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. 

The Promise

The one thing Mallory Hammond knows is that she vowed to save a life when the promise she made to her cousin at 17, was over rulled by her parents and left her cousin to die when they refused to let her donate a kidney. Now it is the first item on her bucket list and now that she is older, she can make those decisions for herself even if her parents object. When she tries to donate her kidney years later, she is determined to have a genetic disposition for pre-diabetes that once again robs her of the desire to help someone and fulfill the promise she made so many years ago. Tate Webber has hoped that some day he and Mallory might get married but until she is able to fulfill her promise she will keep Tate at arms length and refuse to make plans to get married.

When she learns that a child suffering from leukemia in Pakistan, a niece to the man she works for Ismail at his office, she believes this may in fact be the last opportunity to save a life. With little time left for Majida to get treatment to come to the United States, Ismail and Abdul are convinced the only way to expedite things in time is to find someone to marry Abdul in name only, and allow Majida and Abdul to be able to travel to the United States for treatment. Now if they can only convince Mallory. Fortunately Abdul knows just what will motivate Ismail to help convince Mallory to come to Pakistan and marry him and that will mean threatening his future fiance' Soraya with harm. It is a fear that Ismail has lived under long since leaving his own country, but the hand of his family and father can make it more than just a threat but reality as well.

When things between Tate and Mallory seem to go south in terms of their relationship, Ismail knows just the time to ask Mallory if she might consider helping Majida get treatment to save her life, since the medical care in Pakistan is limited and not likely to help her survive. For Mallory feeling like she has no options left to fulfill her promise agrees to talk to Abdul over the phone to see what they can work out and come to an agreement. Mallory knows if she tells her family or Tate what she is considering, neither of them will support her decision. So she decides to take a risk that may lead to more than she is bargaining for.

I received The Promise by Beth Wiseman 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 here are strictly my own. This novel is based on real life events from a friend close to Beth Wiseman who found herself in similar circumstances when she fell for an offer of marriage to a Muslim man and found herself being held against her will. It conveys how very different the two cultures are and how often women are misled to make the trip to foreign countries only to find themselves trapped and unable to return. A very chilling reminder to be a warning to women who may be considering the very same thing as Mallory. It conveys just how different it can be in two very different countries and just because you maintain citizenship in the United States, you lose much of that control being married in a Muslim country now controlled by your husband. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and applaud Beth for sharing this story that may help other women from making these same mistakes in their own lives.

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

The Promise by Beth Wiseman

You can find Beth Wiseman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Promise, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page.


In a daring new novel, Beth Wiseman jumps way outside the box. The Promise will take readers far away from Amish country and small Texas towns to a dangerous place on the other side of the world. Inspired by actual events, this is the book Beth has been working toward for a long time.

Curious? Click here to read the reviews, and be sure to enter Beth's Kindle HDX giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• The Promise by Beth Wiseman

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 9th. Winner will be announced November 10th here.

Alone, Yet Not Alone - Review and Giveaway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracy Leininger Craven

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

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

Than

KBL - Kill Bin Laden: A Novel Based On True Events

Moving from the political battlefields of Washington, D.C., and the secure, seventh-floor suite of the CIA director in Langley, Virginia, to the dusty streets of Peshawar, Lahore, and Abbottabad, Pakistan, to the rough Afghan interior, to the Middle East and western Europe, this fictional narrative brings to life the drama behind SEAL Team 6’s breathtaking raid in which Bin Laden—a.k.a. Crankshaft, a.k.a. al Mas (the Diamond), the ghost, the wraith, the grail for counterterrorists for more than a decade—met his fate.

Filled with pulse-pounding excitement and the tactics, intelligence tradecraft, and operational sources and methods used in real-world CIA and special-operations missions, KBL: KILL BIN LADEN is a thrill-a-minute dramatization that sets the standard for adventure novels as it brilliantly imagines the action, intrigue, and suspense of this real-life event and offers a glimpse of the new face of warfare.

My Review:

This is a book based on the events surrounding the plot to kill Usama Bin Laden and the men whose mission it was to see that it was carried out. This book probes the hearts and minds of America's secret warriors, revealing what the job means to them and the toll it takes. Here are the Navy SEALS who can never admit what unit they work for; the CIA paramilitary operators who risk their lives among the enemy, putting themselves in harm's way knowing their existence will be denied if they are killed or captured; and the elite cadre of gritty leaders who bravely put country and security above politics.

This book is not like the Hollywood productions of Jason Bourne or Ethan Hunt, but truly gives the readers an inside view on what it takes to put your live on the line to bring a terrorist to justice and secure the safety of the country they love and serve. I was captivated by this story because I love movies like Mission Impossible but from a true sense of where the actual stories come from. Having know friends involved with Black Ops, I know how real and intense their stories can be, although they can never share the information with anyone.

This is a must read for anyone who loves stories involving true life events told from all the perspectives of those involved and to see just how difficult it is to bring criminals to justice when they lie outside our countries borders and people will do anything to make sure they are never found.

I received this book, KBL: Kill Bin Laden by John Weisman compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and LOVED every single page of this compelling novel. It's hard to believe that the book you are reading isn't a fictional story but one that actually happened. For that reason alone, this one rates a hands down 5 out of 5 stars! For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

KBL: Kill Bin Laden: A Novel Based On True Events by John Weisman