Moon Over Edisto by Beth Webb Hart

Book Description:  The past has come knocking on Julia's door. Can she summon the courage to answer betrayal with love?

Julia’s best friend, Marney, broke up her parents' marriage years ago. Now Marney shows up at her Manhattan apartment, asking the impossible—come home to Edisto Island to care for the half-sisters and half-brother she has never known. Marney, recently widowed, has lung cancer. There's no other family to care for the children while she’s in the hospital following surgery.

Julia loathes Marney. But if she doesn’t step in, her own mother—who has never gotten over the divorce—will be called upon to take care of the children. So she heads to South Carolina to keep the peace.

On Edisto, she begins to reconnect with the place and the people and she’s been running from her whole adult life. There’s the local doctor who once stole a kiss from her on that very beach, and the siblings she’s never known—especially the sister with selective mutism named Etta who’s the keeper of nearly every family secret . . . including the very one that just might bind-up Julia’s long-since shattered heart.

My Thoughts:  First of all, I had to look up the word Edisto . . . Edisto is one of South Carolina's sea islands.  Wow!  I learn something new almost every time I read a book.  Love that one can learn facts from fiction!

Now, Julia seems to have it all and on her way to a happy future.  And like our lives, when all is going too well, it all comes to halt.  Maybe, just maybe, this is a life lesson for us not to get too comfortable in our lives.

God  has a way of bringing forgiveness to us.  

Then it seems that Julie is like a lot of oldest children...very responsible.  So, when Marney comes knocking on her door, Julia does what she deems right ,and well, so her mother won't have to face the grief again.

This is a "different" kind of read for me...there are many different view points.  Too be honest I found this a little confusing at times.  It's an interesting way to write but not my favorite way to read.

The story line is interesting.  Etta's selective mutism is a psychiatric disorder in which a person who is normally capable of speech is unable to speak in given situations or to specific people. Selective mutism usually co-exists with shyness or social anxiety.  It seems that Etta's disorder speaks volumes of this family's disfunction.

There always seems to be "that" aunt who takes in the children and helps them over the hurdles.  In this story, it's Aunt Dot.  Aunt dot is a loving, caring person who seeks to help others do better.

This was an okay read maybe because I had trouble getting past the different viewpoints.

*This book was provided for review by BookSneeze/Thomas Nelson Publishing*

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (February 12, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595542027
• ISBN-13: 978-1595542021

Material Witness {Shipshewana Amish Mystery, Book 3} by Vannetta Chapman

Book Description:  The Fall Crafters Fair has barely begun in Shipshewana when murder strikes the small town once again---this time on the property of Daisy's Quilt Shop. It will take all of the sleuthing skills Deborah Yoder and Callie Harper possess to catch the perpetrator. But the stakes are higher than ever before, since the material witness is their best friend's child. Everyone will have to go on a journey of faith deep into the heart of God’s grace.

My Thoughts:  Material Witness by Vannetta Chapman is the third book in the Shipshewana Amish Mystery Series.  Having read the first two books A Perfect Square and Falling To Pieces, I was excited to read this third (and hopefully! not final) book in this series.

I was pleasantly surprised at how Vannetta Chapman's story telling had "increased."  I loved the first two books but in this third book she has "come into her writing!"  The characters, the sights & sounds and the development of the story are so GOOD!

Now, one doesn't have to read the first two books to understand the mystery of the third book but it would be best to read the books in order for more understanding of the characters.

A murder has been committed in the small community during the fall festival and one little crippled, wheelchair bound boy is the only witness.

Callie and her quilt shop are in the middle of the tragedy.  

The robber somehow thinks that Callie knows where the treasure is hidden.  Callie is clueless but with the help of her trusty Amish friends, Deborah and Esther, they piece the heirloom quilts together coming up with an interesting idea.

This mystery has a lot of action, hidden messages, friends that help and a dash of romance.

Here's hoping that there will be a fourth book.  I love this series!

*This book was provided by Zondervan Publishing*

About the Author

Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather's birthplace of Albion, Pennsylvania. Her first novel, A Simple Amish Christmas, quickly became a bestseller. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310330459
• ISBN-13: 978-0310330455

{Glass Road Blog Tour} The Runner Book One in the Michael Knight Series by A. Wayne Gill

Book Description:  The Runner is the first book in a seven-part series that follows the life of Michael Knight, a young man who is conflicted about his future and who embarks on a long journey of self-discovery. In that sense, Michael is like many of us. I don't think anyone ever just "arrives." We all have to go through things in life in order to learn and grow.

