The 13: Fall

I received a copy of The 13: Fall by Robbie Cheuvront, Erik Reed, and Shawn Allen from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Former Black Ops specialist-turned-CIA operative Jonathan Keene is investigating the disappearance of border agents along the US/Mexico border when he’s called to join a battle against an enemy no one saw coming. . .yet waits right at America’s doorstep. Keene teams with Christian FBI agent Megan Taylor—a woman who’s as reluctant to work with guarded Keene as Keene is wary of Megan’s God. As the US is pushed into a situation it hasn’t seen since its inception, a conflict awaits that will test the limits of Keene’s strength and force him to come face-to-face with the demons of his past.
This book will really make you think about the future of our country.  I know it's a fiction book but it's very real and for me hits home.  The events that unfold are not so far fetched that it couldn't happen if we don't go back to the values of our founding fathers.  This is the first book in a series and I can't wait until the next one.  It's definitely on my must read list.

Chasing the Wind

I received a copy of Chasing the Wind by Pamela Binnings Ewen from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
At 8:47 A.M. on Wednesday, October 12, 1977, new-to-town businessman Bingham Murdock flew his small plane into New Orleans, banking it in such a way that a ray of sunshine shot through the city at light speed.
Amalise Catoir saw the flash from her sixteenth floor law office window. Finally feeling alive after the death of her abusive husband, she imagined seeing the plane was a fate for her eyes only; a special connection between the unknown giver and she, the recipient of light.
But someone else saw it, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care for whom a sudden burst of brightness reminds him of artillery fire.
Destined to cross paths with the man and the child, Amalise doesn't yet know the deeper spiritual lesson she will learn: that we are responsible not only for the things we do, but also for the things that we don't.
This was a good book.  It took place in 1977 so it was hard for me to think about how long it took for changes to a document to be made.  Everything had to be hand written and then typed up by a typing pool and then copies made.  It's nothing like now when a laptop can be taken to a meeting and have the changes made right then and there.  The ending really made me think.  Is it possible that something like that could really happen?

Coming Home

I received a copy of Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Coming Home is a novel about tremendous victory and unprecedented loss, a story of faith and a forever kind of love, love that will stay with you long after the last page. This stand-alone novel will serve as either a grand introduction or a beautiful conclusion in the saga of the Baxter Family. The Baxters make plans to come together for a summer lakeside reunion, a celebration like they haven't had in years. But before the big day, the unthinkable happens. As the Baxter Family rallies together, memories come to light in the grief-stricken hours of waiting and praying, memories that bring healing and hope during a time when otherwise darkness might have the final word. In a season that changes all of them, the brilliance of family love overshadows even the valley of heartache as the Baxters draw closer to God and each other. Along the way, secrets are revealed and the truth about the Baxter Family history is finally made known. Ultimately, in this portrait of family love, the Baxters cling to each other and to God's promise of forever.
I didn't realize until after I finished the book that this is the last one Karen wrote about this family.  There are 22 other books that she's written about this family.  Since I didn't know anything about the family's past I did have to do a lot of catching up, but the book was really good.  Karen does a good job of showing how a family can come together to get through a great loss.

Waiting for a View

I received a copy of Waiting for a View by Debby Mayne from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Pushing 40, Bloomfield's garden club vice president Sherry Butler has never moved out of her family home, still works at the same card shop where she landed a job after high school, and so resists change that she never accepted years of marriage proposals from Theo, the only man she ever loved.

Once he moves on, Sherry is pursued by Brad Henderson, an old friend who always seems to be there when she needs a helping hand. His kindness only annoys Sherry until one day she is shocked into self-reflection when a little girl points to her and asks her mother if she's "the sad woman who will wind up being an old maid."

With a friend's encouragement, Sherry plans a turnaround, putting her house on the market and her name on the waiting list for a nice apartment with a view of the lake. She also agrees to go out with Brad, another bold step outside her comfort zone.
Letting go of the past is about as simple as an elephant picking up a pea, but for the first time in her life Sherry will leap into the exhilarating world of the great unknown, a place where faith is crucial and true love is waiting.

I enjoyed this book.  It's based on a small town with characters that many of us have in our lives.  There's the motherly older lady, the snoopy and bossy peer who we're deep down scared of and a new friend that we didn't expect.  No matter what happens everyone in town is there to help when needed.  When Sherry finally decides things in her life need to change she finally realizes that she wasn't really living or happy.  Maybe we could learn something from Sherry.

The River

I received a copy of The River by Michael Neale from Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.
"You were made for The River . . .”
Gabriel Clarke is mysteriously drawn to The River, a ribbon of frothy white water carving its way through steep canyons high in the Colorado Rockies. The rushing waters beckon him to experience freedom and adventure.
But something holds him back—the memory of the terrible event he witnessed on The River when he was just five years old—something no child should ever see.
Chains of fear and resentment imprison Gabriel, keeping him from discovering the treasures of The River. He remains trapped, afraid to take hold of the life awaiting him.
When he returns to The River after years away, his heart knows he is finally home. His destiny is within reach. Claiming that destiny will be the hardest—and bravest—thing he has ever done.
This is a book that will get you to thinking.  Gabriel had a terrible thing happen it him when he was young and struggled with it for the rest of his life.  He knew his life in Kansas wasn't what he wanted but he didn't know what else there was.  His friend Jimmy changed all that when he took him and other friends to The River.  Being at The River changed Gabriel forever.  The question you're left with is what am I missing?

Trinity: Military War Dog

 

I received a copy of Trinity: Military War Dog by Ronie Kendig from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
An ex-Green Beret. His war dog. On the greatest mission of their lives. And probably their last.
A year ago in Afghanistan, Green Beret Heath Daniel’s career was destroyed.
Along with his faith.
Now he and his military war dog, Trinity, have a chance to redeem their skills through the A Breed Apart organization. The job works. But his passion is to be back in the field. The medical discharge says it can’t happen due to the traumatic brain injury that forced Heath to the sidelines.
Until. . .
Military intelligence officer Darci Kintz is captured and the geological survey team she’s covertly embedded with is killed while secretly tracking the Taliban in the beautiful but brutal Hindu Kush. It’s clear only one dog can handle the extreme conditions to save her. And only one man can handle Trinity.
Time is running out on the greatest—and most dangerous—mission of their lives.
I really liked this book.  I had to keep reminding myself it was a fictional book - it seemed so real.  The characters were very well established and relate able.  I really liked how Trinity was as large a part of story as his owner Heath was.  I'm for sure going to look for more books by Ronie Kendig.