Review: What I Left for You by:Liz Tolsma

 

About the Book:

A Family’s Ties Were Broken in Poland of 1939
 
1939
Helena Kostyszak is an oddity—an educated female ethnic minority lecturing at a university in Krakow at the outbreak of WWII. When the Germans close the university and force Jews into the ghetto, she spirits out a friend’s infant daughter and flees to her small village in the southern hills. Helena does everything in her power to protect her family, but it may not be enough. It will take all of her strength and God’s intervention for both of them to survive the war and the ethnic cleansing to come.
 
2023
Recently unengaged social worker McKenna Muir is dealt an awful blow when a two-year-old she’s been working with is murdered. It’s all too much to take, so her friend suggests she dive into her family’s past like she’s always wanted. Putting distance between herself and her problems might help her heal, so she and her friend head on Sabbatical to Poland. But what McKenna discovers about her family shocks everyone, including one long-lost family member.

My Review:

 This is a dual time novel meaning it is split among two different time periods. While that is usually still a great read sometimes its hard to follow. But this one was quite simple. McKenna from today, is looking into her family's past that is when she discovers a whole other world from the past that really opens up to her in many different ways. 

 The stories and how they intertwined were just perfect reading material. I could see how each family coexisted and it was so easy to follow. I loved the stories they were both written really well. Helena's story was so heartbreaking and she was such a great lady. Sometimes its hard to believe the characters arent real.

I really loved the book! Echoes of the Past is a great series!

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: Never Forgotten by:H Linder

 

About the Book:

All He Wanted was Justice. All She Wanted was His Heart.
 
Georgina Whitmore, not accustomed to any man being unaffected by her charms, is plagued with the disappearance and rejection of Simon Fancourt. Twelve years later, Mr. Fancourt returns to British society with two children and a mad hunger for justice.
 
Racing against time, Simon works to uncover the men responsible for his wife’s horrific murder, protect his children, and fulfill his father’s unexpected will by marrying Georgina—the last thing in the world he wants to do.
 
Though her heart throbs to accept, she would rather lose him again than have his name without his love. She denies his proposal of matrimony, knowing it will cost them both. But as tragedies unravel and secret enemies narrow their sights on Simon, Georgina risks her life—and her reputation—to protect him and the children. Will the danger scorch them alive? Or will it, for the first time, open his heart to her?

My Review:

 This historical fiction romance story is set in the 1800's. It is very prominent with the times and shows the story of Georgina and Simon and the struggle to first accept the love that draws them and second to act upon it. Full of rich prose and definite plot line. I liked the intermingling of the story and the third person that was involve due to no fault of his own.

A really great story that really leaves me on the edge as to what becomes of these two.

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.

Review:Unforgotten by:S Gray

 

About the Book:

 Even though Bethanne Hostetler has found some peace eight years after an attempted assault and the accidental death of Peter Miller, she is still haunted by the memory. When her Englisher cousin, Candace--who has just been crowned Miss Crittenden County--reveals that she has a stalker, all of Bethanne's old fears come rushing back.Jay Raber had once been Peter's best friend, and the fact that he did not protect Bethanne that fateful night has haunted him ever since. To make matters worse, she continues to avoid him--even as he continues to love her. Jay can only hope and pray that one day Bethanne will see the person he is today and not the boy he used to be. As Candace's stalker becomes bolder, Officer Ryan Mulany becomes her escort to various events. He knows he should only think of Candace as a job, but the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to maintain professional distance. And when everyone's worst fears are realized, all four must work together to prevent another tragedy before time runs out and another innocent person is hurt. From New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray comes this emotionally taut story of learning to forgive, trust, and love despite the pain of the past.

My Review: 

Throughout the whole book I focused more on the dynamic between Candace and Ryan. I really liked their attraction and eventual relationship. I think they belong together and I think Ryan is the sweetest. I hope the next book touches more on that dynamic. Other than their relationship in the book the other story of Bethanne has a had a rough go of it. 

 This is a suspense Amish fiction story. It is full of suspense and intrigue and is a keeper for sure!

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.

Review:The Rational Bible: Numbers: God and Man in the Wilderness by:D Prager

 

About the Book:

 If you think the Bible is irrelevant, irrational, or even, at times, immoral—and you have an open mind—The Rational Bible will change your mind and influence your outlook on life.

You will come to understand why the Bible and especially its first five books, the Torah, are the most influential books ever written. Equally important, you will understand how they apply to your life.
 
The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager’s commentary and explanation of these five books—rooted in his expertise in biblical Hebrew and its grammar—is widely considered the most important modern Bible commentary. Read the thousands of reviews on Amazon—written by people of many faiths and of no faith—and you will appreciate why this is so.
 
The Book of Numbers—“In the Wilderness” in the original Hebrew—is the fourth book of the Bible. Among the many compelling issues addressed in this volume are the Doubting God. What produces faith—miracles or effort? And if effort, what efforts work? Arguing with God. Ingratitude as a source of evil. Why only men could be priests. Why the conscience is not morally reliable. Is fanaticism ever justified? Is there luck in life, or is everything determined by God’s will? The title of this five-volume commentary is The Rational Bible because its approach is entirely reason-based. The reader is never asked to accept anything on faith alone. In Dennis Prager’s words, “If something I write is not rational, I have not done my job.”
 
