The Heiress of Winterwood

[Book One] of the Whispers on the Moors Series

     The Heiress of Winterwood is an intriguing idea that begins, really, with a very uncustomary proposal. A proposal, first of all, from a woman living in the nineteenth century. And she proposes to a man she has never met.

     We are introduced to Amelia Barrett of Winterwood, and the Sterling family of Eastmore Hall. Amelia is within reach of a very large inheritance as a result of her father's death, with the condition that she must be married before she turns twenty-four, lest the fortune go to someone else. In this case, however, Amelia Barrett's concern is not with the money of her inheritance, but a different matter entirely. Were she to follow with her uncle's plan she would be wed well before her twenty fourth birthday to a man of seemingly ideal character and upbringing. But then of course, there is the matter of the child.

     In the process of her courtship with Edward Littleton, Amelia cares for a pregnant Katherine Sterling. This woman's husband, Graham, is a captain of the navy whom she hasn't seen since shortly after they married. When Katherine dies after giving birth, the child, Lucy, is left in Amelia's care. Amelia promises Katherine just before she dies that she will care for her daughter to her last breath, but when Edward Littleton refuses to allow the child to remain at Winterwood after they marry, her entire future is thrown into disarray. The only way for her to keep her promise to Katherine, and to maintain the funds to do so, is for her to marry Graham Sterling in time to keep her inheritance.

     Never mind that his wife died only months ago, and now as he returns from his duties to meet his daughter for the first time he is proposed marriage by a brazen and headstrong woman he has never encountered before. She presents the proposal as a business arrangement - nothing more, nothing less, with the promise that Graham may go about his life however he pleases so long as she may continue caring for baby Lucy, whom she has come to love as her own child.

    Even if he were to agree to her, how many others will try to stand in her way?

--Elise--

For more information on Whispers on the Moors: The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd, visit our website here.

A.D. 30

     Maviah is a woman living in 30 A.D., and as if that alone is not shame enough, she is the illegitimate child of a renowned Bedouin sheikh, Rami bin Malik, cast aside by his pride and born into slavery herself.  To make matters worse, during her exile in Egypt she became the defiled mother to a son. Maviah is the lowest of the low. Defiled. Dirty. Unholy. Slave. If not because of her gender then because of the course of her life and the choices of those around her, not to mention her own. And when she thinks things couldn't possibly get worse for her, her father's kingdom is attacked, her infant son is killed, and she is sent on a perilous errand across the Nafud desert to deliver a ceremonial dagger to the lustful, unpredictable Herod. This dagger is meant to be her people's saving grace and means of deliverance. So in the company of her father's most loyal and trusted servant, Saba, and an odd-mannered Bedu Jew called Judah, she must fulfill this duty.
     What else could she possibly have to live for?

     Dekker brings history and fiction together in a kind of refreshing, intertwining plot of raw emotion and gripping adventure. He offers striking insight into the way women were perceived and treated during the time period, and the emotional struggles that might result from their way of life. Perhaps even more striking is his take on the encounter this particular woman has with Jesus Christ himself - Yeshua, the mystic, stirring uproar and rebellion amongst the Jewish people while teaching love to anyone who would listen.

     It is an encounter with Yeshua that changes the entire course of Maviah's story; the entire course of her life. And she is only one of many forgotten people who may have touched lives with Jesus in person before the date of his crucifixion. Dekker explores the effect that this may have had on the course of history, never failing to electrify the heart with the prospect of what may have been. His depiction of Yeshua is very real, very alive, and breathtakingly true.

--Elise--
  

Available in hardcover and paperback.

     For more information on A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker, visit our website here.

Drawing Fire

Today's recommendation is a treat from the boss; the first book of an eventual trilogy - the Cold Case Justice series:

"One of the best fiction books I've read this year. I highly recommend Drawing Fire by Janice Cantore."

--Lando Klassen,
   Owner

As seen on the back of the book itself:

     "With a possible serial killer stalking elderly women in Long Beach, California, homicide detective Abby Hart's best lead is Luke Murphy, an irritating private investigator who saw a suspect flee the scene of the latest homicide. When Abby discovers that the most recent victim is related to the governor, she's anxious to talk to him about a cold case that's personal to her - one Luke is interested in as well.

