Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Trusting Grace by Maggie Brendan



For Widow Grace Bidwell it appears that her dreams of having a family will never come true...





Hey Readers,

I have a wonderful new "Must Read" called Trusting Grace by Maggie Brendan for you. It is a story of trust, hope and love set in the beautiful Montana mountains. I would recommend this book if:
  • You like a heart warming love story, 
  • You like to watch Hallmark movies. ( because this story is one that I could see being a Hallmark Movie)
  • You like a story that has a sweet ending that will leave you smiling. 
  • You have read books 1 and/or 2 of the Virtues and Vices of the Old West series
  • You just want to read a new book :)  

So Trusting Grace by Maggie Brendan is the story of Grace Bidwell, A widow who is struggling to manage her late husband's farm and care for her sick father. As the time approaches for her to have her crops  planted, She decides that she needs to hire help or she may lose the crop this year. Like an answer to prayer, God sends Robert Frasier to her town and he is desperate for a job. Virginia Harrison (Grace's best friend)  points him to Grace's potato farm and he is immediately hired.
Robert is very weary of any female because his late wife had kept a huge secret from him until the day she died, So though he is extremely grateful to Grace for giving him the job, He is staying far away from her. He just needs to earn enough money to buy a place for him and his children so that they do not have to continue living inside their wagon. When Grace discovers that Robert has children and that they were camped on her property, She is ecstatic!  She has always prayed for children and it appeared that God had sent three of them for her to take care of. Robert is pleased to see Grace interact with the children since they have all harbored bitter and angry feelings toward him and the world since their mother died.  But now Robert is extremely frustrated,  He promised himself that he would never trust another woman again but it appears that Grace is slowly finding a place in his heart. As the harvest approaches, Will Robert stay now that most of the work around the farm is done? Will he be able to overcome the feelings of mistrust and pride and find love again?



So What did I think? 
So this is book 3 of the Virtues and Vices of the Old West Series and though it is part of a series, it definitely can be read as a standalone.  I read the second book in the series, A Sweet Misfortune last year and this one was just as good! I love the relationship that Grace has with her father because you don't see good loving relationships between the children/child and their parents often, whether it's in books or on TV. The story started great on page 1 and though it was sort of predictable, it stayed interesting with some twists along the way until the very last page.  I love the look of the cover ( I would love to have her dress) and the title is very clever. Overall I think that it is a sweet story of learning to trust again and letting go of the past. I give it 5 out of 5 stars! *****



If you wanted to check out this book or the series, Here is the link :)
http://www.maggiebrendan.com/


Happy Reading :)


  I would like to thank Revell , A division of Baker Publishing Group for allowing me to review this book in exchange for a free copy, I was not required to write a favorable review, just an honest one.



Saturday, May 20, 2017

Tranquility: A Prayer and Reflection Coloring Journal


 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
 Philippians 4:6 NIV




 Hello Readers,
I have a special treat for you.
Do you remember when I wrote about the coloring book Gratitude, A Prayer and Praise Coloring book?
Well here is the second book in the series!
                                                                                                                     
 This is another "Must have" coloring book if :
  • You like pictures with a lot of "in depth" details. 
  • You want a journal that gives you a thought and space for you to write your  thoughts.
  • You like to color anything. 


So here is a preview of the book,  Tranquility: A Prayer and Reflection Coloring Journal

First thing I wanted you see was the beautiful hard cover that is not only gorgeous but also practical!  Because it is a hard cover, you do not need a table to color on! You can color in bed, on the couch, on the floor, etc...



So on this next picture, you can see a journal page encouraging you to write a list of people and blessings and then on the right side of the book, they have a partially colored ( it comes that way, I have not colored this page... yet ) page with gifts that compliment the journal page.


The picture shown below is one of my FAVORITE pages, it is not a coloring page, but it is a stunning beach scene journal page.
On the left side of the page is a prayer to the Lord that is based on 1 Samuel 3:10 .


This next page was colored by my Mom, ( Didn't she do a great job :) The clocks are very detailed and I LOVE that they are all different. This page is a great reminder that Life is Short, We have to make the most of what God has given us. Oh, and looking at the different clocks remind me that God has made us all unique.




