He Said His Name Was Micah

by Tearra Rhodes

A Good Deed Leads To Danger A recent broken engagement leaves Ava Howard in a rut, looking for meaning and purpose in her life. Enter a stranger with a ready grin, who says that his name is Micah and claims to have known Ava’s ex back in high school. Micah is currently “in between” jobs, and Ava feels led to offer him work doing odd jobs around her home. Little does she know that her simple act of kindness will challenge her faith, threaten the lives of the people she loves, and have her running for her life. Ava hopes that somehow she will be saved, but in the end, she may be forced to make a devastating choice in order to survive. Read the novella He Said His Name Was Micah today.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2018

About the author

Tearra Rhodes began her interest in creative writing in elementary school and has continued to pursue her passion for fiction and authorship, winning minor but meaningful awards and affirmations along the way.

Tearra’s faith is essential and guides her to create what she calls “faith based fiction with flair.”

When she’s not reading or writing fiction in all forms, Tearra attends church, eats out, and shops (maybe too much of the latter).

She has worked in some form of customer service all her working life and is currently in the insurance field.

Tearra was born, raised, and currently resides in Buffalo, NY, where she has boxes and boxes of unfinished stories and plays. Her next project will be pulling out one of those boxes and dusting off a potential masterpiece…oh, and continuing to develop the world of Ava, Michael, Wes, and Auntie Joy from The Micah Series.

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very emotional story and it brought me to tears.

I enjoyed how the author interwove scripture into the story, especially with Psalm 23.

Give this one a try if you are looking for an action story with something a bit different.

[Jasleen Kaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dont know how to rate this. It was good but felt repititive in a way I cant point out. Also the characters were few and story too quick to be judged. Only two people holding the book was too much. But the character transitions were good.

[Marty Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW, WOW! What a story! Unbelievable twists and turns, with a heart rendering ending! Excellent! I have not read a Christian mystery before. This was a delight for me; a genre I hadn't read before. I'm ready to read the second book in this series!

[Gabrielle Renault · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5☆

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick and easy read. I started reading and had to keep going because I wanted to know what happened. A mix of mystery, action, and adventure.

[Debbie Chatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short read. When we meet Ava at the beginning of the story, she has checked out of life and is avoiding and coasting. However as life presents her with some unexpected challenges, the reader gets to see how she responds. This story caused me to think about how I would react in some of the situations Ava finds herself in. Includes themes of determination, perseverance, and redemption. The story really highlights the importance of our choices and how growth can take place in the hard stuff. Also I liked how the story included clear presentation of the gospel.

[Tamyara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. A novella that kept me reading. Well written and the characters gave me life. Waiting impatiently for book 2. Thank you for Christian fiction with spunk, faith, suspense and real. I can recommend this book over and over again.



A book that keeps you interested from beginning to end. I can see an excellent part 2 coming. All of the characters well developed and written. She is now on my favorite list of Christian authors. Folks please get this amazing boom of faith, forgiveness and a twist of suspense. Bravo over and over again.

[Patricia Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only meant to read a chapter or two before I went to sleep. Needless to say, I couldn't stop reading until The End. I thought the characters were very well defined and was drawn to Micah. Ava was a very interesting character. So lost in the beginning, not sure what she wanted out of life. Wow! the ending cleared that up. I think readers will really enjoy He Said His Name Was Micah.

[LeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given my position of white privilege, I assumed whiteness in the characters of this book, until I turned the last page and discovered the author is Black. Would I have seen Ava, Auntie Joy and Rev. Barton as less ridiculously gullible if I had realized they came from a culture that highly valued community and had life experiences different from my own? Maybe. On the one hand, race should have nothing to do with the need to trust God truly and not just mouth Bible verses from childhood, which is the theme of the story. On the other hand culture gives context to events and character. Being Black was part of these characters’ backstory, but other than a reference to chocolate brown eyes and golden skin well into the story, race was never mentioned. Since white people can have brown eyes and deep tans, that wasn’t enough to jolt me out of my (foolish) assumption of whiteness, which led me to reject the whole premise as too unrealistic. The author’s grasp of mechanics of grammar and scene is excellent. I hope she will learn to take seriously the impact of culture on who her characters are and how they respond to events because she has lots of potential as a writer.

This is going to be a series, but I still would have liked to see some loose ends tied up. For example, we never learn what happened to Kenny or to the neighbor who came looking for him.

[Brandi Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable

I wouldn't call it boring, necessarily, but I had the whole thing figured out very early on. It was like reading the script to a Lifetime movie, which is definitely not my preferred reading.

