Freebie Friday!

Trouble in Mudbug

Author: Jana DwLeon

Series: Ghost-in-Law (Book 1)

E-book: 350 Pages

Published: November 6, 2010

Blurb:

Scientist Maryse Robicheaux thought that a lot of her problems had gone away with her mother-in-law’s death. The woman was rude, pushy, manipulative and used her considerable wealth to run herd over the entire town of Mudbug, Louisiana. 

Unfortunately, death doesn’t slow down Helena one bit.

DEA Agent Luc LeJeune is wondering what his undercover assignment investigating the sexy scientist has gotten him into – especially as it seems someone wants her dead. Keeping his secrets while protecting Maryse proves to be easier than fighting his attraction for the brainy beauty. 

Meet the Author:

Jana DeLeon grew up among the bayous and ‘gators of south Louisiana. She’s never stumbled across a mystery like one of her heroines but is still optimistic. She lives in Dallas, Texas along with a menagerie of animals and not one single ghost.

My Review:

For a freebie from Barnes & Noble this book was so much fun! This book was definitely anything but serious. The characters were so easy to fall in love with…Especially the ghost! I can’t imagine how I would look to others talking to a ghost that nobody else could see.

This book had a few twist and turns that I wasn’t expecting. This light and silly book was able to keep me guessing and so entertained. Much better than I expected for a freebie find. The romance aspect didn’t completely take over the story which I really enjoyed.

I highly recommend this book to any one looking for a light-hearted book. Now I must be off to find my next book and I think I know just the author to search from.

Disclosure: I downloaded this book free from the Barnes & Noble website. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

Redeeming Grace

Redeeming Grace

Author: Jill Eileen Smith

Series: Daughters of the Promised Land (Book 3)

Paperback: 368 Pages

Publisher: Revell (February 14, 2017)

Blurb:

One devoted woman is about to discover the power of love

When famine visits Bethlehem, some hold out hope for rain, while Naomi and her family make a long journey to Moab in search of greener pastures. The harvest there is plentiful, and for a time it appears the Lord is blessing them. But when calamities strike, one after another, Naomi is left alone in a foreign land with only her widowed daughters-in-law for comfort. Downhearted and destitute, Naomi is determined to return to Bethlehem alone. But her daughter-in-law Ruth refuses to leave her side. Despite the fact that she and Naomi will almost certainly live out their days in widowhood and poverty, Ruth holds out hope for a better future . . . and maybe even a second chance at love.

Meet the Author:

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling author of The Crimson Cord, The Prophetess, The Wives of King David series, the Wives of the Patriarchs series, and the ebook novellas The Desert Princess, The Shepherdess, and Daughter of the Nile. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan

My Review:

Life always seems to get in the way of the things we love the most but, when I saw that Jill Eileen Smith’s newest novel, Redeeming Grace, was out I just couldn’t let life stop me.

Redeeming Grace is the third book in the “Daughters of the Promised Land” series and is

Redeeming Grace

Author: Jill Eileen Smith

Series: Daughters of the Promised Land (Book 3)

Paperback: 368 Pages

Publisher: Revell (February 14, 2017)

Blurb:

One devoted woman is about to discover the power of love When famine visits Bethlehem, some hold out hope for rain, while Naomi and her family make a long journey to Moab in search of greener pastures. The harvest there is plentiful, and for a time it appears the Lord is blessing them. But when calamities strike, one after another, Naomi is left alone in a foreign land with only her widowed daughters-in-law for comfort. Downhearted and destitute, Naomi is determined to return to Bethlehem alone. But her daughter-in-law Ruth refuses to leave her side. Despite the fact that she and Naomi will almost certainly live out their days in widowhood and poverty, Ruth holds out hope for a better future . . . and maybe even a second chance at love.

Meet the Author:

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling author of The Crimson Cord, The Prophetess, The Wives of King David series, the Wives of the Patriarchs series, and the ebook novellas The Desert Princess, The Shepherdess, and Daughter of the Nile. Her research into the lives of biblical women has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan

My Review:

Life always seems to get in the way of the things we love the most but, when I saw that Jill Eileen Smith’s newest novel, Redeeming Grace, was out I just couldn’t let life stop me. Redeeming Grace is the third book in the “Daughters of the Promised Land” series and is not to be missed or set aside for a later reading date. Jill Eileen Smith thoroughly researches in order to bring the story of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi from the Bible’s Old Testament to life. The story tells one of my favorite bible stories of three individuals who were brought together by loss, grief, and through the grace of our God. I highly recommend reading this book. I will be reading this one again.
Disclosure:

I received this book free from the publisher through the Revell book bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

. Jill Eileen Smith thoroughly researches in order to bring the story of Ruth, Boaz, and Naomi from the Bible’s Old Testament to life.

