The Miracle of Mercy Land

I have only been able to read about the first half of the book this week, but am eager to find some time in my busy schedule to finish this novel. So far it seems to be a very mysterious and intriguing novel, challenging the reader to really use their brain and imagination to become a part of this story.
For a full summary see below. I will post my thoughts once I’ve been able to finish the novel.

Book:  The Miracle of Mercy Land
Summary:

 Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensible to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.
Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mysterious stranger shows up, Mercy begins to understand she may have to choose between love and loneliness . . . or good and evil . . . for the rest of her life.
Author Bio:
RIVER JORDAN began her writing career as a playwright with the Loblolly Theatre group. She teaches and speaks nationwide on ‘The Power of Story’, is a monthly contributor to the southern authors’ collective A Good Blog is Hard To Find, and produces and hosts the weekly radio program CLEARSTORY with River Jordan, in Nashville, where she and her husband live. She is the author of Saints in Limbo and this is her fourth novel.

 

A Memory Between Us By Sarah Sundin

Sarah Sundin does it again and delivers another action packed, historically based love story. A Memory Between Us is filled with lessons the Lord can grow each of us through while we witness the characters hearts being molded and changed by grace, love and forgiveness.  I have waited with great anticipation for Sundin’s second novel in the Wings of Glory series.  When you read her books you would be surprised as I was to find that this is only her second debuted novel.  I see great things ahead for Sundin if she continues to present us with more of her well written, deep and remarkable novels.  She brings a new and much needed fresh air to Christian literature filled with many surprises and much accuracy in both history and scripture.  I fell in love instantly with her characters and was propelled into a time warp landing in the 1940s during WWII.  Sarah’s depiction of the war from the air and the war in the hearts of her characters is so well done and delivers amazing perfection in every way.  You will only feel regret if you put off reading either of Sarah’s novels.  She far outranks other current Christian fiction authors in my personal reading experience by writing unpredictable and amazingly exciting historical fiction that is easy for women to relate even from a different era.  She rescues readers from the predictable and boring stories that are currently overflowing the bookshelves and delivers a much needed set of adventures you will feel like you are living in real life.  I believe we will be seeing much more from Sarah Sundin in the future and am again waiting in anticipation for what she will present to the literary world next!  Keep up the marvelous work Sarah and get used to the praise and fanfare!

book_cover_AMBU

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Can they overcome the past to find a brighter future together?

Major Jack Novak has never failed to meet a challenge–until he meets army nurse Lieutenant Ruth Doherty. When Jack lands in the army hospital after a plane crash, he makes winning Ruth’s heart a top-priority mission. But he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Ruth focused on her work in order to support her orphaned siblings back home, she also is determined not to give her heart to any man.

As the danger and tension of World War II rise to a fever pitch, Jack and Ruth will need each other more than ever. Can Jack break down her defenses? Or are they destined to go their separate ways?

From the English countryside to the perilous skies over France , A Memory Between Us takes you on a journey through love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.

A Memory Between Us is the second book in the WINGS OF GLORY series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed inEngland during World War II.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Sundin is an on-call hospital pharmacist and holds a BS in chemistry from UCLA and a doctorate in pharmacy from UC San Francisco. Her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during WWII. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children. This is her second novel.  For more info please visit her website at www.sarahsundin.com!

LOVE THE BOOK?

Don’t forget to post a review on Amazon, CBD or B&N!

LINK TO BUY THE BOOK:

http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Between-Us-Novel-Wings/dp/080073422X/ref=sprightly-20

CONTEST (I’ve attached an html post that explains the contest and has all the links to enter.)

The contest is not live until the 27th – so please wait to publish your contest posts until then.

