Saturday, May 29, 2021

ACTIVE DEFENSE by LYNETTE EASON

If you are not familiar with this author you are missing out on action, danger and inspiration. In this story she delivers characters that you care for and want to be there to help them.

Heather is someone who is fierce, determined and always aware of her surroundings. Coming home after a tour overseas she still thinks about the young boy who could have killed her. I held my breath as that boy stood there with a bomb strapped to him. His bravery is not lost on Heather.

Have you ever had a feeling that someone is watching you? Heather senses something is not quite right but withholds telling her friends. I think she thought she was protecting them but really she was placing them in danger.

Travis is a good character who tries to help Heather but at times she pushes him away. When danger gets too close Travis knows he needs to find a safe place for Heather. I couldn’t wait to find out who was behind the staking. It is an action packed run for your life thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat as I couldn’t read fast enough. Get ready for an adventure that rivals the best at suspense.

I received a copy of this book from the Librarything Early Reviewer Program. The review is my own opinion.

wiindward shore

About the Book

Book: Windward Shore

Author: Sharon Hinck

Genre: Christian epic fantasy

Release date: May 11, 2020

Hinck - Windward Shore The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom?

Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts—and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world.

When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world … or lose it all.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Hinck2015 - Author Photo Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us”—stories about ordinary women on extraordinary faith journeys. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the groundbreaking The Sword of Lyric fantasy series and the imaginative new The Dancing Realms series, which began with the Christy Award–winning Hidden Current and was followed by Forsaken Island. Sharon’s writing has also been honored with three Carol Awards. For this latest series, she drew on her experience as a ballet teacher, dancer, and choreographer.

More from Sharon

Windward Shore is the final book in the Dancing Realms trilogy. In the earlier books, Carya and Brantley have already faced down a corrupt Order, a world that has forgotten truth, and a whole new island that has sold its soul. Yet in this new story, old enemies return—at the worst possible time. Confronting the past becomes a vital part of protecting their future.

We all face trials in life, seasons that are more challenging than we expected, opportunities to deepen our faith as we lean into God, times that test our courage. But I’ve found that sometimes the most difficult problems are those that I think I’ve already beaten—and then they rise up again. I drew from that experience to shape the new battles in Windward Shore.

Q: In the Dancing Realms series, the Maker has given dancers a special gift to serve their world. Why did you choose dance as a means for bringing provision or protection?

A: I was a dancer and choreographer for many years before becoming a writer. Dance is a means of communicating with the whole being—heart, mind, and body. So dance became a beautiful way for Carya to connect with her Maker and serve her world.

Q: What other interests shaped the series?

A: I’ve been studying cults and how people become trapped in lies, and more importantly, how they find freedom. So that concept helped me create the various traps that characters faced in all three books.

Q: What is a key theme in Windward Shore?

A: Although I write “Stories for the hero in all of us,” I recognize that we can’t always be the hero—at least not in our power. Our determination alone isn’t enough. Our Maker calls us to dependence on Him, and often He asks us to lean on others as well. That’s a key challenge that Carya faces in Windward Shore.

MY REVIEW

Let me start by saying how descriptive the author is while writing this story. It is easy to visualize Carya and Brantley as they sweep across the pages. There is much depth to the story as I followed them to reach their mission. The Maker is very significant and Carya understood the lessons she was being taught. She likes to do things without thinking the plan through, but in this story she learns to listen and follow His guidance. I thought it was very intriguing to hear Carya say, “my only Lord is the Maker.” The Bible is very specific that there is only one God we should worship. Carya showed me how fierce she is by standing up to those who had kidnapped her.

Mixed with fantasy and truth is a story that stirs within us justice and freedom. The world is in chaos and an enemy that has not been heard from in awhile wants to take what is not theirs. It is a battle of epic proportions and danger lurking nearby. I liked the lessons about learning to trust, forgiveness and unconditional love. For me the best part was reading how much deeper a relationship Carya developed with the Maker.

