A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick

Not much is more relaxing after a long day than opening a book and taking a time travel back to the 1800's. I know the time was tough, but I enjoy the history found in most of Jane Kirkpatrick's books. She makes history come alive with her rich research and grand storytelling.

I might have been a bit partial to Davey with him being Irish. I was glad that he had compassion on Letitia. I can't imagine the restrictions back then on being a minority or immigrant and what they faced if they broke the "rules" and fell in love.

Letitia never fell into "victim" mode. Instead, in my opinion, she embraced the unfairness and chose to make the best of it. She was courageous and bold. As I was reading, I kept thinking of how I don't think I could be so bold. She was never truly accepted anywhere. Not by her government, not by society. I liked how close her friendship was with one other lady.

This book left me stuck in the 1800s for a little time afterwards because I couldn't stop thinking about it. The cover is beautiful too!

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

The Desire by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

Dan Walsh has become one of my favorite authors. He reminds me so much of Nicholas Sparks. I love it because I feel like I've read a wholesome story without having to censor anything. Gary Smalley won me over when he wrote with Karen Kingsbury. He brought her first Baxter series to life and I loved the issues that they dealt with.

The story itself is a little predictable, but that doesn't matter to me. There was so much depth in the characters and their issues. That's where the real story lies.... with the real life problems that each character faces.

So many people can relate very easily to the journey that Allan and Michelle are on. And Korah is a place that understandably weighs heavy on Allan's heart. I was glad that Michelle got to go along on the trip with him. I liked watching God work in their heats and relationship. I know it's fiction, but I know this is a real life situation that raises many questions that those in this situation deal with.

I also liked Christina. I can't imagine the decision she has to make, but I loved the love that Marilyn and Jim poured out on her. What a way to spend their empty nesting years. I want to be that!

I am looking forward to Doug's story. I'm secretly hoping that Christina and Doug will be together.

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

An April Bride by Lenora Worth

An April Bride is a fast read that is a sweet romance book. I expected the ending to be like it was, but it didn't distract from my opinion of the book. It was a sweet story of two people who truly did love each other, but one of them needed to choose to remember the worst day of his life in order to experience the best day of his life.

I liked Stella's desire to go forward with the wedding without knowing if Marshall would ever remember her and what they had together. I also admired her decision she made so close to their wedding day.

Marshall is a true gentleman, right down to the fact that he would marry a girl that he had made a promise to, but couldn't remember. He knew he wanted to love her and trusted that God would one day help him remember. If God didn't do that, he knew he could at least one day fall in love with her again.

Looking forward to the next one in this series!

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I received this book free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

Sarah Sundin is one of my top favorite authors for historical fiction. I have really enjoyed each one of her books and they keep getting better and better. This series, the Wings of Nightingale, focuses on WWII and the Air Force.

Kay Johnson is a flight nurse and she has a bit of a wild side. She is known for the way she spends her time at night and the string of men she has. I liked the imperfection of Kay and Roger. I did laugh a little at some of the ways he tried to avoid her.

I am amazed at how she makes history come alive and so incredibly interesting. Her research is so thorough and at times, intense with action, but it never feels like I'm reading a history book. I'm convinced she can take any point in history and come up with an incredible fiction book based on historical facts.

I'm sad that this is the end of this series. I like how each of the characters are weaved together in some way and you get different glimpses of the story based on which book you are reading. She is easily able to recap what happened without making it obvious that she is doing so.

Can't wait to see what she has in store next!

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About the Book

                       In Perfect Time | Wings of the Nightingale series
Bold, sophisticated, and flirtatious, Army Air Force flight nurse Lt. Kay Jobson collects hearts wherever she flies, leaving men pining in airfields all across Europe. So how can ruggedly handsome C-47 pilot Lt. Roger Cooper be all but immune to her considerable charms? In fact, he seems to do everything he can to avoid her.
Still, as they cross the skies between Italy and southern France, evacuating the wounded and delivering paratroopers and supplies, every beat of their hearts draws them closer to where they don’t want to go.
Can they confront the fears and misunderstandings in their pasts?
Learn more and purchase a copy at Sarah’s website.

