An Illegal President by Pat Lawrence

Whom can you trust?

Talk about a page turner, I read the book from cover to cover without putting it down. Great political suspense!

A United States Congressman, Paul Garrett, is kidnapped. Unfortunately he had his two children with him, which made the sinister plan become complicated.

A conspiracy lurked behind the kidnapping, offering Garrett the nomination for President of the U.S. He thought he had a chance to beat an incumbent President and be the most powerful man in the country, maybe the world.

His wife, Wendy, hated politics, and his children, Jack and Denise, are put through hell. Garrett learned a difficult lesson about trust during his near run for president. All these factors weighed in on Garrett’s decisions and how he would live his life.

Pat Lawrence’s writing style kept me captivated on every page. I recommend, An Illegal President, to readers of any age.

Into the light (The Portal) by Luke Meier with Joe Meier

A clever, sci-fi story, written by an eight year old boy! Way to go Luke! 

 

Into the light, is a story about a boy named Leo, and his dog, Bucky. Leo thought it would be okay, just for a minute, to look for Bucky’s short red leash, in his Dad’s forbidden basement. Bucky enters a portal he found, and Leo soon followed, only to end up in another universe.

Lots of adventures occurred in their quest to get back home. Don’t miss any of the action packed suspense, in Luke Meier’s, forty-eight page debut novel, Into the light (The Portal).

Changing the Future by Paula Martin

Happily Ever After

Changing the Future was a very nice romance novel. It was a love story with down to earth characters. When Lisa and Paul’s relationship ended, it wasn’t a bed of roses for either of them. Miscommunication and trust issues broke them apart.  Five years flew by when they unexpectedly ran in to each other at Lisa’s college where she worked as a professor.

Old feelings surfaced and conflicts arose. They both felt guilty about how things ended. Lisa kept an unforgivable secret from Paul, and Paul harbored unjustifiable feelings of jealousy towards a male friend of Lisa’s.

Toward the middle of the story it became repetitive. Conflict lagged at this point and I thought it wouldn’t redeem itself. But it came back to life with Paul’s close call and it ended happily ever after.

Changing the Future was predictable, which is always a disappointment, no matter what the genre.

Paula Martin wrote beautifully written dialogue, and her characters were well developed. Lisa’s son was a bit too perfect; especially with the curve ball he was thrown. But he was as lovable as Paula’s other characters.

The Mormonizing of America by Stephen Mansfield

Eye-opening moments

This was my first book read about Mormons and my first book read by author, Stephen Mansfield. With the current political situation in America, I was intrigued when the publisher asked me to read and review, The Mormonizing of America.

Skeptical, I approached the book with doubts, thinking it would be filled with the authors biased opinions and his version of facts.  Completing the book, I was pleasantly surprised that the opposite was true.  I’m not claiming to believe everything I read as absolute fact; however, it became clear immediately that Mansfield wrote, The Mormonizing of America, to enlighten not to preach to his readers.

I’m embarrassed to admit the amount of previous knowledge I had acquired in my lifetime about the Mormon religion.  I knew the basics and never desired to expand my education.

The Mormonizing of America, being filled with information and presented in a clear and concise writing style, enabled me to be receptive; hence I enjoyed the book considerably.

The history was fascinating. What scant knowledge I earlier possessed and anything I had questioned about the Mormons, the religion, the church, and the leaders, was answered beautifully by Mansfield. I didn’t feel he was being condescending, yet quite the opposite as I continued reading. I noted passages throughout the book and enjoyed my eye-opening moments.

The Chronology from 600 BC to 1904 was an asset, also the Beliefs in Plain Language. The Appendix A, stating Joseph Smith’s Articles of Faith, and Appendix B, noting the Surprising Quotes from Mormon Leaders were appreciated.

Given all the information, this was just the tip of the iceberg regarding the subject of the Mormon religion. The purpose of, The Mormonizing of America, was timely, being we currently have a Mormon who is running for the presidency. This is the perfect book for readers to get a feel for the Mormon life and beliefs of Mitt Romney.

I filled in so many blanks, from Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates, to why the Mormons are so successful today. It’s amazing to go from being persecuted to running for the office of president of the U.S.

Mansfield explained that Mormons have outstripped their leaders and their extreme doctrines. As long as they fulfill the conditions of their faith, they will ascend in American society.

I recommend The Mormonizing of America, by Stephen Mansfield, for readers of all ages who are curious about the Mormon history and the life of Mormons.

