BOOK REVIEWS

 

 

 

 

The Healing Power of Essential Oils by Eric Zielinskie, DC is a wonderful resource for essential oils.  I am very new to the essential oil world and have been searching for something to help get me started. This book contains 150 recipes and remedies. There is a link to videos that are very helpful. There is also very basic information on getting started to more advanced methods.

This book is written from a Christian perspective which I absolutely love. I suffer from migraines and have been hoping to find a more natural way to treat them. I hate the way my medications make me feel. There is a recipe in this book that I did and I can honestly say as long as I use it several times and at the onset of symptoms it has helped tremendously at keeping them at bay. I’ve used the mixture several times and have had great results. I’m hoping this is a long term thing. I am not sure it will keep all of them away but any help whatsoever is good for me.  I have recently purchased more oils to try out some other things and cannot wait to see the results.

The author gives good advice on choosing oils and his top 8 must haves are included. He also gives good advice on how to store and use oils in different ways from diffusion to bathing. There is also a recipe for Mrs. Z’s carrier oil that I can’t wait to try.

The only thing negative I can say about this book is I am not a huge fan of the paper it is printed on. Several pages were slightly creased when it arrived and I managed to get a few pages damp with a towel and they crinkled pretty badly. The paper is the equivalent in my opinion as what you would find in a child’s drawing or sketching pad. I would not let this deter me in purchasing or recommending this book to anyone who wants to learn more.

I highly recommend this to beginners and novice people who want to learn about oils and get started easily with them.  I have other essential oil books and this is my absolute favorite.

I received this book at no charge from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

 

 

Mercer Mayer's Little Critter: Little Blessings Collection includes four books in one. The books are You Go First, It’s True!, Being Thankful, and We All Need Forgiveness. Each book teaches valuable lessons for little ones.  It shows children through fun and colorful illustrations values that God would be pleased with even though sometimes we all mess up.

You Go First is a story where Little Critter is always wanting to be first, he isn’t thinking about anyone else’s feelings but his own. By the end he has learned that being with his friends and taking turns is much better.

In It’s True learning that even telling partial truths was the same as lying. Little Critter quickly learns that God is more pleased with us when we tell the truth.

Being Thankful is exactly what it says. Little Critter learns to be thankful for the things he has and does even though he may not always get exactly what he wants.

Lastly, We All Need Forgiveness, Little Critter is forgiven when he makes mistakes at home but he doesn’t always extend this forgiveness to others when they do something to him. Then he makes a mistake at school and all of his friends get mad at him and aren’t so quick to forgive him.  His mom teaches him we should always forgive others just like God forgives us.  Eventually they all forgive each other and everything is good again.

I love this book and would recommend it to families who have small children who may need a gentle reminder of good behavior. I can’t wait to read it to my little one. I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

The NKJV Faithlife Ilustrated Study Bible has beautiful colored illustrations chocked full of information and study material. It has historical timelines, and 27 family trees. The introductions to each book is very in depth.

I love how so much information is packed into this bible especially with the illustrations. I am a very visual learner and the illustrations intrigue me and give me a visual to help me learn even more. I also love the verse by verse study notes. In some bibles the study notes only cover a few verses this one is much more thorough and does a great job. I absolutely love the timelines included

The introductions to the different books give so much information including things such as outlines, themes, backgrounds, and structure of the book.  It gives a great overview of what the author of the book is trying to tell us.

The font in this bible is very easy on the eyes and is a little larger print. It does make for a more bulky bible but my eyes are very grateful. The words of Christ are in red in this version and the headings are in blue.

This is one bible that will remain in my collection and I can honestly say I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great study bible. I received this book at no charge from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore is described as a “stirring message of the sheer hope, utter deliverance and complete and glorious freedom of God.”  It’s “straight talk about God’s deliverance”

We all from time to time get into that pit whether it is by our own doing or because of circumstances around us, but we don’t have to stay there. The author shows us scriptures and personal experiences to lead and direct us. Ultimately, the choice is ours and we have to make the choice to get out of that pit. We just have to let God lead us out.

Get Out of That Pit also includes scripture prayers to pray at the end of the book and also a section broken down by chapter that includes questions to help you reflect on each chapter.

If you are looking for strength to get out of the pit grab this book and give it a read.  I received this book at no charge from handlebar publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

The Master’s Mind by Lance Hahn asks “Why are so many of us insecure, depressed, and confused?” This is not the condition God has in mind for us.

Many times we let our minds control us in ways that we really shouldn’t. Lance Hahn a pastor addresses this. He reiterates how God wants us to be much more and that we need to take control of our minds and have a more Christ like mind.

Our minds need to be renewed. The author reminds us this and gives us biblical views on how to have a better mindset.

This book helps us to understand how God intends us to live. At the end of the book there is a section called Getting Down to Business. The author shares 6 steps to gain “mental toughness and a victor mentaility”

If you need to renew your thoughts and get back on the right track, and let’s be honest most of us do, this book may help get you going on the right path.

I received this book at no charge for an honest review from Handlebar Publishing.

 

 

 

Ordering your Private World by Gordon MacDonald is a newly revised work to “equip a new generation to live life from the inside out, cultivating the inner victory necessary for public effectiveness.

I know in my world everything is hectic and very, very busy. We rarely take time to enjoy our lives, most days we struggle just to put one foot in front of the other and push our way through our responsibilities. We rarely take time to reflect on our inner self and our spiritual well being.  Life happens and we miss so much.

The author takes the time to show us the importance of evaluating our lives. Teaching us to slow down and reflect on our inner self, teaching us the importance of taking care of our spiritual well being.  He hit my family hard with this book. He could be writing about us easily.  One thing he said that stuck out to me we can start by listening. I find it so hard to listen because I am forever more thinking of what I need to say or do next.

It’s time to slow down, do some self evaluating, and a lot of praying.  There has been a study guide to help this journey included in the back of this book. I believe most all of us need to stop and reevaluate what is truly important.

I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from Handlebar Publishing.

 

 

 

 

Kristen Kish Cooking: Recipes and Techniques cookbook is a gorgeous cookbook. It has beautiful photography throughout.  It begins with a quite long introduction giving you some insight of her life. Then it proceeds to Techniques and terms. She does a very good job describing various techniques including making meringue, poaching, smoking, searing etc.

Recipes include Snacks, Beginnings, From the Sea, Pasta and Grains, Meat, and Sweets.  I have to admit I’m not extremely familiar with these recipes but the ingredients are easy to find and the recipes are very easy to follow.  I haven’t personally fixed anything yet and I’m not real sure this will be a cookbook that I will keep in my collections. Although it is very beautiful it probably isn’t the cuisine my family would eat. There is a recipe for octopus and my family would probably kill over if I served this to them.

I believe this cookbook would be great for the true foodies out there which my family and I are not we prefer simple southern food.  That being said I can’t say anything negative about this cookbook. It is very nice quality, full of great information and recipes, and overall beautifully done.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy here.

 

The Sacred Slow: A Holy Departure from Fast Faith by Alicia Britt Chole is “formatted as fifty-two experiences in unhurried honesty with God.”  Reading through this book I realized that we indeed do live in a hurried world or at least I do.

I believe this book is designed to slow us down and let God’s love overflow on us. It could be used individually or even as a small group study. I believe it could be most effectively used by literally slowing down and taking time to ponder and do each exercise included. I think take each chapter one week at a time although you could go quicker if you desire. 

For purposes of reviewing I went through it quickly ( so not the intent) but it will be much more advantageous to go back through it and slow down. If you are looking for something for a small group or just something to help you slow down and cherish God’s word pick this book up and give it a try.

I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

A Record of My Vinyl is a diary of sorts to keep track of your vinyl record collection. I have to say it isn’t exactly what I was expecting but it is nice nonetheless. The cover is quite clever; it looks like a vinyl record wrapped around a book. It is shiny and textured.

Inside is page after page of spaces to log your collection. It allows you to put the vinyl’s name, artist, label, country, catalog no., year, and grade. It also has a space for notes for each record. There are a couple of pages at the end that gives tips on caring for and collecting vinyl. Also, included is a wish list of sorts.

This is a cute little novelty item for collectors. I got this for my daughter who collects but I’m not sure how much she will actually use it. She uses an app on her phone to keep track of what she has so it is with her always. The book I would think is good if you want a tracking system at home but I think it would be cumbersome to carry with you on shopping trips. My daughter likes it and thought it to be a nice concept and well done, but again she prefers her phone app for portability.  I was kind of hoping that it could be used just as a normal journal but I don’t think that will be possible.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

Indescribable: 100 Devotions about God and Science is a devotion book by Louie Giglio. I love the messages that Louie Giglio gives so I was excited to receive this devotional book that I plan on using with my son. The book is a very nice quality book with beautiful illustrations by Nicola Anderson.  The book uses a variety of different bible versions to quote the scripture throughout but the most widely used is the International Children’s Bible.

Some things I really like about this book is that it is written in a way that will be able to be understood by small children and it incorporates science into the Word. There is a prayer at the end of each devotion to help teach children to pray. Each devotion has a “be amazed” section that includes some fact that relates to the devotion.  Also, in the beginning of the book Mr. Giglio has broken down each devotion into 4 different areas of study: Space, Earth, Animals, and People that way if you want to do a devotion on a specific subject you can easily find it.

There is only one thing I really was disappointed about. The description on the back of the book says there are hands on activities and so far I haven’t seen or found any activities. I was hoping to find some experiments or maybe some kind of art projects, something but there aren’t any in there unless I have missed them.  I feel I can find activities to go along with each one pretty easily but it would’ve been nice to have them included as mentioned in the description.

I plan on using the devotional as a bible study and a science jump off point . I really like this book and if you are looking to incorporate bible and science with your child I think you would enjoy it also. It would be perfect for the younger children.

I received this book at no charge from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

Any opportunity I get to check out Bryan Peterson’s photography books I jump on it.  I absolutely love every book I have by him and Understanding Color in Photography is no exception.

My photography goal in life is to capture the image in my camera without having to go through the editing process later. I have not mastered this skill as much as I want to. When I picked up this book I noticed one thing Mr. Peterson said. He echoed the fact that he wants to spend more time photographing and not editing. He wants to capture the image correctly in camera. Of course he is capable of this. J

In his books he breaks things down in easy to understand terms. The book is filled with beautiful photography and examples of the concepts he is writing about. He writes in a way that anyone can understand the concepts. In this book he explains how different colors can affect the mood of the photographs you are taking whether you are photographing blue tones, orange tones, red tones etc.  He also gives wonderful ideas on how to get proper settings for different settings. How to achieve the perfect skin tones, perfect exposures, capture movement effectively, how to balance your pictures.  He fills his books with a lot of information.

I highly, highly recommend any of Bryan Peterson’s books if you are looking to improve your photography!!!They are perfect for the beginner, novice and experienced.  I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy for yourself here.

 

KJV Know the Word Study Bible offers 3 different ways to study the bible: Book by book, verse by verse or topic by topic. I really like the layout of this bible. I do wish there was a guide to help understand how to use this bible affectively. But I believe after looking through it and reviewing it I figured out how to navigate through.

Each book starts with a summary of the book and a “How to study” each book.  There are sections throughout each book that helps to study the book as a whole. At the bottom of each page there are notes on the verses, but not all verses have this note and the scripture itself doesn’t seem to be marked to allow you to know there is a note to go along with the verse. There is ample study material all through the bible.

One area that I’m not sure I would qualify this bible as a topic by topic study bible because of a couple of reasons. First there is a list of topics at the very beginning of the bible. There are only 21 topics listed. I’m not sure that is adequate to study topic by topic. Each topic has a “notes” section in the book that helps study the specific topic. I just feel like there should be more meat to the topics and more topics to make this qualify for a topic by topic study bible. That being said it does seem to cover each topic with at least 5 supporting notes and scripture. And the topics covered are relevant and popular topics to study.

This bible doesn’t have any illustrations through it but does have a map section in the back.  There are a few weights and measurement tables and a concordance. Overall, I will say this is a very nice study bible and gives a lot of good study opportunities.  I would recommend it as a study bible.  There are a couple of places that there could be improvement but nothing that would deter me from recommending it.

I received this bible at no charge from booklookblogers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

The NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible with large print is wonderful. It is a journaling and coloring bible combined. The slightly larger print is easy to read especially for aging eyes like mine. There are hundreds of pages that have line are and coloring pictures. The paper is slightly thicker than a regular bible to make it easier to color with less bleed through. There is plenty of room for your own personal journaling to use your own creativity. 

I have the cloth covered hard back version. It is gorgeous but it is very heavy to carry. The font is 10 point so I’m not sure I would consider it large print but it is larger than most normal bibles. There are no reference notes or study notes built in. It is a very basic bible other than the addition of coloring and journaling pages. The pages are still pretty thin so I would think the best media for this bible is going to be pencil and I’m pretty sure if you have a heavy hand you will be able to see through to the next page. ‘

If you like coloring bible this one is a nice one. There are a few full pages to color but the majority of it is margin sized coloring and mostly text art.  I wouldn’t say this is my favorite coloring bible that I have but it is a very nice addition to my collection and would make a nice gift.

I received this book at no charge from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Beautiful Word Creative Coloring & Hand Lettering adult coloring book by Coloring Faith is a very nice book. It is full of inspirational quote, scripture, and pages to teach you hand lettering.

The pages are double sided. One side is normally some type of picture such as mandalas, wallpaper (covering the entire page) flowers, birds, etc.  Most pages are full page images with a lot of opportunities to color. The facing page has quotes or scriptures

The paper is a smooth, thick paper and should take most media well. The pages are also perforated if you prefer to remove to color or frame.  The images are mostly drawn with thick, dark lines which may be a turn off for some people.   The lettering pages are similar to grayscale.

If you are looking for an inspirational/Christian coloring book this one is really nice and enjoyable to color. I received this book at no charge from booklookbloggers in exchange for an honest review.

 

Kid’s Visual Study Bible, NIV, is absolutely one of the best study bibles for kids that I have seen. Although I prefer the KJV because that is what we use in our church I still love this bible. I wouldn’t say it was geared toward young kids but more toward young teens. Even I feel like as an adult I can learn from it.

The bible is full of information: timelines, genealogy trees, maps, lessons, contrast comparisons,  etc. I don’t even know where to begin to tell all that is included. I can say I will definitely be using this bible to help my youngest study when he is older.

There isn’t a concordance or dictionary included but I would say it would make it much too thick to include such, but there is and infographic index that is a good substitute and a map index.  The biggest downfall in my opinion is the weight of this bible I guess because it is a hard covered bible. At the same time the cover is much sturdier and probably will hold up better in younger hands. The print is kind of small which should be okay for younger eyes.

I would love this same bible in the King James Version but I will use this one anyway.  I highly recommend this bible to anyone who wants to study the Word.  I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

The Apache Wars by Paul Andrew Hutton is a history account of the Apache Native Americans. It’s the story of the 1861 kidnapping of a boy who grows up to be Mickey Free “the only man Geronimo ever feared” started the longest war in American history. It was a brutal struggle between the Apaches and the U.S. government for control of the Southwest.

Reading history has never been a great pleasure for me but lately I realize how important history really is for our country. It is important to keep those stories alive so that future generations learn from mistakes as well as the things that have been done right. The unfortunate, horrible treatment of the Native Americans by the US government was awful but a very important part of our history. Reading this book it seems to be well researched. Not being a history buff it was a little difficult for me to get into but the story was fantastic.  Some parts were a little hard to follow and there were a lot of characters to keep up with. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book.  I plan on keeping this for my son,  I believe it will be a good book to keep for his future history curriculum. I really liked the addition of the photos and illustrations included in the book. They really helped bring this book alive and helped make connections.  I would have liked to have seen some maps of the time to get a feel of the locations.

I would recommend this book for history buffs or anyone who is interested in learning more about history and Native Americans.  I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from bloggingforbooks.com

 

 

Quilts, Barnes & Buggies: Amish Quilts and Proverbs illustrated by Julianne St. Clair is a beautiful adult coloring book. It is full of pictures of country type scenes, quilt patterns, animals, insects, barns, houses, plants.

The book is printed on every page. There are bible verses or inspirational quotes on every other page.  The paper it is printed on is very nice. They are pretty thick with a very smooth tooth.  The images are very intricate and detailed. There are a few easier pages but for the most part I would say this book has very small details and may prove a little tedious for some people. I personally love the intricate details and the challenge. I would think this book would work best with colored pencils and maybe gel pens but I haven’t tried them and they may smear easily since the pages are really smooth. 

If you love inspirational coloring books you will love this one. If you love quilts and barns with a few country scenes you will love this one.  I know it is among my favorites at this time. I received this book at no charge from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Berenstain Bears Friendship Blessings Collection is a 5 book in 1 collection. It includes Perfect Fishing Spot, Reap the Harvest, Faithful Friends, Kindness Counts, and God Made You Special. I absolutely love Berenstain Bear books and this one is no exception.  This is a wonderful collection to teach children the beauty of friendship. 

Each story has a different lesson on how to be a good friend, how to include others and make new friends, how special others are even in their differences.  The differences make us all special.  There are 3 Activity and question pages to help teach children to retain what they have learned and have special discussions as a family.

I loved each story but God Made You Special was my favorite. It celebrates the differences in each of us. And teaches that God made each one of us the way He wants us to be. I treasure all of the Berenstain Bear books and this one is among my favorites.

I received this book from booklookbloggers at no charge in exchange for an honest review. 

 

When God made you by Matthew Paul Turner is a beautiful children’s book and is beautifully illustrated by David Catrow.  I absolutely love the message in this book. It is a message that God made you special. It displays our differences and how God created each person and it was His pleasure to make us just the way He wants us.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous with beautiful, bright colors throughout. I see lots of opportunities to discuss the pages and what is going on. There is a lot of potential with this book and I am so glad to have it in my collection. It will be one that I keep and hopefully one day read to grandchildren. I just can’t say enough good about this book.

If you are looking for a good book to teach children about God and his love for us and how he made us special this one is perfect! This would be a good book to boost confidence and to let a child know just how wonderful they are in God’s eyes. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

Jesus Calling Creative Coloring & Hand Lettering by Sarah Young is an adult coloring book with a slight twist. It is slightly different than other coloring books that I have seen or that I have had.

I will start with the quality of the book itself. The pages are very nice and thick. It is a faith based book as the title suggests. The cover is very nice with foil accents and a slight tooth. The pages are perforated if you want to tear them out. They are printed on both sides so if you like to use markers that may be an issue for you.

Now for the uniqueness of it at first I was a little confused then I read the first page like I should have to begin with. There are pages with quotes that are very lightly printed almost like grayscale.  At first I thought why in the world would they print the script so lightly then I read the instructions.  It is so you can trace it and learn how to do hand lettering to get practice. Then it made sense to me that is what is different about this book it teaches you to do the hand lettering along with the coloring and you get to meditate on God’s Word as you relax and color.

There are a lot of birds, flowers, some fish, different animals, a few mandalas, and some scenery pictures. Most look to be hand drawn and not computer generated.  I think pencils or water based markers will work well in this coloring book. I haven’t tried but I think even water colored pencils will probably work ok too.

This is a lovely coloring book and if you love all things coloring it will make a nice addition to your stash. I received this book from booklookbloggers.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig read by Stephen Fry is a different story about “a few things you should know about Santa Claus”

To be honest I really tried to get into this story and I will try it again but I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it was because I received it right after the Christmas season and I was really over all of the holiday season. The story was a little dark for me and a little sad. Maybe I needed to put a little more effort into listening to it and I will go back at a later date and try it again maybe I will have a different perspective on it.

It is not something I would recommend to others although reading other reviews it seems many have had differing opinions and really loved it.  I can say the narrator has a nice voice and was easy to listen to. I received this audio book at no charge from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

The NIV Holy Bible for girls Journal Edition Bible is an adorable bible that would be a wonderful way to get young girl into studying and journaling God’s Word. This Bible would make a really nice gift bible for the young girl in your life. I would say probably anywhere between the ages of 12 up to college age.

The edition I am reviewing has a hard cover done in a beautiful pastel aqua color with foil accents. The pages are thicker than a typical bible so that you can journal in it but I do believe certain markers and media will bleed through. You can see through the pages so pencils or pastels would probably work best on the pages.

The bible begins with an explanation page on how to use the bible. It has a nice ribbon marker and an elastic closer to hold the bible closed.  The font is quite small and very close together but should be fine for very young eyes. There are some footnotes and references included throughout but I wouldn’t say it is a full study bible.

I would recommend this as a gift bible or a bible for a girl who wants to journal or just someone who wants to take notes while studying God’s Word. It is lovely. I received this bible at no charge from handlebar publishing in exchange for an honest review.

A Spectacle of Glory: God’s Light Shining through Me Every Day a devotional by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby is a daily devotional for every day of the year.

Joni is a quadriplegic who deals with daily pain. She has “learned to glorify God in the toughest of situations” This devotional is designed to help you find your eternal purpose; a way to show his glory through yourself every day.

Every passage has a scripture for you to look up and then a short devotion followed by a prayer. The devotions help you to see no matter what your situation is God is there and he will help you through it.  You can glorify him even in your storms.

Since the scriptures are written out you can use any version of the bible you like to follow along. But if you are looking for a devotion that has the scripture right in front of you then this one may not be for you.

I think if you need an uplifting devotional  to help you weather the storms in your life and still glorify God this is a good one to use. With a new year just beginning I would recommend this one .  I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Beginner’s Bible: Holy Bible KJV is a children’s hard covered bible. I would recommend it for children up to about 10 or 11. It is very difficult to find a KJV children’s bible. While I’m not strictly a KJV reader our church uses KJV so I really want to get my child used to reading it along with other easier to read versions. I was thrilled to find this one.

Pros: It has easy to read font for children who are learning to read. The bible has the usual Beginner Bible characters. They are cartoonish and very animated looking with lots of bright colors. It is very visually appealing to kids. There is a presentation page at the beginning. And it has a concordance at the end.  It is a reference edition. I wouldn’t say it gives any kind of study guide or material it just leads you to other bible verses that apply to the scripture you are reading. The pages are pretty quick compared to adult bibles making them less likely to be torn. There are 10 double sided, colored pages throughout the bible depicting various bible stories.

