No greater Joy!

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of Julie Klassen, when I first read her book "Girl at the gatehouse" I fell in love with her writing style and characters. Her characters really have a depth to them, and it makes the stories seem so much more fulfilling. I think after reading "Silent Governess" I was completely hooked. Whenever we're in stores I'm constantly on the look out for books by Julie Klassen, they're always guaranteed to be a fantastic read!
"The maid of Fairbourne Hall" Is mostly focused around Margaret Macy. After her mother remarries Margaret is faced with a scheming stepfather and his equally scheming and dishonorable nephew.
After many attempts to push Margaret into marrying Marcus (the scheming nephew) and after Margaret overhears a plan regarding her and her immediate future she feels that she has no choice but to leave her home.
Under the guise of a maid, Margaret finds herself unknowingly in the employment of a former suitor, as she struggles to keep her identity hidden she is continually faced with challenges. From learning how to act and do the job of a maid, to trying to stay out of sight of her stepfathers many spies.
This book was great, very suspenseful and full of intrigue, the Characters were well developed and each had their own distinct personality! I highly Highly recommend not only this book, but any book by Julie Klassen!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The captive heart

2012-01-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to see that this book was up for reviewing! I read and absolutely loved Dale Cramer's first book of this series "Paradise valley" and had been searching trying to find the next book in the series! So I was thrilled to see that we had this book in the review list!
The book is a continuation of "Paradise valley" we are seeing the second year of the Bender family's move to Mexico, and the continuation of their struggles with the addition of some new ones as well.
Also in this book, we begin to learn more about Miriam and her struggles and desires as she works to fit in and live in this new place.
Like the last book, I absolutely loved this one too! It was very well written, the story moved along at quite a fast pace and was full of suspense and adventure! For an Amish novel, this was completely unexpected!
I would 100% recommend this book, one of the best books I've read in a long time!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The resignation of Eve

2012-01-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have mixed feelings about this book, while I thought the author presented some challenging ideas within his book, I feel that the whole premise of the book (that women are leaving the church due to lack of influence or feelings of being overworked) doesn't quite fit the reality (that I've seen at least). I'm not sure which denomination the author was studying (I can't recall if he mentioned that the numbers reflected an inter-denominational survey, etc...) but in my experience women have a great deal of influence within the church, as well as they tend to (at least in the circles I've seen) dominate the leadership roles for the most part. I however live in Canada, so perhaps it is different here?
I do though appreciate that the author points out that many women are feeling under appreciated, and actually do agree with him on this point. In my experience a lot of ministries (that are not solely men focused) have a majority of female leadership, who do tend to get over worked/under appreciated. (especially since in my experience (my husband is a pastor) there are fewer willing volunteers so when you get one, they tend to get a lot of work thrown at them!)
I think too that the author and I might differ on some doctrinal issues which is perhaps why I didn't agree with the book, I'm more of a traditional mind set, so the whole quietly working behind the scenes works well with me!
All in all though, I do have to give this book a thumbs up, it did challenge me to consider why I hold certain views towards not only women in the church, but also leadership. Plus it caused me to look deeper into the Bible to see what it had to say about my role, and the role of my gender. Also I appreciated that the author, while he presented his views straightforwardly, didn't belittle those with other views. (that's sometimes hard to find in books such as these!)
So this does get a recommendation from me, if nothing else it will challenge you to consider why you hold the beliefs that you do!

This book was provided to me by Tyndale for reviewing purposes.

Real Marriage

2012-01-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Generally I don't enjoy marriage books, I find them to mostly skirt around the important questions and instead give a few corny suggestions that sound like they're straight from your grandmother. However, I do very much like reading and hearing Mark Driscoll, I've enjoyed many of the articles he's written (although this is the first book by him that I've read). He has a very straightforward and to the point way of speaking that I appreciate, and he doesn't shy away like so many other Christian leaders have done when faced with the hard stances. I don't always 100% agree with every bit of doctrine that Driscoll has, but as a general rule, most of what he says does follow in line with what I believe.
So I was actually looking forward to reading this book, and it didn't disappoint. Written by Mark and Grace Driscoll, they kind of get into the real bottom line of a Biblical marriage, even going so far as to answer the questions that most Christians are too embarrassed to ask. I appreciated the vulnerability they showed throughout the book as well, giving personal examples of their own struggles and what got them through it. Throughout the book the Driscoll's gave Biblical background for the opinions and doctrine they shared regarding marriage. It was well written, easy to read, and an interesting read as well.
I think if I had any complaints at all (and really I don't) it would be that I would have liked to have seen more by Grace Driscoll in the book, I really enjoyed what she had to say.

I am in here

2011-12-31T20:16:00.000-08:00

The minute I laid eyes on this book I knew I would love it! I'd heard Elizabeth and Virginia's story on one of the special interest news stories a while back. So from the small amount I'd learned from that, I was eager to delve further into their story.
Its such a remarkable story, and sheds so much light on not only what its like for the caretakers/parents of autistic children, but also opens up a window to see the struggles and triumphs and heartaches of those who live within the prison of autism. This is one of those books I read in one sitting, it was well written and interesting, and even more importantly it gave the reader a (small) understanding of the struggles faced because of autism. I found myself cheering along when Elizabeth had her triumphant moments, and mourning with her mother when she found herself in a setback. The book is incredibly inspiring, and I would highly (Very Highly) recommend it, especially to those who would work with any special needs people. This book opens your mind to so much that I didn't previously understand about this condition.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Valley of dreams (wild west wind ~ 1)

2011-12-31T20:11:00.000-08:00

This was a fantastic book, very adventurous and suspenseful! I think my only complaint would be that I absolutely hated how it ended! I wanted to know so much more! (thankfully this is only book 1 and I'll have the chance to read more about these characters!!)
The main character is Cassie Lockwood, who has spent her life travelling with her family in a wild west show. She is an accomplished shooter who knows exactly what she's doing in the arena. However because of circumstances not of her own choosing she finds herself having to leave the show and make out on her own. With two unusual companions she strikes out to find the valley that her father had found and dreamed about developing. Along the way they have many adventures, some that were filled with blessings and others that were less that happy.
This was a great read. The characters were well written and while they had extraordinary circumstances/living situations they were still believable (which seems to be quite the challenge!) Like I mentioned I wished the book had gone on longer, it was so good I didn't want the story to stop!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Lasting Impression

2011-12-31T20:03:00.000-08:00

I
I absolutely loved this book, It was very well written and quite entertaining. There were a few moments of surprisingly funny scene's that cracked me up.
The main character was Claire Laurent, who is an aspiring artist, because of her family and their "careers" she was forced to play a part in creating fraudulent art. However as a talented artist Claire yearns for more than just copying. Seeing her chance she begins a new life in a new state and tries hard to hold onto the precarious balance she has in keeping others from finding out about her past.
I very much liked the main character, she was easy to identify with and quite likeable. There was nothing pretentious about her (which I find to sometimes be a problem especially in Christian fiction when the authors strive to emphasize the 'goodness' of the character) the character was naturally likeable.
I 100% recommend this book, it is well worth the read!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Resolution for Men

2011-12-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

"This book is an unapologetic call for men to live courageously for their faith and their families. it is designed to strategically challenge you to become the man God created you to be."
I gave this book a quick read through, and garnered a lot from it, but I'm even more excited to have my husband read through it. I think he'll get so much out of it, I'm not a man and I received so much for it, so I know he'll love it!
I assume the author will receive some flack for this book, it's very much a book about men stepping up and giving direction and leadership in the spiritual lives of their families. (and I 100% agree with the book) our world right now is so much about pushing aside gender "roles" and almost forcing our men to take a back seat while pushing the women to step into roles that some are just not comfortable with.
I strongly believe that right now many churches lack this balance of having masculine leadership in the church (and don't get me wrong, I don't have issues with female leaders or pastors). I highly recommend this book!

"Book has been provided courtesy of David C Cook and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from B&H Publishing Group".

The Resolution for Women

2011-12-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

I loved the book "The Love Dare" so when I had the opportunity to read a book that was written (in partnership) with the creators of "The love dare" I jumped at the chance!
The book basically (and this is a very basic description!) focuses on resolving to become "Purposefully feminine, surprisingly satisfied, and faithfully His."
I especially loved the section on being "Purposefully feminine", I'm always a bit weary of books that try to let people know how women ought to behave or live, etc... I'm not the type of person who fits into stereotypes well. Thankfully, this book is absolutely the opposite of that. It isn't telling women what they ought not be doing, but instead is giving "permission" in a way for women to be uniquely themselves. The world seems so set on forcing women to lose their femininity, that if you embrace a traditional type of lifestyle, its almost frowned upon. So I love the fact that this book is opening up the discussions to get women talking about and thinking about who exactly they are in Christ.
I know I'll be sharing about this book with our women's group, and highly recommending it to any woman!

"Book has been provided courtesy of David C Cook and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from B&H Publishing Group".

Courageous Living: Dare to take a stand

2011-12-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

"We each have a choice: We can be average or exceptional. We can play at church, or we can be radical for Christ. We can base our lives on the worlds's standards of success, or we can dig in the Bible and ask God to show us where He wants us to live and who He wants us to be."
This basically sums up what this book is about, its about living courageously, not just settling for good enough. The book is full of stories of others who have lived courageously, who when given the opportunity to sit back and let life go by they instead took the initiative to live radically the way that Christ calls us to!
I absolutely love this book, it's so inspirational!! I love that the author (Michael Catt) gives us both examples from the Bible of courageous living, as well as modern day stories from real people. i think the book has a great balance of biblical backing, yet is a fascinating read as well!
I highly recommend this book! I think this one will be one of those life changing books, once you've read it you can't just go back to living just that average life!

"Book has been provided courtesy of David C Cook and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from B&H Publishing Group".

