Category: Book Review

Book Review: Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

An original and fun trilogy from Jennifer Rogers Spinola

Southern Fried Sushi: A Novel is written in the first person, which may put some readers off.  However, I would encourage those people to give it a try – they will be pleasantly surprised.  Shiloh, the narrator, is an award-winning journalist who grew up in New York and who is now working for Associated Press in Tokyo and engaged to Carlos from Argentina, who is also based in Tokyo.  She is hardworking, ambitious, loves all things Japanese (particularly the food), and never wants to leave, particularly as she is estranged from her flaky mother and the father who abandoned them both.

The sudden death of her mother forces Shiloh to return to the States to attend the funeral and deal with the estate. Here, she meets a number of Christians in the very best sense. These are not just characters who say grace before meals and attend church on Sunday. These are the Christians we should all aspire to be – people who praise God, who trust in Him in all circumstances, who reach out and befriend others, and who actively talk about their faith in a natural way because God is such an important part of their lives. Shiloh discovers that her mother had changed dramatically from the flaky woman she remembered, and as she begins to understand what caused those changes, Shiloh, too, begins to change.

I really enjoyed Southern Fried Sushi: A Novel.It is a well-written novel with a cast of likable characters, and some very funny scenes around Southern cuisine – as a New Zealander, I could certainly understand the culture shock Shiloh felt in moving from Tokyo to small-town Virginia. While it is not a traditional genre romance (with the boy-meets-girl, fall-in-love, live-happily-ever-after formula), it is a romance in the sense that it describes a series of relationships built on love – relationships between friends, between husband and wife, between us and God.

Southern Fried Sushi preaches a clear gospel message without falling into a trap of saccharine sermonising. This is what Christian fiction should be.

This review was previously published at Iola’s Christian Reads. Thanks to NetGalley for providing  a free ebook for review.

Book Review: The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren

Susan May Warren delivers one of my favourite series

The marriage of Eli and Noelle Hueston has been going steadily downhill since the death of their teenage daughter in a store shooting.  Eli blames himself for her death, and has since retired from his job as Sheriff, and spends his time either fishing or helping out Lee Nelson, who lost her husband in the same shooting. Noelle is barely surviving, and spends her time volunteering, but has made the decision that she is going to live again. A twist of fate finds her caught up in another shore shooting, but while she does not die, she loses all memory of the last 25 years. As Noelle starts to get to know her husband and two sons again, Eli realises that he has to get to know Noelle again.

I really enjoyed The Shadow of Your Smile, more so than I expected based on the plot summary.  As well as the main plot, there is a very sweet romantic sub-plot involving Eli and Noelle’s oldest son, Kyle, now a deputy in Deep Haven.  As always, Susan May Warren has delivered a book that satisfies on many levels, with likeable characters, a nice romance, a bit of suspense, and some thought-provoking plot lines.

While the Deep Haven novels are all happy-ever-after romances (well, what do you expect from a series where the first book is titled ‘Happily Ever After’?), above all, each book is a story of the power of God to heal our pain.  The Shadow of Your Smile is no exception.  This is the fifth Deep Haven book, and hopefully won’t be the last.  It features cameo appearances from many characters in the earlier books, including Liza Beaumont, the local potter.  I’m still anxiously waiting for Susan May Warren to tell us Liza’s story.  Perhaps she will meet a good-looking Nashville music producer?

This review was previously posted at Iola’s Christian Reads. Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

What Are You Reading?

What were you reading in March?

What Christian fiction have you been reading over the last month? And what are you planning to read in April? Here are my recommended reads from March, and what I’ll be reading in April.

Reading March 2016

The best novels I’ve read over the last month were:

Step by Step by Candace Calvert (click here to read my review at Suspense Sisters Reviews)
The Hearts we Mend by Kathryn Springer (click here to read my review)
The Pounamu Prophecy by Cindy Williams (click here to read my review)
Hidden by Vannetta Chapman (click here to read my review at Reality Calling)

I’m looking forward to my April reads: I’ve got Close to You, the debut novel from Kiwi author Kara Isaac (great to see something set in my part of the world!), as well as some mysteries and a family drama, Breaking Free by Jennifer Slattery.

What were the best novels you read in March? And what are you planning to read in April?