Threads of Suspicion

Threads of Suspicion

Dee Henderson

 Evie is now part of the governor's Missing Persons Task Force due to her experience as an investigator. The team takes all of the missing person cases and divides up. Evie is partnerered with David Marshall. The two have separate cases, but soon find their cases intertwining in ways they never imagined. Evie somehow manages to juggle her boyfriend, new partner, current and new jobs, but is having a hard time making a decision that will impact her for the rest of her life. She knows that only her heavenly Father will be able to help her with this one.

I love this author's writing style. Ever had a bad day and the only thing you wanted to do was come home and get comfortable? This author is that comfort "food" or favorite shirt. I love diving into her books and not coming up for a breath. While her style of writing stays the same, her characters and plots are varied. This series seems to be a lot lower key and less suspense than her previous books were. I can see where some readers might prefer her other books more, but while I have loved every book she's ever written, I'm loving this new plot style. The books flows smoothly and quietly until you realize you are completely immersed in the story. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, despite the lack of suspense and look forward to the next book coming out.

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

Route 66

Route 66 Adventure Handbook

Drew Knowles

Route 66 is famous for it's history, unique attractions, and fascinating towns along the route. The author has created an updated version of this book that is out now to help travelers on their journey of exploration. The book lists some of the attractions, hotels, restaurants, and instructions on finding the route again should you lose it due to new roads and buildings. There are almost 100 maps included as well as numerous pictures. 

The book is incredibly detailed and full of history. Even if you never plan on traveling this road, it's worth the read just to learn such neat history about our country. I've traveled quite a bit of this road over the years and found the authors information to be spot on for the places I was familiar with. The little extras that he throws in throughout the book are a plus and add rich depth to what would otherwise just be a list of things to see and do. My only complaint was that the pictures were all in black and white. I would have preferred color, but realize this might increase the price of the book significantly. Overall, this is a book that I highly recommend if you enjoy traveling, history, small towns, and unique attractions.

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

Quiet Time

Quiet Time for Your Soul

5 Minutes with Jesus

Sheila Walsh and Sherri Gragg

There are so many things keeping us incredibly busy in our lives. But the mind and soul need a rest just like the body does. The authors have created short five minute devotionals to give our souls that rest they are craving. Each devotional starts with a little story that is then tied together with a spiritual thought. They sum up their thoughts with a quote and then give some scripture verses so the reader can spend time (5 min) in God's word.

First, the cover is beautiful and the designs have spread this look through out the book. Loved it. 

I've read books by Ms. Walsh before and so knew I would enjoy this devotional. There is humor, entertaining stories and antidotes, and lots of thoughtful messages that brought me closer to God. I enjoyed the extra scripture verses that were at the end of each chapter. This is a great book for those quiet moments when you don't have a lot of time or are traveling and don't want to carry all of your study things with you. It would also make an excellent gift.

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

The View through Your Window

The View Through Your Window

Finding God's Vision for Your Family

Martha and Greg Singleton

 God has a vision for your family. It isn't going to be the same for every family. So dive into this book and let the authors walk you through how you can find out what God's vision is and where your family can go to be a blessing to others and grow in Him.

The book is divided up into four parts - Clearing Your Vision, Looking in Your Window, Looking Out Your Window, and Making Vision Work. The authors walk the readers through each step and include stories throughout each chapter to supply examples. At the end of each chapter is a Focus section that asks questions that steer the reader to getting a more personal feel about their family and how the chapter applies to them.

 

I really enjoyed this book. It was well presented, thought provoking, and inspirational. The authors did a great job of combining stories with practical advice and wisdom that really helped me apply the principles to my own family. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to give their family purpose and a vision for the future.

 

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

The Touch

The Touch

Randall Wallace

Dr. Andrew Jones, a gifted surgeon, suffered a horrible tragedy. Now he works in the ER and teaches. But he refuses to do another surgery. Several years have passed and a Ms. Lara Blair is asking him to join her biomedical engineering company. She and her team are developing a special set of robotic hands that do not shake for difficult brain surgery. But they need a human hands to model the robot after. Dr. Jones clearly the surgeon for the job. But Ms. Blair can't seem to convince him to join her company.

The book started off with the touching tragedy and then moved on to the current time. When I started the book I had the thought that this book was going to profoundly affect me. The author had the characters expressing some deep and contemplative thoughts. But about half way through the book it took a slightly confusing turn and ended very cheesy and predictably. So while I absolutely loved the first half, I'm still not sure what to think about the last half. Overall, I would have to say I enjoyed the story and definitely enjoyed the spiritual thoughts and process of the characters and their lives. So if you enjoy medical stories, romance, and thought provoking spiritual thoughts than you might enjoy this book.

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

Everyone Loves Sex

Everyone Loves Sex So Why Wait?

Bryan A. Sands

The author, a pastor, takes a psychological, sociological, and spiritual look at why sex is so appealing to us and why it's best to wait until marriage to have sex. The book is set in an almost conversation tone that speaks to the reader from where ever they are at in the sexual journey. He explains the important role that sex plays in our lives and how these experiences color our view of the world outside of the bedroom. He shares stories from his experiences as a counselor and shows the results of various studies that have been done on sex. At the end of each chapter is a discussion guide.

I actually enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't dry and boring. The author did a great job of mixing stories with the facts that he was presenting. The book has an obvious faith element that is woven throughout the book. I'm not sure what the target audience is, but I do feel that it probably wouldn't appeal to most teenagers. Even though I've been married for 20 years, I feel like I learned some new things about how our minds work and how we can best tend to our marriage. I would recommend this book to anyone in the 20s or older, to people who are looking to get married, or to those who are later in life and wondering about the effects of sex on their lives.

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

On Another Note

On Another Note

Noted #2

Kathy J. Jacobson

This book picks up where the last book left off (presumably, since I didn't get to read the first one). It starts with Jillian, a housekeeper, almost leaving her place of employment and the little cottage behind the house that she calls home. John, her employer, has finally decided to let Jillian into his heart despite the heartache that he's experienced.

Could not get in to this book. I think it might be in part because I didn't read the first book. The books are set up like a continued story and I didn't realize that. The story line flows more like I'm reading a script that hasn't yet had the best actors picked out. So there are large portions of it that feel stiff or don't have any emotion attached. I couldn't get a feel for the characters and the plot was just a list of what was happening. I couldn't get pulled in, no matter how hard I tried. I'm sure that this story will appeal to someone, but it just wasn't me.

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