The Best People In The World!

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Fair Play



The hardest thing about being a woman, is being respected for having the same knowledge and education as a man back in 1893. Most men still hold onto the belief that women are incapable of holding down a job outside the home, especially when it comes to practicing medicine. When Billy Jack Tate is slated to deliver a speech as an invited guest speaker at the World's Fair in Chicago, the last thing she expected to deal with is trying to gain entrance into the Women's Exposition building when she is expected. But no matter how hard she tries to convince the guards at the building, they refuse to accept she is a doctor.

So she does what any self respecting women would do, and she breaks into the building's basement by crawling backwards through a window. She just never expected that Hunter Scott would be sitting back watching it all unfold without rendering her any aid as a Texas Ranger assigned to work the day shift at the Fair. He caught more than he was expecting to see at the Fair. He holds onto the value that the only good place for a woman is married and raising children. He is more than surprised to learn how strong willed, determined and educated Billy is. The last thing he expects is to find himself in need of a doctor and a lady doctor at that.

They will soon find out that work together is much easier than staying at odds with one another when an infant is found abandoned at the Fair. Hunter believes that since no mother is found that Billy should take on the care of the infant, and Billy assumes that since Hunter found him, that it is only proper he care for the infant. When Billy suggests they place the infant in Hull House, a place for children who need care until a suitable home can be found, they learn about a much uglier side of Chicago's slums they didn't expect to see and understand the darker side of the lives of the children that live there. Will they be able to put their differences aside in order to work for the betterment of the children living in deplorable conditions and find a way to help those that are turning to a life of crime at such a young age?

I received Fair Play by Deeanne Gist compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I love learning about a side of history in America that you don't often find in your history books in school. The understanding of what life was like for children living in Chicago in 1893 was so much different for the poor over the life of the affluent. Invisible barriers were often erected to keep either side from understanding the struggle going on with children smoking, drinking alcohol and having to find the odds jobs to help put food on their families tables at night. Disease and crime are at an all time high and places like the Hull House are true sanctuaries in the darkest of times. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for more from Deeanne Gist. A discussion guide is included at the end for book clubs as well as a historical note section from the author. The only thing I didn't like, was that it appeared that the girl's picture on the front cover was cut off.

For more information about Fair Play, Deeanne Gist or where  you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Deeanne Gist on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Fair Play, please visit Howard Book's website. 

If you want to see where it all began, please check out It Happened At the Fair, Deeanne's first novel in the World's Exposition Series. 

For Such A Time



I love it when authors can take an exceptional story from the Bible and breath new life into it and cause us to reflect on the parallels between the two circumstances. In the story of Esther from the Bible, we know of Esther, a niece of Mordecai, that was taken into the King's palace in an effort to find his favor in a search for a new wife. While Esther was in the palace, a man named Haman began to plot for the destruction of the Jewish people, whom Esther and Mordecai were both of the Jewish race. But God had other plans for Esther and she was born for such a time as this to save her people.

In the novel from author Kate Breslin, she opens each chapter with a verse from the book of Esther that correlates to the particular party of the story involving a woman named Hadassah, whose untold beauty would also be her saving grace. Her uncle Morty, secures her false papers that identify her as Stella Mueller, a woman of Austrian descent instead of her Jewish background in light of the capture of Jewish citizens from the Nazi's and taken to concentration camps. Only they become separated and Morty can only hope that he has found a way to save her life and in time through visions given to him from God, she will be their salvation.

But when Stella winds up in a concentration camp along with her daughter Anna, she is labeled and tattooed as a Jew. When she learns she is about to face a firing squad, she boldly takes the hand of her daughter and faces whatever fate has in store for them. Only her daughter is the first to die in order to see if they can break Stella's resolve, but thankfully God intervenes and sends a savior in the form of the Nazi Jew Killer, SS Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt. He runs a transit camp of Theresienstady in Czechoslovakia, and he believes he can offer her some respite and a way to freedom.  This is a retelling of the biblical story of Esther through the eyes of the Jewish Holocaust and one that was exceptionally well written.

I received For Such A Time by Kate Breslin compliments of TLC Book Tours and Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. I absolutely was captivated heart, mind and soul by this novel. It takes the reader into the heart of being a Jew and trying to find a way to exist in the midst of the horror from the past, where citizens were treated worse than animals and had to find a way to make it just through one day and hope life would be there tomorrow. Their future was always uncertain and especially for women, it was a brutal life among the Nazi's. I love how well Kate paralleled the story of Esther alongside this one but kept them separate in that the stories don't concede like you think they will if you know how Esther turns out and that's what makes it unique and completely unforgettable. Hands down a 5 out of 5 stars and what a way to begin her writing career with this debut novel!

For more information about For Such A Time, Kate Breslin, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Kate Breslin on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on For Such A Time, please visit TLC's Book Tour page. 

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Paige Turned



I can only imagine drinking more Starbucks in a day than the employees do, but it's all in hard days work for Paige Alder, working for her church as a youth teen intern. She thought this would be a 40 hour work week but lately it's been more along the lines of 70. On an average day she meets with around 8, teen-age girls and spends an hour, just drinking coffees, frappachinos, or just talking about whatever is on their minds. Just when she thinks she has spare time to run home to her apartment and change, she has to manage planning her best friend, Layla and her sister, Preslee's wedding as their Maid of Honor. How does she even have time for a love life?

Well now that it seems as though she has a handle on that with helping Tyler understand that she did have a past relationship with Luke, Layla's brother, but that it is definitely over in her mind, it seems as if Tyler has gotten more than cold feet when it comes to deciding if dating Paige is the thing for him. In fact, his behavior around her suggests that he is just waiting for the right opportunity to break things off with her, seeing as they haven't talked much in the last few months. But with Paige being busy at work, and dealing with wedding plans, she hasn't had time to put much thought into what is going on with Tyler. Funny, she just thought, she finally had the perfect guy, now what?

Such is the life of Paige Alder, in Paige Turned, the third book in the Paige Alder Series by Erynn Mangum. I've had the wonderful opportunity to be able to experience all three of these books in the series, and I can honestly say, this was not my favorite of the three. Dealing with all of Tyler's drama, Paige is more patient than I think most girls would have been when their "boyfriend" seems less than thrilled each time they talk or run into one another. Paige doesn't seem as concerned as I believe most girls would have at the prospect of potentially seeing him break up with her. After numerous times when she thinks he will, he simply walks away. But Paige perseveres and it pays off in the end, although by the time she got there, I was hoping she would pick things back up with Luke again. I love the part in the book when she has to meet Tyler's mother over lunch and can only imagine how difficult that would have been for anyone.

I received Paige Turned by Erynn Mangum compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and NavPress, a division of Tyndale House Publishers. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. After reviewing this one, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars. You can find all three of the novels in the Paige Alder series at your favorite book retailer. For more information on Paige Turned, Erynn Mangum or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Erynn Mangum on Facebook to stay up to date on her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Paige Turned, please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's book tour page. 


