Somebody Like You

"Sometimes we let others tell us who we are. We forget who we really are. Love, unconditional love - the kind of love that there is, day in and day out - heals our wounds and allow us to be our true selves again. So it is possible for a young widow to find love again with her husband's reflection?" Beth Vogt.

Haley Ames is still trying to come to terms with the death of her husband Sam who was killed in Afghanistan. She faces so many things she regrets not saying to him, but especially the one where she never got the chance to tell him she was pregnant. After being married for three years, it seemed that their marriage was more goodbyes than I love yous! Was it possible that Sam ever truly loved her or was it just the idea of being married to a woman who was strong enough to face his constant deployments with strength, and never needing anything more from him? She wished she might know that answer but there is no way she can ask him now.

Stephen Ames faces his own set of regrets when not only his best friend but mirror twin was killed before he ever had a chance at reconciling their relationship. Having always been the best of friends, Stephen had hoped that after high school they would both head off to college together, but when Sam broke the news that he was enlisting, he broke that bond between them forever. No more would they have to face answering questions of just who was whom and being constantly compared to one another. No they finally have the unique identities they always dreamed of but not in the way they had hoped it would work out. After years Stephen now has to face a life he didn't know existed, that his brother was married and he had never known.

When Stephen shows up at Haley's doorstep, neither of them are prepared to deal with the secret Sam kept from them, the knowledge that either of them existed. For Haley, it was like looking into the mirror of the past and seeing the husband she longed believed died, and for Stephen it was an opportunity to put some of the missing pieces of his life hopefully back together through talking with Haley. If she would simply put down the gun she was holding on him. How can he convince her that he is who he says he is, since Sam never said one word and neither did their parents to Haley? How can you keep that kind of thing a secret?

I received Somebody Like You from best selling author Beth K. Vogt compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own opinion except where otherwise noted. This is such an exceptional novel that truly tugs at the heart strings of regret and acceptance with often times things we can't change. It's an effort to move forward in the direction of God's leading and placing the opinions of what others think where they belong, behind our own heart's desires. Such a beautiful and touching story of love, widowhood and estrangement with a wonderfully happy ending. The book ends with a reading discussion guide and a heart to heart conversation with Beth over the details behind this novel. Without a doubt, in my opinion, her best novel to date and well deserving of 5 out of 5 stars. @bethvogt @ Howard_Books

For more information about Somebody Like You, Beth K. Vogt or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

You can also find Beth K. Vogt on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Somebody Like You, please visit Howard Book's website. 

Remember Me When

Out of the frying pan and into the fire! That is just what seems to be happening to Faith Nolan after marrying Roger when she lost everything in a fire and had no place to go. First she lost her parents and thinking there were only a couple of single men left to marry, she opted for Roger. Only in hindsight years later, she wished she would have taken up the charitable offers of the town's resident's to stay with them. She just didn't want people to feel sorry for her and she certainly didn't want to be considered a charitable case simply because she had no where else to go.

Helping to run the General Store seemed to give her an outlet of feeling helpful to others, as well as caring for the three mules they owned to get supplies from the town of Bountiful up to where the store was in Hope County, Oregon. Their main customer was the logging company owned by Nathan Bartlett as well as some of the men serving at the Army Fort just outside the town's limits. Now if only she could find a way out of Roger's violent outbursts towards her whenever he and his brother Theo got drunk, which seemed to happen every single night. Thank goodness for long sleeve shirts to hide what bruises he left on her. She only prayed God would hear her prayers for something to change, she just never expected He would answer the way He did.

When faced with another of Roger's lies about missing supplies for Nathan's company, Faith did what she felt God had placed on her heart, and that was waiting for the next shipment of supplies and fulfill Nathan's order before they went missing again. She knew that by defying Roger, she would be faced with another beating but she had to do what was right and hope God would come through in the end. Sure enough Roger and Theo were waiting for her when she arrived back to the store and they were drunk yet again. Only Roger would never take his anger out on Faith, when anyone was around, she knew he would wait for Theo to leave and then have his "discussion" with Faith.