It could have been so much more and, hopefully, Ms. Rhodes will grow as an author and expand her stories. The whole thing seemed rushed, which made it less interesting.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard hitting and gritty! When our Christianity bumps up against life situations that we don’t understand and we have to examine what we really believe.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book finished for 2019, first audio book and the first book by this author!!

I really liked this story. The characters are really interesting and it was good to watch Ava as she came to terms with what she was facing.

I was extremely surprised at how well I did with the audio book. I listened to it while walking on the treadmill and some in the car. My commute (thankfully) is too short to really get into audio books.

Disclaimer: I did receive this audio book free from the author as part of the December discussion time with the ACFW group.

[Nicki Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

This was an awesome read. The characters were well thought out and given much life. The turmoil that Micah felt within himself was apparent. I like how Micah was an intricate part in bringing Ava back to life despite his intentions. I look forward to the second book.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it hard to like this main character, Ava, initially. All she does is loaf around in pajamas feeling jilted and watching reruns of a detective series. For a few weeks after her boyfriend leaves isn't surprising maybe, but for six months? Good thing her father left her money so she could afford to do this.

So in the opening chapters she comes across as spineless, but by the end she's getting some spunk. Life takes her for a hard ride and her religion--all those platitudes about good things coming to good people--doesn't carry her very far. Thankfully she starts to dig deeper and find a more solid faith and trust.

Micah, the other main character in this story, is an enigma from beginning to end. His character is very fluid; Ava never knows what to expect.

[Sheila Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one wild ride. Exciting, frustrating, and ultimately Christ-honoring.

This is the first in a series. However, it can be read as a complete story, exclusive to the upcoming novels in the series.

The plot includes the killing of a felon by a Christian cop, kidnapping, the struggle physically, emotionally, and spiritually of the person kidnapped, and all within a clean contemporary context.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and plan to continue on in the series when the next one is published in March. And, I can unequivocally recommend this novel to anyone.

[Tina Fritchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very simply and beautifully written little book, with lots of charm. I've tried a couple of books before that have religious overtones, and found them very preachy and had to DNF (sorry, not a church-goer myself), but this was not that at all. It gives a message, without the need to try to batter it home.

I enjoyed this story, and will look for more by this author.

[Kandi A. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Different

This was a mystery but of a different type than I normally read. A mix of Christian fiction but as the author says, "with a bite." A wolf in sheep's clothing, a man who feels wronged, but with a crazy bent, an edge of your seat read. If you like Christian fiction and murder mysteries, you will like this book!

[Sara Kreps · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up with mixed feelings. it was short, wasted no time, but i'm still not sure what to think about the plot/message. good story, not sure how it will work as a series but looking forward to finding out.

[Vickie Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

He Said His Name Was Micah

This story grabbed me early on and I couldn't stop reading. The author kept me tied up in her descriptive prose to the last page. This book has all the elements of a good story--deceit, revenge, and redemption.

[gary richards]

After her wedding was called off, the heroine goes into a funk and withdraws from life. Another guy shows up and she finds somethings about him are interesting. Deciding to help him out might not have been the best choice. When danger materializes, her reliance on God starts to grow. Interesting

[Angela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. I throuhly enjoyed the Christin aspects of the book. Can not wait to read another of her novella.

She used scripture that enhanced this story.She also did a good job of making the characters realistic and the story had a lot of suspense.

[Anne-Marie Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this was a surprising read. I was never quite sure where we would end up. I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and would recommend this exciting story with enough twists here and there to keep you guessing and in pursuit!

[Retha · Rating 4 out of 5]

suspense to the end

Interesting twists, you never sure what’s going to happen next. I also enjoyed the Gospel surprise in the story…you’ll have to read the book to find out for yourself.

[Tom Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good fiction book with some twists and turns. I especially appreciated that the author did not feel compelled to add Sex or gratuitous violence to the storyline. Very well done. I’ll look for more from her in the future.

[Doris Snyder · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really?

You get knocked unconscious, multiple times, with no effect? Your leg gets injured multiple times and you can still walk and drive? And really? He put your seatbelt on when you’re panicking to get away?

[Rocky Henriques · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story...

...that pulls you in and keeps you reading. A few typos kept it from getting five stars, but the characters are realistic and there was a very real struggle between good and evil.

[Jan Wilks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

Liked the book.Very good and the characters were great. Want to read next one in the series. Thanks. Keep writing

[Hugh muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

Characters well developed. Plot twists. Recommend for both guys & girls. I am a guy. Spiritual but not in your face.

[Mary Ellen Barringer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly a terrible novel. Books like this give Christian fiction a bad name. Poor characterization, muddied plot line, abrupt ending. Not worth the time to read.

[Terry Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping

Had a hard time putting this down. Great read, great characters, great storyline and great ending. Left me wanting more!