Double Cross (FBI Houston Series Book 2) by DiAnn Mills

About the book:  FBI Agent Laurel Evertson's investigation into a scam targeting the elderly takes an unexpected twist when key evidence leads her to Morton Wilmington, a felon she arrested five years ago on her first undercover assignment. That case has haunted her since, and though she's vowed to forget Wilmington--and what she sacrificed to put him away--he is now her best lead.Houston Police Officer Daniel Hilton fears his grandparents may be the scammer's next targets, and he'll do anything to protect his family--even force interagency cooperation. But he's quickly drawn to Laurel's empathy and zeal and agrees to follow her lead . . . even if it means teaming up with a felon.As the unlikely trio uncovers evidence suggesting the scam is more extensive and deadly than they imagined, both Laurel and Daniel find themselves in the crosshairs of a killer. Together they must decide if they can trust Wilmington's claims of redemption, or if he's leading them straight into a double cross.

Review: Double Cross captures the reader's attention with the involved, fast faced suspense tale where the FBI and local police work together to solve a scam that turns deadly.

This story involves undercover work with felons, charity scammers duping vulnerable senior citizens, and heroes turned bad.The depth of deception is not revealed until the final pages. A good read where Christian faith is presented as a source of strength and in a felon character who found redemption while in prison. A sweet blossoming romance is part of the story as well.

Author DiAnn Mills Website Author Facebook

DiAnn Mills talks about working with the FBI to research the FBI: Houston Series

DISCLOSURE: A complimentary copy was provided by Tyndale Blog Network on behalf of the publisher Tyndale Fiction to facilitate this review. Opinions are those of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review.

My Princesses – Learn to be brave by Stephanie Rische (illustrated by Heather Heyworth)

About the book: Little girls love princesses—complete with tiaras, gowns, and all things sparkly. This new, affordable picture book series captures the love of princesses and adds a biblical lesson, teaching girls that they are daughters of the King and are encouraged to live as God would want them to. The full-color art features adorable, multicultural princess characters created by Heather Heyworth.

Each story begins with a special rhyme about being a princess and includes a Bible lesson—and will provide many hours of reading fun for young princesses!

In My Princesses Learn to Be Brave, friends Grace and Hope want to play on their favorite slide at the park. However, when they get to the slide, they meet a mean bully who won’t let them. As the girls turn to leave, Grace recalls the story of Queen Esther, who bravely stood up for her people. Inspired by Esther’s story, the girls ask the bully to be their knight and invite him to play with them on the slide.
 
My review:   This is the third book in this particular series that I have read and it was as enjoyable as the first two.  The artwork is done by the same illustrator as previously and it is beautiful.  I like that the same characters (Grace & Hope) are used as in the other books.  I was particular pleased to see the lesser known story of Queen Esther from the Bible as the foundation for teaching young girls how to possibly deal with bullying and how to be brave for the Lord.  I also enjoyed the ending of this story and the way the author chose to write about how Grace & Hope dealt with the bully.  I believe this would be a wonderful gift book. (rev. P.Howard)


DISCLOSURE: We received this book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for a review. Opinions expressed are solely those of the reviewer. No compensation was received for this review.

My Princesses – Learn to Share by Amie Carlson (illustrated by Heather Heyworth)

About the book: Little girls love princesses—complete with tiaras, gowns, and all things sparkly. This new, affordable picture book series captures the love of princesses and adds a biblical lesson, teaching girls they are daughters of the King and encouraging them to live as God would have them live. The full-color art features the adorable, multicultural princess characters created by Heather Heyworth.

Each story begins with a special rhyme about being a princess and includes a Bible lesson—sure to provide many hours of reading fun for young princesses!

In My Princesses Learn to Share, Princess Grace and Princess Hope want to wear the same pink dress when they play dress-up. They end up ripping the dress, but Mom has a story to help them learn to share. She tells them the story of Jesus and the young boy who shared his lunch. The girls get the picture, Mom mends the dress, and they learn to share.
 
My review:   This is one in a series of books geared toward helping young girls realize they are princesses through Jesus and how to live for him.  I enjoyed the way the author weaved the Bible story about the young boy who shared his lunch with Jesus to teach both the practical side of sharing as well as the biblical principle of sharing.  The artwork is beautiful and well done.  I do, however, feel that it is targeted more toward girls in K5 and older – perhaps through third or fourth grade.  (rev. P.Howard)


DISCLOSURE: We received a complimentary copy from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for this review. Opinions expressed are solely our own. No compensation was received for this review.

The Green Prince "son of Hamas" movie and book

ISBN: 9781414333083

About the book: Son of Hamas is now available in softcover with an all-new chapter about events since the book’s release such as the revelation of Mosab’s Israeli intelligence handler’s true identity, and Homeland Security’s effort to deport the author.

Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

I received a copy of the book, Son of Hamas, from Tyndale in exchange for promoting the movie.