Cons: The only con I can think of is that the cover makes it heavy and makes it feel a bit bulky especially for smaller children.  I think we will use this one mostly at home.  The heavier cover makes it more durable I’m sure.

If you are looking for a KJV bible for your little one I would highly recommend this one.  I am so glad we have it among our collection. I’m sure my little one will use it for many years to come.

I received this bible at no charge from booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

I love all things coloring and all things journaling. I couldn’t wait to receive the NIV Wonders of Creation Bible. I have an adult coloring book that is called Wonders of Creation and this looked similar. I was correct. It is basically some of the same illustrations.

I have several journaling bibles and coloring bibles. I love them all and the Wonders of Creation Bible is no different. I love it too.  I will say this is not a journaling bible there isn’t anywhere to journal at all so just know it is only a coloring bible. One thing that specifically stuck out to me is the pages that are coloring pages are much thicker than you expect in a bible. I really like this about this bible, the pages are almost as thick as card stock. Some of my coloring bibles the pages are so thin you can see through them. I wish more publishers would make the coloring pages thicker.

The images are quite whimsical not realistic looking animals and but very fun. The spaces are larger and not so intricate that it would make it difficult to color. I haven’t tried yet but I’m thinking a water based marker would probably work without bleeding but test to make sure. There is a bible verse included with each picture so that you can ponder the Word as you color and relax. There are over 50 pages to color.

I would think this would make an excellent bible for a teen or pre-teen girl. The lettering of the bible is quite small I have a hard time reading it without readers. The bible isn’t a study bible of sorts, there are no notes or study verses as you go. There are no reference pages or concordance included. If those things are important to you then you may want to stay clear of this bible. Otherwise I found this bible enjoyable.

I received this bible at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

I chose to add Doodletopia Fairies to my collection. I already own two others by Christopher Hart and really loved them so when this opportunity arose I couldn’t resist. I love the step by step instructions he includes in his books they are very easy to follow and are great for those who want to learn to draw.

In Doodletopia Fairies he has included so many impish characters that look so fun to draw. There are female and male characters.  The book begins with drawing heads and accessories then leads into different bodies and poses. Throughout the book he adds details a little at a time to get you used to drawing and adding features as you learn more. I noticed in this book compared to the other two I have there is a little less of background drawings. There is a section at the end that includes cute little fairy houses. I look forward to trying a few of these.

This is another one of those books that I will keep in my collection that I will hopefully end up using to help my children who have an interest to learn to draw.  It is that easy; easy enough for a child or tween to use but not so cutesy that an adult wouldn’t want to use it.

If you have an interest in drawing cartoons, fairies, or just for doodling fun I would suggest this one too. They are very quality productions with thick pages, easy to follow instructions with wonderful illustrations. 

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Everything Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Inspiration and Reflection is done by various artists. “”Open this coloring book and be reminded of splendor everywhere. Beauty abounds in the extraordinary and the ordinary… and even in the mundane.”  This coloring book allows you to reflect using spiritual Christian quotes. This book is very similar to Whatever Lovely.

It is beautifully done single pages but the back side includes scriptures, songs, or poem to go along with the picture on the other side. It also includes the illustrator. The paper is very thick almost a cardstock thickness. The illustrations are perfect for those who don’t like tedious or small spaces to color in. The lines are bold. Some of the pages are more detailed than others but pretty simple. Pencils work well and if you don’t mind bleed through with markers they will work well also. Markers will not harm any other picture if you place a sheet between pages but it will mar the scripture or verses on the reverse side. Water based markers probably won’t bleed through but I haven’t tried.

This coloring book is perfect for those whose vision may be a little poor and perfect for reflection. A great way to color, relax and reflect on God. It is Christian based so keep that in mind if that isn’t something you enjoy. Myself I absolutely love it!!! Whatever Lovely has been a strong go to for me in the past and I’m sure this one will be too. I believe both of these books are probably the best quality books I have as far as coloring books go.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase your copy here 

 

Judy Detrick’s book Simply Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide to Elegant lettering is just as it says a beginners guide to calligraphy. “This little guide to hand lettering proves that calligraphy is as easy as picking up pen and paper.” The books starts with giving you an idea as to what tools you need to start. The information is very basic and it is kind of left up to you to research exactly what works best for you. The rest of the book is instructions that start with basic lines and curves to form the letters. It begins with the easiest lower case and progressively leads up to the hardest uppercase letters.

I would say this book is very good if you have never been introduced to calligraphy. It is very basic in my opinion and easy to understand. It should give you a foundation to start with. I wouldn’t think it would be beneficial for intermediate or beyond. It doesn’t get into the fancier or more artsy calligraphy. It does include swirls and such at the end that you can add to what you learn.  I have some knowledge of calligraphy but it has been years since I did it. It is going to be fun to practice and see if I can pick it back up. It would have been nice if maybe some practice sheets would have been included in the book so one could start right away. I suppose you could start on plain paper but I remember having practice paper that helped you get the right angle and slope to the lettering, not just lines.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get started with calligraphy but not for anyone who already has knowledge of calligraphy. I do wish it had included a few more examples or exercises for some more advanced writing.  I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.

Little one, God Made you Special written by Amy Warren Hilliker and illustrated by Polona Lovsin is a cute little board book that will make any toddler understand that God made them special. The book is very durable for little hands and I absolutely love the illustrations. The animals all look so sweet and cuddly it makes you want to smile. “God made you special, little one. There’s no one like you – no, not one!”

Perfect little book to teach your baby and toddler just how special they are. My little one loves to read it together over and over.  I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson 4^th edition “has taught generations of photographers how to shoot the images they want by demystifying the complex concepts of exposure in photography.” Bryan Peterson explains how to move from using your camera in fully automatic mode to fully manual mode to get the most from your camera.

In this book you will learn fundamentals of light, exposure, shutter speeds, apertures and all written in easy to understand methods. He uses many of his own photos as examples and his instructions are very clear. I own an earlier edition of this same book and was curious to see how if any had this edition. The biggest difference in my opinion are the photographs he uses. The methods and explanations are basically the same so either edition is nice to have.  I didn’t really notice any big changes.

If you are wanted to get the most out of your DSLR and are a beginner I would highly recommend this book. I have read a lot of photography manuals and Bryan Peterson is by far the easiest for me to understand and I have learned so much from all of his books. I would suggest beginning with this one and then moving on to others that he has available.

In this book you will learn how to adjust your camera to make your shutter speed and apertures to work together in order to get the effects you want. You will be able to become more creative. Learn how to adjust you aperture to blur your background or adjust your shutter speed to show movement in your pictures.  Your photography will definitely improve if you use his techniques. I love his analogy on how to get correct exposure using the “Sky Brothers” and their cousin “Mr. Green Jeans”

He also gives you tips and techniques to adjust your settings in tricky lighting situations such as night time cityscapes and high contrast situations. He talks some on using flashes and filters and what you can do to get the most out of them.

I believe novice photographers will get the most from this book but just about anyone can learn something from it from the extreme beginner to the expert.  The book is full of beautiful photography, the paper quality and print are exceptional and will lend itself to being read again and again. I often find myself needing a refresher and I’ll pick it up and read through it again and again.

I highly recommend anything by Bryan Peterson but I have to say Understanding Exposure has probably helped me the most. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

 

Wonders of Creation: Illustrations to Color and Inspire by Cindy Wilde and Pimlada Phuapradit, over 90 pages of detailed line art designed for you to “sit back, relax, and experience amazing flora and fauna from around the globe.”  When reading the description for this particular coloring book I assumed that it was more of a spiritual or Christian themed coloring book. But upon receiving it it really doesn’t convey any Christian inspirations throughout although it does depict animals and plant life created by God. The only real mention of anything remotely Christian is in the beginning introduction that mentions God’s creation. Other than that there isn’t any scriptures or any inspirational quotes.

That being said the book is lovely. It kind of reminds me of books such as Millie Marotta’s Tropical Wonderland or others that are similar except this one is slightly more whimsical and not very tiny details. So if you really like those books but are intimidated by the tiny details then this may be more your speed. It’s slightly more whimsical and not as realistic as others, it’s almost cartoonish. The lines are thicker and the spaces are more open and wider. The pages are double sided again like many of my other reviews I wouldn’t recommend markers because of bleed through. I used cheaper Crayola pencils on this one and it took the color very well. The pages are thick cardstock and have a very smooth feel to them. The pencils went on smooth and very bright. It probably is one of my favorites in this respect.

I think this would be a good book for those who have issues with sight and have problems seeing tiny lines.  The lines in this one are very bold and easy to color in. It would probably also be good for those who have issues being able to stay in the lines on more detailed works. The beauty of it these attributes of this book doesn’t change the aesthetics or make it less appealing at least not to me.  I’m very glad to have this in my coloring book library and would recommend it to anyone who likes to color. Especially those who want something a little easier to work in. I do believe the description should be changed if it hasn’t been already. I don’t believe it is very accurate in leading you to believe this is an “inspiration” type coloring book that typically would have scripture or inspirational quotes.

I received this book from www.booklookbloggers.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.  

Wonderland by Amily Shen an adult coloring book that is based on Alice in Wonderland. Amily Shen is Taiwanese  illustrator who has really outdone herself with this book. I really like this coloring book. An excerpt from the book: Do you know Alice’s story? Do you draw pictures in your head while reading” Strange conversations with a strange cast… has the story been transformed? If you too jumped down the rabbit hole, who would you meet? What colors would you encounter? Take up your colored pencils, and together let’s make a book. Read with your colored pencils and give Alice a new adventure.

This coloring book is a coloring book and story combined. Left to color by your imagination. I wouldn’t say it is what we typically see Alice depicted as. It isn’t the traditional looking or Disney looking Alice in Wonderland. I really like that aspect of the book.  It is broken into 9 chapters In chapter 3 there is an activity that helps make the book interactive. I’ll leave that for you to discover. Don’t worry the answer key is in the back. There are so many different aspects to this book. It isn’t your ordinary adult coloring book.

The book itself has a very nice dust cover that can be colored. The actual book has very interesting cover but I’m not sure it would lend itself to coloring with just any media. Maybe markers but I haven’t tried them. I think it is way too slick for pencils.  The pages are all double sided and printed on very thick pages. There is a slight tooth to the pages. I would be afraid to use markers for fear of bleed through and I wouldn’t want to damage the reverse side page. I will stick to pencils with this one. There are several types of drawings some more detailed than others and some being double page spreads. The pages have lots of details without being extremely tedious to finish. There is a little bit of everything in this book: mandala style pictures, animals, flowers, buildings, etc.  The pictures are quite whimsical and fun. It is going to be a fun book for me to color.

This will make a great addition to your adult coloring book collection especially if you love Alice in Wonderland. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. I love this book and you can purchase your very own copy here.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I ordered “The Illustrated Compendium of Amazing Animal Facts” by Maja Safstrom. I can honestly say I love this little book.  It is a small book much smaller than I expected. I haven’t measured it to get exact measurements but I would guess it is 5x7. It is a hardback book with black and white line drawings throughout.

The illustrations are kind of childlike drawings but still very appealing. There is approximately 100 animal and facts about them in this book. My teenage daughter came in and picked it up and said: “I really like this.” I was shocked. The facts are just cute little things such as “If a snail doesn’t like the weather it can go into its shell and hibernate until it gets better.” For up to three years.  Who knew?

I know adult coloring is very popular right now. This book isn’t intended for that purpose but I can see potential colorist wanting to color it.

I plan on using it in homeschooling just for some fun ideas during animal and unit studies. I don’t believe the facts are going to be life changing knowledge but who knows zoology might be in someone’s future. It makes a cute conversation piece. The book price of $14.99 might be a little pricey but if you can get it at a discounted price it is worth it.

I had reservations before ordering wondering if I would like it or not, or if it would be a waste of my time.  I am so glad I ordered! I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.

 

Country Cooking from a Redneck Kitchen by Francine Bryson and Ann Vokwein is my kind of cookbook. It is full country cooking and being from the south we love country cooking here. Many of the recipes I am familiar with but there are some that are new to me and I can’t wait to try them out.

Some of the categories are: Redneck Whatnots (dips and salads mostly), Yardbird (for all of you who don’t have a clue that’s chicken), Enough to feed a crowd (living in the Bible Belt we have a lot of after church dinners), Sides, ‘taters & ‘Maters among others.  There are 234 pages of recipes but I didn’t count the number of actual recipes. The food is beautifully photographed although not all recipes have a photo.

I love cornbread salad and the recipe in this book looks wonderful. There are so many recipes I could never list them all but a few that I can’t wait to try: Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Burgers,  Blue Cheese Spicy BBQ Burgers, Chicken Casserole, and surely can’t forget the desserts Brown Sugar Pie, and Oreo Brownies. I’m personally not a big fan of fried green tomatoes but there is a recipe in it for them and if you are looking for something to do with those green tomatoes fresh out of the garden many people love them.

If you are looking for a vegetarian cookbook you may want to stay away from this one. And I would say that if you are looking for low-fat this one isn’t for you. But if you are looking for some good southern comfort food grab it quickly. I wouldn’t suggest eating out of it every day but some indulgence is good for the soul. I believe this is one of my new favorite cookbooks and I will be using it frequently.

I received this cookbook at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of it here.

 

Pressing Pause: 100 Quiet Moments for Moms to meet with Jesus by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk is a devotional for mothers who need some encouragement and quiet time with God. “Pressing Pause offers you a calm way to start your day, to refresh yourself in Jesus and drink deeply of His presence so that you are ready to pour out love, time, and energy into the people who matter most to you.” Karen Ehman is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and Ruth Schwenk is a pastor’s wife and mother.

This book has a beautifully done hardback cover. The devotions are short enough for the busy mom but contain enough encouragement to help you through your day.  There are 100 devotions that include a bible verse, the devotion and a prayer. At the end of each devotion there is a question section to help you think about the devotion and then each devotion has a few lines to write notes. The bible verses are from different bible versions . I noticed NLT, HCSB,  and ESV the others aren’t labeled.

I love the messages throughout the book the only thing I wish were different some of the note sections only include a small area to journal in. I wish there was at least a half page or an entire page to jot down thoughts.

If you are a busy mom looking for a few minutes to spend with God to renew your spirit each day I would recommend this one.  I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review

 

Another great Bearenstain Bears book by Mike Berenstain. Mother’s Day Blessings. “Mama Bear is the best mama in all of Bear Country and the cubs know just how to show her how much they love her. But Mama shows brother, Sister, and Honey that all mamas are very special too!”

This is a great little story to teach kids about Mother’s Day. It helps to bring awareness to children that all moms are different but are to be honored.  As the children plan a lunch for their mother and grandmother they are made aware that some mothers are working hard even on their special day. They all enjoy a morning in church together.

So as Mother’s Day approaches if you have a little one who you want to teach about Mother’s Day this would be the perfect book to show not only a mother’s love but also a way to teach about the love of Christ. There is a short discussion section to help get your children to thinking. It also has a good point that maybe it’s not always just a mother who is taking care of you. It could be a grandmother, aunt or other special person.

I sure hope there is one for Father’s Day. I love this books and highly recommend them. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for a honest review.

Cravings: Recipes for all the food you want to eat by Chrissy Teigen is a very nice hard covered cookbook filled with beautiful photography. “With more than 100 recipes and Chrissy’s inimitable wit and stories, you’ll learn the importance of chili peppers, the secret to cheesy cheeesless eggs and life tips like how to use bacon as a home fragrance, the single best way to wake up in the morning, and how not to overthinking men or Brussels sprouts.”

She begins with a section called “Before  you start cooking” in this section she gives a description of her commonly used ingredients that is in the cookbook and what brands she typically uses. There is a breakfast section, salads, soups, main, meals etc. I wouldn’t say this will be a book that I will personally use often and if you are looking for exceptionally healthy food I don’t think this would be your go to book either. But if you want to satisfy some of your comfort cravings you will likely love this cookbook.

You will find mostly chicken recipes as well as beef and veggies. There were a couple of fish recipes and a few pork recipes. Sorry sweets lovers there isn’t a dessert section in this one. Again this is not a cookbook that I will probably be keeping in my collection I will pass it along to someone who will more likely use it than I will. But I would suggest looking through it to see if it suits you. It is a very nice cookbook and very well done

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

 

 

God Bless Our Country by Hannah C. Hall is a children’s board book that is beautifully illustrated by Steve Whitlow. It is a book celebrating our great country. I absolutely love the illustration of the American eagle kneeling and praying with the Stars and Stripes waving above his head and his 2 grand babies by his side.

This book is a wonderful teaching tool for those who want to teach their children God gave us this wonderful land. It’s a great way to teach patriotism to small children. I can’t say enough good about this book. My toddler loved it.

If you home school or want to teach things that will not be ordinarily taught in public school to your small children this book would work well for different holidays including Independence Day, Veterans Day, Flag Day, etc. This is a Christian based book and very God centered. “God showers goodness on this land” one of my favorite lines in the book.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

  

Christopher Hart’s Doodletopia Cartoons: Draw, Design, and Color your own super-fun cartoon creations Is “your first stop in this paradise of creativity?” “The world of cartoons. Your tour guide Christopher Hart is ready to introduce you to the interactive, artistic possibilities of creation your own exciting, hilarious, off-the-wall cartoon characters, gags and more.”

The author starts you with an introduction and warm up exercises then goes on to show you how to fill in the silhouette all the way to completing the cartoons. All through the book he gives advice and hints to make your drawings successful. He makes his instructions clear and easy to understand. Most of the left hand sides of the book are the instructions and hint pages. And the right hand side of the book is practice pages to practice and draw illustrations. He goes step by step through the process so that anyone can be successful.

The majority portion of the book focuses on drawings of people or animals but the last section gives instructions on cartoon lettering.  If you or someone you know would like to learn how to draw cartoon characters this would be a good book to start with. The drawings may be advanced for younger children but if you have a preteen or teen I believe they could easily follow this book. I plan on keeping this book and adding it to my art curriculum for home schooling in the future.  It is very nicely done. The paper quality is nice and thick. It   is definitely a quality book.

The book description also eludes to the fact it includes “doodling” I’m not sure that doodling is an accurate description because in my opinion it is more cartoon drawing and not much in the way of what I would describe as a doodle. You may feel like drawing a figure doodling I feel more like it is just designs. So I will leave that up to interpretation.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn cartoon drawings. You can purchase this book here.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

I just received The Berenstain Bears: Easter Sunday. I have to say I love this children’s book and will be purchasing more Berenstain Bear books in the future. I absolutely love the Easter message in this book. It is perfect for children and is a very simple message. It allows a parent to elaborate more or leave it as is. There is also a section that explains Easter eggs. It does so in a way that no one is condemned but also explains it isn’t in the Bible. There is an alternative activity illustrated in the book that would be great to teach the kids in church, the treasure hunt, but you will have to read it yourself to see what it is. I believe many different things could be applied and stories taught using this activity.

I highly recommend this book for small children and young readers. The illustrations are so beautiful and the book is very nice quality. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review. I love it!!!!!

 

 

I just received Cats in Paris: A Magical Coloring Book by Won-Sun Jang It wasn’t exactly what I expected but it is a nice quality coloring book. The cover is really pretty and there is a page inside the coloring book identical so that you can color it the way that you want. It is also a dust cover jacket and you can color the inside of it. It’s very nicely done.

The pages are double sided some are a two page coloring image. The pages are very thick and have a nice feel too them with a smooth tooth. Pencils lay down nicely. The first 10 pages or so are actually more what I expected of the entire book. They include cats that are located in places in Paris such as cityscapes, stores, cafes etc. but the rest of the book is just cats. I really hoped it would be more things like the beginning and not just pictures of cats. I couldn’t see inside images when ordering.

The next thing I’m not absolutely crazy about is the line drawings look a lot more like sketches and crudely done in my opinion. Which is okay if this is the look that you like they are nice images I just like a more refined look. If you love to color and love cats this will be a nice addition to your collection. If you are looking for Paris in this book you will not find much. I’m still going to enjoy this book but it’s probably not something I would’ve purchased for myself if I was standing in the store looking at the pages. It is a wonderfully good quality coloring book though. Not cheaply made at all. Check it out for yourself and see if it is your style. It is very nice just not me.  I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from www.bloggingforbooks.com. You can order a copy here.

I absolutely love The Word of Promise New Testament audio NKJV Bible!!!! I wasn’t sure what to expect but figured it would be like so many other audio bibles. Someone reading the text in a monotone voice or overly theatrical voice but this one is different. 

It consists of 20 cds and is read by various artists. Very well known actors such as Marisa Tomei, Richard Dreyfuss, Louis Gossett, Jr, Lou Diamond Philipps, Luke Perry, John Schneider, and Michael W. Smith just to name a few. It is presented in “Dramatic Audio Theater” It is like listening to an onstage theatrical play without being able to see the actors. It follows along with the actual bible but is done in a way that it comes to life. There are special effect sounds in the background to go along with the scripture.

I put the first cd into my computer and it immediately grabbed my attention. I was able to listen to quite a bit of it and hated to have to turn it off to finish what I was doing. This isn’t your typical audio bible. I’m not sure if the Old Testament is available but I’d love to have it too if it is. I am sooo glad I got these cds. If you are looking for a great audio bible I would highly suggest getting this one. You will not be disappointed. 

I received this audio book from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

“Bobby Flay may be best known for his skills at the grill, but brunch is his favorite meal of the week.  Brunch @ Bobby’s has 140 recipes that will tempt anyone who appreciates brunch. It has 8 sections: Coffee, Tea and Cocktails, Spreads and syrups, Pancakes, Waffles and French toast, Egg dishes, Pastries and breads, Sandwiches, Fruit dishes and fruit salads, and Savory side dishes.

A lot of the drink recipes include alcohol and I don’t drink so for the most part they didn’t interest me and I didn’t spend much time in this section. Now there was a delicious looking pancake recipe “Pineapple upside down pancakes” that I hope to try soon.

The recipes throughout look easy enough to follow and are clearly written. I’m not sure I would always have the ingredients available at all times and some shopping may be required before preparing a dish from this cookbook. It does appear that most ingredients can be found in well stocked super markets.

