Shadow in Serenity

Jun 03, 2012 Tamara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: terri-blackstock

SHADOW IN SERENITY was a unique book that I quickly found myself engulfed in.

Carny Sullivan grew up the child of traveling carnival con artists. She can spot a con from a mile away. And because of that, the minute Logan Brisco blows into town she knows he’s a con just waiting to happen. She calls him on it publicly, but he quickly diffuses her claims. Carny is determined to expose Logan before he fleeces the town of Serenity of everything they have.

As Carny watches Logan’s every move and does he...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Iola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction, contemporary-romance, kindle, netgalley, 2012

Terri Blackstock is a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me. I really enjoyed her standalone romance novel, Emerald Windows, and her romantic suspense series, Sun Coast Chronicles and Cape Refuge, but I loathed Last Light, the first in her futuristic Restoration series, so much that I didn’t read the sequels. I felt Last Light was marred by a TSTL (too-stupid-to-live) heroine who gave new meaning to the term 'shallow'. So what about Shadow in Serenity?

Con man Logan Brisco breezes into Serenity, Tex...more Terri Blackstock is a bit of a hit-or-miss author for me. I really enjoyed her standalone romance novel, Emerald Windows, and her romantic suspense series, Sun Coast Chronicles and Cape Refuge, but I loathed Last Light, the first in her futuristic Restoration series, so much that I didn’t read the sequels. I felt Last Light was marred by a TSTL (too-stupid-to-live) heroine who gave new meaning to the term 'shallow'. So what about Shadow in Serenity?

Con man Logan Brisco breezes into Serenity, Texas, with the aim of relieving it's good citizens of their cash. Carny Sullivan is a widowed single mom who grew up surrounded by con artists, and who is not about to let her friends get ripped off by Logan, despite his good looks and endless charm. Carny makes no secret of her desire to bring Logan down a peg or two, and her challenge both amuses and intrigues him, setting the scene for some colourful goings-on.

But trying to persuade a town full of honest people that Logan is running a con might be more than Carny can manage. Meanwhile, Logan is excited by the challenge Carny presents, and stays in town even though it is against the 'rules' of a good con. However, as Logan spends longer in Serenity, he develops relationships with more of the people, and his perceptions gradually begin to change. Meanwhile, Carny knows from her own life that God can change anyone, even a con artist, and begins to doubt her initial impressions of Logan.

Basically, this was a hoot. The scenes between Carny and Logan were consistently underpinned by an amusing combination of mistrust and attraction, the story was fun, and the book had the desired ending without in any way appearing predictable. I really enjoyed this as a fun read underpinned by a sound Christian message.

Like Christian authors such as Francine Rivers and Robin Lee Hatcher, Terri Blackstock was published in the general market before she became a Christian. This book was previously published with another title and under a pseudonym. Now the copyright has reverted back to her, Terri has revised and updated it for the Christian market. I have no idea what the previous title was (if you know, leave a comment), but I would say that the new and revised passages are well integrated into the overall story, and there is no sign that you are actually reading an updated book.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. This review also appears on my blog, www.christianreads.blogspot.com.

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Dec 04, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-netgalley

Logan Brisco, a man who never stays in one place too long, landed in Serenity Texas. Once a thriving oil town Serenity is looking for a way to get back on the map. Logan is a very smooth talker, an expert on the ways of words and "get rich" schemes.
Carny Sullivan doesn't buy what Logan is selling. She was raised in a traveling carnival and has seen more con jobs than anyone, her wisdom going far beyond the circus tent. Trying to protect her son Jason from the life she has seen becomes a constan...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Cafelilybookreviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Carny Sullivan has more in common with Logan Brisco than she cares to admit. Carny has been raised around carnivals and con men and can spot a hawker a mile away. When Logan Brisco bursts onto the scene in the peaceful little town of Serenity, Texas, Carny smells a rat. She’s determined to expose his underhanded schemes and refuses to be swayed by his charm. She doesn’t want to see the honest, hard-working people she loves scammed out of their money and goes on an all out assault to expose Logan...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Tima rated it 5 of 5 stars

Carny grew up traveling with the circus. She learned at an early age to con people out of their money. But she grows tired of the games and running and decides to plant roots in a town named Serenity.
Logan comes to town spinning dreams and charming Serenity's citizens. But Carny can spot a con a mile away and isn't letting him steal from "her" town.

Change is hard. Both Logan and Carny find out that God can help and no matter what the fault He will forgive and make new. It was a new look at how G...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Kimba (Caffeinated Book Reviewer) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock is a faith based novel set in Serenity, Texas. This was a heart-warming novel about faith, love, second chances and the spirit of one small town. I enjoyed the characters Blackstock created in this novel and the wonderful tale she tells.

