Oath of the Brotherhood - A Book Review

Pleasantly surprised by the first book in this fantasy series...

Oath of the Brotherhood by C.E. Laureano
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Christian, Young Adult Fantasy
Published by: TH1NK (NavPress) on April 18, 2014
eARC from: NetGalley

First the book description from Amazon: 

 

In a kingdom where the Old Ways hold fast and a man’s worth lies entirely in his skill with the sword, Conor Mac Nir is a scholar, a musician, and a follower of the forbidden Balian faith: problematic for any man, but disastrous for the son of the king. When Conor is sent as a hostage to a neighboring kingdom, he never expects to fall in love with the rival king’s sister, Aine. Nor does he suspect his gift with the harp (and Aine’s ability to heal) touches on the realm of magic. Then his clan begins a campaign to eliminate all Balians from the isle of Seare, putting his newfound home in peril and entangling him in a plot for control of the island that has been unfolding since long before his birth. Only by committing himself to an ancient warrior brotherhood can Conor discover the part he’s meant to play in Seare’s future. But is he willing to sacrifice everything—even the woman he loves—to follow the path his God has laid before him?

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book. The more and more that I read it the more it pulled me into the story. At first I had a hard time getting into it, but as I got used to the fantasy world and learned more about the characters I began to love the book and devoured it. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars out of 5 was because it was a slow start and took a while to really understand and care about the characters. But, by the end of the book I could literally not put it down until I finished and will now be pining for the next book in the series! I am a huge fantasy fan and cannot wait to read more of these books.

The narrative was told through the two main characters, Conor and Aine. This worked out amazingly because you got to hear about what was happening in two different parts of this story's world. It was such a wonderful story of faith and coming of age in this familiar but foreign world. Laureano filled it with beautiful descriptions that made me feel apart of the fantastical scene. The end of each chapter left me hungry for more. I recommend anyone who likes Fantasy, it is a wonderful read! And for those readers who don't like fantasy, I challenge you to give this one a try, I think you might just like it ;)

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. for my honest and fair review through NetGalley.

In the Field of Grace - A Book Review

Moved. If I had to choose one word to express my opinion on this book, that would be it.
First, a little about the book with a summary from Amazon:

 

Destitute, grief-stricken, and unwanted by the people of God, Ruth arrives in Israel with nothing to recommend her but Naomi's, love. Her loftiest hope is to provide enough food to save Naomi and herself from starvation.
But God has other plans for her life. While everyone considers Ruth an outcast, she is astounded to find one of the most honored men of Judah showing her favor.  Long since a widower and determined to stay that way, Boaz is irresistibly drawn to the foreign woman with the haunted eyes. He tells himself he is only being kind to his Cousin Naomi's chosen daughter when he goes out of his way to protect her from harm, but his heart knows better.

My Review: An engrossing new take on the Book of Ruth
"In the Field of Grace" drew me in with the very first sentence. This is a beautiful retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz. I truly love reading historical fiction because it gives the reader a refreshing perspective of a story heard many times. This was no exception.

This book was fantastic from cover to cover! I was already pretty excited about it after reading the summary and boy, it did not disappoint! I love that it was told from both Ruth's and Boaz's perspectives. Afshar did a great job in lining up with scripture throughout the entire story; as much as one can when writing Biblical Historical Fiction. I felt love, anger, desperation, and so much more as I went through this story with each character. I could not put this book down and would have finished it much quicker than the three days it took me if I had had the time. Ruth is such an amazing example to us in how to release everything in our lives to God, and this novel does excellently in making you truly understand this point. I also loved that each chapter started with a Bible verse that framed your mind perfectly for what you were about to read.

I definitely give this book 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who would like to read a refreshing take on the story of Ruth. I re-read the book of Ruth after I finished reading and it was so wonderful because I had a renewed excitement for reading a story that I had read at least a dozen times! I have a renewed fascination and love of the Book of Ruth. It is a story of love and trusting God with absolutely everything in our lives.

*I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Critical Pursuit - A Book Review

"Officer Brinna Caruso has built a reputation at the precinct as the cop to call when a child goes missing. For Brinna, it’s personal because she was once one of them. Brinna and her K-9 search and rescue dog, Hero, will stop at nothing to find a missing child, no matter the stakes. Detective Jack O’Reilly isn’t ready to return to his homicide duties, after losing his wife to a drunk driver. He’s on the downside of his career, and bent on revenge, when he’s assigned as Brinna’s partner. While on patrol, Jack struggles between his quest for personal justice and his responsibility to those around him, especially his partner. Skeptical of Jack’s motives, Brinna isn’t sure she can rely on her new partner, whose reckless abandon endangers the safety of those around him. But when a man surfaces with an MO similar to the criminal who abducted Brinna twenty years earlier, Brinna and Jack must cast aside previous judgments and combine efforts to catch the kidnapper, and finally allow Brinna the peace stolen from her as a child." (Amazon Book Description)

This book literally drew me in from the first page on. I finished it in three days! I just could not seem to put it down. I was a little skeptical about it from the description; it sounded good, but did not get me very excited about reading it. I am so glad that I opened it and started reading. She talks about extremely difficult topics with extreme grace. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime or mystery. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is full of drama, action, and suspense from page one to the end.

Janice Cantore does a wonderful job of developing her characters and really connecting them to the reader. I felt like I was Brinna and it was so hard! I tend to immerse myself into my reading. This could be why I finished this one so fast, it was very hard to be immersed in their world. They had to deal with so much pain both in their own lives and through the lives of their victims. It really makes a person think about the incredibly difficult work that our police officers do everyday to keep our society safe.

I want to say so much more in this review, but I do not want to give anything away. I will just say that it is an excellent and engrossing read that addresses some very hard topics, but it leaves you with a happy feeling. It does a great job in trying to answer the age old question of why bad things happen in this world.