When Calls The Heart: It Begins With Heart

Looking for something that the entire family can watch that has a great lesson, keeps to moral integrity and is a fun way to spend the evening as a family? Then look no further than When Calls the Heart, a series based on the novel by Janette Oke and produced by Michael Landon Jr. for the Hallmark Channel. Now in its third season, this series follows the life of Elizabeth Thatcher, a school teacher for Hope Valley that leaves her life in Hamilton to help teach the children of a mining town that there is hope for a better life out west.

In the DVD, When Calls the Heart: It Begins With Heart, this opens Season 3 with some changes for the towns residents of Hope Valley as they are beginning plans for the New Year's Eve celebration. For cafe owner Abigail Stanton(Lori Loughlin, Full House), she plans on investigating who is stealing the food from her kitchen and winds up with two orphan children in need of a family. Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) vows to prove herself worthy of earning the trust of Rip, a dog owned by Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing), who comes between her and Jack as he is jealous of their romantic relationship. Sometimes the best way to a dog's heart is through his stomach, but unfortunately Elizabeth is not the best cook in Hope Valley.

Rosemary is bound and determined to use her literary skills to win a contest about real life on the frontier with the San Francisco Herald and it seems she has managed to fabricate things a bit which will pose as Lee Colter's wife when they come to see things in person. Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) is still trying to convince Jack that he is innocent in the counterfeiting ring and two visitors arrive in town to cause problems for both Jack and Pastor Frank just as he is beginning to start building a relationship with the town as pastor and win the heart of Abigail.

I received When Calls the Heart: It Begins with Heart compliments of Word Films and Edify Media Inc for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of the DVD in exchange for my honest and personal opinion. I only wish there were more shows like this on television especially for the entire family to enjoy. This is truly a great series that every single member will enjoy and for fans of the television show Little House on the Prairie, this one will make you feel right at home. It will make you laugh, cry and cheer for your favorite Hope Valley residents and well worth 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. This is Dove Family approved for all ages!

For more information about When Calls the Heart: It Begins with Heart, Word Films or where you can pick up a copy of this DVD today, please click on the links below:

When Calls the Heart: It Begins With Heart by Word Films

You can find When Calls the Heart on the Hallmark Channel. 

You can find Word Films on Facebook to stay up to date with all their latest projects. 

You can find When Calls the Heart on Facebook to stay up to date with all the fun. 

To purchase a copy of this DVD, please visit Amazon or your favorite retailer.

Silent Sting

The honey bees are dying in record numbers on farms in California and unless someone can figure out why it will lead to untold financial loss and a rise in not only the price of honey but in agricultural crops due to the loss of pollination. Why no one can understand is why some farms are not affected and others are.

In the novel Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson, readers are taken into the high tech world of entomology to figure out the answers along with Tiana Lambrose an assistant working alongside Professor Silverstein at the University of California- Riverside. Taking samples of dead bees found inside honey boxes on the farms affected as well as any live bees they can find in farms in the area, they seem to point to either a disease that may have been imported from bee purchases outside of California that are impacting the hives or perhaps a new pesticide is responsible. Whatever it is, they have been tasked with finding out the answers within a limited span of time.

Just when it appears that Professor Silverstein has scheduled a meeting with Tiana for the following morning, she comes across a bee-like drone she discovers in her backyard and is able to capture. It seems like a harmless prank by perhaps a young college man possibly in the engineering or science department looking to put a video of Tiana on YouTube while it caught her swimming. That is, until she shows up at the University and finds Professor Silverstein has been stung and is now dead. Is it possible that there is something more sinister at work here? What do these drones have to do with anything? Is it possible that these two circumstances have nothing to do with one another? Time is running out and Tiana is the next victim.

