Born of Persuasion by Jessica Dotta

This is a sort of Victorian / Gothic / Jane Austin / Bronte type of story. It is very complicated with lots of twists and turns and you spend most of the book wondering what is really going on. It is the story of Julia who has been appointed a guardian after her parents' deaths only the man is remaining anonymous. She is supposed to go to Scotland to attend an elderly lady but ends up with her mother's friend and her daughter that Julia spent much time with as a child. Her friend Elizabeth is in love with the local gentry's oldest son Henry and Julia is in love with the younger son Edwards -- all fast friends from childhood. When she arrives she finds that Edward has become a vicar since she last saw him and since her father was an avowed atheist and she had taken much abuse from clergy during her childhood, this was a deal-breaker for her. The plot thickens and thickens and yet again thickens after this. All I can say is you need to read it yourself and plan on saving a big block of time for this because you aren't going to want to put it down until you find out what happens next.


Although this is a Christian book that aspect is woven in rather sparingly in my opinion. I would have like to see at least one or two of the characters' faith in action but what was most evident was Edward's embrace of social causes.


The book was well-written but almost too suspenseful for me. I like a good mystery but it seems like the author was very miserly with her clues and information and it took a very long time to get any tidbits and then you were off in search of another tidbit to make that one make sense. And the author left the end of this one hanging so now we must wait for the next one to come out which is due later on this year. I will definitely be watching for it to arrive so I can get the next part of this story!


This book was given to me by Tyndale for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no compensation and all opinions are my own.

All Heaven Will Break Loose by Joy Dawson

In this book Joy Dawson teaches how to operate the same way the triune God / Trinity operates. She talks about getting along with each other and working as a team. She emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. All this is substantiated by scripture references and anecdotal stories. She talks about the importance of maintaining Trinity Unity even when hard times hit and life gets difficult.

The book is well written and informative and I think very helpful for groups and individuals to study.

A Match Made in Texas, A Novella Collection by Karen Witemeyer, Mary Connealy, Regina Jennings and Carol Cox.

This set of stories was so much fun. Each one starts out at least in Dry Gulch, TX. In the first story, a very pregnant widow is sent a handyman by an anonymous friend. In the second one, the first couple has moved on and the widow's former homestead is now occupied by a former schoolteacher who is going blind. Again, the anonymous friend sends a handyman her way and another match is made. In number three, the M.O. changes a little and the anonymous friend arranges to send a homeless friend to a ranch to be a companion to an elderly aunt of a gentlemen at that location. And finally in number three that anonymous friend finds herself set up with someone she has had her eye on for a long time and hilarity ensues.


These were all well written and kept me reading way past when I should have gone to bed! I love stories by Christian authors because they don't have a lot of unnecessary stuff in them that I don't want to read. And everyone relies on God as their source. Love it!


This book was given to me by Bethany House for the purpose of reviewing it. I received no compensation and all opinions are my own.

Claiming Mariah by Pam Hillman

Mariah Malone finds herself solely in charge of the family ranch after her father dies and caretaker for her grandmother and blind sister. Slade Donovan and his brother arrive and claim ownership of the ranch. Mariah, believing the evidence presented, signs the ranch over to Slade. As they wait for Slade's mother and sisters to arrive, Mariah and Slade get to know each other and many secrets about the past and about the management of the ranch are revealed.


This book was so well written that I did not want to stop reading to get on with my life. I enjoyed this book so much and was surprised to find out it is only the second book by this author. I'm now in pursuit of book one and anxiously awaiting book three (please tell me there will be more from this author)! I love reading about this time period and this book will stay on my shelf in my "favorites" section.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale for review.

Prepared for a Purpose by Antoinette Tuff

When I got this book I thought, how can they make a whole book out of an incident in the news that only took a few hours and how did they get it out there so fast after the fact? This is the story of Antoinette Tuff who was sitting at the reception desk of the school where she worked in Atlanta while the regular receptionist went to lunch. While she was sitting there, a gunman entered the room and threatened everyone in the school. Ms. Tuff spent a very long time alone with the gunman. In an unusual state of calm which she says was totally from God, she managed to talk him down. No one was injured in the standoff.

I found this book difficult to put down. I read it rather quickly. Not only does she take us through the events of the day, she gives us the testimony of her life that led her up to this point. She was dealing with some very difficult life situations on that day, but she still managed to hear God's voice and do and say all the right things to calm the gunman down. She is a true hero and a wonderful person. I am praying that all the situations she was dealing with get resolved for her.

This book was very well written. I know she had a co-author, Alex Tresniowski, but the story is her own and she was very brave to put it all out there for the world to see.

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House for review. I did not received any compensation for the review and the opinions expressed here are my own.

The Redcoats Are Coming! Focus on the Family's Imagination Station Book #13 by Marianne Hering and Nancy I. Sanders

This series puts the long-running and very popular Focus in the Family's Adventures in Odyssey into books for young children. This particular book is about American history, specifically Paul Revere. What a great way to learn about our country's history in a fun, exciting format! Patrick and Beth visit history through the "Imagination Station" to assist Paul Revere in warning the people that the British were coming during the outbreak of the Revolutionary war. They meet Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock and play a hand in the events of history.


This book is well written and illustrated and at a level for understanding of young elementary aged children. They offer a download for a nominal fee of a curriculum to go with the story for homeschoolers and Christian schools. This is my preferred method of teaching history to my elementary aged granddaughter. She is a visual, hands-on learner and has loved Adventures in Odyssey all her life. She is enjoying this book along with another current related story for children that is making the rounds right now. I am so thrilled to have this resource available to make history fun to learn.


I received my copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I received no compensation for my review and all opinions are my own.

The One Year My Princess Devotions Preschool Edition by Karen Whiting

What a wonderful devotional books for little girls! Each individual date has a full page in this book. On each page is the title (theme) and 4 sections: Royal Words (a scripture verse), Princess Thoughts (a synopsis of the scripture), A Prayer for the King (a short prayer regarding what has been read), and Princess in Action (an activity that can put words to action).


For example, on March 6, the title is "Sharing With Jesus." The scripture is John 6:9 about the loaves and fishes shared by a little boy with the large crowd. The Princess in Action is a suggestion to ask parents for cans of food to give to a food pantry to help Jesus feed the hungry.


I love the entry for December 25. It is called "The Birthday Boy" and invites the child to bring her focus back to the true meaning of the day.


This is an attractive, hardback book with lovely illustrations. The inside front and back covers are whimsical flights of ladybugs. Any little girl would love to own this book. My little granddaughters are going to have to share because they all love this book.


I received my copy of this book from Tyndale for review. I received no compensation for my review and all opinions are my own.