Featuring Terri Blackstock

Over the next few days I'd like to feature author and friend Terri Blackstock. I'll be posting reviews on the following books. They are her most recent and her best.













Before we get into those reviews I'd like to share with you my own opinions about Terri Blackstock, as a writer and as a person. The first novel of hers I read was Cape Refuge, the initial book of the series of the same name. I was intrigued. Prior to this I'd read Brandilyn Collins, another great Christian suspense author (and another red head). They were both great and answered emails I wrote. While Brandilyn did try to encourage me online, it was Terri who wrote me about some things that I should investigate before committing myself. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying one is better than the other as a human being, but Terri seemed to connect with me. Her books are all dedicated to "the Nazarene". Initially I found her books to be like a lot of other Christian romantic suspense. You introduce some people, one of them, usually a guy who isn't a Christian, then play matchmaker so that by the end of the book this guy has come to the Lord and the girl is now part of his life. It's kind of a "happily ever after" routine, which quite frankly I found both boring and predictable. However, I liked the way Terri created the suspense in her books and was able to make her characters realistic. I learned that she leaned heavily upon things she had gone through or thought about personally in creating both her plots and her characters. Then I read one of her letters to the reader (which I recommend ever reader read after completing her books). This particular one said something like, "If my writing is not leading you to study the Word of God, then you have no business reading it, and I have no business writing it." I was stunned to find an author who is of the highest possible scale telling people NOT to read her work if it doesn't create a greater hunger for God. I had mentioned something of the sort in a Christian post and another fairly well-read author tried to take me to task. Their point of view was that you should write to sell as many copies as possible. Now I can't think of a single writer who doesn't have that in mind, but my point was that I write for the Lord and as such for that one person who really needs to hear what He is saying in my works. Reading this statement in Terri Blackstock's book showed me that I had found a friend, someone whose heart of ministry came before her writing. That is truly awesome.

As things progressed her writing just seemed to get better. Then, while the world watched in shock at the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the event sparked something in Terri. Living in an area that was affected by this natural disaster (she was weeks without electricity) she began a "what if?" novel called Last Light, the first of her Restoration Series. This also, in my mind, marked a decided change in her writing. It probed deeper, asked harder questions, and refused to give the easy answers. She began, at that time, to take on issues that we face every day, and the doubts, fears and anger that we all share, then work us through the story so we could see how God was always in control, even when we thought at some points, He wasn't there or didn't hear us when we prayed. Instead of the simplistic, easy and often glib "churchy" answers to difficult problems she began giving us the hard facts from God's Word, the answers that can be tough to accept, but if we do we truly find out that God loves us more than we possibly could imagine. The 3 books I'm going to review are examples of that, each one better than the previous work. While I would love to have her works toured on the Christian Fiction Review Blog, (you can find that blog at http://cfrblog.blogspost.com) we have already toured one of her books this year, and since CFRB basically is dedicated to get unknowns out there I couldn't really do that to the other writers and eclipse them with her works. I could, however, post my own reviews on my own blog. So that is what I have done. Oh, and as for the "legal notice" that usually is needed for these reviews, I have NOT received any of these books from her or her publisher. So you can be sure that these reviews are done from my heart, not in payment for "services rendered". I checked out all three of these books from the library and own one of them. (I own some of her other books as well) So there is no need for a legal notice. These are books I have read because I wanted to read them and reviews written because they have moved me so much. Lastly let me say this, because I think Terri would want me to say this, give God the glory. As good a writer as Terri Blackstock is, that is just the gift that God has given her, and the one she has been faithful in using for Him. However, it is God who empowers these works, often speaking through them, making them more than just another novel. Yes, I thank God for Terri, but for these works I give God the glory. Jesus is, after all, the Author and Finisher of our faith. - David Brollier; author of The 3rd Covenant

To find out more about Terri Blackstock visit her site HERE

To get a clearer picture of this extraordinary individual you should read her TESTIMONY

The Duke's Handmaid, by Caprice Hokstad

CFRB tours THE DUKE'S HANDMAID, by Caprice Hokstad...again. In August of 2007 we toured THE DUKE'S HANDMAID, by Caprice Hokstad. At the time she was self-published, and there were some things she and Xulon didn't see eye to eye on. Now, Grace Bridges and her Splashdown Books, has acquired this book, repacked it and made some minor changes. So I thought, why not tour it again? As I re-read THE DUKE'S HANDMAID I remember some of the great things from the first time I read it, but I began to see even more. To me that is just another indicator that Caprice Hokstad has been about to basically create her own sub-genre, which she calls a "sword opera", and prove to the writing world that she is head and shoulders above many "known" authors already out there.

The story is actually a love story, but she approaches this in a manner that respects what love truly is, and it is NOT lust. Most contemporary romances are nothing but tales of lust. Not only does she make a clear distinction between the two, but she shows you that real love is something worth having, even if you have to give up everything else, including the object of your love. Now I know that sounds contradictory, but it really isn't. If a man loves a girl and she wants to pursue a career rather than get involved with him he will let her go, not because it is easy or because he wants to see her go, but because his love for her is so great that he would rather see her happy than make her miserable by forcing her to stay with him. We find this same selfless love in THE DUKE'S HANDMAID.

We find much more though too. We find ourselves on another world in a society that is complex, yet believable. We find things going on that we may have faced, at least to some degree, in our own lives, and then we are challenged to love beyond a way we have ever possibly loved before. And who are we to love this way? First and foremost we are to love our Lord this way. When we do we will find He can give us the same love for our spouse, and then for others, even our enemies. So grab a copy, open in up, and fall in love with a new kind of writing that one day other writers will be comparing their own work to, and largely failing, but that's the way it is when you're the best there is. The rest of us have to come after "best". I'm content to come after Caprice, knowing she is a truly great writer.

Visit Caprice's website.

Purchase The Duke's Handmaid from Splashdown Books.

(Coming soon to Amazon and Barnes & Noble) For a limited time, the .pdf eBook is FREE from Lulu or get the Kindle version from Amazon for just 99 cents!



Check out the following blogs for more about her book





IMPORTANT:
According to Federal law I have to tell that I received this book for free so I can do a review. Such a statement is meant to question the actual value of the book, so I want to set your minds at ease. Although in 2007 I did receive a free, pre-release copy of her book to do a review I have deemed it, even in its original form, of a quality high enough to give Caprice Hokstad a 2nd tour with CFRB. In other words, for this tour I have used the older version, knowing that the work deserved another tour. As far as a fantasy is concered The Duke's Handmain a book that, by it's quality, stands alone among many naturally gifted and well known writers. If you own a copy of this book, I believe that somewhere down through time you are going to say, "Caprice Hokstad? Of course I've heard of her. Her work is amazing." And you will feel a special glow because you will have purchased this book before she became famous, which I totally believe she will become. No one paid me to say that.

STARLIGHTER, by Bryan Davis

This month the Chrisitan Fiction Review Blog tours STARLIGHTER, byt Bryan Davis. I have to tell that after 4 years of tours with CFRB I've read books of all kinds. STARLIGHTER is one of those extraordinary works.

Consider two worlds, sister planets, traveling around their sun on the same orbit, but maintaining an exact opposite distance from one another. In other words, what would it be like if on the same elliptical path as earth, yet on a point the furthest from earth? What if that world shared the ability to sustain life, but the intelligent life on that planet was different than that of the life on this planet? What stories could be told, myths to be weaved, doctrines to be created? Our story begins on the planet of Major Four. Directly opposite this planet on the same elliptical path, but at the furthest point was the planet they called Dacon. On Dacon we find its inhabitants call their planet Starlight, and Major Four to them as Darksphere. Dacon/Starlight and Major Four/Darksphere may have lived in blissful ignorance of one another if it hadn't been for two inhabitants, one from Major Four and one from Starlight. Together they discovered a Gateway that connected the worlds. After that discovery one planet stole the inhabitants of the other planet. This wasn't a continuing practice, but they raised these inhabitants like one would raise a herd of cows or something. They became beasts of burden. Not only that but they continued to procreate, negating the necessity to get more. The people would create the "more" for them.

STARLIGHTER is a story of many heroes, heroes of different kinds, who find one another and work together to accomplish some fantastic things. I could say much more, but why spoil the story for you. I'm sure this is one of those stories that you will truly appreciate for a long time to come.


