Friday, September 29, 2017

Book Review: Deadly Proof by Rachel Dylan


Kate is a hard working plaintiff’s attorney who wants nothing but to do right by her clients. She has been appointed lead attorney for a major pharmaceuticals lawsuit, and quickly becomes emotionally attached to the case. She also starts becoming emotionally attached to the PI she hired to help do some digging for her.

The plot was OK. It wasn’t entirely predictable as far as who was involved in what, but I was more distracted by the fact that the romantic suspense was sadly lacking. The main characters faced various personal and spiritual challenges as well as those related to the pharmaceuticals case that the book centers around. I’m used to romances that develop in a less obvious way though. I guess this one was just way too neat and easy so it lacked interest.

I did enjoy the book, and if you like fiction that revolves around a legal case you’ll probably enjoy it too. There was some suspense and it wasn’t bad as far as a big pharma crime novel goes, but don’t expect much from the romance aspect.



I received this book for free from the publisher through the BethanyHouse Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review: The King James Study Bible, Full Color Edition from Thomas Nelson Publishers


The King James Study Bible has always been a solid study Bible to me. I already had the Wide Margin Edition, but it’s the 1988 release. The Full Color Edition is new (2017) and very user friendly. I read through Colossians, a few chapters in Acts and Genesis, and skipped around to other areas to compare it with my older edition and get an overall feel.

Comparison of Content

I really didn’t see anything new with the Full Color Edition as far as content. Both have annotations, doctrinal footnotes, personality profiles, archaeological sites, and maps. The Full Color Edition has them in color, with more detailed maps and pictures to accompany the other sections. I find the pictures make the content more engaging, giving context and a general feel for the era. The Foreword states that the notes and archaeological sites have updated information that has come to our knowledge since the original King James Study Bible was published.

Format and Layout

Again not much difference here except the color and pictures. However, the contrast provided by color in the center margins and various sections makes the color edition much more user friendly. The introductions to the books are also more clear and easy to get through because they are broken up by colors and pictures.

Review of Content

I look at specific things when I decide if I like a particular study Bible. First I look for the covenants and a take on dispensationalism. This Bible is dispensationalist, and has descriptions of the covenants. It doesn’t go overboard but the essence is there.

The second thing is whether the annotations support Biblical creation. I have seen some study Bibles who present various evolutionary theories and don’t discount them. This one supports creation ex nihilo so it passed my second test!

I should also mention that this Bible is pretty full of study notes. Some passages have more than others of course, but I feel like it has enough content to give a pretty thorough study of the Bible.

Craftmanship

My copy is brown bonded leather with a brown ribbon bookmark. It is thread bound and I found no blemishes or mistakes in the printing or binding.

Overall I really love this Bible and am glad to have it to update my study Bible collection! I loved the King James Study Bible to begin with and this edition is a wonderful update to my older version. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a sound study Bible, whether you are starting from barely knowing the Bible or wanting to deepen your study after having read others.



I received this book for free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Friday, September 1, 2017

Book Review: Here and Gone by Haylen Beck


Audra Kinney is living a nightmare. She is trying to escape an abusive husband who was crafty enough to manipulate her such that he stands to be able to keep the children from her. When she finally makes the decision to take her children far away from him, the nightmare takes of a chilling new turn. Behind bars and with her children missing, Audra must find a way to save her family and get out of the mess she is in.

The first few chapters in Here and Gone set the stage and introduce a variety of characters and situations, but once you get about 10 chapters in (chapters are short), it gets very difficult to stop reading. As the mother of young children myself, I connected with Audra’s maternal instincts and the hopelessness of her plight. I also enjoyed reading about a character that connects with her inner strength to boldly overcome an impossible situation. Mr. Beck does an excellent job weaving a thrilling tale of deceit and treachery that will keep your attention and hold it even once the book has ended.

I don’t recommend this book for young readers as it has adult themes, including abuse. But I highly recommend it for the mature reader who has a stomach for some difficult but very realistic scenarios.



I received this book for free from the publisher through the Blogging for Books blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions and thoughts I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255