Come to the Garden

We can always look back at our life in times of struggle and hardship and find growth there. There is a clarity that comes with time we might miss if we aren't too careful to pay attention. Life experiences are often the best teacher. However we can fail to learn from them as well and wonder where God was in the midst of those times as well.

In the inspirational book, Come to the Garden by Jennifer Wilder Morgan, she incorporates the fictional story of an interaction between Jennifer and her guardian angel Margaret who she encounters one morning in her garden. Margaret shows Jenn through a retelling of events, dreams and visions she has had over her life, how God has been using those experiences to teach her more about the great love that God has for her as His daughter. While some situations clearly point these things out, others remained cloaked in a bit of mystery that Margaret walks Jenn through. Not everything that happens in our life can seem relevant until we can often gain some much needed godly perspective in them.

For me, this novel took me to those spiritually dry places in my own walk with God when I failed to see how He was using those times for me to grow in ways I couldn't have any other way. Only in that hindsight can we see with the clarity that God can provide when we seek Him with all our heart. Now being in my garden definitely will bring to mind this book and the ideas behind what goes on in our life. We might not always gain the insight this side of heaven, but knowing that God never leaves us in any situation despite how dark things look is a definite spiritual boost.

I received Come to the Garden by Jennifer Wilder Morgan compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book for my fair and honest evaluation. Now perhaps I know why I am always drawn to the quiet of a beautiful garden. Perhaps my own angelic encounter awaits one day, but for now I am willing to trust God in all things. For me, this one was a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Come to the Garden, Jennifer Wilder Morgan or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Come to the Garden by Jennifer Wilder Morgan

You can find Jennifer Wilder Morgan on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Come To the Garden, please visit Howard Book's website. 

Maggie's Miracle

 For those of you that have ever loved so much at one time but had to watch that time in your life slip by, there is hope that you will one day find it again. Best-selling author Karen Kingsbury takes readers into the hearts of Maggie and Jordan Wright who are finding themselves trying to find a way to get through the death of her husband and Jordan's father due to a sudden heart attack. Jordan is dealing with it much harder as an eight-year-old boy who was loved dearly by his father, but the love Maggie shared with him was simply a business transaction in the marriage. She only had that perfect love once in her life as a young girl searching for answers and finding it on the shores of a lake one summer.

Maggie has since resolved to give up on love forever and find a way to move forward in her life as a busy district attorney. But she can see that Jordan needs more time than she can find to give him. His grades are suffering and he has now taken his problems directly to God in a letter. Knowing his mother always has the right answers, Jordan believes that his special prayer for a new daddy must be written out and mailed by his mother. He knows beyond a doubt that God will hear him and answer his prayers.

Casey Cummins understands that level of grief that Maggie and Jordan are feeling. He too, lost his wife Amy and his unborn son due to delivery complications. He knew that he would never find a love like that again, but there is still an empty place in his heart for helping others. He learns about Healing Hearts, a program that places grieving children with single adults as a way of helping them through their struggles and that feels like the perfect answer for managing his own grief. Now he prays that God will provide him with just the right child for him and hopes he won't have to wait too long.

I received Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions here are strictly my own. This is the second book in the Red Glove Series and is bound to ignite a spirit of love and hope in your heart this Christmas season. It is about believing not only in miracles but the power of prayer to restore those broken places in our hearts and find hope once again. There is also a list of activities to inspire you to incorporate them into your Christmas season and give back some hope and love to those that are hurting. I love the idea of reading this book a chapter a day starting at Thanksgiving as a way of encouraging and inspiring us all to be better people. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. While these are part of a series, they can be read as a stand alone and in any order.

For more information about Maggie's Miracle, Karen Kingsbury or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury

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

To read more reviews on Maggie's Miracle, please visit Faith Word's website. 

Unwritten

"I wanted to get out of there before someone found us. Accused us. Steady sat unfazed. Unmoving. She curled into a fetal position in his lap while he whispered in the air above her.

The circular burn around her neck was not going away any time soon. A tattoo sans ink. As were the burns on my hands. I made my way to the kitchen sink, ran cold water over the raw meat in my palms, and then handed a wet towel to Steady. He dabbed her neck. Soothing her skin.

