For Love's Sake - Staci Stallings Once Again Sharing His Love! A Personal Favorite for 2018!

To all those who realize that injustice to one Is an injustice to all…

...how easy it is to get caught up in your station in life and to begin to forget 

that the suffering of others should be the suffering of us all...

Love can change the world In big ways and small.

 This book is for All those who believe

 In the power of love enough

 To work for a better world 

Than the one they were born into.

~~~

I can always depend on Staci Stallings to remind me of God's Love through her novels. Since my days in grade school, I have always been troubled by the stories of slavery. They were so contradictory to those stories that I learned in Sunday School...about God's love, his creation of each of us in His image, and giving His son to die for all of us who responded to His Call. God never said that He loved only white people, or those of any other race...He said all of us. You know, when you hear and accept these stories when you are a child accepting Christ as your Savior, you believed and continued to believe that Truth...

“This is ridiculous,” Bryna Elliott said as the carriage bounced roughly beneath her. “I should be home, taking care of Sissy and Nathaniel, not out here showing off for the Bromleys. They already know they’re better than us. What am I trying to prove?” 
“I don’t know why you insist on being so difficult about such things,” her brother, Frank said, sliding his hands over his gloves. “Parties are really not the ostentatious trials you make them out to be.” 
“For you maybe.” Bryna shook her head and looked out at the darkness highlighted with flashes of lightning and spattered with the icy raindrops of early January. It was almost certain they would turn to snow by morning. “Really, Bryn. Sometimes I wonder if you think you are the servant rather than the other way around.” 
“She’s my friend.” 
“She is not your friend. She’s your slave. There’s a difference.” 
Bryna’s soul hardened around the word. Sissy had never been her slave. The word wove terrible things into Bryna’s soul. Sissy was her friend. More to the point Sissy was her own person with her own thoughts and her own dreams. Of course, Frank would never understand that, or accept it. The carriage slowed and then turned, bringing Bryna’s attention back to the present. “Why are we stopping?”
“I told you, Daniel Brody is now occupying the old Hathington place. I told him we would come and get him for the evening.” Frank checked her with a hard look. “Please don’t embarrass me.” 
Embarrass me. The words sank right into her heart and held there. It really didn’t matter how much she ever did or why. To Frank, she would always be the family’s greatest embarrassment. Huddled in his long black coat and black hat Daniel Brody who she had no real memory of or interest in one way or the other rocked the whole carriage as he pulled into the cab. 
Bryna rolled her eyes and shook her head as she angled her gaze back outside. The storm had nothing on the tumultuous seething fury in her spirit. Sissy and Nathaniel needed her. The last place she should be was out here, getting cold and soaked for no reason other than society said it was the proper thing to do. Daniel Brody would much rather have stayed home and sorted the books in the extensive library he had recently inherited. His uncle’s estate was a labyrinth of old rooms filled with dust and who knew what else. The place hadn’t been touched in years, not since his uncle had died and his mother had taken over as the last of the Hathington family. The estate had been his grandparents’ before that though he hardly remembered them at all. The sad truth was the Hathington family line was riddled with more heartache than a Shakespearean tragedy. In fact, that was just one of the reasons his heart had used to justify this particular move. He could take the heartache of back East no more. 
“You know,” the young lady in the silver dress said to Frank, and Daniel heard the spite, “I don’t want to stay all night.” She checked Daniel with a look meant to keep him quiet, and he gladly complied. “I don’t know why we’re out in the first place. It is a cold, wet, miserable night. Not to mention that church is in the morning, and…” 
“Am I to understand that we are to be serenaded with a long litany of the horrors of the night and parties in general the whole way to the Bromley’s, Bryna?” her brother asked. Then he looked over at his seat companion. “Daniel, I beg your forgiveness for thinking it wise to bring my sister along. It will do nothing for your digestion, I assure you.” 
Daniel pulled his gaze up from under his hat and smiled at her. She was, in truth, very lovely, save for the scowl etched on her face. “The truth sometimes is less favorable than we would like,” he said, bowing only slightly to her. For a moment, Frank seemed to puzzle over the statement, and then he dismissed it entirely. “So, Daniel, are you serious about building this library of yours in our fair town? It seems a huge waste of your albeit extensive resources.” 
“It is not a waste,” Daniel said, bristling. “It is a dream.” 
His gaze went to hers, challenging her to join her brother in his assessment of the plan. “And it is one I intend to see through to fruition.” 
Frank shook his head. “I’m just saying with the backing you have, you could do anything. I don’t understand why…” 
“Don’t waste too much time and energy trying to figure it out,” Daniel said with something of a smile. “Half the time I don’t even understand it myself.” 
“Well, if you ever decide to give up this foolishness, we would be glad to have you join us at Schuler’s. I’m quite certain there would be a place for a man of your vast knowledge and learning there.” 
On her side of the carriage Bryna, laughed softly and shook her head. Daniel’s attention went over to her and held. He wanted to ask who she was laughing at. However, before he got the words into his head, the carriage stopped in the expansive driveway of a brightly lit large mansion. The driveway itself was lined side-to-side with carriages and horses and three inches deep in mud. “Now, Bryna, since we’re here,” Frank said, ducking to her though Daniel could plainly hear him, “could you please at least try to act as if you know how to behave in polite society? I know how very difficult that is for you, but it would be nice to be able to enjoy an entire evening without hearing you complain about every little thing.” 
The carriage stopped completely before she could reply, and had it not meant leaving Mr. Brody to also fend for himself, Bryna would’ve waited for Frank to get out and then left without him. However, by the rapid tip-tapping on the roof and the flashes of lightning everywhere else, it was clear the skies had opened up for real. The icy rain was hardly coming in drops anymore. It was more like solid sheets one after the other after the other.
When Frank opened the door, the sleet pelted even the inside of the carriage with chilly bursts of ice-water, blown in by fierce gusts of cold wind. Each gust shook the carriage at its very foundation. 
Bryna shivered and fought not to shriek for the terror of the shaking. Knowing she was going to be a soaking wet, muddy mess by the time she got across the driveway to the door, she gathered up her skirts. So much for her hair that she hadn’t even really bothered to fix. 
Frank never so much as stopped when he got out. Instead, he proceeded post haste through the ice pellets, dodging the other carriages and slogging his way to the illumination of the front door. 
Heaving a breath because she was once again on her own as she always was with Frank around, Bryna started for the carriage door. 
“Wait,” Mr. Brody said, holding up his hand to stop her from where he still sat. She turned, half in rage and half in surrender. Before she could even ask, he angled carefully around her and disembarked. For a second she considered just staying in the carriage. It wasn’t like anyone would miss her. However, Mr. Brody was now on the ground, the ice-rain splattering across his wide-brimmed hat. 
With a sigh, Bryna pulled her wrap closer to her with one hand and her skirt with the other, preparing to brave the cold that was now flooding into the carriage. Head down, she started out; however, on the first step, her gaze caught on Mr. Brody standing there, his hand held out to her. “May I?” Perplexed by both the gesture and the soft expectation in his dark eyes, she hesitated, not knowing what he meant much less how to answer. Then, in that moment, he stepped closer, and without another word, he swept her off the step and right up into his arms. She gasped both at the action and because he felt absolutely rock-solid beneath her. He settled her only once. “Good?” he asked, his eyes mere inches from hers. Her breath locked tight in her chest. “Yes.” He wrapped her closer to him, ducked and headed through the downpour. Bryna saw no real reason to protest or to get any more wet than she already was, so she huddled into the protectiveness of his body, the feeling of which nudged to get into her consciousness, but she beat that back. She hardly knew the man...
~~~

But History shows that many did not accept or understand God's all-encompassing love. One of the most horrendous  things that occurred against God's desire to love all His children, was slavery. While most were abused out in the fields, many children were placed in the care of Black nannies and others who served as indoor slaves. In the natural way that children do, white children, born to the White Master slaveowners, came to love those inside servants just as much as they loved anybody else...

