Category Archives: Zondervan

Sushi For One?

From the blog archives…

Sushi for One?

Sushi For One?
by Camy Tang
Book One Of The Sushi Series
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: September 2007
ISBN-13: 9780310273981
352pp

From the back cover:
Lex Sakai’s family is big, nosy and marriage-minded. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the oldest single female cousin in the clan.

Lex has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the perfect man. But the one man she keeps running into doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex starts to let God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.

===========================
I purchased this novel at last month’s ACFW conference in Dallas. This is the first time I’ve ever read a Christian fiction title with Asian characters, so I was eager to see how the story played out. I’m always anxious to see Christian novels portraying characters with different ethnic backgrounds.

This book is definitely chick-lit! Camy’s voice reminds me a lot of Kristin Billerbeck’s. The story is full of humor and Tang has created a strong character that will remain in your mind for a long time. Lex is a sports fanatic, and she loves volleyball. She’s in a dead-end job and when she quits on a whim, she soon finds herself landing the job of her dreams, working in the field she loves…sports!

She also wants to play pro-volleyball, and when her dream is about to come true, a serious incident occurs, causing her faith in God to waver even more. To top it all off, her grandmother is threatening to pull funding for the girls volleyball team that Lex coaches, if Lex doesn’t find a boyfriend soon.

Due to a traumatic event in her past, Lex finds it hard to get close to men. The one man whom she can be comfortable with, Aiden, is agnostic, definitely not one of the traits on Lex’s Ephesian’s list!

I’d recommend this book to those looking for a light, funny, chick-lit read. A lot of the qualities in Lex’s crazy family are familiar to us all!

Sushi for One?

October 23, 2007 Posted by novelistcd Edit

Sushi For One?
by Camy Tang
Book One Of The Sushi Series
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: September 2007
ISBN-13: 9780310273981
352pp

From the back cover:
Lex Sakai’s family is big, nosy and marriage-minded. When her cousin Mariko gets married, Lex will become the oldest single female cousin in the clan.

Lex has used her Bible study class on Ephesians to compile a huge list of traits for the perfect man. But the one man she keeps running into doesn’t seem to have a single quality on her list. It’s only when the always-in-control Lex starts to let God take over that all the pieces of this hilarious romance finally fall into place.

===========================
I purchased this novel at last month’s ACFW conference in Dallas. This is the first time I’ve ever read a Christian fiction title with Asian characters, so I was eager to see how the story played out. I’m always anxious to see Christian novels portraying characters with different ethnic backgrounds.

This book is definitely chick-lit! Camy’s voice reminds me a lot of Kristin Billerbeck’s. The story is full of humor and Tang has created a strong character that will remain in your mind for a long time. Lex is a sports fanatic, and she loves volleyball. She’s in a dead-end job and when she quits on a whim, she soon finds herself landing the job of her dreams, working in the field she loves…sports!

She also wants to play pro-volleyball, and when her dream is about to come true, a serious incident occurs, causing her faith in God to waver even more. To top it all off, her grandmother is threatening to pull funding for the girls volleyball team that Lex coaches, if Lex doesn’t find a boyfriend soon.

Due to a traumatic event in her past, Lex finds it hard to get close to men. The one man whom she can be comfortable with, Aiden, is agnostic, definitely not one of the traits on Lex’s Ephesian’s list! However, once all of the obstacles are overcome, the book has a romantically satisfying ending.

I’d recommend this book to those looking for a light, funny, chick-lit read. A lot of the qualities in Lex’s crazy family are familiar to us all!

– See more at: http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/2007/10/sushi-for-one.html#comments

The Shepherd’s Voice – From The Archives

The Shepherd’s Voice by Robin Lee Hatcher – From the archives – this is a repeat of an old book review. I read this novel several years ago and recall really enjoying this story by Robin Lee Hatcher. I encourage you to give this book a try! Download it onto your e-reader today!

Convicted for a crime he didn’t commit, Gabe Talmadge returns to his hometown of Ransom, seeking the love denied to him by his father Hudson Talmadge. Instead of finding the love of his forsaken father, he finds the love of Akira Macauley, owner of the sheep farm, Dundreggan. Gabe also discovers the love of another father, his Heavenly Father. Akira teaches Gabe about love and faith, and he realizes his biggest mistake was forsaking the Lord, several years ago. When he’s again mistakenly arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, his faith in God is tested, and he learns that it’s imperative to always lean on the Lord.      