Sure enough like clock work that is just what happened but something snapped inside of Faith this time, and she wasn't going to let Roger take his anger out on her once again. Grabbing a fireplace poker, she attempted to fight him off, but when he pushed her away from him, taking the poker from him, the last thing she remembered before she hit the ground was pain and darkness. What she didn't expect when she came to, was to see Roger's body on the ground with the fireplace poker in the back of his head and their store on fire. Fleeing for her life, she ran, but never in her mind did she think she would be arrested for Roger's murder. But things are about to get a whole lot worse for Faith. Is this God's answer to her prayers?

I received Remember Me When by Ginny Aiken compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This is the second book in the Women of Hope series and one that I fully enjoyed being a huge fan of westerns. I always thought I would have run a general store if I lived back in that time frame but loved where Ginny Aiken took this one. Faith is about to have her faith tested when one circumstance after another seems to stack the deck against her innocence and one by one, the people she hoped she could count on are shaking their own heads in disbelief. It will take an act of God to free Faith from the hangman's noose and to find a way to turn the hearts of the town's people back to believing she is innocent. Truly an unforgettable novel and one that I can proudly add to my personal library and well deserving of a 5 out of 5 stars. This novel also contains a Reading Group Discussion guide at the conclusion.

For more information about Remember Me When, Ginny Aiken, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Remember Me When by Ginny Aiken

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

To read more reviews on Remember Me When, please visit Faith Word's website. 

• Series: Women of Hope
• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords (June 18, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892968478
• ISBN-13: 978-0892968473
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches

Through The Deep Waters

Sometimes the person we have a difficult time forgiving is ourselves. Sin has a way of doing that. Ingraining itself into your soul, tormenting you every minute of the day and night, reminding you of your mistakes over and over again. Yet nothing can free us from that feeling unless we are willing to turn it over to God first. Nothing we do, can erase that guilt and sin like He can.

In Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest novel, Through the Deep Waters, Dinah Hubley has lived every girls nightmare. Making a decision at 16 to save her mother from being thrown out on the streets when she became ill working at the Yellow Parrot, a brothel in 1883 in Chicago, she does the unthinkable. When the owner of the brothel, Flo, informs her that no one stays for free in her hotel unless she can pay, she offers Dinah a one time opportunity for just the man willing to pay her to settle her debts to care for her mother. She takes Flo up on her offer and suddenly realizes her mistake, But before she can leave, the man refuses to let her go and forces Dinah to fulfill her commitment.

Knowing that she will be forever scarred by that one act, she flees to Kansas to work as a Harvey Girl as a server in their hotel. She hopes with distance, she can leave her past in Chicago. Only the night terrors and guilt will keep her in bondage even at her new job. Since she isn't quite 18, she takes a position as a chambermaid, cleaning rooms with another girl, Ruthie, who hopes that they will become close friends. But since Dinah carries so much guilt with her, she can't even see the honest friendship that Ruthie is offering her. Instead she forces herself to remain alone in a self imposed prison hoping to do her work well enough to get hired as a server.

But Dinah's beauty will only serve as an invitation to many men who fancy her good looks, and none more so than the local chicken farmer, Amos Ackerman. He's been praying to God to send him and wife, but knows that the wagon accident he had a child living him with a limb, will likely live him living alone without the possibility of a wife or family. He can only hope that someday, someone like Dinah might see something more in him than the disability that limits what he can do! Will God find a way to answer his prayers or will be forced to live a life all alone with nothing but his chickens for company?

I received Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer compliments of Waterbrook Multnomah 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 beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption among the least of us that deserve it. It also highlights the awareness to childhood sexual abuse and the implications that can be carried throughout the lives of those impacted for years. Just the burden they have to carry with them can be more painful than the act itself and one they feel that they are to blame. Such a beautiful story of how happily ever afters can happen even in light of something so horrible! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars. A reading discussion guide is included at the conclusion of this novel for book clubs.

For more information about Through the Deep Waters, Kim Vogel Sawyer or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Through the Deep Waters by Kim Vogel Sawyer

You can also find Kim Vogel Sawyer on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Through the Deep Waters, please visit Waterbrook Multnomah's website. 

