Author: Iola Goulton

23 December 2019

Book Review | Bitter Pill by Richard Mabry

I wanted to read this as soon as I read the book description, so I was thrilled when Dr. Mabry offered to send me a review copy. And it was as good as I’d hoped.

Bob Bannister is a charlatan. He’s a preacher with a healing ministry, but something goes wrong when he finds the woman he prayed for wasn’t his paid shill. Did she actually get healed? Abby Davis is a Christian doctor in town, a family practitioner faced with a growing number of elderly patients with elderly issues, and who is running into problems as a result. Scott Anderson is a medical doctor who abandoned medicine and went to seminary following the death of his wife. He’s now struggling to share God’s word in his new role as assistant pastor.

Three people, each struggling in their own way, but united in that their struggles all relate to the link between faith and medicine. Those struggles are the “bitter pill” of the title, a reminder that we all go through struggles as Christians, but struggles are how we grow.

Bitter Pill is a novel about character growth and change.

It’s not the typical Richard Mabry novel. Sure, it’s got the medical setting, but it’s not medical suspense in the same way as his previous novels (no bodies on the driveway in Chapter One). It also has a stronger faith aspect than some of his previous novels, with a valuable message.

Recommended.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Richard Mabry

I’m a retired physician who, in addition to writing, is a husband and grandfather, plays (and enjoys) golf, and does the hundred-and-one other things that retired people do.

I got into non-medical writing after the death of my first wife with my book, THE TENDER SCAR: LIFE AFTER THE DEATH OF A SPOUSE. I’m gratified that it continues to help those who have lost a loved one.

Now I’m writing what I call “medical suspense with heart.” My novels have been finalists for the ACFW Carol Award, Romantic Times’ Best Inspirational Novel and their Reviewer’s Choice Award, have won the Selah award, and been named by Christian Retailing as the best in the mystery/suspense/thriller category.

You can find Dr Richard Mabry online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Bitter Pill

Things were going along just fine. Until the miracle fouled them up.

“Brother” Bob Bannister is content with his life and his itinerant healing ministry, until one night he finds that the woman who walks off the stage under her own power isn’t one of his shills. At that point, doubts begin to intrude on his previously untroubled existence.

Dr. Abby Davis is tired of her family practice and at odds with God. Dealing with critically ill and dying patients has crushed her spirit to the point she’s ready to quit. But she soon realizes that there’s more to healing than ministering to the physical body.

Scott Anderson was the oldest graduate of his seminary class. Then again, most of them hadn’t turned away from a medical practice, hoping to atone for past mistakes (including his wife’s death) by ministering to men’s souls. Now he hopes he hasn’t made a colossal mistake in switching careers.

Each of these individuals becomes linked to the other, and each finds that God has a purpose for them—but, as it often does, the lesson comes with discomfort.

Find Bitter Pill online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to Bitter Pill below:

20 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 116 | Breaking Point by Marji Laine

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Breaking Point by Marji Laine:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Breaking Point

The mere rumor of treasure can change lives or destroy friendships, but kill?

Alynne’s Stone’s planned out and predictable life ended when she hurried to her mother’s side to support her during a family tragedy. So why would she now have a target on her back? Her father’s death had nothing to do with her, but suddenly she’s having these “accidents”? How can she stay and support her mom when someone is intent on eliminating her?

Police Lieutenant Jason Danvers believes her father was murdered. How, he can’t fathom, but he also can’t ignore the details that don’t add up. Attempts on Alynne’s life must be somehow connected. Still dealing with the pain of his own wife’s death, he can’t allow an innocent woman to die on his watch. Especially one as scintillating as Alynne Stone.

Even in a small town, things—and people—aren’t always what they appear to be.

You can find Breaking Point online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

19 December 2019

Throwback Thursday | Synapse by Steven James

Synapse is a difficult novel to review. Parts were excellent. Parts were not excellent. And parts were downright weird.

Let’s start with what I thought was excellent. Synapse is set in the future—2037. Humanoid robots are commonplace, as are the Purists, terrorists who seek to destroy the Artificials before Artificials destroy humanity (a valid concern for anyone who has seen a Terminator movie).

Synapse by Steven James is a difficult novel to review. Parts were excellent. Parts were not excellent. And parts were downright weird. #ChristianThriller #ScienceFiction Share on X

The main character, Kestrel, is a Methodist minister, and that gives lots of room to muse in the nature of humanity, whether a sentient robot has a soul or can believe in God or needs forgiveness for their sins.