Monday, April 28, 2014

Defy The Night



Whenever I read anything connected to the Holocaust, I am deeply moved. I can't imagine the horrors that happened to an entire race of people simply based on what other people thought of them, that they were less than worthy of living. It is hard not to be impacted in a deep sense that these things really happened and they are not the works of fiction. In the novel, Defy The Night by authors Heather and Lydia Munn, the story chronicles the lives of women who were moved to save the children that found themselves in refugee camps and later became detention camps. This happened before these camps would later be turned into concentration camps by the middle of 1945 and would involve the mass murder of men, women and children in the Holocaust.

While many people still died in these camps, due to lack of food and water and health care, this story is about the time when people running these camps still had compassion on children and would allow them to be released into the care of women who would care for them and find suitable homes for them. Most of these children would remain orphans and would carry with them the memories of these camps for the rest of their lives.

This novel centers around a young girl Magali who knows she must do something more with her life than simply find a husband and begin a family. On the whispers of a pending war, France still remains free while Hilter and his army slowly begin to absorb taking over country's one by one. Food rationing is a must and Magali grows frustrated with her life. She can't stand the fact that they have to do without while Hilter takes everything that doesn't belong to him and makes her and her family have to struggle just to find ways to survive. She hopes that some day things will be different. She grows frustrated that even her closest friends are refugees from other countries and they remain shell shocked by the horrors that they have brought to their town, always on the watch for German soldiers.

Magali gets an idea to find a way to help those hurt most by the war when a young woman named Paquerette arrives on the train with orphans from a detention camp. Malnourished and in desperate need of medical care, she helps her arrange to have the children cared for by the town's mission homes. She learns that Paquerette is legally moving these children away from those camps and giving them a second chance at life, even if their parents never leave. It is a offer of hope that Magali finds too hard to pass up. She learns that Paquerette could use her help if only she convince her parents to let her. But after seeing what Hilter can do, her parents are hard to convince. They do offer to let Magali go once her studies have been completed just so she can see the horrors of what is really going on outside their small town in hopes, she will never want to return. But that will not be the case!

I received Defy the Night by Heather and Lydia Munn compliments of Kregel Publications for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. I love how elegantly these women did their research into what was happening to Jewish families just prior to WWII, how they were at first moved to these camps as refugees, then were detained as a way of cleansing the country of their presence and moved into detention camps where families were forced to endure deplorable conditions and serve in labor camps. Most people died just based on the conditions of the camps, the lack of food and water being given just bread and water most times to survive on. The French did it as a way of appeasing Hitler so that the French Jews would hopefully be left alone. It shows the basis for what would later be deporting this people to Germany as a way of meeting Hitler's quota for Jews to be exterminated in concentration/death camps later as the war progressed. I applaud their efforts to share this novel and the basis for creating an awareness that most never knew about or even considered. It makes us all wonder just what we would do should something like this occur again. I easily give this a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and hope that everyone picks this one up!

For more information about Defy The Night, Heather and Lydia Munn, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also read my review on How Huge The Night, the first novel that showcases the lives of Nina, Benjamin and Julian whom we meet in this novel.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Heaven is for Real



The one thing we all hold onto is that when this life is over, it is not the end for those of us that believe that Jesus Christ, is the Son of God. That Heaven is a real place and it will be our eternal home. To say that Colton Burpo had a life altering experience would be an understatement. Colton Burpo, a 4-year-old boy facing a life threatening appendectomy is not expected to live. But with the countless prayers that are happening all around him, Colton makes it. In fact what he tells his parents over the next few months will be mind blowing to even those who are believers. Colton never died. He never lost his heart beat nor did the doctor's ever say he came close to death, so why then is Colton saying he went to Heaven and came back?

The one thing that no one can explain is how it happened but the explanations Colton gives his parents and those willing to listen, is that this is NOT the end. That Heaven does exist and it is real! He explains that he met Jesus and that he was introduced to a sister he had never met. He didn't know her name, because she said she didn't have one. Her parents never named her. When Colton shared this with his parents, they had no explanation since this was something they never shared with Colton or his older sister, Cassie. It was a child they lost while his mother was pregnant.

Now Colton shares with his father that he met his grandfather, Todd's father, who is known simply as "Pops." When Todd shares a photo of "Pops" to Colton, he told him that that is not the man he saw. He said that everyone in heaven is young and no one wears glasses. Todd then shows him a younger photo of his father, and Colton immediately tells Todd, "That's him, that's Pops!" As a pastor of his church, Todd has his own personal struggle with whether or not, what Colton claims happened, actually did. But soon enough he can't explain how Colton knows so much if he really didn't go to Heaven.


I received Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. This book is a special movie edition, which contains photos from the movie, Heaven is for Real as well as photos of the real Burpo family, as well as interviews with the actors from the movie about how they felt about the story of Colton visiting heaven. This is such an exceptional story that everyone should read regardless of your beliefs, because it's about something extraordinary happening to an ordinary family that forever changed not only them, but those around them in remarkable ways. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. This contains the original edition of Heaven is for Real along with extras such as updates from Todd and Colton on recent events including the making-of-the-movie experience and "From The Set" Q&A's with the filmmakers and actors! Trust me, you definitely want this edition!

For more information about Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo, Lynn Vincent or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can find Heaven is for Real on Facebook and stay up to date with all the latest information.

To read more reviews on Heaven is for Real, please visit Thomas Nelson Publishers website. 


Saturday, April 26, 2014

Sadie's Secret



Will the notorious Will Tucker ever be captured? As we have followed his elusive trail from the beginning, it all reaches a breaking point in Sadie's Secret, the third and final novel in The Secret Lives of Will Tucker Series. We pick up with Sarah Louise Callum, whom her family fondly calls "Sadie" as she is about to be assigned her biggest case ever as a Pinkerton detective. Not exactly the model agent with her being a female but each of her successes have established her as a true professional. Now if only she could find a way to tell her family, who believes she has been accompanying her Uncle in his travels while working as a Pinkerton. To say that her family is a bit overprotective is an understatement. There only goal in life for Sadie is to find a suitable husband and settle down to begin a family. But she has other plans.

British Detective William Jefferson Tucker has made a promise to his mother to stop by and check on the welfare of his twin brother, William John Tucker. Just when he felt everything was going along as planned, his twin and a guard in the prison make arrangements for Jefferson to finish out the term of John's prison sentence. Something he believes Jefferson can handle much better than he can. So while an innocent man is in prison for crimes he didn't commit, his twin brother is assuming his life outside the prison walls. Only one person will be able to save him from a fate worse than death, but will she be willing to do it?

