Book Review: The Burglar’s Ball

 

Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar's Ball

by Julia Golding

Pub Date 22 Oct 2021

 Lion Hudson Ltd,  Lion Fiction

 Children's Fiction

I am reviewing a copy of Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball through Lion Fiction and Netgalley:

When Cassandra’s headmistress invites her past favourite pupil to attend their end of term ball, Cassandra brings her younger sister, Jane, along too. Cassandra plunges into the feverish excitement of preparing for the biggest event of the year the dresses, the dances and the boys expected from the neighbouring school.

Jane who feels rather excluded, Jane who is sharp witted unearths the reason for the fuss the headteacher wants to impress a rich family returned from India as the school is at risk of going bankrupt. Jane also befriends the dancing master’s assistant, a former slave, called Brandon, who is as quick to notice things as she. At the ball, a diamond necklace is stolen from a locked room and they are propelled into a race to uncover the burglar and save Brandon from gaol.

Jane with notebook in hand, boldly overcomes the obstacles to finding the truth.

I give Jane Austen Investigates: The Burglar’s Ball five out of five stars! 

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Slow March of Light

 

 The Slow March of Light

by Heather B. Moore

Pub Date 07 Sep 2021 

 Shadow Mountain Publishing,  Shadow Mountain

 Historical Fiction 

I am reviewing a copy of The Slow March of Light through Shadow Mountain Publishing and Netgalley:

The Slow March of Light is based on a true story and inspired by real events.

The Summer of 1961 , a wall of barbed wire goes up quickly in the dead of night, it officially divides Berlin, Luisa Voigt lives in West Berlin, but her grandmother lives across the border and is now trapped inside the newly- isolated communist country of East Germany.  In order to rescue her grandmother and aware of the many others whose families have been divided, Luisa joins a secret spy network, risking her life to help bring others through a makeshift, underground tunnel to West Germany. Their work is dangerous and not everyone will successfully escape or live to see freedom. 

Bob Inama was an outstanding university student who had plans to attend law school when he is drafted into the US Army. Stationed in West Germany, he is glad to be fluent in German, especially after meeting Luisa Voigt at a church social.   As they spend time together they grow close, but when Bob receives classified orders to leave for undercover work immediately, he does not get the chance to say goodbye.

Bob goes undercover as a spy assignment is to be a spy embedded in East Germany.  His Undercover job will give him access to government sites to map out strategic military targets. But Soviet and East German spies, the secret police, and Stasi informants are everywhere, and eventually Bob is caught and sent to a brutal East German prison. Interrogated and tortured daily, Bob clings to any hope he can find—from the sunlight that marches across the wall of his prison to the one guard who secretly treats him with kindness to the thought of one day seeing Luisa again.

I give The Slow March of Light five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: God Calls You Chosen

 

God Calls You Chosen

180 Devotions and Prayers to Inspire Your Soul

by Valorie Quesenberry

Pub Date 01 Jul 2021 |

 Barbour Publishing, Inc.,  Barbour Books

 Christian 

I am reviewing a copy of God Calls You Chosen through Barbour Publishing and Netgalley:

If you are looking for a devotional that is created just for you, one that will encourage and inspire your soul with deeply rooted truths from God's Word God Calls You Chosen is the devotional for you.  Every devotional reading as well as heartfelt prayer will assure you that you are truly chosen because God says you are and his word is unchanging.  

Each of the 180 readings in God Calls You Chosen will help you to grow in your faith as well as increase your self-confidence as you become the beautiful, courageous woman the heavenly Creator intended you to be!  

I give God Calls You Chosen five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Blessings in Disguise

 

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

The journey of two souls and how they both heal together in the most unusual way

by Eli K. Anyadi

Pub Date 08 Aug 2021 | Archive Date 06 Oct 2021

 BooksGoSocial 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian 

I am reviewing a copy of Blessings in Disguise through Books Go Social and Netgalley:

Many Christians today, have there own preconceived ideas of the Lord and how he works.  Many tend to think that He should show up and move on their behalf using certain methods, and when He doesn’t do as expected, they become disappointed. These Christians have put God in a box, not realizing that their belief system can cause them to miss out on the blessings that God does indeed have for them.

In Blessings in Disguise Eli shares his personal testimony of how the Lord ministered to him in an unfamiliar and unexpected way, showing readers that God is always working behind the scenes on our behalf, even when we do not  or can not see it. In these current times of uncertainty and difficulties.    This book reminds us that his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts.

I give Blessings in Disguise five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough

 

When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough

A Shooting Survivor's Journey into the Realities of Gun Violence

by Taylor S. Schumann

Pub Date 20 Jul 2021 | Archive Date 05 Aug 2021

 InterVarsity Press,  IVP

 Christian 

I am reviewing a copy of When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough through InterVarsity Press and Netgalley:

Taylor Schumann never Imagined she would be a victim of gun violence.   But on a spring day a man with a shotgun walked into her workplace and opened fire on her. While she survived, she was left with permanent wounds, both visible and invisible.

