Review: Where God Finds You

Where God Finds You
By Anita Higman
Standard Publishing, 2012


Where God Finds You by Anita Higman is a collection of 40 devotions that stands out among all the other devotional material in the market today because of its unique and fresh approach. The vehicle of biblical fiction gives voice to what each character might have felt in his or her situation, followed by Scripture, devotional thought, and questions for personal reflection.


Summary

In forty devotional tales, Where God Finds You breathes new life into ancient Bible characters. Live with and learn about more than forty Bible men and women, including the wife of Pontius Pilate, Esther, John the Baptist, Delilah, Lazarus, and Mary Magdalene. Through reflection on Scripture and prayer, you’ll discover a place in each of these lives of vulnerability, tenderness, truth, and love—a place where you can find God . . . and where God finds you.

Where God Finds You is unique among devotional books in that it brings dozens of men and women of the Bible to life through dramatic short stories, connects biblical truths to today’s culture, and offers readers an opportunity to reflect on what they’ve learned. Each devotion features:

• A dramatic retelling of Scripture that allows the reader to crawl into the pages of the Bible
• A quote or paraphrase of the applicable Bible passage in a reader-friendly version
• A personal reflection from the author to help link the passage to life today
• Prompts for personal reflection or group discussion that lead to practical application


My thoughts

There are a number of excellent devotionals on the market today, but Where God Finds You is different from anything I've seen and is refreshing in its approach, which infuses devotions with first-person biblical fiction.  The reflective questions at the end of each chapter are especially well thought out and will cause some serious soul searching. I had to read this book quicker than I would have liked for review purposes, but I'm eager to go back and work my way through at my own pace.

I couldn't pick a favorite character, but a few stood out to me. One devotion revolves around Leah, when her son gave her mandrake plants and Rachel asked for some of them. Anita focuses on the jealousy aspect, writing that "Resentment is a universally acknowledged sentiment, and it doesn't appear just when two women are fighting for the love of a man." And from the man at the pool of Bethesda devotional: "Ever since the Garden of Eden, people have been overlooking what is eternal for what is temporal."

Anita ends the book perfectly with Simeon, as he was blessed to hold the long-awaited Messiah in his arms. "I lay down and closed my eyes, knowing peace. I could see the Christ child in my mind, growing strong and becoming filled with wisdom. The grace of God was on him wherever he went. And the world, the whole of the world, would never be the same again."

The cover pictures a woman with hands held up in openness and surrender, which makes me think it is being targeted to women, but men would enjoy this devotional as well. In fact, 17 out of the 40 devotional characters are male. This is a devotional that all can relate to, from teens on up. I highly recommend this devotional for personal or group discussion.

 Anita Higman

Visit Anita's website at anitahigman.com to learn more.

This book was provided by BookFun.org in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Ring of Secrets, Part 2

By Roseanna M. White

Ring of Secrets, first book in the Culper Ring series, is a well-written novel that blends fictional characters with real events and real people - such as Benedict Arnold, John Andre, and members of the Culper Ring. Loyalties are divided within families, friends, and neighbors - and the Quaker and Puritan influence is felt, especially through prayers inspired by the devotional book, The Valley of Vision.

Roseanna was gracious in taking the time to answer my questions and I enjoyed visiting with her . . .

Q:  What other books have you published prior to Ring of Secrets?

I have three other books out right now. Two biblical-era love stories, A Stray Drop of Blood and Jewel of Persia, and another early American romance, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland.

Q:  I'm always looking for Christian fiction set during the American Revolution time period. Do you plan to write more novels set during this era?

I actually started researching this era solely because I wanted to set a book in historic Annapolis. In researching Annapolis history, I decided it was most interesting during the six months when it was the nation’s capital, in 1783-84. But as I delved more into the era, I was hooked! After finishing LFY Annapolis I started casting around my brain for another book with a similar time setting, and I hit on the idea for Ring of Secrets. Part of me is sorry my idea for the whole series didn’t stay in the Revolutionary period, but the idea for it turned into a generational tale, so alas.

I’d love to write another Colonial soon though, and have one plotted and ready to pitch to my publisher when my current contracts are getting closer to finished.

 

 

 

 

Q:  When it comes to the Culper Ring and the major players in Ring of Secrets, where does fact end and fiction begin?

