Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story by Dee Henderson

MY REVIEW
This one is very different from the other O'Malley books. Soft and tender, and actually surprising considering today's penchant for throw-away relationships. I thought is was in high, Dee Henderson style. Smooth character development and I think worthy to sit among the other 6 or so books even though the story line is not action or suspense, just a sweet love story with words like commitment and phrases like until death do us part. None of the "if something happens we can always get a divorce" attitude so prevalent today. Very refreshing.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story Bethany House Publishers (May 1, 2013) by Dee Henderson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dee Henderson is the bestselling, award-winning author of 15 previous novels, including the acclaimed O'MALLEY series and UNCOMMON HEROES series. These days, most authors are out there energetically promoting their books in print and broadcast and via social media—wherever they can get attention. But Dee Henderson keeps a low profile. She avoids telephone interviews because of hearing problems, declined to provide a current photo, and will say only that she lives in Illinois.

ABOUT THE BOOK

It's a summer of change for Jennifer O'Malley. The busy physician has a pediatrics practice in Dallas, and meeting Tom Peterson, and falling in love, is adding a rich layer to her life. She's sorting out how to introduce him to her family--she's the youngest of seven--and thinking about marriage.

She's falling in love with Jesus too, and knows God is good. But that faith is about to be tested in a way she didn't expect, and the results will soon transform her entire family.


If you would like to read the first chapter of Jennifer: An O’Malley Love Story, go to HERE.

Last Chance for Justice by Kathi Macias

MY REVIEW
I thought this book would be really good. It has such a refreshing premise, and promises to be rather exciting.

If you skip to about the middle of the book, you get what is promised. The storyline takes forever to get moving. I have lost a loved one, and I completely understand the devastation, the anger, the depression. I also understand there is a difference between how a Christian handles that kind of grief, and how someone who is not a Christian or who has turned their back on God, blaming Him for what happened handles those emotions. It just is not clear at the beginning what kind of person Lynn is to give reason for the way she is handling her grief. She prays on page 3.

However, it only seems an interminable age plowing through those first few chapters, and I found myself not really caring what happened to Lynn or whether Rachel made the right choice between the two men vying for her affections. I felt slightly cheated because the back blurbs held such promise, and the rave reviews from famous people said it was a terrific book. I just didn't find that between the covers of this book.

I think the main reason I felt cheated is because this is a proven author, with several published novels under her belt. Probably, I was looking for something different, and that was my fault, not the author's.

I intensely dislike head-hopping, and there is a LOT of that in this book. Written in 3rd person, the reader can browse through each character's head like browsing at Walmart. Macias uses a technique of allowing the character to tell the reader what she or he is thinking. When done sparingly, and done very well, it can be a powerful tool. I think Marcias over uses it.

In creative writing, we learn to make the characters tell the story, and we show what happens rather than telling what happens. There was a novel I reviewed several years ago that went to the opposite extreme by writing nothing but action, never telling what the characters were thinking, and therefore never head-hopping. It was unusual and unnerving. Macias, on the other hand gives each character a voice by head-hopping frequently, which becomes annoying. In a larger, more detailed work, this would give more room to develop each character. The reader is not given time to come to love the characters; therefore must subsist on the love between mother and daughter, and the two love interests for the daughter.

There are really good parts in the story. The descriptions of small town living, and the cantankerous neighbor who was Lynn's brother's best friend are wonderfully written. However, this book does not make me want to run out about buy up all Kathi Macias' other offerings.

I give it a 1 star out of 5 stars.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Last Chance for Justice B&H Books (May 1, 2013) by Kathi Macias

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Her novel set in China, Red Ink, was named Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year and was also a Carol Award Finalist; her October 2012 release, Unexpected Christmas Hero, was named 2012 Book of the Year by BookandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband.

Kathi is passionate about The Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors. To learn more about the persecuted church, please visit VOM’s website and Open Doors Website.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Welcome to Bloomfield, where life is simple, love is real, and stories are shared.

