Rebel Book Reviews

Caged Dove by Andrea Rodgers (Ambassador International 2015) "I've waited for signs all month from God to point me in another direction, but there haven't been any. Instead, when I dropped my Bible recently, it opened to Song of Solomon 8:7. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one's house for love, it would be utterly scorned. " This passage stuck with me for a long while as I read Caged Dove . When we follow God's plan for us things can happen surprisingly quick because for once we are not fighting against Him. But when we go against His plans that is when things seem slow or seem insurmountable.  What is so lovely about this book isn't just the wonderful and beautiful love story that plays out. Arjay and Aniston's story was a story in the making for years and years. Until their hearts were in the right place, their love couldn't shine. And as the pages turn and t...

Rearview by Mike Dellosso (Tyndale 2012) Ever wish you could go back into time? An hour? Three hours? Maybe even seven or a day? Would it be enough time to change a regret? Or would it be enough time to do what you really believed was more important? Mike Dellosso brings you into that world. Only seven hours. Seven hours for anytime you choose, and then death. And time is always on his side. The story amazes me with the depth of symbolism it shows: from town names and mirrors to the importance of the number seven. Above all it shows how one moment in time in which you choose a path it can forever alter not only your life but the life of someone else--a type of pay it forward, if you will. With a Stephen King flair and a Dean Koontz mastery, Mike Dellosso captures the reader and sends them traveling down a road where time speeds past and your only glimpse of it is through the rearview mirror. And make no mistake, this is an entertaining read, an emotional...

The Glassblower by Laurie Alice Eakes (Barbour 2009) You can find many a novel that deals with life issues, romantic tensions, suspense, or mysteries. Harder to find are the novels that allow you to escape into a bygone era and leaves you not only relaxed but with a greater appreciation of the written word. Laurie Alice Eakes' novel The Glassblower does just that. It's a sweet, clean, romance with a happy ending. More importantly, at least to me, is how the novel is written to show that when we rely upon God and trust Him in all things then our future is protected and secured. Some of the best stories do not need layers and layers of subplots. A story of a new romance in a new America, a story of God's unfailing love, and a story of unflinching morality places this book in line with many of the classical writers. In a way, The Glassblower reminds me of Henry van Dyke's books, The Story of the Other Wise Man and T he Blue Flower --and that's hig...

Tapestry of Trust by  Mary Annslee Urban (White Rose Publishing 2012)  Isabelle and Charlie...separated by six years of bitterness and pain between them. Urban's story weaves a beautiful tale of love, forgiveness, and above all, trust. This story kept me continuing on to the next page, then the next. A few twists of the storyline's thread had me pleasantly surprised, especially when the one person asking for forgiveness was the one person I never thought would ask. Like a tapestry where the threads weave in and out to create a picture, words alone will never fully showcase the threads of redemptive love, forgiveness, trust, and sacrifice that wove a beautiful and soulful story. Tapestry of Trust is a book to which I will always return. Forever will it remind me that love never fails.  

The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry van Dyke (Harper & Brothers 1899) "And yet I have never felt as if it were my own. It was a gift. It was sent to me; and it seemed as if I knew the Giver, though His name was not spoken." ( preface viii ) "An idea arrives without effort; a form can only be wrought out by patient labor. If your story is worth telling, you ought to love it enough to be willing to work over it until it is true..." ( preface xii ) This story has more than one single meaning. It has more than three. Layers and layers of symbolism and of allegories really set this small book apart from any other. The foreshadowing shows how much we accomplish when we live for Jesus and how our lives really impact others. As we read the story of Artaban and his search for the Messiah to present his gifts, we see that his life touches so many others and what he does for others is more worthy than the ruby, sapphire, and opal that he carr...

Flabbergasted by  Ray Blackston (Revell 2003)   In the lofty words of R. Blackston, Flabbergasted begat humor, humor begat more snarky humor, which begat truth, and truth begat life. Like the Atlantic beaches, the words breeze into the mind and leaves the reader buoyant with a smile and in anticipation of what will happen next to Jay. I would say that the magic didn't happen when Jay walked into North Hills. Nor did it happen when he join the singles class or labeled the women on the beach The Numericals. It happened when a blond food-throwing imp invited him to drift in the Atlantic. At that moment, Jay began to learn how God will direct your path and never in a way you could ever predict. This novel is layered in humor, love, romance, and truth. Peel each back, like an onion of truth because it can make you cry tears either through laughter or honest, heart stabbing directness, and the reader will find more than just a novel, more than just a ficti...