Book review of Crown of Souls by Ronie Kendig

Book review of Crown of Souls by Ronie Kendig


From goodreads.com:

 

Crown of Souls (Tox Files #2)

by Ronie Kendig (Goodreads Author)

Crown of Souls

Six months after stopping a deadly plague, Cole "Tox" Russell and his team are enjoying a little rest. That peace is short-lived when a sniper shot hits Tox. The enemy is discovered to be one of their own, a rogue Special Forces team operator.
Alec King is perhaps the only person as skilled as Tox, and he's out for justice. Furious with orders that got his men killed, he intends to make those responsible pay. And he insists Tox join him, believing they are the same breed of soldier.
Afraid his old friend is right, Tox battles a growing darkness within himself as he and his team engage in another deadly encounter with antiquity. It appears Alec is cheating--he's using a mysterious artifact, a crown that history has linked to some of the worst slaughters in humanity. Racing to stop Alec before his vengeance is unleashed, Tox must fight the monster without becoming one.

 

 

Leona's Review:

 

My first read by Ronie Kendig.and was very impressed. I have not yet read the first book of the series but this was a stand alone read.

 

I became interested  because it had the words "artifact"  and "antiquity" as part of the description of the book. My major in college is archaeology.

This book seemed to have it all. Mystery, military, love, friends, loyalty, enemies, Biblical, secret missions, treasure, history, archaeology and artifacts. 

At the beginning of the book, Tox (Cole Russell) is shot in the shoulder by a sniper and Tox is sure that the person who shot him could have killed him if they intended to do so. He is sure it is his old friend, Alex King.

 

Tox tries to protect his girlfriend, Haven, from the beginning.  Haven and her brother, Ram, join with others on the adventure journey that takes the reader to many places from Virginia Beach, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia, Stuttgart, Germany; Pentagon, Virginia; Jerusalem, Israel; Washington, D.C.; Russell Estate, Maryland; CIA Headquarters, Fairfax County, Virginia; Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; Reston, Virginia; El Gorah, Egypt; A Village in Egypt; Somewhere Over the Mediterranean; Baghdad, Iraq; FOB Stryker, Baghdad, Iraq; Nimruz Province, Afghanistan; Undisclosed Location; Nimrud, Iraq (ancient Kalhu); Israel; SAARC JET (308); Qal'at Sherqat, Iraq; Somewhere Over Iraq; Outside Mosul, Iraq; Outside Nimrud, Iraq; National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq; Outskirts of Mosul, Iraq; Airstrip Outside London; SAARC Headquarters, Northern Virginia; Unknown Location; Somewhere Over the Middle East and ends on Day 33. Many places are revisited.

 

It also takes us back in time to 1170 AD in Syria, 1172 AD in Syria, 1173 AD in Syria, 1178 AD to Acre, Israel, 1178 AD to  Tveria, Israel, 1180 AD Somewhere in Syria and 1187 Tveria, Israel.

Crown of Souls is a real page turner. I received a complimentary copy from Ronie Kendig and Bethany House Books to read and review it I chose to do so. The opinions are my own. 

I give this a 5 star rating and it is a book I would re-read.

Ronie Kendig may be found at roniekebdig.com,  goodreads.com and also Christianbook.com

Leona Olson

http://www.mnleona.blogspot.com

Book Review of Serpent of Moses by Don Hoesel

From the Back Cover

Moses built and lifted up the brass serpent,
healing the afflicted Israelites of snakebites.

King Hezekiah called the serpent Nehushtan. Long thought destroyed, it's been buried for millennia, secreted under the region's shifting sands.

Now the Israeli government wants it back and they will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Yet they're not the only ones who covet the Nehushtan.

Archaeologist Jack Hawthorne travels to Libya intent on recovering the sacred object, but one does not cross the Mossad and expect to walk away without a fight. Jack and his friends must find the priceless "snake of brass upon a pole" before those who are also hunting it find them...and silence them forever.

About the Author

Don Hoesel, the acclaimed author of Elisha's Bones, Hunter's Moon, and The Alarmists, lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. Don holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Taylor University. When not writing novels, he spends his days working in the communications department of a large company.

My review:

This was a really good read. Some have suggested this book is like an Indiana Jones type of adventure.

Jack Hawthorne is the main character in Serpent of Moses. The book starts with Jack in a cave in Libya being chased by men who want the staff Jack has. The book continues with mystery, chasing and searching for Jack who is missing.

It is an interesting book about archaeology, the Bible, the Middle East, Milan, history, friendship, mystery, God, death, suspense danger and the brass staff called the Nehushtan. The Nehushtan is a sacred object in the form of a snake of brass upon a pole. Moses made it to heal people of snake bites from a plague of snakes God sent them. It is said to have been broken into pieces by King Hezekiah. The Israelis has hired Imolene to get the staff back and return it to them.

Jack has disappeared and Espy and her brother go to the Middle East to and Europe search for him. His friend Duckey also joins in the search.

 

Some Characters:

Dr. Jack Hawthorne- an archaeologist in search of the Nehushtan.

Imolene -an Egyptian paid by the Israelis to get the staff..

Dr. Esperanza (Espy) Habilla-girlfriend of Jack, she is from Venezuela and a foreign language expert at the University of Venezuela.

Romero Habilla- brother of Esperanza; an antiquities dealer.

Amadou Boufayed- a Libyan

Martin Templeton- an Englishman also after the staff and Jack.

Milo Sturdivant- a museum curator who hired Jack to bring him the staff.

Jim Duckett- a friend of Jack, a former CIA agent and a professor. Goes by the name of Duckey for his friends.

Stephanie- wife of Jim Duckett.

Marwen Saidani- a Tunisian.

Tom Fitzpatrick- CIA Unit Chief Agent and friend of Jim Duckett.

Some Places:

Milan

Libya

London

Caracas

Tripoli

Tunisia

Turkey

Al Bayda (Africa)

 

This is my first read by Don Hoesel and the second book in the Jack Hawthorne series, but this book can be read without reading the first one. There is violence but no sex or bad language.

I received a complimentary copy of Serpent of Moses by Don Hoesel to read and review from Bethany House. The opinions are my own.

I will give it a 5 star because of the interest it had for me.

You can find the author at www.donhoesel.com and www.goodreads.com/author/show/2113161.Don_Hoesel and

http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a2404055/Don-Hoesel for some sites.