April | 2010 | Vic's Media Room

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Book Review: Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella D. Sechrist

Cerella D. Sechrist in her new book, “Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania” which is part of the Love Finds You In… series published by Summerside Pressl takes us to Hershey, PA. Though it is part of a series all of these books are stand alone novels so you can read this one alone without missing anything. All of the Love Finds You In… series are set in real cities in states across our great nation and are set in different time periods by different authors. What makes these separate books part of the series is that love is found in each city.

Cerella D. Sechrist takes us to the city of Hershey which was founded by chocolate maker Milton Hershey as a city where those working in his factories would be able to live, now the city is home to more than the workers of the Hershey Corporation. Chef Sadie Spencer has come home to Hershey with her young daughter in an effort to start over. Her career as a TV chef is over, she is a widow and her mother has recently died. To begin anew she starts a restaurant in Hershey and does very well except for one thing: she can’t do deserts very well.

To add to the cast of characters is her estranged father who has come to the Lord and wants to make up for the years he wasted by not being a part of her life. His non-involvement has left a deep emotional wound on Sadie’s life that makes her very distrustful of men. Jasper is her childhood friend who is madly in love with her and everyone knows but her. Add one more, Dmitri Velichko, who may or may not be opening a new restaurant right across the street from hers, and you have a full cast.

This is a story of the power of a father’s love and what happens when it is absent in the life of a young girl. It is also a story of redemption as God can restore the years the locust has eaten if only Sadie will let Him. So will Sadie come to terms with her father? Is Dmitri a real threat? Will Sadie realize that Jasper is her one true love? I am not going to tell you, you are going to have to read the book. Ms. Sechrist is an excellent writer and makes all her characters believable and you care deeply for them as she deftly unfolds the plot before us. This is a nice romance with great themes.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Summerside Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

TV Review: The Mentalist Created by Bruno Heller

April 22, 2010 at 2:13 pm | Posted in Television | Leave a comment

On September 23, 2008 The Mentalist made his television premiere on CBS. Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, an ex con artist who conned individuals into believing he was a psychic medium. His career came to an end when he ridiculed a serial killer named Red John on national TV and was made to pay for it when that killer murdered his wife and daughter. Patrick Jane now works full time as a consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) helping them to solve some really difficult cases.

As portrayed by Simon Baker, Patrick Jane is extremely intelligent, believes that he is always correct and that he is smarter than anyone else in the room. He is extremely observant and uses his old skills to “read” the potential suspects in his cases. Due to his skills he is able to help the CBI close their cases and have great success. He is working with Teresa Lisbon who is the head of the team, Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby, and Grace Van Pelt who round out the staff of investigators.

Patrick Jane is like a 21st Century Sherlock Holmes who uses his observations skills to know where a suspect has been, if they are lying or not and their guilt or innocence. He is a complex character who is great fun to watch and while he may seem to be a loner he needs his team mates to keep him grounded.

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released Season 1 of The Mentalist on DVD so, if you are like I was and missed the first season on TV then you can quickly catch up while staying current with Season Two which is currently airing. This is a wonderful series! This show is clever, smartly written, well acted and great fun to watch.

To listen to 24 Christian music please visit our internet radio station http://www.kingdomairwaves.org

Book Review: “In Harm’s Way” by Irene Hannon

April 21, 2010 at 7:05 am | Posted in Books | 1 Comment
Tags: Book Review, Christian Fiction, Irene Hannon, Romance Fiction, Thriller

I had the privilege of interviewing Irene Hannon, author of “In Harm’s Way” which is the third and final book in the Heroes of Quantico series published by Revell Books. The focus this time is on Nick Bradley, an agent of the FBI’s exclusive Hostage Rescue Team.

The book begins with a kidnapping in Chicago and a woman who does not like the old Raggedy Ann doll that the kidnapped baby enjoys. We know that the kidnapped makes it to St. Louis because that is where Rachel Sutton discovers the Raggedy Ann doll. The drama unfolds because Rachel Sutton has a highly physical and emotional reaction when she touches the doll. She is not a believer in psychic phenomenon but she is having a reaction to this doll. When she learns that the police will discount her as a kook she takes her story to the FBI and Nick Bradley. He is willing to dismiss her except he witnesses her reaction when she touches the doll.

There is a reporter for a supermarket paper that serves as a catalyst to stir up events and which forces Nick and Rachel to be in each others company thus developing their romance. As events occur and the kidnapper, Nick and Rachel are all drawn together this thriller becomes more and more exciting with the last hundred pages being an extremely wild ride. All I can say is imagine going on a roller coaster the beginning of the ride is nothing until you get to the top and experience that first drop then it is nothing but twists, turns upside down loops until the ride ends. This is what Ms. Hannon does to us as readers with this book.

In addition to the nerve-wracking suspense there is also the wonderful theme of how God uses events to bring good to an evil situation. There also is the theme of Nick’s house which is mostly remodeled but it is empty much like the lives of both Nick and Rachel. I think this is Irene Hannon’s best work so far and a fitting end to a wonderful series.

This is a fun read, it is a fast read, however I do not recommend starting this book late at night because it will cost you sleep as you will not want to put it down. Ms. Hannon is an excellent writer and knows how to twist your nerve endings as she tightens the suspense. While we are sad to leave these wonderful characters we look forward to Ms. Hannon’s new series which will be released in January of 2011.

If you missed the interview for “In Harm’s Way” and would like to listen to it and/or would like to hear the previous interviews where we discussed the first and second books please go to http://www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 Christian music please visit our internet radio station http://www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“Available April 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”