Seeking with all Yur Heart

Title:  The Alliance Author:  Jolina Petersheim Pages:  384 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Tyndale My rating is 5 stars. Note:  I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.  Let me start by saying the sequel will be released spring of 2017 titled, The Divide.  When the area where Leora lives is interrupted by a plane crash, readers will see that is just the beginning!  What follows is tale of two vastly different cultures coming together in order to survive what is assumed to be an EMP attack that renders all electronic gadgets useless.  While this tends not to bother the Old Order Mennonite Community, it does disrupt the Englishers lifestyle greatly! The pilot of the plane that crashed is sharing his ideas on how they can come together to share or pool their resources for survival.  No one knows for sure what has occurred or the lasting effects, but they know if they don’t do someth…

Title:  Lavish Grace (Poured Out, Poured Through, and Overflowing) Author:  Kathy Howard Pages:  176 Year: 2016 Publisher:  New Hope My rating is 5 stars. Note:  I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.  Lavish Grace is a Bible Study for women birthed from the author’s life experience that showed her self-dependency was nothing and how much she needed God’s grace to even draw her next breath.  Kathy Howard takes women into the subject of grace drawn from Paul’s various letters.  She shares how not only Paul was affected, but others as well along with current experiences of people who come in contact with God’s grace. Then, the author helps the women studying to look into their own lives and hearts to see how God wants to make Himself and His grace more real in their lives.  Each study begins with a short introduction via a story followed by a section called “Learning It” wh…

Title:  Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel Author:  J. D. Geear and others Pages:  304 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Holman Reference My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. I have read other books in the series so I was looking forward to this newest addition.  The only drawback is in some of its explanations were too short and needed expounding.  If pastors, leaders, teachers, everyday people use these books, they will gain knowledge.  I hope they use these books as a launching pad.  What I mean is don’t allow these to be a means to an end, but a place to start to study.  Included are reflective or discussion questions that help facilitate a person’s spirit to look deeper or apply what they learned in a chapter. In our society, we need leaders, teachers and pastors to use tools that help spur thoughts, questions or a starting point to begin digging deeper into the Word.  Our society needs more people who God can teach via The Holy Spirit how to dig deeper once they glean a basic understanding of …

Title:  Inductive Bible Study (Observation, Interpretation, and Application though the Lenses of History, Literature and Theology) Author:  Richard Alan Fuhr and Dr. Andreas J. Kostenberger, Ph. D. Pages:  384 Year:  2016 Publisher:  B & H Academic My rating is 5 out of 5 stars! What a time for this book to be published for anyone who wants to learn how to go deeper in their study of the Bible!  Please don’t let the long title or any of the title/subtitle turn you away from a very helpful tool!  Personally, I love studying using the inductive method as it really helps me grow closer to the Lord and understanding Him via His Word! The authors do a masterful job of taking their time to explain each step in digging deeper to uncover what the Bible says to each person.  Take your time to learn each step and practice it, even consider doing so with a friend.  Study guides aside, this is the best way I know to really learn and remember what a book says about God, Jesus, The Spirit, fa…

Title:  Conspiracy of Silence (The Tox Files #1) Author:  Ronie Kendig Pages: 413 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Bethany House My rating is 4 stars. Cole “Tox” Russell is a military and political outcast after a failed mission in which many lost their lives.  As a result, Tox is sent to prison where he “dies”.  In reality, he is sent to Africa and basically not welcomed on U.S. soil.  That is until his military skills are needed to save the country and maybe even the world from a deadly plague.  At first, he is called in to eliminate an assassin.  The person to call him in is his brother, Galen Russell, the President of the United States.  Tox and his brother have never gotten along and have a tangled past history.  But when called to save his country, Tox answers.  He gathers his former special ops team members, who have trouble trusting him at the beginning of their mission.  They soon fall back into their old camaraderie and their trust for Tox returns. Kasey Cortes has been in love wit…

Title:  Buckhorn (Paid in Blood) Author:  William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone Pages:  374 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Pinnacle My rating is 5+ stars. Buckhorn is gun slinger, a loner and comes from parents with different ethnicities, which was not unusual for the Old West.  However, Buckhorn isn’t the usual gun for hire or man either.  Buckhorn’s looks are weathered as he prefers the outdoors to being inside.  He wears a different style hat and his vocabulary is exceptional.   Over the years, he has grown used to traveling after a job is done and sometimes that is the hardest part. In this recent book, the character of Buckhorn is hired to help a widowed rancher locate her missing youngest son.  If Buckhorn can find out who is rustling the cattle not just from the Circle D who hired him, but from small outfits too maybe he can also locate the missing boy.  What gets really interesting is the romance budding with the offspring of two different factions, fighting factions to be exac…

Title:  Death Rides Alone (Luke Jensen Bounty Hunter #5) Author:  William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone Pages:  336 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Pinnacle My rating is 5 stars. Luke Jenson rides into Wyoming looking for a man who is wanted in Montana, and that is where the adventure begins to take off!  Before Luke even locates his man, he becomes entangled with the town’s braggart that leads to lead flying in all directions!  From then on, the lead not only keeps flying but Luke’s life seems to be in danger!  Luke, with his wanted man in tow, heads for Montana but is the man really as guilty of the crime of which he has been accused? Through the many miles Luke hears parts of Tyler’s tale and in time, Luke realizes it has a ring of truth.  In addition to the beautiful scenery described in the book, there seems to be a mystery surrounding the murder that Tyler is accused of in a town located in Montana.  I really enjoyed reading Luke and Tyler’s adventures and constant run-in with dan…

Title:  The Private Life of General Omar Bradley Author:  Jeffery D. Lavoie Pages:  224 Year: 2015 Publisher:  McFarland My rating is 4 stars. The Private Life of General Omar N. Bradley is a well-written narrative of the life of General Bradley and is a good biography of the life of one the great WWII generals.  The book doesn’t try to pick apart every little aspect of General Bradley’s life, but it focuses on an overall picture his life.  The book does this by focusing on the three periods of Bradley’s life:  “Prewar”, “War”, and “Postwar”, respectively.  Each section gives a good summary of the life of Omar Bradley; however, the book is not a primary source of material on the subject (nor does it claim to be), but it makes a good starting point for anyone looking to do research on one of America’s most treasured military commanders. The book is short, a mere 213 pages, but what the reader will find in those pages is fascinating material. The “War” section of the book is an interest…

Title:  A Colorado Christmas Author:  William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone Pages:  336 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Pinnacle My rating is 5+ stars. Each year the Johnstone family releases a Christmas novel that brings together some of the best of both older and newer characters into a blazing, riveting story!  Here is another one that is without parallel to other Christmas Westerns.  There were other novels written the last few years by the Johnstones and I highly recommend reading each and every one.  While they are standalone books, it is fun to see what Wild West ride the author schemes to take the audience on!  Prior Christmas novels are as follows:  A Lone Star Christmas, Rocky Mountain Christmas, A Big Sky Christmas, A Frontier Christmas, and A Texas Hill Country Christmas with the newest one this year titled, A Colorado Christmas. As usual I was captured by the story, especially when the author brought back a couple of older characters like Preacher and Eagle Eye Callahan.  T…

As we celebrate the birth of Immanuel, God with Us!

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Title:  A Texas Hill Country Christmas
Author:  Willliam W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone
Pages:  336
Year:  2015
Publisher:  Pinnacle
My rating is 5+ stars.
Each year a new Christmas novel is released by the Johnstones that includes some of their most beloved characters.  Each Christmas novel stands alone and the previous ones are A Lone Star Christmas, Rocky Mountain Christmas, A Big Sky Christmas and A Frontier Christmas.  Now we can add to the Christmas themed novels this year’s story, A Texas Hill Country Christmas.
Each year I have read the newest book, enjoyed it and shared my review with you.  For me, this year’s novel is my favorite one thus far with the Jenson family members coming together in several ways that really is genius!  The year is 1975 and a descendant of the Jenson family sits down to tell yet another story of her ancestors to the youngest generation about the “old, old days”.  So, Helen Sievers begins to talk about Smoke, Matt, Ace, Chance and other Jenson mem…

Title:  Getaway with God (The Every Woman’s Guide to Personal Retreat) Author:  Letitia Suk Pages:  160 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Kregel My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Getaway with God is a book that encapsulates many ideas for making various amounts of time away for a woman to meet with God alone.  Women today have many pressures and demands pulling at them constantly like never before.  As these demands ebb and flow along with the nurturing makeup of women, we forget to take time to refresh ourselves.  While women’s church retreats have their place, for me they weren’t very refreshing as I usually come home more tired. In college, I learned more about making time to be quiet and alone with God.  Of course, with different seasons of women’s lives it looks different and sometimes we need help with ideas as to the “how” of making time alone with God.  I like that the material is presented in a religious manner but one of personal heart to heart matter.  Women can’t give out of empty cist…