     As she learns more about the restaurant fire that took her parents' lives years ago, Abby discovers why Luke is so invested in finding the ones responsible. But the more they uncover, the more questions they have. Can Abby find peace without having all the answers?"

     This is a book for the mystery lovers; the detectives and the sleuths; the crime-fighters and the Crime TV Watchers. Take the time for suspense and intrigue, politics and ethics, murder, madness, and haunting backstories lurking in the dark.

     With multiple mysteries intertwining through the pages, it is nigh impossible to avoid the vast number of twists and turns that Cantore applies to her writing. Her background in law enforcement offers an insight to reality that many crime series seem to lack, and the emotional growth and representation of her characters only adds to that realism. With so many questions on so many pages, Drawing Fire is truly a riveting read.

     For more information on Drawing Fire by Janice Cantore, visit our website here.

Doon, Destined for

Book 1

     There are always those moments where escape would be preferable if it meant literally vanishing from this world and entering a life of importance somewhere else - a world not quite like this one. Maybe not at all like this one. A place where you have a clear and defined role that only you can play; where everyone knows it and will either try to help you or try to hinder you.

     Carie Corp and Lorie Langdon take this desire to heart and put it onto the page with a cast of characters ranging from relatable to stereotyped to outlandish to desirable, and back again, all jumping in between present-day reality and the fictional realm of Doon.

Book 2

     Two authors, two main characters: Verronica and Mackenna, setting out to explore the land of Scotland when they tumble upon the Brig O' Doon and the fantastic kingdom that lies beyond. They spiral into a web of adventure, danger, and romance that spins the kingdom of Doon to life.

     For Verronica, Doon is a kind of escape from a life that has left her wanting much. And for Mackenna it is more of a waking nightmare, and a very strange inconvenience. Two best friends, close enough to be sisters, find themselves falling into a story of royalty, world-hopping, spying, and most certainly true love. And while love is a definite focus in the story, it is only one of many, including danger and mystery, action and adventure, a couple of princes, a few disgruntled brigands, and a haunting, deeply intriguing witch-hunt.

     Doon and its subsequent sequals, including Destined for Doon, Shades of Doon (release date September 2015), and a fourth addition expected September of 2016, are the perfect escape from reality. Written for teenage girls, they are certainly a light and fluffy read, but would appeal to anyone looking for a lighthearted escape from the day-to-day; a chance to relax and ponder something out of the ordinary; a little bit of romance as far-fetched and beautiful as it is and some vicarious travel to Scotland and its lush scenery and historic appeal. Scottish accents abound.

--Elise--

 Available in hardcover and paperback.

For more information on Doon by Cary Corp and Lorie Langdon, visit our website here.

Times Two

Words by Sheree Plett, illustrations by Shari-Anne Vis

"However long that it
would take to reach the
highest point in space,
that's how deep my love
is, dear, that's how far
my love would trace."

     This pure work of art is written in form of a lyric poem - defined as emotional and song-like, originally accompanied by a lyre when spoken or sung.  

     "A warm-hearted, lyrical book about the limitlessness of love."

     It is a children's book, but as is often the case, it is enjoyable and applicable for all ages. (We're all only older, taller, ever-so-slightly-more-knowledgeable children, throughout our lives after all, aren't we?)

     The "limitlessness" of love is probably something everyone could use a reminder about every so often, and what better way than through a simple song accompanied by touching, adorable, and colourful art?

     It was released a couple of years ago but I hadn't seen it on the shelf until today, and as soon as I did I had to pick it up. Childish or not, the simplicity of the words and the pure, bare truth in them draws you in and is a warming, comforting reminder that you are loved - fully, truly, warmly, and glamorously - and it is a striking and beautiful thing.

     The perfect book to raise your spirits on a dreary, no good, very bad day, because we all have those, sometimes all too often.

--Elise--

For more information on Sheree Plett's Times Two, visit us at our website here:
http://www.houseofjames.com/store/details/9780981140971

Messy Spirituality

"My life is a mess.
After forty-five years of trying to follow Jesus, I keep losing him in the crowded busyness of my life. I know Jesus is there, somewhere, but it's difficult to make him out in the haze of everyday life.
[...]
I want to be a good person. I don't want to fail. I want to learn from my mistakes, rid myself of distractions, and run into the arms of Jesus. Most of the time, however, I feel like I am running away from Jesus into the arms of my own clutteredness."

