August in Review

August 31, 2014

August has been a very busy month for me personally, so I haven't been able to read as much as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the books I was able to get to.

For Review:
 Revolutionary by Krista McGee (BookLook)
Rise & Shine by Sandra D. Bricker (MP Newsroom)
With Every Breath by Elizabeth Camden (Bethany House)
The Last Witness by Glenn Meade (Howard Books)
The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Lee (Howard Books)
Review will be posted soon.
The Healer's Touch by Lori Copeland (Harvest House)
Nowhere to Turn by Lynette Eason (Revell Reads)
Blog Tour: 9/8-9/15
The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate (Tyndale Blog Network)
Review will be posted soon.
A Bouquet of Love by Janice Thompson (Revell Reads)
The Blessings of Friendship by Mary Engelbreit (Zonderkidz)
Review will be posted soon.
Goodnight, Ark by Laura Sassi (Zonderkidz)
Review will be posted soon.


Bought:
 Yankee in Atlanta by Jocelyn Green

It's been a wonderful month of books filled with many genres. September is already showing it will be another great month of books. :-)

Stacking the Shelves (58)

August 30, 2014

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Each week offers the opportunity to spotlight the books that you have gotten this past week, whether they are for review, bought, borrowed, or won.

I missed last week...so this is a catchup post for 2 weeks.

Review:
 Honor by Lyn Cote (Tyndale Blog Network)
A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin (FaithWords)
Love's Fortune by Laura Frantz (Revell Reads)
Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer (Blogging for Books)
The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Lee (Howard Books)
Palace of Darkness by Tracy L. Higley (BookLook)

Bought:
 Chasing Mona Lisa by Tricia Goyer & Mike Yorkey
Look to the East by Maureen Lang
Faith of the Fathers by Lynn Austin
Among the Gods by Lynn Austin
The Strength of His Hand by Lynn Austin
Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell
Oath of the Brotherhood by C. E. Laureano
Deluge by Lisa T. Bergren


I will say, when it broken up in to individual weeks, it doesn't seem like a whole lot, but when you combine, they really do add up! Especially when you shop the bargain book sections....or new books are released.

How's your book week been?

Review: The Healer's Touch by Lori Copeland

August 29, 2014

Title: The Healer's Touch 
Author: Lori Copeland
Publisher: Harvest House
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-0-7369-5653-6
Publication Date: August 1st, 2014

Synopsis:
Lori Copeland, beloved author of more than 100 books, brings a new adventure to life in her latest novel.

Lyric Bolton doesn’t ask for much—just friendship and acceptance from her rural Missouri community. But her family is regarded with suspicion and fear because of her mother’s sickness—a sickness of the mind that grows worse by the day. Lyric is resigned to a life of isolation and doesn’t see any way out…but that’s before Ian Cawley bolts into her life on a runaway stallion.

As she opens her heart to Ian, Lyric dares to imagine a different life. But what will happen when he discovers the secret she holds closest of all?
 Review:
Lori Copeland is an author who I have followed for quite a long while. I started reading her books in high school and haven't stopped. She is an author I always keep an eye out for. She has a wonderful knack for telling a sweet story with a little bit of adventure mixed in...with a fun setting in a western town.

The synopsis of the story sounded interesting. So, I was ready to dive in to it. The introduction threw me off a little bit however. It was interesting to read about the spooklight and the the local folklore behind it, but I didn't know how it would play into the story. Thankfully, it was answered very quickly in the story. The spooklight was the reason our two main characters met.

Ian is your strong, tough, male lead....however, he doesn't know it, since he was a little rattled after an accident that left him asking more questions then answering. Lyric was a little harder to get a handle on. She was a girl who jumped to a conclusion very quickly to who Ian was and was content to stick to it, until she had a turn around and then wanted to protect him. The life Lyric has led to this point was sad. I could easily see why she wanted push forward with her idea so she could finally make a better life.

Lyric's sister, Lark and her best friend Boots, I thought offered the adventure in the story, in typical kid fashion. Their wild ideas and schemes were about as far out there as they came, but their friendship was a sweet one, since they relied so heavily on each other.

This wasn't my favorite of Lori Copeland's books, but it was a cute story over all. A light and sweet story.

3 out of 5

About the Author:
Lori Copeland is the author of more than 100 titles, including A Kiss for Cade and Under the Summer Sky. Her beloved novel Stranded in Paradise is now a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. Her stories have developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband, Lance.







Thank you to Harvest House, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Rise & Shine by Sandra D. Bricker

August 27, 2014

Title: Rise & Shine: A Contemporary Fairy Tale
Author: Sandra D. Bricker
Publisher: River North
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0630-9
Publication Date: May 1st, 2014

Synopsis:
Shannon Malone thought she'd found her happy ending when she married Edmund Ridgeway, but a diving accident on their honeymoon left her in a coma. Waking up to the news that she's thirty years old would have been daunting enough . . . but she also learns that Edmund has lost his interim battle with cancer and the world has marched on without her. Her gorgeous doctor, Daniel Petros, seems to know everything about her and becomes Shannon's tour guide into a whole new world of madness where reality television has taken over the planet and everyone's life appears to revolve around a tiny screen on their cell phones!

As Shannon struggles to navigate through the changes-both in the world and in her-she also must discern real memories from imagined ones. Did she really ever wear capris pants and entertain in her living room, or was that Laura Petrie from her favorite classic TV show? And where is her beloved dog, Freeway? Oh, wait! That was Jonathan and Jennifer Hart's dog, not hers.

