Trade Your Cares For Calm by Max Lucado

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with worry?  Consumed with fear or anxiety?  Does it feel like you are not enjoying life like you used to?  If the answer is yes, then Trade Your Cares for Calm is the book for you.

The last month or two I have been struggling with many emotions.  There seems to be no good reason.  There has not been any tragic events that have happened in my life, but yet I've struggled with many sleepless nights and shed more than a few tears.  Trade Your Cares for Calm came at just the right moment for me.  It has helped me get my focus back where it needs to be and focus on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.

Fear sees a threat.  Anxiety imagines one.

Don't start tackling tomorrow's problems until tomorrow.  You do not have tomorrow's strength yet.  

C - Celebrate God's Gooness

A - Ask God For Help

L - Leave your Concerns with Him

M - Meditate on good things

What I have in God is Greater than what I don't have in this life.

A lot of what is included in this book is snippets from Max Lucado's other books. It is not a long read.  It is broke down into 10 chapters that include topics such and worry, fear and anxiety, God's goodness, practicing Gratitude, etc. There are thoughtful questions at the end of each chapter that help you think through where your focus is and where it needs to be.  

***Thanks to booklookbloggers.com for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Masterpiece - Book Review

Roman Velasco is a rich, self centered artist who's artistry is highly acclaimed and sought after, by night he is know as "bird/BRD" and works in secret as he tags buildings with his signature marked graffiti.  He has experienced loss and betrayal throughout his entire life and has shut off his heart from everyone.  In walks Grace...

Grace has her own set of problems.  She lost her parents tragically at a young age, she made some poor choices and gets married to someone she thought she knew while they were both in college.  Soon after, Grace has to quit college to support her ill tempered husband.  When she catches him cheating on her in their home he announces he loves the other woman and leaves Grace.  Shortly after Grace deals with an unplanned pregnancy.  She decides to give the baby up for adoption, but as soon as he is placed in her arms she knows she can never give her precious baby up.  Struggling to make a fresh start Grace begins working for Roman Velasco as his personal assistant.

These two have a lifetime full of scars.  If there were ever more complete opposites these two are it.  Grace is grounded, Roman is reckless.  Grace loves God, Roman is an atheist.  Grace likes order, Roman's life is chaos.  Grace struggles to make ends meet, Roman has more money than he knows what to do with. The list goes on and on, but these two are drawn together by jaded pasts and what awaits them is a masterpiece of God's redeeming love.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book.  The story jumps smoothly between past and present so the reader gets a good feel for everything the characters have dealt with in their past.  Both of their stories are heartbreaking, and their was a sadness to the book, but the ending gives hope.

There were a few things I didn't care for in this novel.  They are nit picky things.  One example would be that one of Grace's church going, christian friends encouraged her to get an abortion.  There is also mention of drinking cussing and sex.  I realize that Roman is a rough character and this is how the author chose to portray the depth of his sin. The last book I read by Francine Rivers was Redeeming Love and although many people rave about the book, I did not care for it and felt it was too detailed in sexual matters.  So with that I was a little leary about this book.  Overall, I enjoyed it, but due to my own christian convictions, a lot of what she writes did not sit well with my heart.

***Thank you to Tyndale Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Coldwater - A Book Review

Cold Water by Samuel Parker is a dark and disturbing novel.  It is unlike any book I have ever read, but from the first page I was drawn into a story that was so well written that I could not put the book down.  I finished the whole book within two days, which I must add, included two sleepless nights.  I could not stop reading.
I'll admit that I was a little unsure about what I was reading.  Especially at first.  Being someone who only reads christian fiction, this book did not fit the regular mold of books I read.  It is published by Revell which is a Christian publishing company so I felt at ease knowing that they approved.  There is some drinking, bar scenes and smoking in the book.  These things are not glorified though and it did fit with the story line. There is violence and evil scenes that are NOT going to be for everyone.  I would definitely recommend this book for adults only.  There is no cursing or sex which is good, because that would have turned me away immediately.

There is no mention of God and I think that is why most people are questioning whether or not this fits into the christian category.  Mercy is mentioned and there is redemption and justice at the end, but the evil is still there.  There are things that happen in the story that are supernatural.  This was the part that I struggled with the most.  It was just too unreal.  I believe a person can be devil possessed.  I believe that evil can control a person entirely, but some of it was just not possible.  I may be reading too much into it, but I felt like that was were a lot of the symbolism came into play.  For me, this book made me think. A lot.

I think there is so much more to this story than what a lot of people are realizing.  It's deep.  I think there is a much bigger message than what meets the eye.  We live in an evil world.  If you don't believe there are demonic forces, you have not seen some of the things I have.

I would love to sit down with the Author and have him explain his thoughts on this story.  I'm sure I'm missing some of the symbolism and I would just love to pick his brain.  Sometime down the road I will read this book again and maybe get a deeper perspective of it the second time around.

I won't go into any of the details of the storyline, there are too many spoilers that would be spilled.  From the very first chapter it grips you and it's something you will have to experience for yourself.  Like I said though, this book is not for everyone.  I would describe it best as a thriller and yes, after reading it, I would say a Christian thriller.

***Thanks to Revell for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The View From Rainshadow Bay - A Book Review

The View from Rainshadow Bay by Colleen Coble is an excellent murder mystery that kept me guessing up until the end.  It seemed the deeper I got into the story the more twists and turns there would be.

