Book Review: As Is by Wendy Oleston

As Is

By Wendy Oleston

A Wisconsin Author!

.99 Kindle

12.99 print

ISBN-13: 978-1499781335

Buy on Amazon

From the publisher:

Life is hard for Mara Shaw. One bad relationship after another has left her a single mother with no faith in anything. She is unable to trust in anyone . . . including herself. She decides to start afresh, and never allow herself to be hurt again. Graydon Davidson walks into her life and begins to show her the truth. While the truth is hard to accept, it is also the key to her freedom. Is this gorgeous and compassionate stranger the answer to all her dreams? Or will specters from her past which emerge to haunt her take over? Mara is faced with a choice that will change her life forever.

My review:

Persistent love

For Christians, if you’ve ever tried to picture being the bride of Christ, Oleston puts a whole new spin on the subject in her new book.

We all have issues to deal with. Mara has a boatload of them, from being in denial of alcoholism to not knowing how to love or to receive love. A single mom in danger of losing her child, she agrees reluctantly to counseling. The reader is invited along as this woman walks through her despair to finally reach the lowest point and so be able to climb back out of the abyss, holding the hand of the only one we can truly count on.

On the way to her first counseling session, Mara meets a mysterious young man, Graydon, and they are instantly infatuated. Months pass during which they develop a platonic relationship and slowly learn each other’s story. Mara is constantly torn by her struggle to become a mom worthy of her son, a woman worthy of true love, and a person who can love wholly. It’s Graydon every bit as much as her counselor who forces Mara to face the ugly things in her life. Countless times Mara attempts to shove away those who want to help her. Graydon never lets her know he’s had enough. He always comes back, is always there when she needs someone, always knows what to say, acts as her conscious, and leads her gently through the valley of the shadow of death.

The reader is encouraged to conjecture about Graydon’s identity until Mara is able to come clean and accept the forgiveness she’s been offered all along. This story is definitely thought-provoking on many levels, and one that will show you the unyielding love of God. I have to offer this caveat, however, in that unfortunately vulgar language permeates the entire story. While I understand that cursing has become almost normal in society and I realize certain characters will swear as part of their makeup, I also don’t believe that it is natural for believers to continue to do so thoughtlessly once they develop a personal relationship with the Lord. It seems like a light thing to address in light of the enormous issues Mara overcame, but it was jarring and disappointing for all the care the author used in this intriguing story of second chances. Told in third person from Mara’s point of view, this is a story you’ll be thinking about for a long while.

Adams Animals with Kimberley Payne

Adam’s Animals – Fun Facts About God’s Creation 

by Kimberley Payne

Adam’s Animals – Fun Facts About God’s Creation just released this spring!

Is your church running a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program this summer based on the Weird Animals curriculum? http://www.group.com/vbs/weird-animals

Consider using  Adam’s Animals along with the accompanying craft book, Super Simple Animal Crafts http://bit.ly/SuperSimpleAnimalCrafts in your Sunday School program leading up VBS. It’s a great resource for your church to generate interest in your summer programs.

Adam’s Animals is an entertaining and educational book that offers children loads of fun while they learn about the Bible.

Inside you’ll find:

• Bible stories about the animal

• Fascinating facts about each animal

• Whimsical illustrations for creative colouring fun

• Word search puzzles to learn new words and improve spelling

Watch a video of author Kimberley Payne reading from Adam’s Animals http://bit.ly/ReadingFromAdamsAnimals

View sample pages from Adam’s Animals

http://bit.ly/ExcerptsFromAdamsAnimals

What others are saying about Adam's Animals

"Kimberley looks at the creatures found in the Bible and gives children some incredible scientific facts about them. She then follows those facts up with Scripture references from the Bible on what God has to say about the many animals she has listed in this book. If your child is one who likes "Did you know...?" books, they'll love this one. Included in the book are word search activities and pictures to colour. " – Laura Davis

"Author Kimberly Payne has done a thorough job of researching the animal kingdom and combining it with scripture and biblical stories. This book has many fascinating facts about animals and is laid our in a very organized manner with pictures to color and word puzzles." – Carol Stratton

"From ants to worms, children will not only find the facts interesting, some will even make them giggle. At the same time, they are learning how creative God is that he would make so many animals with distinct characteristics."– Carol Round

