Book Review: Shadowed by Kariss Lynch

Title: Shadowed

Series: Heart of a Warrior (Book 2)

Author: Kariss Lynch

Publish Date: March 3, 2015

Genre: Adult Christian Romance

Why I Read this Book: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review of this novel.

 

 

 

 

 

About the First Book in the Series (from Goodreads):  

When her world is shaken, will her foundation survive?
Idealistic and sheltered with a passion to change the world, Kaylan Richards leaves her comfortable life in Alabama to serve in poverty-stricken Haiti. Despite her inexperience and the opposition of a voodoo priest, Kaylan develops a love for the country and the Haitian people. But something deadly is about to strike.

It is the worst earthquake the country has ever seen, and in its aftermath bodies, buildings, and broken lives litter the streets. People she cares about are dead, and Kaylan is caught in the middle of the destruction, questioning a God who said He was good.

Navy SEAL Nick Carmichael never planned to find a girl he loved more than his country. Now she is a world away, trapped in a deadly situation nothing could have prepared her for. Can Nick’s love help Kaylan heal and show her the God who never abandoned her, or will tragedy shake even the most rooted faith?

Review

This suspenseful Christian Romance series is one that you do not want to miss. I do not want to say much about the plot of this book because it is the second in the series and I don't want to spoil the first book. 

One of my favorite parts of this series is the reminder of God's love and His presence in our lives even in difficult times. Additionally, I love the fast-paced nature of the novels and the action that is present in every chapter.

Although the series is written in third person, each chapter focuses on one of the two main characters: Kaylan or her boyfriend Nick. The first book, Shaken, was mainly in Kaylan's perspective and Shadowed is mainly in Nick's perspective. Nick is a SEAL and although I appreciate that he serves our country in this series I am finding it more difficult to connect to the story line in this novel. This is why I could not give this book a perfect 5/5 stars.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a Christian Romance novel filled with action and suspense.

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 13+ for intense action

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Discussion: What is the value of the written word?

What is the value of written word?

The written word has such an impact on my life. To me, the most important written word is The Bible. I believe that it is the infallible word of God. Recently, my church had visitors who are Crimean missionaries who work to translate the Bible and introduce the Christian God to Islamic communities. The most memorable part of their visit to our church was their discussions of the troubles of translating the Bible into something that the inhabitants of that area would understand. What word would they use for God? The only words that meant "God" in their language was used for either polytheistic gods or the Islamic God. Which word would help the inhabitants better understand the God of the Bible?

Another struggle is also how they would keep the essence of the Bible the same. This led me to realize the importance of every word when translating any written word into another language. Not only is the denotation, the dictionary definition of a word, important; the connotation, the overall meaning behind the word, is also equally if not more important. The essence and feeling behind each word has to be the same. Translation software companies like Smartling who help to translate written word, such as novels, from one language to another must struggle with these same problems.

While translating written word, it is important to me to keep the emotions behind the story consistent throughout languages. For instance, I recently read Shaken by Kariss Lynch, the first in the Heart of Warriors series. I loved this book mainly because of the emotions that I felt while reading it. Although I usually do not cry during novels, I wept during this one. The emotions were so real and I could easy connect with the characters. If this book were to be translated into another language, I believe that the raw emotions behind the book and the feeling that I was left with after reading it would also need to be translated.

What do you think is the most important aspect of a novel that may not be easily translated? What novels would you like to see translated into another language?

#CasualReadathonJ Readathon TBR and Daily Update Post (June 8-14)

The #CasualReadathonJ readathon is happening this week from June 8th-14th (Monday-Sunday) and I am participating. This readathon is hosted by BookaMeggle on Youtube (@lizameggle on twitter). This post is going to include my TBR for the challenges along with my daily updates on my progress. Here are the challenges associated with this readathon:

1. Read 2 books.
2. Read a book with blue on it.
3. Read a book that has been on your TBR forever.

There are also some "overachiever" challenges, which are:

1. Read 4 books.
2. Read a book with red on it.
3. Read a book with over 400 pages.

For this readathon, I am going to have a "TBR grab pile". I call it a grab pile because I do not plan on reading all the books in the list. I am very much a mood reader. Therefore, I make a grab pile of books that I choose from. Here is my TBR for this readathon grab bag:

