BREAK, boy I'd love to catch a break. A rest or a sleep. Maybe even a vacation. ABreak from life and all the issues. A break from all the stress. My friend Amy did her Five Minute Friday on Kit Kat bars and I totally agree "Gimme A Break" :) I kind of feel today like I'm BREAKing down today. BREAK I need a BREAK! Or I think I might have a BREAK down. Lord give me the strength I need until my BREAK comes. Probably not a very good Five Minute Friday, but it sure is how I feel today.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
Review for The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews
“Fear is the most fertile ground for faith.”
“You will be called Anippe, daughter of the Nile. Do you like it?” Without waiting for a reply, she pulls me into her squishy, round tummy for a hug.
I’m trying not to cry. Pharaoh’s daughters don’t cry.
When we make our way down the tiled hall, I try to stop at ummi Kiya’s chamber. I know her spirit has flown yet I long for one more moment. Amenia pushes me past so I keep walking and don’t look back.
Like the waters of the Nile, I will flow.
Anippe has grown up in the shadows of Egypt’s good god Pharaoh, aware that Anubis, god of the afterlife, may take her or her siblings at any moment. She watched him snatch her mother and infant brother during childbirth, a moment which awakens in her a terrible dread of ever bearing a child. Now she is to be become the bride of Sebak, a kind but quick-tempered Captain of Pharaoh Tut’s army. In order to provide Sebak the heir he deserves and yet protect herself from the underworld gods, Anippe must launch a series of deceptions, even involving the Hebrew midwives—women ordered by Tut to drown the sons of their own people in the Nile.
When she finds a baby floating in a basket on the great river, Anippe believes Egypt’s gods have answered her pleas, entrenching her more deeply in deception and placing her and her son Mehy, whom handmaiden Miriam calls Moses, in mortal danger.
As bloodshed and savage politics shift the balance of power in Egypt, the gods reveal their fickle natures and Anippe wonders if her son, a boy of Hebrew blood, could one day become king. Or does the god of her Hebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all?
This book can be purchased on the following websites:
Amazon
Deeper Shopping
My Thoughts: This book is a very in depth, although fictional account of the young woman who found Moses and raised him as her son. All biblical aspects seemed very accurate to me. I very much enjoy fiction set in Biblical times and this book was no different. It was a very intriguing and shared several genres I enjoy such as romance and suspense. The author was a tad bit wordy for my taste, but that didn't take away from the book in my opinion. She pays very close attention to detail and seemed to maintain the integrity of the true story while adding her own fictional flare. Her desire to stick as closely to the Biblical story definitely shows through in the book. Her explanations of why and how she chose the names of the characters and the timeline of the story were also a very interesting read. If you are interested in Biblical fiction, then this book is a book you will enjoy.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the www.bloggingforbooks.org blogger program. The opinions I have posted are my own. I was not required to give a positive review.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Review of Brave Girls Better Than Perfect 90 Day Devotional
Better than perfect-that's what every girl is in God's eyes.
A young girl's doubt in her own self-worth starts from an early age. Am I pretty enough? Am I smart enough? Will I fit in? Do people like me? Am I worthy enough? These aren't questions asked by teens, but from precious girls in grade school! Brave Girls Faith and Honor will help girls navigate these questions and learn just how wonderful they are!
In this Brave Girls devotional, 90 engaging devotions will help young girls find their place in the world and learn that the beauty of their imperfections is what makes them unique, loved, precious, and "better than perfect" in God's eyes. Each devotion will include:
- A relevant opening scripture from the Bible
- A thought-provoking devotion to build a young girl's spirit
- An engaging closing prayer to help the reader navigate her day!
This Devotional can be purchased at:
My Thoughts: Do you have a pre-teen at home who needs some encouragement? Does she need to know how important she is in this crazy world? If this describes your daughter, then this is a perfect devotional for her! I enjoyed going through this devotional with my daughter. I love how each day is a very simple, yet well put example of whatever the topic is for that day. Something that I also found interesting and very creative is the games and crafts that are on several of the devotions to help the girls to understand the topic better and to make it fun. I was very pleased to see the way that it teaches girls to know and love who they are in Jesus. This devotional covers all aspects of life, from living like Jesus to knowing how much Jesus loves them. I highly recommend this devotional for any pre-teen girl. A wonderful study and a great way to teach our girls how awesome it is to study God's Word.
I received this book free from the
publisher through the BookLook Bloggers http://booklookbloggers.com book
review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The
opinions I have expressed are my own.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Review for Adrianna's Secrets by Cheryl Colwell
Adriana's Secrets
Book Two in The Secrets of the Montebellis series
Tragedy strikes the mountain town of Mont Castello, the home of Adriana Montebelli. Orphaned in 1888, Adriana's life is swept along at the whim of forceful men who decide where she will live and who she will marry. Instead of breaking her, their cruel deceptions toughen her resolve to take control. Though she rises to manage the vast Van Buren estate, she wonders if her broken heart will have the strength to love again.
