Friday, February 27, 2015

By Your Side by Candace Calvert


                                                                                                                 




By Your Side ER nurse Macy Wynn learned essential, gritty lessons in the California foster care system: land on your feet and trust no one. She’s finally located the fellow foster child she loves like a sister, but the girl’s in deep trouble. Macy’s determined to help, no matter what it takes. Her motto is to “make it happen” in any situation life throws at her—even when she butts heads with an idealistic cop.

Deputy Fletcher Holt believes in a higher plan, the fair outcome—and his ability to handle that by himself if necessary. Now he’s been yanked from Houston, his mother is battling cancer, and he’s attracted to a strong-willed nurse who could be the target of a brutal sniper.

When everything goes wrong, where do they put their trust?






Candace CalvertFormer ER nurse, wife, Mom and grandmother, Candace Calvert believes that love, laughter, and faith are the best medicines of all. Her new Mercy Hospital Series for Tyndale House offers readers charismatic characters, pulse-pounding medical drama, romance, humor, suspense--and a prescription for hope. Think, “Grey’s Anatomy finds its soul.” She is . . .

A Northern California native who began her nursing career in rural Oregon, and later moved to Hill Country Texas--where she learned to check her shoes for scorpions and plucked an armadillo from her swimming pool. Thinks cruising is the best way to travel: honeymooned in Venice, swam with stingrays, rode a camel at the pyramids, and sang (badly) with a Newfoundland country band. She loves cooking, dancing the Two Step, bird watching, and gets goose bumps when her handsome husband hits the low notes at karaoke. She’s wild about Beth Moore Bible studies, and recently graduated from The Community of Hope training for lay chaplains. Candace published a series of madcap cruise mysteries in the mainstream market, and now writes inspirational fiction because . . .

God blessed her with a quirky wit, buoyant optimism, and a contagious sense of fun--but she didn’t come to know him until after the Triple Whammy that turned her life into bad country song. A painful and unexpected divorce, the merciless Northern California floods of 1997, and (just when she was coping like a champ, no problem) an equestrian accident that left her with fractured ribs, a bleeding lung, broken back, neck fractures and a spinal cord injury. She’ll tell you that God took drastic measures to get her attention.

In the months of rehabilitation, Candace healed in body and spirit. And came to fully understand the difference between being a strong woman and a woman of strength. The difference is faith, and that lesson has been her biggest blessing. Her story, “By Accident,” appears in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul, and launched her writing career. Now . . .

She is honored to bring readers a new medical drama series offering exciting entertainment and a healthy dose of hope. In these challenging times, she thinks it’s exactly what the doctor ordered!

                                                      



My Thoughts:

Candace sent me an advance reader's copy of this upcoming book. I love shows like ER, Grey's Anatomy that I haven't been able to watch since ABC and DirecTV are in a contract war. 
This is the new book in a new medical series by Candace, The Crisis Team Series. 
In this new book Candace starts out with a bang! A shooter is loose and he is taking shots at vehicles on the freeway, which is how Macy and Fletcher meet and they don't necessarily hit it off. They have different opinions about how to do things.
I love the character, Andi for many reasons, one because it's my name, and two she's snarky and feisty just like me.
This book is full of action, romance and learning to trust in God and not yourself. Highly recommended!

Check this out! I'm not sure Scott Caan was the character image for Fletcher, but they sure look alike.


 



I don't know ladies, looks pretty close to me. Any comment Candace??










 

A Horse For Kate by Miralee Ferrell


 

A Horse for Kate (Horses and Friends, #1)
A horse of her own would be awesome. But Kate figures that might be a long way away, especially since she had to give up riding lessons and move to her late grandfather’s farm. Besides, it would be a lot more fun to have a best friend to ride with. When Kate discovers a barn on their new farm that’s perfect for a horse, and a dusty bridle too, she starts to think that her dream might come true. Then she meets Tori at school, who is totally the best. So when they discover a thoroughbred that appears to be all alone, could it be the answer to her prayers? Maybe. If she can convince her dad ... and figure out what’s going on with that horse.












   Miralee Ferrell
Miralee Ferrell and her husband, Allen, live on eleven 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. She is also able to combine two other passions—horseback riding and spending time with her grown children—since her married daughter lives nearby, and they often ride together on the wooded trails near their home.

