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.