A Beauty So Rare - Giveaway and Review

Sometimes the best reasons for reading historical fiction is to gain insight on how differently things were many years ago. Take for example, Tamera Alexander's latest novel in the Belmont Mansion series, A Beauty So Rare. We understand that for a woman like Eleanor Braddock, women have their place in the late 1800's. For a woman of her social status and living with her Aunt Adelicia Acklen Cheatham her goal in life should be to find a suitor who will allow her to grow in social circles and the wealth she should be accustom to, if she was accustom to it at all.

Having to leave her ailing father at the Tennessee Asylum for the Insane in hopes that the memories he has been losing might be recovered at some point with treatment and she might be reunited with him once again. But lately some of her father's outbursts have gotten violent and even now she fears there may be nothing more that can be done. Thankfully her Aunt has agreed to keep the matter out of the public eye as her father was a well-known attorney and all Eleanor has now is the good name her father left her with. She just wasn't planning for her father and Aunt to collaborate to find her a suitable match with little hope of finding someone that would be willing to marry Eleanor now that she was nearing thirty.

On the heels of recovering from a Civil War, Eleanor has seen the horrors of what war can bring and take away in both the love and lives of men who left their families behind to serve. Vowing to find the man who claimed a piece of her heart in trying to find 'his Mary' while holding on to her hand in his final moments, Eleanor believes her life is destined for more than being a suitable wife to a man she probably won't love but will provide for her and her father in the future.

She wasn't hoping to fall in love with the under gardener at her Aunt's estate, especially since their personalities click so well at the people they each are underneath all the layers of social propriety. Marcus Gottfried is trying to find something more out of life than merely assuming his throne as Archduke of Austria and will do anything to keep anyone from finding out. He finds peace and solace in learning how to graft plants and flowers to produce something better than what nature intended, something like the rare beauty that he sees in Eleanor that she doesn't see in herself. Is there a way for them both to do something with their lives than what society has destined for their future?

I received A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander compliments of TLC Book Tours and Bethany House Publishers. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. This is the second book in the Belmont Mansion series, with A Lasting Impression being the first. I intend on picking that one up as well because I love Tamera's writing style. She isn't afraid to take her time in getting to the end of the book without rushing unlike so many other authors do. I love that I didn't feel hurried by the time I got to the end and it maintained that level of content that kept me glued to what would happen between Eleanor and Marcus. In a time where society had certain social standards to uphold, I am glad that Tamera took a different road and showed what could happen if they were to each cast off what the world thought they should do and instead embrace the gifts and talents that God gave them. This one easily hits a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and I can't wait for more!!!

For more information about A Beauty So Rare, Tamera Alexander, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander

You can find Tamera Alexander on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Beauty So Rare, please visit TLC Book Tour page.

Thanks to the generosity of TLC Book Tours and Bethany House Publishers, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines to enter:

1. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. If you have already "liked" it, just leave me a comment telling me you're stopping by.

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

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

If I don't have an email address with your comment, I can't notify you if you're the winner of the giveaway. The giveaway will end on May 15th and I will notify the winner at that time by email.

Chateau of Secrets

Lately it seems I've been coming across a lot of really exceptional novels involving true stories based on the lives of people who lived during World War II in France. It shows that we don't always know everything about what went on, until these stories make their way to the light and we find ourselves completely captivated by their words as we sit back as silent observers as they take us back in time.

In her latest novel, Melanie Dobson, shares the story of one such remarkable woman, Gisèle Duchant, who found herself dealing with the occupation of German soldiers as they invaded her childhood home in France just as World War II was taking place. She had never dreamed that this could happen because of the secrets that lay buried in the tunnels below her home Chateau d'Epines. All she knew is that whatever happened, she would need to do all she could to ensure the survival of her brother Michel who was part of the resistance fighters assembling in France, while Germany continued to claim more land in Europe.

Fearing that Hitler would crush any type of rebellion on France's behalf, Paris willingly gave up instead of resisting his advances. Those Jewish people living among the French were being deported to camps outside the city as Hitler's demands continued to grow. Gisèle soon discovered that even her friends couldn't hide from the soldiers and when she discovered they had left their infant daughter hidden behind, she vowed she would take care of her until they were reunited as her own.

