Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson *book review*

"California teen, Sadie James, thinks her life couldn't get any better. She has great friends, an energetic mother she adores, and the beach practically in her own backyard. But her carefree life is turned upside down when she's rescued by a mysterious and strangely familiar boy who won't even tell her his name. Each time the boy appears, Sadie's unexplainable attraction to him deepens along with her need to unravel his secrets. The boy is there to protect her. But as wonderful and exciting as it might be to have an irresistible boy with crystal green eyes protecting her every move, every minute of the day...why does Sadie need one? As Sadie finds answers, she realizes her life isn't as perfect as she thought. Not only is she caught in a world of dangerous secret agents she never knew existed, but it turns out her true identity may be the greatest secret of all."

My Thoughts

Although this book is a paranormal romance it was nothing like I expected! I thought it was very refreshing to read something totally different than the other paranormal romances I have read. 

Sadie is what every young girl should want to be and the relationship she has with her mother is wonderful.

Rayne seems like the perfect guy, he is HOT and caring and thoughtful...yet he has a secret or two.

One thing I really enjoyed about the book was that it was a clean book. It didn't have teens doing things that they really shouldn't be doing.

I loved the mystery and can't wait for book 2!! I highly recommend this easy read.

The Author

CHRISTIE ANDERSON grew up in Southern California and goes back to visit every year. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University and currently lives in Utah with her husband. Visit her Web site at christieanderson.org

Buy It!

Available for purchase in paperback or ebook at Amazon.

Watch Trailer

I recieved this book at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

Brother Number 3 by Judy Serrano *book review*

Brother Number 3

By Judy Serrano

Coming in third place was something that was all too familiar to Hector Montiago. As his strength and grounding personality pushes him into first place with the woman he loves, lines are crossed and sides are chosen.

In the second book of the series, Brother Number Three depicts family ties in a light unequal to any other. Lilly tells the story of how the brothers unite in the effort to recover her missing son, as blood becomes both the indestructible bond that holds them together and the opposing force that pushes them apart. They fight temptation, while the enemies of the Montiago cartel unleash their wrath, only to discover that the true danger lies within. 
Pub. Date: June 2011

Publisher: Black Rose

 WritingFormat: Paperback , 276pp

ISBN-13: 9781612960371

ISBN: 1612960375 

My Review-

I read the first book in this series, Easter's Lilly, and loved it. I have always had a love/hate relationship with books that end in a way that make you want to call, text,email....whatever the author and find out what happens because you can't wait to read the next book in the series. Judy Serrano writes in a way that leaves you hanging.....and that's a good thing in my book reading world!

In Brother Number 3 Lilly is married to Max, brother #2, after divorcing Diego, brother number 1, and is falling for Hector...you guessed it, brother number 3. 

I want Lilly to be with Max but you never know what this girl is going to do. She seems to want to be with the one who she spends the most time with. Truthfully I don't even know if I like Lilly or not but I do know I love Judy Serrano's series. I always say if you really like or dislike a character in a book it's because of great writing and Judy Serrano is a great writer!

If you haven't read this series yet I recommend you get Easters Lilly and start it. 

Brother Number 3 can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Judy Serrano can be found on her Website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Disclosure: The opinions provided are my own and not influenced by anyone else.  I did not receive any financial compensation for this post.  I received a free product to facilitate my review. 

Easter's Lilly by Judy Serrano *book review*

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Black Rose Writing (December 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1935605909
• ISBN-13: 978-1935605904

It was Easter Sunday; the day Lilly’s life went from safe and comfortable to dangerously unfamiliar. Her transformation takes her from a small town girl having an affair with a low ranked gangster in the Montiago crime syndicate, to a woman of grace and fortitude married to the head of the organization.

Lilly tells the story of her life — and the lives of her children — with childlike innocence, yet she’s desperate for security and companionship. The hint of forbidden love and betrayal that ultimately puts brother against brother adds to the suspense and intrigue. The syndicate engulfs the Montiago family as they turn each other inside out over the love of a woman. Easter’s Lilly is an inspired journey from the idyllic to the darker side of self-discovery. Read as the over-privileged brothers embark on their journey that twists and turns down the road of unbridled passion in the first book of the series.

My Thoughts

I read this in 2 nights! It would have been one but meds knocked me out. The story is about a young girl thinking she's in love with a guy that her family says is all wrong for her. In a roundabout way she gets caught up with the Montiago family and boy is her life caught up in a whirlwind! She finds out people are not who she thinks and some are less than what she thought. I'm not going to say much more because I don't want to give anything away. 

I really enjoyed this book. It's a love story with a mobster family twist and it moves fast enough to keep you glued to the pages. I enjoy the way Judy Serrano tells a story.

