Escape Through the Wilderness Review

 

 Goodreads

Title: Escape Through the Wilderness
Author: Gary Rodriguez
Publisher: Tate Publishing
Pages: 254
Genre: Teens/Children
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Sixteen-year-old Savannah Evans walks with a slight limp thanks to a gymnastics’ accident that dashed her Olympic dreams, but didn’t stop her from attending an adventure camp in Idaho. At Camp Arrowhead, she quickly befriends Jade Chang and Rico Cruz, but Conner Swift taunts Savi because of her injury.
When the four are teamed together for an overnight white-water river rafting adventure, Savi refuses to get in the same raft with Conner. Unfortunately, the director will not reassign her.
A fun expedition down the river turns into a nightmare when their raft slams into a huge rock and their adult guide disappears down the river.
Without their guide and desperately trying to steer an out-of-control raft, they pass the “last chance” marker and enter the larger rapids. With Jade pinned between the raft and a rock, and Rico clinging to a lifeline, Savi must cut the raft free.
When the four drag themselves out of the river, they’re bruised, beaten, lost, and twenty-five miles from camp. Because of late-night campfire tales of Vexel, a vicious animal that roams the nearby woods, Savi and the others are terrified.
Savi becomes the unlikely leader who tries to guide the group back to Camp Arrowhead. Limited supplies, injuries, and the constant threat of Vexel—who Savi fears is stalking them, complicate the harrowing return trip.
Readers will enjoy dramatic survival scenes and the group working together, solving problems, and learning to overcome adversity.

 My Review

This book is considered young adult and I enjoyed it immensely! I think the plot is great and intense, I couldn't put it down at times. The characters are very well thought out and I think the dialogue and interaction of the kids was spot on. Everyone meets at camp and they end up going rafting when everything falls apart. I've been rafting so it was much easier to picture things in my mind and while I stuff like this doesn't happen all the time, it does happen. Anyway the main part of the story is the kids alone in the wilderness pretty far away from anything trying to survive. I liked this part and it's obvious the author makes things a bit more scary and unrealistic to real life. Usually wild animals will leave people alone unless there is food or they feel threatened but in the book it seems like they are being hunted by animals the entire time. I wouldn't want my kid to read this and not ever want to hike in the woods again. Considering I grew up in the mountains and hiking and seeing mountain lions and bears, this part of the story was a bit exaggerated for me but it adds the to scary story line.
I think it's a great book for young adults and it would create some good conversation.

"I received this book from Pump Up Your Book and the author for free in exchange for an honest review."   

About the Author:
My name is Gary Rodriguez, and I live in California. I’m the president of LeaderMetrix Inc., a consulting company that specializes in senior-level executive coaching, organizational development, and conflict resolution.
Previously, I worked for eighteen years in the radio business as an executive where I spent several years as one of the original managers of Infinity Broadcasting.
Following a successful radio career I became the president of a non-profit organization for a season.
As a young man, I spent a tour of duty in the U.S. Army where I was recognized as the youngest Drill Instructor in the Army’s history at age 18 years. I was also awarded the Silver Star (the nation’s third highest award for valor) while serving in a combat zone.
Over the past few years, I’ve written three non-fiction books and then I decided to write a novel.
My first book, Purpose-Centered Public Speaking, was published in 2009 and was re-published this summer (2014). Then I wrote a companion workbook designed to help people implement the principles taught in my first book. Next, I wrote Overcoming The Fear Of Public Speaking. And this past year, I wrote my first novel, Escape Through The Wilderness.

For More Information

• Visit Gary Rodriguez’s website.
• Connect with Gary on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Gary at Goodreads.
• Visit Gary’s blog.
• Check out Gary at Authors Den.
• Contact Gary.

F.I.T. Healthy, Happy and Fit God's Way Review

 About the Book

Achieve health the right way from the inside out! Many diet and fitness books claim that losing ten pounds in ten days will bring the health and happiness we are looking for. But the truth is that health and happiness requires more than a few weeks of intense dietary restriction or physical exertion. The journey to health isn't a sprint. It's a marathon. We succeed by combining our faith with our fitness and doing real life with God. Only in Him do we find the strength to make health a lifestyle. Everything else is just a temporary fix with an unending cycle of deprivation, overconsumption, and exhaustion. F.I.T. is different than any other diet or training plan. It calls women who are struggling with their health and fitness to a Faith Inspired Transformation shifting their focus from what the world says to what the Word of God says. With each of the ten steps, renowned fitness expert, model, and writer Kim Dolan Leto provides the inspiration and practical tools necessary to live a healthy life that honors God and brings the lasting results we all crave. (Goodreads)

My Review

I've read a lot of diet type books. Many are similar when it comes to what you should eat, how much you should work out, and drink water. This book has all of that but also includes ways to stay connected with God. Faith Inspired Transformation is the goal along with treating your body physically. This book ended up being a lot bigger than I thought and seemed more like a textbook type. There are many verses that Kim relates includes throughout the book. There are also questions that relate to your health and relationship with God at the end of each chapter. My favorite part is after the questions the author gives strategies in which to fulfill a goal-which is so helpful! It's hard to be creative and come up with realistic goals and I found these to be helpful. There are also a DVD series that she does but I didn't do them so I can't say much about them. 

Find out more at Kim's Website. 

 If you need a change in your life this is a good book to start with! 

"Thanks to the publisher for offering me a free copy in exchange for an honest review."

The Wood's Edge Review (Five stars!)

 

About the Book

 

At the wood's edge cultures collide. Can two families survive the impact?

The 1757 New York frontier is home to the Oneida tribe and to British colonists, yet their feet rarely walk the same paths.

