Grounded

When you think of the term "grounded" often times you associate it with what happens when you have a flight scheduled and something affects that flight, whether it's a weather delay or technical issue. Your flight has been "grounded." To others the term means simply to find roots where you can stay, often times making it a permanent home. In the debut novel from author Angela Correll, both of these terms work when applied to Annie Taylor, a flight attendant who has been working for TransAir for well over ten years. By accepting whatever schedules are available, she has managed to travel to places in the world, most never get to but dream of often like Italy during her international flights. However like all companies in a worrisome economy, TransAir is no stranger to corporate takeovers and that is just what happens, leaving Annie with no job.

Force to abandon her apartment when she was considering moving in with her boyfriend Stuart, she learns during a conversation with a passenger that Stuart isn't all he claims to be. Besides being afraid of commitment, she learns that her entire relationship with him has been built on lies that he has spoon fed her. Now she isn't about to waste anymore time with him and heads back home to her grandmother's home on the farm in Kentucky for some time to consider just what lies next for her.

Beulah Campbell believes her greatest gift is hospitality and to prove that point she hosts a dinner party with close friends every Saturday night. Mostly it is her chance to share with others the bounty of her garden, pot roast, green beans, macaroni and cheese, homemade biscuits and of course pie during most of the meals. Her close friends always came and offered to bring a dish or stay and help cook. It was truly a wonderful time to sit around the table and share not only great food but friendship and conversation. She just never expected her granddaughter Annie to return to the farm after living in New York.

But perhaps God has a greater plan in all of this and thus the reason for the timing. Beulah, now 70 is facing the need for knee surgery but has put it off because she has no one to care for her. Annie is the only family she has left. Annie's plans are to hope that her old boss will be able to find a position available for  her soon with the new airlines so can resume her busy life once again. But there is something healing about not only coming back to her roots but the change of pace she finds here simply smelling the fresh air and listening to the sounds that only country living can provide. Yet will the call of a new life involve a close friend Jake Wilder that is just now returning home as well? Only this time he has brought his new girlfriend home as well.

I received Grounded by Angela Correll compliments of McAllister PR and Koehler Books for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. This is such an incredible story that anyone can relate to. It's about finding out where your home truly is. For some, they feel they must spread their wings and search for it somewhere else, but for others it simply means coming back to those who love and accept you for who you are and a different change of pace. This is such an outstanding book because of how well it's written, I could smell the fresh soil as Annie and her grandmother worked in the garden, feel the breeze on my skin as the birds from the field were calling their music. Just the picture alone calms the soul and creates a longing for a simpler life. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for many more books from this author. She is definite on my must watch list and this novel joins my permanent collection of great books to enjoy over and over again.

For more information about Grounded, Angela Correll or where to pick up a copy of this novel, please click on the links below:

Grounded by Angela Correll

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

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Koehler Books (October 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1938467566
• ISBN-13: 978-1938467561
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches

What's So Funny? My Hilarious Life

"Dear Jane,

Without your assistance, this would have been a pamphlet. - Tim"

If you have been around as long as I have, you might just remember Tim Conway, the comedian who graced our television sets with his delightful and unforgettable skits from such memorable shows like The Carol Burnett Show, McHale's Navy as well as movies like Disney's The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Shaggy D.A. But one thing remains clear, he is definitely committed to making people life and that in itself is truly a wonderful gift we all need more of.

In the book, "What's So Funny? My Hilarious Life by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell, the reader gets a look at the life behind the scenes of what made Tim who he is today. Reminiscing about his childhood living in Chagrin Falls, Ohio being the only child to Dan and Sophia Conway, we immediately get a sense that this isn't your usual autobiography. Written in the same manner that we all know Tim there are laughs scattered through this book to guarantee not only a smile but a laugh or two. There are the stories of Tim's mom, Sophia who was so conscientious with money that when it came to wallpapering his room as a young boy, she refused to spend money on wall paper paste and created her own from flour and water. The only problem is during the summer with the heat, it baked the paper and caused it to peel off the walls.

He shares another great example from his childhood about his parents quirks and how much they truly enjoyed each others company.

"They liked to do things together, like dancing. One time they decided to take dancing lessons at a local studio. At the first lesson they were given a strip of paper with two sets of footprints on it, one for the man and the other for the woman. It was a basic dance pattern. The idea was to take the sheet home, put it on the floor, put a record on the phonograph, and step on the appropriate footprints in time with the music. Simple, right? Not for my parents. When I came home from school, I found them standing in the middle of the living room with the music baring from the phonograph. They looked at me sheepishly and asked if I could help them. Help them? How could I help them when what they'd done was cut the footprints from the paper and pasted them on the bottom of their shoes? I guess they figured that would make the shoes magically do the steps. When it didn't happen they were stopped in their glued-on tracks." (pg 33).

There are so many great memories captured in this book from his encounters and friendships with Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Steve Allen, Ernie Anderson, Don Knotts and so many others that this is guaranteed to be a memoir like any other. There are practical jokes he played on police officers, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne as kids from his childhood growing up in school. I think some of the best parts are his time spent on the Carol Burnett show. It had me going back to YouTube to watch such notable episodes like The Dentist skit with Harvey Korman who Tim was challenged to make break down during the skit with laughter. This is truly a great book to enjoy.

I received What's So Funny? by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell 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 are strictly my own. I absolutely loved this book. Just the style in which it is written is such a easy going and likeable manner of Tim Conway that you can sense that he has truly enjoyed his life every step of the way. There are some great pictures capture inside that gives you an inside look at the love and laughter as well as personal friendships he has managed to capture after all these almost 80 years with us. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Thank you Tim for the memories and the laughter after all these years! You've made life a true joy!

For more information about What's So Funny?, Tim Conway, Jane Scovell or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

What's So Funny? by Tim Conway and Jane Scovell

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (October 29, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476726507
• ISBN-13: 978-1476726502
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches

Zion's Promise

What inspired me to draw closer to God was Bible Prophecy and none held so much mystery as the book of Revelation. It is the only book in the Bible in which a promise is given to those who read it and thus it makes me wonder why so many hold that last prophetic book at arm's length believing there is much there that warrants an understanding that so many are challenged to study.

Dennis R. Wilson reached out to me and asked me to review his book, Zion's Promise along with the premise that this book deals with the very subject of unlocking the mystery behind one of the most challenging books of the Bible, Revelation. You can say I was intrigued and was more than looking forward to this one. I read almost anything geared to Bible Prophecy and it still draws me like a moth to a flame. Little did I know how much I didn't know until reading this book. It does more than explain in layman's terms what some of the symbolism is relating to the chapter in Revelation. He outlines his own search for the truth from his college days and how like me he was drawn to the truth only the Bible can reveal to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. You have to have God in your heart to understand all that the Bible reveals.

