The Jesus Scandals by David Instone-Brewer

I was unsure of this book when I first saw it, to be truthful.  There was something about the title that made me question what the book was going to be about.  However, since I knew it was from a Christian publisher, I felt that I had better give it a chance! 

It was very interesting to read about how Jesus was caught in scandals during his day.  I never stopped to really think about the cultures at his time, such as why he was single and the disgrace that came with that at the time.  Or how about not having a father....one that everyone could see and say that Jesus came from that family.  Instead, all he could say was that Mary was his mother.  That was disgraceful to take her name.

I never saw what Jesus did as scandalous.  I saw it more as going against the world.  However, when I stopped to think about it, "scandalous" describes how the world viewed him. 

The book itself is an easy read with nice and short chapters.  It's written in a way that is informative and not boring.  I really enjoyed the cultural information that he included in the chapters, as well.  I felt that I better understood more about how Jesus was viewed in the eyes of those who judged him and hated him.

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

Love Finds You in Mackinac Island, Michigan by Melanie Dobson

I was hooked on this book when I read about Mackinac Island in the very front of the book.  It set the stage for me as the intro and it made me fall in love with the island from the beginning.  I have never heard of Mackinac Island so I was interested to learn a little of the history about it.

Elena Bissette is looking for just the right person to marry who can make her future look a little more brighter than what it does at this particular moment.  But what does Elena long for more than anything?  To marry for love.  She wants to find someone and marry him because she loves him and he loves her.  Her family wants her to marry Chester, but Chester isn't really too interested in marrying "society girls."   

To get away from the pressures of her family and to find some alone time, Elena goes to a lighthouse where she finds some letters written by a woman to her husband.  She meets Chase and together they speculate as to what could have happened to both of these people and what they experienced in their lives. 

So which one will Elena find herself marrying?  Will it be someone she forces herself to love or someone that she is head over heels in love with despite the fact that he can't save her family?

To read more reviews about this book, go to: http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13517085/melaniedobson

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

Beverly Lewis has kicked off what is sure to be a wonderful new series called Home to Hickory Hollow series.  This book had all of the elements that I love about Beverly's writing, but she came at a different angle as her plot. 

Amelia is a fiddler....well, technically, she's well-known for being a professional violinist.  Her life is wrapped up in her violin, but she longs to explore more of the fiddling.  However, her father and her agent think that it's ridiculous to fiddle and that it would ruin her reputation as a world-famous violinist if she were to be seen on a stage playing the fiddle.  Desperate to play, Amelia changes her name to Amy and that's how she's known to the fiddling nation.  But to the rest of the world, she is still classy Amelia.  On her way home from a fiddling competition, her car breaks down, her phone ends up in the water, and she finds herself on the porch of a house in which resides an Amish man. 

Michael has been wrestling with whether or not to leave the Amish community.  He doesn't completely believe all that they do and he doesn't want to make the confession until he knows for certain that he can hold his vow.  He got into a fight with his dad and went to a house near the mountains.  Good thing, too, or poor Amelia would have been out of luck on that rainy night!

Michael convinces Amelia to come experience the "simple life" for a day or so and she agrees.  She ends up staying with the family of one of Michael's friends.  She loves it and becomes close friends with the daughter.  She extends her stay several times but eventually the times comes when she must leave.

But will she come back or will Michael follow her into the English world?  Can they meet halfway and compromise?

I'm really excited for the next book in the series already!  Hope we don't have to wait too long!

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

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury

I'm so sad that the Baxter's have come to the end with the final book written about them.  If you've followed the whole Baxter family series and all of the spin-offs, then you will definitely want to make sure you read this book.  However, it's a bit different than I had thought it would be.  I was crying halfway through when I saw how the Baxter family would end their time in these books.  When you've gotten so close to each character, it's so hard to say goodbye to them.

Karen does a wonderful job at making sure that even new readers could pick this book up and get a great glimpse into the lives and pasts of the main Baxter family.  It is definitely more meaningful if you've read all of the series, but she summarizes with just enough detail for new people and not so much of a summary that it bores her readers that have followed them along the way.

The book has a twist, like all of her books.  It's not all wrapped up in a nice big bow, so watch out for the tears and the "ugly cries!"  However, you will end knowing that each Baxter is happy and is where God wants each of them to be.

This book is a must have for all of the series collectors out there!  And to you new readers of Karen Kingsbury: you've got to read this entire series, but this book is a great place to start!

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

Passages by Brian Hardin

This was a book that I debated signing up for because I wasn't for sure what the contents held.  I expected it to be one of those that talked about how we should read our Bible, how good it is to do so, and what a difference it can make.  You know, pretty much like many of the other books on Bible reading can sound like.  I was very glad that that's not exactly what this book talked about.

Brian shares with his readers that yes, we are to read the Bible, but it's supposed to be a passion.  With Christianity today being so much of "let's take this verse and make it mean this," Brian spends a whole chapter talking about "How the Bible is Meant to Be Read."  It's supposed to be read in context.  It's not about us, but about God. 

I really enjoyed how he talked about "Living the Bible in Community."  It is so vital that we read our Bibles together with others, not just inside of church.  It also needs to be read and lived in our families, as he spends an entire chapter talking about that as well.

Overall, I think this is a book that I definitely want to recommend, especially to those who are new to learning about Jesus, but also to those that don't really get why the Bible should mean much to Christians.  I think Brian does a good job breaking down the main components of where the breakdowns are happening with Christianity today. 

For more reviews on this book, go to:  http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/13507671/brianhardin .

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I received this book free from Zondervan through Litfuse Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.

Starring Me by Krista McGee

I have only read one other book by Krista McGee and really enjoyed it.  Her books tend to be tailored more for young adults, but they are still enjoyable for adults, in general.  Her writing isn't simplified at all.  It's more that she chooses younger characters to write about so she can relate to the young adults.  Krista writes with humor and has me laughing many times throughout her books.

Starring Me is about Kara, who is a friend of Addy's from Krista's previous book First Date, and Chad Beacon is a Christian and wants to find a co-star.  His parents desire for his co-star to share his same beliefs, so they keep quiet about Chad's involvement in the variety show.  Kara wants nothing more than to be actor so she signs up for this variety show that she thinks will bring her closer to her goal.

What she doesn't expect is some news that could ruin her chances at being a star.  However, through a set of circumstances, God weaves the perfect story for her to possibly get a chance to be a star after all.  It helps too that Chad is the perfect guy that you would want your daughter to end up with!

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

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall

I have always enjoyed Cindy Woodsmall's books.  She always gives her readers such a beautiful picture of the Amish life.  This book was just as beautiful and brought two different worlds together.  It wasn't the world of the Amish and the Englischer, like so many of the Amish fiction books tend to lean towards.  She takes a different relationship and lets them find their way together. 

The lives of an Amish man and an Old Order Mennonite vary in many ways and neither group looks favorably upon marrying into the other group.  When the Amish or the Mennonites join the church, they are making a solemn vow between them and God and that isn't taken lightly.  So you can imagine what might happen if an Amish and a Mennonite fall in love with each other.

This is the main tension throughout this book.  Annie Martin loves being an Old Order Mennonite.  Ever since her mother became a single mom, she has let her brothers get away things that most Mennonites would completely disagree with.  Annie's grandfather, Daadi Moses, lives in Apple Ridge and co-owns a restaurant with an Amish family.  Annie's mom decides that Annie needs to go live with her Daadi Moses for a little bit since they can't get along at the moment.

Annie has visited her Daadi Moses before and helped in restaurant that the Zooks co-own with them.  The Zooks have faced many hardships with Aden's twin brother being injured and havng to learn to walk again and his father being injured in the same accident.  Aden has a stutter and just can't imagine that someone would want him because of his speech impediment.  But who can resist a bright Annie who steps through the door to help out just when Aden's brother needs to be at a relative's farm?

As they begin to realize that they just might love each other, Aden is threatened by Annie's Daadi Moses of some terrible consequences should Aden keep seeing his granddaugther.  Will Aden let that stop him?  If they are to be together, who will become Amish or who will switch to be a Mennonite?  Will their families be happy?  Will they be accepted as a couple?

This book mentions a few characters in her Christmas book, A Christmas Singing.  However, you don't have to have read it to know what is going on.  this is a stand alone novel, but I did enjoy hearing an update from her previous book!

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I received this book free from Blogging from Books, which is part of Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.