The Christmas Blessing

The Christmas Blessing

Melody Carlson

Amelia receives the news that her fiance was killed in action. She's pregnant and has no where to go. It was a whirlwind romance and now she's left alone with a small baby. She makes the difficult decision to go find her son's grandparents. They don't know that their son, James, fathered a child, but maybe they can accept Amelia and her baby.

This is a longer novella that is perfect for reading around the Christmas season. I was surprised several times at how the author twisted and wove the story. It was sweet, heartbreaking, and inspiring. The doctor and Amelia were great characters. I was not fond of the doctors wife and felt that she wasn't ever portrayed in a good light, although the author tried to make her "good" in the end. The story between Amelia and James was told in memories and I wanted a bit more to that so I could understand what prompted Amelia to make the decisions she did. But overall, it was a sweet story that fits perfectly with the season. I think anyone who enjoys an inspirational story that centers around the birth of Jesus and what the season is really all about, will love this book. It would also make an excellent Christmas gift.

I received a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Exit Strategy

Exit Strategy

Mission: Rescue #3

Shirlee McCoy

 Lark knows that her husband was murdered. It might have been explained away as a suicide, but she knows that her husband would never leave her like that. So she returns to the commune where they lived before his death. But now she's being held captive and a stranger is telling her to trust him to get them both out. Lark isn't sure if she can trust Cyrus, but for now, he's her only hope.

This book was very suspenseful. The author did a great job of creating tension from the very beginning and continuing it throughout the book. This is book #3 in the series, but I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having read the previous books, so I would definitely say it can be read as a stand alone. But there were a few things that I didn't understand or weren't clarified by the time I'd finished reading so either the author was paving the way for the next book in the series or I did actually miss something from a previous book. Overall, I enjoyed the suspense and drama, the relationship and the chemistry was good between the two main characters, and the author left me wanting to read more.

I received a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Bible Journaling

The Complete Guide to Bible Journaling

Creative Techniques to Express Your Faith

Joanne Fink and Regina Yoder

Bible Journaling is extremely popular right now. I have a planner and a Bible that I use for this type of thing and thought I'd check out the book and see if it could be any help since I'm not an artist. I opened the cover (more on that at the bottom) and fell in love. The book begins with information about what Bible journaling is and how to get started. There are then multiple pages of instructions on drawing, tracing, patterns, painting, markers, pencils, etc. The next section is all about eleven well known Bible journaling artists. The profiles talk about the artist and her style of journaling. The last section is all about styles, themes, and resources. At the back are multiple pages of designs, stickers, and vellum designs. The book is extremely colorful with tons of photographs. The information was very helpful for a person who doesn't consider themselves an artist. This is a book that I will keep and reference often.

My only complaint was an issue with the front and back covers. It was on backwards and upside down.

I received a copy of this book. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Alaskan Sanctuary

Alaskan Sanctuary

Teri Wilson

Piper is in desperate need of funds for her wolf sanctuary. So when she gets the opportunity to talk to a reporter about her beloved wolves she jumps at the chance. But the reporter, Ethan, has an agenda. And soon Piper finds herself fighting for not only her wolves, but also her home. The sparks fly, in more ways than one, whenever these two are together.

 This story is primarily emotion driven. There isn't really a lot of plot and what is there is predictable. The two main characters start the book with some glaring differences and don't really resolve them until the book is almost completed. Because of this, the romance felt a little rushed to me. But I didn't really get a sense of time, so perhaps it was longer than I thought. Overall, it was a nice story that I enjoyed, but it didn't grab me or keep me wanting to read until the last page.

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

Spiritual Slavery to Sonship

Spiritual Slavery to Sonship

Your Destiny Awaits You

Jack and Trisha Frost

People are looking for identity and acceptance. As Christians, we know that we need to look to God for our guidance and acceptance. The author takes the reader on a path to finding identity in Christ by telling personal stories and sharing their thoughts. This book is the expanded edition. Jack Frost previously wrote the book. Upon his death, his wife added some things and reprinted the book as expanded.

