A Side of Faith by Krista Phillips

A Side of Faith is a Christian Inspirational Romance Novella and the second book in the Sandwich Romance Book Series created by Krista Phillips.

Rachel Carter is new in Sandwich, Illinois. So, she finds it strange to find a visitor in her doorstep while she is in the middle of repainting her wall. Stranger still is the unexpected presence of the tall man with reddish hair who reminds her so much of someone from her dark and painful past that she has tried so hard to forget.

Determined not to commit the same mistake twice and resolved to wait for the right person whom the Lord chooses for her, Rachel makes it crystal clear that she is not interested in dating.

But Cameron Foster, the red-headed stranger who is nursing a broken heart himself, is not easily dissuaded. With his determination and Rachel’s friend, Maddie’s constant meddling, Rachel may have to reconsider giving him a chance to prove that he may be the person she is actually waiting for.

This is an entertaining, inspirational, and enjoyable romance novella that makes the readers feel hopeful. It depicts the trauma that victims of domestic violence have to overcome as well as the hate they feel towards the perpetrator and the fear that they might commit the same mistake. More than that, however, the book shows the courage and freedom brought by faith in God and His constant love: courage to face whatever is coming and freedom from fear and helplessness.      

In addition to the simple but well-presented plot, the author creates endearing characters. Rachel is the empowered woman who refuses to be manipulated by anyone and is trying her best to let her painful past stay in the past while Cameron is the man who gives everything to God and lets God’s plans unravel on their own.

Overall, this is an inspiring and enjoyable book, funny for the most part, emotional then suspenseful. However, I was expecting more from Cameron, not necessarily the clichéd knight in shining armor stuff, but something more impressive and impactful in the story.

Still, I like this book a lot and I recommend it to readers who enjoy Christian inspirational stories.

Congratulations to Krista Phillips (@kristaphillips) on such an enjoyable book! For more books by the author, visit KRISTA PHILLIPS. 

When Angels Play Poker by Maura O'Leary

When Angels Play Poker is a religious fantasy book written by Maura O’Leary.

Jimmy is getting ready for a date with a hot chick he just met at the town’s best retirement home when he suddenly dies of heart attack. He wakes up in heaven and meets his elder angel guide, Norm, who informs him that he is, actually, in heaven and a guardian angel himself, albeit a Level 1.

Jimmy is so excited to meet with long dead relatives especially his sister, Pat. However, as much as he wants to hang out with her, he is given his first assignment, Maura, who happens to be his brother’s girlfriend.

Maura is a very special person as Jimmy gets to learn eventually, and together with Pat and the rest of the angels who watch over Maura, in between or while playing poker, Jimmy will do everything in however little power he has to help her out.

This is a feel-good book about life after death and interactions between terrestrial and celestial beings. The book depicts how the author imagines heaven is like with pearly gates, fluffy, soft, warm, and comfortable beds and dead relatives playing poker with one another.

It is, first and foremost, funny and entertaining. It is told in the third person perspective using informal conversational tone making the book an easy read. The author did a great job in describing not only the settings both in heaven and on earth but also the emotions of each character particularly Maura’s.

This is, undoubtedly, an enjoyable book especially for those readers who enjoy stories about celestial encounters. However, I had a hard time connecting the game of poker in heaven with Bob and Maura’s problem on earth. Moreover, though Maura’s character profile is sufficient to make her relatable, I found Jimmy’s character as a former con-artist not adequately established. A short backstory on Jimmy may suffice. Furthermore, I found the ending less conclusive than I hope. Finally, there are several noticeable errors within the entire book like The entire family was in shocked and Who did not accomplishing anything and misspelled words like breathe instead of breath and starring instead of staring.

Congratulations to Maura O’Leary (@M_OLearyAUTHOR) on such an enjoyable and entertaining book!              

Law of Attraction Master by Steven Marie

Law of Attraction Master: 7 Steps in 17Little Days is a helpful, informative, enlightening and inspiring book about how to manifest abundance written by Steven Marie.

In addition to the prologue, the book has seven chapters, a chapter for each step. Chapter 1 presents five steps to be followed for the first three of the seventeen days of this lesson; Chapter 2 introduces a 10-day diet for gathering energy, and Chapters 3 to 7 offer lessons on focus, action, pre-success, strong feeling of success and accomplishment of mission.

The author features various topics including quantum mechanism, servomechanism, autosuggestion and lucid dreaming. Moreover, the book discusses the three layers of the mind (conscious, subconscious and unconscious), seventeen layers of consciousness and various crystals and their uses to raise vibrational level. 

Overall, this is a very informative book and I enjoyed reading it. However, other readers may find some explanations too technical and looking up for words like prana, chakra and chi may be a little bit bothersome. Moreover, the recommended diet sounds tough and the crystals may be a tad difficult to obtain.

Still, I enjoyed this book a lot and maybe someday, I would be able to follow it and master the law of attraction which sounds very rewarding.

Congratulations to Steven Marie on such an interesting book!