On the day Fort William Henry falls, Major Reginald Aubrey is beside himself with grief. His son, born that day, has died in the arms of his sleeping wife. When Reginald comes across an Oneida mother with newborn twins, one white, one brown, he makes a choice that will haunt the lives of all involved. He steals the white baby and leaves his own child behind. Reginald's wife and foundling daughter, Anna, never suspect the truth about the boy they call William, but Reginald is wracked by regret that only intensifies with time, as his secret spreads its devastating ripples.

When the long buried truth comes to light, can an unlikely friendship forged at the wood's edge provide a way forward? For a father tormented by fear of judgment, another by lust for vengeance. For a mother still grieving her lost child. For a brother who feels his twin's absence, another unaware of his twin's existence. And for Anna, who loves them both--Two Hawks, the mysterious Oneida boy she meets in secret, and William, her brother. As paths long divided collide, how will God direct the feet of those who follow Him? (Goodreads)

My Review

I just don't know where to start! This story was fantastic and surpassed my expectations in every way!  I love Lori's writing and the depth of history that she includes in her books. The story is about Anna and Two Hawks, but we don't really get to them until later in the book. The start of the book is all about Reginald and his wife escaping and surviving and then raising Anna and William. I actually really liked how there were so many years detailed in this book. Anna is ten months when we meet her and we get to watch her grow up! 

I also really loved reading about the Oneida's! Such a fascinating history and culture are intertwined within these pages it's simply wonderful. The writing is top notch and captivating until the end. ALL of the characters are very well developed and I feel like I got to know them personally. Another aspect that blew me away was very strong belief in God and living it out. Lori did a great job portraying our Creator to shattered lives in this book and it makes it a winner all the way around. There is romance and forgiveness and anger and family and then-the books ends! I truly did not want it to end but I am so excited to read the next book in the Pathfinders series!  

Five stars and highly recommend especially for historical fiction fans! 

Find out more about Lori and her books here!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review." 

 

Night is the Hunter Review

About the Book


They call it pulling the trigger.

Not by a killer in the night, but by a judge on the bench.

Twenty years ago, Judge Ray McMullin proved to the people of San Francisco that he could pull that trigger by sentencing Israel Dominguez to death for a gangland murder. But it meant suppressing his own doubts about whether the punishment really did fit the crime.

Now, as the execution date nears, the conscience-wracked judge confesses his unease to former homicide detective Harlan Donnally on a riverbank in far Northern California. And after immersing himself in the Norteno and Sureno gang wars, which left trails of bullets and blood crisscrossing the state, and in the betrayals of both cops and crooks alike, Donnally is forced to question not only whether the penalty was undeserved but the conviction itself.

Soon those doubts and questions double back, for in the aging judge's panic, in his lapses of memory and his confusions, Donnally begins to wonder whether he's chasing the facts of the case or just phantoms of a failing mind. But there's no turning back, for the edge of night is fast closing in on Dominguez, on McMullin, and on Donnally himself.

 My Review

This was my first book by Steven Gore and I have to say, while it's not my favorite I still liked the perspective. It's very intriguing to read about different points of view and this is mainly from the judge who tells people their fates. I can't imagine that kind of life or what must go through the mind of a judge, even years later. So this book takes you to Harlan Donnally and his interaction to solve the puzzle. Like I said my favorite part of the book is the perspective and there were a few times the book got a little slow for me. Overall I think this was a good read and I'd be curious to see what else the author comes up with.


"I received this book from TLC Book Tours for free in exchange for an honest review."






NIGHT IS THE HUNTER is on Goodreads, and a few purchase links are Amazon, IndieBound, and Barnes & Noble.

Then Sings My Soul Book Review

About the Book

When Nel Stewart returns home due to the sudden death of her mother, she realizes her beloved father, Jakob, is struggling with dementia. With the reappearance of a high-school sweetheart, deliveries from Ukraine addressed to her, and the discovery of a mysterious, vintage aquamarine gemstone, Nel senses God is pulling her into the past to restore their faith and their futures. Told partially through Jakob's flashbacks of fleeing genocide-ridden eastern Europe at the turn of the twentieth century, the novel combines elements of mystery, history, faith and romance to reveal how God redeems the broken years ... and our future.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Then Sings My Soul, go HERE.

My Review

I have mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed Amy's first book and I had no idea what to expect with this one. It's not at all what I was expecting but I liked it in all it's uniqueness. Amy's writing style is clever and deep. She gets to the nitty gritty of a person and their heart and I think that's what makes this book good. There were some moments when I thought the story was a bit slow. I enjoyed reading about Jakob and the mind of an older man. He is 94 and facing dementia, I can't imagine what that must be like and this book portrays it well.

Nel irritated me and I wish she didn't. She is growing in this book and I really enjoyed the art/jewelry aspect I just loved Jakob's story more.

This isn't a light read but it's a good story.

Four stars.

"I received this book from CFBA for free in exchange for an honest review."

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Then Sings My Soul David C. Cook (March 1, 2015) by Amy Sorrells

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

An Indianapolis native and graduate of DePauw University, Amy lives with her husband, three boys and a gaggle of golden retrievers in central Indiana. After writing and editing for her college newspaper, she combined a nursing degree with journalism and creative writing, which led to publishing and editing a wide array of medical and nursing writing and multimedia projects over the past 21 years, a position as director of communications of her church’s children’s ministry, as well as a weekly column for a local newspaper which ran from 2009-2012. She has been a two-time semi-finalist for the ACFW Genesis awards, and was the winner of the 2011 Women of Faith writing contest.

When she’s not reading or writing, Amy loves spending time with her three sons; spicy lunches and art gallery walks with her husband; digging in her garden sans gloves; walking her dogs; up-cycling old furniture and junk; photography; and friends.