Sadie is the only one who is able to figure out the subtle differences between Jefferson and John Tucker with the slight variation of colors to their eyes, something a woman has no problem noticing. She has been tasked with finding a way to convince a judge that they are holding the wrong man, getting him released from prison and escorting him to town until another Pinkerton agent can meet her to take over. They believe only Jefferson can lead them straight to John. But even thought they may look alike, they are far from being different. Jefferson has no idea just where John would be headed and he can only hope someone else finds him before he does.

I received Sadie's Secret by Kathleen Y'Barbo compliments of Harvest House Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I have thoroughly enjoyed each addition to this series and think Kathleen has nailed it with the conclusion. It is great to see some of the previous characters in the series make an appearance in this one and love the way it is all resolved in the end. Truly a historical return of the prodigal son and well worth 5 out of 5 stars. If you love historical romances with strong female characters, you will want to pick up this series from Kathleen Y'Barbo.

For more information about Sadie's Secret, Kathleen Y'Barbo, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Kathleen Y'Barbo on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Sadie's Secret, please visit Harvest House Publishers. 




Friday, April 25, 2014

A Promise in Pieces



Often times we look back on our life by the time we are old and wonder if anything we have done has meant anything. Has our life created a legacy that shows where we have walked and left footprints on the hearts of those around us? Clara Kirkpatrick has always wondered if God was calling her to something more, something greater. She found it on the cusp of World War II when she ran away from home to become a nurse. Her parents didn't want her to go, and she lied to them about signing up. But in her heart, she felt God was pulling her in that direction. To give something more of herself than simply growing up as a preacher's daughter. She never dreamed she would break their hearts.

Yet she found her true calling. Something that would connect her life forever through the threads she would weave in the lives of the people she touched. That was the day she met Gareth, a wounded man she met as a nurse who showed her how you could combine a love for God and still serve in the war. Knowing there was little more she could do for him, than offer to hold his hand, since his injuries were life threatening and being without pain meds, she offered comfort in his final moments. His last request was a letter to his wife, and a promise that Clara would deliver his final declarations of love in person to Mattie. It was a promise she would keep.

It was one of the most difficult times in her life when the war was finally over, giving that letter to Mattie in person. She could understand it if she would refuse to talk to her, but Mattie had a true heart after God. After reading the letter, Mattie gave her a quilt she had made hoping that one day her and Gareth might begin a family. Now that he was dead, she knew in her heart she could never marry and with that the promise of children with Gareth would never be fulfilled. Since Clara was a nurse she asked Mattie if she might stitch the names of the children who had been lost in the war or as a result of childbirth into the quilt to remember them and to also pray for those children who would now grow up without a father.

It would be Clara's legacy and promise that she too, would never marry for fear that death would rob her of love. But God had other plans in store for Clara, one that would take her life farther than she would ever dream and create something that began with a promise and restore all those broken pieces in her life to something of beauty to be passed on to her family. This is Clara's story and one that will impact your life as well as it did hers .

I received A Promise in Pieces by Emily T. Wierenga compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. This was such a beautiful story of a servant's life, Clara's life and how God can use the broken places in our own lives to restore us and create something true beautiful with them. We will be able to look back and see how God took those messes in our life and we make marks by moving forward in those dark times. We might not see it until we turn around and look back, but it's there. For those that love WWII as your backdrop coupled with a beautiful story of love and redemption than this is the perfect book for you. As an addition to the Quilts of Love series, this book doesn't have to be read in order but as a stand alone, but trust me, if you love quilts and the stories they hold, you'll want to pick up all of them.I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. It has found a permanent place in my bookshelf with the rest!

For more information about A Promise in Pieces, Emily T. Wierenga, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Emily T. Wierenga on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Promise in Pieces, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

The latest Quilts of Love release, A Promise in Pieces by Emily Wierenga is receiving glowing reviews.

Emily is celebrating the release of her debut novel with a "Women Helping Women" shopping spree giveaway.

qol-promisepieces-400-click

  One winner will receive:
  • $200 to spend at Emily's favorite shops, Noonday Collection & Vibella (Click through to learn more about how these companies exist to make a difference in the lives of women!)
  • A Promise in Pieces by Emily Wierenga
  • A Stitch and a Prayer by Eva Gibson
  • Rival Hearts by Tara Randel
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 10th. Winner will be announced on the Quilts of Love blog on May 12th. Then be sure to stop by the Quilts of Love Facebook page on May 29th for the "Quilting Bee" Facebook party with Emily and other Quilts of Love authors. RSVP for an evening of book chat, quilting tips & tricks, prizes, and more!

Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

A Sensible Arrangement



Whenever I hear the name Tracie Peterson, I know I am in for a great novel, that will completely captivate me heart and soul. There is something about the unique way she writes so well that you are simply not just reading her novels, she takes you along for the ride and you become part of the story along with her amazing characters you can't help but love. In her latest series, The Lone Star Brides Series, she picks up on one of my favorite topics dealing with life in the west, mail order brides.

In the novel A Sensible Arrangement, Marty Dandrige Olson is looking for a way to escape her life in Texas. Since losing her husband to being gored by a long horn she is struggling with how to move forward in her life without him and without God. Blaming God for not answering any of her prayers, she answers an ad for a banker in Denver searching for the same thing as she is. A marriage without the possibility of love. One simply of convenience and in name only. Seems like Jake Wythe would be the answer to a prayer but Marty has all but abandoned any notion of God or prayer in her life.

Leaving behind all her worldly good, she takes a stagecoach to Denver believing it is more suitable for women traveling alone without a chaperone, at least that what she has been told. Now traveling in the company of other women, her stagecoach is attacked by bank robbers. Rather than become a victim of circumstances, Marty pulls the pistol she always keeps handy and aids the drivers in putting a stop to the robbery. When the stage comes to a full stop, Marty learns that neither the driver or shotgun are fit to drive the stage into town. Without help they will surely die, so Marty does what anyone would do, and drives the stage into town. She not only saves the lives of the two men on the stage, but also becomes the talk of the town.

Fearing this won't lead to a good impression on Jake Wythe as a women of good character, she fears she will be rejected and sent back to Texas. But Jake sees something more in Marty than just a good candidate for a banker's wife. He sees her heart of compassion and softness without any fear of what others may think of her. Fortunately for both of them, theirs will simply be a marriage in name only and he won't have to worry about where his heart may take him instead. But it seems like God has other plans in store not only for Marty and Jake, but for those who are surrounded by their good natures as well.

I received A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. I love this book because it took me back to a much simpler time in a sense, where Marty is struggling with coming to terms with leaving behind her cattle ranching days for a life of leisure as a banker's wife, being waited on hand and foot wanting for nothing. Jake on the other hand, would gladly give up the life in Denver for his own cattle ranch. He's doing all he can to save up for his own, when rumors of an economic fallout begin to rock the social world in Denver. Will Jake and Marty be able to come to terms with a new future of compromise or will they both be faced with holding back secrets that they know will hurt the other if they should ever come to light? You'll have to see how these two work to make their differences work together and I for one can't wait for the next novel in this series. Warning: a bit of a cliff hanger ending but one I would easily give a 5 out of 5 stars for!