The story tells one of my favorite bible stories of three individuals who were brought together by loss, grief, and through the grace of our God. I highly recommend reading this book. I will be reading this one again.
Disclosure:

I received this book free from the publisher through the Revell book bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

Awesome Book Giveaway -Closed

Nothing in life is free…or is it?

This month I’m giving away three free books!

Not one, not two but, THREE!

Books you could win:

1. Thin Ice by Irene Hannon
2. Always Watching by Lynette Eason
3. Where She Belongs by Johnnie Alexander

Now, if you’re a book fan this sounds like amazing news. I know you want to know what the catch is but, there isn’t a catch.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Fill out the entry form with all necessary information: Name, email and tell me an interesting fact about yourself.
2. Sit back and wait for me to announce the winner

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

The winner will be announced Friday, March 11th on my blog and I will also email the winner to notify them of their awesome win!

Quick, fill the form out!

 

Book Review: Life Is______.

Life Is _____.

God’s Illogical Love Will Change Your Existence

Author: Judah Smith

Paperback: 240 Pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publishing (March 3, 2015)

Blurb:

The follow-up to Judah Smith’s bestselling *Jesus Is __* gives readers four simple truths to find love, enjoyment, trust, and peace in God.

Life is ___. How would you finish that sentence? In this follow-up to his New York Times and USA Today bestseller *Jesus Is __*, Judah completes the new sentence again and again, revealing how life is to be loved and to love, to enjoy God to the fullest, to trust God in every moment, and to be at peace with God, others, and ourselves. Judah writes as a friend, welcoming new believers, lifelong followers of Jesus, and even the merely curious.

Judah shows us the irrational love of God and the life that he intends for us to have in the here and now. With excitement and humor, he looks at the stories in the Bible from a different angle and shows how life is all about loving God and loving others.

Meet the Author:

Judah Smith is the lead pastor of the City of Church in Seattle, Washington. The City Church is a thriving multisite church noted for its cultural relevance, commitment to biblical integrity and faith, and love for Jesus. Judah is known round the United States and the world for his preaching ministry. His fresh, anointed, humorous messages demystify the Bible and make Christianity real. Judah is also the author of his most recent New York Times bestselling book, Jesus Is _____.

My Review:

I’m Really not sure why I requested this book… I may have just been looking for something to read and review but, I didn’t choose this because I was dying to read Life Is _____.

Y’all you have to believe me when I tell you  that I loved this book! I used this book over my summer away in Houston as my quiet time. This book was an unexpected God Thing and pleasure for me to read. Judah Smith’s humor and story telling is a refreshingly genuine way to deliver the message of hope in Jesus. This book is a must read! I’m begging you to go and read this book.

Disclosure:

I received this book free from the publisher through the booklook bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

What Makes a Perfect Character

1.) Personality: Some characters read like cardboard. Sure, the characters run around and do things that get things moving to the next action sequence or the next plot point. These characters aren’t the ones that will be remembered later. So, give your characters a personality; you’ve got one!

2.) Flaws: On a practical level, someone who is good at everything and bad at nothing is boring and unbelievable. Characters can be good at things, but they can’t be too good. Balance is a must! If they’re the best at something, they should also be the worst at something.

3.) Room to Grow: Characters grow and change. The most interesting characters are the ones who at least have the capability to change. Readers want to go on a journey with the character. They want to go along for the ride!

4.) The Right Name: You don’t just pick it out of a hat. It has to be the right name! You’ve got to find the right name or let your character tell you who they are. Trust me, sometimes your character comes to you with a name. Also make sure this name doesn’t sound like the name of another character in your book. You don’t want to confuse readers, nor do you want them to be thinking about another character from a different book or movie. The character’s name does matter.

5.) Recognition: When you see yourself or someone familiar to you in a character the connection is instantaneous. It’s like meeting a long lost friend! When we see situations a character faces as ones we’ve been through ourselves, we feel closer to the character. You relate to the character and the lives they lead. You feel for their difficulties. You take comfort in characters knowing that you’ve felt their feelings, too. You take these characters into your heart and they never leave.

What makes a character perfect for you?

Tell me yours in the comments.

Video: Paper Hearts

Check out my Review here!

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You!

A Promise to Protect

Patricia Bradley

October 22nd-29th

In a steamy small town riddled with broken promises, one woman’s secret could change everything.

