Christian Book Review - Proverbs Prayers

I've always loved bible studies. I love the act of sitting down each day to study one particular line or page from the bible. Since I was a teenager, I've grown away from doing that each day. I'm sure you know how it is, life just gets in the way, you find other things that you need to do. If studying the bible is important to you, you have to make it a priority. That is where this awesome book comes in.

Proverbs Prayers is a small, simple, but extremely powerful book. Each chapter has a selection from proverbs, followed by some of the author John Mason's thoughts. I found this to be a great way to start the day. The book is set up so that you read one page of proverbs a day, for 31 days. They say that it takes 31 days to develop a habit. Reading from the bible is a great habit to instill into yourself. Proverbs is a great place to start for many reasons. It is short and simple to read. The subjects have bearing on your daily life. You will find yourself thinking throughout the day about what you read. Something will happen and a line from proverbs will pop into your head. It is a great connection to make. Like the subtitle says, you will pray the wisdom of proverbs into your life every day.

Meet the author: John Mason is an author with over 1.2 million books in print, including An Enemy Called Average, You're Born an Original--Don't Die a Copy, and Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop .

He is the found and president of Insight International, an organization dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their destiny. John is in great demand as a speaker through the US and abroad. Learn more about John on his website: http://freshword.com.

To read more reviews and see the rest of the blog tour, go to Litfuse Group Publicity. Pin It

Unending Devotion Book Review & Giveaway

I'm very careful when I tell people that my favorite genre is historical fiction. A lot of people think that historical fiction is just bodice-ripping and oodles of sex. That is historical romance, not historical fiction. There is a difference. While I do like a little love added into my historical fiction, I don't need a book that is basically smut.

This one is actually considered historical romance, but there are no bodices being ripped in this book. I promise. There is the development of actual love between two wonderful characters. Here's my review of Unending Devotion by Jody Hedlund.

My synopsis: The year is 1883. Michigan is ridiculously cold and Lily Young would rather not have to be out in the cold, visiting lumber towns with her adopted father Oren, but she is on a mission. Her beloved sister Daisy is missing, having run off to make her own way in the world. Lily is afraid that her sister has had to turn to prostitution, which is almost the only profession available to an unmarried woman. She goes with Oren from town to town searching, until she lands in Harrison, also known as Hell's Waiting Room. She meets Connell, who she initially believes to be just another shanty-man, or lumberjack. It turns out that Connell is actually the boss-man, and the heir to his father's lumber business. Lily is disgusted by the lumber business, since it destroys the land and feeds into the number of brothels and saloons needed in each town. She assumes that Connell is just another man who doesn't care for morales or for leading a good Godly life. After Connell comes to her aid time and time again, she soon learns that he's much more intelligent and caring than she took him for. She finds herself attracted to him even though they both know that they are far too different to ever be together.

My thoughts: Like most historical fiction books, I find the first chapter or two hard to get into. This isn't really a reflection of the book. You just have to put your mind into another time and way of life to better understand the book, and that can take a bit. Once I had adjusted, I fell absolutely in love with Lily Young. She was completely selfless and caring. She had the gumption to stand up to horrifying men when even the manly lumberjacks around her did not. She put herself into danger time and time again, with only the intention of helping out those less fortunate than herself.

I loved that the relationship with Connell took time to develop. She didn't just swoon and fall into his arms the first time she met him. Like in real life, you meet someone, you find them attractive, you get to know them, and sometimes that can lead to love. Both Lily and Connell are human, flawed characters so that made them very relateable. There was a slight message of purity and how it is better to wait for the right person that swept under the entire book, but it wasn't at all heavy-handed. Knowing the type of person Lily was, it made sense that her virginity would be something that she would hold precious. As an orphan who had absolutely nothing, she knew that her own body and mind were the only thing that she could truly call her own.

The side characters were also well-fleshed out. I particularly like Oren, Lily's adopted father. I don't even know how many times he threatened to kill someone for looking in Lily's general direction, but it was hilarious. I would love a prequel, starring Connell and his brother Tierney. I would love to see how exactly their relationship became what it was in this book.

This book isn't all romance and love and happy go lucky. There are some serious issues here. The lumber business was a huge boom in the late 1800's. The business did drive up the number of brothels and saloons. Women really were bought and sold into "white slavery" as prostitutes. While reading this book, you will get a bit of a history lesson. What I learned from this, is that even in the most destitute of times, there are good people who will always do the right thing.

So all in all, I really liked this book. On goodreads, I gave it four stars. I would recommend it for people who like romance, Christian fiction or historical fiction. I wouldn't say that the book is Christian fiction, but it is definitely safe for those of you who prefer that.

In honor of the book release, the author Jody Hedlund, is throwing a facebook party on September 18th. There you can join Jody for an awesome author chat and enter to win some great prizes. Someone will will a Nikon camera, another will win a $25 shutterfly gift certificate, among a ton of other great stuff. To RSVP, please go to the event page. You can also get more information at the Unending Devotion facebook page. I hope to see you there! 

Pin It

Book Review, Blog Tour, & Giveaway : The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

The Wedding Dress was such a sweet romantic story. It centers on a bride-to-be named Charlotte who happens to also own an up-and-coming bridal boutique. She has an amazing gift to always find THE dress for each bride. She is just a couple of months away from her wedding, and yet she has not sent out save-the-dates or found her own perfect dress. She feels like something is holding her back, but has no idea what it is.

Then a mysterious trunk surfaces. Inside the trunk is a gorgeous vintage wedding gown in absolutely pristine condition, as if it has never been worn. Where did it come from and who wore it before? Charlotte becomes obsessed with finding out. Through her search, she learns about many amazingly strong women who came before her, the truth about her past, and where her future truly lies.

The story is both historical fiction and Christian romance. I loved both sides of it, but I preferred the historical fiction aspect. When the story went to the past, and told the stories of the former owners of the dress, I got absolutely lost in the story. I still want to know more. If there was a sequel/prequel I would be so excited. Even though Charlotte was the main character, I loved the story of Emily, the first owner of the dress just as much.

My wedding dress, just because.

As far as the romance between Charlotte and Tim, I found it a little confusing. This may have been intentional as both Charlotte and Tim find themselves confused regarding their relationship as well. There were times when I didn't know whether I should root for them to make it as a couple or whether I should wish for them to go their separate ways. I think that the ending was good, with both of them able to stay true to themselves and God's plan for them.

This is actually a historical fiction romance, which I generally shy away from, but this one was done really well. There was no preaching or overt Christians are better than everyone type of schpeel. It was just obvious that the main characters were themselves good Christians trying to do the right thing. They were very strong in their faiths, but without lording it over others. So if you tend to shy away from Christian fiction, this one should work for you. I definitely recommend this book to chick flick lovers, historical fiction fans, and Christian fiction readers.

About the author 

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of Carol Award winner Sweet Caroline, and RITA Finalist Love Starts With Elle, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, The Songbird Novels.

She lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane plagued, central Florida with her husband and their ornery pets.

Rachel earned a degree in Journalism form Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes football fan. She is the past President of American Christian Fiction Writers and now sits on the board as an Advisor. Visit her web site at www.rachelhauck.com to reader her blog, and to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.


What is "true" beauty? Join the conversation at Rachel's Author
Chat Party Event Page. On the eventing of 4/19 we'll gather to talk about inner
and outer beauty and share moments of beauty in our lives.



In the meantime, celebrate with Rachel by entering her True Beauty
Giveaway!