The Names of God Bible

2011-12-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely in love with this Bible, it has now replaced my regular Bible as the one I use for both my personal devotions and Church! I love that it uses the original names (From both Greek and Hebrew) and also gives the meaning of the names of God! I'm finding that I'm garnering so much more insight from my devotions simply because of them using the original distinct names of God in the different passages! I love seeing how the Bible passages open up a new level of understanding when we're seeing the original name of God used. It gives such depth to what we're reading! Plus I also love the "devotionals" (not necessarily your standard devotional, but more like a lesson on God's different names!)

For the past while now I've been on a big kick to learn the different names of God and where in Scripture they're originally used. I had a hard time finding good resources for this. So I was beyond happy to have reviewed this Bible, the language is clear and easy to understand. There are just so many great things about this Bible! I highly recommend it!

"Bible has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

My Favorite Bible

2011-12-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

This is an adorable Bible! First of all the illustrations are well done, they're colorful and full of "action" it really keeps the kids attention! Also I really loved how clear this Bible is in explaining the Bible stories to children. Its in an easy to understand language, and presents the Word of God in a straightforward and simple way!
I think my favorite part though is at the very end of it. Where it out lines salvation to the reader. As someone who works within a children's ministry I think that the materials for explaining salvation in simple terms is horribly lacking. This book I think is not only going to be interesting for the small kids to read, but it's a valuable resource for those who are teaching as well!!
Highly Recommend!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and finishing well

2011-12-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

I am such a huge fan of Billy Graham, he is one of the few evangelists who manage to stay on course once they begin to garner a large amount of the public's attention. In a time where many public evangelists are not living what they're preaching, its such an encouragement to see him remaining so faithful and faith-filled! I've read many of Billy Graham's books and immensely enjoyed them, so I had some pretty big expectations when I started this book! In his book "Nearing Home" Billy Graham seems to be using a more conversational tone, which I really enjoyed. Reading this book was very much like sitting down seeking advice with a beloved friend! As a younger adult (can being in my 30's still be considered a younger adult? lol) I'm not in the dilemma that parts of the book speak about. However I found the advice still to be so insightful and tactful. He lovingly suggests ways to be respectful to those who are at the nearing home time of their lives, and he gives insights on how we can still help take care of them without taking over them.
I loved this book, its a message that I think our younger generations need to take to heart.
I highly recommend!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Journey to Christmas

2011-12-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

I have to confess, I'm a giant nerd, especially when it comes to anything that even resembles a documentary! This movie (to me) felt much more like a documentary than a Bible study, (which was one of the reasons I liked it so much!) I love Bible studies that are full of knowledge (by all means, I think we need the emotional/how to apply to our lives type Bible studies, and I do enjoy them every once in a while) where reading them or seeing them helps me to leave knowing more than when I started. I have to confess something else here too, I planned on reviewing it over a few days, but ended up watching the entire thing in one day. I loved it, the scenery was stunning, the quality of this film is fantastic!
This film takes us on the journey of five "modern day explorers" Who travel to the Holy land to learn more about Jesus' birth. One thing I very much loved about this Bible study is that it gives us so many different perspectives! I loved hearing what each of the five explorers thought or how they interpreted personally what they were seeing and learning.
It's a little too late in the year for me to share this with our ladies group this year, but I know what our Bible Study will be for next year! Fantastic!!

Remembering Christmas

2011-11-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

I don't think I can even begin to describe how much I truly enjoy and love the books that Dan Walsh writes. I make it a point when I visit book stores to keep a look out for his books, they're just that good!!
And this book doesn't disappoint either, it was fantastic! It was a bit unusual for a Christmas book in the way that it doesn't start out with your typical settings or characters (but that however is one of the reasons I love his books!!)
The main character is Rick Denten who is "forced" to return home when his step-father is rushed to the hospital with a stroke. His mother needs someone to run the family store, and Rick is the only one she is able to turn too. Rick is a lawyer for a large and growing firm, and while he grew up with some church upbringing, he's walked away from that (in a way) for the temptation of power and wealth.
There are so many twists and turns in this book, nothing is what you'd expect from a Christmas novel! I highly recommend this book!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Christmas Shoppe

2011-11-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

I'm struggling with this book, while it was well written and I adore Melody Carlson's books, this was far too much like Stephen Kings "Needful things" book (Minus the sinister element of course). The shoppe is opened by a woman resembling a bag lady who seems to be trying to run a second hand shop, and resembles nothing of Christmas, or a shop that would sell Christmas items. However as time goes on the town begins to find that the shoppe holds a special item for each of them, and their faith is increased and their pasts forgiven.
I really do want to give this a great review, and for the most part it was so well done. Melody Carlson is an author I've read many times and her books are wonderful, full of sentiment and so heartwarming. A perfect book for Christmas! However I just can't get past the idea that this book wasn't as "original" as her books tend to be. (and don't get me wrong, I highly recommend this author, she is a wonderful writer and her books are fantastic.) But for those who haven't read "needful things" they'll probably thoroughly enjoy the book. (And I did enjoy it despite of some of my misgivings.)

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Lancaster County Christmas

2011-11-30T17:58:00.000-08:00

I search and snatch up any and every Suzanne Woods Fisher books I can find, she's the author I read when I was first introduced to Amish fiction, and it was love at first read!
Mattie Reihl is struggling with issues of fertility and while at a doctor's office her son befriends another woman in the waiting room. What at first seemed like a mismatch of personalities, the women (after a few unfortunate circumstances) find that they are both exactly what the other one needed! When forced to spend time together the women form a bond and a strong friendship develops. As the story goes on we're able to see both women grow in their faith (and into faith) .
With their simple faith and simple ways, I was reminded again why I love reading about the Amish so much.
I highly recommend this author and her books!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

Wonderland Creek

2011-11-30T17:47:00.000-08:00

I adored this book, it had absolutely everything in it that I love reading about. I love reading about strong female characters and reading a story with a good adventure. (Especially if its in a unusual circumstance.)
Again, Lynn Austin is one of the authors that I enjoy reading, her books are just the type of story that really hits home with me!
The lead character in this book is Alice Ripley, a laid off librarian who unwittingly takes the trip of a lifetime when she decides to volunteer to drop off donated books to a poor mining town in Kentucky. As she arrives she finds that nothing is how she expected it, from the librarian to the rest of the town. Having to stay for at least a few weeks she tries to make the best of the situation. However when the librarian is shot, she is forced to take on way more responsibility then she was prepared too, along with the care of an elderly woman.
This book was fantastic, it was full of adventure and intrigue, I think my only complaint would be that it ended way too soon! I so wanted to read more about the characters in the book!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favorite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

Love on the line

2011-11-30T17:38:00.000-08:00

I had read Deeanne Gist's book "Maid to match" a while back and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I was pretty excited to have a chance to review another one of her books! I've found with Gist's books that while they do have that "romantic" aspect to them they are also filled with adventure and humor, so it's a very well rounded book for a picky reader!

The book focuses on one of the main characters Georgie Gail who is very much a feminist in a time where its not too popular to be one. She works as a telephone switchboard operator and has a passion for birds! Her life hits an exciting moment when the train she is riding on is robbed by a famous criminal who seems too good to be true. An undercover officer (unbeknownst to Georgie) shows up to fill the position of lineman and from then on Georgies life begins to take some wide turns. From having to work with a man who doesn't necessarily agree with her feminist ideas to fight her growing admiration and attraction for him, Georgie finds herself struggling.

I enjoyed this book, it was witty and humerus, which I always appreciate, plus it was very well written.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group"

The Love & Respect Experience A Husband-Friendly Devotional that Wives Truly Love

2011-11-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

I loved the book from first sight, (even without reading it!) the book looks gorgeous!! When I started reading (on my own at first) the book, I already found myself hooked before I even showed my husband! The language of the book is simple to understand, the author uses the "everyday" kind of language and seem to actually be trying to help enrich couple's rather than trying to prove their own intelligence! Since (especially in this kind of genre) most books seem to struggle with that, I very much appreciate the straight forward approach of this one! I love that it's a 52 section devotional, I don't feel pressure in that I need only to find time once a week to read with my spouse.
Now, when I first showed it to my husband, he was hesitant, we're book opposites, especially when it comes to what we like. However after I convinced him to even just read the info, he was ok with sitting down with me and going through the book. We both are enjoying it (I've read ahead through it on my own, just so I knew what the book was about before trying to do a devotional with my husband!!) as time goes on. Plus I'm finding that now that I'm going through it a second time, I'm garnering even more from it!
I really recommend this book!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson"

Whole

2011-11-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

I received this book from Tyndale Media Center for the purpose of reviewing it, My reviews are based solely on my opinion and I am not required to give a good review!

This book came at a real opportune time for me, I think we all go through those times where we feel that we have a significant "hole" missing or that something that ought to be there isn't. I honestly didn't have really big expectations for this book, I've read too many that give simple cop outs as to why the reader doesn't measure of and is there for "missing" being whole. I'm glad however to know that this book was so much more than that. Lisa Whittle showed a lot of vulnerability in what she wrote about her personal life struggles, and I'm very impressed that she was willing to get that vulnerable in order to connect with the reader.
As someone who is involved with leadership in churches (My husband is a Pastor) I am really weary about books that like to point out all the ways that the church has "failed" them. I tend to feel defensive about this, as I feel that while churches do try to work towards helping people and being there for people, we are also human and there for imperfect. So when I started reading about the way that her (Whittle's) church "Failed" her I was rather weary and a bit defensive at first. However, that feeling didn't last. Whittle was honest in her approach, and while acknowledging where the church fell short, she didn't play the blame game and belittle/criticize her leadership.
I like this book a lot, and in fact have recommended it for our leadership in the church. I think it will be a valuable resource for our leadership team, as well as a great tool for our congregation!