 What Did I Think ?
So, I like this coloring book, Though the pictures are bit more modern then what I normally would color,  (which would be landscapes or just basic coloring pages) but it is not extreme. I thoroughly enjoyed the journal pages especially the one with the beach scene. I asked several of my friends to give me their opinion on the book  and this is what they said..
  • My Mom she said "it was a bit modern, but was nice to color".  
  • My friend in her twenties said " It's a beautiful coloring book, I LOVE the pictures! I am going to have to buy me one.
  • My Best Friend who is almost twenty said " I love how some of the pages are half colored because it helps you decide which colors to use to finish the rest of the page! " ( She is an artist and is VERY picky with her colors) 
  • My Best Buddy who is 11 just shrugged her shoulders and said " It's OK, I like a few of the pictures.


I would recommend this book to anyone ( probably not a child  unless they like this kind of book)  who likes to color or write because it has areas for both. It also would make a great gift  
Overall I give this Coloring book 4 out of 5 Stars****






If you liked the pictures you saw and would like to check out the book, Here is the link for more information:
https://www.tyndale.com/p/tranquility/9781496421791



Happy Coloring :)  


I would like to thank Tyndale House Publishers for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.

 










Thursday, May 4, 2017

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano


" One of the most important rules was that wallflowers did not converse with each other...ever"






Hey Readers,







So, no I am not a Star Wars fan but I think that the saying is funny :) 


So I just finished reading an AMAZING book by one of my favorite authors Jen Turano and I cannot wait to tell you about it. It is definitely on my "Must Read" list.

 I would recommend Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano if:

Here is the story... 
Behind the Scenes is the story of Wallflower Miss Permilia Griswold who is also a undercover, anonymous reporter for The New York Sun. Under the pseudonym "Miss Quill" Permilia is able to give people outside of society a glimpse into the glitz and glamour of her world and since she is a wallflower no one pays any attention to her. That is until Mr Asher Rutherford, the owner of one of the most popular department stores in New York saved Permilia from "a most gruesome death" when a pillar almost crushed Permilia.  Asher has always been somewhat of an enigma to Permilia because she has a horrible habit of not being able to talk to men but has always been able to talk freely to Asher.  So after the disaster with the pillar, she finds herself promising to save him two dances but only if he will pretend to like her so that her stepmother will stop nagging her about not socializing.  After she has uniquely finished her first dance she excuses herself and finds that Mrs. Davenport is missing. As she searches the mansion to find her, She overhears a plot to get rid of  Asher because  "he is in the way".  She barely is able to escape after Mrs Davenport sneezed and alerted the would-be assassins that they both overheard them. When she finally made it back to the dining room, She immediately went and found  Asher to alert him of the plot against him and he laughed at her making her beyond furious! All she wanted to do was to inform him of the threat and he thought she was making it up! Being that she is not one to just sit behind the scenes, she decides that her and her best friend Miss Gertrude Cadwalader were going to be Asher's bodyguards. So they put on disguises and followed him around the city for two days , Then someone attempted to kill him while he was in the park, but they were able to save both Asher and his friend Mr Sinclair from a dastardly demise. Asher is annoyed that Permilia would put herself in danger for his sake because he was raised better then to let a woman protect him. He was also, oddly attracted to this annoying woman who has such a caring heart and a progressive attitude.  When Permilia gets a note threatening to expose her as Miss Quill if she continues interfering with their plans, She does not back down. The note just made her more determined to find out who wants Asher dead and why.  Asher is worried that Permilia is going to get hurt and is determined to protect her, But she will not stop trying to protect him.
When they both are at the wrong place, at the wrong time, Will they be able to get out alive? 
Will Permilia do the impossible, defy the odds of a "wallflower" and find the man God chose for her? 

Hmm, What do you think?

What did I think? 
So this book is the first book in the Apart from the Crowd series and I am so excited that she is starting a new series! The story has a little bit of everything, comedy, romance, mystery and even a bit of suspense! I loved the very unique names that Mrs. Turano gave her characters, Names like Miss Wilhelmina Radcliff or Mr Wayne Flowerdew. The witty banter between the characters, especially Mr Asher and Miss Permilia was hilarious and always put a smile on my face when I was reading it . I thoroughly enjoyed the entire story and did not want to put it down until the very last page (of the epilogue, which was one of my favorite parts) Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. *****


I highly recommend this book or any other book by Mrs. Turano. I have read all of them and have not found a single one that I did not like. If you want to check them out, Here is the link.





CHECK IT OUT! 
You can get the prequel to the Apart from the Crowd series, At Your Request FREE!
Here is the link to Mrs. Turano's website where she has links to get the book on a Nook, Kindle or Christian Book Distrubutors.






Happy Reading :)


  I would like to thank Bethany House for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy. I was not asked to write a favorable review, Just a honest one.