The Lawmaker (Hardcover) Review

After finishing The Lawmaker (gosh it took me a long time--sorry Rick) I was fairly convinced that the author was a former trial attorney...turns out that while he DOES work in law enforcement, being a lawyer wasn't his career...so kudos first off for writing a legal thriller without not actually BEING an attorney. My all-time favorite legal thriller is also NOT written by a former practicing lawyer (The Quiet Game by Greg Iles) so you're in good company as far as I can tell.

B-u-u-u-t The Lawmaker isn't exactly a full-on legal drama, either. It also adds the element of politics, bribery and a few other un-seemly underworld adjectives. Meet Wayne Lott, an attorney who seems to hit the jackpot when an opportunity to run for public office seems to fall right in his lap. As the majority of moral America already knows, politics are not as fancy as one may initially believe them to be. Pure as the driven snow? Hardly. And Mr. Lott discovers this the hard way as he quickly finds himself (literally) stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Now I have personally never had to choose between participating in Blackmail or possibly becoming victim to mob-like individuals bent on encouraging (ie: forcing) you to follow your 'pre-determined' path...but, I'd like to think I'd do the right thing. Does Wayne have what it takes to make the right choice? I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say finding out the answer is all part of the fun that is The Lawmaker. On the back of the book it says the book is a cross between Casino & The Firm, and I gotta say that particular description fits like a glove.

If you're looking for a tension-laced novel that doesn't follow the usual predictable pattern which seems to be a plague within the legal thriller genre these days, give The Lawmaker a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome...I know I was.

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Wayne Lott is a young attorney out to make a name for himself. When a state legislative seat becomes vacant, Wayne jumps at the chance to run for office and enter what he thinks is the glamorous life of politics. But he's in for a deadly surprise.--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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One Tuesday Morning / Beyond Tuesday Morning Compilation Limited Edition (Kindle Edition) Review

These books were wonderful to read again and I'm happy to have both books in one. A little bigger in size but then I won't lose one of them. The stories are well-written and make one feel that they are there in New York on that Tuesday morning. Definitely worth reading.

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Based on the tragedy of the Twin Towers - twopowerful novels of heroism, loss, and redemptionby New York Times bestselling author Karen KingsburyONE TUESDAY MORNING The last thing Jake Bryan knew was the sound of the World Trade Center collapsing on top of him and his fellow firefighters. The man in the hospital bed remembers nothing. Not rushing with his teammates up the stairway of the south tower to help trapped victims. Not being blasted from the building. And not the woman sitting by his bedside who says she is his wife. Jamie Bryan will do anything to help her beloved husband regain his memory. But that means helping Jake rediscover the one thing Jamie has never shared with him: his deep faith in God.BEYOND TUESDAY MORNING Determined to find meaning in her grief three years after the terrorist attacks on New York City, FDNY widow Jamie Bryan pours her life into volunteer work at a small memorial chapel across from where the Twin Towers once stood. There, unsure and feeling somehow guilty, Jamie opens herself to the possibility of love again.But, in the face of a staggering revelation, only the persistence of a tenacious man, questions from Jamie-s curious daughter, and words from her dead husband-s journal can move Jamie beyond one Tuesday morning - toward life.

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Sunday Morning Secrets [Paperback] Review

In Sunday Morning Secrets, King's Chapel has many underlying secrets, and they will soon be revealed. Pastor Jonathan Pierce is caught between his moral values and God's teachings or hiding his wife's drug addiction at any means necessary. Unfortunately, there is one person who knows about his wife's drug addiction and is blackmails the pastor to help him with his illegal activities.

Busybody, but devoted church member, Alma Curtis suspects something is not right within the church. When the FBI comes knocking, because of a murder that leads to the church doors, Alma is determined to find out the truth.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Alma has a secret of her own, that she has been hiding for years. If this secret is revealed, it will hurt those closest to her. Unfortunately, the damage proves to be too much and Alma does the unspeakable. Everyone will be shocked to the core.

Sunday Morning Secrets by Shirlita McFarland proved to be a surprisingly fantastic read. This is definitely unlike any Christian novel you will ever read. Although it is sprinkled with some sermons, it really has an awesome storyline that will keep you engrossed. I really enjoyed this novel and eagerly anticipate more from this author. Due to minor editing issues, with words running together, my final rating would be 4.5 stars.