My Thoughts:  Michael Knight lives in the beautiful Ozark mountains, he's the son of a pastor, he has a wonderful girlfriend, and he plays a great game of football.  He seems to have the best of life!

I love the Bible verse that is on the first page of this book...Psalm 139: 7-12.  As Michael finds out...where can I go from Your presence?

Michael's sister, Cindy, is longing for "something" but she always seems to be "making a statement" and dating guys who, well, are not quite up to living well.  Now, Cindy is dating Ramon.  Ramon has a reputation as a bad boy.  And after's his father's suicide, Ramon and his mother party together.  Ramon is back from the Marines but Michael doesn't think that the Marines has changed Ramon's life view.

Abby and Michael have a sweet loving relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.  Their relationship grows as they move on with their lives.

The fight scenes are not graphic but quick and to the punch...a lot like this fast paced read.

This is an easy, believable read that flows from chapter to chapter and it's an interesting read.  Because the title is "The Runner" I wasn't sure what kind of runner this would be about.  If you remember the Bible verse on the first page, maybe you'll guess what kind of Runner this read is about.

Also, this Christian suspense/thriller is written by a pastor.

If there is such.a.thing as a cozy thriller, I would say this is a cozy thriller!  Good language (except where a guy calls out a bad word that shows sin), no murder and no bedroom scenes and a book that shows faith and redemption.  The kind of things that show God is in control!

*This book was provided for review by Glass Road PR*

Make sure to check out the trailer to this great read!

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Iron Pillar Media Group, Inc.; 1ST edition (2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979785618
• ISBN-13: 978-0979785610

Mystery of the Heart {Book III the Ravensmoore Chronicles} by Jillian Kent

Book Description:  Lord Eden is intrigued by Lady Mercy Grayson’s secret, but how can he hope to gain her heart if he is forced to betray her?

Lady Mercy Grayson longs to be a physician like her older brother, Lord Ravensmoore. However, society would never tolerate a female physician, let alone one who is a noblewoman. So Mercy takes matters into her own hands, disguising herself as a man to get through medical school. But when a colleague grows suspicious, Mercy is in danger of losing more than her dreams.

Returning home from a secret voyage for the regent, Lord Eden agrees to give Mercy passage back to London. As their attraction to each other grows, they face circumstances, decisions, and treachery that could forever change the course of their lives.

My Thoughts:  I love this series.  Each book is a stand.alone.read so you don't have to read them in order.

Now the first two books in this series, Secrets of the Heart and Chameleon, are more about mental health and how it affects families and individuals.  Now in Mystery of the Heart the reader is introduced to Lady Mercy Grayson (Mercy is definitely a well chosen name for the main character of this read!)  Mercy has set her heart on becoming physician...a female doctor.  
Now becoming a female doctor in Regency England is somewhat like a female wanting to be a football player in our present day.  *Gasp* Why would a female want that?  And men (the male persuasion) will look down on a lady pursuing this profession.
This read begins with Lady Mercy being washed up on shore.  Wow!  It's one great read!  I loved page 23 when Mercy is rescued by a man with one blue eye and one brown eye.  Her curiosity gets.the.better.of.her and she gets a little too close.  With her rescuer making her blush.  Love that regency/victorian age of innocence.
Lady Mercy and Lord Eden have quite a story to tell.  There are many ups and downs and of course, this story includes the medical side of life.
I've read all of the books in this series and I must say this is my favorite read of the three.  Maybe because there is more romantic intrigue.
A wonderful series!

*This book was provided for review by Charisma House*

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Realms (January 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1621360156
• ISBN-13: 978-1621360155

{Zondervan Bold Tour} Unglued Devotional, 60 Days of Imperfect Progress by Lysa Terkeurst

Book Description:  This companion devotional to the bestselling book Unglued provides encouragement to help readers handle emotional struggles. Including a daily opening Scripture, Thought for the Day, devotion, and closing prayer, this book helps readers begin a 60-day journey in learning to positively process raw emotions, such as fear, anger, and regret.

My Thoughts:  When I saw this devotional, Unglued, 60 Days of Imperfect Progress, by Lysa Terkeurst, I knew this devotional was written just for me!

