Month: April 2023

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Counterfeit Love, by Crystal Caudill, 2022, Kregel Publications

Counterfeit love is worse than counterfeit money.

Cou;nterfeit Love
Counterfeit Love

Counterfeit love is an even worse farce than counterfeit money. It’s a crime against one’s own heart. Why would anyone do that? Perhaps for security?

Theresa finds she must question her motives and her heart when she realizes that the man she has promised to marry is not the man she truly loves. But the one she still loves has repeatedly told her there is no future for them. So, what’s a gal to do?

And WHY has God put her in this situation? If God truly loved her, would he have allowed her parents to die? And many more fates that befall her? Is there anyone at all she can trust? Must she fight all her battles alone? Can she still believe in God even if he continually seems to fail her?

Counterfeit money was common. If you need money, why not just print some?

This novel, on the surface, centers around counterfeit money–a real thing in 1884 Cincinnati, where the story takes place. Hidden danger and intrigue keep you flipping pages as characters escape one danger after another right to the end. But what really gets you pondering are the dangers of the heart.

And in case you didn’t take time while reading to consider such reflections, Crystal Caudill includes a list of discussion questions. They’d be perfect for a book club, or to sift through soul stuff during your own quiet meditations.

The writing

I love Crystal Caudill’s writer’s voice. It’s easy to follow and keeps the story moving. Her descriptions are unique, and she throws in good words, like ‘catarrh’ and ‘thwack’. “Catarrh or not, she could no longer delay the completion of her commissions.” “Something large thwacked her back…”

She appeals to animal lovers with Theresa’s odd menagerie, from Cordon Bleu the chicken to Tipsy the three-legged goat. However, though Theresa finds comfort in her animals, readers may not. I won’t give away spoilers by divulging their fate. It’s no worse, though, than the fate of some of the human characters. The story reads like a thriller movie. Verging briefly on horror before returning to scenes of tender, self-sacrificing protection between characters, and yes, even some swoony love scenes.

Crystal Caudill is a very personable author, who loves to connect with readers. Find out more about her and her writing at www.crystalcaudill.com/books.

My thanks for this beautiful paperback, which I had the good fortune to win through a give-away for Caudill’s newsletter subscribers. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and hope to read the other two in the series.

To preview or order this book, or the series of three, click here: Counterfeit Love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Second Time Around, by Melody Carlson, 2023, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

Second time around for this old decrepit shop

Second Time Around
Second Time Around

Should there be a second time around for Mallory’s grandmother’s decrepit but quaint shop and suite above? It was too charming not to keep. Mallory Farrell, an interior designer, saw potential.

Besides, this place held nostalgic memories for her. Her grandmother must have left it to her for a reason.

But the whole seaside village was losing interest to tourists in favor of more appealing towns. Apathy had taken hold among the residents. And Grayson Matthews had already dreamed up a new mall as a revitalization scheme. It was going to be right here if she would sell him the building so he could tear it down.

What! Tear it down? No, no, no. That caused Mallory to dig in her heels. She saw romance in the old building. A peculiar definition of romance that she’d once found. She wrote it in calligraphy, framed it, and hung it on the wall.

Romance: A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement. Remoteness from everyday life.

I won’t spoil the story for you by telling you what happens to Mallory’s romantic, Parisian vision for the village. You’ll have to read it for yourself if you want to know. I’ll just tell you that I enjoyed very much being transported into Mallory’s world. Melody Carlson describes vividly the scenes and emotions of the characters.

Second time around for Mallory

I could relate to Mallory, a divorced mother of adult children, trying her best to make a go of her life. The seemingly insurmountable challenges she faces. Difficulties with people and how she handles them with a godly perspective, a combination of prayer, kindness, and drawing the line where necessary.

Thank you to Revell for choosing me to review this beautiful paperback. It’s always a pleasure to share my honest opinions and feedback. I would recommend the book to people who like interior decorating and charming shops in seaside villages. And Mallory’s peculiar definition of romance.

Click here: Second Time Around to see the book and other reviews on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Click here: Pearl Fredericksen’s review of Second Time Around | Goodreads to see my review and others on goodreads.

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The Cross Before Him; Simplified English discussion prompts based on Mark 10:32-34

The meaning of the cross

window church crucifixion church window
The cross before him. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

When you see a cross what do you think about?  What does it mean to you? Where do we see crosses?

At the time of Jesus, about 2,000 years ago, the cross was the worst form of execution, used for terrible criminals. When they saw a cross beside the road it caused feelings of fear, humiliation, horror, shame, and disgust.

It seems almost beyond explanation then that the cross became the symbol that Christians wear around their neck, tattoo on their arms, and display in their places of worship. But the cross was where Jesus died, and so because of our love for Him and what He did, we cling to the cross as a symbol of our faith, instead of rejecting it as something offensive.

The cross before him

Jesus told his disciples many times that he was going to be killed. His friend Mark wrote about it. He said:

Jesus… began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed…                                                                                                                         Mark 8:31(ESV)

“He was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him…”

                                                                                            Mark 9:31(ESV)

Jesus was walking ahead of them. Those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him…”                                                                                                                                                    Mark 10:32–34(ESV)

How did he know about the cross before him?

Jesus knew that he would die because of the hostility of the Jewish religious leaders toward him.

          – Mark says that from the very beginning of his ministry, the Pharisees went out and began to plot how they might kill Jesus. Mark 3:6.

          – Jesus knew that their increasing resentment toward him would end in his death.

Jesus also knew about his death because of what the Old Testament said. His death was a fulfillment of these prophecies.  The purpose of Jesus as the Messiah was to suffer and die for the sin of mankind.

          Jesus quoted Isaiah in Luke Ch. 22. He identified himself as the Messiah, the one “despised and rejected by men… pierced for our transgression and crushed for our iniquities…” He said, “this must be fulfilled in me!”

The cross before him was his purpose.

As the hour of his crucifixion drew near, he said, “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

                                                                                            John 12:27 (ESV)

Through the cross his purpose was fulfilled, and God was glorified.

That sounds strange, doesn’t it? That God is glorified through the cross? 

What did Jesus mean by that?

Jesus prayed before he was arrested. He lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do…. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.                                                                                                                                                           John 17:1-6 (ESV)

By his death on the cross, Jesus showed God’s love to us.

The cross is where the Son of God gave his life so that we might have life.  By Jesus’ death on the cross, we are made holy and righteous. When we look at the cross, we see pain and suffering.  But Jesus wants us to see so much more.  He wants us to see God’s plan and purpose in bringing us redemption.  Jesus wants us to accept his forgiveness.  He wants us to see how much God loves us, and he wants us to glorify him by telling others.

Get an easy-to-read Chinese/English Bible here: https://amzn.to/3U3YldB. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.