Book Review: Falling as She Sings

Falling as She Sings by C.J. Sursum is a perfect book
for any lover of dystopian fiction. The premise of this book pulls readers in with a strong grip. Sursum’s novel is set in a future where women are the authoritative sex, living together in a private enclave; meanwhile, men are forced to fend for themselves outside enclave walls in the wild. Women are taught to view the male species as ferocious, immoral “brutes” who serve no purpose–aside from breeding. Life in the enclave is a sort of Utopian commune where life is simplistic and tranquil–for most, anyway.

For Menna, Domnina, and Odilia, the peaceful life of communal living slowly loses its appeal as the three women strike up unlikely and forbidden friendships with different “brutes” they have chance encounters with. Unanticipated attraction to the opposite sex, along with temptation to know more about the outside world, calls to these women in different ways. Readers experience the women’s struggles from three different points of view in the story. Is pure curiosity or loneliness enough to make you question your past and everything you’ve ever known? More importantly, is it enough to make you leave a safe haven that has always been your only home?

Sursum experiments with a variety of ideas about the sexes–mainly how men and women function with and without each other. While there are no obvious “Catholic” themes in this novel, the author hints that men and women, together in a partnership (marriage), are capable of bringing out each other’s strengths and virtues. The bottom line of the novel sings out clearly that neither sex wins when one has dominion over the other.

Falling as She Sings is available as a Kindle ebook.

Reviewed by Monica Eckert

Monica Eckert lives in New Berlin, Wisconsin and is a Catholic wife and mother. She loves to read and finds that she enjoys just about any genre, but Catholic fiction is among her favorite. When she’s not chasing after her two energetic little boys, she keeps busy by running the Elizabeth Ministry at her church and by working at a local family restaurant on the weekends.

New Release: After the Thaw

A breathtaking Catholic romantic suspense novel!
After the Thaw Catholic romance Catholic suspense

After the Thaw by Therese Heckenkamp

Some wounds heal. Others leave scars.
Four years ago, Charlene Perigard survived a brutal kidnapping. Now sinister threats, a midnight attack, and a deathbed promise drive her to the little town of Creekside, where she encounters a man from her past whom she has long struggled to forget. Charlene’s wounded heart must choose between her fiancé and the man whose past is more scarred than her own. But in choosing, she may just lose everything.

After the Thaw is the long-awaited sequel to Frozen Footprints, but can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.

Available for $3.99 as a Kindle ebook and for $13.99 in paperback.

Read the first few chapters for free, right here.

New Release: A Perfectly Good Man

A brand new inspirational romance featuring a Catholic heroine!


A Perfectly Good Man (Coffee and Donuts Book 3)
by Amanda Hamm

Heidi Ray has a decision to make. It’s a decision she probably should have made before she accepted the engagement ring. But Tyler is a good man. Why wouldn’t she want to marry him? After much prayer and reflection, several of Heidi’s relationships begin to look different.

Available in paperback and as a Kindle ebook.

Book Review: Animals of God

Animals of God (Volume 1) by Susan Peek was a pure pleasure to read with my children! We read the book at bedtime over the course of numerous nights, but my 7-year-old couldn’t wait for me to finish, so he finished it on his own—and that kind of eagerness speaks for itself!

Such heartwarming, wondrous, and hope-filled stories are a rare kind of inspiring in today’s modern world. The stories are creatively told in engaging, kid-friendly language—from the animal’s points of views—which really makes the tales come alive. There’s also plenty of action to keep kids glued to the pages.

Enriched by charming illustrations, this unique and delightful collection includes three stories about three different animals:

  1. Little lamb longs for more than his boring everyday routine. One wondrous night, he witnesses an incredible star in the sky . . . and finds a joy and contentment to last forever.
  2. Joshua the mule, whose master suddenly stops feeding him for three whole days, is driven by hunger—until, transfixed by a little white Host, he becomes part of a miracle.
  3. A baby deer, lost in a storm, finds a holy man living in a cave, and they become the best of friends, but will they be separated by tragedy? Or will a heart-pounding woodland chase reveal immeasurable mercy and love in a most mysterious way?

With three complete stories and bonus coloring pages, you can’t beat the value of this book. But the biggest value is in the impact these stories will have on our children’s faith, imparting an innocent love of God to last a lifetime. What a fun and memorable way to bring Catholic truths to life for little ones!

Animals of God is sure to impress minds, hearts, and souls in the very best way. It is simple yet profound. It is thoroughly and traditionally Catholic. This is the Easter gift to give to all the Catholic children in your life. Readers will be eager for more—and won’t be disappointed, because Volume 2 is coming soon!

Animals of God is available in paperback.

Pre-order: After the Thaw


After the Thaw by Therese Heckenkamp

Some wounds heal. Others leave scars.
Four years ago, Charlene Perigard survived a brutal kidnapping. Now sinister threats, a midnight attack, and a deathbed promise drive her to the little town of Creekside, where she encounters a man from her past whom she has long struggled to forget. Charlene’s wounded heart must choose between her fiancé and the man whose past is more scarred than her own. But in choosing, she may just lose everything.

An inspirational Catholic romantic suspense novel

By pre-ordering on Amazon, you will receive After the Thaw on Kindle the second it is released on April 5, 2016.

View the Book Trailer here.

