Book Review: Pearl In the Sand

 

Pearl in the Sand

A Novel - 10th Anniversary Edition

by Tessa Afshar

Moody Publishers 

 Christian 

Pub Date 06 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Pearl in the Sand through Moody Publishers and Netgalley:

Pearl in the Sand is a book that examines our worth in God’s sight.  This is the untold story of Rahab’s journey from lowly outcast to redeemed child of God. 

Rahab lives in a home built into a wall , a wall that fortifies and protects the City of Jericho.  But she is surrounding by other walls too, walls of fear, rejection and unworthiness...Years of pain and betrayal have wounded Rahab’s heart.    She has doubts that her dreams of true love will ever come true.

In this book a woman with a wrecked past, a man of success, faith and pride, brought together in a marriage that only God could conceive.  Through the heartaches of a relationship that is stormy Rahab and Salmone learn the true source of one another’s worth and find healing in God.

If you are looking to travel back to the days of Rahab, I recommend Pearl In the Sand!

I give Pearl In the Sand five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: A Murder Between the Pages

 

A Murder Between the Pages

by Amy Lillard

Poisoned Pen Press 

 Mystery & Thrillers 

Pub Date 24 Nov 2020

I am reviewing a copy of A Murder Between the Pages through Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley:

Looking for a fun cozy to read, A MurderBetween the Pages just may be the ticket.  

Just a few months prior the ladies of Arlo's Friday Night Book Club—Fern, Camille, and Helen, solved the murder of the renowned author, Wally Harrison.  So when they choose Wally’s book Missing Girl for their next discussion, Arlo is hopeful that this will mark the end of their mystery hunt.  

The women are convinced that Missing Girl was inspired by a fifty year old cold case from their community of Sugar Springs, Mississippi, the disappearance of Mary Kennedy, and Arlo cannot stop the ladies from investigating.

After a young girl is murdered at the exact same location Mary went missing five decades prior it becomes evident that the two cases are connected.  Maybe they can get to the bottom of it with Arlo’s help.

I give A Murder Between the Pages five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Soul Raging

 

 Soul Raging

by Ronie Kendig

Bethany House

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian

Christian

Pub Date 03 Nov 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Soul Raging through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Sometimes our only hope is the enemy.

Leif Metcalfe is tired of waiting for answers so he ceases control, but ceasing control is a move that comes with a high price and a deadly risk, teaming up with the enemy.

Iskra Todrove is under the impression that Leif is on a collision course with death when he teams up with the enemy.  She knows firsthand the cost of that path to the soul, and knows it’s not something you can change.  Iskra finds herself being forced to set her sights on the man behind the evil organization ArC--Ciro Veratti, while at the same time protecting her daughter and intervening with Leif.

Team Reaper hurts one of their own when they are torn apart by opposing views on how to handle Leif’s betrayal of trust to the team.  The one thing they can agree on is not stopping but starting the final battle prophesied in the Book of the Wars.

If you’re looking for a book of action, intrigue and Suspense, let me recommend Soul Raging, you’ll enjoy the adventure.

I give Soul Raging five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Light of His Presence

 

The Light of His Presence

Prayers to Draw You Near to the Heart of God

by Anne Graham Lotz

 WaterBrook & Multnomah 

Multnomah

 Christian 

Pub Date 06 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of The Light of His Presence, through Waterbrook and Multonomah and Netgalley:

What makes us think of other things we need to do, when we bow or heads to pray?   How can we make time to pray in the middle of our busy often chaotic lives?  When we do pray, how do we know what to say, and how to say it

Anne Graham Lotz, like the majority of us has struggled with prayer. She has discovered over the years that writing out her prayers has allowed her to draw into a deeper conversation with God.

The Light of His Presence is a collection of forty of these honest and tender prayers for real-life situations as an invitation to deepen your own prayer life through worship, confession, thanksgiving, and intercession.   This devotional will encourage you to lean more fully into God’s promises, using this power packed devotional resource which not only includes Anne Graham Lotz prayers, but includes inspiring Christian quotes throughout the age as well as a place to do your own journaling.