Carney Sullivan is tough as nails, a good mother and loves the people of Serenity as if they were family. Raised by con artist in a traveling carnival she knows a con when she sees one. When Logan Brisco show up promising to...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Jettiep rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Logan Brisco blew into Serenity Texas, he planned on scamming the people of the town for all he could get, then escape before he was found out. He meets Carny Sullivan, the daughter of a carnival owner, who recognizes him for what he is, because she's seen all the scams, working for her father's carnival, until she left, married and moved to Serenity when she was 17.

Carny tries to tell everyone that he is scamming them, but no one wants to believe her. They want to believe he is representi...more

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Sep 29, 2011 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction, christian-suspense-fiction, romance-fiction

"A pigeon dropper? What's a pigeon dropper?"

"A huckster. A shyster. A con man. Y'all are making a terrible mistake."

Yet no matter how many times she tried to warn them, not only her own in laws and citizens of Serenity, no one wanted to listen.

Situated in Texas, Serenity was a quaint and peaceful town that some would compare to Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith show. One that was also beginning to feel the effects of the latest downturn in the economy. These are where hard-working, God-fearing...more "A pigeon dropper? What's a pigeon dropper?"

"A huckster. A shyster. A con man. Y'all are making a terrible mistake."

Yet no matter how many times she tried to warn them, not only her own in laws and citizens of Serenity, no one wanted to listen.

Situated in Texas, Serenity was a quaint and peaceful town that some would compare to Mayberry from the old Andy Griffith show. One that was also beginning to feel the effects of the latest downturn in the economy. These are where hard-working, God-fearing people still lived and worked trying to find a better way. Where everyone knew one another and were willing to look out for others. Until Logan Brisco showed up.

Smooth-talking, wealthy, and charismatic, Logan has researched the small town of Serenity. He's been looking for a town that was down on its luck, a town that needed a dream or two, but also a town that still had resources. Green resources! The kind that would keep him in the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to, and only one person stood in his way, Carny Sullivan.

Carny Sullivan was a con-artist til the age of 17, who was raised by two small time frauds in a traveling carnival. Named after her family's lifestyle and trained to follow in her parents footsteps, she lived for the day she could finally walk away from this and live the life she could only imagine. Until the day Abe Sullivan walked in, married her, and convinced her, that he was the man of her dreams. Abe would also be the man who would later drink himself dead, leaving Carny behind with her baby Jason in Serenity, and Carny would learn that dreams don't come true after all. This is why she has to convince the residents of Serenity, that Logan is a con man.

In the latest novel by Terri Blackstock, Shadow in Serenity, we see what happens when Carny's past allows her to see what others can't. What others only want to see, is the possibility of their financial dreams becoming a reality; where they won't have to work as hard and prosperity once again return to the residents of Serenity. Some are willing to give all that they have just to make that happen.

I received this book compliments of Zondervan Publishers and Shelton Interactive for my honest review. I am already a huge fan of Terri's, so asking me to review her latest book was a true gift. Able to whisk the reader away from their present day circumstances and place them within the town of Serenity as a resident, is what makes Terri's writing so captivating and desired. There is an underlying message contained within the story, but unfortunately, you'll have to pick this one up, get lost in the story and like me, be left breathless as you finish the final page. Make sure you set some time aside when you start, because if you're like me, once you begin, you won't want to set this one down til you finish. Another 5 out of 5 stars for this novel and can't wait for you all to pick this one up at your local book retailers. (less)

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Sep 24, 2011 Lenore Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was reading Terri Blackstock's book 'Showow in Serenity'. This was my fun read this week. Set in small town Texas (gosh just like where I live), Carny has settled down. Leaving her past well....in the past. Or so she hopes. Knowing that she must guard her previous life from others thus not to be judge she finds that she is pretty aware of what is going on around her most of the time. And those old bells and whistles are clanging when she meets up with Logan. Yes he seems to be cut from the sa...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Jennifer Jensen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read! Terry Blackstock is not an author I’m familiar with, but I did enjoy the story. This is a novel with enough punch to keep you entertained and enough depth to keep you thinking. Carny Sullivan is a woman who is going out of her way to prove that the newest guy in town is a con man. That she knows what they look like all too well is understood, but the town is not as interested in her suspicions as they are in the pipe dreams one Logan Brisco is selling.

Carny herself has been...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’ve only read a couple of Terri Blackstock’s books before reading Shadow in Serenity and found this one to be a little different from what I have gotten used to with her books. I will admit that it took some time for me to get into this book. When I first started reading it, I wondered how on earth this story was going to fill over three hundred pages. Frankly, it didn’t sound like much of a story, but that was one of the biggest reasons I wanted to read it. I have read many books that could fi...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have been a diehard fan of Terri Blackstock since I first started reading Christian fiction over ten years ago. I have always been able to rely on Terri to provide suspenseful stories that keep me awake until the wee hours of the morning. However, this was not one of her stronger novels.

While the carnival/amusement park idea was unique, I felt that I had to suspend belief for a large portion of the story. Like Carny, I wondered how in the world all of Logan's plans would come to fruition if he...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Jodi Janz rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first read of Terri Blackstock. I thoroughly enjoyed Shadow in Serenity. The characters in particular were well rounded and interesting. The redemption of the characters in the book felt real and authentic. I like that. There were a couple things that came up through the story that felt contrived but for the most part I had nothing bad to say and would recommend this book to friends. The two areas I struggled with was the dialogue - especially that of the the seven year old boy in the...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Dianna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

At the age of 17 Carny Sullivan moved into the small town of Serenity hoping to start over, have a family with her husband and have a better life, but her husband died a year after their marriage leaving her with their child, Jason, and no desire to remarry. Carny grew up in her parents carnival, learning all about scams and how to fool people, she even participated in many, so when Logan Brisco comes into town persuading the townsfolk to invest in his “company”, Carny knows its all a scam, and...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Beth - ;) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-fiction, library-borrowed, read-in-2011, romance

This book took longer to read than it should have because I had difficulty getting into it. I almost returned it to the library unfinished but decided to stick it out. I was expecting another of Ms. Blackstock's suspense books and it was not; just a basic boy meets girl with a bit of a twist. Logan is a con artist who has come to Serenity with the intention of fleecing the citizens out of their money by promising an amusement park and then skipping town with all the cash. Carny knows a con when...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Kayley Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is so mysterious and so different from a lot of books I've read either by Terri Blackstock or authors like her. It's not technically a mystery, but it keeps you guessing until the very last page. You feel for the different characters in the story, whether they're people who you can relate to or who are completely different from you, because Blackstock just makes each character so personable. You'll find yourself sympathizing with opposing characters, which is something I normally don't...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, books-sent-by-author-publisher-for

I enjoyed this story, the writing flowed well and kept my interest. I read this book in one day while doing many other things. Every time I put it down I looked forward to picking it back up. It reminded me a bit of the musical, One Hundred Degrees in the Shade. A con comes to town looking to make a score and instead finds more then he bargained for. The characters were varied, especially the carnival group. A town like Serenity sounds very much like Mayberry and I think that I would love to liv...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Phoebe Stanford rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock is about a girl named Carny Sullivan who grew up learning the ways of conning and tricking people out of their money. As a young girl, her family was setting up their fair ground in Serenity, Texas when she fell in love with the community and found that Jesus could wipe her slate clean. She married very young and had her son, Jason, thinking she had found the home she had always longed for as a child. When her marriage did not end up as she had planned, she

...more

Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock is about a girl named Carny Sullivan who grew up learning the ways of conning and tricking people out of their money. As a young girl, her family was setting up their fair ground in Serenity, Texas when she fell in love with the community and found that Jesus could wipe her slate clean. She married very young and had her son, Jason, thinking she had found the home she had always longed for as a child. When her marriage did not end up as she had planned, she realized that with God on her side she could keep her son safe from the dishonest world she had grown up in.

Logan Brisco comes into town and dazzles everyone he speaks to. Carny has met many cons like him in the fair business and definitely does not buy any of his schemes. He brings ideas for an amusement park that could make the whole community richer than their wildest dreams. As the town reaches out to him and shows him the love and trust he had always craved as a foster child, he realizes conning is not as satisfying as it once been. He tries to find a way to make this park a reality. All the years of taking innocent people’s money were starting to weigh on his lonely heart.

Terri Blackstock is great at leaving her audience in suspense; although she does tend to repeat her thoughts, which causes the reader to become disconnected from the story line. She is very strong in her Christian faith and portrays Jesus’ love and forgiveness in each chapter. She also uses language that is understandable to all generations which draws in more readers. Her stories are very real and relatable.

I really enjoyed this book. Waiting to see how Carny would react to Logan and how their relationship would unfold was very suspenseful. Terri Blackstock did a great job telling the transformation of Logan Brisco’s heart from being a con to following Jesus and becoming the father he had always wished for. This story is full of trust, lies, forgiveness, love and family values that I would recommend to anyone in the mood for an unlikely love story.

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Nov 14, 2011 Lynne Young rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! The story takes you from a world of mistrust and cons, to a world of trust and forgiveness. It flows so beautifully you can't put it down until you see how it all ends.