"I plan to use this book in our home school program as it integrates faith, science, language and art.
My kids love it - there is much information in it, our 12 year old couldn't get through it in one sitting." – Michelle Evans

"This is a delightful book filled with (as promised) fun facts about God's creatures. I appreciated the focus on scripture and how Kimberley aligns God's word with God's creatures. The word challenges are a wonderful way to hone other skills such as spelling and reading, too, so this is a great activity to go along with the information. "– Glynis Belec

This children's activity book cleverly ties in scripture, so not only does it teach the inquisitive child about God's creations, but also about God's word."—Melanie Fischer

Buy the Book

On Amazon 

About the Author

Kimberley Payne is an award-winning author who combines her teaching experience and love of writing to create educational materials for children about family, fitness, science and faith. You can visit her website at www.kimberleypayne.com

Book Review: Legacy and Love by Paula Mowery

Paula Mowery, Legacy and Love

Prism Book Group

2014

Ebook .99

Print: $13.99

Purchase on Amazon

From the publisher: 

The Prayer Shawl

Sean Holland is a magazine reporter always looking for the next story. Hope Weaver is a pediatric nurse who shares Christ through making prayer shawls. The shawls are just the touchy-feely story Sean needs, even though he’ll have to endure Hope’s strong Christian beliefs to get it. An unexpected connection brings them together as a couple. But, can they find love if they don’t share their faith?

Inheritance

Alex Lyndon’s life has been a series of fits and starts with no finishes. She finds herself jobless and divorced. Now her only family, Granny Olivia, is critically ill.

Chase Carson had to step into running the family business when his father died. The time is past due for him to visit Miss Olivia.

Alex and Chase must go on a treasure hunt. Will each find purpose and love for their lives in the process?

My review:

Novellas seem to be getting such mixed reviews. They are really more like expanded short stories, bits of stories for those who like shorter reads besides delving into the time a full-length novel takes to read. Novellas are complete stories—just short.

Mowery’s delightful, HEA romances fit the bill beautifully for those little book bites. Romances are, by nature, predictable, but that’s what romance readers want…and that’s what Mowery delivers with these two stories.

A nurse with a passion and a mission, one who follows the still small voice of God, in The Prayer Shawl, lives out her faith. When a young man who’s soured on faith and on s perpetual hunt for the next best thing meets the woman with the “magic blankets,” he’s in for keeps. He just doesn’t know it, until his past catches up with him and he’s desperate for help. A marriage of convenience turns into something much more in this sweet story of love and faith.

The second story, Inheritance, is about two lost souls in different paths, who through loss and grieving, and the legacy of joy, meet and bond. Instant love…can it work? Alex and Chase are about to find out. This couple meet when Alex is at her lowest point in life, and Chase on the hunt for a missing manuscript. Though each of them have had plenty of disillusionment and reasons to curl up and pass the blame, they never let go of the God who’s really in charge. A very sweet and idealistic romance. Told through a mix of first and third person, Inheritance will keep the reader turning pages.

Those who like quick reads and purely HEA stories will enjoy these novellas in Legacy and Love.

Essence of Evil by Barbara Derksen book review

Essence of Evil

Barbara Ann Derksen

 

April 28, 2014

Evil pursues Christine, in this the second book of the Finders Keepers Mystery Series. Retreat is not an option but her move forward makes her vulnerable to the very evil that took her parents' lives. Faced with yet another missing child, she embarks on a search that takes her out of her comfort zone to question her chosen career, her abilities, and her belief system as she helps stricken parents find closure. Christine finds herself confused about her growing interest in Jeremy but she is distracted by the essence of evil that surrounds her.

 

$15 Print

$4.99 E-boook

 

Buy on Amazon

 

Nightmares are real    

 

I’ve known about Derksen’s books for years, but this is the first of the series that I’ve read from this prolific author. Without using the actual words or graphic imagery, Derksen creates a sense of despair, and revolting depth of depravity. A young woman, now known as Christine, who witnessed cruelty as a child is being hunted again as she’s returned to her home and tries to deal with the past while forging a new future for herself. She works to locate missing and exploited children, along with her specially trained dog and her partner Jeremy, a detective who’d like to explore their relationship on a different level.