The journey takes the reader not only into the heart of evolution and Darwin, but also into the heart of pursuing God's truth through the Bible to understand the matter of the heart of God's people. I love how he so accurately details what is wrong with the theory of Evolution in comparison to the Creation story. I just wish more people took the Bible at face value when it comes to creation instead of spending all the time trying to disprove it. It keeps on coming back to the truth as more and more facts are being found that no one can disprove. Such as while are seashell fossils found on the mountaintops if the flood never happen. How do you explain how they got there?

Dennis then takes readers into the horrors of the Holocaust and explains just how God's chosen people, the Jews have been persecuted since they were scattered across the nations of the earth and just how the nation of Israel came to be created as well as the fulfillment of the Bible Prophecy regarding the returning of the Jews to their homeland in 1948 through Ezekiel 37. The research that Dennis Wilson goes through is mind blowing to say the very least and both my husband and I were busy researching all the information and insight he provides in such detail. I only wish our history books today contained as much information as one might find in this book.

Dennis finally concludes his book with a very detailed section defining the book of Revelation. He constructs a time line of the initial seven churches and just what the lamp stands and the seven churches mean to us anyway. I was completely in awe as I spent so much time wondering why I didn't make the connection before that the seven churches detail the church history right up to the current mega church of today and what those specific warnings geared to each mean. From the seven trumpets, to the seven seals along with the seven bowls, this book unveils the mystery of the last book of the Bible. Even those who aren't Christian can not but be moved to a chilling realization that one day a choice will need to be made by all. Either choose Christ or choose an eternal death. God's timeline is limited but wishing that none shall perish, He will go to extraordinary lengths to see that happen.

I received Zion's Promise by Dennis R. Wilson compliments of Tate Publishing as well as the author himself for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. It took me the entire day to get through this 373 page book because it is very detailed and thoroughly researched. It is something you don't want to rush through and I know I will be going back again and again to read through the book. There is so much good stuff in here I want to share it with anyone who loves a great Bible Study. I only wish there were those out there who would take the challenge and use this book as a guide to walk people through the Bible prophecy. I can only imagine how many would come to know God in the process. We need more books like this one and I easily give this one a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars. This book is available for preorder now as it published on 11/12/13!

About the Author: 
Dennis has been a pastor for ten years, a missionary to Africa and Christian Bible teacher for another twenty. His undergraduate degree is in Science, and he has had his post graduate work at Multnomah School of the Bible. Every since his conversion to Christ in 1970, he has devoted himself to a systematic study of Bible prophecy. He has given numerous sermons, seminars and has conducted an evening class at the University of Montana, in this fascinating topic. 

For more information about Zion's Promise, Dennis R. Wilson or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

Zion's Promise by Dennis R. Wilson

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Every Waking Moment

Treha Langsam has a unique ability and one that works well where she is employed. She can connect with those who seem lost within themselves, victims of such illnesses like Dementia and Alzheimer's who rob not only the family members from being able to communicate with their loved ones but often times the loved ones who remained trapped within prisons of their own body. Treha can relate because she too is different. Judged by outside appearances of eye movements she can not control, often time society has a label of "different" that they place on her instead of simply getting to know the real person behind what the skin hides.

Perhaps this is the very reason she can connect with those elderly loved ones she helps in the Desert Garden Home. Unlike most retirement and hospice centers, the director Miriam Howard sees more that just providing a place for the elderly to live out whatever remains of their life. She believes in treating them like family and the center more like a real home. One in which they find love and acceptance and not abandonment and loneliness and Treha provides that connection to draw them out where they remained locked inside their body.

Now if only someone can find the key in which to unlock the past that remains hidden even to Treha, one that will provide to her the answers which she seeks, who she is, does she have a family out there somewhere and can someone help her physically to get better. It seems that the answers lie within one elderly patient Dr. Crenshaw who finds that sharing riddles, puzzles and word clues with Treha's unparalleled ability to solve them in record time holds the key that will unlock the door to her hidden life.

I received Every Waking Moment by Chris Fabry compliments of Tyndale House Publishers 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 Chris Fabry's novels because hidden within the pages of each one is a treasure waiting to be found. I don't even have to read the book premise any longer when I know he has written another new novel because I know I will enjoy it like eating my favorite meal. It is meant to be savored because you don't get them that often so you LOVE to enjoy every single moment. This one was no exception. I love how Chris chose to incorporate a retirement home and the telling of the stories the elderly hold is exceptional and often taken for granted the stories that each one holds inside. We get a glimpse of some of those and it gives us wisdom if we are willing to listen and take the time to hear them. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Every Waking Moment, Chris Fabry or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Every Waking Moment by Chris Fabry

You can find Chris Fabry on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Every Waking Moment, consider stopping at Tyndale House Publisher's website.

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (August 16, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414348630
• ISBN-13: 978-1414348636
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches

The Fire

What would you do if you found yourself with the unique ability to travel back through time? Would you take a risk and do it? That is just where Kevin Johnson finds himself after joining his family to go through his grandparents house in Wallace, Idaho. Kevin just recently graduated from college with two majors in Earth Science and Physics. Now while attempting to kill a spider in his room, he spills an ice tea and discovers the tell-tale marks of a hidden storage space beneath the wooden floor. What he uncovers is a stash of diamonds, double-eagle gold coins, and more along with his great great grandfather's leather journal. In it he discovers that the rock shed in the back yard can be accessed through a solstice sun or a full moon and when using the gold coins to spell out the year you want to travel back to, the shed becomes a time travel portal.

Since following his great great grandfather, Asa Johnson's journal he discovers that Asa himself has been time traveling quite a bit and thus the need for money that can be spent in 1910 as well as 2013. Kevin decides to take his own journey back to 1910 as life in the current year hasn't brought him much in the way of love and believes an adventure is just the thing to get his mind off things, especially being left alone in the house while his family takes a weekend side trip. What Kevin uncovers is that while he is in 1910, his place in the current year of 2013 is just as he left it. As though he hadn't been gone at all. So he takes another journey and this time finds there is quite a bit to uncover in the town his great great grandfather was a part of. Now if he can only convince others there, that he truly belongs in the year 1910. However Kevin knows that on August 20, 1910, a great fire will come to the town and virtually wipe out most of the town as well as left 85 people dead due to multiple fires caused by months of drought and high winds.

What he doesn't expect to find is not only a love of becoming a teacher in the high school, but also in falling head over heels in love with not one lovely young lady, but two. There is quite a difference in the standards of courting women in the 1910's from the fast paced romance of 2013 and all Kevin knows is that as much as he wants to go back to the present time, his heart won't let him go. Will he be able to convince Sarah Thompson, the woman he first laid eyes on when he arrived in town that he really is who he claims to be, a time traveler from the future?

I received The Fire from John A. Heldt compliments of the author himself and I've been delighted to read John's previous novels in the Northwest Passage Series, with this one being Book 4 in the series. Each one of them feels so historically rich in detail I can not only vividly picture the events and people but also feel like I am truly there. This is such a great series for readers who enjoy a novel on time travel and historical fiction with some amazing romance thrown in for good measure. I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This was a well-researched novel that showcases the 1910 Great Fire which you can read about through the many references he includes in this novel.

For more information about The Fire, John A. Heldt or where you can pick up a copy of this exceptional novel today, please click on the links below:

The Fire by John A. Heldt

You can also find John A. Heldt on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

Fifteen Minutes

For anyone with a music talent, all they are longing for is just their 15 minutes of fame. A chance to prove to the world and themselves that they truly possess a talent that could possibly launch them into being the next big thing. That is just what Zack Dylan, a talented country music singer with the looks of Elvis, hopes to prove by auditioning for Fifteen Minutes, a music show much like The Voice or American Idol that could offer Zack the brass ring to fame. Believing that he does have what it takes to rise to the top of the music charts, Zack believes that God is leading him to this path, a way to provide for his family financially if he makes it to the final round and wins the competition. But his grandfather and his girlfriend, Reese Weatherly believe that this isn't the way God wants him to go. Nonetheless they will both keep him in prayer and if God wants Zack to continue, then they will support whatever doors God opens for him.

Struggling to keep his family's horse farm afloat as well as provide for the ongoing medical care his sister A.J. requires, Zack believes God wouldn't let him move forward in the music competition unless that is what He is calling him to do. And at first, Zack remains committed to keeping his faith intact and praying for God to use him as a tool in this industry. But soon the scenes behind the television series show that the things people see on the show aren't really what's going on and what sells ratings and increased viewers are where they will go despite the reservations of the competitors, one of which is to prohibit Zack from openly sharing his faith in God and instead show a seedier side of romance blossoming between him and fellow competitor Zoey.

Reese Weatherly has been given an opportunity to teach her equine therapeutic skills to a facility in London for the next year, and while despite having some reservations about the limited conversations she is having with Zack while he is going through the auditions, she believes he still loves her.

"She prayed for him. Not that he'd be the best singer or that this would be his brightest stage moment ever. She prayed for something else, something that mattered more. For God's will, whatever it was. That above all else."

When the season opener of Fifteen Minutes airing an episode that shows Zack and Zoey in a dark hallway and kissing, Reese doesn't know what God's plans are for her and Zack. Taking all the clues together paints a far different picture than the one Zack is leading her to believe. Will she be willing to wait for Zack or will she accept the fact that God has different plans for them than becoming man and wife despite their heartfelt prayers?

I received Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury 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 are my own. This takes readers behind the scenes at what might possibly go on in the music competition shows that are becoming the latest rage and once again showing that what we see on television isn't necessarily what is really happening. It teaches us through the story that there is a price for everything in life and the one for fame and fortune might just cost us everything we hold dear including our faith. "She, more than anyone, understood the depth of the dream, the impossibility of it. The cost."

What I took away from this novel is that our perceptions of what television shows us is a tainted one. One that puts ratings about anything else. That there is a cost associated with anything we do and sometimes that line can be blurred between what we think God has placed in front of us or in fact our own desires superseding His. It made me look at what the real cost of fame and being a celebrity really is and how truly sad their lives are despite all their wealth and notoriety. They search for happiness in all the wrong places and in the end have little more than shattered lives left in the end. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and once again Karen Kingsbury has hit a home run!

For more information about Fifteen Minutes, Karen Kingsbury or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury

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

To read more reviews of Fifteen Minutes, please visit Howard Books website. 

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (October 29, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451647050
• ISBN-13: 978-1451647051
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches

The Christmas Candle

What I love most about any of Max Lucado's books, is that they follow you wherever you go. The message you are bound to find will undoubtedly find its way into your heart and soul. What I have discovered is the perfect gift for those that love a great book just in time for Christmas. One that you can incorporate into your family devotions as well as a late night reading for your family next to a warm fire on a snowy night. The best part is that this is finding its way into being made into a movie so that it can enjoyed in a multitude of ways for Christmas.

In The Christmas Candle set in the late 1600's in Cotswald, England, we meet when the story originated with a candle maker and his wife. They are awakened in the middle of the night by a heavenly angel that appears and touches just one candle before disappearing, ensuring that the candle maker knows just which one was touched. The candle is then given to a woman who is desperate for food. She has no means to find money to help her children out and the candle maker instructs her to light the candle and pray to God for help. The next day at church service in St. Mark's the widow informs the church of the Christmas miracle that happened when she did just what the candle maker told her to do. She was given a farm by a wealthy uncle she didn't know so she can live in it and provide for her children without payment.

Now the legend continues in the small town that whenever the church service begins each 25 years, a Christmas miracle occurs by whomever the candle is given by the candle maker's family. This year however much has changed. Will the miracle of the Christmas candle still work in the hearts of the people living in the town of Gladstone? You'll have to pick this one up and find out. The best part is that this is coming to the big screen on November 22nd to a theater near you.

I received The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado compliments of Thomas Nelson 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. This is such a wonderful and heartwarming story that I can see it becoming a Christmas tradition much like the reading of The Christmas Story or the Night Before Christmas. It definitely opens up the conversation around what happens in the book and compels us to look deep inside our hearts to see how wonderful the birth of Jesus Christ was so many years ago and how even today, that miracle still works the lives and hearts of those that believe in Him. Hands down a perfect 5 out of 5 stars! What a life-changing book this would make as a gift for someone this Christmas!

For more information about The Christmas Candle, Max Lucado or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

You can find Max Lucado on Facebook to stay up to date with all his amazing books.

To read more reviews on The Christmas Candle, visit Thomas Nelson's website.