Lynn Myers is still reeling from losing her husband of thirty-five years when word comes that her only sibling, an older brother, has also died. With no one else to settle the estate, she must return to her small hometown of Bloomfield, however briefly, to settle his affairs.

Lynn’s daughter, Rachel, has just graduated from Bible college and with no other commitments comes along to sort through her uncle’s huge old home, right next to the local cemetery.

It isn't long before Rachel has two men -- a handsome CPA and the youth pastor -- seriously vying for her attention. At the same time, Lynn's attention is drawn to a set of journals her brother has left behind detailing a long-standing Bloomfield mystery.

As they pursue solving this mystery, Rachel must make some personal decisions about her future, while Lynn is forced to face unexpected issues from her own past.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Last Chance for Justice, go HERE.

Wounds by Alton Gansky

MY REVIEW

I do recommend this book, although only to adult readers. It is not reading for anyone with a faint heart or who is squeamish. The story is about another broken, driven, crusty female cop, her demons, and how she deals with them while tracking down a particularly vicious and sadistic serial killer.

My attention was riveted from the first page. The story pace lagged a bit around the middle and picked up again about 3/4 of the way. I think Mark Bertrand does a much better job at incorporating the personal life and the mystery unraveling into a seamless storyline, however, Gansky does a fine job with story flow, and there is nothing that is a story flow dam such as a character doing something or saying something uncharacteristic. It is a skillfully woven story, and what I liked the best is the reader finds out as soon as the detectives all the clues, forensics, and particulars. Nothing is held back for some climatic finish. I also liked the way Gansky makes you think  and ponder various solutions as the story unfolds. Although, he's no Ellery Queen or Agatha Christie, he is a good story teller. What more can a mystery lover ask for?  

[Side note: Why do men (and women) write stories about women who are police or lawyers or doctors or some other profession that is comprised mostly by men and think they must strip all the girly and feminine attributes off the heroine? I've never understood that. Why can't a woman be a woman these days? What is so awful about femininity?]

Another question is why do men think they can truly get inside the head of a woman character well enough to make the woman the main character? Don't let the back jacket blurb fool you, the story isn't about Dr. Ellis Poe as much as it is about Carmin Rainmondi. But Gansky does a fairly good job of weaving the two stories together. [The previous statement is purposely obscure enough not to give away the ending.] Admittedly, there are many male authors who do a fairly good job of this and Alton Gansky does do a fairly good job at it. Carmen Rainmondi is a skillfully developed main character, and has all her flaws clearly outlined.

I give this novel 4 of 5 stars.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Wounds B&H Books (May 1, 2013) by Alton Gansky

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Alton L. Gansky is the author of 24 novels and 8 nonfiction works, as well as principle writer of 9 novels and 2 nonfiction books. He has been a Christie Award finalist (A Ship Possessed) and an Angel Award winner (Terminal Justice) and recently was award the ACFW award for best suspense/thriller for his work on Fallen Angel. He holds a BA and MA in biblical studies and Lit.D. He lives in central California with his wife. In addition to his own writing, Alton Gansky has consulted and provided editing/ writing services to several CBA publishers and written copy, video scripts, and other works for the general business market. Through Gansky.Communications he has consulted with publishers and agents, as well as provided editing services. He is “the go to guy” for co-writing having been selected by Penguin, Waterbrook, Broadman Holman, and other publishers to work with their top tier authors. Gansky is in frequent demand at writer’s conferences having taught and keynoted in California, Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Delaware, Washington, and Canada. He has also been guest lecturer on suspense writing at Taylor University in Indiana.


ABOUT THE BOOK

A man’s lifeless body is found in the fresh soil of San Diego’s botanical garden. Cause of death is asphyxiation, an easy call for the medical examiner. More mysterious, however, are the tiny drops of blood on the victim’s skin, resulting from hundreds of punctures. A rabbi leaving his house for work expects a regular day at the synagogue. That quickly changes when he discovers a dead man on his front lawn, clearly beaten to death. Motorcycle riders racing along the empty streets of an abandoned military base stumble across another man’s corpse, its skin revealing long, red-purple marks of a thrashing given with wood dowels. The numbers mount. Each week another victim and another mysterious clue in a game of mass murder the police don’t want to lose. The solution rests with Dr. Ellis Poe, a religious professor who only wishes to be left alone with his books and classes. But evil must be faced, and the choice is no longer his own.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wounds, go HERE.