The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge by Christine Nolfi

Small town secrets revealed

Small towns are havens for buried secrets and forbidden passions.  A town in Ohio was no different for the prominent and wealthy Fagan family. Living in a mansion on a thousand-acre estate, Fagan’s Orchard shipped produce and condiments across the Midwest, and was the main setting for The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge. Located on the estate was an oak tree, referred to locals as The Great Oak Tree. If the tree could talk, what secrets it would tell.

The Fagan’s were renovating the mansion to accommodate their pregnant daughter. Troy Fagan was the head of operations on site and the person who did the hiring. Ourania D’Andre was an independent contractor who submitted a bid for the job. There was major conflict between the two, because Troy’s brother had been murdered. They both blamed themselves. The relationship strengthened as they worked through the guilt they harbored.

Troy and Ourania kept the story intrigue alive. Childhood bullying festered into adulthood. Both holding secrets, it took unpredictable circumstances to finally forge a healthy relationship.

Leading separate lives, Ourania became a foster mother to two bi-racial children, as she continued her career as an electrical contractor. Troy was the black sheep of the family choosing to work in construction instead of Fagan Orchards. He reluctantly accepted Ourania’s bid for the electrical work on the mansion, because his sister, Dianne, liked the beautiful and successful Ourania.

Working together, secrets were exposed, and forbidden passions surfaced. The Great Oak Tree revealed countless secrets, some beyond comprehension. To mention them, in my review, would spoil the story for readers.

The Great Oak Tree served as a symbol for hope and redemption.  Christine Nolfi did an extraordinary job writing The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge with this in mind. It also served as a subtle way to teach lessons in forgiveness.

Events in the story are brilliantly written with compassion and understanding. The subject matters are as diverse as the characters. The good vs. the bad, the beautiful vs. those lacking physical attributes, adoption, domestic violence, multi-cultural families, fighting the system, hate, love, trust, death, rape, and lies. Christine Nolfi proved to master her skill by describing the human elements factor in depth in The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge.

I recommend The Tree of Everlasting Knowledge, by Christine Nolfi, to readers who enjoy stories about real life situations. We can use the opportunity to reflect on our own life.

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames by Brad Shreffler

Good vs. Evil

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames is a book written for middle school students who enjoy reading adventures about someone their own age. Jack Wrimo is a fifteen year old teenager who is like most middle school students - just average.

Brad Shreffler is well aware in order to excite teenagers to read his book, he has to create situations so Jack would not be just average anymore. That’s exactly what he does when Jack goes to “Flea Market Saturday” with his parents and two sisters.

On this particular Saturday Jack wants to buy a pair of bookends. As he shops on his own - for the first time - he buys a pocketknife which he is not allowed to own. When his mother finds out about this, quite by accident, the consequence is being grounded for three weeks.

What about the bookends? Does Jack end up finding a pair for his room? Oh yes, he sure does. And it’s these bookends that bring the story to life! They take Jack on quite an adventure and it changes his and his family’s lives forever.

Jack has to step up from being just average and handle a lot of different challenges. He shares the good with Pharia, the Ori of Flame, in the good vs. evil. Bucan is the evil ‘being’ that is hard to figure out why he is so evil. There is a very dark and evil part in the book that is unpredictable. I won’t say any more about it so I don’t spoil it for readers.

Jack Wrimo and the Ori of Flames is science fiction and Brad Shreffler includes all the genre’s story elements which are favorites of young teenagers. Jack’s challenges will keep teenagers engaged in the story as they route for him to fight evil.

Although the book is short, I think it lags a bit after the middle of the story. I think a chapter or two could be condensed and still be a good read. As a former middle school teacher, I know we don’t want teenagers to have any reason to stop reading!

Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey by Deborah L. Parker

Predictable

Navigating Life’s Roadways is an account of Deborah L. Parker’s life. She begins her story after her mother’s death as this was an extremely emotional time for her.

I could never take away someone else’s memories or life’s lessons learned, however, to me this was just another book of relatively similar memories and life lessons communicated.

While acknowledging Deborah’s beautiful style of writing, using quotes, proverbs, and metaphors, it has been done many times over. I was hoping to read some original enlightening words and/or phrases. Sadly, this wasn’t the case.

Each time I choose a book to read I expect to learn something new. I am also a cancer survivor and I struggled to find new inspirations to augment my knowledge. I’m not saying I knew every quote, proverb, or metaphor in the book, just that the messages were stale.

For readers who may not have previously read an inspirational memoir, Navigating Life’s Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your Journey would be an insightful revelation.