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Reprint edition (September 24, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401689949
• ISBN-13: 978-1401689940
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.9 x 1 inches

Gunpowder Tea

In this charming and captivating novel, Gunpowder Tea, the reader is in for a true treat and not just in the form of a warm cup of tea. Miranda Hunt has always been trying to prove something, either to herself or to her father, a former Pinkerton detective that was killed while working a case. Being the only girl in the family, she found more comfort in hanging out with her brothers learning to ride, shot and fight like any of them. That's why it came as a complete surprise to her father to learn that Miranda was being hired as a Pinkerton detective.

Now despite some inconveniences that are trailing her past, like shooting a women's husband that was already dead apprehending a thief at a funeral, she gets the chance at a lifetime if she can locate and discover just who the Phantom is. The clues point to the Last Chance Ranch in Arizona and Miranda is going there disguised as a potential heiress under the name Annie Beckman, for the ranches owner, Miss Eleanor Walker. Now all she has to do is fulfill the job requirements of the advertisement while figuring out just who the possible criminal is. But the one thing she didn't figure on is being robbed on her train ride to Arizona and having her father's pocket watch taken while she couldn't do anything about it. She must remain undercover til she knows for sure who the Phantom is.

Wells Fargo detective, Jeremy Taggart is hoping that he can locate his missing friend who was tracking down the whereabouts of the Phantom in Arizona before its too late. What he doesn't plan on discovering is that his heart will be captured in the process by Annie Beckman, a lady he meets while robbing her on the train under the assumed name of Mr. David Branch. Now it seems that both Annie and David suspect each other of working with the Phantom game while both of them try to gain the upper hand in believing that each other will lead them to the leader. It's a true cat and mouse premise that will keep you guessing how well each of them puts together all their training to discover love in the process.

I received Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley compliments of Thomas Nelson 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 mine alone. I absolutely LOVED this novel even though I haven't read the other two preceding novels in this series, I hope to be able to pick those up and see where it all began. There are some great funny moments between the two characters before and after they discover their true identities much like a western version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The secondary characters are also a wonderful addition to keep the storyline moving and interesting like the addition of the phone line being installed at the ranch and the benefits of all the tea that Annie keeps bringing to the ranch owner, Miss Walker who HATES tea! It will keep you in smiles and sighs the whole time. There is even a great discussion guide and recipe for Gunpowder Tea Bread at the end. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Gunpowder Tea, Margaret Brownley or where you can pick up this book today, please click on the links below:

Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley

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To read more reviews on Gunpowder Tea from the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.

• Series: The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (October 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595549722
• ISBN-13: 978-1595549723
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches

Margaret Brownley's latest release, Gunpowder Tea, is receiving high praise, and she's celebrating with a Kindle Fire giveaway and a "Tea with Margaret" Facebook party!

  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• Gunpowder Tea by Margaret Brownley

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 7th. Winner will be announced at the "Tea with Margaret" Facebook Author Chat Party on the 7th. Connect with Margaret and friends for an evening of book chat, prizes, and get an exclusive look at Margaret's next book!

So grab your copy of Gunpowder Tea and join Margaret on the evening of November 7th 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 clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word — tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on 11/7!

Severed Trust

It's the latest "in" thing. But first you have to be approved by those that are already part of this exclusive group. Funny how it has to happen that way but in order to ensure security within the group it has to be this way. Oh and you do have to bring along a little something to contribute to the party as well. Welcome to a pill party. Now that you have been approved based on who you're dating, you are expected to bring along whatever happens to be in your medicine cabinet. Don't take too many pills from those bottles as we don't want others to notice they are missing, but maybe one or two for now. They can be anything, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, blood pressure medicine or even pain pills. Just make sure no one sees you taking them and we'll see you there. Make sure you don't tell anyone either or else!

Such is the premise behind Severed Trust by best selling author Margaret Daley in the fourth book in her Men of the Texas Rangers Series. We are immediately introduced to Kelly Winston who finally has her shot with the popular kids in Summerton High School. Now dating a football player, Jared Montgomery who literally has everything going for him including the fact that his dad Bradley is one of the town's richest men and who also owns the largest ranch in Texas. Now Kelly just has to make it through this party with Jared who ensure her that he won't let anything happen to her. He loves her after all and this is a way for Kelly to get to know his closest friends. Armed with a handful of prescription pills that removed from their parents medicine chests, they arrive at the party to contribute their pills to a large bowl in the middle of the abandoned warehouse. The goal of the party is to take a handful of the assorted pills and drink them down with a beer and see what happens.

Jared tells her nothing bad has ever happened. Most of the time, kid's don't experience anything at all; some get a temporary high or others simply sleep off the effects. However Kelly questions just how right any of this is, but wanting to be a permanent part of Jared's future, she decides to take a risk. Only tonight things will take a dramatically different course. When Kelly wakes up she finds Jared cold and laying on the ground of the warehouse. She hears someone mention he is dead and that they have to get him out of the warehouse. Kelly knows she has to get out of here before anyone finds out, so she calls her best friend Lexie to come give her a ride. She makes Lexie promise not to say anything about picking her up, but when she arrives home, the police are waiting for her.

It doesn't help that Lexie's uncle is Ethan Stone, a Texas Ranger and her dad, Cord, is the chief of police. Just how can she find her way through being loyal to her best friend and doing the right thing, especially when Jared's body has been found in the lake. Now it leads Lexie to wonder just what Kelly and Jared were up to and Kelly doesn't want to talk to her about anything that happened that night. In fact, Kelly goes as far as telling the police that she came home after her date with Jared and she doesn't know what happened after he dropped her off. But soon clues begin to point Ethan and Cord to the fact that Jared was murdered and his father will pull out all the stops to ensure that the murderer is caught.

I received Severed Trust by Margaret Daley compliments of Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable one and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. This really opens the readers eyes to what may in fact be happening in schools all over the country. With illegal drugs becoming harder to come by, "pill parties" are becoming the latest thing for middle school and high school students to be involved in. We already know how easy it is for some kids to become addicted to prescription drugs but this is a chilling look at the dangers that may be happening right under our own noses. Once again Margaret Daley takes this novel into a sensational suspense thriller and completely leaves you guessing at what is happening until it all falls into place at the very climatic ending. Makes you wonder how far you'd go to cover for your friend when you give them your word? I'd rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and think it definitely gives parents another conversation starter to have in their own family to prevent this kind of thing from happening to those we love and care about.

For more information about Severed Trust, Margaret Daley or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

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

To read more reviews on Severed Trust, check out Abindgon Press' website. 

