Book Review: Brave Girls Devotional

Are you ready to be a brave girl?

Join Hope, Glory, Faith, Honor, and Gracie as they discover that the closer they are to God, the more He makes ordinary girls like them strong and courageous! Learn with them how to be brave at school, at home, in sports, with friends—pretty much everywhere! Even when struggles are big . . . He is bigger.

This devotional includes a year’s worth of readings with amazing stories from Scripture, lots of fun quizzes and illustrations, and powerful truths such as:

• I always have the power to love others because God loved me first.
• I can talk to God about anything, whenever I need to!
• God loves me for who I am, even when I’m different from everyone else.
• God can use someone small like me to do big things with Him.

 Come along with these encouraging friends for the adventure of a lifetime—growing closer to God!

My Review:  Yes!  I want to be brave girl!  This year's worth of devotionals in it's hardbound, bright pink cover with it's whimsical animation of young girls is both eye catching and beautiful!  This devotional not only gives a daily scripture but a powerful message, catchy page title and relevant topics for young girls and tweens.  

I've seen a lot of devotionals, including ones for children, but this one by far stands out in the crowd for little girls!

"Winner gives all"

It is more blessed to give than to receive

~Acts 20:35

It gives a wonderful devotion as well as a quick story line and examples of how you can live this example in real life.  There are questions and answers for a quick way to incorporate ideas in a little girl's life and events that could play out, like being asked to wipe down a table and pretending not to hear.  There is a place for journaling and writing down thoughts through-out the devotional as well, as well as precious little prayer pointers!

If I had to describe this book in two words, it's super sensational!  A beautiful way to use the gospel to witness to those coming of age and going through a time in their lives that is already stressful with making the right decisions and peer pressure.  

 

 Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

 

KJV Journal the Word: Bible Review

Journal the Word bible is a gorgeously designed bible with a solid color cover, delicate onion skin style pages with single spaces lined sidebars to write thoughts, journal notes and even stamp and color!

Bible journaling is one of the newest phenomenons that has taken over the bible and christian book industry.  I've had the opportunity to see many in a variety of bookstores but this bible far and wide stands out well above the crowd!  The cover is sturdy yet it's also a great statement piece on a bookshelf and a conversation starter for a coffee table. This bible is appropriate for either males or females, as the journaling art experience has caught on across the creative board.  

The inside pages have standard biblical print in both the Old and New Testament. The sidebar space for journaling and coloring is about 2" x 7".  The paper is strudy enough to stamp and color and marker and write on with no worries.  It does not bleed through.  However, please note that  I played it safe and colored with colored pencils rather than bold colored markers.  I used a few 'test' pages in the back of the bible and didn't have any issues!  The side is lined with gold and there is a beautiful satin ribbon bookmark sewn into the binding so you will have a way to remember you space where you left off.  Just a gorgeous bible, for keepsakes, creations, and gift giving!

It's also a very heavy book, especially if you are carrying this in a bible case or purse ~ it has some weight to it!  The large print is so much easier to read and follow along and highlight, and create on the pages with coordinating artistic designs.  I've seen this bible in the smaller print and this is so much easier to read.   I wear glasses with a moderate prescription for reading (heavy for long distance) and this large print is perfect for me. 
  How much I absolutely LOVE this bible is beyond measure.  It's beautiful and sturdy and really spurs the creative process.   God asks of us to read and share His word as the gospel and to be creative as individuals.  What a wonderful world to be able to combine the two and creatively express our understanding of the world through art and journaling and drawing!  

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: The Silent Songbird

 

My Review:  I'd like to confess one thing. I picked up this book after seeing the gorgeous cover and reading the quick book jacket insert about a gifted girl with a heavenly voice.  I have a gifted daughter with a heavenly voice so my interest was peaked.  Combine that with a walk through English history during the time of King Richard's rule, Lords and ladies and castles and countryside manors, dashing knights and fair maidens, and I'm already smitten!

To have read it, I'm now aware that Melanie Dickerson was on point with her storyline, character development in this exquisite time piece.  4 well deserved stars right out of the gate, and the number stayed right there as Silent Songbird did not disappoint.

 "Jesus, is that what you would wish me to do? 