There was only one thing I DID NOT like and that was having to wait for part 2!!! I'm anxiously waiting to find out what happens the next Easter Sunday!

You can learn more about Judy's book on her web page www.easterslilly.com . It is also available at  http://www.amazon.com/Easters-Lilly-Judy-Serrano/dp/1935605909/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305563087&sr=8-1
, (Both in paperback and Kindle) 

While your checking out the book go by and check out the author's blog too!

Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer *book review*

Raised among the Amish of Indiana, 18-year-old Marianna Sommer plans to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and set up life in the only community she has ever known. But when her older brother chooses the world’s path following his rumschpringe, and a younger sibling begins showing interest in Englisch ways, Marianna’s parents move the family to Montana.

Although she is also in her rumschpringe years and not obligated to move, Marianna makes the journey to dutifully help her mother who is expecting another child. Surprisingly, from strangers on the cross-country train ride to the less rigid stance of the new Montana community, many Englisch influences awaken within Marianna—and even her father—the desire to pursue a deeper kind of joy and love for God.
After an accident, Marianna tells her friend Ben a defining story about the Sommer family, and his response further illumines the active relationship God seeks with His followers. In due time, she learns the move from Indiana was not about losing anything, but finding out who God really is. Despite all the shake-ups, Marianna feels a sweet peace, like still waters, in her soul.

My Review

This book was not like the typical Amish books I have read and I loved it! It deals with tragedy, obedience (with the right attitude), traditions and change among other things. 

I will be waiting for book two to come out so I can have my unanswered questions answered.

 Tricia is giving away 10 books at her blog, so check them out here!

This post is part of the LitFuse blog tour, which can be found here. I was not asked to give a favorable review, just an honest one, in exchange for this review copy.

Sand to Pearls *book review*

Do you wish that you had a blueprint for a rich, fulfilling life? Many of us mistakenly think that if we were prettier, smarter, had less obligations or a fulfilling romantic relationship we would, at last, be joyful and content. 

Chasing after false illusions of success can propel us to make unwise and detrimental choices. Often we remain stuck in our uncertain reality because we don’t know how to move forward. Blinded by our insecurity, we forget that God has the potential and power to intervene and guide us toward wiser, fulfilling choices for our future.

International speaker and author of Beauty Unleashed, Heidi McLaughlin shares from her personal discoveries about how God can turn resentment into freedom, regrets into rejoicing, and shame into radiance. If God can take a tine, insignificant grain of sand and turn it into a unique, gorgeous pearl, then He can certainly turn our insecurities, fears and worst decisions into a magnificent new beginning!

MY REVIEW

Sand to Pearls was a very inspiring book to me. While I loved all the chapters there are a few that really spoke to me.

Chapter 8 Comparing or contentment, I remember as a little girl and a teen I wanted to have the clear complexion and shiny brown,blonde or black hair that my school friends had but no..I was the red headed, freckled, shy girl. It took many years for me to be content with that. This chapter showed me these feelings came from my thoughts and when I look back I totally understand. My thoughts started changing when my brother had a red headed,freckled face, shy daughter and I remember telling her so many times that her freckles were angel kisses and her red hair was special...not many people have it! I now realize I was trying to change her thoughts even before she had them.

Another chapter I really enjoyed was number 6- Broken or Blended, I come from a blended family and now my daughter and stepson are in blended families. I'm so grateful we always had the blended attitude in stead of the broken one. 

In the beginning of this chapter Heidi has the quote-

All happy families are alike, but an unhappy family is unhappy after it's own fashion.

-Leo Tolstoy

I love that quote!

I also love the STOP program at the end of every chapter-

S- Scripture verse- there is a verse for every situation, and for reflection on your current problem

T-Thanksgiving- be thankful for what God has the power to accomplish/has done for you already.

O-Observation- what wisdom is God unleashing for you in the verse above. How can you change your actions to better suit it

P-Prayer-ask God to change your struggles to joy, sand to pearls.

The back of the book states-

 "If God can take a tiny, insignificant grain of sand and turn it into a unique, gorgeous pearl, then He can certainly turn our insecurities, fears and worst decisions into a magnificent new beginning!" 

We are all grains of sand and by allowing God to guide us we can all become a pearl. I highly recommend this book!!

Sand To Pearls is available through Deep River Books for $12.99, and you can learn more about author Heidi McLaughlin (and connect with her!) on Facebook and Twitter.

