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Final Confrontation Chronicles of the Host Book 4

With the long-dreaded Seed of the woman delivered at Bethlehem, the prophecy of the Coming One has now been fulfilled. Lucifer realizes that any hope to win the war is slipping away and decides upon a desperate gamble—he will have to face the Son personally. With his demonic host to assist him, Lucifer makes plans to cut the Messiah down once and for all. Boasting that he will “more than bruise His heal”, Lucifer decides to destroy the Son from within his inner circle and sets his heart upon a dark plan that will end on the darkest day in history…or so he believes.

Set in and around Jerusalem, Final Confrontation describes the death match between light and darkness that reaches a brutal and bloody climax at Calvary.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Very satisfied
I got my last book in a series I was reading, it came super quick and yes I would purchase from this person again… perfect.

5 Stars Awesome book
Excellent ending to an awesome series. I just wish it wasn’t over! Couldn’t put it down!

5 Stars Great series
This book, and entire series, is enlightening and movtivational. It is brilliant in its uses of bibilical stories and scripture to create fiction that inspires one’s life today. I haven’t read such a good series in a long time.

5 Stars I LOVED IT
These 4 books were a great read.

They take you through the Bible stories in a very interesting way. I loved the angels in the books, and loved each of their personalities. I hope there are more books to come.

4 Stars Chronicles of the Host 4
I like the way the author writes. Creative imagination and follows scripture very well.

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Devil of the Highlands

They call him the Devil . . .

He is the most notorious laird of Scotland: fierce, cold, deadly . . . and maybe even worse. Yet Evelinde has just agreed to wed him. Anything, she thinks, is better than her cruel stepmother. Though Evelinde should be wary of the rumors, she can’t help but be drawn to this warrior . . . for the Devil of the Highlands inspires a heat within her that is unlike anything she has ever known.

They may call him whatever they wish, but Cullen, Laird of Donnachaidh, cares only for the future of his clan. He must find a wife, a woman to bear him sons and heed his commands. He has no need for beauty or grace, but one taste of his lovely bride’s sweet lips and the sultry feel of her skin arouse an untamed passion. Perhaps there’s more to marriage than he thought . . .

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Epilogue please
I enjoy Sands, but whats so hard about leaving readers with a look in the future of the main characters. i hate when there is not an epilogue and I will check to make sure there is one before I buy another book. That why I rated 3 stars instead of 4. Other than that great one day read.

5 Stars The Devil of Donnachaidh
This is a great read. Lynsay Sands’ descriptive ability creates vivid images in your mind. I can just see Evelinde riding her horse with her gown trailing behind her trying to dry it.

I have always enjoyed the hilarity in all Lynsay Sands’ books. I usually read paranormal romance and Sands’ Argeneau Vampire Series were so funny that I picked up this novel for a peak at her historical romances. I was so happy it encouraged me to seek out all her historical romances.

3 Stars Lacks the wit and charm of Sands’ usual style
After finishing a long-awaited historical by Lynsay Sands, I have just one thing to say: What happened to the funny? Sands has always delivered laugh out loud outrageousness, regardless of genre. But although there are a few, small amusing scenes, not one of the made me smile, let alone laugh.

As an historical romance, it’s perfectly fine. The characters are fine, if a bit stereotypical, and the plot is predictable and easily figured out. In short–it’s just another rubber stamp historical without any of the wit, charm and humor that Sands normally puts in her writing.

2 Stars Dullard of the Highlands and his whiny wife
*sigh* I actually enjoy Lynsay Sands usually. I’ve read all of her vampire books and they’re fun, quick reads. This was the first historical by her that I’ve read. I already own “The Brat”, so it might not be my last, but I’m kind of hoping it would be.

The biggest complaint that I probably have is that if I totaled all of the dialogue in this 351 page book, it MIGHT cover 8 or so pages. Seriously, these people don’t talk to each other at ALL. That’s a bone of contention between the hero and heroine, so I’m being a bit tongue in cheek, but only somewhat. I’d rather have prose than dialogue if it’s just unnecessary dialogue, but SOME is always a good thing.

The mystery was just silly. Evelinde is a combination of smart and dumb-@zz stupid. Cullen is a decent enough guy (especially for the time period), but he seems almost… slow. And I’m not talking about his reticence. I’m just referring to how long it takes him to understand what’s going on.

Everyone relies WAAAY too much on their “feelings” of whether someone’s guilty or not. The “decision” that Evelinde makes to solve the mysteries is done completely off-hand, without any thought or care for how she was going to do it. The mystery was solved so easily, and so quickly, that the idea that it may have remained unsolved for 12 or so years is absolutely absurd!

While in her other books this author writes a decent and hot sex scene, the ones in this book seem completely out of place. They are short, the content isn’t within character of the hero and heroine, and there’s no heat whatsoever. They are completely uninspired. And considering how poor they are, there are too many of them. I’d rather have fewer, better scenes, but if they’re going to be bad, please spare me the frequency.

