Two Book Reviews

The Damascus Way by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke

Young Julia has everything money can buy—except for acceptance by either Gentiles or Judeans in Tiberias. When she discovers the secret her beloved Greek father has kept all these years, she is devastated. Julia and her Hebrew mother are indeed less than second-class citizens. Her future is dark with clouds of uncertainty.


Jacob, Abigail's brother, is now a young man attempting to find his own place among the community of believers. Does it mean trading away the exhilaration and adventure of his current profession as a caravan guard? Hired by Julia's father to protect a wealthy merchant's caravans on the secretive "Frankincense Trail," Jacob also reluctantly takes on the perilous responsibility of passing letters and messages between communities of believers now dispersed across the land. He is alarmed to discover that Julia, hardly more than a girl, is also a courier. Can their initial mistrust be put aside to accomplish their mission?


This book is number three in a series of The Acts of Faith Novels.  The first one is The Centurion's Wife and the second one is Hidden Flame.  If I like a book I find I want to continue reading it until the end......I can't wait to read the next page, the next chapter, until the book is finished.  I didn't do that with this book.  It maybe had something to do with the fact there were two more books prior to this one, that I hadn't read first? 

I can't put my finger on why I didn't love this book, it just didn't click with me.  Maybe it was the period it was set in, AD 40, or maybe it was the way the story was told, I found the book was very jumpy, going to one character's story to another character's story?   I think if I read the first two books in the series and maybe re-read this book again, I would find it more enjoyable.

So stars out of 5: 3 out of 5


"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Fatal Judgement by Irene Hannon

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

This book isn't my regular choice of book, but had to say I was pleasantly surprised at how I really got into the story line and the characters.  There was enough suspense and mystery in it that kept you guessing about what would happen next.  It was also an informative book, as I learned something new about forensics's.

The story kept me wanting to see what would happen next, and I believe I will look for more books by Irene Hannon to read.

If I had one issue with the book I thought the Christian aspect of the book seemed to not gel with the general storyline.

Stars out of 5: A solid 4, as it made me want to read more of Irene's work.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".