Iris, A Review @KyleReardon

Tea and Book was first created so I could introduce you all to new writers. Over the three plus years it has been in existence, I have been thrilled to introduce you to some really excellent authors. Today, I am going to do it again. And this time, it's a brand new format for us! 

Author Kyle Reardon is bringing us the first part of his brand new comic book, Iris. 

Iris addresses some issues that we may soon have to deal with..

BLURB: IRIS BRECKENRIDGE, gold medal Winter Olympic athlete, has met an early and tragic end. A science and technology firm, BIOSTRONOMY, resurrects her by filling her body with nanobots - tiny microscopic robots repairing and replacing every broken and damaged cell in her body. These nanobots also have a knack for making her stronger than ever - more powerful every day. IRIS now faces an uncertain future.  Given a second chance at life she never thought she would need, IRIS faces a world convinced her body is a piece of technology BIOSTRONOMY believes they own,.  IRIS searches for meaning and uses for her growing physical strength, encountering difficult questions of faith along the way. She is a woman once dead but alive again, however unnaturally. What debt does she owe and to whom? And what of her soul?

Hmmm, some pretty heavy thoughts for comic book.. They sure have come a long way since we had that grocery bag full of Superman Comic books (and yes we gave them away).

I was uncertain just what I would think when I received this ARC.. but I truly liked the premise and the concept. So I thought what the heck, let's give this a try. What I discovered was a well thought out storyline about things that are not really Science Fiction. This certainly could be happening in the very near future Shoot Lyndsay Sands has an entire series based on nanos keeping her people in "peak physical form" but Kyle takes it one step further, his heroine was brought back from the dead. And now she has to face some ideals and concepts that no one has had to face before. 

I really appreciated how Kyle addressed both medical advancement and military greed. Trying to make the perfect soldier? And in just 28 pages he starts the fight for who Iris "belongs" to. Is she still a human or is she just a shell? 

28 pages? that's it? Because it has just begun and already he has me thinking.. Is Iris a "person" or is she a shell? I have my own opinions but can't wait to see how Kyle draws this out.. 

Never fear fans this was just book 1, there are more to go and hopefully, Mr. Reardon will allow us to review them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

"Kyle Reardon grew up reading comics and watching cartoons, but as he grew into an adult he decided to study SERIOUS subjects like Creative Writing and Film Studies in college. As a grown-up Kyle decided that comics and cartoons were way more fun and devoted years of free time practicing his comic art. Iris is his first comic. Kyle lives and works as a graphic designer in Washington, DC."

Want to find out more about Kyle? You can find him on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KyleReardon.Iris
Twitter: @kylereardon   https://twitter.com/kylereardon His Website: http://www.kylereardonart.com/#illustration2

This young man has an exciting future ahead of him and I am so excited that I get  to be  part of it.

Shauni

The Power of a Praying Woman, A Review @StormieOmartian

This book was hard for me to review because I don't usually review non fiction. But when I was browsing through Netgalley title really captured my attention. 

When I saw it I assumed it would share with me how my prayers could be answered but I also assumed it was about praying for others. To my delight it was about how a woman of God needed to remember to pray for herself. To stand firm in her faith and allow God to do the heavy lifting. 

Description

Stormie Omartian’s bestselling The Power of a Praying® series (more than 23 million copies sold) is rereleased with fresh new covers and new material to reach a still-growing market of readers eager to discover the power of prayer for their lives.

It may seem easier to pray for your spouse, your children, your friends, and your extended family, but God wants to hear your requests for your life too. He loves it when you come to Him for the things you need and ask Him to help you become the woman you have always longed to be.

The Power of a Praying® Woman is just for you. You’ll find personal illustrations, carefully selected Scriptures, and heartfelt prayers to help you

trust God with deep longings, not just pressing needs cover every area of life with prayer maintain a right heart before God

Each chapter concludes with a prayer you can follow or use as a model for your own prayers. Women of all ages will find hope and purpose for their lives with The Power of a Praying® Woman.

It shared a premise that we, as women of God, needed to pray for ourselves. We aren't being selfish.. God expects it of us. He wants that relationship with us. It got me thinking about interacting with my friends and family. When do I share with them? When do I ask for help? When do I... yeah all the time. I don't limit my conversations with my family to talking about others. No I discuss my life, my hopes, my fears, my struggles and my joys. Stormie Omartian just helped me remember that God wants that too. 

But it did more than point out the obvious, it offered a guideline. Ms Omartian took individual aspects of a woman's life and helped her direct a prayer for it. Helped her focus and give direction to her prayers. 

This book was way more than a self help book or an instruction manual, it is a tool that can help women of all ages connect with God. To strengthen the bond and help ferment a relationship that we all dream of. 

I was thinking this might be a good book instead I found a wealth of information about my relationship with God. 

This is not a one and done read, it will remain on my bookshelf as a tool and reminder for when I am struggling with prayer. 

Thanks Stormie..

Shauni



This review is based on the ARC of The Power of a Praying Woman, provided by netgalley

An Heiress At Heart, A Review

Once again Netgalley has found me a wonderful new author, one who addresses a very definite need in my reading. I love romance books, I admit it.. sometimes I even admit it out loud *grins* but lately with all the PNR and other aspects I have found the books to not only shy away from God but in subtle ways to be very anti Christian. Eventually I will be writing a post on this very subject but for now.. To that end I have been searching Netgalley for inspirational books, romances..  Love stories based on something more than lust.. not that lust doesn't have its place. But sometimes I just want something more.

To that end I have discovered Jennifer Delamere and her wonderful Love's Grace Series. An Heiress at Heart is the first book and let me tell you I was totally and completely charmed and can not wait to read more.

Fleeing from a mistake in her past Lizzie Poole heads for Australia with her brother to find a new life. Once there she finds a woman who in looks and bearing can only be related to her. Together Lizzie and Ria piece together their pasts and realize that there is most definitely a connection. Upon the death of all Lizzie holds dear she returns to England in an attempt at redemption. Only she is returning as Ria, not Lizzie. She is there to help those who loved Ria to find peace and forgiveness and another chance. As well as to see if there really is a familial connection. Although she thought this would be easy she had no idea that things would get so complicated.

Geoffrey Somerville, was perfectly happy being a small parish vicar. Committed to those in need he spent his life ensuring that his parishioners had the best he could offer. He had absolutely no desire to become Lord Sommerville but with the death of his two older brothers the title is now his. Geoffrey quickly becomes a ton favorite but he wants more from his spouse/mate/wife than a shallow flighty miss of the ton.

When Lizzie literally falls at his feet, Geoffrey is instantly smitten and with the help of his friend James assists her. Unwittingly helping the Lizzie to establish herself as Ria. Ria, the woman who broke her betrothal to one brother and eloped with another. Ria, silly, vain, flighty woman of the ton who has seemingly returned after 10 long years, with news of his brother.

To watch these two slowly fall in love and have to deal with both the loss of a loved one, the laws of the land (you can't marry your former sister-in-law). Watching Lizzie try to walk a tightrope of what is right and what is wrong. In fulfilling her promise to Ria and in staying true to herself is a delight. Ms Delamere writes a wonderful story that so many of us understand. Telling the difference between in doing what is right and doing what is RIGHT..

This book made me think, we always picture regency England full of those lacking morals and integrity. That a Vicar is nothing more than a third son who needed a job not a man with a calling. It is nice to see that a man of faith. A man who may now live in a secular world, who deals with secular issues but still retains his faith. And yes a man who stumbles, grapples with his pride and eventually remembers where true strength came from.

This was a story about family and forgiveness. About redemption and yes about Love. It truly was a wonderfully sweet story and I enjoyed it immensely. I am very excited to read the next book in the series..

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of An Heiress at Heart provided by netgalley

A Love Surrendered, A Review

What a beautiful love story. A Love Surrendered is the the story of the remaining O'Conner in Julie Lessman's The Daughter's of Boston and The Winds of Change Series'. Julie offers romance in a way that touches not only our hearts but also offers us a choice. Her stories are based not just on man's love but on God's as well. She reminds us that being a Christian does not mean being boring or without love but rather that if we do it God's way there is just so much more to any relationship.

Set in the last months of Prohibition Steven O'Connor a fed.. is determined to be the best he can be. The best son, the best brother, the best friend, the best fed and he is going to do it all on his own. After making mistakes in his life that almost destroyed his family while in college, Steven is not about to mess up his life again. He wants to hold up his honor and not embarrass his family again.

Orphaned and left to live with her standoffish aunt, Annie Kennedy wants to start again. She is determined to ignore the God who took both of her parents, the God her father had been committed to. Instead she is determined to follow in her wilder sisters footsteps and live a little. Only problem is, she is just not that girl. While she values her friends she is missing something in her life. In a moments weakness, her aunt hears her cries and gives her a letter left for her from her father, to be read on her 18th birthday. In it he reminds her to trust in God and she will never be alone.

When Steven and Annie meet is is instantly attracted but she is keeping a secret from him. Her sister is the girl who Steven was madly in love with in College and betrayed his family with. While Steven and Annie slowly fall in love we watch them struggle with themselves and their refusal to live God's plan. It is a struggle that they must deal with every moment of the story and yet slowly they come to the realization that once you make the choice and live it, it isn't really that difficult at all.

Another intriguing aspect of this book is we get to see peaks into the lives of the siblings whose stories have been told in previous books. Sometimes it seems a bit heavy handed and confusing but we watch the lives or ordinary people coping with choices, making mistakes and working through their problems. As I got into this story I found myself truly enjoying these asides.

In a world that is so often filled with fifty shades of something.. it is refreshing to read a story about love that expounds waiting not jumping into sex the moment a character meets. Ms Lessman tells a sweet story and we should truly treasure her work.

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of A Love Surrendered provided by netgalley