Hearts Entwined

Hearts Entwined

A Historical Romance Novella Collection

Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings, Melissa Jagears

The path to love isn't always easy. Sometimes it comes with hardships and unexpected surprises. Follow these four couples as they learn that sometimes love is worth the risk and potential heartache. Each story is written as a stand-alone and is only tied with the other novellas based on the theme of historical romance. Each author uses a character or two from a series, but the series is not essential to understanding the story. 

I really enjoyed this book. These four authors are on my favorites list and I've read the all of the series they pulled their characters from. So it was nice to get another little glimpse into what was happening. Each author brought her own style and flair to her novella and made it her own. I had a favorite, but loved all of them.  I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical romance, want to find a new favorite author, or want to meet characters from your favorite series. 

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

2018 Journals

If you've been to my library, talked with me, or gone book shopping with me, than you know I have an obsession with journals. So I am super excited to share the line of 2018 journals from Fox Chapel Publishing. They have a wonderful selection of journals, adult coloring books, and more. I've yet to find a book that I don't like from them.

I will be writing a review every week or so about one of the journals. So be sure to check out each one and follow the link to get some of your own.

TangleEasy Lined Journal - Elephant

This particular journal features the artwork of Ben Kwok. The theme is wild animals. The pages are wide rule lined style and the paper is thick and acid-free. Every other page has a bright picture with rich, deep colors. Over half of the pictures can be colored in, so the journal serves a duel purpose.  Each page has a hint of color running down the edge that corresponds to the pictures around it. The hard back cover makes it excellent for holding while journaling or drawing.

I fell in love with the beautiful pictures and tinted pages. Each lined page has plenty of room to journal or write down lists and thoughts. The thick pages didn't bleed through when I used a heavy marker or gel pen. The drawings also inspired me to do a little doodling of my own. This would make an excellent gift, but I'm going to have a hard time parting with it. These books can be found at all of the retail sites I checked. Overall, I would say this is an excellent journal and can't wait to use it more.

I received a copy of this book from Fox Chapel Publishing. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Fox Chapel Publishing

Devotions for the Hungry Heart

Devotions for the Hungry Heart

Chasing Jesus Six Days from Sunday

Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

The author has written a devotional style book with twenty weeks of readings that reflect the author's journey to a hunger for God. She focuses on six themes that include Sharing, Praying, and Celebrating. The book is hardcover and includes a ribbon bookmark and recipes in the middle. The recipes are on glossy paper and have pictures.

My first thoughts were extremely positive when viewing this book. I loved the cover. The colors and design really drew my attention. It's definitely wrapped in a beautiful package. The recipes were an odd, but nice addition. They aren't unique or super complicated, but seem to be more in the style of comfort food. Each day begins with a story and ends with a scripture that the author thinks fits with her story. I didn't really get the devotional vibe. It was more like reading the thoughts of a diary that had a faith base. Overall, I think this is a neat book, but wouldn't use it as a devotional.

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

The Other Side of Beauty

The Other Side of Beauty

Embracing God's Vision for Love and True Worth

Leah Darrow

The author, a contest on America's Next Top Model, tells her story of pain and redemption. She is honest and real about her past and emotions that led her to the point of rock bottom. While at the bottom she learned about the other side of beauty, the beauty from within. She embraced God's ideal for her and has written this book to encourage others to see themselves as God sees them and not as the world sees them.

The book was interesting since the author wove so many stories, most of them personal, into the dialogue. I found several places to be slow or redundant. But since this wasn't really a topic that I felt resonated with me, at first, I had a hard time getting in to the book. But once I was about half way through, it picked up and I really felt her speaking to me. I had the book laying on my coffee table and a friend picked it up and read the first couple of chapters. She said the book really spoke to her and asked to borrow it when I was finished. So I know the book will speak to people who are dealing with body image issues. Overall, I think the book is perfect for someone with low self-esteem, those who view outward beauty as the most important thing, or those who are struggling with body image issues. 

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