Diana's Review Of 'Rising Darkness' By Nancy Mehl

Rising Darkness By Nancy Mehl
Bethany House Publishers, Oct. 27, 2015

Reviewed By Diana Flowers
~5 stars!~
(No Spoilers!)

Menacing Mennonite Suspense!

Once again, author Nancy Mehl has crafted a suspenseful page-turner set against the peaceful backdrop of the quaint, small town of Sanctuary—a predominantly Mennonite community with only two churches, two charming cafes, cozy picturesque houses, and is as safe as its name suggests—or is it?

Sophie Wittenbauer dreads going to Sanctuary as memories of an abusive, shameful past in her strict Mennonite hometown of Kingdom still haunt her. However, when she learns a suspect from a crime committed years earlier may be hiding in Sanctuary, she sees it as an opportunity to further her career at the newspaper. Although Sophie assumes a false identity so that she can investigate, she begins to receive threatening notes and fears her cover has somehow been blown. Then to her shock she runs into the very person she has loved her whole life—a man she could never be good enough for because of her degrading past. What is he doing in Sanctuary and who wants to stop her...perhaps permanently? As darkness envelopes Sophie and seeks to destroy her, will she begin to put her trust in the God she feels has forsaken her since childhood? Will she ever learn to love herself as God loves her and open herself up to romance?

Nancy Mehl's Rising Darkness is one of her best novels to date in my opinion! I pride myself in figuring out whodunits, but although I racked my brain I still had no clue who the bad guy was! The author compassionately and discreetly dealt with the subject of adult victims of child abuse and low self-esteem issues resulting from it. Sophie was so dear to my heart that I just wanted to hug her seemingly tough little independent self and tell her I went through the same battle and there is light at the end of the tunnel! God will turn our mourning into dancing and clothe us with gladness if we'll let Him! With just the right peppering of romance, realistic multifaceted characters, and a wonderful message of redemption—all interwoven with an intricate and suspenseful, heart-racing plot—what more could you ask for in a book? Not a thing!...so be sure to order your copy today!

 * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *



Mennonite Women Dress Quite Differently Than The Amish

This book may be purchased through Amazon, CBD, BAM, and your local bookstore.

GIVEAWAY: Nancy Mehl is generously giving away a  paperback copy of Rising Darkness to one blessed commenter. To be eligible be sure to leave your email address using (at) and (dot) to protect yourself from spammers.

Diana's Review of Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl

Deadly Echoes

Deadly Echoes by Nancy Mehl

Bethany House, 2015 

Reviewed by Diana Flowers

~5 stars~*****

(No Spoilers!)

Nail-Biting Mennonite Suspense!

In Deadly Echoes, we return once again to the quaint, predominantly Mennonite community of Sanctuary -- with its small town charm, old-timey cafes, and friendly, helpful townsfolk. Many come to Sanctuary for a simpler lifestyle; still others as a refuge from their past. But under the guise of this seemingly idyllic little town lays something invisible...sinister...and deadly.

Sarah Miller has finally found contentment and a semblance of peace from the echoes of her past, with the exception of reoccurring nightmares of her parents' murder when she was six years old. She loves teaching the local school in Sanctuary, and is filled with joy when reunited with her sister, Hannah, whom she had become separated from when her parents died. Her happiness is short lived, however, when Deputy Sheriff Paul Gleason informs her that Hannah has been killed. When Sarah starts discovering circumstances of her sister's death that are bizarrely similar to her parents' murder, she enlists Paul's aid to help her dig deeper into finding her family's killer. As her attraction to Paul grows, so does her obsession in finding the truth. Will it be Sarah's undoing and also bring danger to those she loves?...as someone will stop at nothing to keep the truth from surfacing...perhaps even kill again.

This novel is an absolute suspense lover's dream with just a smidgeon of romance! I love whodunits, but it took this amateur sleuth quite awhile to compile enough evidence to figure this one out and I trusted no one except for Sarah's best friend, Janet. ;) Kudos to the author for having an imperfect heroine who battles self-esteem issues as a result of her childhood, and her subsequent healing---both emotionally and spiritually. This message will resonate with many readers who struggle with an inferiority complex as a result of their past. Ms. Mehl's use of descriptive imagery and the mysterious aura of the cozy, small town setting of Sanctuary draw the reader in and won't let go...even after that last satisfying page is turned. And believe me, you will be madly flipping those pages and burning the midnight oil trying to help Sarah figure it all out! Nancy Mehl has set the bar high for 2015 contemporary suspense!

