Life, Love and Books

A Life Once Dreamed by Rachel Fordham This is my first time ever reading a book written by Rachel Fordham, I truly love getting to read new to me authors. The first thing that draws me to this book is the cover which portrays an genre that I have loved since I was a little girl, the genre historical.  As you open to the first page you are drawn back to a time when things were very different than they are know. A time when things were more simple, but also women  only had some many choices of what they could do in their life. Our heroine Agnes Pratt has a deep secret that sent her running away from the life that she had dreamed of. It has led her to the small  town of Penance, where she has established herself as the beloved schoolteacher of the their kids. Life has settled into a rhythm for Agnes and she has built friendships in the six years in her new home. But when her life is upset by the arrival of her childhood friend, things turn upside d...

  Words of Comfort for Women by Carolyn Larsen This 90 day devotional brings us women words of comfort in a dark and busy world that seems to just overwhelm us each day. Each devotional is a brief read that can be included in with your daily bible reading. It deals with many different subjects that we women struggle with in our daily walk. It will remind you that you don't have to succumb to the loneliness, fear and anxiety around us. Gods presence is there in our lives during those troubling times we each face. I would recommend this devotional to all women of all walks of life. "I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher. A favorable review was not required, all views expressed are my own." 

                100 Ways to Love your Wife by Matt Jacobson This book is a companion to 100 Ways to Love your Husband, by Lisa Jacobson the wife of Matt Jacobson. It is a very simple read that gives you tips on loving your wife as a husband. Maybe you are preparing to enter into marriage or just looking for something to help you learn to love your wife better. This book is for you men!! I love that it is very simple and not a very long read. The 100 ways are going to be a blessing to wives and husbands all around. I would recommend this to men of all ages to read.         "I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell. A favourable review was not required, all the views expressed are my own. "

Listening to Love by Beth Wiseman   In the second installment of the Amish Journey series, we find englischer Natalie Collins and Lucas; the older brother of Levi Sheltar having friday night suppers together. As time passes, the two have become very much best friends to the concern of their family and dear friends Levi and Mary. The opinions of those around them, starts to frustrate Natalie, who adamantly says that it is friendship only. But deep down she is realizing that her feelings have grown toward love for Lucas.  Lucas loves getting to talk with Natalie in the late night hours, but time has come that he has to face the truth of the struggle between their two ways of life. To leave would cause so much pain for his family. Also he knows that asking Natalie to walk away from her plan to become a veterinarian, would break her heart. But the more time they spend together the truth starts coming out that they have feelings for each other When Natal...

               Cross My Heart By Robin Lee Hatcher In Cross My Heart, we meet Ashley, the owner of a horse rescue farm and Ben, who is starting up a equine therapy farm. When Ashley and Ben first  meet, they find they have several things in common. Having been both raised by single mom's and sharing a passion for helping those who are hurting. While Ashley and Ben work together to bring forth Ben's dream, they both feel drawn toward a deeper relationship. But there is a big issue that is standing in their road toward this. Being that they both have very broken pasts that have affected their choice's in life. Carrying these burden's  can also drive them apart instead of bringing healing to their lives if they do not face the truth. Will they choose to hand these burdens over to the one who can handle them or walk away from a beautiful thing in each of their lives? This is a beautifully written story about he...

  The Women Who Met Jesus By Dorothy Valcarcel We as women all struggle with heartaches and desires in our lives, it was no different with the women of the New Testament. Jesus reached out and touched each of these women in different ways. Twenty stories of women whose lives was changed by the words that was spoken to them. These same words that can touch our lives to bring healing to the wounds in our lives. Each of the chapters come with a "Time of Reflection", exploration, inspiration and affirmation at the end of the chapter. I really like how the stories are shared from another women's perspective on things that happened in her life. It helps to see how we are not alone in life's struggles. I would recommend this book to other women as a study. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions stated are my own.

Breaking the Power of Negative Words by Mary C. Busha Growing up I have always heard the old adage " Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will not ever hurt me". In my experience words have been very harming to me and the ones I love.  Other times words have been used to encourage me or have been brought together to entertain us. This book helps us to turn around the negative words that have been spoken over our lives and find healing in positive words.  Mary C. Busha gives us steps toward finding healing from the barrage of negative words that have built up in our lives. She also gives us accounts of other people who have struggled and overcome the negativity in their own lives. At the end of each chapter, there is questions to answer that help you apply the concepts to your life.  I would recommend this book to anyone dealing with the negative words that have harmed us from childhood to present. Healing is obtainable, we...

