Book Review: Between by Cyndi Tefft

Photo taken from Goodreads

Book Info

  
Title:  Between

Author:  Cyndi Tefft
Publisher:  CreateSpace

Language: English

Format:  E-book (PDF)

Pages:  140 pages

Source:  Reviewer's digital copy from the author, Cyndi Tefft

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Goodreads 

"It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.

After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.

Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries."

Review

Between by Cyndi Tefft would have been just a typical love story if it weren't for the twists and turns that this novel take.  Ms. Tefft has certainly done a great job creating a beautiful, touching, emotional, and engaging book that not just talks about love in the emotional and romantic sense, but also in the spiritual.

Between is the story of Lindsey, who gets into a car accident and finds herself with a mysterious handsome Scott, Aiden MacRae, whose job as a transporter is to take the dead souls to heaven.  But instead of taking her to heaven straightaway, the two fall in love.

I did not like Lindsey at first.  She appeared flat and more caricature-like, until she revealed her memories to Aiden and gave the readers the opportunity to get to know her deeper.  When I finally understood her, it was with a happy acceptance and somehow, I saw bits of myself in her.  I guess everyone would, as there is a little of Lindsey in all of us.  She has this ability to make the best in every situation, an admirable trait in a person who has experienced probably the most traumatic event in his/her life.

Like Lindsey, I feared that I would not like the story much.  It sounded too predictable and exhausted.  However, as I got to read more I found myself really getting into the book and loving the characters and feeling as they felt.  The twists and turns that this novel too were unrealistically realistic that for a moment, I sympathized so much with Lindsey and even found myself tearing up in the oddest times.  The plot was very simple, but this simplicity was what made it more alive and vivid; on the other hand, the turn of events provided the complexity that this story needed and which sustained the reader's interest.

Fair bit of warning, though:  This book contained a lot of Christian references, if only because of Lindsey's faith.  Of course, you can't talk about death without dealing with the spiritual ideals and in my opinion, Ms. Tefft certainly did a great job in handling this part of the premise with finesse and understanding.  She did not just insert these religious attributes for the sake of talking the readers into converting or anything like that, she mentioned Christianity in a way that a person talks about going to the doctor when you're sick - she's not telling you to accept and do the same, but just letting you know the options.  If you're a stickler for spiritual neutrality, then you might want to steer clear from this book, although I'd still appeal to you to give this book a chance, it might just surprise you.

Overall, I loved Between by Cyndi Tefft.  I loved the harmonious mix of the spiritual and emotional to create this special, well-written novel.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice

I received this book free of charge from the author, Cyndi Tefft, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

Book Review: The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

Photo taken from Booksneeze

Book Info

Title:  The Mountains Bow Down

Author:  Sibella Giorello

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  384 pages

ISBN-13:  978-1595545350

Source:  Publisher, Booksneeze

Buy this book on Amazon

Summary

From Booksneeze:

"Everything’s going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .

That’s what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh’s forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis—handsome Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack—who might not be as arrogant as she originally thought.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a mystery so daunting that even the mountains might bow down before it."

Review

I believe that the best Christian fiction are those that teach you something without coming off as preachy and holier-than-thou.  This book, The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello, is a perfect example of a Christian-oriented novel that subtly blends fiction with Christianity.  The story is about Raleigh Harmon, a workaholic FBI agent who goes on a vacation (sort of) and gets on a cruise, only to find herself caught in the middle of a mysterious death of another passenger that she stubbornly insists is not just a simple case of suicide, despite popular belief. 

Fast-paced, riveting, and emotionally-charged, this story will take the reader to an intense ride through an Alaskan cruise, following Raleigh as she struggles to work out the mysterious death of a co-passenger, the worsening rift in her family, and the disconcerting presence of former rival and now co-investigator for the passenger's death Special Agent Jack Stephanson.

Raleigh seems to be the woman every girl wants to grow up to be:  Beautiful, brave, intelligent, and strong.  However, what a young girl does not know is that every woman has her share of problems, and Raleigh's in particular, is very heavy.  This story shows that beneath her seemingly perfect facade is a cracked mirror that she tries hard to stop from shattering.  This emotionally-charged book explores a person's faith in faith, that when everything seems impossible, it is the time when God's presence is felt the most. 

But far from the very serious tone of the synopsis and theme, this book is full of humorous quips and observations, contributed by the various characters all equally vivid and realistic.  Each person affects the story in no small way, every action and dialogue contributing to the tumultuous ending.  Reading about each character, the reader will feel like he/she has known that person personally, like that character is standing right in front of you and addressing you instead of the other person that he/she is supposed to be interacting with in the book. 

Raleigh's voice is consistent with her personality and the flow of her story.  She gives a fast-paced account of her adventure and reflects constantly about her actions.  We understand that she is a very introspective person.  And we also learn that far from being the woman who has an answer to everything, we see how vulnerable she is.  This significant aspect of the book is what allows the Christian values and lessons to peek through the pages, without sounding too self-righteous, even a non-believer would approve. 

If you are tired of the usual suspense thriller fare offered by other contemporary writers that seem to have 'less soul,' I highly recommend that you read this book.  It has every element that an exciting thriller novel has, but this offers more:  heart, soul, and faith.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.

Awesome Author: Interview with Alex Marestaing (Izzy's Popstar Plan)

Just when you thought things in the book industry could not get any better, another author dares to go where no author has gone before.  Write a Christian fiction book?  No.  Write a young adult daily devotional book?  Close, but no.  Write a young adult Christian fiction book?  No, it's way better.  Write a 3D young adult Christian fiction/daily devotional book series?  Now you're talking.  Christian young adult books have never looked this good.  Thanks to Mr. Alex Marestaing!

I was able to receive a copy of Izzy's Popstar Plan through Booksneeze in exchange of a review.  I was not really expecting anything but when I read it, it was awesome!  I bet any person would love to read it too.  Check out my book review of Izzy's Popstar Plan to know what I'm talking about.

 

Now, not only do I get to share to you a really awesome book, I can now introduce you to its equally awesome author.  Read on and find out more about Alex!

Tell us something about yourself that nobody knows yet. 

Well, I’m sure my family already knows this, but I am totally into Japanese candy.  I tried some on a trip to Tokyo a few years ago and I was hooked. I sometimes drive long distances to Japanese markets in the Los Angeles area just to get a hold of some. Since the labels are usually in Japanese, I have to find my favorites by looking at the pictures on the wrappers. 

Tell us about all your books.

My latest book series is called Izzy's Pop Star Plan.  It's the story of a songwriting California teen, Izzy, who gets to travel the world as she competes in a contest called The International Pop Star Challenge. The books in the series are unique in that they're written in blog form. Each post tells more of Izzy’s story and includes a “My Heart” section where she shares some of her favorite Bible verses.

            

 

The fun part about the series is that it's what I call a book series in "3D". It has a web component that includes music, “bonus” blogs, and videos where readers can watch Izzy as she travels, interviews top Christian music artists, or just hangs out around her Hollywood home. 

What was your inspiration that made you decide to write Izzy's Popstar Plan? 

I used to be a musician, and, every once in a while, I still write music. One day while I was playing, a song came to me and from that song came the idea for my character, Izzy, a sixteen year-old musician trying to make it in the Hollywood music scene. Of course this new character needed a book, and that’s when Izzy’s Popstar Plan was born.

My two preteen daughters were watching a lot of Disney Channel shows such as Jonas and Hannah Montana at the time. For the most part, I have no problem with those shows. They’re full of music and creative energy, but overall the characters can be pretty shallow. So in Izzy’s Popstar Plan I wanted to create a teen that was creative, deep thinking, and more of a role model for my two daughters. I like the way Izzy turned out, definitely not Hannah Montana. 

Did you have any difficulty writing through a young girl's point of view?  How were you able to provide a consistent and very believable female voice for Izzy? 