Title:  A Frontier Christmas
Author:  William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone
Pages:  416
Year:  2014
Publisher:  Pinnacle
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Christmas-William-W-Johnstone/dp/0786033606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414913498&sr=1-1&keywords=a+frontier+christmas
This is a simply heartwarming story set in the west with characters that I am familiar with, being a fan of Johnstone books.  However, whether you are familiar with the characters or authors matters not as readers will be engrossed not just in the budding romance between Meagan and Duff, but the action with increasing tension will keep you glued to the book!  A Frontier Christmas is the fourth book in the series Western Christmas Stories that also includes A Lone Star Christmas, Rocky Mountain Christmas and A Big Sky Christmas.  Each book can be read as a standalone or grab all four and be prepared to be entertained for hours!
The Johnstone’s Western Christmas Stories will capture your …

Title:  A Big Sky Christmas
Author:  William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone
Pages:  416
Year:  2013
Publisher:  Pinnacle
J. A. Johnstone has authored, The Big Sky Christmas, with as much heart as the previous tales titled, A Rocky Mountain Christmas and Lone Star Christmas.  Each novel is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable with a mix of adventure and romance.  Here, in the latest Christmas book, A Big Sky Christmas, readers are introduced to characters with a true moral or spiritual compass and others with evil intent along with a host of surprises in the story line.
In the fictional tale, Johnstone uses flashback as a way to tell the story of a set of elderly twins and their experiences growing up on a wagon train bound for Montana.  McAllister is a mountain man whose years were originally filled with locating those who took the life of his beloved wife Katie.  When a brawl causes the original wagon master to sit this trip out, McAllister feels duty-bound to lead them safely t…

Title:  A Rocky Mountain Christmas
Author:  William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone
Pages:  336
Year:  2012
Publisher:  Kensington
A Rocky Mountain Christmas is the latest in Johnstone’s writing repertoire, taking place during the Christmas holidays.  Some of the characters from the previous book, A Lone Star Christmas, continue to develop in this story.  Here, the story enlarges to include a corrupt judge and a rancher accused of murder being taken on a train to go to jail along with another convict.
Rebecca is now an older woman, but was 6 years old at the time of a train accident that would change her life forever.  She was the daughter of a senator and his wife.  Her parents were going to a speaking engagement when an avalanche changed every passenger’s plans.  Rebecca is now being approached for an interview before her flight leaves.  The only reason she agrees to participate in the interview is due to a delay in her flight.  Her only condition for the interview is that she be …

Title:  A Lone Star Christmas
Author:  William W. Johnstone
Pages:  336
Year:  2011
Publisher:  Pinnacle
Since I was a little girl, westerns have been the one genre I knew I could best use to identify who I was.  Whether it was watching westerns on TV, a movie, reading non-fiction as well as fiction, I always wanted to know more about the West with a passion.  Recently, with my sons having become men, I joined the NRA, took a class, and bought my first firearm.  I am also a member of SASS.  Even though I don’t attend anything, I learn a lot from this group.  I knew a few western writers growing up though because of my Nana I knew more about Louis L’Amour and his books.  Growing up and watching my parents get her the latest novel or seeing her read those books are memories I will always remember.  When Nana died, I was blessed with her entire collection of westerns that included a few Luke Short books and some others.  It wasn’t until earlier this year that I came across the name of Wi…

Title:  Pray A to Z Author:Amelia Rhodes Pages:160 Year: 2016 Publisher: Worthy Inspired My rating is 5 stars. All if not most people in my opinion and observation are wondering what is going on in the United States communities.  Hence many are seeking a way to help, bring aid and comfort, and fight the good fight of faith in these hard times.  If you are one of those looking for a way to bring hope, light and a way to bring out what burdens your heart via prayer for where you live, here is such a guide. The prayers written here will help bring voice to the Father’s ear for many concerns such as law enforcement, homelessness, finances, medical care and a plethora of other topics.  People of God need no longer feel inadequate to pray or unsure of what to say.  Prayer is conversation and listening to the God we love and serve, who cares for us.  He knows us better than we know ourselves. Grab a copy of Pray A to Z and ask those you know to join you in praying for your community and oth…

Title:  Two Crosses (Secrets of the Cross #1) Author:  Elizabeth Musser Pages:  464 Year:  2012 Publisher:  David C. Cook My rating is 4 stars. Note:  I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility The beginning of the novel lays the historical foundation during a time of war between Algeria and France.  The author includes some of the characters speaking parts in French followed by English for those of us who don’t know French.  While at first it was distracting, I became enamored with the beauty of the written language and trained myself to just read over the non-English words.  I enjoyed the beginning of the romance between one of the American Lecturers David Hoffman and Gabriella, who is an exchange student at the time. Inside the cover are mysteries, drama, romance, and interesting historical facts like learning about Operation Hugo during this particular war.  With an ease t…

