Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

In a wonderful new work of historical fiction by author Helena P. Schrader, Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian D'Ibelin and the Third Crusade (Balian D'Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem) has a story line that kept me obsessively turning the pages from the very first all the way through to the very last. The third book in the series, this story follows the enigmatic Balian d'Ibelin as he continues in his efforts to regain what has lost and to free the thousands of Christians being held captive by the Saracens. A partnership with the Crusaders, led by Richard the Lionheart, looks promising, but is certainly not without its own complications. Will Balian achieve his hope of freedom for the enslaved Christians and hope for his land? You'll need to read this epic book to find out.

Wow. Just, wow. That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading Envoy of Jerusalem: Balian D'Ibelin and the Third Crusade. This book was an action packed thrill ride that I simply could not put down! Author Helena P. Schrader has done a masterful job of writing this book, and providing an accurate historical context for her story line. Any reader who enjoys historical fiction, action, adventure, thrilling reads, or just a great work of fiction in general should absolutely give this book a chance. I highly recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from author Helena P. Schrader as soon as I possibly can!

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

The Fisherman's Bride: The Untold Story of the Wife of Simon Peter by Catherine Magia is the kind of literature I haven’t read for a long time. Just the idea of writing about the wife of one of the eminent figures in Christian literature, Simon Peter, is appealing. But the execution is what will haunt readers; it’s a very engaging and entertaining story. This woman without a name refused to marry a wealthy man, just to end up with the fisherman of Galilee, Simon Peter, a man who was poor and harbored a disturbing restlessness within. She’s witnessed the domination by the Romans and suffered all sorts of hardships. But the witness of a miracle performed by Jesus, the young carpenter, will change her life forever, setting her on a spiritual path.

Told in the first person, absorbing narrative voice, The Fisherman's Bride: The Untold Story of the Wife of Simon Peter takes readers on a journey that involves tradition, history, a man named Jesus, and a spiritual revolution, silent like the wind. The story is filled with many spiritual lessons and insights. One that I loved the most is: “To soar, we must forsake the self and allow it to die, as He died. I did not come without a struggle. Indeed, few of us do.” And there are many such insights. The setting is vivid and flourishing with biblical and historical references. The biblical references are powerful and the author deftly combines a bubbling imagination with biblical narratives to create a character that readers will embrace lovingly.

Catherine Magia has written a book that Christians will love to read, a story that is as inspiring as it is engaging. I have never read anything like this! The characters are glorious, the writing fascinating, with words flowing like a spell, and a plot that takes readers on a spiritual odyssey into the center of their own hearts.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

It's a bold task to take on writing a 400-page plus book based on the life of an obscure English midwife who lived in the 1600s. But that is the challenge Annelisa Christensen gave herself with The Popish Midwife, after studying court transcripts about the trial and conviction of the courageous Elizabeth Cellier, who dared to write a book disclosing the brutality and inhumane treatment of those imprisoned for even minor offences in Newgate Prison.

The Popish Midwife takes place at the end of the puritanical, strict era of Oliver Cromwell, when King Charles II was returned to the throne. While people celebrated the new freedom, the country was far from safe or healthy, especially for Catholics. As a Catholic, Elizabeth was ever exposed to danger as she went about her work of helping mothers give birth. She also spent much of her time taking food to prison inmates and, as she did so, she saw and heard first hand so much of man's inhumanity to man. She felt compelled to bring these brutal practices to the attention of those she believed would care as much as she did. The reward for the efforts of this aging, unwell but brave woman was incarceration in the very place she fought to expose: Newgate.

Historical fiction buffs will love The Popish Midwife, but it is written in first person, as if it were a memoir. That, for me, makes what Annelisa Christensen has achieved in this book even more impressive: it has all the requirements of great historical fiction, including an adherence to the language of the 1600s, but it is touching and real the way a well-written memoir should be. The author spent years researching her story and her attention to detail and fact, the historical period, customs, and dialects give The Popish Midwife authenticity. But it is Annelisa Christensen's considerable writing talent that makes this an absorbing, worthwhile read even for those who, like me, aren't fans of historical fiction, but love a well-written story that keeps one turning the pages and wondering what will happen next. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Keep the Flame: Early Christianity Comes to Life by Susan Preston is book four in The Apostle John Series, a great novel that showcases the challenges of early Christianity, the collision of religious traditions, and the spiritual path — seen from an alternative world, beyond the scriptures — of great characters of faith. In this thrilling story, the author introduces readers to characters like Rachel, who has a hard time accepting Christianity, the grandson of Old Simon, and a host of other brilliant characters. In this thrilling entry, the author takes readers on a journey of what following Christ entailed in the early 1st Century AD, the conflicts that existed, the hurts, and the question of John’s destiny.

Susan Preston’s work is really inspirational, a story that is filled with realism and humanity. Her characters are well-sculpted, and it will be interesting to see how she masterfully blends elements from scripture into the compelling story. The characters leap from the pages of the book with life, and the prose itself makes it an enjoyable read. The narrative voice is very compelling and the author has the gift of making readers care about these characters that will surely be remembered long after the read. The conflict evolves steadily, developed at the different levels of the story. The author uses subplots to create a permeating sense of suspense. Susan Preston has taken biblical characters and transformed them into characters who seem to walk the same path with readers. Keep the Flame: Early Christianity Comes to Life is spellbinding, a hard-to-put-down kind of book.

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

The mail-order bride. Just the idea has intrigued me since I learned of the concept as a little girl. When I saw that this was the premise of Amazing Grace: Book Three of the Hymns of the West Series by author Faith Blum, I knew I wanted to read it. Following the story of Tennessee farmer Caleb Stuart and his desire for a wife, and his eventual finding of widowed Maggie MacDougall and their courtship through letters, Amazing Grace is a sweet and lovely story of finding love in an unconventional way. Caleb, who is a shy, “to himself” kind of guy, longs for a partner and helpmeet in life. When the devoutly Christian Maggie and her spunky daughter Rachel are put in his path, it’s not immediately certain that they will be a match. But through letters and time, their paths become clear.

I very much enjoyed this delightful story. There are certainly very strong Christian undertones, and Faith Blum’s writing does much to espouse the glory of God. The story is a simple and good read, filled with interesting characters that have had to deal with many difficult challenges, but still do their utmost to be the best person they can be. Faith in God and in prayer are an important aspect in Amazing Grace and author Faith Blum handles these themes with delicacy and subtlety. This book would appeal to any reader who is looking for a sweet romance, likes historical fiction, and who enjoys reading books with a strong Christian focus. I was pleased to see that Faith Blum plans to continue writing in this series, and will look forward to the next book!

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

Hold the Faith: Early Christianity Comes to Life, The Apostle John series by Susan MB Preston tells the story of John. John is the author of what many people consider the definitive gospel on the life of Christ. I read and studied this gospel and most of the Bible as a boy growing up in Alabama. I often found myself wishing I knew more about the lives of the people mentioned. I realized that these people lived with rules very different from ours and I wished I knew more about that life. Bible verses are terse and usually give the bare minimum of description, mostly just concentrating on telling the reader what occurred. Susan MB Preston has invested a lot of time in historical research to tell the story of John and his family so that we can relate to them as people like us with a family similar to ours.

In my opinion, the author has succeeded admirably. The writing in Hold the Faith is top notch. The details of life in 92 AD are descriptive and bring the past to life. Susan MB Preston shows us the stress between the followers of Jesus and the Orthodox Jews. We see the pain and politics of the Roman occupation of Ephesus in Asia Minor, but just as importantly we see the daily life of ordinary people. John is old by 92 AD and we see most of this story through the eyes of his great-grandson Benjamin, and other young people. The characters are portrayed very well, bringing a new perspective to an old story. Susan MB Preston has done a great service for Christians everywhere by bringing this story to life.

Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite

The Castle by Lorilyn Roberts is book three in a Young Adult (Christian) fantasy series. Daniel finds himself trapped in a seventh dimension where “time is an illusion.” Here many events from history appear to merge or connect – from events in Palestine at the time of Christ to trains taking Jews to Auschwitz. Concerned to rescue his father from a castle, escape the seventh dimension and get back to 2015, Daniel must complete the journey that God has for him. In the same dimension, a girl called Shale encourages Daniel, but he finds it hard to believe that a man called Yeshua is the Jews’ Messiah. Daniel witnesses the events that led up to the crucifixion. He then needs to find a special set of scrolls that contain the truth about Yeshua and His followers, and place them where they will be found many centuries into the future. All the while he must evade capture by the Roman soldiers who mistakenly believe him to be an abductor, murderer and escaped prisoner.