Deadly Pursuit

2011-11-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love reading series, so I'm always excited to get a book from an author I know, and then to find out that I can read more about the characters after the first book is done!
I enjoy Irene Hannon's books, they're thought provoking, fully of mystery and suspense, and also hold a strong element of faith. Her books promote her characters' faith without coming across as preachy or self-righteous, and even though it's a work of fiction I was glad to see that she had some good theological idea's presented in the book!
The book is about Alison Taylor and her struggles after being involved in a very serious car accident, struggling to heal, and then struggling to return and do well at a job she loves. After helping a young mom and her son leave a dangerous situation Alison suddenly finds herself the focus of some very dangerous unwanted attention. After receiving mysterious phone calls and frightening packages Alison brings in her two brothers (Who happen to be federal agents) to help her out. With their help comes the help of a new agent, who Alison finds herself spending more and more time with.
I enjoyed this book, it was well written, had great flow and was full of suspense! It was one ofthose books that you struggle to put down until the end!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The measure of Katie Calloway

2011-11-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

This book is exactly the type of book I love reading, anything that has a historical element to it is right up my alley! Plus with this book being set in an almost "frontier" type setting and showing the struggles of everyday life I found myself very intrigued!
Pretty much the book focuses on Katie Calloway, and her attempt to save herself and her younger brother from her abusive and mentally unstable husband. After an extremely frightening incident Katie finally decides to find a way away from her husband and into a relatively safe situation.
After a series of events she finds herself brought on as a cook for a logging group deep in the woods (which suits her fine, since she was still hiding from her husband). Throughout the book we read about her struggles as she learns to cook for a large group of strangers, the struggles she has to get along with other "staff" and the friendships that develop in the midst of it all.
I loved this book, it was fantastic and thoroughly believable! I would highly recommend it!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Necessary Deception

2011-11-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

This book had a great quality to it, I was easily able to identify with the main character and her struggles of feeling like what she's done and is doing isn't good enough, and that she has to work to make up for her past mistakes. I think that's a theme that many women struggle with and this book really brought them out in an identifiable and compassionate way!
Lady Lydia Gale is struggling to make up to her deceased husband for not being the wife she thought she should have been. So upon a letter written to her from him, she uses one of her last "remembrances" from him to purchase the freedom of a french prisoner. Upon his release she finds herself thrown into a world that she never wanted a part of, and has no idea how to get out of! In the midst of this she is also struggling to please her father who had not wanted her to marry her former husband, and is trying to win back his approval.
This book was a fantastic read, it was well written and had a great flow, which made the reading of it enjoyable. But also, it was realistic in the way that what the characters were feeling was something that most women can identify with!
I highly recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Behind the veils of Yemen

2011-11-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

This book was so different from what I had expected! I had expected Shelby's story to be typical of other missionary biographies, which seem to me are full of exaggerated accomplishments and share absolutely none of their struggles (other than the once in a while mundane worry, but nothing life effecting!)
I'm so glad that I was given a chance to read this book and that it held none of what I had expected it to hold! Shelby's story wasn't just about what she accomplished while in Yemen, but shared her struggles, (Physical and mental), sometimes her crises of faith, and just the daily struggle it was to walk in faith in a land that punishes that faith!
I really liked this book, it wasn't typical of the missionary biographies you see out there, it not only encouraged others in their faith, shared with them in their struggles, but it also really painted a strong picture of the "humanness" of missionaries.

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Miracles are for Real

2011-11-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is one of those books that not only is it well written and intelligent, but it's life changing as well. I think all of us struggle with the idea of miracles at times. Whether its that we're doubting that miracles could happen for us, or struggling with the idea that God's answer to our pleas for miracles aren't always what we want or expect.
There are times that books of this type (dealing with a specific aspect of our faith, and something that many struggle with) tend to take on an accusatory tone or take a simple way out by blaming the reader rather than providing any level of knowledge or insight. I'm so glad to see that this book stayed well away from that kind of tone! While the authors didn't shy away from the hard questions, they also answered them with compassion and insight instead of taking the "easy way out" and passing the blame onto the reader.
This is one of those few books that will hold a special place on my book shelf, and has already become well read! I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone I meet!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

House of Secrets

2011-11-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't so much of a romance (Which I appreciated, lol, although it did have "romantic" aspects to it at times) and actually had quite a bit of depth. Its something that I really appreciate about this author, that she has this ability to really give dept and a very believeable personality to her characters! I love reading books by Tracie Peterson!
Basically this story revolves around Bailee Cooper and her two sisters who she is sharing a very serioious secret with. After he father asks the family to meet at their old cabin, she assumes all the secrets will be coming to light. Dealing with the burden and effects of keeping such a serious secret all these years, we read about Bailee's struggles as she faces a new relationship and new circumstances!
This was a pretty great story, I enjoyed it and found it to be really though provoking and challenging! (which is exactly the type of book I love to read!) I appreciate it when a good book (especially a good fiction book) offers a challenge to their readers! Even though the story was fiction, it was still full of life lessons for the reader!
I highly recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The voice - New Testament

2011-10-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

I love this Bible, it's become my "Go to" when I am doing my devotions now! I love the language of it, it's full of passion and excitement, but still sticks to what the original author was saying! I find this Bible has helped me gain a better perspective at times on what is being written about in certain books. Right now, I'm working my way through Galatians and I have found that this version has really put a great emphasis and made it much easier to understand!
I also love (LOVE) that when referring to Jesus, the book uses the term "The Liberating King", what a powerful image that conveys!!
As a pastor's wife, I'm always on the look out for books that can help a new convert in their walk, and this is definitely one I'll be suggesting to our leadership teams! I highly recommend this book, whether your a new convert or an old one, it'll speak to you!!

The Christmas note

2011-10-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

I love these type of books, Heartwarming stories that seem to bring out the best in people, and it's perfect for the Christmas season!
The book focuses around Gretchen McCray and a young woman name Melissa, Gretchen moves into an apartment complex to be close to her elderly mother and meets her new neighbor Melissa, who seem either uncaring or horribly shy! After Melissa's mother passes away Gretchen offers to help her clean out the apartment, but no one is prepared for what happens next!!
While the book is a really heart warming book, I also enjoyed that it had bits of suspense and mystery! The writing was well done and the book had a great flow! I would highly recommend this book!!

NO wonder they call Him Savior

2011-10-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

I love reading books by Max Lucado, he has some fantastic insight into the Scriptures and nature of God. I always come away feeling encouraged, empowered, and faith filled!
This book was no exception and one of those books that I'll be picking up for friends and new converts at our church. It was such a good book that really gets to the heart of why Jesus deserves our devotion, and admiration and love. We get taken on a journey of Jesus from the cross to the ressurrection, we see Jesus' stark honesty in the the Garden of Gethsemane and celebrate his ressurection in the tomb! Really this book meant so much to me, as Christians, (especially long time Christians) sometimes our faith tends to get stale and we forget the gloriousness of what Jesus did for us. We forget how absolutely astonishing and wonderous Jesus truly is. This book reminds us of that.
I love this book, I highly recommend it!!

Stuck

2011-10-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

I loved the idea of this Bible study when it was first offered up for review, as someone in leadership in our women's ministry, I like to check out new resources and find that I'm really enjoying the dvd based studies. They not only give the information, but when paired with the work book give us a chance to apply it to our lives and have it open to discussion.
I like this Bible study, I found it really easy to follow and it was interesting (which I find sometimes many of these "group" type studies lack). All of us have struggles in our lives and moments where we find ourselves stuck in those places. The Bible studies in this series not only acknowledge the fact that we can and will experience these times, but it almost gives us the freedom to not feel condemned for feeling them! But more than that, it also gave easy to use and valuable tools to get out of those stuck moments in your life! I loved this Bible study, I learned so much from it!! I highly recommend it!!

"Samplers of the Book and DVD have been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. DVD-Based Study available October 2011 at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

A Confident heart

2011-10-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

I usually start out these reviews for devotional/self help books by saying how I normally don't like them, but I'm thinking I may just have to eat my words, lol. The last few books I've read have been fantastic, and this book "A confident heart" was no exception!
I think in this day an age when there's so much confusion about religion and who we are in Christ that books like this are so important!
I really enjoyed reading this book, but more than that, I found myself really benefiting from the read as well. What I appreciated most I think is that the author didn't try to give a specific "formula" or mold that people needed to fit into in order to be living "God's way". I tend to have a personality that is nothing like the proverbs 31 woman, so I struggle often trying to understand how I and my personality work within my Christian walk. I loved that the author gave us the freedom to know that our personalities are God-given too, and left it open enough that there wasn't a feeling of having to assimilate in order to be "right". But also, we weren't (in the book) allowed to use that as an excuse to not move forward in our walk, or to become more like the person Christ wants us to be. I loved the concept she introduced of seeing beyond who you are to who you are becoming in Christ. How powerful!!
Again, this will be a book I'll be recommending to my women's group! I think so many will benefit from reading this book!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Colonel's lady

2011-10-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

I love historical novels especially when they have a strong female as a lead character, so this book was right up my alley!
I've read a few other Laura Frantz novels and have enjoyed every one of them, so I had big expectations for this one as well!
The book is about Roxanna Rowan and after circumstances necessitate it for her to join her father in a remote Kentucky fort, she travels and faces danger at every turn only to find that her father has been killed. With no where else to go she is forced to remain on at the fort and find ways to keep herself and the women she travelled with busy. As she makes friends with many at the fort, she also finds herself drawn to the Colonel, who is hiding a secret that could devastate her.
I really enjoyed this book, it was well written and had a really easy style to read. The Characters in the book had a lot of depth to them, which I really appreciate And over all it was very entertaining. It didn't read like a "romance" novel but contained enough adventure and danger to make it appeal to a wide range of readers!!
I highly recommend it!!
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Amish values for Your family

