Smoke Screen

by Terri Blackstock
Scott County Library paperback 333 pages
genre: contemporary Christian action romance

Nate Beckett is a firefighter who left town as an 18-year-old whose dad had just been arrested for murder. Brenna is a single mom fighting for custody of her kids.

There is plenty of action in the book and a sweet touch of romance. There was enough mystery to keep it interesting. We'll discuss it tonight at book club.

Page 36 - "'I was naive then, Nate,' I said. 'Nothing bad had ever happened to me at that point. I had the perfect life. It was easy to be spiritual.'" This isn't especially profound, but it made me think of how God uses the tough times in life to build us (if we let him) into people of stronger faith.

Page 48 - "Don't ever say that, Nate. I chose him for my husband, and right or wrong, blessed or cursed, I've chosen to live with that decision. You don't break vows just because things don't turn out like you want." I wish more people felt that way about their vows! Not just marriage vows, but let your yes be yes and your no mean no!

Page 73 - "Boxing my arms on the sales counter, I dropped my head on them and prayed with all my heart to the God I still believed in, the one I'd strayed from but not forgotten, to protect my children while they were away from me." Crying out to God is the *best* thing to do when you feel lost. He is faithful!

Page 151 - I'm not going to type it all here, but Brenna talks about Nate's mom's deep faith. She ends with "I wish I had that kind of faith." I love that Nate's mom was so consistently relying on the Lord. Brenna wasn't the only one who noticed.

Every time Brenna chose alcohol over better ways to handle her emotions, I was disappointed. It seems to be a very realistic portrayal of how people can become addicted, but it just wasn't fun to read. "No!" I'd think, "Don't do it!"

Page 274 - "I would breathe all the way home, I thought, and I would breathe through the night. And Tuesday I would breathe throughout court." I liked this idea of simply focusing on breathing and making it through one thing at a time.

Page 280 - I liked when Nate's dad shared that he had said Jeremiah 29:11 every single day of the fourteen years he was in prison. If you dwell in God's word, you will be fed!

Page 285 - "In my own heart, I pled for forgiveness for my attitude toward him." That's a prayer I've had to pray! Sometimes when I'm really upset with someone, I realize that the problem is in my own heart and attitude. It makes me think of the song, "It's not my sister, not my brother, but it's me Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer . . . "

Page 331 - It was so sweet when Nate finally got his dad's approval. It's interesting how sometimes we can be like small children, wanting to get that approval. It can be heartbreaking when it doesn't come.

Page 336 (Her acknowledgements) - "And finally, I'm overflowing with thanks for my husband, Ken Blackstock, who has been my rock in helping me raise our grandson and has given me so much acceptance, grace, and support that it moves me to tears. He models God's love to me every day and is a great example to me. He's the answer to prayers I prayed many years ago." That's a wonderful way to feel about your spouse!

Truth Stained Lies

by Terri Blackstock
Hennepin County Library hardcover 299 pages
genre: Christian fiction, mystery

Liked:
- quick read
- suspence
- character of Michael

Disliked:
- not a very well-developed story
- book club discussion - only two of us read it and the other reader panned it!

"Cathy Cramer is a former lawyer and investigative blogger who writes commentary on high-profile homicides."

When her brother Jay is arrested in connection with his wife's murder, Cathy and her sisters Juliet and Holly work hard to exonerate him and save their nephew.

The first part of the book was full of mystery and clues; the second half was suspenseful.

I marked a bunch of spots but don't want to blog about them. Mostly characters struggling with their faith and some witnessing to others. I also liked Holly being kind to Mrs. Haughton.

Double Minds

by Terri Blackstock
Carver County Library, hard cover, 309 pages

For most of this book, I didn't really enjoy the story. But by the end, I liked it better. I think the afterword was actually my favorite part!

Parker James is a talented song-writer who would love to become a successful singer. When her best friend Serene asks her to re-write some songs so they're more acceptable for a secular audience, Parker really struggles. Worshiping God is the whole reason she wrote the songs in the first place, but a wider audience might be drawn to Serene's Christian songs if she starts getting more air time. This is not the only "double-mindedness" in the story.

The murder mystery angle was interesting, but a bit too drawn out.