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Title:  Identity Unknown (Northern Border Patrol #5) Author:  Terri Reed Pages:  220 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Love Inspired My rating is 4 stars. Nathaniel Longhorn wakes up in a strange place with no memory of who he is now or who he was in the past.  He is in the hospital and a pretty deputy sheriff, Audrey Martin, is responsible for that.  She found him washed up on the Maine shoreline, unconscious and about to be thrown back in by an unknown assailant.  She rescues Nathaniel and gets him safely to the hospital, but not for long.  Attempts continue to confront her and Nathaniel.  The two of them click right off the bat and Audrey refuses to leave his side until he regains his memory. Nathaniel struggles with not knowing his past as he can’t plan for the future without knowing what kind of man he was.  Was he a criminal?  He was dressed all in black tactical gear with no identification when he was found.  His picture is sent to Canada, which is across the bay from Maine and Nathanie…

Title:  Our Man in Charleston (Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South) Author:  Charles Dickey Pages:  400 Year:  2015 Publisher:  Crown My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. The Civil War is just one historical event that continues to fascinate me as a reader.  The author does a magnificent job of detailing the ins and outs of what occurred in our nation at a time when chaos reigned.  I am continuously learning so much about what was going on at a time when many people even knew where their next meal was coming from. The author packs so much information into his book that it really causes the reader to become engrossed with the intrigue that happened off the battlefield.  As I read I was humbled as I learned of events that never entered my thinking before.  Of course, today many people are even on a higher alert for those who are observing them or interested in what their activities may be. What the author shares never before entered my mind as a possibility at a time we look back …

Title:  Getaway with God (The Every Woman’s Guide to Personal Retreat) Author:  Letitia Suk Pages:  160 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Kregel My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Getaway with God is a book that encapsulates many ideas for making various amounts of time away for a woman to meet with God alone.  Women today have many pressures and demands pulling at them constantly like never before.  As these demands ebb and flow along with the nurturing makeup of women, we forget to take time to refresh ourselves.  While women’s church retreats have their place, for me they weren’t very refreshing as I usually come home more tired. In college, I learned more about making time to be quiet and alone with God.  Of course, with different seasons of women’s lives it looks different and sometimes we need help with ideas as to the “how” of making time alone with God.  I like that the material is presented in a religious manner but one of personal heart to heart matter.  Women can’t give out of empty cist…

Title:  Storm (Stone Braide Chronicles #3) Author: Bonnie S. Calhoun Pages: 400 Year: 2016 Publisher: Revell My rating is 4 ½ stars out of 5! Bonnie S. Calhoun continues her Stone Braide Chronicles with the third book Storm. Selah Rishon, her mother, brother, sister, and friends start off on the East Coast in Tic City to begin their quest to find the Third Protocol, which, if successful, will not only save Selah’s life but also the lives of all the Landers. If unsuccessful, Selah will fracture and die. Selah and her group of family and friends risk everything and encounter many dangers during their journey—blood hunters, winter storms, and fluctuations in the magnetic field due to the land’s upheaval when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupted hundreds of years previously. The group journeys to the domed cities of Cleveland, Chicago, and to the unknown lands farther west in search of reaching their goal…and saving Selah’s life. One of the things that I like about Storm is the idea of a…

Title:  Of Stillness and Storm Author:  Michele Phoenix Pages:  336 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Thomas Nelson My rating is 5 out of 5 stars. Before writing the review, I took time to visit the author’s site and I hope others do as well.  The ministry that Michele is engaged in is very unique as I haven’t heard of anything close to what she does.  I also read of a woman with a grounded faith that came through adversity, trials and good experiences too.  Most of all, at least to me, she is a flesh and blood example of someone who is unashamed to speak truth about the experiences of Missionary Kids. Of Stillness and Storm is one novel that grabs the soul of the reader and its tentacles reach so deeply into the reader that it doesn’t let up until the end of the story.  Well, maybe not even then because I don’t think I will forget this novel for quite a while, if ever.  Michele uses flashbacks to take readers into a single family’s experience with answering a call to go to Nepal with young chil…

