Beautiful Nate by Dennis Mansfield

Honest.  Challenging.  Painful.  Full of grief.  These are just a few of my thoughts that I had when I read through this book.  It is a great book that was hard to read at times because my heart broke for Nate.  As a mom, this would be one of my worst nightmares...something happening to my child, especially something they did to themselves.

As parents, we know we make lots of mistakes and no parenting book will ever match your children perfectly.  No two children are a like.  Yet we still read them and at times, we beat ourselves up for not matching their advice or for perhaps failing at some of their plans.  However, I like that this book isn't a parenting book.  It's a book about life lessons learned from a son and two parents looking back and seeing where mistakes were made.  I see it as a mentoring thing, where they are sharing with those younger the things they have learned.

Addiction is a painful thing to deal with, especially when it affects a Christian family whose parents have tried their best to instill Christian values and the love of Christ in their homes.  I appreciate their honesty about drug addiction and their family.  It has to be a hard thing to discuss, but I really appreciate that they didn't try to hide behind being the "perfect Christian family" and dared to show the realness of their situation so others who are going through this can be encouraged.

I did cry in this book, but I expected to.  My mommy heart just couldn't help it!  This book will be a great encouragement to many walking this road with their children and will be a great guiding book for those who are just now parenting younger children.

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I received this book free from Howard Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

A Scent of Lilacs by Ann H. Gabhart

This side of Ann H. Gabhart's writing is new to me.  I have been used to reading her books based on the Shakers.  This was a delight to read.  I must say that the cover on this book is absolutely gorgeous.  I loved the shading of the girl on the steps and the beautiful eye-catching purple lilacs that grab your attention and emphasis the title of the book. It looks very modern and simply beautiful.

This book is full of very relatable lessons, such as the importance of forgiving and how devestating lies can be.  Even though the truth can heart and leave you quite vulnerable feeling, the truth is always the best.  I hated to see her learn the truth and deal with the pain and wrestle with forgiveness, but I feel like that's what we all relate to.  Life isn't tied up in a neat and tidy bow by the end of our lives.  Sometimes our lives are messy right up until our death.  

I appreciate that Gabhart wrote with such honesty and truth and dealt with the messes instead of writing them away real quickly.  I like how she put some humor into the story at just the right moments to help you, as the reader, deal with some of the hard truths you were finding out about Jocie and her family.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Swept Away by Mary Connealy

I like this western-themed book so much.  It's a great start to Mary Connealy's new series, Trouble in Texas.  Connealy's characters stay true to her typical style of writing that I very much enjoy.  Rosie (I mean, Ruthy) and Luciano (ah....Luke) are two very different people but they also share some of the same qualities.  

I love the spunk of Ruthy and the stubbornness of Luke.  I like how Ruthy holds her own with Luke and is actually pretty good at tracking in the woods.  I like how Luke rescues Ruthy but then doesn't know what to do with her!  I find it funny that Ruthy could clean the rooms so well with no one hearing her.  She had a pretty good plan in place so her footsteps and sounds would go undetected.

Greer was a disgusting man and one that I truly did not like.  He was mean, dirty, and scary.  I disliked his temper and how he hurt his poor wife and threatened her children.  I'm hoping Dare plays a bigger part in Glynna's life in the next book.  She needs something happy to happen to her!

I am really looking forward to the next book in this series.  I will definitely be looking for it.  It looks like I won't have to wait too long, since it's scheduled to come out in August!

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For more reviews on this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/author/mconnealy 

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Secretly Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter

You can't get much better than this book!  This book and Smitten include 4 of my favorite authors who love to include humor in their writings.  I think all 4 of these authors tell beautiful stories and to combine them all together in the same book is perfect.

I love the town of Smitten and how quaint and different it is.  In my head I picture a simple place that is beautiful and full of lots of wonderful memories.

