Courageous Love: An Andrea Carter Book by Susan K Marlow

Courageous Love: An Andrea Carter Book

by Susan K Marlow

I have honestly looked forward to this new book from Susan Marlow the entire year! It is so delightful to look forward to an author's new works as they are published! I should have recorded a video of two of my friends' reactions when I showed them my copy of this new book. The excitement was enough to advertise how beloved these books are to us! During the same week, I also had sisters in my household begging to read my copy. We also had to have a pact not to tell eachother how the book ended for fear of spoiling the surprise for the other readers!

As I have said in my previous reviews of this author's books, she is an unusually excellent writer! The Andrea Carter series has the quality of the beloved Little House series. Mrs. Marlow is one of the best Christian authors I know of. To add more value to that statement, I have read and reviewed a variety of Christian historical fiction and novels for adults as well as children. I love Susan Marlow's style of writing and the thought she puts into each of her books. I am always interested through every chapter of every book she produces. Although I'm an adult I looked forward to the free time I would have on the weekends to read the next chapters of Courageous Love! In this final book in the series, Andrea Carter is the same girl we have watched grow up through the books. Of course, at age seventeen she is becoming a woman and must deal with different issues than the previous books. I will not give away any of the story but I loved, absolutely loved Andrea Carter grown-up! I am impressed by how the author was able to continue Andi Carter's adventurous and impulsive spirit while allowing her to becoming a lovely young woman. I didn't want this story to end. Needless to say, I am likewise saddened that this is the last book in the series! I definitely hope the author will continue to write such wonderful historical fiction!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Andrea Carter is finally pulling her own weight on the Circle C Ranch she loves. The only thing she loves more than helping to run the ranch is spending time racing and stunt-riding on her horse Shasta, with the help of wrangler Riley Prescott. Little does she know that when she and Riley stumble onto a mysterious cut in the fence around her brother's prize calves, life is about to get far more exciting--and dangerous.

A cryptic warning tied around a brick crashes through the window at a family party. Then cattle begin to die. When the horse barn catches fire, Andi knows this is more than just coincidence. But who is trying to hurt her family--and why? Evidence begins to point to criminals from her brother Justin's past who want revenge. But that discovery may be too late to keep Andi and her brother's family out of danger.Now Riley is her only hope of rescue. Can he find her before she disappears from the Circle C forever? Can she keep everyone else safe until then?

The fourth volume in the Circle C Milestones quartet, Courageous Love is high on action, danger, and drama, and full of appealing characters readers love. Andi's final adventure, sparked with a little romance, is sure to please Marlow's legions of loyal readers who want a happy ending for this frontier heroine.

Review of 5 Minutes With Jesus: Quiet Time for Your Soul by Sheila Walsh, Sherri Gragg

5 Minutes With Jesus: Quiet Time for Your Soul

by Sheila Walsh, Sherri Gragg

    Isn't this a beautiful little book? It will make the perfect gift for a friend! What a lovely addition it will make for a gift basket or any type of present. This is a new book from popular author Sheila Walsh. As the title suggests, this book is a devotional with the perfect amount of scripture and text for quick daily reading. Even the busiest of people will be able to fit this into their schedule.
Although I think one should have more time than just 5-minutes for Bible-reading and prayer, I think 5 minutes is better than nothing. This is a good incentive for extremely busy people to start fitting in a consistent devotional time.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.


Step away from the noise and into the arms of your loving Savior.


Bright screens, beeping notifications, a never-ending list of activities and to-dos . . . when do we ever stop? Is it any wonder we are deeply weary?


Jesus longs to give you the gift of rest—to lead you beside quiet waters and refresh your soul. He stands with open arms, saying, “Come as you are!”


With her signature honesty, vulnerability, and humor, bestselling author Sheila Walsh helps you seek Jesus in the quiet. Every entry features an encouraging devotion and takeaway along with powerful scriptures that guide you in drawing near to your life-giving God.

review of Made for a Purpose by Kristie Wilde

Made for a Purpose

by Kristie Wilde

   Made for  a Purpose is a picture book for children. It is filled with beautifully drawn illustrations which bring nature to life. The text of this book is easy for children to understand yet also instructive as it teaches the reason why God created certain animals the way He did. While hearing this book, children will learn that God created everything and that He has a reason for all that He creates, including people.
Children and adults will love the watercolor illustrations which complete the book. They are realistic and of pleasing quality.
This is a book which brings glory to God and happiness to the reader.
I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A beautifully illustrated picture book, designed to be read to young children, inspiring inquisitive minds to think more deeply about the world around them from a Christian perspective.
The simple text and detailed illustrations are windows into the world of each animal represented. Unique features of these animals are explained in the simplest way. God's wisdom and ingenuity is introduced, stimulating new thought processes in young minds, leading to exploration and discovery of their world, themselves and their God.