There are only a few things that redeem this book at all, thus earning it two stars rather than one (although it’s still not as bad as some of the 1 star books I’ve read, and I’ve got to give it credit for that).

First was the wedding. That was cute and amusing. I like the idea of her “flopping” like a “fish”. Then again, so many of the phrases used in that regard are out of place in a 13th century novel.

Second were the characters of Mildrede and Mac. They were cute and fun characters. They were probably the most “real” of any in the book. Mildrede having to be “calmed” when Edda was cruel to Evelinde was cute. I liked that Mac became Cullen’s confidant. They’re good foils.

Third was that there was some comedy in it. It was a relatively quick book, and that’s sometimes just what you want. But I’d rather have a quick GOOD read than one that I just… well… don’t like!

Skip this one; read her vamp books instead!

4 Stars Devil of the Highlands
Cullen Laird of Donnachaid didn’t care what people thought of him; all he cared about was protecting his clan. His only need for a wife was to bear his children and follow his orders and nothing more but his needs quickly changed when he met his bride Evelinde.

Evelinde thought her husband to be cold, heartless and frightening from the rumors she heard about him, but if marrying him meant she would be away from her evil stepmother, then so be it. For all she thought her husband to be, Evelinde never expected the strong feelings of passion he evoked in her and the need only he could satisfy.

Devil of The Highlands was good. I found Cullen to be rather likable but wasn’t very crazy about Evelinde. Cullen was the strong silent type and although he didn’t speak much, he is what kept me interested in the story. I liked the mystery aspect of the story and the supporting characters added some comedic relief as well. All in all Devil of the Highlands was an entertaining story and a good read for historical romance lovers.

Ley

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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Id Rather Be the Devil Skip James and the Blues

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars What A Read!
It would certainly be wise to take everything Calt says about James with a grain of salt. He seems to have very bitter memories of the Country Blues revival in general, and all of the so-called “white guitar nerds” who befriended and, as Calt states, cheated many of the original Blues musicians whose careers had been brought back to life. I don’t know for a fact if James killed one man or many men, or robbed a bank, or hated all women; all I know is that this is what Calt alleges. The book is still great to read, though, because of its vividness. Calt also puts forth a theory that the beginnings of the Blues lie in a hymn that was taught to slaves. This is also considered quite a questionable theory in the Blues world. In addition to this, Calt has also said some negative things about the great Dick Waterman, who did and is doing a great deal to help the original Country Bluesmen and their living family members, respectively. One thing Calt is well aware of is that James was a genius, at least at his 1931 sessions, and that he never got the fame nor the recognition that he rightfully deserved, with John Hurt being favored by Country Blues fans. This is an excellent read, though the accuracy of the material is questionable, and is really in stark contrast with Elijah Wald’s “Society Blues”, a biography on Josh White, which paints its main character as a wonderful, heroic, gentle human being.

5 Stars A real biography
It’s a crying shame this is out of print and so expensive. It’s one of the best books of any kind I’ve ever read. It made me feel uncomfortable at times, challenging as it does so many predisposed ideas about the blues, treatment of black people and the music business. Calt has strong opinions and obviously his own axe to grind. But his musical analysis of James’ work is masterly and incisive. It’s a timely reminder that a great musician does not necessarily a good person make. If you like your myths about the blues kept intact, avoid. If you are open-minded and crave a good read, seek this book out. But listen to the music first.

4 Stars An in-depth study, but watch for biases…
For those interested in James and his music this is probably the most thorough biography available. Stephen Calt tends to be vitriolic and is often none to kind in stating his opinions about James’ behavior or those of other blues musicians discussed in the book. That’s fine, such bluntness is refreshing from the candy-coated, politically correct “criticisms” often present in biographies.
However, Calt does have one habit that is, in my opinion, a reprehensible practice for a biographer. He tends too much towards conjecture. Instead of stating events, he often extrapolates what people are feeling, thinking, or might have done in a given situation. This kind of “completion” can get in the way of allowing the reader to draw his own conclusions.
All in all though, if you are interested in Skip James you would do well to read this book.

5 Stars No One Said It Was Going To Be Easy . . .
What we have here:1) The lengthy and always compelling transcribed oral-autobiography of Skip James, a brilliant, idiosyncratic (and none too nice) blues musician from Bentonia, Mississippi whose greatest work was done in the 20’s and 30’s. A cynical fascinating tale of violence and feigned redemption, petty compromise and amoral cultural brilliance in the Jim Crow South. 2) A tour-de-force critique of the early 60’s Folk Scene and the misguided, patronizing white college students who “rediscovered” blues musicians like Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Skip James. Told by a man (Stephen Calt) who, to his lingering shame and horror, played more than a bit part. A scathing dark comedy about race, art, America and ostensibly good intentions, which Tom Wolfe would’ve given a kidney to have penned.3) Pages upon pages of detailed technical musical analysis that, alas, is all too often prejudiced by the ambivalence and still festering rage of Calt. 4) A minor yet compelling intellectual memoir in which — twenty-five years after James’ death — Calt tries and fails miserably to reconcile all of the above.The end result is a deeply flawed, mashed together work of incendiary history, cruel insight and all manner of self-delusion. A messy harrowing work of great worth and constant interest.