There are some big questions around artificial life forms at this level, and Synapse addresses them all in a natural way.

But that’s not the plot. The basic plot is more mundane—there’s a bombing, our heroine is one of the first on the scene, and that naturally brings her to the attention of the investigating officers. Predictably, one is single (well, divorced) and interested in her (but has to get past his own issues first), and the other is a dirty cop. Yawn. Sorry, but that’s one plot line I’m kind of over.

So the underlying novel is the search for the truth about the bombing, and will the good cop find out the truth before the bad cop destroys all the evidence and implicates Kestrel. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I found the bad cop a little cliché, and the writing in those scenes somewhat bland.

Then there’s Kestrel.

She’s in mourning, as she’s just lost her baby in childbirth. And that’s where the book gets weird. It starts in second person as Kestrel gives birth and realises her baby is not okay. Honestly, I almost stopped reading there—using “you” (meaning me, the reader) would have been weird in any context, but in the context of a mother losing her baby? Beyond weird.

The other weird thing was around Jordan, Kestrel’s Artificial (aka sentient humanoid robot). Jordan’s scenes were written in first person present tense, and that was somewhat jarring next to the rest of the novel. But it was interesting to see Jordan’s point of view, limited as it was.

Overall, Synapse is a futuristic whodunit that uses enough common tropes to make it familiar despite the futuristic setting. While I didn’t wholeheartedly enjoy Synapse, it was a fascinating concept that asked some serious questions about the nature of God, humanity, and salvation.

Recommended for science fiction fans.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Steven James

Steven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels.

His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.

When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.

Find Steven James online at:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

About Synapse

Thirty years in the future, when AI is so advanced that humans live side by side with cognizant robots called Artificials, Kestrel Hathaway must come to terms not just with what machines know, but with what they believe.

Soon after experiencing a personal tragedy, Kestrel witnesses a terrorist attack and is drawn into a world of conspiracies and lies that she and Jordan, her Artificial, have to untangle. With a second, more brutal attack looming on the horizon, their best chance of stopping it is teaming up with federal counterterrorism agent Nick Vernon. But the clock is ticking—and all the while, Jordan is asking questions Artificials were never meant to ask.

Deftly weaving suspense and intrigue into a rich, resonant tale that explores faith and what it really means to be human, Steven James offers us a glimpse into the future—and into our own hearts.

Synapse is an unforgettable, gripping story of dreams shattered, truth revealed, and hope reborn.

Find Synapse online at:

Amazon | BookBub | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Read the introduction to Synapse below:

Click her to find Synapse and other great Christian fiction at my Amazon shop.

17 December 2019

Bookish Question #134 | How many books have you read this year?

I set a goal of reading 150 books at the beginning of 2019, and I’m currently on target to meet or exceed that goal. As of the time of writing (early December), I’ve read 141 books which means I’m on target.

Sometime soon Goodreads will send me my year’s statistics, including the shortest and longest books on my list, and the total pages read.

I also wanted to expand my reading this year, by actively choosing to read more debut or new-to-me authors, more indie (self-published) books, more nonfiction (i.e. books on writing, editing, and marketing books), and to read a pile of books from my to-read pile. I have to admit that I’m not doing so well on those lists …

Of the 141 books I’ve read so far this year:

47 have been from debut or new-to-me authors (my target is 50).
49 have been self-published titles (my target is 50).
9 have been writing or marketing books (my target is 24. Oops).

And I’ve taken 49 books off my to-read pile. I didn’t actually read them all—there were a fair few that I started but didn’t finish. But I’ve decided I’m not going to read them (for a variety of reasons, mostly because I either didn’t connect with the characters, or because I thought the writing lacked polish).

So while I’m on target to reach my goal of 150 books read in 2019 , I need to focus more on reading writing or marketing books …

What about you? How many books have you read this year?

16 December 2019

Book Review | Falling for the Foe by Milla Holt

Nia Asaba is an Ugandan health worker with strong opinions about the ethics of big pharmaceutical companies, opinions which often get her in trouble. But she thinks it’s more important to ensure the people of her country have access to affordable and reliable HIV/AIDS medication and care.

Magnus Klassen is the CEO of Nordic Wind Pharmaceuticals, developers of a revolutionary new HIV treatment. But their stock prices are falling, due to bad publicity following a post from a random blogger named Nia Asaba.