As a mother, a pastor's wife and a teacher I feel that I am coming Unglued at times.  You know, those little things that don't mean much to anyone else but can make you, well, come unglued!??!  

I also was impressed by the subtitle, 60 Days of Imperfect Progress.  Yeah, um, that's me!  Imperfect by trying.

As I was reading this devotional and came to Day 32, p. 101, Procedure Manual Step 5, Your Reactions Determine Your Reach,  the scripture from 2 Chronicles 20:29-30, is given at the top of the chapter. And then the Thought For the Day:  "My  reactions testify to the kind of relationship I have with Jesus and the kind of effect He has on my heart."  Oh!My! Just what I needed for the day!

I then prayed the prayer at the end of the chapter:  "Dear Lord, in times when my happy gets bumped, help me to add to the authenticity of my love for you, not negate it.  In Jesus' name. Amen."

This is a great devotional for those of us traveling the road of life.  And, yes, we are imperfect and will have days we come unglued but He is there for us!  

If you're feeling unglued then grab this devotional today!  And join us as we seek His way!

*This book was provided for review by Zondervan Publishing*

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (December 18, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310320321
• ISBN-13: 978-0310320326

Meet the Author:

Lysa TerKeurst (www.lysaterkeurst.com) is the New York Times bestselling author of "Made to Crave" and "Unglued" as well as 14 other titles and a speaker who helps everyday women live an adventure of faith through following Jesus Christ. As president of Proverbs 31 Ministries, Lysa has led thousands to make their walk with God an invigorating journey. For over 15 years, her message has enabled women to:
Make the Bible come alive whenever you read it.
Discover how to develop inner peace and security in any situation.
Replace doubt, regret, and envy with truth, confidence, and praise.
Stop unhealthy cycles of striving and learn to love who you are.
Sense God responding to your prayers.
Lysa's personal adventure of following God captured national media attention when she and her husband adopted two teenage boys from a war-torn orphanage in Liberia, Africa. They never imagined their decision would start a chain reaction within their community, which inspired other families to adopt over 45 children from the same orphanage! Lysa's amazing story led to appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, The 700 Club, USA Today newspaper, Woman's Day magazine, and Focus on the Family radio.
Today, Lysa and her ministry team at Proverbs 31 encourage 500,000 women through their daily online devotional. In addition, she co-hosts a 1-minute inspirational radio program aired on more than 1,200 stations around the world. Lysa's blog averages over 80,000 avid readers per month. Plus, she touches hearts through their monthly magazine, P31 Woman.
Lysa is the award-winning author of 14 books, including her newest New York Times bestselling release, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God Not Food..
Other noteworthy books include:
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl
What Happens When Women Say Yes To God
What Happens When Women Walk In Faith
Am I Messing Up My Kids?
Capture His Heart
Capture Her Heart
Living Life On Purpose
A Woman's Secret To A Balanced Life
Leading Women to the Heart of God
Lysa was a Gold Medallion finalist for her book, Leading Women to the Heart of God, and a People's Choice Award finalist for, What Happens When Women Walk In Faith. In addition, her articles have been published in Focus on the Family magazine, Marriage Partnership, and Crown Financial Ministries' Money Matters.
Each year, Lysa is a featured keynote presenter at more than 40 women's events, banquets, and retreats across North America, including the Extraordinary Women conferences and Focus on the Family's women's conference, Renewing the Heart. In addition, she hosts the annual She Speaks Conference, which has helped thousands of women gain the tools to pursue God's calling on their life.
In the midst of her busy schedule, Lysa is an everyday woman who simply seeks to glorify God through her life and family. She and her husband, Art, reside near Charlotte, North Carolina, with their five priority blessings named Jackson, Mark, Hope, Ashley, and Brooke. Join Lysa and discover the everyday adventure that God has waiting for you! www.lysaterkeurst.com

COTT {Clash of the Titles}

Delicious December New Releases - Clash in the New Year with COTT!

Over the following week, Clash of the Titles is featuring five, brand spanking new inspirational novels. Each of the below novels has been on book store shelves for about a month; each is a slightly different genre. Which one calls you? Take a moment to browse, then, using the voting box below, let us know which you're most likely to read first. Happy browsing! VOTE from Now until next Wednesday - tell your friends - then come back and see which book is this month's champion!