This book is full of beautiful photographs of prepared foods.  Most of the recipes have a photograph but not all.

If you want to prepare a nice brunch I would say this is a wonderful cookbook for that. Even if you are just looking for some good breakfast foods I think you will find it here. It looks like you will need to prepare ahead and give yourself plenty of time to cook. Some of the recipes take awhile to cook. Most of the recipes tell you when it is best to serve after cooking and how long you can wait to serve.  He also gives some menu ideas at the end of the book so that you can tell what will pair well with each other.

Overall I enjoy this cookbook and it will be one I will keep in my collection.  You can purchase a copy for yourself here.  I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

Whatever is Lovely: A coloring book for reflection and worship is so far my absolute favorite adult coloring book. It is filled with scripture to reflect upon while you are coloring the page. Each illustration is done by a different person so they each have a unique style while they still remain cohesive to one another.

The illustrations are one sided printed on very thick pages. The back side tells who each illustrator is and some include versus, scripture and poetry. I have some adult coloring books which are very tedious and not really relaxing this one is the opposite. The images are not difficult to manage and color and it is easy to reflect upon the scriptures as you are coloring them. Some designs are very simple and others are a little more intricate in nature. This is a very well done coloring book and very nice quality.

This is a must have coloring book if you love the Word and love to color!!!! I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy here.

I am slightly disappointed in the Faith Builders Bible. It may be good for a child around 9-11. The font is tiny and I felt the building block verse pages were lacking. The illustrations/pictures of block creation seemed small.

At the beginning there is an illustration with blocks showing the names of each book in the bible. Then there is a “can you build” page that gives 3 small activities: a cross, a fish and a lamb. On the pages with the building block verses there is a building block creation (basically Legos but the book never references Legos at all). The picture takes approximately half the page then there is a description of the story being depicted. Below that there is a “building block verse” that goes along with the story.

I believe a lot more could have been done with this bible. There really are no study materials to go along with the illustrations, no elaboration and no real teaching tool. I was really hoping for more. In today’s world of internet it would be nice if maybe there had be instructions or some kind of guide to building some of the structures so that they could be used as teaching guides. It would’ve been very easy to add these little details. Printables could have been made available via internet or instructions could have been added at the end. A lot of the illustrations aren’t much more than mini figures standing on platform boards.

I did love the ABCs of Salvation  and the Lord’s Prayer pages and I will keep this bible for my child when he is older but as of right now he is way too young for it. It is a very basic bible with no reference notes or no study guides but is a version that will be easier to understand by a child. If you are looking for a child’s bible for someone who absolutely loves legos or building blocks that is just below teen level this might be a good choice but if you are looking for a good study bible or teaching tool you may want to find something else.  I would suggest picking it up and looking through it before making a choice. I received this bible at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review. I don’t believe I would’ve purchased this particular bible at this point otherwise. It isn’t horrible but just doesn’t meet my wants or needs in a bible for a child.

 

Giada De Laurentiis’ Happy Cooking cookbook is a beautiful cookbook full of wonderful photography. It is full of recipes including breakfast foods, snacks or small plates, salads, soups, pastas veggies and sides as well as sweets plus more. The recipes seem to be pretty healthy looking. There are also a few recipes for detoxing. She has added “cooks notes” throughout  with helpful hints and suggestions.

I’m not sure this is a go to cookbook for me but there are a handful of recipes that I would like to try. Not all of the recipes are pantry friendly and will require shopping at least for me. I will not have most of these ingredients on hand and it will take some planning on my part. It also requires a lot of herbs and spices for her recipes, again something that I don’t always have. That being said if you want to plan a meal ahead of time you will probably find plenty in this cookbook. I personally prefer using cookbooks that I can grab things I have on hand and get to cooking. I don’t have a lot of time to meal plan.

I would suggest checking out some of the recipes for yourself before purchasing this book to see if it is worth it to you. I will keep it in my collection because I do believe at some point I will use it. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge for an honest review. You can purchase it here.

 

 

Next to sweet stuff my weakness is bread. I love all bread so I couldn’t wait to get The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook by Jessamyn Waldman Rodiquez and the bakers of Hot Bread Kitchen.

“The tasty corollary of this social enterprise is a line of authentic breads you won’t find anywhere else”  There It begins with Primordial breads or better known to me as flat breads and ends with some sweet breads. It gives you bread baking tips and storing your bread tips. It appears to me that all of the ingredients are easily found. The cook book is beautifully illustrated with wonderful photography. Most recipes include a photo but not all of them. Savory breads, sweet breads, stuffed breads, rolls are all included. I can’t wait to try out a few recipes. It’s not just bread either there is a recipe for Crispy Chicken Schnitzel, Summertime Tomato and Tuna Bread Salad, and a Grilled Cheese French Toast just to name a few.

I believe that if you want to bake some yummy bread you will enjoy this cookbook. It looks advanced enough for the experienced baker as well as easy enough for a novice. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

The surprising Imagination of C.S. Lewis was intriguing to me. It is written by Jerry Root and Mark Neal. “This book is an introduction to C.S. Lewis’s published work. To understand Lewis well requires a frasp of his uses of the imaginations. Lewis said so himself.”

I really didn’t know much about C.S. Lewis and not really much about his works. I am somewhat familiar with his Chronicles of Narnia series but that is about the extent of my knowledge of his works.  I really enjoyed learning about him and the way his imagination worked. I didn’t realize he had claimed to be an atheist prior to his salvation.

This book isn’t something that is a really quick read and is kind of a study of the different literary imagination styles of C.S. Lewis. It shows how important imagination is in our lives. His imagination has made a difference in many lives. I believe this book is more of a textbook type study book and not a “story” type book. I plan on using in later in a home school curriculum as a study in literature.

I enjoyed this book but it did take some time to get through.

 I received this book a no charge from handlebar publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

If you are looking for a bible that explains prophecy I would highly recommend the NKJV Prophecy Study Bible, with commentary by John Hagee. I’m so excited about this one!!!!!!

I wouldn’t say this is the easiest study bible I’ve ever used but neither is it difficult to figure out. It’s not just a normal study bible to study scripture but it is one that focuses on prophecy. The bible starts out with explanations and studies of the end times. There are charts and time lines to help you understand. There is also information to tell you how to use this bible.  John Hagee has done a wonderful job explaining prophecy.  It is a very difficult subject to understand and many have different beliefs on what the end times mean exactly.  I tend to agree with John Hagee and how he interprets scripture.

I can’t even begin to tell you everything in this bible but I will try. Each book includes information about the book, who the author is, the time line of the book. Some of them also include “evidences”  and stories to help explain the chapter. There are beautiful colored maps in the back and a history of Israel.  It is also a red letter words of Christ bible.

I have to say I absolutely love this bible and cannot wait to delve into it deeper.  I think this is probably one of the if not the best prophecy studies I have come across. If you are wanting to learn more about end times and prophecy I think this is the one for you. I have read some reviews that say it is missing books but I have not found anything missing maybe this was in earlier editions or maybe some mistake in the printing. As far as I can tell this is a complete bible.

 

I have a sweet tooth the size of Texas so I was so happy to get Food52 Baking cookbook. It has 60 different recipes all of which look awesome!!!!! Each recipe has a beautiful picture of the finished product. The book is broken into sections to help you decide which recipe is for the occasion that you are wanting to cook a delectable dessert for.

Some of the recipes have seemingly long ingredient lists but as I browse through them it appears that much of the ingredients are things that are readily available in most pantries especially if you bake any at all.  Each recipe has a tip or trick listed at the bottom.  For example there is a tip on how to make homemade buttermilk if you don’t have some in your refrigerator, there is also info on how to cut in butter for the more inexperienced cooks, there may be variations on how to change the recipe for a different flavor and even ways to turn the sweets into something savory.

I’ve been looking for a good Dutch Baby recipe and there is one in this cookbook, Buttermilk Dutch Baby with Caramelized Pears, that I can’t wait to try. As well as a blueberry scone recipe that made my mouth water. While the majority of the cookbook is all about the sweets there is a section of savory dishes such as no kneed pizza dough and grilled flatbreads among others.

I really like the last section of the book. It is called “Baking for Any Occasion” it tells you which recipes are good for different occasions. An example is the recipes that are easiest to commit to memory or maybe good recipes for bake sales.

I would definitely recommend this cookbook for the baking nut whether experienced or even if you have never baked a thing. This is surely one of my favorites.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.  You can purchase your copy here.

 

 

 

 

 

The Time Garden: A magical journey and coloring book by Daria Song is an adult style coloring book which is all the rage right now. It is a way to bring your inner child out and enjoy coloring once again. This coloring book is much more than just a coloring book. It has beautiful pages but it also is a little girl’s journey through an old German cuckoo clock. Each page is a glimpse into her journey. The book starts out with a written story about a little girl with wild imagination whose father purchased the old German clock. Then you fill your imagination with the rest of the story through the coloring pages.

I have loved coloring since I was a child and even as an adult I could sit for hours with a coloring book. Now finally I have my very own coloring book without taking one of my kids haha. Grab yourself a nice set of coloring pencils or markers and grab this book for hours of relaxing fun. It has different levels from very intricate to not so intricate. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. It can be purchased here.

I loved the KJV Foundation Study Bible. I have several study bibles and am glad to add this one to my collection. It has Christ’s words in red letters. It includes a concordance and a Theological notes index by title section. It also includes very nice colored maps

Each book starts with a notation about the author and about the theme of the book. Also, a key verse and timeline is included in the introduction. One thing I really like is each study note also has references to other biblical text. I have a few study bibles that do not do this. I really like to see where the information is coming from and where it parallels with other scripture. At the bottom of each page is a section that lists study information and at the end a list of cross reference bible scriptures.

The only cons I can come up with are the version I got is a hardback bible which makes it difficult to carry with you. I prefer leather bound so this will be a stay at home study bible. And the other is the print is very small for my eyes. These are very minor issues for me and wouldn’t deter me from purchasing the bible.

I’m really glad I have this bible and can see it being one that I will use frequently. Some study bibles can be very complex and difficult to use this one is straight forward and very user friendly.  I would recommend this bible to anyone looking for a nice study bible. I received this bible at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

I am not the artist in my family. My daughter loves art and is learning different techniques all of the time. When I saw this book I thought it would be perfect for her. The Realism Challenge by Mark Crilley is a step by step guide on creating art that is very realistic looking.

He keeps supplies really simple and doesn’t encourage going out and buying the most expensive supplies. He suggests purchasing descent products and goes into detail what types of things you will need. I loved his lessons were step by step and he explains things to the point even I feel like I could do it.  He begins with basic techniques and starts with a non complex sheet of paper. The next lesson is the same concept but he adds a few wrinkles to the paper. Each lesson gets progressively more difficult.

If you love art and want to learn to do more realistic artwork then I would suggest this book. I believe it is a great resource for beginners. My daughter hasn’t had the time to work on anything yet but I’m looking forward to seeing what she will do with this. 

The book is well laid out and beautifully done. It’s a nice hard backed book full of color illustrations. I really liked everything about it.  I received this book at no charges from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase a copy of it here.

 

I love all books from Bryan Peterson and this new edition of Learning to See Creatively is no exception.  I also own the previous version of the same book but there is enough in this one to make me glad I have it too. “Fully revised with all new photography, this updated edition of veteran photographer Bryan Peterson’s popular guide takes a radical approach to creativity by explaining how it is not just an inherent ability but a skill that can be learned and applied.”

I love the way Mr. Peterson explains things that everyone can understand. He writes his books for all skill levels but I think one thing that sticks out the most to me about this book is not only does he show you the “creative” photo but he pulls back and shows you the entire scene. It makes you think a little more outside of the box. The final product might be a postage stamp size section of an entire scene. He helps you “see” and become more creative.

I would recommend this purchase for any photographer, skilled or new, who wants to get more out of your pictures. He explains using different lenses, composition, he explains what our eyes see and then explains how to hone in on things that aren’t necessarily the things that automatically stick out so basically he is teaching us how to see outside of our vision to become more creative.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You  can purchase this book here.

 

 

The Plans I have for You written by Amy Parker is a wonderful children’s book based on the scripture Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV).

This book is bright and beautiful. I adore the quality of the illustrations and the story is so inspiring. I can’t say enough good about this book. I do believe it is one of my absolute favorites in our children’s library. It gives such a wonderful message to children letting them know he formed them and has big plans for them. They are here for a purpose.

This is a must have in your child’s collection!!!!!!! Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite scriptures and this book does a great job bring forth the message of the passage.  I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Straight Up Tasty cookbook by Adam Richman is a beautiful cookbook. And it is full of recipes from his travels. Many of them look absolutely wonderful. I haven’t used the cookbook yet but I can’t wait to try the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and the Spaghetti Pie.

The quality of the cookbook is excellent. The pages are thick and bound in a hardback cover. It is full of gorgeous photography of food that will make your mouth water.  There are some recipes that I am not at all interested in trying but there are enough that would make this a keeper.  There are breakfast recipes, sandwiches or lunch meals, snacks, dinners, sides and salads, sauces and of course sweets.

I would say there is enough diversity that there a recipes for many different pallets. If you want to add a cookbook to your collection I would recommend this one.

I received this cookbook from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase a copy here

 

 

 

 

I loved this little devotional book for the wee ones. It is a board book with the cutest illustrations. There are 13 devotions with scripture that covers 2 pages. They are easy to understand and kept my 2 year old still while I was reading them to him. I am so glad I got this one for him. He loved the pictures and the book is very sturdy and very high quality. its the perfect size for little hands.
I feel like this is a good way to start introducing devotions into the little ones lives. I believe it could extend beyond toddler years to children a little older too.
I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

This was a cute book. Wille is bored and in my opinion whiney but maybe we can say most small children will experience the same thing from time to time. I have to say the book somewhat held my toddlers attention. I wish it could have been an interactive story but the illustrations were descent.

His mom sends him to "relax" by watching TV where he falls asleep and dreams he is helping fight crime in the Big West. when he wakes up he wonders if his adventures were just a dream or if they were real.

It is a cute story that teaches kids to be happy with what they have. I have to say it was good but not the best that I've ever read

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookblogger.com in exchange for an honest review

 

 

I enjoyed this cookbook. I has included recipes and plans for 20 dinners from beginning to end including drinks. I don't believe this will be my go to cookbook though. There aren't a lot of recipes that look appealing to me and not necessarily my taste but I'm sure many will like them. It is a very nice hardback book with beautiful photography throughout. If you are a foodie I believe you will like this one. I personally have a southern pallet and this doesn't cater to that. Maybe I will venture out of my comfort zone and find a recipe that I like.

 

You can purchase this book here

 

 

Daily painting by Carol Marine is an instructional art book. She wants everyone to enjoy their painting. I chose this book because my daughter loves art and is always looking for things to help her learn more. The author of this book really seems to want to reach out an help artists whether they are just beginning or have painted for years. Her book is broken into different sections she explains things such as value, composition, proportion and many more. She also discusses the rule of thirds. I found this interesting because I’ve never thought about in the form of doing painting I have learned to use this concept in my photography. It was a duh moment for me.

The author tries to help those who may be suffering from painters block due to painting becoming more of a job than a joy. She is teaching the concept to paint small and paint daily choosing art that can be finished quickly. She has listed materials that she uses and gives a lot of tips and techniques throughout the book. The illustrations are gorgeous and are really well done.

My daughter is really enjoying this book so I would definitely recommend it to those who paint or want to learn. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book here.

 

 

I love my pressure cooker and I have been looking for a good cookbook with some really good recipes that even I would like. This cookbook has 500 recipes in it. There are several I really want to try but there are a lot that I probably will never make. That being said it is worth it to have it.

The first part of the book is dedicated to explaining how to use a pressure cooker and helping people to get over their fears of using them. I really enjoyed this part of the book. The one thing that I didn't see in the recipes is how to adjust the recipes to the different sizes of pressure cookers. I have a smaller one and I'm afraid that some of the recipes will be too much for my cooker. Maybe I over looked the instructions pertaining to the size. The cookbook is full of information. I will go through it again and look.

The recipes are broken up into types of foods. There is a section for beef, chicken, pork, soups and desserts etc. I'm glad to have this cookbook in my collection and look forward to making some of the recipes. As of right now I haven't fixed anything from the cookbook so it is hard to say how the food will turn out but looking at the ingredients and with what experience I do have with pressure cookers I believe the recipes should be pretty descent.

I received this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review from www.bloggingforbooks.com.

 

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure about the book Prison by Toni V. Lee when I first saw it but decided to read it. I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed the story and wasn’t disappointed.

Sonja Gray is an undercover detective in narcotics. She attends a church where a drug dealer has set up his “business” thinking the cops wouldn’t suspect a thing. Sonja is paired up with Max Trent another detective that really gets under Sonja’s skin. They start their investigation in her church him posing as her nerdy fiancé.

Sonja doesn’t have any family but 2 elderly ladies have “adopted” her and are her aunties. These 2 women are so funny and they tend to butt in everywhere. They even “force” the drug dealer “Rock” to attend services by taking him in Sunday after Sunday.

I know that the book had to get a lot of things but there were a few things that probably could’ve been left out. There were a couple of characters who were introduced and then just dropped maybe they were there for a sequel I don’t know but I felt like too much emphasis was put on them only to be left out of the story in the end. Also, there were a few things that weren’t what I would call believable but overall the book was enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a little action and a little romance

I received this book at no charge by www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

Serving Up a Sweetheart is a Novell by Cheryl Wyatt. It’s a story about Meadow Larson who owns a catering business and Colin McGrath who just moved back to Havenbrook. He and his friends tormented Meadow when she was in high school and now he is living right across the street from her.

Meadow’s kitchen is destroyed by a cave in and Colin comes to her rescue offering her his kitchen and offering to repair hers. She is skeptical but allows him to do so. This is your typical wedding novella. I loved the characters. And I liked the fact that the author showed us through God and with his help we can forgive others.

This is a short read only requiring a couple of hours but it was enjoyable just as most of the others in this series have been. I like these books when I need to clear my mind and just need something light to read. I would recommend it anyone who loves romance stories.

I was given this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Food 52: Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore is a beautiful cookbook. It is filled with recipes from various chefs in one collection. Each recipe includes a brief introduction to it and a “genius tip”. I haven’t prepared a recipe yet but it appears that most recipes are straight forward and easily followed. The ingredients are readily available in most grocery stores.

The cookbook includes 100 recipes that have somewhat unique techniques to make them “stand out” quality. Professional chefs who have found tricks to make their food taste better and they are shared with us in this cookbook.

It is beautifully illustrated with delicious looking photos that make the food look mouth watering. I can’t say that this will be my everyday go to cookbook but it will definitely be one that I keep in my collection and plan on using.  I would recommend it to anyone who loves to cook. It has plenty of recipes in it that look great. Unfortunately at this time I’m going to have to depend upon the “looks” of the ingredients and not my actual experience of the taste.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com  in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book here.  

 

 

Easter Stories: Classic Tales for the Holy Season is a collection of stories by various writers. Some are well know like C.S. Lewis, Leo Tolstoy, and Oscar Wilde and some are less known at least by me. The collection begins with a poem by Jayne Tyson Clement called Carol of Hope and it is followed by 27 more short stories that make great devotionals leading up to Easter but could also be enjoyed any time of the year.  They are written like fables and have an underlying meaning about Christ and his love for us. One of my favorites was Robin Redbreast by Selma Lagerlof. It was a story about a Robin waiting on its red breast and wondering why he was gray, a story about God completing us when He is ready.

If you are looking for a good family devotion to teach your children the true meaning of Easter, to teach them it’s not about eggs and Easter bunnies this would be a great book. Each story is short enough that it doesn’t take a long time to read and discuss. It is also good for an individual devotion time just to prepare your heart and a time to reflect on just what Christ has done for us.

I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest  review.

 

 

Trisha’s Table: My Feel Good Favorites for a Balanced Life by Trisha Yearwood has some wonderful looking recipes in it. I haven’t prepared anything from the cookbook yet bet there is so many recipes in it that I want to try.

Now this cookbook isn’t what I would typically think of when I watch her cook these recipes seem to have a little more of a healthy twist to her southern cooking. Some of which I probably wouldn’t care too much for myself. This probably wouldn’t be my go to cookbook but that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of recipes that I want to try.

It is very well illustrated with beautiful photography of the prepared dishes. And most look mouth watering. There is a black bean chili and rice recipe for those who want to eliminate meat from a meal, oh and a wonderful looking slow cooker Georgia pulled pork barbecue for the meat lovers.  I believe this cookbook that is offering healthier versions of what normally could be not so healthy comfort foods. Then there are some yummy desserts: chocolate angel food cake with strawberries, brownie batter cookies, key lime cheesecake with raspberry sauce. Okay so not all of it is healthy haha.

I would recommend this cookbook to others. I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

Still Life by Christa Parrish left me a little uncertain about how I feel about this novel. It is a novel about Ada who was raised in a strict, religious sect who married an outsider, Julian Goetz and a lady Katherine who has a troubled marriage. I didn’t hate this book but it probably isn’t one that I absolutely love either. It was just an okay read for me.

First, the description of the book doesn’t quite add up to the story inside but it’s close.  It was a little misleading. I maybe expected something a little different. Ms. Parrish wrote this book in a format that is a little different than most books that I have read which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I kind of enjoyed the format. The characters were pretty believable but it seemed there wasn’t much of a connection made. It is almost as if the story includes too much information trying to be crammed into one book. I would have probably enjoyed the book more if I felt the characters connected with each other on a more personal level throughout.

Secondly, I felt heartbroken that such a weak woman lost so much in such a short period of time. It was nice to be able to feel the characters and follow them. I just wish their story was a little deeper and we were allowed a deeper insight to their lives. I believe the concept of the storyline is a good one. It needed to be pulled together just a little better.

I wish the ending had been a little more detailed and pulled together. It was almost as if the book was made to end just a little too soon and didn’t get a proper finish. It probably needed a prologue with the way it ended. I would have liked to have seen Katherine and Ada to come together a little better.

I’ve listed several negatives but the book still had its good points. I read it pretty quickly and did enjoy the characters. The overall plot was a good one and I did find myself wanting to keep reading it.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

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John Shaw’s Guide to Digital Nature Photography has some beautiful photography throughout. This book is full of useful information for anyone who is new to photography. I’m not sure it has much in the way of new information for people who have a lot of experience in photography.

