Review - The Cat That God Sent & The Dog That Talked To God

Anybody who knows me knows I'm an animal lover, especially for cats as I have two of them. I instantly signed up to review The Cat That God Sent and The Cat That Talked To God by Jim Kraus, which I received free of charge from Liftfuse Publicity Group and Abingdon Press in exchange for my honest review.

In The Cat That God Sent, Jake Wilkerson packed up his little belonging into his pickup truck and traveled to Coudersport, Pennsylvania, where he took the job as the pastor of the small rural church. As soon as he arrived at the church, which he'll also be living there, he is welcomed by as a sliver and black cat that came out-of-nowhere. Jake has a soft spot for animals and takes the cat in. The cat has a thorn stuck in its paw, therefore, Jake tracks down the local veterinarian, Emma Grainger, who removes the thorn and names the cat Petey.

Petey is not the typical cat as he likes to ride with Jake in the truck and listen to Jake's sermons. What Jake doesn't know is that Petey has been sent on a mission from God. The cat is not the only new addiction to Jake's life as a young runaway, Tassy, enters his life.

With the help of Petey, Jake must overcome his fears, so he can help the residents of Coudersport.

Review - Sweet Sanctuary

Sweet Sanctuary
By Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764207891
ASIN: B00AHY0UFY
Pages: 352
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/jRdKJ
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/KSawyer 

Review:

I've been a big of fan of Kim Vogel Sawyer's books, especially the Mennonite books, so I eagerly signed up to review Sweet Sanctuary courtesy of Litfuse Publicity and Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Set in 1944, Dr. Micah Hatcher's world is suddenly changed when out-of-the-blue he receives a mysterious letter from his ex-girlfriend's (Lydia Eldredge) father. It seems that Mr. Eldredge has somehow gotten the idea that Micah is the father of Lydia's son, Nicky. The man is forcing legal troubles if Micah doesn't take responsibility of being the boy's father. Of course, this is all a mistake? Right?

Dr. Hatcher arrives at the Eldridge household to unravel the confusion, where he meets the young Nicky playing in the yard. Nicky instantly befriends Hatcher, calling him Micah-my-friend. Old sparks rekindle when Dr. Hatcher catches a glimpse of the lovely Lydia.

Review - When Jesus Wept

When Jesus Wept
By Bodie & Brock Thoene
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: March 19, 2013
ISBN: 978-0310335931
ASIN: B008EGUFAW
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/jubpF
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/BThoene
 
Review:

As many of my blog readers know, I am a heavy book reader as I have read many books from may authors and genres over the years. I had found one of the Zion Covenant books by Bodie & Brock Thoene at a thrift store years ago and I ended up checking out the rest of the series at my local library. I was more than eager to read their latest novel When Jesus Wept, courtesy of the publisher and Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review.

Book One in The Jerusalem Chronicles is told from the point-of-view of David Ben Lazarus, who was owner of a vineyard in Bethany (near Jerusalem). He was living a simple life until he met a stranger, Jesus of Nazareth, who will forever change the course of his life.

When Jesus Wept covers the significant events of Lazarus as he witnesses Jesus’s teachings, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection, all which is in the Bible, but it also shows more of Lazarus's family and friends.

Review - Unrivaled

Unrivaled
By Siri Mitchell
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764207976
ASIN: B00AHY0T00
Pages: 400
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/jiUA3
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/author/smitchell

Review:

It is 1910 and Lucy Kendall has returned to her home town of St. Louis, Missouri after touring Europe. She was looking forward to spending time with her friends and family, but her friends are now married and father has become ill. To make things worse, she learns that her mother has put up the family candy business, City Confectionery, up for sale. Lucy is sadden by this as she had tried many different candies in Europe and was going to suggest her father to stock the store with them, so the City Confectionery could offer the St. Louis residents the best European candies.

Charlie Clarke has had a rocky life, leading him to be sent to live with his estranged father in St. Louis and to take a job at the Standard Manufacturing. He hates his father for abandoning him, but part of him wants to make his father proud. His life changes when he meets the lovely Lucy Kendall.

