Wild in the Hollow

Reading this book was like finding someone who is a kindred soul, who understands that our lives can (and in honesty) tend to hit some pretty big bumps. There was a lot of freedom found in reading about Amber Haines' struggles and things that she had to overcome, there was such honesty and authenticity within the pages of her book, and a vulnerability that invited the reader to take that dive of believing God to take your broken self and give you healing and wholeness! This book spoke to my heart in such a powerful way, and has left me completely changed from the person I was when I started it. I love Amber Haines message of freedom and forgiveness. There was regret without shame in the pages, she embraced her life and her mistakes, and invited the reader to Come before God just as they are, that they don't need perfection before seeking the Father.
I adored this book, and will be recommending it to everyone I know!!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Simply Tuesday

I am not a big reader of books that aren't fiction, self help or even a lot of devotionals tend to lose my interest pretty fast, so I am usually hard pressed to recommend them if I don't find I enjoy them.
However, I truly and fully enjoyed reading "Simply Tuesday", it was like a breath of fresh air, we're constantly surrounded by speakers or books that tell us to dream big, to get out and do more. It gets to the point that seeing these things, or being surrounded by people like that tend to make me feel very anxious. "Simply Tuesday" really released the reader to be ok with living in the moments, even the small ordinary moments. It was like a weight hand been released from my shoulders that there wasn't another  person/book that was expecting us all to take on the world and shoot to stardom. I'm the type of person who enjoys the quiet, I'd rather simply serve within the church than stand out, and for the first time that I've ever read, someone has said its ok! That living a good Christian life doesn't mean I have to jump on these bandwagons of grandeur! What a relief and release to have someone say I'm ok serving the way that I'm called to!!
I will be highly recommending this book to absolutely everyone, but especially to those who may not fit the model of "Dream big/live big" that is so prevalent in our society!


Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Trial run

Pretty much any book that isn't a corny romance book, is an awesome book to me, so when I saw "Trial Run" with my review choices, I thought it would be a neat book to read through, although it is a bit outside my regular genre! (Plus I love that its the kind of book I can pass on to my husband who would be interested in it too!)
I really did enjoy the story, and by the end of the book was hard put to set it down! I did however in the beginning find it a little hard to follow, though since its not the regular genre I usually read, I think the fault of the confusion may lay much more on my end then the author's!
The book was fast paced and quite intelligent, as I got to know the characters I really began enjoying reading about them. Thomas Locke wrote in such a way that the characters, while some were of different backgrounds, were still quite relatable , and I really love it when a book can do that!
I'm not going to go into too much of what the book is about, (mostly since the science, or idea of out of body travel and transcending time and space is a little out of my knowledge, lol) But I will say that I think regardless of what kind of genre you like reading, "Trial Run" will be a great investment for your library, and I think will appeal to both male and female readers!!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Not by sight

Again, I have to express my love for historical fiction, and was thrilled to see it was about the white feather campaign, I had just learned about that not long ago and it was interesting to see within the book something that I had read come to life in a fiction setting!
I had read a previous book of Kate Breslin's "For such a time" and adored it, so I was thrilled to see that she was one of the authors included in Augusts review pack! She is an excellent writer, her books have a fantastic flow to them that carries out throughout the entire book. She's also great at bringing out the emotions of her characters and clearly expressing them to the reader. the pictures painted by her words made this book a joy to read.
The book is focused on Grace, a young suffragette who upon first meeting Jack (the other main character) assumed he was not doing his duty in the war and handed him a white feather of cowardice. Unknowingly to her, her actions set into motion a tumble of twists, turns, betrayals, and heartache, that would lead her down many twists and turns before truth would prevail.
In all, I though this book was fantastic and would highly recommend it to everyone!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. 

Through Deep Waters

Historical fiction, I have to say, are my absolute without a doubt, favorite genre, I've read a number of Sarah Sundin's books, follow her blog, and am always more than thrilled to see a new book out for review! This one absolutely does not disappoint either, as true to form, Sundin's characters were very realistic and down to earth. While some of the circumstances they found themselves in could be considered crazy, the build up to them throughout the book really lent itself to a believability of the circumstances, and really drew me as an audience into the whole situation.
The book is focused on Mary, a Boston navy yard secretary, and Jim a naval officer, both who are discovering that the people they are around may not be who they think they are. When a number of items are sabotaged Mary takes it upon herself to begin recording the going on's of the naval yard, and inadvertently places herself in some very precarious situations.
In all, I loved this book, it was fast paced, full of twists, and I didn't figure out the culprit/culprits at all, until the book revealed them. It was an entertaining read with a great message, I will be highly recommending it!!


Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.