Reviewed by Leona R.
APOOO BookClub



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In this riveting tale of intimate secrets and hidden agendas, Pastor Jonathan Pierce is caught between the prominent church he is rebuilding and protecting his wife-s abominable secret. The fact that two of his devoted parishioners are murdered because of his deceit doesn-t deter unforgiving church member, Alma Curtis, from harboring a shameful secret of her own, that if revealed, will destroy much more than her saintly reputation.

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Good Morning, Darkness [Hardcover] Review

The fundamental theme of this novel is obsession and the price it extracts on all of the characters. The obsession takes human form in the attractive body and movements of Laura Finnegan. Everyone who comes into contact with her, even at a distance, becomes attracted to her like moths to a flame. Her boyfriend, Scott Goodsell, loves her so much he wants to marry her. A nameless Mexican fisherman changes his daily routine so that he can stand outside her home and watch her as she moves around her kitchen. Laura's boss, Mr. Johnson, wants her to the point of committing sexual harassment, something he has done and gotten away with before. Then there is Reggie Brooks, a local police detective but also her martial arts instructor. Laura Finnegan has that rare ability to inspire love and devotion in every man and all are prepared to give up everything they each have for her. Then she vanishes.

The Mexican fisherman finds an arm on a local beach and a few miles away, the matching arm washes ashore in Malibu. Since he hasn't seen Laura in days, he begins to wonder if the arms are hers. He also realizes that he hasn't seen her boyfriend, Scott Goodsell, a man he knows only by the car he drives, a white BMW. Assigned to the case of the found arms, Reggie Brooks begins to wonder as well as Laura hasn't made it to class lately. Mr. Johnson also wonders about her even though he got a letter from her stating that she was quitting her job. While there is no reason to suspect that the found arms and Laura's disappearance are in any way related, the detective and the fisherman believe, for different reasons, they are linked.

Shifting between the boyfriend Scott, to detective Brooks, to the Mexican fisherman, and others, the novel gradually reveals a tale of murder and deceit. A weak storyline of a gangland execution is introduced to provide some complexity to the work and as character development, but is not used to any real effectiveness. Additional story elements of classicism and accounting fraud are used much more effectively used and do enhance the tale, but the primary focus is obsession. Obsession in each character drives the work forward and it is only because of obsession that every single thing happens. The result is a good read that engages the reader from start to finish.
This entire review previously appeared online at OnceWritten.

Kevin R. Tipple © 2005


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Escape to Morning (Team Hope Series #2) (Paperback) Review

Dannette (Dani) Lundeen is a Search and Rescue worker who is more than capable of handling herself in difficult situations. Will Masterson, Homeland Security agent currently undercover as a reporter, is immediately impressed by her.

Dani however, does not think very highly of reporters, so Will has an uphill battle on his hands to get past Dani's defenses. But when Dani begins an independent search for a missing teenage girl in the woods near the Canadian border and runs into Will, also looking for the same girl, she wonders why a reporter is so determined to help with the search. And Will is bound to keep the truth from her.

Dani & Will quickly found a special place in my heart. Their personal & spiritual journey's were ones I recognized in my own life. Will is trying so hard to learn how to be "God's man." And Dani thinks she has a solid relationship with the Lord, until she begins to realize that there are some areas of her life she has not really trusted Him with.

Susan does a wonderful job weaving spiritual truths into a suspenseful storyline.

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Book two in the Team Hope series by Susan May Warren, the name to watch in romantic suspense. In Escape to Morning, Homeland Security Agent Will Masterson crosses paths with Search and Rescue worker Dannette Lundeen. Will is working undercover to find and neutralize a terrorist organization threatening U.S. security. Dannette is searching for a missing girl, who turns out to be the key to the terrorists. As Will and Dannette put their lives on the line, they find their hearts drawn to one another. Only as they trust God and each other can they find a way to escape to morning.

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Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles, Book 2) (Paperback) Review