Bryna Elliott was such a child. She had never thought of those who worked in their house as slaves. She loved them and wanted to help take care of them just as they had done for many years for her and her family. But now, only Bryna and her brother was left and times were hard.

Frank Elliott had chosen not to keep the plantation going and as he became involved in the business world, he had routinely started selling the slaves that had come to him through his inheritance. One of them had been the brother and son of the family who were now the only ones left...Bryna considered them her family; Frank argued that they were slaves, paid for and owned...

The personalities of the men who were now in Bryna's life was easily and quickly identified, within the first meeting of Daniel Brody, a friend of her brother, Frank. Readers will discern that Frank apparently learned from his father--that people were possessions to provide service. Even his sister was treated this way. Even though Bryna said little, knowing that Frank could be worse and fearful that he could choose to sell another member of what she considered to be her family.

At that same time, readers will watch and grow fond of Daniel Brody for his chivalrous actions, not only because he was attracted to Bryna, but because he was a good man. Still, it was fun with Bryna not trusting men in general, and not knowing Brody at all, as she refused to favorably respond to his kindness and, yet, when she needed help, she was willing to get him involved in order to save the people she loved. Because of the storyline relationships, I'm not going to share any more, other than to say that the drama is high, the clarity of how slaves were treated is horrendous, and the lack of love that many choose not to show is extraordinarily believable, yet both heartwarming and terrible to consider, depending upon what is happening. I loved all of it and, because of my own interest in how many are unloved and treated badly ...commend Stallings for this book as one of her best, in my opinion...


Highly recommended!


GABixlerReviews

USA Today Best Selling Author, Staci Stallings is a stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side. She has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci's stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That's what keeps Staci writing and you reading. So, sit back, grab your Kindle and something to drink, and settle in for some of the BEST stories in all of Christian Romance...

Walter Ramsay's Mystery Sizzles with Suspense and Mystic Revelation!

Image by JelleS via Flickr

"Tucker for the first time, had a clear view
of his great-great-uncle. His long hair
was raven black, his body tanned and
muscular. His face had sharp, distinctive
features. The high cheekbones, slim nose,
and wide, almond-shaped eyes gave him
a unique look. Tucker was astounded to
see his ancestor at such close range.
Osci sat cross-legged with the palms of
his hands resting on his knees. Tucker
was drawn to the opposite site of the fire...
'My nephew, Osci started, 'You are my
chosen one..." (p. 154)

Beneath the Dune


By Walter Ramsay






What a very cool book! I loved the concept, the merge of history and American Indian mysticism and the acquisition of justice, albeit after hundreds of years...



"Oh, there was a time when big things were planned for me. But wow, how things had changed. A budding star on the court and my extended future resting on bigger things to come later on in the newsroom. I had my sights set on being the guy to sign autographs and in my later years be the announcer who says, 'At the buzzer, what a shot to win it all! Your new NSA champions are...!' Damn, ESPN would have loved me." (p. 6)

Losing a planned career in the sports arena can follow you through the rest of your life. For Tucker Lee Anderson, it had resulted in his working sports for a local paper, which was even limited to just community and high school news! "This was my purgatory. High school and recreational sports, no coverage of college or pros. That was our policy." (p. 9)

So Tucker spent a lot of his time cruising, drinking and flirting...and ignoring calls from his ex for child support. It didn't matter that he was living in a trailer and she and the kids were now with their stepfather and living in a million-dollar home...

But readers will see a major change in him when he is asked to cover for another reporter and provide a news story when the remains of a baby were found in the dunes...