One "beautiful" winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Treat yourself to a spa day or weekend
  get-away!)
• The Wedding Dress (by Rachel Hauck)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends
4/18/12. Winner will be announced at Rachel's "True Beuaty" Author Chat Facebook Party on
4/19. Rachel will be hosting an evening of beauty (inner/outer) chat, fun trivia,
laughter, and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some
GREAT prizes:
gift certificates, books, and a Book Club Prize Pack! (Ten copies of
the book for your small group or book club and a live chat with Rachel
via Skype.)



So grab a few of your friends and your copy of The Wedding Dress and join
Rachel on the evening of April 19th for an evening of fun.

Don't miss a moment of the fun. RSVP
today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to
see you on the 19th! Pin It

Children's Book Review - Gabby's Stick-To-It Day

I am pleased to be a part of the official Gabby's Stick-to-It Day blog tour. I got to review the first book in the series about Gabby last year, and I loved it. So I'm super excited that I got a chance to review the second book.

Gabby is one of God's guardian angels in training. In the first book, she learned about her first assignment, a little girl named Sophie. In the first book, she learned how to take care of Sophie. In this second book, Gabby has discovered a little problem. While Sophie is a good little girl, she has trouble sticking things out and finishing what she started. She starts to give her dog a bath, but then gets distracted when the dog jumps out of the water. Gabby reminds her of a bible verse that Sophie had learned earlier that week. It is Galatians 6:9 "We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up."

I love the Gabby books and I really hope that there are more. They get their message across in a simple way that children can understand without being preached to. I don't think any little kid reading this story would even know there was a lesson in it. It is just an adorable story about a little girl and her guardian angel. The illustrations are absolutely adorable, CJ loves them. He loves the pictures of the dog splashing and the pictures of Sophie with noodles on her head. You have to read the story to see how that happens. I recommend this for any children ages 7 and under. It is a quick easy book for a read-aloud. It would also be great for a Sunday School class. The author, Sheila Walsh, is actually a Bible teacher.

In honor of the release of this new Gabby book, Sheila and her publishing company are giving away tons of prizes. See below for more information. Thanks for stopping by!


For the full details of the blog tour, go here : http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13464258/sheilawalshgabby

Sheila and her publisher, Thomas Nelson, have put together a "Gabby" prize package worth over $200! Click one of the icons below to enter!

One lucky winner will receive:

    A brand new Kindle Fire with  Wi-Fi

    Gabby, God’s Little Angel

    Gabby's Stick-to-It-Day

But wait! There’s more …

The winner will be announced on the Gabby Landing Page on 4/2/12. In the meantime, enter to win the Kindle Fire then head over to the Tommy Nelson site and download the Gabby coloring sheets, watch Sheila's Gabby video, sign up for updates about upcoming Gabby and Thomas Nelson products, and much more.

Pin It

Christian Book Review : A Year with Jesus

Goodreads' description : A 365-day devotional featuring the actual spoken words of Jesus as presented in the Bible.

Too many times the impact and grandness of the actual words Jesus spoke, as recorded in the Bible, are lost in the telling of the story.
In A Year with Jesus, the primary focus is to allow the scriptures that contain Jesus' dialogue to uniquely speak to the reader. The author follows each reading with insights and applications to help explain the context and nuances of the text. The unique titling of each meditation and the nontraditional themes and organization help bring Jesus to our daily lives

My review : I've been reading this book daily for about a month now. I absolutely love it. I've only gotten to the "Love and Hate" section. I can't wait to get to the rest which include "Truth and lies, arrogance and humility, and friends and enemies". It is great to hear exactly what Jesus said about certain topics. It puts the bible into perspective and shows how you can relate it to your everyday life. This book is obviously a little preachy, but not in a bad or annoying way. If you are buying this book, you are probably looking for a little guidance in your life anyway, so it isn't a bad thing. The daily devotionals are a bit longer to read than other devotionals I've read, but I liked that about it. 

I'd definitely recommend this book to any Christians who are looking for a daily devotional or to someone who just wants to look a little bit closer at Jesus' life. 

I received this book for free from Booksneeze. I was not paid for my review and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Pin It