Shannon's three elderly aunts flit through her life in true Sleeping Beauty style with her well-being always a priority. And Edmund's sister Millicent descends like the Evil Queen she is, trying to extract Shannon from any claim on the Ridgeway family fortune. When a tornado moves through town and Shannon is knocked unconscious, will Daniel's kiss awaken her once and for all?
Review:
I'm a lover of fairy tales...a known Disney princess fanatic...I have a Pinterest board to prove it. So, when a new twist on an old favorite comes along, I have to check it out.

I was not disappointed in Rise & Shine. I wondered how Sleeping Beauty could be told with a modern twist. Sandra figured out the perfect way to do it. It was a mix of Sleeping Beauty and Rip Van Winkle. It also showed the most realistic version of time travel. Being in a coma and waking up ten years later. It really brings attention to how much things can change, especially with the advances in technology.

When introduced to Shannon, she is a bubbly newlywed. Happy about life...except for the ending of her favorite TV show Friends. She is ready to concur the world, and her newlywed class at church with her husband. We don't get to really dive into the the old Shannon's life. We just get a brief glimpse. The Shannon we get to know is the girl who wakes up ten years later to a whole new world that has kept on moving without her.

Shannon deals with so many changes and has several blows dealt to her. And after having been out of it for ten years, she really doesn't remember who she was. Her memories are faded, so when she is able to start life again, after rehabbing, she is determined to find out what she wants to do, because who people keep telling her she was, just doesn't fit to who she thinks she is anymore.

It was an interesting story to think about while reading. What would some be like after waking up. How would they see everything with these new eyes. It was interesting to see it through Shannon's perspective.

There was a lot of humor through out the story, which was great, because this story could have easily have been a very serious and heart wrenching story. It has many sweet moments as well. Shannon's aunt Mary is a very chipper character that kept lightness to the book as it moved forward during what could have been heavier moments.

Daniel was very much the prince charming in the story. He cared for everyone and he made good on the promise he made to Shannon's late husband. He was a wonderful support for Shannon during her transitioning time. And in modern day style, he does goof up, but he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

This was a fun story to read. It was the perfect companion for me during my sick day. The only small thing about the story I noticed I wish was a little different was the ending. It wasn't bad, I enjoyed it, but it just seemed to end a little too quickly, but that could have just been me wanting know more about the afterwards of the characters.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
For more than a decade, Sandra D. Bricker lived in Los Angeles. While honing her chosen craft of screenwriting in every spare moment, she worked as a personal assistant and publicist to some of daytime television's hottest stars. When her mother became ill in Florida, she walked away from that segment of her life and moved across the country to take on a new role: Caregiver.

"I guess most people would see my career as a publicist as a sort of dream job. But giving it up turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to me!" she declares. "Not only was I given the gift of getting to know my mother as an adult woman before she passed away, but I was also afforded the blessing of being able to focus completely on my dream of a writing career."

 Sandie's real-life role as cancer survivor has parlayed into her steadfast commitment to raising awareness and funds for ovarian cancer research.


Thank you to MP Newsroom, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday: Thunder

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. Each week offers the opportunity to spotlight an up-and-coming release you are excited about.

Waiting On:
Title: Thunder
Author: Bonnie S. Calhoun
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014

Synopsis:
From GoodReads
In post-apocalyptic America, Selah Chavez is crouched in long grass on a shore littered with the rusted metal remnants of a once-great city. It is the day before her eighteenth Born Remembrance, and she is hunting, though many people refuse to eat animal flesh, tainted by radiation during the Time of Sorrows. What Selah’s really after are Landers, mysterious people from a land across the big water who survive the delirium-inducing passage in small boats that occasionally crash against the shoreline. She knows she should leave the capture to the men, but Landers bring a good price from the Company and are especially prized if they keep the markings they arrive with.

Everything falls to pieces when the Lander Selah catches is stolen by her brothers–and Selah wakes up the next morning to find the Lander’s distinctive mark has suddenly appeared on her own flesh. Once the hunter, Selah is now one of the hunted, and she knows only one person who can help her–Bohdi Locke, the Lander her brothers hope to sell.

Why I'm Waiting:
I've really come to enjoy post-apocalyptic/dytopian based books. There is such a wonderful mesh of futuristic and primitive living that works. I just recently heard of this book and it caught my attention. The premise sounds really good and like it will be a thrilling book.


What are you waiting on?

Winner, Winner!!!

August 26, 2014

I'm happy to announce that we have a winner for the copy of Prelude for a Lord by Camille Elliot!!

Drum roll please.....

Heidi R.

Congratulations!!
 
I've already been in contact with Heidi and have sent on her information to Camille Elliot. 

Thank you to everyone who put their name in the hat for this fantastic book!

For another chance to win, Camille Elliot has mentioned that she will be hosting a giveaway. Keep an eye out for information on it in her newsletter! 

You can sign up HERE!


Thank you again, everyone!!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I really want to read, but haven't gotten yet....or books that will be on Christmas List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week features a book related topic that allows you the opportunity to spotlight your Top Ten.

Topic:
Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet

 Pyramid of Secrets by Tracy Higley
Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano
Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
Just Jane by Nancy Moser
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
God's Daughter by Heather Day Gilbert
Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin
Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer

This was a hard category for me to get together. Usually, I find the books I want pretty quickly and snatch them up...but these I just haven't gotten around to getting yet.

What books do you want to read...but haven't gotten around to getting?

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