The book is broken into 6 sections or chapters beginning with gear. The rest of the chapters are: Getting Started, Lenses, Composition, Close-ups, and The Photographer at work. Mr. Shaw goes into detail about the type of equipment that is out there. He uses Nikon and uses a lot of Nikon examples but you by no means need to be a Nikon user to enjoy this book.

The one thing that may or may not be a negative about the book is to me it is very “textbook” like. There are a lot of definitions and explanations but not a lot in the way of how to implement those things he tells you about. Yes he explains the different lenses, filters, etc. but really doesn’t go into what situations would these thing be beneficial. It is more explanation and less application. I’m thinking his intentions is to give you all of the information to understand the mechanics of photography and your job to figure it out.

I would recommend this book to people who have some knowledge of photography and those who are beginning to delve into dslr cameras and photography. It does have a lot of useful information and is beautifully laid out.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcome is a revised guide to gardening.  A guide for gardening in small and limited spaces. “To accommodate today’s lifestyles, a garden needs to fit into an extremely tiny plot, take as little time as possible to maintain, require a minimum amount of water, and still produce prolifically.”

I am so glad I got this book. We have a very small yard. We have had a very small 4x4 spot for a few veggies and herbs that was semi productive. I just felt like we couldn’t yield enough to make it worth our time. This book has renewed my hope. It is full of wonderful information from planning to harvesting in small spaces as well as container gardening.

It begins with planning and gives diagrams of some small garden plots.  There is information on preparing your seeds, soil and gardening spot. There is a lot of detail written in very easy to understand methods. One sections explains when and where to plant and there is even a section that explains watering properly.

The advice given on what crops to grow range from planting tips, crop stretching, recommended varieties, typical problems, harvesting, and storage. I am not a very experienced gardener at all and this book makes me feel like I can actually do this. Spring is right around the corner and planting season will start in just a couple of months. I can’t wait to try out some of the ideas in this book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is the least bit interested in gardening but may feel like you don’t have the space or the time to invest. I feel like this book takes a lot of the guess work out of it and should help to have success come harvesting season.

I was given this book by www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

I loved Hope Crossing The complete Ada’s House Trilogy by Cindy Woodsmall.   This book includes 3 novels: The Hope of Refuge, The Bridge of Peace and The Harvest of Grace.  I am not a huge fan of Amish fiction but every book I have read by Cindy Woodsmall has been wonderful and this one is no exception. Plan on spending time reading this one since it is three novels in one it is over 1000 pages. The good thing is they all keep your interest.

The Hope of Refuge introduces us to several characters Cara Moore isn’t Amish but finds herself fleeing from a bad situation that lands her in Hope Crossing. There is a little mystery as to who she is and how she ends up here. The characters were fun to get to know and this book shows struggles among both the English community as well as the Amish community. At first I got frustrated at the way the Amish acts toward outsiders but Cindy does a good job at explaining why.

The Bridge of Peace continues the characters that were in the first book but focuses more on Lena and her struggles with the life she is dealt being marked with a birthmark on her face. Then she faces criticism from other members because of things that happen at the school where she teaches.

The Harvest of Grace introduces us to new characters as well as bringing forth the characters we have grown to love in the first two books. This book focuses on forgiveness.

If you like Amish novels you will definitely enjoy this one. If you are looking for something that will take you a while to read and take you away you will enjoy this one. If you want something that is quick for a weekend or vacation read pass on by. It is a larger book and somewhat cumbersome I prefer reading on an electronic reader in this case. These books have a little romance, mystery, conflict and resolution. I always enjoy Cindy Woodsmall’s books and I’m glad I chose this one. It is a good value since it is three in one.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here.

 

 

 

As much as I wanted to love this book I just didn't.  It had some good points and some good devotionals but I guess my expectations were a little different than what the book offered. The Christmas season is a busy season for me and I really wanted to be able to sit down and do a daily devotion to keep in mind what the season is really for. I found many of the passages too long, not that that is a bad thing but not what I needed at the time. I was looking for something I could get through quickly and reflect upon it. I wasn't looking for another project that was going to be time consuming. Some passages I had to skim through and to be quiet honest I ended up skipping some due to the lack of time. This devotional wouldn't be bad if you have the time to sit and really ponder upon what is being said. Maybe now that things have settled down I will revisit and even though it is designed for advent I can still glean from it.
I received this book from handlebar publishing at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

I couldn’t put The Bracelet by Dorothy Love down. Set in Savannah just before the Civil War in 1858 the author did an awesome job describing the setting and pulling you in with her secrets and mystery. The Browning family is a prominent family that finds themselves shrouded in family secrets and lies. Celia Browning is in love with Sutton Mackay and has been since they were children. The secrets threaten their relationship and the Browning family’s social standing. Celia receives threats and a bracelet that represents a deadly message.

The author did such a wonderful job introducing her characters. I could imagine the homes, the sounds and the smells of the time. I could see the imagery that she portrayed. All of it served to keep me interested. I would find myself staying up way too late reading. She throws in crime, mystery, history, romance and scandal. This book is well rounded and could appeal to a number of readers who enjoy such.

I would recommend this book to others. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

November Bride by Beth Vogt was one of my favorites. This is the final installment of the series and it was a complete joy to read. Sadie McAllister is a personal chef for a family who wants a chance at a TV series but when she bombs at her first attempt she isn’t sure what is in store for her. And on top of it all she is dumped by her boyfriend via text message. Her friend Erik Davis has commitment issues with his relationships. He and Sadie are friends since childhood. When he suggests they go on a date Sadie reluctantly agrees. They have some baggage from the past but is there more on the horizon for them?

I loved the characters and it was fun getting to know them. I could imagine their lives together as childhood friends and the struggle they had to remain friends throughout the years when there are underlying feelings that both are afraid to express. I wasn’t left feeling the novella was rushed and it felt complete. I always wish good books would go on a little longer but this was a perfect little evening read.

This was a wonderful ending to the series again if you love these types of novellas don’t miss this one. I was given this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

The NKJV Study Bible in full color is absolutely wonderful!!!!! I have to say I love picking up a bible and reading it. This Bible is full of beautiful colored pictures, maps, charts and illustrations. It starts by giving suggestions on studying the bible as well as instructions on how to use this bible and its study guide. There are several pages of “Word Studies”  listed under the book of the bible in which it is found.

At the beginning of each book there is study information as well as author and background information. Then there is an outline of each book. I love the way every commentary or study info has scripture listed to back up the statements. The end includes a pretty good sized concordance and beautiful maps.

I recently reviewed the Nelson’s Illustrated Dictionary which makes a wonderful companion to this study bible. The only negative that I could say about this particular bible is it is hard back and I prefer leather bound. The hard cover along with the massive amount of information makes it very heavy and it will serve well as a bible used to study at home. It would probably be too cumbersome to carry on a daily basis. Other than that I can’t say enough good about it. My husband has been using it to help with is Sunday school lessons and he too loves it. We have numerous study bibles but this one is by far my favorite so far.

I received this bible at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com  in exchange for an honest review.

Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen by Francine Bryson is full of recipes that look delicious. Being from the south many of the recipes in this book are familiar to me but I haven’t thought about them in years. Recipes like the Whoopie Pie, Orange Cream Cake, a lot of different cheesecakes fill the pages of this book. There are recipes for several different pie crusts that are broken down and easy to understand and look easy to follow. The majority of the cookbook focuses on deserts but there are also a variety of bread recipes. One recipe stuck out to me that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a written recipe for (although, I’m sure they are out there). It was a recipe for Johnny Cakes. I’ve not had these since I was a kid. I think I may just have to try these.

Every few pages are colorfully and beautifully illustrated with pictures of several of the final products. If you are looking for a healthy, non-fat cookbook you may want to steer clear of this cookbook. But if you are like me and like an occasional divulgence of a wonderful dessert you may want to pick this cookbook up. I don’t believe you can go wrong with this one. Each and every dessert looks wonderful and mouth watering. There is a Death by Chocolate that is calling my name.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

 

 

 

TheKitchn Cookbook (and no kitchn isn’t spelled wrong haha) would be a very good choice for a newlywed or someone who is going out on their own for the very first time as well as for a person who is an experienced cook. It is set up to walk a person through many processes from how to set up a kitchen no matter the size, stocking your pantry, preparing to cook, and recipes. It even explains how to boil water.

I really liked this cookbook. There were many tips on the most efficient way to set up a kitchen to optimize the space you have. It gives ideas on what types of cookware, kitchen supplies, and appliances etc. that a new homeowner or renter might need. Some things are very basic but good advice to someone who just doesn’t really know where to start. There is even a section on cleaning and sanitizing your kitchen along with some “recipes” for cleaners to help with the chore. It proceeds to tell you how to cut meat, cream butter, knead bread, boil water among other things that an inexperienced cook would need to know.

After giving you a good amount of advice to get you started then it is full of delicious recipes that look easy enough to complete successfully. It seems the instructions are easy to follow even for the more intricate recipes. There are some colored pictures of foods included but not every dish is represented with a photograph.

I believe this would make a lovely gift for a bride or a person going off to college and leaving home for the first time. I even love it for myself and I have been cooking for years but I still found it very useful.  I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book from here.

 

 

 

 

October Bride by Katie Ganshert is another one of my favorites in this series. I managed to read it in less than two hours. It is much like the others in that it is predictable and a light read. It is great for vacation or an evening of relaxing reading.

Emma Tate has just moved on from one fiancé when she found out her father was sick. She knows her father doesn’t have long left and is heartbroken when she finds his bucket list and she is the only one who can fulfill his final item on his list. Her lifelong friend Jake Sawyer steps in to help her out in fulfilling his dream of walking down the aisle with his daughter.

This story made me laugh and it made me cry. I am so going to miss this series when it is finished. If you are loving this series include this one in your reads. If you haven’t started this series and are looking for light easy reads pick one and start reading. There is only one month left: November Bride.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

The New American Herbal book by Stephen Orr is a comprehensive guide to herbs. It is very well done with beautiful photography throughout. The book starts out with Herb Basics it explains different terms associated with the herbs, different families, harvesting, preserving, and propagating them. The information is pretty basic but enough to get a newbie started. The herbs are listed in alphabetical order and each herb has information as to whether it is safe or not, where it is hardy, along with other information about it. Some herbs even include recipes.

I really like this book the only thing I could think of to make it better would for it to give more complete information on healing herbs or maybe indexed some way so that healing herbs could be found easily and quickly.  This probably wouldn’t be possible because of the vast amount of herbs listed but still would be something I would like. One other thing I would have like to have seen would be more gardening ideas and container growing ideas. There were a few ideas in it.

If you have ever had an interest in herbs I would recommend this book. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book on amazon.

 

 

 

The New Colored Pencil by Kristy Ann Kutch is a beautifully done book. I must confess I am not an artist nor do I aspire to be one but my daughter loves art and this is why I chose this book. She is a beginner and I believe this book will help her learn even more. Ms. Kutch does a wonderful job in describing and explaining different colored pencil media. She also explains different supplies that a beginning art student would need. The book is beautifully illustrated and is even easy for me to understand. There are so many techniques in this book too many in fact for me to list. I do believe this book is a useful tool for both the novice beginner all the way to an experienced artist. I didn’t realize there are so many different types of colored pencils (my experience isn’t much more than Crayola haha). She touches on the color wheel and how to create line drawings using the grid method. She gives tips and instruction on blending and using negative space. There is just too much for me to go into detail.

If you are looking for a book to learn more about using colored pencils I would recommend this book. It amazes me that a colored pencil and an artist can create such beautiful art work. I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

A September Bride by Kathryn Springer was an enjoyable read. I would have to say it is probably one of my favorites so far in the series of novellas.

Anne Price has recently moved to Red Leaf and taken a position as manager of Second Story Books. She is hoping that she will fit into this small community and finally have a place where she belongs. Her boss and landlord, Lorna Kent, met Anne through her online book group and decided to give Anne a chance. Anne has become involved in the community and in the historical society. The historical society has decided that they will have a reenactment of the founders wedding at the grand opening of the museum. When the bride’s wedding dress arrives, the only person who can wear it is Anne then a groom must be chosen

Jesse Kent, Lorna’s son, is a police officer in Red Leaf and has just returned from training in Arizona. After returning from his training he pulls Anne over due to some vehicle problems. Jesse has a hard time trusting newcomers to town after things that have happened in his past and is surprised his other has hired a woman that she met online. His mother invites him to diner and there is Anne. Sparks fly between Anne and Jesse then he gets volunteered to be the groom in the reenactment of the wedding.

This book is a sweet romance and quick read just as the others have been. I have so enjoyed this entire series with only two books left I’m going to be sad to see it end hopefully there will be another series to fall in love with.

II received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

If you ever have wanted to know anything about cooking a pig you will want this book. The Southern Foodie’s Guide to the Pig by Chris Chamberlain probably tells you more than you could ever want to  know. I’m from the “south” and growing up I can remember my grandparents saying they ate every part of the pig except for the grunt. Mr. Chamberlain does a really good job at telling the anatomy of the pig and which parts are good for cooking.

Part one is all about the pig and getting you ready for the ultimate barbeque. It is full of information on each part of the pig and is dotted with recipes for rubs and marinades along with a few other recipes. Part two is filled with lists and descriptions of restaurants that serve pork. This part I have to admit didn’t hold my interest but if you love finding and trying new restaurants and you travel a lot it will be a good resource for you. Now the good part, part 3 is filled with some wonderful looking pork recipes. There are a few pages with colored photos of prepared food. They are very well done and look mouth watering. These recipes appear to be recipes from the restaurants that are in part 2. Bacon makes everything better right? Well there are a couple of desert recipes that have left me scratching my head one being Bacon Peanut Butter Cookies the other is Bacon Ice Cream Coke Float. Well I’m not sure about those but hey there must be something to it. Maybe I’ll give them a try.

This is not a cookbook for vegetarians and I think I may have clogged a few arteries just reading it but if you are a pork lover pick this book up. I tend to cook more beef and chicken but I love pork I just had limited knowledge on preparing it. I can’t wait to fix some of these recipes it’s a perfect resource for cooking pork.

 

 

Randy Alcorn’s book If God is Good isn’t a book that is read quickly. It will take time to go through it and study it. With all of the sufferings in the world many people are asking the question if God is good then why does he not stop the bad things from happening? I chose this book because I have heard this question over and over again in a world that is increasing leaving the Word of God and choosing to not believe in His existence. I wanted a better answer, a biblical answer.  I have not yet finished this book but have read enough of it to review it. I want to be able to spend time in it and really ponder on what Randy Alcorn is trying to get across.

First, Mr. Alcorn wants us to understand the problems of evil and suffering and how the two are different. He has broken the book up into 11 sections. I will not list all of those here because you can easily find them.

Second, and to me very important, he backs up what he is telling us with scripture. This is what I’m looking for. When reading these types of books I want to know what God says not what man thinks.

Mr. Alcorn gives us a lot to think about. He explains what open theists and agnostics believe and what they say about God, and then he backs up God’s plan with God’s word.

If you have questions about how God could be good or if you are just wanting to learn why there is such suffering and evil in the world I would suggest grabbing this book and dig in. Grab our bible and plan on spending time learning. If you just want a quick read and a quick answer you might want to pass on this book as this book will require much time and studying in order to get the fullness of it.

I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of it here.

 

 

I love Colleen Coble’s books and I couldn’t put Seagrass Pier down. Although this is the third book in the series it could be a stand-alone much like the rest of her series books.

Elin Summerall, a widow, is recovering from a heart transplant when she starts to get vivid details about her donor’s murder. The details come to her in dreams, and it feels to Elin as if she is being murdered herself.  The police are skeptical of the “cell memory” that she is having. But when she it gets out the killer of her donor comes after her.  Agent Marc Everton, an off duty FBI agent and had a one night stand with Elin in a moment of weakness five years earlier. One look at Elin’s daughter and Marc knows that he’s her father.

True to Ms Coble’s writing style this book is filled with twists and turns, lots of action, and some romance to boot. It may be a little farfetched with the whole cell memory concept and the reality of whether or not it’s possible or real but if you can get passed that and take it for what is the book is wonderful.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

The Healing Quilt by Wanda E Brunstetter is the 3^rd book in this series. The main characters of the book are newlyweds Emma and Lamar Yoder Miller. They decide to spend the winter in Florida because of Lamar’s arthritis. Emma is a little homesick for Indiana when Lamar suggests she start her quilting classes while they are in Florida. Several people needing guidance are lead to sign up for the class each person bringing their own issues to the class. Emma wonders if she will ever reach these people but she knows God has a plan for them and for her.

Although this book was the third in the series I didn’t feel as though I had missed anything at all. I was able to pick right up with what was going on. I do believe I may try to go back and read the other two as I really enjoyed this one. The characters were well developed and fun to get to know. Sometimes they were annoying others were funny and some were just heartbreaking.

The only thing I could think of that could make this book any better would be if the author would maybe include a quilt pattern in the book to go along with the story. I just think that would be a fun addition but she does include a recipe for molasses cookies.

I enjoyed every minute of this book and if you like a little romance and heartwarming stories you will like this book.

I received this book at no charge from handlebar publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

August Bride by Debra Clopton is much like the rest of the novellas in this series. Kelsey Wilcox, a jilted bride, now living in Corpus Christi has sworn off cowboys. She meets up with her aunts who are known as the “matchmaking posse” on the beach before the reception. All dressed in a sequined dress she ends up trying to save her aunt’s dog in the water and ends up in trouble herself. Brent quickly reacts to save the “mermaid”. Kelsey learns he is a cowboy who runs a ranch and doesn’t want anything to do with him.

I loved the “posse” they were such colorful characters and fun to get to know. The story is a quick read and quite predictable but if you have been enjoying this series the too is one you will want to read. It probably is one of my favorites so far.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

  

I received the Little Book of Book Making. I have to say I was looking forward to this book but I was somewhat disappointed. I thought that it was going to be a book full of great instructions and ideas. I love to scrapbook and thought that I could get ideas for mini albums.

First, the book is about 6x6 it is beautifully illustrated and about 181 pages. The first 3/4’s of the book is very nice pictures and descriptions of various artists’ books. The last ¼  of the book gives instructions on how to make some of the books that are illustrated. The instructions are step by step and have pictures to go along with the steps.

I’m not sure I would pay the $23.00 price for this book. I was disappointed that there weren’t more instructions and ideas. Although the artists’ books are beautiful and I suppose gives the reader a good idea what can be done with the created books I don’t think the price constitutes the instructions for 6 books and a few stitching and paper techniques.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put down Wanda Brunstetter’s book Woman of Courage. I really enjoyed every minute of the story. Set in 1837 Amanda Pearson has been jilted by her fiancé on the day of her wedding. Her father and she decide to embark on a journey across the country to be missionaries to the Nez Perce Indians. Along the way she is faced with many tragedies and trials. Amanda’s courage must prevail. Amanda makes new friends along her journey including Mary who also proves to be very courageous.

I love genealogy and I think that is why I love historical novels set in the 1800s and early 1900s. I often imagine what it must have been like for those early settlers as they crossed over the mountains. How it must have been a treacherous journey. Mrs. Brunstetter brought this journey to life and I could imagine my early ancestors embarking on such trips as some of them were Quakers. I loved the characters in her novel they were so colorful. I found myself riding along through the trails along with the sights and smells. Some parts made me sad others made me laugh. I loved the Christian message and love that was portrayed throughout.

If you love historical novels with a Christian theme you will love this novel. I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

July Bride by Beth Wiseman is a novella that introduces us to Alyssa Pennington who just got left at the altar by Brenden. Alyssa is devastated but she starts dating long time friend Dalton. The question is can Dalton make Alyssa forget Brenden even though Brenden knows he made a terrible mistake and wants to win her back.

I enjoyed reading this novella I think it could have been turned into a full novel with a little work. It seemed there was a lot that could have been done with it and it was a little rushed but it was still fun to read. It is much like the other novellas in this series as it is predictable and cutesy. Also, it is a quick read if you are looking for something light.

If you liked the other books in this series I think you will enjoy this one too. I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Josie Jeffery’s book “The Mix & Match Guide to Companion Planting has some really good information on gardening in an organic way. There is info on composting, collecting rain water, sowing seeds, transplanting and thinning just to name a few topics. The main focus is the flip, tab pages that is a Directory of companion plants. You can pick your main crop and then line up plants that will grow well and become natural pest control and natural minerals to help with growth.

I found the book full of a lot of useful information and I think it is a good starting point for growing food organically with no harmful pesticides or fertilizers but I feel like it is lacking in depth of information. There weren’t a lot of crops listed that I would plant but there were some that I would.

I would say this is an easy book to grasp and a good start to gardening organically but I wouldn’t say it is comprehensive. It is beautifully laid out.

I received this book at no charge from www.bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here

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Lis Weihl is one of my favorite authors and with “A Deadly Business” once again she didn’t disappoint. A Deadly Business is the second book in the Mia Quinn Mystery series. Mia is a prosecutor whose husband has recently died. She pairs up with Detective Charlie Carlson to work on a case together when he suggests maybe her husband’s death may have not been an accident.

It would probably be best if you read the first book in the series, A Matter of Trust, before this one but even if you didn’t there is background information included to catch you up to speed. The characters were developed in the first book but Ms. Weihl has introduced new characters in this book. The story is full of twists and turns. The characters seem real and the story line believable. There are a couple of different cases going on at the same time but they are easily followed.

In this book I did feel like the secondary story of the case she was working on kind of got left out a little and maybe wasn’t a real important part of the book. It made good points and showed how we could and probably should look at things differently. I think the secondary story could have made a good storyline on its own if it had been the focus. And I suppose it is how she introduced some new characters.

Over all if you like a good, clean mystery you will like this series. Again I recommend reading A Matter of Trust first but it isn’t completely necessary. I’ve really enjoyed both of these books and am looking forward to more books in this series.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

The B.T.C. Old Fashioned Grocery Cookbook is absolutely beautiful. I haven’t had the opportunity to prepare any of the recipes in the book yet but there are a lot that I really want to try. This cookbook is beautifully laid out with a lot of different recipes. It is also chocked full of stories. I especially like the chicken story at the end it made me giggle. I’m from the south so the recipes were familiar to me with some twists. I will say that the recipes use a lot of spices but all are relatively easy to find at the grocery store.

