beautiful, comforting coloring book

"Picturing Heaven" is a new coloring book that will occupy you for hours.  However, this is so much more than another coloring book that is the latest craze!  This is a coloring book plus a devotional book!  There are 40 devotionals with coloring pages to go along with them that fill this book.  Each picture is an intricate design that describes Heaven in some way.  What a better way to spend time with Jesus and learn about Heaven?!  The pages are a nice, thick quality for coloring on and this is such a wonderful book.  This would make an excellent gift for someone whom has recently lost a loved one here on Earth as a way to think about and remember with joy that the loved one is now in the presence of God. 

*Thanks to the Tyndale House Blogger Program for the complimentary copy of this book.*

"All This Time"

"All This Time" is the conclusion to Melissa Tagg's Walker Family series and it is an amazing story, but one I was so sad to finish as I want to read more!  Raegan has always felt more for Bear than just friendship, and when he left a piece of heart went with him.  However, fear and a secret she has been hiding from everyone kept her from flying out of the country to see him.   Raegan has also been keeping another secret that is discovered when Bear returns back in town suddenly.   Bear and Raegan both have things from their past to work through, and family is at a root of this as well.  Raegan's family is so close-knit and Bear is yearning for a better family tie.  As Bear settles back into life in Maple Valley and adjusting to his new normal, the past comes closer than he had imagined and leads him to question what he has been holding onto and what he has allowed to hold him back. 



I absolutely loved this book and really this entire series!  I love how this story focused on Raegan and Bear (finally!), but the rest of the Walker family were all a part of it as well.  Both Raegan and Bear are dealing with a lot and Melissa does a great job with addressing these issues and working through them, even with some humorous moments sprinkled in.  The characters, the town, everything just comes so alive in Melissa's books that it is as if I am a part of the story and it is like saying goodbye to real friends at the end of the book.  I am looking forward to what Melissa will write next, maybe a new family and town to draw us all into?!"

"All She Left Behind"

Jane Kirkpatrick's "All She Left Behind" is a historical romance and is based on a true story.  Jennie is a natural healer, meaning she uses herbs, plants, things of this kind to help out her patients.  However, her ultimate dream is to be a doctor; however this is not really accepted at this time and the path is not really going smooth for pursuing her dream. 

This is such a well-written story filled with so many vivid details and emotions.  Jennie has not given up on her dreams and she perseveres through trials and is an inspiring main character throughout the book.  I love the detail with which Jane writes and found everything with the plants and herbs, the natural healing fascinating to read and learn about.  This is a great read and one not to be missed for historical romance fans!

*Thanks to the Revell Reads Blogger Program for the complimentary copy of this book.*

coloring book!

 

 

This is such a great coloring book!  It is a nice size, small enough to easily toss into a bag to take with you to color in on the go, but not so small that it is hard to color or lacking detail.  The pages are nice, thicker quality as well.  I love the details included in the pictures, some are more intricate than others giving this a nice variety overall to the book.  I have the Paris copy as well and this is another great addition of the kind! 


"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Travel back in time to the Ohio-Kentucky frontier in 1774

Book info

About the book: Either she and her children would emerge from that wilderness together, or none of them would. . . . In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail. When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can to recover her son . . . especially when her second child is moments away from being born. Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob's life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do-be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them? Learn more and purchase a copy. About the author: Lori Benton was raised east of the Appalachian Mountains, surrounded by early American history going back three hundred years. Her novels transport readers to the eighteenth century, where she brings to life the Colonial and early Federal periods of American history. When she isn't writing, reading, or researching, Lori enjoys exploring and photographing the Oregon wilderness with her husband. She is the author of "Burning Sky," recipient of three Christy Awards, "The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn," Christy-nominee "The Wood's Edge," and "A Flight of Arrows." Find out more about Lori at http://loribenton.blogspot.com.    My Review: Lori Benton has created a beautiful story of adventure and heartache as well as one that is inspiring and filled with hope.  It was so easy to become completely engrossed in the story and transported to a different era and completely different world from today. Clare is an amazing main character, she displays strength in the mdist of intense trials.  Jeremiah's life has not been easy as well and yet he displays strength and compassion toward others.  It would be so easy to wallow in despair over hard times, but these two characters are great examples for pushing through and having faith. I absolutely loved this book, it is excellent historical fiction and one not to be missed for fans of this time period. to read other reviews included on this blog tour, go here! *Thanks to the Litfuse Publicity Group for including me on this blog tour and for the complimentary copy of this book.*

Did the president's politics interfere with the lives of U.S. service members? Don't miss Randy Singer's new book!