Few people alive today have influenced as many people as has Dennis Prager. In the words of the website, Powerline, “Dennis Prager is probably the foremost public intellectual of our time.” Read The Rational Bible and you will understand why.

My Review: 

 Not all commentaries are created equal. You do have to be careful the commentaries you align yourself with I just have to say that first. Dennis Prager--the author of this commentary The Rational Bible is a  best-selling author, columnist and nationally syndicated radio talk show host based in Los Angeles and heard on 150 stations across the country. He is known across the nation.

 This commentary in my opinion wasn't just some boring book. I like how it was laid out in a sort of question answer format. I like tat the author answers many of the question I have long since had about the Bible and different things that happened therein. It was full of facts backed by scripture which is also a very good thing to have in a commentary. 

 This along with a Bible study on the book of Numbers is a good thing to have close by. It helps explain a lot of the things you are reading and will open up the Bible in a lot of ways to you. 

Great study material!

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher.

Review: Tea with Elephants by:R Gunn

 

About the Book:

Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.

Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.

Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.

My Review:

 Fern and Lily are just precious! What I wouldn't give to have a friendship like that. These two blessed ladies met 20 years ago, as teenagers and since have been inseparable. Even though each of their lives has had its own setbacks, their friendship has always remained intact. So these two friends get to visit Africa something they have wanted to do for far too long. A once in a lifetime adventure for two besties.

 So off they go to a place with endless sunrises that shows the wild in a whole new exciting way. But little did they know how life changing this trip would be and what it would do to change both of them and their lives forever. God is in the details and they learn this very vividly. Their faith will be tested in a lot of ways, more so than they ever imagined.

A great cozy read, for sure!

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: Desperate Prayers by:Rachel Wojo

 

About the Book:

Do your prayers resemble last-minute cries more than first-response chats? You’re not alone in calling out to God in life’s pitch-black moments and wondering if He’s listening.

Enter the powerful secrets of the Bible's eleventh-hour pleas of fifteen men and women. This engaging book invites you into the prayer stories of struggling Bible characters like Hagar, Hannah, and David. Each chapter's simple three-word prayer focus will deepen your trust and affirm your heart that it’s best to be you before God.

The ideal desperate pray-er to shine light on your prayer dilemmas, Rachel Wojo vulnerably shares her heartbreaking experiences of loss while pointing you to your Father. Her prayer journey and promising principles will guide you from frenzied desperation to dependent faith.

My Review:

Prayer in my opinion is one of God's love languages. He wants to hear from you on lots of different levels. Prayer is one of those. We get to pour our heart out to Him. And prayer I'm going to tell you is one of those things that comes from deep within. Whether you are speaking in a good way or bad, He can tell what your honest to the heart notion really is.

 The author takes different aspects of her life and uses them as examples for each of her talking points throughout the book. I like when an author does this. It gives us "real life". Its raw and open and I see myself if what they are trying to portray. This book was very eye opening! It really drives home the point that prayer is a source of strength and something we shouldn't take lightly.

**Disclosure**This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Review: A Very Merry Muddy Christmas by:M LaPlaca

 

About the Book:

Pitter! Patter! Pit Pat. Smack! The North Pole knew all about snow, but rain? This was a Christmas Eve rainstorm unlike anything Santa Claus had ever seen. Santa and his reindeer won't let a bit of rain stop them from delivering presents to all the good little kids around the world on Christmas Eve—or so they think. As they take off into the worsening downpour in rain gear for the reindeer, and a super waterproof suit for Santa, they expect it'll be business as usual. But then the reindeer start to sneeze. And soon, the sneezing not only knocks them off course, but right out of the sky! They crash land in the middle of a farm in a rain storm, which means . . . mud. So much mud. 

 The sleigh is stuck, the reindeer are sick, and Santa isn't sure how he's going to get the rest of the presents to the children. Just then, Logan appears, riding the very same toy tractor Santa had left for him last Christmas Eve. With a rope and some effort, Logan manages to pull Santa and the reindeer from the mud pit, but the sleigh is stuck for good. As they warm up and dry off in the barn, Santa and Logan try to come up with a plan to finish delivering the presents. But the reindeer are too sick to continue. And Santa doesn't have a sleigh any longer. How can he continue his journey? A kind and determined little boy, a barn full of eager farm animals, and a little bit of Christmas magic may give Santa a Christmas Eve present of his own.

My Review:

 The first thing a little boy or girl that are growing up on a farm want to know is will Santa visit me even on a farm. And our answer is always a resounding yes. No snow? No problem! Santa is on point and he will let nothing stop him from making those scheduled stops.

 In A Very Merry Muddy Christmas, Santa is making his rounds and he's not letting anything stop him from doing so. But something happens that Santa hadnt quite bargained for and soon he's stuck in the mud. But no harm Logan is just the boy to help Santa out. They all come together and make a plan to help Santa and to save Christmas.

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.