Book Review: The Miracle of Mercy Land
What if you had the power to amend choices you made in the past? Would you do it even if it changed everything?
Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensible to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.
Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mystery from Mercy’s past arrives by train, she begins to understand that she will have to make choices that will deeply affect everyone she loves—forever.
My Review:
The premise of this book thoroughly intrigued me from the start. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive in the mail and I could dive right in. However, I unfortunately felt I was only wading in the pool.
I loved the characters that author River Jordan created. I loved the world and environment it all took place in. But I struggled through the story. I don’t know if it was the writing necessarily, but the story didn’t move as fast as I’d hoped.
I am glad I finished it, as sometimes I tend to stop reading if a book doesn’t hold my interest. Toward the latter half of the book things picked up and I continued through it all in one night.
The novel held beautiful messages about the choices we make and the implications of those decisions. The protagonist, Mercy, was a strong, sturdy soul that glued the other characters together at times. She was well-rounded and memorable.
If you like books by Lisa Samson—rich, character-driven stories, I’d recommend this one for you! The ending was beautiful and there is no denying River Jordan’s skill.
Disclosure: I received this book as a part of Waterbrook’s Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest opinion.
Read MoreBook Review: Unbroken
This book completely took my breath away. I was in love with Laura Hillenbrand’s Seabiscuit, but this one eclipses it—and then some.
I downloaded this to my Kindle and thanked God I had it during a 16-hour roadtrip with my family. I was raptured by the book from page one.
I read during each five-minute drive between errands and for seven solid hours at a time. The tale of these men and what they endured during the war.
Hillenbrand creates characters that seem larger than life—characters that might not even fly if this was a “fiction” book. But the truth behind each chapter makes it all the more powerful and riveting.
The detail and depth of this book is astounding. As a writer, it blew me away as I imagined the amount of research, interviews and documents necessary to create such an opus.
This was a long book, but it didn’t feel like it. At the end I was grasping for more, soaking up each word of the acknowledgments. Whether or not you’re into WWII history, this is a story about human nature and redemption that will leave you walking away a different person.
If you only read one book in 2011, make it Unbroken.
Read MoreBook Review: The Promises She Keeps
Book Description
It’s her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can’t live with that.
Promise, a talented young vocalist with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging witch and art collector in search of the goddess who will grant her immortality.
When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that Promise is the one she seeks. But Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and opposes Porta, comes between the women with his mysterious visions and drawings, and plunges everyone into a flesh-and-blood confrontation over the true meaning of eternal life.
My Review:
Oh, this book. There are so many things to say about it. Unexpected. Gripping. Moving. Spectacular.
The premise first intrigued me and author Erin Healy doesn’t disappoint. Glimpses of the occult, the search for immortality, the meaning of love and sacrifice…There were so many dimensions to this book, so many boundaries pushed and explored.
From the first page, the author draws you into each character – the tragic young singer, the autistic artist, the art dealer searching for eternal life and beauty. With so many twists and turns, it is a book you should devote an entire day to. Close the blinds, lock the door and turn off the radio.
Healy’s depth of research in so many areas truly brings her characters to life. Each one of them is flawed in such a touching and realistic way.
This is one I’m certainly passing on to good friends. It leaves you thinking, wondering…even smiling.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the 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.”
Read MoreWhat I’ve Been Reading
I love my Kindle. Love. Love.
Here’s a little snipbit of what I’ve been reading the past few weeks, and my thoughts on them…
Reference/NonFiction -
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
I’ve had this on my to-read list for years. Every author sings is praises, and I’m quick to agree. It is a great book about the nuts and bolts of a solid novel.
This helped me during a bout of writer’s block and helped spur some important changes and edits for my work in progress. All authors – read!
From Dust and Ashes by Tricia Goyer
Another one I’ve had on my list forever. I loved this story and the rich detail and fresh perspective on World War II. This took place at the very end of the war and showed the powerful aftermath.
Goyer had me guessing all along what would happen next and who would end up where. A beautiful story and important part of history for us all to remember.
The Centurion’s Wife by Janette Oke and Davis T Bunn
This one was beautifully written and I’m a huge fan of the time period, and this offered a new perspective — This book takes place right after Jesus’ crucifixion and shows the birth of his following.
The characters are hard to resist and I was disappointed when it ended as I wanted to continue to read more about them! A nice read and I plan on reading the rest of this series.
The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen
I adored this novel for so many reasons. The main character’s voice was so sweet and I rooted for her every step of the way. Klassen introduces so many potential suitors, you’re not really sure who the heroine will end up with.
I found the history of the apothecary fascinating (also partly because I hear a bit about such things through my job at a College of Pharmacy). The author was a joy to read and I’ve put all her other books on my to-read list. You should too!
Read MoreBook Review: Lady in Waiting
“Love is a choice you make every day.”
Those words on the back cover intrigued me the most. Susan Meissner’s Lady in Waiting is a beautiful novel with two tales woven together by a single ring and an inscription.
Back cover:
Content in her comfortable marriage of twenty-two years, Jane Lindsay had never expected to watch her husband, rad, pack his belongings and walk out the door of their Manhattan home. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop him and the course of events that follow Brad’s departure…
In the sixteenth-century, Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political and religious climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests.
My Review:
This is a story for one and all—history lovers and contemporaries alike. Jane’s present-day struggles feel so real and grip the reader by the heart in the same way Lady Jane Grey’s drama unfolds through the eyes of the dressmaker, Lucy.
While some of this felt a bit slow, especially the sections from Lucy’s perspective toward the beginning, everything came together with precise timing. The last half of the book had me holding on tightly and madly flipping each page.
Meissner’s writing is seamless and captivating. For anyone who loves strong characters that will leave you thinking of them long after the book has closed, put this on your list. 
Disclosure: I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion, as part of Multnomah’s Blogging for Books.
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