Book Review: The Patmos Deception

I had a particular interest in reading this book, primarily because the location of it is set on the Greek island of Patmos, which I have had the pleasure of visiting myself a few years ago. Naturally, then, I was really interested in checking it out. The setting portrayed the book just as I remembered Patmos from my own experience--relaxed and beautiful, and quiet in the off season (which was the same time I was there). Additionally, the book mentioned particular sites on the island that I had visited, which was really cool. 

The story had an intriguing plot, and kept me interested throughout it. The last book I had read that was similar in genre and type leaned more heavily on the suspense than the Patmos Deception did. The suspense in this book wasn't quite as exhilarating, but rather lingered in the background more, sort of like a weight behind the scenes. The characters were interesting and multi-dimensional, although I don't think I had a favorite. The ending had a cliffhanger that didn't catch me as much, but drove my roommate, who also read the book, absolutely crazy.

Overall, I think the Patmos Deception was a well written novel with an interesting setting and premise. While it may not be on my top five books to recommend, I would still recommend it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review.

Not This Time (Crossroads Crisis Center, #3)

Title: Not This Time
Author: Vicki Hinze
Labels: Fiction | Suspense
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: February 21, 2012
Contains: Some violence.
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

My Rating: ★★★★★ (Fantastic!)
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Blurb From Goodreads: Sara and Beth have built a multi-million dollar business together, but their once solid friendship is now strained. Beth is leery of Sara’s husband, and when he is kidnapped, authorities consider Beth their prime suspect. 
          Then, their small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. Someone she knows is linked to the attack, but who? Is there a connection to Crossroads Crisis Center? In the midst of the confusion and fear, Beth finds herself attracted to a man from her past. She knows she shouldn’t fall in love with him, but she can’t resist or even explain their bond. As her world unravels around her, she wonders, is it possible to be beyond redemption?
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          This is a ridiculously crazy good book. Just sayin'. Beth is the center character, the co-owner of a multi-million dollar business, along with Sara, her best friend. Ironically, this book isn't labeled as a romance, but that's the part I liked the best. I can't help that I'm a hopeless romantic. Anyway, Beth is a girl who's managed to harden herself against men after having her heart broken by a complete jerk. While she really likes Joe, her past relationship keeps getting in the way.

          Alright, on to the real point of the book. So how would you like to be living in this awesome little village...with a terrorist group knocking on your door? This terrorist group, NINA, has some big plans for this village, and it doesn't take long for Beth to figure out she has to be careful who she trusts. The farther on the plot goes, the more suspenseful it becomes. This is a page turner!

          Yeah, so this book is too good to write a humongous review on, especially without giving anything away. All I can say is it kept me guessing--without ever losing my interest. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. Recommended! These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review. 

The Canary List [Review]

Title: The Canary List
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Labels: Fiction | Suspense
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: June 21, 2011
Contains: Touchy subjects
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (Didn't like it)
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Blurb: Protected by the dark of night, Jaimie Piper runs. But is anywhere safe when Evil is hunting you? She’s just a twelve year-old girl, bumped around between foster homes and relegated to school classes for challenged kids, those lagging in their test scores or with behavioral issues. But her real problem is that she can sense something the other kids can’t—something dark. Something compelling her to run for her life.
          All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter’s death alone. But when his student Jaimie comes to him, terrified, her need for protection collides with his grief, and a tangled web of bizarre events sends them both spiraling toward destruction. Crockett’s one hope of getting his life back is to uncover the mysterious secrets of Jaimie’s past and her strange gift. It isn’t long before his discoveries lead him to a darker conspiracy, secrets guarded by the highest seat of power in the world—the Vatican.
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          This is going to be a relatively short review in comparison to my past ones, because in my opinion, The Canary List had little going for it. I really hate giving bad reviews, but this was one book where the cons outweighed the pros.

