Ronie Kendig: Hawk

By Kelly Bridgewater

Military fiction. Lots of technical jargon in a far away area where most readers have never been. Especially when the story takes place in Afghanistan. Who really wants to go there anyway with all the terrorist threats and the Muslims hating Christians and women? Sounds like a dangerous place to visit. You don’t hear many people saying, I want to travel to Afghanistan. I’m definitely not one of them.

Ronie Kendig is a military brat who has traveled probably all over the world as a kid and an adult. If you haven’t read her books, she features military in the majority of her books. Her latest series, “The Quiet Professionals” takes place in Afghanistan with a group of male soldiers. The first book in the series is called Raptor 6. The second book is entitled Hawk.

Hawk is the nickname given to Staff Sergeant Brian “Hawk” Bledsoe who deals with the idea of God and his past of being called “smart.” Hawk is a strong hero who hates the terrorist, especially after he is told to stand down and watches two men on his team die before his very eyes. Hawk has a temper, which lands him in a lot of trouble with his team. Even through all his character flaws, he is the type of hero any girl would want protecting her in time of trouble.

The heroine is named Fekiria Haidary, a Muslim lady who struggles with the idea of the Western God and wants to be seen as an equal in the eyes of the Muslim men. Without her father’s permission and ignoring her father’s direct orders to leave the army, Fekiria trains to become a pilot secretly. She becomes one of the best pilots the group has seen in a long time. Wanting to please herself and what she believes she is called to do, she keeps flying, even though she runs into her brother and all hell breaks loose.

The plot becomes dangerous as Fekiria has to use her pilot skills to wreck havoc on a local young girl school that her friend is teaching at.  Through a blizzard with the reality of frostbite while being chased further up a mountainside by the shrouded terrorists, Fekiria and Hawk must keep their skills ready at a moment’s notice while trying to survive the bitter cold temperatures with little children on their backs.

I, personally, enjoyed this military crafted story much better than Raptor 6. It was more of a struggle for the two characters who had to deal with their past issues and come together to find love, God, and true freedom. The writing was riveting, especially with the details of the frozen tundra and the wind whipping through the characters thin clothes. I felt like I was climbing that mountain with them as they struggled for their lives.

I received a e-copy of the book from NetGalley and the opinions are all my own.

Julie Lessman: Surprised by Love

By Kelly Bridgewater

I may not be a huge fan of historical or contemporary romance, but there are a few authors who take my breath away, and I can’t wait to devour their latest books. Becky Wade, Sarah E. Ladd, and Julie Lessman to name a few. I have read every single book by Julie Lessman; including her latest release Surprised by Love, which is great. The first two books of the Heart of San Francisco series are called, Love at Any Cost and Dare to Love Again.

Surprised by Love features the return of Megan McClare, the frumpy bookworm who wants to be a lawyer or a doctor. When returning home from Paris for the past year, she had a complete makeover. Gone are the huge glasses, frizzy orange hair covered with contacts and slick brown hair. Even Bram, her best friend who is ten years older than her, has his breath taken away when Megan enters the room at the beginning of the chapter. Megan is a caring, loving character who wants to help the wayward women of the bad part of town.

Similarly, Bram Hughes is a great strong shoulder for Megan to lean on. He has always been there to comfort and lead Megan whenever she has trouble with Drew Caldwell, the smart boy who was popular and picked on her throughout high school. Bram is the type of hero every girl would love to have in her life. He listens and always knows the things to make Megan smile. He gives into every whim that Megan wants to do, even sailing out further in the bay with storm clouds pounding in their direction. Bram made me sigh and happy a number of times.

Julie Lessman has a way with words by making her character’s actions come to life just beautifully. For instance, “[Logan] peered at her out of the corner of his eyes, the humor in her face coaxing a faint smile to his lips. ‘Your self-esteem is safe with me, Cait,’ he said, wishing she didn’t look so blasted beautiful in that form-fitting jade satin dress that heightened the green of her eyes. His mouth crooked. ‘Which is more than I can say for Turner’s face if he lords it over me tonight.’” (171). I love how she climbs into Logan’s mind that the reader can actually experience exactly what he is thinking about Cait. I can’t write that well yet. I keep struggling with making my characters that realistic.

Plus, I love how Julie Lessman creates her characters to be so realistic. They don’t fall in love on the first page and then wiggle around the concept of dating throughout the whole book. I enjoy that most of her characters are realistic. They may have feelings for someone else, but they do the right thing by staying true to their values.

I recommend any of Julie Lessman books to anyone, whether you like historical romance or not. I pass all my physical books off to my friends and family. Her books don’t stay long on my shelf, but I’m glad to pass books I enjoy off to others to enjoy.

Thank you, Julie Lessman for your God-given talent to write such moving and wonderfully written stories. I can’t wait to read more of your books.

I received a complimentary copy of Surprised by Love from Revell, and the opinions above are my own.

Review of The Bound Heart by Dawn Crandall

By Kelly Bridgewater

On August 5^th, I reviewed Dawn Crandall’s first book in The Everstone Chronicles titled The Hesitant Heiress. See my blog on that day if you are interested in reading the first book in the story. The Hesitant Heiress features the love story of Nathan Everstone and Amaryllis Brigham who make an appearance in The Bound Heart.

Of the two books by Dawn Crandall, The Bound Heart, was my favorite. As a heroine, Meredyth was a strong character who I enjoyed experiencing her story as she struggled with the mistake she made in her past. Making one mistake can change the way all of us have an outlook on life. Meredyth was plagued with guilt because she believed a lie. Meredyth’s emotions were so spot on that I became so swept in the story that sometimes I couldn’t believe she wasn’t right there next in me in person. Being a first person narrative, Crandall did a good job of making Meredyth a realistic hero that every reader could love.

