TSS: Greater Love by Robert Whitlow

Title: Greater Love
Author: Robert Whitlow
ISBN: 9781595544506
Publisher: Thomas Nelson/2010
Pages: 400

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Book Description

The Tides of Truth series follows one lawyer's passionate pursuit of truth--in matters of life and the law.

As the storm clouds gather, Tami does her best to weather the growing turbulence in every area of her life.

She's just accepted a job with a law firm but now wonders if she made the right decision. She has two strong men vying for her heart--and is about to lose them both if she can't determine which one is right for her.

And Tami's new case is anything but simple. When she first meets her prospective client, she immediately knows the rough young teen is lying, guilty...and utterly terrified of something beyond the charges she's facing. What she doesn't realize is just how far reaching the effects of the case will go. Or how close to home the deadly results will hit. For by the time the storm breaks, someone close to Tami will have paid the ultimate price.

Through it all, Tami will experience greater sacrifice, greater friendship, and greater love than she's ever known.

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Greater Love is a legal fiction with strong Christian elements. If one ignores the religious part, it makes a fine read, although love and sacrifice are very universal and only limited to just one religion.

Not a very easy book to review as revealing the story would spoil it for the reader. Right from the beginning I knew which one of her Beaus, Tami Taylor, would choose. Not difficult considering her mindset. Her relationship with the young Jessie is very beautifully brought out. Jessie who has suffered so much in life to comes to trust Tami and her older friend, Mrs Fairmont, who comes love Jessie as her own.

There is this suspense element, where there are people looking for Jessie but that is overshadowed by the romance element, which kind of slowed down the book. The legal point of view should have predominated but it didn't and that seemed like a let down.

What didn't gel well with me is the fact that Tami, a Law graduate is always turning towards her family for advice. She ought to have been able to take her own decisions regarding her personal life. Professionally she seems to do fine. The sacrifice of Sister Dabney is the Greater Love.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for my review copy.

TSS: Try Darkness by James Scott Bell

The nun hit me in the mouth and said, "Get out of my house."
Jaw throbbing, I said, "I can't believe you just did that."
"This is my house," she said. "You want more? Come on back in."

Title: Try Darkness
Author: James Scott Bell
ISBN: 9781599952437
Publisher: Center Street/2010
Pages: 291

If the characters in a novel are a lawyer, a six-year old girl, and a nun who can throw a good punch, then that book has to be a winner. Ty Buchanan is a former trial lawyer, now living in a trailer on the grounds of St. Monica. Now he mostly provides legal aid to those, who can't really afford it. He has a past, in which he was accused of murdering his fiancee. When a woman with a six-year old daughter, calls on him for legal aid and is murdered, he has no other option to take in the little girl and also try to find why was her mother killed.

With Sister Mary on his side, he gets into the middle of the dark side of Los Angeles, where taking a life is so very easy. He knows that he has to protect the girl at any cost. Father Bob too has a past but is ever ready to help those who want it. All of them make a winning team and have to get to the bottom of it. The most powerful people want everything to be stay hidden and can go to any length to keep Ty's mouth shut.

With witty dialogues and endearing characters, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I found Sister Mary a very interesting character, who is not afraid to speak her mind, plays a good game of basketball and is not above throwing punches. Ty has some kind of feelings for her but can't pursue it as she is a nun. The cherubic Kylie wins our heart. She is a spunky girl, who loves Ty and Sister Mary.

Try Darkness is second book in the series but stands alone. The suspense is maintained till the end. The characters are well developed and the surprise elements makes us want to check out more books by James Scott Bell. Thanks to the author for my copy.

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