Monday, September 24, 2007

Eden's Way - Beverly Money Luke

Some marriages slowly fade away while others end with a firestorm. Misty Barnes witnesses the firestorm one beautiful day when her neighbor blows up his home - with his wife still inside. For reasons Misty herself doesn't understand, she begins to question her own marriage and the life that she and her husband have built together.

She and her husband, Day, have the perfect "image". They are pillars of their community; they attend church regularly, and Day even serves as a church deacon. They have good jobs, a beautiful home, and all the trappings of a successful suburban couple. But the thoughts that haunt Misty as she looks at the rubble across her perfectly manicured lawn concern what lies beneath the surface. If everything is so right, why does it FEEL so wrong? And if her marriage is all that it should be, why is her husband never at home?

Misty devises a plan, but her plan doesn't have the happy ending she expected, nor is it without its share of unintended consequences. As Misty journeys down a lonely and confusing path, she must face her life without the "whitewash". She must look at the truth about her marriage and her husband. She must find strength within herself to survive.

*Eden's Way* takes a no-holds-barred look at Christian marriage and examines the reasons that so many "picture perfect" marriages (from the outside, at least) fall apart. It is by turns heart-warming and gut-wrenching. And consistently, it causes the reader to ask questions about the life and relationships within that life. Difficult to put down, this is a work of fiction that is also a "must read" for any Christian facing an unexpected divorce or relationship crisis. As she endeavors to explain what Christian marriage should be - and where so many go wrong - Beverly Money Luke speaks to the head, and to the heart. And Misty's story gives hope for a new tomorrow!

Alesha Gee
The Sunpiper Book Review

Monday, September 03, 2007

The OOBE File - Harry Highstreet

Harry Highstreet, the author of this book, is an accomplished writer. He has written for newspapers, radio and television. He is not new to the forum you are about to experience. A short quote from the book to follow will give you a taste of his perception…

"…you are not one of those that lack imagination. The simple words "what if" will automatically cause you to ponder. Mental images will suddenly appear, forcing you to contemplate the answers to "what if"?"

While Mr. Highstreet was researching subject material for a short story, he discovered the United States Government had been studying the same subject for years. The subject was Astral Projection. This coincidence led the author to further reading, gathering of information and ongoing research on this subject. He wondered if Astral Projection had been perfected and had it already been used by the military? As a result of all of this research and the questions he pondered, a new novel emerged "The OOBE FILE"

"The OOBE File" (OOBE meaning Out Of Body Experience) is the first book in a trilogy by Harry Highstreet. It is filled with intrigue, suspense, military espionage and a twist of how it all comes together on the astral plane. The author keeps you interested by detail orientated descriptions of each scene as it plays out, leaving you wondering what will happen next…

In this fictional account of Hubert Wright, an unassuming U.S. Army Private finds he has a gift of Astral Projection and can control his own out of body experiences. However, he suddenly learns that he is not alone in having such a "gift". He is then plunged into a world of military espionage that quickly turns into a cat and mouse game between an elusive strange man, several high ranking officials and innocent civilians who are entangled in a scheme to obtain hidden files that hold the secrets to untold power and control of global influences.

U.S. Army Private First class Hubert "Bert" Wright can't find his body!? While he was enjoying a little jaunt on the Astral Plane someone stole his body! He knows he would be in deep trouble if someone found him "sleeping" on watch, but how would he explain to his superiors that he was not even in his body at the time they found him?! Wait a minute; if someone already found his body then he was in worse trouble than he thought! He finally does find his body in a detention cell. He was right about being in big trouble! He realizes he must come up with an explanation to tell his superiors that they will believe. Shockingly, the truth is the only thing they do believe!

This is just the beginning of a strange and dangerous mission for Bert as he takes us along with him on a journey filled with military secret agents, plots against world governments and the use of "Out Of Body Experiences". While trying to follow orders, take care of his earthly form and save a new found friend that has been kidnapped, he must catch an elusive and clever man that will stop at nothing to obtain hidden documents that hold the key to ultimate power and worldly political and social control.

This book is extremely detail oriented. The author has a gift of transporting you into the story itself. I found myself asking questions about things I never knew I needed answers to. It is an easy and interesting read; therefore I recommend it as an excellent novel for advanced adolescent readers as well as the adult fiction reader. I look forward to the sequel "The Wind Dies at Dusk" and the third book in this trilogy, "Mystery of the Third Realm".

Lisa Pratt
The Sunpiper Book Review