Have you ever read any novels by Robin Lee Hatcher? If so, which one was your favorite?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Someone To Blame By C.S. Lakin

Someone To Blame by C.S. Lakin

This book reminded me of Terri Blackstock’s novels. The chapters were short, suspenseful, and moved quickly. Irene, Matt, and Casey (The Moore Family) is suffering from a recent double tragedy. To help deal with their grief, they relocate to a small beach town called Breakers. Each member of the Moore family deals with their recent grief in their own way. Casey wears her deceased brothers’ clothing, wanting to keep their memory alive. Matt can’t stop thinking about the past, and what he could’ve done to prevent the senseless deaths.

When a new young guy comes to town named Billy Thurber, life in the quiet beach town becomes unsettled. A rash of robberies occur and there are several instances of vandalism. Meanwhile, young, vulnerable Casey Moore finds herself drawn to Billy. Could Billy be responsible for the recent ruckus in the small town?

Someone To Blame depicts a realistic journey to faith as we seek answers to our never-ending questions about life and death. I enjoyed this book immensely because it realistically shows how a family deals with grief and forgiveness. The fast-moving suspenseful threads made this book a page turner. I recommend it as a good read. Many thanks to the author for giving me a free review copy of this novel.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

The Ambition By Lee Strobel

The Ambition by Lee Strobel

As promised in yesterday’s blog post, here’s my review of The Ambition.

Is it possible for a church to get so big, and gain so much power, that it affects the actions of that church’s head pastor? Do you think if you led a huge church, would your heart still be grounded in preaching the gospel, or, would your faith falter as greed took over your personality?

Reverend Snow, the head pastor at the huge Diamond Point Fellowship church, has made a big announcement – he’s stepping down as pastor so that he can run for office. His peers are stunned, including Art, his assistant pastor. Meanwhile, as the story progresses, a strange series of events occur at this church, newsworthy events about miraculous healings. Snow wants to keep quiet about these miracles – he doesn’t want the public to view him as a religious freak.

The story also involves a lawyer, Tom O’Sullivan, with a gambling problem who comes to one of the members at Diamond Point for help. Can Tom put his apprehensions aside and lean on Christ? His gambling is overtaking his life, making him miserable, resulting in his making some traumatic decisions that affect the lives of others.

There’s also a journalist involved, Gary Strider. His live-in relationship is on the rocks because his girlfriend has been recently saved. He starts investigating Diamond Point – what kind of a church is this? The large auditorium certainly does not look like a church.

There’s also elements of mystery, intrigue, and murder woven into the story as the characters work through their issues – issues that involve God, Diamond Point church, as well as the political race.

This book was interesting and I found myself turning the pages, wanting to see what happened next. As I stated in yesterday’s blog post, I really liked the fact that the author had healing miracles in the story – that’s something I rarely see in Christian fiction nowadays – at least the miracles I’ve read about in the past aren’t shown the way this author portrayed in The Ambition.

If you like action and adventure-filled Christian fiction, then you should give this book a try.

Again, is it possible for a church to get so big, and gain so much power, that it affects the actions of that church’s head pastor? Do you think if you led a huge church, would your heart still be grounded in preaching the gospel, or, would your faith falter as greed took over your personality?

Leave your response in the comments.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Intervention by Terri Blackstock


Intervention by Terri Blackstock
Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction, by staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment—and her interventionist is found dead at the airport—Barbara enters her darkest nightmare of all.

Barbara and her son set out to find Emily before Detective Kent Harlan arrests her for a crime he is sure she committed. Fearing for Emily’s life, Barbara maintains her daughter’s innocence. But does she really know her anymore? Meanwhile, Kent has questions of his own. His gut tells him that this is a case of an addict killing for drugs, but as he gets to know Barbara, he begins to hope he’s wrong about Emily.

The panic level rises as the mysteries intensify: Did Emily’s obsession with drugs lead her to commit murder—or is she another victim of a cold-blooded killer?

This book is an awesome example of motherly love. Barbara is still grieving over the loss of her husband from a couple of years ago. Her spouse’s death has caused her daughter, Emily, to “act out” and get addicted to drugs. Emily’s behavior has gotten so bad that Barbara finds that she has to stage an intervention to save her child. The interventionist arrives and Emily freaks out, not wanting to hear the letters that her mother and her brother have written about her irratic and destructive behavior. However, once Emily arrives via plane, with the interventionist at the airport where the drug recovery center is located, minutes later, the interventionist is found dead and Emily is missing.

In spite of Emily’s reputation being harmed since the press identifies her as the apparant killer, Barbara knows better. She knows her daughter would never kill, in spite of her recent drug addictions and strange behavior. Barbara is determined to find her daughter, her gut telling her that her child is still alive. Her fourteen year old son Lance also helps with trying to find his sister, not believing his sibling is capable of murder.

