Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Another Way Home

I received a copy of Another Way Home by Deborah Raney from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes God’s ways are not at all what we expect … and exactly what we need.
Grant and Audrey are adding grandchildren to their family left and right, but middle daughter, Danae, and her husband, Dallas Brooks, have been trying for years with no baby in sight.

Though Danae is ready to consider adoption, Dallas will not even discuss it. Despairing of ever having a family of her own, Danae decides to pour her passion and energies into volunteer work with a newly opened women’s shelter in town. Looking for a good cause to fill her lonely days, she never expects to give her heart to the hurting women she meets there. She’s finally learning to live her life with gratitude, but then heart-wrenching events on Thanksgiving weekend threaten to pull the entire Whitman clan into turmoil—and leave them all forever changed.

This was a very hard book to put down.  I hadn't ready any of Deborah Raney's other books and this one reminded me of some of Karen Kingsbury books.  Deborah did a really good job of making the Whitman family very real and easy to relate to.  I love how they all got along and learned from each other through all of life's ups and downs.

Monday, December 28, 2015

The Five Times I Met Myself

I received a copy of The Five Times I Met Myself by James L. Rubart from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


What if you met your twenty-three year old self in a dream? What would you say?
Brock Matthews' once promising life is unraveling. His coffee company. His marriage.
So when he discovers his vivid dreams—where he encounters his younger self—might let him change his past mistakes, he jumps at the chance. The results are astonishing, but also disturbing.
Because getting what Brock wants most in the world will force him to give up the one thing he doesn't know how to let go of . . . and his greatest fear is it's already too late.

I have read several of James L. Rubart's books and have enjoyed every one of them.  This one was no different.  It truly made me wonder if I could go back and talk to my younger self would I want to and what would I say if I could?  Would it make me a different person if I did?  It also makes me wonder if I'm making the most of the life I have today.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Too Blessed to Be Stressed Cookbook

I received a copy of Too Blessed to Be Stressed Cookbook by Debora M. Coty from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Feeling overwhelmed by life's daily demands? Could you use some encouragement and inspiration in the kitchen? The Too Blessed to Be Stressed Cookbook to the rescue! Each of the 100-plus recipes can be prepared in 20 minutes or less, plus you'll encounter some fabulous tips and suggestions as well as funny foodie quotes, scripture selections, humorous stories of cooking misadventures, and more, along the way. Recipes are arranged into 4 categories--Heart-Healthy, Soul-Fed, Time-Wise, and Company-Happy--and are accompanied by appealing full-color photographs. You'll cheer as you soak up the joy Debora M. Coty brings into your life and home!

I really enjoyed the recipes and Debora's stories that she shared along with them.  There are several recipes that I can't wait to try.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Seeking the Star

I received a copy of Seeking the Star by Traci Borum from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
One December night, in the sleepy Cotswold village of Chilton Crosse, a drifter named Ben collapses on George and Mary Cartwright’s snow-covered doorstep. As Christmas cheer spreads throughout the village with a Dickens-themed festival, Mary nurses Ben back to health, but she becomes curious about the secrets he seems to carry.

On Christmas Eve, one of Ben’s secrets accidentally comes to light, forcing him to confront the darkness of his past and to rediscover the faith he once knew.

This was a good book with a great message.  George and Mary finds Ben passed out on their doorstep a few days before Christmas.  Without knowing anything about Ben they welcome him into their home and nurse him back to health.  As the days go on Ben finds their village feeling more and more like somewhere he belongs.  Ben has secrets that he's not sure he wants anyone to find out.  Can he continue to stay in the village without anyone finding out about his past?