His boss and the police thought it was the body of the last victim of a serial killer. It seemed like old news to many of the news agencies, so his boss decided to have Tucker interview Ed Ventara, who was already scheduled for the death penalty. Not only did Ventara assure Tucker that the body was not that of his last victim, but he was found dead in his cell soon after, supposedly from suicide.

Besides by then Tucker knew how and when the baby had been killed...

He had been visited by his ancestor through a series of dreams that had taken him back to around the time of the civil war. His ancestor had fell in love with a white woman who had been married off by her father, thinking he would be providing protection and family for her during the war. The husband had been cruel before he too left for the war. Osci was gentle and wonderful and their love brought forth a child...

But the final ruling announced was that the child was Ventara's final victim and the cold case was officially closed...What Tucker and his connections had determined to be true--that the body was too old to have been Ventara's victim, for instance, was falsified by higher officials. Even his boss, who had been looking for a big story now told Tucker to back off. But Tucker now had a purpose to his life, one that was important to him and his family. All he had to do was figure out how to ensure this cover up not only was not permitted, but that he could fulfill his promise to his ancestors that justice was done!  

Walter Ramsay not only provides a remarkable main character who I hope will be seen in future books, but his addition of important strategic "honest" people in positions where they were able to assist in solving a crime that was being covered up by those high enough to ensure lies were told, provided a much-needed moral to the story that corruption cannot be carried on forever and justice will ultimately be served... Given some of the  stories in today's headlines, I found solace in Ramsay's main characters, knowing that, in the end, justice will indeed prevail... A great whodunit, but even more, a literary historical fiction novel worthy of consideration by all.

Book Received Via

Bostick Communications

GABixlerReviews

Have you Ever Rode a Train? I Have Always Wanted to...Until...

Image via WikipediaThrow The Devil 


  Off The Train


By Stephen Bly




What a fun book to read! Witty, Crisp dialogue from a series of characters that you feel actually lived back in the days... sensitive, touching themes, old-fashion romantic love... Readers will laugh and...cry a little... What more could you ask for! It's not listed as Christian fiction, but it is certainly recommended to that group for their consideration. This delightful book is a western, set in time right after the civil war ended although there's not too much about the west, except as a location toward which a train is going...and oh, yes, there is a saddle as a character, which surely counts toward it being a western, right? And there's really nothing about the war, except about the devastation to families that, in my mind, explains both the actions of the good and bad characters...everybody was trying to survive after so much had been lost...

First, a comment about the book itself. I was privileged to get a hard-back copy which has not only a dust cover but the cover itself contained artwork as well as printing. I got a large print version which was wonderfully easy on my eyes...Thanks go to both the author and the publisher, Center Point Publishing, Thorndike Maine for a truly worthy personal library edition...

Nearly all of the story takes place on the train...

Race Hillyard had just killed a man. Two men were planning on stealing from him, in response to the hard times they were facing after the war. Race would have left them both go, but one of them decided to try again... Race was tired, hungry and in a bad mood when he found his seats on the train--I say seats because he had purchased an extra seat so that he could keep his saddle with him...

So when Catherine Draper came on the train, looking for a seat, she naturally became agitated that a saddle was taking up a place she could use... Needless to say, their meeting was not the greatest way to become romantically involved...

But then again, neither were looking for that possibility. In fact, Catherine was on her way to marry a childhood sweetheart and was already using her married name. Of course that was partly because she was also "getting out of town" and hiding her identity for pulling a gun against a lawyer. That story had been blown out of proportion so using her future husband's name seemed the right thing to do... even if they had not seen each other since they were...12 years old...

Race, on the other hand, was looking for revenge and he had the ability to get it since he had been a sharp-shooter during the war. But when the first conflict started on the train--a man talking crazy and acting as if he was walking in his sleep, Race was immediately on the alert and before long, literally throwing men off the train...  He became a quiet sort of hero...except when riled...