The Castle is beautifully written with an intriguing, well thought out plot that carries the reader through mystery, danger, horror and amazement. I liked the way Roberts connects Daniel’s modern day belief as a young Jew with the events of two thousand years ago, and his desire to make sense of things and find a truth. The dreams, memories and apparitions that affect Daniel give the story layers of mystical intrigue. The characters are strong and believable, and Daniel himself is very likeable. I love the way he grows and develops spiritually and emotionally through the story (especially the point where he chooses to help a man who wronged him), eventually piecing his life’s purpose or meaning together. The action and suspense-filled plot gradually link all the different parts of the story, ending in a satisfying way. This is a book that has been written with great care and thought. It refers to many Biblical references, and ties major and significant historical events into a plot where fictitious characters are used to convey a profound message, as well as entertain. Recommended.

Reviewed by Tiffany Davis for Readers' Favorite

The Daughters of Jim Farrell is a Christian novel written by Sylvia Bambola. This story is set in the coal mine industry in the 1800s when poverty was at an all time high. Jim Farrell was hanged for murder, and as a result his wife turned their home into a boarding house to maintain herself and her daughters. The oldest daughter, Kate, had a hard time believing that her father committed the crime and set her mind to finding out the truth. After pleading with her sisters, they all band together and hire a private investigator to seek the truth. This story tests the faith of the entire family but especially the sisters' trust in one another. Sylvia Bambola did a great job with tying the story together and making the reader understand the emotions of each of the crazy occurrences. The daughters of Jim Farrell did not realize that by simply questioning their father's death they would be faced with so many unanswered questions.

The plot of the story was good from the very beginning. The story is totally well written and takes you on a suspenseful journey through a small town mentality of family and belief. This Christian novel left no questions unanswered and provided very good details to the background of the story, allowing the reader feel the intensity of each and every word. This is definitely a very well written, excellent novel!

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Annabelle Ross has lost so much to the Civil War and now she faces the fear of losing the plantation that had been her family home for generations. Having nursed countless soldiers when the house was turned into a hospital, she's not surprised to find letters hidden in the patients' pockets, messages that need to reach their destination. A cryptic letter, however, leads her into a quagmire of espionage at the losing end of the war, a war that no one can really win when so many lives have been lost and so many families split by divided loyalties. And now the life of President Lincoln is at risk and Annabelle finds that she is caught in the middle of the plot. The subplots are intriguing as well, like the plan to wed Annabelle against her wishes to her step-mother's brother.

Stephenia H. McGee's novel, Leveraging Lincoln: A Civil War Novel (The Liberator Series) (Volume 1), is the first in a series that finds Annabelle and her co-conspirator-turned-love, Matthew Daniels, caught up in espionage and subterfuge to eliminate President Lincoln. The story is well constructed with good characterization and lots of descriptive passages. In fact, it's quite the page-turner. The only disappointment is that the well developed plot really has no resolution. Otherwise, this is a powerful tale of survival in the southern states at the end of the American Civil War. Overall, a great read.

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Defender of Jerusalem: A Biographical Novel of Balian d’Ibelin is an historical novel written by Helena P. Schrader. This is the second book in Schrader’s historical trilogy which follows the life of Balian d’Ibelin during the 12th century. The author precedes her story with a detailed list of characters, the family trees of the Ibelin family, the kings and queens of Jerusalem and the Greek/Byzantine Emperors, as well as maps of modern-day Jerusalem, the 12th century kingdom of Jerusalem and a map showing the Baronies of Jerusalem. In her introduction, Schrader gives a brief digest of the contents of the first book in the series, Knight of Jerusalem, which followed Ibelin’s life from 1171-1177. As the youngest son of the first Baron d’Ibelin, Balian was landless and was charged by Jerusalem’s King Amalric to care for young Prince Baldwin, who had been diagnosed as having leprosy. The two became close friends; a relationship which survived Amalric’s sudden demise and Baldwin’s unexpected accession to the crown. At first, little changed within the kingdom until Baldwin reached his majority. He then turned from the advice and counsel of his former regent to that of his mother, Agnes de Courtenay, whose ambition and bitterness towards Maria Comnena, Amalric’s second wife would precipitate a rift between Balian and his former royal friend. Before that break, however, Baldwin approved the marriage of Ibelin to his step-mother, the dowager queen, Maria Comnena, and persuaded Ibelin’s eldest brother to give Balian the barony known as Ibelin.