A couple of cases are going on at the same time in this story, all dealing with kidnapped and missing boys. The setting is Canada, and Derksen’s several characters have a say about their work and feelings. Christine Smith is feisty, trying to be strong and independent through her fears, and deeply caring about the tragic young victims she’s hired to find. Readers will be able to empathize with her and her passion.

 

Not for the faint of heart, Derksen has plumbed the depths of the essence of evil while letting the light of faith shine through as the true victor.

CrossReads Book Blast: Unraveled by Heidi McCahan

Unraveled By Heidi McCahan

About the Book:

Blind-sided by her questionable fiance, Lauren Carter returns to the one place she's been avoiding, the place she used to call home. As she's forced to look into the eyes of her past and even worse, her unraveling future she discovers that running only leaves you out of breath on a dead end street. Will she choose to unveil the secrets that haunt her? Or will she bury them once and for all and embrace a new life so different from the one she once held dear? Blake Tully, wildly successful and breathtakingly winsome owner of a new rafting business, finds Lauren's unexpected reappearance confusing. As he torments himself with what if's and what should've been's, he can't mistake the feeling that crawls down his spine every time he looks at her. Although she broke his heart once, he longs to give his childhood sweetheart another chance, but can he convince her to stop running away when life gets tough? And can he forgive her when he discovers the reason she's been hiding? Follow the story of these two shattered hearts as they discover the beauty of grace and forgiveness.

LINK to KINDLE | LINK to PAPERBACK

Heidi McCahan was blessed to spend her formative years in Alaska, where she met many interesting people who frequented the lodge her parents owned and operated. Heidi’s unique upbringing, coupled with Alaska’s breathtaking scenery, fueled her active imagination and loosely inspired her debut novel, Unraveled. Heidi graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and then earned a Master’s Degree in Athletic Training from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After a brief career as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Heidi married her husband, Steve. They live in North Carolina with their three active little boys. When Heidi isn’t stepping on Legos, chauffeuring the boys around suburbia or folding laundry, she loves to write heartwarming romance set in unique locales.

  

Follow Heidi McCahan

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter below to enter a $50 amazon gift card, sponsored by author Heidi McCahan! a Rafflecopter giveaway This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

A BOOK TOUR with PRIZES

GUEST POST FOR THE JOHN 3:16 BOOK LAUNCH BLOG TOUR

 

STOP ONE ON THE TOUR

God Called - He Needs Your Decision!

by Randy Kirk

Excerpt

 

If you are ready to commit to God fully and avoid any potential of being seen as lukewarm, this book is the outpouring of my heart intended to provide you with a pathway to victory. 

 

Here is an outline of the path. Each step is based on a decision. Just like your initial decision to follow Jesus, you will be making decisions throughout your walk.

·         Decision: That I will listen to God for His call on my life.

·         Decision: That I will do what is necessary to hear and obey God’s call on my life.

·         Decision: That in order to be in a position to hear God’s calling, I will love Him and others, and seek the intimacy that accompanies that love. I hunger and thirst for a right relationship with Him and others.

·         Decision: That in order to love like that, I will be poor in spirit and more humble. Humility means that I trust God for my direction, not myself or other people. I believe what God says.

·         Decision: I will become a disciple of Christ, which means watching and hearing what He teaches, then doing those things.

The Bible describes five kinds of followers of Jesus: the multitudes (Matt. 4:25), casual inquirers (John 4:9), disciples (Matt. 5:1), close disciples such as Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:1), and an intimately close disciple (John 13:23). Which kind of follower are you?

The multitudes blend into the crowds on Sunday mornings.  Rejecting service opportunities. Giving Intermittently. Avoiding relationships. Avoiding commitment. They like being part of the crowd that gets close enough to Jesus to mollify the yearning desire in their hearts for relationship with Him, but not so close that His expectations touch them. 

The casual inquirers ask endless questions about inconsequential matters. Seldom do they change their attitudes about the Lord but, rather, they relish the dispute and disagreements. 

The disciples change the direction of their lives. They turn and follow Jesus after their encounter with Him. They learn from Him, they serve Him, they testify to what He’s done in their lives, they share His love with others, and they stay close to Him. Even when they drift away and wander off, they eventually turn around and come back to a close relationship and fellowship with Jesus. 