I received Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson compliments of Covenant Communications for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review aside for a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest evaluation of the novel. While I was hoping for some much more than this one delivered, it was a bit predictable and redundant in some areas. The attraction that FBI Special Agent Stu Whiteleather has for Tiana is reiterated numerous times even though they are meeting for the first time and he invites her to call him Stu, seems a bit forced for readers to accept. That in itself was distracting from the story line and felt it could have been a bit more elusive in the technology used to develop the drones and why they were used. In conclusion, I would rate this one a 3.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Silent Sting, Clair M. Poulson or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson

You can find Clair M. Poulson on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Silent Sting, please click on any of the links below for the Covenant Communications Book Tour:

*March 28th: 

http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://www.littlelightdesigncollective.com/ 

*March 29th: 

http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/

*March 30th: 

http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/

*March 31st: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/

*April 1st: 

http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/

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Noble - DVD Review

Sometimes we simply need to step back from our own personal lives to gain a deeper perspective into what one life can do to make a difference. So many people won't try because they feel their own efforts are simply not enough. Then there comes a person who proves that statement wrong, that one person can make a difference if they are only willing to try. Christina Noble is one such person.

In the DVD, NOBLE, based on the true life events of Christina Noble, an Irish woman with a heart like no other, she struggles to find a way to make a difference in the lives of the orphans living in the streets of Vietnam, which she feels God has led her to for some reason. Growing up on the streets herself when her mother dies and leaves her behind in the care of her drunken father and brothers and sisters, the courts intervene and place them in foster care. Christina is separated from those she loves and winds up living in a convent home when child labor is utilized to help meet the needs of the church and community. But Christina has been blessed with a voice she emulates from her idol Doris Day but which others use for their own profit and gain.

She flees from the nuns and lives on the streets making her way any way possible until she finds herself a victim of a brutal assault which leaves her forever changed. As she talks with God during her life, she has a vision of going to Vietnam to make a difference, she just never imagined she would flee the slums of Ireland to battle the government of Vietnam to save the children that no one wants.

I received NOBLE by Word Films compliments of Edify Media and Word Films for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this DVD in exchange for my honest personal opinion. While this based on the life of Christina Noble it isn't a documentary but the story of one woman's courage to make a difference that is conveyed in such broad terms by the end of the movie. NOBLE is the winner of six U.S. Film Festival Awards and stars Deidre O'Kane (Moone Bay, Paths to Freedom), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Sarah Greene (The Guard, The Cripple of Inishmaan), and Liam Cunningham (Clash of the Titans). Well worth 5 out of 5 stars! Based on the content on subject matter this is not suitable for young children and teens and viewer discretion is advised.

For more information about NOBLE, Word Films or where to pick up a copy of this DVD today, please click on the links below:

NOBLE by Word Films

You can find Word Films on Facebook to stay up to date on all their latest projects.

To purchase a copy of NOBLE from Amazon, please click here. 

Playing the Part

"She was not searching for a knight in shining armor, she was searching for a partner, someone she could share her experiences with - not someone who'd want to take over her life and make everything easy for her. Miss Lucetta Plum was certainly not a lady who would enjoy easy, at least not all of the time. She was too complicated, too accomplished, and too intelligent to live a life of mundane pleasantness. She was also a lady who deserved an equal partner, not a gentlemen who wanted to set her up on a shelf, away from the messiness of living, something he'd been determined to do." (pg 146-147).

Lucetta Plum has been known for playing all the right parts in life and for her male admirers, they have become enamored with the roles she plays until they spend some time and truly getting to know her. This is precisely why she has hired Mr. Skukman as her body guard, to keep away anyone who has any ideas of becoming married to Miss Plum. When her step father Nigel shows up hoping his latest sob story might provoke some sympathy on her end to sign over the deed to the property where her mother and Nigel currently live, she is about to disappoint him once again. Knowing his chronic addictions for cards and drink, she has turned the deed over to someone for safe keeping instead. Much to her horror, she learns that Nigel has agreed to turn Miss Plum over to Silas Ruff instead as he has become a vigilant stalker of her recent fame as an actress.

For Lucetta, the situation has turned dire as she knows Silas will stop at nothing to reclaim what he believes is rightly his, even if that means it is Lucetta, herself. So she flees to the safety of Ravenwood, a place own by Abigail Hart's grandson Bram Haverstein. Abigail has been kind enough to allow Lucetta to stay with her but realizes the situation she is in by staying with her. Most men can follow the trail to where Lucetta currently lives and it will be no time before Silas Ruff does the same. So they set up a serious of decoy's to lead Silas on the wrong trail having quite a few well known men in her life, dress up like her to lead him on a wild goose chase. She just doesn't expect to wind up running for her life from a series of unfortunate events at Ravenwood, under the watchful or not so watchful eye of Bram Haverstein. Rumors of the estate being haunted abound and soon Lucetta will have her own run in with something that goes walking in the night.