When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough, Taylor shows us what it’s like to e a survivor long after the news vans pull away, and the media finds interest in another story.  She shows us that healing can be slow and complicated As she suffered through surgeries, grueling rehabilitation, and counseling to repair the physical injuries and emotional trauma, she came face to face with the deep and lasting impact of gun violence. As she began grappling with the realities.  Taylor experienced another painful truth: Christians have largely been absent from this issue. Gun violence undercuts God's vision of abundant life and community—and the silence of the church rings loudly in the ears of survivors and families of victims.

In When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough Taylor weaves her own incredible story of survival and recovery into a larger conversation about gun violence in our country. With compassion and honesty, she encourages readers to reconsider their own engagement with the issue and to join her in envisioning a more hopeful, safer future for our nation. Move beyond thoughts and prayers and enter into grace-filled dialogue and action.

I give When Thoughts and Prayers Aren’t Enough five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Before I Called You Mine

 

Before I Called You Mine

by Nicole Deese

Pub Date 31 Mar 2020 

 Bethany House,  Bethany House Publishers

 Romance 

I am reviewing a copy of Before I Called You Mine through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:

Lauren Bailey is a romantic at heart but after a decade of matchmaking schemes gone wrong, there's only one match she's committed to now--the one that will make her a mother.  Lauren is a dedicated first-grade teacher in Idaho, and her love for children has led her to the path of international adoption. To satisfy her adoption agency's requirements, she gladly agreed to remain single for the foreseeable future; however, just as her long wait comes to an end, Lauren is blindsided by a complication she never saw coming: Joshua Avery.

Joshua is a a substitute teacher by day, but Lauren finds his passion for creating educational technology as fascinating as his antics in the classroom.   Though she does her best to downplay the undeniable connection between them, his relentless pursuit of her heart puts her commitment to stay unattached to the test and causes her once-firm conviction to waver.

Lauren finds herself facing an impossible decision because saying yes to one May have to mean letting go of one another.

I give Before I Called You Mine five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Healing Out Loud

 

Healing Out Loud

How to Embrace God’s Love When You Don’t Like Yourself

by Sandi Brown; Michelle Caulk

Pub Date 04 Jan 2022 |

 Dexterity 

 Christian  |  Health, Mind & Body  |  Self-Help 

I am reviewing a copy of Healing Out Loud through Dexterity and Netgalley:

 Healing out Loud is a unique look at counseling from both patients and counselor.   Sandi Brown the founder of St. Louis’s largest Christian radio ministry, JOY FM—and her counselor, Dr. Michelle Caulk, walk through Sandi’s therapy journey, answering the question, “What do I do when I know God loves me, but I don’t like myself?”

Shame, embarrassment, negativity. The struggle to love ourselves as the joyfully-made women we are has never been more difficult. When Sandi began her journey towards healing and freedom, she thought she was alone in her struggles. By working with Michelle, the two found that scores of women experience a disconnect between how they see themselves and God’s image.

Healing Out Loud captures many of the insecurities the modern woman faces in her walk with Christ.   The conversational prose it is written in makes for easy reading, and allows you to face the struggles with Biblical insight.

I give Healing Out Loud five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Holy Hot Mess

 

Holy Hot Mess

Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life

by Mary Katherine Backstrom

Pub Date 03 Aug 2021

 Worthy Publishing,  Worthy Books

 Christian

I am reviewing a copy of Holy Hot Mess:Finding God in the Details of this Weird and Wonderful Life through Worthy Publishing and Netgalley:

There are a lot of people who struggle with the concept of being Holy.  But the fact is even the hottest of messes are being shaped—right now—into Jesus' likeness. In this book, Mary Katherine shares the sometimes-hidden evidence of God's work in her life and shows you that it's okay to embrace the hot messes.

In Holy Hot Mess Mary Katherine shares both hilarious and vulnerable stories about faith, friendships, motherhood, marriage, and depression. She will cover the topics that plague our hearts every day with raw, honest truth and a side of laughter.   Mary Katherine invites you into her story as a friend, encouraging you to embrace the hot messes in your life. Because we are all a work in progress, and as long as we are alive, we are under construction—and construction sites tend to be messy.

I give Holy Hot Mess I give five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Disarmed

 

 Disarmed

The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael "MJ" Sharp

by Marshall V. King

Pub Date 11 Jan 2022 

 Herald Press 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  Christian  |  Politics 

I  am reviewing a copy of Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael “MJ” Sharp  through Herald Press and Netgalley:

Michael “MJ” Sharp was working for the United Nations Group of Experts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—urging rebels to lay down their weapons—when he was murdered at only 34 years old.  He was most likely assassinated alongside his colleague Zaida Catalán by those with government ties. This compelling account of MJ’s life, death, and legacy from longtime journalist Marshall V. King explores what compelled Sharp to travel the world working for peace and the ongoing impact of his life and death in the ongoing story of Christian peacemaking in a war-torn world.

