Saturday, September 28, 2019

Stitches In Time


Some lines in this book resonated with me.  Messages we received as children can have a lasting affect on how we look at ourselves.  I always saw myself as the smart one.  I didn't feel pretty.  I felt like the fat one. No one told me I was but I compared myself to my peers.  But when I see pictures of my young self, it wasn't the case.  Because of the message I received, I was self-conscious....quiet.


It took me years to free myself from these negative messages.  The messages I gave myself.  Izzy, Luke, Sam and Mollie lived their lives listening to those negative messages. What would it take for them to shake off these thoughts?

This book reminds you that you are capable of reprogramming your thoughts with GOD's help.  God is there to listen.  He is there to comfort you.  He is always there to heal and lead you in the right direction.

Great story.  Suzanne Woods Fisher brings the characters alive to me.  I found myself reaching for a kleenex.  I loved the book and I loved the ending.  

I received this book for free from Celebrate Lit to review.

About the Book
Book: Stitches in Time
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Genre: Contemporary Amish fiction
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Detachment had worked well as a life strategy for horse trainer Sam Schrock. Until he met Mollie Graber . . .
New to Stoney Ridge, schoolteacher Mollie has come to town for a fresh start. Aware of how fleeting and fragile life is, she wants to live it boldly and bravely. When Luke Schrock, new to his role as deacon, asks the church to take in foster girls from a group home, she’s the first to raise her hand. The power of love, she believes, can pick up the dropped stitches in a child’s heart and knit them back together.
Mollie envisions sleepovers and pillow fights. What the 11-year-old twins bring to her home is anything but. Visits from the sheriff at midnight. Phone calls from the school truancy officer. And then the most humiliating moment of all: the girls accuse Mollie of drug addiction.
There’s only one thing that breaks through the girls’ hard shell–an interest in horses. Reluctantly and skeptically, Sam Schrock gets drawn into Mollie’s chaotic life. What he didn’t expect was for love to knit together the dropped stitches in his own heart . . . just in time.
Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the little Amish church of Stoney Ridge for a touching story of the power of love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Carol-award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes untold stories about inspiring people. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction, ranging from Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World to the historical novel Anna’s Crossing.

More from Suzanne

Have you ever felt the tug to become a foster parent?
On any given day, there are nearly 438,000 children in foster care in the United States. Most states have a critical need for more foster parents, and the number of children placed in foster care increases yearly.
There are plenty of assumptions about having foster children, but most are incorrect. The media has a tendency to focus on the negative, but from all the research I conducted to write this book, for every bad news story, there were two good ones. Good stories just don’t make the news.
Below are some of the most common assumptions about foster care, with corrected information that is applicable across the United States (but keep in mind that each state has their own requirements).

Myth: Kids in foster care are bad or troubled.
Truth: Children in foster care are good kids taken out of a troubled situation. They need a caring foster parent who is patient and understanding. When given the opportunity, most of these children begin to thrive.

Myth: To be a foster parent, you need to be married and own a home and be a college graduate.
Truth: You don’t need to be married or to own a home or even be a college graduate. That means if you’re single or renting, you can be a foster parent.

Myth: I can’t afford to be a foster parent.
Truth: There are monthly reimbursement rates for children in foster care based on the level of care you provide. Medical and dental care is paid through state Medicaid programs.

Myth: Most kids in foster care are teenagers.
Truth: The average age of a child entering foster care is seven years old.

Myth: Most kids are in foster care because their parents have abused drugs.
Truth: Now, this one is not a myth. It’s true. There are fifteen categories that can be responsible for a child’s removal from a home. Drug abuse from a parent has had the largest percentage increase.

Myth: Fostering could require a commitment until the child turns eighteen.
Truth: Generally, children remain in state care for less than two years. Only six percent spend five or more years in foster care.

Myth: It’s too hard to give a child up to his biological family.
Truth: Most children are in foster care for a short time, returning to their biological families. Reuniting a child to his family is the ideal situation. Foster families provide a safe haven for a child. Healthy grieving is to be expected, but it’s for the right reasons. It’s healthy.