2011-10-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

I love reading about the Amish, so I figured I would really enjoy a book that shows us what we can learn from their simple lifestyle!
I very much respect the way that the Amish raise their children, it isn't often you hear of Amish children getting into too much trouble. I enjoyed reading about how much they value their family time, not just the quantity of it, but also the quality as well! One thing I really appreciate was how they are determined to follow God and place that example before their kids. By being so determined to follow what they believe is the lifestyle God has for them, they are setting a great example of faith, integrity and hard work for their children.
There was so much in the book that is easily adaptable into the general population (the non-Amish)
There were some great ideas and concepts presented that while they should be common sense, it seems like too many overlook them. (Like spending time with your children. If your not spending time with them and helping mould them, then someone else will!)
Great book that I highly recommend!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A most Unsuitable match

2011-10-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this book. IT was not at all what I had expected when I picked it up! I had figured most of it was just be a story of blossoming romance between two unlikely figures. But it was so much more! The book was full of adventure, suspense and humour. The main character was written well and I found her while sometimes naive to also have strength of character and a willingness to adapt. I really enjoyed reading this book, my favorite types of books are historical fiction, and especially ones where people are traveling to more "frontier" type places.
This book was great, well written, excellent flow and very entertaining! I'd highly recommend this book, regardless of what type of books you like to read, this has something in it for everyone!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Out of Control

2011-10-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

While I enjoyed the book and found it quite entertaining I had a really difficult time liking one of the main characters. Julia Gilliland (The female main character) was too flippiant for me. I found her character (While was written in depth and the author gave her a form of "depth) was a little too shallow in her behavior. I know at the time that the book was set in, it was a very difficult time for women to have any form of respect and rights. So I understand the reasoning behind the characters actions. But I also found her too self-centered and flippiant about the danger she put others in, or the pain she was causing them by her wants and actions.
However like I said I really enjoyed the book still (Which I think is a great indicator of a good book. When you can dislike a character but still have a book that is entertaining and enjoyable)
It was a great book, and I would without a doubt recommend this!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Everything the Bible says about Heaven

2011-10-04T10:06:00.000-07:00

I liked the idea of this book right when I heard about it. There are so many misconceptions out there about heaven and people tend to take the topic of heaven and "Develop" it on feelings rather than actual fact or looking into God's word to see what it says. So right away, I was glad that someone came out with a book that would let people know exactly what the Bible DOES say about heaven.
I enjoyed the book. I found it quite informative and just really like how nicely all of it was laid out. The Scriptures given paired with the commentary really helped to clarify and give an easier understanding of what the Bible does say about heaven.
I think eveyone should read this book, Christian or non-Christian, the book clears up misconceptions and lays out in easy to understand way exactly what the Bible does say about heaven. This will be one of those books that I'll be recommending our church pick up to give out to new believers. It will be a great tool in both the church and personal life.

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and me

2011-10-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

The book was not really what I expected, and I'm torn a bit on liking it or not. I enjoyed Cron's humour throughout the book, I think he took a really rough life situation and has used it to reach out to others, which I really respect. The part however that bothers me is how much "blame" (I don't like to use that word, but can't think of one that aptly fits) he puts on his father for his problems in adulthood. I'm a big believer that regardless of upbringing we are all responsible for our own actions and choices. And that to blame others is a cop out.
I did enjoy the book in the sense that I do like Cron's writing style and humour, its a style that I enjoy reading. I hate to say it "entertained me" just because it was a book of some one's painful memories, but I did find the writing entertaining in a sense. For that reason I probably would recommend this book to others. It was quite well written and had great flow. And again, I really enjoyed the humour of the author.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

Project Dad

2011-10-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

I"m not ususally a huge fan of self help books, I find them to often be too unrealistic in their approach or they use just common sense ideas that everyone ought to know already. Fortunately this book was nothing like that! I actually really enjoyed reading this book and then passed it on to my husband to read. Both of us thouroughly enjoyed the book and got a lot out of it! I found that the book wasn't so much of a "This is how you ought to parent" type books, but more of a book encouraging fathers to be the best they can be. I loved the section talking about the impact of a father's word on their children. I thin its such an important thing, and am really glad that the book addressed it!!!
I would truly recommend this book for anyone looking to improve their relationship with their children. (Even if you're not a Dad, I think that Mom's would get so much out of this book too!!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Queen

2011-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is the second book I've read by Steven James in the Patrick Bowers series and I'm beginning to become a fan!

The book was full of suspense and a really great read! Patrick Bowers is leading a team trying to find the killer (or killers) of a small town family. Suddenly what looked like an easy case starts taking some big twists and those who they initially thought were guilty seem to be the innocent ones!

This was fantastic! I was guessing straight till the end of the book and was on the edge of my seat till the last page! (Seriously I stayed up till 2 in the morning to finish this book, lol, I just couldn't put it down)

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Have a new teenager by friday

2011-09-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

I don't have a teenager but boy did I find this book helpful!!! I have a 9 year old son and some days I think he's aged a few years and straight into the the whole teenage attitude!

Dr. Leman gave so many useful insights and tool to connect to your kids and begin to get them to see the need and use for showing respect. I loved so much of what was written, I found most was just common sense that although we "should" know it, we tend to forget! I loved how willing he was to just be forthright and completely unshy about getting into the really gritty areas of parenting!

I enjoyed this book and once I finished reading it I handed it straight over to my husband, lol, it had some great advice for how parents are treating each other as well as their children!!
I very much recommend this book!!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Grace for the good girl

2011-09-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

I surprisingly found myself really enjoying this book! I get weary of a lot of the self-help books out there that seem to be more about excusing lifestyles/behaviors than truly helping someone live a grace filled and glorifying life in God. This book however was filled with some great insight and practical and useful ways to apply Biblical principles to your life.

I think as women we seem to fall into that "Proverbs 31" mentality that we need to do it all in order to be the kind of women that God wants. (And I don't fit into that mold, lol). Freeman essentally gives scripture and insight and releases women from this trap of not only trying to keep everything together but also doing it with a bright smile and sunny disposition. We're given the right to know that we don't have to have everything together, it's ok if we're a bit of a mess (or even a large mess, lol). We have grace and we have a God who loves us no matter where we are in our lives!

I loved this book and will be recommending it to our ladies group and pretty much any woman I meet, it was that good!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Wings of a dream

2011-09-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this book, I love historical books so I was qutie eager to be reading this one as well! The book had a great flow, and enough suspense and twist that it kept me quite entertained right to the end.
the book focuses on Rebekah Hendricks, when Rebekah learns of her aunt falling ill she sets out to take care of her for a short while. When she gets there she's suprised to find that her aunt is caring for a group of children who's father is away in war and who's mother passed away. Rebekah takes on the responsibility of caring for the children until their father is home and begins to settle in to the little family.
I really enjoyed this book, while it had some romance aspects to it, it wasn't overly in there and it wasn't corny either so I vey much liked reading this! I highly HIGHLY recommend it!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The doctor's lady

2011-09-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

In all honesty, I'm a little torn on this book. There were many parts I liked and all in all it was a highly enjoyable book. However one of the main characters (the Doctor) I had a hard time liking him! I found him arrogant and condescending a lot of the time. But I also realize that those kinds of attitudes towards women were quite common to the time so the author stuck quite true to the historical period I suppose!
The novel focuses on Priscilla White and her desire to become a missionary and serve in India. When she's told by the missions board that she'll need to be married in order to become a missionary she finds herself forced to marry into somewhat of a "business arrangement". We read all about her struggles and the difficulties of being among the first women to make their way into the west.
Over all I did like the book and look forward to reading more from this author!

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

To have and to hold

2011-09-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

I've read books by both Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller before so I had some high expectations for this book and I was glad it didn't disappoint!
The story mostly centers around Audrey Cunningham and her father who moved back to their ancestral home on Bridal veil island. Unbeknownst to them their Aunt had fallen behind on her taxes and Audrey's father kept this to himself till it seem too late. With a large debt looming over them and the prospect of loosing the family home Audrey readies herself for work. With a few twists of events and a sale of a portion of the island they find a way to keep their Island and bring in extra money. When someone on the island starts sabotaging the buildings it begins to put everyone involved on the project in danger.
The book was full of twists and quite enjoyable. I very much enjoyed this and would highly recommend it!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Relms thereunder

2011-09-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have to start out by saying, that I was rather unsure of this book at first. I found the first few chapters rather confusing and hard to follow. However once I picked up on the flow and layout of the book I was really able to enjoy it! By the end of the book I was absolutely in love with it and Cannot wait to read any sequels!
The story begins with two friends who stumble into a secret world while on a class trip. They end up spending almost a year struggling through this new world in order to find their way out again. Then we catch up to them later in life and again see these events of this secret world unfolding before them!
I thought the book was fantastic, it was kind of a mixture of "lord of the rings" and a Frank Paretti novel. It was quite entertaining, and really thought provoking as well.
I highly recommend!

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven

2011-08-19T13:59:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed "The boy who came back from heaven", which is a true story about Kevin and Alex Malarkey and Alex's journey (Not only back to health, but his spiritual one which led him {Temporarily} to his Savior's side).
The book focuses mainly on Alex and the accident he was in with his father, where he physically died for a little while and could see and describe exactly what was going on outside of the small area he was in. Plus he spent time in Heaven with Jesus, and was scripturally accurate in what he described.
The book was quite well written, and faith filled. I found it so encouraging to read all that God was doing for this family and through this family. They have an amazing story of many miracles, angelic visits, and prompted prayers that lead to healings! I would really recommend this book to anyone wanting to increase/encourage their faith.

