Razed

I received a copy of Razed by Paula Wiseman from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Bestselling Christian author Paula Wiseman presents "Razed," book one in her new Christian Fiction series... Doug Bolling lost his wife of twenty years just as their stormy marriage was beginning to thrive, and he bitterly blames God. He tries to reconnect with his son, but it seems Mark is only interested if the relationship comes wrapped in religion. Mark claims he's just following God when he moves his family, including Doug's grandsons, further away, first to pastor, then to attend seminary. With frustrated resignation, Doug turns his attention to building a new life and a new home for himself and interior designer, Cassandra Grayson. The conflict erupts as Mark is preparing to leave for the mission field in Kenya. He delivers an ultimatum, cutting off all contact between his kids and their grandfather. God may have ripped away his wife and his son, but Doug draws the line at his grandchildren. Mark's attempt to force him to choose between the woman he loves and the grandkids he adores, drives Doug to one fateful desperate act, even if it means destroying his relationship with his son.
This was a really good book.  I just hate how it leaves you hanging.  I could really relate to both Doug and Mark throughout the book.  We all have family that we have trouble relating or getting along with.  Doug and Mark have a much harder time communicating than I've ever had with anyone.  Reading this does put many of the struggles I've had with others into perspective and makes me glad I've never let things get as bad as Doug and Mark have.  I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

Heart Like Mine

I received a copy of Heart Like Mine by Amy Hatvany from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.

Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mineis a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.

This is a different book than I read before.  The story is told from 3 different points of view.  Grace, Ava and Kelli all give their perspective on things.  This sometimes made it hard for me to keep up with the story.  Grace and Ava each were basically just giving their side of the story and letting us know how they felt.  But with Kelli's part sometimes aligned with the others and went back to past.  It did help to understand why things happened it just was difficult to keep up at times.  I did like how the book ended with everyone trying to be a family despite everything that had happened.

Nine Minutes Past Midnight

I received a copy of Nine Minutes Past Midnight by Ernest F. Crocker from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Ern Crocker, called out to a medical emergency, became aware that God was working alongside him. In Nine Minutes Past Midnight, we hear this amazing life-changing story, which led Dr. Crocker to compare notes with many other doctors from around the world, about their experiences with God in medical emergencies and situations. Together, Dr. Crocker's story, and the testimonies of other medical professionals, including US doctors, create this inspirational account of how God interacts and intervenes in the world of medicine today. Our hope lies with God, not our circumstances! Sift through the stories of real-life doctors and medical professionals who have experienced the work of God first-hand, in both quiet, clear ways, as well as in dramatic fashion. Crocker has captured a powerful record of how a personal God interacts and intervenes in the lives of doctors, their patients, families and friends, to produce radical life change.

This was an interesting read.  Not only am I not familiar with Australia, I'm not familiar with medical terms.  Ern did a good job of explaining medical terms in layman's terms so that I could get the idea of what was wrong with the person.  I think it's interesting the more Ern searched for doctors that have experienced miracles the more friends he made and more opportunities came his way.  

Fed Up with Flat Faith

I received a copy of Fed Up with Flat Faith 10 Ways to Pump Up Your Faith by Kathy Howard from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Desperate. Tired. Dry. Flat. Many Christians struggle with flat faith. What they really desire is a fiery, passionate, connected faith. Fed Up with Flat Faith equips readers with five attitudes and five behaviors that will have them preparing their hearts and lives for God’s activity. Author and teacher Kathy Howard provides practical, foundational faith principles. With personal reflection questions, biblical truths, and the power of the Holy Spirit, faith can become dynamic and readers no longer have to live fed up with flat faith.
Kathy, a minister of adult education at a church in west Texas, has been teaching the Bible to adults for more than 20 years. In addition to discipling Christians, she also has an exciting teaching ministry for spiritual seekers and new believers. Actively involved in women’s ministry, Kathy is often invited to speak at women’s events and conferences. She holds a master’s degree in religious education and a certificate in women’s ministry from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary. Married for 25 years, she and her husband, Wayne, have three children and currently reside in Midland, Texas.
I could totally relate to this book!  It was like Howard knew me.  She gives some great ways to 'pump up your faith'.  Each of the 10 ways she gives is backed by scripture and her own real life examples.  Boy is it good to know that someone else has been there done that.

With or Without You

I received a copy of With or Without You by Domenica Ruta from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Domenica Ruta grew up in a working-class, unforgiving Italian town north of Boston where in the seventeenth century women were hanged as witches. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious figure in this hardscrabble place, was a drug addict and sometime dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, whose highbrow taste was at odds with her base appetites. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter the idea that art—via a classic film or a classical education—could transcend this life of undying grudges, self-inflicted misfortune, and the crooked moral code that Kathi and her cohorts lived by. With or Without You is the story of Domenica’s unconventional coming of age—a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit ’90s childhood and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process. In a brilliant stylistic feat, Domenica Ruta has written a powerful, inspiring, compulsively readable, and finally redemptive story about loving and leaving.
I really didn't enjoy this book.  It didn't have a logical flow.  I guess that shouldn't be too surprising given the life that Domenica and her mother led.  I know no one has the perfect childhood but I'm glad to see that Domenica was able to over come her upbringing.