A Rebel Heart(Daughtry House series) Beth White In the new series by Beth White, we are introduced to the time period after the Civil War. A time when our country was still healing from the devastation that had been left behind.  She introduces the Daughtry sisters; three young women raised in the deep south that is trying to salvage what is left of their beloved home. The eldest sister Selah meets Levi, a northerner; who offers her a solution to their money struggle. Selah's family has been hurt by the Yankees, so she has to keep her guard up around this one. But she never thought she would ever fall in love with one.  This is the third book I have read that was written by Beth White and each time she has written a story that draws the reader in to it. This is what I love about her books, they touch the readers and we learn about the time period of struggles and healing.   I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Revell. ...

An Encounter with the Saviour thru the Women of Easter!! A Review of Women of Easter by Liz Curtis Higgs. "This Season of Grace, Deepen Your Faith in God Who So Loved the World that He Gave Us His Son."    A quote from Amazon   As I read this book it gave me more insight into the Easter story, a very different outlook. Liz breaks down each verse and brings it to life with her writing. We meet the women who followed our Lord thru his journey to the cross. Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene are just a few of the women that are spoken about. Each of these women played a special part in the ministry and journey of Jesus Christ. It amazes me how much women are held highly by our Lord. He cared enough to speak to the women and provide comfort for them even in his time of suffering. He put aside his cares to think of provision for his mother while he was on the cross. Then he chose to appear to a very shaken up  Mary Magdalene after his...

Love Bears All Things (An Amish Secrets Novel) by Beth Wiseman In the second installment of the An Amish Secrets series, we find Charlotte Dolinsky needing time to recover from a bad breakup with her boyfriend. When suddenly the answer to her troubles shows up on her doorsteps in the form of her Amish friend's brother. Turning away from all of her life issues, she focuses on helping this young man in his time of struggle. In the midst of all the things going on. Charlotte chooses to be very deceptive of what is going on. But she is not the only one that is hiding secrets from their friends. Daniel Byler lives with a struggle to heal every day in his beloved Amish community, after being betrayed by his fiance. Now his pain has turned to fear after he discover's that another of his family members is in danger of being shunned.His only hope is to turn to the most unlikely person for help, an  Englisher, Charlotte Dolinsky. As the two spend time together,...

Shine like the Dawn by Carrie Turansky Carrie Turansky brings us a very beautiful story that is set in time of  Edwardian Northern  England, Margaret Lounsbury life was uprooted four years ago when tragedy struck in the form of a boating accident taking the lives of her parents and older sister. Her grandmother took in Margaret and her younger sister providing them with a roof over their head and food on the table. Their days are spent with Margaret working in her grandmothers Millinery Shop, while she helps to raise her younger sister. Even though she is willing to do anything to protect her sister, her heart still weighs heavy with the loss of her parents and sister.  When Nathaniel Harcourt receives news from his stepmother telling him of his father's illness. He returns  back home to Morningside Manor in time to say his last goodbyes to his father. Now he is the heir to the partial control of his father's engineering company and the duty of repaying ...

Today we will be having a very special person visiting the Blog!! We welcome Rachelle Dekker, the author of the Seers series. The Returning  by Rachelle Dekker When I heard that Rachelle Dekker was the daughter of Ted Dekker, it really peaked  my interest in reading her first book The Choosing. I truly do love getting to read new authors books, because I never know when I might find another fave.   After I read The Choosing I was hooked and could not wait to read the next book. Rachelle is very good at taking a story line and moving it along in years; without making you feel like you missed out on something. Also she takes the Christian faith and puts it into a very different way of thinking that even had me looking at my life differently. It made me take a step back and see how much we are like Elise. That we each as believers have a light inside of us that we need to let shine on all who is around us. Also being able to see our Lord Jesus Christ po...

Fraying at the Edge by Cindy Woodsmall With the second installment of The Amish of Summer Grove, we return to find the lives of Ariana Brenneman and Skylar Nash turned all upside down. Both girls have found out that they had been switched at birth and now are to spend a whole year living with their birth families. With only one link to there old lives, each of these girls have to take another look at the world around them. Each from very different worlds now having to take another look at their lives and decide what is the next step to take.   Cindy Woodsmall has brought us another very heartwarming series, that reaches out to each one of us and pulls us in. The story line is about two babies switched at birth, that both come from two very different backgrounds. It is not easy to be uprooted from all you ever known and be placed in a total opposite lifestyle. The way Cindy takes each of the families and intertwine each of their stories, while keeping us turning each ...

The Kindness Challenge  Thirty Days to Improve any Relationship Shaunti Feldhahan Here is another amazing book brought to us by the author of For Women Only, Shaunti Feldhahan a book dealing with all kinds of relationships. We all have people that are very tough and hard for us to deal with in our everyday lives.Or maybe you are wanting to make a certain relationship better. This is the book for you, it gives you a road map toward being kinder in your relationships. Small actions that can and will make very big difference in anybody's life.  Shaunti also gives us several ways that we could be being unkind to other people, Also 8 types of kindness and which one suits our personality. Ten very sneaky obstacles that get in our way of giving praise. While providing us with practical ways to keep moving on when the way of kindness gets tough.  This book is a great choice for anyone that is looking at bettering their relationships. *I received a print cop...