**I received this book FREE for the purpose of this review via Mama Buzzand no other compensation was received.  All opinions are 100% mine**

Read and Share Stories About Jesus- book review

Book Description

From the bestselling Read and Share® Bible, 13 stories from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. These time-honored favorites include: The Man Who Ate Locusts, John Baptizes Jesus, Jesus Heals a Sick Boy, Jesus Brings a Girl Back to Life, Jesus Walks on Water, Jesus Loves the Children, Zacchaeus, A Blind Man Sees Again, Jesus Stops a Storm, One Lost Sheep, Jesus' Best Friends, One Man Says Thank You, and Jesus Goes to Heaven.

My Review

I absolutely loved this book. First of all it is a hard back book and all of the pages are very sturdy. I know that when Drex gets older he can read it himself and not tear the pages.  The pictures are big and bright and at the end of each story,which is a page or two long, there are little boxes that have questions or comments about that particular story.

Like in the story Jesus Loves Children it says-

If you were one of the children who got to meet Jesus, what would you say to him?

I like this because it really gets the kids involved in telling what they think about the story. It kinda help the story stay in their head.

I also like that after the title of each story it has the scripture reference so you could easily find it in the bible and read the story as originally written.

Buy it- Thomas Nelson or Amazon

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Read and Share: Stories About Jesus By Gwen Ellis fromBookSneeze/Thomas Nelson Publisher for this review.

CLOSED-AN UNLIKELY BLESSING- Book Review and Giveaway

About the book:

 An Unlikely Blessing is a heartfelt story about a new pastor and life-long city dweller Alex Armstrong, who reluctantly accepts his first assignment, a two-point parish in the wilds of North Dakota. Hilltop Township, a farming community, blooms from the prairie like a wild pink rose—lovely and prickly all at once, much like the people who live there.

Unlikely

Alex quickly finds that this lovely place is in quiet peril. Farmers are struggling to make ends meet: Jonas Owens, a faithful member of Hilltop parish, is on the brink of losing the farm. Alex believes that part of why God called him to Hilltop was to help turn things around, and steps in with ideas for saving the Owens' land. But can even God's minister help save this rural community?

There are a lot of firsts for the new pastor—the annual Hunter's Breakfast, julebukking (also called Christmas fooling), King Oscar's fish balls, and the melody of the musical saw. And the new, single pastor creates remarkable excitement among the unmarried women in the community. If you could die of hot dish overdose, Alex would be a dead man. Whether performing weddings, counseling his flock, or herding cattle by snowmobile, Alex soon discovers that his new church home has as much to teach him as he will teach them. Day by day, he falls more in love with the people of Hilltop Church. People may leave Hilltop, but Hilltop never leaves them.

My Review:

I would love to live in a town like Hilltop, A small church where everyone knows everyone and friendly is very appealing to me. 

It was very easy to connect with the characters in this book and I look forward to reading book #2 in the series. With all the single ladies in the town I'm sure Alex, the pastor, will find love with one lucky lady. The ladies also love to cook for Alex and this recipe sounds so good I plan on trying it soon!

Puppy Chow
From the Kitchen of Gandy Dunn
* ½ cup butter (some people leave this out)
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 2 cups chocolate chips (sometimes I use semisweet chocolate, which is good too)
* Crispy rice or corn cereal squares (9 cups or a box worth)
* 1 pound powdered confectioner's sugar (experiment - you can probably use a little less)
Melt the butter, peanut butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Pour it over the cereal, tossing it gently until it is well coated.

I recommend this book to everyone. I read it in 2 nights...only because I fell asleep...which is my fault because I was so tired, I could have finished it in one night. It was that good.

About Patti: 

Judy Baer is the author of over seventy-five books for adults and teens. She has won the Romance Writer of America Bronze Medallion and has been a RITA finalist twice. She lives in Elk River, Minnesota with her husband. Follow the Hilltop characters on Judy’s blog and find out more about Judy and her books athttp://www.judykbaer.com

Blog Tour Schedule: 

http://litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/an-unlikely-blessing-by-judy-baer.html )

In celebration of the release of An Unlikely Blessing, Judy is giving away a KINDLE prize package worth over 

$175.

Click

One lucky winner will receive:

• Brand New KINDLE with Wi-Fi
• A $25 gift certificate to Amazon.com

To enter just click on one the icons below and then tell your friends! Winner will be announced on February 21st on Judy’s blog,http://www.judykbaer.com/wordpress

About the Author:

 Judy Baer Biography    

   

Judy was born and grew up on a farm on the prairies of North Dakota. An only child, she spent most of her days with imaginary people—either those she read about or those she made up in her head. Her most ambitious conjuring did not succeed, however. She kept a clean stall with fresh hay and oats for the horse she imagined would arrive. Unfortunately it didn’t come, at least not until she was an adult. After she was unexpectedly given three horses, she bought even more and began raising foundation quarter horses.  As an adult,  she managed to make that dream come true and raised foundation quarter horses and buffalo for some years. A voracious reader, Judy learned to read with comic books, anything from Little Lulu and Superman to the Rawhide Kid. She sold her first story for $10.00 to a farm magazine. She still has the $10.00.

