Together at the Table Book 3 Two Blue Doors Series by Hillary Manton Lodge

I don't know how she did it but Hillary Manton Lodge created an even more amazing conclusion book to her series than the opener.  And I LOVED the opening book in this series!  Juliette is a complicated, modern woman with old fashion values.  She is someone you'd love to have as a friend to confide in and have fun with.  While her family has it flaws and foibles it would be a blessing to be part of that extended family.  Lodge wove together a story with enough suspense to keep your interest and at the same time believable characters the reader can relate to.  Lots of secrets in this tale combined with faith, loyalty and the discovery of what makes a love endure.  Fabulous recipes are sprinkled through the chapters.  This is a book that you can enjoy on so many levels and will want to share with your friends.

I received this book free from the publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

Baby Wren and the Great Gift by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Sally Lloyd - Jones is such a talented person for getting profound thoughts across to very young children.  She has a true gift!  This precious tale of baby wren will captivate your young child's attention from the start.  It is perfectly matched with Jen Corace's beautiful and comforting scenes on each page.  There is a phrase repeated throughout the text that children will enjoy repeating with you. There are many interesting and unusual creatures that baby wren encounters.  The theme of wondering what your special gift is carries throughout the story while demonstrating each creature has a different gift that is just as precious as the previous creature in the book.  The end of this tale is so magnificent because without trying the baby wren when experiencing the great wonders of God's glorious creation can't help but burst into song.  This song is individual to baby wren, it is the wren's gift to the rest of the word and it is completely perfect.

I received this book free from the publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

Behold the Man by Bodie and Brock Thoene

You really will feel as if you are beholding Jesus when you read this book and it's predecessors Take this Cup and When Jesus Wept.  The Jerusalem Chronicles and the Thoene's previous series A.D. Chronicles give a intimate glimpse at the lives Jesus touched while here on earth.  As you read the words and thoughts of those who lived when Jesus lived you will be drawn into the awe, the splendor and the majesty of Christ's love for you.  If there is one thing I would say about this book it is that it made me want more of Jesus.  I was sad this was the last book and wished there was another.  The narrative is given in such detailed imagery that you feel as if you are there with the crowd hearing Jesus speak the Beatitudes or beside the father bringing his crippled child to Jesus or in the tumultuous, clamoring crowd outside of Pilate's palace.  In this book you will find history, religious practices, political intrigue, military strategies and hearts plagued by doubt, fears, hatred, revenge, disappointment.  And Jesus stands out amongst it all as the purest, gentlest yet fiercest example of love.

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

What’s not to like about this book?  Mysteries to uncover, broken hearts that need healing, intriguing dialogue, complex characters with real life sorrows, hang-ups and issues, and a  dream-like setting on Prince Edward Island!  From the first page this author had me hooked and to say that when I got the end that I cannot wait of the next book in the series is an understatement if there ever was one.  Johnson writes with heart and soul.  She draws you into the story like you are living there on the island amongst the characters.  You want to be friends with them.  You’d love to sample some of Caden’s scones or sit in Seth’s favorite spot looking out at the sea or chat with Liz or be comforted by Aretha.  Liz Johnson knows how to tell a fascinating story and weave God’s goodness and mercy into it naturally.  Her characters struggle but God leads them bit by bit into His perfect plan for their lives.  This is a book well worth reading.  You will not be disappointed!

I received this book free from the publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer

The more I read from author Kim Vogel Sawyer the more I like her!  This book has an unsettling theme of two wives with the same husband.  When he and wife #2 die, Neva is left with the horror of his hidden adultery and his 3 orphan children.  How she deals with the grief, betrayal and responsibility of raising his orphans along with the children she bore him makes for a heart wrenching tale.  But as the title hints at there is "room for hope" when Jesus is your Lord and Savior.  The journey Neva takes within these pages is worth the read and very inspirational.  However, I felt the end of the book was a bit abrupt and it actually felt like their should be a sequel to this book.  Is there?  One can only hope.

I received this book free from the publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

A Sweet Misfortune by Maggie Brendan

This sweet little romance has all you'd expect from a Western love story.  They battle financial hardship, life threatening illness and suitors all trying for the same woman's hand.  The main character finds herself in an unfavorable position of having to work as a dancer at a saloon and starts to lose her spiritual foundation.  She is rescued by her brother's best friend much to her dismay and anger.  But life on the ranch proves to be much more than a reprieve from her former city slicker lifestyle.  She begins to heal from grief and bitterness and open up her heart to faith and trust in the Lord again.  Along the way she makes true heart friends and decides the the man you dragged her from the saloon just might not be so bad after all.

I received this book free from the publishers and was not required to write a positive review.

On Lone Star Trail by Amanda Cabot

I love Rainbow's End retreat!  Reading this book and previous books in this series makes me wish there was a real Rainbow's End to visit!  Beautiful, descriptive words to entice the reader into the scene, the emotions, the pathos of the each drama the heroine faces.

This book deals with post traumatic stress, grief, and the  healing that comes with the help of God and good friends.  The story is not trite nor does it quickly wrap up things in a neat package.  There are real, agonizing moments in this book when the reader will find herself biting her nails or sitting on the edge of her seat and thinking, "Tell her!"  or "Tell him!"  There are different ways to find a happy ending and it might not be the obvious route and it might not be what you expect or thought you once wanted but if you let God led it will be better than anything you can dream of.  That is what this book is about.