So it’s up to Marcus to visit Uganda and try and reverse the effects of the bad publicity by offering the Ugandan government some of their new vaccine.

Of course, Nia and Marcus are thrown together, and sparks fly as they’re united by their combined passion for good healthcare and all things Jane Austen (I have to love a hero who reads and loves Jane Austen, and who finds Emma Woodhouse as annoying as I do).

Falling for the Foe is an excellent first novel.

It has a unique plot and setting, which places a fascinating spin on what could have been a mundane repetition of the falling-for-the-billionaire trope (no, it’s not my favourite). But I do love intelligent and strong-minded heroines, which is why liked Nia from the get-go and wanted only good things to happen to her (but this is a romance novel, and we know a good romance never runs smoothly).

I especially liked the way Marcus’s backstory was introduced. Our first impulse was to not like him for the way he’d ignored Nia at university, then didn’t even remember her. But, as we got to know him, we found there were good reasons why Marcus didn’t remember Nia, and that brought us back to wanting him to succeed.

But the price of Marcus’s success might be Nia’s failure, which gives the novel plenty of conflict, and a great I-told-you-so ending.

This is the first book in a series, and the second will deal with Marcus’s widowed brother, Ragnar. I’m already looking forward to it!

About Milla Holt

I’m thrilled that you stopped by, and hope you’ll enjoy your visit at my online home!

I write inspirational romance with an international twist, with stories that uplift and encourage. Heroes with honor and integrity and strong, can-do heroines are my thing. And the good guys always get their happy ending. My fiction reflects my Christian faith.

I’m not a fan of writing about myself, but here goes. I used to be a lot of things: a journalist, a communications manager for a health activist group, and a freelance copywriter.

Before all that, I was a diplomatic brat, trailing along as my mother’s job took us to various diverse locations around the world.

Now, I’m homeschooling my children in the east of England and devoting every spare moment to writing.

Find Milla Holt online at:

Website | Facebook

About Falling for the Foe

She can’t stand him. He blames her for his company’s woes. Now, they have to work together.

Nia has devoted her career to fighting for life-saving medicines for Ugandans with HIV. But when first-line treatments begin to fail, she must find a new source of affordable drugs before patients start to die. Too bad she just publicly bashed the head of a pharma company that owns a powerful new anti-HIV drug.

Magnus is poised to market a game-changing HIV drug, but an avalanche of bad PR threatens to destroy his company’s reputation and kill his bottom line. When he travels to Uganda to boost his social justice credentials, he’s not expecting to feel such a deep attraction to the woman whose viral blog post led to all his troubles.

To get what they want they must work together. He’s out to rescue his company and she’s trying to save lives. Neither dreamed their hearts would be on the line.

Find Falling for the Foe online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to Falling for the Foe below:

13 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 115 | Bitter Pill by Richard Mabry

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Bitter Pill from Dr. Richard Mabry. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Bitter Pill

Things were going along just fine. Until the miracle fouled them up.

Each of these individuals becomes linked to the other, and each finds that God has a purpose for them—but, as it often does, the lesson comes with discomfort.

Find Bitter Pill online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.

Share your first line in the comments, and happy reading!

And don’t forget to click here to check out my Amazon shop for my top picks in Christian fiction!

12 December 2019

#ThrowbackThursday | Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay

It’s Throwback Thursday! Today I’m resharing my review of Lizzy and Jane, Katharine Reay’s excellent second novel. Recommended for all foodies!

About Lizzy and Jane

Lizzy and Jane couldn’t be further from Jane Austen’s famous sisters for whom they are named.

Elizabeth left her family’s home in Seattle fifteen years ago to pursue her lifelong dream—chefing her own restaurant in New York City. Jane stayed behind to raise a family. Estranged since their mother’s death many years ago, the circumstances of their lives are about to bring them together once again.

Known for her absolute command of her culinary domain, Elizabeth’s gifts in the kitchen have begun to elude her. And patrons and reviewers are noticing. In need of some rest and an opportunity to recover her passion for cooking, Elizabeth jumps at the excuse to rush to her sister’s bedside when Jane is diagnosed with cancer. After all, Elizabeth did the same for their mother. Perhaps this time, it will make a difference.