          The one thing I can say in the positive is the natural, believable voice of Jaimie Piper. I did like that in any chapters from her point of view, everything was portrayed just as a twelve-year-old girl would see it. The way she thought accurately showed the understanding she had as a twelve-year-old, while still giving way to things she couldn't understand due to her age. It was a good balance.

          As for the cons, well, I don't particularly approve subjects such as child abuse, or abuse of any sort for that matter. Anything pertaining to inappropriate sexual actions is a black letter in my book. Hence, I'm afraid I could not enjoy this book as the topic repeatedly came up as a prominent part of the plot.

          The other major element to this book that I didn't like was the involvement of demons and perversion in the Catholic church. I myself am not Catholic, but even so it turned me off to have to read of such things. True, there are such people today in any denomination of religion, but the book, to me, seemed to make it a ridiculously big conspiracy. And the apparent involvement of demons did nothing to help my opinion of this book. I'm afraid I cannot and will not recommend this book to anyone.

          I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for this review. 

The Scroll [Review]

Title: The Scroll
Author: Grant R. Jeffrey & Alton L. Gansky
Labels: Fiction | Suspense | Christian | Futuristic
Publisher: Waterbrook Multnomah
Publication Date: September 6, 2011
Contains: A few crude comments.
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository | The Publisher
Book Trailer: Click Here!

My Rating: ★★★★★
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Blurb: Dr. David Chambers, leading archaeologist, has spent his professional career uncovering the facts in the artifacts. His work sets the standard for biblical research in the Holy Land. But surrounded by the evidence, David has sunk into an abyss of doubt. A painful experience with a seemingly unresponsive God has left him without hope. The Old Testament scriptures that used to fill his mind with wonder now drive him to frustration. His unanswered questions have ripped him from both his academic pursuits and the love of his life, his fiancee, Amber.
          An old friend and mentor reaches out to David, enticing him with the riches described in the enigmatic Copper Scroll. Losing ground with his peers, his love, and his faith, David Chambers has a choice to make. Will he undertake one final dig to unlock a secret that could alter the course of history? Do the mysteries of the Old Testament hold the key to the political turmoil of the Middle East? In a world where faith has been eclipsed by the allure of doubt, The Scroll offers a different journey: a gripping adventure to find truth worth dying for.
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          Suspense is definitely a well-suited label for this book. At first, when I found out the book is set in 2012, I wanted to plant my face into a wall. I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to end up being a end-of-the-world type book that would only feed the world's crazy contemplation of what next year will bring. Thankfully it didn't turn out to be like that...for the most part.

          While the book itself never actually came out and spelled out the end of the world coming in 2012 (supposedly), it occasionally alluded to it, particularly at the very end of the book and in the epilogue. But enough about that. That fact that is was set in the near future helped the setup, for sure. The team of archaeologists that David Chambers is recruited to comes into possession of some pretty sweet high tech devices, which I won't name specifically for the sake of keeping this spoil free. Even though most of these devices don't exist (at least that I know of....), it's easy to imagine such technology within the near future. The fact that the book is set within the next year also helped in that while the author's had some room to grow the technology, it was close enough to present times to keep most everything else the same as it is today.

          The obvious danger of the 'mission' Chambers and his colleagues are on makes this book ridiculously interesting. Something always seemed to be up, whether it was the paranoid head of security (one of my fav characters), ex-fiancee distracting him, annoying coworkers, assassinations....you name it. It was kinda crazy how many characters had died by the last chapter, quite a few of them extremely awesome, lovable characters at that. It added some sadness between all the epic explosions of events.

          I really don't know what else to say without blowing the entire plot. In short, the plot was just amazing. The characters were fantastic, well rounded, realistic...I'm pretty sure they're actually real, still hiding out in Israel and digging up holes. *wink wink*

          This book is now a new fav of mine. The suspense and excitement started on the first chapter and only grew, right up to the very end. Highly recommended! The ending also left off with a very interesting setup, should there ever be a sequel...

          I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah through blogging for books for this review. These opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review.