Be sure to visit Bryan's site and see some of the special things he has prepared for you HERE


Due to problems with obtaining STARLIGHTER we only have 3 people, that I know of doing reviews, and one of them may not be able to post until later in the week. Here are the CFRB members giving reviews
Bibliophile's Retreat
Reviews by Buuklvr81
The Words of David


You can purchase STARLIGHTER at the following locations:









IMPORTANT - Yeah, legally I have to tell you that I received a copy of this book and posted this review as payment for such. Interesting legal footwork, don't you think. Yes, I received a free book so that I could read and post a review for Bryan Davis. The thing is I've not only posted here, but posted 6 more reviews on the same book at http://cfrblog.blogspot.com Maybe I can get the U.S. Government to pay for 6 more books, seeing as I have to make mention of the free book for review thing. I'm not holding my breath. If I post a review here, it has nothing to do with having to post a review, but because I've dedicated myself to posting a review because the work is of a great enough quality.

RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER, by Ellen C. Rider

The Christian Fiction Review Blog has done it again, found a most interesting and wonderful story. Now to those who are somewhat skeptical of a vampire novel being Christian I can only tell you this, that Beth Rider, the main character of this work, is a Christian author on a book tour. She is met by a half-man, half-demon who turns her into a "rabbit", a toy to be played with until she is killed. Much of the standard elements of vampire novels are included, fear of sunlight, living to be centuries old, drinking blood. Yet she adds a few twists of her own, which I'll allow you to find for yourself. It's more fun that way. Do not get caught up in this "but it's a vampire novel" way of thinking. There is actually a very good way to preach the gospel using the vampire genre. I'm still waiting to see someone do it the way I have envisioned, but Ellen C. Maze has done a wonderful job telling a story that talks about compassion, resisting temptation, facing our own frailties, and spiritual warfare. Mostly it's about spiritual warfare. If for no other reason you should read this book for that reason alone. RABBIT: CHASING BETH RIDER is well-told, delightfully unusual, has the twists and turns in it a mystery writer can appreciate, and is very insightful. I was able to read this book in a little over 4 days, which is pretty good since my eyes tire quickly. Although I may have to speak to Ellen about some loss sleep during those days. This is one of those books that makes you want to stay up and read when you know you should be sleeping. Several stories are going on at the same time, and Ellen Maze does a wonderful time of not confusing the reader about which story line she's talking about in any part of the book. Something some better known publishers could learn a lesson from. She's not morbid in this book, nor does she romanticize vampirism. She talks bluntly, and yet with compassion. There can be no mistake that Ellen C. Maze is Beth Rider. I give her a 4.25 star rating on this book One of the things that you might find interesting s that you will probably find yourself in this book, whether it's Beth, one of the vampires or one of their "Cows". Read it and enjoy.


You can visit here site Here


And you can purchase it at the following online stores:




























Check out these other member blogs this week for more info.



IMPORTANT: I have received a copy of this book free from either the author or publisher in order to write a review. That, however, has very little to do with the quality of the work promoted here. I review works that I have a basic understanding of its quality after first being previewed.

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LADY CARLISS: And the Waters of Moorue, by Chuck Black

I'm late with this review, sorry. This book deserves a lot of credit. In fact everything I've read of Chuck Black has been just amazing. A teenage girl finds herself in the service as a Knight of the King and the Prince in Arrethtrae. She really wishes to dedicate her whole life to the Prince, without the problems a relationship with men would cause. Yet as she matures her feelings for Sir Dalton begin to cause her some inner conflict. After a stint in training other young knights she sets out for a place she calls home, a place where she is sure to run into Sir Dalton, and her inner turmoil. Lady Salina joins her as they ride off, but on the way they find a nearly dead Sir Dalton. Seeking help they find that there is only one cure, and unfortunately that cure is surrounded by some rather bloodthirsty creatures. That's all I can really tell you about it other then she must make a choice about saving the people of the nearby towns or saving Sir Dalton. This is not an easy choice to make, and she goes to the Prince for guidance.

Chuck Black has this amazing way of teaching Biblical things in such an entertaining way you don't realize you are being taught. Lady Carliss, although a knight, is better with bow and arrow than with a sword, she's also quite young for a knight. She's basically the least person you'd expect to be a hero of any book, especially when placed in the situation Mr. Black places her. And yet, that is the point of the story, or one of them. "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" (1st Cor. 1:27) comes to life in a full-blown, action-packed adventure. Just how does God use the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, or the weak things to confound the mighty? Ah, there's a story in that.