I like that each author wrote a short novella.  I would have liked to read more of each of the stories just because I really got into the stories, but I did like the short stories that each wrote.  They did a good job in hooking their readers from the beginning of each story and I liked how the book flowed 

from author to author.

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I received this book free from the Booksneeze program by Thomas Nelson Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

My Very First Easter Story Sticker Book by Lois Rock and Alex Ayliffe

What a fun book for children!  My children really liked this book and the different activities in it.  I liked that it wasn't just a sticker book, but also an activity book.  At the bottom of each page, there are little activities for the children to do.  They are simple and are ones that can lead to more conversation with your children, such as where are the children saying their prayers, etc.  

My favorite part of the book is the Easter story, of course.  I like how it stays true to the Word and doesn't leave out who betrayed Jesus.  When I read this book to my 2-year-old and 4-year-old, I added in more details from the Bible because they have been learning it.  We had a lot of discussion on Easter as well.  

I like that this book made us stop and sit on the couch and spend some time together as a family reflecting on Christ and what He did for us.

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I received this book free from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

A Quilt for Jenna by Patrick E. Craig

I really enjoyed reading this book.  Since I really enjoy Amish fiction, I knew I had to read this one, too.  I think the cover on this book is beautiful, from the slick feel of the book to the glossy look of a picture of an Amish woman who is full of sadness and grief and a beautiful quilt.  

This is the first book in Patrick E. Craig's new series, Apple Creek Dream series.  I am looking forward to the rest of the books in this series.  A Quilt for Jenna had something for every reader, romance, suspense, and mystery.

My most favorite part of this book, which really surprised me, was the air of mystery that went from the beginning of the book to the end.  I normally don't like the mystery to be sustained and like to peek in the back of the book to see what happened (yes....I'm a bad reader!!!) so I can prepare myself.  However, I didn't look forward at all in this book and actually found that I enjoyed the mystery that surrounded Jenna's death and the story of the little girl and Reuben.  I liked how the story would tell the back story and history and then tell what was happening in the present and the urgency of the present.

I have never read anything by Patrick E. Craig.  I am very excited to read the rest of the series.

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I received this book free from Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Deeply Loved by Keri Wyatt Kent

The timing of this book is absolutely perfect because we are coming upon Easter and are already in Lent.  Although Lent means has sometimes lost its meaning with some (like "I'm just giving something up because everyone else is doing it and I want to see if I have the discipline to do it...plus, it's good to do."), for many Lent is truly a time where they spend more time in the Word and more time contemplating what Christ did on the cross.  This is a time to grow deeper to God and to see Him for who He truly is and for God to reveal more of Himself to us.

I'm very picky about my devotionals I use.  I don't tend to review a lot of them because I like them to be scripturally sound and make me spend more time in the Word than a book that gives me someone else's opinion of the homework they did while they were pouring over the passage.  I like studying it for myself and giving God the opportunity to open my eyes and reveal things to me.  That said, when I heard about this book and read the info about it, I was intrigued enough to want to review it and actually anticipated getting it in the mail.

I'm happy to report that this book has met my criteria and is one that I plan to use over and over again.  I love how the focus is on God and not on us.  I like that Keri wants you to spend time praying about specific things and meditation on those promises of God.  I like that she kept going back to being quiet and still, something that is so counter-cultural and probably the thing that everyone struggles with the most.  I also like how she reminds us to look for Christ in the day-to-day things we do and to anticipate Him working..  I'm thankful that she did not just focus on how Jesus loves us.  That's true, but she kept pointing you back to Scripture and finding out who God is.  Without knowing who God is, what His promises are, and what His character is like, your love for God won't grow.

I know Lent is almost over and Easter is almost here, but this is a great book to put in Easter baskets to do after Easter.  What a great gift to give someone....a guide that helps you understand more of who God is without you reading her opinions.  She does give a little devotional at the beginning of each day, but I think the "meat" of the day is the "Presence Practice" that ends the day.  That's where the work comes into play and the focusing on the spiritual disciplines.