God's love letters to you

2011-08-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this book, I loved the very idea of it. I think people today don't quite understand God's unending, unconditional love. And I have to say once I read the book, I loved it even more!
We're taken on a 40 day journey by Dr. Crabb to experience and begin to understand the amazing love our God has for us! The letters are formatted in the way that it is made to look like they come directly from God Himself. I thought this book was fantastic, it brought me into a deeper understand of God and His love and it really got me back into reading the Scriptures! I think Crabb did a wonderful job showing the heart of God in this book. This is something that I WILL be purchasing for new converts in our church, or just as a gift for others! I would highly recommend this book!

The Blessed

2011-07-31T22:05:00.000-07:00

I'd previously read the book "The Seeker" By Ann Gabhart and very much enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to receive another book written by her! I've found (From the few books of her's that I've read) that her books not only are an interesting story but there is so much to learn in them! (I love not only enjoying a good read, but to also walk away knowing something new!)

The blessed focuses around Lacey and the circumstances she faces when she's first forced into a marriage she doesn't want, and then made live in a shaker village as well. As she struggles to not only live by the many rules imposed on her, she is also dealing with the heartbreak of being separated from a child that is in many ways her own.

The book was so well written, I read the entire thing in one sitting once I picked it up I just couldn't put it down!

This is so typical of Gabhart's books, I am definitely a fan of hers! Highly recommend it!

My Life and Lesser catastrophes

2011-07-31T21:59:00.000-07:00

I'd actually heard about this book before I received it to review, so I was very excited to see this in my review pile!

The book fully lived up to my expectations, Christina Schofield's struggles, and her ability to maintain her faith through these trials really blew me away! Even when facing some really horrific circumstances she was able to trust and look to God to be her strength and hope. This book was very encouraging to me and really spoke to me in my own walk. (not that I've faced anything close to what she did, but it put me to shame to see her level of faith in the big things, when the small things get me quaking!)

I loved this book and it will be one I'll be recommending to the rest of my church! I enjoyed and learned so much from the spiritual journey that Christina takes us on!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Chosen, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Pattern of Wounds

2011-07-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things when reviewing is getting to read a sequel to books I've review previously, so I was quite happy to see a new Roland march Mystery up for review!

I enjoyed the last book very much so I had some high expectations for this one as well! I'm glad to say that this didn't disappoint at all! The book was full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat till the last page!

The story focuses on Roland March's attempt to try and find what appears to be a serial killer, not only that but one who he (thought) he had sent away long ago! As he struggles to find out if the killer is a copy cat or if he sent the wrong man to prison March is taunted by the killer.

This really was an enjoyable read, the story moved well and was very well written! I highly recommend it!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Lion of Babylon

2011-07-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

To be perfectly honest, I found the beginning of this book horribly confusing, there were so many Characters and changes in the story that at first I found it hard to follow. The book however did turn out to be a very good one, and once I got all the characters figured out it was easier to follow!

The story follows Marc Royce and his travels to try and find a missing CIA agent and three others. We're able to follow his struggles as he tries to get through government agencies to find out what happened to these four people and hopefully rescue them! I enjoyed reading about the other cultures in this novel, (and although I don't know much about the Baghdad culture, it seemed quite realistic to me.

For the most part I really enjoyed the story, it was pretty fast moving and had a lot of suspense in it! This is something that I would really recommend to pretty much anyone!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Falls like lightning

2011-07-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

I Loved this book! My favorite kinds of books are the Christian suspense/ mystery type books, so I was super excited when I saw this book up for review!

The book was very well written, it was quite fast paced and kept momentum throughout the story! I think the only small complaint I could have (and it's a very small one) was the moments of seemingly unrealistic solutions to their problems.

The book is mostly focusing around a smokejumper named Silas and his pilot (and ex girlfriend) named Elle. When facing a very large fire with few resources Silas and Elle are forced to work together, after the engines blow, Silas and Elle are both struggling to survive and find that the crash was not the biggest danger they'd be facing!

I enjoyed this book, it was a noticeably Christian book, without a preachy feel, which makes me really comfortable to recommend it to non-believers. I highly recommend!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A great catch

2011-06-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

To be a bit honest here, I was expecting the story to be a bit too cutesy and quirky for my tastes (I'm not too into the whole "Corny" feel many romance stories have). Thankfully I've re-learned that lesson to not judge a book by its cover! This turned out to be a fantastic story! And while it did have it's moments of romance (And really, it was a historical romance, so I guess it had to have been in there, lol) it was actually very intriguing and though provoking!
The story focuses around Emily Graham, she's not only in the midst of the suffragist movement, she's leading her own little local pack! As she struggles to prove that women deserve the same rights as men, she also is dealing with some meddlesome family members, and to top that all off she meets a local ball player and finds herself in a whirlwind of romance vs. obligations!
The story was cute, but it also had a lot of "bones" to it, so I very much enjoyed this one!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell

Chasing sunsets

2011-06-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

This book started out fairly rough (in an emotional way), we start the beginning of the story in the midst of the personal struggles of Kimberly Tucker. Her marriage has fallen apart and she is now struggling with raising two son's and trying to find ways to work with their father while at the same time keeping the peace. After facing a great deal of time alone during the summer she decides (or is convinced, lol) to spend some time at her family's cabin at Ceder Keys. While there she discovers not only who she is again, but also begins to find that love that she once thought was lost. We meet some great characters (including an elderly next door neighbor who I thought was fantastic!) and learn some great lessons throughout the book.

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Killer among us

2011-06-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

I love getting books to review from a familiar author, and even more so I love it when it's a book from a series!! This third book in the Women of Justice series is very much a reflection of the previous two! In the way that it too was very well written, easy to follow and overall was just a great read!
This time the story focuses on Kit Kenyon who we've met in the previous book (I'm not going to give away the story or connection she has, you'll have to read it yourself!) she's a hostage negotiator with a good reputation for getting the job done well. When she finds herself with a new (and somewhat challenging) partern Kit struggles to both focus on her job and keep the peace! As they (Kit and her partner) track what appears to be a serial killer, they are stunned to find that he is also hunting one of them!
The story has plenty of twists and turns and keeps you guessing straight till the very end of the story!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Lady of Bolton Hill

2011-06-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

This was a very thought provoking and challenging book! (Not challenging in that it was difficult to read, {It wasn't it was really easy to read} but that even though this was a fictin story, it taught some great truths! I love books where the main character(s) who turn out to be examples in faith have the rough starts and aren't your typical "giant in the faith"
For me this was one of those books, I very much emphasised with the main male character Daniel Tremain and his struggle to find forgiveness for those who wronged him. I also enjoyed hearing about and learning from the main female character Clara Endicott, You know it's a great book when a simple one line quote from the book can change your perception on faith and forgiveness!!
I very much enjoyed and would highly recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

the sweetest thing

2011-06-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

This is hands down one of the best books I've read! It wasn't just a good book that provided a few hours of entertainment. The author and characters in this book take you on a journey of faith that will not leave you the same!
Honestly, there are not enough good things I can say about this book, it was exceptionally well written, very easy to read and very heartwarming!
The store focuses on Perri Singleton and the privileged live she was living until tragedy struck her family. Now not only must they deal with the loss of a loved one, but also are finding themselves in a struggle to make ends meet. With having to give up her lifestyle of privilege Perri finds an unexpected friend in the new girl in town Mary Dobs Dillard (or "Dobs" to her friends!)
I loved that the main character of faith (Dobs) had her moments where she had her own doubts and struggles, it made it so much easier to relate to the story!
I love this book, it has quickly become a favorite in my bookshelf and will be very well read in the years to come!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

New Kid Catastrophes : TJ and the Time Stumblers

2011-06-21T10:47:00.000-07:00

When I saw this book up for review I signed up for it quick, it looked the like the perfect book to read with my son (He's 9). I was right!! The book was perfect for his age group/reading abilities and I loved the message and actions of the kids portrayed in the story!

I love that the main character in the story (TJ) is considered "Unpopular" I think it builds character in our children when they can learn from and see the struggles from others. The book was easy to read and quite cute, there were many instances (or accidents/disasters) in the story that at time had my son laughing hysterically. This is one of those book series that we'll be on the look out for from now on! Highly recommended!

Heaven is for real

2011-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read this book, you NEED to pick up a copy! I had heard quite a bit about the book from others, but was kind of still hesitant about reading it. Usually the books that I have read that involve parents speaking about their child's spirituality come across as very arrogant and self righteous. I am happy to say though that this book is none of those things! What a boost it gave to my faith! There were so many different things that I read in the book that absolutely blew me away. (I don't want to give away what's in the book, but seriously, go pick up a copy.) This is one of those books that I'll not only be recommending to basically everyone I meet, but I'll be re-reading it repeatedly.
The book basically focuses on a young boy named Colton who during an emergency surgery spends some time in heaven. We hear about how Heaven looks through the eyes of a child (and how what he {Colton} saw and said lined up with scripture). Honestly, this is a life changing book, you need to pick up a copy. I cannot think of another book that affected me as much as this one.
It was an absolutely wonderful read, a good flow, and while from a child's point of view was very intelligent. A must read!!

MomSense

2011-05-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

This book made me feel all kinds of better about my abilities as a mom! Like mentioned in her books, we're surrounded by so many blogs, books, tv personaities, etc... that all try to tell us how we as parents ought to be raising our children. So many of these places raise the expectations so high that it's almost impossible to fulfill them!
I loved how Jean Blackmer gave really open, honest, and truly common-sense approaches to parenting, the idea's she presented were simple, well explained and highly attainable! But even more than that, I loved that she also made room within her suggestions to let people know that their own parenting style, that their own ideas of parenting are still ok! We weren't asked to become these cookie cutter type mom's who should all only live one way, parent one way in order for us to raise our kids the "right way".

