MommySecrets

Being a mom is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it has brought me so much joy! I want to encourage other moms on their journey, I'll share motherhood tricks, spotlight tips I've learned from friends, and I hope you will share your ideas. I will focus on secrets that help families stay balanced, healthy, frugal, creative, and closely knit. I will also share favorite fiction and nonfiction books that I have enjoyed. Many blessings to you on your mothering journey!

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Christian Fiction by Mike Dellosso

Kill Devil (Jed Patrick)
I just read Kill Devil by Mike Delosso, a new fiction author for me.  This was the 2nd book in his Jed Patrick series, but I was able to read it as a stand alone book without reading book #1.

It was a good suspense and adventure novel that reminded me of the Bourne books/movies.  But it also has messages of faith woven throughout the book, primarily in conversations/reflections with Patrick's young daughter.  The reminders of God's presence and comfort through trials is a message we all need to hear!  But there are also disturbing scenes of psychological torture and hearing voices.  I enjoyed most of the book, but could have done without some of the more disturbing elements.

From the publisher: "Jed Patrick is convinced he’s doing all it takes to keep his family safe―new names, new location, new identity. But just when he thinks he finally has his life back, trained men claiming to be CIA agents break in and threaten his wife and daughter, proving once and for all his family will never truly be safe until he eliminates the agency dead set on hunting him down. Not knowing if Karen and Lilly are better off by his side or in hiding, Jed is determined to protect them while finding a way to use the classified information that he possesses to dismantle the Centralia Project. But he soon learns that eliminating Centralia may require compromising his own values. As danger escalates, Jed isn’t sure whether there’s anyone or anything he can trust―including his own senses."

I would recommend this book to male and female readers age 15 or older.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Delilah - a fictional account by Angela Hunt



This is another book that's hard to put down.  It's a fictional account of the biblical narrative of Samson and Delilah.  Told from the perspective of both main characters, the reader gets to peek into the culture and life of Bible times.

From the publisher:  "Life is not easy in Philistia, especially not for a woman and child alone. When beautiful, wounded Delilah finds herself begging for food to survive, she resolves that she will find a way to defeat all the men who have taken advantage of her. She will overcome the roadblocks life has set before her, and she will find riches and victory for herself. When she meets a legendary man called Samson, she senses that in him lies the means for her victory. By winning, seducing, and betraying the hero of the Hebrews, she will attain a position of national prominence. After all, she is beautiful, she is charming, and she is smart. No man, not even a supernaturally gifted strongman, can best her in a war of wits."

Hunt is a very good author.  Her storylines are interesting and easy to follow.  Themes throughout the book remind the reader of God's providence, God's protection, God's faithfulness, God's calling for our lives, God's forgiveness, and God's presence.

I would recommend this book to readers over age 16, because there are some graphic scenes and some sexual innuendos. There is also sexual and physical abuse.

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

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

medical fiction novel

The Lethal Harvest
By William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn 

Another page turner, this medical fiction novel tells the story of an embryologist, his colleagues and his family a they wrestle with:
The balance between work and family
The meaning of real love
The quest for cures to diseases
The power struggle over who controls human life
The ethical debate over embryotic and stem cell research

From the publisher: "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."

The book is clean, easy to read, and it keeps your attention.  I would recommend it to any reader age 15+.

I received this book as a gift from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.