 Comply and submit and allow myself to be married off to someone 

who makes my stomach churn and skin crawl?" ~ book excerpt

Just as the title suggests, Evangeline is to be married off as a pawn in the time when young ladies of the court often did not have a say in whom they married or what happened to them, as they were pawns to be played in the games of greater gains.  Her harmonous voice is, at the onset, silence by her own doing in order to gain her freedom and escape an arranged married to a horrible twice her age older man. Masquerading as deaf and as a servant, Evangeline travels in seclusion to hopefully freedom.  

She encounters many trials and tribulations along her journey to Glynval, home of Wesley Wyse, a kind and gentle soul understanding the world's need for peace in a time of rebellion.  Because "Eva" is pretending to be mute to save herself from an arranged marriage, they commute through writing and one sided conversations.  That is until Eva needs to save Wesley and gives up her secret.  

Eva's strong faith and constant talks with God are resonant through out The Silent Songbird.  She is a royal but her heart is one of the people's people, respectful of the lives that everyone is living, fortunate and less fortunate.  She mentions how the "Lord is close to those broken hearted and saves those crushed in spirit" and she maintains a steady grace and voice that gifts us readers from start to finish.

 

4/5 stars

 

Book Jacket: Evangeline is gifted with a heavenly voice, but she is trapped in a sinister betrothal—until she embarks on a daring escape and meets brave Westley le Wyse. Can he help her discover the freedom to sing again? 

Desperate to flee a political marriage to her cousin King Richard II’s closest advisor, Lord Shiveley—a man twice her age with shadowy motives—Evangeline runs away and joins a small band of servants journeying back to Glynval, their home village.

Pretending to be mute, she gets to know Westley le Wyse, their handsome young leader, who is intrigued by the beautiful servant girl. But when the truth comes out, it may shatter any hope that love could grow between them.

More than Evangeline’s future is at stake as she finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue that threatens England’s monarchy. Should she give herself up to protect the only person who cares about her? If she does, who will save the king from a plot to steal his throne?

 
Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: The Wedding Shop

From The New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Dress comes The Wedding Shop.

Book Description:
Two women separated by decades. Both set out to help others find their dreams when their own have crumbled.
It's the early 1930s, but Cora Scott is walking in stride as a career woman ​after having inherited her great aunt's wedding shop in Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, where brides come from as far away as Birmingham to experience her famed bridal treatment. Meanwhile, Cora is counting down the days until her own true love returns from the river to make her his bride. But days turn into months and months to years. All the while, Birch Good continues to woo Cora and try to show her that while he is solid and dependable, he can sweep her off her feet.
​More than eighty years later, former ​Air Force Captain Haley Morgan has returned home to Heart's Bend after finishing her commitment to military service. After the devastating death of her best friend, Tammy, and discovering the truth about the man she loved, Haley is searching for her place in life.
When Haley decides to reopen the romantic but abandoned wedding shop where she and Tammy played and dreamed as children, she begins a journey of courage, mystery, and love.
As Cora’s and ​Haley's stories intertwine through time in the shadow of the beloved wedding shop, they both discover the power of their own dreams and the magic of everyday love.

My Review: 

"We'll come back here one day and own this wedding shop."

 "Pinky promise." 

"Pinky promise."

The lightning flickered, kissing the front window again.  Haley jumped up and ran screaming aroudn the shop with Tammy in pursuit.

Because make-believe was what best friends did.

But make-believe ended.

Best friends were forever.

And pinky promises could never be broken. ~book excerpt

Having read and enjoyed Rachel Hauck's The Wedding Dress, I greatly looked forward to this novel.  Right on cue, it did not disappoint.
Taking place in two different eras and times, alternating between the store of Cora and Rufus, the local riverboat captain, and Birch (past) and Haley and Cole (present day).  Each brings love, heartbreak, mystery, and ultimately friendship to the chapters that enrich this wonderful novel.

The story is a tale of wedding shop, gifted to Cora in the rural country of Heart's Bend, Tennessee and she sews and sells wedding dresses to the many brides that walk through her door.  Ironically, she rebuffs love from a local while pining away for a riverboat captain. Flash forward to current day, Haley is now out of the military and home again after the untimely death of her best friend, trying to run the wedding store she promised her best friend she would. 

"That's when she heard God speak.  Like a strange echo from her Jesus-freak teen years.  His gentle voice was a soft rain over the dry, craggy terrain of her heart.