In the opening pages of Defender of Jerusalem, the barons and counselors to Baldwin have met to discuss their lack of access to the dying king. Agnes, his mother, has blocked all of them, supposedly to protect him, but Balian knew exactly how to get past the gatekeeper and gain access to his friend. Baldwin’s main concern during his illness was for the future of Jerusalem if he should die, which he fully expected would happen. His younger sister, Sibylla, would have to be married off, and quickly, as she was not queen material and would need a strong hand to guide her. While the fever that had nearly killed the king had abated, his concerns about the succession remained; however, his plans ran counter to everything that Balian and his other counselors recommended. She would marry the Duke of Burgundy, a match that would empower the kingdom, but Baldwin’s plans for Princess Isabella, Maria’s daughter from Amalric, caused the beginning of that great rift between Ibelin and Baldwin. The eight-year-old, who lived with her mother and Ibelin, would be married off to Humphrey de Toron, and while the marriage would still be some years away, she would be leaving immediately to live with him in Kerak, under the care and supervision of his mother, Stephanie de Milly. This, Agnes de Courtenay believed, would remove Isabella from the influence of Balian and her mother.

This was the worst of times for a break in ties between the ailing king and his traditional counselors as relations between Jerusalem and the Kurdish leader, Salah ad-Din, continued to break down. A series of skirmishes between the Christian Franks and the Muslims seemed destined to end any attempts at truces and negotiations. Truces were often broken by barons for their own profit or glory, giving no thought to the impact of their action on the kingdom. While Jerusalem had the barons, the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers to defend the Kingdom and the Holy City, there was no getting past the fact that Salah ad-Din had infinitely larger forces at his command. There was so much at stake as well. Jerusalem had historic religious importance to both Christians and Muslims, and the pilgrims who arrived daily had to be kept safe.

Helena P. Schrader’s historical novel, Defender of Jerusalem: A Biographical Novel of Balian d’Ibelin, is a meticulously researched and well-written work that examines a crucial time in the history of the Christian occupation of Jerusalem. This is a complex, professional and intellectually challenging work that is well worth the effort a reader will put into it. The author’s introductory materials and digest of the first book in the series were infinitely valuable for me as reference tools as I began reading. I had not read the first book, and while I was able to enjoy and appreciate Defender of Jerusalem, I found myself wishing I had begun with the first book in the series -- the story is that good. Schrader makes this time in history come alive. The reader gets a real feel for the culture in Jerusalem and the Middle East at the time both for the Christians and, to a lesser extent, the Muslims. She eloquently conveys the impact of the Crusades on the area and the challenges faced by the Christians who settled and had made the kingdom their home. I was fascinated by the political machinations that take place in Defender of Jerusalem and found myself often reminded of Robert Graves’ biographical novel, I, Claudius, as I watched children being wrested from their families and royal babies dying untimely deaths. While there is no villain in Defender of Jerusalem quite as ambitious and evil as Livia, Claudius’ grandmother, some characters in this tale come relatively close.

Schrader’s battle scenes, and there are lots of them, are brilliant. She gets the confusion and chaos of hand-to-hand combat and graphically conveys the sounds of battle, the shouting and the screams of horses, and the sight of the almost mesmerized combatants fighting desperately and at times nearly insensibly. Her Leper King is valiant, unforgettable and larger than life as he grips on his charger with his legs, having lost the use of his hands and leads his troops into battle. Balian is seen at home, on the battleground, and in the midst of diplomatic discussions where thousands of lives are at stake, and it’s a joy to see how he rises to each occasion and becomes a true statesman.

The author concludes her tale with an Historical Note which details the factual basis for her plot, and then she discusses those areas where she blended fiction in with those facts. There’s also a fascinating historical note on leprosy, a glossary, and an extensive list of recommended readings. I was so impressed by the depth of Schrader’s research and the job she did in recreating what was for me, at least, a little known historical time and place. Defender of Jerusalem: A Biographical Novel of Balian d’Ibelin is a grand read. It’s not light reading, but it’s so worth any initial effort getting involved with the characters and the history behind it. This historical novel is most highly recommended.