Sit, Stay, Love by Dana Mentink

I'll admit that I was a little on the fence when I first saw this book. I couldn't decide if it'd just one of those dog books that are cheesy or if it'd be something I'd actually enjoy and remember. When it came in the mail, I still was a bit hesitant. However, I'm not one to skip out on a book, so I was determined to keep an open mind and read it. It was an easy book to read and it was quite enjoyable. I liked all of the characters and Cal and Gina were absolutely funny.

This book included some things that I was thrilled, yet surprised to read. It does include a dog, Tippy, but it was wonderful to read about how she included baseball and a few other things. I loved Cal's uncle and all he had done.

As I was reading this book, I thought about how perfectly timed this book was in its release. It would make a perfect beach read or car trip book. It's lighthearted and just a good book to read when you're relaxed. If I had to offer one opinion, it would be about the cover. I understand why the dog is on the front, but to me it just made the book look like it was a quirky dog book. Since I've read the book, I think it's absolutely cute. However, I would suggest adding more than just the dog to the cover to make the readers gravitate towards the book without question.

Read more reviews about this book at http://litfusegroup.com/author/dmentink. 

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

DANA MENTINK

Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sit, Stay, Love (Harvest House, April 2016)

Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you’re ready for a lesson in love . . . Tippy style.

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother’s elderly dog, Tippy, he’s quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn’t thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can’t abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal’s world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too…

Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

A Treasure Concealed by Tracie Peterson

I hated to finish this book knowing that I'd have to wait awhile longer to read the next book in the series. I absolutely loved this book and the complete storyline. I think I experienced the wide array of emotions throughout the book. At one point, I couldn't help but cover my mouth at the shock and horror of what had taken place. I just wanted to cry for Emily Carver and her dad and mom. In fact, there were several instances when this reaction happened, which surprised me because I don't normally have such a strong reaction to books unless it is well written.

Tracie Peterson is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I enjoyed the setting in Montana, following the life of a miner and his family, who is hoping to strike it rich. Caeden easily won me over by his sweet spirit and his generosity towards the Carver family. I was endeared forever towards the end of the book and how he treated Emily and her father.

I had nothing but disgust for a few characters. I couldn't believe how brazen they were and complete tricksters. I couldn't stand the thought of them continuing on in this story because of how mean they were!

Tracie Peterson did a great job at engaging me from the very beginning of the book. There was never a boring point in the story where I felt like I wanted to just set the book down for awhile. I am really looking forward to this series.

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

Playing the Part by Jen Turano

I should preface this review by saying that I am not a girl who enjoys mystery books, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I wouldn't necessarily qualify it as a mystery book because the history and the humor definitely was the main focus. However, there was some mystery but only enough to make the story so incredibly hard to put down. I found myself looking for excuses to be alone so that I could just read!

I have read some books by Jen Turano so I fully expected this book to be just as good (if not better) than her previous ones. I absolutely love her writing style because they are a good mixture of humor and serious. She is engaging and draws the reader in to her story from the very first pages. I also appreciate that she continued to bringing other characters from her previous books. I hate not knowing what previous characters are up to in a series! I'm endeared to an author when they tie the whole series together with some familiar things from book 1.

Although this book is the third book in the A Class of Their Own series, it definitely can stand alone. The reader wouldn't have the same level of excitement over seeing some familiar names pop up from the previous books, but they would definitely not be lost and could enjoy the book. I'm pretty certain, though, it would make them go out and by the first two books in the series! I am always impressed when authors write a book in a series that can stand alone and doesn't leave the reader confused and frustrated and trying to figure out who is who.

Now I'm left waiting to see what Jen Turano writes next.

To read more reviews on this book, go to http://litfusegroup.com/books/playing-the-part.

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JEN TURANO

Jen Turano, author of the Ladies of Distinction series and the A Class of Their Own series, is a graduate of the University of Akron. She is a member of ACFW and lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Playing the Part (Bethany House, March 2016)

Can they accept who they are behind the parts they play in time to save the day?

Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan’s interest turns threatening. Lucetta’s widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta’s life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson’s estate to hide out.

Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there’s much more to him than society knows.

Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail’s matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can’t ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it’ll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

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

Fear and Faith by Trillia J. Newbell

I first heard Trillia Newbell speak at the Women's Gospel Coalition two years ago and absolutely loved her. When I saw she had a new book out, I had to read it. The fact that she wrote on a topic that I constantly battle, too, made it a book that I had such a hard time putting down. I was encouraged by her transparency and honesty as she shared her own struggle with fear. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one who struggles with the fears over my children, my husband, the future, and so much more. I've met so many women who just say that they don't struggle with fear and I always wonder what's wrong with me. I'm so thankful for her transparency.

The stories that she shared from other women touched me in such a memorable way that I know I won't forget. In fact, there have been several times that fear has crept in and I've thought about their story. What surprises me is that it's not necessarily the fear that I think of in their story... it's how God was seen throughout the hard time that I most remember. How encouraging these stories were for women!

This book wasn't exactly what I thought it'd be. I thought it would be some topical study like many other books. I was thrilled to open it up and see the Contents page and how she addresses every issue for women. It's so hard for me to pick which was my favorite because every single chapter had a gold nugget of encouragement and truth. She addresses the fear of man, fear of other women, fear of the future, fear of tragedy, fear of not measuring up, fear of physical appearance, fear of sexual intimacy, why we can trust God, the fear of the Lord, when your fears come true and growing into he fear of the Lord.

