The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

I was first introduced to Rachel Hauck in her last book, Dining with Joy.  I absolutely loved that one and enjoyed the humor mixed with the romance.  That said, when I saw this one was coming up for review, I was anxiously awaiting it.  I was curious to see if her writing style stayed the same and if she's the type of writer I would enjoy reading--no matter what she wrote.  I'm pleased to say that my answer to that is yes!  Rachel didn't disappoint with this book and I look forward to reading all of the future books by her.

Charlotte finds herself bidding on a trunk that is welded shut, having no idea what could be inside of it.  Imagine the shock at finding out that it's the most beautiful wedding dress that has been shut inside of it!  Curious as to how and why it got in the trunk in the first place, Charlotte sets out to find the background of the dress.  She comes to find that Emily, Hillary, and Mary Grace all play a part in this dress.  The question would be: which part belongs to whom and what were the details behind the dress when it was theirs?  And what could all of this mean or have to do with Charlotte?

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I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Love's Sacred Song by Mesu Andrews

Having just read and reviewed another book in the biblical history fiction books, I was excited to continue reading in the same genre.  This book walked the reader through Song of Solomon and told the beautiful story between Solomon and Arielah.  Arielah has known from the beginning that she would one day marry Solomon.  However, can Solomon live with just one woman?  Can Arielah adjust to being the wife of a king?

As I was reading this, I found myself wanting to go back and read about Solomon.  I felt that Mesu Andrews did a wonderful job following the biblical account and making sure that she only took liberties to add to the story when it was left unclear as to what thoughts had happened that weren't documented.  Like all biblical fiction books, it doesn't replace the Bible, but I think it reminds you that these characters written about in the Bible were humans and human thoughts, just like us.  I loved taking a realistic look at what King Solomon might have been like and in how many ways he was actually pulled in his life, as far as his duty and his daily routine....those things that all of us can relate to.  This is a wonderful love story that brings tears to your eyes as you explore the story.

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

Sarai by Jill Eileen Smith

What a beautiful story of Abraham and Sarai.  Jill did a great job of sticking to the biblical text, but still adding her own thoughts and ideas into how Sarai and Abram might be as a couple.  She added the humanness to them that we so often forget about when we read the biblical account of them.  Do know that this isn't the EXACT story in the Bible, but Jill does try to stay true to the culture and the biblical account.  However, the Bible doesn't tell us EXACTLY what Sarai was thinking in certain instances, such as when Abram wants her to say she is his sister.  This is where Jill takes her own liberties in the story, but she states in the back that she researches the history, tries to stick to the biblical account, portions of the story with not in Scripture allowed her to use her imagination, and that any errors made are hers.  This mae me want to read this book even more.
One thing that I loved was when she wrote about the sacrifices that had to be made.  A choice had to be made to sacrifice Abram's lamb that followed him everywhere or Sarai's rebellious ram.  It had never occurred to me before that of course, as a shepherd, it would be so incredibly hard to give up your best as a sacrifice.  Who would want to give up the obedient ones?  You'd be more than happy to give up those rebellious ones that cause so much work, but the ones that followed your command and stayed with you?  I had never stopped to think about that before.  I just always figured that they didn't have as much love for animals as we typically do today.  But I really don't think that's the case.  I really think that shepherds love their flock and they tend to their flocks and they know them.  Of course they would have a deep love for them.  But God called them to give Him their best sacrifices, one without spots or blemish.

This is the first book in the Wives of the Patriarchs series.  I have never read any of her books before but I've already downloaded another of hers to read in the David series. 

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

Tornado Damage

We are so very thankful that our house was protected through the tornadoes that came through two weeks ago.  The kids and I were actually at the farm freaking out over the weather that was headed through there when my brother called me (from the big city in the middle of the state) to see if our house was okay and if Daddy T's parents were okay because he had read that it had been damaged.  I was actually live-streaming the news over the mountains and then watching the farm news weather.  I hadn't heard exactly where the tornado touched down in the valley until I finally heard it hit our road.  Needless to say, I had a lot of people calling and texting me to make sure we were okay.  It was so very thoughtful of them and I appreciated it. 