Myth: You can’t adopt foster children.
Truth: In 2016, more than 65,000 children—whose mothers and fathers parental rights were legally terminated—waiting to be adopted. Also in 2016, more than 20,000 children “aged out” of foster care without permanent families. Research has shown that those who leave care without being linked to a “forever family” have a higher likelihood than the general youth population to experience homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration as adults.

Is there room in your heart and family for a child in need? There are many ways to get involved, some that do not even require foster care. One recommendation: volunteer with The National CASA Association (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children. You can find out more information here: www.casaforchildren.org.
Or consider small ways to connect to children in need—after school tutoring at your public library. Volunteering at a community center. Buy Christmas gifts for a family in need through an Adopt-a-Family program with a local church. Support a family who does provide foster care with respites—babysitting or meals. There’s many ways to get involved to care for children in need. And every little bit makes a difference.

Blog Stops

The Power of Words, September 26
The Becca Files, September 26
SusanLovesBooks, September 26
Through the Fire Blogs, September 27
Anne Rightler, September 28
Texas Book-aholic, September 28
Jeanette’s Thoughts, September 29
Blogging With Carol , September 29
Hookmeinabook , September 29
The Avid Reader, September 30
Mia Reads, September 30
janicesbookreviews, October 1
CarpeDiem, October 1
Stories By Gina, October 2
Activating Faith, October 2
A Reader’s Brain, October 3
EmpowerMoms, October 3
Wishful Endings, October 3
Pause for Tales, October 4
Quiet Quilter, October 5
Vicky Sluiter, October 5
Hallie Reads, October 5
Bigreadersite, October 7
By The Book, October 7
She Lives to Read, October 7
Moments, October 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Suzanne is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of her book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Yours Truly, Thomas by Rachel Fordham



Letter writing has become a lost art.  I loved receiving mail from my grandparents who lived in England.  I would get excited when I saw a letter in the mailbox from them.  Now over 50 years later I can pull out a letter and relive the moment.  I have a token of their love saved.

Do you believe in destiny?  Was Penny meant to meet Thomas?  When one of his letters landed in the dead letter office, she was intrigued.  She knew she had to make sure the letter got to it's recipient.

Have you ever made a decision on impulse?  What happened?  Did you live to regret it?  Penny and Thomas' story would have been different if she wasn't the one who got his letter.

All our stories would have been different if we didn't take a chance or a gamble.  Some examples are leaving one job for another, entering a relationship and sometimes just taking a risk.

Penny took a leap of faith that she was doing the right thing.  Her risk left her vulnerable but it was worth it.  Could Thomas take that chance?

I really enjoyed the story.  I also loved where the author spoke of how her husband and her have made memory books of their love story.  Very sweet and romantic.

I recommend this book to others that need to remember that life is about taking risks.  It can pay off.

I received this free to review from Revell Books.

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Joanna Davidson Politano - Finding Lady Enderly

Raina was just a rag girl but was she more than that?  Interesting story...as the mystery unfolds the real meaning of this book resonated to me.

I thought of Shakespeare 's quote:

This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”

While trying to find Lady Enderly, Raina found herself.  She was more than just a rag girl.  She discovered who she was and what she meant to others.  She realized the impact she can make rich or poor.

Great story!  A mystery, a love story and a classic to treasure as you turn each page.  I read this in one day.  I couldn't put it down.

I received this free from Revell Reads to review.


Thursday, August 22, 2019

Dear Grandchild, This Is Me



I have three grandchildren that I treasure.  They often ask me questions about when I was born, what was on tv when I was a child and my oldest grandson was amazed that I was born close to when Godzilla just came out.

I was given the opportunity to review and share a book called Dear Grandchild, This Is Me.  I flipped through the pages and it made me take a trip down memory lane.  Where was I born?  Where did I live?  The book is one where you answer questions and tell your grandchild(ren) about who you are.