Lucy Kendall is not going to let the City Confectionery be sold, especially to the St. Louis biggest competitor, Standard Manufacturing, the company that stole her father's prize recipe. She will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and to create a recipe that will save the candy business, but her plans may come to a halt when she starts to fall in love with the Standard Manufacturing's new promotions manager, Charlie Clarke.

Review - Grave Consequences

Grave Consequences
The Grand Tour Series
By Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher: David Cook
Pub. Date: March 1. 2013
ISBN: 978-1434764324
ASIN: B00B4KPN8E
Pages: 448
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/i8ZWs
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/lbegren

Review:

A majority of the romance sequels I read are about a different character in the same town as the first book or has a similar plot. I was happy to learn that the sequel to 2012's Glamorous Illusions titled Grave Consequences features the return of Cora Kensington as she continues the Grand Tour with her newfound siblings. Their father, Mr. Kensington, eventually joins them as he fear there may be danger ahead of them.

Cora's romance with the tour guide, Will, has several obstacles ahead of them as her father doesn't want her to be involved with someone that is from a poorer class. He demands that she will date and marry a man of his choosing, presumably someone who is rich. She wants to make her own decisions on whom she is suppose to love, but her father’s health is failing and she doesn’t want to disappoint him.

Will is the love of her life, but he get himself kidnapped, jeopardizing his future with Cora.

Review - Firefly Island

Firefly Island
By Lisa Wingate
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Pub. Date: February 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0764208232
ASIN: B00AHY0RMK
Pages: 384
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/hVNrv
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/lwingate 

Review:

Mallory Hale came from a wealthy family and pretty much had everything great happening in her life. She works on Capital Hill as a legislative assistant for a senior congressman. Out of nowhere, Daniel Webster Everson bumps into her as she is trying to grab the Clean Energy Bill papers that fell out of her grasp. Sparks fly instantly between the two. Before she knows it, she is now married to Daniel and she is now a step-mother to his three-year-old son, Nick.

Soon after the marriage, Mallory and her new family packed up their belongings and left our nation's capital for the small town of Moses Lake, Texas. Her lifestyle has completely changed as she now lives in a seen-better-days ranch full of rodents and other creepy crawlers. Mallory plans on making the ranch a home for her new husband and step-son as she adjusts to living in a small community that is full of secrets.

Review - A Home in Drayton Valley

A Home in Drayton Valley
By Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: October 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764207884
ASIN: B008B9HLV8
Pages: 352

Review:

I have the majority of Kim Vogel Sawyer's novels, so naturally I was eager to sign up to review her newest book courtesy of Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. I'm also a fan of historical novels, so I adored the beautiful cover with the young woman sitting in the grass with the steamboat floating down the river in the background.

Twelve years ago, Tarsie Raines arrived in New York from overseas to start a better life. It is now 1880; the only family she has is her best friend Mary Brubacher and her children. And then there is Mary's good for nothing husband Joss, an alcoholic and gambler. Mary's health is failing and Tarsie helps take care of her and the kids, when she isn't too busy dreaming of moving to Drayton Valley that she read about in James Redpath's Handbook of Kansas.

Joss's gambling debts leads to trouble for them; therefore they must flee the city, along with Tarsie. They travel by wagon, heading to the state of Kansas. Mary's health turns for the worst. Before Mary dies, Tarsie promises to care for her children and help Joss find faith in the Lord.

Review - Whispers in the Wind

Whispers in the Wind
Wild West Wind book 2
By Lauraine Snelling
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: August 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764204166
ASIN: B0073UPPAK
Pages: 352

Review:

Cassie Lockwood returns in book two of the Wild West Wind series from author Lauraine Snelling. Cassie had traveled in the Wild West show that her father co-owned. With her shooting and riding skills, she became a major attraction for the show. After her father died, ticket sales declined and the show was cancelled. Before the bank investors could repossess her wagon and horse, she discovered a land deed belonging to her father. It seems he owned some land in North Dakota. Cassie packs her belongings and heads to the land of her father's dreams.

