The Violin Maker's Secret

 

The Violin Maker's Secret

By: Evie Woods

Genre: Fiction

Summary:

A violin turned into an airport lost and found unites 3 people as they race to uncover it's past. As they try to stay one step ahead of the thief who wants the violin back, they experience the magic that makes the violin unique. 

Once you open the pages of The Violin Maker's Secret, be prepared to go on an adventure! Evie Woods will take you back to the early 1800s to walk you through this special instrument's inception, creation and it's journey to 2025. You'll read how a jealous sibling leads to her sister's soul being encaptured within the wood used to make the violin. This leads to the gift each owner of the violin thenceforth experiences.

Evie Woods introduces you to the violin when it's found in Heathrow airport's lost and found in 2025. Devlin, a baggage claim handler for the airport, buys it as a present for his girlfriend. Not only does said girlfriend not want to instrument (she was expecting an engagement ring), but a break-in accompanied by a threatening message referring to the violin forces Devlin to go on the run. His first stop is his former teacher, Walter. Walter then leads them to an appraiser's shop belonging to a friend. While the friend isn't there, his daughter, Gabrielle, is. All 3 experience the magic of the violin and band together to keep the thieves from getting it back. In doing so, they set out to track the maker of the violin in the hopes answers to their problem will also be found.

What ensues is a country crossing adventure 3 lonely individuals band together for. You also get and amazing story of the violin's life. You'll read how each owner's life is impacted- good or bad- by possessing the violin. You'll meet the woman determined, through whatever means necessary, to get back the one thing that mattered most to her. 

Friendship form, love blossoms and greed leads to an undoing as you read The Violin Maker's Secret. I loved it and will be at my bookstore to be buy once it opens. Evie Woods is amazing at telling stories that just engulf you wholeheartedly, and her newest release is no exception. Happy Reading!

Don't Stop Praying

 

Don't Stop Praying

By: Matthew West

Genre: Christian Non-Fiction/Christian Living

Summary:

Join Matthew West in his latest addition to his book repertoire. Not only does Matthew pick the Lord's Prayer apart and take you through it line by line, he pulls the curtain back on it to explain it. He brings in personal experiences from his own life to show how they influenced, or strengthened, his own prayer  life. And, since it's the name of one of his songs, he talks about the origin of how the song came to be and the impact it had on him.

When you hear the name Matthew West, most of us connect him to the Christian music he's put out. However, he's been adding author to his name over the years, as well. I've always enjoyed his past books, so I expected nothing different with Don't Stop Praying. And I wasn't disappointed.

He starts the book of with telling you of an exercise he and one of his daughter's did while at a camp. When you have to be a 2 person team and one of them is blindfolded, you just know a lesson is in the making. When the blindfolded one is depended on the other's voice- and that voice is eventually silenced except for one statement, things just got real. The 2 are always near, never really separated. But how easy it was to forget the instructions given in the beginning when real life confusion sets in. 

So, yeah. I was hooked. **All participants were safe and never injured. (Just in case you were concerned. Like I was)

Matthew tackles the role of prayer in our lives. My favorite part was when he dissected The Lord's Prayer- line by line. He explains each line and how it applies to our lives now. He reminds you how powerful prayer is- even when you don't see the results you wanted. He informs you the whole purpose behind prayer and the connection with God is starts.

He lists the different types of prayer- for strength, courage, miracles. He doesn't leave out the controversial- pray for your enemies. Not a loved one, but a necessary one. He explains why praying for the people you don't like is important. Again, not everyone's favorite prayer topic, but a necessary one.

Each chapter ends with a prayer challenge and questions to dig deeper with. So Matthew really makes the book an interactive read for you to engage with instead of just read. And while the book isn't a long one (around 270 pages), he packs a lot into those pages.

If you're looking to work on your prayer life, I encourage you to pick this book up. If you're looking to challenge your prayer life, I encourage you to let Don't Stop Praying be a way to do it.