All Saints - Movie Ticket Giveaway

From the makers of films like Miracles From Heaven and the War Room,  Provident Films and Sony Affirm Pictures once again has created what I believe will be another life changing movie. All Saints is coming soon to a theater near you on August 25th and with it the chance to win a pair of movie tickets to go see the film in theaters. All Saints is a movie based on true life events and takes a pastor, Michael Spurlock played by John Corbett who is sent to a small town to close the All Saints church due to low or what some might say is poor attendance. There are only 12 current members attending. Using his prior sales experience Michael is given inspiration to try one more time to see what he can do to generate interest in the church.

With the arrival of a group of Burmese refugees who understand the power of faith, they help inspire Michael to give God a chance to revive the church again. He is reminded that when Jesus started the church on earth, he began with just 12 people too and yet He did alright. Coupled with the faith and hope of those who can see God's hand in making use of their talents, from beginning a farm based on the great soil surrounding the church, and being reminded that we all have a purpose to serve by being created. Kind of like Matthew West's song, Do Something. Sometimes we all wait around in this world hoping for a better world and hoping that it will come about without us having to lift a finger. What if God's purpose is for us all to contribute while we still have breath in our lungs. That is what Pastor Spurlock will face when he struggles to understand his purpose by being assigned to save this church.

After all, what will happen if the church closes? Then what will those who attended do? Makes you consider what might happen if that very thing happened even within the doors of our own church, because we have come to expect that others will step up so we can have a place to worship. What happens when those around you go hungry and there isn't resources to feed them. Pastor Spurlock believes God has called him to do just that. To not only save the church, but to feed the people both the come to All Saints but even those in the community in hopes that a small spark will ignite into a flaming fire of redemption and restoration. From a seed of faith, grows hope!

I received this giveaway promotion compliments of Sony Affirm Pictures and LEV3L Digital. As a Featured Contributor of Sony’s ALL SAINTS Influencer Program, I received the value of two movie tickets in exchange for an honest review on my blog. The giveaway winner will receive a Fandago code to purchase two tickets FREE to see it on the night of your choice. It's simple and I've done it in the past! The giveaway codes will be received in time to see the movie, so you won't miss out. What I need your participate in is to help spread the word about this movie. So often as Christians, we look for great entertainment for the entire family in light of what is currently being shown in movie theaters, so lets remind the world, we want more movies like this one!

So please visit all the resource sites below to copy and share banners and movie clips and trailers like the ones features in this post. Use your social media sites to help spread the word. For each share, simply copy and paste your links below in the comment box to be entered to win in this giveaway. From Facebook, to Pinterest, to Instagram, Snap Chat, Twitter and any other way to can think of, let's join forces as a Christian community and share the good news about this upcoming movie. The giveaway will end on August 18, 2017.

For more information about All Saints, Sony Affirm Pictures, or Provident Films please click on the links below:

All Saints by Sony Affirm Pictures and Provident Films

You can find All Saints on Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest about the movie.

Please find some great resources about the film like movie discussion guides, refugee information, and more by visiting All Saint's website.  

Ascension of Larks

I can't imagine living a life loving someone who loves you back but whom you can never truly be with. That is the life of Maggie Henry who spent her college years with her best friend Lena and Marco Firelli. A truer friendship none could find anywhere. Maggie was a talented photographer who has been gifted with the opportunity to travel all over the world showing the world what life looked like someplace else. Marco was so much like Maggie, craving the lime light of success as a budding architect who dreamed one day to have it all, a successful self made business and a wife and family. Maggie and Marco were so alike that is seemed natural that they would be a power couple, but soon it dawned on Maggie that Marco wasn't willing to settle for someone so much like himself that they would burn one another out. So he married Lena and broke Maggie's heart.