Those looking for adventure in a fantasy world filled with dancers, sea creatures and danger will enjoy this story. The author has given us a great series and I’m sorry to see it end. I would recommend reading the first two books in the series as they introduce you to a world like no other.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 29

Worthy2Read, May 29

Texas Book-aholic, May 30

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 31

Mia Reads, May 31

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 2

Woven by Words, June 2

Inklings and notions, June 3

For Him and My Family, June 4

Blogging With Carol, June 4

deb’s Book Review, June 5

For the Love of Literature, June 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 6

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 7

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 8

Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9

Simple Harvest Reads, June 9 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 10

Through the Fire Blogs, June 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Sharon is giving away the grand prize package of the first two books of the series in hardcover (personalized and autographed), along with a bookbag, several bookmarks (enough to give to friends) and an autographed bookplate to put in their copy of Windward Shore!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca3/windward-shore-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, May 28, 2021

About the Book

Book: 7 Divine Mysteries

Author: Joshua Mills

Genre: RELIGION / Christianity/Pentecostal & Charismatic

Release date: April 20, 2021

God’s abundance is waiting for you. Are you ready to go deeper?

There comes a point in our spiritual journey when we must no longer sit and wait. Instead, we need to stand up and walk boldly in God’s purposes for us. We have to progress toward the blessings and provision He has shown us in the glory realms.

There isn’t a single area of your life for which God does not have a promise of victory. He has proclaimed breakthroughs, blessings, and, yes, miracles. In 7 Divine Mysteries: Supernatural Secrets to Unlimited Abundance by Joshua Mills, you will find out how to connect to the manifest promises of God as you stretch your faith, work the Word, and allow the Spirit to lead you into overflowing abundance for spirit, soul, and body. The seven mysteries include the mystery of divine vision, the mystery of the seed, the mystery of working with angels, the mystery of gratitude, the mystery of divine connection, the mystery of divine placement and positioning, and the mystery of divine timing.

There is an entire realm of supernatural abundance just waiting for you to explore and put to work in your life. In these days, God is opening untapped abundance for restoration, healing, deliverance, relationships, finances, creative ideas, and more. Many people have been waiting for God to move in their lives, but He is waiting for us to move in faith toward His promises. We must activate what He has spoken to us about—or risk losing the opportunity. God is looking for men and women who will rise up and choose to receive every promise He has given.

As God’s children, we can confidently ask Him for miracles and provision in areas where we have experienced difficulty or lack in the past. We just need to give Him permission to upset the daily routine of our lives and let His glory flow from heaven to earth. Then, we need to take hold of our portion as it comes down from the throne.

Joshua Mills and his wife, Janet, have proven these seven scriptural principles in their own lives, and this book is filled with faith-building testimonies, practical keys, and activations for readers to apply directly to their own circumstances.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Joshua Mills is an internationally recognized ordained minister of the gospel, as well as a recording artist, keynote conference speaker, and author of more than twenty books and spiritual training manuals. His recent books include Power Portals, Moving in Glory Realms, Seeing Angels, and Encountering Your Angels. He is well known for his unique insights into the glory realm, prophetic sound, and the supernatural atmosphere that he carries. For more than twenty years, he has helped people discover the life-shifting truths of salvation, healing, and deliverance for spirit, soul, and body. Joshua and his wife, Janet, cofounded International Glory Ministries and have ministered on six continents in over seventy-five nations. They have also been featured in several film documentaries and print articles, and have ministered to millions around the world through radio, television, and online webcasts. Their ministry is located in both Palm Springs, California, and London, Ontario, Canada, where they live with their three children: Lincoln, Liberty, and Legacy.

More from Joshua

There is an entire realm of supernatural abundance just waiting for you to explore and put to work in your life. In 7 Divine Mysteries: Supernatural Secrets to Unlimited Abundance by Joshua Mills, you will find out how to connect to the manifest promises of God as you stretch your faith, work the Word, and allow the Spirit to lead you into discovering overflowing abundance for spirit, soul, and body. The seven mysteries include the mystery of divine vision, the mystery of the seed, the mystery of working with angels, the mystery of gratitude, the mystery of divine connection, the mystery of divine placement and positioning, and the mystery of divine timing.

