On sale Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
A SON'S VOW by SHELLEY SHEPARD GRAY
The story is set in Charm ,Ohio where it is a tight knit group of people live and look out for each other. As the story begins, the town is faced with a tragedy that happened at the local lumber mill. Many families have lost loved ones and each are dealing with their grief in different ways. The rumors in the town is that Darla's father may have caused the accident. Her family tries to understand what has happened, but it is hard when they have lost their dad in the accident also.
The book is an emotional journey for this quaint town. While most of the town has moved on, some have kept their anger and bitterness deep in their heart. I loved the raw emotions the characters went through. What would you do if you had lost a family member in an accident and believed someone was at fault? The accident changes Aaron, Darlas' brother into an angry, and somewhat violent young man. The author has done a brilliant job of showing what happens when you let bitterness enter your heart. Is Aaron angry because he couldn't save his dad that day? Will he be able to keep his vow to his dad? Can Darla hold her head up everyday as some of the townspeople lash out at her?
With every page I turned, I felt more compassion for these characters as they started to reach their breaking point. Why is it so hard for us to forgive ? I loved Darla and her meekness towards her brother and others who brought her to tears many times. Her gentle spirit was inspiring and a great lesson for others . Do we turn the other cheek when we are hurt by someone? This is another outstanding book written by an author who I have come to respect by her sweet spirit that flows so smoothly across the pages . Her beautiful story touches the depth of hurt and anger and gracefully walks the characters to a loving and forgiving God. Along the way you will meet several other key characters that reach out to help those who are suffering and show the real meaning of friendship and unconditional love. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves to read a story that grabs you from the beginning and leaves you with a feeling of peace and hope. Be sure to watch for the next in this series called, A DAUGHTER'S DREAM from THE CHARMED AMISH LIFE series.
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
The book is an emotional journey for this quaint town. While most of the town has moved on, some have kept their anger and bitterness deep in their heart. I loved the raw emotions the characters went through. What would you do if you had lost a family member in an accident and believed someone was at fault? The accident changes Aaron, Darlas' brother into an angry, and somewhat violent young man. The author has done a brilliant job of showing what happens when you let bitterness enter your heart. Is Aaron angry because he couldn't save his dad that day? Will he be able to keep his vow to his dad? Can Darla hold her head up everyday as some of the townspeople lash out at her?
With every page I turned, I felt more compassion for these characters as they started to reach their breaking point. Why is it so hard for us to forgive ? I loved Darla and her meekness towards her brother and others who brought her to tears many times. Her gentle spirit was inspiring and a great lesson for others . Do we turn the other cheek when we are hurt by someone? This is another outstanding book written by an author who I have come to respect by her sweet spirit that flows so smoothly across the pages . Her beautiful story touches the depth of hurt and anger and gracefully walks the characters to a loving and forgiving God. Along the way you will meet several other key characters that reach out to help those who are suffering and show the real meaning of friendship and unconditional love. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves to read a story that grabs you from the beginning and leaves you with a feeling of peace and hope. Be sure to watch for the next in this series called, A DAUGHTER'S DREAM from THE CHARMED AMISH LIFE series.
I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.
BREAKING FREE by JENNIFER SLATTERY
Alice and Trent seem to have the perfect life. Trent has a high paying job and Alice is very involved in church activities . They have two boys that seem well adjusted and enjoy sports. Everything seems to be going well until Trent starts to slip. He turns to drinking and then becomes involved in gambling. It is hard to keep these things from his wife as their money starts dwindling and his moods being to swing. That is how subtle the enemy is. He comes into your life, dangles enticing things at you and before you know it the trap is set.
