Category Archives: Tyndale House Publishers

Review: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee

Title: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Historical (40s, 70s), Christian Fiction
Length: 339 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through LibraryThing

Summary:

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

For fans of historical and Southern fiction comes a poignant story of love and sacrifice set in the heart of Appalachia, from award-winning author Michelle Shocklee.
Full-length Christian historical fiction
Standalone novel
Book length: approximately 94,000 words
Includes discussion questions for book groups

Review:

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee is a heartwarming novel that delves into adoption and the meaning of family.

The Jenkins’ sisters are very kind-hearted and willing to care for the stranger than turns up at their home. They also have a strong faith that extends to explaining Bible verses to anyone who is open to the word of God. Teenager Songbird is selfless as she makes a heart-wrenching decision about her baby.

Thirty years later, a rising country star’s entire world is turned upside down by his mom’s shocking revelation. After struggling with anger, depression and questions about his identity, he asks for assistance from a midwife who is an adoption advocate. Working together, they uncover the stunning truth about his past.

Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee is an emotionally compelling of hope and faith. The characters are incredibly well-drawn and quite appealing (except a couple of notable people). The storyline is engaging with the chapters alternating between events in 1943 and 1973. Michelle Shocklee brings this moving novel to a sweet conclusion.

Comments Off on Review: Appalachian Song by Michelle Shocklee

Filed under Appalachian Song, Christian, Historical (40s), Historical (70s), Michelle Shocklee, Rated B+, Review, Tyndale House Publishers

Review: The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan

Title: The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Historical (60s), Fiction
Length: 363 pages
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through LibraryThing

Summary:

The Year of Jubilee is a lyrical coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the turbulent South in the early 1960s.

The Mockingbird family has always lived peacefully in Jubilee, Kentucky, despite the divisions that mark their small town. Until the tense summer of 1963, when their youngest child, Isaac, falls gravely ill. Middle sister Grace, nearly fourteen, is determined to do whatever it takes to save her little brother. With her father and mother away at the hospital, Grace is left under the loving but inexperienced eye of her aunt June, with little to do but wait and worry. Inspired by a young teacher’s mission for change, she begins to flirt with danger—and with a gifted boy named Golden, who just might be the key to saving Isaac’s life. Then the unthinkable happens, and the world as she knows it shifts in ways she never could have imagined. Grace must decide what she believes amid the swirling, conflicting voices even of those she loves the most.

From gifted songwriter Cindy Morgan comes this lyrical, tender tale of a girl standing at the threshold of adulthood, learning the depths of the human heart and the bonds of family that bend, break, and bind together over and over again.

Review:

The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan is a thought-provoking novel with an undertone of sadness.

Written from thirteen-year-old Grace Mockingbird’s perspective, this moving story of life in small Kentucky town is incredibly engrossing. Grace is devastated by her younger brother and best friend Isaac’s illness. Her older sister Sissie is causing the family problems with her unexpected rebellion. While their parents are at the hospital with Isaac, their Aunt June stays with them and provides minimal yet loving supervision.

In the midst of their family’s turmoil, the civil rights movement comes to the forefront as the local Ku Klux Klan becomes more active. One of Grace’s teachers is instrumental in introducing Grace to her neighbors who just happen to Black. For the first time in her life, Grace finally finds unconditional friendship but will there be a price for and her family to pay?

With a subtle undercurrent of faith, The Year of Jubilee is a poignant novel that is beautifully written with relatable characters. Grace easily captures the reader’s heart. All of the characters are extremely well-drawn and vibrantly life-like. The small-town setting springs vividly to life as do its residents. The storyline is engaging and provides an intimate peek into the Mockingbird’s household and the tragedies they have experienced. Cindy Morgan brings this heartfelt novel to an uplifting, realistic conclusion.

Comments Off on Review: The Year of Jubilee by Cindy Morgan

Filed under Cindy Morgan, Fiction, Historical (60s), Rated A, Review, The Year of Jubilee, Tyndale House Publishers

Review: The Beirut Protocol by Joel C. Rosenberg

Title: The Beirut Protocol by Joel C. Rosenberg
Marcus Ryker Series Book Four
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Christian, Political Thriller
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher and/or Author Through Meryl Moss Media

Summary:

From the New York TimesUSA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author!
A game-changing peace treaty between Israel and the Saudis is nearly done.

The secretary of state is headed to the region to seal the deal.

And Special Agent Marcus Ryker is leading an advance trip along the Israeli-Lebanon border, ahead of the secretary’s arrival.

But when Ryker and his team are ambushed by Hezbollah forces, a nightmare scenario begins to unfold. The last thing the White House can afford is a new war in the Mideast that could derail the treaty and set the region ablaze. U.S. and Israeli forces are mobilizing to find the hostages and get them home, but Ryker knows the clock is ticking.

When Hezbollah realizes who they’ve captured, no amount of ransom will save them—they’ll be transferred to Beirut and then to Tehran to be executed on live television.

In the fourth installment of Rosenberg’s gripping new series, Marcus Ryker finds himself in the most dangerous situation he has ever faced—captured, brutalized, and dragged deep behind enemy lines.

Should he wait to be rescued? Or try to escape? How? And what if his colleagues are too wounded to run?