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I received this book free from Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Love in a Broken Vessel by Mesu Andrews

This book is a beautiful picture of redemption and of how God brings something absolutely beautiful from something that seems like such a mess.  A biblical fiction novel, this book focuses on Hosea, a minor prophet in Scripture, and his harlot wife, Gomer.

God called Hosea to do some hard things, and this was one of them.  To imagine what he was thinking when God told him to marry Gomer!  I'm sure my first thought would have been, "Seriously?!" 

It took me some time to relate to Gomer but I was able to feel compassion for her as I thought about what she must have experienced in her life and what had led her to prostitution.  And how beautiful that God chose Hosea, a man of God, to pour out love on her, to look past her faults, and to help her see the God he loved and worshipped.

As you read through Hosea, you see this beautiful picture of us, His children, and how we are the harlots.  God still loves us and pursues us thought and longs for us to come to him, but we tend to give our attentions and love to anyone and anything but Him.

Mesu Andrews has painted a beautiful picture in my mind that I will always remember and think about as I read through Hosea.  She has such a gift to bring to life a book in the Bible that we think is sometimes hard to relate to.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

The Chance by Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury never fails to write a good story!  I don't think I have ever been disappointed by one of her books and highly doubt that I ever will be.  I was hooked on this book from the first page and couldn't put it down.  Any time I could sneak in a chapter to read, I did.

 

I love how Kingsbury can take such tragedies and show the good in them and how God could possibly bring beauty from what seems like ashes.  Who would think that an old oak tree would be the center of such a great story.

 

I loved both Ellie and Nolan and my heart broke for both of them as they both experienced their own tragedies in life.  They both made two different choices out of the tragedy, but God still brought something good out of each person.  I think it shows how even our messes can still be redeemed by the love of God.  It also reminds of us how much judgment hurts and how it can cut to the core and devastate people.

 

I am very much looking forward to her next novel which is supposed to be out in October.  I'm glad that I never have to wait too long to read one of her books!

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I received this book free from Howard Books in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Privilege of Persecution by Dr. Carl A. Moeller & David W. Hegg

The title of this book attracted me to this book.  I was startled when I had read a quote in the VOM magazine when one man asked for the readers to not pray for their persecution to end but to pray for the strength to endure.  They talked about how persecution was growing the global church and they didn't want the persecution to end, but for their focus to remain centered on God.  The whole time I was reading this book, I thought of that man.

This book is divided into 6 different chapters: God and His Word; Worship and the Church; Prayer and Dependence; Community, Culture, and Evangelism; Leadership, Authority, and Power; Generosity and Stewardship.

I liked a lot in the book, but I was deeply challenged by the Prayer and Dependence chapter.  I think the way that American depend on God and how those in the persecuted church depend on God are totally different, due to persecution.  When you are depending on God for your life or those of your family, you have a certain level of knowing God is the only one who can keep you alive.  I'm not minimizing what Americans face, but it is different from those in persecuted countries.

I also liked the Community, Culture, and Evangelism chapter.  All of the statements about time are so true.  Sometimes our time is so filled up that we can't hear God or we don't have a deep relationship with Him because we don't give Him much time unless we are in a bind.  However, those being persecuted are forced to put their attentions on God and rely on Him for everything.

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I received this book free from Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

One Glorious Ambition by Jane Kirkpatrick

I can only begin to imagine how much time this book took to research and write.  Jane Kirkpatrick had to have spent countless hours pouring over much information and trying her hardest to condense it into an interesting fiction book that is full of correct, historical facts.  I like that about her.  I love to learn, but sometimes I don't like reading textbook facts from books.  It's much more fun to learn great historical records from a fiction book and then to go back later and research it some more.

Being a music therapist and working a lot with the mentally ill, I found Dorothea Dix to be an amazing woman in her advocacy for the mentally ill patients and their care.  You can see that through her life, God had prepared her to be used for this cause.  He gave her all the knowledge that she would need and placed her at the right places at the right times to be a voice for the mentally ill patients.