Take Your Life Back:  How to Stop Letting the Past and Other People Control You by Stephen Arterburn , M.Ed.  and David Stoop, Ph.D. Just as the title says is what this book truly about, making the choice to take your life back and to become the person you are to be in life. If you are looking for hope in your life of overcoming feelings and habits that have controlled you for a long time look no more. Overcoming the hurts and habits that are keeping us from moving forward, while taking new and very positive steps toward change in our lives.Getting healing from the hurts, setbacks and broken relationships that have effected every day of our lives. As I was reading this book, I myself had to take time and look at my past to see the issues that was holding me back from going further in my life. I found this book to be very helpful at working on the problems that I felt I was stuck on and could not find the freedom from. To anyone that needs or is looking for a way ...

Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren I was blessed with the opportunity to meet Susan May Warren in person, recently at our local community library. She had chosen our library as one of her stops on her book tour for Wild Montana Skies. Her visit to our little local reading spot was a bright spot for several of our regular patrons. Susan spent some of her time with us telling us about her newest series and giving us some tips on becoming an author. In her newest series called Montana Rescue, Susan introduces us to a new group of unsung heroes. A SAR  (Search and Rescue) team that has been put together by a very wealthy benefactor in the town of Mercy Falls, Montana. In Montana Rescue we meet a former military search and rescue pilot Kacey Fairing who has returned home on a leave. During her time home she has accepted an offer to fly for the local SAR team, with the hopes of reconnecting with her teenage daughter. At the same time Ben King has placed his dreams and c...

Where Two Hearts Meet by Liz Johnson Return to the beautiful Prince Edward Island in the newest arrival from Liz Johnson. We briefly met Caden Holt in the first book of the series as the baker at her fathers shop. Now we find her in the position of executive chef at the Red Door Inn. Being able to do the her favorite thing in life, baking and making meals for others. When word comes that a travel writer is coming to visit the Inn, Caden is placed into a position she does not want. Her boss is concerned about the lack of profit coming in and the promise of a travel writer brings hope in their dire situation. Caden is their best hope at entertaining the writer and showing him the sights while selling the red door inn as a choice for a travel site. Liz Johnson has written another delightful read based on the Prince Edward Island; also the home to the Anne of Green Gables series. I love getting to read about a different area then where I live. Caden reminds me of myself, wan...

Home on the Range by Ruth Logan Herne The second book in the Double S Ranch series brings us back to Gray's Glen, Washington. We find the town still trying to rebuild after the disaster that has struck them. At the same time the Stafford brother Nick, has put his whole focus on working his family ranch and is now struggling to raise his daughters on his own. Ruth has done it again and written a story that pulls you in to the book. The little girls struggling with the issue of not having a mother in the picture, then all of sudden she reappears in their life. This story deals with a issue that is not touched very often in fiction. The struggle of a doting father trying to make the right decisions for his daughters without causing them more pain in the long run. Also the pain of having a parent that leaves and then chooses to reinsert themselves in their child lives for alternative reasons. I loved the way she created her characters to each have their own uniqueness a...

Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctors Personal Journey through Depression by Dr Michelle Bengtson As a board-certified neuropyschologist, Dr Michelle Bengtson has seen the devastation that depression causes to people. In her practice she prescribed the most effective  treatments for her patients. When one day the tables turned and she was now the patient suffering from depression; struggling just to get thru one day at a time. Using the same treatments that she prescribed for her patients, she felt worse than before. Seeking to find the hope she needed to overcome depression she turned to the one book that showed her grace, The Bible. Taking from her experience, Dr Bengston writes the words that most people struggling with depression will recognize. Taking her training and blending it with a vital missing piece, she shows us that we can pull thru even if it does not feel like we are going to make it. If you are someone who is struggling with depression or you know someon...

Land of Silence by Tessa Afshar  This story is so beautifully written and touched my heart as a daughter of Christ. I have always known of the verse that speaks of the woman with a problem with bleeding. This book dives deep into the life story behind the women who got a short notation in the New Testament. My heart broke as I read this story of a woman who was broken and lost. The moment that she finds healing brought a rush of relief and peace that flooded my soul. Elianna is a young girl whose life has been touched with sorrow. When the loss of her little brother affects the whole family, when another tragedy hits the family.  Elianna has to step up to take over the family business, while caring for her family.  With her talent for design she draws more business to her father's textile trade. Still longing for the forgiveness that she seems to be not able to find, her world seems to just unravel in front of her. Choosing to sever the one tie ...