Of Fire and Lions

A little fun fact about me: I absolutely love the book of Daniel. Everything about that wonderful little book gets me so excited. Seeing how Daniel resolved to follow God in chapter 1 and seeing that same choice to have faith throughout the whole book despite everything that happened to him and his friends, inspires me to be like Daniel and have a faith like his. And it is so chock-full of God's sovereignty and his goodness and mercy towards Israel and Babylonians alike. It's just so great (even those prophesies)! I also just got done doing a Precept study on the book of Daniel. So imagine my excitement when I found out that Mesu Andrews' new book was about Daniel!

Mesu Andrews (or her publishers) did such a good job at summarizing and leaving one wanting to know more on the back the book without giving anything away. So I'm just going to put that here for you because I don't want to give anything away either!


"Belili wears her children's disdain like a heavy cloak. The weight of their contempt threatens to crush her spirit, but she has perfected the art of survival. She first learned it when she escaped death nearly seventy years ago after the Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took its finest young people as captives. Years later she survived among idol worshipers and in King Nebuchadnezzar's court by donning an identity that shrouded her with guilt and shame.

She's kept secrets from Daniel, her childhood friend and the lover of her life, but as the Medo-Persian army invades, the thread of Belili's deception unravels and her tightly wound secrets begin to unfurl. 

When tensions mount in the land of their exile, Belili will do anything to keep her family safe even though each step leads them closer to the truth. Will Daniel die in a pit of lions before she can make things right between them? Or will the God who rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego save her husband and replace her spirit of heaviness with a garment of praise?" 

If you've read her other books and loved them, then you'll enjoy this book as well. Andrews is a great story teller and makes it impossible to stop reading.

--Elise F--

For more information on Of Fire and Lions by Mesu Andrews, visit us in store or visit our website here.

Between Two Shores

"She has always moved between worlds, but now she must choose a side..." 

Jocelyn Green's third novel again follows the french theme. But this time taking place in North America in 1759 Montreal during the Seven Years' War between Great Britain, France, and the native tribes surrounding the Montreal and Colonies area. I've really enjoyed her previous books and I couldn't wait to pick this one up as well.

Catherine Duval would rather remain neutral than to pick a side. Trading to both the French and the British, Catherine is suddenly thrown into the war when her ex-fiance, Samuel Crane, shows up and is taken prisoner by her father. Claiming to have information that could help end the war, Samuel asks Catherine for her help to escape since she knows the way to Quebec, but she's hesitant. Conflicted on whether or not to help the man who broke her heart, Catherine knows that New France is starving and cannot survive another winter with no food, Catherine agrees.

And drama and intrigue ensues.

I was surprised by the fact that this book was taking me longer to get through than her other two books (Mark of the King and A Refuge Assured), both of which I've written reviews for, when the plot suddenly twisted and my doubts and disappointments disappeared. Jocelyn Green writes so well. Each time I've kinda expected these books to all be very similar (you know, conflict happens, girl meets boy, girl marries boy, then the end) but they are all very different. There is the tease of a romance, but that's not the central focus of the book and BOY, it was like a breath of fresh air.

--Elise F--

For more information on Between Two Shores  by Jocelyn Green, visit us in store or visit our website here.