This is the CIA’s most valuable operative as you have never seen him before.

Review:

The Beirut Protocol by Joel C. Rosenberg is an action-packed political thriller with a topical storyline. Although this newest release is the fourth installment in the Marcus Ryker series, it can be read as a standalone.

With an imminent peace treaty in the Middle East on the verge of being signed, CIA agent Marcus Ryker and his team are on an advance mission for the Secretary of State’s upcoming visit. He is accompanied by Diplomatic Secret Service Agent Kailea Curtis and IDF Intelligence Officer Yigal Mizrachi. On an ordinary trip along the Israel/Lebanese border, their convoy is attacked by Hezbollah fighters. Just as Marcus, Kailea and Yigal believe they have won the fight, the three are captured by Radwan deputy commander Amin al-Masri and his men. Marcus knows he must keep his and Yigal’s identities from becoming known. But will they remain silent as they undergo extreme torture by al-Masri and his men?

While Marcus, Kaiela and Yigal are attempting to formulate an escape plan, the fragile Mid-East peace deal is threatened by circumstances beyond their control. Officials in Washington DC are trying to salvage the treaty while sending a highly trained team to find Marcus, Kailea and Yigal. All of the interested parties are also trying to understand why Hezbollah attacked the convoy and what their objective is regarding their prisoners. Amin is working with a tight time-frame to achieve his goal but will Marcus foil his plan?

The Beirut Protocol is a riveting political thriller with a timely storyline. The plot is engaging and the sense of urgency surrounding the various events keeps the storyline moving at a brisk pace. Despite his very dire situation, Marcus relies on his faith as he contemplates the outcome of the kidnapping. Joel C. Rosenberg brings this edge of the seat thriller to an explosive conclusion. I enjoyed and highly recommend this suspenseful novel to readers who enjoy political thrillers.

Comments Off on Review: The Beirut Protocol by Joel C. Rosenberg

Filed under Christian, Contemporary, Joel C Rosenberg, Marcus Ryker Series, Political Thriller, Rated B, Review, The Beirut Protocol, Tyndale House Publishers

Review: The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate

sea keepersTitle: The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate
Carolina Chronicles Book Three
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Genre: Contemporary, Historical (30s), Literary, Fiction
Length: 448 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny.

Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the Excelsior are more complicated than they seem. Whitney’s estranged stepfather is entrenched on the third floor, and the downstairs tenants are determined to save the historic building. Searching through years of stored family heirlooms may be Whitney’s only hope of quick cash, but will the discovery of an old necklace and a Depression-era love story change everything?

Review:

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate is a beautiful journey of self-discovery and healing for lead protagonist Whitney Monroe. This third installment in the delightful Carolina Chronicles can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend all of the books in the series.

Desperately trying to save the restaurant she co-owns with her cousin, Whitney’s life is further complicated after her stepfather, Clyde Fransczyk, falls and she is forced to confront the complicated past she has ignored since her mother’s death. Traveling to the Outer Banks to take care of her stepfather and the Excelsior, her family’s historic waterfront hotel, Whitney uncovers startling information about her family’s history that provides surprising insight into herself, her grandmother and her strained relationship with her stepfather. She also learns new information about her mother and her late in life marriage to Clyde that makes it very difficult to for her to go through with her plans to convince him to move into assisted living so she can sell the family hotel to an overzealous developer. Before Whitney can decide what she is going to do, the situation with the restaurants takes a dark turn and she is torn between preserving her family’s legacy and her duty to her loyal employees.

For the first time in her life, Whitney is on the verge of failure and with so many people counting on her, she is stubbornly fighting to keep the second restaurant from closing down. Her tenacity is admirable but her reasons for refusing to concede defeat are wrapped up in her guilt over making an impetuous business decision that could destroy what she and her cousin have worked so hard to create. This stubbornness extends to her attitude towards Clyde and it is incredibly frustrating watching Whitney refuse to consider other options for his care. She also seems incredibly short-sighted about her decision to continue the battle to keep the second restaurant afloat. She is so certain that she knows what is right that she remains on her chosen path long after she should have explored other options. Overall, Whitney is a likable but exasperating character who lets her fears and inability to trust prevent her from moving forward until she is forced to by outside influences.

Through a series of newly discovered letters written by her grandmother’s twin sister, Alice, Whitney learns intriguing information about the 1930’s Federal Writer’s Project. As one of the Project writers, Alice traveled to distant areas throughout Appalachia where she interviewed and gathered oral histories from as many people as possible for the program. This peek into a long forgotten piece of American history is incredibly fascinating but it also provides Whitney with a different viewpoint of her grandmother and how those long ago events shaped her into the woman she came to know. She also sees how her mother’s past experiences influenced her decisions later in life and this new perspective helps Whitney make peace with her loss.

The Sea Keeper’s Daughters by Lisa Wingate is an incredibly well-written and compelling novel of redemption. It is a marvelous tale that weaves fact and fiction into an enthralling story of love and healing that I highly recommend to old and new fans of the Carolina Chronicles.

1 Comment

Filed under Carolina Chronicles, Contemporary, Historical (30s), Lisa Wingate, Literary Fiction, Rated B+, Review, Romance, Tyndale House Publishers