Rescuing Hope by Susan Norris

Buy the book!

I read this book in one night. I could not put it down.

The writing style is good, clear, and the characters are believable... but then, the characters are real, or based on real girls caught in the sex trafficking prison. They are deceived by lies, then live on fear with every shred of hope shriveled.

Susan Norris says on her web page:

It is not a respecter of persons. It is found in wealthy communities, poor communities, black, white, Asian and Hispanic communities; it’s in our cities and in rural America.  It impacts every demographic imaginable. The average age of a girl entering the sex trade is between twelve and fourteen years old.  The life expectancy of a girl in the sex trade is seven years. The girls being trafficked in America are predominately American children being bought and sold for another’s financial gain.

The first step in fighting this heinous crime is raising awareness, which is the purpose of Rescuing Hope. 

My prayer is for this book to become a catalyst of conversation among you, your children, and your friends.  It is a fictional story based on countless hours of interviews with survivors, families of trafficked girls, detectives who rescue them, and a former pimp.  Through this story, you’ll gain insight into how easily a pimp can lure a young girl into the trade.

This is my prayer, that people will wake up to the possibility of it right under their noses, and that this book will become a catalyst for prayers for these young girls, and a catalyst for conversation.

I sincerely urge you to buy the book. It is about real people, real situations, real pain, and amazing grace.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Pursuing Peace by Robert Jones

 MY REVIEW

If you are looking for advice on how to handle difficult people, you won't find it here. Neither is this a book full of a magic formula in handling conflict with a person who won't reconcile. However, this is an excellent study book for a Bible study group, or even self study in the biblical way to handle conflict. It is all about tending to that plank in your own eye.

I disagree that all conflict is sin. All conflict is not sin, as the author seems to suggest. A Christian can only behave for himself or herself, and God does not hold us responsible for the hard hearts of others. But, the step by steps in this book are excellent to dealing with others offenses toward you, and how to decide on a heart attitude change by keeping God at the center of the conflict regardless of whether the other person wants to reconcile or not.

Jones puts the responsibility right where it belongs upon the Christian who is having conflict. The gist I get is that we are to recognize it truly is not about horizontal relationships, but about our vertical relationship with God. If we are right with Him, then He can trust us to act right with others. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Simple to say, but no so simple to do. I guess that is why we need books like this.

If you are a church librarian and reading this, please purchase this for your library. It is a great handbook for a pastor to give church members who are not doing to others as they would be treated. It would be a good church wide study book as just a reminder of how we should act toward each other so that other will recognize Jesus in us.

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Guide to Resolving Relational Conflict
You have conflict in your life—we all do. You encounter it in your home, your workplace, your school, or even your church. All around us tensions exist and disputes persist.
Offered here is a step-by-step process for pursuing peace in ALL your relationships and a tool you can use to help others. This guide is:

• BIBLICAL — relies on the absolute authority, sufficiency, and life-giving power of God’s Spirit-breathed Word
• CHRIST-CENTERED — depends on the forgiving and empowering grace of Jesus
• PRACTICAL — provides concrete action steps, case examples, discussion questions, and suggested language to handle specific situations
• PROVEN — offers tried and true methods from a pastor, professor, counselor, and certified Christian conciliator who has led couples, churches, and Christian schools to make peace for nearly thirty years

Packed with wisdom and practical techniques, here is a manageable book on reconciliation that will send you on your way to pursuing peace while helping others to do the same.

Published by Crossway Publishing, Wheaton, IL.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Robert D. Jones (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) serves as a biblical counseling professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a certified biblical counselor, a Christian conciliator, an adjunct instructor, and a church reconciliation trainer with Peacemaker Ministries. Jones is the author of Uprooting Anger and has written numerous ministry booklets and articles.