The book is also full of small town photographs that are done very well. I’m a little bit of a photography nut so I really loved looking at them.  The section on soups is divided in subsections based on seasons of the year when the vegetables will be fresh and available. I can’t wait to try the fried pies that aren’t really fried but oven baked. We always fry them in oil so this recipe looks a tad bit healthier if you can call a fired pie healthy, haha. I wouldn’t say this book is a “healthy” cookbook if that is what you are looking for but I believe if you love good southern cooking you will love this cookbook. It would also make a nice gift for a new cook going out on their own. The recipes are clear and easy to follow and many include photos of what the final product should look like.

I received this book at no charge from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book here.

 

I wish there were a little more to June Bride. I’m afraid Marybeth Whalen’s idea “It was good to wonder” may leave something a little flat in the ending. I enjoyed the storyline. Wynne the main character had been rejected by her high school sweetheart and fiancé. Her friend convinced her to send in a tape to “The Rejection Connection” and she got on the show. She chose to marry Andy but is she really in love with him and is she over Callum?

I believe the author was trying to make this novella a little less predictable but in the end I’m not sure it works. When one is reading this novella they expect a happy ending. Not that there is or isn’t a happy ending in this book. It is all in the way it is perceived. It just feels unfinished. I would also have liked to have gotten to know Wynne’s family and friend a little better. The characters were there but I just didn’t feel like I learned much about them and that maybe they were just a filler in the story.

I wouldn’t say this novella was awful by no means but it wasn’t my favorite. If you are looking for a story like previous ones in this series you may be a little disappointed but overall I think you can still enjoy it.

I received this book at no charge from www.booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed A table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge. I’m not particularly a person who absolutely loves food. I do enjoy eating but usually only eat because I need to.  This book has several recipes peppered throughout the chapters and they do look very good. It’s a story about a family who have been in the restaurant business all of their lives. With several story lines you really don’t get bored at all. The family has been really fun to get to know. There is a little romance, family health issues, and family mystery.  I love the family being close with one another even though they can get on each other’s nerves.

The story is centered around food writer Juliette D’Alisa who is dealing with her job, her mother’s illness, her siblings, her guilt from a love gone wrong, and her grandmothers death. And now she is trying to decide if an online relationship that is also a long distance one is worth it.

This book is obviously going to be a series and ends with a “cliffhanger” I don’t really like the way it ended leaving so many loose ends but for the most part I really liked reading. If you are a person who really loves food this book is for you. Even if you aren’t there is enough going on that it will hold your interest. I’m looking forward to the next book just to see what happens next. Be warned it will make you hungry Juliette’s life is centered around food and food is mentioned a lot.

I received this book from bloggingforbooks.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of it here.

I’ve read the other Bride series and was really looking forward to reading May Bride by Meg Moseley. I have loved everything I have read by her and was not disappointed by this one. Once again as I have stated in my earlier reviews of these series of books I enjoyed this one also. If you are looking for a quick, short read you’ll like this one. There isn’t much that isn’t predictable in this book just like the others.

Ellie, a real estate broker, who enjoys gardening at a local church even though no one knows she is there doing it. It is her way of relaxing. Then one early morning while on her secret gardening mission she accidently gets mixed up in a “guerrilla wedding” on the church grounds. She tries to hide to keep from being notice but in the end she is noticed by Graham Witby better known as Gray. Their story proceeds from there.

This is a short romantic novella that is great for an afternoon or evening read and only takes a few hours to complete. If you have read and enjoyed other novellas in this series you will love this one. The characters are believable and Ms. Moseley does a great job introducing them to us.

I received this book at no charge from Booklookbloggers.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Modern Pioneering by Georgia Pellegrini will make a wonderful addition to those who are seeking information on starting a homesteading/pioneering lifestyle. This book is full of beautiful illustrations, recipes, tips, and information on several different topics. It gives wonderful information on how to start a small backyard, raised garden. It also gives ideas on container gardening. This is wonderful for people who have limited space but still want to grow their own food. She also includes a section on which crops are easy to grow. Then she includes some wonderful recipes using some of the things you grow.

This book would also be great for a younger person who may be going out on their own. There are tips on changing tires, picking locks, survival in emergency situations. Basically there are all kinds of information to help life a self-sufficient lifestyle. The top it off she even includes some crafting projects.

It is very well put together, beautiful illustrations and pictures, fun ideas and very easy to understand. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get started in growing their own food. I received this book at no charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here.

 

 

 

Colleen Coble’s Bluebonnet Bride novella is a great little read very true to her style of writing only in a small package. Although this is a novella and not a full novel I found the story satisfying and not rushed. The novella is set in Austin, Texas in the early 1900’s and is a romantic story about Elli Korpela who is a mail order bride of sorts. She comes to Texas to marry Nathan White but soon finds out he wants someone to help raise his niece. His sister is deceased and agreed to raise Hannah. Elli immediately fell in love with little Hannah but she fears she will put her and Nathan in danger. Her secrets will have to be shared to keep them safe.

If you are looking for a quick summer read and love historical romance once again Colleen Coble doesn’t disappoint. I do wish it had been a full novel because I love everything she writes and love to get lost in her stories. This again is a predictable novella but even being so short she is able to complete the story and give you a great storyline.

I received this book from BookLook.com at no charge for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

Eches of Mercy by Kim Vogel Sawyer is a historical novel set in the early 1900s. When suspicious activities happen at the Dinsmore’s World-Famous Chocolate Factory Caroline Lang goes undercover to investigate. She had a difficult childhood and some of the practices at the factory really bother her. She is thrown into several different situations that is making her investigation difficult.

If you really like historical novels you will like this one. There are many characters in this book that are fun to get to know. Many different lives that become entwined with one another to spin this story into an enjoyable read. I find it very difficult to find books that don’t have predictable endings and this one wasn’t much different as far as that goes but it still had a wonderful story line and I found myself going back in time and really getting into the book. There are a few little surprises but overall still predictable. It’s a good light read with some romance stuck in there. I would still recommend it because I really did enjoy it.

I received this book from Blogging for Books at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book here.

Please rank my review:

 

 

An April Bride novella by Lenora Worth is from the A Year of Wedding Series. It is a short novella that is read quickly just like the others in this series. It is about high school sweethearts, Marshal and Stella, who are planning on getting married in April but Marshal gets deployed to the Middle East. Marshal is wounded and will be coming home soon. The storyline is around Marshal’s injuries and whether or not he can overcome the obstacles in his life in time to marry Stella. The couple faces problems their future may hold.

This book just like the others is pretty predictable and not deep but it is a fun little read for a relaxing day in the sun. If you love romance novels you will like this one. And if you have read any of the other Novellas in this series this one is similar to all of the others. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. It deals with real issues that people must face when they have a soldier in their life who has sacrificed for our country. This would be a good vacation read.

I received this book at no charge from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

Terri Blackstock’s book Distortion is the second book in the Moonlighters series. It is a continuation of Truth Stained Lies. Juliet Cole’s husband is murdered before her eyes. Secrets begin to emerge and she realizes that she and her children are in danger.

True to Mrs. Blackstock’s writing this book is full of action and mysteries, twists and turns. I have yet to read a book by her that I haven’t liked and this one is no different. I would suggest reading Truth Stained Lies first so that you can get to know the characters but I believe one could pick this one up and easily follow the story line with no problem without reading the other one. The characters are fun and easy to get to know. I feel like I can walk right into her story.

I can’t think of any cons in this book other than it is her typical writing style so nothing new in the way of depth but still so enjoyable to read. It is somewhat predictable for people who have read a lot of her books.

If you love a little mystery, a little crime fighting, and a little romance you will enjoy this book. If you love Terri Blackstock’s books this one will not disappoint you.

I received this book at no charge from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

As I read reviews of Cloak of the Light: Wars of the Realm, Book 1 by Chuck Black I was concerned about ordering it. Many people said it was slow in getting started but I disagree. I think the author did a good job introducing his characters and their backgrounds. I’m glad I went with my gut feeling and went ahead and ordered this book.

The main character, Drew, is a teenager getting ready to enter college. He and his mother have faced many struggles after the death of his father. Drew befriends Ben in high school, a boy who believes aliens are going to invade the world. They eventually move on to college together and a horrible accident leaves Drew blinded. As the story goes on Ben becomes more “paranoid”and disappears. Drew begins to heal but he is seeing things that he doesn’t understand and is on a mission to figure it out.

Cloak of the Light is probably geared more toward young adult or older teenagers. I enjoyed reading the book but I found it a little unbelievable with the “aliens” and what is starting to unfold. I think I would have preferred a more realistic or believable account of the beings that Drew is seeing. I’m not sure the time machine is believable enough to make him see what he is seeing although I do understand where the author is going. I like series books but I also like for each book to have an ending that leaves me feeling like the book is complete. I’m not familiar with Chuck Black’s style of writing, this is the first book of his that I have read, but the book left me feeling as if the story wasn’t complete. I realize that he left it as a “cliffhanger”but that isn’t my preference when reading a book. I do look forward to reading more of this series. The author did a good job of drawing me into his story and kept my attention. His characters were interesting and fun to get to know. If you enjoy Sci-fi mixed with some spiritual indications you will enjoy this book. Keep in mind it is geared toward a younger reader you won’t find deep spiritual characters, but more juvenile characters.

I received this book from Waterbrook-Multnomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book from here.

This is the fourth book in the series of A year of Wedding Novellas. So far this one has been my least favorite. It is just like the others in the fact that it will only take a couple of hours to read. Although, Rachel Hauck has done a good job with her characters and letting us into their world it still fell a little flat for me. I found a few mistakes that an editor should have caught but it wasn't a huge issue. It seemed more of a fairytale than reality in my opinion and I had issue with the whole citizenship subject. I will not get into because I don't want to have a review with a spoiler in it. I will say I do see what she point she is trying to make and it does make sense to me in the end.

If you have been enjoying these novellas you will like this one too, I'm just glad it wasn't the first one that I read.

I recieved this book from BookLook Bloggers at no charge in exchange for an honest review. 

“When teacher Laura Gantt comes home to Prospect, Georgia, to settle the household of her recently deceased mother, the last thing she expects to encounter is a swirl of rumors about the father she lost to the lake twelve years ago---that he has reportedly been seen around town. Elliott Gantt’s body was never found and he was presumed dead.”

A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Mosely is a contemporary, Christian, fiction. I really enjoyed this novel by Mosely. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it for some reason but once I did I was sucked in. I love books set in the south because I can identify with them being from the south myself. I love novels by Mosely because I feel like I can walk right into them. She does a wonderful job introducing her characters and making them come alive. She includes so many sights and sounds into her novels and if you have read any of my past reviews this is something I look for. I want to be able to be transported to wherever the story is taking place. I want to be able to imagine myself there. I can do this with her book.

A Stillness of Chimes is set in Georgia and has an air of mystery to it. Although, if you are an avid reader I’m not sure there are any great surprises (but there are a couple of things that happened that I didn’t see coming). I still found myself wanting to see what was going to happen next. Mosely throws a little bit of romance in there for all of us romantics out there. Her book is all about friendship, love, trusting, forgiveness and following one’s heart.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and mystery. If you love Meg Mosely’s books this one will not disappoint you she comes through with another great one.

I received this book from Multnomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

  

December Bride is the first book in  Year of Weddings novellas. I actually read it third after reading January Bride and February Bride. It is of course a story of a Christmas love story. Just as the last two novellas it is a very quick read, maybe about 2 hours or so to read the entire story. Don’t expect a deep novel but the characters are fun. The novellas so far are very predictable so if you are looking for more these are not for you. But if you need a small break from your day with a quirky love story you will enjoy these.

These novellas are short and sweet. They aren’t very thought provoking in a deep sense but they do contain a Christian message and have applications that could be applied in life.

I received this book from booksneeze at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be a review for 2 novellas: January Bride by Deborah Raney and February Bride by Betsy St. Amant.

These novellas are part of the collection of the Year of Weddings Novellas.

January Bride is about writer Madeleine Houser who has moved into her sister’s home so that she can be close to her ailing mother since her sister and bother-in-law were transferred out of town. Their home is being remodeled so that they can sell it and Madeleine is having a hard time meeting her deadlines with all of the chaos. Madeleine’s neighbor makes a suggestion that she use a friend’s bed and breakfast to help try to break the block. Then the misunderstandings and assumptions begin.

I loved this novella. It is a very quick read it probably took me about an hour two to finish it. I loved the plot and the characters it was so much fun to read. The author did a great job drawing me in especially in such a short book. It is a feel-good book.

February Bride is about Allie Andrews, a runaway bride. Again another quick read taking only a couple of hours to read. Allie left her groom at the altar. Then just a few months later her best friend, her ex fiancé’s sister, announces her engagement and wants Allie to be in her wedding. Allie can’t tell her no, but she doesn’t have any idea how she will deal with Marcus and what she had done to him.

The author of this novella did a wonderful job in such a short book introducing her characters along with their lifelong struggles. Many people struggle with the shortcomings of their parents and grandparents and fear those generational curses will fall on them. I loved the way this was addressed by the author.

I would recommend these books to those who love quick read romances.

I received both of these books from Booksneeze at no charge in exchange for an honest review

Colleen Coble’s Butterfly Palace is set in the early 1900’s.“Austin, Texas, 1904: Abandoned by the love of her life and still mourning the loss of her mother. Lily Donaldson has turned her back on the pain and come to Austin for a fresh start.” After the death of her father and then her mother Lily needs to survive and finds employment in Austin. She faces life head on because she must. There are several twist and turns in this historical, mystery, and romantic novel.

Although I wouldn’t say I was left wondering what was going to happen I really enjoyed reading Butterfly Palace. The characters were fun and colorful. I really want a house like the Butterfly Palace with all of its corridors and rooms. One thing that I look for when reading this type of book is how well the imagery is. I want to be able to feel like I’m there and that I can hear and see the people and the location. Ms. Coble did a good job pulling me into the story. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves historical romances with a little action and mystery thrown in. It’s a fast and easy read because it is so much fun.

The only con I could think about this book is that it is pretty predictable but that’s okay with me when I’m looking for something to read so I can sit back and relax. This is a good vacation book.

I received this book from Booksneeze at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Power of a Half Hour by Tommy Barnett tells us that in only takes a half hour to make a difference at times. Tommy Barnet is a pastor who is trying to help “people connect with God and find better ways to live.” In this book he gives us examples and advice on how to take our life in 30 minute increments. He tells stories of 30 minute events that have changed lives.

The book is broken into 7 parts with approximately 5 chapters in each part. Part 1 tells us how the power of a half hour can impact our lives. Part 2 tells how to chart your life in half hour increments. Part 3 teaches how to strengthen faith, part 4 how to build character. Part 5 is about advancing your dreams. Part 6 how to improve relationships and finally part 7 how to change the world. Each idea is that you can accomplish these things in 30 minute sessions.

Pros: There were some really good points made that sometimes it only takes 30 minutes to get things done and to make changes in our lives for the good. It doesn’t always take a lot of effort on our parts just the willingness to follow through. Any of us can take 30 minutes at a time to do something productive. He’s not saying that everything can be done in 30 minutes but if we take small bits of time it isn’t as overwhelming. He spoke of meetings not lasting more than 30 minutes because if preparations had been made before the meeting that would be all of the time it should take. I like this concept because sometimes meetings get off track. If we know we have 30 minutes maybe there wouldn’t be anyone getting off on another rabbit trail. He made some really good points on communication and taking criticism and turning it into a growing experience

Cons: It was exhausting to me to read the number of 30 minute activities that Mr. Barnett does in one day. It felt to me as if it is an all consuming concept. Maybe it would be best to implement a few ideas at a time until it becomes common place. The book seemed to become redundant after a while with all of the 30 minute examples but I do have to say about the time I would get bored I would come across a point that applied to me.

Overall I enjoyed the book but there were times I felt like I just wanted to get through it and it seems as though this pastor came from a very legalistic denomination although he doesn’t push those beliefs in his book.

I received this book from Waterbrook/Multnomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

No Cape Required: 52 Ways to Unleash your Inner Hero by Kristen Parrish includes 52 devotionals that can be applied to daily life. In the introduction Ms Parrish states “we are all in search of heroes” and “the good news is that being a hero requires no cape”. “The Holy Spirit enables us to do great things”.

The book is broken up into 52 devotionals each one featuring a hero from television, movies and books. Each devotional gives and example of a situation that the hero has been in and then scripture is given so that we can see how biblically we can apply the life lesson to our own lives. Then that is followed by a suggested prayer and ideas on how we can tap in on our inner hero.

Each of the heroes are well know and probably recognizable by most people and the devotions seem as though they could be helpful. I would have personally would have liked to have had more biblical references and biblical heroes versus fictional characters but still there are good biblical comparisons to the fictional heroes and situations.

This is probably not my favorite devotional but I believe my daughter would probably enjoy it a lot more. This is one of those books that I’m not sure I would highly recommend but if asked wouldn’t give it a poor review either. It will be an individual’s preference and taste in devotionals. It does seem biblically sound which is very important to me.

I would suggest looking through the devotions before purchasing and see if it would be of interest to you. I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Jane ­Kirkpatrick’s Emma of Aurora is a trilogy that includes the following books: A Clearing in the Wild, A tendering in the Storm, and A Mending at the Edge. This is the Change Cherish Trilogy that is based on the true story of Emma Wagner Giesy. It is Emma’s journey from the colony in Bethel, Missouri to the colony of Aurora in the Washington Territory in the middle 1800s. Emma was an outspoken woman who yearned for independence but also inclusion into the Bethelite Colony. She faced many trials throughout her journey and a lot of times her outspoken ways caused her trouble. I believe she was probably an early version of a women rights activist and was probably ahead of her time. She struggled with her spiritual beliefs and her wants.

First, I would like to say I enjoyed this book but be aware this is 3 books in one and is over 1100 pages. It’s a BIG book and will take some time to read. You can purchase each book individually if the size seems to daunting.

As I was reading I didn’t realize the book was based on a real person. I wish I had known this it may have made the book even more enjoyable. Ms Kirkpatrick seems to have really researched the colony and its residents. She has included an excerpt at the end of the book about her research. (This is when I realized it was based on reality, haha). I guess I should have read the back of the book better.

At times I felt frustrated at the colony and at Emma then I had to realize the 1800’s were vastly different than that of today’s world. I can’t say too much without spoiling so I will just say there were things that I assumed were going to happen and then they didn’t. I will leave it at that. You will just have to read the books to see what I mean. I think I would’ve liked to have seen one more book in this series in order to give me some more closure. Emma constantly struggled with her personality challenges that were not totally in line with the beliefs of the colony. She struggled with her spiritual life and wanted to desperately do what God wanted her to do. At times I felt she used the “spiritual” beliefs to justify her “wants” and it wasn’t always spiritual at all it was just a means to an end for her. Emma was at a constant war with herself and at times would seem selfish but I can’t say that I would be much different. Again I had to remind myself that this was a different era and the expectations of women were very different than they are now. She wanted equality and I found myself wanting equality for her much like what we have today.

At times the scripture seemed to be used incorrectly but again it seemed as though the characters were trying to us it to meet their “wants”or to make them “right” to another person. The three books flowed easily together and if you were reading them separately you definitely would want to read them in order. I’m not sure they could be stand alone books.

I would recommend this book if you like historical books and if you have the time to sit down and read. It’s not a book that you will finish quickly and it’s not really a romantic type book. It is more of a religious journey with life and hardships that one would face in the 1800s.

I was given this book at no charge by Waterbrook in exchange for an honest review. A favorable review was not expected.

 

 

The War on Christmas: Battles in Faith, Tradition, and Religious Expression a book to help “Find the truth about Christmas and the Christian’s response to a culture that seems to be declaring war on traditions and the Bible!”­

I have become so tired of trying to defend my Christian beliefs and the reasons we do the things we do. I have been approached by even Christian people who have be confused about holidays that we celebrate and at times even question if they are right or not. I was excited to receive this book to read and review to see if maybe it could clear up some of the confusion. Although reading some of it seemed almost like reading a textbook and some of the information I already knew it did make some interesting points. A point that was made that I liked was if we are uplifting Christ and making it about Him how could it be wrong? We are after all praising Him. Now if we are turning a Christian holiday into something else I feel it would be wrong. As a Christian I feel we should take any opportunity we can to uplift His name. I have also been asked about the decorating of the tree that is mentioned in the bible as wrong and the book addressed this. I’m glad that I now know what the tree in the bible represented and can pass that along. You will have to read the book to find out J.

I liked that the book included biblical references and not just opinions. I believe anytime we defend our Christian beliefs it should be backed up by His Word. The book seemed to be a little choppy but other than that it was well written and beautifully illustrated. I do wish there was some more elaboration on a few issues but overall I enjoyed the book. I wouldn’t say it was life changing or overly enlightening but there are some good points that could be brought up when one is questioned about the holiday. If you are questioning the Christmas holiday pick this book up and give it a read.

I was given this book by Handlebar Publishing at no charge for an honest review.



 

 

Lis Wiehl’s book number three in the East Salem Trilogy, Fatal Tide, does a great job wrapping up the series. “In East Salem, the Elite St. Adrian’s Academy is at the nexus of the satanic apocalypse – and the fatal tide is rising.’ Fatal Tide continues with Tommy and Dani trying to solve the spiritual mystery that has invaded the town. Everything seems to be centered around the school. There are evil entities lurking everywhere. Can they get to the bottom of this mystery before it is too late?

This trilogy brings forward a spiritual warfare that exists around us daily and we may not even be aware of it. I highly recommend reading these books in order or you may be lost. As I posted in my first review of Lis Wiehl’s first book in this series last year, her books are written kind of like Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker. The demons take on physical forms that can be seen as do the angels. There are battles between the two all through the story. She did a good job holding my interest and at times I found it hard to put the book down. I’m not sure it is a good book to read right before bedtime if you are prone to have sleeping problems or nightmares, but I read it anyway. I love this style of writing but if you have a problem trying to visualize the spirit world in a realistic, tangible way you may not enjoy it. If you have never read one of her books I suggest you start to see if you like her writing style. Her style may not be for everyone but I personally love the difference from other authors. I read a lot of different genres of books and the predictable gets old. I thing this series isn’t completely predictable although there are some parts of it that are. There is a little romance going on mixed with mystery and spiritual warfare.

I would recommend this book to others and have done so with my husband. Sometimes (at least in my brain) I feel like men will shy away from female authors I would shout out please don’t take that attitude with Lis Wiehl. Her books are by no means “girlie” books and can be enjoyed by both genders equally.

I received this book from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

I really liked My Hope is Found the third book in the Cadence of Grace Series by Joanne Bischof. I’ve read all three books in this series and the third one didn’t disappoint.

“Gideon O’Riley has been given another chance a life with Lonnie. But will the fight for her heart risk it all over again?” In the earlier books Gideon and Lonnie faced a series of events that separated them. In book three things are changing. Lonnie is moving on with her life trying to get Gideon out of her head. Gideon is gone on with his new life. Events happen that change everything but is it too late for Lonnie and Gideon? Love is in the air but is it love for Gideon or Lonnie’s new beau Toby.

I would suggest that you start from the beginning with these books or you may not connect with the characters and it may not be as enjoyable. This book is a light, easy read. It shows that God has a plan for our lives, and that He works even when we don’t think He is. I wouldn’t say there is any great mystery with this story but I found myself wanting to see what happens next. I hope there is a continuation with some of the characters maybe in another series. I can’t say who because I don’t want to give any of the storyline away.

If you like historical, romance novels then this is a good series for you to read. I would recommend it to others.

I received this book from Waterbrook/Multenomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Prairie Song by Mona Hodgson is the first book in her new series Hearts Seeking Home. Although this is the first book in this series it continues the stories from her series The Quilted Heart. You could read this book without reading the other series but I feel like the other books allow you to get to know the characters of this book. I would definitely suggest reading The Quilted Heart series first if possible.

The Boone Lick Company Wagon Train is getting ready to head west. Families and friends are parting ways, some are staying in Saint Charles while others are venturing westward. Anna Goben is hoping that the trip will help heal her family after they suffered the loss of her brother in the Civil War. Caleb Reger one of the trail hands wants to hide his secrets and his pains from the war. Anna and Caleb really don’t like each other very much and want to avoid each other as much as possible but God may have other plans.

I enjoyed reading this new book. I’m glad it picked up where The Quilted Heart series left off. The book leaves a few unanswered questions which drives me nuts as I have to wait for the next book. But overall I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical, romance novels. I think you will enjoy this series. If you have read The Quilted Heart series then you definitely want to start the Hearts Seeking Home series to see were the journey leads the families who left Saint Charles. Just like her other books this one is filled with adventure, love, disappointment, highs and lows.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book with no anticipation of review but I decided to review it anyway. You can now purchase this book here.

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Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold by Joyce Magnin was a fun book to read. “After a whirlwind cross-country move, Harriet and her devout loving basset hound, Humphry have settled into a new life in Grass Valley, California. When Harriet learns that she’s going to be a grandma for the first time and gets a new suite for her salt and peper shaker collection, she can’t wait for her best friend, Martha to come visit so she come share her good news.” Harriet seems a little bored with her life in California and starts on a new adventure with a Gold Mine. This little adventure quickly turns into a big adventure which may get Harriet in a mess.

This was my first Harriet Beamer book and I found it really fun to read. I couldn’t help but to think that she reminds me of the children’s book character Amellia Bedillia at a senior level. She’s so full of energy and adventure that at times I found her character to almost be exhausting but in a good way. I think the book is probably geared more to the more senior adults out there but still enjoyable to me. I’m not sure younger readers would enjoy it as much. I really liked Harriet’s adventurous spirit but at times wanted to shake her and say “That’s not a good Idea.” I could just imagine a 70+ year old woman riding around in town on a scooter. I hope when I get there I can have such a lively personality.

I would recommend this book to others to read especially if you are looking for a light-hearted, comical book with a touch of family and love for others. I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

I am so glad that I got to review this book. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is “A powerful retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea.” I could hardly put this book down once I started it. The author did a wonderful job of retelling the story of Gomer and Hosea without it being the story from the bible about Gomer and Hosea. The book is set in the 1850’s during California’s gold rush.

“Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive.” “Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father’s heart in everything. Michael obeys God’s call to marry Angel and to lover her unconditionally.”

This page turner is an excellent example of God’s love for us if we follow His will. We can’t see what all He has in store for us neither can we understand why we must endure some of the things that we have to. Michael is an example of how we should strive to follow God’s wills even when we don’t understand. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who thinks they can’t be forgiven for their past or who have struggled with issues that have made them bitter or angry. I would recommend this book for just about everyone would probably be a more accurate statement to make. I can’t say enough good about it.

Mrs. Rivers has written this book in a unique way that just jumps out and holds onto you. It is thought provoking and an eye opener. She has written in a way that she shows God’s forgiveness for those who feel condemned because of their lives and their sins. She also shows how we shouldn’t judge things that we may have no idea about because we can’t always see how God is working in other’s lives, and she shows us how we should be forgiving as God has been forgiving to us.

There is a six-part reading group guide included in the book and would be a wonderful book for a reading group or club.

Please read this book you will not be disappointed. I received this book from Multnomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review. You can purchase this book here.

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A Bride for All Seasons: The Mail-Order Bride Collection is a collection of four short novellas by Margaret Brownley, Debra Clopton, Mary Connealy, and Robin Lee Hatcher. It is basically four books in one and each could stand alone and are around 100 pages or less each.

The first is And Then Came Spring by Margaret Brownley. The second is And Ever-After Summer by Debra Clopton next comes Autumn’s Angel by Robin Lee Hatcher and lastly is Mary Connealy’s Winter Wedding Bells. I will not go into the description of each story in this review because of the different story lines. I will say that the common thread for each story is only“The Hitching Post, Mail Order Bride Catalogue.” Each is a different tale of the experiences of four different potential brides and grooms.

I really enjoyed the mini books and read through them very quickly finishing in just a few nights. They are typical, historic, romance novels or novellas in that they are pretty predictable but still very enjoyable to read. Each leading character has their own personality and is fun to get to know. The time is set just after the Civil War when a lot of women want to get married but there aren’t enough men out there so they turn to the catalogue. At the beginning of each story there is a short prologue that helps you get to know who the people are and what they are looking for. Three of the four stories explain the mail order letters the other explains more of the predicament that the parties are in and why they are looking at mail order marriages. I find the owner of the Hitching Post, Melvin Hitchcock, a funny character kind of playing God with these people’s lives. If he doesn’t approve of the way a letter is written he tweaks them so they will be more appealing to the potential spouse on the other end. Sometimes more than not the letters are completely different than what they started as and make for awkward meetings for the couples.

There is a spiritual side to each of the meetings usually one or the other feels that it is God’s will that things happen the way they do. I can’t imagine ever being a mail order bride but I’m assuming that it may have been pretty common place in the early history of our country. This book is fun and gives a good picture of the time. I can imagine myself being there seeing the sights and sounds of each of the small towns. If you enjoy light historical romances you will love this book. I would recommend this to others. Each author has done a great job and even though every story is completely different and set in different areas of country there is still cohesiveness between them.

I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

This review will be a little different. I’m going to review 2 books at one time. I recently reviewed Mona Hodgsons’ book Dandelions on the Wind: The Quilted Heart series. I really enjoyed the novella and had the opportunity to review the third one in the series but I didn’t want to skip the 2^nd one. I purchased Bending Toward the Sun from Amazon and then received Ripples Along the Shore to review from the publisher.

I really enjoyed these two books just as much as the first one. The characters continued and new stories developed. The second book focused on Emily Heinrich the storekeeper’s daughter. It also continued with the previous story of Maren.

“Divided between the love of her father and the desires of her heart, Emilie Heinrich must rely on the love and wisdom of the women in her quilting circle for support. Since Emilie is dedicated to her education and to helping her father in his general store, she is convinced she doesn't have time for love. But when a childhood friend returns to St. Charles, Missouri, after serving in the Civil War, his smile and charm captures Emilie’s eye and her heart.”

I really loved the stories behind the quilts in the quilting circle. The first novella didn’t mention a lot about the quilting portion of the books but the author seemed to incorporate more in the second and third books. Emily struggles with wanting to please her father and go to school but she also wants to follow her heart.

In book three Ripples Along the Shore once again continues with Maren and Emily and their new lives and adds another character: Caroline.

“When Caroline Milburn steps off the boat and back into her hometown of St. Charles, MO, part of her wishes she could step right back on board and sail away. St. Charles, though home to her beloved friends and quilting circle, hasn’t felt like home since the death of her husband. And living with her sister, Jewell’s family hasn’t provided much balm for her grieving heart. Caroline knows something needs to change—but for now she’s stuck sharing her sister’s home, and enduring the anger and bitterness of her brother-in-law.”

Also, it this book a lot of it centered around the ladies and their quilting circle, but this time the circle is going to be broken. Some of the ladies and their families will be leaving to go west and others will be staying. They decide to make 2 different quilts. Caroline is determined to go west but it wouldn’t be proper for a widowed lady to travel alone. She’s very disappointed when she thinks she isn’t going to get to go.

With each book new characters are introduced and old characters remain. I assume there will be more novellas in this series. I believe you should start with the 1^st one and move through. They are very short around 100 pages and are quick reads. There aren’t a lot of surprises but the storylines are fun to read and I really feel like I could be right there with them. If you are looking for a quick and easy read this is the series for you.

I received Ripples Along the Shore from Waterbrook Publishing at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

Dandelions on the Wind is the first novella of The Quilted Heart series, by Mona Hodgson. Maren Jenson came to America as a mail order bride from Denmark but her future husband decided he didn’t want to marry her after finding out about an ailment that she has. She moves in with Ms. Brantenberg and works for her for room and board. Ms. Brantenberg’s widowed son-in-law returns from the war and begins to fall for Maren. The question is can she overcome her fears to allow herself to fall for him.

This book is a very quick read being a novella and quite short but the author does a wonderful job letting us get to know the characters. I love her ability to be able to pull me in and keep me interested. I’ve read other novellas from other authors and haven’t enjoyed them because many times I felt cheated by the ending. Not this book, yes it left me wanting to read the next one but it didn’t make me feel like I was missing anything. If you love historical, romance, and easy reading books you will like this one. If you are looking for a full blown novel with complex subject matter this may not be a book for you. I personally loved it and can’t wait to read more.

You can purchase this book here

I received this book from Waterbrook/Multenomah at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout by William E. Jefferson is a book about “Searching for peace and inspiration, Hollie and Goodwin Macbreeze travel to the Isle of Estillyen-a distant harbor known or bringing ancients words of worth to the present.”

I was really looking forward to reading The Point. I had read an excerpt before I got the chance to review it and it really seemed very interesting. I tried and tried to get through this book and just couldn’t finish it. There were two aspects to this book. Hollie and Goodwin travelled to this island for answers. There were monks on the island and the couple would go to readings for enlightenment I guess would be a good way to put it. Then there was the mystery of Goodwin and the house that he had drawn when he was young. He wanted to learn more about that house and of the stories his grandfather had told him. I really couldn’t get into the “readings” this is the part of the book that I didn’t like for some reason. I just found them strange I guess. I did however like the “Goodwin” portion of the story I will continue to skim through the book to see what happens on the point and find out what the story is behind the house on the point. I have had this book for more than a month and have had to put it down several times and read something that I enjoy. I always try to finish a book in order to review it but I found that I really didn’t want to read this one and it was a chore just to pick it up and start it again. Maybe one day I will get completely through it and will revisit this review but I’ve read half and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t for me.

I’m sure there are others who will find this type of book enjoyable but unfortunately I was one of them. I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishers in exchange for an honest review

 

 

Meg Moseley’s novel Gone South was wonderful. I couldn’t put this book down. Leaving frosty Michigan for the Deep South was never a blip in the simple plans of Tish McComb imagined for her life, dreams of marriage and family that were dashed five years earlier in a tragic accident.” Now an opportunity to buy her great-great-great grandparents home beckons her to move to Noble Alabama where she finds the McCombs aren’t welcome.

I fell in love with this book from the beginning being from the south I understand some of the prejudice that can exist. Ms Moseley pulled me in from the start. I loved the characters and the backdrop for the story. Tish had recently lost 2 people she loved one being her father. He had taken her to her family’s home a couple of years earlier but they weren’t able to see it but from the outside. On a whim she decided to go back to Noble and get a peak out the house. The novel shows her struggle as she decides to move from her current home to the old family home. The town’s people aren’t very receptive of her. Her desire is to fit in and start her life. I would love to walk into a house like the one describe in Gone South. Tish learns more about her family through some of her father’s research and from some of the people in town and finds a few skeletons. She tries to overcome much adversity and enjoy her new life.

I felt like I was walking down the streets and going into the stores in Noble Alabama. I am into genealogy and found that I loved the twists and turns of the family and see how“secrets” come to life and how the “truth” can be made up. The characters were colorful and believable. There is a little bit of mystery that keeps you turning the page. There is a story of forgiveness and cutting loose when necessary. And there is a little bit of romance. If you like these things you will love this well written book. I hope there is another book to go with this one. It sure left me wanting more. There are a couple of “loose ends” that I would like to see what the author had in mind. I can see so many ways this book could go to completed a second one. I would definitely recommend this book to others!!!

I received this book from Multnomah at no charge for an honest review.

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Simply Delicious Amish Cooking by Sherry Gore is simply delicious. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes. I love the stories that are incorporated throughout the book. It begins with why she wrote the book, and it tells about who the Amish and Mennonites are. The recipes look easy enough to follow and use basic ingredients that would be in most kitchens (well with the exception of the alligator dish). There are little stories added with some of the recipes along with tips. There are a few beautiful pictures of the prepared recipes included, I wish there were more just because they looked so delicious and made me want to make them. I couldn’t believe that doughnuts were made with mashed potatoes.

The one thing I wasn’t crazy about was the cover of the book. It seems a little flimsy over the spiral binding. I’m afraid that with use it will begin to tear but other than that the book is wonderful! You have to get this one if you like cookbooks.

I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review.

 

 

Though My Heart is Torn, The Cadence of Grace book 2 by Joanne Bischof is the sequel to Be Still My Soul. “Gideon O’Riley has two wives-but he doesn’t know it.” Lonnie and Gideon have finally found happiness after the rocky start to their marriage but a strange turn events tears their lives apart.

I thoroughly enjoyed Be Still My Soul so when I got the opportunity to review Though My Heart is Torn I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed. The book may be a little hard to understand if you haven’t read the first one though. You will miss the whole saga of how Gideon and Lonnie became husband and wife so I would suggest reading the 1^st one before reading this one.

I found myself heartbroken for the couple after they had overcome so many struggles to get to a place in their marriage and they were so happy and then faced with this trial. I really enjoyed the characters in the 1^st book and all of them were included in this one with some additional people added. The author does a really good job with keeping with the era and backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She brings the characters to life. She brings out the struggles of both Lonnie and Gideon and through their faith they believe God’s grace will bring them through. Even though it is difficult they both are trying hard to move on with the new life they have been dealt. I couldn’t put this book down once I started it. With the way the book ended I’m sure there will be a 3^rd in this series and I can’t wait to read it also.

If you love Christian romances this book is for you. I received this book at no charge from Multnomah publishing for an honest review. You can purchase a copy of this book here.

 

 

 

Invisible by Ginny L Yttrup is an awesome book. I have to say it is right at the top of my favorites list. It is a unique Christian fiction that feels more like reality. I’ve read it at a time in my life when I really need it.

It’s a story of a group of people who seemingly have nothing in common. Ellyn is a chef who struggles with her weight and eating too much. Twila, a 27 year old nutritionist, who struggles with an eating disorder. Sabina, a psychologist, who is struggling with depression. And Miles, a doctor who lost his wife a few years earlier because of cancer struggling with the fact he couldn’t do enough to save her all looking for a way to be invisible.

The story intermingles the life of each individual person and an intricate web is woven that brings each of them together. The author does a wonderful job at pulling you into the lives of these people. Ellyn is the common denominator of the group. They are each drawn to her for different reasons. God has put them together to help them heal and grow. They learn they have more in common than they expected.

The author has broken the book up with headings using each person’s name. It is very easy to follow who is who. The book has wonderful insights on what God wants for each of our lives. Several points have stuck in my mind one being that sometimes when we believe we are responsible for situations we are putting ourselves on the same level as God. He after all is the one and only Creator and is in control of all things. We are only put here to facilitate and do what He would have us to do. He wants us to use the things He gives us to help other and to teach others about Him. We are made in His image.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Christian fiction and anyone who has ever asked God “Why?” As I said before it is one of my new favorite books.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have loved every book that I have read by Terri Blackstock and Truth Stained Lies is no exception. I could not put it down. My biggest con of the book is that I shouldn’t have picked it up at night before bedtime. I stayed up two nights in a row until 2 or 3 am reading it.

“Cathy Cramer is a former lawyer and investigative blogger who writes commentary on high-profile homicides. When she finds a threatening not warning her that she’s about to experience the same kind of judgment and speculation that she dishes out in her blog. Cathy writes it off as mischief….”

Cathy’s family is thrown into turmoil after she receives this letter. It doesn’t hit her at first but then things keep happening. Her brother faces jail for a crime he didn’t commit and then his son is kidnapped. One thing right after another happens. Cathy’s family pulls together to work it all out. And throw in a little “romance” to boot.

The characters were so fun to get to know. I loved the plot it was very believable and not far out in left field somewhere. This could be a true story that could happen very easily. I don’t enjoy reading books that are unbelievable I believe that is why I loved this book. Terri sticks to events and people that are realistic. I like the way that she includes more than just mystery. I love the little tidbits of romance that she adds in.

If you love a good mystery you will love this book. If you like romance you will like this book. If you like books by Terri Blackstock you will like this book. If you’ve never read anything by her you need to start. Happy reading.

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no charge for an honest review.

 

North of Hope: A Daughter’s Arctic Journey is a memoir by Shannon Polson. Her journey begins when her dad and stepmother are killed by a bear on a rafting trip in the Arctic. She decides to retrace their last steps hoping to find a peace and understanding for her life. Her journey teaches her lessons and helps her cope with the losses in her life. She explores her relationships not only with her father but also other family members and friends along with other aspects of her life. I believe God gives her a peace throughout her journey and I believe He has opened her eyes to His grace. Her words and thoughts seemed to flow beautifully in the pages of this book.

I normally don’t read this genre of book but I really enjoyed this book. It really made me want to examine my path in life. I think maybe I should try more memoirs. North of Hope very well written and I found myself not being able to put it down. I believe it made me think we each have a journey in life and maybe we should take a“journey” even if only in our quiet times to evaluate what God wants us to hear and know. I think even if you don’t usually read memoirs you will thoroughly enjoy this boo and if you do like memoirs you will love it.

I received this book at no charge from Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

After reading Wildflowers in Winter I was looking forward to Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert and I wasn’t disappointed.

“A three-year old son, a struggling café, and fading memories are all Robin Price has left of her late husband. As the proud owner of Willow Tree Café in small town Peaks, Iowa, she pours her heart into every muffin she bakes and espresso she pulls, thankful for the sense of purpose and community the work provides.”

“So when developer Ian McKay shows up in Peaks with plans to build condos where her café and a vital town ministry are located, she isn’t about to let go without a fight.”

Robin had suffered so much and now Ian threatens to take one more link to her late husband. She is so torn. The author once again did a wonderful job at bringing the entire story to life. The characters were so easy to get to know and fall in love with. I found myself cheering Robin on (knowing in the end she would probably make the right decisions). She was always so busy helping others but feeling like she was losing everything. Would Ian be a thorn in her flesh or her knight in shining armor? There are no great surprises in the book and I would say it is light reading. I would start and had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed the book. I think if you love Christian, romance novels this is one that you won’t want to miss.

This book was provided to me at no charge from Blogging for Books for an honest review

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Echoes by Robin Jones Gunn is the third book in the Glenbrooke series. I didn’t realize this when I chose this book to review. I really hate it when I start with a book in the middle of the series without reading the others first. That being said I still enjoyed this book. I don’t think that not reading the other books hurt the story at all but I would like to go back and read the others now.

The story is based on the relationship between KC & Wren (Lauren) who met online. The only thing that seemed strange to me is that this story is set in a modern setting but Lauren a 25 year old didn’t have a computer and really didn’t know how to use one. I find this a little unbelievable and made me feel more like the book should have been set in the early 1990’s. Today’s world is too full of technology to make this part of the plot believable to me. The story line was still enjoyable and I found myself reading just “One more chapter and I’ll stop.” The story is predictable and there are no huge surprises but none the less still a fun read. The ending left me slightly disappointed but I believe it will pick up in the next book. I guess I was looking for an epilogue. I have never read anything that Robin Jones Gunn that I haven’t enjoyed. I would recommend this book to any audience who loves a good romance fiction. I would suggest you read the other two books first I think it would probably add to the story but even if you don’t you can still enjoy this one.

I received this book at not charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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I really, really wanted to enjoy this book but I just can’t say that I did. Maybe it was just not the right time for me. I would read it and get through a few pages and find myself not really interested. To me it was full of good stories that were the same stories over and over. One part that I did like or that stuck out to me was that we should not divide our spiritual life from our daily life. If we look at everything we do we should be doing it with the joy of the Lord. I can see that this is a very important point. I fail sometimes in life and make things more of a chore than they have to be. Maybe if I could use her advice and realize that I’m doing what God has planned for me they would not seem as much of a chore but instead a blessing. Sharon Jaynes sums the book up nicely telling us that it’s not the “work” that we do but that the life we live with Christ. I just never found the real “meat” of the book. I will keep the book on my bookshelf for a while to see if God leads me to read it again.

I received this book at no charge from Blogging for Books for an honest review

 

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda & Brunstetter isn't the genre of book that I usually read but I'm always open to new genres. This book is part 1 of a 6 part saga set in Lancaster County and is an Amish fiction. Luke Stoltzfus and newly wed wife Meredith face numerous challenges after he loses his job at a furniture store. He decides to take his uncle up on an offer to come to Indiana and learn a new trade. Will they be able to survive with one another?

