#revellbooks

Book Review: Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner

Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish
by Bethany Turner
Rating: 4.5/5

How have I never heard of this author before?!! She is unreal! Her writing hits you right in the feels and she tackles emotions like no one I’ve ever read before. I could not put this book down (or stop listening to the audiobook which was really well done). Her main characters are so well written and developed.

Maxwell Cavanagh is a celebrity chef who knows he’s the best with nine Michelin stars and has the top-rated cooking show “To the Max” and is about to win a competition against Hadley Beckett, the Southern host of “At Home with Hadley”. When Max loses it when Hadley beats him, everything changes. While Max enters rehab, Hadley and her show become the top-rated show and she gets offered her dream of being featured on “Renowned”! Unfortunately, this dream comes with having to deal with Chef Max as a partner. As the two explore what it means to forgive and learn to trust each other to be able to work together, can they see past the celebrity personas and find love?

I laughed. I cried. I couldn’t stop reading (or listening). The message about forgiveness and second chances and dealing with the past and your identity is so authentic and ridiculously relatable. I’ve never read so many truths in a fictional book. I will definitely be reading more from Bethany Turner. She has a way with words that acknowledges and validates the character’s feelings but also gives them a way to move on and find healing. I am blown away by the author’s characters and her ability to incorporate faith and truth into real-life situations.

I highly recommend for those that enjoy contemporary Christian romance with humor with the ability to address life’s harder subjects. (I’d also check out the audiobook too!)

My thanks to the author and Revell for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

May 10, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith

Star of Persia: Esther’s Story
by Jill Eileen Smith
Rating: 4/5

Who doesn’t love the story of Esther? Who hasn’t read a retelling of this epic story from the Bible? I was curious how the author would put her own spin on the story and was super impressed!

Meet the king of Persia, Xerxes, who is planning a war and has all of his officials and leaders celebrating for the week. Tricked into exiling his favorite queen, Xerxes is feeling even more inadequate at being a king. After selecting the young and beautiful Esther to be his new queen, he finds himself still distrusting all those around him. He doesn’t know who to trust except maybe Esther. As much as he finds himself falling more and more in love with Esther, the duties of his kingdom pull him away from their love. Esther must also face challenges of her own and risk her life to save those she loves.

The author thoroughly researched the historical record and compared it with the biblical record to weave a brilliant story that never fails to encourage and inspire. The author introduces some historical figures who are not in the biblical account but they provide hidden agendas and motivations for why certain familiar characters act the way they did. I loved getting a different perspective on Vashti and hearing her story in the beginning is definitely different than the account I grew up learning in Sunday school. The main characters have more layers and their backstories really drive them in their decision-making. I loved the author’s notes at the end regarding “Sometimes our God works in silence.” Though God’s name is not mentioned in the biblical account, “His handiwork is visible on every page.” So good!

I highly recommend this retelling of the story of Esther, especially for those who think they know what happened.

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

March 5, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: The Way of the Brave by Susan May Warren

The Way of the Brave
by Susan May Warren
Book 1 of the Global Search and Rescue series
Rating: 5/5

Words cannot describe how much I loved reading this adrenaline-fueled climb up and down Denali. I wasn’t ready. The love story is surrounded by the suspense found in all of Warren’s search and rescue books and does NOT disappoint. The tension never let up and forced me to keep reading till the end.

Orion’s past continues to haunt him as his friend tries to lure him to join his global search and rescue team. As former SEAL buddies, he enjoys their friendship but doesn’t want to go back to his life as a pararescue jumper. When he and his friends are called out to rescue three women stranded on the mountain, he finds himself back in the game whether he likes it or not – only this time one of the women who needs saving is the one that got away before his entire life changed. Back in Afghanistan, he and Jacie had connected but he’d never seen her after that fateful mission where he busted his knee. For some reason, she changed her name to Jenny but he’d recognize her anywhere. Can Orion and his buddies find and rescue the woman of his dreams and her friends before it’s too late? Or will Mother Nature or God just allow obstacle after obstacle to get in their way to safety?

My heart can’t take this. Haha. I loved everything about this story. If you’ve ever seen the movie, Vertical Limit, you will understand but this book is better! (The movie was also referenced in the book which made me smile.) The main characters are dealing with their own issues and fears but Warren has a way of weaving in forgiveness and redemption into all her stories that just makes me cry and laugh and stand in awe of the Savior. The technical terms she must have researched makes the story authentic but still a bit confusing since I’m not as familiar with all the mountain climbing terms. You can tell she put her heart and soul into this story. She really starts preaching near the end which I loved; she’s not afraid to share her heart and God’s heart when it comes to forgiveness and shame.

I highly recommend this book for those that love Christian romantic suspense and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.