I will take my time filling out the pages. I won't give it to them until they are older.  It will be a gift for them in the future but a gift to me to relive the ups and downs of my life as I see it.

I received this free from Water Brook to review.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Healing Jar

What a wonderful conclusion to this series by Wanda Brunstetter!  I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters in these collections.  


Lenore wanted nothing more than to be a wife and mother.  When she met Jesse she felt that her prayers were answered.  But were they?

 The prayer jars had valuable lessons enclosed inside.  Lenore, Michelle, and Sara had much to learn from them.  Each prayer inside guided their paths.  What a previous gift that was given to them.  The jars were hidden but they were in places that they could be found.  Three jars: three young women who needed to find them.

I love the idea of having a prayer jar.  I also think it would be wonderful to have a blessings jar.  

Lenore was inpatient with GOD's timing.  I think we all have been there at some point in our lives.  I was divorced and felt cheated of having a happy home and a husband.  But GOD was telling me to wait...I didn't listen.  I dated and tried to make the relationship work but it wasn't GOD's plans for me.  When I least expected it, I met my husband.  The man GOD wanted for me.  I couldn't be happier.  


The Healing Jar (Book 3)

{August 2019}
What if you have waited to find love only to be rejected when it finally comes?
Lenore Lapp is an Amish schoolteacher in her late twenties living with grandparents to help out. She thought love had passed her by until she met Jesse Smucker, a widower with a baby daughter. Lenore quickly falls in love with them both and accepts Jesse’s proposal of marriage, but Jesse breaks off their engagement when he realizes he can’t marry only for convenience.
Resigned to living single, Lenore throws herself into caring for her elders. While working in her grandmother’s garden one day, she digs up an old jar. Will Lenore find healing for her broken heart and solve long-buried family secrets by reading the notes contained inside?

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Meghan's Choice

We all make choices everyday of our lives.  Some are menial.  Some are life changing.  What would have happened if you turned left instead of right?  What if I didn't take that job?


Meghan had some growing up to do.  She decided to go to New Boston to teach.  Did she really think this through? Would this be a good choice for her?  

Meghan had choices to make in her personal, professional and spiritual life.  This applies to each one of us.  Our futures are based on our choices.  In order to make these important decisions we need to listen to what GOD has to say.  

 “Be still, and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

Duncan carried such a heavy load.  What would it take to heal?


“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22).

I really enjoyed this book.  I was happy with "Meghan's Choice"!!

I received this free from Celebrate Lit to review.

About the Book

Book: Meghan’s Choice
Author: Donna L. H. Smith
Genre: Christian Historical Western Romance
Release Date: November, 2017
Meghan's Choice COVER FinalistMeghan Gallagher complies with her father’s demand that she work on her own for a year by choosing to tutor eight children in a wild Kansas railroad town. But she had no idea just how wild it was until she was rescued by a local dance hall the day she arrived, and soon after hit by a stray bullet. In short order, she meets a dark, handsome cowboy and a wholesome, attractive doctor who both vie for her heart. As things heat up around town, Meghan’s love life catches fire as well. Is she scandalous to allow both men to court her at the same time? And—how close a relationship with God does Meghan want? Will she draw near?
Meghan’s Choice (pre-published) was named a semi-finalist in the 2014 Operation First Novel by Jerry B. Jenkins and an honorable mention for the Golden leaf Award in 2015. Since publication, Meghan’s Choice was a Selah Award finalist and also in the Will Rogers Medallion Award.
Published in connection with Hartline Literary Agency, serving the Christian book community. Visit us at www.hartlineliterary.com.

Click here to grab your copy.

About the Author

Donna SmithDonna L.H. Smith is a Kansas prairie girl transplanted to Lancaster County, PA. She is a graduate of Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman program and holds two college degrees, both B.S. and M.A. in Mass Communication. She’s been married to a wonderful man named Kirby for thirty years. Her debut novel, Meghan’s Choice, made the finals of both the Selah and Will Rogers Medallion Awards. Rose’s Redemption, the sequel, was just released. She blogs, speaks at workshops and retreats and although she is at an age where many begin slowing down, she wouldn’t think of it. Recently, she took on the role of Managing Editor of Almost an Author.com, and serves as ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Mid-Atlantic Zone Director. She is also a member of AWSA’s Protégé program (Advanced Writers & Speaker’s Association).

