Monday, July 21, 2014

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

I have discovered a new voice in Kristy Cambron. Her debut novel, The Butterfly and the Violin, is a wonderful contemporary story blended into a historical novel. Both stories are captivating and Ms. Cambron did an awesome job of blending the two stories together.

The book begins with the contemporary story which follows the journey of Manhattan art dealer Sera James and William Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, in their pursuit of securing a portrait of Adele Von Bron, a violinist known as Austria's Sweetheart during the 1940's. The portrait was painted during WWII behind the walls of Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the prisoners were liberated, a lot of the art that had been hidden from the Germans was recovered and the portrait of Adele was one of those pieces. Williams grandfather had duplicated the piece and when William heard that Sera was looking for the original piece of art he sent his copy to her gallery in New York. They decide to work together to find the original portrait. Sera's reason is personal and William needs to find it to save his family's business.

The historical portion of the novel is about Adele Von Bron and Vladimir Nicolai. They both have a heart for helping the Jewish people escape from the soldiers of the Third Reich. Unfortunately, during one such attempt, things happen that lead to them being discovered and arrested. What was really sad is that Adele's father was a high ranking officer in the Third Reich and he let them take her away to what was termed a re-education camp. Instead she ended up in Auschwitz-Birkenau and because of her talent with the violin, she was allowed to play in the camp orchestra. An older woman in the camp, Omara, took Adele under her wing and became like a mother to her. She is also the artist of Adele's portrait.

As I'm sure most people are aware, the prisoner camps ran by the Nazis during WWII were nothing more than death camps. If they thought a prisoner was weak, they killed them. It is where Jewish people and other people who the Nazis thought of as enemies of the Nazi state were exterminated or used as slave labor. It was an atrocity to all mankind. In her book, Ms. Cambron takes the reader behind the walls of Auschwitz-Berkenau as if she had actually been there during that time. The reality of her story was phenomenal.

The Butterfly and the Violin is a story of hope, love and in time forgiveness. The characters walk across the pages with such authenticity that I found myself 'googling' them to see if they really existed. Ms. Cambron has a lyrical voice that powerfully drives her story home. I look forward to the next book in her "A Hidden Masterpiece" series, A Sparrow in Terezin, which will release in April, 2015.

So, will Adele survive Auschwitz-Birkenau? What happened to Vladimir? Was the painting of Adele found and why did it mean so much to Sera and William. All these questions are answered within this masterfully created story. I would HIGHLY recommend picking up a copy of The Butterfly and the Violin, especially if you love to read good historical Christian novels. 

On a 5-Star Scale = 5 GIGANTIC stars!!!!! I can't say enough about this book. The best I have read this year!

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity and Thomas Nelson for my copy of The Butterfly and the Violin. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,


CFBA Firewall by DiAnn Mills



This week, the


is introducing


Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (July 1, 2014)

by



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:





DiAnn Mills believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” She is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed novels. Her books have won many awards through American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the recipient of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice award for 2005, 2007, and 2010. She was a Christy Award finalist in 2008 and a Christy winner in 2010.

DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and is the Craftsman Mentor for the Christian Writer’s Guild. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops.

DiAnn and her husband live in Houston, Texas. Visit her website or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/diannmills


ABOUT THE BOOK



After a whirlwind romance, Taryn Young is preparing to board a plane at Houston International Airport, bound for a dream honeymoon, when a bomb decimates the terminal. Injured but still alive, she awakens to discover her husband is missing and they’re both considered prime suspects in the attack. Further, the FBI is convinced her husband isn’t who he appears to be.


Agent Grayson Hall’s number-one priority is to catch those responsible for the day’s act of terror. All evidence is pointing to Taryn and her new husband. But his instinct tells him her pleas of innocence are genuine. Is her naiveté just for show, or could she truly be another victim of a master scheme, possibly linked to the software she recently developed for her company?


With both their lives and reputations on the line, and the media outcry for justice increasing with each passing minute, Taryn and Grayson have no choice but to trust one another . . . and pray they can uncover the truth before they become two more casualties.


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

My Thoughts:

Oh. My. Goodness. Firewall, the first book in DiAnn Mills series, "FBI Houston" blew me away. This novel was well worth my time and kept me reading late into the night. If this is any indication of the rest of the series, I can hardly wait.

Firewall is the story of software developer, Taryn Young, and FBI Special Agent, Grayson Hall. The story begins on Taryn's wedding day. A day that turned tragic and landed her in the hospital after the airport is bombed. But the question everyone wants answered is where is Taryn's husband, Francis Shepherd?

The twists and turns within the pages of Firewall takes the reader on a wild ride involving airport bombings, kidnapping, murder, computer hacking, just to name a few. The character of Taryn became my hero within the pages of this book. She was strong-willed, intelligent, determined and extremely likable. The character of Grayson Hall stole my heart. He was described as having dark blond hair and startling blue eyes (not like the cover image) and he had a caring heart. He was also determined and this caused a little butting of heads. Grayson's Uncle Joe was charismatic and oh so lovable.

The story of Firewall seemed so real that it could have been taken right out of today's headlines. Ms. Mills is a master at crafting well plotted stories with believable characters that pull you into their world and hold you there for the duration of the book.  

I would highly suggest Firewall to anyone who enjoys a good clean suspense novel. The Christian thread is subtle and not overpowering.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, DiAnn Mills and Tyndale House Publishers for my review copy of Firewall. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,







Saturday, July 12, 2014

Love Comes Home by Ann H. Gabhart

Love Comes Home is the third book in Ann H. Gabhardt's "Rosey Corner" series. The series began with Angel Sister followed by Small Town Girl (read my review here). 

When the story begins, WWII has just ended and the little town of Rosey Corner is ready to welcome home their troops. Mike, the former town pastor returns home but he is facing some demons from the war and his goals have changed. Jay comes home and experiences bad dreams that take him back to the war. Tori's husband, Sammy, didn't make it home. With excitement for some and heartache for others, the people of Rosey Corner know life must go on and proceed to do just that.

This is a story of love, faith, heartache and how people survived in the aftermath of war. Ms. Gabhardt has created believable characters that pull the reader into their world where the reader feels their joy and their grief.

I would highly recommend Love Comes Home to anyone who enjoys reading historical Christian fiction.

On a 5 Star Scale = 4 1/2 Stars!!!!

I would like to thank Revell, a division of Baker Publishing for my copy of Love Comes Home. I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,


Saturday, July 5, 2014

Winner of The Turning by Davis Bunn!!


to


Michelle

she was the winner of The Turning by Davis Bunn!!

Smiles & Blessings,