While he built a family and a business, Maggie stayed gone for as long as it would take for her heart to mend. Unfortunately it never would and soon, she found herself spending more time alone and leaving her truest friends behind. Just as she was about to finish up a photo shoot abroad, Lena calls her to tell her Marco is dead. A tragic accident that has left Lena and her three children all alone. Of course, Maggie heads back to San Juan Island to figure out just what happened and to help manage things for Lena while she struggles with her own grief. Unwilling to admit and acknowledge the death of her husband, Lena spends all her time, baking, canning and creating to keep the present day from dawning on her doorstep. Maggie knew that people needed their own way to grieve and when Lena woke up one morning, said goodbye and walked out the door, Maggie just assumed she was running errands. She never expected for Lena to attempt to take her own life driving her car into a wall hoping to put an end to the pain. Now locked away from her pain in a coma, Maggie works with Ellen, Lena's aunt to help the children deal with their grief not knowing in their mom will come back to them.

Maggie meets Daniel and man that seems intent on keeping watch over the house and family but staying far away. She learns that he is serving out a self penance of sorts as he is the man responsible for Marco's death. He believes he is doomed to spend his life trying to write all the wrongs in his own life and it will take an experience like no other for all of them to find a way back to life and for healing to finally begin. But with so many unanswered questions Maggie isn't sure what is next in her life. She imagined Marco would always be there and now she spends her own solitude dealing with the feelings she had for him and how to resolve it now possibly having to raise three children all on her own. But soon she will learn that there are more secrets to Marco's life than she ever imagined and now she will have to deal with the possibility she could have had the life she might have always dreamed of before it was snuffed out much too soon.

I received The Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and TLC Book Tours. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. This is such an exceptional novel once you get past the slow beginning. Trust me, hang in there it is so worth it when the novel picks up speed and gains momentum. I love the legend of the island that helps the family come to terms with their loss. "They were waiting for a sign, you see. They needed to know the soul had come back home and could now rest peacefully. The sign could be anything - a strange bird flying by the window, a whistle of wind that sounded like the deceased persons' voice. They just had to believe it was the sign they had been waiting for. Then they could go on about their lives, assured that their loved one was safely on his or her way to heaven. The sign will always come, you see, the island is full of surprises. Strange and wonderful things can happen here, things you can't explain, things that don't happen anywhere else."

This is so poignant because it deals with so many of those "what if" moments people have when they are suddenly faced with loss, even death. All those things unspoken, undone, and now they live with the regrets of a life of maybe's instead of simply moving on and accepting what is now. A skylark and their call was a song for travelers and weary pilgrims, for those who had lost their way and were longing for a place to rest. This sums up and the characters in this novel for they each needed to find their own way home and find a place to finally rest. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. Such a beautiful and truly heartwarming story of love, loss, regret and healing.

For more information about Ascension of Larks, Rachel Linden or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden 

You can find Rachel Linden on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews of Ascension of Larks, please visit TLC Book Tour's page.

A Beautiful Poison Giveaway!

Sometimes it is hard to believe that you could learn something out of a novel that you might have missed in your high school science class. But if you're a fan of murder mysteries and the Gilded Age, then you will LOVE Lydia Kang's newest novel, A Beautiful Poison. Based in 1918, three childhood friends, Allene, Birdie and Jasper used to spend their days at Allene's estate playing and getting into all kinds of childhood trouble. But as we all know, over time, we grow and change but the affections of these trio's remains strong. Allene is all set to marry Andrew, a match most suitable among her parents and on the eve of their engagement party, a young woman appears to have fallen down the stairs and broken her neck. But was it an accident?

Allene has always been found of chemicals and their molecular bounds but for a young socialite, her father has forbidden her to encourage her natural love of chemistry. So she sneaks books out of her father's library to read at night. This is when she notices a piece of paper that falls from it with only two words written in elegant penmanship, "You're Welcome." It is Jasper to happens upon the one clue that no one catches and that is the strange burnt almond smell of the broken glass in the young woman's hand. But how will he be able to convince anyone that it appears that foul play may have been involved and if so, who is the murder?

Birdie, Allene and Jasper make a pact to begin to solve the murder on their own with what clues they can gather. Allene's father has paid off the police to ensure that this accident is not investigated any further than the accident it seems to be. Jasper's job as the janitor at the medical building soon lands him a promotion to working for the medical examiner, but even they refuse to autopsy the body to look for confirmation of a poisoning. Without any permission, this will wrap up the case but Jasper soon sneaks into the lab at night to conduct his own tests just before the body is slated for removal for the burial. It confirms without a doubt that Florence, the young woman at the party has been murdered. But what is the motive? Soon the body counts continue to rise around the trio and more letters appear with each death.

