Home To Paradise

It is hard to accept it when someone you love, simply doesn't love you the way you want. Even after you have grown up with them your whole life and at one point confessed their undying love for you. But after all these years of simply being away in the English world, Rose Anna Zook can't seem to forget the man she had hoped she would marry one day, John Stoltzfus. What makes matters even more complicated is the fact that both of her older sisters have married John's older brothers. They seemed to have found a way to bring them back into the Amish community and leave behind their English ways. So what can Rose Anna do to win back the man of her dreams?

Her parents would say that trying to manipulate a man to love you again would be completely wrong in many ways and in the very eye of their Amish community. But little does Rose Anna know about the relationship between John and his father that initially drove all three brothers from their childhood home. It might be easy for them to simply forgive and forget, but John can't and won't do that. The last thing he wants to do is be forced into a marriage to Rose even if he had plans to do just that before he left. Who wouldn't want to marry Rose Anna? She was the picture of what every Amish man would ever dream for in a wife and more. But since he can barely hold down any job much less three part time jobs, what kind of life could he offer her when he doesn't even know what he wants for his future? He isn't even sure that God has any hints that he can offer.

Rose Anna doesn't know what to do but she does trust her heart. She knows even though well-meaning Amish men might be worth courting, her heart has always belonged to John. She can't give up just yet. She only needs to find a way to convince him that coming back home and joining the church would be worth anything the two of them together can face. But if he learns she is trying to force him into marriage, all bets would be off. Oh how did life ever become so complicated for a simple Amish couple?

I received Home to Paradise by Barbara Cameron compliments of Abingdon Press and Litfuse Publicity. This is the third and final book in the Coming Home Series, the first being Return to Paradise and Seasons of Paradise where readers get a chance to see how each of the couples reaffirmed their love for one another and found the romance that was always waiting for them despite the struggles each had to face to get there. I absolutely LOVE Barbara Cameron's novels because she truly makes you care deeply about her characters and what motivated them to do what they do in moving the storyline forward. I absolutely love the chemistry between John's employer and mentor Neil and how their relationship deepens in a surprising way. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and even better is a handful of delicious Amish recipes and a discussion guide are included at the end of this novel.

For more information about Home to Paradise, Barbara Cameron, or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Home to Paradise by Barbara Cameron 

You can find Barbara Cameron on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Home to Paradise, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page.


Home to Paradise, the final book in author Barbara Cameron's The Coming Home series, is not to be missed! Rose Anna Zook always thought she and John, one of Stoltzfus brothers, would marry, make a home together, and have children. But John, enjoying his Rumschpringe in the Englisch world, has other ideas. Rose Anna is determined to bring her man back into the Amish fold. John is equally determined to live his life free and unencumbered. Who will win this battle of wills? Will love prevail?

Join Barbara on Thursday, March 9, for a live author chat party on her Facebook page with fun prizes to be won! Click the graphic below for more details and to RSVP. Hope to see you there—bring a friend or two who loves Amish fiction!

Kingdom of Grace

Grace as defined by a dictionary is unmerited favor or goodwill. Think of it as kindness, charity, or even mercifulness. It is what sets being a Christian or Christ-follower apart from the world's religion. There is nothing you can do to work your way into heaven, it's a free gift. You don't have to do anything to earn it, just simply take it and accept it from Jesus. Yes, it's that simple. That is why most in the world reject it or spend their lives trying to earn their way into heaven by what they do. Now, don't get me wrong, works are important, but they are a reflection of that grace we have accepted. It is what defines whether we are loving as Jesus would have. It is a by-product of Jesus transforming our lives and now that is what comes out of who we have become, a changed person reflecting the love and grace of Christ in our own lives, much like a mirror.

Cho Larson in his wonderfully written book, Kingdom of Grace, the fourth book in his Kingdom Series, allows us to see this very nature at work in the lives of believers. Using the way Jesus chose to heal people, He never punished them for their way of life up to the point of His healing touch. He didn't worry about what people might think if He touched an unclean man with leprosy, it was all done out of love and compassion for the person He healed. It doesn't mean others were simply neglected either. It was to demonstrate what the simple act of grace could do, not just in the transforming of the outside of someone but more importantly what it did on the inside. It just couldn't be contained! Jesus even asked those He healed to tell no one about what happened, but they couldn't help it. They were forever changed on the inside and out.

