At Love's Bidding by Regina Jennings

At Love's Bidding tells the story of Miranda Wimplegate and her grandfather as they love high society Boston and travel across country to a tiny town backwoods town in search of a painting.

Miranda works with her family in their auction house.  While selling items for a family a painting goes up on the auction block and is sold that wasn't to be there.  When the family that was selling the item threatens to ruin them if the painting is nor ruined, Miranda's grandfather purchases an auction house at a ridiculously low price in belief the painting is there.  Imagine their surprise when they get there that the auction house doesn't sell priceless antiques but rather cattle! 

Wyatt Ballentine runs the auction house and is annoyed when he finds out the new owners know nothing about cattle.  While Miranda's grandfather tries to "get rich" scheme with several different people, Miranda tries her best to learn what she can about selling cattle and between her and Wyatt they try to keep her grandfather out of trouble.

Through it all with Wyatt learn the truth about why they are they?  Will Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely partnership?  When Wyatt does learn the truth what happens to their relationship?


While I have read some other of Regina Jennings' books.  I did not find this one as good as the others.  It was very difficult to get into and I found it to be uninteresting.  It wasn't until near the end of the book that I found it to be getting exciting and that the book was moving along.  I feel like this book could have had more excitement in it and that it could have moved faster at the start of the story.








"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Until the Dawn by Elizabeth Camden

Until the Dawn tells the story of Sophie van Riijin.  Sophie lives in the Hudson River Valley in the late 1800s.  In the small island where she lives is a mansion that was abounded by the family nearly 60 years ago.  The Vandermark family believes their family home is curses.  There has been mysterious deaths and none of the females in the family lived very long.   

Sophie has set up a weather station on the roof of the mansion and makes daily reports to the new Weather Bureau that has been created.    Out of the blue one day heir to the family estate Quentin shows up with his son Pieter with the intention of destroying the mansion on the orders of his grandfather Nickolaas.

When the truth of what has been happening at the mansion when no family has been living there, Quentin immediately fires the two staff who have been taking care of the mansion and orders Sophie to stay away.  Sophie is able to convince him to hire her as cook and eventually re-hire the staff.  When Nickolaas shows up the truth of the mansion slowly starts to come out.  Not out does the truth of the mansion comes out, but so does the reason for the wealth of the family.

Sophie works hard to not only save the mansion but to also change Quentin in the way he feels about life and his relationship with his son. 

Ms. Camden does a remarkable job.  You can almost see the beauty of the mansion and the surrounding areas.    Sophie's sunny disposition is a bright part of the story.   You feel Quentin's agony through the constant pain he is and her desire to help him.    Ms Camden draws you into each character.  I very much enjoyed this book and it was very hard to put down! 

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen

 

 The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen is about Sophie Dupont.  Sophie assists her father in his studio and does her own work as well.  A young man by the name of Wesley Overtree comes to learn from her father.  When Captain Stephen Overtree comes looking for his brother to bring home, he finds his brother has sailed for Italy and has left Sophie in series trouble.  He does the honorable thing by offering Sophie marriage "in name only".  If he were to die in battle, she would be a respected widow.  Stephen is the complete opposite of Wesley, but realizing she has no other choice, Sophie agrees to the marriage.  Sophie returns with Stephen to his home in Overtree Hall.  What happens as they settle in?  What happens when Wesley returns to find the love of his life married to his brother?  What happens when Stephen goes off to battle?  Will Sophie and Stephen ever truly learn to love each other?  What will their families think when they discover the truth?

Julie Klassen has written another remarkable story.   She captivates you from the very beginning and draws you into the characters.   You feel the heartbreak of Sophie and the anguish in the decision she has to make.  You feel the dismay Wesley feels when he comes home to find Sophie married to his brother.  You also wonder about the mysterious nurse Winnie and what she is up to.  Her descriptions of Overtree Hall is almost like a paining that you are looking at.    This is a book that once you pick it up, you don't want to put it down - especially as you near the end! (Which is why I was up to 1am one night finishing it!)