Whispers in the Wind continues Cassie's journey to North Dakota, where she finally arrives at the hidden valley, only to discover that someone else has already built a ranch on the land. The family includes Mavis Engstrom and her three children, who may now lose their home because Cassie is the rightful land owner.
Cassie learns a startling discovery that Mavis’s husband had co-owned the land with her father. Now she must try and share the land with these strangers.

Mavis's oldest son, Ransom, doesn't trust Cassie. Her daughter, Gretchen, is more accepting of Cassie as she has always wanted an older sister. The youngest son, Lucas, more than accepts Cassie, as he has fallen madly in love with her.

Review - Walking on Water When You Feel Like You're Drowning

Walking on Water When You Feel Like You're Drowning
By Tommy Nelson and Steve Leavitt
Publisher: Tyndale House Books
Release Date: October 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1589977228
ASIN: B008VTTYA4
Pages: 176

Review: 

I received Walking on Water When You Feel Like You're Drowning back in October courtesy of Tyndale House Books in exchange for my review. I meant to review the book earlier in the month, but I got swamped with other things and the book got shoved aside until I started reading it a few nights ago. The book covers anxiety & depression, which are something I have dealt with for most of my life and the reason why I wanted to review it in the first place.

Unlike the majority of anxiety/depression books that are written by doctors, Walking on Water is written by two men who have both experienced anxiety and depression. Tommy Nelson has been the senior pastor at the Denton Bible Church for past thrifty-five years and Steve Leavitt is a Christian Biblical counselor in New Braunfels, Texas. Together they have co-written Walking on Water which details their struggles with depression and how a biblical approach can help you crawl your way out of depression.

Anxiety and Depression can occur to anybody at anytime. Sometimes it is triggered from a life changing event, like being bullied or abused, or the death of a loved one. Other times stress can cause anxiety that leads to depression.

Review - Resurrect

Resurrect
By David E. Stevens
Publisher: Monarch Books
Pub. Date:October 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-0857212498
ASIN: B008M4ISD2
Pages: 384
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/faaOD
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/DStevens

Review:  

Resurrect has been sitting on my desk for a few months, as I received a free copy from Litfuse Publicity Group and Monarch Books in exchange for an honest review, and I recently got around to reading it. The book is written by Commander David E. Stevens, a navy fighter pilot, and by the fighter jet on the book cover, I thought Resurrect might be a war novel, but I was completely wrong. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, so I'll leave the synopsis short.

Navy Commander Josh Logan is the main character in Resurrect and he is testing out a new fighter jet. After a malfunction, Logan quickly avoids crashing into civilians' homes, but ejects from the jet a few moments too late.

Review - The Breath of Dawn

The Breath of Dawn
By Kristen Heitzmann
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: November 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764210426
ASIN: B008B9HQL8
Pages: 448
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/VkkqTX
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/breathofdawn

Review:

The Breath of Dawn is book three of the series that started with A Rush of Wings and Still of the Night. I have only read A Rush of Wings, in which I wasn't the biggest fan of at the time. I hesitated before I signed up to review the third book from Litfuse Publicity Group and Bethany House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Even though I hadn't read second book, I still figured out who was who and what was what. In the third entry, Morgan Spencer had a wonderful family and a successful business, but every thing changed the moment his wife died, leaving him as a widowed father to a two-year-old daughter, Livie. His daughter is his entire life, until fate changes things once again for him.

Review - No Safe Harbor

No Safe Harbor
by Elizabeth Ludwig
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0764210396
Pub. Date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 336
Buy Links: http://ow.ly/eh4Xf
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/author/ELudwig

Review:

Set in the year 1897, Cara Hamilton thought that her twin brother, Eoghan, was deceased until she gets an unexpected letter from him, in which he urges her to come find him and warns her to trust no one. She boards the ship called the Servia and travels across the Atlantic Ocean from Ireland to America.

When Cara arrives in New York, she meets a stranger named Rourke Walsh. She takes refuge at a boardinghouse where she befriends most of the women whom are living there, all except Deirdre. Why would a woman that hardly knew her, hate her so much? There has to be here than meets the eye about this woman. Cara is determined to learn more about Deirdre, especially when she catches Deirdre prying in her room.

