Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

You want to meet a REAL woman? Check out Proverbs 31.

That’s the reference Lisa Troyer and Dawn Yoder used for their book about Real Women Leading. I was familiar with that chapter in the Bible because my prayer partner and I memorized it in college. We prayed for our future husbands using that scripture. Never before did I feel connected to that Proverbs woman in such an close way, though. While reading this book, the Proverbs woman and I were tight! We were girlfriends! She became someone that I could get a pedicure with. More importantly, I became more like her. [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book; the opinions shared here are 100% mine.
Upon first glance, The Sinners’ Garden may seem like a dark and sullen type of book.  It does seem to have that type of aura in the beginning.  Serious situations such as domestic abuse and extreme poverty lurk within the first few pages of The Sinners’ Garden.  The characters in this book were realistic and tangible — I could almost name people who reminded me of each one.   My heart clutched as I read their sad experiences, making me want to fix things for them.  But there is a Redeemer and he does all things in His time.  The great takeaway from Sinners’ Garden is that God can create that miracle out of a flower that has already wilted.  Do your soul a favor and enjoy The Sinners’ Garden.  Just be prepared for a change of heart!!    [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links.

Bullying is an issue that everyone seems to be talking about these days.  Sadly, I’ve witnessed bullying from adults just as often as bullying between kids.  The Pact by Mitchell S. Karnes addresses these situations but delves much deeper than the typical teenager angst.  I was interested in participating in this book tour since I work with middle school students on a daily basis.  The characters in the story appear to be like any 8th grade boys in any suburb.  Most of them were from middle class families and shared interests in sports, outdoor activities, and even the game of Warriors and Thieves.  The game reminded me a bit of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game that guys in my high school used to play.  There were some minor bullying issues in the 8th grade hallway, but most of the “hazing” type incidents seemed to go on in the locker room.  [Read more…]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Of all the WWII novels I’ve read, this one is definitely the most surprising. The book goes behind the scenes with two unlikely characters: a female photographer and a soldier bent on saving priceless art. A few weeks before reading this, I went to the movies with my family and happened to notice a poster for the upcoming film “Monuments Men.” I hadn’t heard of the group before and wondered who they were. When I received Shadowed by Grace to review, I found out that the Monuments Men risked their lives to save European culture and art during the destruction of World War II.  It’s a fascinating story; you should Google it! [Read more…]

Image: Amazon

Last summer via a blog giveaway I won the Young Adult book Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.  Due to the overwhelming amount of unread books sitting in my house, this one just sat on the shelf.  When our nieces visited in July and the brooding teen needed something to read, I handed her this.  She sat by the pool and read it all day long, immediately asking if I had the sequel when she finished.  Then when the girls had a sleepover at Christmas, she must have still been thinking about it; my daughter came home asking if she could read the book because her cousin had told her all about it.   Thus I was prompted to finally read Hush, Hush.   [Read more…]

Image: Amazon

Disclosure: I received this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Fans of medical shows, stand back. Rescue Team by Candace Calvert will have you glued to its pages. Full of action, interoffice politics, and small town gossip, this book was hard to put down. Both of the main characters, Kate and Wes, have personal baggage that threatens to pull them under.  They’re fighters, though, and it shows in their every move.   [Read more…]

A serial killer is on the loose in Green Valley, but what if he’s the good
guy?

The year is 2036 and the United States is pulling out of an economic
crisis, thanks to new industries and technologies that thrive in Green
Valley, Ohio. Regarded as “America’s Hope,” the city also boasts being
named the safest city in America for five years running. But now Green
Valley, one of only a handful of cities protected by the
still-experimental Unified Enforcement Police, struggles to catch a
new-era murderer who continues to kill and elude capture. As the elite
federal police close in on the killer, they discover that something
darker has infiltrated their perfect city.

Happily bumbling through his predictable life, Milton Simon comes
face-to-face with murderer Clarence Jasper and is surprised to find that
the killer has a message for him: JOIN ME. Milton soon learns that not
only is Green Valley not the safe haven everyone perceives it to be; it’s
Hell on Earth.

Green Valley:  GOODREADS  AMAZON   BARNES & NOBLE    INDIEBOUND

My thoughts:   Dystopian novels have a unique tinge to them.  Several of them have left me with a strange afterthought, this odd feeling that I can’t shake.  That’s how I felt when reviewing Green Valley.  This book was unlike any other novel I’ve read.  The characters were very interesting and so different from each other.  At first I had a very hard time distinguishing the chapters.  The book reminded me a little bit of the Lost series. You know how everything kind of makes sense in a hazy sort of way?  That’s how reading this book felt.  And as I imagine, it must have been that way for the characters in that fictitious world.  This book was so far outside my comfort zone that it has its own zip code.  Disturbing, horrifying, and kind of thrilling are the only ways I can even attempt to describe it. [Read more…]