Pinning God's Word in My Heart | 1 Samuel 16:7

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Relentless Pursuit by Kathy Herman

Relentless Pursuit
by Kathy Hearman
Secrets of Roux River series, Book 3
Christian Fiction / Suspense
Available May 2012
David C. Cook
400 pages

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About the Book
Rich with the Cajun flavors of south Louisiana, this final book in the Secrets of Roux River Bayou Series is a story of what it means to find true peace in an uncertain world.

Sax Landry left home at seventeen to escape his father’s abuse, leaving his mother and sister to fend for themselves. Now, twenty-eight years later, both parents are dead, and guilt compels him to find his sister and make peace.  His search leads to Les Barbes, Louisiana, where authorities fear a bio-terrorist has injected cyanide into juice cartons and fresh produce at the grocery store.  People are dead. It’s not safe. Sax stays, fearing death less than living another day without peace. A divine appointment is about to change all that-forever.

My Thoughts
Relentless Pursuit by Kathy Herman was a solid conclusion to the Secrets of Roux River series. One of my favorite aspects of this series has been how the characters from previous books play such vital roles in subsequent ones. They’re not just fringe characters making spotty appearances. Instead, I felt like I really got to know them and saw how they grew, changed, and struggled throughout the entire series. Because of this, I would definitely recommend reading them in order (although you could probably catch up pretty quickly if you didn’t.)

Kathy is fairly unique in that she combines emotional family plots with tight, fast-paced suspense. The mystery around the cyanide poisoning was incredibly fascinating. Herman is a wonderful suspense writer, and I was thoroughly impressed with the intensity of this “case.” And because of this, I will definitely be on the lookout for more suspense from Kathy Herman in the future.

At times, I was annoyed by the repetitive nature of some of the conversations. I realize that the author was using this technique to show that the characters were really struggling with a particular issue, but at times it felt like the same conversation was merely pasted in multiple places in the book.

Overall, I truly enjoyed Kathy Herman’s latest offering. I’m a little sad to leave Les Barbes behind, but I know that wherever’s next will be just as good! [4 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from David C. Cook via Net Galley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author
Best-selling suspense novelist Kathy Herman worked for the Christian Booksellers Association in Colorado Springs, then married a retailer and moved to Texas, where she managed the children's department in the family's Christian bookstore. She has written fourteen novels, including Tested by Fire and All Things Hidden, since retiring from the retail business. Kathy and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and five grandchildren and live in Tyler, Texas. They also enjoy world travel, deep-sea fishing, and bird watching—often tied into one grand adventure!

Kathy Herman Online

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

Banned Books Week

So, it's Banned Books Week. Before I started book blogging, I didn't know that a whole week was devoted to talking about and reading banned books and encouraging people to speak out against censorship.

I've read some really interesting statistics this week about why books are challenged in the US. And the reasons why some books are challenged are just downright ridiculous. (The Vernon Verona Sherill School District in New York challenged To Kill a Mockingbird in 1980 because they thought it was a "filthy, trashy novel." Seriously? Have they even read the book?!) While some of the reasons for challenging or banning books seem good—like being sexually explicit, using offensive language or being excessive violence—I still don't think books should be banned. (I do however believe wholeheartedly in good parenting & making wise decisions for yourself where these things are concerned!)

Why don't I think books should be banned? Because the First Amendment guarantees us freedom of speech and freedom of religion, among other things. If we begin impeding on freedom of speech, how long will it be until we are no longer allowed the freedom of religion?

And if people start banning books for any reason, how long will it be before the Bible is banned or restricted in the United States as it is in many parts of the world?

As many are celebrating the freedom to read this week, I'm celebrating the freedom to read AND to worship by reading the Bible, one of the most challenged books in the world.

What about you? Thoughts on banning books? Favorite banned or challenged book? Ways you're celebrating the freedom to read?

FREE Webcast w/ David Platt & Francis Chan

I'm excited to let you know about a new initiative led by David Platt and Francis Chan called MULTIPLY.

The purpose of Multiply is "to awaken churches and all followers of Christ to the priority of disciple-making in the church’s mission. We seek to make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples…" Multiply was created to come alongside local churches by emphasizing the glorious and much-neglected call given to all followers of Christ to make disciples.

Multiply from Multiply on Vimeo.