~*~*~*~*~

I was given a copy of this novel by Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book may be purchased through Amazon, CDB, and your local bookstore.


GIVEAWAY: Nancy Mehl is generously giving away a paperback copy of Deadly Echoes to one blessed commenter. US entrants only in this particular giveaway.

 

Diana's 2013 Favorites!

 Here's a list of my favorite 2013 books in no particular order! It was very difficult to choose as you authors totally outdid yourselves this year!

**********

Love's Awakening by Laura Frantz 

A beautifully written novel laden with secrecy, deceit, betrayal, and hidden passions. Laura Frantz is a master storyteller!

**********

Return To Shirley Plantation by Carrie Fancett Pagels

 This is a riveting, historical read you won't want to miss. Truly a memorable story of hope and obedience!

**********

Captured By Moonlight By Christine Lindsay

Christine Lindsay sweeps us away to the exotic, hauntingly beautiful land of India in this exciting story of romance, faith, and intrigue!  

**********

Forsaken Dreams By MaryLu Tyndall

A riveting novel that sweeps us away on a riveting, seafaring journey -- beginning in the ravaged, post civil war torn South to the lush beauty of Brazil!

**********

The Governess Of Highland Hall By Carrie Turansky

A wonderful Edwardian era novel set in England; replete with dashing lords and ladies, secrets, pain, and hidden passions! A must read!

**********

Heaven Is Not Far By Marian Baay

An emotive, soul-stirring short story of a love that transcends time, distance, and even the Civil War! Heartwarming debut!

**********

Love At Any Cost By Julie Lessman

A passion-filled, heartwarming journey to beautiful San Francisco...with its lush lawns of the very wealthy on Nob Hill to the poverty stricken streets of the Barbary Coast! One not to miss!

**********

Beyond The Valley By Rita Gerlach

A powerful, heartrending historical read, full of excitement and romance! You simply must put this one at the top of your TBR stack!

**********

Whispers Of A New Dawn By Murray Pura

A powerful story of love and healing on the turbulent road to the bombing of Pearl Harbor!

**********

My Hope Is Found By Joanne Bischof

A lovely, heartrending tale of sin's consequences, redemption, and unrequited love, that will keep you flipping those pages well into the night! I loved this entire series!

**********

Burning Sky By Lori Benton

A hauntingly beautiful, heartrending tale of a kidnapped white woman caught not only between two very different worlds, but also two handsome men from diverse cultures!





**********

            Unforeseeable and Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl

Exciting, suspense-filled sequels to Inescapable---set in the quaint, homey Mennonite town of Kingdom!  

**********

The Captive Maiden By Melanie Dickerson

An enchanting, captivating story of knights, castles, and romance; reminscent of the classic tale, Cinderella!

**********

The Painted Sky Volumes 1-8 by Murray Pura 

 An exciting story of adventure and romance on the sweltering, rugged plains of New Mexico! Will be released as a paperback soon and you may recognize some of the characters from OWG!

 

**********

 

A Highlander For Christmas by Jamie Carie

 

I loved this breathtaking Christmas novella set in the beautiful Scottish highlands...of castles set against the backdrop of misty, verdant hills---of kilts and colorful tartans, and the seemingly ill-fated romance between a brave clan chieftain and an English lady!



**Thank you to all of the wonderful Christian authors who provided me and so many others with hours of reading pleasure in 2013! See you next year!**

**********

Click on to book title to purchase any of these great novels!

 

Name a couple of your favorite books from 2013! Have you read any of the books on my list?

Diana Flowers' Spring/Summer Recommended Reads!

Here are some of my favorite, highly recommended spring/summer picks in no particular order:

Return to Shirley Plantation by Carrie Fancett Pagels, Mar. 2013

This is a riveting, historical read you won't want to miss. Truly a memorable story!




Captured by Moonlight by Christine Lindsay, May 2013

If you enjoy exotic, romantic settings with lots of excitement this one is for you!




Whispers of a New Dawn by Murray Pura, April 2013

A powerful story of love and healing on the turbulent road to the bombing of Pearl Harbor!




