Smitten

Smitten is a series of four short stories by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter that focus on a small town named Smitten.  For years, Smitten has been kept alive by a mill that employed the majority of the men in town.  When the mill closes, four best friends come up with a scheme to save the town.  Natalie, Julia, Shelby, and Reese decide to capitalize on the town’s name, which has been a source of teasing, and turn Smitten into the love capital of the East.  Despite resistance from the men in town, the ladies forge ahead with their plans and lo and behold become smitten themselves.

I enjoy all of these authors so to find them in one book is a pleasure.  I can only imagine the fun they had on this project.  Each story moves quickly and the characters are adorable as they carry out their plans.  It’s a great escape for those ready for a little romance.  The thing that always gets me about short stories is that I find myself wanting more, but that’s a good problem to have.  Pick up a copy of this book and let yourself become smitten.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol

Dark Star: Confessions of a Rock Idol by Cresten Mapes is the story of Everett Lester who is the lead singer of a the wildly popular band, DeathStroke.  Everett’s rough childhood and disbelief in God take him down a dark path.  Despite having everything money can buy, he’s still not happy.  He looks to many different things to fill the void, but cannot seem to find what he’s looking for.  When his music and words start to lead many fans away from God, one Christian girl begins to pray that God will change Everett Lester’s life and the battle for his soul commences.

Within the first chapter, I was completely hooked.  The plot line was riveting and the intensity was well-paced.  The character development was so well done that I can’t wait to read the next two novels in this series.  The spiritual warfare that occurs throughout the story is mind-blowing and yet totally believable.  As the truth behind events are revealed, the reader can’t help wondering how it will all turn out.  I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.  If you like thriller books, then this is a must read.

Thanks to MediaGuests for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write an honest opinion.

Restless in Carolina

Restless in Carolina by Tamara Leigh is the story of Bridget Pickwick-Buchanan.  Bridget realizes that her family’s estate is going to be sold off and she is trying to make it happen on her own terms.  She is an environmentalist and wants to find an environmentally responsible developer who will keep the land in tact as much as possible.  Her sister and cousins are on her to move on with her personal life.  Bridget’s husband died four years ago and she has not fully recovered from the loss.  Bridget has cut herself off from God and is unwilling to consider following in love.

Tamara Leigh just may be a new favorite author.  I loved this story and could not put the book down.  This book is part of a series and I am looking forward to going back and reading the previous books.  The characters are engaging and the story builds momentum right from the start.  I enjoyed the family history storyline of a current generation trying to make up for the past actions of the man who built the family fortune at the expense of others.  I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Thanks to Multnomah Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable opinion.

The Crossing

The Crossing by Serita Jakes is the story of two adults who were part of a horrific event in their past.  Claudia Campbell and Casio Hightower were high school students riding home on a school bus after a major football victory.  While their bus is stopped for a train to pass, a gunman enters the bus and kills the cheerleading coach.  Claudia was extremely close to her cheerleading coach and Casio got shot when trying to intervene.  Ten years later, both Claudia and Casio struggle to put the past behind the unsolved murder and are gripped by panic attacks that cripple their ability to move forward with their lives.

This book is gripping from the start and keeps the momentum going until the last page.  The story gives a glimpse as to what a person suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome experiences on a daily basis.  Random things in ordinary life trigger flashbacks so vivid, that the person is literally unable to move.  Claudia grew up in church and since the accident has kept her distance from God.  This novel is about finding God’s grace and healing in the midst of dealing with past trauma.  Truly an excellent read.

Thanks to WaterBook Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

Lonestar Angel

Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble is the fourth installment of the Lonestar series.  This story focuses on Clay and Eden who after losing their daughter to kidnapping went their separate ways.  Much to Eden surprise, Clay shows back up in her life to reveal he has a lead on their daughter’s whereabouts as well as reveal their divorce never happened.  Their daughter is a temporary resident of Bluebird Ranch where there happens to be an opening for house parents.  Eden and Clay arrive at the ranch determined to land the job so they can figure out which of the little girls is their Brianna.

This is an excellent addition to the series.  I really enjoyed the suspense and action throughout the book which made this book particularly hard to put down.  The chemistry between Eden and Clay is very engaging as they try to work together after spending so many years apart.  It was very easy to relate to their pain of losing a child and their inexplicable hope of getting her back.  If you haven’t checked out this series yet, I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.  I was not required to write a favorable review.