I received A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang compliments of Lake Union Publishing and TLC Book Tours. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise.  The best part about murder mysteries for me, is trying to figure out who did it before the book reveals it. I got it wrong twice and was shocked by not only who was responsible but the very clues that went missing each time until the very end of the novel. The motive was there all along, and the Author's note at the conclusion was wonderful to highlight the medical procedures that went into the creating this unique novel. This book does contain some sexual content which in my opinion,  could have been written differently to imply what happened instead, which may offend some readers. I really LOVED the overall aspect of this novel and give it a 4 out of 5 stars. It is not like anything I have read before.

For more information about A Beautiful Poison, Lydia Kang or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

You can find Lydia Kang on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on A Beautiful Poison, please visit TLC Book Tour's page. 

Now for the best part, thanks to the generosity of Lake Union Publishing and TLC Book Tours, a giveaway copy is available to win. Here are your guidelines to enter:

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

2. Be a resident of the US or Canada or have a US/Canadian mailing address. No P.O. Boxes please.

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

The giveaway will end on August 8th, so please be sure to include your email address, as that is how I will be notifying the winner of this giveaway.

The Captivating Lady Charlotte

My love for regencies came when I first read Pride and Prejudice along with being captivated by the series, Downton Abbey. A time where all the power went into what a man could acquire not only on his own, but through a successful and smart marriage match. If a woman did not have an heir through marriage, all her property and wealth went to the next suitable male figure even if it was a distant cousin. Women didn't have any rights, and in most cases, even those marriage matches were based on accumulation of wealth and title while love was cast aside.

For Lady Charlotte Featherington this is a fate she wishes would not be her future. Being in a loveless marriage just for the acquisition of wealth and title. She vowed despite her parents wishes that she would find a man suitable enough for marriage even if he wasn't a duke. A title her parents desperately wanted for her even if it meant marrying a much, much older man. At least she wouldn't have to be married long for that. When she sets her sites on Lord Markham, a very attractive man, her parents are appalled and try in vain to do whatever they can to ensure that she does not comprise her reputation and be forced to marry that man. But even if it means going against societies rules, she isn't about to let her mother or father tell her what to do.

William, the ninth Duke of Hartington has seen what a loveless marriage can do. His wife had spent her remaining days in the arms of other men, leaving him to deal with the aftermath of catching her red handed. In order to ensure his honor was maintained, he was forced into a duel with the despicable man who has taken everything he worked so hard to attain. Now a widower, all that remains of his former life is a child that isn't even fathered by him. One he keeps locked away with servants to care for her not certain what he will do. All he knows is that he will only marry again to someone who has his complete trust and one who can love him like a wife should. Yet he isn't sure that woman even exists.

I received The Captivating Lady Charlotte by Carolyn Miller compliments of Kregel Publications. This entire series has been a favorite of mine with the first novel, The Elusive Miss Ellison which we see Lavinia and her husband again in this one as she works with Charlotte, a much younger woman to decide what is truly best for her future. Charlotte is unsure of her feelings even if she believes she knows what love is, Lavinia reminds her that is not what love truly is. This novel's theme centers around trust, and in it, both William and Charlotte will be tested to see if their feelings are truly what suits them best, even if it means they may not have a future together. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and traditional regency readers will absolutely want this one! It can be read as a stand alone but trust me, pick up The Elusive Miss Ellison first and then indulge in this one.

For more information about The Captivating Lady Charlotte, Carolyn Miller or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Captivating Lady Charlotte by Carolyn Miller

You can find Carolyn Miller on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Captivating Lady Charlotte, please visit Kregel Publication's website. 

Any Dream Will Do

"When we worry, we take reality and move it into the realm of fiction. What is real is transferred into the land of monsters and dragons, which are far bigger and frightening than they really are."

