Hope’s Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer – A Lovely, Enjoyable, and Inspirational Read

 

Hope’s Enduring Echo is Kim Vogel Sawyer’s new book.  I have only read one other book by this author.  So glad I found this novel it was a lovely read, even with some weighty issues it addressed. 

 

Hope’s Enduring Echo takes place in Canon City, Colorado in 1915.  The story is about the Ward family, Claude, Edda, and their daughter Jennie.  Claude’s job was to do a daily inspection of the wooden pipeline that brings water to the town of Canon City.  The family live in a remote cabin near the pipeline and they have no neighbors.  Other than their monthly trip to town and seeing the train passengers and crew, they do not see too many people.  Claude had always taken pride in providing for his family.  Thing changed two years ago when he sustained a serious injury to his leg.  He was not able to do the inspections since then.  His daughter Jennie has taken over the daily inspection of the pipeline.  Claude’s leg was not the only wound, daily he seems to be losing the battle to melancholia. 

 

Jennie has been homeschooled since the Wards moved to the cabin.  She has missed being in school and having friends.  That is why Jennie prayed that God would bring her a friend.  Every day when the train passed by Jennie waved to the crew and passengers.  One day a college student, Leo Day, got off at their stop.  He had seen this girl waving what looked like a bone.  Could it be a bone from a dinosaur?  As a paleontologist, Leo wanted to take a closer look and find out where it came from.  Could this young man be the answer to Jennie’s prayer for a friend?

 

I absolutely loved reading Hope’s Enduring Echo.  It was such a change of pace from so many other books.  Instead of being action packed, the story focused on the characters and their relationships and how they develop, grow, and change. 

 

The best part of this book was the characters’ Christian faith.  The characters strived to live out their faith, to apply the Scriptures to their daily life, choices, and how they responded to situations.  I loved that when characters realized that they had acted unkindly or impatiently they showed repentance and strove to apologize and make amends. 

 

When I think of Christian fiction, Hope’s Enduring Echo is a wonderful example of what I am looking for.  The characters’ faith was integrated into who they were and how they lived their lives.  Faith was an integral part of the storyline. 

 

I also enjoyed the different characters, especially Jennie, Edda, and Leo.  Claude struggled with depression it was painful to see him stuck in that cycle.  I appreciate the tender and caring response his wife and daughter displayed.  It was nice seeing the relationship between Jennie and Leo develop.  I found Leo’s quest to locate dinosaur bones and the study of paleontology interesting.

 

I enjoyed reading Hope’s Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer and I highly recommend this book.  I look forward to reading more of this author’s novels, past and future books.  Kim writes in a manner that takes me back to what Christian fiction was like when I was a new believer.  Seeing the Christian faith as essential in the characters lives. 

 

I would like to thank Waterbrook Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Hope’s Enduring Echo by Kim Vogel Sawyer.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review. 

The Beijing Betrayal by Joel C. Rosenberg – Un-put-downable, Will keep you up late at night!

The Beijing Betrayal by Joel C. Rosenberg is the sixth and final book in the Marcus Ryker series.  This novel picks up where the last book, The Libyan Diversion, left off.  The United States had experienced a deadly terrorist attack by Abu Nakba and his terrorist group Kairos.  They nearly achieved their aim at taking out the President of the United States, the Pope, and as many American as they could.  If it had not been for Marcus Ryker and his team, they may have succeeded.  As it stands, far too many people were killed and injured.

 

When it becomes known that Abu Nakba, and his terror group Kairos, are still operational President Carlos Hernandez calls on the CIA’s elite team lead by Marcus Ryker to once and for all take out this terror threat.  Intelligence indicates that Abu Nakba and Kairos are operating in Pakistan.  Marcus and his team plan out their mission, but things did not quite go as planned.  When the team makes a horrifying discovery that the terrorists are working to weaponize the Cerberus virus their only option is to destroy the lab.  That explosive decision will make their covert mission a little harder to conceal from both friends and foes. 

 

Later, it discovered that Abu Nakba escaped and his terror organization is back up and running.  President Hernandez will need the CIA’s elite team to hunt down and destroy this terror group.  After the last mission, Ryker’s team is exhausted and working non-stop to try and find Nakba.  Who is funding this operation and to what end?  Is it the Russians, Iran, and how does China fit into the equation? 

 

Joel Rosenberg is one of my favorite writers.  He has a way of capturing the reader’s attention from the get-go.  The Beijing Betrayal is jam packed with action and suspense.  What would have once seemed an implausible story, now the possibilities seem all too real.  Joel is good at describing scenes and you can almost imagine it in your mind. 

 

My favorite part of the book are the characters.  Marcus Ryker is a very likable character.  He is intense and passionate about his work, cares about the people he works with, and is committed to the work they do.  I love the relationships between Marcus and his family, friends, teammates.  Even though there is plenty of action, suspense, and intrigue, it is the characters that keep my attention.  I liked the relationship between Marcus and Annie, the love and respect they have for each other.  I was rooting for them!  I liked the times where Marcus and Annie were able to talk and reflect on their relationship.  Something I appreciate about reading a book by a Christian writer is that it is clean, has no profanity, and the characters speak about their faith and try to live it out.  The Christian Gospel was shared. 

 

Since the story is about a terrorist group and their leader, the book has some violent scenes.  But Joel does not focus on the blood and gore.  With the aspect of the weaponization the Cerberus virus designed to kill people, it was rather disturbing.  But in what we have seen over the past 25 plus years, the thought of evildoers resorting to something like this is a very real possibility. 

