Archive | September 2024

In Search Of A Prince by Toni Shiloh

Sep7

Trust In His Leading

In Search Of A Prince by Toni Shiloh is a contemporary Christian novel that completely enthralled me. It is a modern-day fairytale set in a fictional African island. There are all the elements of a traditional fairytale to entertain the reader, with the added bonus of being grounded in God.

We see the importance of knowing God and walking with Him daily. “Lord God, please be there in the midst of us.” We know that when God is beside us, all will be well. “God had us in the palm of His hand, I didn’t need to worry.” When we have faith in God, there is no room for worry or fear.

A character has to make a life-changing decision. She seeks God, who ‘speaks’ through dreams. She knows that “whatever He called me to, He would equip me.” God will always give us just what we need as we walk through life with Him.

When God has called us, He will help us to fulfill His will for our lives. “Please empower me with Your words.” Being inside the will of God is the safest place to be.

Even when we do God’s will and follow His plans for our lives, life is not always easy. “God did not promise easy, but He did promise to be with us.” God will never leave us to face life alone. When we walk through the fires, He will be with us. We must “have faith in God’s calling.”

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A Promise To My Sister by S E Rutledge

Sep1

Looking Towards Tomorrow

A Promise To My Sister by S E Rutledge is a powerful, heart breaking historical novel that was all consuming.

The novel begins in Poland in 1961 before going backwards to 1939. Along with the leading characters we ‘experience’ Nazi occupied Poland from the ghetto to Auschwitz. We ‘hear’ of the horrendous evil and wonder how anyone could survive hell on earth.

The leading characters are two sisters who mascaraed as mother and daughter. They need luck to survive, as well as finding little pockets of kindness amongst the depravity as we see that not all Germans were evil Nazis.

Hope is needed – a hope for a brighter tomorrow. “If we survive today, we will be free tomorrow” was uttered on a daily basis. Without hope, the people will perish.

Strength of character is seen. Remaining alive to tell the world of the great evil is a goal of some.

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Last Christmas by Clare Swatman

Sep1

A Sliding Doors Moment

Last Christmas by Clare Swatman is a beautiful dual timeline novel that I really loved.

The novel takes place during the first decade of the twenty first century. The reader drops in on each Christmas as well as having a bitesize catch up for the previous year.

Last Christmas is a novel with a difference as we experience a sliding doors moment. When faced with a life changing decision would we choose path A? Or path B? Would the final outcome be the same? Or totally different? Both paths take similar but different routes. The novel alternates between ‘Go’ and ‘Stay’.

The choices run parallel. The leading players are the same but the choices provide some very different outcomes.

This is a novel about love and life, family and friendship, and the choices we make.

Dividing time between London and New York, the reader ‘experiences’ two very different Christmases. There is no doubt that snow, lights and Central Park definitely produce the more romantic of the two options to the reader. Weighed against that is the small family Christmases in London. Where would you choose to spend Christmas?

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