That’s a great question. It definitely wasn’t easy writing from this perspective. I have two preteen daughters and hanging out with them helped in a big way. I think what really helped though is that I usually didn’t think of myself as writing from a girl’s point of view. I was writing from a human’s point of view. Whether male or female, we all share a lot of the same hopes, fears, and heartaches, and focusing on those things helped kept the story believable. In fact, I recently got a message from a reader who thought that Izzy was a real girl. I guess that’s a compliment.   

One character that stood out to me in your book was one of the International Popstar Challenge judges, Marshall Philips.  If he were real, what would you like to say to him? 

Marshall Phillips is basically a symbol of intolerance. He’s afraid that Izzy’s faith will offend viewers of the show, so he basically tries to shut her down. Like most conflicts, the problems he causes allow Izzy’s faith to mature and eventually shine even brighter.

The real life Marshall Phillips of this world usually aren’t good listeners, but, if he were listening, I would ask him, “What are you so afraid of?"  

Izzy appeared to be close enough to her father that she was confident enough to give him access to her personal blog.  How do you as a father maintain your closeness with your children?  Did you ever experience feeling left out on your children’s lives? 

I absolutely adore my three children, and I would never want there to come a day where we weren’t close. But maintaining that closeness isn’t always easy, especially in the middle of writing a book series. Izzy took a lot of time to write since there were so many pieces to put together. There were books to write, actresses to audition, videos to film, music to record, and I started growing concerned about the amount of time the project was taking me away from my kids. Without time, time to listen and share in their lives, I knew that that closeness would begin to fade. 

At that point, I realized I needed to do something, so I decided to start taking each of my kids out to Starbuck’s individually once a week. Those nights with my kids gave me serious one on one time, where we could touch base and stay close.  

What do you do when you are experiencing writer’s block? 

Rest, listen to music, get inspired again, and always keep writing. 

So far, your books seem to be doing well and gained mainly positive reviews.  How do you deal with negative reviews?  

Criticism is a normal part of the writing process, and it's something I've gotten used to.  During the editing process, a book is critiqued and taken apart piece by piece, so, by the time a novel hits bookstores, an author is ready for whatever review may come. If a writer has an open mind, he/she can learn a lot from positive as well as negative reviews. 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so negative reviews haven't really bugged me yet, though I'm sure if the majority of my reviews were negative, I would begin to panic. That being said, what bothers me most about some negative reviews is when I can tell a reviewer hasn't read the book. They've maybe scanned a few pages, enough to write something, but never really went past that.  Izzy's Popstar Plan is a lot deeper than the cover or title implies, so if they don't go past the first few pages they've missed the whole point. 

What do you love most about writing? 

I love the beginning of a project, when an idea just pops out of nowhere, and you begin to scribble pieces of sentences and paragraphs. Then there’s the thrill of having your idea signed by a publisher. Knowing that your ideas will be shared with others around the world is an amazing feeling. The best part though, the absolutely best part of all, is when a life is somehow touched by the words you have written. That’s when you realize that all the hard work involved in writing a blog entry, article or book has been worth every minute. 

What is your reading guilty pleasure? 

Okay, I know this doesn’t sound very deep, but I still love reading comics. They’re fun, fast, colorful, and don’t take a lot of brain power to finish. 

Who is one writer that you really look up to? 

Definitely C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia series. I love the way his work has captured the hearts of readers from several generations. I also appreciate the way he wove what was most precious to him, his faith in God, into his books without being preachy about it. He let the story tell itself and that made the message rise to the surface naturally…more powerfully. 

What advice can you give amateur writers?  

Other than simply write, write, and write some more, I would tell a writer starting out to be brave enough to be honest.  Heartfelt honesty allows readers to share in your  heartaches and triumphs and audiences appreciate that. 

Charlotte's Web author, E.B. White, once said, "I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all," and I definitely agree.  It takes real courage to write great literature, literature that is honest and vulnerable.  Readers appreciate emotion, weakness, and a candid sharing of "I can't figure life out sometimes".  They appreciate it because, as  fellow humans, that's who they are.  So be honest, and others will honestly appreciate your work.  

Thank you so much for joining us, Alex! 