review of Grace Behind Bars Bo Mitchell

   I love autobiographies and memoirs, and try to read as many of them as possible. I am especially interested in those autobiographies which tell the story of individuals which encounter and live victoriously through trying and painful circumstances. This book tells the unusual story of Bo Mitchell, who was unfairly convicted and sentenced to prison. To the human eyes this situation seemed totally without purpose. But as Bo Mitchell discovered, God had a plan and that was to soften and work in Mitchell's heart. This is a really good book and I was both engrossed and enriched for the entirety. I recommend this book; many readers will find it both interesting and helpful. It is especially a good idea for getting teen boys to read about Christian faith since the unusual prison story will initially capture their interest.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Grace Behind Bars shares the true and dramatic account of how Bo Mitchell, businessman and chaplain for the Denver Nuggets, inexplicably ended up in federal prison only to find God's true freedom behind bars. Ironically, it's in a six-by-nine-foot cell that God begins to free this driven Christian leader from his prison of performance and success. In the end, Bo realizes that God's love is a gift, not something he must earn.

But there's more to the story: Just before Bo enters prison, his wife, Gari, becomes incapacitated by a brain illness and enters her own prison of clinical depression.

Readers will see how the couple struggled together as their world fell apart, yet ultimately grew closer to each other and God behind the bars of their trials. This story will not only inspire and encourage readers, it will show them how they, too, can find spiritual freedom in life's "prisons" if they choose to see God's hand in their lives. 

review of A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada

A Spectacle of Glory: God's Light Shining through Me Every Day

by Joni Eareckson Tada, Larry Libby

I chose to review this book because

1) It has such a beautiful cover (I love green, and I am amazed by mountains)

2) It is by Joni Eareckson Tada

When I received the box which held this book and opened it to behold the contents, I was surprised and delighted. Honestly, my first words upon seeing this new book were ''you are the most adorable book ever!" I know...it's not as if it were simply a diary or something. Yet I am a girl and girls like things which please the eyes and which fit nicely in their hands and purse. I expected this book to be a slim, medium sized hardcover one. Instead, this book although hardcover, is chunky and small of size, with a matte finish cover. It would make the perfect gift for a friend.

 

Spectacle of glory is more than a beautiful little book It is a year-long devotional which

will help you live in God's love as a spectacle of His glory.

I received this copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

God does not choose to display His glory through burning bushes; He chooses you! This inspiring, year-long devotional by Joni Eareckson Tada, focuses on your Heavenly Father, how He cares for you every day, and how His love enables you to live as a spectacle of His glory.

When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner illustrated by David Catrow

When God Made You

by Matthew Paul Turner, David Catrow (Illustrations)

   I love children's books. I work at a daycare so I have a good idea of what pleases children in the way of literature (as an aside, I loved things written for kids even before I worked at my preschool/daycare). This book has such an adorable cover- I knew I had to read it! My overall opinion about this book is that parents will love reading it most. Since adults are the ones reading to toddlers, I think it's fun to find picture books which are interesting to grown-ups. The text in this book is cute although I don't think that toddlers will get all of it (such as the first paragraph which is as follows: YOU, you... God thinks about you.
God was thinking of you long before your debut. No child knows what debut means).

The illustrations are very whimsical and a little crazy, which will please the artistic at heart.

This children's book does a great job in emphasizing the fact that each child is a special individual created by God.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

From early on, children are looking to discover their place in the world and longing to understand how their personalities, traits, and talents fit in. The assurance that they are deeply loved and a unique creation in our big universe will encourage them to spread their wings and fly.
Through playful, charming rhyme and vivid, fantastical illustrations, When God Made You inspires young readers to learn about their own special gifts and how they fit into God's divine plan as they grow, explore, and begin to create for themselves.
'Cause when God made YOU, somehow God knew
That the world needed someone exactly like you! 

my review of the novel Farewell, Four Waters by Kate McCord

Farewell, Four Waters by Kate McCord
   I have read the author's previous two books- In the Land of the Blue Burqas, and Why God Calls Us To Dangerous Places- and was fascinated by her activities in Afghanistan. I was interested in reading Farewell, Four Waters which is the author's fictional account of her own and others' experiences in Afghanistan. This is slightly longer chapter book but I was interested for the entirety. The reader will learn a wonderful amount about life in Afghanistan just from reading this novel. The characters are very real which makes sense since the author based it off of her own experiences. I was a little disappointed by how quickly the end culminated after I spend the entire book wondering when the intrigue and suspense in the book would begin. I will point out that this book is not a suspense novel for light reading. It is an informative novel which will open the reader's eyes to life in Afghanistan, particularly of an American's life in that country.

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All she needed were stamps and signatures. Marie and her translator stood in the government offices in Kabul, Afghanistan, to complete the paperwork for her new literacy project. The women in her home town, the northern village of Shehktan, would learn to read.

But a spattering of gun shots exploded and an aid worker crumpled. Executed. On the streets of Kabul. Just blocks from the guesthouse. Sending shockwaves through the community.