3 Stars Five star story, two star delivery
No other comprehensive biographies of Skip James exist as of today, so Stephen Calt is your only choice if you want to learn about the man. The detail can be exhaustive at points and the information itself is well presented, but this book is a complete failure as a biography. For whatever reason, Calt adopts an extremely negative and nihilistic tone as narrator for the entire book and is unremittingly condescending to James and southern black culture in general. Calt regularly speaks in hyperbole and presents his own opinion or perception of a given incident as fact. Calt also loves to project himself into the story; this is permissible in first-person situations where he was actually present, but more often than not he wasn’t and is merely guessing at what he thinks happened. This is fine practice in a story, but not in a book touting itself a biography.

One other HUGE issue is Calt’s complete disregard for ethnocentric language. In one particularly heinous incident, on page 325, Calt asserts that an adult James “…was too much the plantation darkey…” to encourage white musicians to explore black music. This term should only be acceptable in a vignette recalling the roots of southern black culture and music; used in this context, it’s simply a racist and condescending judgment of a man for whom Calt seems to harbor a strange Freudian jealousy.

Weird book; weird author; weird musician. I guess it all fits. At least there are tabs for “Devil Got My Woman” in the appendix.

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Satan and the Problem of Evil Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Adequate, but disappointing.
Given the subject matter, Boyd does an adequate job of writing… but the entire book reads more like a paper to be presented to a professional community, rather than something that a layman could get anything useful from. As a senior who’s taken multiple Bible courses, I was able to make sense of it… but only barely. Also, it was mostly a rehash of points made in prior books, with little new material. Overall, I was disappointed. Had this come from an author I had never read before, I would be satisfied, but this does not hold up to what I have come to expect from Boyd’s writing.

5 Stars Biblically sound and challenging!
I just finished “Satan and the Problem of Evil”, and let me say that it was a breath of fresh air! Though Boyd does a fine job of both dismantling five-point Calvinism and advancing the open view of the future, his ultimate goal is give Christians theological and practical resources with which to deal with evil in the world. Boyd’s Trinitarian Warfare Worldview is a marvelous, biblically-based, panoramic theology that is much-needed in our world. Reformed theology is simply incapable of dealing with evil because it 1)fails to take the entirety of scripture seriously and 2)attributes evil to God due to its thoroughly misguided and unbiblical understanding of God’s sovereignty and glory. Calvinism is one part Scripture, another part bad Augustinian theology, and the last part neo-Platonic thought that held partial sway over Augustine (Ever wonder why there’s a striking kinship between the Platonic forms and the eternal decree of Calvinism?). What’s great about Boyd is that he is not just content to deconstruct Reformed theology, but he is doing so in service of the Trinitarian warfare theodicy.

Most striking is that Boyd takes seriously the biblical and pre-Augustine understandings of the works of celestial beings like angels and “watchers”. Boyd appeals to a simple reading of scripture passages dealing with these beings, and he appeals to the church’s understanding of these passages prior to Augustine. In fact, Boyd’s first book in this series, “God at War”, deals exclusively with the war between God and faithful angels and the rebellious creatures in the universe. This war far better (and more biblically) explains much of the pain, bloodshed, and suffering we see in this world than the common, simplistic evangelical views that attribute these things to God’s will. Boyd’s survey of the early church fathers on this is BREATH-TAKING! To supplement your reading on such a war between divine and demonic creatures and how this war accounts for what is going on in our world, please check out Gerald McDermott’s “God’s Rivals”. McDermott is a Reformed theologian who, due to his biblical studiousness and eye for early Christian tradition, comes to conclusions similar to Boyd’s concerning the war in the heavenlies (though the open future and God’s sovereignty are not the focus of McDermott’s book).

Many will bristle again Boyd’s conclusions. Sadly, I think the chief reason why many will criticize Boyd is as follows: If God does not sanction/is not responsible for evil (and He most certain is not!), then that means that God’s people bear FAR MORE responsibility in battling evil in the world. God has equipped Christians will the abiliy to influence the world through prayer, spiritual gifts (they HAVE NOT in any way ceased!), and a revolutionary communal ethic (among a host of other things). In attributing evil to God, we are able to remain under-achievers who limp around the world bearing little to no resemblance to the salt and light, city on a hill that Jesus spoke of. We reject what people like Boyd say because we underwrite our spiritual, moral, and intellectual laziness by attributing evil things to God. This a great read!