For more information about A Sensible Arrangement, Tracie Peterson or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Tracie Peterson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Sensible Arrangement, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page. 


Welcome to the campaign launch for Tracie Peterson's 100th book! A Sensible Arrangement launches Tracie's new Texas-based series, Lone Star Brides, that’s sure to please. As a special treat, devoted fans will be able to catch a glimpse of several popular characters from previous series.

Tracie is celebrating by giving away an iPad Mini and hosting a LIVE webcast event on 4/29.

sensible-400-click
  One winner will receive:
  • An iPad Mini
  • A Sensible Arrangement by Tracie Peterson
Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 29th. Winner will be announced at the A Sensible Arrangement Live Webcast Event on April 29th. Connect with Tracie for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Tracie will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of A Sensible Arrangement and join Tracie and friends on the evening of April 29th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 29th!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Alone, Yet Not Alone - Review and Giveaway



What does it really mean to have faith even when you fear God has turned His back on you? Is it possible to hold onto the thing you were taught as a child in order to endure a future you never thought possible? Such are the questions author Tracy Leininger Craven hopes to stir in the reader's soul in her novel Alone, Yet Not Alone based on the true story accounts from Tracy's family.

Just as the Leininger family had begun a new start in life in Pennsylvania during 1755 after leaving behind the persecution in Germany, all they knew is that faith had gotten them through the worst of times. What they now had was their faith in God, freedom and a chance to begin to establish new traditions and raising their family in belief of God's promises. As Barbara and Regina, 12 and 9, were watching over lunch preparations on their family farm, two Indians showed up unannounced in their small cabin. Believing that no violence would be necessary, Barbara's father sends the two girls to the stream for fresh water, while hoping the Indians will just take the tobacco offered and leave.

Little did Barbara and Regina know but their father and older brother would be killed, the cabin burned to the ground, and they would be carted off to join countless other white woman and young children as Indian captives during the French-Indian War. Believing their father's promised to never lose sight of God in any situation, they encourage one another through the words of Barbara's favorite song, Alone, Yet Not Alone. She inspires this kind of courage and faith in her younger sister that no matter what God will never leave them alone and that one day, they would be reunited with their mother and brother who had gone to town that day and escaped the family's brutal murder.

The one thing Barbara could never imagine is having her sister Regina, taken from her and being carted off to another Indian tribe. Now all she could do was pray for their safety and for a way to escape when the time came. Her only ally was a childhood friend, Marie, whom she grew up with as a neighbor and between the two found solace in encouraging one another in their prayers and faith. Barbara was fortunate that her Indian captor seemed to have a kindness and gentleness about him that provided her with a safety net of sorts as she was taught the warriors ways of living, including dyeing their faces, wearing warrior clothes and adopting the Allegheny ways of worship. But could she give up the belief her family raised her to know about the one true God?



I received Alone, Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven compliments of Zonderkidz, a division of Zondervan Publishers and Media Connect for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. This novel is coming to  movie theater soon based on the events captured in this novel based on true events. Tracy Leininger Craven emphasizes that it was that faith in God that kept Barbara and Regina together when they were miles apart, and that some hope that stayed within their hearts long after they finally escaped to freedom. This is the story that will strike a cord in those that feel deserted and through this story you will find living proof that the power of God's love withstands the test of time in any situation. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and am looking forward to seeing this in the movies.

Now for the best part, thanks to the generosity of Media Connect and ZonderKidz, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog Reviews From The Heart. Here are the details to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog Reviews From The Heart. 

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US mailing address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner of the giveaway by email when it ends on May 2nd. 

For more information about Alone Yet Not Alone, Tracy Leininger Craven or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also find out more about the movie adaption of the book on Facebook. 

You can also find out more about the upcoming movie by visiting Alone Yet Not Alone's website. 

Than


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Amish Groom



After six long years, it's time for Tyler Anderson to come to some hard decisions about his future. He's thankful that Rachel Hoeck hasn't decided to find someone else to marry, after all she's been baptized into the Amish faith and has waited patiently for Tyler to finally propose to her now that he is twenty three but he can't just yet. He doesn't know what is keeping him from moving forward. Is it the fact that he was left with his Amish grandparents when he was six after losing his mother unexpectedly and watched his father walk away to continue his military career? Or is it because he wonders what made his Amish mother walk away from her faith at eighteen and marry an English man?

It seems Tyler is at a crossroads and no matter how much he prays for God's guidance, he senses that God is quiet on what he should do. All he knows for certain is that Rachel deserves more from him. She is everything he could ever imagine in a future wife. He has a strong stable job working for his grandparents Buggy shop, he has developed a long standing relationship within the Amish community and it seems like his English dad, has moved forward in his new life with his wife and son. But there is just something nagging at the back of Tyler's mind that keeps him from moving forward in either life.

After careful consideration, he mentions his feelings to Rachel who wonders if Tyler will ever commit to her and wonders if she has been wasting her time waiting for him. If he heads back to the English world, he may never come back. But if she doesn't give him this time to discover what has been holding him back he will always wonder if he did the right thing in marrying her. She wants to marry Tyler for all the right reasons and pressuring him to commit won't make either of them happy in the long run.

So Tyler heads to Southern California to take his father up on the offer to housesit and watch over his 14-year-old brother Brady who sits on the cusp of being the next NFL hopeful and his dad believes Brady isn't taking his potential opportunity seriously enough. Without some guidance, he fears Brady will simply quit and later have regrets on the future he gave up. Tyler agrees to spending the time in Southern California hoping that time in the English world will give him the time and perspective he needs to know which path he should choose, Amish or English for his future.

I received The Amish Groom by Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Harvest House Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. I love combined genre's and in this case it's contemporary romance coupled with Amish fiction. I love that Mindy and Susan decided to complicate a typical Amish romance with the fact that Tyler is struggling to come to terms with his English roots and the unresolved questions he has about his mother leaving the Amish faith. I think it's a valid question for Tyler to consider and I applaud how it all came together in the end. Thank you for answering Tyler's questions in the manner you did. Now I can't wait to see what happens in the next book! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and this is the first novel in the Men of Lancaster County Series. You have me as a fan now!

For more information about The Amish Groom, Mindy Starns Clark, Susan Meissner or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Mindy Starns Clark on her website to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

You can find Susan Meissner on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Amish Groom please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's Book Tour Page. 



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

A Promise in Pieces



Often times we look back on our life by the time we are old and wonder if anything we have done has meant anything. Has our life created a legacy that shows where we have walked and left footprints on the hearts of those around us? Clara Kirkpatrick has always wondered if God was calling her to something more, something greater. She found it on the cusp of World War II when she ran away from home to become a nurse. Her parents didn't want her to go, and she lied to them about signing up. But in her heart, she felt God was pulling her in that direction. To give something more of herself than simply growing up as a preacher's daughter. She never dreamed she would break their hearts.