Lori Wick certainly is one of my favorite Christian/Romance writers, coming up to a close second to Dee Henderson. And probably my favorite books from Lori Wick are the Kensington Chronicles.
"Wings of the Morning" is about young Victoria "Smokey" Simmons, captain of one of the fastest ship of the Atlantic, the 'Aramis'. When her father, the famous Clancy, had died and left her alone in the world, she asks God to give her strength. Three years have passed and Smokey begins dreaming of life away from the sea. She wants to have a home and raise a family. When she meets another sea captain, Dallas Knight, she believes that her dreams can finally come true. Dallas, also hopelessly in love with her, shares her dreams. But when a scheming and evil pirate comes into their lives, Smokey and Dallas' hopes for the future may come to an end. Will they have the strength to overcome these painful events and to trust themselves into their Father in heaven?
A truly marvelous tale taking place in the mid-1800s, "Wings of the Morning" will have you swept into a world of romance and suspense. I love the wonderful characters of Smokey, who is young and shy yet has great spirit, and Dallas, who will do anything to protect her. They are so real that it is very hard not to like them and to hope they have their dreams fulfilled.
The other three books of the Kensington Chronicles are "The Hawk and the Jewel", "Who Brings Forth the Wind", and "The Knight and the Dove", all of them filled with romance and suspense, plus they all are about people who love and honor their God. My suggestion to you is that if you have never read any of Lori Wick's books, you should start with these four books.
And if you are looking for other terrific Christian/Romance books, I recommend all books by Dee Henderson, including the O'Malley Series, "Danger in the Shadows", and the Uncommon Heroes Series. But be ready for suspense, intrigue, and mystery, because these books are filled with them!

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Victoria"Smokey" Simmons stands silently on deck as her father's body is lowered intothe Atlantic, asking God for the strength she will needto command the Aramisalone. Not wanting to remain at sea forever, Smokey dreams of the time when shecan trade her life aboard ship for a home and family. When she meets anothercaptain, Dallas Knight,Smokey believes her dream will finally come true. Butcircumstances beyond their control and the schemes of a cunning pirate threatento destroy this young couple's hope for the future. Wings of the Morningcarries readers on a tender journey of love in which painful events becomelasting blessings in the Father's care.



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When the Morning Comes (Sisters of the Quilt, Book 2) [Paperback] Review

Book two in the Sisters of the Quilt series, When Morning Comes is the perfect sequel to When the Heart Cries. As Hannah comes of age in this journey of faith, she's exposed to a new world of opportunity. A world where many of her dreams can come true. Woodsmall is a gifted writer who once again turned off my inner editor, enabling me to suspend disbelief and experience Hannah's life-changing challenges.

Have you ever read a sequel to a book you loved, and the author took the story in a direction you didn't want it to go? I was surprised with the end of When Morning Comes, yet it had a certain rightness to it, a satisfying end. But it isn't the end. There's more to Hannah's story to come. I for one, can't wait to read it.


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Her relationship with fiancé Paul Waddell in tatters, Hannah Lapp has fled her secluded Old Order Amish community in hopes of finding a new home in Ohio with her shunned aunt. Hampered by limited education and hiding her true identity, Hannah struggles to navigate the confusing world of the Englischers.

Back in Owl's Perch, Pennsylvania, Paul is wracked with regret over his treatment of Hannah. Fearing for her safety, he tries to convince Hannah's remaining allies–brother Luke, best friend Mary, and loyal Matthew Esh–to help search for his love. Hannah's father, however, remains steadfastly convinced of her sinful behavior. His blindness to his family's pain extends to her sister, Sarah, who shows signs of increasing instability.

Convinced her former life is irreparably destroyed, Hannah finds purpose and solace in life with her aunt and in a growing friendship with Englischer Martin Palmer. Will the countless opportunities in her new life persuade Hannah that her place is amongst the Englischers- or will she give in to her heart's call to return home and face her past?When the Morning Comes is book two in the Sisters of the Quilt series.

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On Wings of the Morning [Paperback] Review

What a wonderful way to tell a story!We're given two main characters to follow through the years of 1933 to 1975.Each narrates his/her own story, switching back and forth from chapter to chapter.Morgan and Georgia emerged from completely different backgrounds, yet shared a single passion.The passion of flight, so exquisitely expressed by Marie, that the reader is transported to the sky.At once a heartfelt and visual experience, it is impossible to not become fully invested in the lives of these two individuals as they fledge toward a relationship.
Although the book takes place during World War II and carries with it much historical content, it is so much more than just historical fiction.Marie has developed a variety of secondary characters, with colorful personalities.In doing so, she has livened up the mix, and given us the opportunity to feel a multitude of emotions toward everyone in the story.There are those that are sadly comical, the ones you love to hate, and those that have struggled through hardship and can only be an inspiration.This book had me both crying and laughing outright.
Wings of the Morning can be read simply, as an easy-flowing love story, or as an example of patriotism and the recognition of the women of the WASPs, or if you are so inclined, delve deeply, and delight in the spiritual side of the story, consider such intriguing topics as Nature vs Nurture.But most of all, enjoy what Marie so capably brings to the mind's eye.


