Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

Immanuel's Veins is Dekker's forray into Vampire literature. I am not a fan of Twilight or the other books, but Dekker uses this genre to make a startling contrast between vampires and Christ. His main character, Toma, is assigned to protect twin sisters in an important aristocratic family. He is torn between duty and his growing love for one of his charges, Lucine. A coven of vampires moves into a nearby castle and Vlad van Valerik, their leader proceeds to court Lucine because Toma cannot seem to declare his love to her. As she becomes more entangled in the affairs at the vampire castle, Toma must rescue her, but how? Dekker connects this story to his previous Circle series and one of the "lost" books makes its way into Toma's hands. Toma must figure out how to use the information in the book to rescue Lucine.

This book is an interesting read and contains Dekker's trademark complex plot. The story weaves elements of the gospel into a new and completly different setting that caused me to think. If you enjoy Dekker's works and vampire fiction, this is the book for you! Personally, vampire literature isn't something I would choose to read, but for Dekker, I made an exception. I found it worth the read.

The Soul Reader by Gerard D. Webster

Ward McNulty has an unusual gift. He can look into a person’s eyes and read their soul. His father, who had the same gift is now dead and Ward cannot forgive the man who has killed him. In order to protect Carrie Hope, the woman he loves, he must investigate the situation which caused his father’s death. This leads him to Culebra, a trained assassin in South America. But Culebra isn’t the man that Ward expects. The book’s ending has some interesting twists, but not all of them are completely unexpected.

I thought this book was easy to read, despite being the second in a series where I hadn’t read the first. It was a bit different from the Christian fiction that I normally read because it featured Catholic believers and talked about saints and the rosary. This did not distract from the story, but seemed to fit nicely given the experience of some of the characters, especially Dona Rosa.

Having read this, the second book in the series, made me curious about what had transpired in the first book. I also wondered if there will be another book featuring Ward. Although it ended with many of the loose ends tied up nicely, I suppose I would read another book of the same main character, especially to see what would become of Ward and Carrie’s relationship. Booksneeze provided my complimentary copy and this is my honest opinion.

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

The Encounter by Stephen Arterburn

Stephen Arterburn writes a story based on an encounter that he observed between a homeless woman and a rich, well-dressed young man. His novel fleshes out the fictional circumstances that bring these two unlikely characters together. It is written as a parable and contains questions to help the reader apply the principles illustrated in the book.
Jonathan Rush returns to Fairbanks, Alaska, to search out the woman who gave him birth and to find out why she abandoned him. As a successful businessman, he needs to find the key to why his personal life is in shambles. With the encouragement of his pastor, he reluctantly goes in search of answers. During his search he retraces his steps and finds the answers he needs.
As a story, this book didn’t offer much in the way of unexpected endings or surprises along the way. It’s real value would be to encourage the reader to take another look at his past and attempt to come to terms with his past hurts. The book may be used as a discussion guide, with questions provided at the back of the book. The story didn’t speak to me personally, but I would recommend it to a friend. Booksneeze provided me with a free copy and this is my honest opinion.

The Canary List by Sigmund Brower

Sigmund Brower writes a tale of suspense that keeps the reader guessing. I read this book over Halloween and found that the subject matter was appropriate to the season. The beginning of the book was a bit confusing and intense, but I kept reading.
The main character, Crockett Grey, a school teacher finds his drunken solitary vigil for his dead daughter interrupted by one of his students who is in danger. Crockett does his best to protect her while not allowing himself to be drawn into her situation. Circumstances and powers greater than he is combine to trap him in a web of deceit and intrigue. In order to clear his name and to regain custody of his son, he must dig deeper into Jaimie’s past. In the course of his adventure, he meets a psychiatrist, a Vatican exorcist, a high-powered lawyer, a computer hacker and the man next in line to be pope .
If you enjoy a suspense novel which raises some interesting questions about the Catholic church, this book should be on your reading list. I enjoyed his writing style, especially the way he developed both the plot and the characters. I found his subject matter fascinating and appreciated his bibliography at the end of the book to substantiate his research. I was sorry to finish the book. I would definitely read another of his novels.