More from Donna

Back in 2012, I wrote “Zorro” stories for Fan Fiction. I had an awful lot of fun with them, and people seemed to really like them. So, the thought came, what could I write for ‘real?’ I contemplated, prayed, and after a couple weeks or so, an idea came floating across my brain.
“Gunfight at Hyde Park.” Huh? I thought about it, and realized it was an obscure history lesson from my hometown in Kansas. I had Google it to get the details. I thought, well, I’m not gonna write a Christian romance novel just about a series of gunfights that killed and wounded more people than the OK Corral.
But I did think that the beginning of the gunfights could be the climax of the story.
Now, who should my heroine be? And the hero?
I started with that and took Christian Writer’s Guild’s Craftsman and the novel was completed in 2013—but only published in late 2017.
I’m proud of Meghan’s Choice. Pre-published it made the semi-finals of the last Operation 1st Novel that CWG held and placed in a couple of smaller contests. Last year, it made the finals of the prestigious Selah Awards for published books through the BRMCWC, and the finals of the Will Rogers Medallion Award.
My hope is that you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.

Blog Stops

Moments, August 14
Godly Book Reviews, August 15
Emily Yager, August 16
Vicky Sluiter, August 18
mpbooks, August 20
Pause for Tales, August 21
Older & Smarter?, August 22
Texas Book-aholic, August 23
A Reader’s Brain, August 24
janicesbookreviews, August 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Donna is giving away the grand prize of a copy of her book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Jessie and James

A cute story about how life doesn't always go as planned.  Jessie was determined to live her life the way she wanted to and not have any man tell her what she can or can not do.  James was going to prove he was worthy to his father.  He didn't expect to meet anyone like Jessie.


Is our worth based on a deed?  If we make a lot of money or come in first in a competition, are we worth more than the person who lost?  I think not.  GOD treasures each one of us not because we are faster, richer or even cuter than someone else.  
Jessie and James felt they had to prove something to be worthy.  They both had a valuable lesson to learn.  

I enjoyed getting to know Jessie.  She had so much compassion for others.  She had to learn to be a little more compassionate to herself.

I received this for free from Celebrate Lit to review.  


About the Book

Book: Jessie and James
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Genre: Western Historical Inspirational Romance
Release Date: July 24, 2019
BECKSTRAND_Jessie _JamesJessie Madsen has her hands full helping her parents run their small farm and boarding house while every fortune-seeker in the country seems to be flocking to her small town in search of gold. It’s bad enough that claim jumpers won’t quit trespassing on her property, but geologist James Kelsey, mildly intriguing and surprisingly handsome for an Easterner, seems more interested in her than the mining business. Jessie is certain she doesn’t have the time or the need for a man, and after getting her heart broken, she has resolved never to fall for an outsider again. Add stolen cash, a fast-talking con man, and a pair of bandits, and Jessie is indeed up to her eyeballs in trouble. Will she soften her rock-hard exterior and let the geologist discover the hidden treasure in her heart?

Click here to grab your copy!

About the Author

Jennifer beckstrandJennifer Beckstrand is the two-time RITA-nominated, #1 Amazon bestselling Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hillseries, The Honeybee Sistersseries, and The Petersheim Brothersseries for Kensington Books.Huckleberry Summer and Home on Huckleberry Hill were bothnominated for the coveted RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people and loves writing about the antics of Anna and Felty Helmuth, the Honeybee sisters’ aendiBitsy, and Alfie and Benji Petersheim. Jennifer has written twenty-one Amish romances, a historical Western, and the nonfiction book,Big Ideas. She and her husband have been married for thirty-four years, and she has six children and seven adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