--Messy Spirituality, Chapter One, page 18

     From page one (or rather, page 18, where he begins to share after the foreword written by his wife, Karla), Michael Yaconelli is brutally honest about himself. And, to a point, about the reader.

     The premise of Messy Spirituality is based on the foundation that it is relatable. No matter what stage you are at in your faith, it can seem like not enough. You're not spiritual enough, not committed enough; you don't have enough faith, you don't love God enough, you don't share your faith enough, you don't pray enough, you don't read your Bible enough. Everyone tries to measure up to everyone else in a detrimental spiral of comparison and shame, and in the end there is no pay off, because faith is a personal thing. You cannot compare.

     Enough.

     Yaconelli suggests that maybe faith "begins with admitting we will never have our act completely together". He addresses spiritual perfectionism as a common struggle, and Messy Spirituality provides thoughts to help change those habits. The growth of your faith is something between you and God, and God sees everyone as they are: messy, imperfect, and absolutely beloved. Pastors, missionaries, worship leaders - they all struggle with the temptations and the doubts of everyday life as much as the next individual. Your position, your profession, your calling - does not determine the level of your faith.

     Yaconelli offers encouragement, to those of us who feel like we are not enough. He provides assurance and a sense of direction. He does not necessarily say that your faith doesn't need some work - that would be untrue for anyone, at any point in time - but he wants to remind anyone and everyone who have all somehow forgotten that faith and spirituality are not neat, clear, clean, or straight forward. Not always. Not for everyone. It is a constant, lifelong struggle; a work continually in progress.

     And that can be a very comforting thought.

--Elise--

For more information on Michael Yaconelli's book Messy Spirituality, visit us at our website here:
http://www.houseofjames.com/store/details/9780310277309

The Knight of Elderan

For a fall into the realm of the fantastic - in the root, literal sense of the word - Anna Thayer brings us the epic trilogy of The Knight of Eldaran.

"I just started reading The Traitor’s Heir, the first book in the The Knight of Eldaran trilogy by Anna Thayer, and I’m hooked. I’m impressed by Anna Thayer, who is not only a Tolkien and C.S. Lewis scholar, but a great writer as well as she sustains tension and intrigue throughout this well-woven and ever-unfolding tale. The Broken Blade, which came out last month, completes the series, and although I’m sorry I  hadn’t heard of them sooner, I’m happy to be able to read them all without suffering the wait between volumes. I think anyone who has enjoyed Stephen Lawhead will appreciate this epic series."
-- Pierre Dery --

Followed by The King's Hand and then the final installment, The Broken Blade, Thayer's The Traitor's Heir follows the story of Eamon Goodman and his transition into the ranks of the Gauntlet: the army of the overlord Eldered. Through her use of tension and captivating suspense, Thayer creates this epic and provides a cast of strong characters with developed relationships to keep you coming back for answers.



For more information on the series visit our website here:
http://www.houseofjames.com/search/eldaran

Fearless

     For someone who is far from fearless, this should prove to be an interesting introduction of sorts for me. My name is Elise, and I will be looking after this dear blog for a little while, hopefully conveying my love for blogging, books, and words, through the vast and wavering realm of the web.

     Today we're featuring the book Fearless, by Eric Blehm, reviewed by one of our own. As our latest hire, Michael is still getting a feel for things, but his love for reading is a definite asset, and he's put it to good use with his review of this biography:

Fearless is Adam Brown's story. Starting with the tales of an adventurous three year old jumping from the second story window of his home, a dare devil teenager who jumped from a speeding cars and faced down deathly situations with out breaking a sweat; Adam was a Navy SEAL before he even won his trident. This is an incredible story about redemption, resilience, and family. Witness the unbelievable true story of Adam Brown as he conquerors personal tragedy, drug addiction, and injury. This is an inspirational true story of a man who knows:
"God gave me a gift. I don't feel fear."

-- Michael Peters

For any additional information, you can see the book here on our website:
http://www.houseofjames.com/store/details/9780307730695

     And just for the record, you need have no fear about coming in to see us at our store on Emerson St. Honestly, how intimidating could a bunch of booksellers and book lovers possibly be?

~Elise