Come As You Are - Choose Real

This book is a journey. It is not a quick read but rather a discovery of choosing to be real in a messy world as you follow Bekah Jane Pogue in Choosing Real. Society tells us women we need to have a “House Beautiful,” be super skinny, and be the perfect mom and coworker.  But God wants us right where we are, the real us, in an authentic relationship. Pogue writes, "Truth brings freedom and cements my identity. And truth can come only from the Creator (p.114).”  The book covers topics like communication, pain, loneliness and unworthiness using many personal stories from the author’s own life. It took a while for me to get use to the author’s writing style but then I was reeled into the story. The journey to discovery of the real you and your relationship with God will take time so plan on rereading this book many times to gather all the nuggets of truth and wisdom it offers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas Angel

 A delightful book, The Angel of Forest Hill, is based on an young, Amish girl sent as a mother's helper to a West Virginia community of Old Order Amish and an unknown family. Upon her arrival, Rose Kurtz realizes all is not what she expected. Instead, the mother has passed leaving behind a newborn, two young sons, and a mourning husband, Joel. To stay as a mother's helper and being single is not appropriate so Joel's father convinces him to marry Rose. And so begins a very nontraditional, Amish marriage. Can Rose over come her shyness and let Joel know how she feels? But then she finds out the Bishop is asking for an annulment since four years have passed. Will a trip home help Rose figure out what she is to do? A beautiful, Christmas love story!
Cindy Woodsmall delivers another wonderful story.
I received this book free to review for Blogging for Books (WaterBrook).

Icy Hot

  Nancy Mehl presents a new series, Defenders of Justice, with her first book introducing the reader to U.S. Marshal Mercy Brennan. In Fatal Frost, Mercy is recuperating from being shot while on duty. She carries a lot of baggage from her past but one bright spot is that her childhood friend  remains her best friend and a cop. Her boss finds out about a plot involving one of St. Louis's powerful gangs and a powerful drug cartel who have targeted Mercy after killing her father. Not knowing who to trust, Mercy's boss sends her old partner, Mark St. Laurent, and her friend, Tally, on a mission to take Mercy out of town and hide-out to protect her. In a life and death mission, the three struggle to survive when they realize the drug cartel is on to them. This is a fast paced read that will keep the reader on the edge till the last page! The story may take place during a snow storm, but it packs some heat as Mercy realizes the role God is playing in their lives! Fans of Nancy Mehl will not be let down with her latest novel.

I received this complimentary book from Bethany House to review and give my honest opinion.

Unending Faith

Meet Geesje de Jonge who comes to America from the Netherlands fifty years ago with her mother and father to escape religious persecution in Lynn Austin's Waves of Mercy. During that time she has experienced many trials and tribulations and the town has asked for an account of those early years to celebrate Holland's Semi-Centennial anniversary. The reader goes back in time, experiencing the events and emotions as Geesje recalls those fifty years. A family friend, Derk, is most interested in reading the account as Geesje writes her story. But Derk Vander Veen has his own story which he shares with Geesje of a young, socialite who is staying at the hotel where he works. Socialite Anna Nicholson is staying at the hote in Holland, Michigan after breaking her engagement. She is soul searching after discovering a small church in Chicago that draws her in and she continues to question the nightmares that she experiences. Austin weaves these two stories together for intriguing, heart wrenching read. Both ladies give the account of their stories, yet the how the two stories become one is most welcome surprise! I received this complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review.

Recipe for Success

There have been many books written on success, but this is the first one I have read giving humility a lead role in achieving success. Pat Williams' book, Humility: The Secret Ingredient of Success, packs alot of wisdom inside its covers. Williams uses real people and real stories to illustrate how humility versus arrogance played a role in the outcome. His stories include Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Tiger Woods, Dan Price, Bill Hewlett, Dave Packard and many more. Williams writes "Humility is a gift we give to other people. Ironically, arrogance makes us seem small and pathetic. Humility is what makes people great" (p.41). There were many times I stopped short, paused, and reread what was written "thinking that is me and I thought I was being humble - not arrogant." Business person, church leader or volunteer, school teacher, coach, mother, father, or whatever your role, this book is a must read. If true humility was practiced daily, what a difference would be seen in our country! I received this complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishig in exchange for my review.

Pioneer Spirit

Eleanor Morgan escapes to America from England as an indentured servant when her money and letter of recommendation are stollen. She is taken to the backcountry of Carolina thinking she is to be a caretaker for a small child. But upon arrival she is forced to marry a man she has never met, Samuel Heath. He takes her back to his cabin and land far from town where she is to tend his daughter. Eleanor must learn to survive in the wilderness. Samuel must learn to trust with the threat of war and betrayal. Both must learn to depend on God. The author, Michelle Griep, attempts to capture the ruggard spirit of the early pioneers who settled this country in The Captive Heart. Although it is wonderful read, the main storyline is not new. The male protagonist is blacklisted while the forlorn female protagonist struggles to maintain her integrity. As always though love triumphs. Even so, the author did a great job of writing this story with realistic characters. I received this complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Great Story Telling

This is story telling at its best! Cindy Woodsmall's anticiapted second book in the Amish of Summer Grove Series, Fraying at the Edge, is intense, fast-paced, and thrilling as a rollar coaster ride. Even Ariana Brenneman mentions how her life resembles a rollar coaster ride as she tries to learn to live in the English world after being up-rooted from her Old Order Amish life for a year after being told her biological parents, Brandi and Nicholas, are English. Meanwhile, Skylar Nash, has been told her biological parents are the Brennemans, not Brandi and Nicholas, where she must live for a year or go to rehab for her drug addiction. Skylar, desparate for drugs, decides to work at the Brenneman's cafe while she waits for her boyfriend to come. The emotions that these two go through is intense but each learn more about themselves and others around them. This is a great story you don't want to miss. I hope the third book comes out soon. I received this book for free to review from WaterBrook's Blogging for Books.