A Rabbi Looks At The Last Days by Jonathan Bernis

MY REVIEW

I was disappointed in this book for I was looking for some deep insights from the Jewish point of view. However, Rabbi Bernis' insights were completely in line with what I have learned from other Messianic Jewish rabbis and in line with my own understanding of Scripture.

It seems the main thrust of the book is pointed at Jews to explain why all the attacks upon them, and to explain that the powerful United States won't be in power when the Tribulation starts. Any one who has studied eschatology knows that. Satan has a twisted notion that somehow he will win this battle, but regardless he is out to destroy God's chosen people. That is the gist.

I do recommend this book for anyone who would like some insight into understanding how Jerusalem actually is the center of the world, and why Jews have been persecuted to death down through eons. I recommend it to those who would like a skimming read on the end times.

This book is not a deep study book, and Bernis doesn't give a lot of scholarly proof, therefore you might have to do some digging to get that, which would be a good study in itself.

It gets 2 stars out of five.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Bernis is the president and CEO of Jewish Voice Ministries International and the author of A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days. Bernis, who grew up in a traditional Jewish family, serves on the boards of several organizations that minister in Israel; he holds dual U.S./Israeli citizenship. His weekly television show, Jewish Voice with Jonathan Bernis, is broadcast throughout the United States, Canada, Israel, and other countries in Europe and Asia. Jonathan lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife and daughter.

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

MY REVIEW
I really liked this first in a series. It does have quite a bit of violence in it, but then what good Western doesn't?

Rosie... ah, Ruthy actually, is in the middle of a very hard life with a family that "charitably" took her in after her folks died. The son has designs upon her and doesn't want to wait to be married, and the parents are delighted to have a built in slave. Ruthy does all the chores without complaining except to ask God if this is the kind of life He has planned for her. Then she and the whole wagon train is swept away in a flash flood. She is saved by the handsome Luke. Sparks begin to fly in Texas.

The story gets better from there. Except for some repetitions.

I can see exactly where the other novels will go after this one, too. Not that it is such a bad thing, it is just that anticipation isn't there either.

Connealy is almost genius at developing characters. You can almost believe Ruthy and Luke are your best friends. Story line is really good except she has a habit of repeating storyline elements. She has a way of repeating storyline elements. Did I mention she repeats storyline over and over?

You can forgive her because of her vibrant characters. But, I take exception to being thought so stupid that I must be reminded so often about things and they aren't all that interesting sometimes. I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars because of this fact. 
 

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Swept Away Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2013) by Mary Connealy

ABOUT THE BOOK

When a cowboy focused on revenge encounters a woman determined to distract him, there's going to be trouble in Texas!

Swept away when her wagon train attempts a difficult river crossing, Ruthy MacNeil isn't terribly upset at being separated from the family who raised her. All they've ever done is work her to the bone. Alive but disoriented, she's rescued by Luke Stone...so unfortunately, there are more chances to die in her immediate future.

Luke is on a mission to reclaim the ranch stolen from his family. But the men currently on the property won't let it go without a fight. Luke plans to meet up with friends who will help him take back the land, and since he can't just leave Ruthy in the middle of nowhere, she's going to have to go with him.

But the more time Luke spends around the hardworking young woman, the more he finds himself thinking of things besides revenge. Will Ruthy convince him to give up his destructive path and be swept away by love?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Connealy writes romantic comedy with cowboys. She is a Christy Award Finalist, a Carol Award Finalist and an IRCC Award finalist.

The Lassoed in Texas Series, Petticoat Ranch, Calico Canyon and Gingham Mountain. Petticoat Ranch was a Carol Award Finalist. Calico Canyon was a Christy Award Finalist and a Carol Award Finalist. These three books are now contained in one large volume called Lassoed in Texas Trilogy.

The Montana Marriages Series, Montana Rose, The Husband Tree and Wildflower Bride. Montana Rose was a Carol Award Finalist.

