Seeing Voices | Book Review

My Review

This is such a good YA read! I almost instantly empathized with Skylar and her family’s trials. I appreciated the very raw emotions the family was going through, due to Skylar’s accident and injury. And I absolutely loved Cam and his sometimes awkward but honest conversations about God.

I cannot freely recommend this to all YA readers. It is so good for its intended audience, which I would say is more for teens in less-sheltered lives. Yes, it deals with anger, bitterness, rejection of God, and so many good subjects, but it also deals with drugs, meth, alcohol, and teen pregnancy. I thought it was super well done, portraying a very real picture (and in a negative way, not at all condoning it) without going into too many gruesome details in each subject, but teen readers should use discernment whether or not this is a fit for them.

The Christian message in this was very good when it came to a real picture of Who God is and how He doesn’t prevent bad things from happening, but He is still good, loving, and faithful. Skylar and her family are not believers, so the Christian thread was given through Cam. I don’t know if this is a book one of a series. I almost hope so, because it left things very open-ended. A plain salvation message was not presented. Instead, there was a scene where Skylar couldn’t “run away from” God’s love so big. But it was really not clear if this was supposed to be her salvation experience (in which repentance is not mentioned) or just a stepping stone to get her there. That would be the main thing I was disappointed in with this book, just because it wasn’t super clear.

All in all, I am super impressed with Olivia Smit and look forward to reading more from her someday!

*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*

About the Book

Skylar Brady has a for her life—until a car accident changes everything.

Skylar knows exactly what she wants, and getting in a car accident the summer before twelfth grade isn’t supposed to be part of the plan. Although she escapes mostly unharmed, the accident has stolen more than just her hearing from her: she’s also lost the close bond she used to have with her brother.

When her parents decide to take a house-sitting job halfway across the province, it’s just one more thing that isn’t going according to plan. As the summer progresses, Skylar begins to gain confidence in herself, but as she tries to mend her relationship with her brother, she stumbles upon another hidden trauma. Suddenly, she’s keeping as many secrets as she’s struggling to uncover and creating more problems than she could ever hope to solve.

Click here for your copy!

About the Author

Olivia Smit loves baking, visiting small towns, and writing stories that face hard truth with hope and encouragement. Olivia has an Honours Specialization in Creative Writing, English Language, and Literature and lives in Canada with her family. Seeing Voices is her first novel. Learn more at https://oliviasmit.ca/

More from Olivia

Although “Seeing Voices” is not the first book I ever wrote, it is the first one that felt like it held a little piece of my heart. Skylar and her older brother, Mike, popped into my head one afternoon, both coping with the aftermath of a car accident in totally different ways. It took me ages to figure out what kind of story they belonged to, but right from the beginning I knew it would be a story about siblings and families, pain and guilt, and also (perhaps most importantly!) togetherness and love.

In so many ways, “Seeing Voices” was for me, before it was for readers. I wrote the rough draft when I was 18, fresh out of high school and still figuring out a few tricky situations within my own family. As I wrote about Skylar and Mike, I poured a lot of my own confusion and emotion into the pages, trying to make sense of my own feelings of responsibility, frustration, and ultimately, hope. Words from the book still float through my mind when I’m in certain situations, little reminders of lessons I learned once and need to hang onto with both hands.

I prayed my way through the writing process, trying (and failing) to find a story that fit with Skylar and Mike, who felt so much like real people. I prayed through querying, trusting that if God wanted this story out there in the world, He would find it a home … and if He wanted Skylar and Mike to be a story just for me, I would be okay with that, too. In so many ways this process has been a team effort, and I feel convinced that this isn’t my story, after all — it’s God’s, and I’m just doing my part to help tell it.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Olivia is giving away the grand prize package of coasters and a book sleeve!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fa00/seeing-voices-celebration-tour-giveaway

Blog Stops

Remembrancy, May 15

Batya’s Bits, May 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 17

For the Love of Literature, May 18

Older & Smarter?, May 19

Andrea Carmen, May 19

Texas Book-aholic, May 20

Inklings and notions, May 21

Writing from the Heart Land, May 21

For Him and My Family, May 22

deb’s Book Review, May 23

Spoken from the Heart, May 24

Nancy E Wood, May 24

Pause for Tales, May 25

Hallie Reads, May 26

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 27

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 28

With a Joyful Noise, May 28

Happy Birthday, "The Secret Slipper!" - 99 cent sale

How has it been three years? This "middle child" is one of my personal favorites. Cinderella reimagined as a cripple! I learned so much while writing this story and my favorite life passage is reflected in its pages. <3

Today until Friday, it's on sale on Amazon. Please share with a friend who loves fairytales!