Shauna's husband died a year ago in a rock climbing accident.  Since that day she has blamed her husbands best friend Zach for the accident.  Now some of Zach and Shauna's friends have been murdered.  Shauna and her little boy Alex seem to be the next target so they move in with Zach for safety purposes.  They are forced to deal with what happened a year ago all while trying to solve the mystery of what is going on now.  Is it possible that all of the deaths are related?  Can Shauna forgive Zach enough to get to the bottom of this.

I absolutely loved this book.  It had the right about of mystery, love and faith in it to make for the perfect christian suspense novel.  I did not want to put the book down. The emotions that Shauna dealt with were so well written that you could feel her pain.  I loved, and was surprised, when the story started digging deeper into Shauna's past and this added to a couple added twists to the story.

If you haven't read any of Colleen Coble's novels she is a great author and this has been one of my favorites to date!

***Thanks to booklookbloggers for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Imperfect Justice

Imperfect Justice by Cara C. Putman is the second book in the Hidden Justice series.  Even though it is the second in the series it works well as a stand alone novel.

The police say the woman was a murderer.  Emilie Wesley knows they can't be talking about her client...can they?

To the world it seems obvious:  Kaylene Adams killed her daughter and then was shot by police.  Attorney Emilie Wesley knows a different story:  Kaylene would never hurt anyone and was looking for a way out of a controlling, abusive relationship.  Her death shakes Emilie's belief that she can make a difference for women in violent marriages.  Self-doubt plagues her as she struggles to continue her work in the the wake of the tragedy.

Reid Billings though he knew his sister-right up until he learned how she died.  he discovers a letter from Kaylene begging him to fight for custody of her daughters if anything should happen to her.  Not attorney in her right mind would support an uncle instead of the father in a custody case, but Kaylene's letter claims Emilie Wesley will help him.

Thrown together in a race to save Kaylene's surviving daughter, Emilie and Reid pursue the constantly evasive truth.  If they can hang on to hope together, can they save a young girl-and find a future for themselves in the process?

I really liked the overall story line, but I did struggle with connecting to the characters.  This book seemed to be lacking something for me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what. I think it was the character Emilie that I didn't really connect well with.  Other than that it was okay.

***Thanks too booklookbloggers for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest reveiw.  

The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz

Have you started your 2018 reading list yet?  Do you have your #2018stack compiled?  If you are a historical fiction fan like me I have one you are definitely going to want to add to your list!  The Lacemaker by Laura Frantz will kick start your reading plan with a bang.

From the beautiful cover, the engaging story line, the rich historical detail, this book has everything I love.  This is truly my favorite genre and it's author's like Laura Frantz who make it so enjoyable for me.  When an author can take their readers and somehow transport them to another era and keep you guessing is truly a gift.  I've always been a fan of Laura Frantz, but I believe this is her best book to date.  This is one you will not want to miss!

When colonial Williamsburg explodes like a powder keg on the eve of the American Revolution, Lady Elisabeth "Liberty" Lawson is abandoned by her fiance and suspected of being a spy for the hated British.  No one comes to her aid save the Patriot Noble Rynallt a man with formidable enemies of his own.  Liberty is left with a terrible choice.  Will the Virginia belle turned lacemaker side with the radical revolutionaries, or stay true to her English roots?  And at what cost?

This is a suspenseful story of love, betrayal and new beginnings. Once you start you won't be able to stop.  be sure to pick up your copy today!


***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Oath of Honor - A Book Review

When it comes to suspense novels, Author Lynette Eason never lets me down.  Her newest novel, Oath of Honor, is the first book in the Blue Justice series.  It offers page turning suspense and twists and turns that leaves you guessing until the end.  It's everything I love in a good mystery novel.  I love suspense mingled with strong relationships and characters that you can connect with.

A murdered partner. A missing brother. Will Isabelle's silence protect those she loves . . . or delay justice?

Police officer Isabelle St. John loves her crazy, loud, law-enforcement family.  She knows they'll be there for her when things get tough.  Like when her partner is murdered and she barely escapes with her own life.

Izzy is determined to discover exactly what happened, and her investigation sends her headfirst into a criminal organization, possible with cops on the payroll-including someone from her own family.  With her dead partner's brother Ryan, a handsome homiscide detective, shadowing her every move, Izzy's head is spinning.  How can she secure justice for her partner when doing so could mean sending someone she loves to prison?  And how will she guard her hear when the man she's had a secret crush on for years won't leave her side?

I can't wait to read the next book in this series! I hope it continues to focus on some of the characters I've come to love in this book!  If you love edge of your seat suspense this book comes highly recommended!

***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Missing Isaac - A Book Review

Missing Isaac is the debut book of Valerie Fraser Luesse and let me tell you, she nailed it.  From the very first chapter I was enthralled in this historical fiction story set in Alabama in the 1960's.  The book is a coming of age story about Pete McClean.  Pete loses his father when he is only eleven years old.  A tragic farming accident takes his life and his good friend Isaac, one of his father's hired farm hands is there to help Pete through the trying days ahead.  When Isaac suddenly disappears, Pete is determined to find out what happened to him.  No one seems to know and even fewer seem to care.  When Pete can't find the answers he needs he sets off on his own to find Isaac himself.  He soon meets Dovey and much of the story is about their budding relationship.

I found much of this story sad.  Set in a time where there is still racial lines and segregation and young Pete is dealing with the loss of two important men in his life I found the addition of Dovey uplifting and enjoyed their friendship that blossomed into something more.

I will be watching for more books by Valerie Fraser Luesse and will definitely be recommending her to others!


***Thanks to Revell Reads for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.