My Year In Books - 2017

Book Review: Humble Roots

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

Find abundance in a humble life.

A lot of books these days are trying to diagnose our discontentment—too busy, too distracted, too hard on ourselves, too (fill-in-the-blank).

While many of us could do to simplify, peace is not about productivity, saying no, or any other external. It’s about saying yes to our dependence on God. This is what Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul is all about.

Exploring Jesus’ “Come unto me” invitation, Philippians 2, and various texts from the Gospels, Hannah Anderson reveals:


The cause, nature, and dangers of busyness and self-dependence 
The myriad benefits of humility
What humility is (and isn’t), and why it’s essential to our identity
How Christ modeled humility through His incarnation
How humility plays out in our salvation and sanctification
How to learn humility and walk in dependence on God
The reason many of us feel so unsettled is that we are attempting to be something we were never intended to be—it’s an internal issue. We need to recover a theology of creaturehood that leads to true abundance, and Humble Roots is the perfect place to start

Check out the book here.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

"Humility teaches us to forgo prepackaged, cellophane wrapped, artificially ripened answers to allow faith to develop naturally. In other words, humility teaches us to be less concerned with knowing the answers and more concerned with learning the answers."

To say it quite simply, I just loved Humble Roots so much. It is exceptionally well written, entirely humbling, and utterly captivating. It is filled with compelling information that everyone needs. The metaphors that are agricultural are unique and exciting. There are so many significant passages in this book that will help add to anyone's devotionals. 

"You can see the relationship between pride and stress. Pride convinces us that we are stronger and more capable than we actually are. Pride convinces us that we must do and be more than we are able. And when we try, we find ourselves feeling “thin, sort of stretched . . . like butter that has been scraped over too much bread.”11 We begin to fall apart physically, emotionally, and spiritually for the simple reason that we do not exist as we were meant to exist." 

Often life is overwhelming, we have far too many responsibilities, activities, and events going on in our lives. We become tired and worn.  Life is busy but overcommitting is something we need to stop doing. It is an unfortunate habit that has gone too far. This book helps us learn how to simplify and let go of our perfectionistic attitude. 

This is a book that will be in the back of my mind for years to come. I really am glad that I got a chance to review it. I hope it will encourage you. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from Moody in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey

                          Book Information:                     

Will a damaged reputation and desire for society's approval thwart the legacy of grace? 
Tainted by scandal and forced to leave London for the quieter Brighton countryside, the Honorable Miss Clara DeLancey is a shadow of her former society self. She's lost the man she loved to another and, in a culture that has no patience for self-pity, is struggling with depression. A chance encounter brings her a healing friendship with the sisters of an injured naval captain. But Clara's society mama is appalled at the new company she's keeping. 
Captain Benjamin Kemsley is not looking for a wife. But his gallant spirit won't let him ignore the penniless viscount's daughter--not when she so obviously needs assistance to keep moving forward from day to day. Can he protect his heart and still keep her safe? 
When they're pushed into the highest echelons of society at the Prince Regent's Brighton Pavilion, this mismatched couple must decide if family honor is more important than their hopes. Can they right the wrongs of the past and find future happiness together--without finances, family support, or royal favor? 
The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey is full of the captivating, flawed characters, fascinating historical details, and masterful writing that Carolyn Miller's fans have come to know in The Elusive Miss Ellison and The Captivating Lady Charlotte. If you love Lori Wick, Georgette Heyer, and other clean, wholesome Regency romance, you'll love this third book in the Regency Brides: A Legacy of Grace series. 

                        My Thoughts On the Book:                    

Title: The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey (Regency Brides: Legacy of Grace #3)
Author: Carolyn Miller
Pages: 296
Publishing Year: 2017
Publisher: Kregel Publications

This book was a solid 4.5 stars for me.

I have really been wanting to read The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey for a while. I had previously heard about the writing of Carolyn Miller. Many people seem to really enjoy reading her books. So I thought I would give this book a go!  Boy, did she not disappoint. I really believe the hype about this author is actually warranted for a change. 

The characters in her novels feel so real and multi-dimensional, that I sometimes forget that I am just reading a novel. I love that her writing is captivating and so very engaging. Before I get into this book I do want to put a disclaimer out there that I did not have a chance to read her first two books in the Regency Brides series. I do plan on reading them in the future. I did enjoy this book but recommend you read the first two as the characters are revisited and you sometimes need context for scenes.  

