This Road We Traveled by Jane Kirkpatrick

Tabitha Brown is hurt when her son makes the decision to move her entire family out west and leave her behind, stating she is to old and lame to make the journey.  Tabby joins forces her her deceased husbands brother and hires her own wagon to join her family on the journey.  She faces many trials along the way as they make their journey and she both teaches and learns lesson.  

The story follows the story of Tabby, her daughter Pherne and her granddaughter Virgilia.  All of them face the struggle of leaving so much behind and starting out on this new adventure with my new adventures and dangers awaiting them as they journey and settle in their news homes.

I found this book very dull and not interesting.  If I book does not capture me within the first chapter, it doesn't capture me at all.  This one didn't.  I found it hard to read as I didn't have a desire to read it. Most of the last half of the book was only skimmed over.  I would have a hart time recommending this book to anyone.

This 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. 

Everything is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams by Jen Bricker

Jen Bricker was born without legs and given up for adoption.  Her adoptive parents raised her to never say that she couldn't do something.  They taught her that anything was possible and Jen believed them.  She played baseball, roller skated, power tumbling and spinning from silk fabric high up in the hair.  Whatever she set her mind to do she did it.

In this book Jen tells her story of how she  didn't let obstacles stand in her way.  If she wanted to do something she did it.  She does not consider her self to be handicapped in any sort of way.  She talks about what she has learned in her life and how we can believe in the same things.    She starts each chapter off with a scripture verse and ends it with a section entitled "Believe It!"

This book was very inspiring.  Jen Bricker goes to prove that you can do anything you set your mind to.  The lessons that she has learned throughout her life can so easily be applied to anyone's life.

This 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. 

A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M. White

Lady Ella Myserston is more then meets the eye. She seems to be a very unconventional person for the time she is living.  Even though people have tried to protect her, she has learned all she could about the dangerous of the Fire Eye diamonds.  She won't let anything happen to her brother or any of her family and friends again.  

Lord James Cayton is working hard to turn his life around and to became a better person.  However, old acquaintances are working at pulling him back in to what he is trying to leave behind in an attempt to find and seize the jewels.  He meets Lady Ella and does his best to keep both her and his young daughter from danger.  

Kira has been hired by Lord Rushworth to be a lady's maid to his sister Lady Pratt.  Secretly she is working for someone else to find and get her hands on the jewels.  As she works for Lady Pratt she learns the truth about many different things that are happening and the truth about what to Lady Pratt's family.

I so love the banter and the connections between Ella and Cayton!  They work so well together.  Lady Ella stands up for herself so well it's also unsure of who is trying to protect who!  

This book was action packed from beginning to end.  Each of the characters seemed to come alive on each page.  You can see the real differences between the upper class and those the lived "below the stairs" at that time, but at the same time you can see where those barriers were coming down in that household.  

Roseanna White has done a remarkable job.  I need to go back and read the first two stories to get the back ground of these characters.  However, I do feel as this book can easily be read alone without having read the first two stories in the trilogy.

This 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. 

Your Powerful Prayers by Susie Larson

Susie Larson rights a powerful book on prayer.  She fully understands, and gives examples in her life, of the struggle to pray.  She shows how she has learned to pray with confidence and joy.  In the first unit, she teaches how to pray like we loved, for perspective, with endurance, and to say what's true.   She goes on in the second unit to teach us to pray like we are heirs, to pray without, to pray like we are anchored and to pray like we are an anchor.  In the final unit she dares us to pray with humility, passion, confidence and to expect to preserve.  

This book was very uplifting and encouraging.  It's very honest and very open.  Each chapter ends with a sample prayer and encourages you on what to pray about from the chapter.   Each chapter also has quotes and ends in several discussions questions, making it good for a group study.

The one issue I had was with the numerous number of Bible translations used.  While the translations have nothing to do with the review of this book, I found it hard to understand some of them and found myself reaching for my King James Bible when I didn't know the verse and was unsure if what it was saying.  Though my personal view of the many translations should not go against this review.

This 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.