I guess it is easy for some people to see it in order to believe it. Imagine how many more people might be won over for Christ, if He simply appeared and healed all the diseases and illnesses in the world. But it is that kind of faith that won't last. It's like thanking someone for a gift you wanted, and then when you no longer desire that gift, you lose interest in it and even possibly the person who gave it to you. That isn't the kind of grace Jesus provides when it is genuine. It changes you from the inside so much, you can't go back to the way you were before. You don't want to! This is a wonderful book that explores that life changing grace in a way, you might not have considered before. Believers and non believers alike will all get something amazing out of it, if you are willing to be open to see what the grace of Christ looks like!

I received Kingdom of Grace by Cho Larson compliments of Westbow Press. This is such a profound book using the scriptures found in the Bible to illuminate the differences of the grace the world sees and the one that Christ offers to all who put their faith and trust in Him. They will be forever changed by the simple definition of grace according to Jesus. For this reason I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This would make for a great small group Bible study along with the previous books in the series to help you grow in your spiritual walk.

For more information about Kingdom of Grace, Cho Larson or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Kingdom of Grace by Cho Larson

You can find Cho Larson on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To see more reviews on Kingdom of Grace, please visit Westbow Press' website. 

Attend

Everywhere we look into our busy days there simply doesn't seem like there is enough time to get our items crossed off our "To Do" lists. The biggest challenge is not forgetting time with God during our busy days as Moms, Dads, Women and Men. So how do we find God in the ordinary things we do every single day? Is it possible that we can take time to converse and be in the presence of God while doing our mundane chores that must be completed like making our beds, cleaning up a mess, making ourselves a snack, lighting a candle to fragrance our home or even sitting with a loved one during a painful moment?

Laura Davis Werezak takes readers into the heart of 40 simply ways we can do just that and in the process find that God loves nothing more than to walk with us in every detail of our lives that we complete each day. Often times we feel cut off from God, when it is simply that He is very present, we have simply chosen to forget about inviting Him into the things we do each day. I believe we are simply forgetting those meaningful connections we used to have with Him and strive to find some time in our days and hope at the end of it, we will have a few minutes to connect with him. We find ourselves looking for the next best thing to connect with God so we can feel better about ourselves and the fact we even included Him into our day.

We need to begin to look for God in our every day moments. Take a moment and discover with all our senses that God is very present in everything we do. From the brush of the wind against our cheeks to the gentle kisses of water from rain drops on our skin. God is here. "Unpacking the truth of Isaiah 30:15, this book delightfully ventures through this process of turning toward God, resting quietly in God's presence and taking action to serve and glorify Him. To attend is to live with attention instead of retreating into a spiritualized reality or a digital virtual reality. To attend is to live the reality that God has designed, shaped, and formed specifically for us and for our benefit. Let us turn away from distraction, look one another in the eys and re-learn how to live in the world." (Front Flap).

I received Attend by Laura Davis Werezak compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups. This is such a simple way to get back to understand the importance of our intimate connection to God in the simplest ways. God isn't looking for over-achievers, just people willing to spend some real quality time with Him. I love the simple lessons found in this book and learning to mediate and understand how things like making a bed can teach us to manage tasks better, and that even if you have a terrible day in which nothing goes right, at least you can come home to an inviting bed. A made bed gives you the encouragement that tomorrow will be better! This would be a wonderful give of encouragement to someone you might know that needs a gentle reminder that God is very present in all things. For that reason, I easily give this book a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars!

For more information about Attend, Laura Davis Werezak or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Attend by Laura Davis Werezak

You can find Laura Davis Werezak on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Attend, please visit Faith Word's website today. 

Life After

"It could have been me, so why wasn't it?"

Seems that is the most asked questions by those who survive a tragedy while others don't. For Autumn Manning, she was the only person of 23 victims of a train bombing on winter's night in Chicago. It wasn't just where she was sitting, where she got on, or any number of things one might think would provide the answer. All she wants to know is why and more importantly, why can't she move forward, even a year later.

Keeping all her bits and pieces of the accident in a binder, she finds some morbid connection to the 22 who died. To them, she wants to know more about them. To never forget who they were to their own families. What is her point of surviving if she has nothing to offer anyone especially herself. But she has vowed that she will never forget one single person, even visiting their graves, searching the internet for all she can find about who they were, what they did, and even their reason for being on the train, that she almost missed, but didn't.

She struggles with trying to explain things to her own family who believe that after all this time, she needs to find a life for herself, seek a therapist who might be able to help, but give up all this time-consuming processes of trying in her own mind to make restitution or amends some how. Yet when letters begin arriving at her house from Reese, a young 12-year-old girl who lost her mother in the accident, she struggles to find a way to help her deal with the grief and loss she has experienced. For both of them it's journaling their thoughts that help each other find a way through this loss and hopefully to find hope on the other side. When Reese's dad, Paul finds out about Reese's letter writing, he becomes furious. One for not being able to talk to him, a well-known marriage counselor, but two, talking to the one woman he wants nothing to do with. How will they begin to heal when they aren't able to talk to anyone about what it feels like on the inside for all of them?