The best picture of the intimate disciple is John reclining against Jesus with his head on Jesus’ breast. Do you think John heard Jesus’ heart beat? I do. And I want to be that disciple--the one that is so close to Jesus that I hear His heartbeat. Do you? I believe you can be! 

You can be the kind of disciple who is so close to Jesus that there is no room for anything to come between Him and you. The kind of disciple that worships Him as closely and intimately as humanly possible. The kind of disciple that hears God’s voice distinctly calling to His service. The kind of disciple that, upon hearing God’s call, answers: “Here am I. Send me.” 

Visit Randy Kirk’s website

*~*~*~*

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE NEXT STOP!

 

John 3:16 Book Launch Blog Tour Schedule is as Follows:

 

Stop One

Monday May 5

Lisa Lickel

Featuring Author Randy Kirk

 

Stop Two

Tuesday May 6

Violet Nesdoly

Featuring Author Lorilyn Roberts

 

Stop Three

Wednesday May 7

Ashley Wintters

Featuring Author Laura J. Davis

 

Stop Four

Thursday May 8

Katherine Harms

Featuring Author Emma Right

 

Stop Five

Friday May 9

Kimberley Payne

Featuring Author Lorilyn Roberts

 

Stop Six

Monday May 12

Carole Brown

Featuring Author Randy Kirk

 

Stop Seven

Tuesday May 13

Barbara Ann Derksen

Featuring Laura Davis

 

Stop Eight

Wednesday May 14

Chris Weigand

Featuring Author Emma Right

 

Stop Nine

Thursday May 15

John 3:16 Blog

Featuring Our Landing Page

  

Make sure you check out the John 3:16 Books Being Launched May 1 through May 17 - win a $50 Amazon gift card, the four books being launched, and much more.

 

http://John316MarketingNetwork.com

 

We have a Rafflecopter drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card and/or ten Kindle books that winners can choose from over two hundred books on our Pinterest page at

 

http://bit.ly/John316Pinterest

 

You can also check out the Rafflecopter drawing on  Facebook!

 

*~*~*~*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: For Such a Time by Kate Breslin

For Such a Time

By Kate Breslin

Bethany House

April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-0764211607

Print $14.99

E-book $9.99

Publication Date: April 1, 2014

Buy the Book:

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

See  my interview with the Author HERE for more about this special book.

From the publisher:

Powerful Retelling of the Story of Esther

In 1944, blond and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric’s secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz. 

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric’s compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy. 

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp’s prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?

About the author:

A Florida girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin was a bookseller for many years. Author of several travel articles, award-winning poet, and RWA Golden Heart finalist, Kate now writes inspiring stories about the healing power of God’s love. For Such a Time is her first book. She lives with her husband and cat in Seattle, WA. Learn more at www.katebreslin.com.

My review:

Breslin’s debut novel is a masterful tale of sacrifice during the depths of the age of despair near the end of World War II.

The characters come to terms with truth and lies, reality, choice, and monsters within and without as they struggle to survive in the moment and in the future. Rich in detail, readers who appreciate fiction of the era will be entranced. Readers who are perfunctory in fact will want to know that the author created a fictional best-case scenario out of tragedy.

Hadassah was raised by a loving uncle after being orphaned. When Hitler attempts to create his blond-haired, blue-eyed master race and exterminate everyone else, particularly Jewish people, Uncle Morty creates a false identity for Hadassah. Through an accident of paperwork, the young woman is still sent to a death camp but miraculously escapes murder at the hands of a newly-appointed German commandant whose conscience is hanging by a thread.

Together with commandant’s strange collection of a mute housekeeper and one-eared little houseboy they become a family of misfits who must rely on each other for survival in the midst of brutality.

Romance was a necessary part of the genre, and while lovely, it was less natural than the time span allowed for my taste, as well as the faith elements of Jews and Christians. Nevertheless, I loved the characters and their story told from multiple viewpoints left me breathless with anticipation on many moments. I applaud the excellent vocabulary. Those who love historical, suspenseful inspirational fiction will find much to love about For Such A Time. Kudos to the author.

Caution: there are portrayals of graphic cruelty and murder of characters of all ages.