Paranoia by J.R. Johansson Will Soon Be Out! New Interview and Giveaway-Enter Today!

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews, Special Features
Jun 062014
 

With Every Night of Blissful Sleep Darkness Grows Inside Him.

 

 

Product Details

 

  • Title: Paranoia (Book 2 The Night Walkers Series)
  • Author: J.R. Johansson
  • Age Range: 12 and up
  • Series: The Night Walkers (Book 2)
  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Flux (June 8, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0738740187
  •  FTC: FYI  Received a review e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

Book Description from Goodreads:
In the aftermath of the events that nearly killed him, Parker Chipp is trying to learn to cope better with life as a Watcher. And it seems to be working…until he wakes up in jail with a hangover and 12 hours of missing time. Darkness has somehow taken control and Parker doesn’t have a clue how to stop him. He finds an unlikely ally in Jack, the mysterious guy in the motorcycle jacket who offers to help Parker master his abilities as a Watcher. But even as they practice, the darkness inside Parker is getting more and more powerful, taking over Parker’s body and doing everything he can to destroy Parker’s life.

When Jack reveals that there is another kind of Night Walker, known as a Taker, Parker starts to wonder if the strange things happening in Oakville are more than just a coincidence. After all, people are more than just sleepwalking. They’re emptying their savings accounts with no memory of doing so, wandering into strange parts of town and disappearing, they’re even killing other people–all in their sleep. If Parker wants to find out what’s happening or have any hope of seeing his father again, he’ll have to defy Jack and put his own life in danger…because the more he learns about these other Night Walkers, the more certain he becomes that his life isn’t the only one that could be lost.

 

I reviewed this book in March and loved it! Here is my review:

It was so exciting to get the chance to read Paranoia early before it’s release. Insomnia was one of my favorite reads last year. I was completely taken in to the world of the Night Walkers. Parker’s journey in Paranoia is just as crazy and intense as it was Insomnia. You will find that there is no “2nd book in the series” let down here. There is more creepiness and wild happenings as Darkness takes over Parker’s life. There are more shocking twists and turns as readers learn more about the world of The Night Walkers and their enemies. In Paranoia we also get to know more about Finn, Addie, Mia and surprisingly enough, Parker’s father. Every character in this story is so well developed that it’s hard to pick a favorite. I do have to say that I was intrigued by the character Jack. I was THRILLED to see what the author is doing with this character.


If you are a fan of Insomnia (Book one in the series) I can assure you that you’ll not be disappointed in Paranoia. In fact, you may be liking this second book even better!

 

Here is the fantastic interview with J.R. Johansson:

 

-How did you come up with the title of Paranoia? 

I’m not even sure, to be honest. I think I just started thinking of names that fit well with Insomnia and it fit perfectly and it was done. I’m not even sure if there was a discussion about it. I think everyone just said, “Yep, that’s it.” And it was over. 

 

-Have you been surprised at the success of this series? Why?

I’ve been very happily surprised by how well the Night Walkers Series has done. Everything about this series has caught me off guard–from the fact that it sold overseas first to the fact that it was the bestselling title for my publisher last year–so I shouldn’t let it surprise me anymore, but somehow it still does. I’ve been very lucky and I am thrilled it has found such devoted readers. 

 

-What’s the hardest part about writing a character like Parker?

The hardest part would have to be making him walk that line between right and wrong, and yet striving to still keep him like-able. It’s also one of the things that makes him so fun to write. I really enjoy writing Parker and Darkness. It’s been a true challenge and I’ve loved it. He does things that main characters generally can’t get away with, that kind of freedom was very liberating. He truly wants to be good, he just doesn’t always achieve it. Too many characters are perfect. I don’t want perfection, I love flaws. They’re very humanizing.

 

-What are you most excited about your next book coming out?

SO MANY THINGS! I love CUT ME FREE. It’s that book that I really poured so much of my heart into and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world…but I’m also terrified for it to come out. It’s a very mixed-up kind of anticipation that I’m feeling, but it’s coming whether I’m ready or not. :) Guess I better get ready.

 

-What is the best part about being a writer?

There are so many great things…I think my favorite part is seeing how words and worlds that I create have an ability to make people feel things. Sometimes it’s fear, sometimes it’s anticipation and excitement. Either way, something I made up in my head created real emotion in another person and that’s a very special and unique thing. I love being a part of that kind of creation.

 

 

Meet Author J.R. JOHANSSON…is a young adult thriller author. Her books INSOMNIA, PARANOIA (June 2014), and a third untitled book (June 2015) are with Flux Books. CUT ME FREE (Winter 2015) and another untitled book (Winter 2016) will be coming out with FSG/Macmillan.  She has a B.S. degree in public relations and a background in marketing. She credits her abnormal psychology minor with inspiring many of her characters. When she’s not writing, she loves reading, playing board games, and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time. She has two young sons and a wonderful husband. In fact, other than her cat, Cleo, she’s nearly drowning in testosterone.

 

Jenn’s Links –

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JennJohansson

Blog: http://www.jennjohansson.blogspot.com/

Site: http://www.jrjohansson.com

Tumblr: http://jrjohansson.tumblr.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJRJohansson

J.R. Johansson on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5100095.J_R_Johansson

PARANOIA on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12260608-insomnia

 

 

Pre-order Links –Order Your Copy Today!

The Book Depository – http://www.bookdepository.com/Paranoia-Johansson/9780738740188

Indiebound – http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738740188

Books A Million – http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Paranoia/J-R-Johansson/9780738740188?id=5529587671279

Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paranoia-j-r-johansson/1117011365?ean=9780738740188

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Paranoia-The-Night-Walkers-Johansson/dp/0738740187

 

****You now get to enter this unbelievable giveaway that Jenn has made available to all of you! 10 books to 10 winners(either INSOMNIA or PARANOIA, winner’s choice)****

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Unraveled by Julie Daines – Countdown to Summer 2014

 Posted by  Countdown to Summer, Special Features
Jun 052014
 

CD2S-2014_300

16 days until summer!

 

juliedaines Julie Daines was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and raised in Utah. She spent eighteen months living in London, where she studied and fell in love with English literature, sticky toffee pudding, and the mysterious guy who ran the kebab store around the corner.

She loves reading, writing, and watching movies—anything that transports her to another world. She picks Captain Wentworth over Mr. Darcy, firmly believes in second breakfast, and never leaves home without her vervain.

Visit Julie: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

* * *

LDSWBR: What book or movie reminds you of summer?

JULIE: We go to a cabin in Montana every summer, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. One summer I read a book called Death in Yellowstone. It told about all the deaths that have occurred inside the boundaries of the park. Bear attacks, eating poisonous plants, killed by natives, falling into geysers, western shoot-outs—it was all there. I’ll never forget it. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time.

LDSWBR: Do you hike during the summer? If so, where is your favorite place to hike?

JULIE: We only hike a little during the summer because it’s too hot. We hike to Cascade Falls at Lake Tahoe nearly every year in July.

LDSWBR: What is the best book you’ve read so far this year?

JULIE: In February, I reread all of Sarah M. Eden’s Regency Romance novels in chronological order. I had so much fun immersing myself in the time period and seeing how all the stories overlap and the characters interplay on each other. Loved it!

LDSWBR: Thank you, Julie!

* * *

DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON | GOODREADS

unraveled_cover

When sickness swept through Bronwen’s family, it took the life of her father, brother, and sister, and left her permanently crippled. On the stormy eve of her sixteenth birthday, a faerie-witch gifts her a pair of enchanted shoes. Bronwen slips them on and is healed–but only when the shoes are on her feet. Her grace and beauty catches the eye of the king’s son–Urien, a handsome young man who prides himself on having everything perfect.

When Rhys, an old acquaintance and Captain of the Guard, recognizes Bronwen, he threatens to tell Urien her secret. Desperate to keep her deformity hidden and not to lose the love of handsome Urien, Bronwen quickly finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit. After all, she can’t wear the shoes forever.

Do you visit Yellowstone in the summer?

* * *

**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2014, leave a thoughtful comment below.**

This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Summer 2014 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below.  US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.

Following LDSWBR is not required but you may want to consider doing so during the contest so you don’t miss any posts or chances to enter the drawing. You can follow us through email, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest (links in our sidebar.)

If one of our reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, please consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2014. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Summer 2014, you agree to the contest rules below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins June 5, 2014 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight June 30, 2014 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected July 3, 2014 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until July 10, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

**Book Prizes (as of 6/5/14)**

  • Unraveled by Julie Daines (signed paperback)

The Hitler Dilemma: A Mormon Boy in the German Army by Carolyn Twede Frank-Blog Tour Review

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Jun 052014
 

 

 

 

 

Product Details

  • Title: The Hitler Dilemma: A Mormon Boy in the German Army
  • Author: Carolyn Twede Frank
  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Covenant Communications Inc. (May 5, 2014)
  • Genre: A novel based on true events
  • ISBN-10: 1621081613
  • FTC, FYI: I received a review PDF in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Description:

“We’re Nazis, Max. Everybody in Germany is Nazi—if they want to be safe.” Papa pulled up a chair and sat down, crumpling the newspaper in his hand. “We don’t have to think like them, son, but we’ve got to act like them—at least on the outside. Try to remember that. Okay?” 

Saarbrücken, Germany—1938 Change is in the air in Max Adams’ small village: The censorship of classic literature, the elimination of math and science courses, the addition of extra physical education classes. Along with thousands of other young men, he is forced into the Hitler Youth and is being groomed to become the next generation of Nazi soldiers. But as a faithful Latter-day Saint, how can Max serve the villain who destroyed his younger brother in his effort to create a Master Race—a man who is bent on tearing apart not only a single nation, but also the entire world? 

From the horrors of battle and the sorrow of separation from family to the privations of a prisoner of war, Carolyn Twede Frank’s groundbreaking novel The Hitler Dilemma is a poignant chronicle of one remarkable young man’s struggle to reconcile his sense of duty with his staunch opposition to the evil tyrant destroying the country he loves.

 

 

 

Max Adam, the main character in The Hitler Dilemma:A Mormon Boy in the German Army

My Review:
 This novel is based on the life of Max Adam, a German, Latter-Day-Saint boy. It tells the story of WWII (World War 2) from the view of a teen living in Germany during this great war. I’ve read many stories of WWII from the American soldier or the Jewish survivor perspective. There are very few that I’ve read from the German viewpoint, and especially one of a teen that didn’t support Hitler. The story is told in such a moving way that you feel such sorrow and angst for Max and his family. His own precious, younger brother was a casualty of the war. This family had to do whatever it took to survive. It was hard to openly fight against the Nazis and stay alive. I agonized along with Max as he was forced to join the Hitler Youth group, and then was sent away from home for a year to work on a farm for the government. Then to have to serve on the battlefront and end up a prisoner of war really makes this novel heart-wrenching. 

 Knowing from the start that this novel was based on true events made me look at everything differently. Author Carolyn Twede Frank heard about Max Adam from his daughter-in-law. Once hearing about him and his life, she knew she had to write a story about him and the struggles he lived through.

This book will give tweens and teens (and adults) a great look at the other side of life during WWII. It will strongly show that not all Germans supported Adolf Hitler and what he was doing to the Jews and those who did not perfectly fit into his Master Race.I know that any reader will go away with a new sense of being less judgmental until you’ve heard the other side. It should also make people more thankful for the blessings and freedoms that we have in our country.

 I read and reviewed Carolyn’s other books, Promises, and The Big Debate and I really liked them. This new book shows how she has continually grown in her writing.The Hitler Dilemma is a crowning jewel for Carolyn!

******Purchase The Hitler Dilemma  HERE:

 

Meet Author Carolyn Twede Frank:
Carolyn grew up in Utah and went to school at USU. She always wanted to write, but dropped it when a teacher tore her down to the point that she gave it up. She instead majored in Biology and started her own company. Now that she has raised her family and has been successful in her business, she has rediscovered her love for writing and writes YA/Middle grade historical fiction and speculative fiction.  
 Visit her at her website.

The Hitler Dilemma Blog Tour Stops
May 24th. www.franklycreative.blogspot.com
May 25th: annadelc.com/blog
May 26th  http://www.fayklingler.com/
May 27th: lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com
May 28th: sueysbooks.blogspot.com
May 29th: themusingsofabookaddict.com
May 30th: ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com
May 31sth: http://www.tarynataylor.com/
June 1st: Julielcasey.com/blog
June 2nd: renaewritespot.blogspot.com
June 3rd: thewriteblocks.blogspot.com
June 4th: maryanndennis.blogspot.com
June 5th: whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com
June 6th: donnakweaver.com
June 7th: lisaswinton.blogspot.com

How to Embrace Your Inner Hotness: An Inside-Out Approach to a Lasting Makeover by Leta Greene-Blog Tour Review

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Jun 032014
 

Product Details

  • Title: How to Embrace Your Inner Hotness: An Inside-Out Approach to a Lasting Makeover
  • Author: Leta Greene
  • File Size: 1736 KB
  • Print Length: 183 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Scrivener Books (November 10, 2013)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00GP5AS2Y
  • FTC-FYI: I received a review pdf in exchange for an honest review.

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2013
 
Your outward appearance might make the first impression, but sixty seconds later, when that first impression is ancient history, it’s your inner beauty that needs to shine! If you want to be truly hot, this book will show you exactly how, including the following:
• Why you need to stop buying in to a cultural concept of beauty
• How to transform the way you see and present yourself, inside and out
• How to discover the secrets to the right look for you
• Why different isn’t bad—it’s your key to hotness
• How to choose happiness now, no matter your current situation
• How to leave pain in the past
• How to figure out what you really want
• How to stop letting other people define your worth, potential, and purpose
• How to find the right man and have the hottest marriage imaginable!
• What it means to be “enough” (and it’s not what you think!)
We all experience loss and pain when our lives don’t end up looking like we dreamed they would. Professional beauty expert and speaker Leta Greene looked that in the face and made a choice. Happiness and permanent hotness followed. Yours can too, right now, as Leta shares how to create the life and look you want in 15 simple steps—a transformation that will make you irresistibly, and lastingly, hot!
Leta Greene’s Virtual Book Tour
May 27th:        www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com
May 28th:        http://rebeccablevinswrites.blogspot.com/
June 1st:           http://lynndeniseparsons.blogspot.com/
June 3rd:          http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/
June 10th:         http://www.designzbydede.com
June 11th:         http://www.minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/
June 13th:         http://mariahoagland.blogspot.com/
June 14th:         http://debbiesinkspectations.blogspot.com/
June 15th:         http://www.authorrebeccarode.com/blog/
June 18th:         http://sublimereflection.com/
June 20th:         www.jjbennett.com
June 21st:          http://kerryandam08.blogspot.com/
 My Review 
I loved this uplifting look at how we can start today treating ourselves so much better. We all come with different packages in life, Leta shows women how to embrace who we are with humor and some easy exercises. Readers will learn how to love what’s inside, as well as what we and the world see on the outside. I find that I’m always my worst critic, and from reading this book I’m learning how to be kinder to myself. This is a book that I will be revisiting over and over again. 
This book should be read by women of all ages from 12-101. It’s time that women stop the negativity and learn to value who we are. There are many tips and things to help women in this process. I highly recommend this book, in helping all women change their mental outlook on what’s important when it comes to true beauty.  
Meet Author Leta Greene
 Leta Greene has been a makeup artist and image consultant for the last twenty years.
She is a international speaker, motivator, and recently an author! Her first book is titled “How To Embrace Your Inner Hotness: An Inside Out Approach to a Lasting Makeover”.

Immersed (A Ripple Effect Romance) by Jennifer Griffith-Blog Tour Review

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
May 302014
 
Immersed tour

Immersed NewProduct Details

 

  • Title: Immersed
  • Author: Jennifer Griffith
  • Series: Ripple Effect Romance
  • Paperback: 152 pages
  • Publisher: HEA Publishing (March 7, 2014)
  • Genre: Romance
  • ISBN-10: 1941363059
  • FTC, FYI: I received a review e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

Book Description:
  Lisette Pannebaker speaks five languages and has a brilliant business plan—personal language immersion. Clients can hire her to shadow them and speak all day in any language they need to learn for business or travel—whatever. But there’s a major hitch: she’s far too pretty. Clients with less than honorable intentions sign up just have Lisette at their side. Solution? A make-under. Way under.It works like a charm. None of her male clients show her the least bit of interest. Until… Erik. Erik Gunnarsson is charming, kind, and smart—everything she’s ever looked for. Even though he seems to have a secret and she swore she’d never date a client, Lisette is tempted to shed her disguise—even if it means jeopardizing her career.

 

 

Excerpt from Immersed :

 

“So…what?”
“Plain and simple: you’re too pretty for this job.”
Lisette rolled her eyes and picked up her brush again, going at the high spots on the wall with vigor. “You’ve been talking to my mom again. Did she finally rub off on you?” Great. Now no one believed in her. Not even Aunt Corky. Just a pretty face.

“No, not in that way. What I’m saying is that your business has merit. It can totally work. But just not with you, the way you are.”

Aunt Corky probably didn’t mean to make Lisette want to cry, but the tears welled in her eyes all the same. This dream had taken every waking hour of the last eighteen months. She’d poured her heart and soul into making it grow, not to mention all the money she’d buried in it—advertising, the office, everything. And her time. Day and night. How entrepreneurs lived past age forty mystified her. She barely had time to keep an eye on her elderly next door neighbors. And when a girl was too busy to serve other people, she was too busy.

Aunt Corky reached over and grabbed Lisette’s hand. “What I’m saying is you need a makeover.”

Lisette raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t raise that eyebrow at me, Z. I’m serious about this.” Aunt Corky folded her arms across her chest. “Not a makeover in the traditional sense. More like a make-under. You know, to make you look less…gorgeous.”
Here it went again, with the appearance factor. Didn’t all the studies say that people who were good-looking had a better chance at success than those who were below average?

“You’re not buying it, I can tell. But think with me. Dark circles under the eyes. A greasy wig. Lines at the mouth. And right about here,” she pointed at her nostril, “a big wart.”

“A wart!”
“Okay, maybe not a wart. That might be over the top. But something that will keep all the pawing maniacs at a distance.” Aunt Corky shrugged and leaned against a dry wall like she’d made her case and the prosecution rested. “Think about it, Z. I mean, you want Immerse to succeed, right? All the years of language skills and business acumen you’ve amassed, they’re going to waste.”
Lisette sighed. Even though she wouldn’t admit it aloud to Aunt Corky, unless something changed at Immerse, things could go south pretty fast. However, she wasn’t convinced it was reason enough to subjugate her dignity and go into daily disguise just to ward off pretenders.
Aunt Corky resumed painting. “Just think about it. Don’t decide now. But if you want to do it, I know somebody. Samantha. A genius with bad makeup. She could absolutely transform you. No one would even recognize you.”
This was crossing over from ridiculous into the absurd.

 

 

My Review:

Immersed is the last novella in the Ripple Effect Romance Series. This one was different from many of the others. It had a funny side to it and it’s characters. Even though there were serious things happening in main character Lisette’s life, there were naturally humorous things going on. You know how some people always have those weird and very quirky events that only happen to them? Well, Lisette is one of those people. You have to LOL as she deals with the strange and unusual in her life. I didn’t connect with Lisette’s mother, but truly liked her Aunt Corky. The main male protagonist, Erik, also adds to the humor in this story. The scene at McDonalds will stay on my mind for awhile. Yes, it was funny. 

The series is wrapped up nicely with Immersed. If you haven’t read them yet, they would be great, short reads to add to your summer reading list.