Sarah Sundin

Sarah Sundin is the author of "With Every Letter" and the Wings of Glory series. In 2011, A "Memory Between Us" was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.

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

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

Sarah Sundin is one of my top favorite authors for historical fiction. I have really enjoyed each one of her books and they keep getting better and better. This series, the Wings of Nightingale, focuses on WWII and the Air Force.

Kay Johnson is a flight nurse and she has a bit of a wild side. She is known for the way she spends her time at night and the string of men she has. I liked the imperfection of Kay and Roger. I did laugh a little at some of the ways he tried to avoid her.

I am amazed at how she makes history come alive and so incredibly interesting. Her research is so thorough and at times, intense with action, but it never feels like I'm reading a history book. I'm convinced she can take any point in history and come up with an incredible fiction book based on historical facts.

I'm sad that this is the end of this series. I like how each of the characters are weaved together in some way and you get different glimpses of the story based on which book you are reading. She is easily able to recap what happened without making it obvious that she is doing so.

Can't wait to see what she has in store next!

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

Debt-Proof Living by Mary Hunt

I have read several of Mary Hunt's books and figured there couldn't possibly be much more she could write that I didn't already know after reading her other books. I was wrong!

First of all, her books always encourage me to keep on, even when it means doing without. She writes in a way that I, someone who hates talking about math and money, can understand. Ironically, I now even find it a little fun to keep a budget.

One of my favorite sections is on money leaks. She encourages you to find out where the money is pouring out of your life and encourages creativity to stop that flow out.

I also like the section on countering destructive attitudes. I think we all fall into this trap often and need reminders that this is where our idolatry tends to reveal itself. I also like building your offense. I tend to do the same thing she does when going through catalogs! I just thought I was weird, but I did get the "shopping" out of my system without buying those temporary pleasures!

Her wording for debit cards and credit cards and charge cards made me laugh. She calls them hazardous materials, which is completely true!

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

Answering Your Kids' Toughest Questions by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson

I was really looking forward to this book being released. I was curious what type of question would be answered. I liked their previous book, Give Them Grace. 

My son has started asking some of the harder questions. Thankfully, I have known the answers so far because I was taught how to study the Bible for myself. However, it is nice to read those questions and see their answers and know that I had the right answer! It has given me more confidence in those questions that are and will continue to be asked in the future.

The chapters in the book cover death, hell, Satan, divorce, those difficult Bible stories that include things like prostitution/rape/etc., sexual sins, natural disasters, and why people fight and kill. It then all sums it up in Chapter 10 with the Good News and how it gives us hope when we don't understand the things of this world.

I was a little concerned that some of the answers would be mostly for older kids. I was so glad to see how it was divided up. It explains it on the levels for preschoolers, ages 5 to 10, and ages 11 and up. It explains what the parent needs to keep in mind when talking about the question. And I love how much Scripture is used, because ultimately that is the authority.

This is a book I will always keep and hope to give as a baby shower gift to many people.

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

Home to Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney

I want to live in this house... well, inn. I love the picture of this house. It set a perfect stage in my mind for where so much of the story took place.

The story doesn't take long to develop at all. Within the first few chapters, the stage is set and the reader is introduced to the conflict that makes up much of the book. Audrey and Grant are finally opening their inn. They have poured themselves into it and have completely remodeled. Even the kids don't recognize their own home!

Landyn and Chase are the ones that most of the conflict lies around. Landon wants to protect Chase's name and reputation with her parents and is willing to take more blame than she probably should as to why she has come home. Chase has bought into a dream that may or may not become a reality. However, it was a decision that he neglected to consider his new wife's feelings that led to huge problems.

So in the middle of opening and running their new inn, Audrey and Grant are now trying to figure out what happened to Landyn and how they may be of help.

I liked seeing the conflict between newlyweds and how they dealt with it. So many people think newlywed life is bliss. It can be, but there is so much you learn in your first year of marriage. I liked the honest look into this stage of their life. I look forward to more things that will be discussed in her future books.