Ironically, Miralee, now the author of eight books, with many more on the way, never had a burning desire to write—at least more than her own memoirs for her children. So she was shocked when God called her to start writing after she turned fifty. To Miralee, writing is a ministry that she hopes will impact hearts, and she anticipates how God will use each of her books to bless and change lives.



My Thoughts:

Miralee gave me a early release of this book to read with my granddaughter. My granddaughter is 6 and while she could read the words, I don't think she comprehended a lot of the book. With that said. I read the book and loved the story. It is a perfect book for pre-teen and teen girls. Not only is it entertaining it is also informative with Autism and the way to care for a horse. I highly recommend it.
The book releases on March 1, 2015 and is $6.15 for kindle.



Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Trouble with Patience by Maggie Brenden


 

The Trouble with Patience (Virtues and Vices of the Old West, #1)About the book:
Patience Cavanaugh has lost hope in romance. The man she yearned to marry is dead and her dreams are gone with him. Now she is consumed with the restoration of a dilapidated boarding house in order to support herself. Despite her desire for solitude, Jedediah Jones, the local sheriff with a reputation for hanging criminals, becomes an ever-looming part of her life. It seems like such a simple arrangement: Patience needs someone with a strong back to help her fix up the boardinghouse, and Jedediah needs a dependable source of food for himself and his prisoners. But Patience gets more than she bargained for as she explores the depths of the "hanging lawman"--and finds both betrayal and love.




Maggie Brendan 

About this author:

Brenda Lott aka Maggie Brendan
Hello, dah-lin. My name is Brenda Lott, and I'm from Gah-gah (Georgia) which makes me a Southern belle. Think Scarlett O'Hara. No, make that Margaret Mitchell since I, too, write historical romance novels. My pen name is Maggie Brendan, and I host a writers' critique group in my home. I'm a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and American Christian Writers, and I won the 2004 Atlanta Persistence Award from the American Christian Writers. When I'm not writing, in my spare time, I like to paint and scrapbook, and be with my four grandchildren. I'm also a member of a large sanctuary choir.
 

 My thoughts:

This is the first book I have read by Maggie Brendan but it won't be my last! Patience is as spunky as they come and I love spunky, feisty leading ladies, and Patience is just one of those. Her name should be Impatient. Her and the sheriff hit it right off, and I'm being factious. The cover is adorable and the book is full of virtues and vices, the tag line of the series. Highly recommended!


 

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Seek and Hide by Amanda Stevens

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Seek and Hide
David C. Cook (September 15, 2014)
by
Amanda Stevens


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:



As a child, Amanda G. Stevens disparaged Mary Poppins and Stuart Little because they could never happen. Now, she writes speculative fiction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in English and has taught literature and composition to home-school students. She lives in Michigan and loves books, film, music, and white cheddar popcorn. Amanda's first novel, Seek and Hide, will be available September 15, 2014 from David C Cook.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Six years ago, the government took control of the church. Only re-translated Bibles are legal, and a specialized agency called the Constabulary enforces this and other regulations. Marcus Brenner, a new Christian, will do anything to protect his church family from imprisonment--including risk his own freedom to gain the trust of a government agent. Aubrey Weston recanted her faith when the Constabulary threatened her baby. Now released, she just wants to provide for her son and avoid government notice. But she's targeted again, and this time, her baby is taken into custody. If only she'd never denied Him, maybe God would hear her pleas for help. When Aubrey and Marcus's lives collide, they are forced to confront the lies they believe about themselves. And God is about to grab hold of Marcus's life in a way he'd never expect, turning a loner into a leader.

If you'd like to read the first chapter of Seek and Hide, go HERE.



My thoughts:
This was an eery book, one that felt way too real. Believing that we are in the end times, this book brought it home in so many ways. I could see the things that happened in this book happening any time in the near future. It was way more real to me than any of the Left Behind Series.
Recommended


Saturday, February 21, 2015

The Pharaoh's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

The Pharaoh's Daughter: A Treasures of the Nile Novel“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 H
ebrew servants, the one they call El Shaddai, have a different plan—for them all?

  

Mesu Andrews
About this author
:
Mesu Andrews is an author and speaker who has devoted herself to passionate study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep love for God’s Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her audiences.

