Dare to Love Again

Dare to Love Again is the second book in The Heart of San Francisco series by Julie Lessman, and it follows Allison McClare. Allison and her mother recently opened a school for girls in an area of the community where no respectable woman should go. Soon after opening the school, Allison finds herself in danger so a detective has to be hired to keep her safe and teach her how to protect herself. Although at first glance they seem to not get along with each other, they begin to interact with each other and find themselves getting over their pasts and starting to have a romantic relationship.

 

I love every book I have ever read by Julie Lessman, and this book was no different. The characters are so realistic, and you find yourself rooting for them and for their relationships to work. Their faith is also a great example to everyone who reads these books and follows the McClare family. I cannot wait until the next book comes out in this series so I can read more about the McClare family.

 

Available from Revell January 2014 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Revell as part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Book of Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids

The Book of Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliott is a really cute book for young kids who like telling or hearing jokes. This book is a combination of books including Laugh out Loud Jokes for Kids, Zoolarious Animal Jokes for Kids, and Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids. There are really cute jokes throughout this book, and they are appropriate for all ages.

 

I cannot wait to share some of these jokes with my young cousin because they are always looking for and asking jokes of the older people in our family. I know they will really enjoy reading this book while they’re in the car on vacations or during family events.

 

Available from Revell January 2014 

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Revell as part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Calling

The Calling by Suzanne Woods Fisher takes the reader again back to The Inn at Eagle Hill Book. This time the book looks at Bethany Schrock. She is the oldest child in the family, and she is spending her summer helping five elderly sisters clean out their house. She soon finds out that the women spend their time running a soup kitchen for the “down and out” people in the community. There is also some romance in the book. Jimmy Fisher has feelings for Bethany, but she just had a bad experience with Jake Hertzler, which is detailed in the first book. She doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with Jimmy. She also has questions about her past, specifically where her mother is and why she left her.

 

While Bethany is working thru her past, Geena, a youth leader, is staying at The Inn at Eagle Hill after being fired from her position. She also finds herself helping the five sisters with their mission of feeding the people in their community who are needy.

 

I really liked all of the characters in this book. They seemed to be going thru very realistic problems that even non-Amish people can relate to. I cannot wait until the third book in this series comes out so I can learn more about the people who live at The Inn at Eagle Hill.

 

Available from Revell January 2014 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Revell as part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

No One to Trust

In No One to Trust by Lynette Eason, Summer Abernathy woke up one morning to find herself being threatened by a mob boss demanding she return the laptop and flash drive her husband stole from them. In that morning, everything she thought she knew about her husband changed immediately. The book follows Summer and her husband as they try to repair their relationship and also stay safe and hidden from the “bad guys” while they’re in the WITSEC program.

 

I really liked this book, and the focus on the witness protection program. There were many characters, both good and bad, that played a role in Summer and her husband, Kyle’s, journey throughout the book. There was also a lot of attention paid to the issue of forgiveness. I empathized with Summer because she was struggling with her husband’s lies to her. She had conflicting emotions because she still loved him, but she questioned their entire relationship. This relationship and Summer’s response seemed very realistic, and that made me really like the characters and root for them throughout the story. You could tell that both Summer and Kyle had a strong faith, but they still struggled with some aspects of their faith, which is very realistic.  

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

Confident Faith

Confident Faith: Building a Firm Foundation for Your Beliefs, written by Mark Mittelberg, talks about the importance of being confident in our beliefs as Christians. The book is broken down into sections that include the six faith paths, twenty arrows of faith, and ten barriers to belief. The faith paths include The Relativistic Faith Path, The Traditional Faith Path, The Authoritarian Faith Path, The Intuitive Faith Path, The Mystical Faith Path, and The Evidential Faith Path. The twenty arrows of truth look at how science and logic point toward spiritual truth, how evidence for the Bible points toward spiritual truth, and how history and experience point toward spiritual truth. Lastly the ten barriers to belief talk the reader thru how to break through the barriers to confident faith and finding confident faith.

 

This book is a great read for someone who is looking for answers to some of the more difficult questions they may face as a Christian. It also helps you better understand what type of faith you have, and then reading additional information about that type of faith. This was a relatively quick read, and it did have informative information about different types of faith.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Tyndale as part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Everyday Confetti

Everyday Confetti: Your Year-Round Guide to Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions is written by Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer, and it looks at ways to celebrate different holidays. Celebrating Birthdays, The Big Game, Labor Day, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Book Lovers’ Day are just a few of the special occasions and holidays that this book looks at. The sections include quotes, Bible Verses, and recipes that help make each of these days special. There are also ideas for how to make special days stand out. Hosting a New Year’s Day Open House where you can invite friends and family over, planting trees to celebrate Arbor Day, and creating a Birthday Tablecloth Tradition are all ideas looked at in this book.

 

The format of the book made it really easy to just turn to a particular chapter that interests you. It also has a cute cover that made me immediately interested in reading the book. This is the perfect gift for anyone who likes entertaining or who is interested in creating new family traditions. The ideas were so original and creative. They would be great traditions to start for a new family, so this book would also be something great for a new mother to read.   

 

“Available January 2014 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.” Available January 2014

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from Revell as part of a blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

 

The Governess of Highland Hall

The Governess of Highland Hall is written by Carrie Turansky and is part of the Edwardian Brides series. Julia Foster is a young missionary who lives with her parents in India when they must return to England because of illness. Julia soon finds herself working as a Governess for Sir William Ramsey because she must earn money to help provide for her parents in the late 1800s - early 1900s. As you would expect, Julia finds herself becoming attracted to Sir William Ramsey, which is not appropriate since she works for him. There are various obstacles they must face in the story: the fact that the two young girls do not feel that they need Julia as a Governess and that Sir William Ramsey finds himself needing the appropriate funds to pay the taxes on his home.

 

I really like learning more about this time-period, and the characters were ones I was really rooting for. Although they were not perfect, they really grew throughout the story which always makes the characters more relatable.  

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Blogging for Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”