Book Review of Redemption: A Rebellious Spirit, A Praying Mother, And the Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold by Bryan Clay with Joel Kilpatrick

The book Redemption: A Rebellious Spirit, A Praying Mother, And the Unlikely Path to Olympic Gold by Bryan Clay with Joel Kilpatrick is Bryan Clay's testimony of how God changed his life from one that was leading to destruction to one that transformed him into an amazing athlete, loving husband and father.

The inside jacket of the book says, " Redemption welcomes readers to learn the potential for victory, the power of prayer, and the promise of a God who never gives up."  Clay's life story shows the reader all of these things.  I was very encouraged by his mother's devotion to praying for his future, and then seeing what God had told her unfold in Clay's life.  Despite the struggles he faced in his childhood and youth, Clay was able to rise above those with faith in God and a lot of hard work.  I really like the quote on the back cover of the book by Clay which says, "I have been put on Earth not only to win medals and enjoy the thrill of competition but also, ultimately, to point people to the faithfulness of God."  I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for some inspiration.  You won't be disappointed because Clay's life story is full of inspiration!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 

Book Review of Nothing to Hide (A Roland March Mystery) by J. Mark Bertrand

Nothing to Hide is the 3rd book in J. Mark Bertrand's Roland March mystery series.  In this book, Roland March investigates the murder of a man who was decapitated and left at the basketball court in the park.  As   March and his partner, Jerry Lorenz, begin to investigate the murder, March is called to meet secretly with an FBI agent who claims that the murdered man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of illegal arms to the Mexican cartels.  March is asked play along with the cover story, but after further investigation, he discovers the FBI is lying.  There are many more twists and turns that happen, but I don't want to give too much detail and ruin it for future readers.

I thought this book was okay.  It took me a while longer to read it than it usually does because I found the book to be very wordy that it took away from the plot.  I did like how the story unfolded, and I definitely was surprised at the end.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.