Review: Stress Test by Dr. Richard Mabry

Stress Test by Richard L. Mabry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Richard Mabry has done it again!! I have yet to read a book by Dr. Mabry that I have not enjoyed!!

Dr. Matt Newman is working his way through the world while falling in love with a legal assistant named Jennifer. He wants to marry her and start a life with her but she is wishing he didn't have such long, unpredictable hours. Dr. Newman decides to close up his practice and go into a more laid back physicians role to honor her.

He ends up kidnapped, in the back of a car, going who knows where one night after shift. Was this planned or a freak coincidence and the kidnappers got the wrong guy? Why him? What did he do? He narrowly escapes and wakes up in a hospital room attached all sorts of wires and machines to find out he is now being charged with murder.

In the meantime, everything he had planned is now on hold. His girlfriend won't return his calls, the police are after him for a murder he doesn't know anything about, and he gets a call that his new job is now on hold.

Sandra Murray is a redheaded lawyer who has just learned about Matt's case. She's leery of taking it because, after all, she isn't fond of doctors right now. Especially the one covering Matt's medical case. She decides that she will represent Matt anyway, after the way her responds with her line of questioning in the hospital room. Is she making a mistake?

Matt gets discharged from the hospital and that's where the real nightmares begin. Will he ever get his life back? Will he be cleared of the charges? What about those who kidnapped him?

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat!! I loved how the story never really lets up. I think my heartbeat finally went back to normal a couple hours after finishing this book!!

I will say that there is only one fault I find in the book. If you read this book (or any other book for that matter) and see that the "Sinner's Prayer" will save you, I strongly encourage you to search your Bibles more. Nowhere in the Bible is the "Sinner's Prayer" mentioned. What is mentioned, however, is that to be saved and covered in the blood of Jesus, one must first Hear the Word of God. Second, one must Believe in that Word of God. Next, one must make a public confession and repent of their sins. This is where most people stop. However, in Acts 2:38-39, it reads, "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.'" There was a line also mentioned something to the effect of "you don't have to go to church to be a Christian" (I paraphrased that). That is also not true according to the Bible. Hebrews 10:23-32 discusses the implications of forsaking the assembling of the saints. I would love to talk to you about this further should you have questions. Also, please understand that there are many other versus besides the ones I have listed above that will help to answer these questions.

I do wish you, my readers, well and I hope that you will diligently search for the truth yourselves and not rely on what any man has to say in Biblical matters. Our Bibles should serve as our roadmaps.

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Review: Muscle and a Shovel by Michael Shank

Muscle and a Shovel by Michael J. Shank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Have you always wondered why certain things you hear from the Sunday morning pulpit don't always match up when you read your Bible? This book is about several characters, all of whom are looking for change in their life. They don't all understand why or how at first, but eventually it all comes to light.

Randall is such a caring individual. He is always cheery and helpful no matter what his lot in life is. He is someone most people either naturally gravitate towards or completely ignore. I need more Randall's in my life!! He shares something most precious to others he works with and the outcome may surprise you.

Christianity takes a lot of muscle, and sometimes the shovel, but in the end, it will be well worth it!

I don't want to give much of this book away because it's one that, once you start it, you won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend this book for EVERYONE and I hope you take some time to read it!

View all my reviews

Stone of Destiny--COTT Champ

A hearty congratulations to Mary Ball, author of Stone of Destiny!

And a special thank-you to these authors for entering their great new releases:

Bonnie Doran, author of Dark Biology
Laura V. Hilton, author of Awakened Love
Maddy Lederman, author of Edna in the Desert
Julie Cantrell, author of When Mountains Move

About Stone of Destiny:

Taylor has given up on everything but her work. After becoming the youngest CEO of Mugful’s Beverage Company, she believes life is complete--until her grandmother asks her to oversee the renovations of the family home, in addition to searching for a missing heirloom.
Her first contact with what she believes is an insignificant ring, lost for fifty years, sends her life spinning. Taylor experiences strange. Unexpected feelings surface that she doesn't understand. Thoughts that should remain unspoken are voiced. Taylor’s emotional journey begins, testing a heart as cold as the ring itself and forcing her to question everything she believes. Is this a fairytale, or simply her soul reaching out for a different world--a life she can only find through faith and a divine trust in God?

What Voters Had to Say:

Mary L. Ball, I am looking forward to reading Stone of Destiny! The story sounds amazing.

Mary, your title sounds interesting. I like the idea of following the trail of an heirloom.
Stone of Destiny is one I look forward to reading.

Mary does such great work. What a mind ! I have been looking forward to her new book ever since I first heard about the storyline.

Mary Ball's Stone of Destiny excerpt takes a Christian believer out of the box.

Mary Ball is an excellent author. I am looking forward to her next book.

Stone of Destiny is good reading. You'll love it.

To to a wonderful beautiful lady Mary L. Ball keep on writing you are the best and your books are wonderful

About the author, Mary Ball:

She is a member of ACFW and lives in North Carolina between the wondrous mountains and beautiful beaches. When she’s not writing, Mary enjoys supporting her husband’s ministry,singing, fishing, and reading a good novel.
For more about Mary visit her at http://MaryLouwrites.weebly.com
Find her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/inspires4mary <https://twitter.com/inspires4mary
and facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Inspirational-author-Mary-L-Ball/

Reviews for Stone of Destiny

Stone of Destiny by Mary L. Ball is a wonderful story of romance and one finding their way back to God through faith and trust. Taylor Harrison is the youngest CEO at the Mugful Beverage Company and she feels that her life is complete. With great trepidation she agrees to oversee the renovation of her grandmother's family home. Fifty years earlier, a sapphire ring was lost in the house and Granny Kay wants Taylor to search for the ring as the renovations are being made. After finding the ring, Taylor begins to have strange dreams and she is even making phone calls in her sleep at night.