• Series: Men of the Texas Rangers
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426761864
• ISBN-13: 978-1426761867
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches

A Christmas Carol 2

I've often wondered what ever happened after Ebenezer Scrooge discovered the true meaning of Christmas. Did he remain grateful and continue to keep Christmas in his heart every day instead of once a year? What ever happened to his faithful employee Bob Cratchit or his family that he was reunited with before he died? What if hidden somewhere for more than 170 years was a copy of the sequel to A Christmas Carol that provided those answers of just what happened to our beloved characters years later? Well that is just what you'll find with a dose of comedy in the novel, A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge by Robert J. Elisberg.

The story is written in a Charles Dickens manner in which all of the characters from Dicken's novels make an appearance in this delightful tale of Scrooge's return now as the ghost appearing to Bob Cratchit, whose generosity has now brought the company of Scrooge and Marley on the verge of bankruptcy. Scrooge returns as Marley did to remind Bob of the implications of his generosity without consideration and he is back to teach Bob the value of money. You will find such delightful characters interwoven in this Christmas tale like Oliver Twist, Samuel Pickwick, Uriah Heep, David Cooperfield and many many more.

 There are some play on words and phrases from Dicken's classic works, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, David Cooperfield and more as the characters remain in their respective stories and utter the now famous sayings. For example when Oliver Twist arrives in Bob Cratchit's office while men are there to solicit their annual holiday donations from him, Oliver Twist arrives to discuss his salary, "Please sir, I want some more." Bob isn't sure what he means in which Oliver replies, "I've been at Scrooge and Marley's for over two years now," the young man said with resolve. "I arrive at dawn and am here 14 hours later. I've saved many an account, Mr. Cratchit, sir. And sir, I'm 23 years old now, and am paid almost nothing, apprentice wages. Please sir."

Cratchit replies, "Done, as the cook said to the roast after taking it from the oven. You shall have it." He put out his hand to seal the agreement. "I'll triple your salary next week. A new start for the New Year. How's that?" It is Oliver that seems to understand common sense when it comes to money but Cratchit doesn't seem to be overly concerned.

Since the novel is based loosely around the concept that this is the actual lost manuscript from Charles Dickens, the author incorporates the use of footnotes throughout this book to guide the reader through unfamiliar characters, names and events of the period he believes are what Charles Dickens would have added if he did in fact write this book. It is an amusing look at what might have become of poor Bob Cratchit and a truly must have for fans of Charles Dicken's literary works.

I received A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge by Robert J. Elisberg compliments of Third Road Press and Pump Up Your Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This would make a great Christmas gift to anyone who loves to add to their Christmas fiction collection. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. I found the footnotes a bit confusing and opted to skip those initially on my first read through to keep the continuity of the storyline moving forward and went back and reviewed those during my second pass through the book. I love the authors use of cynical humor throughout this book and those quirky famous lines that interlace the conversations in the story.

For more information about A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge, Robert J. Elisberg or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

A Christmas Carol 2: The Return of Scrooge by Robert J. Elisberg

To read more reviews on A Christmas Carol 2 from the Pump Up Your Book Tour, please click here. 

 You can find Robert J. Elisberg on his website by clicking here. 

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Third Road Press (November 28, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615727573
• ISBN-13: 978-0615727578
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches

The Christmas Quilt

Annie has a bit of a procrastination problem. Whenever she sets out to complete a project, she generally believes she will have more than enough time to complete it, yet each time, she finds herself rushing in an effort to complete it and often times has to ask for the help of others to get her projects complete. However in order to complete the quilt she has promised to make for her best friend, Leah who is expecting twins at the end of December, she honestly believes this time she will have more than enough time to complete it. If she can only find time between working with her husband Samuel, as one of the only certified Amish nurses as he makes his rounds as the town's herbalist and healer. She also lends a hand with the Amish mid-wife Belinda whenever she has need of her skills, along with herself being pregnant and expecting their first baby.

When an unexpected call in the early morning hours to Annie and Samuel warrant their medical assistance with Leah, who has gone into premature labor, she knows that without proper medical help at an English hospital, Leah may lose both of the babies. She learns that if Leah wants any chance at all at bringing her babies into this world healthy, she must remain for as long as she can in a hospital in Philadelphia that specializes in the very medical issue that Leah is facing. But how can Leah remain in the hospital while her marriage seems to be eroding between her and Adam? It was one thing before when it seemed that they might find a way to work through the issue of the growing separation between Leah and Adam, but now with miles separating them, is there hope they can work to make things right between them, even though they can't be together?

In the novel The Christmas Quilt by best selling author Vannetta Chapman, the true test of what love truly means is placed before not only Leah and Adam but for their families as well. With Leah's own health and that of her unborn babies being at the forefront of everyone living in the town of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, it teaches each of them just how precious life really is and that none of us are guaranteed any amount of time here on earth. Those that believe they will have time to work things out another day are placed before the fire to take hold of the present and realize what a gift time truly is. This is the 11th novel in the Quilts of Love series and each can be read as a stand alone novel.

I received The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman 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 expressed are my own. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and for those that love a Christmas theme to their standard Amish romance stories, than this is truly one you won't want to miss. Each of the pieces of the quilt that Annie begins to piece together tell the meaning and stories behind each of the nine fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control, and gentleness as a reminder of what our lives should look like to others as believers in Christ.This novel picks up the story of Annie and Samuel that readers were introduced to in A Simple Amish Christmas.  A discussion guide is included as well as a sneak peek into Aloha Rose, the 12th book in the Quilts of Love series.

For more information about The Christmas Quilt, Vannetta Chapman, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Christmas Quilt by Vannetta Chapman

You can find Vannetta Chapman on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Christmas Quilt from the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance Book Tour, please click here.

• Series: Quilts of Love (Unnumbered) (Book 11)
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426752776
• ISBN-13: 978-1426752773
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 7.3 x 9.5 inches

An Amish Country Christmas

"An Amish Country Christmas by best selling author Charlotte Hubbard who also goes by the pen name, Naomi King was asked to write a novel based on the characters from both of her Amish series where they get to mix and mingle, this is the result of that collaboration. The reader is bound to get a true gift when they can enjoy their favorite characters from both Willow Ridge and Cedar Creek together for the Christmas Season. With the fact that Charlotte (Naomi) have a book in each of her series all releasing just in time for Christmas, here is the chronological order for these stories: Amanda Weds a Good Man: One Big Happy Family by Naomi King; Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard; and then An Amish Country Christmas. This order will make sense, especially for Preacher Tom and Vernon Gingerich as they court the Hooley sisters and prepare to get married.

