Free ebooks: Divine, Walking on Broken Glass, Kiss Me, Stranger

   It's Friday, and that means more free ebooks. Remember, I'm just the messenger; I'm not promising your will like these. That said, I think there is some interesting reading here.

   First up is 'Devine' by Karen Kingsbury. Karen is a writer of Christian fiction. I've read many of her books and enjoyed them all, usually giving them 4 stars. Like all of her books, this one is a story of forgiveness and God's redeeming love. Some reviewers have introduced this one, the story of a woman named Mary with a history of being abused, as a retelling of the Mary Magdalene story. You can read the reviews at Goodreads. Here is a synopsis from Barnes and Noble.

Mary Madison was a child of unspeakable horror, a young woman society wanted to forget. Now a divine power has set Mary free to bring life-changing hope and love to battered and abused women living in the shadow of the nation’s capital.

Mary is educated and redeemed, a powerful voice in Washington, DC—both to the politically elite and to other women like her. But she also has a past that shamed polite society. Her experiences created in her paralyzing fear, faithlessness, addiction, and promiscuity. At the crossroads of her life, only one power set Mary free and gave her a lifetime of hope. A power that could only be divine.

Mary’s grandmother, Peggy Madison, has spent her life praying for her granddaughter. Peggy clings to the belief that God has a special plan for Mary.

Emma Johnson, a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship, wonders whether there is hope for her and her young daughters. She is desperate, broken, and unloved, tempted to commit the unthinkable. Then Mary Madison introduces Emma to the greatest love of all, greater than any either of them has ever imagined.

   Pick up the Nook version here, the Kindle version here, or the Sony Reader version here.

   'Walking on Broken Glass' by Christa Allan is also Christian fiction. This is the story of the faith journey of a southern woman named Leah Thornton, who is in a difficult period of her life. Her only child had died and her marriage is deteriorating. A broken can of orange juice is the breaking point. You can read reviews at Goodreads. Here is a synopsis from Amazon.

When a narrator opens her tale by declaring, I lost my sanity buying frozen apple juice, the reader knows she's in for a witty ride. The narrator is Leah Thornton, a 27-year-old Southerner, English teacher, and middle-stage alcoholic. She's got her reasons: her only child died of SIDS and her sexual relationship with her husband, Carl, is so troubled their marriage is devolving into a standoff between hostility and frigidity. Leah is steered into rehab by her BFF Molly, which kicks off transformation through growing honesty, self-awareness, and large doses of wry humor. Allan draws many strong, quirky minor characters: Leah's rehab roomie, Theresa, one of a rehab unit's worth of addicts of all manner of substances; Leah's wry obstetrician, Dr. Nolan. A few supporting characters—Carl's wealthy parents—feel more caricatured than characterized, and the largely unsympathetic portrait of Carl makes the reader wonder why the marriage is worth saving at all. A few major developments toward the book's end cry out for greater resolution. But Leah is fascinating, complicated, and above all funny. This nonformulaic look at the spiritual redemption of a life is a bright start; debut novelist Allan is one to watch. (Feb.) 
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   Pick up the Kindle version here or the Nook version here.

   'Kiss Me, Stranger' by Ron Tanner is a bit different. This is a dystopian novel that takes place in an unnamed time and place, with war waging all around. The father and oldest son are drafted leaving the mother and her remaining children to escape to a landfill. The book is illustrated by the author. You can read the reviews at Goodreads and decide if it is your kind of read. Here is the synopsis from Amazon, where you can read more reviews.

Set in an unnamed country sometime in the past, present, or future, Kiss Me, Stranger is the story of one woman's attempts to keep her family together while a civil war rages around her. Featuring illustrations by the author, Kiss Me, Stranger is a comical and tragic commentary on war, violence, and consumerism.

   You can pick up the Kindle version here.

   As always, please check the price before you place these in your cart. Most books are offered as freebies for a limited time, so always check!