MJ was a modern Mennonite, who armed himself with wit and intellect, rather than a gun.  He was the son of a Mennonite Pastor and from a young age, he showed a gift for listening as well as for persuading.  His efforts to approach others with acknowledgement rather than judgement gave him the ability to connect on a level very few managed. He also honed a deep commitment to peace, and after college he joined the Mennonite Mission Network and moved to Germany, where he persuaded soldiers to choose peace and free them of their violent systems.

I give Disarmed: The Radical Life and Legacy of Michael "MJ" Sharp five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: God Calls You Courageous

 

God Calls You Courageous

180 Devotions and Prayers to Inspire Your Soul

by Carey Scott

Barbour Publishing

Pub Date 01 Jan 2022

I am reviewing a copy of God Calls You Courageous: 180 Devotions and Prayers to Inspire Your Soul:

God Calls You Courageous is a collection of 180 devotions in prayers for a woman’s soul, each rooted in Biblical truths.

We live in a culture that fills your head and heart with lies about your value in the world, there is One who calls you courageous.  And He can be trusted. His Word is truth.

This devotional that will be created just for you will encourage and inspire your soul with deeply rooted truths from God's Word. Each devotional reading and heartfelt prayer will assure you that you are truly courageous--because God says so and His Word is unchanging!  Each  of the 180 readings in God Calls You Courageous will help you to grow in your faith and increase your self-confidence as you become the beautiful, faith-filled woman the heavenly Creator intended you to be! This attractive package features a ribbon marker and two-color interior design a great gift for women of all ages!

I give God Calls You Courageous five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Don’t Pick Up All the Dog Hairs

 

Don’t Pick Up the Dog Hairs: Lessons for Life and Leadership

Ronald Dwinnells. Greenleaf

Green leaf  Book Group Press

September.20.2021

I was given a copy of Don’t Pick Up the Dog Hairs: Lessons for Life and Leadership from Green Leaf, Book Group:

Ronald Dwinnells, reminds the readers that as leaders we must learn from failures as well as successes, and it is pointed out to the readers that a good leader needs to be able to step outside of their comfort zone.  Leaders need to learn to think outside the box.

Dwinells points out too that the best leaders fail often.  As a leader it’s important to motivate people, but harder to inspire people.  We can look at motivation as getting people to do something with incentives, where as inspiration is brought on by an external event but comes from deep within.

The author reminds us too taster cannot do everything on your own, you need to learn to delegate.  He also points out that in order for leaders to gain respect they must be able to adhere to a set of rules.  

I found that Don’t Pick Up the Dog Hairs was an informative book on Leadership, filled with good advice, tips, it’s easy to read, and easy to understand.

I give Don’t Pick Up the Dog Hairs: Lessons for Life and Leadership, five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Life

 

Life

An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional

by Lisa Harper

Pub Date 09 Feb 2021

 B&H Publishing Group (B&H Books, Holman Bibles, B&H Español, and B&H Kids),  B&H Books

 Religion & Spirituality

I am reviewing a copy of Life: An Obsessively Grateful, Undone by Jesus, Genuinely Happy, and Not Faking it Through the Hard Stuff Kind of 100-Day Devotional through B&H Publishing and Netgalley:

Do you ever find yourself wondering if the Gospel is truly good news for your actual, everyday, often difficult, sometimes painful, and typically crazy real life? Well, it is. But sometimes we all need a reminder that God's faithfulness really does follow us into the face of all that harried, hard, and even humorous stuff of life.

Lisa Harper gives her readers a gut-level exploration of pertinent and redemptive moments in Scripture that prove God’s grace is more than sufficient for both the massive and the minuscule things of life: In her devotional Life.

The gospel is more than enough to handle everything whether it be personal loss, ongoing trauma, global crisis, or simply a super bad hair day, the Gospel is more than enough to handle everything, so dive into Life and find some tangible hope for yours!

I give Life five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Woman Beyond the Attic

 

The Woman Beyond the Attic

The V.C. Andrews Story

by Andrew Neiderman

Pub Date 01 Feb 2022 

 Gallery Books 

 Biographies & Memoirs

I am reviewing a copy of The Woman Beyondtne Attic: The V.C Andrew’s Story:

Currently there are over 107 million copies of V.C Andrew’s books in print, and the number continues to grow.

But who was V.C Andrew’s?

Cleo Virgina Andrews was born  on June.06.1923, the second child of William Henry Andrew’s and Lillian Lilnora Parker.  

Born to modest means, she came of age in the American South during the Great Depression and faced a series of increasingly challenging health issues. Yet, once she rose to international literary fame, she prided herself on her intense privacy.

The Woman Behind the Attic allows the readers to connect her personal life with the public novels for which she was famous. Based on Virginia’s own letters, and interviews with her dearest family members, her long-term ghostwriter Andrew Neiderman tells Virginia’s full story for the first time.

I give Flowers in the Attic four out of five stars!