• Shadowed by Kariss Lynch (read 179/290 pages before the readathon began)
• A book with blue on it
• Almost Perfect by Dianne Daniels Manning (read 47/340 pages before the readathon began)
• A book that has been on your TBR forever
• The Matchmaker by Sarah Price
• A book with red on it
• Half-Hearts by Kealohilan Wallace
• A book with over 400 pages
• A book with red on it
• Love's Abundant Harvest by Beth Shriver
• A May Bride (A Year of Weddings, Novella 6) by Meg Moseley
• Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
• Forever Yours (five short stories) by Andrea Boeshaar, Gina Fields, Joyce Livingston, Kim O'Brien, and Kathleen Y'Barbo
• Taken by Dee Henderson
• The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Monday

I finished the last 111 pages of Shadowed by Kariss Lynch, the second book in the Heart of a Warrior series. I loved the first two books in this series. I gave Shadowed a 4/5 stars. A review will be up on my blog on Saturday.

Today's Page Count: 111
Total Page Count: 111

Tuesday

I read 76 pages of The Princess Diaries which was not initially on my TBR, but I received it in the mail as part of a #booksfortrade deal that I did on Twitter. I have been wanting to read this series for a while, but I am not sure if I will continue the book. I really loved the movies as a young teenager and wanted to see if the book was as good. The main character, Mia, has really annoyed me thus far. She is really rude to everyone around her, but maybe that is because she is only 14. Also, there is a bit of talk about sex and other things that I do not think are appropriate.

I also started Half-Hearts and read 47 pages. I am not loving this book as of yet, but it definitely has some potential. This book has 582 pages and I am not sure if I will be able to complete this book during the readathon, but I am hoping to read a good chunk of this book. I received this book for review from the author and I hope to be able to review the book soon. With that being said, this book is a fantasy novel and I haven't read fantasy in quite a long time so I am excited to read another fantasy. Lately, I have read a lot of Christian Fiction and middle grade novels.

Today's Page Count: 123
Total Page Count: 234

Wednesday - in progress

I continued Half-Hearts by reading 71 pages. I am really beginning to enjoy this book. It is an amazing fantasy novel. The writing isn't excellent but the plot is amazing.

Today's Page Count: 71
Total Page Count: 305

Thursday

I continued Half-Hearts and read 50 pages. I was only able to read for about an hour yesterday. I hope to read more tomorrow and Saturday.

Today's Page Count: 50
Total Page Count: 355

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday

I continued Half-Hearts and read 120 pages. I am really loving this book and hope to finish it in the next week.

The Weekend's Page Count: 120
Total Page Count: 475

Totals

Total Page Count: 475
Books Started Before the Readathon: 1
Books Started During the Readathon: 1
Books Completed: 1

Book Review: Shaken by Kariss Lynch

Title: Shaken

Series: Heart of a Warrior (Book 1)

Author: Kariss Lynch

Publish Date: February 4, 2014

Genre: Adult Christian Romance

Why I Read this Book: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my review of this novel.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Book (from Goodreads):  

When her world is shaken, will her foundation survive?
Idealistic and sheltered with a passion to change the world, Kaylan Richards leaves her comfortable life in Alabama to serve in poverty-stricken Haiti. Despite her inexperience and the opposition of a voodoo priest, Kaylan develops a love for the country and the Haitian people. But something deadly is about to strike.

It is the worst earthquake the country has ever seen, and in its aftermath bodies, buildings, and broken lives litter the streets. People she cares about are dead, and Kaylan is caught in the middle of the destruction, questioning a God who said He was good.

Navy SEAL Nick Carmichael never planned to find a girl he loved more than his country. Now she is a world away, trapped in a deadly situation nothing could have prepared her for. Can Nick’s love help Kaylan heal and show her the God who never abandoned her, or will tragedy shake even the most rooted faith?

Review

Shaken gave me all the feels. I usually do not cry while reading books, but while I was reading Shaken I cried for at least an hour.

I connected so well with all of the characters. Kariss Lynch's writing style is so incredible that I cannot even express how much I enjoyed it. I read 3/4 of this book in one day which I only do with books that I love immensely.

My favorite part of Shaken was how God's love was expressed through difficult situations. I am accostomed to Christian romance novels being happy and sappy, but this novel was more realistic. It expressed the struggles of living in the world, but not being of the world.

Additionally, I loved this book because I felt like I was in the novel. Much of Shaken is set in Haiti.  I have never been to Haiti, but I felt as if I was there with the characters. I felt like their friends were my friends.

I feel like everyone would find something in this novel with which they could connect; Therefore, I would recommend this novel to anyone and everyone. 

Final Statements

Recommended Reading Age: 13+ for intense action

Overall Rating: 5/5