struggling with alcoholism or abuse, and for baby boomers who enjoy reading about the good old days even though everything wasn’t always good. I’m happy to give this easy read 5 stars.

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As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book from BookTasters and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Captivating Christian fantasy for all ages

The Seventh Dimension: The Door by Lorilyn Roberts is book one in a Young Adult Christian fantasy series of four. This imaginative story portrays a strong female protagonist in Shale Snyder, a young teen struggling with guilt, unforgiveness, abandonment, and being bullied. She does her best to deal with her circumstances and negative feelings on her own, but when overwhelmed she runs off and follows a dog she has befriended into the woods. An accident leads through a portal that transports her to the city of Jerusalem at the time of Christ.

About the book: The Seventh Dimension: The Door

While Shale navigates life in ancient Jerusalem the author weaves in threads that haunt her from the life she left behind, including the burden of a secret guilt. Some characters she meets look like people from her own time, including her absentee father and a boy who is her nemesis. She also meets a boy she doesn’t know and learns he too is from the future. Life in the ancient past has its own issues, including a wicked stepmother, shadowy underlings, and bothersome Worldly Crow. 

She also has a new ability that allows her to hear animals talk, but the one person who really intrigues her is a mysterious man her animal friends refer to as the King.

Book Review: Seventh Dimension: The Door

The Seventh Dimension is a magical story with a biblical message of new life, forgiveness, and love. It introduces the message of the King through biblical characters, the witnessing of miracles, and the message of the New Testament. I especially enjoyed Shale’s realistic transformation from unbelief to belief. 

This is the first book I’ve read from Lorilyn Roberts and hope to finish the rest of this series. I think fans of Christian fantasy like the Chronicles of Narnia will enjoy this story of redemption. And while this book is categorized as Young Adult, I think this captivating story will be loved by young and old, and am happy to give it 4 stars.

About the author: Lorilyn Roberts

Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian author of fourteen books, including the award-winning YA Seventh Dimension Series.

Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama in 1991. Her studies included spending two weeks in Israel at the start of the Gulf War and touring England, Australia, New Zealand, and several countries in Europe. She later attended the Institute of Children's Literature and earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Perelandra College.

Lorilyn has rescued many orphaned dogs and cats, and when she isn’t writing books, she provides broadcast captioning for television. In her spare time, Lorilyn is a ham radio operator. KO4LBS.