I loved Carny and Logan although I must admit I wasn't very fond of Logan in the beginning and even at the end of the book I had a hard time liking Carny's parents. There was one person I wish the author had told us more about and I'm hoping there might be a book about her someday and that is Ruth, the "fat lady...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Carny Sullivan grew up in the zany world of a traveling carnival. Quaint and peaceful Serenity, Texas, has given her a home, a life, and a child. Logan Brisco is the smoothest, slickest, handsomest man Serenity, Texas has ever seen. But Carny Sullivan knows a con artist when she sees one---and she's seen plenty, starting with her father. As far as Carny Sullivan can tell, she's the only one in town who has his number. Because from his Italian shoes to his movie-actor smile, Logan has the rest of...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-review, christian-fiction

Carny Sullivan has seen plenty of cons, having been raised by parents who were carnival people and taught her all the tricks. When Logan Brisco blows into her small, close-knit town she knows his promises to the locals of making money in his investment opportunity are nothing but a scam. Carny does everything she can to convince her town that he's a con and refuses to tear down her personal walls of defense. But just when she believes she's got Brisco all figured out, he surprises her.

The book...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, christian-fiction

This is a little bit different than many of Terri Blackstock's books; it has a little bit less tense suspense and a little bit more about people and what changes them, motivates them, and/or makes them tick. It is actually a re-write of her last secular novel before she began writing exclusively for the Christian market, but don't let that make you think it will be lacking. The Christian elements are a seamless part of the plot, and I would have never dreamed some of them weren't there when the...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Casey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have to admit I wasn’t as taken with “Shadow in Serenity” as I honestly thought I would be. While portions of this novel drew my attention and had some great insight into the human condition, the novel itself, entire story arc and how it was put together, failed to truly move me.

I knew full and well going into the story it wouldn’t be the typical suspense/murder mystery and I was perfectly fine with that. Where I ran into some snags was how the story came together. Much of the dialogue felt w...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Logan comes to the small town of Serenity to swindle a naive town out of its hard-earned money, he didn't count on meeting Carny, a former con artist herself. Will he be able to pull of the ruse without losing his heart in the process?

Terri Blackstock is one of my favorite Christian suspense authors, so I found this book a little slow as it focused more on a romance than a mystery. The characters are vivid, the town is enrapturing, but the plot dragged on for a little too long.

Fans of Ter...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Trinity Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoy books written by Terri Blackstock and this one is very good. It is a book she wrote before she got into the Christian market, but loved it so much that when she could she rewrote parts of this book and had it published in the Christian market.
I really like it because it shows us even the most unfeeling, unloving person can truly want to change and be saved. God isn’t held back. He can even make the vilest person clean and whole.
Carny grew up in a carnavial and saw lots of peopl...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Julie Graves rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, christian

I really enjoyed Shadow In Serenity. I found myself getting frustrated with the town of Serenity though. They seemed to be easily duped by Logan Brisco even though Carny tried every way possible to tell them that he was pulling a scam. Knowing her background I think that people would have taken her more seriously. Logan's love for the community he came to scam is very believable. Serenity showed him the love and acceptance that he never had growing up. I believe that Shadow In Serenity shows tha...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Dianna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Carney was born and raised to a couple of traveling carnival con artists and was taught at an early age how to pick pocket and con people out of their money. Tiring of the circus life at 18 she ends up in the quaint little town of Serenity, Texas, where she got married, had a child and was widowed. She learned to fend for herself and son by being honest & working hard. So when Logan Brisco blows into town she can smell the con a mile away. Unfortunately, he is so good at what he does he has...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christianfiction, forreview, favorite-2011

Shadow in Serenity is the type of story that sticks with you after you finish the book. Not only is it well-written, but it made me cry a few times. There were some precious, yet heart-wrenching scenes in this story that rang so true I forgot several times that I was reading fiction. The people in the story seemed real to me. I loved the characters' arcs as well. The theme about childhood always being with you and shaping who you are--but that didn't mean you couldn't change--was very inspiratio...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

First posted on my blog, Legacy of a Writer.

This is my first step into Terri Blackstock’s work and, while it wasn’t as edge-of-your-seat suspenseful that I was expecting, it was an engaging story that kept me reading. I thought it was neat that Terri rewrote Shadow in Serenity (original published for the general market) with a Christian message woven in. And she did it so seamlessly—even when I read, at the end, how she’d added the Christian elements, I almost found it hard to imagine the book w...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, kindle

Review on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R22EOTBL...
Review on my blog: http://christianbookshelfreviews.blog...

4.5 stars

Shadow in Serenity was way better than I expected! I really liked how the story dealt with con artists and scamming people - very unique from most books I've read.

I loved how Carny instantly saw through Logan and realized he was a con man. I also loved how redemption and forgiveness were major parts of Shadow in Serenity.

Overall, Shadow in Serenity was a great read that...more

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