Is Your All On Which Altar? | From the Archives

"Is Your All On the Altar?"  is one of my favorite hymns. It is a constant reminder to do a heart-check: What am I holding back? Yet the other day, God brought a new question to light: "Upon which altar are you laying your all?"

King Ahaz (2 Kings 16:10-16) saw the Assyrian's pagan altar and immediately came home and patterned one identical to it. With this new altar, King Ahaz replaced the old altar that had been in the forefront of God's house -- the "old" altar being God's altar. He never stopped sacrificing, he just replaced to whom he was sacrificing.

We might live a life of continual sacrifice, but it does not mean that we are sacrificing on God's altar. We may have built an "altar" of the world, our dreams, or our ambitions. We may even have "good material" for our altar (family, friends, projects, gifts, talents) but instead of sacrificing this "good material" to let God use as He please, we have instead made it the altar upon which we sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 exhorts, 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

To be a "living sacrifice" is a process of killing "self" -- a willingness to change as God chooses to change us and surrendering our "right" to maintain our vision, cause, and purpose to His. It is to place our all (our whole being) upon God's altar and leave the results up to Him.

Perhaps God is calling us to sacrifice something painful or dear to us -- an ambition, a dream, a lifestyle, or even our livelihood. Elisha, when the prophet Elijah anointed him to be prophet, immediately  

...took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. (1 Kings 19:21) 

Just two verses prior, Elisha had been using those very oxen to plow his field. To follow God's call, Elisha did not hesitate to give up his livelihood -- to lay his all on the altar of God. He did not stop to ask "what-ifs." He was willing to change directions as soon as God made it known to him which direction he should change. He gave unhesitant surrender.

Is God's altar in the forefront of our lives, or have we substituted it with another altar? The question is not "are you sacrificing?" but, "are you sacrificing to GOD?"

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart, does the Spirit control?

You can never be blessed, and have peace and sweet rest,

As you yield Him your body and soul.

Elisha A. Hoffman

Previously published on February 27, 2014

Standoff, Patricia Bradley | Book Review

My Review

This was my first time to read Patricia Bradley, and it definitely won’t be my last! I instantly connected with this story, because I’m a Louisiana/Mississippi girl myself, so the Natchez Trace automatically swept me in.

There were several twists and turns I wasn’t expecting (some were heart-wrenching!). Some that I did guess, so it was a balance between the two. And yes, I did know who the “bad guys” were from the first third of the book, but I did still enjoy reading how everything played out. I thought the suspense was solid and well-written and the mystery element was pretty good too.

The Christian content was more in the form of Daisy’s mentorship than the actual two main character’s personal Christian walk. It mentioned Brooke going to church, but Luke didn’t because of dangerous work—which, I’m not faulting it for that. There was a moral lesson, more from Brooke’s side than Luke’s (now that I think of it, I don’t really know of a big “lesson” Luke learned other than not being afraid to settle down). Personally, I felt it was more of a moral read than a Christian read.

The chemistry between Brooke and Luke was great. There was a sort of love triangle going on with Jeremy added as well. Judging it just based on that, it was very well done. However, when my seventeen-year-old sister asked if she could read this, I was hesitant, because it did focus a lot on the physical attractions. There was only one kiss, but it was semi-detailed.

Gripping writing is a definitely 5-star for me.
Christian/romance theme makes it more of a 4-star. So we’ll go with the invisible 4.5 star.

This definitely has me looking forward to the next book in the series!

*I received this book from the publisher and happily provided my honest review*

About the Book
The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it's being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.

John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her. Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who's going to keep him safe when he realizes he's falling--hard--for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

Award-winning author Patricia Bradley introduces you to a new series set in the sultry South that will have you wiping your brow and looking over your shoulder.

Will We Condemn God's Word? | From the Archives

Wilt thou also disannul My judgment? wilt thou condemn Me, that thou mayest be righteous? (Job 40:8)

Why would anyone even try to "condemn God's Word?" Why would they try to make it invalid? What is their purpose?

If a person can claim that God's Word is inapplicable to them, they then have no standard by which to measure their life. If God's Word is not to be trusted, then who can say that sodomy is a sin? Who can say that abortion is wrong? Who can say that premarital relationships are abomination to God? If we can disprove God's Word, then we can make all of these sins appear "righteous."

These are the big topics of sin today, but what about the little sins in our lives? Are there any areas where we are trying to disprove the Bible? Any areas that we try to "explain away" to excuse our behavior ("what this really means is . . .")? It is easy to condemn those who blatantly disannul God's judgments -- but let us do a heart check and "see if there be any wicked way in me."

Previously posted on February 17, 2014

Dark Water | Book Review and Giveaway

My Review

Last summer, I was introduced to the Lantern Beach books and enjoyed the mystery and suspense of them. This one is no different. Christy takes a broken hero and heroine, brings them together, and throws them into a plethora of trouble. Her books are exciting tales. In some ways, they seem to be lighter reads—possibly because she has more of an equal balance between civilian life and the mystery they’re unraveling. But things definitely got more suspenseful in the end.

I would categorize these more as clean reads than Christian reads. I do think in the beginning there was a mention of God and prayer, but there was absolutely none at the climax when the characters were in the throes of trouble.

The romance in this book never went too far, but it was very present. For a non-romantic like me, it was just too frequently mentioned how much they noticed sparks or good looks or such. But, for someone who likes watching romantic chemistry at work, they’d probably enjoy it.


*I received this book from Celebrate Lit and happily provided my honest review*

About the Book

Book:  Dark Water
Author: Christy Barritt
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 28, 2020

A FORMER NAVY SEAL HAUNTED BY HIS PAST

Colton Locke can’t forget the black op that went terribly wrong. Desperate for a new start, he moves to Lantern Beach, North Carolina, and forms Blackout, a private security firm. Despite his hero status, he can’t erase the mistakes he’s made.

A WIDOW WITH SECRETS

For the past year, Elise Oliver hasn’t been able to shake the feeling that there’s more to her husband’s death than she was told. When she finds a hidden box of his personal possessions, more questions—and suspicions—arise. The only person she trusts to help her is her husband’s best friend, Colton Locke.

THE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE

Someone wants Elise dead. Is it because she knows too much? Or is it to keep her from finding the truth? The Blackout team must uncover dark secrets hiding beneath seemingly still waters. But those very secrets might just tear the team apart.


Click here for your copy!

About the  Author

USA Today has called Christy Barritt’s books “scary, funny, passionate, and quirky.”
A Publishers Weekly best-seller, Christy writes both mystery and romantic suspense novels that are clean with underlying messages of faith. Her books have sold more than two million copies, and two are currently being developed as movies.
Christy’s books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery, have been twice nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and have finaled for both a Carol Award and Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year.
She’s married to her prince charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious–but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado.
Christy currently splits her time between the Virginia suburbs and Hatteras Island, North Carolina. She loves spending time with her husband, her two sons, and her four dogs.
For more information, visit her website: www.christybarritt.com.

More from Christy

Dark Water is the fourth series in the Lantern Beach Universe. When I created the fictional island of Lantern Beach, NC, I had no idea how popular it would be. I’ve fallen in love with the people there, and they feel more like friends than fictional characters.

Dark Water is about a group of former Navy SEALs who band together to former an elite private security firm. But they all share secrets, as well as guilt over the death of their SEAL leader. In order to move on, they must find answers.

I introduced Colton Locke in the last book of the Lantern Beach PD series—Plan of Action. I knew he needed his own book and that I wanted to develop his character more. That turned into a four-book series featuring Colton and three of his friends. Blackout contains suspense, mystery, and romance—all of my favorite things!

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, May 1

For Him and My Family, May 1

Reading Is My SuperPower, May 2

Blogging With Carol, May 2

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, May 2

KarenSueHadley, May 3

Read Review Rejoice, May 3

All-of-a-kind Mom, May 4

Genesis 5020, May 4

Through the Fire Blogs, May 4

She Lives To Read, May 5

deb’s Book Review, May 5

Remembrancy, May 6

Britt Reads Fiction, May 6

Emily Yager, May 6

Betti Mace, May 7

Hookmeinabook, May 7

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 8

Splashes of Joy, May 8

Inklings and notions, May 8

Simple Harvest Reads, May 9 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Just Your Average reviews, May 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 10

Pause for Tales, May 10

Because I said so– adventures in parenting, May 10

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 11

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, May 11

Ashley’s Bookshelf, May 12

Spoken from the Heart, May 12

Lights in a Dark World, May 12

Blossoms and Blessings, May 13

CarpeDiem, May 13

With a Joyful Noise, May 14

Live. Love. Read., May 14

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, May 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Christy is giving away the the grand prize package of a signed copy of Dark Water and a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/fa62/dark-water-celebration-tour-giveaway

Days of Discouragement | From the Archives

Why died I not in the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? (Job 3:11)

Those were Job's questions as he felt the pain of everything suddenly taken from him. To his questions, God had answers, but Job could not see the answers. Job did not know that his life and trials would be used to encourage Christians throughout the generations to press on and trust God. God may have never disclosed to Job the reasons for his struggles, but God had amazing answers and His reasons were best.