New Release: Teen YA Adventure/Fantasy Novel


Jacob of the Thundercloud by Zoran Majstorovic

When lightning hits his house, Jacob, an ordinary teenager, ends up in Ancient Egypt. He’s thrilled at first, but there’s one very big problem: Jacob is a devoted Catholic–and Egypt in ancient times isn’t the best place for Catholics.

Available in paperback and as a Kindle ebook.

Brand New Children’s Book Just Released!

This Beautiful New Release is Perfect for Children’s Lenten Reading,
Easter Baskets, First Communion and Confirmation Gifts

“ANIMALS OF GOD” by Susan Peek
Beautifully Illustrated by Martina Parnelli,
With Bonus Coloring Book in the Back!

Animals of God
Animals of God2
Jumbo size 8.5″ x 11″ Ideal for Children
120 pages​
$12.95 (Quantity Discounts Available)
For more information visit www.susanpeekauthor.com
 
Or click below to buy:
Also available on Amazon:

The Rosary: A Novel

Read the timeless love story of Richard Lawton and Kate O’Connor…

The Rosary by Barbara L. Monahan

Richard takes Kate to their senior prom and dates her after graduation. He intends to marry her after he completes his studies at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Richard is Methodist; Kate is Catholic.

While he is away at art school, Kate falls in love with Mike Flannigan, a Catholic, and marries him. Richard is brokenhearted. Shortly after he receives this news, he marries on the rebound.

Forty years pass. Richard is given the opportunity to enter Kate’s life again, and he takes it, hoping the two of them can finally be together. This time his rival is not another man but the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

Will Richard and Kate ever find happiness as man and wife?

The Rosary is available in paperback and as a Kindle ebook.

About the author:
Barbara L. Monahan, author of The Rosary, at the age of forty-nine, entered college as a night student and earned a Bachelor of Arts. At the age of sixty-five, while employed as administrator and teacher at a Catholic elementary school, she completed a Master of Science in Education. At the age of seventy-three, she wrote for a weekly newspaper for six years. She has been published in Woman’s Day, Catholic Digest and numerous Catholic publications. Currently, she works for an international firm as a merchandiser. The Rosary is her first novel, published two days before her 80th birthday.

Book Review: Order of the Blood

While I don’t typically read vampire stories, knowing that
Zaplendam is a skilled writer, I was eager to read Order of the Blood: The Unofficial Chronicles of John Grissom. I anticipated an engaging story, and I wasn’t disappointed!

Zaplendam did a wonderful job of seizing my interest from the start, weaving an intriguing and clever tale endowed with original characters that I became highly invested in. The plot is strong and layered with twists and rich character development. The dialogue is crisp, witty, and entertaining.

John Grissom, a young man of Regency England, is striving to discover a cure for vampirism. The stakes are high, as he himself has been inflicted. Yet oddly, he isn’t like other vampires endowed with super strength, speed, and night vision. He can even withstand sunlight. But as a Catholic vampire with a conscience, he’s in an extremely complex situation; and his humanism and sense of right and wrong war with his vampirism. Plagued by a repulsive thirst for blood, he must be constantly alert lest he succumb to temptation. And temptations abound.

Miss Henrietta Isherwood, his lovely new lab assistant, is no shrinking violet (even with a father who’s been turned to a vampire). Every bit the lady, she’s intelligent and intrepid without being overbearing. John’s and Henrietta’s interactions lend humor, depth, and spark to the story. An underlying attraction flits between them, yet a strong sense of propriety, professionalism–and, of course, vampirism–challenges their relationship.

Meanwhile, a top vampire, the evil Mr. Waite, is heading a terrible conspiracy that threatens the entire country. While John may seem an unlikely choice to take Waite down, he rises to the task and pairs up with a formidable vampire hunter.

Even though Order of the Blood holds plenty of danger and suspense, the story never became too dark for my enjoyment. My favorite scene is a chilling one in which circumstances confine John and Henrietta together as an unspeakable, horrible decision overshadows them. Their vulnerability and concern for one another is particularly moving under the pressure of their shocking circumstances.

Zaplendam did a remarkable job of writing this entire novel from John’s viewpoint. The setting and details struck me as historically authentic and well-researched. Above all, I admire the way the author used a vampire story (without being repulsive) to tell an exciting tale with real substance, one that makes readers ponder moral truths and, in particular, to consider what really makes a monster.

While this book is not overtly Catholic, the main character is Catholic, the author is Catholic, and the novel is completely compatible with the sensibilities of a Catholic reader.

You’ll be delighted, as I was, to learn that Order of the Blood is the first of a planned series by Zaplendam, because by the book’s end, you won’t want to say goodbye to John or Henrietta. For anyone who is considering picking up a vampire story, this one–graced with depth and morality–is the perfect one to choose!

Order of the Blood is available in paperback and as a Kindle ebook.

 

A Single Bead

Newly released from Pauline books and Media:

A Single Bead by Stephanie Engelman

On the anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of her beloved grandmother and threw her own mother into a deep depression, 16-year-old Katelyn Marie Roberts discovers a single bead from her grandmother’s rosary-a rosary lost in the crash. A chance encounter with a stranger, who tells Katelyn that a similar bead saved her friend’s life, launches Katelyn and her family on a quest to find the other missing beads. Their mysterious journey, filled with glimmers of hope, mystical encounters and unexplained graces takes them further into the unknown. Katelyn turns to the Rosary for answers and soon finds that family, prayer and the help of others may be the key to restoring what was lost.

Available in paperback, this inspiring faith-filled novel is perfect for teens and young adults!