Review - Almost Amish

Almost Amish
By Kathryn Cushman
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0764208263
ASIN: B0073UN96W
Page: 336 

Review: 

Julie Charlton is a wonderful wife and mother, but something is missing from her life. What she needs is some excitement and adventure. Luckily, her sister-in-law, Susan, got picked to be on an upcoming reality series and she gets to bring someone with her. That person happens to be Julie. And they also get to bring their families with them.

What is the reality series about? Well, the participants leave their modern lifestyle and move to the Amish country, where they have to live simple. That means no technology of any kind, except for the cameras that are filming their every move.

Review - A Merry Little Christmas

A Merry Little Christmas
By Anita Higman
Publisher: Summerside Press
ISBN: 978-1609366889
ASIN: B009CCG1F0
Pub Date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 256
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/eyLJH
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/AHigman

Review: 

Franny Martin has been taking care of her family's two-hundred-and-fifty acres Oklahoma farmland ever since her parents died during a thunderstorm fifteen years ago. She is now thirty-three, single, having financial trouble, and facing the fact that she will once again spend the holidays by herself. That is until a handsome stranger, Charlie Landau shows up at her doorstep.

Charlie is from the big city, single and is just looking for something more meaningful in his life, in which he wants to buy Franny's farm even though he knows nothing about farming. He has always been a disappointment to his father and he is hoping that he can be successful at farming so his father can finally be proud of him.

Franny is more than eager to sell the farm as she had put it on the market twelve years ago! Before her parents' untimely deaths, she had dreamed of moving to the big city to follow her passion for music. Now, maybe her dreams can finally come true, but before that can happen, she decides to stay at the farm to help Charlie learn the farm life ways. Despite their different backgrounds and differences, there is a deep connection between the two.

Review - The Memory Jar

The Memory Jar
By Tricia Goyer
Publisher: Zondervan
ISBN: 978-0310335108
Pub. Date: October 23, 2012
Pages: 352
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/esMtx
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/author/TGoyer

Review:

Two years ago, Sarah Shelter watched her English best friend, Patty, drown in a nearby lake. She has been haunted by her friend's death ever since that dreadful day and has withdrawn herself from her family and friends that live in the mountain town of West Kootenai, Montana.

Every spring, many single young Amish men from other communities stay in Kootenai for six months for the hunting season that fall. Jathan Schrock arrives to town looking to earn some money to send back home to his folks. He is also there to enjoy some hunting and reflect on what the future may hold for him.

While Sarah Shelter isn't baking goodies for the hunters, she is storing her most precious memories in mason jars or what she calls 'memory jars'. Everyone she knows is either married or about to get married. She believes that the older she gets, the less chance that she will have in finding a husband that is until she meets the handsome Jathan!

Review - His Love Endures Forever

His Love Endures Forever
By Beth Wisemen
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1595548887
Pub. Date: October 2, 2012
Pages: 336

Review:

In the third book of the A Land of Canaan series, Danielle Kent is your typical teenager in love with her boyfriend, Matthew Lapp, who happens to be of the Amish faith. Her future plans are put on hold the moment she found out that she was carrying Matthew's child.

It seems that Matthew has plans of his own. He wants to leave his Amish traditions and live in the modern world. Danielle tells him that she is carrying their child, but Matthew doesn't want a child or a wife. In fact, he never really loved her at all.

Heartbroken and scared to death, Danielle has no idea what to do, until her childhood friend Levi, who is Amish, offers to marry her and raise the baby as his own.

Review - Queen of the Waves

Queen of the Waves
By Janice Thompson
Publisher: Summerside
ISBN: 978-1609366865
Pub. Date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 336
Blog Tour Links: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/american-tapestries-thompson
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/e0YHw

Review: 

I've always been interested in the RMS Titanic every since I watched the Robert Ballad special in the 1980s. My parents bought me every book that came out on the ship. I lost interest in it when the bloated and overrated 1997 Titanic came out to theaters. This year marked the 100th anniversary since the Titanic sunk and many books have been released about the famous ship. I bought a few of the fiction books that came out earlier this year, but I haven't had time read them yet. When I saw that Queen of the Waves was available to review through Litfuse Publicity Group, I eagerly signed up for it.