Brent Roberts is the nephew of Granny Kay's best friend and he has been hired to do the renovations to the house. When he and Taylor meet, she is definitely not impressed even though she thinks he is the most handsome man she has ever seen. Brent is very much in tune with what God wants him to do with his life. His faith and the way he shares his knowledge of God cause Taylor to start questioning some of her beliefs. She soon realizes that she can only find happiness through a true faith in God.

The development of the plot, the characters, the dialogue, and the description of all the scenes were done in an excellent manner. The characters were so real that at times I wanted to shake Taylor and would not have minded if Brent gave me a hug. Granny Kay is the kind of grandma that everyone would love to have and her love for Taylor was a very important part of the story. All the action taking place in the book was so well done that in my mind I was struggling right along with Taylor as she worked to make her decisions and I was pulling for Brent to win Taylor's heart. I really appreciate the way that the author handled the romance in the story and how Taylor regained her faith in God and finally trusted Him with her life. Searching for the missing ring added a little suspense to the story.

Would she find the ring or would it be lost forever?

I highly recommend this book. If you like a wonderful story with lots of romance, a little bit of suspense, and a story in which faith in God plays a big part, then this is the book for you.

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Mary Ball has written a book that people must read. I have watched a lot of Nicholas Sparks movies and this book ranks up to the top of a Nicholas Sparks love story.

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This is the second book by Mary Ball that I have read. The first one was a mystery/suspense that had me guessing all the way to the end. This one had me intrigued and wondering all the way to the end what path Taylor was going to choose. This story starts out with a bang, literally, and I was wondering how I was going to put this book down to sleep that night. I love decorating and watching HGTV so I was especially interested in Mary's description of how this old house was being renovated by our very special hero. This book also takes place over a period of time so it is not an insta-love, but one that grows. Though sometimes I did get aggravated with Taylor for some of the choices she was making that would have resulted in a very lonely life.

Brent, our hero, was very patient, knew what he wanted, and pursued Taylor by not be overbearing or controlling. The dreams Taylor would have added an air of mystery to the whole plot and kept me turning the pages just to find out with Taylor why she was having them and what they meant. This book was provided to me by the author and the opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

All Romance Ebooks
Prism Book Group

COTT: Clash of the Titles Newest Gems

Clash of the Titles's Newest Gems

This November Clash of the Titles presents a fantastic selection of brand new books to check out.

Add an American classic, a biological science fiction with suspense, young adult, inspirational romance and Amish story to your to-be-read or Christmas wish list

When Mountains Move by Julie Cantrell

For most of Millie’s life, being free felt about as unlikely as the mountains moving. But she’s about to discover that sometimes in life, we are given second chances, and that the only thing bigger than her past … is her future.

Dark Biology by Bonnie Doran

Renowned vaccinologist "Hildi" Hildebrandt has set her sights on beating  her brother to a Nobel Prize, and the opportunity to conduct experiments on the International Space Station might just provide the means to obtain that goal. On Earth, Chet Hildebrandt will teach a lesson to his hot-shot astronaut sister, their philandering hypocritical father, and the CDC by releasing what he thinks is a mild influenza strain.

Edna in the Desert by Maddy Lederman

Edna is a spoiled, tech-addicted teen wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. How can she survive a summer at her grandparents' cabin, cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television?

Stone of Destiny by Mary L. Ball

Can a mysterious ring change lives? Taylor’s emotional journey begins; testing a heart cold as stone when discovers a missing heirloom.

Awakened Love by Laura V. Hilton

He’s hiding from a cold-blooded killer; her Amish identity has been stripped away. Both must find a way to balance their hearts, their jobs, and their faith while risking their lives for another.

Voting closes November 19 at midnight 
(Tuesday night/Wednesday morning)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

2013 Laurel Award Feature--Veil of Pearls

On October 18, 2013 Veil of Pearls took home Clash of the Titles's Laurel Award. Over the course of six weeks, the novel's first chapters were read and judged by avid readers of Christian fiction who determined Veil of Pearls to be the worthiest to receive the 2013 Laurel Award.


Clash of the Titles extends a heartfelt congratulations to author MaryLu Tyndall for her exemplary writing. We wish God's richest blessings on her future work. 

About Veil of Pearls:

Be swept away to Charleston of 1811, a city bustling with immigrants like Adalia, who is a runaway slave so light-skinned that no one guesses her past. Terrified her secret will be discovered, she settles into a quiet life making herbal remedies for a local doctor. But when Morgan, the handsome son of a prominent family, sweeps her into his glamorous world—a world in which the truth about Adalia’s heritage would ruin them both—suspicions and petty jealousies are aroused. What will Morgan do when he discovers that the woman he has fallen in love with is a runaway slave?

PURCHASE YOUR COPY

Listen to Cynthia L. Simmon's" Heart of the Matter" radio interview of Laurel Award Winner, MaryLu Tyndall!

About MaryLu:

MaryLu Tyndall, a Christy Award Finalist, and best-selling author

of the Legacy of the King's Pirates series is known for her adventurous historical romances filled with deep spiritual themes. She holds a degree in Math and worked as a software engineer for fifteen years before testing the waters as a writer. 

MaryLu currently writes full time and makes her home on the California coast with her husband, six kids, and four cats. Her passion is to write page-turning, romantic adventures that not only entertain but open people's eyes to their God-given potential. MaryLu is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. 

For more information on MaryLu and her upcoming releases, please visit her website at http://www.mltyndall.com or her blog at http://www.crossandcutlass.blogspot.com/