Hand of Fate Book Review

I had the opportunity to review Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl early for Booksneeze.com. I was not familiar with the series before I received this book, so I have not read Face of Betrayal. Even so, I felt like the author did a good job at introducing the characters without assuming you had read the first book. Reading this book was a nice change of pace for me, a suspenseful novel starring a trio of female characters: Nicole Hedges, an FBI special agent, Allison Pierce, a Federal Prosecutor, and Cassidy Shaw, a crime reporter. Though the characters have worked together before and have a history (all three went to private school together) this book probes their relationships and challenges their ability to trust each other.

Hand of Fate tells the tale of a popular and controversial radio talk show host who is murdered. The radio host, Jim Fate, is a very polarizing character, so the list of suspects is not short. There are a few nods to the headlines, and I appreciated how it made me reconsider how I interpreted those events. Though I have read crime novels before, I was pretty ignorant of the TV and radio behind the scenes, and I felt Wiehl did a great job of making you feel like an insider. The plot keeps you guessing, though I wish the twist had been developed a bit more (the middle was a little slow). Overall, it was a good read and I'm interesting in picking up the rest of the series!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Saving Cicadas

Saving Cicadas by Nicole Seitz is the latest book I have read for Thomas Nelson book review bloggers (now booksneeze.com).

There are many things about Saving Cicadas that I loved. I have read a decent amount of Christian fiction, and after awhile, they can start to sound the same. This book broke from that mold. The characters were engaging, well developed, and thankfully not perfect! The drama between family members was believable. The voice of the book switched between Janie, an eight year old, and Mona, the grandmother. Sometimes that can be distracting, but in this case it actually helped deepen the story. I love when I can read a story and get caught up in the everyday details that are shared without feeling monotony. To me, everyday details make the story engaging, and I felt that way about this book.

Without spoiling the book, there were some theological issues with the book that I had a hard time getting over. Honestly, I think that has a lot to do with being a mother of a stillborn child (I don't know how to further explain without giving major plot twists away) so they may not bother everyone, but they took away from the message of the book for me. The author does have a disclaimer at the end of the book which does acknowledge the discrepancies, and I do admire how she took on controversial topics and I agree with the message she was trying to share. All and all, though I did not completely agree with the book I did love the author's style and will be checking out her other books.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their 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. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

I chose this book because the cover caught my eye. “The love she most desires…the respect he desperately needs”. I was intrigued because though I’ve heard sermons on loving one another, I can’t say that the man’s need for respect is really discussed. Dr. Eggerichs focuses on Ephesians 5:33 - "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (NIV) to explain what men and women need in a marriage.

I appreciated his fresh perspective and the way he uses common marital discussions (at least in our house) to illustrate the differences between husbands and wives. He breaks the book into three parts, focusing first on the crazy cycle men and women get into when they don’t understand what the other needs. The second part provides specific examples of needs (openness, insight, etc.) and each chapter ends with ways to meet that need. The third part goes beyond the marriage relationship and explains why love and respect should be unconditional.

The examples he provided make the book easy to read and applicable. I hate when you read a book with standards too lofty to actually put into place. You won’t walk away from this book feeling like the ideals presented are unattainable, his message is simple and unique and the examples are reasonable. I would definitely recommend this book to others seeking to better understand their spouse.