Immanuel's Veins

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Immanuel's Veins Thomas Nelson (September 7, 2010)


by Ted Dekker





ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



Ted Dekker is a New York Times best-selling author of more than twenty novels. He is best known for stories which could be broadly described as suspense thrillers with major twists and unforgettable characters, though he has also made a name for himself among fantasy fans.



Early in his career he wrote a number of spiritual thrillers and his novels were lumped in with ‘Christian Fiction’ a surprisingly large category. His later novels are a mix of mainstream novels such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan’s Daughters, and fantasy thrillers that metaphorically explore faith. Best known among these is his Circle Series: Green, Black, Red, White and The Paradise Books: Showdown, Saint, and Sinner.



Dekker was born to missionaries who lived among the headhunter tribes of Indonesia. Because his parents’ work often included extended periods of time away from their children, Dekker describes his early life in a culture to which he was a stranger as both fascinating and lonely. It is this unique upbringing that forced him to rely on his own imagination to create a world in which he belonged.



After leaving Indonesia, Dekker graduated from a multi-cultural high school and took up permanent residence in the United States to study philosophy and religion. Upon earning his Bachelor’s Degree, he entered the corporate world and proceeded to climb the proverbial ladder. But his personal drive left him restless and, after many successful years, he traded corporate life for wide range of entrepreneurial pursuits that included buying and selling businesses, healthcare services, and marketing.



In the early nineties while visiting a friend who had just written a book, Dekker decided to pursue a long held desire to be a novelist. Over the course of two years he wrote two full length novels before starting from scratch and rewriting both. Now fully enamored by the the process and the stories, he realized that storytelling was in his blood and a new obsession to explore truth through story gripped him anew.



He sold his business, moved his family to the mountains of Western Colorado and began writing full-time on his third novel. Two years and three novels later his first novel, Heaven’s Wager, was published.



Now, Dekker’s novels had sold over 3.4 million copies worldwide. Two of his novels, Thr3e and House, have been made into movies with more in production. Dekker resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Lee Ann and two of their daughters.



ABOUT THE BOOK

This story is for everyone--but not everyone is for this story.



It is a dangerous tale of times past. A torrid love story full of deep seduction. A story of terrible longing and bold sacrifice.



Then as now, evil begins its courtship cloaked in light. And the heart embraces what it should flee. Forgetting it once had a truer lover.



With a kiss, evil will ravage body, soul, and mind. Yet there remains hope, because the heart knows no bounds.



Love will prove greater than lust. Sacrifice will overcome seduction. And blood will flow.



Because the battle for the heart is always violently opposed. For those desperate to drink deep from this fountain of life, enter.



But remember, not everyone is for this story.



If you'd like to read the first chapter of Immanuel's Veins, go HERE.



Watch the book trailer:






Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker is a stand out book by a controversial Christian author. Toma Nicolescu is a devoted warrior for Catherine, Empress of Russia, so when he is sent to Moldavia with Alek, his comrade-in-arms, to protect the twin daughters, Lucine and Natasha, of an important estate, he intends to remain businesslike, despite their renowned beauty. Alek and Natasha have an immediate connection as lovers of passion and freedom. Toma is mysteriously drawn to Lucine, but his duty to Russia makes him deny his feelings until she is threatened by Vlad van Velarik, a mysterious Russian who has brought a entourage of strangely beautiful men and women who alternately entice and taunt the two couples. Everything changes when Vlad determines to court Lucine, and Toma must decide what she means to him and just far he is willing to go for love. Dekker is well-known for his dark and occasionally disturbing fiction that stretches readers' imagination and faith, but IV has taken his writing to a completely new level. The tone is completely authentic, and the images are haunting, compelling, and completely unforgettable. This book will shake up readers' ideas of what sacrificial love looks like. It is beautiful and terrible and life-changing. Dekker has truly set himself a new standard of writing with this book, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

The author has asked all bloggers to write about their definition of sacrificial love. This is mine: I believe that my husband, Jesse, has shown me the most beautiful example of sacrificial love. Because of my illness, I can't work full-time, putting the complete burden of supporting our family on his shoulders. Jesse works a thankless job to provide for our family, then comes home to make supper and take care of the household chores, because again, my pain limits what I can do. On top of that, he's attending school full-time to try and give us all a better life. This is not the life that we promised each other when we were married eight years ago, but he does it, day in and day out, with only rare complaint. His love for me amazes me, and I know that I am a blessed woman.

The author is also giving away completely awesome T-shirts in a contest this week. The artwork is phenomenal, and I love mine! If you would like the chance to win, just leave me a comment here on this post before 10 pm on Thursday, Sept. 16th. I'll pick a winner randomly from the comments and post the winner here on Friday. Good luck!

The Bride Collector

Mia is doing much better today. The rash has spread up her feet and hands and over most of her stomach, but the fever is gone, and she's in good spirits. I'm planning to send her back to school tomorrow. Now I'm praying that no one else in the family gets it!

