Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The Legend of St. Nicholas Childrens Picture Book

About the Book:

In The Legend of St. Nicholas, the new artwork, created by Marley and Me illustrator, Richard Cowdrey, captivates audiences and tells the story of a young man named Nicholas, who was moved by the plight of the poor and needy. Nicholas spent his life secretly helping the poor all over the world, giving gifts on Christmas Eve to remind people of the greatest Gift of all, Jesus Christ. This gentle Christmas book introduces the original St. Nicholas and offers inspiration for readers to become cheerful givers themselves. The final pages in the book include fun Father Christmas traditions in other lands.

About the Author:

Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of over 400 books and still can’t believe she gets to write for a living, helping children of all ages grow spiritually. She and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they’re blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats.

About the Illustrator:

Richard Cowdrey’s favorite things to draw and paint are the things that reflect the awesomeness of God and His creation. From vast landscapes to the littlest bug on a leaf, Richard marvels at the beauty in the details. Richard's bestselling children's books include Bad Dog, Marley and A Very Marley Christmas.

My Review:

4 Stars

From page one it is not hard to see that this is a beautifully illustrated book that children and adults will enjoy. This book is a great way to tell the story behind Santa to our children in a way that is easy for the to understand and enjoyable to. I would recommend this book for kids 4 and up. It is long with a lot of words on each page so the younger crowd may not sit still well that long or truly understand it. This book teaches a lesson on generosity and gift giving that is outwardly focused, something all of us at times need to learn or be reminded off. The book is not perfect but a great choice for the holiday season. I look forward to sharing it with my daughter as she get older.

* I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for the purpose of this review. Thank You.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Nowhere to Turn by Lynette Eason

About the Book:

Book 2 in Hidden Identity Series

She thought her days of hiding were over . . . but the danger has just begun

The day Danielle Harding takes her eleven-year-old son and flees from her abusive husband is the same day Kurt Harding dies. A relieved Dani believes she and her son are finally safe--but in reality, things are just heating up. When Kurt was alive, he took something important from a mysterious individual--who wants the item back and believes Dani now has it. As she and her son run for their lives, they have nowhere to turn, until she hires Adam Buchanan of Operation Refuge and goes into hiding. Unfortunately, she won't be able to hide for long . . .

From the first breathless scene, this tension-laced story will hold you in its iron grip as bestselling author Lynette Eason propels you along in a race to discover the truth.

My Review:

4 Stars

Nowhere to Turn is a fun and fast paced romantic suspense.  Lynette Eason really knows how to create suspense and weave a fun romance also. This is the second book in her Hidden Identity series but it is totally readable as a standalone book. Just like her other books the book is fast paced filled with unexpected turns and non stop thrill. Fans of Lynette Eason will enjoy this book and fans of romantic suspense need to check this out and her other books as well. I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out.

*I received this book from Revell Reads for the purpose of this review. Thank You!

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Conrad and the Cowgirl Next Door Children's Picture Book


About the Book:

“I hear that becoming a cowboy can be dangerous. Especially if you don't know the rules.

I don’t know the rules.”

It’s a good thing Conrad brought his Mega Ultimate Extreme First Aid Kit to Uncle Clint’s ranch because learning how to be a cowboy turns out to be a lot harder—and more painful—than he thought. Conrad has a lot to learn – including don’t squat with spurs on and never wave your red sweatshirt at a bull. But the biggest challenge of all is dealing with Imogene Louise Lathrup, the know-it-all-cowgirl next door. When Imogene shows up, she is all too happy to point out Conrad’s shortcomings. In this follow-up to their debut hit Pirates on the Farm, author Denette Fretz and illustrator Gene Barretta team up once again to tell a humorous tale about what it means to love your neighbor.

My Review:

5 Stars


Conrad and the Cowgirl Next Door is the next book in the Next Door Series about what happens when someone different moves in next door. The first book Pirates moved next door and this book a Cowgirl is next door. Just like the first book this book is hilarious. I just love all the illustrations that bring the book to life. There are so many details to enjoy and get giggly over.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to families with young children in the house. What a great book for 3-8 year olds, those still being read to and those reading to themselves. This book has something for all. It can be hard for parents to find books to read to their kids that don't drive them crazy but this one will keep the parents laughing too. The best part is it delivers a great message and full of clean fun.

* I received this book from booklook bloggers for the purpose of this review. Thank You!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Thief of Glory
WaterBrook Press (August 19, 2014)
by
Sigmund Brouwer


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sigmund Brouwer is the best-selling author of nearly thirty novels, with close to 4 million books in print. Based on his inspiration for Thief of Glory, which Sigmund wrote as a way to learn and honor the his parent’s stories, especially of his father’s boyhood in a Japanese concentration camp, Sigmund leads The Chapters of Our Lives memoir seminars across the United States and Canada. Sigmund is married to recording artist Cindy Morgan and has two daughters.



ABOUT THE BOOK

A boy coming of age in a time of war…
the love that inspires him to survive.


For ten year-old Jeremiah Prins, the life of privilege as the son of a school headmaster in the Dutch East Indies comes crashing to a halt in 1942 after the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Southeast Pacific. Jeremiah takes on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when his father and older stepbrothers are separated from the rest of the family, and he is surprised by what life in the camp reveals about a woman he barely knows—his frail, troubled mother.

Amidst starvation, brutality, sacrifice and generosity, Jeremiah draws on all of his courage and cunning to fill in the gap for his mother. Life in the camps is made more tolerable as Jeremiah’s boyhood infatuation with his close friend Laura deepens into a friendship from which they both draw strength.

When the darkest sides of humanity threaten to overwhelm Jeremiah and Laura, they reach for God’s light and grace, shining through his people. Time and war will test their fortitude and the only thing that will bring them safely to the other side is the most enduring bond of all.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Thief of Glory, go HERE.

Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Driftwood Tides
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (September 1, 2014)
by
Gina Holmes


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gina Holmes is the founder of Novel Rocket, regularly named as one of Writers Digest’s best websites for writers. Her debut, Crossing Oceans, was a Christy and Gold Medallion finalist and winner of the Carol Award, INSPY, and RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice, as well as being a CBA, ECPA, Amazon and PW bestseller. Her sophomore novel, Dry as Rain was a Christy Award finalist. Her latest novel, Wings of Glass has been named as one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and was a SIBA Okra pick and a finalist for Romantic Times’ Reviewers Choice Award. She holds degrees in science and nursing and currently resides with her family in southern Virginia. She works too hard, laughs too loud, and longs to see others heal from their past and discover their God-given purpose.

ABOUT THE BOOK

He made himself an island until something unexpected washed ashore. When Holton lost his wife, Adele, in a freak accident, he shut himself off from the world, living a life of seclusion, making drifwood sculptures and drowning his pain in gin. Until twenty-three-year-old Libby knocks on his door, asking for a job and claiming to be a friend of his late wife. When he discovers Libby is actually his late wife’s illegitimate daughter, given up for adoption without his knowledge, his life is turned upside down as he struggles to accept that the wife he’d given saint status to was not the woman he thought he knew.

Together Holton and Libby form an unlikely bond as the two struggle to learn the identity of Libby’s father and the truth about Adele, themselves, and each other.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Driftwood Tides, go HERE.