Book Tour: Secrets a true story of addiction

                                                                  Book Information:                                                              

Everyone has a secret or two, a part of their life they would rather not share with the rest of the world.

But for Jonathan Daugherty, his secret was so life-altering and relationship-ending that he fought to keep it hidden at all costs. And it did cost him. His secret kept him from contentment, peace, and the possibility of being known and loved for who he truly is. That’s what any secret addiction can do—but in particular a sex addiction.

After his wife finally discovered his secret, their marriage appeared to be over. In Secrets, Jonathan honestly and courageously shares his story of addiction to pornography and how he lost everything to it.

But that’s not how the story ends. While Jonathan struggled, someone else was at work—his heavenly Father. At the lowest possible moment of his life, God stepped in and brought him hope and healing. This is a story of both loss and redemption that gives hope to anyone who has ever experienced the power and struggle of addiction and its life-destroying effects.

Addiction doesn’t have the final say over Jonathan’s life or in his marriage. The God who finds the lost, heals the sick, and brings life from death has the last, victorious word.

—A courageous, honest and open account of life as a sex addict and how sex addiction destroys marriages.
—A life-affirming and personal story of recovery and redemption that will inspire readers.
—Offers hope to all who struggle with pornography and sex addiction.
—Each chapter includes a “Living in the Light” section designed to equip and help readers find freedom from addiction.
—Suitable as a study for support groups of addicts and those who care about them.

Learn more and purchase a copy.

                                                My Thoughts About The Book:                                                              

"Everyone has a secret or two areas of their life they would rather not share with the general public."

Secrets is a small book that is packed with a bunch. It is a cross between a conversation and a self help book. It could be considered a devotional of sorts as well, I suppose. It seems as the author is having a conversation with you. It is a small thin book to help start a conversation about the hard stuff in life. The brokenness, the trouble, the things no one wants to talk about. He makes it deeply personal by telling us the readers how his brokenness overtook his life. Although at the end of each profound memory, he gives the read hope. He does this by sharing why his feelings were wrong and how living without secrets can be accomplished.

I have never struggled with a sexual addiction, or had an issue with pornography. Although I have seen how this can ruin lives, destroy marriage, and leave carnage in its wake. The author is so courageous and unapologetic in his writing. Rarely in the world, and in christian self help books do we someone so completely and candidly reveal they aren't perfect, that they can give advice because they have struggled, the have recovered, and they have healed. I admire his courage to really speak the truth. 

I personally feel like this book is a must read for anyone struggling with addiction whether sexual or some other kind. I feel like pastors and counselor need to have this on their shelves.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own and do not reflect that. 

                                                  Author Information:                                                              

Jonathan Daugherty is the founder of Be Broken Ministries, and founder of Gateway to Freedom workshop for men. He also hosts the weekly radio broadcast, Pure Sex Radio, and is in demand nationally as a speaker on sexual purity and men s issues. He has appeared on multiple radio and television media, both local and national. He has authored "Grace-Based Recovery," "The 4 Pillars of Purity," and other works. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children in San Antonio, Texas.

Book Review: Sapphira and the Slave Girl

Title: Sapphira and the Slave Girl

Author:  Willa Cather

Page Count: 320 pages

Where I received: Purchased from my college library

Actual Rating:  4 out of 5

This book was written in 1940, and things have changed quite a bit since then. This is a tough read given the current events unfolding in 2017. I don't agree with how the author uses racism in this book. I winced at the racist protagonist and somehow hoped there would be a change or moral to the story which seemed to never come to fruition. While I enjoyed the story, there were stereotypes that were hard to ignore. This is not one of her best works in my opinion, but in the context of when it was written, this is not too bad of a read.  

This is a book which takes place in the pre-Civil War South. The main character is a woman named Sapphira, she is the wife of a small town miller. She is a troubled but well-rounded character. She is disabled and suffers from dropsy, which is an older term for edema, which is when fluid builds up in your legs and feet. She is cared for by a slave girl. Sapphira brought about twenty slaves with her to the marriage. Which I found to be an interesting fact. She is jealous of her maid named Till, the daughter is an attractive, mixed young woman. This daughter is named Nancy, her job is to care for the millers, bedroom and occasional office. Due to Sapphira's life confined to a wheelchair, she has every opportunity for easy dropping and casual gossiping. When she overhears a conversation linking her husband's name with Nancy, Her world begins to spin out of control at her own doing.  More trouble happens when the nephew of Sapphira decides to pursue a relationship with sweet Nancy. 