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Delighting in God by A. W. Tozer

Delighting in God is a collection of sermons by A. W. Tozer. 

He talks about many of the attributes of God and what God has revealed about himself to us.  He takes those and applies if to our Christian life and worship.  He mentions several times how are we are here to serve him but we can do that better by knowing and delighting in who he is.  By doing this we can find joy and comfort.

Many of the sermons I did enjoy. He talked about the problems that were facing the church in his time, of which many you can still see in the church today.  I love how he ended each chapter with a hymn.  Many of the ones he used I have never heard of before.

While there were aspects of the book I enjoyed, I found several parts hard to fully understand.  Maybe it's because I was reading a sermon and you can't hear the tone or inflection of the preacher's voice as he is preaching, but I felt some of what he was saying not easy to comprehend.

I think this book would be a good study book.  One to be read slowly and discussed in a group.

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Rising Darkness by Nancy Mehl

Rising Darkness is Nancy Mehl’s third book in her Finding Sanctuary series.  Having read her second book in the series (but still haven’t read the first!) I was eager to find out more about the town of Sanctuary.

Sophie has left her strict Mennonite hometown far behind her.  She is earning her degree and is working for the local newspaper where she aspires to be investigative reporter.  While at work she overhears about a convict who has contacted many local news outlets as he has information regarding a wanted man.  She follows his lead and goes to Sanctuary.  She takes on a false identity and a false reason for being there in order to secretly look for the suspect.  While there she receives threatening letters and is even attacked.  While there she runs into someone she hasn’t seen since she fled the town she grew up in.  Someone she loved and thought she would never see again.

While Sophie pursues her leads she remembers many thing from her dark past she has tried many times to forget.  The people in Sanctuary, both the Mennonite people and all the others are there to help her and encourage her.  Will she learn to put her trust in God?  Will she learn that God loves her?  Will she herself fall in love?

Nancy Mehl has done a remarkable job!  This book was very hard to put down.  Whenever I was forced to put it down I couldn’t wait to pick it up again and read more.  Near the end it became almost impossible to put it down until I was finished!  She masterfully draws you in and leaves you in suspense of who the guilty party is until the very end.  When you find out near the end, you are just as surprised as Sophie!  I found she did a wonderful in expressing how Sophie was feeling about her past and the secrets and deep hurts she still carries as a result.  I can’t wait to read more in this series! (And I really need to get my hands on the first book!)

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Vendetta by Lisa Harris

 

Vendetta tells the story of Nikki Boyd.  Nikki is an agent on the Tennessee Missing Persons Task Force.  She works hard and pushes hard to find missing people.  The driving force to help bring back these missing people, is her own missing sister Sarah, who has been missing for ten years.

While on a mountain climbing trip with her friends Tyler, a girl goes missing an Nikki is called into to help. A Polariod picture is found at the scene of the missing girl.  The same tactic as the person who took her sister several years ago, a fact that was never released to the public.  As she hunts down the missing girl and the person who took her, Nikki her self if also hunted down.  It is the same person who took her sister?  Will she find the missing girl alive? Will this finally give her answers about her sister?

This the first book in Lisa Harris series The Nikki Boyd Files.  Lisa is an excellent writer and makes the book very hard to put down! It draws you in from the very start and you don't want to take your head back out of the book until the end! It's a nail biter and keeps you on the edge of you seat.  She has a great way of making you feel like you personally know each character in the book and draws you into their lives.  The story of Nikki and Tyler leaves you falling in love with them and wanting to hear more about them!

The sneak peak at the end of the book for the next one in the series, leaves you wishing the book was out now!  I can't wait for the spring to get my hands on the second book!

I received this book from Revell for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Forgiven: The Amish School Shooting, a Mother's Love, and a Story of Remarkable Grace by Terri Roberts

 

Forgiven is the story of Terri Roberts.  Terri is the mother of Charlie Roberts, who in 2006 entered an Amish school house in Nickle Mines and shooting ten girls, killing five of them, before killing himself.   Through this story Terri tells the remarkable story of grace and forgiveness she learned from the Amish, from the very people who's lives her son forever changed.

 Terri tells the story of what happened the fateful day in October when her son entered into the Amish school house.  While she was struggling to understand how and why her son would do something like this, someone she never expected to reach out to her and support her and be with her did.  The Amish.  Even on the day that it happened, one person whom her husband would drive around came over to their house and did their best to comfort a family who lost their son and the unimaginable heartbreak they were feeling knowing their son was the cause of all that happened.  She tells how through the Amish she was able to learn to forgive her son for what happened.  She was able to reach out and develop a friendship with the families of those who lost daughters.

Mrs Roberts book was remarkable.  You could feel the heartbreak she felt and the struggles she went through.  She did a good job at telling her story, what she learned, and how we can apply what she learned to our lives.

What struck me the most was when she talked about praying for her sons.  One her friends told her to take Colossians 1:9-13 and instead of "you" or "ye" to insert her sons names.   At that time I was teaching my Sunday School on prayer.  Part of that weeks lessons was those exact verses.  I read those verses seven times, entering in a different student's name each time.  

This is a well written book and I would recommend it.

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers  for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

 

On This Foundation by Lynn Austin

 

On This Foundation is a biblical historical fiction story on the book of Nehemiah.  She retells the story of how Nehemiah asked the king's permission to go back to his homeland and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  She continues the story of how the wall was built and the excitement and joy felt in the city.

Through the story we meet people we read about in the Bible, including Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.(Whom I quickly learned to hate!)   Not only that but in the list of names of those that rebuilt the walls and what section of the wall they rebuilt, the Bible states in Nehemiah 3:12 "And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters."  She take that and expounds on it by introducing us to his three daughters, including the oldest Chana.   Chana was to be married but her intended was killed.  Through the rebuilding of the wall she learns to feel joy again and most of all she learns to love again.

Many other characters are introduced including Nava whose family is just one of many going through hard times due to the drought the city is experiencing. She willingly sells her self to servitude to help out her family.  The story is beautifully told and you feel the joy and sorry all the characters experience.  From Nehemiah feeling the desire and longing to rebuild the wall, the fear he had of how to approach the king, the joy when he was able to come back, the desperation he felt when he saw how bad it was, and the total celebration and joy of the city as the wall was completed and the rain began to fall!

Lynn Austin did a masterful job in telling this story.  It made the story of Nehemiah come so alive.  Once I started reading this book, it was so hard to put it back down!  One thing that I really enjoyed about reading this book was that my pastor at my church just recently (in the last couple of week) finished preaching through Nehemiah.  Reading this book for me brought back a lot of what he preached about.  

I highly recommend this book!!

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers  for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis

 This is another great book by Beverly Lewis.  She does a great job at drawing you into the book and making you fall in love with the characters. 

Eva Esch and her sisters find themselves wondering what's going to happen to them after both their parents die and their brother plans to move him and his family into the home.  There won't be enough room for all of them.   While Eva is courting someone at the time, she can't see herself getting married to him. 

One night in the middle of the night, her youngest sister Lily runs away.  They fear she has an English boyfriend and don't know where to look for her.  They know Lily's best friend is hiding something but what could it be?

 While Eva is worried for her sister a young apprentice buggy maker shows up in her home town.  Eva and Jed meet and start to fall for each other.  When Jed get ready to leave to go back home, Eva sees a photograph that he has.  What is it?  What will happen between Jed and Eva?


Beverly Lewis has written another great book.  It was all I could do to keep from filling to the last chapter to see if Jed and Eva ever get married and if Lilly ever comes home! You feel for the characters and the aches you feel for them.  You long to see Jed and Eva together, but the closer you get to the end of the book, the more you wonder if it will ever happen!

Through out the book the both Jed and Eva grow in their understanding of God and learn to turn to him when things are difficult.