Yet she found her true calling. Something that would connect her life forever through the threads she would weave in the lives of the people she touched. That was the day she met Gareth, a wounded man she met as a nurse who showed her how you could combine a love for God and still serve in the war. Knowing there was little more she could do for him, than offer to hold his hand, since his injuries were life threatening and being without pain meds, she offered comfort in his final moments. His last request was a letter to his wife, and a promise that Clara would deliver his final declarations of love in person to Mattie. It was a promise she would keep.

It was one of the most difficult times in her life when the war was finally over, giving that letter to Mattie in person. She could understand it if she would refuse to talk to her, but Mattie had a true heart after God. After reading the letter, Mattie gave her a quilt she had made hoping that one day her and Gareth might begin a family. Now that he was dead, she knew in her heart she could never marry and with that the promise of children with Gareth would never be fulfilled. Since Clara was a nurse she asked Mattie if she might stitch the names of the children who had been lost in the war or as a result of childbirth into the quilt to remember them and to also pray for those children who would now grow up without a father.

It would be Clara's legacy and promise that she too, would never marry for fear that death would rob her of love. But God had other plans in store for Clara, one that would take her life farther than she would ever dream and create something that began with a promise and restore all those broken pieces in her life to something of beauty to be passed on to her family. This is Clara's story and one that will impact your life as well as it did hers .

I received A Promise in Pieces by Emily T. Wierenga compliments of Abingdon Press and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions are strictly my own. This was such a beautiful story of a servant's life, Clara's life and how God can use the broken places in our own lives to restore us and create something true beautiful with them. We will be able to look back and see how God took those messes in our life and we make marks by moving forward in those dark times. We might not see it until we turn around and look back, but it's there. For those that love WWII as your backdrop coupled with a beautiful story of love and redemption than this is the perfect book for you. As an addition to the Quilts of Love series, this book doesn't have to be read in order but as a stand alone, but trust me, if you love quilts and the stories they hold, you'll want to pick up all of them.I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. It has found a permanent place in my bookshelf with the rest!

For more information about A Promise in Pieces, Emily T. Wierenga, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Emily T. Wierenga on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Promise in Pieces, please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's book tour page.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Fiery Secrets



The one thing we can never hide from is God, yet so often times we try to convince ourselves that what we are attempting makes sense. No one will ever be able to judge if they don't know. That sounds fine, until that guilt begins to eat away at you bit by bit. Pretty soon however, what you are holding inside gets to be too much for you to justify any longer especially if those secrets can keep you from moving forward and finding true freedom. The enemy would prefer you keep that to yourself.

Such is the premise behind Stephanie McCall's novel Fiery Secrets. Grace Taylor became a doctor to aid in the care and treatment of her ex husband Kyle when he was diagnosed with brain cancer. Instead of seeing that as a blessing Kyle found that his illness was an excuse to verbal and physically abuse her. His childhood became the backdrop to teaching Kyle that abuse was something he could use to get what he wanted in life if he wasn't given freely to him. But when Grace divorced him, Kyle began to take control any way he could by abusing alcohol and drugs. Now with having custody of their son Jacob being stripped from him as well as his $100,000 trust fund, he knows he has to do something to keep his addiction going any way he can.

Grace has been struggling with her own demons from the past. She too, became addicted to alcohol when she was married to Kyle in an effort to find a way to get along. The more they both drank, the less hostile he would be to her. But soon it would become too much especially after Jacob was born. But when her drinking cost her joint custody of Jacob, she resolved to become a better mom and put her entire past behind her and that included trusting men ever again. No one would ever be good enough for her and she would do all she could to win back Jacob no matter what the costs.

Now that Jacob has been struggling with his test scores feeling unworthy and stupid according the labels his father Kyle placed on him, he retreats further into himself in an effort to protect what little remains of who he is in the eyes of his mother and father. But when Chris Anderson, is assigned to him as a tutor, he excels and finds self esteem is found in those who believe in you and teach you to believe in yourself. Now if only Chris could take that same advice and apply it to his own life. Giving up his career as an exceptional teacher when a school shooting took the life of three of his students. Believing he could have done more to save them, he takes a tutoring position while he continues to deal with the effects of PTSD from that day as well as overcoming the drug addiction his doctor inadvertently put him through. What he didn't expect was to fall for both Jacob and his mom, Grace.

I received Fiery Secrets from Stephanie McCall compliments of Hope Springs Books for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. This is such an amazing story of hope amidst pasts that Grace and Chris believe will deem that as unworthy in anyone's eyes. We all have pasts we aren't proud of, but with God's grace and mercy we can find forgiveness and redemption. We can have a new chance at life, if we are willing to learn to take Jesus' advice and simply trust He can make good things come from all those past hurts and breath new life into each one of us. Stephanie utilizes this through this novel and shows us all what awaits us if we only are willing to try. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Fiery Secrets, Stephanie McCall, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can find Stephanie McCall on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.
  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: HopeSprings Books (July 2, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1938708164
  • ISBN-13: 978-1938708169
  • Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches

Sunday, April 20, 2014

The Shift



On Easter, I felt there was no greater story to share than one of redemption and hope in a world today filled without hope. When you look around the world you begin to wonder just how bad will it get. If you love a bit of spiritual warfare coupled with an unforgettable romance story of a prodigal family finding their way home, then you will love The Shift from author M. Ann Ricks.

The story opens with a young girl Xion who finds herself literally at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ amid Jesus' mother and others. Only she doesn't realize it at the time, just who the disfigured man is hanging there dying while those around him are weeping and sobbing. All she knows is when she looks into the eyes of this man, she doesn't see despair but love instead. Then she wakes up. Xion has been living with her grandparents since graduating from school and has been estranged from her mother Veronica since as far back as she can remember. It's a painful place that memories can keep us chained and no one is more content with that than the demons who want nothing more than to keep her in bondage and away from the truth that her grandparents have been praying for.

But for Xion, despite all she knows about Jesus Christ, and what her grandparents have shared with her, this is something that has to come to her on her own terms not merely accepting what everyone tells her she should do. So while her grandparents diligently continue to pray for her to come to know Jesus as they do, she continues to be haunted by the dream that felt like more than just a dream. She wonders just who the man is and why she continues to be haunted by his image.

Meanwhile Zeborah and Richard, Xion's grandparents and founders of Kingdom Revelation Center continue to pray for Xion, they are also praying for Veronica, her mother to come back home. It has been years since she has remained separated from them but feel God's got something big going on that will draw them all closer together one more time. Yet the enemy isn't so willing to give up the secrets of the past that have kept them all in bondage and he will stop at nothing to ensure the success in his plans of keeping Xion and Veronica from finding the salvation, hope and forgiveness that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

I received The Shift compliments of the author M. Ann Ricks herself for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions included here are strictly my own.. I've been a huge fan of speculative fiction, which is the new term that accompanies books on spiritual warfare in a fiction sense, since being exposed to Frank Peretti's books, Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness. It is important to understand that there is a world that we cannot see in which spiritual battles are taking place between believers and non believers everyday for our souls. This one is along those lines and shows just how strong the weapon of prayer can be in the life of a believer. It also shows how the enemy will do whatever it takes to keep us from using that power to battle for the lives of the unsaved around us. I LOVED this story that M. Ann Ricks has so thoughtfully put together and was divinely inspired to reach those that will read it. I easily give this one a 4.5 of out 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Shift, M. Ann Ricks or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also fine M. Ann Ricks on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can pick up a copy of this book at your favorite book retailer or through Amazon. 
  • Paperback: 342 pages
  • Publisher: M. Ann Ricks Literary Creations (March 1, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0991039955
  • ISBN-13: 978-0991039951
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches


Saturday, April 19, 2014

As It Was In The Days of Noah



After the latest Hollywood movie to launch onto the big screen, Noah seems to be the talk about town. There are so many critics that argue just how accurate the story was to the biblical story, but one can hardly argue with the fact that in almost every single race and culture that there are around 270 versions of the story of the great flood. Coincidence or Godly intervention? I say the later!

What I do love, is the book that I happened to have found primarily through numerous advertisements on my Facebook page, As It Was In The Days of Noah from author Jeff Kinley. I wrote to him and kindly asked for a complimentary copy to review as the Bible's story of Noah is kept to about 3 chapters in Genesis beginning in chapter 6, but I knew that there had to be more to the study of Noah's life. How did Noah become so righteous if the entire world was declared by God to be destined for destruction based on their sinful lives? What was the importance of rain being used to judge mankind? Who helped build the ark? What was the significance of Methusaleh in Noah's life? More importantly, what does all this mean for the future of the world?

I have to say, when I got the book in the mail, I was surprised at how small the book was. I was hoping for a thick book filled to the brim with research and reference for me to follow along with my Bible. Yet God is amazing in using people like Jeff Kinley to shine the light in the dark places, one doesn't need a whole lot of light, just a bit to make it dark no more and that is just what you get in this book. So much information along with great footnotes that I was diligently following along with my Bible to see for myself how often I have glossed over the story of Noah, the Ark and the Great Flood and missed all the connecting pieces of the puzzle and what it reveals is chilling to the core.

We all know, as believers, that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, will happen when the world becomes like it was in the days of Noah.

Matthew 24:36-38  "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah."For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark."

So if you are like me, always watching for signs of the coming of Jesus, you want to go back into our history to see what kinds of things were happening in Noah's day. All I know, is that I don't want to be here, when that happens. Even though our world with all its violence, murder, rape, sexual crimes, and people now looking the other way when wrong things are committed now saying that those things are right, we are literally sitting on the cusp of the Second Coming of the Lord more so now than at any other time in history. So it is too late? Is there any hope? You might want to pick this book up for yourself and see what it has to say along with your Bible. All I know is that despite the issues concerning Hollywood's take on the story of Noah, there have been more hits on Bible applications and websites dealing with Noah than ever before. God can truly use anything to get His message across. God is patient wishing none to perish, but even He has a limit to just how long that will be. And it may be much sooner than you ever thought.



I received As It Was In The Days of Noah by Jeff Kinley compliments of Harvest House Publishers and the author himself for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. I have utilized this book in conjunction with my own Bible for a complete indepth study on what the Bible says about Noah and the preview of earth's final days. Being a huge lover of Bible prophecy and End Times events, this one hit a home run in my book. You can't argue the facts that Jeff does such an exceptional job at explaining like the meaning behind Methusaleh's name and the significance of his death. I never made the correlation to Noah's family tree to understand how he was raised, and so much much more. I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of this book and begin your own personal journey of discovery and this can also be used in conjunction with a small group Bible Study as well. Hands down I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and will be re-reading this one quite a few more times and keeping it in a place of reference close at hand.

For more information about As It Was In The Days of Noah, Jeff Kinley or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Jeff Kinley on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

You can also find As It Was In The Days of Noah on Harvest House Publisher's website.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Cocoon



Very few people ever think that the wedding vows that they make to stay together in sickness and health, will ever happen sooner than later and in most cases hopefully never at all. But such was not the case between Seana Howard and Barth McGrath. To say that things began well would be simply an understatement for them both. Each had lost loves in their earlier lives and both were struggling with the fact that they would grow old alone. Seems fate does that quite a bit, bringing people together during the difficult times as almost a reward for their prolonged perseverance in times of hardship. You would also think that Seana's grown children, Zoe and Tim, would be more than thrilled that their mother would find love again and marry, but again this would not be the case.

For Seana and Barth, theirs would be a whirlwind romance, not because they wanted to get on with life, but because after previous marriages and their age, they felt they knew what was right for each of them, without considering that Seana's children would hopefully come to accept their marriage given enough time. But for some reason, Zoe felt that Barth was hiding something. All the questions she asked Barth about his previous life, seemed to go unanswered or he simply steered the conversation in other directions. So it was no wonder when she discovers that Barth's previous wife was murdered and he was considered the suspect, that he may not be suitable for her mother.

But love is blind and soon Seana and Barth felt that they needed to elope and find a way to let the kids and neighbors know about their marriage after the fact. Everyone couldn't have been happier for Seana except for Zoe and Tim. Even her grandchildren had come to accept Barth. Yet when Seana begins to take Barth's advice to make healthier choices when it comes to the food she eats and later begins to grow ill, with a diagnosis that even baffles her doctors, Zoe begins to think Barth is up to no good. It seems that the more time passes, the worse Seana gets, even though Barth vows to care for her no matter how bad things will get. Will he take his marriage vows all the way to the end if need be, or will Zoe find the proof she needs to prove to everyone that her fears about Barth are valid after all?

I received Cocoon by Emily Sue Harvey compliments of The Story Plant for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. This book will ask the hard questions that most of us that are married hope will never happen. How far would you go to care for the person you marry? How much time would you spend caring for their needs 24/7? What if there was no answer to why someone simply gives up the will to live? Is there hope and light at the end of the tunnel when everyone simply gives up? This novel has a great message behind it all and one that shows how hard faith can be when facing the darkness day after day and seeing no results. One worth exploring to the end! I easily give this one a 4 out of 5 stars!

For more information about Cocoon, Emily Sue Harvey or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also follow Emily Sue Harvey on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Coccon, please visit Story Plant's website. 






Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Amazing Spiderman 2 Review and Giveaway



You can't live in our home and not be affected by Marvel superheroes in some way, shape or form. The addiction began with my husband Steve and then migrated to my two daughters, 21 and 15 and then I found myself getting hooked in the movies and stories as well. I have my favorites much like everyone in my house does, but being a believer in Christ, we have to be careful about how outside influences can affect our lives. I am a firm believer that God can use ANYTHING to get his point across and even in the latest Spiderman 2, there are profound messages we can utilize to incorporate those lifestyle choices into valuable lessons for our children and family.

Even though the movie isn't scheduled for release just yet, there are some great ideas to be found in a discussion guide for family geared to highlight those points in the Amazing Spiderman 2. We've always known that Spider-Man's most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. But in The Amazing Spider-Man 2™, Peter Parker finds that a greater conflict lies ahead. This is useful because we know things in life aren't always fair and there will be times of trouble for all of us. It's those choices we make that determine the outcome when those trials of life head our way.

This discussion guide that is available as part of a prize package deals with the issues that Peter Parker faces in this new movie, such as the nature of power and how you can be someone who is needed despite not having super powers like Spiderman does. If you think about it, he doesn't use his "spidey senses" when it comes to figuring out how he will deal with the evil he confronts in his life. We all have unique talents and abilities unlike anyone else and when we try and become like someone else, we cover those up. It shows us that we all have a part to play in life and we all matter. We can understand the value of time and what a true treasure it is in our life. It's what we do with them that matters. A key part of growing up is understanding how to balance your time and managing our responsibilities.

The movie also teaches us about sacrifice, Spiderman does that when he places himself between others and the evil he confronts. He is willing to die for those he loves and cares for and even those he hardly knows much like Jesus did for us. It shows the example for kids of what unconditional love looks like. Peter Parker sacrifices his feelings for Gwen in order to keep her safe, while Harry Osborn uses others in his quest for power to destroy Spiderman.

The discussion guide parallels scripture verses along with subplots from the movie to open up discussions with your family in how they would deal with similar situations in their own lives that may come up. There are questions designed to spark those conversations in your family to guide them in making the right choices before they actually happen.

I received the Family Discussion Guide for the Amazing Spiderman 2 compliments of Propeller, LLC for my honest review and think this makes a great tool for families to use to open discussions in their family dealing with the same situations that Peter Parker faces in this movie. Anything that keeps communication open is a great asset for families and using this along with your Bible can teach our kids that God truly does hold all the answers to whatever we face in life through His Word. I easily rate this a 5 out of 5 stars. Now for the fun part! Thanks to the generous folks at Propeller LLC, they are offering a prize package to one lucky follower of my blog which contains:

- AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 Prize Pack (t-shirt, paper mask and phone case)

Here's all you need to do to enter: 
1. Be a follower of my blog Reviews From The Heart
3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes
4. Leave me a comment below telling me why you want to win a prize pack for your family. Don't forget to include your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols. If I don't have your email address, I can't notify you if you are the lucky winner. 

The giveaway will end on April 25th and feel free to enter as many times as you'd like. I will notify the winner by email on that date!

For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming to theaters in May, please visit their website.

Claiming Mariah



Just when things couldn't get any worse for Mariah Malone, in rode trouble. Tall, dark and handsome Slade Donovan was about to change Mariah's life in an unbelievable way. After losing her father, she has managed to attempt to hold down things at her father's cattle ranch the best she could, but after fighting a losing battle after two years of profits she wasn't prepared for what Slade had on his mind.

In response to her letter advising him that she had recently been made aware of her father stealing half of the gold between her father and Slade's, she wanted to make things right. She wanted to offer him a cut of her cattle in hopes of mending the broken fences that kept the two families at odds. Only Slade wanted more than simply a pay off from Mariah. Armed with proof that the mine that both men found gold in was in his father's name only, anything bought with that gold was his, and he wanted to make sure that he got back what he believed he was entitled to and that meant the ranch and everything on it.

Believing that God had an answer for this shocking revelation, Slade's brother Buck was able to convince Slade to allow Mariah and her aging grandmother to stay on the ranch until his family finally came to settle in, and would pay for her upkeep of the house and meals for him and his brother. Mariah knew that the only way she and her grandmother could hope of traveling back to Philadelphia was to accept Slade's offer and save everything she could.

But soon Slade discovers the reason why the ranch hasn't been turning a profit and believes that Mariah's mismanagement of the cattle sales to pay for her sisters school in Philadelphia is something she has long overlooked. Without giving her a chance to explain, he immediately shuts down any attempt she makes and keeps his opinions to himself. Mariah concedes to sign the deed to the cattle ranch over to Slade as long as he promises he will keep the real reasons for the sale private to keep her family name intact in town. Will the two of them be able to work together long enough for them both to benefit or will the anger that Slade has in his heart drive her away forever?

I received Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman compliments of Tyndale House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. I love how Pam wrote this story from the hearts and perspectives of both Mariah and Slade. Mariah's faith keeps her strong in spite of the circumstances that threaten to leave her homeless and with nothing, while Slade keeps fighting the faith that Mariah has to keep God out for the unanswered prayers he had as a child. He loves what he sees in Mariah but can't see past his own hard heart for the answers to peace and happiness. Where as his brother Buck who is facing his own challenging odds keeps God in perspective and realizes that nothing that happens is God's fault. It will take an act of faith to bring Slade around. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Pam Hillman is now one of my must have authors! I am completely addicted to her western novels.

For more information about Claiming Mariah, Pam Hillman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:



You can find Pam Hillman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Claiming Mariah, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.


Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Lip Reading



Before we all die, I think we want to leave behind a lasting legacy. One that will go on after we are gone from this earth. We want our life to count for something. Perhaps it's to achieve resolution after facing guilt, perhaps it's to right a wrong or to take a different path than the one life has offered to us. Yet many never have the opportunity to do that and instead lay awake on their death bed filled with a life of regrets. Becca Jackson isn't going to be one of those people.

Facing almost twenty years of regret and guilt for making the wrong choices in her life, she's about to get the push that will propel her life in ways she would never dream possible. While visiting in Africa for a publicity ad to turn around recent bad press for Jackson Pharmaceuticals, she finds herself being kidnapped. Only it will be unlike any kidnapping she has ever had to face. This is designed to make a point and a lasting impression not only in her life but in the lives of the people her uncle's company employs and the people whose lives are forever changed by the drugs they produce and use on people. In this case, a recent drug Mopivadine, an retroviral drug that inhibits the reproduction of HIV through the maternal-child transfer, which has been a complete success. Until Dr. Jacob Opondo reveals to her that children in Africa are dying at such a high rate due to complications caused by not being able to breast feed this children and not having any other source of nutrition is causing them to die while succeeding at preventing the transfer of HIV between the mother and her child.