MY REVIEW

I am faced with writing a review where I have mixed feelings about the book. This book is one I read very carefully and prayed that God would reveal the truth. I didn’t want to have a critical spirit and wanted to give the author a review that was honest .

The first subject the author talks about is abundance. We all want to live in abundance but sometimes something is holding us back. The author uses many scriptures to illustrate what God says but I did have a little trouble with his examples. Money is a hard topic for many but the scripture is clear that the first ten percent is God’s. I do believe that God does tell us at times to give more. But I don’t like that it is done expecting to receive more. We give faithfully not because we expect to get more, but because we are obedient to His Word.

I understand that the author is passionate about God. It is nice to feel excited about Him and to know that He is there to listen to you. What I didn’t like was the say it and you get it attitude. Some of us pray for things and it doesn’t happen. There may be a faith issue or doubt that is holding you back. He wants us to be obedient and not have the attitude of what I say I get.

The author makes this statement, “How can you be a blessing to others if you are suffering yourself? I can be a blessing to others even in the midst of my own storm. What better way to overcome your suffering by giving to others. It doesn’t have to be money. It can be an encouraging word, a prayer or visiting someone who is ill. During those moments when we reach out to help others, our needs don’t consume us and we are able to be blessed by being his hands and feet.

I did like the chapter about Generational Blessing and Curses. I have heard many sermons about this and know that in order to break those generational curses we need to break the cycle. If you come from a home of abuse, then break that cycle with your children. We are not defined by our past but what we become. After reading the book I have to say that I felt like I was getting a sermon on tithing as the focus seemed to be on money. I leave you with this, “If it doesn’t line up with the Word of God, than it is not true.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 27

Artistic Nobody, May 28 (Spotlight)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 28

Texas Book-aholic, May 29

Inklings and notions, May 30

Simple Harvest Reads, May 31 (Spotlight)

For Him and My Family, June 1

deb’s Book Review, June 2

Fiction Book Lover, June 3 (Spotlight)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 3

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, June 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 5

Booksy, June 6 (Spotlight)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 7

Spoken from the Heart, June 8 (Spotlight)

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 9

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Joshua is giving away the grand prize package of a $20 Starbucks gift card, a copy of the book, and an additional surprise book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca1/7-divine-mysteries-celebration-tour-giveaway

Thursday, May 27, 2021

About the Book

Book: Chain-ged

Author: Casey Cassady

Genre: Non-fiction/Christian Living/Transformation

Release date: May 4, 2021

Casey Cassady is a young woman who, through Christ, overcame a lifestyle of partying, alcohol, promiscuity, toxic relationships, rejection, shame, guilt, regret, and probably anything else you can think of. Now free, Casey is using her new life, new future, and new passions to help other women and girls find their way out of the brokenness and bondage they were never meant for. Determined to live freely from her past, she uses poetry, prayer, and the word of God to draw us deeper into the healing process.

Chain-ged: Finding Freedom in Christ through Poetry, Principles, and Prayer is an artistic, soulful, and authentic work that teaches who God is, His character, and why He can be trusted with our fractured souls. Casey shows that as you grow spiritually and surrender to God, He will help you find your way to live a deeper revelation of who you are and the beautiful future ahead of you. Each chapter presents a poem, principle, practice, and prayer designed to help you work through your thoughts, emotions, new knowledge, and how you might respond.