While this is a Christian fiction novel, I felt that it could be enjoyed by readers of faith and those of other belief systems. The story has a great moral purpose too it, which is something I really look for when reading faith-inspired books. 

This book follows Miss Claire DeLancey, who is a mysterious character. She could be a villain or she could be a hero, it is rather hard to tell at the beginning of the novel. The book seems to imply she is a rather villainous woman. I found the character growth in this book to be some of the best I have ever read. I really began to enjoy Claire's character before the middle of the book. 

The themes of this book are very interesting indeed. They include finding yourself, trusting God, forgiveness, redemption, finding a purpose, and relationships.  I really feel like these various aspects just made this a great book. 

This is a super clean book. I will put a disclaimer out there that The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey does contain a scene about potentially contemplating suicide, a scene where a woman is taken advantage of.  There is some gambling. All of these are serious topics but are well done and not over the top. 

I can't recommend this book enough. I really think you should check out this book. This is a quick fast paced book. It will be an instant classic for fans of the Historical Fiction novel. 

I received a copy of The Dishonorable Miss DeLancey from Kregel Publications in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own! 

Book Tour: Imperfect Justice

Book info:

About the book: The police say the woman was a murderer. Emilie Wesley knows they can't be talking about her client . . . can they? To the world it seems obvious: Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police. Attorney Emilie Wesley knows a different story: Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of a controlling, abusive relationship. Her death shakes Emilie's belief that she can make a difference for women in violent marriages. Self-doubt plagues her as she struggles to continue her work in the wake of the tragedy. Reid Billings thought he knew his sister-right up until he learned how she died. He discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her. No attorney in her right mind would support an uncle instead of the father in a custody case, but Kaylene's letter claims Emilie Wesley will help him. Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene's surviving daughter, Emily and Reid pursue the continually evasive truth. If they can hang on to hope together, can they save a young girl-and find a future for themselves in the process? Learn more and purchase a copy. My Thoughts on this book:  Imperfect Justice is a book that so very interesting. It made me think in a way a book hasn't in a while. It mixed fiction with a real-life, relevant issue in our time.  To be honest domestic violence is a hot topic for me no, being that child of a woman that regularly experienced domestically. This was something I was leery about reviewing. I am so glad that I gave imperfect justice a chance.  This story we follow Kaylene Adams, who has killed her eldest daughter and nearly killed the younger one. She then tragically committed suicide. Given the past this woman had, this seems incredibly unlikely. There are only two people that believe this way, Emilie Wesley and her brother Reid Billings. Together they're determined to find out the truth and try to save a younger child in the process. Alternately low they find each other, and they fall in love. Our main character Emilie Wesley has to be one of my favorite parts of this book. She is young but daring she's full of a heart, and she's a lawyer fighting for the rights of women that want escape domestic violence situations. The way of the author Cara Putman crafted her was so beautiful and well done. Another character I enjoyed was Reid Billings. He was everything that Emily would've wanted and then some. He is the perfect charming guy we needed a story like this. He was a breath of fresh air from the overdone males in most fiction.  In the book, we can see the writers faith in God. I have to say that this is my first Christian legal romance book, but it won't be my last. Not a genre I can't say I was ever planning to read.  I read this book in two days, it was that good.  I hope you will give it a chance.  Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are on my own. Author information: Cara Putman is the author of more than 25 legal thrillers, historical romances, and romantic suspense novels. She has won or been a finalist for honors including the ACFW Book of the Year and the Christian Retailing's BEST Award. Cara graduated high school at 16, college at 20, completed her law degree at 27, and recently received her MBA. She is a practicing attorney, teaches undergraduate and graduate law courses at a Big Ten business school, and is a homeschooling mom of four. She lives with her husband and children in Indiana. Find out more about Cara at http://caraputman.com.

All Things Now Living' Blog Tour and Kindle Fire Giveaway

While on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle in Rondi Bauer Olson's All Things Now Living. At first, her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are. Amy's feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn't end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer. Time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome's collapse, but if Amy doesn't find her father's contact in time, she'll die, along with everyone else.

Stay up all night reading this thrilling new book from Rondi and enter to win a Kindle Fire!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of All Things Now Living
• A Kindle Fire

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on December 14. The winner will be announced December 15 on the Litfuse blog.