Mesu and her husband, Roy, have two grown children and (Praise God!) a growing number of grandkids. They live in Washington, where Roy teaches at Multnomah University. They have a Rottweiler-pitbull named Bouzer who keeps Mesu company while she writes.

She’s published two books, Love Amid the Ashes and Love’s Sacred Song. Two more are scheduled for release with Revell in March of 2013 and 2014.


 
 
 
I grew up knowing the story of Moses, I not only knew the story, I Bible quizzed on Exodus and was even a Bible quiz leader when my girls were younger and they were studying Exodus. In fact one of their favorite movies is The Prince of Egypt.  We know the story from Moses' point of view, the baby put in a basket to float the Nile river that was infested with crocodile's who was saved by Pharoah's daughter and raised as an Egyptian Prince. We don't know Moses' story from Pharoah's daughter's point of view. In true Mesu style she brings us Anippe's story, Pharaoh's daughter and what she may have gone through. Her insight and knowledge of the scriptures comes through in volumes, and The Pharoah's Daughter is a beautiful story of Anippe and Moses. I felt like I had been transported back in time to Egypt as I read this book. Once again Mesu has taken us back in time, and given us a story for the ages. I highly recommend it!




                                                                                                

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Really?????

I just read this post on Instagram by AnnVosKamp here is her blog http://www.aholyexperience.com/


… so three days after #The21 were martyred for being People of the Cross? People are walking around with these dust ashen crosses on their foreheads — & they’re saying it, that we are “dust to dust”…. But if I’m only dust — my love alone will not be enough.

If love is all we need — I’ve got a problem.

Because, honest? Our love isn’t enough to absorb the evil that decapitates men’s heads, evil that rapes little girls, evil that steals & sells children as sex slaves.

There’s real active evil that’s not simply people acting — there’s real evil that’s not from any heart in this world, that’s not from any place in this world, that’s not from any mind in this world — there’s a supernatural evil that slithers into the corners of this world and pythons around hearts until it strangles out the light & we scream against the dark.

At some point — your Love runs out & You need a Love larger than your own to *Love Larger* than evil.
The only Love that can come take down the kind of evil that’s invaded our world, has to come from beyond the walls of the world.

Super evil can only be absorbed by a supernatural kind of Love.
The kind of love that sings Kumbayah can’t shake a swaying candle at otherworldly evil — only an otherworldly Love that lets the hammer ring and took on the iron of the nails, that bore the weight of the world on that Cross, can torch straight through the hellish dark of this kind of evil.

Our love will eventually fail and leave somebody out — but Cross love never fails to take all the willing in.

And He knows the only way for your love to be transformed to be like His —
is for Him to give you a heart transplant — for Him to give you His heart.

When it’s His supernatural heart beating in you — that’s what lets you supernaturally love in a heart beat.

Only the undeniable love of the Cross can crush undeniable evil.

So there’s the quiet, startling place where you realize:
Either Jesus is the answer to the ultimate problems of the human condition —
or there is no ultimate answer.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night my husband and I attended a wonderful Ash Wednesday service. I left there feeling like I could touch the sky, and today has been a great day, until I read this on Instagram. Now maybe I'm missing something, and that could be very true, however, I don't understand how the execution of the 21 Egyptian Christians has anything to do with Ash Wednesday, other than, like Christ they gave their lives for Christ. 
Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of the Lent season. Lent is the forty days that led Christ to the cross, and for Christians world wide it is for us to stop and draw closer to Christ. I don't see how her take on the execution and those who received ashes on their head in observance of Ash Wednesday correlate. 
The one thing that I agree with is that there is real evil out in the world and the only thing that can crush it is the undeniable love of the Cross.
I still don't agree with her and I believe it is writing like this that can and does cause distention in the body of Christ. 
Regardless of what you think about her words or mine, I encourage you to take the 40 days of Lent and draw closer to Christ. As one of my Pastoral friends said, read through the New Testament, His word is truth, not the worlds view.


 
 

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Where Rivers Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Following in her estranged father's footsteps, Dr. Juliet Ryan has devoted her scientific acumen to corporate America, providing safe drinking water for millions--and affording her plenty of perks along the way. Then, without warning, a fast-moving disaster sweeps Juliet into a whirlpool of corporate scandal and puts lives at risk. As she scrambles to find answers, Juliet must face her deepest wounds and join forces with her father to expose a far-reaching conspiracy. Underneath it all, she struggles to forgive those who betrayed her trust--not least of all her own father.