More from Jennifer

Jessie and James is my first published Western historical novel, and I couldn’t be more excited. The first book I ever wrote was a historical Western, and I’ve been wanting to write another one for ten years. (That first Western is still hanging around my house somewhere. I might decide to publish it next. J) For my research, I traveled to a real mining town about two hours from my house. Yes, it really is named Eureka, and it was a boomtown in the 1880s, the period in which my book is set. I met an old-timer in Eureka who told me some fascinating stories about mining then and now.
Did you know that you may own the ground your house sits on, but you only own it to sixty feet deep? So a mining company can come in and dig a mine right under your house, and it’s perfectly legal. Many mines were dug straight down or in any direction that would get them to ore faster. In the 1880s in Eureka, often they’d dig straight down using only picks, shovels, and dynamite. A plumb bob was utilized to make sure their tunnels were straight up and down. They usually dug down 600 feet then drifted horizontally a couple hundred feet, then dug down again. Some mines went deeper than 1800 feet. Nowadays, there aren’t many mines that deep. They’re more dangerous, so they’re too expensive to insure.
In Jessie and James, James is an ex-cowboy turned geologist looking for gold. Jessie is a feisty, independent woman who runs a boarding house with her parents and thinks Eureka needs a little more fire-and-brimstone preaching to keep the incorrigible miners in line. Jessie doesn’t want anything to do with a gold digger, and she’s willing to use her shotgun to run James off. But James doesn’t scare that easy, especially when the woman on the other end of that shotgun might turn out to be the love of his life.
Jessie and James is full of shotguns, bandits, and heart-stopping romance. Don’t miss it!

Blog Stops

Betti Mace, August 2
Splashesofjoy, August 6
Bigreadersite, August 9
A Reader’s Brain, August 10
Blessed & Bookish, August 10
Texas Book-aholic, August 11
janicesbookreviews, August 14

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to two winners!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/e57b/jessie-and-james-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Express Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse



Forgiveness.  Forgive others.  Forgive yourself.  This is not easy for anyone to do.  But Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins.  Our sins, not his.  We were forgiven by the ultimate sacrifice.

Jackie could have been devastated discovering the truth.  But she pulled through by leaning on her True Father- he was there for here for guidance and comfort.

Elijah kept to himself.  He worked hard. He didn't have time for a relationship. But God had other plans for him.

This book was a treat to read.  I was anxious that Jackie would not be able to get over the uncovered secrets of her parents' past.  It could very well make you angry, not able to trust and holding a grudge.

The background story was about the Pony Express.  Sure doesn't sound like a job I would want!!!!  I enjoyed the adventure but loved how the characters developed and of course, the ending!! I won't give it a away but you need to pick up a copy!


About the Book: 
Join the adventure through history, romance, and family legacy as the Daughters of the Mayflowercontinues with The Express Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse in 1860 along the Pony Express. Jackie’s unconventional livelihood as a station manager is threaten by criminal activity and an unlikely visitor from back East

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Reluctant Bride

A RELUCTANT BRIDE

A Reluctant Bride
Author: Jody Hedlund
Series: The Bride Ships Series, Book 1
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Year: 2019
ASIN: 0764232959
ISBN: 9780764232954
Living in London's poorest slum, Mercy Wilkins has little hope of a better life. When she's offered an opportunity to join a bride ship sailing to British Columbia, she agrees.
Buy now!

Summer vacation= lemonade, a sandy beach and a book by Jody Hedlund.  Okay, I don't have a lemonade and I am not on a beach but I did have Jody Hedlund's newest release.  I was really looking forward to reading Reluctant Bride.

Mercy did what she could to save the neighborhood children.  She joined the bride ship to save her sister.  She sacrificed all her life without thinking of what it cost her.  She lost her confidence and her faith waivered. 

Joseph was running away from his past.  He knew GOD had plans for him but he had many questions on his journey of discovery.

I loved this book.  I loved reading about Mercy and Joseph's growth as individuals as well as a couple. 

This is Book One of a new series.  Great start...excited for Book Two!!!!








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