Rebekah

Rebekah is the newest book in the Wives of the Patriarchs series by Jill Eileen Smith. After the death of Rebekah’s father, her brother Laban is responsible for finding a husband for her. Although she is nervous about who she will choose for her, he makes a good decision when he promises her to their cousin Isaac who she falls in love with during their first meeting. Upon the later birth of their twins, Esau and Jacob, she had a vision from God which indicated the older brother will serve his younger brother. This created a rift in the family, as mother and father each chose a different favorite child who they wanted to see lead their people.   

 

I like that this is a story most people are aware of, but the way that it is written bring in new insight into the reason Rebekah acted the way she did. I had always looked at her as deceptive and never paid much attention to the reasoning behind her actions. Although I read the first book in the series, you do not need to read these books in any particular order to understand and enjoy them.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell 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."

 

“Available February 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

I Still Believe

I have been a fan of Jeremy Camp since the first time my older sister played his music for me, after she heard him speak at a creation concert. She told me that his life paralleled the movie “A Walk to Remember” and I was very excited to get the opportunity to read his book I Still Believe. Jeremy Camp was raised in a Christian home, and there were some years where he seemed to rebel against what he knew was the correct way to live his life. He didn’t do anything drastic, but it was enough to cause him to make some difficult choices in his life, such as leaving his high school and his football team to attend a Christian school. Jeremy soon after met Melissa who he proposed to while she was fighting cancer. After their marriage, they were confident her cancer was gone, but it soon returned and Jeremy lost his wife. The book then looks at Jeremy’s steps to overcome the terrible loss in his life. Jeremy eventually finds new love and is now married to Adie Camp and has three young children. Jeremy details the emotions he felt after losing his wife and the way he dealt with finding new love.

 

I really enjoyed this book, and I am excited to order Jeremy’s new CD. I have really enjoyed his songs in the past, and I liked how the book told some of the emotions he felt as he was writing some of his best-known songs. Jeremy wrote this book with sincerity and complete honesty. Through this book Jeremy’s relationship with Jesus is evident, and he clearly wants to share this relationship with others. I think this book is a great read for everyone.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale 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."

A New Home for Lily

I recently read A New Home for Lily, the second book from the Adventures of Lily Lapp series by Suzanne Woods Fisher. This was a cute book that is perfect to be read to a younger child. Lily moves from New York to Pennsylvania, and this causes changes in her life. The book shows that moving for an Amish child is similar to what an “English” child goes through when they move. Lily has to deal with new friends, a new school, and even a new home. As she moves to PA, she also starts to take on more responsibilities in the home which prove to be interesting to read about.

 

I thought this book was the perfect book for a child in the 9-12 age range, and I cannot wait to share it with my younger cousins who will love to learn more about Amish culture.

 

Available February 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell 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."

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow

The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow is the second book I’ve read in the Avenue of Dreams series by Olivia Newport, and I really liked the continuation of this series. This book focuses on Charlotte Farrow, who is a maid for the Banning family who lives in the wealthy Prairie Avenue section of Chicago. In the first book, Lucy Banning became friends with Charlotte, and helped her find a woman to take care of her young newborn. In The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow, Charlotte’s son is brought back to the Banning family. She must decide what is the best way to have her son Henry taken care of while remaining in her position so she can earn money to take care of him.

 

In addition to being a romance, this book also had many historical aspects, as it took place during the 1893 World’s Fair and also looked at the lives of servants during this time. Archie Shepard is another character who works in the Banning household, and the relationship between him and Charlotte is another reason I enjoyed this book so much. Archie was very understanding and was a great counterpart for Charlotte as he tried to show her to rely on others and God when she faces obstacles in her life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to hopefully read more books in the Avenue of Dreams Series.   

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell 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."

 

“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Choices of the Heart

Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes is the third book in the Midwives series, and it looks at Esther Cherrett. Esther was trained by her mother as a midwife, but her career quickly changes when a scandal emerges that she is in the center of. She soon moves to Virginia and begins teaching to leave her past behind. Although she is hiding from her past, she finds herself involved in entirely new problems. Two feuding families have intentions of Esther marrying their sons, despite the fact that the two men, Griff Tolliver and Zach Brooks, have pledged to end their family feud.    

 

I really liked the focus of this book, and the fact that it showed you don’t have to run away from your past since it’s possible to find redemption. I also liked the romance part of the book and the dedication Griff showed to ending the cycle of feuding which existed between his and Zach’s family. I’m glad I had the chance to read all 3 of the books in the Midwives Books Series!!    

 

Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell. 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.

Waiting for Spring

In Waiting for Spring, the second book in the Westward Winds Series by Amanda Cabot, Charlotte Harding finds herself hiding many secrets about herself: who her husband was, why she is hiding, where she grew up, her previous career, and the fact that her son is blind. She never expected to meet someone like Barrett Landry. He is a wealthy cattle baron who is contemplating a run for political office. Although their attraction to one another is apparent, Barrett’s advisors are pushing for him to marry the daughter of an influential newspaperman. These is also some suspense and mystery, as the “bad guy” is after money he assumes Charlotte is in possession of.  

 

I loved the romance aspect of this book, as well as the characters. I was really rooting for Charlotte and Barrett, as well as the secondary characters. Although I read the first book in this series, it’s not necessary to have read it to understand what is going on in Waiting for Spring.

 

"Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group."

 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. 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.*  

The Lesson

 

The Lesson tells the story of Mary Kate Lapp, the last daughter in the Lapp family who have their stories told in the Stoney Ridge Seasons of books. Mary Kate, M.K., is the youngest daughter in her family, and she is definitely the most precocious of all the children. No matter what she tries to do, there always seems to be some type of disaster following the 19 year old.

 

M.K. dreams of travel, and she wants to leave her Amish community. Her plans for travel are put on hold when she causes an accident which leaves the school teacher out of commission for 10 weeks. M.K. finds herself with a new position in her community as she becomes the substitute teacher. In addition to her new job, M.K. can’t help but let her imagination wander when she decides the newest resident of her town is a thief and murderer. Obviously, this creates many interesting moments for M.K.    

 

I really enjoyed this book, and as I read the other books in the series, I could not wait to learn about M.K. since she was always entertaining in the other books. I thought this book tied in nicely with the others in the series, but you don’t necessarily have to read the first 2 in order to enjoy this book. I’m sad to see this series come to an end, but I will be looking forward to more books by Suzanne Woods Fisher.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell 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."

 

“Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”


Suzanne Woods Fisher is holding a contest in celebration of the release of The Lesson. Suzanne is giving away TWO iPads and iTunes gift cards!

Contest details on Suzanne's site: http://suzannewoodsfisher.com/contest

Contest dates: Jan 3-20, 2013

Two winners will receive:

• A brand new iPad

• A $15 gift certificate to iTunes