I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers and Baker Group for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Refining Fire by Tracie Peterson

 

Militine Scott is at the Madison Bridal School, yet she has no intention of every marrying.   Thane Patton is a very loyal friend but he, along with Militine, both hide deep dark secrets.  They slowly find themselves drawn to each other and learn to talk about what has happened in their past and they learn to open up.

Abrianna Cunningham is still working at serving at other people.  She has started a soup kitchen to help food those that struggle.  Through her work she learns a secret that comes as a complete shock and surprise to her!   She also agrees to court Priam Welby as he said he would find her a bigger place to help better service the poor.

Abrianna loves to help other people and talk to them about her believes, including her friend Militine.  However, Militine is not wanting to hear what her friend has to say due to her past she has experienced.  Abrianna also confronts the new pastor of the church, Pastor Walker.  Through everything, Abrianna's friend Thane is there watching everything and right there by her side.

Tracie Peterson has done it again!  Another book I couldn't put down until the end.  I loved the interation between all the difference characters.  I enjoyed seeing the closeness of Militine and Thane as they grew closer to each other.  When Abrianna wanted to stand up and argue with Pastor Walker so did I!!! When Thane was devastated over Abrianna agreeing to court Priam, I was wondering what she was thinking at the same!  I so loved the ending!!! Those lost few paragraphs, that last page put such a smile on my face.  I so can't wait for book three!!!!

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers and Baker Group for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Exploring Christian Theology: Creation, Fall and Salvation by Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel

 

 Nathan Holsteen and Michael Svigel wrote this book to help others understand why learning Christian theology, and they keys doctrines are important to learn.  This particular volume talks about creation, the fall and salvation.

The book is divided into two parts.  The first one is about creation and the fall and the second part is about salvation.  In each section they give a high-altitude survey, passages to master, a section in each on retrospect (where they cover each period in history, the Patristic period, the Medieval period, the Protestant Period and the Modern Period), facts to never forget, dangers to avoid, and principles to put into practice.  They end each section with quotes from famous people throughout each of the time periods.  They also give several recommendations of books to add to our library. 

Through most of this book I found it very difficult to understand, which makes a little hard to write a review.  They explored so many different areas in each view, that I had a hard time pinpointing exactly what they believed and why the believe in the way they do.  I think this would be a great book for a Bible student but for someone like me, I need something a lot more simple to read and understand then this book.

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers and Baker Group for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

The Inheritance of Tanning Masters by E.R. Nicodemus

 

This is the first book of E. R. Nicodemus. For his first book he did a great job!

The Inheritance of Tanning Masters tells the story of Tanning Masters.  Tan had been taken in by Sir Wilfred Masters when he was young and was trained to be an accountant.  He had the best training money was able to offer.  He is eventually sent to work for Hudson's Bay Company in the Canadian West.  Many of the skills Tan has gained, including a gunsmith, blacksmith (and what sounds like marshal arts!) is proven to be skillful and useful.  An old enemy of Tan's has arrived and is not only after him, but many others as well.  Tan encounters many new friends who are able to help him, and he is able to help them in return.  

When an unfortunate accident happens to Tan, he meets some great new friends are able to help him learn more.  They also teach him to survive in the wilderness.  Tan continues to learn a lot about surviving in the Canadian wild west, especially in winter!  

The most important lesson Tan learns is about his own salvation.  Tan becomes friends with the captain of the ship he sails on from England.  The captain and his daughter Maggie (especially Maggie!) teach him about the love of God.  When they part ways Maggie gives Tan her Bible, and he begins to read it and understand.

For his first novel, Mr. Nicodemus did a great job.  The characters feel real and he draws you into the book from the very beginning.  I enjoyed the personal aspects of the story where we read from Tan's journal and what he has written.   The writing writing of the story is told in first person as if it's his own personal story.  He did a masterful job on his first book and I can't wait to read more about Tan!