Cowboy Christmas—the 2010 Carol Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and an Inspirational Readers Choice Contest Finalist.

The Sophie's Daughters series. Doctor in Petticoats, Wrangler in Petticoats, Sharpshooter in Petticoats.

She is also the author of; Black Hills Blessing a 3-in-1 collection of sweet contemporary romances, Nosy in Nebraska, a 3-in-1 collection of cozy romantic mysteries and she's one of the three authors contributing to Alaska Brides with her Carol Award Winning historical romance Golden Days.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Swept Away, go HERE.

Advice -- a bit about advice, or reviews from Randy Ingermanson

Organization: Meta Advice

 

This month, a little advice on how to deal with advice.

Over the years, you're going to hear every possible kind of advice on your writing:

"Your pace is too slow. It puts me to sleep."

"Your pace is too fast. I can't catch my breath."

"Your main character is a wimp. Make him more manly."

Courtesy of David Castillo at http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

"Your main character is too macho. Rein him in."

"You have too much dialogue and not enough action."

"You have too much action and not enough interior monologue."

"You have too much interior monologue and not enough dialogue."

At a certain point, you're going to throw up your hands and ask whom you can trust. Not all of this advice can be right.

When people critique your work, they always filter it through their own set of likes and dislikes.

Those may or may not be the likes and dislikes of your target reader. If you know for sure that your target reader is going to like the way you've written it, then ignore advice that tells you to change it to something your target reader won't like.

But what if you don't really know whether your target reader would agree with the advice you're getting?

In that case, you are the final authority. It's your book. You get to decide.

If the pace feels right to you, but people are telling you it's too fast, then you don't have to slow it down for them.

If you like your main character, but people tell you he's a wimp, then you don't have to change him.

If you like your dialogue the way it is, but people tell you it's too much, then you don't have to cut back for them.

I'm not saying you should always ignore advice.

I'm saying the opposite.

When you get advice, try it on for size. Think about how it'll change your fiction. Will it make your novel a better or worse experience for your target reader? Will it make YOU like your fiction better?

If the advice will improve your fiction, then run with it.

But if you don't like what the advice will do to your book, walk on by.

It's your book. You get to decide what advice you'll allow to mold it.

Choose the advice that makes you proud of your work. Ignore the advice that doesn't.

It's that simple. It's just not easy.

AND

Craft: Naked Dialogue

"What's naked dialogue?"

"It's dialogue without any action, description, interior monologue, or interior emotion."

"Can you do that?"

"In short stretches."

"Why would you do that? It sounds stupid."

"If the main conflict is in the dialogue, then adding anything else takes the edge off the conflict."

"I don't believe that could work. Give me three examples where you'd use it."

"Courtroom scenes. Interrogations. Um ... can't think of a third example."

"Maybe a Socratic dialogue?"

"Oh, right."

"So you can actually make this work without even one tag to tell me who's talking?"

"If it works, it works."

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Then add in the minimum amount of other stuff necessary to make it work."

"I suppose you'd call that bikini dialogue then?"

"You're stretching the metaphor too far."

"And you somehow imagine this kind of dialogue works?"

"I know it."

"Could you do a whole scene that way?"

"Orson Scott Card did several scenes that way in ENDER'S GAME."

"How did the reader know who was talking?"

"Readers are smart."

"Don't be ridiculous. Don't readers have to see at least one tag so they know the names of the speakers?"

"Not unless they need to know the names."

"But you'd have to limit it to two people, right? You couldn't possibly do this with three people, could you?"

"Hey guys! Whatcha talking about so violent-like over in the corner? Gretchen, are you practicing your interrogation skills on poor Grendel?"

"Get lost, Goober. I'm just trying to get the bare facts."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I get the message. I'm not wanted, so I'm outta here. Give her heck, Grendel."

"So what was your question again? Something about three people?"

"Never mind, I figured it out."

"Any more questions?"

"Well, naked dialogue sounds difficult. Is it worth it?"

