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Barbara Ellen Brink

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book review

Book Review: The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers

February 16, 2018 By Barbara 2 Comments

New York Times bestselling author Francine Rivers returns to her romance roots with this unexpected and redemptive love story, a probing tale that reminds us that mercy can shape even the most broken among us into an imperfect yet stunning masterpiece.

A successful LA artist, Roman Velasco appears to have everything he could possibly want—money, women, fame. Only Grace Moore, his reluctant, newly hired personal assistant, knows how little he truly has. The demons of Roman’s past seem to echo through the halls of his empty mansion and out across his breathtaking Topanga Canyon view. But Grace doesn’t know how her boss secretly wrestles with those demons: by tagging buildings as the Bird, a notorious but unidentified graffiti artist—an alter ego that could destroy his career and land him in prison.

Like Roman, Grace is wrestling with ghosts and secrets of her own. After a disastrous marriage threw her life completely off course, she vowed never to let love steal her dreams again. But as she gets to know the enigmatic man behind the reputation, it’s as if the jagged pieces of both of their pasts slowly begin to fit together . . . until something so unexpected happens that it changes the course of their relationship—and both their lives—forever.

Purchase your own copy at Amazon

Barbara’s review:

Francine Rivers has once again created a story with characters so vibrant, so etched within the words that you don’t want the book to end even after 484 pages. I don’t know the last time I devoured a book so eagerly. This was not an easy story. It was emotionally draining at times and one that will stay with me for a long while. The Masterpiece is like a window into the souls of two individuals. One who desperately knows she needs God and one who lives like there is no God. It’s a human love story wrapped up in the much bigger story of God’s redeeming love for Roman and Grace.

Both broken and forever changed by the loss of parents at a young age and left to grow up in a loveless world, Roman Velasco and Grace Moore may have had similar beginnings, but the paths they take and the choices they make are so spectacularly different they could easily be on different planets.

I appreciate a story with characters who aren’t perfect, who don’t always make the right choices, and who reflect reality. Sadly, the world is broken and we are all imperfect people. The light shines brightest against the backdrop of darkness. The Masterpiece is a beautiful picture of how much God loves us and continues to hold out his hand of mercy and grace even in our disobedience. I recommend this book for teens through adults.

*Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

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Thanks for stopping! Leave a comment and tell me if you plan to read The Masterpiece or if you already have and what you thought.

Barbara

Barbara is the author of The Fredrickson Winery Series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, Second Chances series, and The Double Barrel Mysteries series. She lives in Minnesota and yearns for Hawaii.
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Book Review: Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore

November 7, 2017 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Today on the blog I have a book review. As you know, I am partial to mystery, suspense and thriller novels. CRISIS SHOT falls right in that sweet spot between all of those.

Author Janice Cantore has become my go-to author for whenever I have the urge to read a really good, meaty, cop book. Her heroines are real people, struggling with personal lives, family, and friends, all while protecting and serving the public interest and dealing with constant politics on the job.

Crisis Shot is about a female division commander in Long Beach, California who has to shoot a teenager to save a fellow officer’s life and is lambasted in the media until she is forced out of her job. She gets a job as Chief in a small town in Oregon and hopes she can put it all behind her, but some people still believe the bad press regardless of her exoneration and she has to work doubly hard for the respect of her fellow officers as well as many of the townspeople.

When a man is murdered and a well-loved pastor’s wife goes missing, she is put to the test to prove her mettle and ability and along the way she has cause to question all she thought she believed about faith and trust in the God of the universe.

This is obviously the first book in the Line of Duty series, so I’m looking forward to the next edition to follow Chief Tess O’Rourke’s progress in Rogue’s Hollow and whether or not she finds time to date deputy Steve Logan.

*I was given a complimentary copy of Crisis Shot from Tyndale Publishing for review purposes.

