Deadly Decision

"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divinations or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritualist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord..." Deuteronomy 18:10-12a

The Bible pretty much spells out that most of the stuff we are seeing in the world today whether on TV, movies or even played out in real life, has eternal consequences when we walk blindly about into them, allow them to permeate our thoughts and actions and often times, associate with someone who does, under the premise that that are wearing a "Christian" label. But like lambs to the slaughter we can all be misled.

"Let me tell you right off, I don't believe in ghosts. I never have and never will. Not good ones, anyway. But some things are  hard to explain. If you have ever considered getting involved in the occult, you need to hear my story. It may change your mind. ~ Bill Iver."

Deadly Decision by Regina Smeltzer is a novel dealing with the supernatural and what happens when one man's faith in what he sees and what he knows will be called into question. Both the believer and non believer struggle to overcome things they don't understand but seem to be happening where only Bill Iver can see them and no one else can explain. When Bill arrives to help his daughter Trina and her husband Ted out in renovating a dilapidated old home into a future bed and breakfast, he knew there was more to the home than what he could see. He just never imagined that upon visiting the homes attic, he would see two young boys, one of whom is wearing a chain around his neck and fastened to a beam in the attic. Believing these are real children, when he approaches them his hand passes right through them and they vanish. Not imagine trying to tell your daughter and her husband what you just witnessed.

Bill knows as a Christian, there are no such thing as ghosts only demons masquerading as ghosts, but then learns that one of the boys has been reported missing by the owner of the home. Has Bill just been given insight into the unseen world and has Jimmy crossed over to the other side and is now dead? Bill begins to wonder just how he can process what is happening in the house and of course, Trina and Ted are a bit apprehensive to Bill's visions of ghosts but then when strange things begin to happen inside the home, it might be possible there is more in the home than what one can see.

I received Deadly Decision by Regina Smeltzer compliments of Pelican Book Groups and Net Galley. This is definitely a suspense thriller and found myself wondering why I chose to read this the one night I was home alone. Yet it is so nice knowing that this genre is still available to educate and also entertain those of us that like a little bit of spookiness this time of the year without all the evil and gore that go along with it. I love how Regina orchestrated the story line and loved how she used situations that almost everyone might utilize to figure out what is going on in the home. To uncover what it is, you will have to pick this one up to read, but trust me, this one worked out brilliantly. Just the right amount of suspense to keep me engaged and wanting to know how it would all turn out. For me, this one rated a 4 out of 5 in my opinion.

For more information about Deadly Decision, Regina Smeltzer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel, please click on the links below:

Deadly Decision by Regina Smeltzer

You can find Regina Smeltzer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can read more reviews on Deadly Decision, by visiting Pelican Book Group's website. 

Bible Journaling Kit - Review and Giveaway

Seems like coloring and Bible Journaling are the new craze this year and everyone is joining in the fun! From Facebook and Pinterest pages dedicated to showcase talented artists and even 'how-to' pages, there is something fun about creating works of art that highlight something about a particular Bible verse or passage. It goes from highlighting your verses to creating something eye catching when you open that page in your Bible. However some people may not be as talented in their art work and need a place to begin like me.

The Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire is the perfect place to begin. In this kit, you get (1) ruled page protector mat with tracing lines, (1) journaling pen, (8) colored pencil twists, (24) tab stickers, (4) sheets of word stickers, (4) sheets of Alphabet stickers, and (1) pouch with an adjustable strap designed to fit all Bibles.

Now you can begin the process of learning how to create different font styles, lettering choices, and using colored pencils instead of markers which will prevent bleed-through on subsequent pages. You can now use the tabs to pick those favorite places in the Bible that speak to you like your life verse, or 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, or even Luke 2 to remind you of the Christmas story of Jesus' birth. The journaling pen is perfect to add to the Word stickers or to write in the margins the date or referencing other books in the Bible. This is such a perfect way to begin the art of Bible Journaling and get you started on your way to making your Bible more colorful and personalized.

I received the Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire compliments of Worthy Inspired and Propeller LLC. I really love this kit and in fact, my daughter has gravitated to using this for her study Bible for her high school youth group. It enables her to use this when she is in her Bible Study classes to highlight scriptures she doesn't want to forget or perhaps has touched a place in her heart. She is the more crafty and artistic of the two of us and this makes for the perfect place to begin to personalize her Bible in her own way. This would make a great Christmas gift for anyone who loves to highlight or color in their Bible and perhaps wanted a way to begin to learn Bible Journaling and thus the reason for my 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

Now for the great part, Worthy Inspired is giving away 5 of these kits and you can enter online by clicking on this link. Winners will be notified by December 15th and the kits will ship in time for Christmas. While you're there, you can also download 5 Coloring pages for you to personalize and color anyway you want. Some include a free journaling page when you download and others contain a devotional as well.

