Wonderful Retelling of the Story of Jacob, Leah, & Rachel

Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs is a 1700s Scottish retelling of the Biblical story of Jacob, Leah, & Rachel. It is also the first of four books in the Lowlands of Scotland Series.

From the very beginning the book is filled with plot twists and deceptions. I won’t give them away here but if you are familiar with the Biblical account then you will probably be able to figure most of them out. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how Higgs handled them in their historical contest. For example, in the Bible Jacob takes two wives. However, during the 1700s in Scotland polygamy would have been frowned up and would not have been a plausible solution to the little Scottish love triangle.

Thorn in My Heart is alternately written from the viewpoints of Jamie McKie and Leana McBride. Both characters are strong and carry the story well. It is also to see the story from Leana’s (Biblical Leah) point of view. It makes you really stop and think what this all must have been like for her. What was she feeling? Was she a willing participant in the deception or was she a mere victim of circumstances?

Liz Curtis Higg’s descriptive writing style brings you right into the story from the very first pages. Whether you are raptly reading of Jamie and Evan’s births or nearing the climactic ending you will feel like you are really there. Her writing also helps you relate to the characters in a very real way. You genuinely feel bad for those who are overlooked and mistreated because you care about what happens to them. They are very real. And if you’re not careful you’ll feel so in touch with Scotland that you will be tempted to start saying ‘Nae’ or call people ‘bonnie’.

When I first opened the book I wasn’t sure what to think. I don’t particularly care for the story of Jacob getting wives and the quarrel between the sisters. I was even less sure about the story when I discovered that the brunt of the story would be written from Leah’s point of view. Now I am glad that I kept reading because it was definitely worth every minute! So whether you are curious about seeing this story from another side or you just love Scottish history, I recommend that you read Thorn in My Heart. You will absolutely love this book!

Other Books by Liz Curtis Higgs:

Guest Post by Jimmy Mustion

My husband, Jimmy, preached at our church this Sunday and I know I am biased but I think that he did a really amazing job! So I encouraged him to write out his sermons from Sunday in a series of smaller blog posts that everyone could enjoy. I also promised him that I would allow him to guest post one here. So ladies I hope you enjoy the an excerpt from Jimmy's 13 Characteristics of a Growing Church!



13 Characteristics of a Growing Church
by Jimmy Mustion

Hello, ladies!

This week I have been prepping to preach the Sunday morning and Sunday night services at Villebrook Baptist Church while my pastor recovers from surgery. While I was studying and praying, God laid it on my heart that I should talk about characteristics of a growing church as laid out in Romans. I don't want to give everything away before I preach but I will give you the first point in my 13 point sermon and then for the sake of attention spans, I will break the other 12 points out over the next few weeks. Hope that sounds good to you because that's the plan...so here you go...the sneak preview of my GIANT HUGE 13 Point Sermon...

The 1st Characteristic of a Growing Church is Love.
"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Romans 12:9

In the English language, the word love is tossed about WAY to easily! We love pizza. We love going to the movies. We love our favorite sports team--Go Cards! But what does it mean to have a genuine love?

Read the Full Blog about Love.

Read the Full 13 Characteristics of a Growing Church Series.

Waterfall is an Amazing Teen Read!

Waterfall is the first book in The River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren. Bergren is an accomplished writer who has written several historical fiction romances for women, but Waterfall is her first historical romance for teens. Waterfall focuses on the Bettarini sisters, Gabriella and Evangelia, as they travel back through time and find themselves in medieval Italy.

Gabi and Lia have spent their lives working Etruscan digs with their mother and father who are archealogists. Since their father's death their mother has thrown herself into her work like never before--all but ignoring the girls. Feeling excluded and angry, Gabi breaks a cardinal rule and talks her sister into going into an ancient tomb before they are cleared to do so. Once inside, they discover a set of handprints which perfectly match their own and when they touch them they are drawn back in time.

In their journey through time Gabi and Lia are separated. Gabi is taken in by the knights of the gold castle who are in the midst of a civil war against the knights of the red castle. Will Gabi and Lia be able to find one another again? The future (or the past?) is uncertain. With constant fighting all around them, they aren't even sure if they will survive let alone find one another and find a way to get back home to the present. And what will become of the handsome night who assists Gabi in her search for Lia? Waterfall is packed with so many questions and adventures that you simply won't want to stop reading.

I think that my favorite parts of the book are the many times that the girls astonish their medieval Italian friends with their modern ways. Everything from the words coming out of their mouths and the cloths that they wear gets them in trouble at some point or another. You will laugh and sigh at all the different situations that Gabi and Lia find themselves in. As the end of the book I was glad that this book is just the first of three because I can't wait to start reading Cascade!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mideval history or other books by Lisa T. Bergren or Liz Curtis Higgs.

Another great read!

More Books by Lisa T. Bergren:

A New Adventure by Donita K Paul - The Dragons of Chiril

The Dragons of Chiril, previously published as The Vanishing Sculptor, is another interesting fantasy/allegory written by Donita K. Paul. As clearly stated on the back cover, The Dragons of Chiril takes place before the time of Dragonspell and in another country halfway across the world. It is not a sequel to Paul’s previous series The Dragon Keeper Chronicles. Although many devout Dragon Keeper Fans will be pleased to note that our friends Librettowit and Wizard Fenworth are among the main cast of characters in this novel.

In the country of Chiril, they have never heard of Wulder or Paladin. They don’t even know that dragons can communicate and some even have special abilities. In fact, everything in their world begins to change when a young Emerlindian named Tipper begins to sell off pieces of her father’s artwork to take care of her family after her father’s mysterious disappearance. Little does she know that you her actions have literally made the world start to fall apart! The quest that ensues to set things to rights is filled with adventure and humor as we are reunited with old friends and introduced to new ones.

Overall The Dragons of Chiril is well written and provides a strong story line to follow. Some of the situations that the characters find themselves in are resolved a little too conveniently, but this is a book written for younger readers so some of that is to be expected. The one real complaint I have is that the different races that you encounter in the book are really given much explanation. Yes, I know what a Kimen is versus an O’rant but I have also read The Dragon Keeper Chronicles, and I could look the information up in the glossary at the back but I would much rather have a brief explanation/description given when the race is first introduced. I mean without an explanation/description Bealomondore and Librettowit’s obsession with nice things (especially nice clothing) may seem ridiculous and off based but for someone who knows a little about Tumanhoffers you realize it’s just part of who they are.

Still I would definitely recommend this excellent story to just about anyone. However, I especially recommend it to readers who have previously enjoyed Donita K. Paul’s Dragon Keeper Chronicles.

I was provided this book free of charge by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing for review purposes.

Other Books by Donita K Paul: