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.

Little One, God Loves You by Amy Warren HIlliker

This is a board book with a powerful message.  Author Amy Warren Hilliker is the daughter of renowned author Rick Warren.  She uses her father's message found in his book The Purpose Driven life and uses words and situations a young child can understand.  The deep spiritual truths are told in a warm, soothing manner.  The illustrations of a happy rabbit family cozily living together with cuddles and smiles in the perfect combination for the words of wisdom found in this precious book.

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

The Gift of Friendship by Dawn Camp

This little gem is a collection of friendship stories by various Christian authors.  It contains guides on how to be a friend, how to maintain friendships, how to find new friends, and how to weather storms together as friends.  There are also stories of a very personal nature contained in this book.  This is my favorite friendship book I’ve ever read because it wasn’t your typical friendship type stories.  There were unusual circumstances, but also the raw honesty of the authors to show themselves not in their glory, but in their messy, imperfect lives with hearts just like yours and mine.  Hearts that long to connect, to belong and to be cherished by a friend.  It was encouraging to read a book that didn’t paint a pretty picture, but instead told life as it is for women struggling in all manner of real life situations.  It was not depressing though because with the struggles this told tale after tale about how one friend can make all the difference in how we maneuver through this times of struggle.  At the end we are challenged to seek out friends in our time of need as well as be the friend when someone needs our comfort.

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

I Will Follow Jesus Bible Storybook by Judah and Chelsea Smith

This is a lovely book for young children.  It's also a great book for parents who want to instill Biblical principles into their children's lives.  The book goes through the entire Bible by highlighting key characters through the Old and New Testament.  The stories are short but exciting and will capture and keep a child's attention.  Each devotional reading starts with an introduction to the Bible story.  The introduction is a modern day story that applies the same principle as the Bible story.  The illustrations are charming!  I just love them!  Really adds to the grace and beauty of the book.

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