 Purchase at Amazon

unnamedFDRE9K6NMeet Author Jennifer Griffith
Jennifer Griffith studied French, German, Japanese, and a wee bit of Spanish in her school days. Her grandmother was Norwegian, and Jennifer grew up with lots of Scandinavian traditions floating around, including fabulous cardamom laced cookies called Krumkaker, made on a fancy waffle iron. However, she’d never dream of trying to teach someone any of those languages. And she might botch the cookies. Instead, she writes novels in English, drives her five kids a million places, and laughs with her husband, who came up with the plot for Immersed because he’s just a cool muse like that.

The Lincoln Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard – Blog Tour

 Posted by  Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews
May 292014
 

Lincoln Hypothesis_coverThe Lincoln Hypothesis

Author: Timothy Ballard

Publisher: Deseret Book

Published: June 2014

Hardcover/Kindle/Nook/ebook: 264 pages

Genre: Religious Nonfiction

ISBN# 978-1-60907-863-8

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: free hardcover copy in exchange for an honest review

Summary (Deseret Book)

Abraham Lincoln became the sixteenth US president during a very dark time in America’s history. Author Timothy Ballard explores the crucial role that President Lincoln played to bring this nation closer to heaven. Readers will see Lincoln as a man inspired of God who invoked a covenant relationship between America and its maker—not unlike the national covenants invoked by righteous leaders in the Book of Mormon. In addition, The Lincoln Hypothesis reveals documented evidence that Abraham Lincoln did, in fact, check out the Book of Mormon as he struggled with making some of the most critical decisions of his presidency. Did he read it? Did it influence him? Was the Book of Mormon a key factor in Lincoln’s success and the healing of a nation?

The author states, “As you read, you will, like a prosecutor reviewing a case, or like a jury determining a verdict, identify valuable pieces of evidence that can be fully substantiated. You will also identify pieces of evidence that cannot. I ask you to consider all the evidence and weight it accordingly. Through this study, many questions regarding the interplay between the restored gospel and the Civil War will be answered. New questions may emerge that will not be so easily answered. Either way, in the end you will find yourself on a most exhilarating investigative journey.”

Review

I finished The Lincoln Hypothesis in one sitting. Once I started reading, I was intrigued and didn’t want to stop. The author’s life experiences and study give him a unique perspective on the subjects discussed in this book.

While I am not a scholar of US history, I do enjoy reading about it. However, I have never before considered Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War quite this way.  I enjoyed the writing style and voice of the author. My curiosity and the presentation of events kept me interested to the end.

Obviously there is no way to know beyond a doubt whether Abraham Lincoln actually read the Book of Mormon, but the evidence, as presented by the author, is quite convincing. Whether he did or not, that Lincoln was a man of God is undeniable. It was worth the read for me simply to learn a little more about the man that lead our country during such a tumultuous time.

One of the places where The Lincoln Hypothesis held the most power for me was in Chapter 12: “Answering the Critics.” Here, the author makes some excellent points, especially for LDS critics of Lincoln. Due to the nature of his work, the author has no qualms about bringing the matter to a personal level and it makes a powerful impact.

He also gets down to the heart of things for us in current times. Below is only one of many quotes that stood out to me:

The people of Lincoln’s day learned the hard way what we Americans need to learn immediately, particularly as we continue to legislate and codify immorality in the land. They learned that things will turn out very badly if man attempts to amend or reinterpret the American covenant. One cannot employ darkness under the banner of God’s promised land.  –page 176

Perhaps the most important points made by the author are that we live in a covenant nation, these covenants were made by the early leaders of this nation, and we are responsible for honoring and upholding these covenants or we will bring upon ourselves the consequences of breaking them. Whether you believe that Lincoln read the Book of Mormon or not, Latter-day Saints know, through our study of the Book of Mormon, that this country is a land of promise and those nations who have previously broken covenants with God on this continent have suffered horrible and tragic fates.

I have been inspired to read more about Abraham Lincoln, and intend to do so with the prophesies of prophets like Isaiah, Mormon, and Joseph Smith in mind.  I recommend The Lincoln Hypothesis to anyone interested in history or curious about the parallels between Joseph Smith and Abraham Lincoln.

Visit Timothy Ballard:

WEBSITE

Find The Lincoln Hypothesis:

DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | BARNES & NOBLE | AMAZON | GOODREADS

 

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