Shay Benson has dreams. Dreams of a future, being married, raising a family and perhaps finding a job in which her love of numbers becomes a reality. In fact getting a job as a bank teller is almost too good to be true. It seems as if her life is looking up now that her ex-boyfriend, Shooter has gone to jail for what could be life so now the choices she makes from now on will be her own. Until her brother Caden shows up on her front door step begging for money. She doesn't have much but she is willing to give him all she has saved. Yet when Caden tells her he needs $5000, it is out of her hands. Her brother tells her that he will be killed if he doesn't find a way to get the money and he can pay it all back by the end of the week. He tells Shay to take it from the bank, since they won't know its missing until he can repay it. Stuck between that proverbial rock and a hard place, Shay knows she shouldn't but she also knows she can't watch the only family she has left face being killed either.

Now three years later, she is finally getting another chance on life after being released from prison. She has no family and of course, once she loaned her brother the money, he took off and she never heard from his again, even knowing it would cost her everything. She has no where to go and her only hope had been from an elderly Christian woman who wrote to her in prison that told her to trust God and He would look out for her. Yeah like that would ever happen for Shay. Look where God has gotten her up to this point. Being dropped off in the middle of the day right in front of church, she at least figured she's go inside and try to think things through.

When Pastor Drew Douglas sees Shay in his church, he is immediately drawn to offer her help. He knows of a place where Shay might be able to get a second chance if she can endure their year long program. If she does, she will walk out of the Hope Center with a job and a place to stay. He just doesn't expect her to provide him the desperate help he needs after losing his wife, 3 years ago to cancer. His church is fall apart and church attendance is down, not to mention, his young children Sarah and Mark, who need a mother's touch and lately all the well-meaning women from the church just haven't measured up. Now with Shay trying to make a fresh start on her life, she needs to stay away from everything in her past if she is to make a new future for herself. She just never expected someone responsible and respectable as Drew would see her for what she is, not what she did in her past.

I received Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber compliments of Ballantine Books, Random House Publishing and Net Galley. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise. This is such a wonderful novel and would almost line up as a Christian novel except for a random profane word uttered from a church member. The theme is truly about second chances and for not judging people by their appearance, or in this case their past. Too often people hold us accountable based on our pasts and not where we are at today. As Christians it is our duty to show people forgiveness and not condemnation and give everyone a second chance at making better futures for themselves. I absolutely LOVE this novel and can't wait for more from Debbie Macomber in the future. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion.

For more information about Any Dream Will Do, Debbie Macomber or where you can preorder a copy of this novel due out in August of 2017, please click on the links below:

Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber

You can find Debbie Macomber on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Any Dream Will Do, please visit Ballantine Book's website.

The Promise of Dawn

America. The great melting pot. So many have left their countries to search for a better life on this beautiful country we call home. In The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling, Gunlaug's eldest son, Rune and his wife Signe, and their three sons are brought from Norway at the behest of relatives Einar and Gerd Strand. They have offered to pay their passage to come work in Minnesota, with the understanding that over time those funds would be paid back. Gerd and Einar had never been blessed with sons and they need help in the new land that they have purchased from a homesteader that is covered with huge pine trees that they log and send to the mills in Minneapolis. The money had from those trees has made it possible to build a home large enough to house a family. They farm the land they have cleared, but need help. Gerd is not well and they desperately need the family to come and help.

Living near a small town called Benson's Corner, and the nearest town being Blackduck, Minnesota, there is a school for the younger ones in the winter. Once the trees are felled and shipped on the local railroad spur to the northern mills, we will clear the stumps and plant crops. With only one cow now, the family hopes to increase the number to have a dairy herd once the land is cleared. This is indeed the land of opportunity. So Rune and Signe Carlson along with their three sons leave Norway and head to America. Signe hopes that the baby she is carrying will live after so many miscarriages. When the family arrives at the Strand home, they are immediately surprised by what needs to be done. It seems that their need for help is drastically understated, and Gerd is completely bed-ridden due to a heart issue. The house is barely what you would call livable and is infested with rats. This will completely test the stamina of the Carlson family as Einar puts them all to work immediately treating them more like slaves than family. The younger boys help Signe try and get the house in order along with helping to care for Gerd who is a bitter older woman who screams to get anyone to help her use the chamber pot and demands food whenever she wants it.