This novel, An Amish Country Christmas is divided into three sections, two of them, fantastic and charming additions to the bigger novels in the series based on Christmas and then the third section entitled, Sugar and Spice gives readers some amazing recipes that they have only read about not only in this book but in other books in the series, just in time for some Christmas baking.

In the first part of the book, The Christmas Visitors by Naomi King, shares the delight of what happens when Nate and Bram Kanagy head to Cedar Creek to pick up a courting buggy and a sleigh from Graber's Custom Carriages. While doing some shopping at the Cedar Creek Mercantile, the brothers have the opportunity to help a girl in need, Martha Coblentz who is struggling with some heavy mineral blocks she needs for her farm. Each seeing an opportunity to take a young girl out for a holiday trip, they both compete for her attentions. What they don't realize however is Martha already has plans for both very handsome young men and that would be to take them back home to meet her sister Mary, an identical twin in every way. What happens along the way is truly unforgettable and a delightful Christmas romance story between families.

In the second half of the book, The Bishop's Kiss by Charlotte Hubbard takes the readers back to Willow Ridge as the community decides what will happen now that the town's previous bishop Hiram was excommunicated for some under handed dealings within the community and now he has moved away to start his own community called Higher Ground, leaving the town searching for who their next bishop will be. Preacher Tom and Vernon Gingerich are about to encounter the Hooley sisters, Nazareth and Jerusalem who each have their sights set on a prospective man. What soon follows is bound to keep even the old at heart in awe as love comes to Willow Ridge in new and unexpected ways.

I received An Amish Country Christmas by Naomi King and Charlotte Hubbard compliments of Kensington Publishing Group and Pump Up Your Book Tours 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 LOVED every single novel that Charlotte and Naomi have written in the Cedar Creek and Willow Ridge series and this was such a delightful and charming way to take a trip back to these towns to see just how some of my favorite characters are spending Christmas this year. The best part are the amazing recipes I can't wait to try and add some new flavors to my Christmas baking this year. I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and it truly does give you a Christmas treat you can enjoy in front of a warm fire on a cold night.

For more information about An Amish Country Christmas, Naomi King, Charlotte Hubbard or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

An Amish Country Christmas by Naomi King and Charlotte Hubbard

You can find Naomi King and Charlotte Hubbard on Facebook to stay up to date with all their latest novels.

To read more reviews on An Amish Country Christmas from the Pump Up Your Book Tour, please click here. 

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (October 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420131885
• ISBN-13: 978-1420131888
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches

Greetings From The Flipside

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Greetings from the Flipside

B&H Books (October 15, 2013)

by

Rene Gutteridge

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:




Rene is the author of seventeen novels. She also has extensive experience writing comedy sketches, and worked for five years as the director of drama for a church. She has a degree specializing in Screenwriting, for which she earned the Excellence in Mass Communication Award, and graduated magna cum laude.


She is married to Sean, a musician and worship leader, and has two children. They reside in Oklahoma, where Rene writes full time and enjoys instructing in college classrooms and writers conferences.


ABOUT THE BOOK

Hope Landon has been rewriting other people's greeting cards since she was six years old -- there's always a funnier caption. She's all set to chase those creative dreams with her musician fiance in New York City until he leaves Hope at the altar, deciding he must not really love this girl if he can't write a song for her. That may give her something to write about . . .


Hope disappears alone on what was supposed to be the couple's month long honeymoon. Upon returning she learns of her funeral -- everyone in her life concluded Hope must have killed herself after being jilted. Needing a fresh start more than ever, she heads for the Big Apple only to discover it's not that easy to rent a place when you've been declared dead.

Taking shelter at the YWCA, Hope soon lands a job at a Christian inspirational greeting card company as an assistant to Jake, a guy who shut down his organization's humor department. She has lost her faith in love; he needs to find something or someone that will make him laugh.

Is there anything in the cards for these two? Find out in the truly original Greetings from the Flipside by authors Rene Gutteridge (Boo) and Cheryl McKay (screenplay for The Ultimate Gift).

If you would like to read the first chapter of >Greetings from the Flipside, go HERE.

The Bargain

"The problem with the English is that everyone wants to lead. No one wants to submit to authority." ~ Betsie's Journal

Imagine a novel where an Amish woman makes a bargain with her cousin and winds up experiencing what life is like for an English family in the 1970's. That is just the premise for the latest novel by author Stephanie Reed, The Bargain, her first novel in the Plain City Peace series.

Betsie Troyer has made a bargain with her cousin Nelson to mind the harness shop while he agreed to serve in the Chicago military hospital without being drafted for two years. The arrangement would include her living with the Sullivans, an English family during her apprenticeship, while her own parents have agreed to leave behind their Amish way of life and heading to Belle Center, Ohio. They have agreed to allow their children however, to make their own choices about whether to leave or stay behind. Betsie is more that convinced her parents are making the wrong decision.

She meets Michael Sullivan, a college drop out, hippie and the only son of the Sullivan's she is planning on working for when he arrives to pick her up for work in his yellow-jacket colored Super Bee. He lives in the small town of Hilliard and is prone to the typical emotional outbursts that were common for teens dealing with all the issues surrounding the time in which this novel takes place. He is moved to the peace movement and tries to teach Betsie some of the slang words of the English as she attempts her first visit to their local supermarket in order to fit in. She clearly doesn't have a clue to what she is saying or doing and finds herself at odds in how to fit in with this very different family.

She is befriended by Michael's younger sister, Shelia who is 12, who she teaches the value of hardwork in taking care of the house, which is being left by the wayside by the now newly liberated Phyllis Sullivan, Shelia's mom. The family is used to such modern conveniences like a dishwasher, washer, and dryer and the television which occupies the late night hours after dinner, which they are use to getting out of a box or by making a TV dinner which is clearly unheard of in Betsie's family.

What ensues along the way is a blending of two very different cultures and two very different types of people. There are some great humorous scenes like Betsie watching an episode of Gilligan's Island and isn't sure why a "good buddy" is being hit with a hat by another man all the time, or why Michael seems upset when Betsie fixes his blue jeans and removes all his patches to make him look less like a scarecrow and more like a respectable man. This is truly an example of an Amish woman who finds her way into That 70's show!

I received The Bargain by Stephanie Reed compliments of Kregel Publications and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are mine alone. There are some great quotes that are included at each chapter opens from Betsie as she journals what her life is like now living among the English family. This one was truly a different kind of Amish fiction for me than I have ever experienced and gave me new insight into what life would have been like for someone so different trying to fit in during a unique time in American history. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to the next novel in this series.