----- 

For more info on Alex Marestaing and his books, you can  find him on:   

Alex Marestaing's Blog   

Izzy' Popstar Plan Book Website

Izzy's Popstar Plan Book Tour and Book Trailer

Twitter 

Facebook

Izzy's Popstar Plan by Alex Marestaing

Photo taken from Booksneeze

Book Info

Title:  Izzy's Popstar Plan

Author:  Alex Marestaing

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  256 pages

ISBN-10:  1400316545

ISBN-13:  978-1400316540

Source:  Publisher, Booksneeze

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Booksneeze:

"Izzy Baxter has big plans—popstar plans. Ever since she was six, she’s dreamed of becoming the world’s next singing sensation. Now sixteen, her singing career is on the rise, and she’s been selected to compete on the hit TV show International Popstar Challenge. As Izzy performs in far off locations such as Tokyo and Paris, it seems as if her plans are coming off without a hitch. But God has plans of His own, and Izzy will soon discover that living for Him is “way cooler” than megastar fame.

Presented like a daily blog, set up like a devotional, and read like a novel—this book will be an instant hit with tween girls. This cutting edge new product will meet girls where they are, and girls will love following Izzy on her incredible adventure. Plus, they’ll get daily spiritual food to equip them on their own incredible adventure with God."

Review

Who among us did not want to be a pop star when we were younger?  I admit I imagined myself eclipsing Britney Spears at some point in my teens, but apparently I was meant for other 'bigger things' so instead of going to Hollywood, I went to college and got myself a nursing degree (ignore the fact that what I call dancing is actually just swaying side to side and my singing is better kept within family gatherings; except for church choir but hey singing alto is not very difficult - for me that is.).  Enter Izzy Baxter, a young lady who dreamed of being a pop star since she was six years old and singing with her hairbrush in the bathroom for hours, pretending to be performing in a huge concert.  In helping her reach her dreams, she would practice singing and write songs every day and lead the worship in their Christian church group.  Readers are treated to a blog account of what happens in Izzy's life as she prepared for her audition for the hit television show, International Pop Star Challenge.  Adding to the whole inspirational and devotional aspect were Bible passages and prayers related to a particular blog entry.  

Story-wise, I thought the writing was very solid and believable, yet imaginative.  This is the first time I read a story written through blog entries and I admire unique presentations of a story.  It's difficult to maintain that authenticity when writing a blog post because the prose becomes too impersonal and too 'out there' that you just read for the sake of reading, not really for getting into the story.  In this case, it was done creatively that you find yourself getting sucked into Izzy's world and feeling like you were actually there just reading through her 'blog.'  You also don't just get into what's currently happening to Izzy, you can also read between the lines with what's happening to her friends and family.  For example, there was an incident wherein Izzy had a covert falling out with her best friend and although it was not too obvious and told through Izzy's perspective, you knew how the best friend felt as there were no blog comments from her for a few days and even when she commented, it sounded stilted and reserved and you knew that things weren't fine yet.  Just because the story was told through Izzy's point of view did not lessen the experience of getting to know the other characters involved.

Non-fiction-wise, this daily devotional that read like a novel kicked up the standard of daily devotional books a notch as it made each day's message more inspiring and enlightening through Izzy's story.  The reader would be able to appreciate the Bible passages more as Izzy's story provided a good example for what the verses talked about.  This is a good book for young girls and teenagers to read daily, I am very sure that this would help them get through their daily lives and following their dreams.  For an adult of twenty-five, I found this pretty moving and empowering and it made me feel closer to God because I was able to recognize His hand through everything that happened in Izzy's life, which in turn made me see His hand in everything that happened in mine.  This is a very compelling and endearing read that many people would enjoy.

If you are like Izzy who has a dream to reach - and I bet we all have one - this is a very good book to read in order to help you make yours a reality, and to understand God's plan for everything that happens in your life.  That sometimes, what you want may not be what God wants for you, but He has something greater that would fit you even better than what you wanted for yourself.  If anything, this book tells us that everything happens for a reason, and that what you want is not always what you need - what you need may even be better than what you wanted, after all.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.