This book takes a strange twist as we learn about a detective’s lack of faith in God, and about a demented doctor’s quest to get revenge against the drug recovery facility that “killed” his daughter.

As with Blackstock’s books, this was a suspenseful read that you won’t want to put down – a real page turner.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Final Touch By Brandilyn And Amberly Collins


I mentioned this book a few days ago. I’d promised to provide a review later. Well, I finished the book and I really enjoyed it. It’s a quick suspenseful read and I think most young adults will be able to finish the book in a day or so.

In this final book of the Rayne Tour Series, on her parents’ wedding day, young Shaley O’Connor finds herself kidnapped by a much-older, unattractive man. She figures everything will work out because her parents will just pay the ransom. However, her kidnapper stresses that he didn’t do this for money – he’s starting a cult and Shaley will be his bride. Talk about sickening! If somebody had delivered that news to be if I were a young woman, I think I’d be terrified and physically ill!

This book was a page-turner as police, Shaley’s best friend, and Shaley’s parents try to find her. The story also takes you on the journey that Shaley and her kidnapper take, on their way to the new location of the cult.

If you like YA, suspenseful fiction, then you don’t want to miss this book!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Final Touch By Brandilyn And Amberly Collins

Just started this book yesterday and it’s a good, riveting read. It’s a short book and I’ll be posting my review soon.
~Cecelia Dowdy~

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card authors are:

and the book:

Final Touch (Rayne Tour, The)

Zondervan (May 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Brandilyn and Amberly Collins are a mother/daughter team from northern California.

Brandilyn Collins, known for her trademark Seatbelt Suspense, is the bestselling author of Violet Dawn, Coral Moon, Crimson Eve, Eyes of Elisha, and other novels.

Visit the Brandilyn’s website.

Amberly Collins is a college student in Long Beach, California, majoring in marketing. She’s active in her Alphi Phi sorority and dotes on her Yorkie puppy, Bear.

Here’s a video about the first book in the Rayne Series:

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031071933X
ISBN-13: 978-0310719335

Press the browse button to view the first chapter:

Katy’s Debate By Kim Vogel Sawyer

I just finished this book yesterday and I enjoyed it. Katy has joined the debate team at her school, and it’s a bit of a change in her routine when she leaves her home and stays all night out of town with her classmates to participate in the debate. She’s also upset about her father’s new beau. How would it feel to have another woman in her home, invading her private kitchen. She doesn’t want a stranger meddling her her and her dad’s lives, so using her debate skills, she’s determined to prove to her father that he doesn’t have to get married just to give Katy a mother. However, Katy’s plan backfires, and she wonders if she’s doing the right thing as she finds herself criticizing her friends, causing hurt feelings. This book was a good read and I think a lot of young people will empathize with these well-developed characters. This book shows how being from a different faith and being dropped into an unfamiliar world, will affect you.

~Cecelia Dowdy~
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

and the book:

Katy’s Debate (Katy Lambright Series, The)

Zondervan (May 7, 2010)

***Special thanks to Krista Ocier of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bestselling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer has many titles besides “writer.” As a wife, mother of three, grandmother of six, Sunday school teacher, and speaker, her life is full and happily busy. In her spare time she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband make their home in Kansas, the setting for many of Kim’s novels.

Visit the author’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310719232
ISBN-13: 978-0310719236

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Only Uni By Camy Tang

Only Uni by Camy Tang

Senior biologist Trish Sakai is ready for a change from her wild, flirtatious behavior. So Trish creates three simple rules from First and Second Corinthians and plans to follow them to the letter. No more looking at men as possible dates, especially non-Christians. Second, tell others about Christ. And third, she will persevere in hardship by relying on God. And just to make sure she behaves, she enlists the help of her three cousins, Lex, Venus and Jennifer, the only Christians in their large extended family.

But Trish’s dangerously tempting ex-boyfriend, Kazuo the artist, keeps popping up at all the wrong moments, and her grandmother, who has her eye on his family money, keeps trying to push the two of them back together again. Then there’s Spencer, the hunky colleague at work who keeps turning Trish’s thoughts in the wrong direction.

It just isn’t fair! She’s trying so hard, but instead of being God’s virtuous woman, she’s going nuts trying to stand firm against two hunky guys. Trish thought following her three rules would be a cinch, but suddenly those simple rules don’t seem so simple after all.

