My Own Worst Enemy

Hello!
Isn't the word Hello just fun to say, a lot of times it can bring a smile to someone face instantly.  So that's why I usually start off with a big ol' Hello!  Because I truly hope when you read my blog you're smiling.  You may be wondering why I'm writing today, a Saturday.  Well I received so many page views these couple of days and books from some awesome publishers that I have to start doing a nonfiction book day and a fiction book day.  Thus why I'm writing on Saturday.  Saturday's are now the new nonfiction book days!  I hope you enjoy it and start digging into some awesome nonfiction books.

Bethany House Publishers very nicely gave me my first free book in hopes for my honest review and taking this from another reviewer I am honestly very happy about doing that.

Ok back to work.  My Own Worst Enemy by Janet Davis is really for women readers.  This book looks at your fears and what is holding you back.  Taking stories of women from the Bible and using examples of herself Ms. Davis dissects our thought life, actions, and emotions to get down to the nitty gritty of what is holding us back.

Ms. Davis does a great job at truly making sure that her book is sound in Biblical doctrine.  Not only does she use examples of Biblical women but she supports her findings with verses and doctrinal teaching.  What a relief to read a "self-help" book and know that it doesn't have any fluff in it.  I also really appreciated her using examples of women struggling with some of the same fears that her readers might be struggling.  Telling their story was uplifting.  So dear readers if your feeling as if you're hiding behind insecurities or if God is asking you to take a leap and you're scared, please read My Own Worst Enemy.  You will not regret it.

Proverbs 31:30
     Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.  NABS 


Out of everything in this verse I'm caught by the words "fears the Lord".  What does that mean necessarily?  You see I grew up in a household where I had no fear of my Dad.  I remember my dad saying "Breeze do you know how much I love you?  I love you so much, but God loves you a million times more."  I grew up knowing that God loved me more then life itself, I did not grow up with a fear of the Lord.  So reading this verse I am at a loss with how to fear God.  In Hebrew, fear can take many forms: revere, shake, and awe are just a few of its meaning.  I imagine that when I meet God at the end of my life I will be on my knees shaking because of His enormity and wonder.  When I revere God it is with a humble heart realizing how much He has done and will be doing in each of our lives.  Foremost, being in awe of such a great and wonderful God who created sunrises, my children, and beauty all around us.  Fearing the Lord when I see it in these terms makes it slightly easier to understand this verse.  

To Win Her Heart

Hello World :-)
I'm not very tencho savvy and fortunately I was looking at my blog and this page came up blank.  Why I don't know, since I wrote a very nice explanation of why I've been gone, an awesome review and what my plans are for this specific blog spot.  So once again I start typing my explanation grrr.....

These last couple of weeks I have been seriously considering what I wanted to do with this blog.  I wanted to write reviews at least twice a week but I was struggling with being a wife and mother doing that.  Then to top it off I was wondering how I would be able to receive new books without paying them.  As always I'm a little slow on the uptake but it finally occurred to me that I might just want to pray about it.  Sure enough God placed in me this idea.  I will contact publishing companies and ask if they'll send me books to review.  Sure enough Bethany House has very nicely started doing that.  I will continue to look for new books in the library and Amazon, but hopefully you'll start seeing some fresh new books from Bethany House as well.  My plan is to have my reviews up on Wednesdays.  One review of a book and then a little encouragement from the Bible.  I felt very convicted that since I read the Bible everyday my readers should get a little of it as well.  So dear readers there you have it, why I've been gone and what my plans are for this blog.

To Win Her Heart

Might I add the new and improved website with the awesome looking book cover.  A good many times I definitely judge a book by the cover.  If I'm not liking the cover a lot and I mean a lot of the time I don't even bother reading the back.  Thank goodness this was a great cover.  Look at it, doesn't it just scream with curiosity?  A gently well bred lady back to back with a rugged looking man (blacksmith I read the back of the cover hehe).  Who wouldn't want to start reading this book!

We start our book with Levi Grant.  Levi just moved in to the town of Spencer and is looking to start his new life there.  With a secret past and halting speech Eden Spencer is quick to judge him as not being bright.  This unlikely couple go on a fun adventure of courtship where they get to know each other at.... yep.... the library :-)

I thoroughly enjoyed To Win Her Heart not only is the message of forgiveness, sacrifice, and love so wonderfully mixed in, it's also a beautiful fun love story.  Where two unlikely people find that they have a lot in common.  I hope you read Karen Witemeyer's book you will not regret it!

