Satisfaction Guaranteed by Jonathan Berry with Rob Wood

  Convinced that real satisfaction can be found only in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the author aims to encourage, inspire and equip all who struggle with same-sex temptations to resist, but 'make him their greatest treasure and live life to the full'. He invites us to dig deep and discover great truths about our awesome God and his plans and purposes for our lives, for only then can we live bravely, boldly and counter-culturally. He writes candidly, humbly and sensitively, with fellow strugglers in mind, but also their friends, families and the church leaders who support them, interweaving deeply personal stories from real life. God is good. He can be trusted even in the most painful situation. The surprising paradox is that it is the narrow road that leads to the abundant life promised by Jesus.

My review:

    Satisfaction Guaranteed was written by a man in his 40's with some help from a man in his 20's, both of whom are single and deal with same-sex attraction. The idea and goal of the book is to show how Christians who are attracted to the same sex can live a life in Christ that isn't sad and lonely. I have read a lot of books on the issue of same-sex attraction, but these guys have written one that is not only different from the other books out there, but may be one of the best books on this subject that I have read.

  The authors are honest about where they came from and where they are now. They make no promises that could give false hope. I felt they handled the issue of marriage very well, showing that it isn't what we should strive for, and it may not give the fulfillment and departure from loneliness that so many think they will find in marriage. They don't discount marriage, but show the benefits of being single and how it can truly be a gift.

  I found the book an interesting, encouraging, and helpful read. I believe the authors did what they set out to do: show that fulfillment and satisfaction can be found as a single person dealing with SSA, and that it comes from a life completely surrendered to Christ.

About the authors:

Jonathan Berry:

I came to faith in Christ aged 24 after walking into a church one Sunday morning ‘looking for God’. After becoming a Christian, the Holy Spirit convicted me through the Word of God to end a long-term same-sex relationship. This was my first major act of repentance. For the last 24 years, I’ve been learning how to live an unmarried, celibate life out of love for and obedience to the Lord Jesus. There are times when I’ve given into sexual temptations as a Christian. But on each occasion God’s mercy and loving, fatherly discipline has led me to repentance and back onto the narrow path that leads to life.

Having served as a pastor in a London church for ten years, I was appointed as Director of True Freedom Trust (TFT) in 2009. TFT is a Christian ministry that provides biblical teaching and pastoral support for Christians struggling with same-sex temptations, along with their families, friends and church leaders. I have overall responsibility for the teaching and pastoral aspects of the work and speak widely on these issues at churches, Bible colleges and conferences.

In my free time I usually enjoy walking, travelling, learning languages and am also a keen (and often disappointed!) supporter of Arsenal Football Club. Recently, I’ve invested much of my spare time in writing a book called ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’, published by IVP on 19 May 2016.

Rob Wood: 

I first heard and responded to the gospel around the age of 10 in a church that was a former sweet shop. This may go some way to explaining my love of jelly babies! Now aged 25, my faith in Christ has grown through an ongoing battle against same-sex temptations, which I experienced from an early age. I did have one brief same-sex relationship, but was unable to reconcile this with my faith and am now fully committed to celibacy.

I’m self-employed as an internet marketing consultant (in simple terms I help companies to rank well on Google) and I also work part-time for True Freedom Trust as a Teaching and Pastoral Assistant. My real passion is reading, preaching and teaching God’s word. In addition to my speaking commitments with TFT, I occasionally preach at my local church.

In my spare time over recent months, I’ve been helping to write the book ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed.’ I’m also an avid supporter of Manchester United.


Check out their website at SatisfiedinChrist.com

Missing by Lisa Harris

Nikki Boyd Enters the Deadly World of Counterfeit Drugs to Find a Missing Woman 

Nikki Boyd isn't usually called in on homicides; her forte is missing persons. But when a case with two murdered and two missing pops up on a quiet suburban street, she's ready to start the investigation and find missing homeowners Mac and Lucy Hudson. When the first clues lead her to the boat of her friend Tyler Grant--and another dead body--Nikki must untangle what ties Tyler to the Hudsons. The clues pull her into a deadly maze of counterfeit drugs and a killer who will stop at nothing to silence anyone who threatens his business--including Nikki. 

