My Foolish Heart

Hello avid readers I have another fun book for you to read by Susan May Warren. This is a deep haven novel, but have no fear because you'll still be able to read it without any knowledge of the series. In My Foolish Heart we find Isadora Presley a radio talk show host with a very severe case of panic attacks that literally has left her house bound for several years. Isadora is a woman who gives romance advice to her fellow listeners even though she's never dated anyone. I really enjoyed this book and how Susan May Warren approached issues of purity, fear, and beauty. She allowed the message of salvation and grace to be in the characters daily routine, and it flowed extremely well. So if you're wanting an easy read, with the fluidity of an experienced writer feel free to look up My Foolish Heart.

The Lady of Bolton Hill

Hello Readers I have a remarkable book to share with you this morning.  The Lady of Bolton Hill was surprising because the back of the book really didn't give much of it away.  There is of course romance, but entwined is mystery, suspense, witty dialog, and important issues.  What an amazing delight to read on Christmas day.

Clara Endicott was raised knowing that God had a great plan for her life and she was to use it accordingly.  While Daniel Tremain's life was more about finding the next meal.  These two unlikely people become friends over their passion of music, and thus begin an amazing journey together.  What I liked about this book was how easily the author (Elizabeth Camden) wrote.  I know that sounds kind of cliche but in all honesty she made all her characters with depth and humor.  There was also genuine love for God's children.  We are commanded to love our neighbor, but that issue is never truly touched on by an author, until now.  We are commanded to be examples of Christ and the Endicott's truly are a great example of that.  We'll see them make mistakes, but that is really the greatness of God, constantly forgiving and showing abundant grace when sin rises.  So please read this awesome book, you won't regret it.

The Bible i.e. the story of Christ

Hello Readers, I wanted to take the time to write about a really important story that can literally change your life.  It's from the book of Matthew, Christ's story of self sacrifice and love for everyone in the world. God sent Christ into this world as a newborn baby to grow up to be the ultimate sacrifice for a sinful people (us).  If Christ had not died in place for us we would be separated from God and heaven forever.  What other religion has a God who would die for us, so we may be forgiven for sins? It literally  is a truly amazing story.

If you're one of those readers who doubt that Christ is God, I ask you to find a Bible and start reading it.  Be thorough, study it, as if you are studying for a test.  Too many times people don't believe in something, but have never done the research.   And if you are someone who truly believes in the story of Christ do not let a day go by without letting the world know about Him.  That's one of our commissions from God "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  -Matthew 28:19-20.

If you have questions about Christ please feel free to write a question in the comment area of my blog and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

The Power of a Praying Wife

I wanted to take the time to talk to the wives or future wives in my reading group. I started reading The Power of a Praying Wife when Todd and I got married five years ago. I read it at least once a year to remind me how important it is to pray for our relationship, but also to protect my husband from satan's attack. The author Stormie Omartian covers the major areas of a man's life. His job, thought life, and actions; all of these will make his relationship with his wife a good one or a bad one. I am a firm believer of prayer and Stormie does a great job at helping me pray for Todd. If you've never prayed before, wanting the best for your husband, or you're struggling in your relationship with him this is the book for you. Please dear readers read The Power of a Praying Wife. I will leave you with one of Stormie's quotes "First of all, let me make it perfectly clear that the power of a praying wife is not a means of gaining control over your husband, so don't get your hopes up! In fact, it is quite the opposite. It's laying down all claim to power in and of yourself, and relying on God's power to transform you, your husband, your circumstances, and your marriage."

The Blacksmith's Bravery

I'm sorry that this took so long, but this book was really hard to finish.  The Blacksmith's Bravery by Susan Page Davis is set in Idaho just before the turn of the century (1887).  Vashti is a former saloon girl who just recently accepted Christ into her heart.  Wanting to make it on her own she applies for the job as a stagecoach driver.  Griffin Bane owner of the livery, stagecoach, and the blacksmith shop, has too many irons in the forge so to speak.  Short on workers he finally agrees to allow Vashti to drive.

What should have been a great adventure for me as a reader; with highway robbers, romance, and an interesting plot, fell flat.  The beginning was slow with characters I didn't recognize and the author didn't take into account that someone might not have read the first two books in the series.  That would have been fine, but there really wasn't much development and I just didn't care for the side stories.  Hopefully Susan Page Davis will get better at her writing skills or I'll be avoiding her books from now on.

