Sweet Sanctuary

Sweet Sanctuary

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Dr. Micah is a doctor in New York. He felt a calling from God to help the immigrants. But when he receives a letter about an old co-worker, he rushes to Boston. Things aren't exactly as they seem and Micah finds himself working with Lydia to bring families together no matter the risks. Set during WWII, the story covers immigration issues, adoption, addiction, and family relationships.

I appreciated the author using the slant of the innocence and naivety of the Americans about the horrors of the war. The story had several different elements going on at once. This might be a bit overwhelming to some. But I enjoyed it, so didn't mind. It was fresh and captivating. The message of salvation was brought out several times. I will be checking out more books by this author.

 I received this book free of charge from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Lucky School Bus

Lucky School Bus

Melinda Melton Crow

All of the other vehicles in the Wonder Wheels Garage think that School Bus is a very lucky vehicle. He has a very special job. Today is the first day of school and School Bus is ready for his job. He waves good bye to his friends and heads to work. He picks up the children and takes them to school. After school is out, he returns the children to their home. When he returns home School Bus tells his friends how great his day went.

Short sentences and easy to read words make this an excellent level 1 reader. Children will enjoy the colorful pictures and fun story. The book is written at a kindergarten to first grade reading level, but much younger children will enjoy having the story read to them. The size of the book is perfect for little hands. The story concept is one that will be familiar for early school age children.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Lit in exchange for my honest review.

Journey to Riverbend

Journey to Riverbend

Henry McLaughlin

Michael is at the hanging of an innocent man, Ben Carstairs. Right before his death, Ben asks Michael to find his father and give him a message. Michael begins the journey with only one thought in mind. He'll find Mr. Carstairs, give the message and then go on with his life. But his plans aren't even close to reality. A beautiful woman, a manhunt, and death were not on the agenda. But God can bring beauty out of death and pain.

I just couldn't love this book the way I wanted to. The cover kept me from even starting the book, but once I did, it didn't get any better. The characters didn't resonate with me. The plot was slow moving and easily predictable. And the ending was left in such a way that there might be a sequel, but I couldn't find any hint that another book was coming. If you like any loose ends tied up, then you won't like the ending. There wasn't anything at all resolved. My summery would be that this is a Christian western with lots of "preaching", quite a bit of violence, scenes not appropriate for children to read, and a good writing style. I'm giving the book such a low rating because I really didn't like the book and can't honestly recommend it to anyone.

I received this book free of charge from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.

Sammy Experiences God

Sammy Experiences God

Tom Blackaby and Rick Osborne

Sammy loves reading Bible stories and wants to experience God for himself. The book takes Sammy and the reader on a journey to learn about how to personally experience God. Each page is filled with scriptures and questions to help in the experience.

My kids and I loved this book. The book is extremely interactive. The questions are conversation starters. The frogs add a fun element and the secret codes were perfect for my son. While incredibly fun, it was also the well written and thought provoking message that really hit home with us. It was a fresh new way of presenting a loving and caring heavenly Father. Will definitely be keeping this book and re-reading it often.

I received this book free of charge from Shelton Interactive in exchange for my honest review.

Florian's Gate

Florian's Gate

Davis Bunn

 Jeffery is bored with his current job. So when a relative offers him a job in London, he jumps at the chance. Alexander Kanton owns an antique shop and needs someone to run it for him while he spends his time on buying trips. Jeffery falls in love with his job. When the shop gets busy he hires a woman named Katya to help. But everyone has secrets and those secrets might lead Jeffery back to the God he abandoned.

This was a very difficult book for me to review. I just couldn't get interested no matter how far I read and how much I learned. And yet I felt that the author did a great job through out the book. It was very well written and had drama, intrigue, and faith. I guess in summery, I would have to say that this is a good book, just not my style.

I received this book free of charge from Hendrickson Publishers and The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

Where God Finds You

Where God Finds You

Anita Higman

This is a devotional that was written in order to bring Bible characters to life. There are 40 devotionals total. Each devotional begins with the author telling a story in her own words. This is followed by the Bible verses that the story was pulled from. After the scripture comes the section called From Then to Now. This is the devotional section and pulls thoughts from the scripture to ponder. The last section is the questions. These five to seven questions will bring out more points from the story and leave the reader with a more in-depth look at the Bible story.

There were several aspects that I liked about this book. The author made it personal with her telling of the Bible story and character. There were a total of 40 devotionals so it could be read each morning in a little over a month. I also appreciated the questions at the end which allowed for a deeper look at the scriptures and person being studied.

I received this book free of charge from The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.

Search & Rescue

Rock Harbor Search & Rescue

Colleen Coble

 Emily is an eight grader who enjoys making jewelry and going on rescues with her step-mom and her dog, Charley. The rescue missions start when someone is lost and a scent dog is needed to find them. Emily hopes to sell enough jewelry to pay for her very own search dog.

But before she can get the money she is accused of stealing a very expensive piece of jewelry from another seller. Her parents don't believe her and it's soon obvious that only her closest friend is willing to help her find the real thief.

This book is a children's book that appears to be written in conjunction with the adult series, Rock Harbor. Because I haven't  read anything from this series, I was left a bit lost several times in the book. The author makes the assumption that the book will be read by readers of the adult series. My only other complaint would be the portrayal of the dad. I felt very frustrated, even as an adult, at the way he handled the theft with his daughter. But these two things aside, I did enjoy the book. It was full of mystery, boys, faith, and family. I would definitely recommend this to young readers.

I received this book free of charge from Thomas Nelson and The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.