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

The Bargain by Stephanie Reed

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

To read more reviews on The Bargain as part of the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here. 

• Series: Plain City Peace (Book 1)
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (September 19, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082544215X
• ISBN-13: 978-0825442155
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Stephanie L. Reed is celebrating the release of The Bargain, the first book in her new series, Plain City Peace, with a Kindle Fire 'Bargain Bundle' giveaway!

 
  One winner will receive a 'Bargain Bundle':

• A Kindle Fire
• The Bargain by Stephanie Reed

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on October 27th. Winner will be announced at the Litfuse blog on October 28th.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by the Litfuse blog on the 28th to see if you won. (Or, better yet, subscribe to their blog {enter your email in the blog sidebar} and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox)!

Redeeming Love

I love it when I find a great book because I simply want to tell everyone about it and hope that they strongly take my suggestion and pick it up. Some of these stories once you immerse yourself in them become a part of your body and soul. They live with you long after you read them because you find yourself thinking about the theme in so many different aspects of your day. When Francine Rivers got the notion for the storyline for her novel Redeeming Love it came directly out of the book Hosea in the Bible. It shows the way God loves us in such a profound and simply unconditional love that it is simply breath-taking and life changing. This novel and it's storyline will move you to tears and show you just how much God's love can change your life.

The storyline is very reminiscent of Les Misrables, in which a young girl name Sarah spends her life witnessing not only through words but in actions that she is worthless and unwanted. The only people who see her as anything as those who will exploit her beauty and cause her to build such walls that nothing, even the love of God will not be able to penetrate them. First learning that she was a product of an illicit affair her mother had with a wealthy married man, she over hears a conversation that he had wished she had never been born, that she was a mistake and one that he can never accept in his life. Yet Sarah's mother does all she can to protect and care for her child, but soon, life takes a terrible toll on her and she dies, leaving Sarah behind with a man she knows only as Uncle Rab.

Rab is simply a drunken man who loved her mother in between his lucid moments and now finds that taking care of Sarah is simply too much for anyone to handle. When he learns a wealthy man is looking for a daughter to adopt, he thinks he has found his way out. He sells nine-year-old Sarah to him, a man only known as Duke who will ultimately teach Sarah that he will be the only life she will ever know. He tells her that her name is now Angel.

Michael Hosea is a God-fearing man who believes God will show him who his future wife will be, but he never dreamed that would lead him to Pair-of-Dice, a brothel and find a soiled dove in desperate need of God's love. Michael simply can not believe that this is whom God would bestow His promises to find a wife in being the highest paid prostitute in town, one that only the highest bidder can see, but God offers him the opportunity to convince her that despite what she has been lead to believe her whole life, Michael is the real deal. Now if only those mile high walls she has constructed to protect herself against men can be brought down, Michael might just have a chance, but to Angel the only hope for a different life is if she dies and that is just what she has planned when Michael finds her.

I received Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers compliments of WaterBrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions in this review are strictly my own. Once I received this to review, I didn't realize that this book had been written more than twenty years ago and the message contained in the pages is more relevant now to women who need to understand forgiveness, unconditional love and redemption in Christ. I literally read this in one sitting and could not put it down. I was beyond captivated by the eloquent words that Francine Rivers used to retell the biblical story of Hosea in this novel. I found myself in tears so many times, by the demonstration of Michael's love and commitment to Angel despite how many times she tries to push him away. It's like one reviewer shared, "Michael Hosea is the consummate hero; Angel, in one way or another, is every woman who has ever lived without love." You can not read this one and not be changed forever. Hands down a 5 out of 5 stars and will now hold a prominent place in my personal library. I KNOW I will read this one again and again.

For more information about Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers, or where you can pick up a copy of this incredible novel today, please click on the links below:

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

You can find Francine Rivers on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Redeeming Love, visit the WaterBrook Multnomah website. 

• Paperback: 479 pages
• Publisher: Multnomah Books; Paperback with Study Guide edition (May 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590525132
• ISBN-13: 978-1590525135
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches

The Cutting Edge

They say beauty is only skin deep, but is it really? Does anyone ever really bother to get beneath the skin and find the real person inside? Perfection was a look and that was it. So many "beautiful" girls look in the mirror and suddenly become dissatisfied with the way they looked. Many begin to dwell on one feature or another as the reason they hadn't become the latest cover girl. The end result is usually an appointment with a cosmetic surgeon and an attempt to improve on what most people would have thought of was perfection. Of course, rather did these fixes lead to bigger jobs, only bigger disappointments and lower self esteem. The fact was, a "look" couldn't be manufactured; it had to be a gift of birth.

That is just what Leslie Rhoads had, the looks that most would die to have. No cosmetic surgery was necessary and a true moment of opportunity sat literally right in front of her. The opportunity most models wait a lifetime to get and only rarely do few ever find. Now on the cusp of making a decision that might change her career, Leslie begins to count just what the cost is for great beauty and looks. Passion Nights, a perfume company wants her to be their spokesmodel but the photographs and ads leave very little left to the imagination. Raised as the proverbial girl next door, she wonders just what kind of message would she be sending taking on this project and signing a multi-million dollar contract. Her agent Carlee Middleton, reminds her that this doesn't come around too often and it is a guarantee to launch her career as a model to heights she had never dreamed before. No more struggling to make rent or live in less than desirable areas, this would literally be a life changing. But she can't accept without talking to her parents, the voice of reason in her life. What would God tell her to do?

When she arrives home from a late night flight from New York into Springfield, Illinois, the airport is mostly closed. Without wanting to wake her parents, she opts to call for a cab but since it's so late the cab will take awhile to get there since the driver is out on another call. When twenty minutes pass, Leslie sees an approaching unmarked car and believes that such a small town company has opted to send whatever they have left. Without thinking she opens the car door, only to be abducted from the airport by men she can't see. The only people who even know she is arriving home is her agent and it seems like that might be the last person who will ever know just where she went.

The men who have abducted Leslie have no idea who she is, and had hoped merely to gain whatever money and items of worth from her before abandoning her at the side of a dark road. But when a search of her baggage reveals her face on the cover of a magazine, the men realize Leslie might be worth a whole lot more. When she fails to give them what they want, they decide to take it out on her in a dark alley, cutting her beautiful face with a broken bottle and leaving her for dead. What will her beauty be worth now?