For readers of my blog Reviews of the Heart, you have your own chance to win a Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire. Here's all you need to do to enter to win:

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

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. 

3. Be a resident of the US only or have a US shipping address. No P.O. Boxes please.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win this Bible Journaling Kit by Ellie Claire. Don't forget to include your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols if you want.

Since the winner will be notified by email, don't forget to include it with your comment. I will notify the winner when the giveaway ends on November 17th. Enter as many times as you want.

For more information about the Bible Journaling Kit or where to order one, please click on the links below:

Barnes and Noble:
Amazon:
Books-A-Million: 
Christian Book Distributors: 

"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, 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.”

Love Bears All Things

"Everything will be well in the end. If it's not well, it's not the end."

Such is Charlotte's motto for her life, however it seems like she doesn't take the advice to heart much. Trust seems to be something of a challenge for her, after suspecting that her boyfriend Ryan was seeing someone at work. When she got caught checking his text messages, he suggested that she see a counselor to work through her issues of trust. Not only that, but she still had memories of a girl in a purple dress and a woman in a green dress, that she couldn't remember much more than that. When she did see anyone resembling those two, she was left with anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her and convinced her that she needed to continue her treatments with her counselor.

However, she just isn't bouncing back as quickly as she had hoped. Her checks from the newspapers she edited for seemed to be delayed in coming when she needed the money the most and after three papers appeared taped to her front door, it was Ryan who told her she was being evicted. If only she can find a way to get her life back on track. After leaving Lancaster, Pennsylvania tracking down the reason her brother Ethan committed suicide and convincing the Amish living there that she was Mary Troyer, she didn't feel like she knew who she was anymore. Now with only less than 2 weeks left before she would be evicted she didn't know what she would do. Worse yet, Ryan dumped her.

Jacob shows up on her doorstep after running away from his Amish home, believing an English life is in his future. Unfortunately for Charlotte, he can't stand for long as she needs to move out. She does manage to convince him to call home and let his family know he is fine and where he is staying. Charlotte has made a friend with his sister, Hannah when she was in Lancaster before, and has promised she will do all she can to convince Jacob to return home. He left Annie Byler in the dark as to why he left and even worse, not knowing if they were to be married after all. She has a secret that only her older brother Daniel knows and it will be the one thing that will bring Jacob back home to marry her, but does she want to tell him the truth if he isn't ready to marry her on his own terms?

I received Love Bears All Things by Beth Wiseman compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers. This is the second novel in the Amish Secrets novel, with My Brother's Keeper being the first. I can't wait to see how this will all play out and once again found some interesting Amish story lines you don't often see in most Amish novels. In this case, the desire for Jacob to stay in the English world and give up his Amish roots leaving everything he loves behind, while believing a well-meaning, wealthy man in Pittsburgh has his best interests at heart when he gives him a fresh start at life. I love that Daniel and Charlotte, both whom have dealt with love that has left them broken, finally see something more in the relationship they have been developing while working through their own family issues and I have hope, that somehow they can make an Amish/English relationship work. For me, this one rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars and there is even discussion questions included at the conclusion of this novel that makes this a perfect fit for book clubs.

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

Love Bears All Things 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 Love Bears All Things, please visit Thomas Nelson Publisher's website.

Without Regrets

Who doesn't have a love in the past, that they haven't often wondered what would have happened if things had been different. Perhaps it was your first love or that special someone in your life that always saw the best in you, but the timing wasn't right so you went your separate ways. Long, but not forgotten.

Such is the premise of Without Regrets by Ruth Kyser, who takes a college love between Rachel King and David Costella and conveys a very special love that goes beyond what two people could share. Even though they confessed their undying love to one another while in college, David told Rachel after proposing to her, he wanted to wait until he finished school for them to marry. He had many hopes and dreams of a bright future for them he wanted to put in place. But as most college romances do, time became the enemy as well as distance. Phone calls got fewer, emails less frequent and even though Rachel believed she loved David, she knew in her heart it wasn't the kind of love that a husband and wife should share, so she wrote a Dear John letter and called things off between them.

