Robin Hardy Reviews

Page Four

Added June 29, 2005

Sammy on Vacation

Book 4 of the Sammy Series

Author: Robin Hardy
Publisher: Westford Press
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: July 1, 2005
Genre: Fiction: Christian
Format: Trade paperback
Price: Pending
ISBN: 0-9761964-0-9
Author Email/Website: www.robinhardy.com
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Sammy is going on vacation and we're all invited to tag along! But can that sassy, sexy and seriously spiritual Dallas cop ever get some rest and relaxation?

Author Robin Hardy has done it again! This newest installment in the Sammy series is filled with as much fun and faith as the previous books. Sammy Kidman is as irrepressible and irreplaceable as ever. When he and his wife, Marni, decide to spend a week fishing with his inlaws and their pastor, it sounds like the makings of a picture postcard. But before the fish start biting, Sammy is reeling from an unexpected development. It's sink or swim time, but Sammy is able to ride the waves with his classic charm and confidence.

Yet, Sammy is more than a good-looking guy with charisma. He is also a committed Christian, who loves the Lord with his whole heart. When he is faced with the serious illness of a loved one, he falls on his knees in prayer and surrender. Readers are shown a tender side of this man, as he calls upon the Lord in simple honesty and humility.

Tears of laughter will mix with tears of sadness, as the author uses these contrasts of life to show the steadfastness of God. Robin Hardy understands human emotions and writes about them with a passionate simplicity. Her characters are realistic and loveable. Sammy is a man after God's own heart and he will touch readers' hearts with his childlike faith and wonder of the Almighty.

Sammy Kidman is a new kind of hero in Christian fiction. However, he's not the kind that flies above everybody's head. He's more like the guy who looks for green onions at the supermarket! (And to understand that, you need to read the book!)

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Added March 11, 2005

The Annals of Lystra Book 2: Stone of Help

Author: Robin Hardy
Publisher: Westford Press
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Fiction: Christian/Historical
Format: Hardback
Price: $23.95
ISBN: 0-9745829-9-9
Author Email/Website: www.robinhardy.com
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Stone of Help is a solid story! This 20th anniversary edition is also a beautiful book with a stunning photograph and sketch on the cover.

The Annals of Lystra series continues in this second book with a seamless transition. The current story begins two hours after Galapos and Roman arrived at Ooster. The time of war and unrest is over, and there is a feeling of hope on the horizon.

Yet, it's obvious to all that this will be a time of change, as Galapos is proclaimed Surchatain. Deirdre, who is pregnant, begins to entertain thoughts of discontent. Although Roman, her husband, and Galapos, her father, try to understand and soothe her, she makes a rash decision that results in her being kidnapped. After giving birth to a son in a cave, she is sold into slavery. Roman pursues her relentlessly, but it is Galapos who loves her sacrificially.

This reviewer was delighted to return to Lystra and these beloved characters! It is highly recommended that readers start with the first book in the series, Chataine's Guardian. Besides being one of the best books this reviewer has read, Chataine's Guardian lays the necessary foundation for the series.

Robin Hardy has a gift of being able to tell a story that has both an emotional as well as a spiritual appeal. On one level, readers will feel the love Roman has for his bride, Deirdre, and agonize with him when she is kidnapped. There is suspense, danger and of course, a final battle to decide her fate.

Yet, the author also pulls back the veil of the spiritual to show the heart of Galapos, as he does something so amazing there will be gasps of unbelief. And as Galapos shows his father's heart to Deirdre, readers can get a sense of the heart of God the Father. It is here that this reviewer pauses for an explanation. This book is not a contrived version of Christianity. Rather, it is a book where the events unfold so beautifully that they dovetail with the events in the life of Christ. The result is a story that reaches beyond the printed page.

Stone of Help supports this reviewer's belief that Robin Hardy is a gifted storyteller who is faithful to the fictional and sensitive to the spiritual.

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