Eye of the Sword by Karyn Henley

Book overview:  Where angels walk the ground and the future is told in song, does a man of low rank have a chance at love with a princess?

In Camrithia, a land of shadows and mystical secrets, Trevin lives to serve King Laetham. But his heart belongs to the princess, Melaia. When the King sends Trevin on on a dangerous quest to find the missing comains—captains in the king’s army—he must leave Melaia to the advances of a swaggering Dregmoorian prince.

Challenged to prove his worth, Trevin throws himself into his quest. Striving to prove his love, Trevin undertakes a second mission—find the harps Melaia seeks in order to restore the stairway to heaven. Through fire caves, rogue winds, and murderous threats, Trevin remains steadfastly dedicated to his quest—even when he is falsely accused of a heinous crime. As Trevin’s time runs out, he realizes he must face the shame and horror of his own past and the nightmare that has come to life. Will he have the courage to finish what he has started?

I ordered this book because it sounded good, I lean toward fantasy genres because I find then fascinating. It is a second in a series and I was hesitant about that because, as often happens in these genres they expect you to pick this up having already read the first and anxious to find out what happens next. I didn't want to be "lost" not understanding the background of the previous book. Well, as I started to read it I thought to myself that the characters seem familiar and the towns sound like towns I had read about before, then by chapter 2, I realized that I did read the first book Breath of Angel back in April. http://ejamsmama.blogspot.com/2011/04/breath-of-angel-by-karyn-henley.html

So I dove in with an excitement to find out what happens next.  As to whether it would stand alone, ehh I'm not sure, I didn't remember all of the details of the first book and since my daughter spirited away my copy of it and I didn't feel like searching for my blog on that book at that time, I struggled to remember what had happened and had many "Oh yeah, that's right" moments.

It was a very good book and I finished it rather quickly and now I will be hanging on till the next book. I can't wait to find out what happens. Hopefully I will remember to be on the lookout for it. But then again if it's close to another year before that happens, I will probably forget...which reminds me I think there are a few other book series that I need to follow up on. :)

I received this book for review from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

In this third book of The Triple Threat Club series, crime reporter Cassidy Shaw, Federal prosecutor Allison Pierce and FBI agent Nicole Hedges meet Elizabeth Avery She seems to be a stunningly beautiful woman but under the surface lies an ice cold heart. She pretends to be Cassidy's newest  best friend all the while manipulating all those around her. She persuades an old classmate to commit a crime for her and even convinces a shy young man to kill for her.

As she quickly leaves behind a trail of dead bodies, the authorities struggle to put the clues together and solve the seemingly unrelated crimes. Will she be caught before she finishes her selfish crime spree?

I have mixed feelings about this book. As a crime novel it was good, but being a third in the series I felt a little lost with the 3 main characters. Their pasts were hinted at and it left me a little confused and therefore I could not relate to them as much as I would have liked to.  It did give great detail into the antagonist of the story.

It was lacking in a "godly" aspect, but crime isn't godly at all. The only character that had a presumed Christan belief was Allison, she is portrayed as having an avid prayer life. Cassidy is into holistic and "higher power" beliefs while Nicole had no such reliance on either beliefs. I was somewhat disappointed with that aspect although in "real life" that would probably be the case amongst any random group of friends.

All in all the book was interesting and was a fast read. If you are into crime novels this is a book I would recommend. I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Princess Stories by Carolyn Larsen

I picked this book for obvious reasons. One my 4 year old is obsessed with princesses and two I thought it would be a great book or her. I have not read it to her yet as she is visiting family at this time.

I enjoyed the way they told the stories of God's princesses from their point of view. The stories are not just about the good women of the Bible but also of the women on whom God and Jesus made a great impact and changed their lives. The ones who made wrong decisions until they met "the King" and turned their lives around.

I felt it was a great way for young girls to know that God loves them despite the choices they make and how He only wants for them to be His princess. It also showed how each woman was known for a particular strength given to them by God and used for His glory. For example:Rebekah is the helpful princess, Ruth is the loyal princess, Esther is the daring princess, and Mary(Martha's sister) is the listening princess. Those are just a few examples.

So this book teaches a lesson about each characteristic through the example of each "princess" in the Bible. Not just the Disney version of princesses. I cannot wait to read these stories to my daughter and wish I had this book when my older girls were younger.

I received a complimentary copy of Princess Stories by Carolyn Larsen through the Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for a review. I was not required to provide a positive review and all opinions are my own.