Dr. Opondo wants Becca's financial help to provide clinics and nutrition as well as medical care to help these patients, because without it the children will continue to die even though the drug is considered a success. He wants $5 million dollars to help his people. He knows that it is money Becca's company can easily provide considering she is sitting on the cusp of cutting edge research of a blood substitute that can used world wide in life or death situations without the risks associated with blood transfusions in the future. Now if she can just get back to working on her research and find a cure to the headaches that keep her from concentrating on what has been going wrong with her work. What she does notice is just before the pain launches into a full grown migraine, she is able now to focus with such clarity, she is 5 steps ahead in her thought process.

When she is finally released to head back home to the United States, she runs into Noah Linebrink, her ex-boyfriend from high school that has been tasked to see if he can get Becca to work for Bradshaw Pharmaceuticals, a competitor of her uncle's on the same research she's been working on. Noah is confident that with the research he's been working on along with Becca's they both have the missing pieces to one anothers puzzle that could launch either company into netting billions of dollars in revenue. But Becca and Noah have a past that could prevent either of them from trusting one another, and after twenty years, the guilt that each of them has been carrying is about to end one way or another.

I received Lip Reading by Harry Kraus, MD compliments of David C Cook Publishers and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I've been a huge fan of Harry Kraus' novels because of his incredible insight of using his knowledge as a surgeon and incorporating it into his novels to add a sense of realism that is often times lacking on other medical suspense novels. This one is no exception, and being a huge migraine sufferer, I found myself cringing each time, Becca's headaches began to materialize. I have to say this one took me places I didn't think it would and created a lasting message about the difference in salvation with grace and not works. This one easily deserves a 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait for more from him in the near future.

For more information about Lip Reading, Harry Kraus MD or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find Harry Kraus MD on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Lip Reading, please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's Book Tour page.

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: David C. Cook (March 1, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0781405343
  • ISBN-13: 978-0781405348
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches

Monday, April 14, 2014

An Interview with Tosca Lee





An Interview with Tosca Lee, Author of Iscariot

History has called him many things: Thief. Liar. Traitor. Reviled throughout history and infamous for his suicide, he is the man whose very name is synonymous with betrayal . . .

And the only disciple that Jesus called “friend.”

Judas.

But who would take a journey through the Lenten season with Judas, of all people?

The answer: readers of New York Times bestselling author Tosca Lee's Iscariot, in which Lee dares to delve into biblical history’s most maligned character—from his tumultuous childhood to his emergence as the man known to the world as the betrayer of Jesus. But more than the story of one man, Iscariot is a view into the life of Jesus that forces readers to reexamine what they thought they knew about two of the most famous—and infamous—religious icons in history.

The study guide, “A Journey with Judas," is available to book clubs and small groups free along with daily devotionals from now until Easter at toscalee.com.

Who is Tosca Lee, and why did she choose to write a book on the Bible’s most controversial character? An interview with the award-winning author of Havah: The Story of Eve and the Books of Mortals trilogy (with Ted Dekker) follows.

Q: How did you start writing biblical fiction?

A: I kind of fell into it, actually. Around 2000, I wrote this story about a fallen angel. I did it in six weeks. And then it took nearly seven years to sell. When we were doing the deal, the editor said, “What else do you have?” I rummaged around and found one page I had done a year before of a very old Eve starting to tell her story. I don’t know why I started writing that, but I pulled it out and said, “I have this!” And they bought it. It eventually became the prologue to Havah: The Story of Eve.

Q: Why Judas? Of all people—why did you choose to write about him?

A: Several years ago, an editor—the same editor who acquired Demon and Havah—suggested a story on Judas. I’d already done a fallen angel and Eve, after all. I flatly refused. Too much research. Too much controversy. Too hard. But the idea started following me around. Finally, about a year later, I was sitting in this New York restaurant eating dinner and found myself scribbling a scene between Judas and his mother on the paper tablecloth. I knew then I was a goner. I realized I wanted to become this disciple Jesus called “friend,” wanted to slip into his skin and sit down next to this enigmatic teacher and healer that people to this day call “Messiah.” I wanted to see and experience him, for myself.

I tore the scene off, shoved it in my purse, and called my agent a few days later, hoping he would talk me out of it. He didn’t. After two years of research, with much fear and trembling, I started writing.

Q: Did you always want to be a writer?

A: Writing was never the plan, even though I’d won some contests growing up in school. Ballet was my first love—I danced with a local ballet company as a teenager and spent my summers studying dance in Kansas City and New York. But within a few years I literally outgrew ballet: I’m nearly six feet tall en pointe. After a torn groin and other injuries, I knew it just wasn’t going to happen. The summer after my freshman year in college, I decided I’d take a stab at writing a novel. I wrote it. It got rejected. It’s still in a crate down in my basement like a skeleton. I’m afraid to look at it. It’s probably got three arms and two heads.

Q:  What’s the coolest thing about writing biblical/historical fiction?

A: We all know the story of Judas, of Adam and Eve—of myriad other two-dimensional characters we first met as flannel board characters in Sunday School with just the barest detail to define the morality tale of their lives. But if these were real people, then they had hopes, aspirations, influences, and motivations. There’s always more to the story. And that makes them much more like us than we might care to admit. That’s scary. Inevitably—and this happened with Iscariot, too—there comes a point about hallway through the story where I realize I’m no longer writing Judas’ story, or Eve’s… but my own.

Q:  Iscariot has been recognized as a Best Christian Fiction title of 2013 by the Library Journal and has been nominated for several other awards. Why do you think Iscariot resonates with readers?

A: I think because like Judas, we are all seeking answers. We are seeking some kind of deliverance—maybe not from Roman occupation, but from a situation, or a fear, or a sickness, anything. We are looking for answers, and expecting God to intervene in certain ways. I think we all identify with trying so hard to do the right things, with having expectations for how God will act, and how, if I do this and that, God will do this and that. But it doesn’t always work out that way, and the question becomes how we will respond. I think we all can identify with that. And I think we all find ourselves completely ruined, in the best and worst of ways, by love we cannot understand.

Q: What do you do when you’re not writing?

A: I love to adventure travel—whether it’s fishing for piranha in the Amazon or trekking through the Balkans, every now and then I just have to get out of town. And I cook. There was a time when I could burn water and ruin cereal, but today I make a pretty mean quiche and haven’t managed to poison anyone in years.

Q: What’s next for you?

A: The Queen of Sheba! I figured it was time to be a girl again.


For more on Tosca and her books, including the free reading guide “A Journey with Judas," go to toscalee.com.


Tosca is offering a special giveaway to her readers this Easter. Enter by April 19th for a chance to win one of three great prizes:
  • A complete signed library of Tosca's work including Demon, Havah, Iscariot and the Mortals Triology
  • A signed copy of the Havok Magazine edition that includes Tosca's Ninja short story
  • A 30-minute video chat with Tosca that could include a critique of up to ten pages of your writing.
See Tosca's website for details and entry information.