Many years later, Rachel married but never had children. She found the love she had always dreamed of, but then again fate dealt her an ugly hand and she lost him to cancer too early. It was only after his death, that she learned he was keeping secrets from her, that their finances were worse than she could imagine and she lost everything while trying to settle their debts. A year later, she received a letter in the mail telling her that David had passed away and she was wanted in Charlotte to sign some legal papers regarding David's estate. She just never dreamed that the man she loved in college would make something of himself and leave her with everything, even after she broke his heart. But why her?

I received Without Regrets by Ruth Kyser compliments of Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. This is such a beautiful story about forgiveness, redemption, second chances and finding God's will for your life. Rachel's story is moving because all of us have loved and lost at some point in our life, and makes you wonder what you would do if you found yourself in the very same situation as Rachel did. Do you accept this inheritance or do you find a way to settle things from your past and move forward with the life you have made of your own choosing? I love how Rachel consults God even if it means leaving everyone behind for a few days to hear God speak to her heart. What a wise woman who waits upon God for her future. For that reason, I give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Without Regrets, Ruth Kyser or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Without Regrets by Ruth Kyser

You can find Ruth Kyser on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

The Name I Call Myself

Some of my all time favorite movies are chick flicks with a touch of comedy added to completely make them memorable. The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran is exactly that and so much more. It involves a complex relationship between Faith Harp and her multi-millinaire fiancè, Peregrine Upperton or Perry for short. For one thing, you would think most women would jump at the chance to marry a handsome rich man who has eyes only for you, but Faith keeps him at arms length due in part to a past she hasn't yet shared with him. It's kinda hard when you have an abusive past with a number of men including your step father and then a roommate of Faith's and her brother Sam, named Snake.

Turns out that their stepfather Kane, is being released from prison and in doing so has vowed to take revenge out on Sam and Faith for putting him there. To top it off, Sam is struggling with all the mental issues that go with watching your mother brutally murdered and now the man who did it is being released from prison. It's no wonder Sam is a substance abuser and will use whatever he can find to help him escape from his past, but with all his panic attacks, he calls Faith whenever his life spirals out of control and she always comes to his rescue.

Perry's overbearing and controlling mother, wants Faith to wear her wedding gown which she and her best friend Marilyn have dubbed, The Ghost Web because it is so hideous and looks so horrible on Faith, that she would have to be dead to want to wear it. But Faith is a bit of a people pleaser and goes along with virtually everything that happens in her life, until she walks into the church her mother used to attend as a possible wedding venue and gets drafted into the choir. Believe it or not it will change her life in ways she could have never imagined, but first she will need to find a voice if she is to be heard. That is where Helmet head comes into play! Life is about to get so interesting.

I received The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran compliments of Lion Hudson Publishers and Kregel Publications. This novel will have you feeling all kinds of emotions from laughing out loud, to grabbing the nearest box of tissues. It is the perfect blend of comedy and romance to keep things interesting and engaged and I honestly enjoyed this novel more than I thought I would. It's like Monster-In-Law meets Pride and Prejudice. It is simply that good. But before you begin reading it, you will want to carve out a few hours so you can enjoy it uninterrupted. My favorite part is the purpose of the choir. Oh how I had one just like it here, I'd sign right up! For me, this one easily hit at 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Name I Call Myself, Beth Moran or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Name I Call Myself by Beth Moran

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

To read more reviews on The Name I Call Myself, please visit Kregel Publication's website. 

 

Christian's Hope

I love it when I come across an Amish novel that conveys a story line I hadn't come across previously in other novels. Christian's Hope is the third novel by Ervin R. Stutzman in the Return to Northkill series, that is based from a true historical event. In this amazing novel, Christian Hochstetler is reunited with his Amish family after being taken captive by the Shawnee Indians 7 years ago, as part of an agreement with the British to return those held captive back to their families if they still existed.

It was this same tribe of Shawnee Indians that killed his mother and two siblings and took his father and brother Joseph captive as well while they tried to escape. Only Christian was held captive much longer than they were and now finds living in the white man's world something he can't do. He can't imagine a life living in a home, cutting his long hair and spending a life as a farmer instead of running wild in nature, hunting and fishing. Even though they have all had to make adjustments upon returning, Christian doesn't believe that he is capable of returning to the Amish lifestyle and tries to convince his brother Joseph to join him in returning back to their Indian families at least for a few days to see if he can fit in either world any longer.