Christy Award-winning and bestselling author Lisa Harris puts readers right into the action in this fast-paced thriller that will have them turning pages long into the night.

My review:

   This is the second book in the Nikki Boyd Files Series, and I found it to be even better than the first one, which I really enjoyed.

  Missing launches right into the crime to be solved on the first page, and then it is non stop suspense and excitement. The book brings back the main characters of the previous book with the main character's romantic interest having a connection to the crime.

 At the center of the crime to be solved is counterfeit prescription drugs, which is evidently a bigger deal and more prevalent than I had imagined. Some suspense novels can be a bit predictable, but this one had me guessing the whole book as to what was going on. There was something I was hoping would happen in the book that actually did happen - I won't say what, but it involves romance.....

  I did read this book in one evening. It was an easy and exciting read that I didn't want to put down until I finished it, so I didn't put it down until I reached the very satisfying end. I highly recommend it and the book it follows. Vendetta.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Award-winning author of nineteen novels and novellas, Lisa Harris lives with her husband and their three children in Mozambique, Africa, where they work as missionaries.

When she’s not busy writing or home schooling, she loves traveling, cooking different ethnic foods, and photographing animals and birds in the African bush. Visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com and her blog at
www.myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot


Missing and Vendetta are available from Revell, part of the Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell for the review copy.

Code 13 by Don Brown

THE U.S. NAVY’S BILLION-DOLLAR CONTRACT FOR THE SALE OF DRONES LANDS TWO NAVY JAG OFFICERS IN THE GUN SIGHTS OF A KILLER.


 Caroline is just getting her feet wet at the prestigious Code 13, but is thankful for at least one familiar face—her old flame, P.J. MacDonald. He loops her into the assignment he is currently working on—the legality of a proposed drone-sharing contract with Homeland Security that would allow the sale of drones for domestic surveillance. The contractor wants a legal opinion clearing the contract for congressional approval. But the mob wants the proposal dead-on-arrival.

When P.J. is gunned down in cold blood and a second JAG officer is killed, one thing becomes clear: whoever is ordered to write the legal opinion on the drones becomes a target. Which is exactly why Caroline goes to her commanding officer and volunteers to write the legal opinion herself. She is determined to avenge P.J.’s death and trap the killer, even if that means making herself a target.

It is a deadly game of Russian roulette for the sake of justice, but Caroline is determined to see it through, even if it costs her life.

My review:

   Don Brown is one of my favorite authors, and I have enjoyed his fictional naval novels. It took me a while to get into this one though (probably just me). I read a few chapters and let the book sit for a few weeks before I picked it up. However, once I got back into it, it picked up and I got pulled into the story that soon had non-stop action, drama, and suspense. I should have read the back cover a little better so I wouldn't have gotten too attached to one certain character, so I was bummed out about that part.

  Brown does a great job go showing what most likely goes on behind the scenes when a bill is coming up before Congress with the special interest groups, threats, blackmail, deals, and more. Although the people and situations were fictional, it is a bit disconcerting to realize some of that stuff actually goes on behind the scenes.

  I also learned more about the 4th amendment and privacy laws, and how different things affect that amendment and freedom. Brown wrote in such a way that left me wavering between the issue at hand in the book: drones used by the government.

