Blessing for the Morning

Blessing for the Morning

Prayerful Encouragement to begin Your Day

Susie Larson

Start each day with a blessing from God's word. Each page is set with a beautiful photograph and then encouraging words are watermarked on top. The left side of the page has a scripture that ties in with the devotional on the right side. Each devotional is designed for encouragement, peace, and inspiration.

This is a gorgeous book, from front to back. The photographs are beautiful and peaceful. Each devotion is thought provoking and powerful. I looked forward to reading one each morning. This book would make an excellent gift. The devotions touch on so many different subjects that women deal with every day. There are also a few that are for specific occasions such as Christmas.

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

Life Unstuck

Life Unstuck

Finding Peace with Your Past, Purpose in Your Present, Passion in Your Future

Pat Layton

 Women tend to be stuck. Stuck in their routines and stuck in their spiritual lives. There are a lot of factors that can cause us to be stuck. So the author has taken an in-depth look at some of these factors and written how to un-stick our lives so we can live life to its fullest potential. If we can become unstuck  in life we will behave, think, and react to life differently.

I love this cover. It captures the essence of the book while grabbing my attention. The author starts out with a hilarious story about herself and quickly draws the reader in. She then proceeds to get right to the heart of the matter and lays out exactly what being stuck is all about. I loved her writing style, presentation, and personal stories. The book felt like it was written just for me. But I think most women will feel this way as well. It was helpful, insightful, and inspiring. I will definitely be sharing this book with my small group.

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

Serving Up a Sweetheart

Serving Up a Sweetheart

A February Wedding Story

Cheryl Wyatt

Meadow is having a very, very bad day. She's getting ready for a super busy time with her catering business when her partner gets sick and her roof caves in. Unfortunately she works from her kitchen with only some high school students to help the two of them. If she doesn't get help quickly she can kiss her business good bye. Enter Colin, the one man she doesn't ever want to see again. He bullied her in high school and Meadow doesn't trust that he's changed.

This was a sweet story. It progressed very quickly, but still had the elements of a good novella. The characters were endearing and entertaining. The author subtly brought in faith and forgiveness. These wedding novellas are a great little story to enjoy when you only have a brief amount of time to read. They are also a great way to try out a new author. Pick up this story if you want a quick, romantic story that will warm your heart.

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

Sweet Surprise Romance Collection

Sweet Surprise Romance Collection

9 Contemporary Romances Served with Delightful Desserts

Wanda Brunstetter, Kristin Billerbeck, Kristy Dykes, Aisha Ford, Birdie Etchison, Pamela Griffin, Joyce Livingston, Tamela Murray, Gail Sattler

Nine authors have come together to write deliciously sweet romance stories. Each story ties into the theme about sweets and ends with a recipe from the story. Most of the stories also have a tie-in to one of the first stories about an online cooking class. The stories are faith based and romantic, but also have elements of family and drama.

Another book that had pros and cons for me.

Pros:

I loved the cover. It perfectly describes the sweet theme. All of the stories are short so the book isn't overwhelming, but can be read little bits at a time. A couple of the stories were touching and had just the right touches of romance without being rushed or overly cheesy. I loved the recipes at the end of each story.

Cons:

Most of the stories were too rushed, too awkward, or not interesting. I had to make myself finish the book so I could write the review. Based on the book as a whole, I couldn't recommend buying the book for the two stories I did enjoy.

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

Lighten Up, Y'all

Lighten Up, Y'all

Classic Southern Recipes made Healthy & Wholesome

Virginia Willis

Most classic southern recipes are full of fat and fully delicious. So the author has taken a lot of the classics and recreated them to make them healthy and less fattening. So the food we enjoy can now be enjoyed guilt-free. The author uses a lot of fresh garden ingredients, fat-free substitutes, and baking instead of frying. The book has plenty of colorful photographs and nutritional information with every recipe.

Each recipe was well thought out. Looking at some of the titles I was skeptical, but Willis pulled it off. The recipes lean more towards vegetables than desserts, but this is in keeping with the healthy line. Each recipe also has a note or story to go with it to either explain how the author made it more healthy or the story behind how the recipe became a classic. It adds some interest to the cookbook. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves southern cooking, but is looking for healthy alternatives.

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

Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter

Celebrating a Christ-Centered Easter

Seven Traditions To Lead Us Closer To Jesus Christ

Emily Belle Freeman

Come spend some time with Jesus as you read about the beautiful sacrifice He made at Calvary. The story of Easter is told in short chapters that are thought provoking and inspiring. Each chapter begins with a Bible verse and has a short devotional type thought. It ends with a section called Tradition. This section contains a hymn, Bible verses that tell the story, and the tradition that will help solidify this tradition into your minds and hearts.

I really enjoyed this little book. The chapters are short enough to use in family devotions. The tradition section is deep enough for adults, but will work for young children as well. The cover is beautiful and sets the tone for the whole book. This book would make a wonderful addition to any home or would make a great gift for Easter.

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

You're Loved No Matter What

You're Loved No Matter What

Freeing Your Heart from the Need to Be Perfect

Holley Gerth

Women tend to feel the need to be perfect. It starts when we are young and are competing for the perfect clothes to fit in and continues when we strive to be the perfect wife, mom, employee, etc. What would happen if we all stopped trying to be perfect and became the person that God wants us to be? The author delves into this concept and uses her own life as an example to show how we can be wonderfully, imperfectly human and still have a happy, Christ-centered life.

First, I loved the cover. Second, I loved the inside. The author was able to take a concept with the potential to be boring and make it interesting and doable. She talked from the heart and it showed. Her concepts were right on target. I liked how she presented the material in a way that made it easy to understand and implement. Each chapter ends with questions that further cement the concepts. This would also make the book work well for small group study. I loved this book and intend to share it with my friends.

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