Review: The Rise and Fall of Miss Fannie's Biscuits by:Wanda E. Brunstetter

 

About the Book:

Why Are Baking Contestants Disappearing?

Mysteries have a way of following Fannie Miller, so when she makes it into the finals of the Tuscarawas County Baking Contest and contestants start disappearing, she calls on her old friend Foster Bates, a retired cop and part-time private investigator. Could it be that other finalists are somehow responsible for these disappearances, thinning out the competition? Like the couple on verge of divorce who need the prize money, or the three Beiler sisters, always in a huddle whispering. One thing is for certain—Foster and Fannie will stay on the case until the end, and everyone involved will have learned something important about baking contests, solving mysteries, and life.

New York Times Bestselling Author Wanda E. Brunstetter and Emmy-Nominated Author Martha Bolton have teamed up to deliver a delightful whodunit from Ohio’s Amish country.

My Review:

 I absolutely love a good mystery. I don't like it too scary but just enough to make you wonder and make you want to know the answers. Wanda Brunstetter is really good at writing these types of mysteries. Poor Fannie, the lead character in the story is always encountering issues. This time its no different. She enters a county baking contest and soon realizes that the other contestants are disappearing one by one and shes starting to get nervous. Could she be next?!

 Fannie has a friend that will help uncover this mystery right along with her. So the story turns out to be a really good cozy type mystery with subtle nods toward a possible romance but like all of the author's stories it good and clean--and I appreciate that. 

 A really great story! And it centers around food, how great is that?!

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

Review: The Most Overlooked Women of the Bible by: M. DeMuth

 

About the Book:

Many of us believe we are unseen.

Memories of being on the outside still haunt us today. We somehow believe we are unique in being overlooked. And yet, the Bible is replete with women just like us—women who felt on the outskirts of life, unseen and voiceless. In their stories, you will not only learn more about the women of the Bible, but you’ll begin to understand that you are both seen and heard. 

How about you? Have you ever felt like life has passed you by? When you look back on your pivotal moments, do you feel unseen and overlooked? You are not alone. Not only have others around you experienced the same things, but many women in the Bible have too. We all have asked questions  

·       Why can’t people seem to see and notice me?

·       How can I overcome this feeling of rejection?

·       What does a “seen” life actually look like in a world of social media and the insta-famous?

This universal feeling is normal, but it doesn’t have to stick to you. Through the raw and real stories of ten women who also felt overlooked, you can unearth new ways to find meaning and joy in a world that ignores you. 

My Review:

In The Most Overlooked Women of the Bible, the author chronicles 10 sort of misunderstood or not very popular women of the Bible. They are women for all intents and purposes are significant in the telling of most stories within the Bible. They place such small parts yet were still such quintessential players in most of the stories and happenings of major battles or accomplishments in stories leading up to ushering in the Christ. Whether big or small we needed and the Kingdom needed their contribution. 

 So of the ten I chose one that I felt I was most like to give you a little bit of a taste of what this book is all about. Martha I feel is one after my own heart. She's always goin' and doin' with little recognition for it. whether its those around her or the Lord himself. Not that she never gets any recognition but rather feels like she doesn't. 

 So Martha probably didn't know it, but she was being taught how to serve well and that along with serving comes suffering. So as she was taken aside by Jesus He was teaching her.The author shows us the interaction between Mary, Martha and Jesus and then takes the Biblical account and offers commentary there, as well. But she didn't leave us hanging there, she also provides us a connection to her own life and how she has learned or was taught some of these very things by the Lord.

 I always took comfort in the relationship of Lazarus, Mary Martha, and Jesus. They had a friendship. It was a great story and one I will never forget. There is a lot we can learn from that story from beginning to end. 

 After the author has broken down the story and provided Biblical account she ends the chapter with Truths and discussion questions.While this book may not be considered a Bible study it would most definitely make a good one. A lot of good stuff in this book!

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

Review: Abundantly Well by:S Nugent

 

About the Book:

Make your midlife years your healthiest ones yet! International fitness presenter Shemane Nugent offers Bible-based wisdom for weight loss, increased energy, and vibrant health. What if you could be wildly healthier and wildly happier without completely giving up your favorite foods or daily spending two hours in the gym? If you don’t know where to start and you haven’t exercised in years, don’t worry. Maybe you’ve tried diets that don’t work, or exercises that hurt, and you’re ready to give up. As a fitness instructor for more than forty-three years, Shemane shares her favorite hacks for aging gracefully, staying in shape, and feeling energized in your forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond! 

In Wildly Well, International Fitness Presenter Shemane Nugent will come along side you and motivate you every day.  This 40-Day journey provides you with daily inspiration to help you overcome doubt and inhibitions about aging and ignite passion for living well at any age. You’ll break strongholds like overcoming cravings the enemy uses to discourage you. For those who are too busy, Shemane will help you find a few extra minutes for exercise. You’ll lean into scripture that supports health and wellness so you can continue to do God’s good work. “‘For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord,” Jeremiah 30:17Shemane shares her journey from deadly sickness and depression to vibrant health and provides a path others can follow. This 40-day transformation will help you live vibrantly, age gracefully, and energize your faith.Foolproof workouts, tension taming stretches, daily Bible verses, healthy home hacks, recipes and more!

My Review:

I have recently had a birthday that seemed to have reminded me that I am not a spring chicken any longer. So Abundantly Well, came at just the right time for me. It is now a new year and this is the time we are suppose to start thinking in a new mindset and hopefully make some changes. Better changes and bigger changes. Changes that we should implement to stick around a little longer.

 In Shemane Nugent's latest book she gives us Bible based solutions to a better more healthier lifestyle. So to start this journey off right the author provides the reader with an assessment to help you figure out where you are at health wise, emotional wise and to really look at your physical activity. It discusses your lifestyle, sleep patterns , your faith and any goals you may have. 

 Throughout the book the author gives you the lifestyle changes that she has made throughout the years and she shows you the Bible based teaching behind a lo of it. The book is presented to you in days, 40 days to be exact. After each day she ends it with a prayer. 

 I'm a foodie so my most favorite part of the whole book is the recipes. They look really good and some I have tried already. Spaghetti squash with a yummy meat sauce is a family favorite! If you are looking for a good start to begin a better more healthy transformation this year, than this book is for you! It has it all!

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

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.