  I liked the characters in the book, and there were a couple of surprises about them that I did not see coming. Once I got into the book, I didn't want to put it down, and finished it in my car before work this morning. It was a great and entertaining read, and educational in addition.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Don Brown is the author of Thunder in the Morning Calm, The Malacca Conspiracy, The Navy Justice Series, and The Black Sea Affair, a submarine thriller that predicted the 2008 shooting war between Russia and Georgia. Don served five years in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, which gave him an exceptional vantage point into both the Navy and the inner workings "inside-the-beltway" as an action officer assigned to the Pentagon. He left active duty in 1992 to pursue private practice, but remained on inactive status through 1999, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He and his family live in North Carolina, where he pursues his passion for penning novels about the Navy. www.donbrownbooks.com  Facebook: Don-Brown

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Carol McD. Wallace

As one of the bestselling stories of all time, Lew Wallace's "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" has captivated and enthralled millions around the world--both in print and on the big screen. Now Lew's great-great-granddaughter has taken the old-fashioned prose of this classic novel and breathed new life into it for today's audience.Coming to theaters in August 2016 as "Ben-Hur," a major motion picture from MGM and Paramount studios, the story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend Messala betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path.Rediscover the intrigue, romance, and tragedy in this thrilling adventure.Also included: the inspiring story-behind-the-story of Lew Wallace--Indiana lawyer, author, and Civil War general. 



My review:

   The author attempted to put her great, great grandfather's novel in more modern language and make it more interesting for today's readers. I have never read the original to know what it was like, but I have read the movie and it seems to stick to it pretty well.

  Since I never read the first book, I shall treat this as a new book I have never read, instead of an updated version of the book.

   The book is set in the time of Jesus and centers around a young Israelite prince wrongly accused of attempted murder and betrayed by his best friend. It follows his imprisonment and life afterwards with his path crossing the path of Jesus several times. It was indeed an interesting and easy read, and was a book I didn't want to put down, but had to several times. The author brought the book to life in such a way that it was easy to picture the scenes in my mind.

 My one complaint is the author skipped over the resurrection and Judah coming to believe in Christ, though they were referenced later in the book. I liked the whole plot, setting, and characters. One part of the book that stood out was the famed chariot race. The author did a tremendous job of describing that in (I think) more pages than the original book spent on the race.

  The book contains some photos from the movie, along with a mini biography about the original author.

This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Carol Wallace, co-author of "To Marry an English Lord," has written 21 books, including most recently her historical novel "Leaving Van Gogh." Previous titles have included humor, parenting, and social history. In 2006 Wallace received a M.A. in art history from Columbia University. The research for her M.A. thesis provided the foundation for "Leaving van Gogh." A 1977 graduate of Princeton University, Wallace lives in New York.

Check out her website.


   Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is available from Tyndale House Publishing.

Thanks to Tyndale for the review copy.

Murder Mezzo Forte by Donn Taylor

He is a reclusive history professor with musical hallucinations, she a headstrong professor of religion, a converted Wiccan. Earlier, they solved a campus murder, but now police say they formed two-thirds of an illicit love triangle with a newly-murdered female colleague and they're probably guilty of her murder. A leak of the alleged scandal to the college administration threatens their jobs. Their desperate attempt to prove themselves innocent of the triangle and the murder plunges them into a tangle of unsavory corporate relationships among college trustees. And it puts their lives in danger from a mysterious criminal organization that seems to have tentacles everywhere. 

Can this ill-matched pair's stumbling efforts succeed against the entrenched forces of the police, the college's incompetent administration, and that powerful but unseen criminal organization? If not, they may end up unemployed, in prison, or suffering a fate much worse . . .

My review:

  I had never read anything by this author, but it sounded good and right up my mystery/suspense loving alley. It is a sequel, but I don't feel like I would have had to read the first book to know what was going on, as it made enough references that I was able to pick up a good idea what happened in book one.

   The book doesn't take long to launch into the murder and mystery, and pulled me into the story very quickly. I found myself liking the main characters a lot, and love the writing style of Donn Taylor. I found myself chuckling or laughing out loud several times at his descriptions of people and the antics of his main character. The plot was well done, and was difficult enough that I wasn't sure what was going on, yet easy enough to keep up with.