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A heart divided

2011-05-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

I liked this book, a lot, so much so that I've started hunting around for other books written by Kathleen Morgan that I can purchase! This book was much more than a simple romance, it was filled with a lot of drama and thought provoking situations! The story mainly focuses on a feud by two families, the Caldwells and the Wainwrights, who both believe that each family has done the other wrong. In the middle of this feud is Sara Caldwell, who sits apart from the anger that seems to engulf the rest of her family; and Cord Wainwright who comes home to help save the ranch, but feels that his life is outside of the simple country town and ranch.
When circumstances bring them together they both are fighting to protect their families/homes, and through many mis-steps, trials and suffering they begin to find themselves drawn to each other.
I really enjoyed this book, I would recommend you pick up a copy at the soonest opportunity!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

To win her heart

2011-05-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

This is again another one of those books where I initially didn't like the main character of the book! The female character Eden Spencer starts off behaving in an almost snobbish and arrogant manner. However the book was very well written, so I was still enjoying the story very much. I'm glad to say though that by the end of the book we can really see her character take shape and she becomes much more likeable! The story mostly focuses around Levi, who is fresh out of prison and looking to find a quiet life with as little trouble around him as possible. That however seems impossible after he meets Eden and begins to see her as more than a friend. With this budding romance he begins to have trouble find him in the form of the town's sheriff (who happens to want Eden for a wife). While Levi faces many challenging situations throughout the book, we can really see his strength of character and he shows himself to be quite likeable to the reader! I would definitely recommend this book!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

An unlikely Suitor

2011-05-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I was pretty excited to read this book, I love anything that fits within the "historical fiction" category so I had some great expectations of this book! Like I mention quite often, I'm not a huge romance reader, a lot of those types of books seem to be just a little to corny and gushy for my tastes. And while there were some "romantic" twists in the plot, the book was definitely more than that!
At first I found myself really disliking the main character Lucy Scarpelli, I found her to be rather bossy and almost smug. However, even with that initial dislike, I was still loving the book, and by the end of it I very much enjoyed reading about each of the characters!
Basically the story centers mostly around Lucy Carpelli who befriends a slightly handicapped socialite named Rowena. With this friendship comes many new life experiences for Lucy and her family. I enjoyed reading about the girls' struggle to be friends while still remaining in their separate and distinct social classes.
This was a pretty fantastic book, and I'll be adding this author to my lists of favorites!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Amish Prayers

2011-05-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

I love this book, and without trying to sound flippant, I find it utterly adorable. we took a trip recently and spent a lot of time on the road, so I had an arsenal of books to entertain me, and this one was included in the group! Its a nice small size, so it was easy to pack and take with me, but it was also pretty sturdy which was nice!!
Honestly, I didn't much expect to get anything out of reading the book, I figured it would be rather mundane prayers and simple doctrine. But truly, this book has really impacted my prayer life and the way I try to live my life! (I have no plans to turn Amish, but do love many of their attitudes towards others). While the language of the prayers is fairly simple, the idea's behind them and hugely meaningful and very insightful. Really I would fully recommend this book to everyone, it's insightful, simple and easily applicable!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Max on life

2011-05-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I generally enjoy all things Max Lucado he is my absolute favorite non fiction writer, so I was pretty excited to have a chance to review his newest book!

There was a lot about this book that I really did like, I love that he's taken questions from real people and set answers to them. There were quite a few of the questions that I found applied directly to me! (I'm a worrier, lol) However at the same time, because he's covered so much in one book I felt at times that his answers and the scripture he provided didn't go as deep as I've come to expect from him. Lucado usually has fantastic insight into Scripture and with this book I don't think we saw enough of that. For me it was just too much at once, I would have rather seen him cover less questions but with more depth to them.

All in all though, I would have to say I did enjoy this book, and even though I would have liked more I did learn an awful lot! So on that basis, I would totally recommend this book!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

Live Loved: Experiencing God's presence in everyday life

2011-05-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

There were a number of things I loved about this book by Max Lucado, (I'm a huge fan of his writing, its easy to grasp and easily applied in life!) but I truly loved how he put this book together. As a full-time mom and a full-time employee my spare moments are few and far between, so when I try reading a devotional book, generally I just get lost, and struggle to keep a good pace. With this book the devotions aren't too long, they're too the point and simple. I was easily able to understand and apply what Max was talking about in my own life. I really loved this book.
However, I think the bigger review/recommendation would come from my husband! He's one of those guys who dislikes reading and unless it's something that's a part of his job, her rarely does. He saw me reading "Live loved" and when I finished he borrowed the book to look at. That was a couple of weeks back, and I haven't been able to get my hands back on it since, lol. He enjoyed reading the book and really got a lot out of it too!
I would totally recommend this book, especially for those who don't necessarily like reading, I think with this book you'll be pleasantly surprised!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson"

Unsinkable: A Young Woman's Courageous Battle on the High Seas

2011-05-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit on the fence with this book, on one hand, I love the story and drama surrounding Abby Sunderland and her struggle to and perseverance to survive. I think its a great lesson for so many people, but especially one that I'd love to share with my son! I love her faith, and how often it's expressed throughout the book, and in that view, I really did enjoy this book. However, I found it such a struggle to keep up with all the terms and to understand most of what she was doing (boat-wise). For someone who is incredibly unfamiliar with boats and sailing this book was a bit of a struggle to get through!
All in all though, once I was able to kind of put aside and pick up on some of what was talked about in the book I did really start to enjoy reading it.
This is one of those books that I would probably give to some of our youth, I think it's a great message that regardless of age, nothing is impossible with God!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson".

The Watcher

2011-04-30T16:44:00.000-07:00

If I'm being honest here, I did struggle a bit with this book. While it was well written and had an interesting and thought provoking storyline, it was a bit more work to read it. It took me about the first 3-4 chapters before I could really get a good grasp on the story and get into it.
The story focuses around Kathryn Ellison, she was assaulted and abducted because of a mistaken identity. After being miraculously "rescued" she struggles to get beyond the pain, hurt, and anxiety. To top it off though, during the court case she meets the brother of the intended victim and realizes that this is the man she loves and belongs with. As she struggles to get passed all of this and finally come to the point of accepting love she is also facing threats from the would be killer that he's coming to finish her off.
The book is well worth the work to get through, the storyline was well written and very intriguing!

The Deepest Waters

2011-04-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see another novel by Dan Walsh, all the books of his that I've read have been absolutely amazing! I have to say though, that this one is my favorite of his!! It's a heart wrenching story that is both beautiful and tragic, and you won't be able to put it down until the last page!
The story focuses around Laura Foster and her new husband John, after both finding love later in life (or "later" in those times, lol) the couple are married and set out on a ship to enjoy their honeymoon and visit John's family. After tragedy strikes and the couple are separated, Laura faces a life living without her recently acquired love. In this book (Which is based on a true story, which absolutely Blew my mind!!!) you'll find love, romance, heroism, and miracles. It's a book that will touch your heart and increase your faith!
Do yourself a favor and read it!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Love amid the Ashes

2011-04-30T16:09:00.000-07:00

First off I need to say how very much I enjoyed this book, it was beyond wonderful! And one of the things I appreciate about it the most was that the book gave me a new perspective on a Biblical story that I hadn't looked at before! (tricked me into learning something when I just thought I was enjoying a wonderful book! lol) I loved hearing about the story of Job from a different perspective!
Mesu Andrews stuck very close to the Biblical story, (meaning there weren't any theological/crazy add ons) while producing an absolutely breath-taking, suspenseful, and thoughtful read!
In this book we're looking at the story of Job through the eyes of Dinah, we read about the struggles of not only Job, but of his wife, remaining family, and friends.
You need to read this book, you'll fall in love with it!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Lady in the Mist

2011-04-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

I think I've found a new favorite author, this book was absolutely wonderful! While it somewhat reads as a romance novel the book is full of enough suspense and intrigue that the whole romance part seems to fall to the side (which is A-okay with me, lol). I love historical types of fiction and this book fulfilled that love completely!
The book focuses mostly on the main character of Tabitha Eckles, the town's (and surrounding area's) midwife. As a midwife she is more aware of the town's secrets than most people, and because of that she now finds herself in a rather precarious situation!
When the town's men are going missing with no one sure who is behind it, Tabitha sets out to help figure out who is behind these disturbances.
I truly enjoyed this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

When Life's Not Working

2011-04-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

Like I mention at the beginning of every non-fiction book I review, I'm not overly into reading any kind of self-help, non-fiction type books. Life is busy enough that I'd rather just read for enjoyment, and I don't usually find these types of books enjoyable.

That's said though, I really did actually enjoy this book, and not only that my husband (who is a pastor) also did! It's one thing when I find a book that I love, and find to be a great resource, but it's quite another when I find one that will also help my husband in his ministry!

I don't think there is one person out there that can say that they've never faced a difficult time in their lives, and Bob Merritt addresses these situations and how to handle them properly, with out undue stress!

I think one of the subjects that he wrote about that spoke to me the most, was rather than doing many things poorly, do a few things well. As a minister's wife this is one area that I really struggle with, when you see a need it's hard not to try and fill it, even if it means stretching yourself too thin. And one of the harder things to admit while reading this book is that I really have taken on more than I should handle, and those ministries suffer when I do that. I'd rather take on only a few ministry projects and do them well then try to fill all the spaces and do them poorly!

Ministry family or not, this book was fantastic and I think will really bless any reader!

Highly recommended!!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Plain Proposal

2011-04-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Beth Wiseman books, She is an amazing writer who really knows how to capture a story and present it in a way that makes the reader feel a part of it. Her book "Plain proposal" is no different, it's the story of Miriam Raber and her feelings for another individual within the Amish community. As she struggles to both honor her heritage and God, and still be with the man she loves.
I really enjoyed this book, once I started I couldn't put it down till I was done, it was that good! Like always, Wiseman did a fantastic job, and this book will be high on my shelf to be read again and again!
I Highly recommend it!