You can purchase CRISIS SHOT here: Amazon  Barnes&Noble

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of The Fredrickson Winery Series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, Second Chances series, and The Double Barrel Mysteries series. She lives in Minnesota and yearns for Hawaii.

 

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Color in the lines!

September 1, 2016 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Review: Gratitude (A prayer and Praise Coloring Journal)

GratitudeBookWhen stores first started selling “adult coloring books” I was a bit skeptical. But I love this gratitude prayer and praise coloring journal! I haven’t really sat down to color since my kids were small, but this book is so colorful and attractive that I easily fell into the pages with eagerness. It’s compact enough to carry with you to the coffee shop and a bright and artistic addition to your devotionals.

GratitudeBook2

 

There is a paragraph of prayer and praise to the Lord on each day’s entry as well as a section for writing your own thoughts or thankfulness. Some pages have pictures to color in and allow you to be a bit artistic yourself. For someone like me, the pictures and artwork are a definite bonus to help think on the topic at hand and/or meditate on the corresponding verses provided with each section.

 

GratitudeBook3

You might be interested in the links below:

Tyndale’s Inspire Creativity board on Pinterest has downloadable samplers and sharable coloring pages from our coloring and Bible journaling line, the Living Expressions Collection!

Check out www.livingexpressionscollection.com for the latest news and information on our coloring and journaling products.

You can purchase your own copy at Amazon, Christianbook.com, or Tyndale.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review.

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Filed Under: Coloring, Gratitude Tagged With: book review, Christian books, coloring book, devotional, gratitude

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly

June 14, 2016 By Barbara Leave a Comment

Book Review: THE BLESSING OF HUMILITY by Jerry Bridges

humilityThe Blessing of Humility is a book that truly follows the teachings of Christ. As Jerry Bridges quotes at the beginning of the first chapter, “the Bible is meant to be applied in your everyday life.”

Being humble does not come naturally. Most people think that being humble or meek is to be kicked around or taken advantage of, but Jerry shows the reader that the definitions of these things in the Bible are not exactly what we have come to believe they mean in the twenty-first century.

I grew up going to church and studying the Bible, but knowing what Christ taught and living it out are two very different things, and the author manages to convey the meaning of Jesus’ teachings with a profound clarity that convicts the soul. Each chapter is another aspect of following Christ’s words and living humbly. To be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, a peacemaker, etc…

If you’re looking for a topical book that is easy to understand and written with spiritual insight that is simple yet profound, check it out. It would make a great book for a Bible Study group as well. There is a discussion guide at the end for such use.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

 

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Review: Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan

June 7, 2016 By Barbara Leave a Comment

SavingMyAssassinI don’t read a lot of memoirs, but I want to share a book I just finished – Saving My Assassin – an extraordinary memoir filled with courtroom drama, political intrigue, persecution, suspense and danger. Set in Romania during the brutal communist regime of President Nicolae Ceausescu, Virginia Prodan’s story is both frightening and inspirational.

Romania didn’t lose their freedoms overnight, but slowly the government took everything of value from their citizens until they were left only with fear and desperation. Some spied on their own neighbors and families in order to remain in favor with corrupt government officials and to get a few comforts of life like extra food, clothes, or a vacation. Others kept their mouths shut, heads down, and eyes closed to the horrors around them, hoping the securitate (secret police) wouldn’t take notice and they would stay alive.

It’s hard to believe much of this story took place less than three short decades ago. In America we take freedom for granted but once you read this book you may have a hard time taking anything for granted again. It all seems so frighteningly possible in the political and social climate we’ve been living the past few years.

Virginia Prodan grew up in what you might call a dysfunctional family, without any or very little real affection shown her. She was treated differently than the other children, more like a slave in fact, and didn’t know why. She must have been a tough little girl because she turned out to be quite a resilient young woman.

As a teenager, Virginia realized that truth was a commodity that rarely existed in her world. It had gone the way of freedom, liberty, and the Dodo bird. Nevertheless, she had a thirst for truth and justice and thought that if she became a lawyer she’d be able to find that for others. Little did she understand that having laws on the books to protect Romanian citizens was no more than a ruse to stay in the good graces of the West, and lawyers were expected to ignore them in favor of whatever their dictator ordained.

