FIRST tour: "In the Midst of it All" by Tiffany L. Warren (review added 4-6-10)

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Tiffany L. Warren

and the book:

In the Midst of it All

Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (February 22, 2010)

***Special thanks to Miriam Parker - Associate Director, Online Marketing - at Hachette Book Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tiffany L. Warren, is an author, playwright, songwriter, mother and wife. Her debut novel What a Sista Should Do, was released in June of 2005 and has ministered to over 50,000 readers. Her second book, Farther than I Meant to Go, Longer than I Meant to Stay was a national bestseller. In 2006, Tiffany and her husband, Brent, founded Warren Productions and released their first gospel musical. What a Sista Should Do - The Stage Play debuted in Cleveland, OH at the famed Allen Theatre.

Tiffany is also the visionary behind the Faith and Fiction Fellowship tour. Presently, the authors have visited groups in Atlanta, Houston, New York, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Charlotte.

Tiffany's third novel, The Bishop's Daughter was released in January 2009. Tiffany resides in northern Texas with her husband Brent and their five children.


Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (February 22, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446195162
ISBN-13: 978-0446195164

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

To read the chapter, press the the button that says, "Browse Inside This Book":

My Opinion:


This is one of those books that pulls you in because you have to know how it ends - I'm not saying it was a bad book - far from it. However, it isn't in my usual genre of my reading repetoire, but I'm all for giving authors I've never heard of a chance especially if they are writing in the Christian market. I loved the title as it really summed of the book well - Zenovia (I really like this name) is truly in the midst of it all, sandwiched between a cultish church, her scizophrenic mother, friends who pull her toward the church and those that pull her away, and her subsequent 'banning'.


At times I fel really bad for Zenovia and other times I was left thinking, "what were you thinking?" as some of her antics are common sense things but as a teen she doesn't really have much common sense since she's spent more of her life taking care of her mom. The book starts oddly enough, at the end of the story with Zenovia being woken by her husband with some news, then the reader is transported to Zenovia's life as a (quickly) baptized member of the Brethern of the Sacrifice Church. Like me, you'll probably find yourself rallying for Zenovia especially as she tries to find herself in the midst of it all.


I would caution though, Zenovia and her mother, have visions - either of things that will happen or has happened. When Zenovia starts going back to a different church she is seen as someone who has a power from the Lord. Since this is a story then the author did indeed make all of Zenovia's vision turn out for the good or bad that they were supposed to. I did enjoy this book, even if I was leery at first, and I would suggest it to friends that need something they can delve into it and enjoy it.