The first escape

2011-04-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

When I saw the book up for review I thought it would be a great book for me and my son to read together. (he's 9, and while he likes books, he does tend to need a little motivation). I loved that the book was in a comic book format for parts of the story, it did break it up a little and kept him interested. With that said however, I had to stop reading the story with him part way through. Although it looks like a children's book, it most certainly was not (at least not in the way that I would choose to have my son read). Usually I feel pretty safe that any book I get from the various Christian book blogging sites will be fine for myself and my child to read over. This book though was not. It dealt with séances {and while it's eventually seen to be fake, it's really not something I want my child exposed to} and and through most of the story dealt with people trying to harm children. The publisher's say it's intended audience is 8-12 years, and that really floored me! There was no way this was appropriate for a child that young.
I did finish the book on my own, and there were a few things that I did appreciate. I did like how the sister's cared so much for one another and were willing to sacrifice for each other. The illustrated format was eye catching and I believe would have held my son's attention throughout the book had it been more appropriate.
I disliked that for a book from a Christian publisher that there was virtually no reference to anything Biblical (I noticed only one instance that referred to a creator, perhaps I may have missed some though?).
All in all, I'm sorry to say I wouldn't recommend this book for children. Perhaps a young adult reader (13-15yrs) but even then I didn't find the story to be something I would want my child reading.
I think had the story line been different my child would have very much enjoyed the format of the book. I think the idea was great, sadly the story just seemed inappropriate.

Angel Sister

2011-03-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

My, what a heart wrenching story! This is the second time I've read a book by this author, and I know she's made her way to the top of my list. This story was beautiful, even with all the anger and tragedy surrounding it. There were points in the story where I found myself laughing along with the characters, and at other times, I would be reading it with a tear in my eye. The story presents itself in a way that you being to associate with the characters and then beginning to sympathize with them. This is one of those books where I will continually be reading and re-reading it. The main story line is of Kate Merritt, who is forced to grow up too fast while she strives to keep peace in her family and to keep them together. When she encounters a small girl abandoned on the church steps Kate takes it upon herself to provide for and protect this small child. We experience with her the joys she has, and the sorrow she faces as the adults in her life seem to work at tearing apart the small sense of family she has.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Stars Collide

2011-03-31T14:42:00.000-07:00

I love getting books by authors that I've read before, so when I saw that that the same author who wrote the "Weddings by Bella" series also wrote this book I began really looking forward to reading this book! As I've mentioned many times in the past, I'm not much of a romance reader, I find they tend to get a little hokey and ridiculous. That said though, Janice Thompson is one of the few romance authors that I really actually enjoy reading. Her story's are quite interesting and do have that romantic quality to them but lack the corniness of most romance novels!
Again, Thompson didn't disappoint, the book had a fantastic flow, and while sometimes the characters were a little "Wild" they were still within the realm of possible.
The story focuses around Kat Jennings and her budding romance with a co-star, while at the same time showing the struggles she faces caring for an aging and sick grandmother. The situations they found themselves in really had me cracking up at some parts, and I literally gasped at some parts of the story (Some big surprises in this book!) This was a great read, and one I'll be highly recommending!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Search

2011-03-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was beyond excited to read this book, having read the previous two in this series I have been waiting like crazy to get a chance to read this one too!! I love Suzanne Woods Fisher's books, I love Amish books period, but her books seem to have an extra something special in them!
At first I kind of found myself disliking a bit the grandmother (Bertha) and the direction of the story, however as it (the story) progressed I found myself enthralled. When I got to the point where I understood Bertha's motivations, I found that I actually really began to like that character! What I loved (and found to be unique especially among Amish fiction) was the strong woman that she (Bertha) portrayed. I loved her strength of character and her stubbornness.
Also, I love reading the books and spotting the names of the characters in the previous stories, it's almost like hearing about old friends! This entire series was absolutely amazing, there isn't one thing in any of them that I would change! I highly HIGHLY recommend this book, whether you like Amish fiction or not, you will Love this book!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Secrets to parenting your adult child

2011-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

To be honest, when we received this book I was wondering how I would be able to give a proper review on it. I'm a parent of a young child, so I didn't think there would be much in this book for me. And while at time I found that some of the stuff written was beyond me, I also felt like I was being empowered for the future. There were some great tools in the book for parents, and I feel like I'm that much more prepared for when I face the task of parenting an adult child! I don't feel like there is much I can say on whether the book was spot on or not, since I haven't got the experience of having adult children and am far from it yet. However I will say that I very much enjoyed the tone of the author, it was like reading a conversation with her and I like that. There are so many times that books like these seem to take on an arrogant almost condescending tone when speaking of "How" to parent. I'm happy to say this book didn't do that. There are a few people I know who are facing the task of raising adult children, and I will definitely be passing along my recommendation for them to read this book!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

A Heart Most Worthy

2011-03-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love Siri Mitchell's books, The first one I read was "She walks in beauty" and absolutely fell in love witht he book! So I was so excited to have the opportunity to review another of her books! First off, I need to start by saying this book was nothing what I expected it to be! I had expected this book to be much the same style as the last book. However (and its a good however!) this book read compeletly differently, the characters and settings were completely opposite of what the last book had! A few times I had to check back and really see if it was by the same author! That said though, the one way that both these books were compariable, is in how absolutely wonderful they were. The book was well written and held my attention from the first sentence to the very last page.
Mostly the book focuses on Madame Forza's gown shop where she has three young ladies working for her. Throughout the book we follow the lives of these ladies and their struggles (which are neumerous) and their joys. It was a really unique book that flowed nicely together! Even though there were three different stories being told in one book, they worked well together and complimented each other wonderfully! I completely will recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Soul Surfer

2011-03-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

I cannot wait for this movie to come out, it looks fantastic!!!

Voyage with the Vikings

2011-03-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

When I saw this book was up for review (From Tyndale Media Center) I excitedly signed up to review it! My son (who is nine) loves the Odyssey audio series and is just getting into reading chapter books. So this book was perfect for him!
He and I read it together and immensely enjoyed the story, it was filled with enough action and suspense that it really held his attention throughout the entire book! Also I appreciated how the book included actual historic references, it made for a much more interesting read when I informed my son that some of the characters in the story were real life people. He (my son) now is reading anything he can find to learn about vikings, the book sparked such a big interested in him to learn all he can about the Viking era. I think that's one of my favorite things about this book, that it really encouraged him to learn more. I also LOVE the website, and how he can get more into the books through there!

God's promises devotional journal

2011-03-02T08:32:00.001-08:00

I really love this book/journal, I love that it gives us a devotional and allows us to 'respond' in a way afterwards. I also love the length of the devotionals, I find this journal to be a great way to start off my mornings! I tend to work early in the morning and don't have time for some of these devotional books that are pages and pages long. The devotions in "God's promises Devotional Journal" are right to the point, insightful, and heart-tugging. When I read them in the morning I find myself dwelling on the truths presented throughout the rest of the day! And the Collection of authors in it; Goodness there are so many favorites in this one book! From Max Lucado and Ann Graham Lotz, to Catherine Marshall, and so many more! Its a fantastic book, a perfect gift (Or a great addition to your own library!) for friends and family alike!

I Highly recommend this book!

The heart revolution

2011-02-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

I think I need to stop starting my posts with "I normally don't like these kind of self-help books" considering there have been so many lately that I've enjoyed, lol.
This book is no exception, and I really think it has the chance to greatly improve your walk with God if applied!
This book is basically a 40 day (40 chapters/40 days) challenge to increase your own understanding of Christ and who you are in Christ. One of the biggest questions that I think every Christian, seasoned or new, struggles with; "How do you keep your heart turned toward God rather than letting the circumstances of your life dictate your destiny" As a pastor's wife I'm aware of how drastically oppression can effect a person's life and their understanding of themselves.
I absolutely loved chapter 7 that talks about "the supremacy of Christ", I love how Da La Mora puts a big emphasis right at the beginning that "There is no circumstance or situation we could ever face that Jesus himself did not face and overcome while he was on the earth" I know its something we should all know by now, but for some reason its one of the hardest things to comprehend. I love the term he used "Liberating power to overcome", how often we forget all the Christ has truly done for us!!
This was such a great book that we're looking into doing a Bible study around it with our small groups! HIGHLY recommend!!
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

If God, why evil?

2011-02-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is one of those books that help answer one of the toughest questions out there. As a minister's wife the question is asked quite often, and I honestly struggle to find an appropriate answer at times. How to explain evil to a fallen world?
Geisler does a fantastic job of going through the Bible and openly discussing all the "Controversial" questions that no one seems to want to answer. Also, one of the things I truly appreciated in his book was how he equipped the readers regarding the debates of evolution and creation. Honestly, I don't fully understand all there is to know about evolution and it's hard to find an author who's willing to take that step out there (with intelligent points) and discuss evolution along side intelligent design. I really enjoyed two sections of his book, one was in the chapter "Evidence for the existence of God" where Geisler talks about microbiology and the complexity of it that indicates (and I believe proves) that there is intelligent design.
I also really enjoyed reading in the third appendix about his problems with the book "The Shack". I think I'm one of the few Christians out there who just didn't get into this book. I tried reading it a few times and it really rubbed me the wrong way. Geisler really gets to the heart of why parts of the book could while sounding nice, are doctrinally dangerous.
"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Larkspur Cove

2011-02-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

"Larkspur Cove" begins with one of the main characters Andrea Henderson who after having to survive a humiliating and incredibly upsetting year, moves back to Larkspur Cove to begin a new life with her teenage son. After a little while of being at her job she is faced with the task of finding ways to help take care of and care for a little girl who suddenly appeared with the town recluse. As she gets more involved with this child she also begins to have feelings for the game warden who's been helping keep in contact with the family. While trying to balance everything (Her job, her new client, new feelings, and new surrounds) she suddenly finds herself thrown into a dangerous and scary situation!
I really enjoyed this book, it was thought provoking and well written. There were parts (especially towards the end) that really had me sitting on the edge of my seat! There was enough suspense in the story to make it interesting, but not so much that it took away from the enjoyment! I highly recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Promises to keep

