Tag: Christian

A  look at family secrets and colorful characters that leave you with an important reminder…  ~ Sheila

Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler.

Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s.

Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free.

My Thoughts…

I have not read Tamara Leigh before this book and found her characters to have life breathed into them which I really like.  Characters that I can relate to, and find them to be real is always a plus and I enjoyed how Tamara took many of her characters and made them enjoyable to get to know.

The topic centered around family secrets was another plus.  I like to read about how families deal with things they try to bury in their past, especially when it comes in a Christian format such as this one.  I for one find great comfort in letting go of the past and moving on with a sense of known forgiveness and an honest approach to where I have been.  A light easy read that I enjoyed.

What about Tamara Leigh?

Tamara Leigh is the best-selling author of twelve novels, including award-winning “Splitting Harriet” (2008 ACFW “Book of the Year”), “Faking Grace” and “Leaving Carolina” the first book in her new “Southern Discomfort” series. A former speech and language pathologist, Tamara lives with her husband and their sons in Tennessee. Visit her website at: www.tamaraleigh.com

 

This review copy was sent to me by WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

A quick written, quick witted book about a teenage girl… loved the green tips!  ~ Sheila

Sixteen-year-old Maya Stark has a lot to sort through. She could graduate from high school early if she wants to. She’s considering it, especially when popular cheerleader Vanessa Hartman decides to make her life miserable–and Maya’s ex-boyfriend Dominic gets the wrong idea about everything.

To complicate matters even more, Maya’s mother will be released from prison soon, and she’ll want Maya to live with her again. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And when Maya plays her dad’s old acoustic guitar in front of an audience, she discovers talents and opportunities she never expected. Faced with new options, Maya must choose between a “normal” life and a glamorous one. Ultimately, she has to figure out what matters most.

My Thoughts:

This was a fun, quick read.  I like how it is written in a journal type format.  It seemed to fit perfectly for Maya and brought me back to my team years when I too journaled my days (of course then we called it a diary).  😉

I found the book to be unique with Maya’s Green Tips Of The Day.  Loved it.  Going into this read I did not know this was the third in a series called Diary Of A Teenage Girl.  What I have missed is A Not So Simple Life and Its A Green Thing.  Two books that if I came across them, I would not pass up.

About Melody…

Melody Carlson has published over ninety books for adults, children, and teens, with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards, including the Gold Medallion and the RITA Award.

I received my review copy of the book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group

This book dropped me into a battle field… one that I am reminded as I read this that we continue to fight daily…  ~Sheila

Sir Dalton, a knight in training, seems to have everything going for him. Young, well-liked, and a natural leader, he has earned the respect and admiration of his fellow knights, and especially the beautiful Lady Brynn.

But something is amiss at the training camp. Their new trainer is popular but lacks the passion to inspire them to true service to the King and the Prince. Besides this, the knights are too busy enjoying a season of good times to be concerned with a disturbing report that many of their fellow Knights have mysteriously vanished.

When Sir Dalton is sent on a mission, he encounters strange attacks, especially when he is alone. As his commitment wanes, the attacks grow in intensity until he is captured by Lord Drox, a massive Shadow Warrior. Bruised and beaten, Dalton refuses to submit to evil and initiates a daring escape with only one of two outcomes-life or death. But what will become of the hundreds of knights he’ll leave behind? In a kingdom of peril, Dalton thinks he is on his own, but two faithful friends have not abandoned him, and neither has a strange old hermit who seems to know much about the Prince. But can Dalton face the evil Shadow Warrior again and survive?

Author bio.:

Chuck Black traveled with the Air Force as a communications engineer and F-16 fighter pilot and began a career as a product design engineer. Chuck and his wife, Andrea, homeschool their six children and have a family music ministry that travels throughout the region. He is the author of nine novels, has been published in The Old Schoolhouse e-zine, and has received praise from parents across the country for his unique approach to telling biblical truths. Chuck and his family live in Williston, North Dakota.

My Thoughts:

I am coming into this read not having read the first or second book.  Truly written in a good VS. evil style right from the early pages I felt as though I was playing catch up on a story that had begun two books ago.  While this book does stand on its own, if I were to have had time, I would have started with book 1 and went from there working my way to this book in order to just pick up on the flow of Chuck Black’s writing style.  I have to say that the introduction in the book to the Knights of Arrethtrae was very helpful!)

In this book Sir Dalton is in training to be a knight and when he is sent on a mission he finds when he is alone he is being attacked.  (I really love this metaphor in the book and actually paused a bit to think how true this can be…  we are more easily attacked when we are separated from others.)

A likable YA read, I think Sir Dalton makes a wonderful character that kids (I am thinking boys ages 7-13) will relate to.  The book covers great Christian subject matter in a way that reads like the story of knighthood and at the same time great questions are wove into the words…  Sir Dalton

Why should we believe?

What do we do with doubt?

Who can save him?

Sir Dalton continues his training through the book and again I am thinking if my boys were younger they would have enjoyed these books.   A quick read for me….  I was excited to get a bit of a CS Lewis feel to this read.  I think this book would be a great discussion book to review with your child about the power of good and evil and the wonders of a strong spirit.

I received this book to review from Publicist KellyBlewett

UPDATE:  thank you Karoline from Okbo Lover who asked what the first two books in this series are.  I meant to add these and had forgotten!  Appreciate this reminder.

Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione (The Knights of Arrethtrae) (Paperback)

Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court (The Knights of Arrethtrae) (Paperback)

A beautiful book that would make a lovely gift for the father of the bride…  ~ Sheila

Babies come in two kinds-boys and girls. We know that going into parenthood. Still, most dads get a little nervous when the nurse places in their arms a tiny bundle. They can relate to boys…football, toy trains, etc. A girl, on the other hand…well let’s be honest. What in the world does a father do when he’s invited for imaginary tea? Robert Wolgemuth puts these anxieties to rest, relating all the wonderful times that are waiting to be hand with a special little lady-your daughter. He focuses on what works, like “reading riddle books” and tenderness; and what doesn’t, like comparing her to other girls and harsh punishment. Best of all, this is a book about making an investment in the life of a little girl who, some day, will become one of her daddy’s closeset friends.

My Thoughts:  This was a different read for me for several reasons.  One it is written for a father.  I am not a father.  It is about fathers and daughters.  I also do not have any daughters.

What is amazing about a book like this is that I dont have to be a father or have daughters to appreciate what Robert Wolgemuth is writing about here.   In She Still Calls Me Daddy, Robert really brings his own personal stories to life here, as he shares with great passion and faith about having daughters, raising daughters, and then letting them go.  I really enjoyed this book and as someone who never had the opportunity to have my father walk me down the aisle or have my dad meet my husband… it was bittersweet as to a relationship we could have had.

I think this book would make a wonderful gift for the father who is soon giving away his daughter.

This book was sent to me for review by Thomas Nelson