The process of healing and growing into who God intentionally created you to be is not an easy journey. But the more you are able to surrender to God and allow Him to transform your mind, your heart, and, ultimately, your life, every step forward with Him, the good and the not-so-good, will be worth it in the end.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Casey Cassady is a born-again believer in Christ, author, and poet who is passionate about helping others to find hope, healing, and wholeness through her poetical testimony, wisdom, and gift of exhortation. Chain-ged is the first book of what she hopes to be many in her Finding Freedom in Christ book and poetry series. Some of the poetry in this book has been brought alive into spoken word format on her YouTube channel so viewers can connect with her through the shared experiences that we all, unfortunately, go through. Casey is currently pursuing a master’s degree of Christian Ministry with Oral Roberts University and resides in Fresno, CA.

More from Casey

“Chain-ged: Finding Freedom in Christ through Poetry, Principles, and Prayer” is a women-focused, Christ-centered book that will take you on a poetic, authentic, and practical journey of spiritual growth and healing. Each chapter’s testimonial poem, biblical teaching, prophetic prayer, and practice section are themed to focus on various roles that God has in our lives: God is Father, God is Son, God is Spirit, God is Creator, God is Savior, God is King, God is Healer, and God is Lover.

I wrote “Chain-ged” to demonstrate a sense of relatability to readers; and to provide readers with the tools, knowledge, and wisdom needed to gain freedom in Christ. This freedom is found as identity in Christ is discovered. It is then that hope, healing, and wholeness comes, and purpose may be lived.

Readers will be able to benefit from both spiritual and practical aspects. For example, there is content that discusses the importance of having conversations with the Holy Spirit, and what that can look like. Other chapters focus on relationships (both romantic and familial), and others focus more on the importance of community, mentorship, accountability, and healthy decision-making processes.

I truly want readers to know the things that I wish I would have known sooner – most of which I had to “learn the hard way”. If I can be used by God to help redirect people onto the path they were created for, I will be confident that I am living in my calling.

“Wounded Warrior” Spoken Word Video: https://youtu.be/DSxoqbUZJ-A

“Expired” Spoken Word Video: https://youtu.be/Lu37qH-qyJ8

MY REVIEW

This book is a bit different because it starts each chapter with a poem. I like poems and am always curious of what they mean. I read each poem and wanted to know why the author chose these. It was a very personal insight into the heart of a woman who loves God. I was able to see the pain and emotional turmoil she has experienced. I love how she is transparent and with her book I found healing.

Each chapter gets us deeper into who God is as the author uses scripture, prayer and her own personal story to understand how much God loves us. Each poem is good but I have to say my favorite was “The Finest Freedom.” This is the one that spoke to me. I loved how she talks about how she knows that God loves her. We all have a past we may not be proud of, but God has a plan for each of us. We need to surround ourselves around Godly people who will encourage us and help us continue our walk with Jesus.

The book is very well written and guides us to really knowing who God is. It helps us have a more personal relationship with Him as we overcome the obstacles of the world. The author touched on rejection, anxiety, depression and other things that can cause us to stray from God’s Word. I really liked how the author talks about how powerful prayer can be. Whatever we may be struggling with, God is there waiting for you. Let our requests be known to Him and allow Him to heal us.

“And today is the day you choose the love of God , rather than the love of lies, the love of toxicity, and the love of the world.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 24

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, May 25

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 26

For Him and My Family, May 27

Texas Book-aholic, May 28

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 29

Rebecca Tews, May 30

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 30

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 31

deb’s Book Review, June 1

Inklings and notions, June 2

Artistic Nobody, June 3 (Author Interview)

Cats in the Cradle Blog, June 3

For the Love of Literature, June 4 (Author Interview)

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, June 5

Susan K. Beatty, Author, June 6 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Casey is giving away a gift basket containing a hardback copy of the book, $50 Amazon gift card, and a copy of “Prayer C.H.A.T. Journal” Prayer Journal by Jessica A. Brown!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/10c94/chain-ged-celebration-tour-giveaway

