P.S> It's Gonna be Good by Heidi Lee Anderson

 This book was a totally different type of Christian book and I just LOVE it.  I felt like Heidi and I were out shopping or at the beach or sipping hot chocolate and chatting.  She is so down to earth yet has awesome spiritual wisdom.  She writes in such a way as to invite humor and life in the nitty gritty into the writing.  At the same time she is not afraid to tackle some difficult theological questions.  This book was so refreshing and encouraging and inspiring.  I cannot say enough good things about this book.  Each chapter highlights a Biblical story but she brings her life experiences into the mix and this leads to a rip roaring good time.  As the title indicates:  P.S. It's Gonna be Good

Tired of Trying by Ashley Morgan Jackson

 The title of this book grabbed by attention.  The content kept my attention.  Jackson has a way of describing events, feelings and solutions in a way that makes it all seem authentic.  She doesn't just tell you to put on your brave face and pull up your boot straps and get going.  She details parts of her own painful journey through deep depression.  Then she gives pratical advice.  And some strategies to use to help you get where you want to be emotionally.  She is not fanatical but wisely advises a person to seek professional help from medical doctors as well as therapists.  But she gives more than this.  She shows how God is in the pit with you and that as you wrestle for your own mental health that He is right there beside you.  

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt

 The story is told from each sister's point of view.  Helena who at first seems the more traditioinal sister.  Antonina who braves the backlash of loving a Jew.  When Hitler and his German army threaten everything the sisters have known in their hometown of Poland suddenly things change.  Their father is off to war.  Antonina's heart is compeled to help her boyfirend and all those in the Jewish ghetto.  Secrets and misunderstandings occur and lead to the separation of the sisters, not just physically ut emotionally as well.  As the war picks up speed Helena and Antonina will make very different choices that will affect the rest of their lives.  This is a very personal, very intimate look at life in Warsaw Poland between the years 1939-1945.  It leaves one wondering what choices would be made if one lived through actrocities that were never before imagined.  And what lengths would one go to to save a loved ones life.

I received this book from the publishers but was not required to right a positive review.

Her Secret Hope by Shelley Shepherd Gray

 Her Secret Hope is the last book in the trilogy:  A Season in Pinecraft by author Shelley Shepherd Gray.  The group of Amish women is from a more liberal sect and have more freedoms such as paving their own way for career and home.  Lilly Kurtz desperately wants to be recognized and loved for being her own person and not just what others project her to be.  When she gets a job at the local bed and breakfast she thinks her dreams have come true.  However, her path to discovering herself has a few twists and turns a long the way and not what she expeced.  As her friends try to give her advice and her boss doubts her motives she is thrown into an emotional whirlwind of emotions including meeting a handsome stranger.  This book deals with identity crisis, being true to one's self and what makes solid relationships that last.

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

On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni

 This book was a delight to read.  Packed with good neighbors, a family mystery, small town coziness and gentle whispers of God's love.  Moonberry Lake is a place I wish I could visit and be welcomed by the residents.  Cora lived her adult life in a post traumatic haze because of her mother's poor choices and unwillingness to forgive.  As Cora struggles to deal with her own need to forgive her mother she finds herself inheriting her grandparents' lodge.  Through the restoration process of the lodge she begins to restore her faith in relationships and begins to build a circle of mixmatched and eccentric acquaintances that become dearer to her than anyone she's known before.

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

Lost and Found by Suzanne Woods Fisher

I read this book in one setting.  An amazing book dealing with honesty, mental health issues, church unity and acceptance of differences.  Ms Fisher is a true master at creating an enticing tale and at the same time addressing serious issues that impact many people not just in the Amish community but for all.  She hits head on the stigma associated with mental illness and how much damage we can cause our loved ones by not reaching out and helping others receive proper treatment.  The book has a much broader theme of being honest with oneself and reaching out for dreams despite fear or opposition.  There's a lot packed into this book about relationships personal and within the fellowship of a church body.  But it is in no way a dry reading.  I couldn't stop turning pages once I started.  A delightful part of the book was each chapter had a short blurb about a specific bird and its symbolism in the Bible or for Christians.  

I received this book from the publsihers but was not requird to write a positive review.

A Royal Christmas by Melody Carlson

 Opening this book is like stepping into a modern fairy tale.  Complete with a shocking DNA discovery, missing prince, rival heir to the throne and one very handsome assistant this story has all the ingredients for a spicy mix of intrigue and romance.  Adelaide never knew anything about her father until a letter appears in her mailbox.  As she weaves her way through building a relationship with the father she just met and side stepping advances by Prince Georg while negotiating terms with her step-mother she learns what it means to await God's timing.  

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