For Rune and his oldest son Bjorn at fifteen take to logging in the woods felling trees that Einar hopes to sell to support his family. His unrealistic goals soon render an accident during a thunder storm that render Bjorn with a broken arm and not being able to hear. When the family tries to keep Bjorn at home, Einar insists that one of the other boys step up and bear the weight of Bjorn's absence in the woods. If they refuse, Einar threatens to deport them all back to Norway unless they serve the time that they have agreed to work to pay for their passage to America. It will take the patience of a saint to work with these two who call themselves family.

I received The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling compliments of Baker Publishing Group and Net Galley. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise.  This is a great historical novel that really conveys the hardships that faced many families who came to America in search of a new life. Many of their skills no longer suited them and they had to acclimate and learn new ones if they hoped to have a home of their own. It would take working together in order for any of them to make it during any time of the year. Each season had its own challenges and it seems like Gerd and Einar have found themselves slaves that will do as they are told without argument. I found myself exhausted at all the work Signe had to do along with caring for Gerd while being pregnant. Life on the frontier was hard work and this clearly comes across in this first novel of the Under Northern Skies series. Can't wait for more and for that reason, I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Promise of Dawn, Lauraine Snelling or where you can pre-order a copy of this book due in August of 2017, please click on the links below:

The Promise of Dawn by Lauraine Snelling 

You can find Lauraine Snelling on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Promise of Dawn, please visit Baker Publishing Group's website. 

Nichole Nordeman - Every Mile Mattered CD Review and Giveaway

I can honestly say, I hadn't heard of Nichole Nordeman until I listened to her latest CD, Every Mile Mattered and I fell in love with so many of her songs. It's not just the words of the songs, but for me there has to be something different from the other songs we hear on the radio to make me a true lover of the artist and I found it in this latest CD.

There are 11 songs on this CD: (1) Every Mile Mattered, (2) You're Here, (3) Dear Me, (4) No Longer, (5) Lean, (6) Hush, Hush, (7) Listen to Your Life, (8) Beautiful Day, (9) Sound of Surviving, (10) Anywhere We Are, and (11) Slow Down.

The ones that really connected with me are Every Mile Mattered, You're Here and my all time favorite on this CD is Hush, Hush! Although I love them all, those three speak to a place in my life that God and I connect on a different level I can't explain. I can't wait to hear what your favorite songs are!

"These are songs that Nichole has been in her heart for years, long before they were bound by lyric or melody. They are mile markers. Places I've been. Things I have seen and maybe see a little differently now. Every mile on that road mattered. The endless miles of God's mercy and goodness. Every bump and bruise. The long stretches I'd rather erase. The journey really does change us, or should, anyway."

I think that is reason why I connected to so many of these songs. We are all on our own personal journeys, some we wished we could have taken a detour and wished God would have given us a "Dead End" sign so we could have avoided some of the issues we have faced. But they make us all unique, strong in our own ways, and they unite us. They are things we can all relate to in this road called life until God calls us home. I can tell you that you will find something in this CD that will speak to your heart and soul, whether by words, melody or simply the way God touches your soul when you hear a particular song on this CD.

I received Every Mile Mattered by Nichole Nordeman compliments of Capital Records and FlyBy Promotions. The lyrics are provided in this CD as well for those of you that love to know the words so you can enjoy your music even more!!! I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.
You can hear samples of the songs by visiting Nichole Nordeman's website. Thanks to the generosity of Capital Records and FlyBy Promotions, they are offering a giveaway copy of Nichole Nordeman's CD, Every Mile Matters! Here is what you need to do to enter:

1. "Like" Nichole Nordeman's Facebook page. 

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

3. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. 

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of Every Mile Mattered by Nichole Nordeman. Don't forget to include your email address is that is how I will be contacting the winner of this giveaway. You can use the words (at) or (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on August 2nd, so be sure to share this with people you know would love this! I will be contacting the winner of the giveaway by email on August 2nd, so be sure you are following my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart or are following this blog so you don't miss out. Without an email I have no way to contact you! Don't forget!!!

For more information about Nichole Nordeman, Every Mile Mattered or where you can pick up a copy of this CD today, please click on the links below:

Nichole Nordeman - Every Mile Mattered

You can find Nichole Nordeman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest projects.

To read more reviews of Every Mile Mattered by Nichole Nordeman, please visit Capital Records website. 

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.