As Elizabeth pours her renewed energy into her sister’s care and into her burgeoning interest in Nick, Jane’s handsome coworker, her life begins to evolve from the singular pursuit of her own dream into the beautiful world of family, food, literature, and love that was shattered when she and Jane lost their mother. Will she stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane—and Elizabeth to Nick’s Mr. Darcy—or will she return to the life she has worked so hard to create?

My Review

Elizabeth is the head chef at Feast, a chic New York restaurant. But she’s losing her touch, and when her boss brings in a celebrity chef/marketing expert to restore Feast’s reputation, Elizabeth decides it’s time for a break. She heads to Seattle, Washington, to a home and a father she’s barely seen since she left sixteen years ago. And she heads to an older sister who’s undergoing treatment for breast cancer, the same cancer that killed their mother during Lizzie’s senior year in high school.

Lizzy & Jane has links to Austen, in that sisters Jane and Elizabeth are named for the heroines of their mother’s favourite novel.

It had all the strong writing and characterisation of Dear Mr. Knightley, with the added bonus of an original and compelling plot. Elizabeth has some deep-seated resentment towards Jane, who was never around while their mother was dying. While Elizabeth is in Seattle helping Jane face her health crisis, Elizabeth is also facing her own personal crisis, a crisis of identity and self-belief around her cooking. It’s the one thing she’s always excelled at, yet even that talent seems to be failing her.

There are touches of romance and an underlying Christian theme, but Lizzy & Jane is very much women’s fiction, Lizzy’s story of personal, professional (and spiritual) rediscovery. Recommended.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Katharine Reay

About Katherine Reay

Katherine Reay has enjoyed a life-long affair with the works of Jane Austen and her contemporaries—who provide constant inspiration both for writing and for life. She is the author of three previous novels, and her debut, Dear Mr. Knightley, was a 2014 Christy Award Finalist, winner of the 2014 INSPY Award for Best Debut, and winner of two Carol Awards for Best Debut and Best Contemporary.

Katherine holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and is a wife, mother, runner, and tae kwon do black belt. After living all across the country and a few stops in Europe, Katherine and her family recently moved back to Chicago.

Find Katherine Reay online at:

Website | Facebook | Pinterest| Twitter | Goodreads

You can find Lizzy and Jane online at:

You can read the opening to Lizzy and Jane below:

10 December 2019

Bookish Question #133 | Who is your favourite Christian speculative fiction author?

And what do you like most about his/her books?

I’m not a big speculative fiction reader, which makes this question both easy and hard to answer. Hard, because I haven’t read a lot of Christian speculative fiction (and some of what I have read I don’t necessarily class as speculative), so I don’t have a lot of authors to choose from. But not having a lot of authors to choose from also makes the decision easy. Well, easier.

First I’m going to discuss an author I haven’t chosen as my favourite speculative fiction author: Adam Collings.

Now, I will admit to some bias here because I’m lucky enough to be Adam’s editor (which means I get to read the books first). Adam writes science fiction, which is technically included in speculative fiction, but which I consider a separate genre.

I read a lot of sci fi as a teenager, and I’m a big fan of TV science fiction, especially Stargate, Star Trek (especially The Next Generation), and Battlestar Galactica (proof that the remake can be better than the original).

Adam’s Jewel of the Star series combines elements of Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica, in that it’s set on a cruise ship (a spaceship cruise ship) that appears to harbour the only survivors of an alien attack on earth. The second episode, A New Reality, has just released, and you can click here to check out Adam’s books on Amazon.

But what about true speculative fiction?

My choice is Nadine Brandes, on the basis of reading Fawkes (a 2019 Carol Award winner), and Romanov. Fawkes is an alternate retelling of the story of Guy Fawkes and his attempt to destroy the English Houses of Parliament in 1605, told from the viewpoint of Thomas Fawkes, Guy’s son. It’s an intriguing reimagination of a well-known story, one we hear every November at Guy Fawkes’s night aka Bonfire Night … or when we Kiwis let off our fireworks each year.

Click here to read my review of Fawkes.

Romanov is a reimagination of an equally intriguing tale: the last days of the Romanovs, the Russian Imperial Family, told from the point of view of Anastasia, the youngest daughter who rumour once said survived the slaughter of her family at the hands of the Bolsheveks.

Click here to read my review of Romanov.

If you’re interested in speculative fiction, then check out Nadine Brandes and her books. And if you’re an author wanting ideas around how to build an author platform, check out Nadine Brandes. She has a brilliant Instagram account, and her newsletter is excellent.

