May you take time to take a praise pause today and just reflect on God’s goodness, mercy and love. Be blessed to be a blessing!
Month: August 2022
Review of THE NEW NEIGHBOR by Karen Cleveland
I have read all the books in the series and enjoyed each one thoroughly. This latest Beth Bradford book required that I pay close attention to all of the details or I would get lost in them. There are a lot of characters and a lot of spy action constantly happening, with unexpected plot twists, some of them not believable but there nonetheless. In this story, Beth has lost all that is important to her…her marriage is on the rocks, her youngest son has left for college and her beloved family home has been sold. All she has to cling to is her job as a CIA analyst and her quest to find an Iranian intelligence operative known as “the Neighbor.” However, even her job is jerked out from under her as she is sent to a new place and a new assignment, with all of her hard work about the Neighbor being given to others or shredded as useless. Determined to find out who the Neighbor is and without the sanction of the CIA, Beth investigates on her own and thinks she has found this super-spy, living in her old house. This is where the plot divulged from possibly reality and I was not sure if Beth was totally sane or not. She pursues the case against Madeline, the new resident, relentlessly and unashamedly insists that her former bosses listen to her case against Madeline. The book is intriguing all the way to the end, but I could not buy into the conclusion. It was not at all what I expected and it was also a bit of a letdown after all of the fast-paced page turning that I did to get there. Beth, the main character, was completely well-developed and likable, although not totally relatable since I don’t really know any CIA agents (at least, not that I know of). The secondary characters were less developed, like well-kept secrets and kind of shady. I decided that was a purposeful act of the author since in doing so, it was hard to guess who the spy actually was. So, good characterization there! I found the book enjoyable and riveting entertainment but not my favorite in the series. I still give it a five-star rating because it kept me glued to the pages to find out what was going to happen to Beth and if she was losing her skill as an analyst just as her boss seemed to think. Fans of domestic suspense, spy thrillers and mystery will enjoy this book and look forward to more from this author who entertains and makes you question the roles of those around you.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
This book is a new release and is available now. It is part of a series but can be definitely read as a standalone. Purchase Links:
A Call to Action
I only hear snippets of news throughout the day because I have purposed to just not listen to all of the negativity. My husband shares things with me that he thinks I need to know and pray about, but my days of watching news broadcasts from morning to evening are long done. I have entered a time of watchful expectation. I see what is going on, I hear what others are saying and I know that the Lord cannot tarry forever. He will have to judge the world for their sins that are polluting the entire earth that He created for good.
No, I am not a prophet and I am not saying that the return of Jesus and God’s judgment are imminent. I am, however, saying to be ready and to be aware that the time is coming. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon seems like he is on a real downer kind of trip. Solomon, the man with hundreds of wives and concubines, a huge palace, servants to do his bidding all the time, and the one who built an impressive temple for God seems to be in a real depression. That man is having some real “come to Jesus” moments in Ecclesiastes and this verse portrays one of them. I agree with him in that everyone should be mourning. What are we mourning? The death of sanity, the loss of common sense and the complete destruction of the moral compass that God put inside mankind but which man in his own attempt at control has chosen to destroy, not just to ignore. Instead of mourning the sins of ourselves and our nation, we seek constant pleasure wherever we can find it, trying desperately to block out that still small voice that insistently calls us to His throne and to repentance. Earlier in this chapter in Ecclesiastes, Solomon says that everyone dies. Well, of course! But everyone does not have to spend eternity in hell as is the destiny of so many who refuse to acknowledge the King. I never realized before that Solomon’s Book of Wisdom is also a call to repentance if we can only pause and listen. The days are short, we just don’t know how short before the Lord’s return. But we do know that we are called to repent, to turn from wickedness and to change our ways. Thus, those of us who are about the business of the Lord are in mourning, for nations and their people who are burying their heads in the sand and thinking that God cannot see them for what they are. Let’s not be foolish but wise. Let’s mourn for the losses but let us also take up the mantle of the Good News and declare His Truth to all, whether they want to hear it or not. They need to hear, and we need to tell.
Have a blessed day, my friends, and may you find the courage to boldly speak the truth to at least one lost soul today.
Forgiven
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 