The Gathering Storm by Bodie and Brock Thoene is up on CFBA. Includes book review!

LOVED this story! Review at the end of this post.

This week, the





Christian Fiction Blog Alliance





is introducing





The Gathering Storm Summerside Press (August 1, 2010)





by Bodie and Brock Thoene




ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Bodie and Brock Thoene (pronounced Tay-nee) have written over 50 works of historical fiction. Over twenty million of these best-selling novels are in print. Eight ECPA Gold Medallion Awards affirms what millions of readers have already discovered—the Thoenes are not only master stylists but experts at capturing readers’ minds and hearts.

Bodie began her writing career as a teen journalist for her local newspaper. Eventually her byline appeared in prestigious periodicals such as U.S. News and World Report, The American West, and The Saturday Evening Post. She also worked for John Wayne’s Batjac Productions (she’s best known as author of The Fall Guy) and ABC Circle Films as a writer and researcher. John Wayne described her as “a writer with talent that captures the people and the times!” She has degrees in journalism and communications.

Brock has often been described by Bodie as “an essential half of this writing team.” With degrees in both history and education, Brock has, in his role as researcher and story-line consultant, added the vital dimension of historical accuracy. Due to such careful research, The Zion Covenant and The Zion Chronicles series are recognized by the American Library Association, as well as Zionist libraries around the world, as classic historical novels and are used to teach history in college classrooms.

Bodie and Brock have four grown children—Rachel, Jake, Luke, and Ellie—and seven grandchildren. Their sons, Jake and Luke, are carrying on the Thoene family talent as the next generation of writers, and Luke produces the Thoene audiobooks.

Bodie and Brock divide their time between London and Nevada.



ABOUT THE BOOK

As Nazi forces tighten the noose, Loralei Kepler, daughter of a German resistance leader, must flee her beloved Germany. But is any place safe from Adolf Hitler's evil grasp? Loralei's harrowing flight leads her into the arms of needy child refugees, who have sacrificed everything in exchange for their lives, and toward a mysterious figure, who closely guards an age-old secret.

Explore the romance, the passion, and the danger of the most anticipated series of the last 20 years.

Born from the highly acclaimed and best-loved novels of three generations of readers -- The Zion Covenant series and The Zion Chronicles series -- Zion Diaries ventures into the lives of the inspiring and intriguing characters who loved intensely, stood up for what was right, and fought boldly during Hitler's rise to power and the dark days of World War II.


If you would like to read the first chapter of The Gathering Storm, go HERE

My review:

Back in 1990 I first discovered a genre called Christian fiction. The very first Christian novel I'd ever read was Vienna Prelude by Brock and Bodie Thoene. The story was excellent. From that point on I was hooked, and it was then that I discovered an affection for historical fiction, especially set during the devastation of WWII Europe. The characters in their books faced uncertain peril, but trusted in a powerful and loving God to save them. Since that time I have read at least 30 of their books up through 2005, but then stopped when the number of available Christian novels exploded to the point I had too many choices and couldn't keep up. It wasn't until this year that I started reading again stories they've written together.

On an emotional level, this story blew me away. At first I'd thought it would be good like some of the others. Engaging and interesting; maybe even a bit heart-rending. This book was so much more. It had passion in it that I don't recall from earlier books. My heart was hurting and I even cried a few times. I read those intense scenes over again...and cried a second time. My heart was totally engaged in the story and invested in this characters' lives. I didn't want it to end.

Yet while the ending was painful--agonizing even--it resolved in an awesome way. But then it changed again. While the second ending was obviously improbable, I still found it more than satisfying. I was willing to suspend disbelief because I wanted to believe the resolution even though it was impossible. I wanted to believe that if you gave up the one thing your heart loved most in this world, that God would restore that to you eventually if you were obedient and followed through with releasing your most beloved person to Him. I wanted to believe that such a passionate and sacrificing love could live forever.

I highly recommend this story for WWII buffs. It's full of action and terror, war and misery, but more than that, it is chocked full of love demonstrated between neighbors, self-sacrifice, and a pure devotion to helping the helpless. I felt so inspired by the character's lives and their faith it left me breathless. I often forgot they weren't real people. I found Eben's revelation about his past incredible and even wondered if it were possible. With God, anything is possible. While the story behind his life is too incredible to be real, it still felt real to me. That is an example of fantastic storytelling. As a result, this book is making my favorites list of 2010 and is staying on my keeper shelf. I absolutely loved it!

This book was sent to me to review for the blog tour. I did not receive any compensation for my opinion of this fabulous novel.

Blew me away