Forsaken Dreams by MaryLu Tyndall, Mar. 2013

A highly compelling novel of romance and adventure! A must read!




Beyond the Valley by Rita Gerlach, Feb. 2013

A powerful, heartrending historical read full of excitement and romance!




Be Still My Soul by Joanne Bischof, Oct. 2012

A wonderful story of healing and redemption set in the Appalachians!




Though My Heart Is Torn by Joanne Bischof, Apr. 2013

The heartrending sequel to Be Still My Soul. An absolute must read!




Love at Any Cost by Julie Lessman, Apr. 2013

A compelling and heartwarming new series by Julie! I loved it and you will, too!




Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl, Feb. 2013

An intriguing blend of suspense and Mennonite small town charm!




The Painted Sky by Murray Pura, Mar. 2013

An exciting story of adventure and romance on the rugged plains of New Mexico!




The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson, Jan. 2013

An enchanting, whimsical tale set during medieval times!




The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen. Jan. 2013

A spellbinding story of romance and mystery you won't want to miss!





Catherine's Pursuit by Lena Nelson Dooley, Feb. 2013

I haven't had a chance to read this one yet b/c I just recently got it, but I know it's going to be as awesome as the first two books in this series, Maggie's Journey and Mary's Blessing--must reads!

Happy Summer Reading!


**Be sure to click on to each book title to order any of these fascinating books!**



Diana Flowers Reviews Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

INESCAPABLE

 

 

Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

Bethany House, 2012

 

Reviewed by Diana Flowers

~4.5 stars

 

 

A Must Read!

 

In Inescapable, author Nancy Mehl sweeps us away on a suspense filled journey to Kingdom, Kansas -- a lovely, Mennonite community with a homey atmosphere; replete with quilt making shops, a quaint cafe, cozy homes decorated with window boxes, and a vast array of flowers blanketing the countryside. A seemingly perfect place to live; but underneath the guise of gentle beauty lie secrets, discord...and danger!

 

 

Raised by a strict, harsh Mennonite father, Lizzie leaves her home in Kingdom in disgrace, planning never to return there again. But five years later, Lizzie's world begins to fall apart as she finds herself receiving threatening letters and being stalked by a mysterious stranger. Filled with trepidation and misgivings, Lizzie flees to the last place she ever wants to go -- back home to Kingdom.

 

 

As Lizzie becomes reacquainted with her hometown and its people, she finds herself reassessing her opinion of Kingdom and begins to enjoy living there...especially when her childhood friendship with elder Noah Housler is renewed. There is still much dissension, however, in the community between the new and the old order Mennonites and Lizzie's obstinate, strict father is the instigator. And just when Lizzie finally begins to feel safe, a body is discovered and she begins to suspect her father or Noah had something to do with it. Who can she trust?... and has the danger she has run from come closer than ever before? Shunned by her earthly father, will Lizzie run to the Father whose love is inescapable?

 

 

I absolutely love the combination of Mennonite/suspense/romance mixed with the cozy, hometown atmosphere in Nancy Mehl's novels. Filled with twists and turns, and enough excitement to keep the reader turning those pages, this is a must read for all. I found the main character, Lizzie, strong yet vulnerable as we all are, and the secondary characters stole my heart! With an exciting and satisfying conclusion and a strong spiritual thread of forgiveness and redemption, this novel is guaranteed to leave you reaching for the tissue box! I am anxious to read the second installment in this series, Unbreakable, which awaits me on my Kindle. Super job once again, Nancy Mehl!

 

 

This book may be purchased through Amazon, CBD, and your local bookstore.

Giveaways: Nancy has graciously offered to give away a copy of Inescapable and Unbreakable this week. OWG will give away an ebook copy of any of Nancy's books, also, this week.

Question: Have you ever left a place (ex. a church, hometown, etc.), under bad circumstances, only to feel God is leading you back there for a purpose?







Diana Flowers Reviews Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl

Unbreakable

Unbreakable by Nancy Mehl

Bethany House, 2013

Reviewed by Diana Flowers

5 stars*****

*No Spoilers!*

Heart Pounding Mennonite Suspense!