Acting Sheriff Ben Logan hasn’t heard from Leigh Somerall in a very long time, but it doesn’t mean he can get her–or their whirlwind romance of ten years ago–out of his head. When she calls out of the blue, it is with a strange request to protect her brother, Tony. But all too soon, Ben is charged with a different task–protecting Leigh from the people after her brother. With Leigh doing everything in her power to avoid Ben, it’s no easy task. And the secret she is keeping just may change their lives forever.

At Bluebonnet Lake

Amanda Cabot

November 1st-8th

Her life is set to warp speed. His is slowing to a crawl. But love has its own timing.

Marketing maven Kate Sherwood’s world is fast-paced, challenging, and always changing. The last thing she wants to do is grind to a halt at Rainbow’s End, a dilapidated resort in the Texas Hill Country. Still, she cannot deny her ailing grandmother’s request to visit the place where she and her deceased husband spent one glorious week fifty years ago. There, Kate meets Greg, who appears to be the resort’s unassuming handyman. But there’s more to Greg than meets the eye–billions more, in fact.

Kate isn’t looking for romance, but she can’t deny the sparks of attraction that fly every time she and Greg are together. Could there be a future there? Or will Kate’s long-sought promotion take her back to the big city?

Amanda Cabot invites you to step into a place away from the pressures of the day. You might be surprised by what you find at Rainbow’s End.

Trading Secrets

Melody Carlson

November 15th-22nd

The truth may set you free–but it might also land you in some uncomfortably hot water.

Over the years, Micah Knight has exchanged many letters–and many secrets–with her longtime Amish pen pal, Zach. But Micah’s kept quiet on the biggest secret of all–the fact that despite her name, she’s a girl.

Now Micah finally has the chance to meet her pen pal face-to-face. She wants nothing more than to experience life on Zach’s Amish farm, but she’s more than a little anxious. Will he be angry at her for deceiving him all these years? And will she risk losing his friendship to find something more?

Christmas Cat

Melody Carlson

November 15th-22nd

After years abroad, Garrison Brown finds himself at the home of his beloved grandmother who has just passed away. He must sort out her belongings, including six cats who need new homes. While he hopes to dispense with the task quickly–especially since he is severely allergic to cats–his grandmother’s instructions don’t allow for speed. She has left some challenging requirements for the future homes of her furry friends.

Can he match the cats with the perfect new owners? And is it possible that he might meet his own match along the way?

The Daughter of Highland Hall

Carrie Turansky

What if the title, the estate, the life of security and splendor… what if it isn’t enough?

Strong-willed and beautiful, debutante Katherine Ramsey feels ready to take the London social season by storm, and she must. Her family estate, Highland Hall, has been passed to older male cousin Sir William Ramsey, and her only means of securing her future is to make a strong debut and find a proper husband. With her all-knowing and meddling aunt as a guide, Katherine is certain to attract suitors at the lavish gatherings, sparkling with Great Britain’s elite.

When a shocking family scandal sidelines Katherine, forcing her out of the social spotlight, she keeps a low profile, volunteering with the poor in London’s East End. Here Katherine feels free from her predictable future, and even more so as a friendship with medical student Jonathan Foster deepens and her faith in God grows. But when Katherine is courted anew by a man of wealth and position, dreams of the life she always thought she wanted surface again. Torn between tradition and the stirrings in her heart for a different path, she must decide whom she can trust and love—and if she will choose a life serving others over one where she is served.

Keep a look out for these Book Reviews soon!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Thief of Glory

Thief Of Glory

Sigmund Brouwer

WaterBrook Press

August 19, 2014

Back Cover Description:

A boy coming of age in a time of war…
the love that inspires him to survive.

For ten year-old Jeremiah Prins, the life of privilege as the son of a school headmaster in the Dutch East Indies comes crashing to a halt in 1942 after the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Southeast Pacific. Jeremiah takes on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when his father and older stepbrothers are separated from the rest of the family, and he is surprised by what life in the camp reveals about a woman he barely knows—his frail, troubled mother.

Amidst starvation, brutality, sacrifice and generosity, Jeremiah draws on all of his courage and cunning to fill in the gap for his mother. Life in the camps is made more tolerable as Jeremiah’s boyhood infatuation with his close friend Laura deepens into a friendship from which they both draw strength.

When the darkest sides of humanity threaten to overwhelm Jeremiah and Laura, they reach for God’s light and grace, shining through his people. Time and war will test their fortitude and the only thing that will bring them safely to the other side is the most enduring bond of all.