Another thing I truly enjoy about this is that you can imagine the knights of old sitting around some campfire, or perhaps Robin Hood and his men, or Iranhoe, telling this tale of heroism in the face of obstacles that seem unbeatable. You can feel them, as they tell the tale, taking comfort in the tale, and finding strength to go out and perform their own heroic deeds. There are more tales of Robin Hood and his men than people remember. Basically they were a collection of tales about different men holding onto honor and loyalty regardless of their "outlaw" status. They would have identified greatly with Lady Carliss. Only her story is even richer, more honorable, more challenging at the heart than even those stories, real or imagined. So I give you, Lady Carliss, and the Waters of Moorue. A tale worthy of the courts of kings and around the campfires of heroes. Enjoy.

You can find a short writeup on Chuck Black HERE

To purchase Lady Carliss or other Chuck Black books you can visit the following links. Just click on the logo. You'll find that these books are priced surprisingly low, while the quality is surprisingly high.






















IMPORTANT NOTICE
I received this book free from the publisher so I might write a review. My review is payment for this book. However, I wish to emphasize that this in no way diminishes the quality of this great work.

RAVEN'S LADDER, by Jeffrey Overstreet

I'm way overdue with this review, but I had other commitments that took precedence. I hope Jeff doesn't take offense at that.
The Story: With the fall of the House of Abascar and King Cal-Marcus, his son, Cal-Raven leads the survivors into the "Expanse" in search of a home for a New Abascar. He is led by a vision and the wise words of one of the sages. Yet this advice flies in the face of the established religions and most social practices. Cal-Raven finds shelter to be something of an illusion. The people are growing weary and in need of rest, but Cal-Raven seeks out the 14th tower of the Tammos Raak's former kingdom. Enticed to seek refuge in Bel Amica Cal-Raven presses on, but things don't always go as planned. He finds himself, and his people in Bel Amica, and in dire need of escape from that place. This is a story about the prince and some stalwart allies found in the most unlikely of places, both high and low.

The Review: It's difficult for me to give a proper review since I'm coming in on the 3rd book of a series, but I'll do my best. I found that his descriptions, even names, so rich that you could feel, sense, smell and almost touch what he portrayed. While I though a "vawn" was another kind of a hores-like animal (it's actually a reptile), I still had an image in my mind that allowed me to continue the story without interruption. The story is told fairly well, although it gets so complicated at times, especially in the beginning for someone who has just started reading him, that it was very difficult to put the story together. While eventually the story does come together and is, in fact, quite a rich story, I felt that there were still some pieces of the puzzle missing or misplaced. If I had to guess I would say that Mr. Overstreet was directed to trim down this novel to meet the word count for Waterbrook's guidelines. That's sad, because you can almost sense he had so much more to say. The parts he chose to remove seemed to be important transitional accounts that would have tied the story together much better.
Okay, now that I have all the bad stuff out of the way, let's get to the really great stuff. We have a wandering prince leading the rag-tag remnants of a once great nation through the most dangerous of places. Their love for him is great, but none greater than Tabor Jan, the chief warrior who stands by his side. You have, in this work, not just good verses evil, but perceived good being unveiled for the evil it is, as well as perceived evil being unveiled for the good it is. You have a troop, a nation of stragglers, finding refuge in a neighboring land, only to find its enticements are stronger than bars of iron on a prison cell. You have internal conflicts, heroism on many levels, weaknesses and outright evil. It is the Keeper against the Seers, and if I were to put it in modern language, to assign this to today's political climate I would mark this as the Lord and His followers against the false prophets and false teachers of our age. For no one holds a greater bondage over another as the one who convinces the other that his prison is a palace hall. This seems to be the bulk of the story, the heart, and the internal conflicts that many of the main characters face make for excellent reading. I'm sorry it took me so long to get this out, but it took me a long time to read it, and, as I said, I had other commitments.
Bottom line, if you like fantasy, good verses evil with lots of action and intrigue this is a book you should look into. However, you may wish to get the first 2 installments of this trilogy so you don't start out lost as I did. God bless and enjoy.

David Brollier
Follow the following Logos to where you can purchase Raven's Ladder



Important: This book was received free of charge for the purpose of reviewing it. However, I wish to state that this does not alter my feelings about the book. I've listed the pros and the cons I saw in this book. This statement is necessary, unfortunately, by new federal laws (and I thought we had Freedom of Speech)