As a hero, Lawry Hampton was a great guy who loved to take care of children in desperate need of his care. He was the type of guy who lived by his faith by founding an orphanage in Seattle. Lawry gave the children of Seattle somewhere to live, food to eat, and someone to care for them just like the Bible says in Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” What girl wouldn’t swoon over a man who put others’ needs in front of his own desires? Lawry was a strong hero who sparked an interest in my heart.

Crandall did a good job at description of the wealthy society of 1891 Boston. I felt like I was sitting around with the rich and famous, watching their interactions with each other. Crandall does a good job of drawing her readers into the story and making them breathless as they observe their surroundings in the wealthy houses and the interworkings of their normal lives.

In February 2015, Dawn Crandall’s third and final book in the series comes out, and I am really excited to see what the next book entails. Dawn is definitely an author who will make a name for herself in the historical romance genre.

I received an ARC of The Bound Heart from Dawn Crandall in exchange for my honest opinion. All of the stated opinions are mine.

Why I Write?

By K. L. Bridgewater

Why do I write? I have been asked this question by a lot of people. Even students that can't tolerate writing and reading. Today, it is hard to get students to pick up a book or less write anything besides a text. I'm part of the generation that doesn't text. Hard to believe, I know, but the parents with teenagers who graduate from high school, older generations and teenagers are the ones who text. My husband, me, and a whole bunch of others are age don't text. We don't see the purpose in it. I won't even allow my twelve-year-old son to text or have a cell phone. I don't want him to be tied to a phone all the time. (Enough ranting. I'll go back to my original question).

I have enjoyed writing since I was little. My father handed me a journal when I was nine and told me to record my feelings and quotes from writers. I already loved to read, but writing was something different. I filled that journal with hateful words when I was mad at my parents for something I thought was wrong. But as a I grew up, I started making up stories in those journals. My first "finished" book was written when I was fourteen. I still have it. It is titled Christmas Wish. I have scanned that book a couple of times. It was poorly written with no real action. But I won't throw it away. I have written short stories and a couple of other novels, which I still own.

I wrote a creative thesis in graduate school. It is a collection of six short stories all centered around the theme of growing up. Life doesn't turn out the way we imagined it when we were younger. My stories feature six different women and their difficult paths as they become mothers, wives, and a daughter returning home for the holidays. The only nerve-racking part of the whole process was having to sit before a committee and defend my choices of why I created my characters and plot to do certain things. I survived. My A proved that.

Recently, I have joined the ACFW, and I have been working on more mature novels. I have two complete 90,000 word novels sitting on my bookshelf. Currently, I'm working on a three-book series, which feature Devin Sanders and Chloe Walker. There is a number of twists with an ending I hope the readers don't see coming.

I have tried to give up writing a couple of times, but God keeps urging me to write. Either through blog posts or guest blog posts or writing contests coming up. God keeps popping story ideas or twists to my three-book stories, so I feel the urge to write at all times. I wanted to leave writing behind, but God must have a reason to give me this gift. I just hope I will see it before I die. I want to use my gift to encourage and draw others to Christ.

Why do you write? Have you tried to quit writing, but God pulls you back in?

Amanda Cabot: At Bluebonnet Lake

By Kelly Bridgewater

Another story of where a girl is taken out of her comfort zone and thrown into a situation and a world that is foreign to her is exactly what Amanda Cabot has created with her latest book, At Bluebonnet Lake.

The heroine is named Kate Sherwood, who is an advertising agent who wants to make partner with her firm in Manhattan, New York. Being raised by her grandparents since the drive-by killing of her parents when she was seven years old, Kate has always dreamed of working in advertising after her grandfather Larry took her to work one day. Kate allows herself to dream about making partner. This will truly make her happy.

But one early spring morning, her grandmother, Sally, invites Kate to come to the Rainbow’s End resort in Texas. Unwilling to disappoint her grandmother who raised her, Kate tags along. Arriving at the dilapidated retreat, Kate is reminded of how much she wants to return home.

Enters Greg who works on the screen to keep the bats away. As the story progresses, Kate and Greg fall in love and learn about each other’s past that they have kept hidden for many years. But Kate and Greg are not the only two people in the story finding love, Grandma Sally and an older gentleman named Roy spend a lot of time together and decide to stay in the Texas Hill Country and get married. At the end of the story, everyone finds happiness and understands the joy of being in a place of harmony and serenity.

The characters in the story were well-written. If you are looking for a contemporary fiction romance piece than this story would be the one for you. Kate thinks she is chasing after what she really wants, but like most people, she has allowed herself to believe the lies. The hero, Greg, similarly runs away from what he thought made him happy and finally seeks the peace with God that he wanted to find when he arrived at Rainbow’s End.

The plot moved along to show the relationship and how it deepened for Greg, Kate, Sally, and Roy, but personally, as someone who reads a lot of suspense novels, I wanted to see something more exciting happen. Even with the entrance of Drew, Greg’s former partner, didn’t really do much to the plot, it just further cemented Greg’s idea of not returning to his former life. I think the story took a long time to come to the ending that I knew was going to happen about one hundred pages in. But I’m sure most fans of romances and contemporary fictions would devour this book. Since I’m an avid reader of suspense novels, this was probably why I got bored with the long-drawn out plot line.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell in exchange for my honest opinion. All the above stated opinions are mine.