This November 9 & 10, there will be two Multiply Gatherings to kick off this new initiative. David and Francis will be sharing their heart for disciple-making and challenging individuals, small groups, and churches to take the command to make disciples to heart. The content will be the same each night but may have a different "feel" due to the different location. Because this is a FREE webcast, you can participate from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection!

Friday, November 9, 2012 | 7-10pm CST
David Platt & Francis Chan
Webcast from Birmingham, AL at The Church at Brook Hills

Saturday, November 10, 2012 | 6-9pm PST
David Platt & Francis Chan
Webcast from San Francisco, CA at the SF City Impact Mission 

Hubs and I will be watching on Friday and Saturday night. We'd love for you to tune in from your home, office, school, church, or wherever! You can register online at MultiplyMovement.com/Gathering.

For more information about Multiply, visit the website or the blog.

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Click on over if you want to join in the fun!

What are you currently reading? I've been in a bit of a reading slump, so I'm reading about 8 different books right now. BUT, sticking with Dee Henderson's Full Disclosure for now.

What did you recently finish reading? Relentless Pursuit by Kathy Herman. Great conclusion to this series!

What do you think you'll read next? It's hard to answer this question right now ... Maybe When a Heart Stops by Lynette Eason. ???

Month in Review | September 2012

Well, this month has been filled with great books, lots of fun book blogger events, and a week-long reading slump. But, it seems I'm on my way back to reading non-stop just in time for October, which I'm officially dubbing "The Month of Too Many Books"!

Books Read [11]

Favorites This Month?
Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund and The Reunion by Dan Walsh are definitely the favorites from this month. Very different but both were wonderful!

Reviews Posted [9]

• The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R.C. Sproul
• Proof by Jordyn Redwood (CFBA Tour)
• Love's Reckoning by Laura Frantz (Revell Tour)
• The Chase by Diann Mills
• The Reunion by Dan Walsh (Revell Tour)
• With Every Letter by Sarah Sundin (Litfuse Tour)
• A Heartbeat Away by Harry Kraus (CFBA Tour)
• The Trouble with Cowboys by Denise Hunter (Litfuse Tour)
• Mother of Pearl by Kellie Coates Gilbert (Glass Road PR Tour)

Giveaways

• Unending Devotion - Liz R

Reading Challenges

• 2012 Goodreads Challenge - 97 / 113 books
• 100+ Books in a Year - 97 books
• 2012 Ebook Challenge - 20 / 25 books
• New Authors Challenge - 39 / 50 authors *Completed and increased goal in May*
• 2nds Challenge 2012 - 29 / 20 books *Completed 2nd goal in August*
• Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2012 - 9 / 12 months (11 books)
• What Are You Reading? Challenge - 29 / 50 states
• 50 States Challenge - 29 / 50 states
• 2012 Christian Suspense Reading Challenge - 20 / 15 books *Completed in August
• 2012 Christian Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - 39 / 24 books *Completed in May*

Other Noteworthy Posts / Happenings

• I posted weekly as part of Compassion's Blog Month. Hopefully, you learned a little about Compassion and maybe were even inspired to sponsor a child. Be sure to check out this month's posts if you missed any of them.
• I jumped on board for the Literacy Week Read-A-Thon—my second read-a-thon—and read a total of 1132 pages!
• Book Blogger Appreciation Week was also this month. I had a great time remembering why I love book blogging so much and met a few new bloggers as well!
• Jody Hedlund stopped by as part of her month-long blog tour. She shared a secret with us. So glad to host her!
• And if that wasn't enough, I signed up for the Fall Into Reading challenge.

Next Month

• I'll be posting A LOT of reviews next month—including reviews for FOURTEEN book tours. Gulp! Good thing I'm pulling out of my reading slump of the last week or so, huh?!

So ... that's my month in review. How about you? Give it to me. The good, the bad, and the ugly. :)

Update for Email Subscribers

I've recently learned that Google's Feedburner RSS is scheduled to shut down on October 20.  I didn't really think this would affect any of my readers, but much to my surprise quite a few of you are receiving the i blog 4 books RSS feed. Who knew?!

Anyway. I'm not planning to shut Feedburner down until Google does. (Maybe they'll change their mind!) BUT, I wanted to let you know that this service will be going away before the end of the month. I'd love for you to continue reading, so add me to your blog reader, join up through GFC, or you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter. If I decide on another free RSS option, I'll be sure to let you know!

Regardless, THANK YOU for reading!