It is important to remember this was one of Willa Cather's last novels. This story is a fictionalized version of a story Willa Cather was told as a young girl. Because she uses such dated and derogatory language,  I think modern readers are turned off. I believe Cather had a purpose in exploring the book's theme of racism, she was trying to create an outline as to who the southern slave owner thought. How did their beliefs shape who their slaves were treated? How did the way treated affect their self-esteem? How did people think in such ways? I honestly believe Willa Cather was trying to create a dialog pertaining to racism. 

A sweet story, filled with real deep issues. A good read for anyone. 

Links to purchase: Amazon //

Goodreads Description: 


Originally published in 1940, this is Cather's last novel, a retrospective portrait of a society and conditions that have vanished forever in the Old South.

 The stain of slavery is seen through the relationship of Sapphira Colbert to her black maid, Nancy. Sapphira presides over her Back Creek Valley property with disciplined resolution; her husband, Henry, runs the Mill and sleeps there too, their marriage a formality.

 By 1865 Sapphira is one of the few Virginians who still owns slaves, a policy Henry finds increasingly difficult to countenance. Sapphira's life is an arid one and, confined to a wheelchair, she has ample opportunity for speculation. When she overhears a conversation linking her husband's name with Nancy, that speculation festers and the horrific potential of Sapphira's power is unleashed . . .

Tome Topple Readathon 2017- TBR

Having insomnia really is a blessing and a curse. I decided last night to go crazy and do the Tome Topple read-a-thon. This is a readathon where the whole purpose is to read the big books that may overwhelm us. I have always had a problem reading anything over 500 pages, so I thought this might really challenge me. 

The challenges this time are: 

1. Read more than 1 tome 

2. Read a graphic novel (still over 500 pages!)

3. Read a tome that is part of a series 

4. Buddy read a tome

5. Read an adult novel

Here is my extremely ambitious to be read pile. I really like my picks, as they are all books that have been on my shelf. I have read the sculptor before, but I am excited to read it again. Also, Lux is a bind up so it won't count to the challenges but I want to read it! 

Challenge it meets:  Read more than 1 tome 

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

 BELIEVING IS DANGEROUS...

Darcy Patel is afraid to believe all the hype. But it's really happening - her teen novel is getting published. Instead of heading to college, she's living in New York City, where she's welcomed into the dazzling world of YA publishing. That means book tours, parties with her favorite authors, and finding a place to live that won't leave her penniless. It means sleepless nights rewriting her first draft and struggling to find the perfect ending... all while dealing with the intoxicating, terrifying experience of falling in love - with another writer.

Told in alternating chapters is Darcy's novel, the thrilling story of Lizzie, who wills her way into the afterworld to survive a deadly terrorist attack. With survival comes the responsibility to guide the restless spirits that walk our world, including one ghost with whom she shares a surprising personal connection. But Lizzie's not alone in her new calling - she has counsel from a fellow spirit guide, a very desirable one, who is torn between wanting Lizzie and warning her that...

BELIEVING IS DANGEROUS.

In a brilliant high-wire act of weaving two epic narratives - and two unforgettable heroines - into one novel, Scott Westerfeld's latest work is a triumph of storytelling.

Challenge it meets: Read a graphic novel (still over 500 pages!), Read more than 1 tome 

The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

David Smith is giving his life for his art—literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding  what  to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn't making it any easier! 

This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world's greatest city. It's about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life…and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface. Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into great fiction with a breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable new work.

Challenge it meets: Read more than 1 tome 

The Harp and the Ravenvine by Ted Sanders

IN THE WORLD OF THE KEEPERS, IT'S BEST NOT TO SPEAK IN TERMS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE.

Horace F. Andrews, Keeper of the fabled Box of Promises, knows that nothing is impossible. After all, he has the ability to see into the future, and his friend Chloe can walk through walls. But before either of them can master their Tan'ji--their talismans of power--a new threat looms over all Keepers, and they must prepare to battle their eternal enemies--the Riven.

Far away, drawn by an irresistible summons, a mysterious girl is making her way to the Warren, the Keeper stronghold. She wears the Ravenvine and is learning to wield its fascinating power; but this Tan'ji is damaged. There's no telling what will happen to the instrument or its Keeper if it cannot be made whole again. April's journey is long and dangerous, with strange new companions at her side and a pack of sinister hunters tracking her. Will she reach the Warren in time, and is it a safe haven, or will it offer only more danger?

