In Firefly Valley - Amanda Cabot

In Firefly Valley – Amanda Cabot

Marisa St. George’s life isn’t turning out as she had planned.  Feeling gloomy, she finds her self back in her hometown, working at the new and improved Rainbow’s End resort. 

Blake Kendall is up against a wall he can’t seem to break through.  Needing a break from his day-to-day life, he crashes his friend’s wedding and finds himself at Rainbow’s End.

In Firefly Valley is a story that follows Marisa and Blake.  There are themes of dealing with anger, mourning, and forgiveness.  This is a light and predictable read.  That said, I like light and predictable. 

Thank you Revell for the ARC.

Until the Harvest - Sarah Loudin Thomas

Until the Harvest – Sarah Loudin Thomas

Appalachian Serenade was a wonderful novella.  I also had the privilege of reading Miracle in a Dry Season, and really enjoyed it.  Until the Harvest is my FAVORITE book by Sarah Loudin Thomas to date!  What a great story!

Margaret and her little sister, Mayfair, come from an uptight and unloving home.  (Love the name Mayfair!)  Henry is young and knows everything there is to know in life, but he really doesn’t.  Unfortunately for him, he goes about learning things the hard way.

There are so many sweet stories in this one book.  Thomas did such an excellent job with her characters.  I wanted to yell at Henry!  I wanted to sit down with Perla and Emily and learn from them.  I wanted to encourage Margaret.

“Not ignore the flaws, but love the person in spite of them.  There’s a difference.”  I love this quote, and how this is handled in the book.  The discussed the flaws, but they also held their tongues when needed.  (That’s hard to do!  I have young adult children – so I get it!)  Later on in the book Henry plays the victim, such a typical response for many young adults!

I love how old hymns were used in the book.  I had forgotten about “Love Lifted Me”.  What a great song! 

Thomas wove the story of Jacob And Esau in the book, and it was great.  “I’m not saying Esau had a bad life.  He just didn’t have the life he was born to.”  I have chewed on this sentence while reading this book.  I have never thought about that story in that way.  LOVE THAT!  “God only called one man to build an ark, Henry.  Whatever His purpose is for you, it’s different that anyone else’s.”  Such great truth!  LOVE!

Mayfair says, “….sometimes I think about Jesus, and it seems to rub off on people.”  Hmmmm…..what would the world be like if we all focused on thinking about Jesus!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  BUY IT!

Thank you, Bethany House for the ARC.

A Chance of Loving You - Blackstock, Calvert and Warren

A Chance of Loving You – Blackstock, Calvert and Warren

I received this copy in exchange for an honest review from Tyndale.  Thank you, Tyndale.

For Love of Money – Terri Blackstock

         A down on his luck guy shares a sweepstakes ticket with an aspiring designer.  I’m not trying to be unkind, but this story was SO slow!  I didn’t enjoy it.  It was clean.  It had some sweet parts, but it was too slow for my taste.

The Recipe – Candace Calvert

         The Recipe is the story of a young woman who is trying to figure out what to do with her life.  While working in food service at a local hospital she makes a mistake, and finds herself helping out a patient.    This patient has a grandson. 

         Again, even though I am a Candace Calvert fan, I was not a fan of this novella.  It did have some cute parts.

Hook, Line and Sinker – Susan May Warren

         I am a HUGE Susan May Warren fan!  HUGE FAN!  I really feel like Debbie Downer mixed with Negative Nelly, but I didn’t enjoy this novella either.  It was a bit confusing in the beginning, and I had a hard time figuring out who was who.  It did have some cute parts, but not enough to make me want to read it again.  I was very surprised by this because I am such a HUGE Susan May Warren fan!  I usually have a hard time putting her books down!!

Flash - Rachel Anne Ridge

Flash - Rachel Anne Ridge

       God speaks in many ways.  The Creator of the Universe can use just about anything to teach His people spiritual lessons – if we are willing to learn.

       Flash is a donkey who was used in Rachel Anne Ridge’s life by God to teach her lessons. Ridge’s style of writing is humorous, engaging and quirky.  Laughter was heard in my home as I read this book! 

       She admits her faults, and that simple act isn’t really so simple, is it?!  Comparing herself to others, letting others “haves” and her “have-nots” intimidate her,  Spanx problems, losing a child are all ways that she learned from God. 

       Fear of the unknown can cripple us.  Forgiveness is hard, but imperative.  This books is full of so many biblical truths.

       Personally, I love people who are real.  Ridge is real.  She is not afraid to use her story to teach truth. 

       If you have a sense of humor, you will love this book!  If you don’t have a sense of humor, maybe you could develop one? Life is full of hard things.  Learning isn’t easy.  Laughter helps.

       This book has something for everyone!  Buy it!

       Thank you Tyndale for the ARC!

A LOVE LIKE OURS - Becky Wade

A Love Like Ours – Becky Wade

Let me just start by saying, “I LOVE THIS SERIES!  I LOVE THIS BOOK!”

Some bonds of friendship last forever.  Some bonds are immediate, and others grow over time.

Jake has some deep wounds from his past serving our country;  wounds which are both physical and mental.  Shutting himself off from the world is a way he protect himself – and others.

Lyndie has her own struggles from the past.  Her disabled sister plays a huge role in her life.  An artist and animal lover whose head is always drifting towards imaginary stories.  Lyndie has a heart for others, even though she knows it can be somewhat dangerous.

Things I loved about this book…

-                     characters in the previous books and books to come are mentioned in this story.

-                     Wade does an excellent job of including things of God in her books.  Respect, wisdom, truth, what you are seeking after, etc, etc. 

-                     Characters in this book are real to life.  PTSD is a REAL issue.  Disabilities are consuming. 

Becky Wade is one – and will continue to be – one of my favorite authors!   I can hardly wait for the next book!

Thank you Bethany House for the ARC.