Later, Job begged, 

Oh that I might have my request; and that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to destroy me; that He would let loose His hand, and cut me off! (Job 6:8-9)

Sometimes in the heat of emotion, we desire of God that which God graciously denies. Had God destroyed Job at this point, Job would not have had the amazing blessing of talking with God while in this flesh, nor would Job have seen the way God turned around his captivity and given him more livestock and ten more children (see Job 42:10-14).

The story of Job reminds me that God knows the absolute best for me while I am caught in the fog of the present. It reminds me that though I may not be able to see how it will all work out, God will work it out for His good.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Previously posted on February 3, 2014

Anyone But Me | Book Review

About the Book

Fear is the primary reason we fail to share the gospel with our friends, family, and coworkers. We're afraid of looking weird or out of touch. We're afraid we won't have the right answers to their questions. We're afraid that if they reject the gospel, they're really rejecting us. We don't want to make things awkward or strain our relationships. So we say nothing because our discomfort feels bigger than our loved ones' ultimate destination if they remain outside of the body of Christ. We know it's not, but it's just so hard to get over our fear.

Apologist Ray Comfort can help. In Anyone but Me, he shows you how to overcome your fears by developing ten critical, biblical characteristics so that you can confidently share the message of salvation with those you care about most. If you've been longing to see a dear friend, family member, or coworker come to Christ, now is the time to begin becoming the faithful witness they need. Because we never know how much more time we will have to proclaim God's good news.

My Review

While I have watched a few of Ray Comfort’s videos, this is the first time I’ve read one of his books. It is a book packed with a lot of Scripture (though he uses quite a few versions) and a lot of examples from his own ministry. It definitely gives a lot of ideas to help Christians know how to witness in different circumstances and is a convicting read.

I almost hate to point out things I find against a book like this, because his gospel message is Biblically sound and I believe his heart is in the right place. However, two little things: he didn’t really encourage team witnessing or church support. But if you read in Acts (or even the Gospels where Jesus sent His disciples out two-by-two), you’ll see that these are very important. There is not solo-Christian work encouraged in the Bible, but Ray Comfort didn’t clearly mention that (I could have missed it). So, if you just take what you read here and apply it to teams, it is a very good book for ideas and encouragement to get into more active witnessing.

*I received this book from the publisher and happily provided my honest review*

Only the Bible | From the Archives

Once you know how to find the words and their root words in a concordance, you can use simply the Bible as a concordance for the Bible. For instance, from the passage above, I can search for the word "sanctification" and I come up with:

If you notice, the root word for "sanctification" is always G-38. Looking up G-38, you will see that underneath the definition is a list of all of the words used from that specific Greek word.

Besides "sanctification," G-38 is also translated as "holiness." Now, look up the word "holiness" and find those with the root word G-38. Here are all of the words that I found with the root G-38 (both "holiness" and "sanctification"):

"I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." (Romans 6:19)

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." (Romans 6:22)

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:" (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

"That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;" (1 Thessalonians 4:4)

"For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." (1 Thessalonians 4:7)

"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:" (2 Thessalonians 2:13)

"Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." (1 Timothy 2:15)

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" (Hebrews 12:14)

"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." (1 Peter 1:2)

Do We Need Other Books?

Is God's Word really enough for the believer, or do we need other books to help us along? While study books can be extremely helpful, I would caution any Christian in using "other books." Persuasive authors can use Scripture out of context and if we are not careful to use the Bible as our "plumb line," we can very easily be swayed to believe something that is not fully truth. Here is what the Bible has to say about itself:

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:6-8) (emphasis added)

Just as God opened the understanding of His disciples to know what His Word says ("Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures," Luke 24:45), God will open our understanding.

As this series concludes, may we apply ourselves to diligently study God's Word in 2014 so that

Jesus will not have to say to us as to the Pharisees, "Did ye never read in the scriptures. . ." (Matthew 21:42) or as to the Sadducees, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." (Matthew 22:29)

Previously posted on January 20, 2014