I give The Light of His Presence five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Finding Quiet

 

Finding Quiet

My Journey to Peace in an Anxious World

by Jamie Grace

Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian 

Pub Date 13 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Finding Quiet through Bethany House and Netgalley:

Jamie Grace grew up in the 1990’s at seven she fell in love with Jesus.  She talks about the peace she felt when she 

In Finding Quiet Jamie Grace goes on to remind us that God doesn’t move any more or less in rooms because of their volume or lack thereof.

Finding Quiet is not a book about learning how to tune out the sound, instead it is a book about finding quirky while the noise plays on.  

We are also asked to think about these three things , why do we hide our brokenness? Why do we bury our pain? Why do we cover up our hurt?  Jamie Grace goes on to point out that for many of us when we face pain everything shuts down.

At seven Jamie Grace gave her heart to Jesus, when she was eleven was diagnosed with anxiety (as well as Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).  On a daily basis she experiences a great deal of anxiety, but she also experiences a great deal of Faith.  She struggles with the fear of letting the other side win.  It is Faith that tells her anything is possible.  It reminds her to let the creators strength allow her to be made perfect in weakness.  

In this book Jamie Grace goes on to point out that My earliest memories are loud, ambient, and full of racing and anxious thoughts. They are flooded with fear and insecurity. Low self-esteem. Significant self-doubt.   

We are reminded too that God is the one who fixes things.  In this book we discover what it means to find peace in the midst of all the noise?  It asks if there’s a way to acknowledge the struggles we face and learn how to manage the stressors and voices that trigger us while believing in the promises and goodness of God?

I give Finding Quiet five out of five stars! 

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Unlikely Angel

 

Unlikely Angel

The Songs of Dolly Parton

by Lydia R. Hamessley

University of Illinois Press 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Entertainment 

Pub Date 16 Sep 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Unlikely Angel through University of Illinois Press and Netgalley:

I’n 1964 Dolly Parton went to New York with her senior class to see the hit musical Hello, Dolly!  Just three years later Dolly’s first solo album was released. It was titled Hello, I’m Dolly.

Dolly was born on January 19, 1946, in Sevier County, Tennessee.  When Dolly was thirteen, Uncle Bill arranged for her to cut a demo record, “Puppy Love,” a rockabilly style, bubblegum pop tune Dolly had cowritten with him two years earlier.  

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music.

From an early age Dolly Parton saw herself as a songwriter more than a performer.  She writes her songs from experience, leaving for deep and meaningful lyrics, which is why many of her songs top the charts.

When Dolly left the mountains in 1964, she knew she was making an unusual move for an 18-year-old girl at that time:  Dolly returns to hymns and scripture in her songs when events shake her faith, as she did in “Raven Dove” and “Hello God.” In these responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Dolly makes no direct references to the events of 9/11, unlike most popular and country songs about that day. With spiritual rather than patriotic lyrics, these songs are not on lists of 9/11 songs found online. Dolly’s songs encompass feelings of fear, frustration, and hope greater than just a response to a specific event.

In this book Lydia R. Hamessley’s expert of analysis of how Dolly Parton’s characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry.  She talks about how Parton’s loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonate in so many of her songs.  

I found that Unlikely Angel was a powerful story of how Dolly Parton’s music has touched many.

I give Unlikely Angel five out of five stars !

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Beautifully Broken

 

Beautifully Broken

An Unlikely Journey of Faith

by Paige Wetzel; Josh Wetzel

FaithWords

Worthy Books

 Christian

Christian

Pub Date 13 Oct 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Beautifully Broken through Faithworks and Netgalley:

On May.31.2012 Paige Wetzel received the call that every military wife prays will never come.  Her husband, Army Sergeant Josh Wetzel, stepped on an improvised explosive device while patrolling in Afghanistan.  He had lost both of his legs in the blast, he had experienced a traumatic brain injury, and they were uncertain of whether or not he was going to survive.