About The Memories and Movies Giveaway:

Sarah Sundin presents The Movies and Memories Giveaway in honor of book 2 in the Wings of Glory series. A Memory Between Us is available for purchase wherever fine books are sold. From the English countryside to the perilous skies over France , A Memory Between Us takes you on a journey through love, forgiveness, and sacrifice.
To celebrate Sarah is giving one lucky winner A Movie and Memory Prize Package! One grand prize winner will receive:

* Make-your-own-photo book from Mypublisher.com (Capture your own Memories)

* Netflix Subscription (New or Nostalgic Movies delivered right to your house)

* Starbucks gift card (To keep your engine revvin’)

*Gourmet chocolate (A favorite in the 1940’s and now)

* British specialty teas in carved wooden box (Timeless tradition)

* Miniature model of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber & C-47 cargo plane (Everyone needs a few toy planes)

*Big Band music CD (Break out your dancing shoes)

* WWII authentic poster playing cards (Cards – a perfect game for two)

* Keep Calm and Carry On (Uplifting sayings WWII, a boost for troubled times)

This book was provided for review by Waterbrook Maltnomah Publishing

Blessed and Refreshed

It’s been a while since I actually blogged, aside from the occasional book review, I’ve been out of energy and out of things to say, or type rather. But after an amazingly fun and relaxing (and much overdue!) vacation with my husband for our 5 year anniversary, I’m feeling so blessed and refreshed and ready for this next year!  To catch everyone up on the past month, we have had a lot of fun surprises and adventures!  Ben’s birthday is May 21 (He won’t admit that, and he will change it on his FB page, and he will deny if I wish him happy birthday on his actually birthday) and so for his birthday I had a big surprise planned for him!  I arranged for him to have an introductory flight lesson with a local flight school.  We went to the local airport and he got to fly a little plane!  The instructor was co-pilot and I rode along in the back seat of the small 4 seater plane.  He has been talking about how much he wants to learn to fly and get his pilots license, but he is terrified of rollercoasters, so I didn’t know if he would really be able to stomach the task enough to make it into a hobbie. So I set up for this lesson to give him a taste of it before he decides to shell out the money to get his license. I’m so glad I did! He was a bit nervous, and screamed like a little girl (sorry babe! its true though!), but he enjoyed it and after the instructor showed him how to land in a “touch and go” at the beaufort airport, we turned around and Ben flew us back to HH and landed, all by himself, at the Hilton Head Airport!!  Boy, that was the BEST way to start out our last week before our anniversary vacation!  This happened on Sunday, May 23, an dBen’s mom arrived into town with her neice, Melissa, on May 26.  The kids were so excited to see Grandma! She always brings tons of goodies and gifts for the kids!  She brought a lot of really pretty dresses for Layla, and some nice clothes for Reilley as well.  I loved the dresses, and was very excited to receive them because I needed to find dresses for Layla to wear this summer for my brother, Jacob’s wedding in August.  Little did I know though, that one of the dresses and a nice outfit she bought for Reilley were secret outfits planned for another wedding ceremony that I was unaware we were having! 

Let me give a little history here. In December, when we were in Pittsburgh for Ben’s Aunt Wendy’s funeral, we went to one of the malls to take the kids to the play area and there was a big fancy jewelry store that was having a going out of business sale when we were there. Bailey, Banks and Biddle.  I remember taking the kids to the play area and Ben decided to peruse the BBB shop for any great deals.  He came back telling me that it was all still way too much for our budget. Which I figured, and I honestly wasn’t anticipating or expecting him to actually buy anything.  Fast forward a few days, and Ben is driving us (the kids, myself and his mom) around town on one of him never ending, chat filled, windy drives through pittsburgh, and the kids had fallen asleep so he announces that he wants to stop by the mall to pick up something he saw.  So we get to the mall, and since the kids are sleeping, I’m the lucky one who gets to sit in the car for 45 minutes while Ben and Sharon head in for the undisclosed item at an undisclosed store.  When they return, and with no bags, boxes or receipts in sight, I’m hungry, hot, cramped and irritated, as i’m sure he planned. :-) He informs me that I’m not allowed to look at the credit card bill for the next few months.  He told me not to ask about the purchase, not to look into any receipts or bank accounts or statements, and that i’ll know when i need to know about the purchase.  I tried not to ask, but of course over the next few months i had to ask a few times, only to be shut down and every time ben would get more and more irritated with me for asking! 

Fast forward to May 28, the night before our anniversary, and I decide to ask again about the purchase, because i know that our anniversary is the next day and I still don’t know if I should be expecting a nice little velvet box with something pretty in it or not.  I asked Ben about it, and he tells me he bought his mom a pair of earrings, the new ones she has been wearing the whole trip, and that I did actually notice them over the few days she had been here.  This just made me mad, as Ben usually is good at doing right before he debuts his big surprises. He did it the night of our wedding when he surprised me with a trail of roses to our apartment after making me wait in the car for him for 45 minutes to tell me where we were staying the first night of our married life. He did it for my birthday one year when he surprised me by taking me and my neice and her husband to the Cypress restaurant for dinner in Charleston. He did it the day of our anniversary last year (#4) when he delivered me to a top notch spa in downtown Charleston, then picked me up with no kids in tow and took me to an old plantation for a tour, then on a private carriage ride through downtown and to dinner at a restaurant on the water.  I know this is what he does, I expect it every year, i know whats coming, You’d think after 7 years of being together and all the surprises thush far I would have learned. But no. I fall right into his little tricks every time! But I know that’s what makes it that much more fun for him.  Back to our recent anniversary.  So, I’m upset because he has me believing that 6 months ago he purchased a pair of earrings (which happen to be MY birthstone, not hers!) for his mother and “didn’t tell me ” because he didnt want to make me mad.  Then his mother plays along!! So, the night of the 28th (day before our anniversary), Sharon announces at dinner that she would like to go to charleston for the day (the 29th, our anniversary) and wants to see the Angel Oak.  Okay. Not surprised.  She always wants to go to Charleston when she comes to visit, which is great, I love Charleston. But it’s on our anniversary.  And they’re playing the conversation a little scripted. Then “ring ring”, ben has to take a call…outside. … okay, now i’m thinking “Something’s fishy”.  But i’m still believing the story about the earrings, and i’m still upset, but i’m working on getting over that.  Skip ahead to the next morning. It’s our anniversary.  I want to leave for Charleston at 10, so we can get there by lunch.  But Ben has other plans, and tells his mom (without me knowing) that she needs to stall us so we don’t leave til 1115.  So she “forgets” to plug in her curlers, and takes FOREVER to get ready. I’m up and ready by 9, irritated by the snails pace everyone else is taking, so I offer to leave to pick up some breakfast  and make a stop by Wal Mart for a card, cause I forgot to get a card for ben.  I know. I’m horrible. But I’ve been busy getting the house cleaned and taking care of kids and preparing for a trip!!! give me a break. haha.  I get back with breakfast and am informed its going to be another hour before Sharon is ready. So i go outside with the kids to breathe and calm down and watch Ben wash the cars (his tactic for stalling as well). THEN, Ben realizes we are LATE!!! so he rushes everyone into the cars, and I get into Sharon’s car and drive myself and Missy (poor girl had to listen to me rant and rave the whole 2 hour drive there! SORRY MISSY!!), and Ben is leading in our car with Sharon and the kids.  We get into the last leg of the trip to Charlston and I’m excited because we are almost there and i’m STARVING and i have to pee!!! then Ben turns down towards John’s Island…..towards the Angel Oak…which i’m not surprised…but i’m hungry. and he said we were going to eat downtown first!!! UGH! and i have to pee!! and i don’t know what we are doing!!!!! I am so type A, i like to have an agenda, a schedule, and stick to it, mostly. I’m a flexible type A. Unless I’m hungry. and have to pee. Then i’m just terrible. I admit it. I won’t lie. Anyway.  We get to the Angel Oak, and i’m pretty irritated. and I have to pee. And Ben walks up to me and says “Surprise!” But I’m annoyed, and i’m like “i have to pee. I’m hungry. What. are. we. doing. here.” Ben- “Go inside and say hi to your family, they are here” Me “Where’s the bathroom” Ben- “you’re ridiculous” Me- “I know, let me pee then i’ll be better”  So I walk into the little shop and there are my sister Kelly, her husband Richard and a few of their many children waiting for us.  Hmmmm…what is going on?! and where’s my lunch!! 