A Reluctant Queen

So I just finished this book A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf. This book is about the book of Esther in the Bible. Now for me I personally love the book of Esther, I think it's romantic, heroic, and by golly a great historical piece. What I can't stand is when an author takes certain liberties with factual events and distorts them! This is what Ms. Wolf did in her book A reluctant Queen, and it irritated the living day light out of me. If you're going to write about history don't bend the truth so it's more exciting, don't blatantly lie about historical characters, it's just wrong. So on that note dear readers, I strongly suggest you not read A Reluctant Queen, there are plenty of other authors who have written historically correct fictional works on the book of Esther, and they were better reads too.

Sixteen Brides

Don't you just love a good story? A story of when it finishes you're like hey I want more! Well the book Sixteen Brides is just the book for you. Stephanie Grace Whitson writes an enthralling story of sixteen women wanting to head out on their own and make a new life for themselves. This story is a great blend of humor, angst, trepidation, mystery, and love. Where the characters pop out in real life. Ms. Whitson writes with such ease as she blends several of the women's story into one. Sometimes I have a really hard time when an author writes several of the characters stories. I usually am that reader who skips the chapters of an uninteresting character just so I can read about the character that I want. Needless to say, most authors, don't blend them well enough together for me to really want to know someone elses viewpoint. Sixteen Brides is the exact opposite; I came to really care about each and every one of those woman's situation and truly put myself in the situation that they were in. With the beautiful plains of Nebraska as your backdrop and some memorable women I hope you enjoy Sixteen Brides

Question

I'm curious to see, dear readers, what your favorite Christian books are? It's been a rare past couple of days in Amarillo. The snow has actually stuck and it's really kind of cold out, so getting to the library has been low on my list. Don't worry though, I will get there and I'll be sure to get a review out to you A.S.A.P. While I'm waiting for the weather to warm up the question popped into my head. What do my readers like to read, what is their favorite author, or favorite Christian book. If you want to comment you have to become a follower, and I would love to hear from you because I'm hoping that there might be some new books I can look up to read and review. Happy reading and if you live in Amarillo stay warm :-)

Redeeming Love

My friend Carmen asked me to do a review on Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Let me preface this first that this book is for mature people. So mom's if your daughter is an avid reader, please read this book first before you allow her to read so you can judge the contents to see if it's appropriate for her. Now with this being said I will say that it is by far one of the best books about God's amazing grace and love for us. Francine takes us on Angel's journey through prostitution, marriage, and forgiveness. If you're ever wondering if God loves you or why He allowed certain things to happen to you this is the book you should read. I will also say that this is a great book to give to someone who doesn't know Christ or can't comprehend that God loves them even with their past. So dear readers I highly recommend this book!

Look to the East

This time around I read a more of a somber story about World War I. Look to the East is about a small town in France. In 1914 the village of Briecourt has a century old feud between to warring families, that divides the town in half. Julitte was adopted by the Toussaint family when she was very little. Rumors have kept her apart from the village because of where she came from and her mysterious gift that allows her to see when people die. It is with this note that the German army comes to take over the small village of Briecourt. Both families must join together to survive and hide those who need to be hidden. I haven't really ever studied World War I and it was interesting to read about it. The author Maureen Lang does a great job at setting the story around this town and their struggles before and during the war. I'm kind of a history buff so reading (I hope) the facts of what happened was intriguing. Please don't feel that I take World War I lightly. War, no matter what it, is horrible, but I strongly feel that we should never ignore history, because unfortunately history can be repeated. So this leads me to say if you like a good romance with some supense and history added to it please read Look to the East. I would like to add though that this story has a happy ending to it.