Kellie Coates Gilbert




I barely remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand. My tiny hometown of Carey, Idaho had no library, no bookstore. The bi-weekly bookmobile provided the only avenue to books . . . that, and my Gram, who spent a lot of her Social Security checks on books for her granddaughter with an insatiable appetite for stories.
I grew up on a sheep ranch in southern Idaho, a business my family had been in for generations, never dreaming I’d ever see my own name on a novel. I left home to attend Boise State University and spent most of my adult years pursuing a sensible legal career, raising two boys, and learning to be happily married.
But God heard the quiet prayers of a woman who dared to dream big and ask her Lord for the outrageous. In early 2011, I signed my first book contract. Today, I am living my fantasy. I live in Dallas with my husband. I work from home, writing novels. Often by the pool.
Can life get any better?


Kellie is one of the few authors I've had the pleasure of meeting in person, and she is a very gracious author, I am tickled that she is from Idaho which means I may get the chance to see her again.

Kellie's new book, Where Rivers Part, is just that, the parting of the ways between Juliet and her father. Her father does not like what she is doing, he feels she has given in. Tragedy strikes and like a river running downstream it can cleanse and heal, the question is do you allow it to.
This book could be ripped right out of today's headlines. With Kellie's finesse of storytelling, and her legal knowledge this book is a home run! It releases today, and all I can say is go grab a copy and enjoy!



 

Wisdom Tree by Mary Manners

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Wisdom Tree
White Rose Publishing (September 19, 2012)
by
Mary Manners


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A Word from the Author:
I live in the beautiful foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee with my husband, Tim, and our teen-aged daughter, Danni. Also with us are Lucky and Gus - the two cherished cats we rescued from local animal shelters.

I'm a member of the Romance Writers of America and Smoky Mountain Romance Writers. During the school year, I teach middle-schoolers reading and Algebra. When I have free time, I love to garden, take long walks with my husband, and read romance novels in a hammock beneath century-old shade trees.

I write romance novels for White Rose Publishing. If you'd like to visit, I have an author page there, as well. That's where you'll find everything there is to know about my books.

I also have author pages at the following locations. Do come by and spend some time with me there!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sometimes the last thing we think we need is exactly what God has planned
After the death of his parents, Jake Samuels has enough on his plate—including a fledgling church to lead and a mischievous younger brother to raise. The last thing he needs is a rambunctious woman to contend with.

Carin O'Malley is dealing with the death of her brother and a new job as an English teacher at East Ridge Middle School where Corey Samuels reigns as King of Chaos. The last thing she needs is to fall in love...especially with a handsome and complicated preacher like Corey’s brother Jake.

But when Corey's antics toss Carin and Jake together, the two must draw from God’s wisdom to find refuge in His perfect plan.

------------------------------------------------ Discover your own wisdom tree with the included one-month devotional.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Wisdom Tree, go HERE.



Sunday, February 15, 2015

The Crimson Cord by Jill Eileen Smith

The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story (Daughters of the Promised Land #1)Wife to a gambler who took one too many risks, Rahab finds herself sold as a slave to cover her husband's debt. Forced into prostitution by Dabir, counselor to the Syrian king, Rahab despairs of ever regaining her freedom and her self-respect. But when Israelite spies enter Jericho and come to lodge at her house, Rahab sees a glimmer of hope and the opportunity of a lifetime. In one risky moment, she takes a leap of faith, puts her trust in a God she does not know, and vows to protect the spies from the authorities. When the armies of Israel arrive weeks later, Rahab hopes they will keep their promise, but she has no idea what kind of challenges await her outside Jericho's walls--or if she will ever know the meaning of love.










Jill Eileen Smith
About this author
:
Jill Eileen Smith is the author of the Wives of the Patriarchs series featuring Sarai, Rebekah, and upcoming Rachel, (Releases 2-1-14) as well as, the bestselling author of Michal, Abigail, and Bathsheba, all part of The Wives of King David series published by Revell (Baker Publishing Group.)

Her writing has taken her from the Bible to Israel and she loves learning how women lived in Old Testament times. When she isn't writing she can be found hanging out with family and friends, reading, bike-riding, testing new restaurants with her husband, or snuggling one of two adorable kitties. She lives with her family in southeast Michigan. 