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

About the Book

Book: The Silver Shadow

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense

Release date: May 2021

A Shadowy Figure Is Intent on Harming Denver’s Women

Book 11 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Denver of 1900 is still a dangerous place to be following the silver crash of 1893. And of out of the dark comes a shadow intent on harming women. Ambitious young Denver newspaper reporter Polly Blythe is searching for the big story that’s going to launch her career. On Friday evening, August 24, 1900, she gets her break when two women are cracked over the head within a two-minute walk of each other. But policeman Edwin Timmer thwarts Polly’s ideas of a serial criminal. . .until the shadowy figure strikes again. Will the reporter and the policeman team up to find the culprit before he strikes too close for comfort?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

More from Liz

One of the most popular questions I’ve gotten from many readers of the True Colors Crime series is how do I come up with the ideas for the books? For the first two, Becky Germany, acquisitions editor at Barbour Publishing, had the ideas. That made my life easy. I just had to fictionalize it, and I had a book. But when I was putting together the proposals for The Gold Digger and The Silver Shadow, it was up to me to find the true crimes I wanted to use.

I went online and scoured historical crime blogs and books for ideas. I wanted crimes that I could work easily with, that made for compelling stories. As I was doing this, my husband and two daughters and I were driving home from Georgia. We were somewhere in Indiana. Don’t ask me why I remember this when I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, but I do.

And then on Google Books, I discovered a book about crimes the world had forgotten. The first one in there sounded so good. Not too grisly, something that no one would be able to guess the culprit very easily. It was perfect. Imagine my excitement when Becky told me they would be publishing The Silver Shadow.

Then I sat down to research it more. And I could hardly find anything! What? Where was all the information on this? There had to be more. That chapter in the one book couldn’t be all there was. He had to get his information from somewhere.

Eventually I did come across some articles from various Colorado newspapers with a few details. Not many at all. None from any of the Denver papers, even though that’s where the crimes were committed.

In the end, that’s all the information I discovered. In a way, it was freeing. I could write whatever I wanted, and no one would be the wiser. Even if they did some research and some digging, there wasn’t much to find. I was able to take the facts that I did have, combine that with what I found out about Denver in 1900, and put it together in a story. I tried to use historical details wherever I could, but of my four True Colors Crimes books, this is the most fictional of them all.

MY REVIEW

I absolutely love this series and look forward to learning about crimes that have taken place during different time periods. This story is set in the 1900s where women were not welcomed in the world of working outside the home. Men believed they should be at home tending to children, doing housework and be at their husband’s beck and call.

I welcomed the star of the story with enthusiasm. Polly was out to prove that women could work outside the home and do it just as well as men. Her time as a reporter was not welcomed by some and I liked how determined she was to succeed. Her strength and wisdom suited her well as she became involved in a story that shook the quiet neighborhood she lived.

Denver was thriving and there was much going on as the city grew and crime picked up. As readers are introduced to this mysterious person who was harming women, I knew it was going to be a race to solve the crime. The author does state that she did take some liberties in the story but I think she did a good job of bringing the characters to life. I was trying to keep up with the little crumbs of evidence but couldn’t quite figure out who it was.

Edwin is a good police officer who won’t rest till he finds the culprit that injured women in vicious and random attacks. The choice of weapon made me cringe. As the author described the attacks, I could feel the pain that radiated in the victim’s head. It was a horrible crime and I’m glad that Polly and Edwin teamed up to capture the person. The only problem I had with the story was the way Polly seemed to act like was not concerned about her safety. Why did she keep going out at night by herself knowing someone was out there attacking women? She had been warned many times but she was so determined to break the story she forgot her own safety.

Overall the book was entertaining but it did lack the punch that other stories in the series have had. It lacked details at times and some were not consistent with the story and was confusing. I did like how a group of men came together to help catch the person but they disbanded quickly. The police department was not very equipped to handle a case like this as they continually arrested someone who turned out to be innocent. The story is good but I felt like the ending was rushed and I was hoping for more attention given to the person behind the crimes. It was a great opportunity to delve into the reason he did it and perhaps go back to his past and allow readers to see why he chose to target women.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and Celebrate Lit and was under no obligation to post a review."