25 Favorite Reads of 2014

Well, looking back on this year, I have gotten the chance to read some incredible books! I know a lot of people who share their "best of" or "favorites" lists, so I thought...why not join the gang?

I started by going back through my Goodreads list to see what I actually read this year! Call me crazy, but the year flew by and I was having a hard time remembering what all happened this year. So, these aren't in any order other than the order that I read them in. Some were read for review, some just for fun, but either way--if you're looking for books to read in 2015, look no further ;)

25 Favorite Reads of 2014

1. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will by Kevin DeYoung

2. Galatians for You: For Reading, For Feeding, For Leading by Timothy Keller  

3. Once Upon A Prince by Rachel Hauck 

4. Beowulf: Explosives Detection by Ronie Kendig

5. Humility: The Beauty of Holiness by Andrew Murray 

6. Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth

8. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

9. Mortis by Hannah Cobb

10. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

11. Raptor 6 by Ronie Kendig

12. Words of Conviction by Linda White

13. A March Bride by Rachel Hauck

14. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

15. Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest by Bonnie Gray

16. Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

17. The Judgement Stone by Robert Liparulo

18. Hacker by Ted Dekker

19. Redeeming the Rancher by Deb Kastner

20. A Cast of Stones by Patrick Carr

21. Operation Zulu (all Episodes) by Ronie Kendig

22. The Legend of Sheba: Rise of a Queen by Tosca Lee

23. Deceived by Irene Hannon

24. A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker

25. In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

The Judgement Stone by Robert Liparulo | RE:View

What would happen if you could see the spiritual realm? Angels, demons, all of it? Would it change how you viewed God? Would your faith grow? Or your fear increase? Jagger Baird, a former Army Ranger, faces just such a miracle in Robert Liparulo's fast paced, action-packed thriller, The Judgement Stone.

Met with the challenge to recover the Judgement Stone, a fragment left over from the Ten Commandments, he sets out on an impossible mission: stop The Clan, a murder-hungry group of immortals, before they use the stone to their own advantage, seeking to destroy the most devout followers of Christ.

One part Indianan Jones, one part The Screwtape Letters, and one part Frank Peretti, the in-your-face action of The Judgement Stone will have you turning pages late into the night.

For those of you (like me) who haven't read book one, The 13th Tribe, I would highly recommend reading it first. I came into this book like I do most - without reading the back cover copy. I'll admit to being wide-eyed and slightly disbelieving for the first few chapters as parts from book one were reintroduced in a typical 'catch up' fashion. Some things come out sounding slightly ridiculous and highly improbable when recounted in an off-hand way. Of course, I chalked that up to coming in late to the game with book two and pushed passed.

Once I'd gotten a hang of Liparulo's style and grasped what I could from the back story, I was immediately hooked! Great detail, action sequences, and an extremely clever plot that kept me guessing. His descriptions of the spiritual realm were by far my favorite though. The vivid pictures of angles and prayer I take away from this book will forever be imprinted into my mind.

This is a must read novel for fans of action, adventure, and spiritual warfare - but again, read book one first!

Book Description
(from Amazon)

Former Army Ranger Jagger Baird thought he had his hands full with the Tribe—the band of immortal vigilantes fighting to regain God’s grace by killing those opposed to Him. But that was before he encountered the ruthless group of immortals called the Clan. The Clan is after a prize that would give them unimaginable power—a piece of the Ten Commandments known as the Judgment Stone.

Those who touch the Stone can see into the spiritual world: angelic warriors, treacherous demons, and the blue threads of light that signal the presence of believers in communion with God.

By following the blue beam radiating from those closest to God, the Clan plans to locate His most passionate followers and destroy them.

Jagger quickly realizes his high-tech gadgetry and training are no match for these merciless immortals. But how can he defeat an enemy who hunts believers through their prayers . . . and won’t stop until they’ve annihilated all those close to Him?

In this high-action thriller, best-selling author Robert Liparulo examines the raging battle between good and evil on earth . . . and beyond.

Purchase The Judgment Stone (An Immortal Files Novel #2) and The 13th Tribe (An Immortal Files Novel #1)  

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I received a free copy of this book for review purposes, but was under no obligation to read the book or post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.