This is one of my favorite parts of writing historicals! Nothing more fun than exploring the unknown in history through my fictional characters. In Ring of Secrets, Winter, Ben, Fairchild, and their families are completely made up, but most of the other characters are real historical figures—Robert Townsend, Austin Roe, Benjamin Tallmadge, Hercules Mulligan, Caleb Brewster, and Abraham Woodhull were the real members of the Culper Ring.

Q:  At one point in the book, Winter asks Ben if he is a deist (and I loved his spiritual journey). Was this a common belief at that time?

It was—and Thomas Jefferson is the most famous example of it. Philosophy of the day had combined to create this idea that of course there was a creator God, but why would He bother with the small details of their lives? That was why He had created mankind with reason and logic, to solve problems for themselves. Most deists had a respect for God, but not a faith in Him.

Q:  What do you hope readers will take away from Ring of Secrets?

My deepest prayer is that it will make them stop and ask themselves how they can serve the Lord in whatever place He has put them. Whether they’re a sales clerk, a teacher, a truck driver, a stay-at-home-mom, a fashion model, or a soldier, He has a calling on their lives—and if they listen to His whispers, He can show them how to change their world from wherever they are.

 

Q:  What outstanding books, present day or classics, would you recommend because they inspired you?

Oh, this is always a tough one for me! I love Jane Austen, the Brontes, Shakespeare, all that classic literature. In terms of modern authors, Francine River shaped me immensely as a writer. Laura Frantz writes in this same era and is phenomenal. Stephanie Morrill is a YA author whose stories touch me deep in my heart. Um...goodness, I could on forever, LOL. So many fabulous writers out there!

 

 

To learn more, visit . . .

Roseanna's website at roseannawhite.com
Pinterest board for Ring of Secrets:  http://pinterest.com/roseannamwhite/ring-of-secrets
Roseanna's blog:  http://www.roseannamwhite.blogspot.com
The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett:  http://amzn.to/YxOuJm

 

This book was provided by Harvest House through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Ring of Secrets, Part 1

Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White, first book in the Culper Ring series, is a fascinating blend of fact and fiction set during the Revolutionary War, a tale of love and intrigue. Character depth, interesting narrative, Washington's secret spy ring - all combine to make this a compelling book that I loved.


Summary

1779—Winter Reeves is an aristocratic American Patriot forced to hide her heart amid the British Loyalists of the city of New York. She has learned to keep her ears open so she can pass information on British movements to Robbie Townsend, her childhood friend, and his spy ring. If she’s caught, she will be executed for espionage, but she prays the Lord’s protection will sustain her, and Robbie has taught her the tools of the trade—the wonders of invisible ink, secret drop locations and, most importantly, a good cover.
 
Bennet Lane returns to New York from his Yale professorship with one goal: to find General Washington’s spy hidden among the ranks of the city’s elite. Searching for a wife was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient cover story for his mission, but when he meets Winter, with her too-intelligent eyes in her too-blank face, he finds a mystery that can’t be ignored.
 
Both are determined to prevail at any cost…and each is committed to a separate cause.


My thoughts

Bennet and Winter are two well-drawn, appealing characters, and their romance is fun to watch. Winter is a beautiful lady from a wealthy family who uses her connections in society to gain and pass on military information from the British Loyalists . . . while Bennet's goal is to discover the Patriot spy hidden among New York's aristocracy.
 
Roseanna does a great job infusing wit and humor into these lead characters and their dialogue. Winter uses her position to pose as a brainless and harmless beauty, hiding her intelligence and passion to help behind an empty, bored look, conversational misunderstandings, and shallow chatter. But Bennet, normally awkward around women, sees through her deception at their first meeting: "Not so much as a twitch revealed any thought at all, but he knew well he hadn't imagined it. Winter Reeves was more than the face she showed this crowded ballroom."
 
Two secondary characters stand out - Freeman and Colonel Fairchild - and I hope to see more of them in future books. Freeman is a former slave, tied to Winter's family by "eighteen years of shared circumstances, shared toil, shared fear and loss." The mutual care, protection and friendship they give to each other is a strong theme that I really liked. Colonel Fairchild at first seems no more than a potential love interest who Winter uses to gain information, but an unlikely friendship gradually forms between the colonel and Bennet, and a surprising act toward the end makes him an endearing character - one whose story Roseanna will soon feature in a novella.
 