Title:  Eden Hill Author:  Bill Higgs Pages:  400 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Tyndale My rating is 5 stars. Note:  I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org  The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.  As I read the novel, I felt transported in my imagination to a time that seemed simpler in one sense and yet the same in another.  Simpler in that there were no electronic gadgets as there are today, which when we don’t control them by turning them off, can intrude into our lives.  It was a time when families sat down to dinner, read more, watched TV less, and the work ethic was exceptional.  The 60’s era had its own challenges that differ in some ways than those we face today. In the fictional novel, we get swept into a small town called Eden Hill where people helped their neighbors and businesses closed on Sundays.  In the town, there are some people who turned out to have a surprising history to reveal.  There is an old…

Title:  Lucifer’s Harvest (The Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton #9) Author:  Mel Starr Pages:  148 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Lion Fictioin My rating is 3 stars. Hugh de Singleton is summoned with his employer, Baron Gilbert, by Prince Edward to go to battle against France.  Hugh is taken along not in his role as bailiff, but as a surgeon to treat battle wounds.  He leaves behind his wife Kate and two young daughters not knowing if he will return or be the victim in battle, even though he isn’t in the fighting ranks.  Upon reporting to their first stop on the journey to Dover, England where they will then cross the English Channel into France, Hugh makes an unsettling discovery.  His old enemy Sir Simon Trillowe is among the other fighting men called by Prince Edward. Sir Simon holds no love for Hugh and goes out of his way to let Hugh know that he still holds a major grudge.  However, while waiting for the battle to begin, Sir Simon’s body is found face down in a poisoned well.  Hugh is…

Title:  Breaking Free Author:  Jennifer Slattery Pages:  320 Year:  2016 Publisher:  New Hope My rating is 5 stars. We all know relationships can bring joy and sorrow, love and pain just to mention a few words regarding human interactions.  When a relationship is compounded by something that brings bondage, it complicates matters.  In marriage, while bringing to the human heart more than words express, let’s face it, it is work.  At times it doesn’t seem to take any effort and in others seasons much work while each day we must lean upon the Lord to fulfill our vows. In Breaking Free, the author shows us the possible shattering effects alcoholism can bring to a marriage and relationships with the children not to mention other friends.  Here is a story of a woman named Alice who must face her naked heart, but where can she go to share her burden where transparency doesn’t become gossip in the friendships she has in church?  Alice is afraid of sharing the truth with anyone.  After all, …

Title:  Restoring Christmas (A Novel) Author:  Cynthia Ruchti Pages:  240 Year:  2016 Publisher:  Worthy Inspired My rating is 5 out of 5 stars. In case you haven’t had the opportunity to read any of Cynthia Ruchti’s writings, let me say you’re missing out on some of the best!  I personally have found her writings move the heart because they are written with the author’s heart.  The writings have powerful and moving themes throughout the books and this one is no exception.  From the first moment I started reading until the end I was engrossed in a heartwarming story where one of the main characters named Alexis goes through a change.  What kind of change? When she started the Home and Heart channel Restoring Christmas project as one of three contestants, she focused on winning the contest.  As time goes by readers will enjoy reading how deeply we come to know Alexis including some of her past, a budding romance and a 180 degree change of focus on the project!  As she works with Gabe …

Title:  War Room:  Prayer is A Powerful Weapon Author:  Chris Fabry Pages:  424 Year:  2015 Publisher:  Tyndale House Publishers My rating is 5 stars. Unlike some people, I didn’t go and see the movie mainly because I love reading a book.  I feel as though I gain more from a novel than a movie.  While it isn’t a strict rule for me to read the book prior to seeing the movie adaptation, with War Room I sensed a special tale. Therefore,  I would want to add ca copy of the book  to my home library to read again or pass down to the next generation. What I liked most about the book was there wasn’t a pattern or prescribed way to pray shown in the book.  What was revealed was how an elderly woman learned the hard way in her youth that prayer is something very special, holy even, which shows through our daily living without effort on our part.  I liked how the book showed that the Lord loves to hear from His children and He alone gets all the glory.  He loves to transform us more into the im…

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Title:  Untamed (A Fool’s Guide to Surrendered Faith) Author:  Jason Clark Pages:  240 Year:  2015 Publisher:  Destiny Image My rating is 4 stars. When I perused through the book to get a sense of what I was about to read, I noticed right off it was written with transparency along with humor.  As I looked at pages, there were frequent breaks in each chapter that made being able to put the book down to contemplate what one had read was a definite bonus.  As readers learn from Jason’s walk with the Lord, it would be a good idea to remember that this is the author’s walk.  What Jason is sharing is what he learned and how God longs for us to be encompassed by His Person. The endnotes at the end of each chapter show some very interesting books readers might consider for further study.  The picture on the book really shows how we are called to rely on God and God alone in all areas of life.  In order for that to be our reality, we have to let go and surrender all of us to Him, looking to G…