I really enjoyed how Alice tried so hard to hang on to their marriage by being there for Trent until he stared shutting her out. Trent knew he was in big trouble and couldn't find a way out. He had gotten involved with some veangeroys men and needed to find a way to pay his debt. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom , before we reach out for help. The story is well written and very faith based. The anguish they both felt was written with raw emotions and you could feel their desperation. It is hard for us to forgive when we are so hurt, but when you finally surrender, the feeling of peace surrounds you. Alice and Trent both needed to ask God to forgive them and slowly allow Him to confort then. The book is filled with a great message of hope, forgiveness and renewal. The characters are well written and you can feel yourself glued to the story as they try to restore what the enemy had tried to destroy. I was a bit surprised that the story seemed to end abruptly or felt like it was rushed. I wanted the author to spend a little more time on writing about restoration of a marriage . The children seemed to not be involved in working together with their parents to restore the family. Overall it is a good story that deals with a marriage torn apart and the trails the couple go through to get their life back on track.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
I really enjoyed how Alice tried so hard to hang on to their marriage by being there for Trent until he stared shutting her out. Trent knew he was in big trouble and couldn't find a way out. He had gotten involved with some veangeroys men and needed to find a way to pay his debt. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom , before we reach out for help. The story is well written and very faith based. The anguish they both felt was written with raw emotions and you could feel their desperation. It is hard for us to forgive when we are so hurt, but when you finally surrender, the feeling of peace surrounds you. Alice and Trent both needed to ask God to forgive them and slowly allow Him to confort then. The book is filled with a great message of hope, forgiveness and renewal. The characters are well written and you can feel yourself glued to the story as they try to restore what the enemy had tried to destroy. I was a bit surprised that the story seemed to end abruptly or felt like it was rushed. I wanted the author to spend a little more time on writing about restoration of a marriage . The children seemed to not be involved in working together with their parents to restore the family. Overall it is a good story that deals with a marriage torn apart and the trails the couple go through to get their life back on track.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
LOVE'S GIFT
In the first of eight great stories we find MISTLETOE IN MONTANA by BELLE CALHOUNE. It is a cute story about Brianna who comes back home after a disastrous marriage. She finds out the ranch she grew up is being sold to an old boyfriend named Luke. I enjoyed the interaction between Brianna and her father. Is it possible to start a new life at the place you left behind? It has a great spirit of family and forgiveness. The interaction between Luke and Brianna was a bit predictable, but overall a nice feel good story .
MATCH MADE FOR CHRISTMAS by DEBRA LYNN COLLINS was very well written. Sierra has just been dumped via text message. What a horrible way to tell someone you want to break up with them. She is heartbroken , but keeps herself busy working at the boutique in the mall . Corbin is the security guard for the mall and has a secret crush on her. I loved the sneaky but thoughtful scheme Sierra's friends cooked up to find her a man for Christmas. Who is her secret admirer? Did her friend's scheme work? The story is filled with love, and friendship. I appreciate how the author showed the characters spending time praying and asking for guidance from God. It is a well written story that made me smile.
MERRY KISSES by VALERIE COMER is a story about Sonya that has always been raised to believe that Santa was a silly thing and the true meaning of Christmas was being lost among all the commercialism. She works at a toy store and is forbidden to say Merry Christmas to customers. I loved the beautiful story that shared the struggles that people have about celebrating Christmas a certain way. The author truly write a faith filled story that captures the heart of Christmas. Heath is a great character who has a heart filled with God's love. His faith was genuine and I loved how he used being Santa to reach out to children and make them feel loved and appreciated. The story will make you cry at times and give you hope at others. It is a story that explains the true meaning of Christmas by the beautiful words of an exceptional author.
UNWRAPPED by CHRISTINA CORYELL is a great story about Trina who decides to go to her roommates family home for Christmas. I enjoyed the traditions the author shared that made the holidays so special for the family. Charlie is a great character who is not afraid to share his faith and love for his family and church. Will Trina and Charlie find happiness? its a nice story with a great message of family and finding love when you don't expect it.
AN INFORMAL CHRISTMAS by HEATHER GRAY is set at a hospital where we see the two main characters dealing with sick children. Riley and Zach do not get along well , but soon that could change. The story is about two people who have a stressful job and try to learn to work together to help children that need them. The author has dynamic characters that make the story come to life.
OPERATION MISTLETOE by ELIZABETH MADDREY is a superb story of two people who have different views on Christmas. Tori is not a happy camper when her editor assigns her a story about Gabe. they were once acquainted in college and she secretly had a crush on him. She must now put her feelings aside and write about Gabe and his silly notion of of over the top celebration of Christmas. Will Tori change her mind about Christmas? will she discover the true meaning and find peace? the book is very inspiring and the message of the true meaning of Christmas and letting go of the past. I loved how the character's interacted and the patience that Gabe showed as he shared his faith and joy of Christmas. This is a book you don't want to miss.