 My one complaint about the book: the main character hears music in his head all of the time, changing styles, songs, and instruments depending on who he is around or what is going on. I found the constant updates on what music he was hearing annoying and distracting. Other than that, I very much enjoyed the book and am looking to read more of  the author's books, especially his military ones.

  This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

About the author:

Donn Taylor is a novelist and poet of varied career. He led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he earned a PhD in English literature (Renaissance) and for eighteen years taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His fiction includes a light-hearted mystery, Rhapsody in Red, a historical, Lightning on a Quiet Night (a finalist for the Selah Awards), and two suspense novels, Deadly Addictive and The Lazarus File. He has also published a book of poetry, Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond. He is a frequent speaker at writers' groups and conferences. He lives near Houston, TX, where he continues to write fiction and poetry, as well as essays on writing, ethical issues, and U.S. foreign policy.


Thanks to Litfuse for the review copy.

Lethal Harvest by William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn

In order to save the president's life, a brilliant embryologist-- the president's nephew made a "devil's bargain" with a secret group of federal agents. But Tim Sullivan's illegal genetic manipulations of human embryos place everyone he knows at risk. Before he can finish his work, a freakish accident kills him and leaves only troubling questions behind.

Now his partner, Ben McKay, and Tim's widow, Marnie, must uncover the hidden truth about Tim's research before more lives are swept away. In the process, they're forced to face their feelings for each other and the dark secrets in their own pasts. This story of love, loss, and danger crosses international borders from Mexico to the former Soviet Union in order to answer one searing question: if Tim's research is completed, what form will the strange and dangerous harvest take?

Ambition, jealousy, and the ultimate meaning of love move this riveting story through the dark labyrinth that may lie buried under breakthroughs in genetic research and cloning. 

My review:
  I didn't realize when I requested this book that I had read it before. Had I known that, I would still have requested it. This is an updated version of the book, and it had been so long since I had read the original back in 2000 that I had forgotten everything. It was like reading it for the first time.

  This was a great book. My favorite genre' is mystery/suspense. and this book had plenty of it coupled with medical drama. I didn't always understand the terminology of some of the procedures discussed among the main characters, but most of it was easy enough to understand that I was able to still enjoy the book.

  I found the main characters very likable - well, most of them. Ben, combination doctor and chaplain; though fictional, made me want to be a better man and Christian just reading about him.

 I felt the authors did a great job of exploring the ethics and morality of different procedures using embryos and other medical issues in the story. The authors were also unafraid to address topics of salvation and eternity.

  When I started reading the book, I intended to read just part of it. However, I got into the book that I kept reading until it was done. This is a very enjoyable and suspenseful read that left me wanting to read the other books in the series.

This book was given to me in exchange for my honest review.

About the authors:

William R. Cutrer, M.D., wss an OB/GYN and an ordained minister. He was the Gheens Professor of Christian Ministry and the director of the Gheens Center for Marriage and Family at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He served as the medical director at A Woman's Choice Pregnancy Resource Center. He is the author of Choice Today: A Pregnancy Resource and Under the Fig Leaves, and coauthor of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage and The Infertility Companion. He has also coauthored the novels Lethal Harvest, Deadly Cure, and False Positive. He passed away in July of 2013.

Sandra Glahn (PhD, UT Dallas) teaches at Dallas Theological Seminary, her alma mater. She is the author or coauthor of more than twenty books, including the CBA bestseller and Christy Award finalist, Lethal Harvest, and the Coffee Cup Bible Study series. Her most recent book is The City of Ephesus: A Short History.

Tyndale Rewards.....my free stuff

  I did a blog post a while back about Tyndale Rewards - particulars in that blog post. Since posting it, I not only got enough points to get a Bible I wanted just in time to take on vacation early last month, but today I received the dramatized audio CDs of Oliver Twist. I highly recommend this program, it is well worth it. Click here to sign up and get 20 points to start.