Why I mainly read Christian romance

A couple of you are probably wondering why I mainly read Christian romance.  Or maybe your not, either way I'm going to tell you.  I'm namby pamby, I'm a sally who can't suck it up and take her skirt off to wear some pants.  In all honesty I really don't like sad books, or books that freak the living day lights out of me.  I feel in this world there is enough sin and horrors to last anyone a lifetime.  Books should be a pleasant escape from every day problems, they should uplift you when you're feeling down, and for me I don't want to leave a book feeling empty.  I want my cup to be overflowing with the grace of God, the love of Jesus and just possibly at the end of the book I can say I grew closer to Him because of the authors gift and ministry to those who read.  So there, that's my reason for mainly reading Christian romance :-)  and here's to many more book reviews. Side note:  to people who are searching for peace I pray that you pick a Christian book you never know what  God has in store for you.

A Heart Divided

So I just finished A Heart Divided by Kathleen Morgan. Gah! That's all I can say, the idea of the story sounded so good. Romeo and Juliet set in the Rocky Mountains of 1878. I unfortunately was unimpressed. There were moments where I caught glimpses of a well written book, but then the story meandered from the couple hating each other to all of a sudden they're making out. Really not my cup of tea. For me A Heart Divided was exactly what I was feeling about the book. I wanted to like it, but I really couldn't because it was just too unbelievable. I will add that the message of forgiveness and how to accept Christ into your heart was put into the book, but that's about all I can say for it. Sorry friends, you just might not want to read this book.

Love and Respect

Hello Blog readers, with Black Friday being today I thought it would be appropriate to talk about a book that helped my communication with the opposite sex. Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs is a great book for basically cracking the communication code of man and woman. When Todd and I were first married I remember thinking what in the world did I do to make him mad or why would he say something so unloving. We both really appreciated how down to earth Emerson was in approaching communication, and we both benefited from it too. For example man desires respect above all else, so when a woman might innoccently question something that he's doing he automatically thinks that she's disrepecting him and in return might do something that's unloving. Thus the fighting begins. In Love and Respect you'll learn how respectfully approach a man and vice versus the man will learn how to lovingly approach the woman. If you've had problems in the past where you're like that is not what I meant, please read this book.

A Lasting Impression

Hello Readers, I have a new book for you called A lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander.  Her books are all incredibly good, I haven't read a book of hers where I thought that it was poorly written.  A Lasting Impression is set in Nashville, Tennessee just after the civil war.  Claire is a very talented, yet undiscovered artist.  Just recently losing her mother and father she is on her own in the land of Dixie.  Her adventure takes her to the Belmont Mansion where Adelicia Acklen resides.  She there runs into people who support her and nourish her talent.

I hope you read this book because it is just decadent.  The images that Ms. Alexander paints with her pen are simply beautiful.  The book is full of life, humor, and romance.  I appreciated how she wrote about how Claire found her faith.  Claire was like a flower growing, where each person added some water to her soul. So dear readers I hope you get the time to read A Lasting Impression.

Lori Wick

Well today is my day to go to the library, so I'm very excited to get some more books to read.  Don't you just love reading, it's probably one of the very few hobbies that you can do for free.  With libraries as well as books online you have a vast selection.  I'm also going to put that Amazon has now started working with local libraries to start loaning books out.  If you have a kindle, Ipad, or computer you can now borrow books and have it downloaded.  How neat is that!

I want to talk about a really awesome author instead of a book.  Her name is Lori Wick, she is from Wisconsin and she unfortunately is retired, but her books are still amazing (how's that for a loaded sentences, sorry to all of you English majors I know my grammar is horrific).  The reason why I love her is because she writes really diverse books with a solid message of faith, love, and salvation.  If you love modern, regency, western, or medieval she's the author for you.  Each book is unique; filled with romance, and sometimes suspense.  So if you're at the library or surfing the web check out a book by Lori Wick, you won't be disappointed.

Before the Season Ends

Hello readers, I hope that everyone is having a great week.  It's gotten mighty chilly here in Amarillo, Texas which is the perfect time to sit all warm and cozy with your favorite blanket to read a book.  This next book is for all you Jane Austin fans.  It is set in Regency England and the book is called Before the Season Ends by Linore Rose Burkard.  If you're not a Jane Austin fan have no fear because the writing is very easy to follow, but still plays with that times wording.  We find our main character Ariana in a bit of dilemma she feels that God is calling her to wed a man of the cloth.  Unfortunately the only man of cloth in her town is very old!  Thus why her parents whisk her off to stay with your aunt.  It would not be so bad if her aunt didn't have her own plans for Ariana.
This story is full of laughter and outrageous moments.  It truly made me smile.  It also had some meat and potatoes for you Christian readers.  For instance it broaches the subject of should you marry someone who is not a believer.  With this topic and a girl who prays about everything; this book nourished my soul as well as tickled me silly.  I hope you enjoy reading Before the Season Ends, I sure did.