I got in touch with my father-in-law and he told me about the damage that it had done on the road where we are planning to buy a house.  He did tell me that his neighborhood was okay but it hit the subdivision next to theirs.  My niece called to check on us and volunteered to run over to our house to check on it for us and to move our trashcan before the next round of storms.  (So very nice of her!)  She called with a good report saying that it didn't touch our neighborhood.  Less than a mile away wasn't so lucky.  Trees were uprooted, houses destroyed, marina gone, and boats sunk.  When we drove home the next day, my heart sunk to see the end of our road and how it did not resemble anything like it used to.  Then my next revelation was that if the tornado had stayed straight and not turned when it did, it would have come up and down our ridges and taken out our house from behind.  (Not going to lie...that kinda really freaked me out!)  The road where the worst of the devastation happened is still closed and not free for traffic.  I think we are going with the youth at some point to help in the cleanup.  Many trees need to come off of houses and away from buildings.  It apparently went clear through our little town and straight into the county on the mountains.  All in all, I think it destroyed about 80 homes.  Thankfully, no one died despite the number of people who were home and took shelter with the EF-3 tornado hit.  I saw somewhere that it had about 165 mph winds with it.  Here's a few pictures of devastation.

We've been told you could hear the horrible sound from our neighborhood so I'm very thankful I wasn't home or I really would have been a lot more nervous, especially with my kids!



This is pretty much what the entrance to our road looks like:















This would be the subdivision next to where we want to move:

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

I am a big Colleen Coble fan and have read most of her books.  When I saw this one come across for review, I immediately had to get it.  It didn't disappoint.  Her writing is wonderful, in my opinion, and she's able to draw you into the book right from the start.  Can't wait for the other books in this series to come out!

This is Book One in the Under Texas Stars series.  The focus is on Lucy Marsh who has endured so much loss and tragedy at such a young age.  Determined to do anything to keep her sister and brother safe, she decides to marry a man that can keep them all safe and out of harms way.  However, both her and her new husband are surprised when they are put into each other's life. 

Nate Stanton has no time for marriage, and definitely not for children, because his focus is on the ranch.  So you can imagine his surprise when his father drops off a wife and kids for him.  And he certainly never signed up to protect his new family from a man who has apparently killed Lucy's father and now wants to do the same to her brother.  But somehow they have won his heart so protecting them is what he will do, what he wants to do.  Because of this new love, what is it that Nate will have to give up?  How will he deal with his new loss?

This book was romance and suspense wrapped up in one.  If you like either, this is a great book to check out.  If you'd like to read more reviews of this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13458569/bluemoonpromise.

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I received this book free from the Thomas Nelson and the Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Stand By Me by Neta Jackson

I am a HUGE fan of the Yada Yada Prayer Group series and the House of Hope series.  I have fallen in love with all of the characters.  Not realizing that the same characters would be carried into this book, I was thrilled to discover that they were still with me!  I have grown to love these characters and just when I thought I had to tell them "goodbye," I got to say "hello again!"

If I could sum up what I feel like when I read this book (as well as any of her Yada Yada books), it's that the entire book makes me want to set it aside and praise God and worship Him with my entire heart.  When I'm reading this book, it makes me feel like I'm in a spirit of worship and I love it!  Not many books give me that feeling, but this book focuses so much on the intent of worship and the spirit of worship that you, as the reader, just can't help but join in.

The summary of the book (which is extremely hard to condense), Kat is a graduate college student who is graduating and looking to work with students in the city of Chicago.  Her three friends join her and they begin to attend SouledOut Community Church.  Avis is a worship leader at the SouledOut Community Church and her husband, Peter, is an elder.  Avis's daughter is going through a rough spell and is needing extra help and attention by Avis.  However, Peter is thinking that God is really calling them to make a life change and do something different in their lives now while they are younger and have the energy to give more to God.  Before they can make this life change, though, Avis needs to be sure that her daughter is and will be okay.  This means that she stays put in Chicago for a bit longer and at SouledOut Community Church.  Kat seems to be drawn to Avis for some reason, but Avis thinks that Kat is just another student who is passionate but is a flake and all talk, no action.  Somehow these two come to realize that they need each other, despite the age differences, their racial differences, and their cultural differences.

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I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze® book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Heart's Safe Passage by Laurie Alice Eakes

The second book in the Midwives Series, this book is a wonderful book full of action and romance.  I was actually not expecting the plot to keep unfolding up until the very last page.  Every time that I thought the plot couldn't thicken and that it needed to resolve at a certain point, it was intensified and became more complex.  I had not read the first book in the series, but would like to check it out now.  Saying that, I didn't have any problem following people or understanding the story.  I'm not for sure if any characters were carried over from the first book to the second, but nothing is lost if you started reading this book first.

I was captivated by the story line.  Phoebe Lee as kidnapped, kind of purposefully for one person and accidentally for another person.  Phoebe has a history as a murderer and a midwife.  Her story is very well-known in taverns so you can imagine what Captain Rafe Docherty thinks when the men bring her aboard with Belinda.  Captain Rafe only wanted Belinda on board so he can help to carry out his revenge on Brock, a man who murdered Rafe's wife and parents. 

Along the way are many twists and turns and like I said, a thick plot.  Be ready to turn page after page because you just can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.

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Available February 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exhchange for my honest opinion.