I received Life After by Katie Ganshert compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. This is such a poignant novel in that it takes readers into the heart of the victims we don't often acknowledge, those that survive a tragedy, the ones who are called heroes and don't see themselves as one. Even though Autumn wasn't a hero, she has to deal with the animosity of those who wonder why she is so special while their loved one was taken. Where is God in all of this and what would He say? Why did she live and every one else died? What is she supposed to do now? I love how Reese chooses to find an outlet in her communication with Autumn and the unique way they both find a way to heal by remembering and not forgetting. I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and look forward to even more books by this author in the future.

For more information about Life After, Katie Ganshert or where you can pre-order a copy of this book due out April 18, 2017, please click on the links below:

Life After by Katie Ganshert

You can find Katie Ganshert on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Life After, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publisher's website. 

Life After Heaven

Heaven.

It's something all of us want to believe exists and even hope that we will enter into if we die after this life on earth. There have been numerous books written from those who have died and come back, all conveying similar experiences. So what would make any other book different? I would challenge you to read, Life After Heaven by Steven R. Musick and see how you feel after you read it.

Like all the other books, Steven R. Musick did die and went to heaven. First entering through the tunnel of light and entering into what he believes is heaven. He walked with a man who he believes was Jesus and discussed all the things that had happened in his life up to the point of his death and how God worked in situations he may not have recognized. He conveyed to Steven that it's not really about what good we do for others but how God can use any and all circumstances in our life to further His plan in our lives and those whom our lives come into contact with, like ripples in the pond. Sadly Jesus told him that he wasn't there to stay and within minutes was back in his old body away from heaven and Jesus. He explains it simply as "the experience to taking a kid to Disneyland, letting him ride just one ride, and then tossing him back in the car without explanation, a profound sense of loss." In fact Steven would go on to keep his life after death experience a secret for almost a decade, but during those years, he attempted to discover why Jesus told him he wouldn't stay.

When he returned to his body, he discovered that the years in front of him would be the ultimate test f his faith as he suffered from a decrease in lung capacity by 60% and every breath of air would be a truly gift from God. All his future plans were simply re-written and now he would have to find a new beginning with his wife and soon to be family of sons, ones he simply couldn't play with due to his own physical limitations. He wondered why his prayers would go unheeded by God for healing. "Many people - and I was one of them - equate God's work of healing us or giving to us with the prosperity gospel. That's a false notion that God exists to benefit us and give us what we want. That couldn't be further from the truth. But an opposite mistake of equal danger is to think that God is dome kind of sour pragmatist who only gives something to you with divine strings attached. God does not exist for our appeasement. Nor does he find some excuse outside of pure love to give something good to us.  He is a father. He loves to give things to his kids. Things we need. Things that make us joyful. Things that are good."(pg 113).

I received Life After Heaven by Steven R. Musick compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers. This goes beyond all the other books I have read on life after death on those believers and even non-believers that have seen what they believe is Heaven. This takes things a bit further. What does someone who has seen Heaven do when they come back? Are they changed for the better by having seen eternity? I believe that Steven has taken on God's challenge as he explains, "The economics of the kingdom of heaven are upside down: giving is better than getting, death can be life, life as the world sees it can be death, loss can be gain, gain can be loss. God's kingdom often flips the way we do little things upside down. In our culture we insulate ourselves in all kinds of ways. We cocoon. When the situation calls for it, God's volunteers needs to be able to strip away the cultural things to keep people apart." (pg 135).

I found myself challenged to really take my own personal relationship with God to a much deeper level than simply going through the bland Christian lifestyle, going to church, reading the Bible and praying when I remembered. This made me want to really understand what it means to connect with God more intimately and understand why I am here at all. "In terms of life on earth, I still have a retirement account," as Steve would say. "My purpose is to make my death worth living for. I mourn for what we're missing here on earth. I mourn for the things God offers here that we somehow choose not to appropriate. I mourn for the fullness we ignore, the love we don't recognize, the power and joy just waiting to be picked up by us. I would like to help everyone I can to receive a full measure of what's offered."( pg 141). I encourage you to pick this book up today and see for yourself what God's calling you to do with your life. You just might be surprised at what you find tucked inside and the reason I give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Life After Heaven, Steven R. Musick, or where you can preorder a copy of this book today due out on March 7, 2017, please click on the links below:

Life After Heaven by Steven R. Musick

You can download the first chapter of Life After Heaven by clicking here.