Book info

About the book: Her whole life Amy has been taught the people of New Lithisle deserve to die, but when she falls for Daniel, she determines to save him. Sixteen-year-old Amy doesn't like anything to die, she won't even eat the goats or chickens her mama has butchered every fall, but she can't let herself pity the inhabitants of New Lithisle. In a few short months the dome they built to isolate themselves from the deadly pandemic is predicted to collapse, but her whole life Amy has been taught it's God's will they die. They traded their souls for immunity to the swine flu virus, brought God's curse upon themselves by adding pig genes to their own. Then, while on a scavenging trip with her father, Amy is accidentally trapped in New Lithisle. At first her only goal is to escape, but when she meets Daniel, a New Lithisle boy, she begins to question how less-than-human the people of New Lithisle are. Amy's feelings grow even more conflicted when she learns she didn't end up in New Lithisle by mistake. Her father is secretly a sympathizer, and was trying to prevent the coming destruction. Now time is running short and Amy has to decide if she will bring the computer program her father wrote to his contact or save herself. Installing the program could prevent the dome's collapse, but if Amy doesn't find her father's contact in time, she'll die, along with everyone else. Learn more and purchase a copy. My Thoughts on the Book This is kind of like a Christian science fiction version of Romeo and Juliet. I loved it. It has a fast pace to it and really gets you into the story from the get-go. I felt invested in the story from the first page, which is becoming rarer and rarer for me. I loved the romance in this book. It is done so well, the love is appropriate and it isn't instant love. The romance grows and you watch the characters find each other. Which is one of my favorite things about this book! The characters Daniel and Amy are just super cute together and their relationship just felt right. The only thing I disliked about the book is readers are just thrown into the story with zero context, so it takes some getting used to. Now part of this is good because it gets you invested but it might through off some readers. I want to add something I normally do not, which is a note about content. I remember being a teen and the scene were Amy gets her period was vivid and may traumatize young girls that are awaiting that experience of puberty All in all fans of science fiction and young adult books will enjoy this new release. I hope this book gets the promised sequels because I want to figure out what happens to my favorite characters. Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own and reflect that.  Author Interview:  About the author: Rondi Bauer Olson is a reader and writer from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where she lives on a hobby farm with her husband, Kurt. She has four grown children, works as a nurse, and also owns a gift shop within view of beautiful Lake Superior. Find out more about Rondi at http://rondibauerolson.weebly.com.

Book Review + Tour : Lies Jane Austen Told Me by Julie Wright

Book info

Ever since Emma Pierce read Pride and Prejudice, she’s been in love with Mr. Darcy and has regarded Jane Austen as the expert on all things romantic. So when it turns out that what her boyfriend Blake wants is more of a hook-up than a honeymoon, Emma is hurt, betrayed, and furious. She throws herself deeper into her work as CMO of Kinetics, only to find her job threatened when her boss brings in a consultant to help her expand the business to the East Coast. Her frustration turns to shock when that consultant turns out to be Blake’s younger brother, Lucas.

Emma is determined not to fall for Lucas, but as she gets to know him, she realizes that Lucas is nothing like his brother. He is kind and attentive and spends his time and money caring for the less fortunate. But as perfect as Lucas seems, he clearly has his secrets. After all, there’s an angry woman demanding money from him and a little girl who Lucas feels responsible for.

Realizing that her love life is as complicated as anything Jane Austen could have dreamed up, Emma must figure out the truth—and soon—if she wants any hope of writing her own “happily ever after” ending.

My Thoughts About This Book:

When I see something with Jane Austen in the title I tend to get more than a little excited. This book is no different. I think that this is quickly becoming a major trend. Some do it well, while others simply fall short. I was skeptically optimistic about this novel. I didn't want to give too high of expectations. 

The man thing I loved about this book is it isn't a retelling of Jane Austen. It is set in the modern times. I liked the concept of it not being set in the past. It really gave an interesting and different feel to this book. It isn't one of the many simply copycat books out there. 

The story follows Emma who is a marketing executive, who has loved Jane Austen for years. She is looking for her Mr. Darcy. When she first meets Blake Hampton she thinks he might be the one. Nervous to take the ultimate plunge she turns down his offer to spend the weekend together, after some interesting encouragement by her colleagues, she changes her mind. Expecting a romantic trip, she ends up learning about his rarely mentioned brother. After a horrid trip, she believes she is done with the whole lot of them. Unfortunately, she can't get rid of them that easily. She ends up meeting him again.  