I received Playing the Part by Jen Turano compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and personal review. This is such a great novel from the perspective of looking for something with a flair for humor amid a bit of mystery and of course romance in the end. I was laughing at some of the downright funny things that Miss Plum was able to pull off using her reputable acting talents and poor Mr. Haverstein who is in love with Miss Plum and even more so when he get to know the real her behind all the parts she plays. This one is a hands down 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and now I can't wait to go back and discover the previous novels of Jen's involving her best friends who we meet up with in this one. This is the 3rd novel in the Class of Their Own Series!!!

For more information about Playing the Part, Jen Turano or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Playing the Part by Jen Turano

You can find Jen Turano on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Playing the Part, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page. 

The President

" It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christian; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason people's of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." - Patrick Henry

In light of the upcoming presidential election, perhaps it was simply a coincidence but I would call it a divine appointment, that I reviewed The President by Parker Hudson. It is pretty much what you would think it might be about, William Harrison is the President of the United States who has vowed to work to get his election policies passed during his time in office, but without the support of Congress, the Senate or the House of Representatives, he might have to resort to some underhanded tactics. He often wondered if our original first Presidents dealt with much of the same issues and how they handled it. Perhaps that is why he found himself reading about what our nations leaders like George Washington, Woodrow Wilson and Abraham Lincoln had to do what faced with insurmountable odds in office.

It doesn't help that members of his family, like his younger sister Mary and now his wife Carrie have all found God and have made Him a part of their lives. The one thing he can't dispute is how changed they are, how much more at peace they seem and even radiate a happiness he can no longer find. But William believes he doesn't need God to help him deal with all the recent changes in policies in his term in office. From dealing with homosexuals in the military, to federally funded healthcare which includes late term abortions, the morning after pill and even a points system to determine who gets certain surgeries and who doesn't. He even has to deal with the implications of watching them happen to specific members of his own family while denying that God might have it right.

Upon further research on his own, William soon learns just how much of our own American history has been changed and altered so much it no longer reflects what it was intended to do, much like the separation of church and state which the media and the government have stripped the intent to water down its initial meaning to remove all traces of God from the lives of the people in the United States, from prayer in school to the removal of the Ten Commandments. Imagine what might happen if the President of the United States suddenly decided to run this nation by the terms set forth by God? What might that look like and how might it impact the different levels of government? What if a terrorist group suddenly gained possession of a nuclear warhead and threatened to detonate it someplace in the United States without any warning if their demands were not met? This is the very premise behind The President by Parker Hudson and it will be a book that will forever change the way you look at this nation and at the office of the President.

I received The President by Parker Hudson compliments of the author himself even though this book was previously published under Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. This is such a great novel I can't begin to explain why everyone in the United States should read it despite your religious beliefs. This is eye opening because if we don't change the direction we are headed, we might very well find ourselves in the same situations presented in this novel. I especially love all the quotes from our founding fathers and others about how God was initially the author of the way our government should be ran and how far we have fall in just a few generations. Makes you wonder even today how George Washington or even Abraham Lincoln were to view what is happening in America today and  how they might go about fixing things. One thing for sure, government is not the answer, it is the problem with what is wrong in this country today and the willingness of its people to sit back and let the government implement more laws and policies to dictate that life for us. For me, one of the best novels I have read to date and well worth every single 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. I did not receive any monetary compensation in exchange for a review of this novel and the opinions contained here are my own personal and honest evaluation of the novel.

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

The President by Parker Hudson 

You can find Parker Hudson on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

Love At First Note

They always say that opposites attract, but when a classic violist is coupled with a love interest who is a famous pianist who blends contemporary mash ups together, can they find a way to make beautiful music together?