First, this book was a quick read. I read it in about 2 hours. It has an interesting storyline and has the potential to be a good series. The characters are likable and easy "to get to know". I was really enjoying the book and then it just ends. It reminded me of watching a movie on tv and then receiving the disappointing "to be continued" line. I was disappointed with the ending of the book as I felt it was unfinished. I guess I'm used to reading series books that are full novels. This felt more like a partial, unfinished story that probably should have been written as a novel with all parts included in one book instead of a series. Other than that I liked the book and would like to finish the story. I wish the story would been completed in one book and the next "saga" begin in the next one. Maybe the authors intend to keep it light and a quick read.I would probably give this book a 2 or 3 stars out of 5 just because of the abrupt ending.

This book was furnished to me by Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

A sequel to Smitten by authors Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter once again gives us four romantic stories set in the fictional town of Smitten, Vermont. The stories center around three Thomas's sisters, Tess, Clare, and Zoe, along with their mother, Anna, and their grandmother, Rose.

Love Between the Lines is the first story by Colleen Coble. Tess is in her grandmother's attic and comes across a pair of dog tags belonging to a man named David Hutchins. She is trying to figure out who the tags belong to when her grandmother tells her about her first love who died during the war. Rose has no idea how his dog tags are in her attic because she thought they had never been recovered. Tess decides to investigate the mystery against her mother’s wishes. Will her search turn up anything, will it help or hurt her grandmother, and will she find love in the process?

Make Me a match by Kristin Billerbeck is the second story. In this novella Zoe Thomas is opening a matchmaking business called Cupid’s Matchmaking Services. Her opening may be put on hold when the new city manager, William, begins enforcing codes and regulations at her. As Zoe struggles to start her business she finds herself falling for a man who is causing her trouble.

Knit One, Love Two, the third story written by Diann Hunt is about the Thomas sisters' mother, Anna, the owner of Smitten's only knit shop called Sit 'n Knit. She is a divorced woman and the majority of her life revolves around her three grown daughters. When Michael comes into her store he makes her rethink being single.

The last story, Love Blooms by Denise Hunter is about Clare, a nursery manager, just got dumped by her boyfriend Josh because she was boring. She decides that she will no longer live a boring life and makes a hasty decision to hire a drifter she finds taking shelter in a storage building, Ethan. While training Ethan he becomes ill and stays in bed until she can return to work. She is terrified that she made a mistake in her haste. She struggles with her feelings for Ethan until she realizes what she may have lost. This story also brings to light the mystery of the dog tags.

This book is a pleasure to read and it isn’t necessary to have read the 1^st one in order to enjoy this one. Smitten gave you the history of the town but Secretly Smitten doesn’t go into any of that. Each story is pretty short and can be read quickly. The characters are fun and believable. This book is not a book that will cause you to“think” about it, it is just an enjoyable, predictable romance. The stories don’t have the depth and character of a stand-alone novels but you still get a good feel of the community and it’s people. If you’re looking for the unexpected this isn’t the book for you. But if you love a good, old-fashioned romance you have it. I read it in just a couple of evenings and would recommend it if you enjoy a “light” read. I have enjoyed this series and I love these authors.

I received this ebook at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review.

 

Three books in one how can you go wrong? Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. This book is a collection of 3 of her stand alone books: Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Comes to Stay, and On Every Side. Kingsbury books will pull you in and these 3 stories are no different. Be prepared with a box of tissues her books are almost always tear-jerkers and these 3 are no exception.

Where Yesterday Lives is a story about Ellen Barrett and her family after her father dies. She has been estranged from her siblings and her father’s death made it worse. Things get worse with her marriage also falling apart. Only God can help her deal with her past and help her get her life in order.

When Joy Comes to Stay is about Maggie Stovall who is dealing with depression and family problems all stemming from giving up her child for adoption 10 years earlier. Keeping the secret really is taking a toll on her and her husband. Can God heal her and marriage?

On Every Side was a little out of place with the other two stories, but I still enjoyed it. Faith Evans is a newscaster who finds herself defending her faith when controversy strikes over a statue of Jesus that stands in the middle of a park. Jordan Riley who is fighting to have the statue removed believes Faith is wrong. What will happen between these two who are fighting for what both believe is right, will they be able to find some common ground?

I always recommend anything by Karen Kingsbury. Her books are interesting and well written. They will hold your interest if you like Christian romance novels. Again be aware that they will make you cry.

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This is the first Sisterchicks book I have read. Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Guinn is about 2 women who embark on a journey to Italy: One a divorced lady with a grown daughter and her sister-in-law who has had her share of struggles in the past few years.

The book is about mentally healing from various events in each of the ladies lives. Jenna is asked to cook and serve some men who are coming to Italy for a retreat. Jenna doesn’t have the greatest cooking skills and knows that her more timid sister-in-law could use the trip and also has the cooking skills needed.

The retreat, although for the men, helps Jenna and Sue heal from their struggles. They learn much about their own lives by watching and serving the men. They get to learn how wonderful it is to serve others but they also get to explore Italy. In the end they know what they must do with their lives. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was somehow calming to me as I read it. I felt as though I could be riding in a gondola in Venice right along with them. The author did such a wonderful job describing the sights, sounds, and smells of Venice. I could imagine myself walking through the streets. The only negative thing that I could say about this book is that it made me a little jealous that I couldn’t be on this trip with them.

You can purchase this book here.

This book was provided to me at no charge by Multnomah publishing in exchange for an honest review.

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“Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart.” Every Perfect Gift by Dorothy Love is a novel set in the mountains of East Tennessee in the 1800s. A small town is getting a new hotel, a reestablished newspaper, and much more. Sophie a former resident and orphan of the small town returns to run the newspaper where she meets Ethan. Both are fighting demons from their past and it is affecting their newfound relationship.

I’m from the beautiful area of East Tennessee and that is why I chose this book to review. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and the people here. This book did a wonderful job of capturing the area and its roots. I can imagine how it was over 150 years ago and the excitement that townspeople must’ve felt as railroads and expansion moved in. I live in the oldest town in Tennessee so I know a bit about the history here. Ms. Love did an excellent job when presenting what it must have been like and capturing the essence of an early 1850s small town. The characters were true to the people who lived here and many who still do. They were very believable and that is something that I find very important. The plot was also realistic and easy to follow. The people were very colorful with each having something to bring to the story. I loved the friendship that developed between Sophie and Gillie. Sophie has overcome a lot to get to this place. The town had not treated her so kindly when she was a child in the orphanage. I will not go into detail about that because I don’t want to give away any “secrets” to the storyline.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by her. I would highly recommend this book if you like historical romance. Although, like many books of this genre the ending is not a great surprise but that is probably the only negative that I could find. I know this may seem trivial in a book review but I also loved the cover and the feel of the book.

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan it the second book I have read by him. When I was given the opportunity to review this book I was excited. I enjoyed Crazy Dangerous, and after reading If We Survive I wasn’t disappointed. I really liked this book and found it was hard to put down. It is geared more toward younger readers, probably young teens. It is about a group of kids and a preacher who have travelled on a mission trip to Central America to help rebuild a school. Then they are caught in the middle of a revolution and face many struggles to try to make it home.

I love the way Andrew Klavan writes. His character, Will Peterson, is actually telling the story in first person. The characters are interesting and although I’m not sure that I can believe the storyline I suppose it is possible. Will Peterson is a high school boy telling this story. I can imagine a real teenager telling of his adventures adding excitement and adventure at every turn. I can see this book keeping the attention of the reader. I like the fact that even though it tells of some horrible acts of a revolution that it doesn’t go into gory details. Each person in the book has a different way of dealing with the tragedies around them just like in real life. I would feel very comfortable recommending it to a teen. Any younger than that might not be a good idea, just because it does include some violence and death. As I said before it isn’t terribly graphic but there is mention of gunfire, blood and death.

I will pass this book along to my daughter and I think she will really enjoy it. It isn’t a gender specific book and would be good for either gender. After recent events that have happened I will wait a while before giving it to her to read.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely recommend it to especially teen readers who like action/adventure books.

 

After previously reading A Dog Named Christmas I knew I wanted to read A Christmas Home. A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid is a sweet story that would probably be enjoyed most by people who love the Christmas TV movies and animals.

“Todd McCray, hero of a Dog Named Christmas, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friend with Laura, a young volunteer.” Laura and Todd both have disabilities that help them understand each other. Todd trains a stray that has come to the shelter to be a service dog to help Laura with her physical disabilities. He loves his job at the animal shelter but the small town is struggling financially and announces they will have to close the shelter. Todd struggles to know what to do next.

Todd is something of a prodigy when it comes to loving and training animals although it is evident that he struggles with learning disabilities. The story shows that we all have our strengths and weaknesses in life and if we follow our desires we can accomplish anything. It a story that shows family and friends can pull together to get each other through obstacles of life.

A Christmas Home would be a good read for a younger reader, pre-teen or teen. It is easily read and the characters are easy to believe and identify with. And as I said before if you love the Christmas made for TV movies you will love this book. As I read it I thought it would make a good movie for the holidays.

I would recommend this book to my friends. I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review. You can purchase this book hereat Amazon.com.

 

 

Do we really understand grace? This is a question asked of us before delving into Grace: More than we Deserve Greater than we Imagine by Max Lucado.  This book is like many of Mr. Lucado’s books. He fills it full of real life stories to help us understand the way God’s grace works. He uses some of his own faults and failures in life to also illustrate God’s grace.  If you enjoy a light book that focuses completely on accepting God’s grace you will enjoy this book. I don’t feel Mr. Lucado goes into grace so deeply that he makes it hard to grasp. He lays it out very simply so that all of us can understand it. All we have to do is accept the gift that God has so freely given us. I love the quote “Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” “Let’s make certain grace gets you.”

Mr. Lucado explains how God will change your life if you will just let him. His grace is more than just a word, it’s our comfort, our healing, our life changing gift from God. It’s a gift given freely to us. The book also includes a study guide for each chapter. Each study begins with a small idea of what the chapter was about, a review of scripture and questions we should ask ourselves. It could be a study done individually but would also make a good small group study.

I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to understand grace a little more. I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say I really love Kay Arthur and Breaking Free from Fear is no exception. This is a 6 week study for small groups although I believe you could do it as an individual study. I do think you would glean more from a group with the discussions. I read through them but didn’t do the study. I love the way they are laid out. Each week has the scripture that goes along with the lesson, and observation (what you should be looking for), and discussion. I would recommend having a journal to take notes in, there are spaces for notes but the areas are quite small.

The weeks are broken down to help you realize why you are afraid and build to helping you learn to live without fear. It really opened my eyes that fear rears it’s ugly head in many ways and can steal our joy. I also loved the fact that the author includes the scripture right there for you to read. I’m not sure which translation she uses but I know it isn’t KJV so if that bothers you this may not be the book for you.

I would recommend this book for small groups or Sunday school classes. It is a wonderful study.

I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

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I had to take time to ponder this review. I’m still not sure I can review my exact thoughts about it. The Reason by William Sirls is about a small town whose church’s cross was struck by lightning. It is a small town filled with people of varying backgrounds. Each person has their own cross to bear in this novel. Some are more trying than others, some deal with illness or disability, some deal with demons of their past and other dealing with their faith. Then enters Kenneth, a carpenter, who personifies Jesus and he starts performing miracles around the town.

First, I enjoyed the book and read it quickly and I also enjoyed the characters. Each had a very distinct personality and was believable and easy to identify with. I liked the story line and there were real life events happening throughout the town. The author did a good job pulling all of the characters together and telling their stories individually as well as bringing unity to the group.

Now my problem with the book, I’m not sure that I really liked the personification of Jesus the way it was done. I also feel that the book comes across that if you “only believe” that Jesus will answer all of your prayers the way that you want him to. Even though there is a short statement that states God will answer prayers in His way and His time the tone of the book was that if you “only believe” nothing bad will ever happen to you and if it does He will fix it and make it better here on earth. I feel that sometimes bad things happen but God will give us grace to deal with those things. I believe the author tries to include this but doesn’t do the best job at it. I’m not going to give a spoiler but I don’t like the way the story of Alex played out.

I’m glad that I read the book and I enjoyed it. I think most people who enjoy a good, Christian novel would like it.

I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Be Still my Soul by Joanne Bischof is a wonderful story. I loved this book. It was light reading and a great story about how God can bring us through stuff even when we aren’t sure why he led us to it. The story is set in the Appalachian Mountains which holds a special place in my heart anyway. I love the Appalachian Mountains and think they are one of God’s greatest creations. Lonnie, a sweet girl, has a hateful father and doesn’t get much support from her family except for her aunt that she loves very much. She is looking forward to moving in with her when she turns 18 but after a night when Gideon walks her home and kisses her Lonnie’s dad says she is “soiled” and forces Gideon to marry her. Lonnie is heartbroken because she isn’t in love with Gideon. Her life is not going as she expects but her aunt has taught her to trust in God. She wonders if she can do it.

Times are so different now but I’m sure in the not so distant past things like this probably happened. The characters were very believable and I was able to fall right into the storyline. It was a quick read and kept me interested all of the way through it. It isn’t a really deep book and is a typical historic romance story that adds in God’s leading hand. It teaches that no matter your situation God has a plan and we have to trust Him. If you are a romantic you will love this book. This book shows the ups and downs that we all face in life. It’s a book that has forgiveness, friendship and love. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book at no charge from Waterbrook & Multenomah publishing for an honest review.

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God is More than Enough by Tony Evans takes you through Psalm 23. I really wanted to love this book but I can’t say that I did. I liked it and Mr. Evans did a really good job going through the Psalm and explaining it. He used colorful and real live situations to illustrate the Psalm and to relate it to today’s living. I just felt like something “new” was missing. I have been through studies of Psalm 23 so maybe that’s why I couldn’t “love” the book. It would be a really good study guide for someone who wants to study this Psalm a little more deeply. He did bring out some really good points. I had never thought about God “making us lie down” to rest. And I used one of his illustrations in a bible study group when giving devotions. It was an illustration about a GPS and I won’t give it away but it really made me think.

God is More than Enough is a short book and would be a good daily devotional to study Psalm 23. I don’t know that I would recommend buying it at the retail price of $10.99 which I think is a little steep for what I would consider a mini book.

I would recommend this book though for an individual or small group study especially for newer Christians. You can purchase this book here.

I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com for an honest review.

“Hope Springs is the epitome of small town life” written by Kim Cash Tate. Hope Springs is a small town in North Carolina and the story revolves around three women: Janelle Evans, Becca Anderson, and Stephanie London. In this story these ladies learn valuable lessons on giving, understand, and the love of God. There are two churches in this book one is the“white” church and the other the “African American” church. The town struggle with old time prejudices.

I grew up in a smaller town in the south so I understand the struggles that still can exist. I really enjoyed Hope Springs but I did find myself having a hard time following all of the characters. I seemed to get them confused and had to back track at times to figure out who was who. Luckily, there is a genealogy chart in the front of the book which helped me keep track of the families. I really enjoyed getting to know the Sanders and Dillon families. I could identify with their struggles and their triumphs. I grew up with a lot of extended family and loved that the families in Hope Springs had that extended family relationship with each other. The town and the families needed to learn to heal, forgive and come together. They had to do some soul searching and pray their way through the struggles. The ladies of the story decided they would help in a way only God could control. It really made me think that it is important that if would all come together and give God control of every situation in our lives we could live in a much better place. Hope Springs shows that just a few people can make a difference.

The story line was very enjoyable and the characters were realistic. Each person has issues to deal with and must learn what path to take. I felt as though I could picture the town and the people. It made me long for more of the small town life.

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no cost in exchange for an honest review.

“A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built a life far removed from her trailer park dwelling teen years – until an interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown. A reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa.”

Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert is a novel that will capture your attention with every page. Bethany Quinn goes back to her hometown and has to face the ghosts of her past and she really wants to go back to Chicago as quickly as she can. This is a light read it is pretty predictable from the beginning. Even with the predictable nature of the book I really enjoyed reading it and would read more books by this author. If you are looking for a read with lots of surprises, twists, and turns this probably isn’t the book for you. But if you are looking for a traditional, Christian romance with some friendships thrown in along with some believable characters and easy to read to plot then this is a must read for you.

Over all I would suggest this book and feel as though it is well written with a good plot. It was a quick, fun read.

I received this book from Blogging for Books at no charge for an honest review.

Do you ever wonder why bad things happen? Why so many disappointments happen in your life? And as a Christian why does God allow these things to happen when you are trying so hard to do the right thing? If you have ever asked yourself any of these questions As Silver Refined is the book for you. Kay Arthur does a wonderful job in exploring these questions. I have to say normally I lean toward fiction but I was drawn to this book when given the opportunity. It was just what I needed as just the right time. The author has done a beautiful job to help one understand why disappointments happen in our lives and as Christians how we should respond to those disappointments. I love the way she includes scripture to back up everything she is saying and that they aren’t just her opinions. She has included letters from people who have been in her life in one way or another through the years, some of which brought tears to my eyes. As Silver Refined has inspired me to do better and to look at life differently and it makes me want to be more thankful to God even in the bad times because He has me in His hands and He knows what is best for me. I can’t see the big picture but He is the all knowing God. I definitely will read more of her books and can’t wait to do so but as of now this one is my new favorite book. I would highly recommend this book to everyone out there because we all have to deal with bad things in our lives. I never read a book twice but I think this one will get a lot of use.

I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

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Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klaven a book written for a younger crowd is very well written and I think most 12 and up kids would enjoy it.

“Sam Hopkins is a good kid who has fallen in with the wrong crowd. Hanging around with car thieves and thugs. Sam knows it’s only a matter of time before he makes one bad decision too many and gets into real trouble.” Sam ends up meeting and strange schoolmate, Jennifer. Jennifer sees stuff and may be a little “crazy”. Sam and Jennifer become friends and Sam learns things that now he has to deal with.

I enjoyed this book as an adult but it is obviously written for youth. I like all genres so it was a good read for me. If you know a young person who loves mysteries I believe I can safely say they will enjoy this one. My daughter is now reading it. It is a little slow to start with but after a few chapters it starts picking up. I didn’t figure it out right away but near the last few chapters it started getting easier to figure out what was happening.

I would purchase more books from this author for my daughter.

Crazy Dangerous was provided to me a no charge from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

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Not This Time by Vicki Hinze was not what I was expecting. When I ordered this book I didn’t realize it was number 3 in a series. The cover doesn’t really let you know that it is a series which was somewhat disappointing.

The small town of Seagrove Village is rocked by an act of terrorism, and Beth doesn’t know who to trust. The town really wants to save itself from terrorists but it is unknown who is in the midst of the scandal and who can be trusted and who can’t. This book left me scratching my head. There were lots of characters that I had no idea who they were or how they tied in. Now this may not have been the author’s fault I read this book not realizing it was number 3. I would suggest reading the other books for this one to make sense. I really struggled to get through this book; it is definitely not a stand-alone book. I found it really strange that a terrorist group would be attacking a small town. I never figured out the purpose of that and it didn’tseem realistic to me. The story line was not believable to me but again maybe if I had read the first two it would make more sense. I really never felt as though I connected with the book and had I not been reading it for a review I would have probably put it down. The last few chapters were probably the best in the entire book.

I’m not saying this book was horrible but I would suggest that you read the first two before reading this one. If you like a book with twists and turns and a lot of characters, with a little mystery and a tiny bit of romance you will like this one. I’ve read other people’s reviews and some really love it but they are reading the entire series. I would like to go back and read the first two eventually. I definitely wouldn’t write Vicki Hinze off. I am almost sure that it was my fault that I couldn’t enjoy the book, but it would have been nice if the cover would have let you know it was a series. The inside title page does tell you it is book 3 but I didn’t pay attention to that. I just started reading the book.

I received this book at no charge from Blogging for Books for an honest review.

I received Farm Fresh Southern Cooking by Tammy Algood as an Ebook. This is the first cookbook that I have gotten in this format. The cookbook is full of delicious looking recipes. Some I can’t wait to try out. At first glance I thought it wasn’t going to be recipes that my family and I were going to enjoy. The appetizer section just wasn’t stuff that we would normally eat. As I began to flip through the recipes became more and more appealing. We usually have a small garden and we live very near large farms so I’m always looking for great recipes for summer veggies. This cookbook is not a disappointment at all. I can’t wait to try the Cold Summer Peach Soup it sounds yummy.

The cookbook also includes instructions on home canning, an art that has been disappearing but seems to be making a comeback. It also, gives info on various farms in different areas that some may find helpful. There aren’t pictures with every recipe but there are some very nice pictures included. It is very well done. I still prefer a physical copy vs. the ebook format but I may be just a little old fashioned.

This book was provided to me at no charge by booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Simply Grilling by Jennifer Chandler is one of the best cookbooks that I have in my collection. This book is very well done (no pun intended). It is a beautiful hardcover book with over 100 recipes. It is full of delicious looking recipes that I can’t wait to start trying out. There are pictures of what the finished food should look like with every recipe along with tips, variations, and suggested sides. The cookbook begins with grilling information, methods, and tips. It is full of information for the beginner or the more advanced. All recipes seem easy to follow with commonly found grocery items. The photography will make your mouth water. If you love to cook/grill this is the cookbook for you.

This book was provided to me at no charge by www.booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Sweeter than Birdsong by Rosslyn Elliott the 2^nd book in the Saddler’s Legacy was an enjoyable read. I had not read the 1^st one in the series but that didn’t matter I was still able to connect with the characters easily.Sweeter than Birdsong is set in Westerville, Ohio in 1855. Kate Winter, the painfully shy, main character is scared of just about everything. She is very accomplished and is set to be the 1^st female to graduate from Otterbein College. Her mother is over bearing and has plans for her daughter that Kate isn’t happy with so she decides her only way out is to run away and join an upcoming musical performance.

Ben Hamby, who is an accomplished musician, sees something in Kate that no one else sees. He hears her sings and her voice moves him like nothing else. Ben is a forbidden love for Kate in Kate’s mother’s eyes. He has a secret that involves him in the Underground Railroad.