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Marie Bostwick delivers a captivating novel of soul mates discovering each other as the country faces its greatest challenge...
Morgan Glennon's destiny points straight up into Oklahoma's clear, blue sky. It's been that way since he was four years old, imagining the famous flier father he's never met. Morgan leaves college to enlist as a Navy pilot, and his whole world suddenly changes when America goes to war. Watching his friends fall in battle, robs Morgan of the joy he always felt in the air. It will take one very unusual woman to help him get it back...
Georgia Jean Carter learned early never to rely on a man for anything but trouble. Airplanes are different: they take a girl places most boyfriends can't. Remarkably, the war makes it possible for Georgia to do her part as a pilot. Flying with the WASPs brings a special sense of belonging--yet there's something missing that Georgia doesn't recognize until a brief encounter sets her dreaming about a young flyboy she barely knows...

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A Morning Like This: A Novel [Paperback] Review

David and Abby Treasure (niiiiiice fake last name), along with their son Braden, are the perfect Christian family. Until, that is, David's affair from 9 years ago comes back to haunt them. Turns out his mistress gave birth to his child and never told him. Oops. And of course, now the illegitimate daughter is dying of cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant, and he has to tell his wife and bring all sorts of loverly turmoil into his family. Yada yada yada, we've all heard this story a zillion times before.

I was pretty irritated by this book. Abby gets angry at David, rightly so, and he acts like a creep toward her. He doesn't get that because he went out acting like a manwhore, he's to blame. But what grossed me out was when Abby tells him that the affair was partly HER fault, that she pushed him away, even though he cheated on her while she was not only pregnant, but just after giving birth to their son. Nice guy there. She forgives him (this is a Christian novel, and the author seems set on the fact that divorce is never an option, even if your significant other goes around acting like a workaholic prostitute), and of course, everyone lives happily ever after.

I don't agree. I think that she was making faith out to be the only remedy for a marriage that was in desperate need of a lot of therapy (faith never hurts, of course, but God helps those who help themselves). I felt almost as though the author looked down on anyone who would dare divorce over something so little as infidelity. This made me feel small. Didn't care for that.

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Waiting for Morning (Forever Faithful, Book 1) [Paperback] Review

"There was a horrific jolt and the defending sound of twisting, sparking metal and shattering glass. Jenny screamed, but it was to late. The explorer took to the air like a child's toy spinning wildly and coming to rest wrapped around a telephone pole a hundred feet away." In Karen Kingsbury's Waiting For Morning, the tragedies represent life experiences. This book is interesting and heart warming. It is hard to put down.
Hannah Ryan waits for her two girls and wonderful husband to come home from a summer camping trip. It is a perfect Christian family with nothing missing or where anything could go wrong. They got in a wreck with an unstable drunk driver. Instantly, her oldest daughter and husband died. The youngest daughter lives, but goes through severe trauma. Hannah tries to convict the driver of first-degree murder. It will be the biggest charge for drunk driving in the history of California. At the same time, it just makes things insoluble between her daughter and herself when both are bewildered about the accident.
Kingsbury makes the characters very easy to understand. Hannah Ryan is portrayed as a dynamic character in direct characterization. Jenny, her daughter, a very round character, struggles with so many difficulties after the deaths of her family members. Both struggle with unspeakable feelings of sorrow and rage that fuse into one chilling purpose for living. All Hannah wants is revenge against Brian Wesley, the drunk driver that causes her all the pain. In fury of things going on, Hannah shuts the Lord out of her life, the biggest mistake of all.
It is not very difficult nor too easy to follow along with. The book's superior ways in the dialogue is extremely intelligible. Although the characters are older, the reading is not too mature for younger teens. The language is internal. It speaks to the inside of your heart. The tone can make a person change completely, or can shake them up. It is also shocking at times with a touch of thrill.
When the holidays arrive, everything becomes a lot harder for everyone. The Novel takes place in a city in the mists of California. It takes place around the time of holidays and vacations, which makes it more difficult on Jenny and Hannah.
The story, told in third person omniscient, revolves around Hannah. A couple of flashbacks take place while she remembers memories, and looks back at old pictures. The foreshadowing works greatly and proves that someone can live for something that they cannot find in themselves. "I don't need God anymore..." becomes the realistic nature of this novel. Horrible circumstances make many people question their faith.
Waiting For Morning, by Karen Kingsbury, a fantastic book on true-life experiences, keeps the reader on edge, waiting for the next sight. It can have a huge effect on a person from laughing, to crying, to smiling. It can and will leave the readers in true amazement. If people need to find themselves or find the truth in the Lord during hard battles, this book is wonderful.