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About the Book

                       Home to Chicory Lane || Book 1, A Chicory Inn Novel
Landyn longs for home, but her mother may have other plans.
Audrey Whitman’s dreams are coming true. Now that their five kids are grown, she and her husband, Grant, are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.
Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious, with family and friends coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. But when Audrey’s daughter, Landyn, arrives, the U-Haul she’s pulling makes it clear she’s not just here for a few days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent Landyn running home? Where was Landyn’s husband, Chase? And what else was her daughter not telling her? One thing was for sure, the Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide the comfort of home her daughter so desperately needs?
Learn more and purchase a copy on Deborah’s website.

Deborah Raney

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita, where they enjoy gardening, antiquing, movies, and traveling to visit four children and a growing brood of grandchildren who all live much too far away. Visit Deborah on the web at DeborahRaney.com.

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

Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes

I have not read anything by Gina Holmes before, but now I want to search her books out. She engaged me in the first paragraph and I was hooked on the story. I felt like I was connected to each character and felt the pain that each one was experiencing, as well as their joy. The story flowed easily and I never felt like the story as stuck and not going anywhere. Each character was well-developed and I liked the different perspectives on each character.

Holton was probably one of my favorite characters for some odd reason. I liked Libby, too. I found it funny how Libby met him and still stayed with him. The commentary from Holton's head did make me laugh. I would have never put together a blood test, though, in order to realize life wasn't what I had always been told. I learned something new.

The cover of this book is beautifully one and eye-catching with its simplicity. I really like the font for her name. It really sets it apart from the title, but still blends in nicely.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gina Holmes is the founder of Novel Rocket, regularly named as one of Writers Digest’s best websites for writers. Her debut, Crossing Oceans, was a Christy and Gold Medallion finalist and winner of the Carol Award, INSPY, and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice, as well as being a CBA, ECPA, Amazon and PW bestseller. Her sophomore novel, Dry as Rain was a Christy Award finalist. Her latest novel, Wings of Glass has been named as one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and was a SIBA Okra pick and a finalist for Romantic Times’ Reviewers Choice Award. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose.

ABOUT THE BOOK

He made himself an island until something unexpected washed ashore. When Holton lost his wife, Adele, in a freak accident, he shut himself off from the world, living a life of seclusion, making drifwood sculptures and drowning his pain in gin. Until twenty-three-year-old Libby knocks on his door, asking for a job and claiming to be a friend of his late wife. When he discovers Libby is actually his late wife’s illegitimate daughter, given up for adoption without his knowledge, his life is turned upside down as he struggles to accept that the wife he’d given saint status to was not the woman he thought he knew.

Together Holton and Libby form an unlikely bond as the two struggle to learn the identity of Libby’s father and the truth about Adele, themselves, and each other.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Driftwood Tides, go HERE.

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I received this book from CFBA and Tyndall Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.



Plain Faith by Ora-Jay & Irene Eash with Tricia Goyer

I am always reading Amish fiction and knew I would definitely be interested in this book as it held an inside scoop into the life of being Amish. I wanted to know more about what they taught and believed and why.

Ora-Jay and Irene had such a sweet heart. I was heartbroken to read about the death of their 2 daughter and how finally, after many boys, they received a bundle of joy that was a girl! They shared how the death of their daughters was a turning point for them. It was neat to watch their faith grow out of this dark time. It amazes me how the Amish are able to simply say, "God must have wanted it to be so." They weren't really expected to grieve, which I can't even imagine.

I appreciated the very personal letters at the end of most of the chapters. It was interesting to read their hearts and what was going on in their lives at that point. You could also easily see their spiritual growth through each letter.

My favorite story had to be how the Lord provided for them when they didn't have the money to pay for some land. The fact they lived in their basement with no electricity or running water was amazing. They truly were living harder then the Amish and they were still judged.

This is such an insightful book for those that like the Amish lifestyle or like Amish fiction. It's also an excellent book if you want to see someone who questioned all he knew and gave it up to follow the Lord. They found freedom in truly following the Lord.

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I received this book free from BookLook Bloggers and Zondervan Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.