Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Blog Tour/Review: The Healer by Gregg Luke



The Healer, by Gregg Luke
2015, 272p, Christian Fiction
My Rating=4.5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review



After successfully completing his first-year professorship, Welsh folklore expert Chris Pendragon has earned a vacation. At least that's what the young scholar tells himself—but deep down he feels an urgency to reassess his life, to find a sense of purpose. Hoping that perhaps a trip to Wales will provide the answers he seeks, Chris embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But he could never have anticipated the unimaginable adventure that awaits him ...

Shortly after his arrival in Wales, Chris is witness to a horrific accident with more far-reaching consequences than he could have dreamed. Following Chris's heroic rescue of one of the victims, an unexplainable phenomenon is revealed: bones that had been broken were made whole with Chris's touch. Still reeling form this discovery, Chris is approached by a wizened old man with an implausible answer: Chris has been chosen to be the bearer of the Dial, a healer of unparalleled power. But the calling is fraught with peril, and Chris soon discovers there are those who will stop at nothing to seize the power of the Dial. With the help of a beautiful, if skeptical, doctor, Chris must choose: go back to the life he was leading or embark on a thrilling new destiny.


Chris Pendragon teaches history at Gonzaga University and decides to take a vacation to Wales to find purpose in his life. He witnesses a car accident and his life is changed forever. He miraculously heals a young boy's broken ankles and doesn't understand how that happened. He meets Nicholas Tewdrig who tries to explain to him what's happening but Chris writes him off as a crazy old man. He realizes too late that he should have listened to him. As he searches for answers, he learns that there are some people he can trust and others that he shouldn't. 

I liked reading about the changes Chris made during this story. He started out disbelieving (and honestly, who wouldn't?), and as he learned more information, he started warming up to the idea that he was, indeed, a healer.  He questioned why this gift had been given to him and I liked the new revelations he got about how and why it worked, what his role was, and where the true power came from. Since this book is about a spiritual gift, there are quite a few religious references and I personally loved that!

There were some cool legends and locations referred to in this book and the author shares in his Afterword the following: "Although this book is a work of fiction, the legends and locations are authentic. The weaving of one legend with another was solely the work of the author." He then goes on to list the websites where you can learn more. This part was fascinating to me! I wasn't familiar with any of them and loved how he brought them all together.

This book was full of twists and turns and I wasn't sure who to trust, either. He meets a doctor, Kathryn, who was skeptical about his claims, but seemed to believe him. I was surprised at what happened between them and will be interested to see if she shows up in a future installment. The way this book left off, there has to be more to the story and I'm looking forward to how Chris learns to deal with his newfound gift and how it will change his life.

This is the first book I've read by Gregg Luke, but it won't be the last! He has written quite a few so I have lots (more) reading to do! If you've read his books, please comment and let me know which one I should start with.



About this Author

Gregg R. Luke, RPH, was born in Bakersfield, California, but spent the majority of his childhood and young adult life in Santa Barbara, California. He served an LDS mission in Wisconsin then pursued his education in natural sciences at SBCC, UCSB, and BYU. He completed his schooling at the University of Utah, College of Pharmacy.

Gregg currently practices pharmacy in Logan, Utah. He is a voracious reader and has been writing stories since childhood. He has published in Skin Diver magazine, The Oceanographic Letter, Destiny magazine, and the New Era magazine. His fiction includes The Survivors, Do No Harm, Altered State, Blink of an Eye, Bloodborne, Deadly Undertakings, and Twisted Fate, five of which were Whitney Award finalists.


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Tour Schedule:

Feb. 20thhttp://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/
http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/
http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/

1 comments:

Tressa @ Wishful Endings said...

I'm glad you enjoyed this one. It didn't completely fit in what I normally read, but I still liked it.

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