What about you? Who is your favourite Christian speculative fiction author?

9 December 2019

Book Review | An Agent for Phoebe by Nerys Leigh

I’ve reviewed Nerys Leigh’s previous contributions to The Pinkerton Matchmaker series, and have enjoyed them all (An Agent for Belle, An Agent for Clara, and An Agent for Kitty). I enjoyed An Agent for Phoebe as much, if not more.

Phoebe has already survived twelve unpleasant years of marriage, and has no intention of repeating the experience. As such, she is less than impressed when she arrives at the Pinkerton Detective Agency to be trained as a detective and finds the first requirement is that she marry the male agent who will train her. Jonah Hays is equally unimpressed. He has no desire to chain himself to a female.

(As an aside, I do wonder when the owners of the Pinkerton Detective Agency are going to realise the flaws in their clever plan: should their matched agents decide to stay married, the female will need to leave when she starts the inevitable family. And what happens if they don’t remain married? Will the agency owners allow the women to investigate alone? No matter. Thinking about such questions undermines the entire premise of this excellent series.)

It was refreshing to read about an older couple—Phoebe is forty-one, and Jonah is thirty-nine. As such, they are both intelligent adults who know their own minds. I’m getting too old to be interested in characters who behave like immature teens, and that’s one thing I appreciate about Nerys Leigh’s heroes and heroines.

The story itself was excellent.

It’s set in the real-life Black Hawk, Colorado, and the book emphasised the working conditions in and around the mines, especially the smell. I’ve visited old mine sites here in New Zealand, so could well imagine the conditions, but had never thought of how noisy or smelly it would be.

The case itself ran about as smoothly as expected, and I was impressed with some of the small details in the plot (which I won’t mention, because #spoilers). But my favourite aspect was the fast-paced and witty dialogue. It was a pleasure to read, and I recommend An Agent for Phoebe.

Thanks to the author for providing a free ebook for review.

About Nerys Leigh

Nerys Leigh writes thoroughly romantic Christian historical love stories. She loves heroes who are strong but sweet and heroines who are willing to fight for the life they want.

She’s from the UK, which you would think puts her in a unique position to not write about mail order brides in the American west, but the old adage of writing what you know has never appealed to her. She has an actual American read each book before publishing to make sure she hasn’t gone all English on it.

No One’s Bride is the first in the Escape to the West series which tells the stories of a group of women willing to travel across America to find happiness, and the men determined to win their hearts.

You can find Nerys Leigh online relaxing and generally enjoying the view at:

Website | Facebook

About An Agent for Phoebe

She’ll risk her life, but can she risk her heart?

At forty-one, Phoebe finally knows what she wants in life, and it isn’t another husband. Her first marriage was enough to convince her that she’s done with men.

Becoming a Pinkerton agent seems like the perfect way to true independence, until she discovers she must temporarily marry her training agent. Of course, some women might find Jonah Hays’ good looks and kind nature attractive.

But not Phoebe.

She’s done with men.

When the search for a missing accountant amongst the mountains and gold mines of Colorado becomes a desperate struggle for survival, she and Jonah grow closer. And the walls around her heart begin to crumble.

Although she’s still done with men.

Maybe.

Find An Agent for Phoebe online at:

Amazon | Goodreads

Read the introduction to An Agent for Phoebe below:

6 December 2019

First Line Friday | Week 114 | Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson

It’s First Line Friday! That means it’s time to pick up the nearest book and quote the first line. Today I’m sharing from Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson. Here’s the first line of Chapter One:

(Does that graphic look blurry to you? I create my graphics in Canva, and they’ve “upgraded” me to Canva 2.0. I’m not sold. Or do I need new glasses for Christmas?)

What’s the book nearest you, and what’s the first line?

About Christmas in Winter Hill:

Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager . . . well, manages.

As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake. She doesn’t always feel welcomed in the close-knit town, and Emily continually wonders, “Where’s the snow?” Can a friendly stranger and his family help restore Krista’s Christmas spirit before the big day?

You can find Christmas in Winter Hill online at:

Amazon | ChristianBook | Goodreads | Koorong

Click the button to check out what my fabulous fellow FirstLineFriday bloggers are sharing today:

You can then click the link which will take you to the master page of all this week’s #FirstLineFriday posts.

And you can click here to check out my previous FirstLineFriday posts.