2011-02-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

First off, this is hands down one of my favorite books that I've had the pleasure of reading. It is heartfelt, heart wrenching and heartwarming all at the same time! So many times through the book I was nearly brought to tears by the emotions shown in the characters. I loved the character Tillie and her eccentric ways, how outright honest she was and straightforward. I also loved her courage and sacrificial love that she had for the other characters in the book. The story focuses mainly around Roz Anthony and her mom and brother moving away from an abusive father. It shows the struggles she (Roz) went through and the scariness of living in an abusive home. When Roz promises to keep a secret she doesn't realize the effect it can have and the danger it will present to the rest of her family.
This book is fantastic, honestly, I couldn't put it down till I finished the entire book.
I really do recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Another Dawn

2011-02-27T18:01:00.000-08:00

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I in no way lived the same kind of lifestyle as the main character (Or even necessarily agree with her) I still felt like I could really relate to what the character was going through. I really appreciated that the author didn't push the views of the main character into almost a platform to tell others how to live. I think its a fine line when writing these kind of stories, how to add depth to your character without making it sound like you're on a soapbox. (I'm happy to say the author did a remarkable job of this!)
The story really revolves around Grace Graham and how one of her choices ended up effecting (in a very bad way) the lives of many others. Through all the discouragement and heartache though, she's able to find friendships in the most unlikely people! She doesn't just learn new things about those around her but learns through this trial a lot about herself!
I thought this was a great story, it was well written and highly relatable! I definitely recommend it!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Seek me with all your heart

2011-02-23T11:50:00.000-08:00

I have to start off saying (like always, lol) How very much I love Amish fiction! Beth Wiseman is one of my very favorite authors in this genre (Her and Suzanne Fisher Woods are at the top of my list!!) her books are always thought provoking and heartfelt!
This book in no way disappointed me, the main character Emily and her family face a situation that is difficult in most regular settings, but in the Amish community its very nearly unheard of! The descriptions in the book of life in the Colorado mountains was both beautiful and though provoking! I was impressed with the details she (Beth Wiseman) thought to include in the book when describing it! (But again, this is common with Wiseman's books, to include beautiful descriptions and details that give it a very real feeling!).
I don't want to talk too much about the actual story line, its so focused around a certain event, that I don't want to ruin it for those that are looking to read it! However I will say that this is another great book by Beth Wiseman, and I KNOW you won't be disappointed in this story!

The Life ready woman: Thriving in a do-it-all world

2011-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

I first became a fan of Shaunti Feldhahn's books when I read "For women only", (Which was a fabulous book, if you're a lady, you need to read it!) So when I saw that her new book "The Life ready woman" was available for review, I was beyond excited! One of the issues I seem to have with a lot of these kind of Christian self-help books for women is they are big pushers of the woman not being equal to her husband. These books annoy me, so I was more than happy to read (and having read previous books by feldhahn was also expecting) right near the beginning of the book she starts off with explaining that men and woman are equal. I appreciate that both authors didn't try to push down the woman's role as unimportant, it was a great start to the book!
I especially enjoyed near the end of the book, where the authors talk about the "Three steps to believing God" One of my biggest struggles in my Christian walk is learning to lean and trust God rather than depending solely on myself. Its good to be reminded of who God is, and all he's done in the past. It spoke to me in the way that if He took that much care of my past of course He's to be trusted with my future! And one point they made that I think so many of us need to hear and understand is to "Act on trust, not feelings". Out of everything in this book, this spoke to me the most.
I will fully be recommending this book to any and every female out there! This is a must read ladies!!

Now, with that said I've got a giveaway ladies!!
If you'll leave a comment and your name (and email please, or else I can't contact you!!) I will be entering you for a chance to receive a free copy of the book "The life ready woman"!!
I'll be doing the draw a week from today, so you have lots of time to sign up and invite your friends!! Good Luck!!!

The Mountains bow down

2011-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not usually a big suspense/homicide fiction fan, too many times they're pretty corny or just completely unrealistic. However, I do have to say that I quite enjoyed this novel! Even with it being the third book in the series (I haven't read the other two) I didn't feel like I was coming into it mid story. It was easily able to stand on its own without me needing the background to the other stories!
Mostly the book focuses on Raleigh Harmon an Special Agent for the FBI, who takes an Alaskan cruise to get away, clear her head and make some big decisions. During her stay a passenger goes missing and Raliegh finds herself thrown back into work! While having to deal with both family and having to work with Special Agent Jack Stephanson (someone she in the beginning can't stand!) she is also rushing to solve this mystery within the five days of the cruise!
I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't so out there to be unrealistic, but it was still eventful enough that it was interesting and intriguing!

Almost Heaven

2011-02-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

I have to say, Originally when I received the book in the mail, I was a bit weary about it. The story line seemed like it would be slower and perhaps not all that interesting. I have to say though, that in all honesty, this is one of THE best books I have read yet. Through the book we're seeing the life of the main character played out from two prospectives, his own, and the perspective of the angel charged with protecting him. The book is heart felt and has such a beautiful message. I think for some it may be a difficult read (It deals with some pretty hard situations) however there is such a strong and loving message that I really think its worth the read. I highly recommend this book, I don't think there are enough good things that I can say about it! I will definitely be looking for more books by this author!

Glee Chevrolet Commercial!

2011-02-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Watch some Glee online!!

2011-02-07T09:36:00.001-08:00

Fatal Judgment

2011-01-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not a horribly huge Crime-drama fan, I tend to lean more towards historical fiction. However I very much like the Guardians of Justice series by Irene Hannon, having read the previous book "In harms way" I was rather excited to see another book by Hannon available! Much like the last book this one did not disappoint! We're introduced to Liz Michaels a federal court judge who's sister is brutally murdered. As she goes into protective custody U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor and his team race to try and find the murderer before he tries to finish off the job. This book was full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat straight until the end!
I 100% recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Deeper Into the Word: Reflections on 100 Words from the New Testament

2011-01-30T18:14:00.000-08:00

If I'm being fully honest here, I have a really hard time getting into devotional/non-fiction books. However I have to say I very much enjoyed this book. I found for me it was easier to take it slower (Read a few chapters a night, rather that read it straight through). This book was fantastic, I love how deep into the original meaning of some of the scriptures Keri Wyatt Kent went. In some places it really completely changed the understanding I had of the scripture used! I especially enjoyed the chapter about the word "Love". (As someone who did take Greek in college, I was aware a bit of the different meanings, but this book took me even deeper into that and made it much easier to understand and apply!) I love the section that talks about agape love, (I find that its almost over used in a lot of settings, but the author here opens us up to new understandings with it!) We know God is agape (self-sacrificing, unconditional love) but I was unaware that when Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God, its agapao, and again when he tells us to love our neighbor!
This book opened up a whole new understanding of God's wonders and love, I'm excited to get into the Bible and discover more of what God is saying to us!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Damascus Way

2011-01-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

After reading the second book in the series I was so excited to see the latest book in the "Acts of faith" series! I loved "the hidden flame" so I was beyond excited to dive on into this book, and it held quite true to what I've come to expect from Janette Oke and Davis Bunn. The story was well written and very thought provoking. This is one of the few works of fiction that I find effects my Christian walk. Throughout reading the book I really felt challenged to adapt a more Christ-like attitude in my daily dealings. I loved the quiet strength and faith of both Julia (The main character) and Abigail (who we met in the previous book).
This is one of those books that even if you miss reading the first couple, and start with the third, you don't really feel like you're missing part of the story.
I would fully recommend this book!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Girl in the Gatehouse

2011-01-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

Julie Klassen is quickly becoming one of my very favorite authors, I've enjoyed a few of her other books (The silent governess, was one!) and absolutely love each one I read!

The story has a really great flow to it, and a sense of mystery surrounding it as well! (Which I really appreciate, this book kept me on my toes straight till the end!). The story basically is about a young woman who makes a fairly big mistake and is sent to live elsewhere, (obviously within a gate house!) we get to see her struggles as she tries to find a way to make ends meet (For both her self and her governess) and as she learns how to keep a household running.

This was a great book (like all of Klassen's books!) I would really recommend this to anyone wanting a good fiction read, the book was quite good and I think even a non-Christian would enjoy it. It didn't come across as preachy, but still have a good Christian message within it!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Paradise Valley

2011-01-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

I loved this book so much! If you've read this blog at all, I'm sure you're aware by now of my absolute love of all things Amish! So i was very excited to get this book and get right into it! This book happened to be by an author I hadn't read before, but will now be adding to my list of authors to keep an eye out for! I loved his writing style, it had a great flow and was really easy to follow.
The story is really based around an Amish community that is facing persecution for their choices regarding their children. When it (the persecution) becomes too much, some families are left feeling like they need to start anew. Throughout this book I found my self holding my breath at the parts that were scary, and celebrating with the characters when good things came their way. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Amish fiction genre!

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

Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Nelsons Biblical Cyclopedic Index

2011-01-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

I was quite surprised when I received this book in the mail from booksneeze, I had thought it would probably be a good book for my husband (Who is a pastor) to have in his library. However after looking into I've found that I'm now using it during my devotional times as well! Its a fantastic tool (for both me and my husband, lol) giving guides to different scriptures based on the different topics or references.

Also, not only are we using it for both my husband's preaching and my own personal Bible studying, We're finding that we've used it to look up scriptures for our children's church lessons, or our women's/men's Bible studies. It is such a great resource for so many area's in our ministry!! Honestly, this one book has probably cut down by an hour the amount of time online I spend trying to search out scriptures. A very valuable resource and one I'll strongly recommend to anyone involved in ministry!