Blog Archives
The 6th Heaven
The 6th Heaven by Monica Broussard follows Dr. Derek Hollinger, a plastic surgeon whose life is derailed when intricate tattoos suddenly appear all over his body. Struggling with depression and a past full of trauma, he leaves his wife, Kendal, and their Los Angeles home to trek into the Amazon jungle. He travels with a priest named Father Mike to find a shaman’s granddaughter who might hold the key to his curse. The journey is brutal. Derek faces venomous spiders and near-death experiences while Father Mike battles a jaguar. Eventually, through a mix of tribal rituals and a spiritual encounter with God, Derek undergoes a deep internal transformation that forces him to face his past and find true emotional freedom.
The writing feels deliberate and vivid. I like how the author uses the jungle as a mirror for Derek’s own mind. The descriptions of the rainforest are dense and humid. You can almost feel the dampness and the sting of the mosquitoes on every page. One of the author’s boldest choices is shifting the perspective between Derek’s physical struggle in the mud and Kendal’s emotional isolation back in California. It creates a tension that keeps you moving. I found myself curious about the tattoos and what they really meant. The way the ink is treated as both a physical burden and a spiritual map is a fascinating concept. The pacing is patient. It takes its time to let the characters sit with their thoughts, which makes the action scenes, like the jaguar attack, feel sudden and earned.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the ideas of identity and healing in this story. Derek is a man who builds physical beauty for a living, yet he feels hideous because of something he can’t control. The book explores the gap between how the world sees us and how we see ourselves. I liked the candid look at trauma. It doesn’t offer easy fixes. Even after the spiritual revelations, the characters still carry physical and emotional scars. The intersection of Christian faith and Indigenous shamanic traditions is an interesting choice. It makes for a unique spiritual landscape. It made me wonder about the nature of mercy and whether we can ever truly outrun our past. The idea that our life story is written on our skin is a heavy one, but it feels grounded here.
This is a stirring Christian fiction novel that uses magical realism elements in an interesting way, along with some supernatural elements. It’s a reflective story about redemption and the hard work of coming home to yourself. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories about spiritual journeys or readers who like fiction that wrestles with deep psychological themes. It’s a solid choice for someone looking for a grounded adventure that is not afraid to get a little bit dark before finding the light.
Pages: 265 | ASIN : B0FHBZWMRS
Family: A Christian Historical Mystery
Family, by KT McWilliams, is a historical fiction novel with a strong thread of faith and a steady mystery engine. It follows Elizabeth Bowmar in London in 1619 as she grieves her father’s murder, chafes under the strict protection and reputation-guarding rules of her guardian Edmund, and gets pulled into a growing danger around threatening “pay” letters and a missing sender. As Elizabeth and a small circle of allies try to trace the threats, the investigation cracks open something bigger than street crime: a family secret that reshapes how she understands loyalty, love, and the people she thought she knew.
Elizabeth’s inner life is intense in a way that feels earned. She’s smart, bruised, devout, and stubborn, and she finds herself in situations where those traits clash. Sometimes that clash is almost funny, like when “basic kindness” turns into a social catastrophe because London is watching and Edmund is keeping score. Other times it’s heavier, especially when her fear of losing Edmund starts echoing her earlier loss, and you can feel her trying to think her way out of panic. I also appreciated how the faith element is woven in as a lived posture. “God’s plan” shows up as something characters wrestle with, not something that magically fixes the plot.
McWilliams makes some clear authorial choices that shape the reading experience. One is the emphasis on “family” as a moral problem, not just a warm theme. The betrayal isn’t treated like a twist for shock value. It lands like a winter draft through a room you thought was sealed, and the aftermath is where the book does its real work: the stunned bargaining, the anger, the exhausted attempt to keep living anyway. Another choice is how plot and relationships braid together. The mystery around the letters and the contract pressure keep things moving, while the social world pushes Elizabeth toward decisions she does not want to make. I’ll be candid, the prose occasionally leans hard into explanation or repeated reminders of the social rules. But it also delivers small, tactile moments that ground the story, and the dialogue-driven scenes tend to snap into focus fast.
I’d recommend Family most to readers who like historical fiction that feels emotional and values-driven, with clean romance energy and a mystery plot that is more about people than puzzles. If you enjoy stories where characters grow through pressure, especially pressure framed through faith and conscience, you’ll probably settle into this one quickly. If you want a reflective, story-first read about what we owe our families, what they owe us, and what happens when the truth finally gets daylight, you’ll enjoy this book.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B0GKYJB57Q
Sinful Oath: Book 1 On The Wings Of Angels Series
Sinful Oath is a blend of historical fiction, Christian fiction, and historical mystery, set in 1618 London and centered on Elizabeth Bowmar, a young apprentice midwife with a fierce moral compass, and Alexander Berkley, a man tangled in his own duties, loyalties, and regrets. The book opens with Elizabeth reflecting on her past, her faith, and the weight of responsibility she carries, then pulls us into a widening web of injustice, danger, and compassion. Author KT McWilliams paints the world with gritty street life, tense family dynamics, and the looming shadow of Newgate Prison. By the time I settled in, I already felt the stakes tightening around both Elizabeth and Alexander in ways that promised more than simple historical drama.
I was surprised by how intimate the writing feels. Elizabeth’s voice in particular comes through full of honesty and vulnerability, especially in her private thoughts by the hearth as she burns her written worries, believing the smoke carries them to angels. Even with the book’s heavier themes like poverty, violence, faith, and control, the storytelling stays grounded in the everyday textures of life. I liked that the author doesn’t treat the period like a costume. It feels lived in. And even when characters lean into ideals or spiritual reflection, the language never pushes toward sermon; it reads instead like people trying to make sense of their choices, which made it easy to stay with them.
What I appreciated most was how McWilliams balances tenderness with hardship. The moments between Elizabeth and her father feel warm and steady, and they’re a strong counterweight to the scenes with her mother, whose sharpness cuts deeper than some of the book’s villains. Alexander’s chapters add another layer, especially when we see him navigating the dangerous corners of London and the people who operate in them. The tension between old loyalties and present conscience gives his storyline weight. Sometimes the book lingers on internal rumination a bit longer than I expected, but even then, it felt true to the characters’ emotional lives. I got the sense that both leads are standing at a threshold, stepping into versions of themselves they don’t fully understand yet.
I feel like Sinful Oath is less about a single mystery and more about courage, the quiet kind that comes from tending to others, and the louder kind that comes from facing what’s broken in a community or in oneself. If you enjoy historical fiction with strong moral undercurrents, detailed atmosphere, and characters who wrestle honestly with faith and justice, this book will be right up your alley. Readers who like a mix of Christian historical fiction and historical mystery will probably enjoy it most, especially if they’re drawn to stories that move with both heart and grit.
Pages: 459 | ASIN : B0FPMT9YVC
East Texas Flavor
What Is Unseen is a tender, character-driven story set in East Texas, where three lives intertwined by loss and moral struggle seek redemption and meaning amid faith, pain, and unseen grace. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I live in East Texas. I have seen these stories manifested in the lives of people I know. The culture, in its own unique way, has common threads with other human joys and struggles throughout time. I wanted people to hear these stories in a compelling and literary fashion with a uniquely East Texas flavor. I also want to share these stories with my grandchildren and generations to come.
What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Hope, faith, love, fortitude, courage, justice, and kindness.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I was primarily interested in showing how the East Texas heroes in this story used the driving ideals mentioned above to combat the following evils:
Envy
Greed
Racism
Corruption
Pride
Laziness
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
An anthology of short stories, Tales from the Texas Timberlands, Volume 2.
It should be available by May 2026.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Living with his family in Connecticut had been his life. Without her, he has no hope. His mother invites him and the children to live with her in Three Oaks, Texas, his hometown. In Three Oaks, he finds renewed friendships, spiritual awakening and love. But he, his friends and his newfound love are also battered by the unseen evils of self-centeredness, envy, jealousy, greed, racism, power-grabbing and political corruption.
Kyle discovers an unseen hope and with his friends leads the battle to overcome the evil pervading their community.
Blue Dream
Blue Dream, by Keith Gillum, transports readers to a futuristic dystopia where virtual reality and human emotions clash in a meticulously crafted narrative. Through the eyes of Dom, a young man grappling with the remnants of a world dominated by technology, the story explores themes of memory, identity, and resistance against a backdrop of pervasive digital control.
From the very first page, Gillum hooks readers into a world where reality and virtual existence blend seamlessly. Dom, who spends his days recycling digital waste in the Trop, is both an everyman and an anomaly, caught between the remnants of a tangible past and a controlled, virtual present. His journey through fragmented memories, such as those of his father, and surreal experiences like fishing on a crystalline river, forms the core of the narrative. These memories are under constant threat of deletion by the ever-watchful Halmarc, Dom’s case file manager, who embodies the intrusive nature of the state. The interactions between Dom and Halmarc are vividly depicted, highlighting the tension between personal autonomy and imposed conformity.
Gillum’s writing shines with its rich, descriptive language and a knack for crafting immersive scenes. The dialogue is sharp and often laced with dark humor, especially in Dom’s exchanges with Halmarc. The portrayal of Halmarc’s obsessive control over Dom’s memories and emotions serves as a chilling commentary on surveillance and psychological manipulation. One of the most compelling scenes symbolizes the broader struggle to retain personal history in the face of an erasing authority. The book delves deeply into Dom’s inner turmoil and his virtual reality experiences, providing a rich exploration of his character. These segments, while reflective, contribute significantly to understanding Dom’s psyche and enhance the story’s emotional depth.
The world-building is intriguing and thought-provoking, hinting at a vast and complex digital dystopia. While it leaves some mysteries about the system’s origins and mechanics, this sense of enigma adds to the novel’s allure, inviting readers to ponder and engage with the speculative aspects of the narrative.
Blue Dream is a thought-provoking and visually compelling novel that will resonate with fans of dystopian fiction, psychological thrillers, and religious science fiction. Keith Gillum has crafted a story that not only critiques the pervasive influence of technology but also celebrates the resilience of the human spirit. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy exploring the interplay between memory, identity, and societal control.
Pages: 305 | ASIN : B0D1H9BMV3
Married to the Devil – Book 1
H.H. Fowler’s Married to the Devil delves into a complex and unsettling narrative that intertwines corruption in the church, the exploitation of faith, and personal vice. The book scrutinizes the damaging consequences when religious authority and financial greed converge within individuals, mainly focusing on a pastor’s wife and their struggles with their own demons of greed and desire. Fowler’s exploration suggests that even lesser evils are not devoid of sin, posing moral quandaries for the reader.
The novel’s writing style is characterized by a raw and tumultuous energy, effectively conveying the intense emotions and instances of domestic abuse within its pages. Fowler’s use of vivid imagery and sharp character portrayals brings the story’s darker aspects to life, particularly highlighting the destructive nature of lust and anger. The narrative of this book embarks on an ambitious journey, particularly in its bold transition between the two parts of the book. This transition showcases a dynamic evolution in the relationship between the First Lady of the Church and Dean Ripley, offering a surprising shift that diverges from their earlier character development and backstory. While this approach introduces a unique twist in plot development, it adds an element of unpredictability and complexity to the reading experience.
The novel’s use of suspense and the strategic introduction of characters are commendable. Each character is pivotal in advancing the plot, reminiscent of Chekhov’s gun principle. This meticulous character integration lends a sense of purpose and inevitability to the unfolding events. The intriguing plot structure of Married to the Devil sets a high bar. While the prose occasionally grapples to fully match the depth and nuance of the plot, it still carries the story with a compelling momentum. Readers need to note that the book thoughtfully addresses challenging themes, including explicit depictions of domestic abuse, contributing to its powerful narrative impact.
Married to the Devil offers a thought-provoking and intense journey for those intrigued by morally complex narratives set against a backdrop of religious and personal turmoil. While the writing style may not resonate with everyone, the plot’s dark twists and meticulously crafted character dynamics are compelling for those interested in exploring the darker side of human nature and faith.
Pages: 311 | ASIN : B07KWS86W4
Erasures
In Erasures by Omar Imady, readers are transported to a post-war Earth, where the remnants of civilization gather under the auspices of the World Congress. Amidst this backdrop, the Zone 4 Literature Hub stands as a bastion of human knowledge, safeguarding the remaining books, considered the pinnacle of human achievement. Ray Blankenship, a key archivist in this hub, finds his regimented life disrupted by a baffling mystery: the disappearance of religious texts from the archives.
Imady’s narrative does not conform to traditional genre boundaries. It echoes elements of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and George Lucas’s film “THX 1138,” blending them into a distinct mystery narrative with a subversive approach. The originality of this fusion is a testament to the author’s creativity. The character of Ray Blankenship is as compelling as the plot itself. Portrayed in the later stages of middle age, Ray’s yearning to escape the monotony of his life imbues the story with a sense of restless, subdued energy. The depiction of Ray’s life, marked by a pervasive sense of quiet desperation, is likely to resonate with many. While the immediate antagonist seems to be the mysterious force behind the erasures, a deeper, more subtle conflict brews within Ray—a growing need to break free from the constraints of his routine. This internal struggle becomes as central to the narrative as the mystery of the vanishing texts. As the story progresses, Ray’s quest for personal transformation and the unraveling of the mystery behind the erasures intertwine. Imady’s skillful resolution of these intertwined narratives highlights his adept storytelling abilities, offering a satisfying conclusion that addresses both the external mystery and Ray’s internal journey.
Imady’s Erasures stands out as a compelling fusion of mystery and introspection, weaving a narrative that captivates with its originality and depth. The book challenges conventional genre boundaries, making it a refreshing read for those seeking something beyond the ordinary. Through the journey of Ray Blankenship, Imady explores themes of conformity, the value of knowledge, and the human desire for change, making this novel not just a story but a reflective exploration of the human condition.
Pages: 250 | ASIN : B0CNQQ4HLM
Honest Interactions
The Undulating Shadows follows the lives of three orphans who are connected by a paranormal phenomenon that could threaten the entire planet. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wouldn’t want to spoil the twist at the end, but I started from there and worked my way back. The motivation for some of the characters to turn out the way they did, made sense to start out from a challenging childhood, and what could be more traumatic and challenging than growing up in a dilapidated orphanage?
This novel provides readers with some astonishing twists. How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
I had one twist in mind from the beginning, but I wanted to leave easter eggs along the way that will give attentive readers that ‘ah-ha’ moment in the end. I believe (or for me, it’s like that at least) that when a reader discovers these in the end, or close to the end, it is an additional reward for their patience and time dedicated to finishing the book.
What was your process in writing the characters’ interactions to develop the bond they have?
To be honest, I was very skeptical about how they would be received given that they swear and there is physical abuse, etc. But I wanted to keep the characters authentic, although this is quite difficult in today’s social climate. So far, I’ve not been canceled due to their honest interactions, and I hope it stays that way lol.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book is called Lucid, and it’s about a young boy who discovers his dad’s old psychiatric journals that give instructions as to how to utilize lucid dreaming to battle PTSD. This leads to serious complications as the boy’s boundaries between the conscious and subconscious–the dream world and the real world–begin to blur. I hope to publish in early 2024.
Author Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Website
A paralysis-inducing shadow has caused a chain reaction of traumatic events that lands the youngest boy, Justin, in a dilapidated orphanage in South Carolina. There, Justin’s friendship with two equally traumatized children provides temporary solace from his pain—until the shadows stir once more and leave everyone lucky enough to survive the onslaught with a shattered psyche.
33 years later, Justin stumbles upon an incident involving a similar paranormal phenomenon. His investigation reveals an unsettling truth dating back to 8,212 BC that has slowly been growing into an imminent threat to the entire planet.
Can Justin connect with his past to find the answers in time, or will he, along with every other soul on the planet, succumb to the shadow’s insidious power?