This is a book that I would love to read through with other moms in a study this summer. It was such an encouragement and so freeing. Every woman struggling with fear needs to read this book.

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

Life in Community by Dustin Willis

It is my opinion that every church needs to go through this book as some sort of small group class. It challenged me, encouraged me, and left me hopeful. I most appreciated the truth that Dustin Willis spoke. He wasn't afraid to make me squirm in my chair or to step on my toes. I was thankful for that because I want to be challenged in my walk with Christ. I also appreciated how he showed the correlation between mission and community. It was a tie that I'm not certain that I had even put together in the complete way that he had.

Another thing that I appreciated about this book was how easy it was to read. I didn't go to seminary, but I love learning and deepening my relationship with Christ. I was so thankful this book was written so that anyone could read it, which is why I think every church member should go through it. The older generation is typically so good at community because of the generation they grew up in. However, my generation tends to steer towards loneliness and isolation, thanks to technology that can make you "feel" as though you have friends. I liked the challenge he made about the neighborhood you live in and forming relationships with those people and really opening up your house in hospitality.

My favorite chapter has to be the hospitality chapter because I am in introvert The thought of so many people at my house makes me want to stop before I even start! I liked how he gave me permission to go deep with a few friends while extroverts can go wide instead of as deep. That has stuck with me completely, because that is a typical excuse of mine. I also liked how he defined what hospitality is and what it is not. How often do I fall into the entertainment trap?!

This book has the ability to be a 6-week small group study. The questions at the end of chapter are deep and require honesty. In fact, there's a whole lot about transparency and getting messy in the lives of others and letting them see your messiness. Amen! I'm excited to go back through this book and hopefully introduce it to my church!

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

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

It has been some time since I've read a book and have had such a hard time getting it out of my head once I finished it. I absolutely cannot wait for the second book to come out already. I am hooked, needless to say!

Who doesn't like to read a book with the setting of Prince Edward Island. I immediately went straight to thinking about Anne of Greene Gables and I loved how she tied Montgomery into this book. I think that's another reason this book was one of my favorites that I've read in a while. I wish I could have saved it to read on the beach. If only book 2 would come out this summer!

Marie Carrington is a character that had me a little confused at the beginning. I obviously knew something had gone on in her life in order for her to react to people in a different way. I appreciated how Liz Johnson slowly revealed Marie's history and how she brought two completely broken people into a relationship. Seth Sloane has been deeply hurt by a woman and he can't seem to get past her.

Considering I haven't read any other books by Liz Johnson, I must say that I am very impressed by her writing style. She brought two people together with hurts and messiness. It very easily could have been one of those books where the drama is drawn out so much that it leaves the reader frustrated and ready for it. However, it was perfectly scripted to where there was enough suspense and tension for just the right amount of time. Now I want to discover what I've missed by reading the rest of her books! Seriously, though.... book 2 should come out soon!

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

And it was Beautiful by Kara Tippetts

I first heard of Kara Tippetts at the same time that many of you probably heard about her. She wrote a letter to Brittany Maynard about dying well and not allowing doctors to determine your days. Kara lived with purpose, passion, and with eternity in mind. Heaven was in front of her but she still wrestled with letting go of this life... like all of us struggle with daily. Not only did she have her husband to think about, she wanted to be sure her 4 children knew that she passionately loved them. She knew one of her children would mostly know her only because her husband would tell her about Kara because most likely her littlest one wouldn't remember her very much. Kara lived well and died well.

As I was reading this book, I kept thinking I should be crying and so sad. After all, this book holds a letter to her readers upon her death. But by the time I got to the end, I didn't cry. I was still sad, but ultimately I saw how much her life glorified God and felt how at peace she was by the end that it was reflected in her writing.

This book is a collection of her blog posts. Since I never went back to read all of her first posts about this journey or how it started, I was thankful for this collection. I want  my life to be lived with eternity as my focus, just as Kara did.

Read more reviews on this book at http://litfusegroup.com/author/ktippetts.

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About the Book

And It Was Beautiful: Celebrating Life in the Midst of the Long Good-Bye (David C Cook, March 2016)
“I was here. I saw beauty. I embraced it.” —Kara Tippetts
How do you live out extravagant love in the everyday moments? How do you celebrate grace when your life turns out differently than the one you dreamed?
Kara Tippetts discovered how to find joy in the small moments of life. She learned how to hold tight to hope even while battling intense physical and emotional pain. And she lived out the truth that God can redeem any story.
In her final book, Kara offers gentle reflections on living and dying well. She invites us to cultivate soft hearts even when we face great disappointment. Her ideas for living are hard-won, wrestled with in the crucible of family, illness, and faith. And her constant reminder is that whether we are in the midst of dark days or mundane moments Jesus is always there, life is surprisingly beautiful, and God is forever good.
Learn more and purchase a copy.

Kara Tippetts

Kara Tippetts was the author of The Hardest Peace and the co-author of Just Show Up. She blogged faithfully at mundanefaithfulness.com. Since her death in March 2015, her husband, Jason, has been parenting their four children and leading the church the couple founded in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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