CFBA Blog Tour - Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Vicious Cycle Zondervan (February 22, 2011) by Terri Blackstock

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.

Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers’ online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope. Vicious Cycle, Book Two of the Intervention Series, releases February 22, 2011. She’s currently working on Book Three.

Other recent books include a stand-alone novel called Double Minds, as well as Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn’s Light (from her acclaimed Restoration Series). She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 Series and Cape Refuge Series. Terri makes her home in Mississippi, where she and her husband Ken are enjoying their empty nest after raising three children.

Terri has appeared on national television programs such as “The 700 Club” and “Home Life,” and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Terri Blackstock is always an auto-buy for me. Her suspense stories are riveting, fast-paced, relevant and definite page-turners. Whenever I start one of her books, I know I'll have the entire book read within a day or two. Vicious Cycle is no exception!

The plot picks up where Blackstock's recent novel, Intervention, left off. But if you haven't read Intervention, you will have no problem following the storyline of Vicious Cycle. Mostly suspense with a romantic subplot between Barbara Covington, Lance's mom, and Kent Harlan, the Atlanta detective who figures strongly in Intervention, the story kept me turning pages as fast as I could read them.

When fifteen-year-old Lance Covington finds an abandoned baby in the backseat of a car, he knows she's the newborn daughter of a meth addict he's been trying to help. But when police arrest him for kidnapping, Lance is thrust into a criminal world of baby trafficking and drug abuse.

His mother, Barbara, looks for help from Kent Harlan---the man whom she secretly, reluctantly loves and who once helped rescue her daughter from a mess of her own. Kent flies to her aid and begins the impossible work of getting Lance out of trouble, protecting a baby who has no home, and finding help for a teenage mother hiding behind her lies.

In this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty, bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the devastating choices that can change lives forever.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Vicious Cycle, go HERE.

Watch the Book Video:

Blog Tour - Love Amid The Ashes by Mesu Andrews

Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews is a fictional account of the life of Job just prior to and during the time he experienced great suffering.

The biblical account begins with a dialogue between God and the devil. Satan challenges God that Job, a very wealthy, righteous and devout man, will rebel against God if he suffers enough. Thus begins the sufferings of Job. Of course, Job never knew that he was the object of a challenge between the devil and God.

In her debut novel, Mesu Andrews, has coupled her deep research through rabbinical and ancient Jewish writings with her creative fictional imaginings as to what went on in Job’s life prior to the suffering and during it.

Mesu Andrews

Dinah, the daughter of the patriarch, Jacob, is commanded by her dying grandfather Isaac to travel with Job and his caravan to Job's home, to marry his son. But before she can meet her intended, all of Job’s adult children are wiped out in a horrible accident which is one of the first incidents of suffering for him. As his world falls apart, Dinah is drawn more and more to the integrity of Job, especially in the days of grief, illness, and confusion, and she finds herself in a position to help him physically and emotionally get through the ordeal.

I do not read a lot of biblical fiction, but was intrigued to see how Andrews treats this captivating story of Job. She does an admirable job by weaving fictional characters and actual people mentioned in the Bible together. However, even with a family tree diagram at the beginning of the story, I sometimes became confused over who was who, especially at the beginning of the story when so many characters were introduced all at once.

I recommend this book to anyone, but caution those who have not read the Old Testament to be careful not to confuse what is fictional and what is true. It would be very easy to do that unless you are well familiar with the book of Job and the patriarchal period of time.

As a student of the Bible, I thoroughly enjoyed the way Andrews wove his words as recorded in the Bible into the dialogue, displaying his incredible faith in God, questioning but never faltering.

Love Amid the Ashes is a tension-packed story including intrigue, jealousy, romance that will be enjoyed by any fan of biblical fiction. You can purchase it on line or at your favorite brick and motor store.

About the author: Mesu Andrews is an active speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep understanding and love for God's Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her readers in this debut novel. She lives in Washington.

CFBA Blog Tour - In the Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll

Today’s stop on the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Tour is In The Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll. Robin’s books are auto-buys for me, and she didn’t fail my expectations this time.

Layla Taylor is a general contractor, an occupation not heavily populated by women. She and her sister Alana are both heavily involved in their small town community in Louisiana, Layla working  with Homes of Hope, a group of volunteers who build houses for those who lost their homes to the recent hurricanes. Alana works with an addiction recovery ministry, using the family home as a retreat center for the organization.

When the body of a property inspector is found among the ashes of a burnt out Homes for Hope house, Layla and her sister become a targets of suspicion and one of the two detectives working the case, Maddox Bishop, is sure she’s involved somehow. She has to be because he is falling hard for her and he doesn’t want to. Not willing to wait for more murders to take place, Layla begins an investigation of her own.

Carroll expertly weaves this tale of suspense and romance in a way that you cannot put the book down. Her characters go deep and move the reader’s heart as you laugh and cry with them. As I turned the last page of this one, I reached for a tissue. A satisfying ending, but I was sad to see the story end.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Louisiana, Robin Caroll is a southerner through and through. Her passion has always been to tell stories to entertain others. Robin’s mother, bless her heart, is a genealogist who instilled in Robin the deep love of family and pride of heritage—two aspects Robin weaves into each of her books. When she isn’t writing, Robin spends time with her husband of twenty years, her three beautiful daughters, one precious grandson, and their four character-filled pets at home—in the South, where else?