Writing reviews is a love/hate relationship. I say that because when you read a book like the one Jill penned the hard part is not giving anything away. This book is phenomenal!!!! I grew up in the church and knew the story of Rahab, however it's quite different when you read a biblical historical take on it, like what Jill wrote. She got right into the heart of Rhab and showed her struggle as a prostitute, and as a woman who wanted to live for an unseen God. She painted a beautiful picture of redemption, during the sacrifice for sins Rahab stood there watching, when an unblemished lamb was to be sacrificed for Rahab's sins she was brokenhearted. Staring at the lamb she said, the lamb did nothing wrong why should it pay for my sins. A beautiful picture of what Christ did for us. He was without sin yet He died a sinners death to give us life. 
Give yourself a gift and read this book, I promise you won't be disappointed!!




Giveaway of Where River's Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert


 Following in her estranged father's footsteps, Dr. Juliet Ryan has devoted her scientific acumen to corporate America, providing safe drinking water for millions--and affording her plenty of perks along the way. Then, without warning, a fast-moving disaster sweeps Juliet into a whirlpool of corporate scandal and puts lives at risk. As she scrambles to find answers, Juliet must face her deepest wounds and join forces with her father to expose a far-reaching conspiracy. Underneath it all, she struggles to forgive those who betrayed her trust--not least of all her own father.









Kellie Coates GilbertI barely remember a time when I didn’t have a book in my hand. My tiny hometown of Carey, Idaho had no library, no bookstore. The bi-weekly bookmobile provided the only avenue to books . . . that, and my Gram, who spent a lot of her Social Security checks on books for her granddaughter with an insatiable appetite for stories.
I grew up on a sheep ranch in southern Idaho, a business my family had been in for generations, never dreaming I’d ever see my own name on a novel. I left home to attend Boise State University and spent most of my adult years pursuing a sensible legal career, raising two boys, and learning to be happily married.
But God heard the quiet prayers of a woman who dared to dream big and ask her Lord for the outrageous. In early 2011, I signed my first book contract. Today, I am living my fantasy. I live in Dallas with my husband. I work from home, writing novels. Often by the pool.
Can life get any better?



I received an extra copy of Where River's Part, so I am going to give away the extra copy. This is only open to USA residents. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, February 13, 2015

50 Shades . . .and 1 Corinthians 13:5










Love means different things to each of us based on how we were raised, our life experiences and our love language. My love language is words of encouragement. My husband's is words of encouragement and acts of service. This is not only how he gives love it is also he feels loved.

I haven't read 50 Shades, I started book one and forgetting the abuse, and porn in the book, the writing was atrocious and I just couldn't read any more. With that said, I am really surprised at the fascination of this book. Reviews I've read, and conversation I've heard regarding the book makes me shake my head in confusion.
As a young teen I was violated by a man in my church, yes you read right, a man I went to church with. My former husband was a controller, and verbally abusive. He wanted me to do some of the things that are described in this book, the BDSM, he said it would spice up our sex life. My sister laid into him one day and said, how can you even ask that of her knowing what happened to her when she was a teen? He really didn't have an answer other than to say that I should be over it by now. I had dealt with it, I sure didn't want to do something with my husband who I loved that would bring back memories of that horrible day.

Putting all of that aside . . . Love isn't controlling, it isn't abusive, or painful. Love is kind, gentle, and patient. And the only contract is the marriage contract.

Regardless of your belief system God created Love, and Love is . . . .


Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

I believe this book and movie are dangerous and give a dark side to what love is, and definitely not what God intended. Please know I am not condemning anyone who has read or is going to see the movie. I am clearly stating my thoughts and why I haven't read the books and why I won't be seeing the movie. I also know that satan is real and he roams around like a lion seeking whom he can devour and I know that he will take anything I put into my thoughts and use it to his advantage and I don't want to give him the upper hand. I want Jesus to have the upper hand in my thoughts.

You don't have to agree and that's fine, I just ask that you give it some thought.




 

First Line Friday Featuring Riot (A Breed Apart: Legacy #3) by Ronie Kendig and JJ Samie Myles

  Happy Friday!! Welcome to the weekend!!! Today I am featuring one of my favorite authors, Ronie Kendig. I loved A Breed Apart series and I...