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker is another terrifying novel from the king of Christian horror. Brad Raines is tracking a serial killer who has come to be known as the Bride Collector for his posing of the victims. When the FBI runs out of leads, a letter the killer leaves behind takes Brad to a mental institution where he finds that some of the residents may have insight into the mind of the psychopathic murderer. One of the residents, Paradise, is rumored to see ghosts and be able to see the last moments of the dead, but when Brad pulls her into the case, they both find that the case has suddenly become frightening personal. Dekker, who is the Stephen King of Christian fiction, creates a surprisingly intelligent twist on the typical serial killer pursued by the FBI novel. Paradise, and the rest of the patients, are treated with enormous compassion, and the reader will find their eyes and hearts opened to their need to be loved right alongside Brad. Often when an author reveals the murderer to the reader early on, the story loses some suspense, but Dekker keeps the tension ratcheted skintight as the killer continues to evade and outwit the police. His ability to so convincingly climb inside the head of the criminally insane gives the story an unsettling believability.  The climax is completely unexpected and shattering. I do hope that Dekker isn't finished with Paradise, Roudy, Andrea, and Cass, they make a fascinating set of crimefighters.

Thank you to Goldberg McDuffie Communications for providing me with a copy of this book for revie

Burn

Jeremiah, the prophet, was given a series of difficult messages to give to his people. At first they were a warning to the people of Judah to repent, because God had terrible plans for them, including conquest by Babylon. The people refused to turn from their sin, and eventually his message became one that seems completely contrary to common sense: surrender.


Build houses and make yourselves at home. Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you'll thrive in that country and not waste away. Make yourselves at home there and work for the country's welfare. Pray for Babylon's well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you. Yes. Believe it or not, this is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God. Jeremiah 29:5-8

I can't blame the Israelites for not listening to this message, because when I am under attack, I want to fight back. I want to stand firm and strong in the midst of adversity, refusing to buckle under. Isn't that the way we all want to be seen? And God's command wasn't just surrender; it was to prosper in the midst of the exile. He wanted them to do more than make the best of a bad situation. They were also to pray for their captors.

God was serious about this command. Zedekiah, king of Judah, chose to fight despite repeated warnings, and when he was finally captured, he was forced to watch the slaying of all of his sons before he was blinded and then led to Babylon.

For those who fought, the verdict was famine, violent death by war, or the loss of all they loved, and if they managed to survive, they were led into captivity. Those who listened to God's command survived and thrived in their new homes. It didn't matter if you surrendered or fought: you were going into captivity!

When I first was hit with rheumatoid arthritis, I fought it with everything in me. I tried every crazy "cure" I heard about, and I tried to continue living life on my terms. But I didn't get better, and the fight made the pain even worse. I pushed my body far beyond what it could handle and paid the price every time. It also took a toll on my family, because I was angry and resentful all the time. It was a dark time in my life as I slipped into depression. I couldn't see a life worth living when every day was lived in constant pain.

While I was in the deepest valley of pain and depression, I found the same Bible verses wherever I turned.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Reading and hearing these verses brought a very clear message to me from God: I was not going to get better. This pain and illness would be with me throughout the rest of my life.

I continued to struggle with this message, as it left me completely hopeless, until I found this verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I came to understand that while my pain was always going to be with me, God was going to do something good with it. I just needed to trust in Him, to joyfully surrender and then prosper in this new land.

Sometimes it's difficult to see God's hand working in our lives, especially when we're facing a season of despair. It's vital that we discern whether it's time to surrender or to fight. I still don't have it all figured out. Some days I revert to battle mode and push myself beyond my capabilities, pretending that I'm not ill, and when I do, my entire family pays the price. Most days however, I am growing a garden in my exile. I challenge you to do the same.

Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is another thought-provoking book by the pair who wrote Kiss. Janeal Mikkado has never quite fit in. Growing up in the Gypsy camp, she always hated the scams they pulled and has been tempted by the world outside the kumpania. The life of the kumpania is in her hands when an enemy of her father's, Salvador Sanso, both threatens and tempts her. Her best friends Robert and Katie don't understand her struggle, but they all have to face the consequences of her choices. Years later they are all still living with those consequences, but now that Sanso has reappeared. I had a difficult time liking any of the characters and was frustrated by Janeal/Jane's actions, but when a major plot twist was revealed, it turned the entire story around. Dekker and Healy have created a fascinating story full of possibility while also addressing the darker corners of the heart.

Thank you to Phenix Publicity for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

BoneMan's Daughters

We left at 7 am today for UW-Superior. We brought Doogie with us, and his dad and stepmom brought Molly with them. It took about 5-1/2 hours to get here, and we met at the college for a tour. We blew through the buildings so quickly that I don't remember how to get around at all, but we got to see the different buildings: science, arts, computer, etc. Molly got a free T-shirt for asking a question, and Doogie won one of the three door prizes for a $25 gift certificate to the book store. With a little help from his dad, he got a hoodie. Molly and I spent some time talking to a psych major about possibilities for her at UW-Superior. She doesn't really want to go here; it's too far from home for her tastes, but I want her to keep her options open. Doogie was a bit subdued throughout the tour. He's a bit concerned about the distance from Bre, and I think that his leaving home is becoming very real to him too.

At the hotel, Doogie dropped his cellphone in the toilet! After blow-drying and airdrying, thank God, it's working again. After the tour, all six of us met up for supper at Gronk's, a tiny bar/hamburger joint. The burgers are awesome, and Doogie tried out the Enger Tower Burger. It's six patties and weighs a total of six pounds! If he finished it all, plus the mountain of fries, in two hours he would get a free T-shirt. As you can see from the picture, he made a huge dent in it, but couldn't quite pull it off. That's probably a good thing.

BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker is a cringe-worthy, hair-raising thriller. Ryan Evans has spent most of his adult life devoted to the Navy, at the expense of his relationships with his daughter, Bethany, and wife, Celine. When he is captured and tortured in Iraq, he realizes how much time he wasted with his family and returns home to make it right. But after sixteen years of abandonment, both Celine and Bethany are more than willing to move on. Celine with the handsome district attorney, Burt, who put serial killer BoneMan behind bars, and Bethany with a modelling career. Burt messed up, and the man who was imprisoned as the BoneMan has been set free. The killer takes Bethany, and Ryan is soon suspected to be the BoneMan, so the only way to prove his innocence and save his daughter from a brutal monster is to find her himself. Dekker writes a haunting, frightening story with parallels to the love of God. He uses Ryan's love and willingness to sacrifice his life for her to demonstrate Jesus' death for us. The story doesn't get hung up on faith, however. The BoneMan is a frightening villain worthy of Hannibal Lecter, and Bethany's descent into Stockholm syndrome gave me goosebumps. Do not read this book late at night or in the house alone!

The winners of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books were: Adrianne Fletcher - Middle School, Richard Pillath - High School, and Jennifer Thompson - College. I'll be starting a new contest on Monday, so I hope you'll come back then! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Kiss

Molly and her cheerleading squad had a big competition on Saturday. They worked for I can't tell you how many hours to put the routine together and then get it down. She's at school every night until 5:20, plus some Saturdays and a few other hours here and there. I felt awful, because I wasn't able to go to the actual competition. I was still recovering from the flu that hit me last week and didn't think that sitting in a hot, crowded gymnasium for six hours would be a good idea. I texted her throughout the day to see how she was doing, and her boyfriend kept me updated when she couldn't. They took second in the Cheer Dance category, which is nothing to be ashamed of, but I know that the girls are hopeful of more at the Regional competition on the 31st. I am so thankful to the Kilgore family for videotaping their performance and then putting it up on YouTube. I am also incredibly proud of Molly. When you watch the video, she's in the third row on the far left at the beginning of the routine.

Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is a suspenseful novel about the power and value of memory. Shauna McAllister awakes from a six week coma with no knowledge of the previous six months. What she finds is her brother severely injured from their car accident, charges of drug use and abuse, and her father on the brink of winning the Presidential election. When she tries to recover her lost memories, she's told in kind and not-so-kind terms to let the past die. But Shauna feels lost and without foundation in her life without knowing what came before, so she begins to seek answers, even as they put into question who she can trust and who she's become. To be honest, I'm always a little afraid to read Ted Dekker's books. His Christianity is so fierce and uncompromising, it makes me a bit nervous, but when I read the reviews and synopsis of Kiss, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read and review it, and I'm so glad I read it! The authors create this situation around Shauna that the reader can't help but become emotionally involved. As the lies were building around her, I wanted someone, anyone, to step up and defend her and clear away the lies and deceit. They do a terrific job of placing some red herrings and not making the bad guys too obvious, so the thrills add up quickly. There were a couple of spots where the editing wasn't great. When the reader is forced to stop and reread a sentence a few times to get the gist of it, breaking up the flow of reading, that's a spot the editor should have caught and polished before publication. Aside from that, it was definitely a book I didn't want to put down until I had devoured the last page. I hope that the authors aren't through with the McAllister family, because there are more stories to be told there.

Randy Singer is one of my absolute favorite authors, and he's come up with a unique premise for his new book. The Justice Game, coming this summer, is about gun control and involves a trial about guns and their role in our society. Singer is offering readers the chance to determine the outcome of the trial within the book. This is so cool! Go to his site and watch the video. After you've watched it, vote for who you think should win. Singer will take all of the votes and allow the majority to determine the trial in the book. So go and watch the video, vote, and then put The Justice Game on your wish list. I can't wait to read it, and no, I'm not telling how I voted!