Waterbrook Multnomah

No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert – Review and Giveaway

April 5, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 19 Comments

Have you ever read a story that just gut-punched you? One that forced you to hold a mirror up to yourself and ask some hard questions?

Katie Ganshert delivers exactly that with No One Ever Asked. Hold on friends, because I have a lot to say about this one! In fact, this book is so relevant and so poignant, I’m giving away a copy to two readers.

Isaiah’s Daughter by Mesu Andrews (Review)

January 17, 2018 by Suzie Waltner 1 Comment

Biblical fiction is not a genre I read often. Although, I am aware there are some fabulous authors who write in this time period (Tessa Afshar, Mesu Andrews, and Connilyn Cossette all come to mind). Can you fathom the amount of research that goes into these books?

In My Opinion

While reading Mesu Andrews’s new release, I hurt and fell in love with a little girl named Ishma. As that girl struggles with her fears of soldiers and of being alone, forges a friendship with a boy who will one day become king, and discovers a new family with the prophet Isaiah, I got to visit Old Testament Jerusalem for a time.

Isaiah’s Daughter takes a handful of Scripture verses and gives readers a more rounded (fictional) account of the life these people lived. It’s a reminder that King Hezekiah, Queen Hephzibah, and Isaiah all lived lives outside of the few details recorded.

The Road to Paradise by Karen Barnett (Review)

June 28, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

Set in the 1920s in the beautiful Mount Rainier National Park, The Road to Paradise is a delightful read. As someone who has had the privilege of visiting this Washington State gem.

From the flowers and animals in the park surrounding the mountain to the dangers on the face of it, Karen Barnett gives her readers the inside scoop on this beauty.

Review: Peace in the Valley by Ruth Logan Herne

May 12, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

In spite of their differences, Trey Walker Stafford knows he owes his life to cowboy and legendary rancher Sam Stafford–the uncle who rescued him after his parents’ death. Trey had left the Double S Ranch to pursue music against Sam’s wishes, but returns to central Washington when he learns he’s the best match for a procedure that could save Sam’s life. Although Trey’s found country music fame and success, he’s also endured the tragic loss of his wife. He croons about love, but struggles with a yawning emptiness he can’t explain.

Overwhelmed by a growing list of challenges, but mistrustful of Stafford men, single mother Lucy Carlton reluctantly accepts Trey’s help to revive her crumbling farm when Sam instructs him to repay the overdue debt to her family.

As the two grow closer, Trey slowly begins to open his heart to this beautiful woman and strives to let go of the grief he’s held for years. Lucy has a complicated history of her own. Can Trey accept her as she is, learn to forgive the past, and find the elusive peace he’s sought for so long?

Book Review: Grace and the Preacher by Kim Vogel Sawyer

March 27, 2017 by Suzie Waltner Leave a Comment

My Review

Sometimes God has a different path than the one we plan out.

Theo Garrison is hiding a huge secret, one that might destroy everything he’s built, including his budding relationship with Grace Cristler, in Fairland.

In Grace and the Preacher, both of characters are likable and despite Theo’s duplicity, I wanted him to find happiness. To find his identity in Christ and his home in Kansas. Grace’s soft heart and naivety could have made her annoying, but the author managed to balance it perfectly throughout the story.

As both Grace and Theo embark on a journey they didn’t set out on, they draw closer to each other. While Grace questions some odd things about the new preacher, she is quick to accept the reasoning of her elders as to why he’s different in person than on paper.