Egypt's Sister by Angela Hunt

Chava, a Jewish Scholar’s daughter, is the close childhood friend of the girl who would become Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. This follow her story from when she was the trusted companion of Cleopatra through and beyond the rest of Cleopatra’s life. She finds out the age old truth that politics and ambition trump friendship. Apparently motives and intrigue and political gain were much the same in that age as in this. Angela Hunt, as always, did a phenomenal job of researching the time period and the people involved. While Chava is a fictional character, she could very well have been in the position she is in this story. The story is fascinating, as are all of Angela Hunt’s novels, and although I have read biographies of Cleopatra before, this gave new insight and interest to the subject.


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a review and I am so pleased to add it to my collection of Angela Hunt books. Thank you Bethany House and thank you Angela Hunt for another great story.

The Essential Guide to Prayer (Dutch Sheets)

This book is a very helpful guide to being an intercessor / intercessory prayer. Each chapter gives an in depth how to and why and provides questions at the end to test your comprehension. Dutch Sheets uses a lot of stories and literary illustrations to bring home the points he is making. This was a very informative and helpful book and will be my “go to manual” for all things intercessory prayer.



Bethany House provided me a copy of this book for purpose of review and I am very happy to have received it.

Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh

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This book had me riveted from about the third chapter on. After that point I just read pretty much non-stop until I was done and then I just sat there stunned wanting more. I don’t recall ever reading something from this author before, but I will certainly read more in the future.


Lane Kelley escaped her small resort hometown of Harbor Pointe, MI when she went to college and she tried very hard to never look back. Bullying, disappointments and hurt feelings stood between her and her family and friends. She locked into her career as a designer in Chicago and work and her dog were her friends. When one of her brothers is injured she is called back home – right in the midst of an important presentation for her company. Although she is anxious to get back to Chicago she gets pulled into the family situation again. Ryan Brooks, a friend from childhood, is dealing with a difficult past himself and trying to make a life in Harbor Pointe. He remembers Lane well and becomes an anchor for her. What transpires after that is fascinating and beautiful. I love the way this author seamlessly weaves in the Christian faith of the characters. This is a don’t miss read!


I received a copy of this book from TYNDALE for the purpose of doing a review and I am so grateful! I would have never discovered this great author otherwise.

Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Bringing Maggie Home is one of those stories that you want to jump into personally. You want to be friends with these people and you want to share their excitement. And I, personally, wanted to sleep with the book for a week after I read it hoping I could dream some more about the story because I wasn’t ready for the last page to be the last page when I finished reading it.

This is the story of a little girl who disappeared in the woods in Arkansas in 1943, leaving her family devastated, especially her older sister, Hazel, who was in charge of her at the time of her disappearance. The family dynamics were such that Hazel carried a load of guilt all her life. The story tells of three generations of angst stemming from this incident. Hazel’s daughter, Diane, blames her mother for her childhood because she feels that she was overprotected. Diane’s daughter, Meghan, feels resentment toward her mother because she was never as engaging as her grandmother (Hazel) and always held Meghan at arm’s length (her intention being to let Meghan have some freedom). When Diane and Meghan come to visit, Hazel finally tells them about what happened to her as a child and Meghan, who is a Cold Case investigator, decides to do some research and help Hazel find closure. As the story unfolds, all three women forge new relationship trails with each other and learn some new family dynamics.

Only Kim Vogel Sawyer could have told a tale that was as engaging as this one. This had me hooked from page one. Of course, I have been doing genealogical research for over 40 years and am fascinated with Cold Case detective stories, so I would have likely looked at this book even if someone else had written it, but Kim Vogel Sawyer is at the top of my “Favorite author’s list” so it was destined to hold my attention to the exclusion of all else until I finished it.

I received a copy of this book from the author, Kim Vogel Sawyer, as part of a promotional team. Let me say unequivocally that I would have promoted it anyway because this is a wonderful story. I highly recommend this to anyone who just wants a heart lifting book to read.

Dark Deception by Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl is on my “favorite authors list.” I read every book she writes. This one didn’t really hold my attention in the beginning – it was difficult to get a grasp of what was going on and also to care about it. However, after about the second or third chapter I started getting into the groove of the book and I started avidly working toward conclusion.

There were a lot of twists and turns to the plot and a lot of shady characters in this one. The main character is Kate, whose twin sister was murdered a few years prior and Kate was the only witness. The man they convicted of the crime has been released from prison on a technicality and Kate must return from witness protection to testify again. Tony, a Deputy Marshall who supported Kate during the original trial is planning to protect her again.

I enjoyed this book which was provided to me by Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. That being said, I would have bought and enjoyed this book anyway if I wasn’t reviewing it. I will always follow Nancy Mehl’s work. This is the kind of story I enjoy.