I just could not get into the book. I had to put it down, read something else and then try to come back and plow my way through. There were tons of personal stories, so I'm not sure why this was the case. I also had some problems with some of the theology. The tone of the book felt like the author was bragging on himself, but was telling the reader not to become proud or look to humans for confirmation. It seemed to be a lot of repeating with personal stories thrown in. Overall, this might be a great book for someone, but definitely didn't do it for me.

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

Bible Search

The My First Message Bible Search

Discovering Answers in God's Word

Jon Nappa

The book begins with what the author calls a concordance. This is a section that kids can use to look up answers to certain situations such as "What to do if you get stress" or "When I feel sad". The last half of the book is called Dictionary and has sections that explain subjects such as honesty, conflict, and salvation. The concordance begins with a description of the word, then gives three different scenarios that the child might be experiencing. Scriptures, Biblical solutions, and thought provoking questions finish the section. The dictionary section gives the word, the definition, lots of scripture to explain or define the word, and finishes with a thought on how the word might apply to the reader's life.

My son is 8 years old and really enjoyed this book. Each page is colorful with brightly colored fonts. There are fun illustrations on every page as well. The vocabulary fit the intended age group. My son enjoyed the pages he read and several of the chapters were helpful to a situation he was dealing with at school. I would highly recommend this book to any child who knows how to read and wants something additional for their Bible study.

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

*I have been unable to find an email or link that has the information for this book. So I am unable to connect it with the publisher or publicist who sent me the book. If you sent me the book, please contact me so I can credit you in the review. Thank you.

Last Call

Last Call

The Cocktail Series #5

Alice Clayton

Caroline, an interior designer, has always gotten a little panicky when marriage is mentioned. Thankfully her photographer boyfriend, Simon, is on the same page. But when their friends begin getting married and having babies they start to consider the idea. Simon is on location in Asia when Caroline gets a terrifying call. Suddenly spending the rest of her life with the man of her dreams might not be an option.

This is definitely a novella. Since I haven't read the first four books I was at times lost while reading this short story. It wasn't really a book, more like an epilogue. But the premise was sweet and the couples feelings were genuine. There was a bit more bedroom time than I felt was needed for the story. It really didn't add to the plot. The book read like a YA and so was a bit young for my tastes. But readers of light YA will enjoy the fluffy feel to this book.

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

Sunrise Sunset

Sunrise Sunset

52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude

Kim Weiss

Every single day begins with a sunrise and ends with a sunset. The photographer took pictures of these sunsets and sunrises for a year and is now sharing them with us. Each picture is accompanied by a quote or thought from different people. The emphasis is on gratitude.

These photographs are gorgeous. Each page is filled with the beautiful colors of either a sunrise or sunset. Then on the left is a thought or reflection from different individuals that ties in with the theme of awe and gratitude. This book would make a beautiful gift or could be used to supplement morning devotions.

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

A Dog Named Tulip

A Dog Named Tulip

Maryn and Anna Joseph

Jessica loves giving her mother presents for Mother's Day. But this year she'd like to give her something extra special. While out picking tulips for her mother's bouquet she finds a little puppy. This puppy will make a perfect gift for Mother's Day.

Written by two sisters, this delightful little story will entertain young children. The child-like illustrations compliments the creative writing from these two young authors. My children enjoyed the book and have asked me to read it to them several times. We will definitely be keeping this book.

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

ManQuest

ManQuest

Leading Teenage Boys Into Manhood

Mike McCormick

In ancient times, boys passed an initiation that changed them into men. Today boys drift along until their 18th birthday and are then suddenly considered an adult. The author has two boys and wanted something to do that would help them become the men he wanted them to be. He wanted his boys to grow up to be God fearing young men with courage, honor, and integrity. This book was created to fill that need. Each chapter (or guidepost) has a key Bible verse, discussion and questions relating to the topic and ends with a movie to watch that will produce more discussion.

I am a mother. But I do have a son and loved the idea of my husband doing this with him when he gets older. My husband was also intrigued. The instructions are straight forward and thought provoking. The topics discussed were definitely things that I want my son to be learning about. As a woman I'm probably not the best judge, but I felt this guide was well written and would be perfect for a father and son to use to initiate the son into manhood.

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