REVIEW: RELENTLESS

Relentless by Robin Parrish

Grant Borrows has been "Shifted" ~ given a new face & a new name, & some extraordinary abilities! And he immediately finds himself in danger. Someone -for whatever reason- is trying to kill him, and so he's forced to run.

This is a fast-paced thriller that didn't let up. There were so many twists & turns that I could never guess what was coming!

My only qualm with this book was that it could've used a better proof-reader/editor. There were quite a few instances where things didn't match up (character sat down on couch, and then three sentences later sat down on the couch...)

What really surprised me about the book was that, it's a Christian book, and yet God is really not mentioned at all! There's a brief reference to him almost at the end, but that's about it! I looked for an allegory of some sort, and I *may* have found one, but it was *that* difficult to discern, so anybody could read this book and enjoy it for the thriller it is -- even those who hate Christian fiction! :o)

Parrish has done an excellent job with this first book in his DOMINION TRILOGY. I certainly look forward to reading the others!

Rated: A

REVIEW: THE RAGAMUFFIN GOSPEL

The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

Manning has written a great book that reminds us that God loves us and accepts us just as we are. God's gift of grace is for everyone, and all we have to do is show up and accept it. We don't have to be perfect, or have it all together.

Manning also talks about how we need to be honest with ourselves, with others, and with God. We can admit that we're "ragamuffins", that we may be saved, but we still struggle with the same old issues (lust, pride, anger, etc). We're "sinners saved by grace".

It was interesting to see that Brennan's thoughts often line up with those of the "emerging church", but most of it is put in a way that makes it not seem so bad.

Chapter 9 talked of a "second call", and to me, this seemed a bit "New Age"... I'm no expert in that, but he just seemed to lose me for a bit in that chapter. It felt a little "off".

Otherwise, though, this was a great book, and I took lots of notes!

Rated: B