In Chateau of Secrets, the novel alternates chapters between the present day and 1940 as Gisèle fights to keep her secrets hidden despite being surrounded quite literally by German soldiers living in her home. She only prays that each day, the Allies will arrive and set her free. In the present day chapters, Chloe Sauver is asked by her father to go back to France to the family's chateau to aid a reporter, Riley Holtz with his research of Jews that were forced into Hilter's army as a way of protecting those they loved that were Jewish from being sent away to deportation camps. Chloe is in the process of planning her wedding to an upcoming soon to be youngest governor in Virginia, but soon discovers a few secrets of her own that force her to return to France as she uncovers her grandmother Gisèle role in saving lives during the war.

I received Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson 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 here are strictly my own. This is such a phenomenal novel in how well it was woven together, past and present into one captivating story of survival, sacrifice and love. It's what happens to those willing to risk their life to rescue others and what happens to those who betray innocent people in an attempt to save themselves. The Bible says, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." and that is just what you will discover by the conclusion of this novel. Easily worth every bit of 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to add this novel to its permanent home in my personal library. Being a huge fan of WWII history, I absolutely fell in love with this one!

For more information about Chateau of Secrets, Melanie Dobson or where you can pick up a copy of this novel, please click on the links below:

Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson

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

To read more reviews on Chateau of Secrets, please visit Howard Book's website. 

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Howard Books (May 13, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1476746117
• ISBN-13: 978-1476746111
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches

This Side of Heaven

To pray for someone is the greatest call believers have on their lives. The power behind it is truly incredible. Sometimes, the hardest things to come to terms with is regrets. Regrets for things not done, love not given, things not said. Often times, regrets come when we reach the end of our life and are reflecting back, other times it comes when we least expect it. When we believe we will have time to make changes and thus, no regrets. I've told myself every day when faced with any decision, to consider any regrets that might come later for not taking the road less traveled. For saying yes, instead of no.

In Karen Kingsbury's novel This Side of Heaven, we get a sense of what this all means in a story she wrote based on her own brother's life. It is that reflection that she shares at the novel's conclusion and one that once again makes you glad that you read any of her novels. Because you gain an understanding that only comes from sharing the painful parts of our lives with close family and friends, and if you're a reader of her books, then that includes you. Welcome to the family.

Josh Warren is considered a disappointment by her parents, Annie and Nate. He had the world in the palm of his hands and after some bad decisions, watched his hopes for a future with his long time girlfriend, Becky and college slip between his fingers. Hanging out with the wrong crowd can do that do you, as well as believing you'll have time to rectify some of those choices but then life moves on without you. Becky gave Josh an ultimatum that told him he needed to straighten up otherwise they had no future. Josh waited too long and Becky found love somewhere else. Josh soon lost interest in school and found the only employment he could find would be driving a tow truck. Now it seems whenever his father, Nate faced reelection, all of Josh's failures in life were brought to the surface by those successful people in campaign.

So Josh kept to himself while the unanswered prayers of his parents and sister Lindsey went unanswered. Until the day, his parents received that dreaded phone call that you think would change things. Josh had been hit by a drunk driver. It would mean that his life would be forever changed by his actions that day, and he would face years of pain and surgery. Instead of his parents being grateful for that second chance, it only seemed to push them to pressure Josh to make some changes in his life. To find a way to start over again before it was too late. But Josh had other plans. Plans that would give them the greatest gift this side of heaven and change things between them all forever.

I received This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury 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 contained in this review are strictly my own. I was blown away first by the story and later to learn that it was based on a true story made it that much more impactful. It made me realize the power of our testimony and how it can completely changes lives if we are willing to let down the walls and let people see how God can change us from who we were to who we are in Him. This is a novel of regrets but also of resolution that can come from them, but more importantly about realizing how truly priceless our time here on earth really is. Hands down another 5 out of 5 stars from Karen Kingsbury and another permanent addition to my personal library.

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

This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury

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

To read more reviews on This Side of Heaven, please visit Center Street Publishing'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.