She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota with majors in English and education and a minor in religion. At the time, she was simply studying what interested her, but now realizes that she was educating herself for her future career as a Christian writer. Her first book was written with a toddler on her lap. Judy would type a few words and say “Now, Jennifer.” He two year old daughter would hit the space bar so Judy could continue writing. It was’t the fastest way to work but it was a very cozy time.
In 2001 Judy became a certified professional life coach. In 2008 Judy completed her Master’s program. She studied in the areas of writing and coaching. Now certified in three coaching disciplines, Judy coaches primarily professional and aspiring writers. She is also a faculty advisor in the Department of Human Development at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, MN.   Judy Baer is the author of over seventy-five books for adults and teens. She has won the Romance Writer of America Bronze Medallion and has been a RITA finalist twice. She lives in Elk River, Minnesota with her husband, two daughters and three step children.  She grew up in rural North Dakota and has done many of the things her Hilltop characters experience.  Follow the Hilltop characters on Judy’s blog and find out more about Judy and her books at http://www.judykbaer.com
 

I received a free copy of this book to review for the Litfuse Publicity blog tour.

Giveaway

I have 1 slightly used in good condition book to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what type of town you would like to live in....or a favorite recipe!

Cast of Characters by Max Lucado book review

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849921554
• ISBN-13: 978-0849921551
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Product Description

Some of the most powerful stories from the Bible will come alive for today's readers through these
inspiring selections from the writings of Max Lucado. Max provides a compelling look at the most
high-impact moments in the biblical narrative, drawn from his previous 20+ years of writing.
At the end of each chapter will be study guide questions so the reader can go deeper into this
scripture.
Extraordinary stories are told about the following characters:
Mary, Peter, Matthew, Joseph, Nicodemus, Woman at the Well, David, Esther, Job, The
Samaritan Woman, John, Rich Young Man.
And more

Contents:
Joseph - Joseph's Prayer; Matthew - Friends of Flops; Woman Who Washed Jesus' Feet - The 7:47 Principle; Mephibosheth - The Privilege of Paupers; Samaritan Woman - Two Tombstones; Mary, Martha, and Lazarus - Your Place in God's Band; Abigail - Barbaric Behavior; Paralyzed Man - Bright Lights on Dark Nights; John - I Can Turn Your Tradegy into Triumph; Paul - Hidden Heroes; Two Criminals - I Will Let You Choose; Moses - The Voice from the Mop Bucket; Joseph - When Crickets Make You Cranky; David - Facing Your Giants; Esther - Touching the King's Heart; Job - Where Man Covers His Mouth; Nicodemus - The Most Famous Conversion in the Bible; Jairus - The Sparkle from Eternity; Rich Young Ruler - The Affluent Poor; Sarah, Peter, and Paul - The Kingdom of the Absurd; Lazarus - The Final Witness; Peter - The Gospel of the Second Chance; Conclusion - Cast of Characters; Notes; Sources


My Review


We have read about the people in the bible so many times and I know at least in my opinion they are and surely always had been extraordinary people. Max Lucado shows us in this book the ways that God has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.


Mr Lucado places these stories from the bible in modern day situations that we can better understand.


The book makes you think about the things we can glean from reading about the stories and how God put these people in situations where even as today we can relate. It has a section for discussions after each chapter so it would also be great for a group bible study.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Within My Heart by Tamera Alexander book review

Product Description

Widow Rachel Boyd struggles to keep her ranch afloat and provide for her two young sons, though some days it feels as though her efforts are sabotaged at every turn. When her cattle come down with disease and her sons' lives are endangered, she must turn to Rand Brookston, Timber Ridge's physician and reluctant veterinarian. While Rachel appreciates his help, she squelches any feelings she might have for Rand--her own father was a doctor and his patients always took priority over his family. Rachel refuses to repeat the mistakes her mother made. But when she's courted by a wealthy client of the local resort, she faces a choice: self-sufficiency and security or the risk inherent in the deepest of loves.

About the Author

Tamera Alexander is a bestselling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Franklin, Tennessee, where they enjoy life with their two college-age children and a silky terrier named Jack.

My Review

I have never read Tamera Alexanders book before reading Within My Heart and even though this was book 3 in the Timber Ridge Reflections I had no problem knowing what was going on or feeling like I missed something.

There were several times while reading the book I found myself wiping the tears away. This book is about giving forgiveness, learning to trust and second chances in love.

I plan on going to the library and reading the first two books in the series and recommend this book highly.

Thanks to Bethany House for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.