I enjoyed the reading of this book but was left very dissatisfied at the end. It tells the adventures of the two main characters, both in the present and in the past when they were taken into a secret underground world and asked to search for, and kill, an evil man whose aim is (of course) to take over the underground. The adventure and process is a good read, but the ending seemed to be the middle of the book- I was shocked when i realized I'd just read the last page! There is a sequel, which I haven't read, but it really seemed like they took a book and split it into two. There was really nothing accomplished to make you satisfied with the first book. If you have access to the sequel as well, I'd recommend them (though as stated, I haven't read the sequel) but if you don't, then I would not recommend reading this one as you'll be left hanging.
I recieved a copy of this book from Booksneeze for review.

I enjoyed reading this book; it was suspenseful with some romance thrown in. It follows Natalie as she moves to a new town to open an art gallery. She meets Trevor when he saves her nephew from a mountain lion attack, and the story follows their relationship as well as the suspense of someone snatching children from negligent parents and putting them in precarious and dangerous spots. I thought the book was well-written and enjoyable and only had 2 negative issues with the book: First, Natalie seems almost too good to be true. Her sister-in-law shuts her out of their life completely because she thinks the attack is natalie's fault since they were there to help her settle in and move. Natalie's response seems completely unrealistic: she understands, and agrees that her brother should go along with it because he's trying to save his family.... what???? First of all, I think anyone would have been angry and second of all, putting your family first does not mean letting your spouse trample all over your sister and make her feel like trash! The sister-in-law drove me crazy, especially in her end response to the situation, and her brother should have stood up to his wife for her. The second negative point I felt was the strange relationship between Trevor, Sara and Whit. It was never really explained fully, but from what I understand was just a weird triangle; It seemed unnecessary-if more drama was needed, Sara could have been overprotective as a friend without the strange dynamics and jealousy. But overall, a good read.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in this book. First of all, I was expecting a book, not a short story or novella- it was only about 40 pages, and has no conclusion whatsoever with regards to the relationships with the characters as it is a prequel to a series. I don't think that this would really make me interested in reading the series as there really wasn't much depth to the story at all. Jim Micah is taken prisoner with his fellow soldiers and their spyplane though I which should be exciting but was actually kind of blah... the entire time he pines over good friend Lacey who began dating his best friend when he introduced them, and moans about how he should have told her he loves her etc. Meanwhile she is doing the same for him and launches a rescue mission (expressly forbid by the military superior) with her boyfriend. On top of that, she and boyfriend fall back into each others arms despite the fact that he did not communicate with her more than 3 times (I think it was) in an entire year. Why would she not have dumped him early and why oh why would she believe him and fall for him AGAIN? ugh. Perhaps worth it if you have read others in the series and enjoyed them, or know you'll read the entire series (or at least the first full book) though it didn't make me anxious to do so as it seemed very unrealistic.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

FINALLY!!! This one is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG! I did not realize when i started it how long it was going to be. If you can get past that, its a good book. Lots of historical references and the author does a good job with the narrative as it doesn't seem like a dry history text either! There is excellent focus on the characters and their places in history, their flaws and strengths and relationships. I would recommend it, just be warned it is HUGE! I read this one as an audio book and thought it would never end... :)

I liked this book quite a bit. It describes an example of a process by which churches can help to cultivate "deep" people, future leaders in the church and community. The neat thing is the way the author presents it, as a story, a fictionalized account of one church's journey through the process. It was so easy to read while still presenting valuable information and ideas. I think this book has great value to both individuals and church groups. When reading it solo, one can follow along on the journey and pick up on themes and ways to deepen one's faith. It is not focused towards the individual though, rather I think its main audience is meant to be church leaders who might wish to implement a similar process in their own church. I love the idea of such discipleship and think it would be amazing if more churches attempted such a focused plan!

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher for review.