Where Courage Calls

We are introduced to Beth Thatcher in "Where Courage Calls".  Beth has lived her whole life in a safe place and has been well-provided for by her family.  She wanted for nothing.

A teaching opportunity arises in Coal Valley.  Coal Valley is a mining town where most of the men died in a mining accident.  The women and children left behind are grieving and struggle daily for their daily needs.  Beth finds ways to not only teach the children in the town, but to reach beyond herself and find ways to help the people in the town.   One thing is very apparent, Beth has a huge heart.

Beth also finds herself in deep thought about two different men.  One she has known her whole life, the other she met in her new journey.  They are both very respectable men.  What will Beth decide?

This is the first book that I have read authored by both Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan.  I found the tone of the book brought back the same warm feeling that accompanied Janette Oke's earlier books.  If you are a fan of Janette Oke... don't miss this great book.

I received this book complimentary from Bethany House Publishers.  This review is strictly my own opinions and views.  I was not paid for this review.

Death By The Book (A Drew Farthering Mystery)

Death By The Book (A Drew Farthering Mystery) by Julianna Deering definitely kept my attention.  In this book, we are brought back into the world of Drew Farthering.  After the experience of the murders on his land, Drew was happy to finally have things settle down and hopefully announce his engagement.

Things did not go as Drew expected... another murder takes place.  It seems that despite his best efforts, Drew is drawn into helping solve the murders that take place.

What I loved about this book is that it kept me guessing.  Typically, I can figure out the plot of a book fairly quickly.  That was not the case with this book and it was amazing to be kept in suspense!  However, as much as I loved this book, I was not fond of the ending.  I felt like the author couldn't figure out how to end and just rushed the ending.  With that being said, I would still want to read the next book in this series!

I received Death By The Book (A Drew Farthering Mystery) complimentary from Baker Publishing Group. This review is strictly my views.

Get Your Teenager Talking

"Get Your Teenager Talking" by Jonathan McKee is a great book! It gives parents 180 Conversation Starters. I love how just asking one of these questions can lead to much more dialogue. I have a 13 year old and 11 year old. I think it will be perfect for them. The Conversation Starters can be adapted to fit your family and whatever ages your children are. You can always omit some questions, or add additional ones.

If you are like me, it is almost impossible to get a DETAILED answer to questions. Sometimes I long to have dialogue with my often closed-off son. I can see that these questions will be so beneficial. It is asking his OPINION on topics. If your kids are anything like mine, they won't mind giving their opinion at all. I have had to learn that it's ok for my children to have different opinions on me on world topics. I can't wait to start this book with my two tonight!

I was sent a complimentary of this book by Bethany House Publishers. I was in no way paid for this review. This review reflects my own opinions.

A Sisterchick's Devotional: Take Flight

I love devotionals. It helps start my quiet time with God. I have to admit that I was not very impressed with A Sisterchick's Devotional:Take Flight authored by Robin Jones Gunn and Cindy Hannan.

I have asked myself why I was not very fond of it. It's been hard for me to pinpoint, but after much thought and deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that while the devotional is definitely full of truth, I just do not connect with the style of writing of the Sisterchick books. I love the idea behind the Sisterchick series, but I just can't connect with it.

With that being said, I think the artwork on the front cover emits a peaceful experience. I would definitely suggest this devotional to someone else, with the warning that I did not enjoy it for myself. Normally if I give a bad review, it's because I didn't enjoy because I think the idea was flawed. That is not the case in this instance.

I was given a complimentary copy of "A Sisterchick's Devotional: Take Flight" by Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for this review. These opinions are strictly mine and I was not paid for this review.

Unspoken

We are introduced to Charlotte Graham in Unspoken. We also get to know Bryce Bishop very well too. Charlotte has a very hard and painful past. She was the center of a highly publicized kidnapping scandal. She has never spoken very much about the specifics of what occurred during those four years she was in captivity. One thing for sure is that she will never marry.

Bryce Bishop is a very successful coin seller who has been asking God for direction as he is bored in his life. God had some amazing plans for Bryce that were anything but boring!

Due to her painful past, Charlotte has many questions about God. She is a self proclaimed struggling believer. Bryce so adequately leans on the guiding of the spirit of God to help Charlotte deal with these questions.

I could not put this book down. It is the first time I have been privileged to read a book authored by Dee Henderson. The entire time I was reading the book I was amazed at the intelligence of the writer. I believe that Henderson is not only an interesting author, but brilliant! I would love to see this book made into a movie. I'm so sad the book is over. I'm yearning to know more about Charlotte, as well as, Bryce. I would have immediately bought the sequel had there been one available.

I received this book complimentary from Bethany House in exchange for this review. I was in no way paid. The above are strictly my own opinions

Forgiveness: Overcoming the Impossible

Matthew West was inspired to delve deeper into the subject of forgiveness. As he did so, the book "Forgiveness: Overcoming the Impossible" came about.

We read of so many different situations in Matthew West's book where it seems that forgiveness would be next to impossible to give. We read about the loss of life, infidelity and more. There is one thing that rings true throughout the book... Forgiveness is a gift that not only benefits the one who has wronged you, but it is freeing to yourself.

I had tears as I read some of the stories included in Matthew's book. God is so much bigger than our hurts and can truly take care of our hurts so much better than we can.

I loved the style of writing and the simplicity of the pages. It was a very easy and touching read. I think this book would make an excellent gift for someone too.

I received this book complimentary from Booksneeze and was in no way paid for this review.

Made To Last

Miranda Woodruff is the star of the TV show "From The Ground Up". The network is considering making some changes and Miranda's manager knows they must step up their game.

Miranda has talked about her husband in each episode. There is one problem... she is NOT married! The idea of having someone pretend to be her husband comes into play. This is a tough act to pull off as Miranda now has a reporter (Matthew) following her and documenting and blogging about her life. There's also the fact that this is all a lie!

Not unlike a lot of us, Miranda has a lot of pain that she hasn't faced buried within her. When you add that pain along with the fact that Miranda is living a lie and the stress of the future of her show, you have a great story! Melissa Tagg pulled me into her book. This is the first time I have read a book authored by Tagg. I like how she held my attention and wrote an interesting story in a modern era.

I received this book complimentary from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for this review. This review is strictly my own and I was in no way paid for this review.