David James Warren: Set in Stone

 By Kelly Bridgewater

Trapped in time, he’ll have to use the past to fix the present.

Thirty-eight women. Dead. All the in the past. All because Detective Rembrandt Stone played with fate, and somewhere in time unleashed a serial killer. He can’t undo their deaths, not anymore, but the serial killer is still at large, twenty-four years later, and now it’s personal. Especially when the evidence points to the last person on anyone’s radar: Rembrandt himself.
Now he’ll have to use the clues from his pasts to track down the killer in the present.

But the killer is onto him and puts the one person Rembrandt loves in his cross hairs. Now, Rembrandt must outwit time to save the people he loves.

Because time is playing for keeps.

The fourth installment of the True Lies of Rembrandt Stone will have you holding your breath and leave you gasping for more.

 

My Thoughts:

This time, in Set in Stone, Rem Stone hits the mystery a little closer than ever to his home. Solving the mystery of the Jackson Killer takes over his thoughts and his actions as Stone tries to still work through understanding the difference between what his real present life is to what he has done to change things. I can't imagine trying to figure out what is the current reality and what has changed as he has moved through the time differences. Every time Stone does something that affects what his future would be, so he tries to change it. This time, the plot does move a little closer, but of course, something goes wrong, and Stone needs to fix it. I definitely enjoy the stories, and I really believe that you need to read these stories in their published order or readers will be confused. There are two novels left in this series, and I can't wait to see what Warren does to end the series. I wonder if Stone will actually arrive back in his normal life before the time traveling started.

I received a complimentary copy of Set in Stone by David James Warren through JustRead Tours, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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James L. Rubart: Pages of Her Life

By Kelly Bridgewater

How Do You Stand Up for Yourself When It Means Losing Everything?

Allison Moore is making it. Barely. The Seattle area architecture firm she started with her best friend is struggling, but at least they’re free from the games played by the corporate world. She’s gotten over her divorce. And while her dad’s recent passing is tough, their relationship had never been easy.
Then the bomb drops. Her dad had a secret life and left her mom in massive debt.

As Allison scrambles to help her mom find a way out, she’s given a journal, anonymously, during a visit to her favorite coffee shop. As the pressure to rescue her mom mounts, Allison pours her fears and heartache into the journal.

But then the unexplainable happens. The words in the journal, her words, begin to disappear. And new ones fill the empty spaces— words that force her to look at everything she knows about herself in a new light.

Ignoring those words could cost her everything . . . . but so could embracing them.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

James L. Rubart creates mind-bending stories of faith and takes the ideas to a new level. Rubart takes what appears to be a simple story on the surface and creates something much, much deeper to the characters. All, at least the ones I have read, of the characters transform completely by the end of the novel. With Pages of Her Life, Allison is no exception. The plot dug deep and had me questioning why Allison kept working for Dexter, who I couldn't stand from the moment I met him. He was a very unlikely villain. I enjoyed the story, and I couldn't wait to see how the ending happened. As for the element with the money that was due by their mother, I believe, Allison, Parker, and her mother should have hired a lawyer and taken them to court. There is no way I would have paid that money. Unless the contract proved them liable, not just their deceased father, the money people had no leg to stand on. As a bonus, there is a couple of characters who appear from Rubart's previous novels. What a nice surprise. Overall, James L. Rubart's Pages of Her Life showed how trusting in yourself and God can change your perspective on life. I enjoyed this novel. I anxiously await what Rubart creates next.

I received a complimentary copy of Pages of Her Life by James L. Rubart from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase Pages of Her Life on Amazon

About the Author:

From Amazon

James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man's body. He thinks he's still young enough to water ski like a madman and dirt bike with his two grown sons, and loves to send readers on journeys they'll remember months after they finish one of his stories.

He's the best-selling, Christy Book of the Year, Carol, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews award winning author of nine novels as well as a professional speaker. During the day he runs his marketing company which helps businesses, authors, and publishers make more coin of the realm. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in eastern Washington. More at www.jameslrubart.com More at http://jameslrubart.com/ and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JamesLRubart (Taken from Amazon.)

James L. Rubart: The Man He Never Was

By Kelly Bridgewater

What if You Woke up One Morning and the Darkest Parts of Yourself Were Gone?

Toren Daniels vanished eight months back, and his wife and kids have moved on—with more than a little relief. Toren was a good man but carried a raging temper that often exploded without warning. 
So when he shows up on their doorstep out of the blue, they’re shocked to see him alive. But more shocked to see he’s changed. Radically.

His anger is gone. He’s oddly patient. Kind. Fun. The man he always wanted to be. Toren has no clue where he’s been but knows he’s been utterly transformed. He focuses on three things: Finding out where he’s been. Finding out how it happened. And winning back his family.

But then shards of his old self start to rise from deep inside—like the man kicked out of the NFL for his fury—and Toren must face the supreme battle of his life.

In this fresh take on the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, James L. Rubart explores the war between the good and evil within each of us—and one man’s only chance to overcome the greatest divide of the soul.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I have read a good chunk of James Rubart's novels. While fantasy is okay with certain books, I don't mind them in Rubart's novels. He takes a concept from the Bible and have a hero learn to incorporate the concept into their life. Either from forgiveness to God's love to something deeper. Being familiar with his writing, I knew Rubart would take me for a ride inside the soul of the hero but would tear at my heart along the way.

The writing is clear and concise. I had no problem following Toren Daniels through his though process and watching him interact with the number of characters in the story. The setting is described just enough for me to visual what I need to focus on. When the setting was extremely important, Rubart would spend more time showing me what I needed to know to understand the room.

Toren Daniels is deeply hurting man. Just like a majority of the people in the world today. I really enjoy how the hero is the main character, well actually the only character in the story. Most novels are from the woman's perspective, and I really enjoyed how Toren dove into the deep emotions and struggles bubbling inside a male character. (Yes, I know Rubart is a male author, so he has a leg up on the women writers in this area.) I could relate to him pretty quickly and enjoyed watched his tale of transformation.

The plot is completely different than anything I have ever read before. I enjoyed watching Toren struggle with his problem over and over again. It shows the human side to him. Rubart didn't gloss over his issue with a quick fix. It kept rearing its head over and over. So realistic. But to seek redemption, he needs to rely on God and fully grasp the concept of God's love. While Rubart does a good job at showing how to understand this, I need to go back and re-read some parts of the story I highlighted and spend some time in prayer myself. He had me thinking of the concepts and wanted me to follow and learn like Toren did.

Overall, James Rubart's The Man He Never Was is an unique story and deeply moving. Rubart's story shows the importance of God's love in our lives and the ability to defeat darkness back with trusting God completely. This story gripped my mind and took me for a ride. I highly recommend The Man He Never Was for fans of non-fiction books who are always on the hunt for the next big step to learning something to draw them closer to God. Rubart's stories are written for readers like me who admire Max Lucado's concept but have a hard time enjoying a non-fiction story. I prefer to be entertained to learn a lesson.

I received a complimentary copy of The Man He Never Was by James Rubart from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars