(Review & Giveaway) Captivating! Charity’s Cross by: MaryLu Tyndall

Charity’s Cross by MaryLu Tyndall is a 328 page novel in the Christian historical fiction genre. It was published by Ransom Press and released on January 16, 2016. To purchase your own copy, click here.

Suspected of killing her husband, Charity Westcott flees on the first ship out of Portsmouth, England heading for the colonies. Loathing all men after her abusive marriage, she hopes to reunite with her family in Charles Towne, but the ship ends up in Nassau. When she spots her husband’s brother, who is intent on seeing her hang, boarding her ship, she jumps overboard.

Elias Dutton, preacher and son of the famous pirate, Rowan Dutton, must get to Barbados as soon as possible. His sister is in danger, and his parents have charged him with her safety. He cannot let them down—again. But after rescuing a madcap woman from the bay, he now finds himself tricked into masquerading as her husband so they both can procure passage to Barbados.

Pirates, storms, shipwreck and betrayal threaten to delay the couple in their journey even as sparks fly between them. With her brother-in-law in fast pursuit, the last thing Charity wants is help from a man, especially a religious one, but she has no choice. After Elias’ heart was broken by a sordid woman who nearly ruined his life, he seeks a godly woman pure as the virgin sands of the Caribbean. He believes he has found such a woman in Charity. Until he discovers she is a murderer and is now faced with two choices: letting her go or turning her in to the authorities.

About the Author

Award-winning author MaryLu Tyndall dreamt of pirates and sea-faring adventures during her childhood days on Florida’s Coast. With more than seventeen books published, she makes no excuses for the spiritual themes embedded within her romantic adventures. Her hope is that readers will not only be entertained but will be brought closer to the Creator who loves them beyond measure. In a culture that accepts the occult, wizards, zombies, and vampires without batting an eye, MaryLu hopes to show the awesome present and powerful acts of God in a dying world. A Christy award nominee and Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award winner, MaryLu makes her home with her husband, six children, two grandchildren and several stray cats on the California coast.

What better way to capture a reader's attention than to start with a BANG! Yes the book grabbed my attention right away as Charity is on a race for her life. Having suffered abuse at the hands of her husband, it was time to flee. Will she be accused of murder? Can she find freedom and redemption ? The story is an adventure on the high seas with a vast amount of  characters that are sure to draw readers in to the exciting story.  I was excited to be introduced to the charming and dashing Elias who will play an important role in Charity's life.

Elias is a strong character with a big heart and a man of honor. What secrets does he keep hidden from others? Will Chariry learn to trust him when she finds out he is not only able to steer a ship but is also a pastor? The story is such a joy to read with characters that are out to sabotage the ship to those who want freedom and perhaps forgiveness. Can Chariry find her way back to God? I loved Elias and his attraction to Charity. Boy does he have his hands full with her. It seems she changes her feelings like the weather which can change in a blink of an eye. I found myself laughing at Elias as he became exasperated with Charity at times. He allowed that green eyed monster  to slip in and found himself jealous which he had never been before. He wants to help Charity but she keeps pulling away. What is she afraid of?

One of my favorite things in the book was something that was so profound it made me think of how many of us are guilty of not realizing we need help and won't ask for it. " People have to know they need help before they ask God for it." There is so much packed in this story that I couldn't put the book down. Not only are there very prominent important people , but we run into pirates and natives with torches  wearing loincloths . There is something for everyone in this amazing adventure. I loved the way the story flowed and led characters to redemption, restoration, forgiveness and the unconditional love of God.

I received a digital copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit for an honest review.

Giveaway

Enter the Charity’s Cross giveaway here.

Blog Stops

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SPIRITUAL SLAVERY TO SONSHIP by JACK and TRISHA FROST

I loved the beginning of this book so much I became enthralled with the story. It starts off aboard a boat at sea. The temperature is in the 30s, but the sea seemed to be calm. In an instant the wind kicked up and sleet began to fall. The crew sprang to action to secure the boat. Now I know if by some slim chance I was on the boat, fear would have gripped me  so hard I wouldn't have been of any use to anyone. The book asks the question , "What would your life be like without fear?" Many of us "Christians", seem to do everything right , but guess what sneaks in? Yes it is fear and it holds us back from fully committing to God and relying on Him for all our needs.

We all want to feel secure , yet we let little things stop us in our tracks instead of turning it over to God. When we are in the middle of a crisis we are so focused on the situation, we forget that we don't have to do this alone. I know I allow fear to overtake my life to a point where I stay secluded in my home. After all it is my security blanket . But am I really living? Am I truly trusting God? This book has been an inspiration to me and one I know I will refer to many times as I remember that "home is anywhere God is."

The author points out that when everything is going great we push God to the back burner. Once a crisis erupts, we run full throttle to Him pleading for help. When we get hurt by someone, we tend to build a wall around us. It is our protection from hurt, shame, rejection and other emotions that grabs us into fear. We must remember that we have a home with Jesus. He is our protector who loves us unconditionally . The book is so thought provoking and gives readers real experiences that we can all relate to. We need to embrace our inheritance, and stop living in fear . Out inheritance "is all wrapped up in the principles of honor and submission, of humbling yourself to become faithful with that which is another's ,  of getting underneath and pushing up, of serving unselfishly and wholeheartedly to build up another with no personal agenda or ulterior motives."

Thank you for writing a book that gets to the heart of the matter and sharing the truth with us. The book is very inspiring and one I will treasure.

I received a copy of this book from The BookClub NetWork for an honest review.

UNSTUCK... ESCAPING THE RUT OF A LIFELESS MARRIAGE by BARRY D. HAM, PHD.

There are many reasons that people get married. For some it's because they want companionship, others are looking for love while others just want to be wanted. But what happens after a period of time when the newness wears off and you feel stuck? It's time to get back that feeling you had when you first said I do. As we said our vows we had hopes and dreams. Those can still be achieved if we can change how we think and look at our spouse.

Have you caught yourself saying, they weren't who I thought they were ? It's almost like your spouse changed overnight into a stranger that you had never met. How did the "happy couple" become two strangers wanting out of a commitment they made "till death do us part." The easy answer is the enemy so subtlety came in and took control . We begin to let little things start to bother us  and before we know what is happening we are ready to throw in the towel. A key to any great relationship is communication. If you don't share how you are feeling, how will your spouse know what is wrong? We must remember that our spouse is not the enemy. It can be intimidating to express your feelings of rejection, not feeling attractive, not loved and the list can go on. When you open up and share what the enemy is using to separate the two of you, you expose the lies and thus start the healing process.

The book is a wonderful tool to help marriages that are in trouble or just to strengthen a marriage . . The author gives great examples from the bible and is very open about the struggles a marriage may face. The book encourages couples to work together and not allow the enemy to win.

"Remembering why we we married is essential if we are to get unstuck and stay unstuck."

I received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review.

I'M SICK NOW WHAT? By DR. ANDREW BUTTERWORTH

I found the book to be quite interesting. I stumbled on something right away as I began to read. No where  in the bible does it state that God was ever sick. I don't know why I never thought of that before. He is called the healer and therefore no sickness was ever on Him. It is funny how you can read the bible many times , and suddenly revelation hits you. In fact when He created the earth, everyone was free of any type of illness.

I liked how the book was set up into different topics and at the end of each chapter were key points. Those points were helpful in reminding us what the chapter was discussing. I have heard many things about forgiveness. One thing I loved that the author  said about this was, "We can forgive at different levels , but to experience the health benefits forgiveness brings us, we need to forgive at the level of our heart." We can say we forgive, but we need and must truly experience a heart that is pure and clean of any unforgiveness . The book is filled with such key tools that help readers to understand the spiritual and physical healing. They work closely together and we need both to complete our healing.

Another subject the author talks about was stress. How many of us can raise our hands high that deal with stress? My hand is almost reaching to the sky for that question.  Stress can cause high blood pressure, depression and so many other things that before we know it, our body is screaming for relief. First thing we need to do is give the stress over to God. He doesn't want His people to be anxious. As I read the book more I could see the connection between spiritual health and physical health. They work together to give us a healthy lifestyle , but only if we choose to do so. That is a real eye opener. We choose to do unhealthy things to our body, then ask why we are sick.

"Sickness often brings to the surface things buried deep within us that may not have come to our attention had we remained well."

I received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review.