After i hit up the ladies’ room, i head back outside and see Sharon and Ben changing the kids into some of the pretty, dressy clothes Sharon had bought for the kids before coming to visit.  Then Ben rips off my wedding rings and says “I need these”….uh..oooookay….He then leads me to the Angel Oak, and Richard whips out his pastors book and starts our own little wedding renewal ceremony.  Awwwwww…..Ben starts crying, says his vows, I start crying, say my vows, people are staring (it was supposed to be just us, as Ben paid a lot of money to rent the area but i guess they didnt get the memo and there were tons of people there), then Reilley brings the little pillow with our rings on them.  I put Ben’s ring on his finger, say my little thing, then Ben puts my rings on my finger….wait…  I say “Those aren’t my rings!!”  “SURPRISE!!!!” ……sooooooo….I was RIGHT.  Ben DID buy me something from BBB in Pittsburgh! that sneaky sneaky man!!! You can check out pictures of all of this excitement on our facebook pages in the photos section http://www.facebook.com/#!/mauraprelich 

So.  that was just the beginning of a beautiful anniversary.  The next morning, (sunday 30) we flew out of Savannah to head to Cancun and then to Isla Mujeres for our awesome, relaxing trip.  It was just what we needed.  A dream come true.  We haven’t spent a night alone together away from the kids EVER.  So this was a great time for us to reconnect, review and reevaluate our relationship and make our goals for the next year, 5 years, so on.  You can see pictures from our trip to Isla on our facebook pages as well. 

I have to say, everytime I look at pictures from our trip this year, I start to cry. It was just that amazing and beautiful.  Now, back home, I can’t stop looking at my beautiful new wedding ring, dreaming about the amazing time we had in Isla, and the whole past couple of weeks.  I am much more relaxed, much happier and feeling extremely blessed.  Blessed that my husband cares so much for me to keep sweet secrets, even when I make it extremely difficult for him.  Blessed that he has a great job that he can afford to take me on a vacation and buy me a new ring.  Blessed that he is wiser today than he was when we first married, and that he has created an amazing budget for us, which has made it possible for all of these things to happen financially. Blessed to live on a beautiful island, which makes leaving our vacation in Isla Mujeres a LITTLE bit easier.  Blessed that I can stay home with my kiddos and care for them, our home, and ultimately my wonderful husband.  Blessed by the fact that my Lord, Jesus Christ loves me most of all and that He has made all of this possible in my life.  I’m on cloud 9, and praying that when the storms come and we hit the inevitable bumpy roads in the coming years, that I will always be reminded of the amazing things that took place in the past couple of weeks.

The Last Christian by David Gregory

I’m a week late for this review because my wonderful husband took us on an amazing trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico for our 5th anniversary. So if i had known when I got the invite for this tour that we would be gone, I wouldn’t have signed up for a review. But its okay! I got to read most of the book during our flights there and back.  I’m not usually one to read much of the scifi-ish, “what if?” novels, but this caught my interest when I saw the tour invite and figured it was time to get the genre a chance.  I have enjoyed this story thus far. 

This is a story about a young woman, Abigail Caldwell, who has been in a secluded area of the jungle most of her life with her missionary parents and living with a tribe they joined to minister.  She leaves her tribe to search for medical help because the people of her tribe have been extremely ill and are dying off.  She is not supposed to associate with anyone outside of her tribe due to some sort of laws that the government enforced years earlier.  She ends up being found in her canoe, passed out, by a doctor, Kate Sampson, and is taken to a medical center to be checked out.  Abby informs Dr. Sampson of her tribe and their condition and convinces Sampson to take her back to her tribe to try to save them, only to find they have all died of this mysterious disease.  Upon returning to Dr. Sampson’s home, they find a video file from Abby’s grandparents from many years earlier, and learn via the video that Abby is the last surviving Christian.  Abby’s grandparents believe that she is the last and only hope for the spiritual survival of the American people and that God has called her to go to the states to share the gospel.

I have yet to finish this story but am excited to get to it and find out what happens in this futuristic story of the possible fate of Christianity.  My husband is more one to think of the “what ifs?” and how technology and science may effect Christianity in the future, but after being with him for 5 years, i’ve grown to enjoy the sci fi genre more and more.

About This Book

In the future, it’s possible to live forever—but at what cost?
 
A.D. 2088.
 
Missionary daughter Abigail Caldwell emerges from the jungle for the first time in her thirty-four years, the sole survivor of a mysterious disease that killed her village. Abby goes to America, only to discover a nation where Christianity has completely died out. A curious message from her grandfather assigns her a surprising mission: re-introduce the Christian faith in America, no matter how insurmountable the odds.
 
But a larger threat looms. The world’s leading artificial intelligence industrialist has perfected a technique for downloading the human brain into a silicon form. Brain transplants have begun, and with them comes the potential of eliminating physical death altogether—but at what expense? 
 
As Abby navigates a society grown more addicted to stimulating the body than nurturing the soul, she and Creighton Daniels, a historian troubled by his father’s unexpected death, become unwitting targets of powerful men who will stop at nothing to further their nefarious goals. Hanging in the balance—the spiritual future of all humanity.
 
In this fast-paced thriller, startling near-future science collides with thought-provoking religious themes to create a spell-binding “what-if?” novel.

You can download the first chapter here.

Watch a short video about the book here.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

A Distant Melody

I have an amazing, romantic and inspiring novel to share with you all this week. Sarah Sundin’s debut novel, ADistant Melody, is the best historical WWII novel I have ever read. It’s a story of love, faith, loss and triumph that is told through the eyes of two people, Lt. Walter Novak and Allie Miller. It’s the story of a hidden and unspoken attraction that grows ever stronger through a series of letters between Walter, who is flying a bomber plane in England and over Europe, and Allie, who is discovering the woman God has created her to be back home in Calofornia while stepping out alone apart from her wealthy parents and betrothed fiancé and business man, Baxter Hicks.
If your one to enjoy stories of love that take take you back to the trying times of WWII you must pick up a copy of A Distant Melody. This is bound to keep you up late into the night lost in the lives of Allie and Walter, hoping, praying and willing them to speak their hearts and love each other as only you, the reader, knows they truly do.

Sarah Sundin hits a homerun with her debut novel and I’m eagerly awaiting her next book and hopefully many thereafter. It’s rare to find such an amazing author who keeps you on the edge of your seat, and doesn’t tell a story in an expected way. Sarah Sundin’s storytelling is an exciting breath of fresh air for a “book whore” like me (as my husband so lovingly named me).

From the Book:
Will a chance meeting in a time of war change her life forever?
Never pretty enough to please her gorgeous mother, Allie will do anything to gain her approval – even marry a man she doesn’t love. While Allir had nearly resigned herself to that fate, Lt. Walter Novak – fearless in the cockpit but hopeless with women – takes his last furlough at home in California before being shipped overseas.

Walt and Allie meet and begin a correspondence that will change their lives. As letters fly between Walt’s muddy bomber base in Enand and Allie’s mansion in an orage grove, their friendship bindds them together. But can they untangle the secrets, commitments, and expectations that keep them apart?

Book I in the Wings of Glory series, A Distant Melody is an exciting and tender story of love, courage, and sacrifice during World War II.

This book has been provided for
Review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing.

This Little Prayer of Mine

Book: This Little Prayer of Mine

Author:  Anthony DeStefano, Illustrated by Mark Elliott

My thoughts: My children and I have fallen in love with this beautiful book.  It encourages us all to remember to end our days with a thankful heart and a prayer.  It’s sweet, short and honesty in the form of a prayer from a small boy is endearing in the least and tugs at my heartstrings every time I read it.  I encourage every parent, aunt, uncle, grandparent or nanny to grab a copy of this book to read with your kids every night.  Its short and sweet and kids and adults will love it all the same.  Buy the book here: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307458049&ref=externallink_wbp_thislittleprayerofmine_sec_0223_01

Summary: Author Anthony DeStefano’s adult books, The Prayers God Always Says Yes To and A Travel Guide to Heaven, have sold a quarter-million copies. Illustrator Mark Elliott’s cherished artwork has appeared in popular picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine’s ever-popular Princess Tales series.

Now, these acclaimed inspirational experts have come together to create This Little Prayer of Mine, a beautiful and alluring book designed to guide children into a very simple, real and expressive relationship with God.

Through engaging  rhymes and alluring illustrations, This Little Prayer of Mine shows children—and their parents and grandparents—that complete dependence on God is what brings peace and fulfillment. It invites children to know and believe that God is always  just a simple prayer away and that He longs to respond to them with a resounding, “Yes!”

This Little Prayer of Mine appeals to readers from all different faiths. Easy-reader format allows children to read alone, or with someone older, and encourages them to openly express their fears, thanks, and needs directly to God.

Cover art:

Author Bio:

Anthony DeStefano is the author of The Prayers God Always Says Yes To and A Travel Guide to Heaven. He has received prestigious awards from religious organizations worldwide for his efforts to advance Christian beliefs in modern culture.

Mark Elliott’s brilliant illustrations have appeared in popular picture books and novels for young readers, including Gail Carson Levine’s Princess Tales series. His acclaimed artwork delivers inspiration, wonder, and timeless beauty on every page.

Do you have any blogger friends who might like to participate in this or any other blog tours? Please direct them to the official WaterBrook Multnomah Blogging for Books site page at http://www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook/bloggingforbooks/.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Songbird Under a German Moon

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first nights performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty’s dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Franks photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers…in each other.
But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children’s book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions.  She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana. Find out more about her and her books atwww.TriciaGoyer.com

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book.  I have always had a thing for anything to do with WWII, both fiction and non-fiction.  I didn’t want to put this book down from the first page and fell in love with the characters from the start.  Tricia Goyer does a remarkable job drawing you into the time of the story (1945), and really feeling the depth of the impact that the war had on the hearts and lives of the  individuals who were there, both American and German.   You can’t help but feel like you are right there with Betty Lake and Frank Witt as the circumstances surrounding their jobs in Germany  continuously throw challenges their way both in their relationships with their co-workers/friends as well as with each other.  I felt like I was really in their story with them, and love how authentic and real it all felt. It wasn’t too sappy, too gory, or too fake but a perfect blend of love, history, faith and adventure.  I look forward to reading more from Tricia Goyer and hope that you will hop over to your favorite bookstore and pick up a copy for yourself and/or your loved one who enjoys any story that takes place in the time of WWII.

This book was provided free for review by litFUSE publications.




Double Trouble By Susan May Warren

Do you love to read? Do you love suspense, a little romance, and murder-mysteries, but want it to still be based on a foundation of faith in Christ? Well I have an awesome book to share with you! I just finished Susan May Warren’s newest novel in the story of the life of PJ Sugar. I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and read it in a matter of days!  Warren fills the story with great wit and does a great  job with the characterization. I loved all of the characters in this story and received the first book in this series titled Nothing But Trouble just last week and look forward to reading it, but I didn’t feel lost with starting on the second book at all, which is great because with many multiple noveled story plots, it is impossible to be able to read one without reading the previous book.  I highly recommend this novel to any and all who enjoy a little bit of everything in their story without the author trying to over do it in one book.  I look forward to hopefully reading more from Warren and the life of PJ Sugar.

About Double Trouble:
With one solved case under her belt, PJ Sugar is ready to dive into her career as a private investigator. Or at least a PI’s assistant until she can prove herself to Jeremy Kane, her new boss. Suddenly PJ’s seeing crime everywhere. But is it just in her head, or can she trust her instincts? When she takes on her first official case-house-sitting for a witness in protective custody-Jeremy assures her there’s no danger involved. But it soon becomes clear that there is someone after the witness . . . and now they’re after PJ, too.

About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels with Tyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com

This book was provided for review by Litfuse Group.

Love and War

I have a great great great book to share with you all this week!!

I was SO excited to join this blog tour, and the Lord knew I would need it when I received it. His timing is always perfect, and I soaked up this book like a sponge during a rough week in our marriage. I hope that my husband will grow on the idea of reading this with me and doing the video series, hopefully with some other couples.

Jon and Stasi Eldredge open up like i’ve never seen any couple do before in a book that will strengthen your marriage and your relationship with the Lord like no book has before. This isnt just a book written by some scholar on what the Lord writes in the Bible about marriage. This is an honest approach and we are shown what goes on behind the man and woman’s perspectives in a true marriage, both the ups and downs. Jon and Stasi don’t attempt to put up a facade of the perfect marriage. They let it all hang out and are humbling with the way they open up about every topic of their marriage, from the fights they have had, to issues with inlaws, their sex life and their relationship as parents.