5 Stars Boyds’ best — an excellent and compelling read
I’ve read a few books by Boyd in which he explores openness theology, and I think this one is the best. I won’t attempt to summarize his arguments, but areas that stand out in my mind include his discussion about the necessity and efficacy of prayer and his ideas concerning hell (Chapter 12). His section on “natural evil,” which is actually very unnatural, is also especially helpful.

The information is presented in a much more user-friendly manner than in past books. That is, the notes are placed at the bottom of each page for easy access. Difficult theological terms are explained in a glossary of terms and concepts. Boyd also does not fall into the trap this time of citing his own work. (Good heavens, this man must read a lot!) The only problem I have with this book is that now I’m going to have to buy a bunch of other books that he has brought to my attention. Thanks a lot, brother.

5 Stars When bad things happen to good people…..
This is a book that requires a lot of thinking and reflection. It was helpful to have a dictionary close at hand (smile). Dr. Boyd continues on from “God at War” but takes a closer look at the classical positions regarding what it means for God to be “in control”, freedom and the origin of evil, risk and the sovereignty of God to mention a few. He also shares a different perspective to the “blueprint” plan. This book is premised on six foundations that structure this trinitarian warfare theodicy and how God interacts with this world as well as their implementation;

1. Love must be freely chosen.

2. Love entails risks.

3. Love and freedom entails that we are morally responsible for one another.

4. The power to influence for the worse must be roughly proportionate to our power to influence for the better.

5. Love entails freedom and this freedom, within limits, must be irrevocable.

6. Angels and humans are finite beings who thus possess only a finite capacity to embrace or thwart God’s purposes for our lives.

He spends quite a bit of time discussing the open view of the future but whether you agree with his position or not one has to grapple personally with the warfare worldview of Scripture and the trinitarian warfare theodicy on its own merits. It is well worth the effort.

This is another book that is a resource to be returned to often. I highly recommend it.

5 Stars MUCH NEEDED REBUTTAL TO CALVINISM AND ITS REPROCUSIONS
In contrast to the widely accepted protestant view of Calvinistic Determinism, Dr. Boyd has laid forth the early Jewish and Church’s understanding and view of God’s foreknowledge, free agency, and evil as it is experienced. This view is definitely in more harmony with the totality of Scripture rather than the selective and illogical view of Calvinism.

The main premise is that Love Requires Freedom (choice), thus, a holy, righteous and loving God cannot arbitrarily force or cause agents to “love” Him nor suffer damnation if they are not the initial cause of their “choices.” Subsequently, free agents’ choices may cause suffering, as we witness today in the physical and spiritual realm. Since Christ never attributed evil to be an element of “God’s Plan” neither should His disciples today.

Mr. Boyd does, though, get sidetracked addressing various views concerning each premise which is unneeded since once the truth is unearthed, the counterfeits will be clearly exposed. Highly recommended, especially chapters 1-3. [....]

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The Cure of Ars The Priest Who Out Talked the Devil

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Wonderful story
I initially bought this book for my kids, but I picked it up and could not put it down! It is a very easy read and it is so incredibly inspiring. It is one of those books that really affects you and teaches you about humility, perseverence, and faith in a great way. Very few men compare to the Wonderful Cure of Ars and this little book gives you a good summary of his life during the French Revolution and afterward. It shows how he turned a whole town around and how he affected a large part of France. I am now reading the book to my 5 kids and they love it!!!! I highly suggest reading this book!

5 Stars Great saint book!
Milton Lomask does an excellent job with this book! The story is of the beloved Cure de Ars, or St. John Vianney. It has his life story, and all sorts of wonderful little stories in between. The age range for this book is probably around 10-15, but all will enjoy! It is easy reading, and it keeps your attention very well. So, if you are looking for an easy and fun way to learn about the patron saint of parish priests, this is it!

4 Stars for school it must be purchased
my son had a tough time to find this book, but it is good book, and for school it is necessary, so it is a must buy.

4 Stars A Simple Story of St John Vianney’s Life.
This simple story of the life of St John Vianney, written by Milton Lomasek and illustrated by Johannes Troyer has the young Christian adults as its target. The simplicity of its form and the clarity of its contents would make it an excellent experience for the young people. The life of the cure of Ars is so often told that some of the details are almost lost in legend. In this book he emerges as a most personable and real person, like most of us. The simple language, the narrative style and the fast movement of events make it easily readble.

The clumsy looking farm boy, Jean, born during the French revolution in Dardilly, France opts to be a priest against all odds. But his struggle with the study of the Latin language raises further hurdles on his way. This lovable young man’s journey of life to become the most lovable parish priest of France, ‘cure of Ars’ is an inspiring one. The style of the book makes it also interesting.

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