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Showing posts with label Leukemia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leukemia. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Gideon's Gift



Karen Kingsbury's inspiration for writing The Red Glove Series was based on what she saw modeled by her father, how on one Thanksgiving, he loaded up a plate of leftovers and headed out to find the first person in need and pass the plate of food on to them. It would create such a lasting impression of the very nature of what God implied when He asked us to care for those in need, those that are hurting and ones we can lessen the burden for in unremarkable ways. Gideon's Gift begins the series and shares with us the store of how one little eight-year-old girl named Gideon who was struggling with finding a Christmas miracle in light of hoping her leukemia this year might go into remission.

She truly believes in the message she has heard that Christmas miracles come to those who believe. As she and her father, Brian Mercer made their way to the hospital, they stopped like they always did while waiting for the blood tests and shared in a rare conversation, "What is their own idea of the perfect Christmas?" Little did Gideon know how God was listening to one girl's request to have the perfect Christmas just once, one that would blow the doors off any ordinary miracle and one that would change not only her life, but the lives of the people she would touch this year.

Earl Badgett had hoped that all his years of living on the streets might one day take his life, but it looks like this is not going to be that day. As he makes his way into the local mission to get a hot meal, he holds on to the only hope that keeps his heart from growing cold. A single pair of red gloves hand-knitted by his wife Anne, two years ago for his Christmas present. It was almost two years to the date when he would once again find himself remembering that fateful night that claimed the life of his wife and daughter and would also claim any remnant of the Earl that once loved them. Now he spends his days and nights hoping this will be the night that he will join them in heaven, but one encounter with Gideon at the mission will change them both forever and show how powerful prayer can truly be to those who believe in God.

I received Gideon's Gift 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 expressed here are strictly my own. This is such an amazing inspirational novel that would make a great Christmas gift that you can read together as a family, a chapter each night, to gain a true meaning of God's power and that of prayer. How God can change a hardened heart and show the amazing power of sacrificial love for another. There is even a section at the conclusion of the book that shares ways you can extend the gift of service to others this Christmas. I can highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something to stir the real reason behind Christmas and put you in the perfect Christmas Spirit and easily give it a 5 out of 5 stars!

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


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

To read more reviews on Gideon's Gift, please visit Faith Word's website. 


Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Dawn's New Day: A Love Story



I love it when a book can seem so real you forget you reading about the characters and you don't actually know them. I guess that is the perfect trademark to finding an unforgettable novel but also an unforgettable author as well. This is my second time with author B.J. Young who first captivated and stole my heart with A Portrait of Dawn and then did me in with the sequel Dawn's New Day. To sum it all up in a few words, she is the female version on Nicholas Sparks. There is nothing more to say than that. If you want to lose your heart to such a compelling love story filled with laughter, smiles and tears than look no further than B.J. Young.

Dawn's New Day: A Love Story picks up on the heels of the first novel where Katy, who faced her greatest challenge in overcoming leukemia at 16, but also finding her birth mother after learning she was adopted. Now having the love and support of both sets of parents in her life, Katy has found a career of her own as a trauma nurse. It's the caring for and helping people that have drawn her into this career choice and it's also the crossroads for meeting Ben Browning, a helicopter pilot for flight ambulance service when he isn't serving in the reserves as a pilot as well. It seems no matter how much Katy tries to find excuses not to fall for Ben, God has other plans in mind for her.

She just needs to find a way to share her past with Ben but also her future plans in saving herself for marriage. She knows that most men are eager for one thing, but she hopes this won't be the one thing that drives a wedge between her and Ben. Between all their commitments to their jobs, and adding the mix of Katy's two families, they find a bond in caring for an older woman with no family who has to face death alone. It will be a defining moment for both of them as they come full circle in realizing what is most important in life isn't the births or deaths that occur but the moments in between and how we chose to live them. It isn't about gifts but about making memories that will always be with us when we need them the most. This is Katy's and Ben's story to show how they have made a beautiful and truly lasting marriage work, and having the strength to face tragedy when it strikes at the heart of what they love the most.

I received Dawn's New Day: A Love Story compliment of the author B. J. Young for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable one. These can be read as a stand alone as the author gives some insight into the story before this one was written, but you will want the full scope of Katy's life prior to her going into remission at 16 for leukemia. So trust me and pick up A Portrait of Dawn first, before diving head first into this one. It's so well written you will become hooked at once and can't put it down. That's the driving force behind B.J. Young's words is that embed themselves into your heart and soul. This one should come with a warning to read with a large supply of tissues handy. You will need it and you will remember it long after you finish. I personally give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to read more from this truly talented author.

For more information about Dawn's New Day: A Love Story, B. J. Young or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:


You can also find follow B.J. Young on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels or on her website by clicking here.

  • Paperback: 280 pages
  • Publisher: Inspiring Voices (June 19, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1462406637
  • ISBN-13: 978-1462406630
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches