Emotions by Charles F. Stanley

People are not people without emotions. We experience joy, sadness, grief, love and a whole lot of different types of emotions each and every day. If we didn't we wouldn't be human. It's how we handle or react to our emotions that makes us different.

I will be perfectly honest. I do not have control of my emotions. I wish I did and it is for that reason that when I was offered the opportunity to read and review Pastor Stanley's book Emotions Confront the Lies, Conquer With Truth I jumped at the chance.

Pastor Stanley does a wonderful job on explaining to the reader how we can break away from the strongholds that our feelings place on us daily. When we can break free we can then find the God given purpose in our lives. He shows how we don' have to feel defeated or alone in our battle with out emotions and how we can find healing if we will allow our Heavenly Father to heal us.

One of my favorite chapters in this book is Chapter Five, The Courage to Stand - Conquering Fear Through a Change of Focus. One thought that was highlighted was found on page 101 and it states, "For us to overcome our fears, it is crucial we unearth where they originate from, which then shows us what thoughts trigger them." This opened my eyes as I know when I fear things I usually build things up in my mind until I am overwhelmed. When I stop and think and try to analyze things I tend to be less fearful. A lot of things I fear is because of things I learned as a child and Pastor Stanley addresses the attitudes we are taught as children.

Reading through this book is not enough. I believe the reader needs to take notes while reading it and make it a text that they come back to over and over. Pastor Stanley has included "Questions for Personal Reflection and Group Study" at the end of each chapter. This helps the reader focus in on the key points of each chapter.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has issues with their emotions or a family member or friend who needs help with controlling their emotions.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Kelly Vo of the Emotions Book Team and Howard Books for my review copy. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine

The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek by Jane Myers Perrine was a delight to read. This book is the third in the Butternut Creek series, the first two books being The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek and The Matchmakers of Butternut Creek. While they can be read as stand-alone books, I believe I would have had more fun reading Ms. Perrine's newest book if I had read the two previous books and got to know the characters earlier.

I must say that this book is full of characters that have a lot of character. Ms. Perrine has created a town that some might compare to Jane Karon's wonderful town of Mitford. But Butternut Creek has just as much charm as the characters that inhabit the town. Four wonderful matchmaking widows, a young pastor that is the target for their matchmaking early on in the book (and obviously a continuation from the earlier books). When the pastor's sister returns to Butternut Creek the meddling matchmaking widows find new prey for their matchmaking skills.

A wedding does take place but who gets married is a question you will have to find out for yourself as I do not like to give out spoilers. But I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

If you like reading books that are just plain fun and entertaining then Jane Myers Perrine, The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek is a book you will enjoy!

On a 5-Star Scale - Four Stars!!!!

I would like to thank Sarah Reck and Faithwords, a division of Hachette Book Group for my copy of The Wedding Planners of Butternut Creek. I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis

For those who are regular readers of my blog, you know that I love the work of Dan Walsh. Well, I have now discovered an author who has a very similar voice to Mr. Walsh, and that author is Timothy Lewis and his book Forever Friday is an absolute gem.

The story moves back and forth through time, much like some of the books Dan Walsh writes. Forever Friday begins in 2006 as Adam Colby, an owner of a small estate-sale business, rescued several photo albums that the bargain hunters and antique buyers overlooked. Within the pages of the photo albums were picture postcards. These weren't just any postcards, each one had a poem expressing the love Gabe Alexander had for his wife Pearl Huckabee (she goes by the name of Huck). Gabe sent one to her so she would receive it every Friday for sixty years.

Adam Colby is divorced and while reading the postcards he becomes intrigued with the depth of commitment that Gabe had for Huck. Can he discover the secret to their long passionate love or did it die with them? He soon meets Yevette Galloway, the daughter of Priscila Galloway, the long-time housekeeper for the Alexanders. She begins to reveal the story behind the postcards and Adam knows it is a story that needs to be told.

Mr. Lewis did a wonderful job of bouncing back and forth between the years. He takes us on the wonderful journey of Gabe and Huck as they meet for the first time in Cecil's Fish Market & Seafood Emporium and when they walk into eternity together from the Bayshore Extended Care Facility. I was pulled into Gabe & Huck's story from the first page and they became like family to me.  The characters of Gabe and Huck were vibrant and believable. The story read more as a memoir to me then a story of fiction, but that could be because Mr. Lewis based the story loosely on the life of his great-aunt and great-uncle, who left a legacy of postcards behind as well.

Forever Friday is a story of love and commitment between man and wife that spanned a lifetime. I must admit that I laughed and I cried throughout the book. Mr. Lewis touched my heart with this book and I could easily see it made into a movie.  Are you listening Hollywood? Besides, Mr. Lewis also writes screenplays so you needn't look beyond him.

I would highly recommend Forever Friday to anyone who enjoys reading a good book.

On a 5-Star scale - 5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Blogging for Books and WaterBrook Press for my advanced reader's copy. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Please enjoy the video promo below.
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Smiles & Blessings,

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley - my review

Severed Trust is Margaret Daley's fourth book in her "The Men of the Texas Rangers" series. Having already read the other three books in the series, Saving Hope, Shattered Silence and Scorned Justice, I just had to read her newest offering in the series. I wasn't disappointed.

Ms. Daley always creates believable characters that work their way into the heart of the reader. In Severed Trust, school teacher Sadie Thompson and Texas Ranger, Ethan Stone bring to life a story about teenagers, pill parties and prescription drugs. A death occurs, is it suicide or murder? That is what drives the story forward.

The scary thing is pill parties are happening around the country in the real world today. Parents should read this book so they can get an idea of what could be happening in their children's school. A pill party is where kids steal prescription pills from parents, or wherever they can find them, go to a party where all the pills are tossed in a bowl and then along with drinking alcohol they grab handfuls of pills and down them. Scary huh?! They can be taking a deadly combination and in this book that's exactly what happens when a young high school football player takes a wrong combination and is found dead. But was it from the pills or was something else at play that caused the death. Ms. Daley puts the reader on the edge of their seat as she takes them on a journey with many twists and turns. Just when I thought I had it figured out something else happened to take me to another conclusion. I love books that can make me feel as if I am part of the story and keep me interested until the very last page.

I am a really big fan of Margaret Daley's work and I have loved each and every book in "The Men of the Texas Rangers" series. They are all stand-alone books so you needn't worry that you have to read them in order. but I highly recommend that you read each one of them as they are all very good.

If you would like to read the Prologue and Chapter 1 you can read it here.

On a 5-star scale = 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Abingdon Press for my review copy of Severed Trust. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Millie's Treasure by Kathleen Y'Barbo - my review

Millie's Treasure is the second book in Kathleen Y'Barbo's "Secret Lives of Will Tucker" series.  The first book in the series is Flora's Wish, a book I have not read yet but plan to do so in the near future.

Millie Cope and Kyle Russell are the lead characters in Millie's Treasure and they are two characters I fell in love with. Millie had a father who was quite difficult and she learned it was best to not say much around him. She wanted to escape her father so she could live her own life and she was willing to marry Sir William Trueck in order to do so.  But is Sir William really who he says he is? Kyle is a Pinkerton Agent who had been given the task of uncovering a possible Confederate treasure. When Millie and Kyle encounter each other, Millie realizes she has only agreed to marry Sir William in order to get away from her father and she decides she must find a way out of her situation.

I love books that do flashbacks in time and Millie's Treasure begins in the year 1888 but then goes back to 1837. Ms. Y'Barbo wove the time periods together quite well.

Ms. Y'Barbo has created a tale of intrigue involving a hunt for treasure, a Pinkerton Agent who likes to invent things, a strong heroine with a mind of her own and romance all packaged up nicely within the pages of Millie's Treasure. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a good clean book full of adventure and romance!

On a 5-Star Scale - 4.5 stars!!!!

I would like to thank Harvest House Publishers for my review copy.  I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma - my review

Snow on the Tulips is a richly woven story of love, trust, faith and courage set in the Netherlands during the last days of World War II.  Ms. Tolsma has created a masterful historical novel that pulls the reader in from the very first page. Her story was so well crafted that I could see the countryside, the war torn town, the German's banging on doors. She opened up this story and invited the reader in to experience the pain and suffering of her characters.

The heroine of the story, Cornelia de Vries was widowed when the German's took her husband away from her on their wedding night and killed him. At the time of the story, four years have passed but she still finds herself grieving over his death. She has been hiding her twenty year old brother, Johan, within her cottage so he won't be hauled off by the Germans. But Johan is bored staying indoors all the time.  He wants to do something to save his country. After hearing gun shots and knowing the Germans had probably executed some men Johan wants to get a closer look.  He sneaks out at night and soon finds himself face to face with a Dutch Resistance operative, Gerritt Laninga (although Gerritt doesn't give Johan his true name). Gerritt was one of the men the German's had executed but Gerritt survived.  Johan takes Gerritt back to Cornelia's so they can tend to his wounds. Cornelia isn't happy with her brother for sneaking out but she is really unhappy that he brought home one of the executed men. Afterall, when the German's came back to take the bodies away they would begin a search for the missing body.

This book held me captive. I found myself holding my breath each time Gerritt had to leave to help the cause. When the German's came and ransacked Cornelia's house I became angry. This book made me feel very strong emotions. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love with the characters and when the story came to an end I found myself celebrating along with Cornelia and Gerritt.

It was obvious that Ms. Tolsma researched her topic very well and I would highly recommend Snow on the Tulips especially if you like reading Christian Historical Fiction, set during World War II.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Litfuse Publishing and Thomas Nelson Publishers for my review copy of Snow on the Tulips. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance - Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. & Cindy Kelley

This week, the


Christian Fiction Blog Alliance


is introducing


Traces of Mercy


David C. Cook (October 1, 2013)


by


Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Michael Landon Jr., son of television legend Michael Landon, is an award-winning storyteller, first in television and film, and now in books. His print works include One More Sunrise co-written with Tracie Peterson. 

****

Cindy Kelley is the co-author of the novel The Silent Gift, and Traces of Mercy. Her career as a screenwriter with long-time writing partner, Michael Landon, Jr., began with the adaptation of Margery Williams’ classic story, The Velveteen Rabbit, which had a theatrical release. Several television movies followed, most notably Love Comes Softly, (based on Janette Oke’s novel) which won a CAMIE Award and the Epiphany Prize for Movie Guide’s most inspirational television movie of 2003. Cindy and her husband, Jim, make their home in the Southwest; have three adorable grandchildren and four big dogs who rule the house. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

From Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley, authors of The Silent Gift and creators of the hit television film Love Comes Softly, comes an exciting historical romance set in post-Civil War, and filled with suspense and faith-building values. 


At the war’s end, a young woman suffers an accident that leaves her unconscious and alone. Waking with amnesia, she takes the name Mercy and wants more than anything to find out the truth of her past. But then a handsome stranger arrives, who may hold the key to everything she has forgotten. What he knows could devastate her future, and even end her life.


Written by two proven storytellers, Traces of Mercy is perfect for anyone who loves historical fiction, prairie-based tales, or just a good romance.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Traces of Mercy, go 
HERE.


My Thoughts:

This book, Traces of Mercy, is the first book in "The Medallion Trilogy" by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley. It is a Christian Historical Romance set during the period after the end of the Civil War. In fact, Chapter One ends with the conclusion of the war and a big surprise. The person you think will be the hero of the book turns out to be the heroine. 

 I loved this book to the end. From the very first page I was pulled in and taken on a journey...Mercy's journey. She is injured in the first chapter and loses her memory. I found myself  rooting for her to get her memory back as I wanted to know who she really was and what her real name was. 

If there is one negative thing I have to say about this book is the way it ended.  As I kept turning pages I thought, wait a minute, I'm running out of pages and there is so much more story to tell. The ending left me hanging in a sense, just like my favorite television shows do with their final shows of the season.  I have never been a fan of "To Be Continued..."  So, will I read book two in this series? You bet! Because I just have to find out more about Mercy. 

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and the publisher David C. Cook for my review copy.  I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,