CFBA presents "A Valley of Betrayal" by Tricia Goyer

A Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

A Valley Of Betrayal(Moody Publishers - February 1, 2007)
by Tricia Goyer (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and homeschooling mom!)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia is a members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. She also has a blog, It’s Real Life and a parenting blog Generation NeXt.

TRICIA GOYER is the author of five novels, two nonfiction books and one children’s book. She also was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference Writer of the Year in 2003. In 2005, her novel Night Song, the second title in Tricia’s World War II series, won ACFW’s Book of the Year for Best Long Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of A Thousand Nights also won book of the Year for Long Historical Romance. Tricia and her husband, John, live with their family in northwestern Montana.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

We are pleased to be able to review her exciting Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War, A Valley Of Betrayal

For reasons beyond her control, Sophie finds herself alone in the war-torn Spanish countryside, searching for her beloved Michael. His work as a news photographer has taken him deep into the country wracked by civil war. What was once a thriving paradise has become a battleground for Nazi-backed Franco fascist soldiers and Spanish patriots. She is caught up in the escalating events when the route to safety is blocked and fighting surrounds her.

Secrets abound in the ruined Spain. Michael is loving but elusive, especially about beautiful maria. The American who helped Sophie sneak into Spain turns up in odd places. Michael’s friend Jose knows more than he tells. When reports of Michael’s dissappearance reach her, Sophie is devastaed. What are her feelings for Philip, an American soldier who comes to her rescue?

Sophie must sift truth from lies as she becomes more embroiled in the war that threatens her life and breaks her heart. On her darkest night, Sophie takes refuge with a brigade of international compatriots. Among these volunteers, she pledges to make the plight of the Spanish people known around the world through the power of art.

Acclaimed author Tricia Goyer creates a riviting cast of characters against the backdrop of pre-WWII spain. Love, loss, pain, and beauty abound in A Valley Of Betrayal, the first book in her new series, Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War.

Review:

Before WWII, another war, confined to a single country, involved just as many nationalities.
Overlooked by most history books, the Spanish Civil War, fought in the years preceding WWII, was, in many ways, a test run for the larger war to come.

Sophie Grace has left her home in Boston and is on her way to Spain to find her fiance, Michael. But before she can enter Spain, civil war breaks out and the border between France and Spain is closed to foreigners. Approached by Walt Block, a fellow traveler on the train, they work out a deal to secretly cross the border into Spain.

Seattle teacher Philip Stanford and his close friend Attis Brody are in Barcelona for the Workers’ Games. Both men are excellant runners, but Philip’s role is that of coach. Attis refused to attend the Olympics in Berlin and run under Hitler’s swastikas. Attis chose Berlin instead; his way of fighting the rising tide of Fascism. But before the games get underway, civil war erupts. Attis is determined to stay and fight on the side of the anti-government forces. Philip stays because he can’t leave his best friend behind.

Before long, the Americans are caught up in a bloody conflict that draws in foreign support, especially from Germany. Eager to prove his military strength, Hitler sends in air and ground support in support of the government. The Russians move to aid the insurgents. Volunteers from around the world arrive to fight on both sides.

A Valley of Betrayal holds to the same high standards as in Tricia’s previous WWII novels. She brings the conflict and the feelings of the times to life, without overwhelming the reader. Her characters draw you in from the start, as they struggle with the life circumstances they find themselves in, so different from their expectations. A book well-worth reading.

"Blinded" by Travis Thrasher

At 4:46 on a Friday afternoon in Manhattan, Michel sits alone, nursing wounds from a failed business merger. He has sixteen hours to kill before his flight back home to Chicago when he must face the two hundred and fifty people whose jobs are now on the line.

At 4:47 his emotions leave the boarding station and begin a slow climb up what will prove to be a rollercoaster track. A stunning blonde has approached him, him, and struck up a conversation. By the time she leaves, he has a name, Jasmine, and a phone number in his pocket.

And a wife and two children back in Chicago. But the business failure and his loneliness eat at his soul. Jasmine’s phone number and her earlier parting words soothe his emotions. He thinks of his wife and guilt raps at his thoughts. But he’s in New York, while Lisa is back in Chicago with the kids. She’ll never know. And he rationalizes his first step into a night of terror. The rollercoaster begins to ascend the first hill.

By 8:34, he’s in the Atmosphere, a club in the Village. His wedding ring is back at the hotel, but his conscience can’t be taken off and left behind. As the night progresses, he finds himself pulled deeper into a world his suburban life in Chicago could never imagine. The rollercoaster peaks the hill and screams down the other side. Before first light dawns, the horrific ride rises and plummets numerous times. Somewhere during this terrifying night, his priorities realign, but he may be out of time. There are too many people that don’t want him to get on that plane.

Blinded by Travis Thrasher is a novel that drew me in from the opening sentence. Fast-paced, it’s full of twists and turns with an ending that I never saw coming. Michael is a well-written character at war with himself and his God. An only child, he must become parent to the child that used to be his mother as disease steals her mind. He’s fallen out of love with his wife and has begun to seek fulfillment in places that will never satisfy. Blinded to the true treasures his life holds, he chooses to succumb to the myriad temptations that thrive in the city. His night, in a strange way, becomes a candle in his darkness, illuminating the way home. Highly recommended.

At 4:46 on a Friday afternoon in Manhattan, Michel sits alone, nursing wounds from a failed business merger. He has sixteen hours to kill before his flight back home to Chicago when he must face the two hundred and fifty people whose jobs are now on the line.

At 4:47 his emotions leave the boarding station and begin a slow climb up what will prove to be a rollercoaster track. A stunning blonde has approached him, him, and struck up a conversation. By the time she leaves, he has a name, Jasmine, and a phone number in his pocket.

And a wife and two children back in Chicago. But the business failure and his loneliness eat at his soul. Jasmine’s phone number and her earlier parting words soothe his emotions. He thinks of his wife and guilt raps at his thoughts. But he’s in New York, while Lisa is back in Chicago with the kids. She’ll never know. And he rationalizes his first step into a night of terror. The rollercoaster begins to ascend the first hill.

By 8:34, he’s in the Atmosphere, a club in the Village. His wedding ring is back at the hotel, but his conscience can’t be taken off and left behind. As the night progresses, he finds himself pulled deeper into a world his suburban life in Chicago could never imagine. The rollercoaster peaks the hill and screams down the other side. Before first light dawns, the horrific ride rises and plummets numerous times. Somewhere during this terrifying night, his priorities realign, but he may be out of time. There are too many people that don’t want him to get on that plane.

Blinded by Travis Thrasher is a novel that drew me in from the opening sentence. Fast-paced, it’s full of twists and turns with an ending that I never saw coming. Michael is a well-written character at war with himself and his God. An only child, he must become parent to the child that used to be his mother as disease steals her mind. He’s fallen out of love with his wife and has begun to seek fulfillment in places that will never satisfy. Blinded to the true treasures his life holds, he chooses to succumb to the myriad temptations that thrive in the city. His night, in a strange way, becomes a candle in his darkness, illuminating the way home. Highly recommended.