A BOND FOR THE HOLIDAY'S by LEE TOBIN MCCLAIN is a little different type of Christmas story. It doesn't start off with a happy feel good theme. the book is centered around a family secret that is revealed. The family is devastated by the secret and has to deal with a deep rooted secret that will cause bitterness. i loved the story because it has a deep meaning of God's love and how that love changes even the bitter and unforgiving heart. It is very well written with a story that is riveting and gives us raw emotions. this is one story not to miss.
A (kinda) COUNTRY CHRISTMAS by KRISTA PHILLIPS is a fun and great story to read. How would you like to be raised by parents who played Mr. and Mrs. Claus? What if your parents also ran a Christmas shop every single day for three hundred sixty-five days? The story will bring a smile and a great feeling of the Christmas spirit in this enchanting story.
i received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review
MATCH MADE FOR CHRISTMAS by DEBRA LYNN COLLINS was very well written. Sierra has just been dumped via text message. What a horrible way to tell someone you want to break up with them. She is heartbroken , but keeps herself busy working at the boutique in the mall . Corbin is the security guard for the mall and has a secret crush on her. I loved the sneaky but thoughtful scheme Sierra's friends cooked up to find her a man for Christmas. Who is her secret admirer? Did her friend's scheme work? The story is filled with love, and friendship. I appreciate how the author showed the characters spending time praying and asking for guidance from God. It is a well written story that made me smile.
MERRY KISSES by VALERIE COMER is a story about Sonya that has always been raised to believe that Santa was a silly thing and the true meaning of Christmas was being lost among all the commercialism. She works at a toy store and is forbidden to say Merry Christmas to customers. I loved the beautiful story that shared the struggles that people have about celebrating Christmas a certain way. The author truly write a faith filled story that captures the heart of Christmas. Heath is a great character who has a heart filled with God's love. His faith was genuine and I loved how he used being Santa to reach out to children and make them feel loved and appreciated. The story will make you cry at times and give you hope at others. It is a story that explains the true meaning of Christmas by the beautiful words of an exceptional author.
UNWRAPPED by CHRISTINA CORYELL is a great story about Trina who decides to go to her roommates family home for Christmas. I enjoyed the traditions the author shared that made the holidays so special for the family. Charlie is a great character who is not afraid to share his faith and love for his family and church. Will Trina and Charlie find happiness? its a nice story with a great message of family and finding love when you don't expect it.
AN INFORMAL CHRISTMAS by HEATHER GRAY is set at a hospital where we see the two main characters dealing with sick children. Riley and Zach do not get along well , but soon that could change. The story is about two people who have a stressful job and try to learn to work together to help children that need them. The author has dynamic characters that make the story come to life.
OPERATION MISTLETOE by ELIZABETH MADDREY is a superb story of two people who have different views on Christmas. Tori is not a happy camper when her editor assigns her a story about Gabe. they were once acquainted in college and she secretly had a crush on him. She must now put her feelings aside and write about Gabe and his silly notion of of over the top celebration of Christmas. Will Tori change her mind about Christmas? will she discover the true meaning and find peace? the book is very inspiring and the message of the true meaning of Christmas and letting go of the past. I loved how the character's interacted and the patience that Gabe showed as he shared his faith and joy of Christmas. This is a book you don't want to miss.
A BOND FOR THE HOLIDAY'S by LEE TOBIN MCCLAIN is a little different type of Christmas story. It doesn't start off with a happy feel good theme. the book is centered around a family secret that is revealed. The family is devastated by the secret and has to deal with a deep rooted secret that will cause bitterness. i loved the story because it has a deep meaning of God's love and how that love changes even the bitter and unforgiving heart. It is very well written with a story that is riveting and gives us raw emotions. this is one story not to miss.
A (kinda) COUNTRY CHRISTMAS by KRISTA PHILLIPS is a fun and great story to read. How would you like to be raised by parents who played Mr. and Mrs. Claus? What if your parents also ran a Christmas shop every single day for three hundred sixty-five days? The story will bring a smile and a great feeling of the Christmas spirit in this enchanting story.
i received a copy of this book from The BookClub Network for an honest review