It is a common storyline but the misunderstanding doesn't read like your average trope. It is extremely well done and the pacing of this story is super quick. The story is differently a page-turner. 

Ultimately this was such a great book in my opinion. It takes an interesting spin on the Jane Austen book love affair. I think that people will really love the clean romance in this book, and the author's wonderful style of writing. Check this book out for yourself. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for my honest but unbiased opinion, all thoughts are my own.  

About The Author:

Julie Wright wrote her first book when she was fifteen. She's written over twenty novels since then. She is represented by Sara Crowe. She is a Whitney Awards winner for best romance with her book Cross My Heart and a Crown Heart recipient for the novel The Fortune Café.

She has one husband, three kids, one dog, and a varying amount of fish, frogs, and salamanders (depending on attrition).

She loves writing, reading, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner. 

She hates mayonnaise.

Check out her site here: http://www.juliewright.com/

Book Tour: Christmas at Grey Sage

Book info:

This Christmas, there's plenty of room at the inn. Nestled in the snow-covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the Grey Sage Inn looks like the perfect place for weary travelers to escape the craziness of the Christmas season. There's plenty to see in historic Santa Fe during the day, and the inn's owners, Maude and Silas Thornhill, are happy to spend their evenings hosting this year's guests from across the country. But an unusual snowstorm throws a wrench in the festive mood. The sprawling inn becomes close quarters as stranded guests discover this Christmas won't be the relaxed vacation they expected. Tension and fear mount as the storm worsens, and Silas, a retired doctor, is called away in the middle of the night to care for a neighbor. The snow and stress unlocks tongues-and in the unexpected conversation that follows, secrets and pasts are revealed, and hearts are healed. In the midst of snowdrifts and fireside conversations, of tales of days gone by, the warmth of Christmas brings a renewed hope as these trapped strangers become friends-proof again that the joy, hope, peace, and love of Christmas can be experienced no matter where you are. Learn more and purchase a copy My Thoughts About This Book: This was a solid 4-star book for me.  I have heard about how wonderful of an author  Phyllis Clark Nichols is. So I was rather excited to read Christmas at Grey Sage. I am so glad I have found this wonderful author. Her southern fiction is exactly what I need in my life.  This is a charming little story that I will probably read for years to come. It is a cute little Christmas story. It is full of love, caring, giving, and sacrifice. This is one of the most darling Christmas novel, probably one of the best I have ever read. The novel starts in 1973,  and then jumps all the way to 2005. When our main characters Maude and Silas are trying to make Christmas as special as possible for their son Elan. Christmas would be lovely and full of charm until a tragedy would take their Christmas Joy away. The owned an Inn. They quickly lost their love of hosting and became unwelcoming to guests. It was just too painful to put on all that cheer. As the years went by they decided to stop decorating, stopped spreading Christmas cheer.  When a special group shows up they become disappointed with the lack of decoration, lights, and overall Christmas cheer. They want to leave soon after they arrive, but will a snowstorm keep them there? Will they be able to bring the Christmas cheer? Will this year be the year when the joy returns? They decide to share there different perspective about Christmas. I really loved this part.  This book has themes about healing and forgiveness. The author paints a vivid story that will make you laugh and cheer. This book will take you on a journey that you will never forget.  I received a review copy of this book by LitFuse. All thoughts are my own.  Author Interview:  Phyllis Clark Nichols believes everyone could use a little more hope and light. Her character-driven Southern fiction explores profound human questions from within the simple lives of small town communities you just know you've visited before. With a love for nature, art, faith and ordinary people, she tells redemptive tales of loss and recovery, estrangement and connection, longing and fulfillment, often through surprisingly serendipitous events. Phyllis grew up in the deep shade of magnolia trees in South Georgia. Now she lives in the Texas Hill Country with her portrait-artist husband, where red birds and axis deer are her ever-ravenous neighbors. She is an English major and classically-trained musician, seminary graduate, concert artist and co-founder of a national cable network for the health and disability-related programming. After retiring as a cable network executive, Phyllis began leading mission teams to orphanages in Guatemala and now serves on three non-profit boards where she works with others who are equally passionate about bringing hope and light to those who need it most. Find out more about Phyllis at http://www.phyllisclarknichols.com.