Wednesday, June 22, 2016

The Silent Order (By: Melanie Dobson)

The Silent Order

By: Melanie Dobson

Storyline
It's 1928 in Cleveland and Detective Rollin Wells has one goal in life: to bring down the powerful Cardano mob family and put a stop to their decades of illegal activities and shady business. When he is nearly gunned down by the family's henchmen, Rollin takes refuge in an unlikely place: an Amish community. There, he is aided by a simple young woman, who reminds him so very much of the girl he once loved. 

Katie Lehman wants nothing to do with the world outside her community but taking care of Rollin forces her to face the secrets from her past. She must decide whether to pledge her life to the church or return to her roots outside of the Amish town. 

This book had us turning pages late into the night! It hummed along at the perfect pace as characters were developed beautifully and plot twists kept us hooked. Certain mysteries and secrets kept us guessing until the very end, where all the loose ends were tied up and answered skillfully. 

Depth
The reader is treated to a peek inside two vastly different worlds. The Cardano family's underground operations are dark and murderous, and author Melanie doesn't shy away from the grim reality of what life must have been like for those under their control. On the other hand, we explore the life of an Amish community that thrives on peace, forgiveness and simplicity. It's a sad and intriguing contrast all at the same time.


Faith
Rollin has spent the last decade cursing God and vowing revenge for the tragic loss he suffered at the hands of the Cardano family. But once immersed in the Amish community, he is confronted with issues of God's justice and blessing the Lord in any circumstance. The faith of his new friends is strong and lived out well, and it really rubs off on him.


Love Story
Rollin and Katie have an immediate connection that slowly builds into a deep, genuine love for each other. While their romance didn't necessarily get our hearts racing, it certainly made our hearts sigh with satisfaction as these two share tender and sweet moments!


Overall

This was the first novel we read by Melanie Dobson and you can be sure it won't be our last! She is a masterful storyteller, weaving plots together with action-packed excitement, realistic struggles and deep, touching interactions between characters. Excuse us, while we go choose another of hers to read!


Find it on Amazon: The Silent Order



Monday, June 6, 2016

Her One and Only (By: Becky Wade)

Her One and Only

By: Becky Wade


The conclusion to the Porter Family Series is finally here and it's a winner! We finally witness the story of Dru, the youngest Porter sibling and the only girl. Her three older brothers - Bo, Ty and Jake - all got their own stories in the first three books. Dru's story is a perfect conclusion!

Storyline
Wowza! This book grips the reader from the first sentence and doesn't let up until the last. Suspense, mystery and romance clip along at an excellent pace and the reader gets lost in the story, making it hard to put down. Dru Porter has always been trying to catch up with her three older brothers in life. A former marine, she is now a bodyguard - and has just been assigned to protect an NFL player, Gray Fowler, who has been receiving death threats from a stalker. Gray is not happy when he finds out that a girl half his size will be protecting him. He is also not happy that Dru is immune to the charm that thousands of other women fall for. As these two reluctantly work together, they slowly learn to trust one another with their hearts and lives.

Depth
At first glance, this book doesn't appear to be terribly deep - it could even be considered a lighthearted read. However, author Becky isn't content to just let the mystery and romance play out. She expertly weaves in real relationship problems and the deeper issues behind them needing to be worked out. The issues are hard, but necessary for deeper relationships and intimacy with other people. She visits the effects of child abuse, the emptiness of wealth and fame, and the purposes of life.


Faith
Forgiveness is a central theme in this book, and makes us realize we are never truly free until we forgive - and are forgiven. There is a big difference between being a Christian in name versus being a Christian in action  as a result of true, real faith.  Author Becky uses the characters' growth to shine a light on what it looks like to have a disconnect between you and God.


Love Story
Grey and Dru really don't like each other at first, which, in our humble opinion, always makes for a good love story just around the corner. This one doesn't disappoint! Their relationship is full of chemistry on the surface, but gets deep and authentic as it turns into love. Many swoon worthy moments in this story!


Overall

Very satisfying conclusion to this great series!!! We are sad to say good-bye to the Porter family, but just might have to start the series all over again to keep visiting them.


Find it on Amazon: Her One and Only



Note: We were given this book in exchange for our honest review