Book info

About the book: What did the president know? And when did she know it? For the members of SEAL Team Six, it was a rare mission ordered by the president, monitored in real time from the Situation Room. The Houthi rebels in Yemen had captured an American journalist and a member of the Saudi royal family. Their executions were scheduled for Easter Sunday. The SEAL team would break them out. But when the mission results in spectacular failure, the finger-pointing goes all the way to the top. Did the president play political games with the lives of U.S. service members? Paige Chambers, a determined young lawyer, has a very personal reason for wanting to know the answer. The case she files will polarize the nation and test the resiliency of the Constitution. The stakes are huge, the alliances shaky, and she will be left to wonder if the saying on the Supreme Court building still holds true. Equal justice under law. It makes a nice motto. But will it work when one of the most powerful people on the planet is also a defendant? Learn more and purchase a copy. About the author: Randy Singer is a critically acclaimed author and veteran trial attorney. He has penned more than ten legal thrillers, including his award-winning debut novel "Directed Verdict." In addition to his law practice and writing, he serves as a teaching pastor for Trinity Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He also teaches classes in advocacy and ethics at Regent Law School and serves on the school's Board of Visitors. Find out more about Randy at http://www.randysinger.net. My Review: Randy Singer has created an intense read, a political suspense fiction read, that could non-fiction in the day that we currently live.  "Rule of Law" is a book that will have you completely engrossed in the story, and having you thinking and analyzing the whole way through and after you finish reading.  There are a lot of characters and the setting and point of views go back and forth, but it is so easy to keep everyone straight and the chapters are short, which helps with this as well.  So many lives intersect and Randy does an incredible job with tying everything together and really creating a clear and accurate picture of the various roles that people play.   I was on a John Grisham kick years ago after I read one book by him, I read to read all of the others.  Randy is right up there on the same level with John as far as his writing and the multiple layers to the story that will slowly be unraveled and revealed throughout the book.  I highly recommend this read that is so current and appropriate for now.   To read other reviews included on this blog tour, go here! *Thanks to the Litfuse Publicity Group for including me on this blog tour and for the complimentary copy of this book!

"The Two of Us"

"The Two of Us" is the latest contemporary romance novel from Victoria Bylin and it is my favorite one yet from her!  Mia has traveled to Vegas for a wedding, not her own as she has been engaged twice, but not made it to "I do" once.  This wedding is for her younger half-sister, Lucy and her fiancée whom Mia has not met yet.  Lucy is pregnant and Mia does not believe that is a good enough reason to get married or enough to make this marriage last.  Mia likes to have answers and is organized and presents calm and all put together, while Lucy is more carefree and go with the flow.  Mia's world is tilted when she meets Lucy's fiancée Sam's best man and mentor in life, Jake.  Jake has taken Sam under his wing as his mother Connie was Jake's former partner on the police force until she was killed in the line of duty.  Mia has her heart and her mind set on getting accepted into Medical Mission and she has made this commitment to God to serve Him in this capacity as she has given up on love.  However, she feels torn after meeting Jake and Sam and knowing that she is going to have a little niece or nephew to love.  As Mia is forced to prove that she can adapt quickly and make changes, she moves to Echo Falls and takes over working as a general practitioner, while at the same time pursing her dream, yet she finds herself spending more time with Jake and finding herself a part of a family once again.

This is such an incredible book filled with loveable characters, a cute town and so many storylines.  Mia and Jake are the two main characters, but really Sam, Lucy, Claire and Frank are right up there as well.  Claire's health struggles are all too common and so relatable as is Frank having to learn to cope with this and Lucy sharing her love and compassion and learning how to best care for Claire.  Sam and Lucy are adjusting to married life and a complicated pregnancy.  Jake has been struggling with his partner's death and he feels he needs to honor her and that he owes her in a way and his dream of running a camp has been his focus.  Mia has her dream for her job and has lost hope for love and a family.  There are just so many emotions that you will experience while reading this, there is just so many layers to the characters, the stories and I would love to spend more time in Echo Falls, if Victoria chooses to write more books set in this town.  This is a book that will have you wrapped up in the characters' lives and celebrating with them in the high times and rooting for them and praying for strength during the lows. 

*Thanks to the Bethany House Blogger Review Program for the complimentary copy of this book.*