1. An Open Heart - eBookThis product is an eBook
    Harry Kraus
    David C Cook / 2013 / ePub
    Our Price$9.69 Retail Price$14.99 Save 35% ($5.30)
    4.5 out of 5 stars for An Open Heart - eBook. View reviews of this product. 15 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW38335EB
4.5 Stars Out Of 5
4.5 out of 5
(8)
(6)
(1)
(0)
(0)
Quality:
4.4 out Of 5
(4.4 out of 5)
Value:
4.3 out Of 5
(4.3 out of 5)
Meets Expectations:
4.1 out Of 5
(4.1 out of 5)
93%
of customers would recommend this product to a friend.
SORT BY:
SEE:
Displaying items 11-15 of 15
Page 3 of 3
  1. Sally
    Tampa, FL
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Medical Suspense
    June 10, 2013
    Sally
    Tampa, FL
    This review was written for An Open Heart.
    I enjoyed this medical suspense novel that combines Christianity with witchcraft. It is intense, and I must admit, I now much prefer remaining at home. I'll be content to travel through novels like this one.

    The author is a board-certified surgeon in East Africa, and he writes about what he knows best. When he includes medical information, the story deepens. I found myself engrossed and easily able to follow along.

    Discussion Questions included.

    Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and David C. Cook for my copy.
  2. Melissa
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Couldn't read it fast enough
    June 10, 2013
    Melissa
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 4
    This review was written for An Open Heart.
    I couldn't read this book fast enough to discover all the mysteries within the story. As the reader you will pick up on things that will make you want to reach into the book and say to the characters, "Put this together. Don't you see the connections?"

    From the back cover blurb I thought the book would be a bit different, but still it was a great read. It didn't move as fast at times as I wanted it to. A lot of backstory, but it is needed, so I see why the author slipped it in there and in small chunks. It kept me flipping the pages so I could see the big picture by the end.

    Most of the story takes place in Kenya and the author gives you a wonderful glimpse into it's beauty, poverty, corruption and customs.

    Jace is like many of us -- his faith has been shaken and he doesn't even know if he believes in God anymore, even though he was a missionary kid. Things have happened in his life that make him question what is real and what does he believe? Can't we all relate, haven't we all been there at one time or another? I know I have.

    Jace is struggling to discover who he really is. But maybe the more important question is....who does God say he is?

    Of course I spotted some Genesis 5020's in the book, can you?

    A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  3. Christianfictionaddiction
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Medical drama + spiritual warfare = great read!
    June 9, 2013
    Christianfictionaddiction
    Quality: 5
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 4
    This review was written for An Open Heart.
    Set in the beautiful but corrupt landscape of Kenya, Harry's Kraus latest book offers up medical drama, suspense, and spiritual warfare in a fast-paced read. I greatly enjoyed that the book largely takes place in Africa, and the fact that the author himself resides in Kenya shows in the authentic feel to the descriptions of people and places and cultural nuances. I was particularly fascinated by the witch doctor who plays a prominent role in the story, and the way that the people of Africa are so much more open to acknowledge the spiritual forces that are at work behind the scene. I have found this to be true myself in the missions trips I've taken, such as my recent trip to Thailand. Kraus' inclusion of this aspect of Kenyan culture made for a unique twist to the plot and one that I hope to see in future novels from him as well. In terms of the controversy surrounding Dr. Jace Rawlings, I must admit that the actions of the villain did not always make sense to me (and I can't say more without ruining the plot). Nevertheless, the cross-cultural element of the threat over Jace's life made for some extra-intense scenes indeed! As with all of Harry Kraus' books, I most appreciate the way in which he can so seamlessly weave the power of what Jesus has done on the cross into his novels. "An Open Heart" not only provides an entertaining ride, but points to the grace of Jesus at the same time.

    I award this book a solid rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Plan on picking up a copy of this book for yourself. You'll be glad you did!

    Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
  4. Teddy G
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    4 Stars Out Of 5
    Fast Paced, Honest Characters
    May 15, 2013
    Teddy G
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 3
    This review was written for An Open Heart.
    Jace Rawlings has made a good life for himself in the United States as a cardiac surgeon, far away from his childhood as an MK - missionary kid - in Africa, and far from the God of his childhood. And yet, due to extreme circumstances where Jace almost dies and believes his dead sister calls him to return to the place from their past, he doesn't hesitate. Believing he's been sent by his sister, and perhaps by God Himself, Jace willingly returns to Africa to start a heart surgery program. However, no matter how called he feels, the road isn't easy, and there seems to be much more at work than just the complicated politics of Kenya. Can Jace let go of his past, find healing, and find the God who has chosen him?

    This book was fast-paced, and a compelling read. Jace struggles with deep loss and disappointment from his past, and has to decide whether he can trust the God he feels has forsaken him. As the twin brother of a girl who loved God with her whole heart, Jace identifies with Esau and the Bible verse that says "Jacob have I loved. Esau have I hated." That's a powerful image for him to get over, and his struggle to feel accepted by God is honest and heartwrenching. His childhood as a missionary kid in a boarding school for missionary kids has turned him off to "Christianese," and that also feels very real in a world where people don't want to just hear big words that don't mean anything to them. Additionally, Jace faces a spiritual battle that is very real to the world of Kenya, and the book even discusses how missionaries don't really talk about such things in the States, because nobody would believe it here.

    Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars. I liked it, it kept my interest, but I didn't love it.

    I do enjoy the author's writing, and like how, for the most part, his inclusion of medical information enhances the story without confusing the reader.

    I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.
  5. Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Great premise, but tries to do too much
    June 27, 2013
    Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 3
    This review was written for An Open Heart.
    Moving from comfortable Virginia to Kenya to begin the nation's first heart surgery programme sounds like a noble objective, but Dr Jace Rawlings is running away. He's running away from a broken marriage, a possible affair and memory loss, and returning to the town where he grew up as a missionary kid, working at the hospital where his Dad was a doctor, and where he lost his faith and his twin sister.

    But this is Africa, and there are challenges in getting the programme started, not least in getting the equipment through customs. And once Jace undertakes the first operation, he finds a strange after-effect: his patient is giving him messages from beyond this dimension. And that's not his only problem. Someone is out to end the heart surgery programme, and it looks as though he might be implicated in a death back in the US.

    I've read and enjoyed novels set in Africa and other exotic locations (particularly those by JM Windle). I've read and enjoyed medical dramas (by authors such as Candace Calvert and Hannah Alexander). I've read and enjoyed novels with a supernatural element (like The Widow of Saunders Creek or Illusion). And I've read and enjoyed several of Kraus's previous books (including Perfect and the Claire McCall series), so I thought I would enjoy this. I did, but not as much as I expected.

    The opening of Open Heart was excellent, as Jace found himself thrown in jail, then refusing to pay the bribes to release his medical equipment. But as I progressed, it felt as though the novel was trying to be a supernatural thriller (with supernatural messages and a witch doctor), a medical thriller (the surgery) and a suspense novel (who wants to end the heart programme and why, the US element and the back story about Jace's twin sister) all at the same time. It was too much, and I'm not sure it worked.

    But my big problem was Jace's faith. While I could understand why he turned away from Christianity as a child, I didn't see why he essentially faked faith throughout his adult life. He married another missionary kid, a strong Christian woman; he went to church, then he goes back to Africa to serve in a missionary hospital, yet he has no personal faith. (SPOILER: He then has a major change of heart at the end of the story, yet it came out of nowhere. It seemed convenient rather than heartfelt).

    And there were times when Open Heart was let down by the writing. I found that the technical dialogue that comes across quickly in a TV medical drama doesn't work so well on the page. It sounded authentic, but it read like a foreign language. There were too many points of view, odd changes of tense, and some of the scenes had a repetitious sentence structure (like starting consecutive paragraphs with adverbs).

    Overall, it could have been great, but it wasn't.

    Thanks to David C Cook and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
Displaying items 11-15 of 15
Page 3 of 3