The Dance by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley

I am already hooked on this new series by Dan Walsh and Gary Smalley.  I am a big Dan Walsh fan and Gary Smalley seems to be one of my favorite co-authors.  I am looking forward to book 2 already!  This book reminded me some of Karen Kingsbury's series with the Baxters, which I loved!  I'm anxious to see if book 2 keeps the same characters or uses all new ones. I hope the same characters are used!  Each member of this family has a story to tell!

I really liked how this book didn't just hop into divorce and focused on separation.  Marilyn hasn't felt loved in her 27 years of marriage because all her husband, Jim, seems to think about is himself.  When Marilyn leaves, 2 of her children are not surprised and 1 of them is.  Apparently her children saw her loneliness when her husband never noticed.  

Jim is now tasked with earning his wife's love...if he can even manage to do that.  Marilyn loves Jim but Jim has to work through many things in order for reconciliation and restoration to be possible with Marilyn.  It's all about the dance.

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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.

After All by Deborah Raney

This was a different kind of book for me.  It was very good and I had a hard time putting this book down.  It's hard to describe why the book felt different and was so enjoyable.  Maybe it was because the plot was more complex or perhaps it was the layout of the book.

Starting with the front cover, it made me want to pick it up.  As I was reading it, I loved the layout!  It was different than most books because it had quotes on one side at the beginning of each chapter.  Then it had a cute decoration on top of the chapter page.  It was very appealing to me as I was reading and it was something I had never stopped to really think about until I picked up this book.  The chapters were short, so it was easy to stop and start without losing my place or feeling like I needed to go back a few pages to remind myself of what had happened.

The story focuses on three people.  The first is Susan Marlowe.  Her husband was a firefighter and died fighting a fire at a homeless shelter that she had started.  It wasn't her fault but her husband and several other men and one woman never made it out of the fire.  They had problems in their marriage like the typical marriage, and had hardly seen each other, but Susan was convinced they still loved each other.  That changes when she receives some news about a secret that David, her husband, never told her.  Just as she was moving forward, the news makes her go back to the beginning of the grieving process again.

Andrea Morley is the second character.  She also lost someone in the fire, but she can't really express her sorrow about him.  After all, she's not really supposed to talk about him to anyone else.  Why is that?  Apparently she's attracted to people that she can't have...people like missionaries and military people or pretty much anyone who can't give her what she wants.  Oh, and married men should have been included on that list.  She wants to be married and have children, but she doubts that will ever happen now.  Will she come clean about her affairs or will she continue pursuing men that need to be left alone?

Peter Brennan is the last main character.  He is the fire chief who works almost all of the time.  He was responsible for the firefighters who died the night of the big fire.  He was also friends with Susan Marlowe and had heard of the rumor that Susan has just been informed of.  He has befriended Susan since her husband had died and is constantly trying to get over his guilt that something else could have been done to save the men.  He also just might fall in love with a woman who is passionate about something he is not.

This book is third book in the series.  I have never heard of or read any of the other books, but I plan to download the other two now.  I wasn't lost at all when it came to the characters but I'm curious to know who was carried over from previous books.  Deborah Raney is definitely an author that I'm adding to my favorites list.

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I received this book free from Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster in exchange for my honest opinion.

Growing Up Ziglar by Julie Ziglar Norman

I've heard of Zig Ziglar but have never really read anything by him.  I know he's a motivational speaker but that's about the extent of my knowledge about him.  I like reading about people and learning about others, so I figured who better to learn about Zig than from his daughter. 

I enjoyed his perspective from his daughter.  She was honest and risked everything to tell the truth to others about her past.  She admits her failures and her shortcomings.  But that's not all she talks about.  There is a redemptive side, as well.  She shares how she came back to Christ and realized that her guilt was gone, her chains were broken, and she was set free. 

It wasn't the most well-written book I've read, but it was interesting to read and I gained some insight into their lives as a family.  If you like Zig Ziglar, then you'd like this book.  She mentions him a lot and shares many of her memories of her family with the reader.

For more reviews about this book, you can go to: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13500888/growingupziglar

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

Heart Echoes by Sally John

The third book in the Side Road Series, Heart Echoes is a book that can speak to every person.  I haven't read anything by Sally John before, nor have I read the first 2 books in this series.  With that said, I had no difficulty figuring out who was who and what was going on.  I don't really know if the characters carry over from book to book but I didn't feel like I had missed out on not knowing a certain character if it had.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I think I experienced a wide range of emotions while reading it.  It was incredibly hard to read the exchange between Teal and her dad.  My heart broke for her.  Not only that, but it was difficult to read what Teal had experienced in her life as well as River.  However, it was a heartwarming story at the same time and I found myself in tears over Teal's sister, Lacey and how her future looked (don't want to spoil the story for you!).  I loved how the book wrapped ended...it wasn't all perfect but it was how life usually turns out. 

Who knew an earthquake could change so much in the lives of three people.  Teal is a mother to Maiya and the wife to River.  Maiya is a daughter who just wants to know who her biological father is.  Did I  mention that she's a bit rebellious at the moment?  However, if Maiya finds out who her biological father is, it could upset Teal's life even more.  No one, and I do mean no one, knows who he is except for Teal.  Not even her husband knows. 

There's a wonderful side story about Lacey, who is Teal's sister, as well.  You get to hear the story from her point of view, too, and hear her struggles and thoughts as she goes through her trials with her husband Will.

Will Maiya find her biological father or will she decide that having a loving step dad is enough?  Will Teal be honest with her husband in order to build a stronger marriage?  Can River ever get through all of the trauma he has faced in his past?

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