His main drive to return to his Indian family is a longing for a woman named Morning Dew that he believes he loves and wants to marry so perhaps he can still find a way to exist in both worlds somehow. Even though his father Jacob is reluctant to let him go, he knows he can't force him to change his ways and understands that it has to be a decision that Christian makes of his own accord, not something anyone in the family can pressure him to do. But it seems like some in the Amish town of Northkill are not too happy to have Indians living among them, especially ones that took lives of the ones they loved or burned their property and that includes Christian. Is it possible to have it both ways or will he have to make the touch decision to walk away from the only life he has ever known?

I received Christian's Hope by Ervin R. Stutzman compliments of Herald Press and Litfuse Publicity. This is the third book in the series and deals with the story of the circumstances surrounding this real life event from Christian's perspective. In previous novels Jacob's Choice, being the first and then Joseph's Dilemma each take a different perspective in the eyes of three men who had to figure out how to reconcile with what happened to each of them and how to restore what was left of their lives. I absolutely LOVED this novel, first because it offered up something I hadn't read before in other Amish novels and secondly, because it was based on a historical fact which makes the reader like me most interested because you are learning again about another piece in American history most have never heard of before and that is precisely why I give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion. Since I hadn't read the other two novels I thought I might get lost in this one, but the author did a brilliant job in the introduction giving you enough insight into this novel that you can appreciate it as a stand alone or as part of the series.

For more information about Christian's Hope, Ervin R. Stutzman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Christian's Hope by Ervin R. Stutzman

You can find Ervin R. Stutzman on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Christian's Hope, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour page. 

The Student Body - Movie Review

Obesity.

It is a term almost everyone understands and it doesn't need defining. The federal government along with our current President and First Lady and state lawmakers however have taken it upon themselves to govern which students in public schools are labeled within limits, obese or underweight. Like students need any more labels thrust upon them. Believe me if you are like most people I know, we already wear our own labels or ones society deems we need in order hopefully to enact some type of reform or change as if things are simply that easy to change like eat less and exercise more.

The Student Body is a documentary by Bailey Webber who takes it upon herself to find out the answers why lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to pass controversial mandates forcing schools to perform BMI tests on students. They felt these were non evasive and easy to conduct and when students fell into one of three categories, letters were generated to parents in hopes of educating them and seek help for their children if they were determined to be under weight or over weight. This launched a national debate. Coined the "fat letters" by students, notification letters were sent to kids whose body mass did not fall within a narrowly acceptable range; essentially telling children, even as young as kindergartners, that they are fat.

Maddie, a friend of Bailey's cause is the inspiration behind the documentary who received such a "fat letter" in the same envelope her report card came in. While she excelled at being a straight A student, it was the letter that drove Maddie into a deep depression when she felt less than worthy in an area where it wasn't possible for her to simply change her eating and workout habits. Even more shocked were Maddie's parents who felt the district overstepped their bounds in sending out the letters and making them feel less that worthy parents. Like that they had failed their child somehow.

Bailey takes viewers through the documentary into the bureaucrats who passed the law, one of them taking over 7 months to sit down and discuss with her why his actions in passing this bill, lead to the letters being distributed. His only response is that the one reading the letter has a responsibility to not take it as Maddie did and simply see it as a way of making better choices in their health for the future. What the lawmakers believe is that people who are obese don't want to lose the weight and need to be told. What they fail to understand is obese people know they are overweight or close to it. No one needs to be weighed and calculated whether they fall into an acceptable or unacceptable range. Interestingly enough all but 3 of the legislators were deemed to be obese based on their own BMI numbers.

The one thing science and nutritionists have determined is that it has only been in the last few years that obesity has become a global epidemic not only in the US, but other nations as well including animals used in testing and in zoos. The one thing the film provides is that further research is needed to come up with a better plan at managing obesity rather than simply telling someone to eat less and exercise more. Until then, I believe that lawmakers need to stop placing labels on kids about their weight ranges. It could push kids into eating disorders when they are told they are too fat or too thin and really cause things to spiral out of control. They aren't passing laws for the rest of the nation, why target kids?  I received The Student Body compliments of Nightfly Entertainment and Edify Media Inc. This movie is currently playing in select theaters now, and will come to video early next year, but I believe it is one all parents should watch and be involved in. For me, this one rates a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Student Body, where you can find a theater near you playing it, or how you can get involved, please click on the links below:

The Study Body by Nightfly Entertainment

You can find The Student Body on Facebook to get more information about the movie and more.