The Midwife's Tale by Delia Parr

 

Martha Cade has followed in her family's footsteps and has become a midwife.  She serves in the small town of Trinity.   She tragically lost her husband several years ago and has raised her son and daughter.  When her daughter Victoria runs off her world is shatter.

She goes off to search for her daughter, and upon her return finds the town doctor has died and a new young doctor has taken his place.   Martha starts to feel as if she is drowning with the new doctor, not being able to find her daughter and more.    She wants to understand that God knows what is best for her but she continues to indure many trials.  Through it all she leans and grows in her faith.

I very much enjoyed Ms. Parr's book.  I found the story to be very entertaining.  I enjoyed reading about the practices of midwifery during this time period.   The story line of her and Boy is very heartbreaking.  While at first I didn't like this new doctor as we learned more about him, not only did I learn to like him, but so did Martha.  There was a hint of romance in the book between Martha and the town mayor Thomas.  

While the book is labeled as a historical romance, I didn`t find a lot of romance in it.

This book was very good and I can't wait for the next book!  I want to know more about the Doctor, the mayor and her daughter!

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers and Baker Group for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Taken by Dee Henderson

 

Taken by Dee Anderson tells the story of Shannon Bliss after she reappears elven years after disappearing at the age of 16.  She goes to see private investigator Matthew Dane to help her recover and reenter back into society.  She will only tell him her story and doesn't want to talk to the other people who come forward to help her.   She uses what she knows to help bring down the crime family that had taken her.  She knows that the will do anything to silence her and needs to overcome her fears.  

As her story unfolds of what has happened to her in the last eleven years, she also learns what has happened to her family.   She learns the truth about what happened when she taken and who arranged to have it happen.  Matthew does all that he can to help her, even when the secrets that come out can only hurt her.  As he helps her, he can't help but realize that he is starting to feel something different towards her.

Dee Henderson did a great job at this story line.  It does keep you in suspense about what has happened to Shannon and who orchestrated her kidnapping when she disappeared.  The romance is subtle between the two main characters, but you can also see it between the other characters who are in the story as well.  I am eager to read previous stories by this author to read the stories of the minor characters that were in this book.  

I received this book from  Bethany House Publishers and Baker Group for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

How to Love Your Neighbor without being weird by Amy Lively

Amy Lively helps you to overcome your fears about getting to know your neighbors.  She talks about practical ways she had used to meet your neighbors and share your faith.  She describes what works and what might not work. Throughout the book she uses Scripture to talk about several points.

Ms. Lively gives very good points on how you can get out and meet your neighbors, both if you have a house and for those that rent. (Though most of the book is for those who own a house.)  They are simple and easy to put into use.  She give great encouragement through the book to put them to use, and the end of each chapters gives you a "Next Best Steps" where she asked questions you can answer and apply to yourself.

I was agreeing with what she was saying EXCEPT when I got to the chapter on spiritual gifts.  I had to disagree with some of what she said.   The biggest one being is that you can NOT give back the gift God has given you!  You can ignore it, you can not use it, but you can NOT give it back.  I also didn't fully agree with how she described Martha and talking about her service. 

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Finding Me by Kathryn Cushman

Kelli has grown up being told how her mother, sister and brother all died in a fire.   Nothing remains, including pictures of her family.  After her dad dies in a car accident she has to sell the house.  In going through the safe in her dad's office, a room she was forbidden to ever go into, she uncovers evidence of a different story.  She finds newspaper articles about a boat accident that killed a father and his infant daughter.  She finds pictures in the safe as well.  Kelli starts to realize that what she has been told all her life is a lie.  She starts out on a journey to uncover the truth.  She travels to a small town in Tennessee to learn what she can.  As she learns more and more she realizes that there are doors that she has opened, that might have been better left closed.  As she learns more about the truth, she realizes that not only does she need to find the answers about what really happened, but she needs to find out who she really is.  She needs to find herself.

Kathryn Cushman has woven a wonderful story about a young ladies struggle to find the truth.  There is an air of mystery throughout the book.  There is also a bit of romance and love in the story.  Not just the love between people are falling in love with each other, but the love between family, the care between friends.  As you are drawn more and more into the story, it makes the book all the harder to put down.  You just want to keep reading until you find out what happens in her search for the truth, in her search for herself.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Facing the Blitz: Three Strategies for Turning Trials into Triumps by Jeff Kemp

Jeff Kemp compares facing a trial in life to a blitz in a football game.  He talks about his experience in the NFL and the lessons he has learned in life. 

His three strategies are to take a long-term view, be willing to change and to reach out to others.  

There was a lot I disagreed with Kemp on in this book.  For a book that is supposedly to be from a Christian perspective,  I found the book to be very worldly in nature.   There were very few references in the book to God and the Bible.  A lot of times if felt like people talking about God was thrown in there, but it didn't go further from there.  There was only ONE part of the book where he took what he was talking about and using scripture verses to apply what he was saying. There is a good Biblical application at the very end of the book, but again there is only one verse to apply what he is saying.  There could have been a lot more Biblical application put in throughout the book.

I also strongly felt he was talking about how we should put ourselves first.  We should not put ourselves first, we need to put ourselves last.  JOY spells Jesus, Others, You.   When we are going through a trial we need to turn to God and ask him for his help.  We need to turn to others and ask them to pray for us. 

This is not a book I would recommend.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Blessings for the Morning by Susie Larson

Blessings for the Morning is a short devotional book by Susie Larson.  There is a scripture verse followed by a short message of encouragement on each page.  Each day's reading is short and has a color picture on each page.

Each verse and message offers up words of encouragement and blessing.  The only problem I had with it was the various versions of the Bible she uses.  I found I had to look up several verses up in my KJV Bible as I couldn't understand where the translation she used was saying.

This book would be a good addition to your bookshelf and would also make a good gift for someone.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

Dauntless by Dina L Sleiman

A wonderful book by Dina Sleiman!

Lady Merry Ellison has lost everything.  Her home and her family.  She is now an enemy of the king and will do whatever she can to protect the orphan children from her former village.  They became known as The Ghosts of Farthingale Forest.  Merry finds it more and more difficult to help keep the children safe as they are pursued.

One of the people after them is Timothy Grey,  As the ninth child of a baron, he has little hope of every receiving a title and longs for to rise from obscurity and have his own title.  He serves as a scribe to a local earl and realizes he has a chance to secure his dreams if he can catch the Ghosts.  When he does encounter them he is in for a huge surprise!!!!

I love how this author portrays Merry a strong women set in the time of medieval England.  .  Although her character is fictional and unlikely to have happened, Dina does a great job of showing how it could have been possible.  I really enjoyed the referenced to "Robin of the Hode".

The struggles that Merry faces and the struggles that Timothy faces were both very well portrayed.  They both overcome several different things and learn to see things in a new way.  

I can't wait to read more books in this series!!

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expresses herein are my own.

A fantastic thriller story by Nancy Mehl!!

Sarah has only just been reunited with her sister after being separated when her sister Hannah was adopted and she was placed in a different foster home, her sister is brutally murdered in the same way her parents were many years before.  Sarah asks Paul, the local deputy sheriff, to help her find out the truth about what happened.  Her parents murder was never solved and she doesn't want the same thing to happen to her sister.

Sarah is also faced with the challenge of now raising her niece Cicely.  Through the challenges she now faces with raising her niece, she also continues to pursue what happened to her sister and her parents.  She faces many dangers along the way, but she won't rest until she has the answers.

Paul is there with her helping her along the way, while trying his best to show Sarah that he has fallen for her.  Sarah needs a little help with realizing it.

What a fantastic story!! This was the hardest book to put down!!!  It keeps moving and keeps you in the story from the beginning to the very end!!! One night I told myself one more chapter and I had to get to sleep.  When I got to the end of the chapter, I found it impossible to put down! So I kept going until I finished it!

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expresses herein are my own.

Blinded Sided by God: Disappointment, Suffering and the Untamable Goodness of God by Peter Chin

Pastor Peter Chin tells the story of the trials he went through in the space of a year while trying to plant a church in New York.  There home was broken into, his wife had a miscarriage and was shortly after diagnosed with cancer.  Their health insurance cut them off.  He struggled to understand why all this was happening to him while he was trying to plant a church.

During all of these struggles, something glorious was happening.  His wife was expecting again.  It wasn't really until he held his new born son in his arms.  A son who was born perfectly healthy despite his wife undergoing chemo at the time, that God was still there him through all of this.  

Throughout the telling of his story, Peter talked about the lessons he learned and how he was able to apply them to his life.  It might not have been right away where he was able to see the lesson's learned, but he was able to look back and see how through all of the struggles he was going through, how God was working in his life.

This would be a good book for anyone who is struggling to understand why certain things are happening to them.  It would also be good for anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer or their spouse.  He talks a lot about what his wife went thought, her diagnosis and her treatments.

The only real issue I had with this book, and a grave disappointment to me, is when he was talking about his wife's miscarriage (and also at different times when referencing her next pregnancy) how he went from call his baby a baby to calling the baby a "fetus"  That child was NOT a fetus!  He/She was a baby.  A child of God.  It pained me to hear a pastor, refer to his own child as a fetus.  From the moment those first two cells split until the time she had her miscarriage, that baby was a baby.


I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expresses herein are my own.

Steadfast Heat by Tracie Peterson

Lenore has been brought up spoiled. She is from a wealthy family and had everything she wanted growing up.  Now that she is 20 she wants a husband and a marriage that is based on love.  However, he dad thinks it's time that she gets married and has found someone for her!  A business partner who is 17 years older then her!

Lenore meets Kolbein, a lawyer from Chicago, who has come to Seattle looking for his run away sister.  It is love for both of them at first sight.  Lenore's dad agrees to give her a month before she has to follow what he wants her to do.

Kolbein has come to Chicago looking for his sister.  He goes to the Madison Bridal School thinking she is there, but she isn't.  However, he does meet Lenore who is there visiting her friend Abrianna.  Through the story the fall in love and desire to get married.  Kolbein won't leave Chicago until he finds his sister.

Tracie Peterson has done it again!  Another book that is hard to put down!  What a remarkable story of love and lessons learned.

While this story line is about Lenore, her friend Abrianna takes center stage in all this.  Abrianna has a true heart for God and a desire to help those that are less unfortunate.  Lenore tries to teach Abrianna how to be a refined lady, but in the end, it's Abrianna that teaches Lenore several lessons.

I love the connection between Wade and Abrianna in this story.  They are perfect for each other!  I cannot wait for the next book to find out what happens to these two!


I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Authority in Prayer by Dutch Sheets

Dutch Sheets gives many examples of how he and people he knows took hold of what they read in the Bible and prayed with "authority".  He talks about examples of how we can "take charge" of our personal world and change the world around us.  

Dutch gave several stories of his life and how he used those lessons in his life to change his prayer life.

I struggled in reading this book. It became clear to me that after the first few chapters, Dutch does NOT have the same fundamental believes that I have.  There were many times I found myself scowling at the book and what I was reading.  There really wasn't much of this book that I found I could apply to my life and my beliefs.  

Towards the end of the book he stated "No one has more authority in your life then you do."  I'm sorry I don't agree with that at all.  GOD has the ultimate authority in my life.  If I was married, my husband would have authority over me and I would be submissive to him.    Yes, we need to pray for ourselves, but the way he states it , we should pray for our selves first.  However, we should pray for ourselves LAST.  It's Jesus  Others You.  That is what we should do and that is what I teach the children I work with.

I would have to say I do NOT recommend this book and almost wish I hadn't selected it as one of my free books I get to read and review.  


I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of this review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expresses herein are my own.