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Product Description:
Hannah Ryan is the mother of two adorable little girls and the wife of a doting husband. Her life is perfect -- until the night her husband and eldest daughter are ripped away from her by a drunken driver. Torn by grief and rage, Hannah finds her faith -- like that of Jeremiah weeping over Jerusalem -- tested to the limits. As she walks the long road of her own modern-day Lamentations, she must learn to forgive... and finally discover that God's mercies truly are new every morning. Sometimes the road home is only found by letting go.

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Morning's Refrain (Song of Alaska) [Paperback] Review

Another excellent book from Tracie Peterson. I wait for her "series" in particular as you always have something more to look forward to at books end. I feel she has great descriptive qualities of both characters and the scenic wonders surrounding the characters in this good read about romance in early Alaska. I felt this book sort of got boring toward the middle and had to urge myself to continue but I knew I would have a third in the series to look forward to. There is both romance and action in this book and characters you won't forget. I suggest this book to any non-stop reader as I am.

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As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he's come to love, Dalton Lindquist must make difficult choices about the future. To complicate matters, Phoebe Robbins falls into his life quite literally when Dalton rescues her after she tumbles overboard in the Sitka Harbor. He quickly loses his heart. But Dalton is not the only one who decides to seek Phoebe's attention--his best friend, Yuri, decides to court her when Dalton must travel from Sitka. But when Dalton realizes the depth of his love for Phoebe and returns, the two friends find that their battle for Phoebe's admiration is only the start of the problems that face them.

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One Tuesday Morning (September 11 Series #1) [Paperback] Review

Jake Bryan is a firefighter with the FDNY, the only thing he has ever wanted to do. His Christian faith gives him the strength to get through each day, both on the job and at home. His wife Jamie has run from God most of her life. After a tragic childhood, she doesn't believe God would want anything to do with her or her failures. She worries constantly about Jake and his safety. The two have a daughter, Sierra, who is the light of their lives. Jake has been praying for God to make a statement in Jamie's life to bring her to know Him.
Eric Michaels is a businessman striving for success at any cost. And his greatest cost is his family. He has slowly shut out his wife and young son. His wife is at the end of her rope. When Eric returns from his business trip to New York, she is not sure whether she can continue marriage with him or not.
These men meet in the stairwell of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The tower collapses and only one survives, burned and suffering from amnesia. Jake's supervisor recognizes the man as Jake, but is it really him? Jamie works with him to re-gain his lost memory, and in the process learns about God and her husband through his Bible and journals. Which man survived the disaster? Can God redeem even those who seem completely lost?
I was touched by this fictionalized account of the calamity that affects us all.Ms. Kingsbury states that it was her way of working through the grief, and I am glad she wrote this book. The characters are very true to life, seeking God's will as well as running from it. Eric and Jamie go through tremendous transformation as God becomes real to both of them. It would be difficult to finish this novel and remain closed about God's hand in our lives.
I highly recommend ONE TUESDAY MORNING. It isn't a book that can be read all in one sitting. It takes time to experience, especially the scenes that take place on September 11. Ifelt as if I was right there with the characters in the book. For an emotional, yet uplifting look at God's everlasting love and mercy in our lives, ONE TUESDAY MORNING is not to be missed.

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A devoted fireman and a driven businessman, strangers with the same face. On that fateful Tuesday, one will leave the Twin Towers alive--but will he ever find his way home?Winner of the Silver Medallion Book Award.

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Beyond Tuesday Morning (September 11 Series #2) (Paperback) Review

This book is about healing and moving on past what happened on 9-11.This book is about Jamie, struggling with just that, as she gets involved with two men.She is constantly struggling with leaving the memories of Jake behind and moving on.

The research on what happened on 9-11 was excellent.I thought that Kingsbury did a wonderful job, capturing the depth of people's pain after what happened to our Twin Towers.I loved how she had Jamie do volunteer work, helping people who lost loved ones in 9-11.

As usual, Kingsbury's books rock!I look forward to reading more from her.

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In this sequel to the bestselling One Tuesday Morning, to widow Jamie Bryan it is still September 12, 2001.What will move her from living in the past to living the life God has given her today?

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