In Unbreakable, the heart pounding sequel to Inescapable, we are again swept away to the lovely, little Mennonite town of Kingdom; with its quaint shops, cafes, and the smell of honeysuckle permeating the fresh air...a special place, safe and protected from the outside world. That is until an unexpected threat of evil arrives in town, leaving the peaceful residents wondering if life in Kingdom will ever be the same again.

Hope Kauffman is proud of her Mennonite heritage and contented with her life in Kingdom where she runs a quaint quilt shop. Engaged to the shy, unassuming Ebbie Miller, Hope is stirred and confused by emotions brought on by the handsome, blue eyed, Jonathon Wiese.

Jonathon is a young Mennonite newcomer to Kingdom and when someone purposely tries to run Hope's buggy off the road, it is he who saves her life and the chemistry between them begins to grow. As new incidents and attacks occur on Kingdom's residents, and Ebbie, seeing the attraction between the two breaks off their engagement, Hope's world is turned upside down. Soon she begins to question everything she has been brought up to believe in.

Who is attacking the townsfolk with a vengeance...and why? And should the residents of Kingdom give up their pacifist ways to defend themselves or simply trust God to protect them through it all? Jonathon and Ebbie are both handsome, godly men willing to do anything to protect Hope -- but which one holds the key to her heart?

Nancy Mehl has written a heart pounding, realistic, romantic, suspense story that will keep the reader turning those pages till the exciting, climactic conclusion! I admired the central characters who were not afraid to show their human frailties and need for forgiveness. I especially loved the fact that I had no clue which man Hope was going to choose until the last few pages of the book. I fell in love with both of these wonderful heroes! As always, I enjoyed the cozy, small town atmosphere and camaraderie of the townsfolk in Nancy Mehl's books. Although this is Book Two in The Road To Kingdom series, it can easily be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend both of these books to all!

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This novel may be purchased through CBD, Amazon, and your local bookstores.

Giveaways: Nancy has graciously offered to give away a copy of Inescapable and Unbreakable this week. OWG will give away an ebook copy of any of Nancy's books, also, this week.

Question: What are the pros and cons of living in a small town like Kingdom where everyone knows everyone else?

Interview With Nancy Mehl by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl is the author of Inescapable and Unbreakable, books one and two in her Road to Kingdom Series and of The Harmony Trilogy as well as a number of cozy mysteries. Altogether, she’s published fourteen books.

Nancy, welcome to Overcoming Through Time – With God’s Help.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

I would have to say that overcoming my past was the most difficult. My parents divorced when I was nine and my brother and I lived with my mother who battled mental illness. After leaving home, other relationships in my life caused a lot of pain. My way of dealing with my feelings was to stuff them in a mental closet and pretend everything was all right in my life. Then in my forties, that closet burst open and all the hurt spilled out. It took about a year for me to work my way through it. 

I learned that feelings buried alive never die, they just fester and affect other areas of your life. God walked me through the entire process and taught me that it isn’t a sin to have problems. But not dealing with them – or allowing them to rule your future - can stop your life in its tracks. If those hurts hadn’t come to the surface, I’m not sure what would have happened to me. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be an author today. I didn’t see myself as someone who could achieve anything special. But thanks to God, I now know He has a plan for me and that it’s a good one. All He asks is that I trust Him and believe.

Unbreakable

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Inescapable is available in audio format. All of my books are available in large print. I believe Unbreakable will also be available in audio format but since it’s just been released, that hasn’t happened yet.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

In my newest novel, Unbreakable, my main character, Hope Kaufmann, must step outside her comfort zone, confront her father and those in her community who want her to live according to their beliefs, and establish her own viewpoint. This can be a frightening experience.

I think many of us have never questioned why we believe what we do. It’s difficult for God to lead us on our own path when we’re busy following someone else on theirs.

Thank you Nancy for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your wonderful site!

Bio: Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Norman and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored fourteen books and is currently at work on a new series for Bethany House Publishing. The first book in her Road to Kingdom series, “Inescapable,” came out in July of 2012. The second book, “Unbreakable” released in February of 2013.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

Readers can learn more about Nancy through her Web site: www.nancymehl.com or her blog ww.suspensesisters.blogspot.com. She is also active on Facebook.

Giveaways:  Nancy has graciously offered to give away a copy of Inescapable and Unbreakable this week. OWG will give away an ebook copy of any of Nancy's books, also, this week.