I like how this book focuses on the different years of her life.  I feel like our younger years define much of us and to leave that information out would have been a disservice.  She learned a lot from her earlier years, which led to her being used as she grew older.  Her home life was not one to be desired, but she is a huge example of someone who turned it around and let God do something amazing with her life.  What a testimony!

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I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book. 

Moonlight Masquerade by Ruth Axtell

This book had so many twists and turns in it that I found myself staying up quite late just to finish it!  Just when I thought I knew something would happen to one of the characters, I was wrong.  I kept thinking that their masks would be revealed earlier than when they were because they kept finding themselves in predicaments.  I liked how she kept certain main details out of the beginning of the book.  It lead to the suspense and intrigue.

 

I had a hard time figuring out the cook and lady's maid.  I knew they were somehow involved with Lady Celine Wexham's side, but wasn't really for sure how or to what extent.  I liked that their relationship with her wasn't immediately clear and that there was an air of mystery around her relationship with her late husband.

 

I think if I had to sum up the style of this book, it would be mystery, romance, denial, and setting aside hierarchy.  If you like Downton Abbey, then you would most definitely like this book.  It is set in 1813, but has the whole idea of the estates and Countesses and butlers. 

 

This book is a Regency Romance novel and is set to have her next novel out in the Spring of 2014.  I am anxiously awaiting her book.  She has a wonderful style of writing that makes you feel like you're caught in the middle of two people who are socially forbidden from each other because of circumstances.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter

I'll admit that when I first got this book, I looked up the pages online to make sure that I had all of the book!  It was a little, compact book that I wasn't for sure could hold a lot of information!  However, it held a lot of story within those pages and I was delighted to find that the suspense level I had the end made me want to grab the next book right away to see what happened to Luke Stoltzfus.

Luke and Meridith seemed to have a wonderful relationship, but it tries every marriage when a husband is out of a job.  He was meant to provide and I was glad to see this as part of the storyline, especially with today's economy.  I think this book is very easy to relate to for people today because of so many people without jobs and living off their savings.

I am anxiously awaiting to read the rest of the books in this new series.  This is the first book in Wanda E. Brunstetter's series, The Discovery.

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I received this book free from Barbour Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Unbreakale by Nancy Mehl

The cover of this book is very intriguing.  I have to say that was what first drew me to read this book.  At first I thought it would be a scary suspense book, but I was glad to realize that it was indeed suspenseful but not scary.  Once I got into the first couple of chapters, I understood the cover and it helped to add some imagery to the story.

 

The story itself is unlike one I've read before.  I was gripped during the first chapter and couldn't put this book down.  I really like Amish/Mennonite stories, so the fact that it was based on a Mennonite community also made me want to read this book.

 

I found it very interesting to consider the concept of self-protection among the Mennonite community.  That is one issue that I've often wondered about.  I liked the conflicting thoughts between different members where some thought it was okay to protect their families and others in the community though that they should only rely on God.

 

I was glad that Hope followed her heart.  I originally liked Jonathan the most because he had rescued her from a certain death situation.  However,  I think that Ebbie won major points with me with his selflessness and how he wanted Hope to follow her heart and explore her heart.

 

This book is the second book in the Road to Kingdom series.  I haven't read the first book, but I'm now searching for it!

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You can buy this book at http://ow.ly/huFtI 

 

Meet Nancy:

Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Norman and her very active puggle, Watson. She's authored fourteen books and is currently at work on a new series for Bethany House Publishing. All of Nancy's novels have an added touch - something for your spirit as well as your soul. "I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing," Nancy says. "God is number one in my life. I wouldn't be writing at all if I didn't believe that this is what He's called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan for your life, and there is nothing you can't overcome with His help." Readers can learn more about Nancy through her Web site: www.nancymehl.com. She is also active on Facebook.

 

To read more reviews on this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/author/nmehl

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I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.