Roseanna beautifully weaves these fictional characters around the factual Culper Ring, a spy ring organized by General Washington, consisting of ordinary citizens who relayed information regarding movements of British troops through British-controlled New York City. Winter conveys information through methods taught by her childhood friend and real-life member, Robert Townsend - methods involving codes, secret drops, and the use of sympathetic stains (iron salt inks that appear invisible) by writing between the lines of traditional pen and ink messages.
 
Roseanna has done her research well, drawing from books such as Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose. She also draws from a Puritan prayer book called The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett. I bought this beautiful book several years ago when I saw it recommended in Discipleship Journal magazine, and have used it many times in my personal devotions. I highly recommend The Valley of Vision for inspirational reading.
 
The message of this book is summed up in Bennet's words toward the end: "We will pray, and we will trust that when this war is over, friendships need not be determined by the color of our coats."
 
Ring of Secrets is entertaining and informative reading on many levels and I recommend it highly. It has a great surprise ending - and I say surprise because I couldn't figure out how Roseanna would resolve the conflict between Bennet and Winter. While I'm especially drawn to Revolutionary War settings, readers of inspirational fiction in general would enjoy it. The next book, Whispers from the Shadows, will be released in August 2013.

 

 Roseanna M. White

 

 

To learn more about Roseanna and her books, visit . . .

Roseanna's website at roseannawhite.com
Pinterest board for Ring of Secrets at pinterest.com/roseannamwhite
Roseanna's blog at roseannamwhite.blogspot.com

This book was provided by Harvest House through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Accidentally Amish

By Olivia Newport

Accidentally Amish by Olivia Newport is the first novel in the Valley of Choice series.  Inspired by Newport's ancestry and real-life events, this novel interweaves the story of two families:  the Beyeler family, who immigrated from Europe in 1743 to join an Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, and the present-day Beiler family, who settled in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.

Description

With her high-tech career in jeopardy, Annie runs from fast-paced Colorado Springs—and straight into the hospitality of San Luis Valley’s Amish community. There she meets cabinetmaker Rufus Beiler, and the more time she spends with him, the more attracted she becomes. When Annie finds she shares a common ancestor with Rufus, she feels both cultures colliding within her.

My Thoughts

This is the first book I've read by Olivia Newport and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Olivia is a descendant of main character Jakob Beyeler, who fled religious persecution in Switzerland to take advantage of land offered in Pennsylvania by William Penn.  The theme is built around the choices Jakob made and their effect on future generations.  Olivia notes at the end, "As I researched, I became mindful of the power of choice . . . Three hundred years after my ancestors arrived in Pennsylvania, the choices that shape our lives come in updated packaging, but they are essentially the same."

This story is both contemporary and historical, successfully blending the storylines of Rufus Beiler and Annie in a modern Colorado Amish community with their ancestor, Jakob Beyeler as he homesteads in Pennsylvania.  And it is different from most Amish fiction that I've read, in that the element of choice plays such a big part.  Left with five children to raise after the death of his wife, Jakob chooses to marry an "English" woman, which creates religious conflict within the family.  When a friend tries to reason with Jakob, he responds, "If I were to wed a woman like Elizabeth Kallen and give my children a mother in the middle of the wilderness, might I be answering a higher calling than the call to join the church?"

Olivia does a good job of picturing a characteristic of the Amish that I admire, that of meeting the needs of both family and community.  In the words of Rufus, "For us, the community comes first.  If electricity or a phone carries us away from community, it also carries us away from God."  And later, in a scene where neighbors are repairing Rufus's handmade furniture after it was vandalized, Rufus explains:  "This is our way.  When one suffers, we all suffer.  It's better together than alone.  That is the body of Christ."

The story ends with Annie being drawn to the Amish faith, saying to Rufus:  "I want the faith I see in you.  I want to understand what you value, how you make choices that bring meaning to your life."  Does the idea that Annie - a successful, wealthy businesswoman - would consider giving up her career and lifestyle to become Amish seem realistic?  Maybe not, but Olivia created characters and a story that I want to come back to.  Although Accidentally Amish comes to a satisfactory conclusion, several storylines will obviously be continued in the next book.  I recommend this book to all who enjoy inspirational fiction.

For more information on Olivia Newport and her books, visit her website at http://www.olivianewport.com/

This book was provided by Barbour Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.