Ted Dekker: Rise of the Mystics

By Kelly Bridgewater

Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams. They are all wrong.

Rachelle Matthews, who grew up in the small town of Eden, Utah, discovered just how wrong when she dreamed and awoke in another world. There she learned that she was the 49th Mystic, the prophesied one, tasked with finding five ancient seals before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, the world will forever be locked in darkness.

In The 49th Mystic, Rachelle found the first three of those five seals through great peril and mind-altering adventure. But two seals remain hidden and the fate of both worlds hangs in their balance.

As Rachelle Matthews sits deep in a dungeon, Vlad Smith is just getting started. Thomas Hunter's world is about to be turned inside out. The mystics say that there is no defense against the Fifth Seal--but finding it will cost Rachelle everything.

So begins the final volume of high stakes in one girl's quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set?

Dream.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Rise of the Mystic by Ted Dekker is a powerful, haunting glance at searching for the light among the darkness in our world today. The ending is dramatic and full of grip the book action. I really didn't want to be interrupted when the story came to the climactic moment. Luckily for me, I read on my day off and the boys were at school. Plenty of time to myself and Rise of the Mystic. The Rachelle character finished her journey for the present moment and learned more about her purpose to defend the light and keep working to banish the darkness. Overall, Rise of the Mystic by Ted Dekker is a worthy glance into the heart of humanity and what Christians need to be doing while we are existing on this reality. I believe fans of the Circle series should read this two-part saga to complete their collection.

I received a complimentary copy of the Rise of the Mystics by Ted Dekker from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Robin Jones Gunn: Becoming Us

By Kelly Bridgewater

Five young women, including beloved Gunn characters Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen, gather for a simple Christmas party and soon become unlikely best friends. Told from the viewpoint of Emily, a timid young mom going through a difficult season of life, the regular gatherings provide the much needed community she's longed for. As the women begin sharing their life stories in Becoming Us they are endeared to each other and find ways to challenge, encourage, and help each other become the nurturing mothers they wished they'd had when they were growing up. They see themselves as Haven Makers and unite to be remembered for what they do and not for what was done to them.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Robin Jones Gunn was my first introduction to Christian fiction when I was a teenager with her Christy Miller series, so I have been looking forward to everything she creates. Luckily, with the novel Becoming Us, Christy Miller-Spencer makes a cameo as one of the five women trying to decipher how to be a mother, wife, and friend. With this installment, I met Emily, a transplant from North Carolina with her husband and her ten-year-old daughter. In the beginning, Gunn does a wonderful job at showing the insecurities of a mom to a new world with her family. Emily's emotions throughout the entire novel rang true to me. The relationship between the five women grew as the novel moved along. Emily opened up more as the story progressed and began to value the friendships. I believe this novel is like nothing I have ever read. It is true and shows the difficulties of beginning a life without the constant support of your family. It was well-written, and I really can't wait to read the next book in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of Becoming Us by Robin Jones Gunn from Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

Robin Jones Gunn has written over 100 books with sales of over 5.5 million copies sold worldwide. She and her husband have two grown children and live in Hawai'i.

Her best-selling Father Christmas novels have been made into 3 Hallmark Movies. Get a behind the scenes look in her book, "How My Book Became a Movie".

Robin's best-selling, award winning novels include the Christy Miller series for teens as well as the Sierra Jensen and Katie Weldon series. The characters in these series continue in Christy & Todd: The College Years, The Married Years, The Baby Years and in The Haven Makers series. More details at www.ChristyMiller.com (Taken from Amazon.)

Nadine Brandes: Romanov

By Kelly Bridgewater

From the author of Fawkes comes a magical take on the story of Anastasia Romanov.

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of saving herself and her family are either to release the spell and deal with the consequences, or to enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s only dabbled in magic, but it doesn’t frighten her half as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a masterfully crafted story of forgiveness mingled with history and magic. To be honest, I have never seen the Disney version of Anastasia, so I have nothing to compare this tale to. Brandes takes historical events and adds a little imagination to make a remarkable tale. With a fast moving plot, Brandes takes me for a magical journey from captivity to running from the enemy. The characters were crafted wonderfully and memorable. Brandes writing is top notch and really did an awesome job at describing the setting and using point of view well. Forgiveness is a theme running rampant through the pages of the plot. Nastya learns how important it is to forgive rather than seek revenge. Overall, Nadine Brandes' Romanov is a wonderful take on a historical family and sprinkled with an element of magic and forgiveness. Fans of Nadine Brandes' other works, Morgan Busse, Mary Weber, and Harry Potter might enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Romanov by Nadine Brandes, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

NADINE BRANDES once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of the award-winning Out of Time Series and Fawkes (July 2018) Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. She and her Auror husband plan to live in a Tiny House on wheels. Current mission: paint the world in shalom. (Taken from Amazon.)

Ted Dekker: The 49th Mystic

By Kelly Bridgewater

Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams.

They are wrong. In the small town of Eden, Utah, a blind girl named Rachelle Matthews is about to find out just how wrong.

