Nothing is Impossible

Mesu Andrews is a new author for me. I found her latest book, Miriam, to be a facinating account of the Isrealites and Egyptians during the time of the plagues. Miriam is Moses older sister who believes she has been chosen by God to be his messenger and being a healer/midwife. But then Moses returns and appears to be God's spokeperson making Miriam feel left out. Moses even has a new name for God- Yahweh. Miriam feels that God has changed. Moses reminds her God is constant. Andrews adds in other characters to make the story even more interesting during this time of the plagues drawing the reader into that time period. Miriam brings new life to an Old Testament Bible Story. I'm glad I gave this book and author a chance. I received this book for free to review from WaterBrook Press.

Heart Mender

Meet Lucy Flaud, an Amish woman living in Lancaster County who is considered past the courting age, in Beverly Lewis' newest novel, The Atonement. Everyday is filled with volunteering in the Amish community and the English community. Her life is so busy even her twin sisters complain about not getting to spend time together. Filling everyday affords Lucy the luxery of not thinking about her past so she believes. Her father is concerned that after three years their relationship is still strained. He decides to attend a bereavement support group thinking it may help. There he meets a young English man who would like to learn more about living off the grid. Mr. Flaud invites him to his farm but what he doesn't count on is the friendship that developes between him and Lucy. This is a wonderful story about forgiving ourselves and grace. We can not earn grace by working, it's a gift. Follow along with Lucy and her dad as they share their story and learn how God is in the business of being a heart mender. I received this book free to review for Bethany House publishers.

Finding Hope During the Depression

Olivai Newport's book, Hope in the Land, is a snapshot during the Depression Era of Lancaster County, PA. of two families, the Grabills (Amish) and the Swains (Englishers). Henry Edison is working for the government to complete a study on self-sufficiency of the Amish and the Non-Amish Farm Households. His first household is the Grabills who extend to him hospitality by allowing him to stay on their farm during the period of his research. During his stay he learns more than expected about the Amish and their neighbors and how they manage during this era of economic downturn. The reader also meets Polly Grabill who feels out of place among her family, her talents do not lie in baking, cooking, tending chickens or gardening. Instead, her talent is being able to calculate facts and fingures and having a keen memory which she feels is not useful for the farming life. But Polly learns her gift is useful. There is also some rivalry among Mrs. Grabill and Mrs. Swain that comes to light during the course of the story. How each will respond is a choice that must be made. Will that choice bring them together or tear them further apart? This story is based on the fact that an actual study was done during this time period examining the households of Amish and Non-Amish. A slow, thoughtful read that makes the reader feel as though he/she are part of the storyline. I received this book free to review for BarBour Publishing.

Offer Mercy

Living during the American Depression era of the 1930s was not easy. Particularly for Neva Shilling, who along with her husband, Warren, runs Shilling Mercantile and cares for their two children. But all is not as it seems in Kim Vogel Sawyer's newest release Room for Hope. Neva, along with her two children, anxiously await the return of her husband and father from one of his monthly trips selling merchandise throughout the land. When they hear the sound of a wagon pulling into the yard they believe it to be Warren's arrival. Instead, it is the arrival of a neighboring town's deputy with three children and some furniture. Three children sent to live with "Aunt Neva" upon the passing of their mother and father, Violet and Warren Shilling. Neva is shocked, humilated, confused and hurt by what her husband has done. Neva, once an orphan herself, decides to keep the three children. She tries to keep the truth a secret from her children and the townspeople. However, living a lie is not easy. Her only friends are the deputy who begins to put the story together and along the way finds his way back to God and her neighbor, Randall, who would like to buy her out so he can expand his business but finds something worth a whole lot more. Here is a story of grace and mercy, of forgiving and being forgiven, of the prodigal son, and redeeming love. A moving story on so many levels. I think it would make a great movie! I received this book for free from WaterBrook to review and give an honest opinion.

Yogo Sapphire

An old west, gold mining story, A Treasure Concealed by Tracie Peterson, tells of Emily Carver and her father living in Yogo, Montana. Emily dreams of escaping the harsh lifestyle of moving from mining camp to mining camp as her father mines for gold. Her father gets an offer to sell his claim but he refuses. Mr. Carver believes his treasure is just around the corner. While on a visit to Utica, Mr Carver meets a young geologist working for the government, Caeden, who is headed to Yogo, Montana. He invites Caeden to stay with him and his family. Although Caeden is intrigued by Emily, his painful past won't let him dream of marrying. But through hardships, poverty, and danger, God is with the Carvers and Caeden-changing their lives in the process. Intrigued by this story, I looked up sapphires as this gemstone plays a pivotal role in the story only to learn that Yogo, Montana in 1894 is actually where they were found. This gemstone was even found by a man named Jake Hoover who in this story is a friend of the Carvers. The blue pepples were later called Yogo sapphires. I found this bit of history to be interesting. So if you enjoy historical romance then this is a great novel to read.

I received this book free to give an honest review from Bethany House Publishers.

Forever Love

Nick Vujicic is back with another story about his life and this time his wife, Kanae, joins him. Love Without Limits is the remarkable story of how Nick and Kanae met, their courtship, and eventually their marriage. The reader is also introduced to Kiyoshi, their first-born son. Nick tells of his struggles in relationships as a teen and later as a young adult. His dream of finding his true love. And his relationship with God. Nick and Kanae offer pointers about the courtship process and planning a wedding. For new parents, the chapter on a parent's survival guide for that first year after the birth of their baby is most noteworthy. Highly recommend this book for those seeking a relationship, starting a relationship, planning a wedding, and/or new parents. Or if you are not any of these like me, I would still recommend this book for the inspiration it provides.

, I received this book for free to review for Blogging for Books.

Belief

The underlying story has been told throughout the ages, but the perspective is a fresh take on this age old story that is the foundation of Christianity in Angela Hunt's new book Risen. This novel is based on the movie with the same name - Risen - by Paul Aeillo and Kevin Reynolds

. Clavius is a Roman Tribune in Rome's Tenth Legion stationed in Jerusalem. This is his perspective of what happened during the passover, Jesus' crusifixation, and after his burial. Clavius is a devoted follower of the god Mars. So when he is sent to investigate what happened to the body of Jesus, the reader is given an inside view of his thoughts, his inner turmoil, and his final decision: "By the time I had finished relating my encounter with the Nazarene, my next step became clear: I would return to the Antonia Fortress and testify truthfully when questioned..."(2015, p.306). Also, interwoven into the story is the story of a widowed Jewish woman, Rachel. Rachel relates her secret and her quest to discover if Jesus is the true messiah. This is a fictional account what could have occurred during this time period so Hunt has taken a few liberties for the sake of the story. I found the story rivoting and fast paced. Now I want to see the movie to see if it is just as gripping. I reviewed this book from Bethany House Publishers for free to give an honest review.