I highly recommend this book to any couple, whether engaged or married. I plan to read it again, and possible more than twice because it is just that good!!

A must read!

Book: Love and War

Author:  John and Stasi Eldredge

Dates: February 8-12

Summary:

What the Eldredge bestsellers Wild at Heart did for men, and Captivating did for women, LOVE & WAR will do for married couples everywhere. John and Stasi Eldredge have contributed the quintessential works on Christian spirituality through the experience of men and the experience of women and now they turn their focus to the incredible dynamic between those two forces.

With refreshing openness that will grab readers from the first page, the Eldredges candidly discuss their own marriage and the insights they’ve gained from the challenges they faced. Each talks independently to the reader about what they’ve learned, giving their guidance personal immediacy and a balance between the male and female perspectives that has been absent from all previous books on this topic.   They begin LOVE & WAR with an obvious but necessary acknowledgement:  Marriage is fabulously hard.  They advise that the sooner we get the shame and confusion off our backs, the sooner we’ll find our way through.

LOVE & WAR shows couples how to fight for their love and happiness, calling men and women to step into the great adventure God has waiting for them together. Walking alongside John and Stasi Eldredge, every couple can discover how their individual journeys are growing into a story of meaning much greater than anything they could do or be on their own.

To purchase this book go to:

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385529808


Tea with Hezbollah by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis

Summary:

Is it really possible to love one’s enemies?
That’s the question that sparked a fascinating and, at times, terrifying journey into the heart of the Middle East during the summer of 2008. It was a trip that began in Egypt, passed beneath the steel and glass high rises of Saudi Arabia, then wound through the bullet- pocked alleyways of Beirut and dusty streets of Damascus, before ending at the cradle of the world’s three major religions: Jerusalem. Tea with Hezbollah combines nail-biting narrative with the texture of rich historical background, as readers join novelist Ted Dekker and his co-author and Middle East expert, Carl Medearis, on a hair-raising journey. They are with them in every rocky cab ride, late-night border crossing, and back-room conversation as they sit down one-on-one with some of the most notorious leaders of the Arab world. These candid discussions with leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas, with muftis, sheikhs, and ayatollahs, with Osama bin Laden’s brothers, reveal these men to be real people with emotions, fears, and hopes of their own. Along the way, Dekker and Medearis discover surprising answers and even more surprising questions that they could not have anticipated—questions that lead straight to the heart of Middle Eastern conflict.

My Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed this book, and will probably read it again because it has so much awesome information in it in regards to the ties between America and the Middle East, both historical, spiritual and the human emotions behind all those.  It has been hard to put this book down because it is both suspenseful, and heart-wrenching at times. My spirit has been stirred to begin to pray more for the people of the Middle East, not just the Muslims, but the Jews, Christians, and all who are living there. It’s so amazing to think about the fact that many of the streets that Dekker and Medearis walk or drive down in this journey are the same places that Jesus and/or his disciples walked down when they lived on the earth. Just attempting to imagine what life is like for these people, and how much of the harm or destruction that has befallen them is in some way connected to me and my own misunderstanding of them hurts.  Some of the interviews bring the feelings of many high profile Muslims to the surface and expose their hearts and desires for peace between all religions and people of the world. I felt like I was sitting with Dekker and Medearis while they told of their meetings with them.  I could smell the tea, and the sweat that was probably beading on their (Mostly just Dekker’s) heads as they faced their own fears and sat with people they knew to be dangerous, yet were giving the opportunity for them to just be human and let down their defenses on a common thought.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they know these so called “enemies”, as our media and government have portrayed them to us.  It will enlighten anyone who reads it to the fact that beneath the bullets, shrapnel, mosques, robes, suits, what have you, we are all truly just human. Flesh, blood, spirit, soul, and that no matter how justified we may think we are to act in defense, we are all still called to reflect on Jesus’ greatest teaching.  The teaching of the good Samaritan. You will be asking yourself through this story, “What would I have done if I were that Samaritan??”.

Buy it, borrow it, read it. You won’t regret it.

this book was provided for review by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307588272

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