Ted Sanders's magical series began with The Box and the Dragonfly and continues with this powerful sequel that expands the extraordinary world of the Keepers, where nothing is ever ordinary and three words rule: Curiosity. Discovery.

Challenge it meets: Read an adult novel and  Read more than 1 tome 

Some Sing, Some Cry by Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza

Award-winning writer Ntozake Shange and real-life sister, award-winning playwright Ifa Bayeza achieve nothing less than a modern classic in this epic story of the  Mayfield family. Opening dramatically at  Sweet Tamarind, a rice and cotton plantation on an island off South Carolina's coast, we watch as recently emancipated Bette Mayfield says her goodbyes before fleeing for the mainland. With her granddaughter, Eudora, in tow, she heads to Charleston.

 There, they carve out lives for themselves as fortune-teller and seamstress. Dora will marry, the Mayfield line will grow, and we will follow them on a journey through the watershed events of America's troubled, vibrant history—from Reconstruction to both World Wars, from the Harlem Renaissance to Vietnam and the modern day. Shange and Bayeza give us a monumental story of a family and of America, of songs and why we have to sing them, of home and of heartbreak, of the past and of the future, bright and blazing ahead.

Reader Problems Book Tag

Hey, guys! So recently I have really wanted to expand my blog content more. Right now it is mainly just book reviews, and I thought some book tags would be a fun way for you guys to know more about me. When searching for tags, I saw this Reader Problems Book Tag on Quinn's Book Nook! I really thought it would be fun to try out! 


1.  You have 20,000 books on your TBR, how in the world do you decide what to read next?

I don't actually keep a TBR list honestly. I know that makes me different than 99% of book bloggers. I think personally I will pick out like five books I that look interesting then read the first chapter. After I do that then I just pick the book that captured my interest the most. 

2.  You're halfway through a book, and you're just not loving it.  Do you put it down or are you committed?  

I am so horrible at DNFing books! Although lately, I have been really working on getting better at this for non-review books. So far it has been a slow process. I will keep going for review books, rarely skimming. 

3.  The end of the year is coming, and you're behind on your reading challenge, do you try to catch up and if so how?

I am great at attempting a million challenges and giving up. The only one I stay true to is the Goodreads Challenge. I will do as many readathons as it takes to get caught up. Right now I am 19 books behind schedule, so looks like I need to do some readathons. 


4.  The cover of a series you love do not match, how do you cope?

I don't care about covers, I care about books. 

5.  Everyone and their mother loves a book that you do not.  Who do you bond with over your shared feelings?

I celebrate differences in reading tastes! I don't care if I have different reading tastes over my friends. It makes us each who we are. 

6.  You're reading a book in public, and you're about to start crying.  How do you deal?

I haven't much experience with this problem. I try to pick fun books for public reading because I am typically trying to make time pass faster while waiting for something. I personally don't care if people see me crying in public. Emotions are okay! 

7.  The sequel to a book you loved just came out but you've forgotten a lot of what happens.  Are you going to reread it?

I would have every intention to reread the first book. Although that probably wouldn't happen and it's pretty likely that I'd put the sequel aside until I could reread the first book. Which would mean I will read them both in the next five years. I am so bad at sequels. 

8.  You do not want anyone to borrow your books, how do you politely say no when someone asks?

Thankfully, I don't know many people who ask, or want to read my books. I am not friends with a lot of regular readers. I also think my amount of reading intimidates a lot of my friends, which makes me sad. I'm okay with lending to people if I have read them and if I trust the people. If I am uncomfortable for any reason then I would be polite and explain the reason to them. Most of my friends are adults and wouldn't have a problem!

9.  You have picked up and put down 5 books in the last month.  How do you get over this reading slump?

I hate reading slumps with such a passion! I get in them quite frequently so my go to solution is to listen to an audio book, read an old favorite, then try a new book. This typically works quite well for me. Another solution is just to stop reading for half a year, I did that once! 

10.  There are so many books coming out that you are dying to read, how many do you end up buying?

I don't really buy a huge number of new release books. I think many I have purchased 2 books in the last 5 years the same year that the came out.  A lot of what I read are review books. I'm  also a big fan of my local library. I typically buy second-hand books or books from discount sites if I purchase. 

11.  After you purchase all these books that you're dying to read how long do they sit on your shelves before you get to them?

I read so many books a year, due to review obligations. I also am a double major so there is a ton of reading with that. So this is why I rarely buy books on my own because they will sit there untouched for several months. Under the Dome by Stephen King has been on my shelf four about 3 years I believe! 


This was such a fun tag to do! I hope you all enjoyed reading!