"You have to decide that after it's all written. You can always throw the scene away if you don't like it."

"Have you ever tried it? In your own scene?"

"Just once."

"When?"

"Just now."

"Oh, man, are you going meta on me? Mixing planes of existential reality again? You are so weird!"

"Admit it, Gretchen, you love me."

"That's it. We're finished and I'm leaving."

"It ain't over till I say it's over."

"You can't keep me here against my--"

"It's over."

~oOo~

This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 32,000 readers.

If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Download your free Special Report on Tiger Marketing and get a free 5-Day Course in How To Publish a Novel.

The Return of Cassandra Todd

MY REVIEW

The dreams of a high school nerd come true. Turner's secret crush who turned out to be so cruel to him in high school is running away from a very bad man and needs his help. So far so good. The story starts out truly gripping and I really like the inner dialogue of Turner's as he works fixing a faucet or some other maintenance problem at the motel where he works.

Then the story drifts a bit after he recognizes Cassandra. But that is in the prologue!

I have never, ever liked head jumping as Randy Ingermanson calls it. To get inside the head of each character takes truly great skill. Not many have it, or the patience for it. You have to take the time to introduce a character and develop the character before you go jumping somewhere else. It is a sad mistake that so many newer fiction writers do, and I'm not at all sure it is their mistake. I think the editors share a large part of the blame. But, when an author not only head jumps, but uses flashbacks as well. Unless done extremely well, you've got stew not a story.

Now... all this happens in the prologue as I mentioned before. Another thing that I drives me crazy is the constant repeating what's gone on before. Then add to that a really stupid female and you've got something that literally drives me crazy.


However, Nelson deals with an issue that I wish more authors would tackle. Spousal abuse is rampant, but it is always shoved under the rug because it isn't a nice subject. Nelson tells Cassandra's story in a way that is not formulaic, and there are some really good turns of phrase that are not story flow stoppers, just pleasant gems for wordsmiths.

I give this novel 2 stars. It isn't horrible, but it isn't great. It's readable, and there are far too few out there that are unreadable.

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing The Return of Cassandra Todd Realms (February 5, 2013) by Darrel Nelson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am a schoolteacher by profession and have taught school for (thir—ahem!) years. I grew up in Raymond, Alberta, and attended the University of Lethbridge after graduating from high school and serving a two-year mission to Japan. During university, I met and married Marsha Smith, and we are the parents of four children, which has grown to include their spouses and our ten grandchildren.

I have always loved to write. I started writing stories before I was old enough to realize I was writing stories. It seemed a natural thing to pick up a pencil and paper and create a world simply by using words—worlds of adventure in steaming jungles (Tarzan was an early influence on me) or realms of adventure in outer space (Buck Rogers). But as I have grown older, I have discovered that the real inspiration for me is exploring the theme of love and how it can make such a difference in the world.

I’ve had an article published in Lethbridge Magazine and have written several dramatic plays, two of which won provincial recognition and were showcased at a drama festival. I won the CJOC radio songwriting contest two years running, and have had one of my songs receive international airplay. I have written four novels intended for the juvenile market. They are unpublished as yet, but I read them annually to my fourth grade students and my students tell me they love them, the darlings.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When the girl he hated in high school suddenly reenters his life, little son in tow, and asks for his help, Turner must put the past behind him if they are to survive.

Turner Caldwell works at a local motel as a handyman while attending college full-time. On his way to class one day, he passes the bus depot just as Cassandra Todd and her young son arrive. He is shocked to see her, remembering how cruel she was to him in high school. She was the popular head cheerleader and he the target of her mean-spirited pranks. Turner could never have imagined that the outdoor training and survival skills he learned at Camp Kopawanee, a summer youth camp where he worked three years as a leader, would one day become so crucial. But when Cassandra and her son check into the motel where he works and she asks for his help in eluding her abusive husband, Turner finds himself entangled in a situation that will require every skill he has in order to survive.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of The Return of Cassandra Todd, go HERE.