The foreign personnel assessed their options and some, including Marie’s closest friend, Carolyn, chose to leave the country. Marie and others faced the cost and elected to press forward. But the execution of the lone aid worker was just the beginning.

When she returned home to her Afghan friends in Shehktan to begin classes, she felt eyes watching her, piercing through her scarf as she walked the streets lined in mud brick walls.

And in the end . . .
It took only 14 days for her project, her Afghan home, her community—all of it—to evaporate in an eruption of dust, grief, and loss. Betrayed by someone she trusted. Caught in a feud she knew nothing about, and having loved people on both sides, Marie struggled for the answer: How could God be present here, working here, in the soul of Afghanistan?  

KJV Word Study Bible

KJV Word Study Bible

As I opened my package which had just arrived in the mail, I was impressed by the fact that this Bible comes in its own sturdy shiny cardboard protection box. Additionally, I was delighted by the beauty of the simile-leather binding of this King James version Bible. The colour and style is traditional and will please Bible readers and scholars of all ages, both men and women.

This is a large Bible, perfect for in-home study and display on the coffee table or desk. It is the classic KJV and the words of Jesus are in red. The defining feature of this newly-published Bible from Thomas Nelson is the 1,700 words which are brought out and carefully explained in little separate boxes throughout the entire Bible. The reader will learn and benefit from these teachings, which often show the original Greek and Hebrew as basis for explanation. I will admit that many of the words are simple and already known by one who has a fair knowledge of the Bible. This is not a study Bible for the advanced Bible student. However, it is still beneficial and after all, is the word of God! Thus, it will make a wonderful gift for a variety of people.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

The KJV Word Study Bible includes in-text subheadings and 1,700 easy-to-use word studies with select Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words explained in every chapter from Genesis to Revelation, helping you dig deeper into your Bible study. By looking into these ancient texts we are able to read scripture as it was originally written and passed on from generation to generation, bringing these words to life and allowing you to almost hear Jesus teaching on the hillside or crying out to God on the cross. As you study you will discover the richness and significance of the original languages of the Word of God and experience scripture in a whole new way.
Features Include:
• Book introductions
• Words of Christ in red
• Word studies
• Indexes
• Concordance

That's So '90s Pop!: A Fill-In Activity Book by Patrick Sullivan

That's So '90s Pop!: A Fill-In Activity Book

by Patrick Sullivan

 As a '90's child, I was curious about this book. A fun fill-in activity and coloring book, this paperback features many pop stars from the 1990s which will delight any pop fan, particularly 90's people! I am not especially a fan of these pop singers, but thought this coloring book fun to look through. Each character includes trivia and activities to go along. Great gift for either guy or gal.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Join Britney Spears in a maze searching for the necklace she once thought the old lady dropped into the ocean. Join Mandy Moore for a Candy-fuelled adventure in her green VW bug. Color in the scorching tattoos on Nick Lachey's rippling biceps. All this and so much more to be discovered within the pages ofThat's so '90s Pop, a fill-in activity book featuring a bevy of beloved musical pop stars from the late '90s/ early '00s. 
Pop Stars Include: 
. The Spice Girls
. Backstreet Boys
. Britney Spears
. N Sync
. Christina Aguilera
. 98 Degrees
. Mariah Carey
. TLC
. Mandy Moore
. Enrique Iglesias
. Destiny s Child
. Jessica Simpson
. Macy Gray
. Alanis Morisett. Aaron Carter. Usher. Lil Kim. Pink. Blink 182. Los Del Rio

. and more!"

review of Oswiu: King of Kings By Edoardo Albert

Oswiu: King of Kings

By Edoardo Albert  

Having already read and reviewed the author's novels which precede this new book, I was excited to read it. My reviews of the author's first two books are glowing since I greatly enjoyed reading them. This book follows the intricate historical account of Christian kings in Britain, picking up where the second book leaves off. This book is as well written as the others by the author. I am impressed by how Eduardo Albert can know so much historical information and weave it into a fabulous novel which fascinates the reader. This third book didn't captivate me as much as the previous two did; I believe this is simply the curse of all third books in a series. The first leave the reader breathless while the third is not as needed. This one was harder for me to get into. However, if you liked the author's first books, you will be happy to add this one to your collection.

I received this copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

In the third entry chronicling the rise of Christian kings in Britain, Oswald dies and the great pagan king Penda becomes overlord in his place. To stand against the increasingly powerful Penda, Oswiu, king of Bernicia, tries to unite the smaller neighboring kingdoms by marrying a daughter of Deira. But the struggle for power leads Oswiu to order the assassination of the king of Deira. He wins the throne but loses the approval of the people. In atonement, he establishes a monastery at the site of the slaying. What will happen when Oswiu and High King Penda at last meet in battle? Though the kingdom may become politically one, both the Celtic and Roman strands of Christian faith vie for supremacy, mirroring the king's own struggle for power.