When a procedure meant to restore Rachelle's sight goes awry, she begins to dream of another world so real that she wonders if Earth might only be a dream experienced when she falls asleep in that reality. Who is a simple blind girl to have such strange and fantastic dreams?

She's the prophesied one who must find and recover five ancient seals--in both worlds--before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, both worlds will forever be locked in darkness.

So begins a two-volume saga of high stakes and a mind-bending quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set?

Dream.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed reading the Circle series by Ted Dekker, so I was excited when I heard he was writing another two books to add to the series. It has been quite a while and many, many books since I read these books, so I don't quite remember how the story goes. In The 49th Mystic, Dekker took me for a ride with Rachelle and allowed me to see the plight and horrors of this little community and the world as they are succumbing to the demands of Vlad. The plot moved pretty rapidly. The characters were rounded and transformed by the end of the novel. I had a wonderful time returning to this world and can't wait for the current conclusion in The Rise of the Mystic. Fans of the previous series will enjoy getting lost in the once again familiar world.

I received a complimentary copy of The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

TED DEKKER is a New York Times bestselling thriller author. Heralded as a "master of suspense" by Library Journal, Dekker has sold millions worldwide, establishing himself as one of the most widely recognized author brands.

He began his career writing fantasy novels that explored spirituality (Black, Red and White) and has since become a major force in the mainstream fiction arena with his recent thrillers, "Adam," "Thr3e," "Skin," "Obsessed," "BoneMan's Daughters," which landed in the #10 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list in 2009, and "The Bride Collector". Dekker has been honored with a Christy Award as well as a Gold Medallion Award for Best Fiction. "Thr3e" and his novel "House" became feature films.

Dekker was born to missionaries and grew up among cannibals of Indonesia, and his peculiar upbringing gives him a unique perspective outside the cultural bubble, allowing him the freedom to share provocative insights in his fiction. After leaving Indonesia, Dekker graduated from a multi-cultural high school and took up permanent residence in the United States, earning his B.A. in philosophy and religion, and then went into business.

In the early nineties, Dekker decided to pursue his desire to write fiction, selling his company, moving his family to the mountains of western Colorado, and writing full-time. Two years and three books later his first novel, a supernatural thriller called Heaven's Wager, was published. Dekker proceeded to write 6 more supernatural thrillers, rising to the top of many bestsellers lists and earning himself critical acclaim and legions of fans. "Thr3e" heralded his launch into mainstream fiction and was followed by "Obsessed," "Skin," "Adam," and "BoneMan's Daughters," all of which hit the New York Times bestseller list.

Ted Dekker's fans are comprised of readers of all ages, backgrounds, and belief systems who love his compulsively readable stories, authentic characters, and universal and relatable themes that he explores from a unique point of view.

He resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and children. You can find him at Teddekker.com and Facebook.com/teddekker. (Taken from Amazon.)

Amanda Dykes: Whose Waves These Are

By Kelly Bridgewater

In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman submits a poem to a local newspaper: a rallying cry for hope, purpose . . . and rocks. Send me a rock for the person you lost, and I will build something life-giving. When the poem spreads farther than he ever intended, Robert Bliss's humble words change the tide of a nation. Boxes of rocks inundate the tiny, coastal Maine town, and he sets his calloused hands to work, but the building halts when tragedy strikes.

Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. What she didn't anticipate was finding a wall of heavy boxes hiding in his home. Long-ago memories of stone ruins on a nearby island trigger her curiosity, igniting a fire in her anthropologist soul to uncover answers.

She joins forces with the handsome and mysterious harbor postman, and all her hopes of mending the decades-old chasm in her family seem to point back to the ruins. But with Robert failing fast, her search for answers battles against time, a foe as relentless as the ever-crashing waves upon the sea.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Amanda Dykes debut novel Whose Waves These Are is a time-slip novel taking place during and after World War II and the present era. Dykes novel really doesn't focus on the horrors of World War II, which most novels written about World War II, instead she focuses on the destruction of the war on the people left behind after someone dies during the war. Bob is quite a character and wants to remember his brother by building a lighthouse. The present time storyline is Annie's story. She is looking for home and comes back to see her sick great-uncle. Usually in time-slip novels, either the present or the historical strike me as better written than the other, but Dykes actually wrote both of them really well. I enjoyed reading both sections. The story is unique and filled with fascinating characters. I really enjoyed this story, and I can't wait to see what comes next for Dykes. I think she might be around for a while.

I received a complimentary copy of Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes from Bethany House Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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About the Author:

From Amazon

Amanda Dykes is the author of Bespoke: A Tiny Christmas Tale, the critically-acclaimed bicycle story that invited readers together to fund bicycles for missionaries in Asia. A former English teacher, she has a soft spot for classic literature and happy endings. She is a drinker of tea, a dweller of Truth, and a spinner of hope-filled tales, grateful for the grace of a God who loves extravagantly. (Taken from Amazon.)