Dreamer by Philip L. Davidson

Amazon link for Dreamer

Book Description:
As war between Britain and Argentina looms over the barren Falkland Islands, a group of men, former Green Berets who left the service in disgrace and now live their lives in the 'darkness', are brought together by God to save one of his servants who is being held hostage in a prison at the end of the earth. For one man in the group, the mission is personal, for it is David's wife, Sunny, who is the hostage they are trying to save. Taking the form of one of their dead comrades, God gives them the chance to stand in the light of men once more. But their path is compromised by God's loyal servant, Satan, who places death and betrayal before them. Dreamer takes place in Washington, D.C., Georgia, Mexico, Central America and Argentina. As they fight their way to Los Estados prison, the men encounter the CIA, Contras, the Narco-Terrorists M-19, and Captain Alvarez, who is the head of the Argentine Secret Police. Dreamer is a tale of redemption, love, courage, belief in God and betrayal!

My Review:

Dreamer is the story of good and evil, heaven and hell, God and Satan, all wrapped up in a military adventure/thriller. Haunted by their past, a group of former Green Berets are gathered together for reasons they do not understand. Troubled by their stint in Vietnam, the group rallies to fulfill an oath they took to a now dead member.

Dreamer is an outstanding story that completely held my interest throughout. The story line was action-packed and suspenseful with many unexpected twists. I was impressed with the individual development of all of the characters. Often with a large number of people to keep track of I get a little lost, but with Dreamer every character was unmistakable. Waiting to find out if redemption would come about and determining who specifically Keaton was kept me enthralled.


Listed as religious fiction, this is certainly not your ordinary religious book. Containing some rough language and harsh situations gives Dreamer that gritty realistic essence. I enjoyed the book very much and think that would create much discussion in both religious (not just Christian) and secular book clubs.

This one earns my Fave award :

Inside Awake by Rome Sims ****

Amazon Link: Inside Awake


Inside Awake is a smorgasbord of alt-science ideas and several storylines that come together to deliver plenty of adventure and suspense. There are UFOs, time travelers, native wise men, and an undersea expedition. The book starts out at Lake Eyasi in Tanzania where a strange light is seen and massive deaths occur.

There is good character development with the main characters of the book, David Woodall and Dr. Sharon (Geri) Geraldo, both battered and bruised by their upbringing. There is cautious affection between them, and when Geri leads a team to investigate the deaths, the entire team disappears. Dr. Woodall must overcome his fears to try to find them.

This is a good book with many twists and locations. The time-travel aspect of the story is especially descriptive with the detailed portrayal of the flora and fauna of the time. How did they get there – and will they be able to get back?

I am always drawn to the characters that are a bit psychologically broken and are just barely able to overcome their adversity. I would like to see these two main characters show up in another book by this author.

Desperate Highway *****

Desperate Highway (Amazon Link)

by Jesse Stretch

From the book: Jeff Andrews didn't just scam people; he ripped them off for everything they were worth. He took their homes, cars, planes, boats, even their girlfriends, and spent the money on booze, guns, coke, and limousines.

My Review:

Jeff Andrews was a bad guy, a crook, drug addict, thief, womanizer, and all around jerk. He stole from anyone and everyone and didn’t care. He was so self-focused that he only cared about his own needs and wants. He spent time in 25 jails and correctional facilities. Desperate Highway tells the story of a young man who makes one bad decision after another until his is a full-blown habitual crook.

The book chronicles the years he spent stealing and losing whole fortunes at a time. His life of criminal behavior left him on the run and always fearing detection. He was a hopeless waste of life – until he met the one person who could change his heart and make him someone of worth. While in prison he opened a Gideon Bible, and finally heard the truth about what was important in life, and gave him the one thing he didn’t have - love. Desperate Highway clearly explains that even the worst of the worst have value in God’s eyes, and redemption is always in their reach.

This is an excellent book with an important message. I appreciated the appendixes in the back of the book with information on Jeff Andrews’ ministries. I would have liked to know more about his transition into the ministries, but that does not take away from the importance of the book and the message. Jeff’s life begins where the book ends. According to the book and his website, he is involved with prison ministries and mentoring those just out of prison. Mr. Stretch had done a nice job in capturing the important messages in this book.

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia *****

Amazon link here: The Mystery of the Third Lucretia


From the back of the book: Kari and Lucas first noticed a man copying a famous Rembrandt in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Thanks to Lucas’s photographic memory, they recognize him copying another Rembrandt in the National Gallery during their trip to London. Then when a never-before-seen Rembrandt shows up in Amsterdam, the girls start to think that something unusual – and quite possibly illegal – is going on. The only problem is who’s going to listen to a couple of teenagers?

My Review
What happens when 14 year old girlfriends, Kari and Lucas, show a little too much curiosity around a mysterious artist in a Minneapolis art museum? What happens is an international mystery and intrigue happening around them. Kari and Lucas are delightful characters who are fun, smart, talented and curious. Their adventures take them overseas when Kari’s mother takes a job that allows them to travel with her.

The dialog is spot-on for the age of the characters, and I could almost hear their voices while I was reading. Also, their friendship was true to life, including a few spats. I thought I would be able to say this is a great mystery book for young people, but I enjoyed it so much that I would have no problem recommending the book for parents to read too. (ages 10 - ?) I think it would allow some interesting dialog between parents and young teens.

It would also make a good classroom book. The author has a website with more information on the characters and books. http://www.susanrunholt.com/ Thankfully, this book is a part of a series and I look forward to reading more.

Broken Wing by Judith James *****

From the publisher:
Abandoned as a child and raised in a brothel, Gabriel St. Croix has never known tenderness, friendship, or affection. Although fluent in sex, he knows nothing of love. Lost and alone inside a nightmare world, all he's ever wanted was companionship and a place to belong. Hiding physical and emotional scars behind an icy façade, his only relationship is with a young boy he has spent the last five years protecting from the brutal reality of their environment. But all that is about to change. The boy's family has found him, and they are coming to take him home.

You may purchase this book at amazon.com by clicking here:

Broken Wing
My review:
How wounded does a soul have to be before it is too late to turn it around? The character Gabriel, abused as a child and broken in spirit, takes the reader on a journey of the possibility of love and redemption. But is his psyche too badly bruised to heal? Sarah, strong willed and independent, can see beyond his gruff and emotionally detached manner. When his past comes back to haunt him, she may be the only one who can reach in and grab him back as he slips into an emotional nothingness. The author captures very well the traumatic aftermath of child sexual abuse.

While romance is not normally my chosen genre, the premise of this book appealed to me, and it did not disappoint. Broken Wing is much more than an historical romance, but also bursts into an action and adventure drama. Needing money, Gabriel takes off for the high seas engaging in dangerous but lucrative privateering. He then gets caught up in the horrors of war which only causes him to slide back emotionally.

This is a very well written book, stunning in its tragedy, and emotionally grabbing. The locations and situations are exciting and well described. The story moves quickly and smoothly, and each character is well developed. This book is very deserving of the 2009 IPPY Award (Gold) for Romance. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Note: if books had ratings this would be a strong R rating.

You may purchase this book at amazon.com by clicking here:

Broken Wing