To read more reviews on Life After Heaven, please visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publisher's website.

The Returning

It all boils down to the ultimate show-down between good and evil in a Christian Dystopian look into the future with Rachelle Dekker's Seer series in her final novel The Returning. Ancient prophecy has always pointed to a future event that most thought would never happen. A thing written about with no basis for coming true, at least to those living in Authority City. Anyone who opposes those in power or has any idea other that confirming to the well-being of all citizens is simply sent to the re-education center to be administered with a serum known as the Genesis Formula. It makes them comply without thinking for themselves and now they become part of the collective minds of those running the city.

However, there is a band of rebels who have managed to leave the city despite all attempts to capture them. Within this band of fugitives are seven individuals who have been called to fulfill the prophecy of returning those in Authority city back to the way God had intended. Led by a man named Aaron who has shown them the ultimate way of living, no one knows if he is really a man or simply a figment of their over active imaginations. He has always shown them the real purpose of their lives and how those in power in Authority City have forced those in opposition to be re-educated or eliminated. He has uncovered the darkness that has been led to breed uncontrolled by those who have a sinister purpose in mind.

Now Carrington and Remko Brandt have to put their trust in Aaron to lead this team of prodigals on their higher purpose to release those in bondage using their unique specialized gifts granted to them by God to redeem those who are lost in an effort to set them free and restore the city back to the grand vision God has for them. However it is a difficult decision for the Brandt's since their oldest daughter, Elise, was captured during a raid outside the city and it has been years since that day. Not knowing if she is dead or alive, they trust that their youngest daughter Kennedy whose has vowed to find her if she is still alive and bring her back home. Just when this team heads out back to the city to fulfill their prophecy, an army marches against those living in sanctuary waiting for their return to take them captive and force them to submit to the darker authority now controlling Authority City.

I received The Returning by Rachelle Dekker compliments of Tyndale House Publishers and Net Galley. For fans of such series like Divergent and the Hunger Games, you will love this Christian take on a similar story line. Out of the entire series, I have to say my all-time favorite was The Choosing, the first novel. I love the different twist on the value people place on their looks and self esteem and how some were chosen and others who aren't are forced into a life of serving others within the city as outcasts. Dekker does an exceptional job at reminding readers between each novel what had happened prior so it is easy to pick up the action as you immerse yourself into each subsequent novel. This one was a bit predictable in some ways as you could figure out how things would need to be resolved before the series reached its conclusion. I would give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion however.

For more information about The Returning, Rachelle Dekker or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Returning by Rachelle Dekker 

You can find Rachelle Dekker on Facebook to stay up to date on her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Returning, please visit Tyndale House Publisher's website. 

Deep Water

We all want drugs to be made available that will cure the world of what is ailing us, even saving the life of someone we know. But just how does all those clinical trials really work? Are pharmaceutical companies really willing to risk whatever it takes to get their newest drugs to market?  That is the latest premise behind Christine Poulson's medical thriller Deep Water.

When a man dies based on the human testing portion of a new drug to target obesity in humans and offer something the world has been waiting for, suddenly everything is called into question. When the lab book goes missing that contains all the necessary information pertaining to the step-by-step processes of those who have been working on the drug and then the lawyer assigned to the case winds up dead, something is going wrong and they are running out of time to uncover what is really happening behind the scenes.

It gets personal for Daniel Marchmont, a patent lawyer whose ex-wife Jennifer was killed while investigating this case. Daniel's daughter Chloe will be one of the first patients to benefit from a new drug if the testing can be confirmed to prevent her from having daily blood infusions or else die from her genetic disorder and one that the lab who was also working on the obesity drug is handling. Are corners being cut for the sake of profit or is there something more sinister in the works.

I received Deep Water by Christine Poulson compliments of Kregel Publications and Lion Hudson Publishers. It definitely opens the readers eyes to what really goes on behind all those clinical trials and makes you wonder what might happen if something should suddenly go wrong when it comes to human testing. Is it worth billions if one person dies so others can live? A chilling look at a medical mystery, I only wish it would have closed out the story-lines a bit better, but perhaps a sequel is in the works to continue where this one kinda of left off. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Deep Water, Christine Poulson or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Deep Water by Christine Poulson

You can find Christine Poulson on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest books.

To read more reviews on Deep Water, please visit Kregel Publications website.