When the Skies Cry by Steve N Lee

 

When the Skies Cry is a touching and memorable inspirational fiction and the second in the Books for Dog Lovers Series created by Steve N. Lee.

Harley lives to serve his purpose. When his master and best friend dies, he loses not only his home, but everything he holds dear. Confused, cold, and hungry, he roams the street searching for food, avoiding dangers, all while trying to be the good dog that he is.

Meanwhile, everything seems to be falling apart for Rachel. Taking care of her autistic son and meeting a deadline for a life-changing project, she sure does need help and receiving an ominous text message from her ex-husband is never a good thing.

This is a touching and a heart-warming book that offers so much to the readers. First, it gives us a glimpse not just of the difficulties of a single mother taking care of her son but of the unconditional love she is capable of. Second, it shows us the struggle of a mother trying to give her son with special needs a normal and comfortable life. Third, it depicts the love and loyalty of our fur family. Simply put, this is a book that portrays unconditional love, friendship, compassion, empathy, and other emotions that transcend material possessions.     

The book is populated with a set of lovable characters first of all, of course, is the magnificent Harley, a smart, loving, and loyal service dog. Of all the characters, I find Rachel the most relatable. She is the typical adult bombarded with problems and difficulties life has to offer. My favorite, however, is Izzy, the epitome of a best friend.    

What I love most about this book is the unpredictability. I have read a lot of books of various genres already. Somehow, I had difficulty trying to guess what is going to happen next in this story. Finally, I don’t how other readers feel about the ending, but for me, it’s liberating.

Congratulations to Steve N Lee (@Steve_N_Lee) on such a great book! For more books about the author, click HERE.  

As The Stars Fall: A Book for Dog Lovers by Steve N. Lee

 

As The Stars Fall: A Book for Dog Lovers is a heart-warming, touching, and memorable book by Steve N. Lee.

Dog is a stray animal scavenging for food. After being fatally injured, Dog lies bleeding in his moldy box when a young girl comes and rescues him. She takes him home and gives him what he wants most, a pack.

With his human best friend, Dog lives a happy, fun, and adventure-filled life. He has a pack. He has a home where he sleeps at night in his fluffy bowl assured by the sound of his human best friend’s steady breathing. He feels safe.

Just when Dog thinks life can’t get any better, things begin to change, then change again, throwing him into confusion and uncertainty.

Told in third person and in the perspective of a young dog, this is a story of survival, friendship, and love. By describing the young girl’s happiness, sadness, longing, and fear as perceived by the clueless dog, the author successfully depicts the emotions of both humans and dogs. He is also able to compare and contrast the instincts of both species by portraying their behaviors towards various situations.

Basically, this is a great book. It is something that even non-pet owners would enjoy. It is funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking.

Congratulations to Steve N. Lee (@Steve_N_Lee) on such a great book! For more books by the author, click HERE!

The Yoke by Darrell Dunham

The Yoke is a touching and inspiring book written by Darrell Dunham.

Since his mother’s accident, Barnabas Mitchell’s life has become a constant struggle and a series of hardships and difficulties. Just when it seems like it wouldn’t get any worse, his father left and never came back. Barnabas buried himself in his studies and did very well in school. Unlike other kids his age, Barnabas had only a few preoccupations that gave meaning to his life: taking care of his mother, writing on his journal and playing basketball.  When his mother died, Barnabas lost faith in God and in people. He fell into depression. However, out of love and respect for his mother’s memory, he soldiered on.

Bill Cushman is the good looking and charming son of a rich and influential man. He is lazy and arrogant, thinks highly of himself and less of other people. He never works for what he wanted. He cheats his way through it, uses other people to get it or simply asks his father to do something about it. Wherever Barnabas goes, Bill unexpectedly shows up and makes life harder for Barnabas than it already is.

This is a wonderful and beautifully written book about one man’s struggles and unwavering determination to live a respectable and honorable life despite the seemingly endless difficulties. It is an inspiring tale of love, courage, perseverance, integrity and faith. It shows how a man with nothing to show for himself but his work ethics and credibility can make it through and be among the best in what he does. Moreover, it depicts how God works in mysterious ways by sending someone the worst person to bring out the best in him, and using the most unlikely person to bring about the change that the best and finest people could not.

The author creates admirable and endearing characters including Sam Schultz and Kyle and Sarah Williams. In the end, however, I find Stephanie Schultz my favorite. She is patient, smart and kind and she lives by her faith through and through.

The part I like the most in the book is when Barnabas was presented a choice between ending his financial difficulties for good and doing what is right without any indication of getting anything in return. For me, it was the greatest manifestation of honorability.

However, I find some parts of the narration a little bit unnatural for fiction. Moreover, as especially mentioned in the book, a part of the court case was somehow too technical and might cause some readers’ interest to falter.

Despite those issues, I enjoyed the book immensely and I recommend it to those who are looking for inspiration and to those who simply want to feel good.

Congratulations to Darrell Dunham (@DunhamAuthor) on such a marvelous book!            

The Yoke was an OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day on November 28^th. You may check it out at Online Book Club.