I’ve always found this era interesting and the author did a really good job of bringing the reality of slavery to life. It is apparent that she has done her research thoroughly and she pulls you into the story. Her characters are based on real people but the story is fictional. The characters are very believable. I found the book to have a very Victorian feel to the characters with old time charm. I felt sorry for Kate because she was so shy and such an introvert. It was so hard for her to function in life until she finally found her inner strength. Historical romance book lovers this is a must read for you.

This book was provided to me at no charge by booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

“On the way home from a football game, a decade earlier, a masked gunman opened fire on a Texas school bus.” Claudia survived but her friend and teacher BJ didn’t. Years have passed, the killer never caught and the haunting memories are raging with Claudia. Her husband, an Assistant District Attorney, thinks that reopening the case and catching the killer will help his wife. Is he right or will it just drive her away.

The Crossing by Serita Jakes is a contemporary fictional mystery. I have to say that I enjoyed the book and it has lots of twists and turns. You learn a lot about the different characters and their struggles before and after the tragedy of that Friday evening. People are not always what they seem and all have their own faults and failures. The author does a good job on letting us know that God is a forgiving God and will heal our troubles if we will let Him. This a great story of true love and forgiveness. It also shows us that life doesn’t always have fairytale ending. There is tragedy and loss in real life.

If you enjoy a light mystery you will enjoy this book. This is my first read by Serita Jakes I will definitely read more. She truly did a wonderful job.

This book was provided to me at no charge by Waterbrook Press for an honest review.

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Smitten is a small town in Vermont on the verge of losing itself after the local mill shuts down. The mill is the largest employer in the town and now the locals are worried that their town may be finished. Then the women of the town and the faith of a little girl come up with the idea to turn the town into a “honeymoon” destination. The” manly” men of the town believe this is going to be a very bad idea but reluctantly agree to join in.

The town is counting on the local country music singer turned star, Sawyer Smitten, and his wedding to help turn their town into a successful tourist town. Will the town succeed or not? How are lives changed?

Smitten is a collection of 4 stories written by 4 different authors: Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter. Each story is written about 4 friends of the town who are trying to make a difference. Story #1 written by Colleen Coble is about Natalie, story #2 written by Kristin Billerbeck is about Julia, story #3 written by Diann Hunt is Shelby’s story, and #4 is about Reese and is written by Denise Hunter. Each section could easily be a stand-alone book. I loved the faith that the town shows and I wish this could be more of a reality in today’s society. If we could pull together like this town did and have the Christian faith our country could accomplish so much more. These authors have done an excellent job at writing each story and bringing the town to life. The book flows easily and is a fun read. You can tell that they have a special relationship with each other. It had to be a difficult feat to have 4 authors writing 1 book and have it turn out so well written and so cohesive. I do have to say that they are predictable romance stories but still a good read none the less. If you love romance novels you will enjoy this one. I live in a small town whose future was uncertain 30 or so years ago and the town come together and revamped it and now is a pretty successful little area that stays busy so this book kind of reminded of me of home.

This book has been provided to me by www.booksneeze.com at no charge for my honest review.

Lisa Tawn Bergren’s book “Mercy Come Morning” is an emotional story about Krista Mueller and her relationships. Krista Mueller is in a good place in her life, she has a successful career and she has put miles between her and her mother. Years of hurt and disappointment has made her want to stay away. She pushed Dane McConnell out of her life and everything she had known. She started over and was glad, but then her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s is now dying, stirring emotions to the surface that Krista doesn’t understand. Krista discovers she really needs healing.
This book really touched me. I am blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my mother and it breaks my heart to know that others have missed out on such a blessing. It’s never too late to make amends even when all seems hopeless. This book will make you focus on the blessings you have now and teach you not to take for granted those things that matter. Make every minute of your life count and let God lead you in your journey in this life. It will teach you the importance of opening your heart and your mind to others around you. It will show you that some things aren’t always as they seem.
The only con that I could find is this book is at times the book was a little slow and a little wordy but not so much to make me not want to read it. I would gladly recommend this book to others, but remember there are parts that will make you cry.
I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

Lonestar Angel written by Colleen Coble is a story about Eden and Clay, a couple who married because of a pregnancy, then divorced when the baby died. To Eden’s surprise the divorce didn’t go as planned and five years later Clay gets a tip that their daughter is alive. Clay gives Eden a surprise visit and explains a plan to go undercover at a ranch for orphaned girls to find their child. Clay’s desire is to find his daughter and reconcile with Eden, but Eden just isn’t as sure.
This book is well written and I could hardly put it down. I finished it in just a couple of days. I loved the twist and turns. Although it was somewhat predictable it still kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the characters and fell in love with the little girls. Some things were just a little unbelievable (snake bite and I will leave it at that) but still I loved the book. I can’t wait to read other books by Colleen Coble.

Shadows on the Sand: A Seaside Mystery by Gayle Roper is a wonderful book. It is set in a seaside area of New Jersey. Carrie Carter is a small café owner in the small tourist town. Her life has been a difficult one. She had to run away as a young teenage girl taking her 10 year old sister with her just to protect them from more pain caused by their mother. They found themselves in New Jersey when they were taken in by a wonderful couple who owned the café at the time. Just when Carrie thought her life had returned to normalcy love, murder, and cults crept into her world. Will her life ever be normal? Will she be able to overcome her past? Will she ever find the life and love that she desires?
I really enjoyed reading this book and had a very hard time putting it down. I felt like the characters were realistic and the story had a great plot. The story could happen in any town in the world. If you are looking for an easy to read mystery with a little touch of love this is the book for you. I found myself drawn into the story and couldn’t wait to see what was next. I could envision myself on the coast of a small seaside town where everyone knows each other. I could almost feel the salty breeze and smell the smells of the ocean. It is really important for me to be able to get lost in a book and to be able to take a journey to another place and this one accomplished that. I know I will be looking for other books by Gayle Roper.
This book was provided to me at no charge by Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for an honest review

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo is one of my favorite books. I absolutely loved this book. Colton, a 4 year old boy has an experience when he goes under emergency surgery. He spends time in Heaven and sees people he didn’t otherwise know about and then relates what he has seen to is parents in pieces over time. His story amazes me. He gives us a real picture of Jesus and His plan for us. Jesus uses this little boy to tell us a vivid story of what Heaven is. Colton’s “visions” and experiences in Heaven are absolutely beautiful and thought provoking.
I read this book in a matter of hours. I just couldn’t put it down. It has given me a new outlook and a different vision of how I have always imagined Heaven. I can’t say enough good things about this book. I have read so many reviews of skeptics and I couldn’t disagree with them more. I believe Jesus uses the purity of children to help with His work here on earth. I believe this book will be life-changing to most all who read it. It is chocked full of biblical truths. I believe this family is a genuine family. I suggest reading it a passing it along to a friend. I can’t find any cons when reading this book other than I wish I had read it sooner.
This book was provided to me at no charge from www.booksneeze.com for an honest review.

Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck is the second book in the Songbird Novel series. “Jade longs to begin a family with her husband, Max’ but she discovers he has an illegitimate son. Her mother’s health is failing and her life is falling apart. She tries to run but in her pain God shows His mercy and love.
I have to say I was almost finished with this book before I found out it was second in a series which is a good thing for me. I don’t like to read books out of order but this one could be a stand alone for anyone who hasn’t read the first one. The character’s names were a little odd to me but the characters were easily identifiable and had lots of personality. I enjoyed this book. The only con I really have with it was the characters were all supposed to be “Christian” but none of them were really living a life representative of a Christian and even though they seemed to find their way back to Christ there is never a mention of a real repentance just that they were changed but no reason for their change. I found it somewhat bothersome and can’t put my finger on it. I would have like to have seen more of a biblical stance for their belief not just that they were going to do better and therapy.
I would probably read more books by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck. It is a good book to make you really think about your relationships and the importance of living your life building those relationships but lacks the biblical principles that I desire in a book of this genre. The ending also left off too abruptly as though it wasn't finished and I wasn't thrilled with that. I realize it is a series but I feel it should have a definite beginning and ending that makes sense not just a book with missing chapters.
This book was provided to me a not charge by www.booksneeze.com for an honest review.

“A high-school girl is found murdered in a park in Westchester County, New York. The shocking manner of her death confounds the town and intrigues forensic psychiatrist Dani Harris, who is determined to unravel the mystery. All the suspects are teenagers who were at a party with the girl—yet no one remembers what happened. Could one of them be a vicious killer? Or is something more sinister afoot—something tied to an ancient evil?”
Dani runs into Tommy whom she had a major crush on in high school but she thought he didn’t even know she existed. After a football injury ends Tommy’s NFL career he decides to study to become a private investigator. When Dani is assigned to the town’s mysterious murder her friendship with Tommy begins to grow. Will they make a love connection? Will they be able to solve the murder with all of its strange twists and turns?
If you like books written by Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti you will enjoy Waking Hours: An East Salem Novel written by Lis Wiehl with Pete Nelson. Although Waking Hours isn’t exactly written like A Dekker or Peretti novel. It doesn’t have the same type of symbolism but it is similar. Dekker and Peretti’s novels have a much deeper spiritual meaning. Waking Hours has more realism and less symbolism. It is in the realm of a crime mystery with some spiritual things happening. This book kept me interested to the very end. I read it quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to more books in this series .
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes crime novels. I received this book from www.booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

”Grief brought Finley to Ireland. LOVE WILL LEAD HER HOME.” Finley Sinclair is an eighteen year old girl who is struggling with many emotional problems after the death of her brother Tim. She misses him so much and she decides to follow his footsteps by studying in Ireland. Just a few years earlier Tim had visited Ireland as an exchange student, he kept a journal of his experience. Now Finley is on a mission to follow him through his journal. She is trying to finish a violin composition to honor her brother.
While on her way to Ireland Finley meets Beckett Rush, a teen heartthrob. He is known for his wild escapades and Finley has had enough drama and wants to stay far away from him. Beckett on the other hand finds himself attracted to her.
Will Finley find what she is looking for in Ireland or will her trip destroy her? There You’ll Find Me, written by Jenny B. Jones is a wonderful read. It is supposedly written for a younger audience but I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you like a heart touching book you will love this one. This book is a quick and easy read. It is a very inspiring story for young adults or anyone who loves a good story. I am well passed my teenage years and I loved this book. The book would make a great gift or a nice addition to your own library. Jenny B. Jones is a new author to me but I will definitely read more of her books and I will introduce her to my preteen daughter.
I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery written by Mark Mynheir is a wonderfully written mystery. This is the second book in the series. Private Investigator Ray Quinn who is an ex-homicide detective finds himself in a tangle of criminal activity, murder, and betrayal. “Retired from the force and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited.” He starts his own P.I. business paired with his trusty sidekick Crevis. The two make a wonderful team. Ray is offered a job with a shady client, who he feels isn’t being totally honest with him. Armon, the client, offers him a hefty amount of money that makes it hard for Ray to refuse so he takes the case. He’s trying to find Armon’s “valuable” information and trying to find who killed an ex-cop that was somewhat shady himself.
I really enjoyed The Corruptible and am looking forward to reading more in this series. Mark Mynheir did a wonderful job with this book. I had not read The Night Watchman and although this is the second book in the series it didn’t matter it was easily followed and it wasn’t necessary to read the first one in order to enjoy this one. The pros of this book: The characters were believable and I could easily connect with them. The story line and plot was easy to follow and left you wanting to know what happens next. The only con that I can think of is that the book is a little predictable but still has some twists and turns that you don’t expect.
Overall, if you love mysteries this is one that you will want to read. I can’t wait to read more books by this author.
This book was provided to me at no cost by Waterbrook/Multnomah for an honest review.

Life Everlasting: An Alexia Lindale Novel, book 2 by Robert Whitlow is a Christian fiction novel about a family who has their share of troubles. Baxter Richardson clings to life after a fall during a hike with his wife. His wife has secrets that she is trying to hide. His brother wants to control the family “empire” and his father fights to keep him alive. Alexia, a lawyer, agrees to help Rena, his wife, but she has no idea the twists and turns that this woman will cause.
It took me a long time to get through this book. I had a really hard time identifying with the characters and a hard time getting to know them. I feel like maybe if had read the 1st book in the series, Life Support, that it would have helped. Other than that the book is well written and has the potential to keep ones interest. Although this book can be read and fully understood without reading the 1st one I would suggest reading them in order. I enjoyed the budding romance between Alexia and Ted but for some reason it just didn’t feel right to me. It seemed almost an afterthought and didn’t mesh well with the story. Again, it may be because I haven’t read the other book. I may go back and read the 1st in the series and might feel differently about Life Everlasting.
I will try more books by Robert Whitlow because I feel like the reason I wasn’t crazy about this book was my fault. He seems to really be a good author and I did want to finish the book to see what happened. The ending obviously leaves you with the understanding that there will be a 3rd book because many of the book’s secrets weren’t revealed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review by booksneeze.com.

Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs is set in historic Scotland in the 1700 circa and based on the book of Ruth. I had not read her other book before reading “Mine is the Night”, but I really don’t think it mattered. I had a hard time getting into the book at first. It took me several chapters before I really started enjoying it, but once I got into it I loved it and had a hard time putting it down. Now it may have just been me and not having a lot of time to put into it at first and not just the material itself. The author did an excellent job of researching the area and the subject material. It is a true love story: a daughter-in-laws love for her mother-in-law but mostly her love of God. She devoted her life to God and He led her paths and because of her devotion she was blessed beyond anything she could imagine.
The characters were real and believable, the setting was beautifully described and the story was wonderful. The book was pretty long to read and took me a while to get through it but part of that was the limited amount of time I had to spend on it. Although it was long after the first few chapters it kept my attention and drew me in. This is the first book I have read by Liz Curtis Higgs but it will not be my last. She is truly an amazing author.
If you love historical romance novels you will love this one and you must put it on your list of great books to read.
This book was provided to me by Waterbrook/Multnomah for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Okay, can I say I just love this book. Strike it Rich with Pocket Change is chocked full of information on how to spot pocket change that may or may not be worth lots of money. I know I will look at my change with different eyes. I'm the crazy person who picks up pennies on the ground and now I will make sure I do it more often. You never know when you may pick up a treasure. The illustrations in this book are superb and are very detailed so you know just what to look for. This book tells you about different coinage including pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars. It shows you what "flaws" to look for from the mint and tells you which ones are more collectable vs ones that aren't collectable at all. I read through this book in less than 2 hours and then started looking at my coins. I've not struck it rich yet but it sure is fun to hope.
I would advise anyone who wants to collects pocket change to give this book a try. I received this book in e-book form to review but wish I had gotten it in physical book form. I will be purchasing another copy of this book for a birthday gift for a coin collector in my life. I receive this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review and honestly it is one of my favorites so far.

“God’s Love Letters to you” by Larry Crabb is a nice little devotional. It has 40 days of “letters” from God based on different books in the Bible. I really enjoyed reading each of the devotions and look forward to doing them one at a time. After each devotion there is a list of questions to make you think about your passage that day, and then a short prayer.
I understand the author’s concept of the letters being directly from God to each person individually and he writes the “letter” as though it is written to you directly by God in first person. I however find this a little bothersome because it is still Mr. Crabb’s opinion of the way the scripture should be interpreted. Although, I mostly agree with his opinion it still is his opinion and I’m just not sure if I like him using “I” in his letters. He starts each letter “God Says:” then continues on with the letter. With that being said I still enjoyed the letters and would like to think the things he has written is what God actually has in mind for each of us and his use of first person wouldn’t make me not want to read the devotions.
I would recommend this devotional to others. The cover has a wonderful feel and look to it and as I said it is a well written. The questions are thought provoking and there is scripture to go along with each devotion.
This book was given to me by Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond is a wonderful love story. Susannah a city girl who is left alone after her parents die is forced to make a decision of what to do with her life. Her pastor’s brother is looking for a bride and writes to his sister-in-law to see if she knows anyone who would be a perfect mate for him. Feeling as she has no other choice Susannah becomes a mail order bride and marries Jesse. Her Victorian upbringing cause her to be so timid with her new husband that it tries his patience but Jesse knows her potential and shows her nothing but love. Will Susannah ever return his love?
I really enjoyed reading Spring for Susannah. The author kept pulling me in. She did a really good job of bring out how hard life was for homesteaders after the war in the late 1800s. She showed that life in the Dakotas was very unpredictable, especially for a city girl who appeared to be afraid of her own shadow. This book really kept my attention and was never boring. I would have really like to have seen an epilogue at the end. I was left with only my imagination to come up with an ending for many of the secondary characters, although that isn’t a problem for me I enjoy reading what the author has in mind for these characters. Then the author left you wondering about some in the story which only adds to the reality people most likely faced in those times.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good historical, Christian romance. It is very well written and an enjoyable read. This book was provided to me by Booksneeze.com for free for an honest review.

Miranda Hanford, a widow with 6 children has a dilemma; she is stuck in a legalistic, cult-like church. The pastor knows secrets about her and she fears the secrets will cause her to lose her children. After an accident her brother-in-law steps in to help her out. Miranda and Jack both have secrets that they are afraid will destroy their chances at any kind of relationship.

When Sparrows Fall by Meg Mosely is a story of fear, courage, and triumph. I felt this was a really good read. At times I just got frustrated thinking how does anyone live in this kind of fear but after a while I began to understand. The book was enjoyable but somewhat predictable. There were a few surprises that I didn’t see coming. I was glad to see Miranda work through her fears and become triumphant. Unfortunately there are religions out there that try to control the people of their “churches” but thankfully this book brings out true Christian love among people and shows that Christianity is a choice given freely.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who really likes a good love story and an easy read. It was heartwarming and very touching.

This book was provided to me for free by Waterbrookmultnomah.com for an honest review.
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In The Final Summit written by Andy Andrews, David Ponder is a “traveler” who is assigned the task to lead a group of travelers in a final summit to try to save mankind. They must answer a question correctly in order to determine the fate of mankind. Will it be possible for them to do this?

I really enjoyed this book. It has some interesting historical figures and facts that I found fascinating. Although, in some parts I seemed to lose interest in the talk between the characters because I felt there was too much information that wasn’t really pertinent to the story and I found myself just wanting to get through to the point and the answer to the question.

The writer really made the characters come to life. I could picture myself sitting in the room where the summit was held. I could visualize the furniture, the people, and the ambiance of the room. I could hear the people talking and coming to life in my head. I am a very visual person so it is always a plus for me when an author can draw me into the book this way.

The book brought forth some really good self-help advice and information. Some really good points to help one cope with different situations in real life were presented. I was really disappointed in the answer to the question even though it is good advice I would never imagine it to be the answer to mankind’s problems. I feel that Jesus Christ is the one and only answer in our lives.

Overall, I would suggest this book to others with the opinion that it has some good ideas and advice but still missing the point.

This book was provided to me for free by booksneeze.com for a honest review.

31 Days of Power: Learning to Live in Spiritual Victory by Ruth Myers and Warren Myers is a wonderful daily devotional. There is 31 days of prayers/praise verses each including scripture to back them up. I see myself referring back to these prayers regularly.

The book reminds me of the spiritual warfare that goes on around me daily. It reminded me who is actually in control. I sometimes find myself falling into a rut and feeling down. I know that it is the enemy. 31 Days of Power gives me the prayers I need for obtaining the spiritual victory that Christ has so freely given me. It also reminds me to pray for others.

The 1st part of this book is the 31 prayers meant to be a daily devotional. Part 2 of this book describes the dynamics of spiritual warfare. In Part 2 the author spells out how spiritual warfare is happening around us all of the time and also how Christ is always victorious and in control. Satan has always tried to exert his power but God is in total control and Satan has no power but what is allowed by God. God is victorious and always will be.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is very enlightening and will help you to understand the warfare going on in our world and our lives. I read this book in one evening. I look forward to going back and doing the devotionals day by day and really reflecting on the words written and studying the scripture more in depth.

I received this book for free from waterbrookmultnomah.com for an honest review.

This is the first Tim Downs book that I have read. I really enjoyed this book. If you like crime mysteries this is a book that you shouldn't miss. The story is about Dr. Nick Polchak, entomologist, he is getting ready to embark on a new chapter in his life. He is engaged to be married in just a few days to Alena when he is contacted by an old friend who wants him to come to a Vidocq meeting in a different state just days before his marriage. Alena feels like he is running from there impending marriage.

Dr Nick Polchak is a strange character who can relate better with bugs than with people. He is head strong and oblivious of the feelings of others. He can be irritating and obnoxious and he lets his work absorb him and will not stop until he finishes what he starts. Will it cost him his girlfriend and soon to be wife?

Alena is also a loner who doesn't like to be around people. She would much rather spend her time with her trained dogs. The town of Endor considers her to be a witch because she is so different. She communicates with her dogs like no one else. The dogs are perfectly trained for all kinds of work. Nick and Alena seem to be perfect for each other. But she is fed up with Nick's antics.

The book held my attention and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. Although some of it isn't realistic it was entertaining. I liked the surprises of the twist I didn't see it coming. There were parts that were a little unbelievable but all in all the story worked together. I thought it interesting that there was a slight reference to her being a witch living in Endor (the witch of Endor) but it really didn't have anything to do with the plot. This is an easy read and I will read more of Tim Downs work. I would recommend this book to others.

I downloaded Tim Downs' book Nick of Time. A book from his Bug Man series. I received the download for free for an honest review from Booksneeze.com, publisher Thomas Nelson.

Departures by Robin Jones Gunn is a unique book that includes two books in one. Christy Miller, Now Boarding at Gate 10 is a story about a young girl on a self discovery, making decisions that will effect her life. It is a refreshing story of a young Christian girl who wants to do the right thing.

The second story, Sierra Jensen, In the Event of a Water landing is about a group of teens who are finding their way. Sierra also wants to make right decisions, struggling to know what is best.

I really love the Christian message of this story and the positive role model Christy and Sierra play. One thing that was a little disappointing was the ending of Christy Miller's story. It seemed to end abruptly leaving you to want a little more of the story but the author pulls you directly back into the book in the second story. I love the segway to connect the two books. I would recommend this to pre-teen, and young ladies everywhere. It is a nice, easy read.

This book was provided to me free for review by waterbrookmultnomah.com