Virginia’s conversion to Christianity as a young lawyer turned her world upside down. Freedom in Christ was a wonderful new reality and she was infused with a strength and boldness she never knew before. But it was not without danger. In the early 1980s, Romanian Christians were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for owning a Bible or going to church. Church buildings were even bull-dozed and their land confiscated. Freedom of religion did not exist. President Nicolae Ceausescu set himself up as a god and expected Romanians to worship him alone. Those who refused were punished and oftentimes murdered.

Virginia was arrested multiple times, beaten and threatened. She was told over and over that her life was in their hands and they would kill her. But knowing for a certainty that her life was actually in God’s hands, she refused to live in fear of what men could do to her.

“I should be dead. Buried in an unmarked grave in Romania. Obviously, I am not. God had other plans.” Virginia Prodan

Saving My Assassin is a wonderful story of the redeeming love of Christ. It’s also a timely reminder that freedom is a precious commodity and so easily lost when people forget why truth matters and are willing to let go of certain unalienable rights in favor of empty promises.

Virginia’s courage and faith in the face of such evil is truly inspiring and well worth the read. I encourage you to pick up a copy!

Purchase here> Amazon  B&N  ChristianBook

Virginia Prodan
Virginia Prodan

Virginia Prodan is an international human rights attorney, an Allied Attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, and a sought-after speaker. Exiled from Romania since 1988, Virginia currently resides in Dallas, TX. She has two daughters, Anca and Andreea, and a son, Emanuel. Visit her on twitter @virginiaprodan,  Facebook and on LinkedIn.

*I received a complimentary copy of Saving My Assassin from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Thanks for stopping. Leave a comment or question below.

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.
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Red Onions, naked bike riding, and pyramid schemes

April 26, 2014 By Barbara Leave a Comment

TrailerTrashCover

Sometime back, I met the author of Trailer Trash online through the great, mysterious reaches of Twitterverse. I stumbled upon Stacey Roberts’ blog one day and started reading. I was supposed to be leaving the house for some reason or other, but instead I sat glued to the computer screen, tears running down my face, practically choking to death on laughter. My husband was watching television in the next room and I kept yelling out, trying to share my mirth in a garbled, hysterical way that I’m pretty sure he didn’t understand a word of. Before I had finished reading that blog post, I was hooked.

I had no idea these short stories would result in a book, but I was excited when I heard they had, knowing the hilarious exploits of a young boy, his onion-loving Jewish mother and his older brother (Layne, the favorite) would give me hours more entertainment and laughter.

Trailer Trash is a book you just have to share. Stacey’s stories of childhood and beyond are filled with crazy characters, bizarre circumstances, near-death experiences, and inedible food that could have killed a lesser person but instead gave him a totally new perspective… the perspective of a humor author.

I’m just glad his lungs were “cooked” enough that he survived being a preemie baby and lived to tell his tale. You’ll have to read the book to understand that. I suggest you get started. Life is too short not to laugh your way through it. Trailer Trash will start you on your way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery novels, Entangled, Crushed & Savor, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, Christian suspense novels, Running Home and Alias Raven Black, and the young adult series The Amish Bloodsuckers. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two lovable mutts.
Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery novels, Entangled, Crushed & Savor, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, Christian suspense novels, Running Home and Alias Raven Black, and the young adult series The Amish Bloodsuckers. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two lovable mutts.
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: book review, humor, memoir, Stacey Roberts, Trailer Trash

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Award winning speculative Christian fictiion!

Split Sense

Split Sense

When a senator and pharmaceutical giant partner to experiment with a new drug on pregnant women, they tap into a world they never knew existed – the supernatural touching the natural – and it will cost the innocent more than they know. Grace Awards Winner!

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