Guatemala Paula Loves to Read: Spiritual thriller

Showing posts with label Spiritual thriller. Show all posts

Monday, February 23, 2026

**Book Tour: Intercessor by John Robert Still**

Intercessor

John Robert Still

Spiritual thriller / Supernatural suspense with Catholic themes

Publisher: Covenant Books

Publication Date: February 13, 2026

Page count: 268 pages

SYNOPSIS:

What if the storm chasing you isn’t the one outside… but the one within?

Set in the shadow-soaked streets of New Orleans, Intercessor is a gripping faith-infused thriller that blends supernatural suspense with profound spiritual reflection.

Jim Hampton is a burned-out lawyer who walks away from his high-stakes career in search of peace. Drawn to the mystique of the Crescent City, he hopes distance will quiet his doubts and regrets. Instead, as a tropical storm intensifies into a devastating hurricane, Jim finds himself trapped in a far more dangerous tempest—one filled with demonic forces, divine intervention, and a battle for his soul.

Guided by the enigmatic bartender Myriam, Jim is forced to confront his lapsed Catholic faith amid blackouts, chases through the French Quarter, and encounters that defy logic and reason. As darkness closes in and evil tightens its grip, Jim must decide whether redemption is truly possible—or if some storms are meant to destroy.

Near the novel’s stunning climax, a miraculous event inspired by the legendary “dancing sun” at Fatima transforms terror into revelation, reminding readers that grace can break through even the deepest despair.

Perfect for readers who enjoy:

● Faith-driven thrillers with spiritual depth

● Supernatural suspense rooted in real-world belief

● Stories of redemption, miracles, and personal awakening

● Atmospheric settings rich with culture and mystery

Intercessor is more than a thriller—it’s a powerful reminder that in life’s darkest moments, hope may arrive in ways we least expect.

👉 Pick up Intercessor today and discover how grace can guide you through the storm.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

John Robert Still is a lawyer based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the author of the faith-infused thriller Intercessor. Drawn to stories that explore suspense, spirituality, and the search for meaning, John writes fiction that wrestles honestly with faith, redemption, and the mysteries that shape our lives.

Intercessor is his debut novel, inspired by visits to New Orleans and a fascination with the city’s rich culture, history, and spiritual contrasts. His writing journey began as a deeply personal exploration of life’s harder questions—particularly around belief, purpose, and grace—and evolved over several years into a gripping supernatural thriller shaped by thoughtful revision and early reader feedback.

When he’s not practicing law or writing, John enjoys a wide range of hands-on pursuits, including beekeeping, bonsai cultivation, growing tobacco and rolling his own cigars, and cooking—especially Cajun and Creole cuisine. These passions reflect the same patience, craftsmanship, and respect for tradition that inform his storytelling.

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Monday, January 19, 2026

**Book Review: Templar's Folly by Luke DeSalvo**

Templar's Folly (Psychic Detective Malachi Monroe Book 1)

Templar's Folly by Luke DeSalvo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A newly appointed spiritual guardian and a psychic witch join forces to defeat an ancient evil hidden on the island of Kauai.

Templar’s Folly by Luke DeSalvo is set on the lush island of Kauai, an exotic location steeped in Hawaiian mythology and lore, and the author crafts an intriguing, fresh paranormal story by introducing a powerful vampiric adversary straight out of Eastern European folklore. Malachi Monroe, a newly appointed Templar living on the island of Kauai, is tasked with eliminating a vampire who is stalking the daughter of a recent client, only to discover the vampire has a more serious motive than looking for his next meal. Dominic, the almost 500-year-old vampire, needs help killing his creator, an ancient vampire who is slumbering now but will soon awake to destroy humanity and the world, starting right there on Kauai, where he has been secretly hidden. Dominic needs Valerie, a young witch with unique psychic abilities, to help open a pathway to the underworld before Orion, his former mentor, awakens and Malachi’s abilities as a Templar to destroy him once found. But first, all three must come to trust each other before anything good can come from their alliance.

I loved the premise of this book and really wanted to love the execution as well, and while promising, this work needs more refining before reaching its potential. Malachi Monroe is an engaging main character, and several nice storylines support the plot; however, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the book, with insufficient development of Malachi’s backstory or the world of the Templars. There are tidbits of information throughout, some even repeated, that help establish both, but the whole Lavaitus Corporation remains vague to me. Were the Templars in the story a modern branch of THE Templars? I liked the chapter epigraphs relating to Lavaitus’s policies, which provided additional insights. Valerie’s presence in the story is more defined, but I still had questions about her being a witch, a ghost hunter, a psychic, and her abilities.

The relationship between Malachi and Valerie is foretold from both their perspectives, so their meeting and immediate attraction were understandable; however, their instant declarations of love still felt premature. The feeling of rushing may be a product of the dialogue. Much of it came off as unnatural and disjointed, filling space rather than providing motive and direction.

The underlying plot is intriguing, and the fight sequences are vivid and exciting. Malachi could be a compelling protagonist if his traits were better established. He presents, initially, as engaging, lovable, and somewhat goofy, but he’s later described as classy, which doesn’t show up in his interactions with other characters. Lastly, the book still contains way too many execution errors, such as incorrect word choices, misspellings, typos, repetitive passages, inconsistencies in character names, and continuity issues. These are all the types of things that confuse a reader and interrupt the flow of the story that another pass by an editor can fix.

The bottom line, though, is that despite my quibbles, I enjoyed the story and would share this title, with my reservations noted, with friends and family who like this genre, especially those who like stories set in Hawaii.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

View all my reviews

Saturday, January 17, 2026

**Book Blitz: Intercessor by John Robert Still**