 

Meet the Author:

Whether writing youth or adult fiction, Sigmund Brouwer is a best-selling author of more than 40 fast-paced novels. He loves going to schools to get kids excited about reading, reaching roughly 80,000 students a year through his Rock&Roll Literacy Show.

Sigmund is married to songwriter recording artist Cindy Morgan. The couple and their two young daughters divide their time between Red Deer, Alberta and Nashville, Tennessee.

 

My Review:

Thief of Glory involves a story of war, faith, fear and hope. This book takes place in an internment camp where there is abuse, death, and very little hope. This book also has inspiration to balance out the rest of the story; Inspiration to fight and protect others and to show selflessness how it was meant to be shown. Sigmund Brouwer knows just how to mix fiction with history to crest a powerful story about of loyalty, betrayal, and redemption.  This book is a must read for all.

Disclosure:

I received this book free from the publisher through the Bloggingforbooks book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: In Perfect Time (Wings of the Nightingale)

In Perfect Time (Wings of the Nightingale) 

Sarah Sundin

Revell

August 5, 2014

Back Cover Description:

Two hearts are about to learn the rhythm of love

Bold, sophisticated, and flirtatious, Army Air Force flight nurse Lt. Kay Jobson collects hearts wherever she flies, leaving men pining in airfields all across Europe. So how can ruggedly handsome C-47 pilot Lt. Roger Cooper be all but immune to her considerable charms? In fact, he seems to do everything he can to avoid her.

Still, as they cross the skies between Italy and southern France, evacuating the wounded and delivering paratroopers and supplies, every beat of their hearts draws them closer to where they don’t want to go. Can they confront the fears and misunderstandings in their pasts?

Sarah Sundin seamlessly weaves together emotion, action, and sweet romance into a tale that transcends time and calls us to believe in the power of love.

Meet the Author:

 Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. The Wings of the Nightingale series (With Every Letter,    2012,   On Distant Shores, August 2013, and In Perfect Time, August 2014) follows three World War II flight nurses as they find love, friendship, and peril in the skies and on the shores of the Mediterranean. The Wings of Glory series (A Distant Melody, A Memory Between Us, and Blue Skies Tomorrow) follows three brothers who are B-17 bomber pilots during World War II.

Sundin lives in northern California with her husband, three children, an antisocial cat, and a yellow lab bent on destroying her writing career. When she isn’t driving kids to tennis and karate, she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Christian Authors Network, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. In 2011 she received the Writer of the Year Award from the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Readers Choice Awards and was featured on Booklist’s Top Ten Inspirational Fiction List for 2010.

Visit her website here!

My Review:

Oh my! I loved this book! I just couldn’t put it down and when I had to I wanted to return to it! Sarah Sundin sure knows how to draw you into this novel with these special characters. At first I was concerned. I hadn’t read the first two books and I thought I was going to be lost but, I wasn’t I knew exactly what was going on. This is a beautifully written novel about redemption, love, hope and learning just who God is! I enjoyed disappearing into its pages and I recommend that you do the same.

You won’t regret reading this novel by Sarah Sundin!

Disclosure:

I received this book free from the publisher through the Revell  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Happy Reading!

Book Giveaway!

Through the Deep Waters

Kim Vogel Sawyer

Random House

May 6, 2014

Back Cover Description:

A past filled with shame can be washed away with a love that conquers all

Born to an unloving prostitute in a popular Chicago brothel, timid seventeen-year-old Dinah Hubley was raised amidst the secrets held in every dark, grimy room of her home. Anxious to escape, Dinah pursues her dream of becoming a Harvey Girl, waiting tables along the railroad in an upscale hotel. But when she finds out she isn’t old enough, her only option is to accept a job as a chambermaid at the Clifton Hotel in Florence, Kansas. Eager to put everything behind her, Dinah feels more worthless than ever, based on a single horrible decision she made to survive.The Clifton offers a life Dinah has never known, but blinded to the love around her, Dinah remains buried in the shame of her past. When a handsome chicken farmer named Amos Ackerman starts to show interest, Dinah withdraws further, convinced no one could want a sullied woman like her.  Despite his self-consciousness about his handicapped leg and her strange behavior, Amos resolves to show Dinah Christ’s love. But can she ever accept a gift she so desperately needs?

The contest starts on July 31, 2014 at 6:00am EST and ends on August 20th, 2014 at 11:59pm. One winner will be chosen at random on August 21st, 2014 and will be alerted by email. For a complete listing of the rules, please see below.

Enter to win Click Here!

To see my review for this book Click Here!