I’m afraid I’m doing this review based upon memory since I read this book over a month ago and never got around to blogging about it! The story was entertaining and there were a lot of twists and turns, things that happened that you totally did not expect. Trish has decided to make some changes in her life and to be a better Christian. She even wants to go to divinity school to get her degree among other things. She’s also been assigned a new office mate, Spencer, who’s driving her crazy with his good looks. However, she thinks that Spencer is not a Christian because she’s seen him flirting with female colleagues. Trish is shocked when she discovers Spencer’s true nature. Also, she finds it necessary to join a new church and to become more involved with more ministries. Amidst all this new turmoil in her life, she finds her ex, an artist, has made it his mission to stalk her, begging her to come back. Trish’s grandmother assists Kuzuo, the artist, to win her granddaughter’s affections.

This story was humorous and you’ll also learn a few things about Asian culture. I don’t see many novels in the Christian market with Asian characters. I’d never heard of a K-drama until I’d read this story. It’s an entertaining read that you’ll finish in a few days because it’s written in a way that’ll keep you turning the pages.

I reviewed the first book in the series here.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Dawn’s Light By Terri Blackstock


Dawn’s Light by Terri BlackstockPaperback: 411 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310257700
ISBN-13: 978-0310257707
In the face of a crisis that sweeps an entire high-tech planet back to the age before electricity, the Brannings face a choice. Will they hoard their possessions to survive—or trust God to provide as they offer their resources to others? #1 bestselling suspense author Terri Blackstock weaves a masterful what-if series in which global catastrophe reveals the darkness in human hearts—and lights the way to restoration for a self-centered world. As the Pulses that caused the outage are finally coming to an end, thirteen-year-old Beth Branning witnesses a murder. Threatened by the killer, she keeps the matter to herself. But her silence could cost her life. Meanwhile, as Deni’s ex-fiance returns to Crockett with a newfound faith and the influence to get things done, Deni is torn between the man who can fulfill all her dreams and Mark Green, the man who inhabits them. As the world slowly emerges from the crisis, the Brannings face their toughest crisis yet. Will God require more of them than they’ve already given? How will they keep their faith if he doesn’t answer their prayers?




This book continues Terri Blackstock’s saga that involves all of the world’s electronics and electricity – both segments cease to work, leaving people scrounging for food, water, and survival since there is no way to transport food and there is no heat or electricity to cook or clean. People still struggle to survive, but the book opens with the lean times getting a bit better, the banks open and customers are allowed to withdraw 2% of the balance shown on the last printed bank statement they received. Thirteen year old Beth Branning sneaks to the bank to see the action, and instead finds herself the witness to a brutal murder. The murderer threatens Beth and her family if she mentions what she’s seen that day. Scared, Beth suffers in silence while her family struggles to understand what kind of demons are haunting her.

Meanwhile, Deni Branning is falling in love with Mark, a Christian neighbor. When Deni’s unsaved ex-fiance, Craig, surpisingly appears from Washington, he makes a big announcement: He’s saved now, and he wants to court Deni again. Deni is torn – Craig has major pull in Washington and he might have the power to get all of the lights in their district turned back on before the others since the Pulses is now over and in a matter of time, things could be back to normal.

When Beth is hurt, Craig comes to the rescue, and Deni is somewhat drawn to Craig’s newfound kindness. What should she do?

I thought the ending to this book was bittersweet. I think I would have had a somewhat different ending. I thought the book was enjoyable and it was a quick fast read that held my interest.

I also noticed that this book alters the way that I think about some things. Like, when my son doesn’t finish his food on his plate, and I throw it away, I remember how the characters in Terri’s books are starving and about how they’d enjoy the food that I’m tossing in the garbage! I know that’s weird, but I think it’s because we’re a land of plenty, but wouldn’t realize it until a crises of this magnitude were to happen, and it would change our attitudes and perceptions about life drastically.

I reviewed the other three novels in this series, here, here, and here.

I emailed Terri Blackstock to ask her some questions about this series and she responded:
How did you come up with the Restoration Series idea?
I came up with the idea when we were all preparing for Y2k (the turn of the century). We thought computers would crash and our power grid would fail. The whole thing captured my imagination. When it didn’t happen, I decided to create an event like that on my own.

Did you lose power and wonder what would happen …?
While I was writing Night Light, Book Two, Katrina hit my state. My power was out for several days, and we had to sit in line for three hours or more to get gas, so I was kind of thrust into the world I was writing about. It turned out to be great research and helped me with the rest of the series.

I hope that helps. Thanks for asking, and for blogging about the series.

You’re welcome, Terry, and I really enjoyed the series! You provided me with several hours of reading pleasure!

~Cecelia Dowdy~