The Promises She Keeps

I recently read The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy which tells the story of Promise. Promise is attending college and is looking to become a famous singer in spite of health problems that ensure she will not live to old age. Promise still attempts to become well-known through her modeling and posing for art classes. There are some close encounters with death that Promise experiences which a local sorceress, Porta Cerreto, attempts to explain as the key to immortality.

Although the book was a little different, I enjoyed the characters of Chase, who is an artist who has Autism, Zack, a photographer who attends the local college, and Porta, who owns an art gallery and is, as I mentioned, trying to connect Promise to the idea of immortality. It took me a little bit of time to “get into” the book, as it was science-fiction/fantasy which is not typically the type of books I read, but, in the end, I enjoyed the book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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."

Angel Sister

Angel Sister, written by Ann Gabhart, tells the story of a family during the time of the Great Depression in a small town in Kentucky. The characters are ones that seem to come alive on the pages, as we learn about the Merritt family. Victor struggles with Alcoholism after his time spent fighting in WWI and Nadine attempts to keep her family together as she tries to deal with the various familial relationships in her life. Their oldest and youngest daughters seem to be insulated from the problems their family is experiencing while Kate, their middle daughter, tries to help keep her family together.

In addition to Kate taking care of her family, she becomes the protector of Lorena Birdsong, a young girls who is abandoned by her family because they do not have the means to care for her. As Lorena’s place in the small community is being questioned, Kate and her parents must face past relationships with their families. Nadine’s father, a pastor in the community, does not feel as if Lorena should be raised by the Merritt family so he designs a plan to have her placed within another home. Victor’s father, Preston Merritt, has never forgiven himself for the death of his other son, and he places that anger upon Victor.

Through the Merritt’s attempts to return Lorena to their home, they begin to face what went wrong in their pasts and how they can rectify those situations. It’s clear through the pages that the Merritt’s have a strong relationship with God, and this relationship is what allows them to get through the difficult times in their lives and begin to forgive one another for past mistakes.

Available February 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Lady in the Mist

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes tells the story of Tabitha Eckles, a young midwife who has resigned herself to the fact that she will never have a child of her own, as she is 24 years old and has no marriage prospects after her fiancé left her before their wedding. Through the chance encounter with a British indentured servant, Dominick Cherrett, Tabitha must face the realities of the tense relations between America and England.

I really enjoyed this book and liked the historical aspect which showed the tense relationship between America and England during the 1800s. British navy vessels were taking American citizens off the coast of Virginia during this time to serve in their military, with no hope of returning to their families in America. During the book, Dominick is on a mission to determine who is turning the Americans over to the British navy, and through this mission he finds himself falling in love with Tabitha. Throughout the story, there is not only the romance between the two characters but also a mystery as Dominick attempts to determine who is a traitor to their own country. Tabitha must use the knowledge she has gained when delivering babies to piece the puzzle together as to who would commit theses atrocious actions.

I was very interested in hearing about the historical background of Midwives in the first of The Midwives series of books, and I can’t wait to read more books by Laurie Alice Eakes to learn more about this historical background of midwives. I also enjoyed how both Dominick and Tabitha struggled with their relationship with God. Dominick felt as if he must prove himself to God, by doing something good, to atone for past sings. On the other hand, Tabitha has ended her relationship with Jesus because she felt he took everyone of importance from her, so he must not care about her. Although they were both struggling with their faith, together they were able to overcome these obstacles.

Available February 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Same Story, New Life

Same Story, New Life by Jan Silvious uses the stories of some of the most memorable women in the Bible, including Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Anna, Jehosheba, Abigail, Naaman's servant, Elizabeth, and present-day women. She uses their experiences to show women that through all situations, we can face different aspects of our life and follow God through our biggest struggles.

The chapters include: Realize it’s time, Don’t be held hostage by the past, Ask yourself good questions, Change your “I Can’t” to “I Can”. Delete the drama of the day, Forget the “What might have beens”, Discover the power of wisdom and courage, get past the resistance of fear, choose to bounce back, and the last chapter has not been written yet. There are stories told by both women in the Bible and women in the present who are facing these obstacles.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a very quick read. I read about two chapters each night as a devotional, and I loved hearing about these womens’ stories. I have always been interested in trying to learn more about Women in the Bible, but until this time, I hadn’t been able to find a book that captured my attention.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. 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 Truth About Dating, Love, & Just Being Friends

I recently read the Truth About Dating, Love, & Just Being Friends…and how NOT to be miserable as a teenager because life is short and seriously, things don’t magically get better after high school and lots of other important stuff, but we’ll get to that later…written by Chad Eastham. I really enjoyed the book, and I liked the overall format of the book which contained quotes, letters, pictures, and places for notes. The author takes the serious issue of dating for teenagers and addresses it in a way that is both humorous and sincere.

I really enjoyed how the book detailed the history of dating, the biggest dating mistakes, how to determine if what you are feeling is a healthy love, and the emotional feelings of teenagers. The author seemed to speak in a very honest and straightforward way, as if speaking to a personal friend. I am looking forward to sharing this book with my younger cousins, and I think the information contained in the book will help them in their future relationships.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. 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 Search

The Search is a book in the Lancaster County Secrets series, and, as with The Waiting, the other book I read in the series, I was not disappointed by the content of the book written by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The book focused on two seemingly different women, Lainey O’Toole and Bess Reihl. Lainey is a young “English” woman who is planning on spending her summer working to save money to attend culinary school. When her car breaks down in Soney Ridge, the town where she grew up, she must face her past as she earns money to repair her car. Bess is a young Amish girl who is spending the summer with her grandmother at Rose Hill Farm, very close to the apartment where Lainey took up residence for the summer. Unbeknownst to both Lainey and Bess, they have a bond that will come to light due to during a summer spent in Stoney Ridge.

I have read very many books about Amish people in the past, and along with The Waiting, I think this was one of my favorites. I liked that the focus was not entirely on a single Amish family, rather it also looked at the life of an “English” girl who was struggling with her past and also deciding the plan God has for her future. This book contains the right amount of romance, suspense, and some mystery thrown in through the attempts of Bess and her friend to discover what is occurring to the wildlife at a local pond. Another good aspect of the book was that it mentions characters from the first book in the series, but it’s not necessary to have read the first book to enjoy the second book in the series. I cannot wait until I learn more about the residents of Stoney Ridge in the upcoming Lancaster County Secrets books.

“Available January 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

The Waiting

The Waiting is the second book in the Lancaster County Secrets Series written by Margaret Brownley, which looks at the life of Jorie King during the Vietnam War. The fact that Jorie and all of her friends and family are Amish did not keep her fiancée Ben from being drafted into the Army and traveling to Vietnam as a contentious objector who was still near, if not in, battles. As Jorie waited for Ben to return home, she began teaching school and helping the young children in her community with their task of passing their 8th grade exams. During this time, Jorie learns that Ben will not be returning home, as he was killed in Vietnam. An unlikely relationship begins to grow between Jorie and Ben’s brother, Caleb. Their relationship faces some turmoil, and they must decide if they belong together.

Although I’ve read numerous books about people who are Amish, I can honestly say this was the only one of its kind. I felt as if Jorie and all of the others in her community were “real” people, not just “perfect” people. The book shows that no matter who you are, or how you were raised, there is no one above making mistakes and having difficult relationships with others. For this reason, I think the book especially resonated with me.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series and find out more about the others in the community and how God will shape their futures.

“Available October 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”