Plain paradise

I am quickly becoming an avid fan of Beth Wisman's books, I love the daughters of promise series (i've read two of the books now). Like usual Wisman draws the reader into the story with the very believeable and likeable characters, and takes us (the readers) on a journey with these characters that leaves us hungry to know more about Lancaster county and its inhabitants.
The story here focuses around three main characters; Linda a young amish woman/girl (she's 17) who finds out that her family has kept a Huge secret from her. Josie, Linda's birth mother who gave her up for adoption when she was 17, And Mary Ellen, Linda's mother.
Out of all the characters in the story i found myself really drawn in by Mary Ellen, as a parent of an adopted child, i really could understand her fear and heartache. I really feel like Wiseman hit the feelings she would have right on the nose!
The whole book was just a really fantastic read, I love these series and look forward to reading many more by her!

Somewhere to Belong

To be honest when i picked up the book i was a little weary about it being all that good, generally i love Amish stories but i wasn't sure if this was one. (I'm still not quite sure, but i think it is! lol)
Thankfully this book turned out to be fantastic, and while the characters lived lives quite different from the way i live mine, i found it was easy to relate to them and to sympathize with their struggles. Both of the main characters Johanna and Berta were quite easily likeable and realistic. Plus while the story provided some excellent Biblical lessons it didn't come across as preachy, which i really appreaciated about this book!
I will have no problem recommending this book to anyone looking for a good, wholesome read!

Hearts Awakening

In the book "Hearts Awakening" we read about the main character Elvira Kilmer, who by all worldy accounts is considered quite plain and ordinary. Fortunately for us the reader, we have a great insight into her soul and her struggles as she fights to earn a living and later fighting for her family. She show's courage and love in many situations that other's would walk away from. Plus I love that the character was written to show her doubts and worries, yet still rises above them to follow God's will in her life.  I think this was a great book for hearing and learning about following God even when the situation isn't what we're used to. I loved the main character's strength and heart, and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

The Promise of Morning

First off, as a Pastor's wife, i love reading about the lives of other's in the same kind of situations so i was quite excited to read this book! The story focuses around the life of Ellie Craig, and begins with the accounts of her losses and heartaches. Plus it gives some fantastic insight as to what its like living in a Minister's family. As trouble comes both to their own personal lives and their church, we follow along as the characters (Ellie and her husband Matthew) work to find God's strength, comfort, and will in their lives.
I completely loved this book, it was easy to read and had a great flow throughout the story. I got so into this story that I even found myself getting angry when people were attacking them, lol.
This will be in amongs my favorite books for a long time, and I have no doubt it'll be one of my most read as well!

Scattered Petals

The book "Scattered Petals" is about a young woman named Priscilla who longs for adventure and excitement, and while on her way to Texas for her Brother in Law's wedding she encounters awful tradgedies.
I really enjoyed this book, even though its a second in the series and i haven't read the first one, it was easy to follow and i didn't feel like i was missing a lot of vital information. The story is full of messages of forgiveness, healing, and redemption, yet it doesn't come across as preachy or antagonizing. The main Character (Pricscilla) is very realistic and easily likeable. I found myself quite engrossed in the novel and had quite a hard time putting it down! Plus i loved the lessons this book provided, they were insightful and very moving!
All in all i would 100% recommend this book to anyone, it was a great read!

Bibleman! Combating the Commandant of Confusion

I was so excited when i saw this up for review on Thomas Nelson! My son absolutely LOVES Bibleman and has nearly every movie! We sat down this afternoon and watched the movie together, and enjoyed it so much! I love that the Bible man movies are packed full of scripture and Godly messages, and this movie was no different! In a nutshell, the movie is about the Commandant of Confusion and his (sidekick/co-evil guy?) Chaos steal the armour of God and Bible man and his team have to race to retrieve it back.
I really appreciate how they make the Bibleman movies full of action and adventure that really draw kids in. My son isn't someone who enjoy's a lot of the Bible based movies (They tend to be corny) but he goes Crazy for Bibleman. He loves the costumes and especially the swords! More than once i've come across him watching this movie and quoting scripture with them!

A Distant Melody

I'm beginning to really love these historical romances especially when they're based in the 1940's era. Out of all the books i've read recently, this has to be one of my favorites! "A Distant melody" by Sarah Sundin is about the lives of two  characters, Allie and Walt. Both characters share the bond of having other's tell them they're not attractive enough, and both deal with issues that come out of that. As Walt goes off to war they begin to correspond and learn more about each other, and a love blossoms between them, but its threatened by secrets and expectations.

Sundin does a fantastic job of creating realistic and memorable characters, who are very relatable and down to earth. I love that these characters also were created with flaws, and real problems. It was easy to sympathize with both characters and  relate to their experiences and problems. The book also provides a great message of love and forgiveness that i really appreciate. All in all, I loved this book and will be recommending it to many people. It is well worth the read!

Along with that, I have an extra copy of the book so I'm holding a give-away for it! All you have to do is leave a comment with your email in it (so i can contact you!) I'll be doing a random draw to pick the winner.

The contest ends on Tuesday the 23rd of March, and I'll announce the winner the following day (March 24th) Good luck!

Sons of Thunder

This is one of those books that I will be reading over and over again, the flow to the story was great, and it kept my attention throughout the entire story. I love these historical fiction books, especially the ones set in the WW2 era.  The story focuses around Sofia Frangos and the two men who care for her, and through many misshaps and bad decisions she comes to realize the love of a good man, but also the love of a Great God. Susan May Warren wrote a fantastic story, this book kept my attention, even after putting the book down. lol. When i wasn't reading the book, i was thinking about what had gone on, and wondering what was happening next. I very much enjoyed this story and all the different twists and turns in it.
I love too that the charaters she created were quite human, they made real mistakes (it seems most Christian novels have their character's problems as corny, silly problems that don't reflect real life situations, this book was NOT like that!) and experienced Real grace.
I would definately recommend this book for anyone looking to find a great story about love and redemption.

The story of Easter

I loved the simplicty and straightforwardness (is that even a word? lol) of this book. As someone who works with children I was so excited to review this, and knew that the kids would love it too!
The day we got it in the mail the children (I have a day home) I was watching all gathered around once they saw it was a children's book. For the most part the book really kept their attention, and they very much liked looking at the pictures in the book. I found towards the end their attention started to waiver a bit, but then again, the kids were in the 2-3 year old range, so i suspect that the book may have been a little over their heads for the most part. However I loved this book as well, and it'll be keeping a place on the family book shelf for years to come!
I highly recommend this especially for people with young children, a great tool in teaching them the Gospel!