Queen of Waves is part of the An American Tapestry series and involves a spoiled rich young woman, Jacqueline Abingdon, who is in love with her family's gardener, Peter Bowen, but her father wants her to marry the wealthy Roland Palmer. Jacqueline makes plans to runaway and to marry Peter. She is supposed to be on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, but she gives her ticket to a poor English girl, Tessa Bowen. Tessa will take her identity on the ship while Peter and she can exchange their vows and start their life together without her father ever knowing.

Review - Where the Trails Ends

Where the Trail Ends
By Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Summerside Press
ISBN: 978-1609366858
Pub. Date: October 1, 2012
Pages: 336
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/american-tapestries-dobson
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/e0YC2

Review:

The year is 1842 and the Waldron family is on the Oregon Trail trying to reach Willamette Valley before winter arrives. Mr. Waldron tells his family that the Willamette Valley is the Land of Milk and honey, and that he would build them a home of their dreams. They barely escaped the fall's deadly thunderstorms and the wrath of the wild animals, but they might die of hunger and thirst before arriving at their destination.

The book focuses mostly on the daughter Samantha Waldron, who is extremely close to her little brother, Micah. When the family tries to cross the Columbia River, a violent storm erupts above them causing the river to become out of control. Samantha and Micah are saved by Lord Alexander Clarke and brings them to Fort Vancouver. Micah is just fine and plays with the other children living at the Fort, but Samantha takes several days to recover. The only thing Samantha has left is her little brother Micah.

Alexander helps Samantha by giving her a job as the school teacher. There are many single soldiers stationed there and Alexander makes sure none of the men make an uncalled advanced toward Samantha, whose heart now belongs to him anyway. Just as the two start to become close, a ship from England arrives to take Alexander back home.

Suddenly, Micah goes missing. Who will help Samantha find her little brother?

Review - The Trouble with Cowboys

The Trouble with Cowboys
By Denise Hunter
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1595548030
Pub. Date: October 2, 2012
Pages 289
Blog Tour Link: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/the-trouble-with-cowboys-by-denise-hunter-facebook-party-and-blog-tour
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/dSvBa

Review:

The third and final installment of the Big Sky Romance series focuses on the Wilkerson sisters, Annie and Sierra. Annie is a successful columnist writing for Montana Living and she is also a horse trainer for Moose Creek. Their father left them when they were just kids, their mother died later on as well as their grandfather. Annie has spent most of her young life taking care for Sierra. When her sister became pregnant at age sixteen, Annie became more like a mother instead of a sister. Sierra kept the baby boy, completed her GED, and is now attending college. Annie is having financial problems as she tries to pay for Sierra's college tuition.

Annie dislikes cowboys, even though she lives in Montana where she can't throw a rock out a window without hitting a cowboy. Her father was a cowboy and so were the countless loser boyfriends that her late mother had. She doesn't trust cowboys!

Review: When Hope Blossoms

When Hope Blossoms
By Kim Vogel Sawyer
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 978-0764207877
Pub. Date: July 1, 2012
Pages: 350

Review:

Amy Knackstedt arrives in Weaverly, Kansas in the hope of starting a new life for her three children, Adrianna, Bekah, and Parker. Sadly, her husband, Gabe, had passed away about three ago in a mysterious accident. When the authorities began asking strange questions about Gabe, Amy couldn't handle it and decided that the best thing to do was to move.

The Knackstedt's neighbor is Tim Roper, who just happens to be an ex-Old Order Mennonite himself, but he disliked the Mennonite's beliefs and he is not very thrilled about his new neighbors either. Adriana, Bekah, and Parker try to befriend their new neighbor, but Tim is determined to have nothing to do with anything that reminds him of his childhood.