Proverbs 31:28
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ESV Standard


Every day my husband wakes up and has a quiet time, every day I tell myself today is going to be the day that I wake up with him.  Unfortunately I think I'm sleep deprived from having three kids under three, but fortunately God has placed in my heart to have a quiet time with him no matter how late I get up.  Recently I've been reading the Proverbs 31 woman ( I like to call it that).  This woman bless her heart has it all, wakes up early, makes great business deals, serves diverse food to her family, mends and prepares all clothes, looks awesome (she probably even showers everyday), and still has time to make her household run smoothly.  Who wouldn't want to be that woman!  Though I am far from that, I want to constantly be sanctified, to draw myself closer to God in my jobs as wife, mother, and teacher.  One day I hope to hear my children bless me and my husband praise me, but what I want to hear most is God saying "Well done good and faithful servant".

Serendipity

The clash of two cultures come together in the book Serendipity by Cathy Marie Hake. Todd Valmer finds himself in need of a doctor when his mother mysteriously faints on their way back to his farm. The train drops him off at Maggie Rose's house for healing and possibly love? Can Todd and Maggie find love with an interefering mother, and cultures that differ in every aspect? Cathy Marie Hake once again takes us on a fun adventure of courtship and love. I really enjoyed how Maggie handled Todd's mom with the love of Jesus. She also does a great job at writing about married life and that it's not always roses and sunshine. There is misunderstanding, love, hurt, and acceptance. If you love a good story that maps out how two people can come together and make marriage work you'll love this book.

Edwina

This book I found on Amazon top 100 free books for the kindle.  If you're a kindle owner or Ipad owner you should always look there on a weekly basis because there truly are some great reads. Ok now on to the book. We find our character Edwina in a bit of a predicament.  Her sister was supposed to go on a tour of Scotland with her, but unfortunately had been called away because of a family tragedy.   By herself in a foreign land her lack of confidence puts her in a tough position.  Thus allowing the perfect story for the shining knight to come rescue her.

I cannot say that this book was boring or in anyway not entertaining.  I will say though that the Edwina was hard to like.  Her lack of confidence and low self-esteem was hard for me to swallow, and though she did grow through the story it wasn't leaps and bounds like I would have liked her to.  Because of that and the slight transitional problems I can't say that this was the best book I've read in ages.  A decent read, with room for improvement.

Jenna's Cowboy

This book was really an amazing read about a great courtship and healing of a soldier. It is also a tale from the male's perspective too. Nate is a returning soldier whose enlistment has ended. He returns home to Callahan Crossing to help his parents on the farm and long time crush on Jenna. You'll love the journey they have together and the challenges that they meet together. I was really naive about the effects of war on our soldiers, and Sharon Gillenwater really does a great job about telling us the sacrifice that they gave to our country. Really we see Nate's journey of recovery and how God really works in him through friends and family. This book also made me realize how important our soldier's are and how important it is to pray for them when they return to civilian lifestyle. I hope you read Jenna's Cowboy, I thought it was a great book!

A Necessary Deception

Set in the Regency Era, A Necessary Deception takes you into the high society of England.  Where mystery and espionage is active.  We find widower Lydia Gale in a tight position after helping a French prisoner gain his freedom.  She has unwittingly put herself in the hands of spies.

With the reviews on the back of the book I thought this would be like it said a "page-turning story" but unfortunately I found it to be page-turning for the wrong reasons.  I just wanted to get done with the book so I didn't need to read it anymore.  I'm sure others found it interesting because the detail of Regency England is accurate and beautiful, but other then that I had a hard time with it.  Laurie Alice Eakes I'm sure is a great author and researcher, this however, was not one of her greatest books.

To re-read or not to re-read?

Hello World,  lately I've been re-reading books, because almost all good books need to be re-read.  I love that I already know the end so there isn't a question of who is going to win the girl, or what the mystery is all about.  It's like seeing a friend you haven't seen in ages, but you know there won't be any awkward moments from being gone so long.  That's what re-reading a book is for me (bliss).

Do you enjoy re-reading a book?  What are your thoughts?  I would love to hear back from you :-)