Jenny Proctor takes her readers for a romantic journey into the hearts of two very different music lovers, Emma Hill who has been playing the violin since she was able to properly hold it and Elliot Hart, a rising star famous for his recent wins on Talent Hunt and viral sensation on YouTube for his amazing ability to play the piano in a unique way that draws audiences to him like a moth to a flame. Not only that he isn't too bad to look at either. But Emma firmly believes she must remain committed to her violin if she has any hope in making it her future and that is why she has sworn off of love and any remote resemblance of it in her life. It doesn't help when her roommate, Lilly tries all she can to convince Emma to at least be friendly to their new neighbor who happens to live right next door in their duplex. They are literally separated only by a wall and that doesn't keep their music from being heard in their respective homes.

Jenny commit social suicide the first time she meets Elliot and becomes more than tongue tied. In fact, everything she thinks of saying, manages to find their way out of her mouth and she confesses she loves him during their first conversation. Oh how can she manage to fix this and remain unseen whenever he is around? Is it possible that God has another plan in mind for this two music lovers?

I received Love at First Note by Jenny Proctor compliments of Covenant Communications for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation and the opinions contained here are my own honest and personal evaluations of the novel. This is a cute and quirky romance that people will adore because as we all know, love isn't something people fall into comfortably, it takes work and often times we are our worst enemy in getting in the way. You will love the chemistry that develops between the two and even their music dueling between their homes becomes something you will absolutely love. This one rates a 4 out of 5 in my opinion and will be a hit for classic music lovers as well as fans of contemporary romance!

For more information about Love at First Note, Jenny Proctor or where you can pick up a copy of this novel, please click on the links below:

Love at First Note by Jenny Proctor

You can find Jenny Proctor on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Love at First Note, please visit Covenant Communication's website or visit any of these reviewers listed below:

*March 14th:
http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://emileeschristmasjoy.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/

*March 15th:  http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/

*March 16th:
http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/, http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/

*March 17th:
http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://empowermoms.net/

*March 18th:
 http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, https://joyinthemoments.wordpress.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://thethingsilovemost.com/

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Bride of A Distant Isle

Since Downton Abbey, I've grown to truly appreciate traditional regency genre's and one of the very best authors I have found is Sandra Byrd. I've read quite a few of her novels and the attention to detail is what really makes me feel like I'm part of the novel not simply reading it. I can't imagine how difficult life was in England in the mid to late 1800's and when the parents died leaving behind no male heir, the fortune went the way to the next male descendant in the family, be it cousins or even more removed than that. Daughters were left with nothing, and that is why many families chose to find suitable matches for the women in the family before anything happened to the father.

In Bride of A Distant Isle, Miss Annabel Ashton has found herself in such a precarious situation. Her mother died while being committed to an insane asylum and since she was born without a father being married to her mother, the family estate of Highcliffe Hall falls under the hands of her cousin Edward. Annabel's mother wasn't married, was committed an insane, so all the property that would have been hers has been handed over to the next male heir in line. Since Annabel was too young when her parents died, she is left destitute and the only thing Edward can do to cover the debts owed on the estate is to sell it or find a suitable match for Annabel even if she isn't interested in marriage.

While Edward struggles to find a way to salvage the estate, he asks Annabel to be a spy to a possible business partner to a sea captain from Malta, Captain Marco Dell'Acqua. She soon learns that her and Marco have more in common than physical attraction when Annabel discovers some mysterious family artifacts and jewelry that begin to appear in her things. They seem to have a Maltese background and all of them may lead to the fact that Annabel is the proper heir to the estate, unless of course the mental illness of her mother starts to manifest itself in her at the same time her mother was committed.

I received Bride of A Distant Isle by Sandra Byrd compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster Publishers for my honest review and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. The opinions contained here are my own honest and personal evaluation of the novel. For fans of traditional regency, you will absolutely love this novel. It has a bit of suspense added to keep the reader engaged in the story line as Annabel makes some startling discoveries of her mother and of her family background that could be detrimental to her own safety if they are brought into the open. I love the subtle clues that Annabel and Marco give to one another based on a sense of propriety for ones reputation during that time frame. I personally believe this one deserved 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion since I read it in one sitting in a matter of hours and could not put it down. This is the second novel in the Daughter's of Hampshire series with Mist of Midnight being the first!

For more information about Bride of A Distant Isle, Sandra Byrd or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Bride of A Distant Isle by Sandra Byrd

You can find Sandra Byrd on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Bride of A Distant Isle, please visit Howard Book's website.