Robin gives back to the writing community by serving as Conference Director for ACFW. Her books have finaled/placed in such contests as RT Reviewer's Choice, Bookseller's Best, and Book of the Year. An avid reader herself, Robin loves hearing from and chatting with other readers. Although her favorite genre to read is mystery/suspense, of course, she’ll read just about any good story. Except historicals!

If you would like to read the first chapter of In The Shadow of Evil, go HERE.

Watch the trailer:

Don’t miss this one! You can buy it at Amazon or your favorite bookstore at the mall.

ACFW Author New Releases for March 2011

Flying in on March winds are a bunch of new and exciting books from ACFW. Take a gander at this list and head out to your favorite place to buy books and gather a few in for great reading.


More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW FictionFinder website.

1. A Bond Never Broken by Judith Miller -- A Historical from Bethany House. For many years, Ilsa Redlich has helped her parents run a hotel in South Amana, but as the United States enters the Great War, she can feel her world changing.

2. A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter -- Romance from Thomas Nelson. Will the secrets Abigail Jones brought with her to Moose Creek, Montana separate her from Wade Ryan, the cowboy who finally captured her heart?

3. A Gentleman's Homecoming by Ruth Axtell Morren -- A Historical Romance from Love Inspired (formerly Steeple Hill). It's been six years since Luke Travis has seen his native England...and his son, Sam. But his hopes for a joyful reunion are shattered when he learns that Sam wants nothing to do with him. There's one ray of hope--Luke's former sister-in-law, Bobbie Gardner.

4. A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell -- A Historical from Bethany House. Three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream--and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times.

5. Among the Magnoilias by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver -- A Historical from Barbour Heartsong Presents. In spite of the love she sees between her parents, Abigail LeGrand is determined never to marry. Nathan Pierce is desperate to hide his past. Will Abigail and Nathan accept each other's love and respect, or will they stubbornly cling to the fears that threaten to keep them apart?

6. Bathsheba: A Novel; The Wives of King David Series, Book 3 by Jill Eileen Smith -- General Fiction from Revell. Will one night of unbridled passion destroy everything Bathsheba holds dear? Can she find forgiveness at the feet of the Almighty? Or has her sin separated her from God—and David—forever?

7. Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris -- A Thriller/Suspense from Zondervan. Deep in the heart of Africa, two American lives are about to change forever.

8. Code of Justice by Liz Johnson -- A Thriller/Suspense from Love Inspired (formerly Steeple Hill). Heather Sloan is willing to risk her life to find her sister's killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy Latham's love.

9. Face of Danger by Valerie Hansen -- Mystery from Love Inspired (formerly Steeple Hill). Giving murder victims a face is forensic artist Paige Bryant's speciality. She can always put the pieces together. But her work turns dangerous when Texas Ranger Cade Jarvis brings her a special project related to the notorious Lions of Texas gang.

10. In The Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll -- A Thriller/Suspense from B and H Publishing. Amidst the layers of unethical practices, supply shortages, and excess murders, a top Louisiana homicide detective loses his heart to a charitable contractor while uncovering a secret about his tragic past.

11. Jersey Brides by Laurie Alice Eakes -- A Romance from Barbour. Riches Become the catalyst for love in New Jersey. Issues of wealth and status have three nineteenth-century women tied in knots.

12. Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews -- General Fiction from Revell. When scandal and murder rock Dinah’s life, the daughter of the great patriarch Jacob is sent away to Job’s household. After Job’s own world comes crashing down, Dinah finds herself drawn to this great man brought low. What will she risk to fight for his survival?

13. Secret Place by Leslie J. Sherrod -- General Fiction from Urban Christian (Kensington). When desperation leads to homicide, can healing, freedom - and faith - be found?

14. Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang -- A Historical from Tyndale House. The winter of an unjust war is over. A springtime of the spirit awaits.

15. Surrender the Night by MaryLu Tyndall -- Romance from Barbour. A timid American farm girl at the mercy of the enemy. . . A wounded British sailor driven into hiding. . . Both are about to change the course of history forever.

16. The Artist's Grandmother by Robin Bayne -- General Fiction from White Rose. When Megan bids on her grandfather's painting, the last thing she expects is to be outbid by Michael Kirk, her first love.

17. The Map Across Time; Book 2, Gates of Heaven Series by C. S. Lakin -- Fantasy from AMG-Living Ink Books. An epic fairy tale that shows how God uses the simple, weak, inconsequential of the world to accomplish his great purposes.

18. The Proper Wife by Winnie Griggs -- A Historical from Love Inspired (formerly Steeple Hill). Eli Reynolds knows what he wants in a wife, and the flighty Texas girl couldn't be further from the mark.

19. Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West -- Romance from Oak Tara. Set in the backdrop of the Vietnam War, Kristin Taylor and Luke Maddox must decide if they’re willing to set aside selfish ambition for the love that seems to have ambushed them and captured their hearts.