Adjusting

     Just a few short weeks ago I lived in the north west part of the United States. It was snowing the day I left. Now I find myself with the gulf of Mexico practically in my back yard. I've traded endless wheat fields and snow capped mountains for emerald waters and sparkling white sand. The change is quite drastic. I'm sure I will miss where I came from but I am quickly falling in love with it here. It is so green! Somethings will take a bit of getting used to however. I am not used to very much traffic. One could drive for miles and never see a car back home. Here people seem to be everywhere and most of them are in a hurry for some reason or another. I am also not use to all of the bugs and lizards that are scurrying about everywhere. Overall the pros seem to out way the cons. The colors, scents and the lure of the unknown are definitely feeding my imagination. I wonder if anything will become of it.

Book Review - "Tandem" by Tracey Bateman

    "Her own screams woke her.  She had dreamed she was alone in the dark, captive of a madman.  When she opened her eyes and realized the nightmare was real, she couldn't stop screaming."  With a striking balance of family drama, mystery and a perfect dose of chills Tracey Bateman had me engrossed in her novel "Tandem" within the first chapter. 

Tandem - a novel by Tracey Bateman (Chapter 1)  
      The story takes place in the quaint little town of Abbey Hills.  Nestled in the Ozark mountains, this once idyllic town has found itself the host of some sort of evil.  People are being murdered.  For awhile it seems that a house fire has killed the murderer but a fresh string of murders has demolished that theory.  20 something Lauryn Mcbride has inherited her father's auction business and is in charge of the estate.  It is her actions that unearth dark secrets as she works to balance her work, personal life and still care for her father who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
    I wasn't sure what to think when I realized that I was reading an inspirational vampire story but I must say that the author made it work.  She skillfully wove a story that was both touching and thrilling. The characters were complex and the themes were subtle but strong.  I was blown away by the thought provoking last paragraph.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I received a free copy of this book to review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

book review - "The Messenger" by Siri Mitchell

    " The Messenger" by Siri Mitchell is a Christian historical novel set during the revolutionary war.  It follows Hannah Sunderland who is a devout Quaker and Jeremiah Jones, a colonial spy who feels he has nothing to live for.  The story alternates points of view between these two central characters as their paths meet and they both become involved in aiding a group of patriot prisoners.
     I thought that the way the story explored the historic setting through the eyes of two such different characters to be fascinating.  I must admit, however, that I found the first half of the book a bit difficult to get into.  By the end I was completely caught up in both the plot and the characters.  The spiritual growth that takes place in the story was slow to unfold and I felt it was rather incomplete but at the same time it was thought provoking. I found Hannah's honesty and desire to do the right thing no matter what the circumstances to be very encouraging. By the time I finished the novel I had a renewed interest in colonial America and a much deeper understanding of the Quaker faith.  Overall I would say that I enjoyed this book very much.

I received a review copy of this book for free from Bethany House publishing.

Moving

   I haven't been online much lately.  Hopefully I will be able to start blogging with some regularity again.  My husband just came home from a year long remote tour and as soon as he did we moved across the country.  We have been at our new base for 3 whole days now.  Tomorrow we will be moving into our new home.  I will have to write about my progress as I strive to set up our new home and fit into a new community.  One thing is for sure, it will take some time to adjust to our new surroundings.  It was snowing when we left our last base and now we are at a sunny beach!