She lay there, sobbing. Shaking uncontrollably. What I saw was not the women who lit the silver screen, walked the red carpet, graced the cover of Vogue, People, or name your tabloid, but a broken human being at the bottom. I slid down the wall, and sat quietly, deciding something I'd long since suspected but never known for sure. Man, or woman, is not made to be worshipped. We are not physically cut out for it. Life in the spotlight, on the pedestal, at the top of the world was a lonely, singular, desolate, soul-killing place." (pg 42).

To say that Katie Quinn was on top of the world, would be an understatement. She could have anything she ever dreamed and nothing was out of her reach. Being the highest paid female in Hollywood, she could command an 8 figure salary on anything she signed her name to and others got paid to make sure that happened. But money doesn't buy you happiness no matter how much you have and that is something Katie has discovered as she realizes this isn't the life she ever dreamed it would be. Most don't, until they live it and after awhile, desperately wish things were different.

Thankfully for her, Steady, her priest, realized that she was going to attempt suicide that afternoon when she went to confession leaving all her worldly possessions and power of attorney of her estate to him. Now he just needed to find a way to reach the person she was outside of Hollywood's leading roles and find a way to heal the pain so deep inside her that the only way to relieve that pain would be to take a gracefully bow off her penthouse in Miami. But God has other plans in store for Katie and it will begin by first choosing one of three doors set before her. Once she chooses, she can never go back. He just hopes she will choose the right one.

I received Unwritten by Charles Martin compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups 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, except where otherwise noted. Charles Martin is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. In fact, just seeing his name on any book will guarantee I will read it. There are that great! Think Nicholas Sparks, Dan Walsh, Andy Andrews and you have an idea of the type of novel that will completely captivate you and transport you to a time and place of the characters you will discover there. This is the story of how broken people can find healing again, if, they are willing to search for it. It lies within us all and I think there is a part of us that can relate to Katie or Sunday, the man who offers to walk by her side for the journey. What you will discover in the end, is something so remarkable you have to pick up a copy of Unwritten and read it for yourself. There are second chances and fresh starts waiting just inside! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Unforgettable!!!

For more information about Unwritten, Charles Martin, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Unwritten by Charles Martin

You can find Charles Martin on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Unwritten, please visit Center Street Publishing's website. 

The Guardian Angel Diary

When you look at Nicole Bealert, she looks like your average 16 year-old teenage girl. She attends school, hates homework, and loves to write. It's what you don't see that makes her truly unique!

Nicole has been diagnosed with brain cancer. It was lucky that they found it when they did. Her mother died of cancer which has left her father a workaholic who barely finds time for her. Perhaps after dealing with the loss of his wife and now finding out about Nicole's tumor, this is his escape.

Nicole has found a unique way to cope. She has begun to write in a journal as a means of therapy. Believing that she has her own guardian angel, she begins a written conversation with him. She believes that any thought that comes to her head while she is waiting for a reply, is the answer from her guardian angel.

It's in her written conversations between her angel and Nicole, that we learn how she is coping with not only the physical loss of her mom, but also with the emotional connection with her father and her brother Luke, who has immersed himself in the virtual world of computer games. She struggles with keeping her friends because she feels her life is doomed so why let anyone close to her, only to get hurt when she dies.

She looks for answers from her angel to let her know if she is going to die, to which he replies everyone will eventually, and encourages her to live her life today, one day at a time. He offers ways to look on the bright side and provides insight into why her father and brother are coping with her cancer the way they are. He comforts her at night when she has difficulty sleeping and they share a close connection quite out of this world.



I received The Guardian Angel Diary by Grant Schnarr compliments of Kelly and Hall Book Publicity for my honest review and LOVED this unique way of seeing how someone deals with so many issues as a young teenage girl with cancer. This is a book, you won't want to miss and it comes highly recommended with a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating. You feel as though you have stumbled upon a beautiful conversation between Nicole and her guardian angel as they begin this unknown walk through Nicole's diagnosis. What it will end will truly leave you wanting more!

For more information about the book, the author and where to purchase a copy, please click on the link below:

The Guardian Angel Diary by Grant Schnarr

You can also find Grant Schnarr on Facebook, by clicking here.