Love on the Line

Hello Everyone, sorry for the long delay, I have been having problems with being able to post on my blog.  With that said, I'm excited to review this next book.  I hope you get the time to read it.  Love on the Line by Deeanne Gist takes us to the wild wild west where the train robbers are stars and the industrial revolution is starting to boom.  Georgie Gail is a forward thinking woman who has a job as a switchboard operator in Brenham, Texas.  Her position is revered by most woman because of her ability to live on her own and have a job.  She's a fun and lively character who has a very passionate hobby of watching birds.  This is also leads her into some mischief, I don't want to give anything else away, so please dear readers READ THIS BOOK!

As you can see I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there was humor, mystery, and a great historical picture of times past.  Deeanne Gist does a great job at adding historical facts in her stories, so you'll always walk away with a little bit of education too.  This would be considered a light Christian book in my viewpoint.  There isn't much talk about faith, and most likely you won't leave with a sense that you grew closer to God.  For instance a Francine Rivers book always makes me think about my spiritual walk with God, whereas this book is mainly a fun read.  Happy Reading.

When Life is Hard

With my large amount of great library finds done, I thought I would write about a book that has really helped me out when I was struggling with some things in my life.  James MacDonald's book When Life is Hard was an incredibly helpful book.  He researched the Bible to see how we as Christians should handle difficult periods in our lives.  Taking four scriptures he breaks it down for us and takes us step by step or prayer by prayer to handle our struggle.  If you're having a rough time with anything whether finances, relationships broken, or health this is the book for you.  I'll leave you with this quote from the book.
    "I've come to see that being tested by God is very loving.  Frankly, I'd rather find out now that I don't have    the real thing than get to heaven and be surprised.  You want your faith tested.  You want to put your full weight down on the faith that you have in Christ and see if it holds up, because if your faith hasn't changed you, it hasn't saved you.  Better to find out while there is still time to get it right."  James MacDonald.

Megan's Hero

Hello :-)  I absolutely love books that meander through courtship, where the worst thing that happens to them is a misunderstanding.  Isn't that how relationships work in real life?  Yes there are trials and hardships, but let's be honest most courtships don't have a pirate kidnapping a fair damsel.  Though don't get me wrong I like my swash buckling books too, but there's something about a well written every day courtship.  If you're like me you'll enjoy Megan's Hero by Sharon Gillenwater.

Megan (our main character) finds herself pregnant and in the middle of a tornado in West Texas.  On a deserted highway with nothing but her wits to keep her alive; she runs to the nearest ditch to try to save herself and her unborn baby.  This book is set in Modern time in good ol' West Texas.  I liked that I was also able to recognize the geography (since I have been living in the Panhandle for two years).  Will and Megan's story is truly a story of strong character and how God really does pursue you with a mighty passion.  If you are doubting that God has His hand in your life, please read this book, because it's far from the truth.  He loves you and no matter where you've been or what you've done He has a great plan for you.  This story was a nice glass of sweet tea in the middle of a Texan summer.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A Suitor for Jenny

Hello Dear Readers.  I hope that everyone had a great Sunday.  We as a family always try and do a movie night with the kids on Sunday.  I make it a point to not cook at all that day, so we make popcorn for dinner and spread out a big blanket to watch a movie.  Very fun, and I hope my kids can remember fun traditions like that.  Yesterday I also had a chance to finish a fun book by Margaret Brownley.  Her book was called A Suitor for Jenny.  At first I must admit I judged the book by it's cover and I almost didn't pick it up.  I am very relieved that I didn't do this, the book handles such questions as; does God care about my life, can he really forgive everything, and how do you have a relationship with Him?  Among those questions was a thoroughly enjoyable story that brought the characters to life for me.

