What Follows After by Dan Walsh (Review)

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Revell (April 1, 2014)
• ISBN-13: 978-0800721206

In 1962, life was simple, the world made sense, and all families were happy.
And when they weren't, everyone knew you were supposed to pretend.
For the past year, Scott and Gina Harrison have been living a lie. While they show up at family get-togethers in the same car, they've actually been separated for over a year. To keep up the charade, they've even instructed their sons, Colt and Timmy, to lie--to their grandparents, their teachers, and their friends.

Colt, for one, has had enough, so he hatches a plan. He and his little brother will run away from their Florida home, head for their aunt's house in Georgia, and refuse to come home until their parents get back together. But when things go terribly, terribly wrong, Scott and Gina must come to grips with years of neglect and mistrust in order to recover their beloved sons, their love for one another, and their marriage.

In this emotional story, bestselling author Dan Walsh takes you on a journey to rediscover the things that matter most in life--love, truth, and family. With profound insight into the heart of a hurting child, he reminds us that a time will come to look back on hard times and smile, because we'll know that what follows after . . . is not what we expected at all.


My Review:

This historical Christian fiction book kept my attention from beginning to end. I wanted to know what happened to Timmy. The author does a good job creating the setting and making you feel like you are really there. In the background was the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. This book is heavy on dealing with relationships. Not just husband wife but family and children too. It felt more like the troubled relationship between the husband and wife was center stage and Timmy in the background. There was also a secondary plot of relationships with family and extended family. Overall a good but tense read.





 Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Unfinished Gift, The Discovery, and The Reunion, as well as The Dance and The Promise with Gary Smalley. He has won three Carol awards, and three of his novels were finalists for RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year (2011-2013). Dan lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel. Visit www.danwalshbooks.com for more.

Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Promise by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley (Review)

Series: The Restoration Series (Book 2)

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2013)

ISBN-13: 978-0800721497

One home, two hearts, and the power of a promise kept . . . For the last five months, Tom Anderson has been without a job, a fact he's been hiding from his wife Jean--and everyone else. He leaves each morning, pretending nothing has changed, and spends his disheartening day rotating through coffee shops and the library, using their wifi to search job listings online. The stress of keeping this secret is beginning to put serious strain on his marriage.

But Tom's not the only one hiding something. Jean Anderson has a secret of her own--one that will seriously complicate their situation. Will the promises they made on their wedding day hold firm?

My Review:

I thought this was an okay contemporary Christian fiction book. It was simple and easy to read. Although the plot was very predictable it was still a good story. Parts of it were depressing since it took most of the book for Tom to get caught in his ruse. He lost his job five months ago and his uncle is the one who caught him working at the coffee shop or he would have kept fooling everyone until the bank took the house or cars. I felt bad for his wife too since he was treating her so bad on top of lying to her. There were good life lessons to be learned in the book. One is the truth always comes out. Also generational curses can be broken. We do not have to be like our parents. In this case it is the fathers who have a big lesson to learn. This is book two in  the Restoration Series and continues to follow the same family. I only felt a little lost as the first book contains the story of Tom's mother and father. Recommended.






Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Dance with Gary Smalley, The Discovery, and The Reunion. He has won three Carol Awards, and two of his novels were finalists for RT Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year for 2011 and 2012. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

Gary Smalley is one of the country's best-known authors and speakers on family relationships and has appeared on national television programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, and TODAY, as well as numerous national radio programs. He is the bestselling and award-winning author or coauthor of many books, including the Baxter Family Redemption series with Karen Kingsbury and The Dance with Dan Walsh. Gary and his wife Norma have been married for 49 years and live in Missouri.

Review copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Available August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The Reunion by Dan Walsh (Review)

Paperback: 304 pages

Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2012)

ISBN-13: 978-0800721213

There are people in this world we pass right by without giving a second thought. They are almost invisible. Yet some of them have amazing stories to tell, if we'd only take the time to listen . . .

Aaron Miller was an old, worn-out Vietnam vet, a handyman in a trailer park. Forty years prior, he saved the lives of three young men in the field only to come home from the war and lose everything. But God is a master at finding and redeeming the lost things of life. Aaron is about to be found. And the one who finds him just might find the love of his life as well.

Expert storyteller Dan Walsh pens a new tale filled with the things his fans have come to love--forgiveness, redemption, love, and that certain bittersweet quality that few authors ever truly master. Fans old and new will find themselves drawn into this latest story about how God cares for everyone.

My Review:

I loved this book. It definitely touched my heart. The Reunion is about Aaron mostly but also about the investigative reporter that the men he saved hired to find him. Those men ended up doing well in life and want to find him to say Thank you. They have a reunion and want Aaron at this years. Aaron has not seen his children since they were little and his ex wife told him to leave them alone they had a new dad. His children did not know that so they grew up thinking he abandoned them and did not love them. Aaron hit really hard times after he came back from Vietnam including drugs and alcohol for years but then got his act straight. Even at his menial job at the trailer park he is liked and does a wonderful job proving he changed his life. The writing was good and the characters memorable. Highly Recommended.

About the author:

Dan Walsh is the award-winning author of several books, including The Unfinished Gift, The Deepest Waters, and The Discovery. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for 25 years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he's busy researching and writing his next novel.

Available now wherever Revell/Baker books are sold.

Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.

The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh (Review)

Paperback: 300 pages

Publisher: Revell (April 1, 2011)

ISBN-13: 978-0800719807

About the book:

For John and Laura Foster, what began as a fairytale honeymoon in 1857 aboard the steamship SS Vandervere soon becomes a nightmare. A terrible hurricane strikes and the grand ship is lost in the murky depths of the Atlantic. Laura finds herself rescued with the other women and children, but how can she feel anything but despondent without her groom? Suspecting her John is gone but still daring to hope for a miracle, Laura must face the possibility of life alone.

My Review:
This is a fiction book based loosely on a real story. Overall I liked the book and consider it in the Christian historical fiction category and there is a little romance and suspense in it too. It reminds me a little of John Patterson's books. The writing is beautiful and flows well. The book takes you back and forth between what is happening to Laura after she is rescued and John after the hurricane. The first part of the book John is floating adrift at sea. There are many touching moments in the story. I loved John and Laura's love story and how strong their faith in God is and how it influences their lives and the lives of others. This is actually a book that both guys and girls would like. Recommended. :) 
About the author:

I was born in Philadelphia in 1957 (guys don't care if you know) to a mostly blue-collar, hard-working Irish family. My Dad was the first person on either side of the family to earn a college degree. It took him nine years, working during the day, going to college at night, using the GI Bill from his war days in Korea. In the mid-sixties, General Electric hired him as an engineer for the Apollo space program. We packed up and moved to Florida, which is really where I grew up. I spent my childhood years playing basketball and surfing. In the spring of my senior year in high school I met the woman who would become my wife, Cindi. We dated for a brief period. I asked her to marry me and, to my great surprise, she said yes. We were married near the end of 1976. We have two children, now grown. The desire to write novels first began in high school. But I didn't have the time to pursue this passion until 2007. To find out more, visit my website at http://www.danwalshbooks.com/

Available April 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thank you Donna at Revell for my review copy.