In the latest novel by best selling author Ace Collins, The Cutting Edge is one of those novels that once you pick up will embed its way into your soul. I literally inhaled this one and didn't realize that this novel is the sequel from Darkness Before Dawn. I remember reading a similar story that happened many years ago about a model who had her face viciously damaged and she was left for dead as well. I can't imagine the horrors she had to deal with much like Leslie's character whose whole life has been defined by her looks. Now she is left with nothing more but scars but it's the ones inside that may never heal. Can she find the beauty that lies within all of us before it's too late?

I received The Cutting Edge by Ace Collins compliments of Abingdon Press for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are mine. I easily rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars because I believe it delivers more than just a great suspense filled story. There is a great message behind this story that is revealed by the time you get to the end, the one of what the true definition of beauty really is. Once again I feel that Ace Collins is definitely a "one to watch" author because everything he seems to do, turns to gold. He is utilizing his true God given gift of writing to transport us inside the story. It's compelling, believable and one that will stay with you long after you turn the final page. I simply can't wait to see what masterpiece he will create next.

For more information about The Cutting Edge, Ace Collins or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Cutting Edge by Ace Collins

You can also find Ace Collins on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Cutting Edge, please visit Abingdon Press' website.

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 15, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1426714661
• ISBN-13: 978-1426714665
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches

Fields of Grace

"Why God? Why I am the only one left?"

These would be the same questions Hannah Luce would ask herself over and over as she began the slow road to recovery and healing being the only one to survive the plane crash that killed four of her closest friends and ones who were just beginning their lives working for Teen Mania Ministries. What Hannah shares in Fields of Grace, the book that chronicles not only what happened that fateful day that would forever change her life in more ways than she could remember but also shares how difficult her own road to discovery and faith has been being the daughter of a well known youth evangelist, Ron Luce, cofounder and CEO of Teen Mania Ministries.

This is the perfect book for anyone who is just beginning their spiritual walk or questioning where God is at in their dry moments when you wonder is this all there is in your faith walk. Hannah tells a very honest and compelling look at how she was raised and how she began at some point to wonder where God was at in all of it. She struggles with prayer and wondering why God doesn't answer her like she believes He should. She questions everything she has been raised to believe and wonders if there is something more out there than just what her dad has been teaching her.

She introduces us to Austin Anderson, the young man she meets while attending Oral Roberts University who is adored and charmed by countless women but has the most amazing friendship with Hannah because she is unlike anyone he has ever met since returning from two tours in Iraq and has been struggling to come to terms with his faith and seeing the horror of war. He and Hannah find themselves as true soulmates in every sense of the word even though they are not romantically interested in one another. It will be that same relationship that will be tested in the truest sense when their plane crashes.

Hannah tells how difficult it has been trying to find ways to reconnect with not only Austin but with Garrett Coble, the man that she believes was joining the flight that day to ask her to become part of his life, something that was shared between them but never honestly discussed until the day that would forever seal their fates and Hannah would never be able to tell Garrett her true feelings for him. She fondly remembers Austin's favorite quote from the movie Braveheart, "Every man dies, not every man really lives," and that is just how Garrett lived every moment of his life, a true hero to the end.

I received Fields of Grace by Hannah Luce and Robin Gaby Fisher compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars because I truly believe in all of our hearts, we have all had moments of doubt and wonder where God is in the midst of personal trials, struggles or losses we can not explain. This book helps cast aside those doubts and helps us to realize that most of the time God is simply waiting to be invited in, and not asked to prove His existence in our lives. This book is a love story about three friends whose bond cannot be broken by death.

Hannah Luce has decided to donate all proceeds of the sale of Fields of Grace to the nonprofit organization she formed Mirror Tree to aid in the research and to create opportunities for people in the United States to help rehabilitate and reintegrate female refugees and others suffering from the aftereffects of rape, genocide and the loss of identity. This was a dream Austin had and she wants to do all she can to see this dream become a reality and as a tribute to him and the work he had hoped to achieve.

For more information about Fields of Grace, Hannah Luce, or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Fields of Grace by Hannah Luce and Robin Gaby Fisher

To find out more about Teen Mania Ministries you can check them out on Facebook.

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (October 22, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476729603
• ISBN-13: 978-1476729602
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches

Audrey Bunny ~ Review and Giveaway

If you have ever fallen in love with the story of the Velveteen Rabbit, then you will definitely want to capture this children's book, Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith. It is a beautifully illustrated and wonderful story of a stuffed bunny who used to be one of twelve in the barrel in the toy story but now is only one of two. The bunny is struggling with wanting to find a forever home, but because of a smudge over the heart that she tries to hide whenever someone comes looking for a stuffed animal to take home, she is always tossed back because she is damaged or unwanted because of her mark.

Now that Caroline comes in looking for a birthday present, the bunny hides the mark in order to find a forever home and she succeeds in going home, but she knows that one day Caroline will see it and it's only a matter of time before the bunny, now named Audrey, is taken back to wind up in the barrel forever. Only like all of us, what makes us unique is something worthy in the eyes of those that can see it.

This is a delightful book that demonstrates to children who read it that were are all different in some way, but it's those differences that set us apart and make us special not undesirable. God made us all different and He uses those special characteristics in all of us to show how we are each a masterpiece not an imitation. There is even a great section in the back of the book called Parent Connect that allows parents to ask questions and garner a great discussion for children to learn what it means to be different but not an outcast and it's one of those books that your child will definitely read over and over again. 

I received Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith compliments of B and H Publishing Group and FlyBy Promotions 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 only wish I would have had this book when my children were younger to point out the lessons in differences in people and how God view them. We are all uniquely created and masterpieces instead of copies. It teaches them to see those differences in new eyes and creates such a great conversation between parents and their kids that they can refer back to the story over and over again. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and have already gifted mine to a special little angel in my life that LOVES this story.

Angie Smith is the wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Dove Award winning group Selah), best-selling author of Mended, I Will Carry You, and What Women Fear, and one of the most popular speakers and blog writers in the country. She holds a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and lives with her husband and daughters in Nashville, TN.

For more information about Audrey Bunny, Angie Smith or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith

Written by: Angie Smith

Publisher: B&H Publishing

Hardcover with jacket:  32 pages 

Release Date: October 1, 2013

$14.99

Now for the best part, thanks to B and H Publishing Group and FlyBy Promotions, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog. Here are your guidelines to enter.

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

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping 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 below so I can notify you if you're the winner of this giveaway. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email when the giveaway ends on October 24th.