The book opens up to a grumpy old man watching as a stagecoach enters into a small Texas town of 1881.  What he foresees is trouble when three very beautiful young ladies step off of the coach.  Jenny (our main character and the oldest of the three sisters) only wants the best for her sisters and the best for her sisters is finding husbands for them that are financially stable.  In this irresistible story you are able to climb in the book and live with these characters.  You'll soon grow to love them and truly see where they're coming from.  I hope you pick up this book and read more about Jenny and her love for her sisters.

A Great Catch

Hello Readers, Now usually it takes me at least two nap times to finish a book, but sorry to say, this one did not hold my interest and I skipped to the end to see what happened. A Great Catch is the second book written by Lorna Seilstad. Her first book was ok, but since she's a fairly new author I wanted to give her a chance. This book was better then the first, but it seemed to tary on things that didn't interest me that much. Thus why I skipped to the end.

A Great Catch is set in the early 1900's, when women's rights were restricted and the cry for more choices such as the right to vote was beginning to stir in the women. This book had a great plot, but it seemed to have too many eggs in the basket (if you know what I mean). Emily Graham is a forward thinking woman of twenty-two. Who wants to see the right for women to vote and is willing to sacrifice anything. With a couple of aunts who want to see her married and a brother who seems to pester her it would seem to be the ingredients for a fun lighthearted book. Unfortunately, there was just too much going on and I would have liked the author to stick to one or two things. But as Lavar says in Reading Rainbow "Don't take my word on it". Have fun reading!

A PJ Sugar Novel

Well this week the flu has run it's course through the whole entire family. So we have been housebound watching movie after movie. My husband (who is amazing) let me get out of the house to go to the library one evening. Now you might be thinking the library! That's not very fun, but truthfully it's a great place, and it's free. Let me tell you dear readers how very rare it is for me to go to the library by myself. Usually it is with all three kids in tow and I have precisely fifteen minutes to search for books before someone starts crying or pulling books off the shelf. Needless to say you can't do the library justice with children in tow :-)

With my trip to the Library I was able to pick up four books, so be prepared to be inundated by my posts. The first book I read was a book by Susan May Warren. If you don't know much about her she writes books set in todays time and there is always a little bit of mystery in them. License for Trouble is book three of a series called A PJ Sugar Novel. These books take you on PJ Sugar's journey. She is an adopted daughter who was considered the black sheep of the family and she is trying to fit herself back in to a small town and family after being gone for ten years.

Now that I've given you a bit of some background I'll let you know what I thought about License for Trouble. I'll admit I liked it, but there were some things that kind of drove me nuts. For one, there was a love triangle in the book. I'm not a big fan of those because truthfully it doesn't make sense. I'm sure there are plenty of people that can relate to loving two people at the same time, but for me that has never happened to me. Also if you haven't read the first two books you will kindof be left in the dark with a lot of things. There is a great mystery and I always love a rock em' sock em' mystery and this book has it. PJ the main character is essentially a broken woman who needs to find herself in a world that remembers her past and labels her for it. It's a great book about remembering we are new in Christ, and I loved that that message was brought home in such an intricate way. So if you love a good mystery and can handle a love triangle I recommend this book to you. Enjoy reading!

Snow Day and the First Book

  Last night while I was feeding Liv (my four month old)  I had this great idea to write about Christian books I've been reading.  I'm kind of a voracious reader and I always wanted to let the world know which books I liked, disliked, or I thought were so so.  So here is my first book and by far one of my favorite authors wrote it.  The Colonel's Lady was written by Laura Frantz.  This book is set in beautiful Kentucky of 1779.  Roxanna Rowan has decided to travel to where her Father is stationed after the recent death of her mother.  The book starts off with her a couple of days away from entering the fort.  With a Colonel struggling with his own battles Roxanna walks in to a very complex situation.  I don't want to give anything else away, but allow me to say that this book was full of surprises.

 I absolutely loved how seamlessly the book was written.  Laura Frantz did a great job.  The story line was believable, and the characters were made alive in my mind.  I also like that faith and growth in Jesus Christ was effortlessly included.  Sometimes when I read books the message of Christ is almost thrown in there as an after thought and this book is not one of them.  The daily struggles of life and how Roxanna clung to God was encouraging to me, and I learned a lesson about forgiveness as well.  So my dear readers please pick up the book Colonel's Lady you will not be disappointed, and if you have the time read Laura Frantz's other books too.