Paige would learn that as her husband lay wounded from the bomb blast, as he lay there with his legs blown off from the bomb blast, God saved him.

On June 28.2012 then President Barrack Obama visited Walter Reed Hospital,        the America of every amputee on the floor was represented by one man walking the halls, President Barrack Obama.  After the President asked Josh and other injured soldiers about the level of care they received and noting the various equipment that was being used, Paige stopped the President and asked if she could pray for him before he left, which he happily agreed too.  The traumatic journey they had experienced began an unbelievable journey of faith for them as a couple. 

Before long Paige found that she was feeling unwell, she thought at first it was from overdoing it, by then her husband was out of the hospital, and they were living in the Barracks room of the army base, but soon she would discover they were pregnant.  A few months after the birth of their daughter Paige began to experience intense postpartum depression.  

A couple of years later Paige would be come pregnant again.  Paige would give birth to their second daughter on October.12.2016.

In this book Paige shares her vulnerability, as she struggles physically, emotionally, and spiritually, will remind you of the power of commitment and love in the face of adversity. You will discover the bravery and grit of a woman who stood behind the battle lines but faced a battle of her own to save her marriage and her family. As a military wife, Paige had to come to terms with the priorities of the military: God, Country, and then Family.

I give Beautifully Broken five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Mary and Martha

 

Mary and Martha

by H.B Moore

Covenant Communications 

 Christian  |  Religion & Spirituality 

Pub Date 02 Nov 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Mary and Martha through Covenant Communications and Netgalley:

Lazarus was a hardworking prosperous landowner and extensive travel are a means to comfortably support his family which includes his two sisters Mary and Martha. Following a journey to sell his wares. when Lazarus comes upon an opportunity to assist a stranger in need which delays his return home.

It is through Lazarus’s selfless act of service, that he, Mary, and Martha find themselves standing witness to miracles they never dreamed possible in the presence of a man who will forever change them and those they love a man called Jesus of Nazareth.

In this book you get to know Christ through those who knew Christ, not only as the Savior of the World but also as a friend.

I give Mary and Martha five out of five stars!

Book Review: Shoshana’ Refuge

 

Shoshana’s Refuge

by Donna Flower Lawrence

BJU Press 

JourneyForth

 Christian  |  Teens & YA 

Pub Date 15 Oct 2020

I am reviewing a copy of Shoshana’s Refuge through BJU Press and Netgalley:

Shoshana’s Refuge is the story of a young Israelite woman during the reign of Solomon.  It talks about traditions, expectations, and the laws of the God of Jacob rise up like a prison around Shoshana, but she takes refuge in her favorite places: her kitchen and the top of the hill where she feels the breeze in her hair.

After an accident makes it to where she has to take refugee under the law of God and away from all that she loves, she struggles to see God’s grace in her circumstances. 

Will Shoshana be able to find freedom among God’s people?  Or will  she need to seek refugee somewhere else?

I give Shoshana’s Refuge five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Things We Didn’t Say

 

Things We Didn't Say

by Amy Lynn Green

Bethany House 

Bethany House Publishers

 Christian  |  Women's Fiction 

Pub Date 03 Nov 2020 

I am reviewing a copy of Things We Didn’t Say through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Johanna Berglund,  is a headstrong linguistics student at at the University of Minnesota and she has very definite plans for the future, plans that do not include going back to the hometown she left behind, along with the secrets and heartbreaks that happened there.  But the Army has asked her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.

When Johanna arrives she finds her once sleepy hometown is exploding with hostility.  Most of the Patriotic citizens do not want to have anything to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they're not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well.  When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.

As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a better light.  Advocating for better treatment for the prisoners makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work.  The longer Johanna wages her bottle on the home front, the more the lines between compassion and treason get blurred, and it becomes no longer clear who it is she can trust.

I give Things We Didn’t Say five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!