He even acted more friendly after he had gotten some sleep... Or, maybe that was because of Catherine... You just knew right away that sparks were flying between those two!

All types of scams surrounding mining (diamonds, gold, silver) were what the bad guys did back in those times. Race's brother had convinced him to put all of their money into such a plan and, when he had lost it all, committed suicide rather than face Race. There were many who were going to pay! And one of them was on that train...and Catherine knew him. It's hard though getting serious about all those nasty issues like killing, blackmail, kidnapping, and much more that happened, when it's so much fun watching the characters on the train and especially Catherine and Race falling in love. But I promise you there's action and adventure to keep your pages turning...all the way up to the point when Catherine finally meets her "intended..."

You just gotta love this one!

Book Received Via
Facebook Reviewers Roundup


GABixlerReviews

Review: A Touch of Southern Gothic in Angel's Rest by Mary Edwards

Angel’s Rest
By Mary Edwards
Wings ePress Inc.
ISBN: 9781597055079
240 Pages

The beautiful cover of a man carrying a small girl out of the water immediately captured me. Who was the little girl? Did she drown? Or was she still alive? What was her name? Obviously the answers were to come as I began to read Angel's Rest by Mary Edwards!

When Deirdre (Dee) Anderson was called to the office of Tyler Summerfield, a man she had always called Uncle Tyler, she thought it was going to be about a small inheritance from her grandfather who had recently died. Uncle Tyler had been her grandfather's partner and was now handling his estate. Unfortunately, he now had the responsibility to tell Dee that there was no money. In fact, he had been giving her a small allowance out of his own pocket. He had held $1000 to give to her at this time, but knew that it was not sufficient for the long term.

At the meeting, however, he revealed that he had at least one option for Dee. If she were willing, he had arranged to have her work to restore a home in Mississippi, just outside of Vicksburg, which had been built before the civil war, but long vacant. Dee was in a daze, knowing that she had no background to undertake the work, but was able to think clearly enough that she realized she had no choice. If she didn't take this opportunity, she would have to immediately start her own search for a position.

Raised by her grandfather, Dee had become a rather independent woman and so, after the shock of losing her grandfather plus having to assume a position for which she did not feel qualified, she pulled herself together and made the journey. Immediately she would meet a number of individuals: Sean Wilson was to oversee the work she would be doing and Bill Brooks, a local veterinarian who was a friend of those involved at the home. She also met Melanie Nash who was to assist Dee and Sadie Lucas, who had years ago helped keep house at Angel's Rest.

There was one major problem, however. Dee had been told a little about some of the people who might be discussed when she arrived and she had been told not to reveal that she knew anything about them. The problem was that Dee indeed did not know anything but, regardless, she soon found that someone was trying to get her to leave!

Dee had known little about how her parents had died so that her grandfather raised her. Now she was in a place that she seemed to remember and she began to have visions of past scenes that seemed to have taken place within the home or on the grounds. In trying to begin a new life, she had accepted the individuals she was now living with at face value as potential friends, and she would enjoy their company, only to have them do or say something that was so strange that she began to doubt or trust them. Both men had shown a romantic interest, but then she would see that they were involved with others as well. Soon, she could not even tell herself how she really felt about her beaus!

Readers will feel the fear and terror and, mostly, frustration that Dee experienced. It results in a page-by-page suspense that will keep you on edge. Nobody was allowed to talk about the past, yet everything happening seemed to be based on it. For instance, why had Sadie started calling the home, Angel's Rest? And who was the little girl Sadie claimed to see there? Soon Dee decided she had to find out or possibly lose her life!

Mary Edwards tells the story of Angelique, the little girl that had been carried from the water so many years ago to haunt Angel's Rest until the girl found her own rest. Enter the horror of that search into which Dee Anderson has fallen, and through which she must now find her own personal salvation! Visit this southern, mysterious home and help solve the mystery--you'll be glad you joined the search!

G. A. Bixler