Follow Adriana's journey as she navigates the challenges of woman's suffrage, union violence, and the tragic hardships of love and loss, while struggling to cling to her faith.
Follow Adriana's journey as she navigates the challenges of woman's suffrage, union violence, and the tragic hardships of love and loss, while struggling to cling to her faith.
This book is available at the following online retailers:
My Thoughts: The book begins in 1917 at the end of a horrible cabin fire that leaves the main character distraught and ready for vengeance. We then travel back in time to 1888 to begin our journey through the life of Adrianna Montebelli. An orphaned girl who seems to always be thrown around by the men in her life. She longs so much for a man who is strong and gentle like her Papa, but can she find him? Will she be able to have the man she longs for? This book was well written and somewhat intriguing. It was a little bit of a slow start for me, but once I got to the meat of the story, I couldn't stop reading. I enjoyed the suspense element of the book and was very pleased with the romance also. Each aspect of the book was believable and entertaining. I really couldn't believe how sad this book became. This book has several tear jerking moments, which I didn't expect. It definitely added to the entertainment value of the book. This book is the second in a series, but not having read the first book I feel this book could most definitely be read as a stand alone. Adrianna's Secrets has so many different elements involved in it, that no matter the genre you enjoy reading it is bound to delight. I was so pleased with the ending of the book. I felt Cheryl completed the story very well and I didn't feel as if it was open ended or unfinished. This book is a must read for anyone who loves fiction or romance or suspense!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Review For Finding Love in Bridal Veil, Oregon
Amidst a backdrop of thievery and murder in historic Bridal Veil, Oregon, a schoolteacher is torn between the memories of a distant love and the man who could be her future. Margaret Garvey had given her heart to Nathaniel, but he left town six years before. Now she’s giving love another chance, but her decision to build a new life with Andrew is shaken when Nathaniel steams back into Bridal Veil on a riverboat to work at the nearby sawmill. When disaster strikes the town and threatens the welfare of its citizens, Margaret will be faced with the most important choice of her life.
Miralee and her husband Allen have been married over 40 yrs. They live on 11 acres in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where they love to garden, play with their dogs, take walks, and go sailing. Miralee also rides her horse on the wooded trails near their home with her grown daughter who lives nearby. She’s an avid reader and has a large collection of first edition Zane Grey books, which inspired her desire to write fiction set in the Old West. When she started writing fiction Miralee believed that she’d always stay with women’s contemporary, but has since branched out to historical romance. Her first two books were women’s contemporary with Kregel Publications, The Other Daughter, and Finding Jeena.
Miralee served as president of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) for five years and currently serves on the board as an adviser, and she belongs to several other writing groups. She speaks at women’s groups, libraries, and churches about her writing journey, and has taught at both writers’ and library conferences.
Her fourth historical romance with Summerside Press in their Love Finds You series, Love Finds You in Sundance, Wyoming, released summer of 2011. It won the Will Rogers Medallion for Excellence in Western Fiction. Mission Pictures is considering this book as a made-for-TV family movie. Universal Studios was considering The Other Daughter as a family movie at one time as well.
Miralee is currently under contract with David C. Cook for a three-book series of historical romance novels, set in Oregon. The first, Blowing on Dandelions, released in June 2013, book two, Wishing on Buttercups, released February 1, 2014., a novella, Forget Me Not (published by the author), released April 1, 2014, and the final book in the series, Dreaming on Daisies, released Oct 1, 2014.
Some of her books have a suspense thread as well as romance, and three have a higher degree of action with a decided Old West slant. Her current Love Blossoms in Oregon series will be somewhat of a women’s fiction/historical romance combination, with the emphasis on well-developed characters and plot.
Miralee is branching out into something new, a series of middle-grade girls’ horse novels titled Horses and Friends. The first book, A Horse for Kate, releases March 1, 2015, with each succeeding book releasing every three months after. These books will have an emphasis on friendship, horses, adventures, and will contain high moral values and lessons for kids woven into the story line. Watch for the titles–book two: Silver Spurs, book three: Mystery Rider, book four: Blue Ribbon Trail Ride.
Miralee is also published with Barbour–Shilo Run Press, with three novellas either in print or under contract.
My thoughts: I loved this book. There are plenty of twists and turns, and some romance but actually I found it almost more suspenseful. The romance aspect was well done. It wasn't cheesy or overdone. It was very realistic and believable. I enjoyed all of the characters. Each character was believable and realistic and very well done. I enjoyed Miralee's writing style and she did and excellent job with the historical aspect of the book. I also really liked the information she gave in the beginning of the book about Bridal Veil, Oregon. I was also very intrigued with the information she gave about family members from that time period that she incorporated into the book. Miralee has done an excellent job with this book on all levels and I cannot wait to read something else from her.
This book is a re-release of the book Love Finds You in Bridal Veil, Oregon. Miralee is re-releasing it within the next few weeks. Be sure to pick up a copy.
I received a free copy of this book from Miralee to review/proof. A positive review was not required.