Go home." ~ book except

Complications arrise when the fiance' is also there to help pick up the pieces, both from each other.  I laughed, I cried, I thought and I prayed right along with the couples in this book. 

4/5 stars
  
Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: Twilight at Blueberry Barrens

My review:
It's not very often that an author can reach into your faith and pull out the threads of loss and sadness that you carry as a burden heavier than a wet woolen blanket, but somehow - reading Twilight at Blueberry Barrens, Colleen Coble mananaged to do just that for me. Except for the recipe for Okra brownies (admittedly, I have not tried them but fear I will not, either!), I loved every part of this book. 

"I see you wincing.  The entire world doesn't rest on your shoulders.  It's your turn to find out what you really want out of life.  What makes you happy and fulfilled.  God gave you specific gifts, and you're not using them at all." ~ book excerpt

Those are the poetic and fortifying words that Shelley said to Kate as they pondered the life's events unfolding and deciding to venture to Rock Harbor.  These words resonate through-out the novel as truly we are often times at unknown places, unsure of the future and stuck in the past, terrified to move thinking "what if I fail?"  This book, however, is so much more than making choices!  It's about a foundation, written beautifully in the previous books (see her Sunset Cove series, as Blueberry Barren is the third book in the series) of faith and family and ties that bind.  

Murder, mystery, denial, loss, redemption ........ this book truly brings out the characters in full life.  You can smell the dinners cooking, the horses whinny, the sounds of the salty sea smashing against the rocks at the coast ......... just delightfully written and draws the reader in right up on the conclusion.  I loved the connection the author connected between people.  It gives you a glimpse into the lives that we don't know.  The cantankerous old man that lives down the street, or the lady in deli that is always seems to be in a bad mood ... there is usually a reason.  A story.  Such is the case between Claire and her sister Kate, desperately hoping for a baby of her own.  When her sister Claire is the one that gets that positive pregnancy test, she remains happy for her sister yet hopeful for her self, too.  What a testament in faith and family!   

"God always provided a way out of her difficulties.  He wasn't going to fail her now." 

~ book excerpt

This book was hard to put down - and after I closed the last chapter, felt God's presence in my own daily tasks.  Just a little note - while it's helpful to read the previous books in the series, it's not an absolute necessity ... you can pick up and read along and enjoy the novel just the same.  

5 stars!

Book Description: 
I need you to keep these girls safe . . .”

Kate Mason has devoted herself to caring for her family’s blueberry barrens. But after her fields stop producing fruit, she’s forced to come up with alternative ways to make a living.
Renting out the small cottage on her property seems an obvious choice, but it won’t be enough. When entrepreneur Drake Newham shows up looking not only for a place to rent but also for a nanny for his two nieces, it’s almost too good to be true. And maybe it is—because Drake brings with him dangerous questions about who might be out to kill his family. The more time Kate spends with Drake and the girls, the more difficult it becomes to hide her attraction to him. But a family crisis isn’t exactly the ideal time to pursue a romance.
Meanwhile, Kate learns that her uncle—in prison for murder—has escaped. Add to that a local stalker who won’t leave her alone, and Kate is looking over her shoulder at every turn. With threats swirling from multiple directions, she wonders if her blueberry fields will ever flourish again . . . or if this twilight is her last.
Set on the beautiful coast of Maine, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens brings together suspense, romance, and the hope that one day new life will come again.

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: Just A Kiss

Just a kiss

by: Denise Hunter

Book Description:  Riley Callahan’s plans to reveal his secret feelings for his best friend are derailed when his life is drastically altered in Afghanistan.
Watching the love of his life fall for his brother was enough to send Riley straight to boot camp. But over a year later, he’s officially a marine, and Beau and Paige are no longer an item. When Riley’s tour in Afghanistan is up, he intends to confess his feelings to Paige and win his best friend’s heart once and for all.
But all that changes when an IED takes the life of a comrade and leaves Riley an amputee. Now he’s heading home, injured and troubled. His plans to win Paige are a distant dream. She deserves so much more than the man that’s left. All he can do now is put some healthy distance between them. But upon his return he discovers his family has arranged for him to stay with Paige.
Paige is a nurturer at heart and happy to take care of her best buddy. By all appearances Riley is adjusting miraculously well to his disability. But as the days pass, Paige begins to see that the smiles and laughter are just a mask for the pain he’s hiding. To make matters worse, her job is in serious jeopardy. The animal shelter that she’s poured her heart into has lost its funding, and she has three months to come up with the money needed to save it.
As the weeks wear on, Paige’s feelings for Riley begin to shift into uncharted territory. Why is she suddenly noticing his arm muscles and the way his lips curl at the corners? Will she be able to deny her feelings for another Callahan brother? And will Riley let his heart heal so he can let Paige in?