 

Since I knew this was the last book of the Marcus Ryker series, I did not know how it would end.  Happy or sad?  As the action winds down in the story, Joel did not skimp on the ending.  He took time wrap things up with the characters readers have come to know and care about.

 

I highly recommend The Beijing Betrayal by Joel C. Rosenberg, especially for those who enjoy geo-political thrillers and Christian fiction.  It is filled with non-stop action that will keep you up late at night.  The Beijing Betrayal is un-put-downable!  You know a book is good when you are thinking about it when you are not reading it.  I look forward to reading the next book that Joel writes.  If you haven’t read all the books in the Marcus Ryker series, you may want to consider doing so. 

 

I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read complimentary a copy of The Beijing Betrayal by Joel C. Rosenberg.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.  

Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard – Filled with Mystery, Intrigue, Suspense – May keep you up at night

 

Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard is the first book in her Hidden Bay series.  This book is action packed from the get go, filled with mystery, intrigue, and suspense. 

 

Remi Grant first came to Cedar Trails Lodge when she was searching for a safe haven where she could escape from those trying to find her.  These days Remi works as the manager of the lodge.  The lodge is fully booked with guests who are here to watch the storm of the decade come ashore with winds and waves battering the Pacific Northwest coastline.

 

If it was up to her, Remi would not be on the beach with the storm coming in.  But she was trying to find a guest’s tiny yorkie.  Time is running out and Remi is reminded she can go up a rope ladder.  A few feet from the top Remi notices the rungs of the ladder are broken and the rope is shredded.  As she considers her options, she hears a voice, “Grab my hands now before it’s too late.”  The stranger, Hawk Beckett, caught her wrist as Remi is paralyzed in fear, and he pulls her to the top.

 

Former Night Stalker and military helicopter pilot Hawk Beckett was able to book the last cabin before the storm came in.  A friend had told him that he might find the answers he was looking for at the Cedar Trails Lodge.  Remi would like to remember what happened two years ago.  Hawk would like to forget the painful memories of the past couple of years.  Despite feeling leery of Hawk, it seems Remi will need to trust him to help protect her from whoever has finally tracked her down. 

 

Hawk Beckett was my favorite characters.  I like that he was ready, willing, and able to do whatever he had to do to protect Remi.  With all his military and security training he was the right man for the job.  With the resources that Hawk has available, he is not the average Joe.  In that sense, realism is a bit of a stretch.  Sometimes that is okay and why I am reading fiction.  There was no shortage of potential bad guys, with suspects at every turn.  I had inkling who the bad guy may be and it seems as though not everyone is who they first seem to be.  Faith was a small part of the story and I would have liked to have had that play a bigger part in the character’s lives.  Overall, I liked the book and enjoyed the mystery and suspense.  It kept me up late on more than one night. 

 

From page one, Storm Warning is action packed and filled with mystery, intrigue, and suspense.  It is fast paced and may keep you up at night until you unravel the mysteries.  If you like intrigue, mystery, and suspense you may want to read Elizabeth’s Goddard’s newest book Storm Warning. 

 

I would like to thank Revell Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of Storm Warning by Elizabeth Goddard.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review. 

 

The Peacemaker by Wanda E Brunstetter- Mystery, Relationships, Romance, Amish Fiction

The Peacemaker by Wanda E Brunstetter is the second book in the Mifflin County Mystery series.  The first book in the series, The Protector, introduced readers to many of the characters featured in this second book.

 

Ada Detweiler was best friends with Rosa Petersheim who disappeared over a year ago.  No one has seen or heard from Rosa since the night she went missing.  Rosa’s disappearance continues to weigh heavy on the Petersheim family and friends.  Out of necessity people have tried to go on with their lives, but still have hope that Rosa may return or they will finally get answers.

 

Ephraim Peight was Rosa’s boyfriend and he was the last person to see Rosa alive.  Though there is no evidence, some people still suspect Ephraim of foul play.  When Ephraim is asked to go stay with his grandmother and help her, he is reluctant to leave.  Trying to make the best of the situation, he hopes that he will have a fresh start in a town where nobody knows him. 

 

When Lewis Peight has a heart attack, Ephraim returns to town to help with this father’s business.  During that time Ada and Ephraim start seeing each other as friends.  Ada’s had feeling for Ephraim for quite a while, but would it be right for her to have a relationship with her missing friend’s boyfriend?

 

The Petersheim’s story continues and we see the impact Rosa’s disappearance has had on their family. 

 

Faith is a part of this story.  I like how faith was woven into the characters everyday lives.  Most of the characters in the book were likeable.  Not only are the main characters are featured, but also members of the families.  Young, old and in between.  Reading this book, you get a sense of what the community is like.  I appreciate being able to read a clean novel. 

 

I hope that in the next book of the Mifflin County Mystery series readers will find out what happened to Rosa.

 

I enjoyed reading The Peacemaker.  The book is set at a slower pace and is more about developing the characters as opposed to an action novel.  This works as a standalone novel, but you might benefit if you read the first novel, The Protector.  If you like Amish fiction, mysteries, or romance novels I recommend The Peacemaker by Wanda E Brunstetter. 

 

I would like to thank Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The Peacemaker by Wanda E Brunstetter.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.  The Peacemaker will be released on March 1, 2025.