His Steadfast Love

His Steadfast Love by Golden Keyes Parsons is set during the Civil War.  The story follows Amanda Belle as she meets a handsome federal officer, Kent Littlefield, who is stationed in Texas.  As love is about to bloom, the Civil War breaks out and Kent leaves to fight with the Union Army.  Her brother, Daniel, enlists with the Confederate Army which leaves Amanda with divided loyalties.  As the war rages on, both Amanda and Kent find themselves questioning if they can really be together after the war despite strong opposition from both of their families.

I was overdue for some historical fiction and this book hit the spot.  I liked the fact that Amanda had a lot of difficult decisions to make and had the spunk to do what needed to be done.  I liked Parsons attempt of having people from opposing sides trying to understand each others point of view even though they totally disagree.  It was an interesting to read a story about slavery from the perspective of a family who believed to their core that they treated their slaves well.  I thought having a Civil War story take place in Texas was a twist because that’s not typically an area that gets covered for this time period.  There were some things that I feel were left unfinished so maybe this book will be part of a series. Overall, it was an easy read.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review.  I was not required to write a positive review.

so sleepy…

it’s 9 o’clock on a thursday, and i feel ready for bed, but i thought i’d show you muddy pictures instead…

it was nice to forget about life for awhile

there you’ll find me

There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones continues the story of the Sinclair family.  The story focuses on Finley Sinclair who is can’t quite seem to move past the grief of losing her older brother, Will.  On the day of his funeral, her mom gave her Will’s travel journal from his senior year of high school when he participated in a foreign exchange program.  Determined to retrace her brother’s step, Finely is also accepted as a foreign exchange student to the same town in Ireland.  Hoping to keep a low key, Finely finds herself in the middle of a mean girl drama while desperately trying to visit each of the sites in her brother’s journal so that she can finish composing a song about him for an important conservatory audition.

This is a beautiful story about the desperate search for God when you know he’s there but you can’t seem to find him.  I love that even though Finley is a Christian, she struggles to move past her grief.  She’s not a heroine that has it all together, which is a nice change of pace.  I think so many who read this story will be able to relate.  It is extremely well-written and very compelling.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

decisions, decisions

How can you possibly decide? It’s a horrific decision to have to make. What seems obvious to those looking in, is not obvious to you. Does trusting God to heal you really mean you don’t take advantage of all medical science is telling you? I try to put myself in your shoes but I can’t. I know what you want to do in your heart of hearts and I get it. But I’m hoping that’s not what you choose. Totally selfish on my part, but after all I’m the little sister.

here’s hoping I can walk in the morning

I hurt, for more reasons than one.  Today, I ran my first 1/2 marathon and possibly my last despite strong persuasion to do it again next year.  I’m sad that I wasn’t able to run the whole way, but about mile 9 my legs started to hurt and I spent some painful moments trying to figure out what hurt less…running or walking.  I started to get a little weepy thinking that I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish even if I started walking.  My left ankle hurt, my right knee hurt, and my legs felt like they were on fire but I finally stopped and walked for awhile and was able to run most of the last mile to the finish line…which of course was at the top of a hill. Seriously.  I kept a normal pace for the first seven miles, which maybe was too quick and I should have slowed down.  However, the killer for me was around mile 6 sharp inclines that I had not trained for at all began to pop up.  At one point, I looked up and all I could see before me was a hill.  It was long and seemed impossible for my tired legs to climb.  I forced my way up partly because of pride and partly because of the reason I was running in the first place.  I was running to raise money for Habitat for Hope, a Memphis organization that provides housing and meals to families traveling to Memphis in order to seek medical care for their child.  I kept telling myself that running up that hill wasn’t as hard as watching your child battle a serious illness.  Serious illness jumped my thoughts over to my sister who just learned this past week that she has breast cancer.  I kept telling myself that to keep running isn’t as hard as having to decide between removing part of your breast or the whole thing.  I felt like if I quit running, I was letting them down.  I didn’t know whether to cry, scream, or cuss in my desperation.  Stopping to walk felt like a betrayal, yet as hard as I tried, I couldn’t keep going.

Ultimately, this is a lesson about control.  About how badly I want it and how I so don’t have it.  God is firmly in control and the great physician, I know this.  No matter how badly I want to fix things, I can’t.  No matter how much I want the promise that my sister isn’t going to die, I can’t have it.  Crying, screaming, and cussing about how it’s not fair won’t make a difference.  I either trust God or I don’t.  Let me tell you, I’ve had my moments this week when I don’t.  Irrational, I know.  He loves my sister more than I can imagine and His plan is always perfect.  But my human heart is having a little trouble catching up with my mind.  It’ll get there, just like my legs crossed the finish line this morning.  Road weary, but intact.