My review: "Improve.  Adapt.  Overcome."  Words of solidity, strength, courage - words that Riley has beaten into himself as he struggles to live the life now his and the memories of what used to be.  These three powerful words resonate through the depth of this book. I am passionately interested in books that have love stories entwined with scripture quotes and faith based themes!

Riley Callahan just can't seem to catch a break when it comes to winning the girl of his dream, Paige.  Paige Warren is dating his brother and it's tearing him apart, so after his father's death he abruptly leaves for the Marines.  While there, he is injured and sent home to recover, mentally, physically, spiritually.  Paige is struggling to keep her dog rescue shelter open and suggests Riley stay with her while he continues to heal, as they are best friends.  Or so she thinks!  She soon realizes that not only do her feelings run deeper than just 'best friend status', but they overcome obstacles together - from Riley forgetting the faucet and flooding the rescue shelter to Paige needing Riley to be one of the 12 men at the bachelor auction.  

I loved the complicated relationship that Paige and Riley share and conquer.  The author does a good job of showing profound emotion through her writing.  At times I wanted to shake the book and make Riley wake up and see the love Paige was offering him!  I can also understand how Riley's amputated leg could make him feel like he is less of a man and wasn't enough to offer Paige.  She's suffered enough and the loss was already weighing heavy on her heart.  The mix of the rest of the supporting cast like cantankerous Miss Trudy and her strife with Sheriff Colton, and Lucy and brothers Beau and Zac just really gave this novel a well rounded homespun, family feel.

"Help her, God.  Remind her that she's loved."

Indeed, with the blessings of His grace in our lives, we are always loved.  The friendship blossoming into romance for Paige and Riley is a wonderful reminder that indeed, we are!

4/5 stars

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Book Review: There will be Stars

There will be Stars

by:  Billy Coffey

Book Description:  No one in Mattingly ever believed Bobby Barnes would live to see old age. Drink would either rot Bobby from the inside out or dull his senses just enough to send his truck off the mountain on one of his nightly rides. Although Bobby believes such an end possible—and even likely—it doesn’t stop him from taking his twin sons Matthew and Mark into the mountains one Saturday night. A sharp curve, blinding headlights, metal on metal, his sons’ screams. Bobby’s final thought as he sinks into blackness is a curious one—There will be stars.

Yet it is not death that greets him beyond the veil. Instead, he returns to the day he has just lived and finds he is not alone in this strange new world. Six others are trapped with him.

Bobby soon discovers that this supposed place of peace is actually a place of secrets and hidden dangers. Along with three others, he seeks to escape, even as the world around him begins to crumble. The escape will lead some to greater life, others to endless death . . . and Bobby Barnes to understand the deepest nature of love.

My rewiew:    There Will Be Stars is a refreshing read, both captivating and thought provoking.  In my humble opinion, this interesting book reads like a cross between The Shack (the book) and Groundhog Day (the movie) with many turns along the way giving it a real meat and potatoes kind of feel to it.

And speaking of turn, that's exactly what Bobby Barnes calls the continual loop replaying the events happening in his life, The Turn. He replays the events in his life and his twin sons.  The wonderful cast of characters almost feels like you are watching a broadway production of a show - from costume changes to accents in the languages. In addition, the book centers on the 6 other supporting cast members as well, each facing roadblocks or turmoil in their lives.    Super well written.  I thoroughly enjoyed making a mental image in my head of which actors would play each part - I was that spellbound.

This book definitely is one that makes you think! After reading this book, I'm curious as to the author's sense of writing and his depth of making it come to life so well.  I wouldn't call it a page turner or rivesting, and it does lag in parts - but stick with it.  It's worth the end.

4/5 stars for me.

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Program, in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."