The Song of the Tree by Lotis Key

Despite promises of eternal joy given by the Tree of Life, a privileged young woman loses everything in a brutal war. Her husband disappears; her family is murdered; her home is burned to the ground.


Mind of Her Own by Diana Lesire Brandmeyer

 Who knew making dinner could change your life? Louisa Copeland certainly didn’t.



Counterfeit Cowboy  by Lacy Williams 

From the moment Jesse Baker collides with Erin O'Grady on a Boston train platform, he faces a dilemma. For once, Jesse doesn't want to lie about who and what he is.



A Promise to Protect  by Liz Johnson

When his best friend's sister is attacked, Navy SEAL Matt Waterston promises no harm will come to Ashley Sawyer—not on his watch. Threats are a regular part of Ashley's life as the director of a battered women's shelter, but when she and Matt uncover a crime ring more sinister than anyone imagined, trusting Matt could be the only way to survive.



The Knitting Fairy by Jaime Marsman

Librarian Molly Stevenson rather expected her new job at Crabapple Yarns to be deadly boring… but somehow she just didn’t expect the “deadly” part to be quite so literal. After all, what could possibly be more sweet and innocent than a yarn store and a bunch of ladies knitting?

Winners of Praying Circles Around Your Children

TO 

Winners according to the
Random Number Generator 
are  {drum roll, please}
#3
and #1!

Winners have been emailed! 

Spiritual Empowerment, Benevolence, and the experience of God's love the heart of RELIGION by Matthew T. Lee, Margaret M. Poloma and Stephen G. Post

Book Description:  Beneath our culture's obsession with wealth and power, status and celebrity, millions of Americans are quietly engaged in a deeply religious struggle to free themselves from petty selfishness and to embrace a life of benevolence and compassion.

Drawing on an extensive random survey of 1,200 men and women across the United States, Matthew Lee, Margaret Poloma, and Stephen Post here shed new light on how Americans wake up to the reality of divine love and how that transformative experience expresses itself in concrete acts of benevolence. The authors find that the vast majority of Americans (eight out of ten) report that they have felt God's love increasing their compassion for others, one of many important revelations uncovered by the survey. In order to more fully flesh out the meaning of the survey's results, the authors also conducted 120 in-depth interviews with Christian women and men from all walks of life and from across the country who are engaged in benevolent service. Their stories offer compelling examples of how receiving God's love, loving God, and expressing this love to others has made a difference in the world and given their lives deeper significance. As a result, some provide community service, others strive for social justice, still others seek to redefine religion and the meaning of "church" in America. Interviewees who may have grown up with judgmental images of God tended to trade them in for a loving and accepting God more consistent with their own emotionally powerful personal experiences.Based on equal measures of scholarly research and human insight, The Heart of Religion offers an unprecedented level of detail about the experience and expression of divine love.

My Thoughts:  the heart of RELIGION is one of those"eye opener" reads.  Even though I know "these things" I need to be reminded of my heart's cry and not get a religious spirit.  Christ even warned us to keep our hearts from all uncleanliness and to keep our minds on God.  Not an easy feat!

While reading the heart of RELIGION I came to chapter 7, Human Partners and Godly Love and was struck by the first sentence in this chapter, "Exemplars of Godly love do not operate in a vacuum."  The whole chapter is basically about how we as christians are called to get along with all peoples.  The Catholics, the Baptists, the Pentecostals, the Methodists...we are all children of God with different views of our Heavenly Father.

This book is fashioned to help the christian in today's culture to understand that we can help others.  Yes, God has blessed and therefore, we need to extend His hand of blessing.

I love the conclusion!  "Thriving by serving others, loving as you have been loved, living a life of meaning.  This is the path of faith, hope, and love envisioned by the New Testament."

This is not a read for the faint.of.faith!  It's a read for those who want to engage in God's love...His hand extended to those who don't know Him, more than religion, less of us and ALL of Him!

*This book was provided by the B&B Media Group, Inc.*

About the Authors

Matthew T. Lee is Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Akron. He is co-author, with Margaret Poloma, of A Sociological Study of the Great Commandment in Pentecostalism.

Margaret M. Poloma is Research Professor of Sociology, University of Akron. She is the author of Main Street Mystics, among other books.

Stephen G. Post is the President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love (www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com), the author of The Hidden Gifts of Helping, and a Professor of Medical Humanities at Stony Brook University.

Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 12, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0199931887 ISBN-13: 978-0199931880

Great New Program for Tyndale Publishing!

Tyndale Publishing has a great new program that allows you to receive free books! A great program! I've already earned TWO great books FREE!

Click here: Tyndale Rewards Program

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday} Crockpot Chili

Another GREAT Pinterest crockpot chili for those cold days!

2 chicken breasts, still frozen

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can corn kernels, do not drain

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 T cumin 

1 t chili powder 

1 t onion powder 

1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese

 Put the chicken in the crock pot. Top with the corn, drained and rinsed beans, ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders, stir to combine then top with the cream cheese. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

COTT {Clash of the Titles}

Today, we bring you Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley. Replete with murder and racial tension, at its core this is a story exploring something everybody can relate with--bullying. And Margaret is here to tell us in her own words exactlywhy she wrote this.

 Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley:

A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders. 



While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?

***

Why I Wrote Shattered Silence
By Margaret Daley

I taught middle and high school for twenty-seven years, and I consoled many kids over those years that were being bullied. It broke my heart. The students I taught were children with special needs. Other kids sometimes made fun of them or had them do things then laugh at them. I do not tolerate bullying then and now. That's why I wrote Shattered Silence.

As an aside, I started a peer-tutoring program at the high school where I taught. Over the years I had a lot of popular kids take the class (top academic teens, cheerleaders, football players) and help out students who needed a peer tutor. One of those students went on to play pro football and another one became Miss Oklahoma. What was a wonderful benefit for my students with special needs was they developed friendships with their peer tutors. Those same peer tutors were the ones who stepped in and stopped other kids from making fun of my students. 

I wanted to show different situations where a person was bullied (abused) by another. One storyline is centered around a high school student. The two other subplots concern the workplace and an abusive marriage. When someone is bullied, it leaves a lasting mark on that person. I've talked with many adults who can distinctively remember the circumstances around a bullying incident they were in the middle of.

It isn't always the outcasts or overweight kid or geek that are bullied. I have a friend whose daughter is beautiful and smart and was a cheerleader for her high school. Her last semester of high school was done at home through online courses because there were girls at the school that bullied her and made her life miserable. She became physically ill.

For her and the thousands of people who are bullied all over the world I wroteShattered Silence. I didn't just present the situation of being bullied but offered a few suggestions for improving the situation.

Spread the word: Stop bullies. There are three groups involved in a bullying situation: the bully (or bullies), the person bullied and the spectators. The spectators are the ones in the triangle that can step in and change the situation. Speak up.

***

                      

Margaret Daley, an award-winning author of eighty-three books, has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread and corralling her three cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.

Buy the book!
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Christianbooks.com

*guest post by Michelle Massaro

{Kregel Book Tour} The Tainted Coin,The fifth chronicle of Hugh de Singleton, surgeon by Mel Starr

Book Description:  It is the autumn of 1367. Master Hugh is enjoying the peaceful life of Bampton when a badly beaten man is found under the porch of St. Andrew's Chapel. The dying man is a chapman--a traveling merchant. Before he is buried in the chapel grounds, an ancient, corroded coin is found in the man's mouth.

My Thoughts:  Ever since reading A Trail of Ink by Mel Starr I have been "addicted" to his books.

Mel Starr writes with a depth that makes the reader stop and take notice..none of that quick, I.know.who.dun.it types of read.

This book takes on the persona of the early years of medicine and detective work.  Not only is this read interesting but the reader feels as if he is truly in the early years of learning about medicines, people and superstitions.  Mel Starr has done some incredible research to make his reads SO authentic!

The reader will remember that Kate was Hugh's assistant in the previous book but now that Hugh and Kate are married and have a beautiful one year old daughter, Master Hugh has a new assistant so that Kate can stay home and tend the home fires.  I love Master Hugh's new assistant, Arthur, the groom.  He's realistic and absolutely human!  

This mystery surrounds a traveling merchant who is dead and gone about to be buried and a corroded coin is found in his mouth.  What does the coin signify?  And why place it in the man's mouth? "Why would men do murder for a small silver coin?  asked the priest."  p.26 

This mystery turned out completely different than I imagined...just love when this happens!

One does not have to read that previous books in the "series" to understand what is going on...but once you find a great author you'll want to read the other books, too!

A great medieval read!  And I enjoyed the other books in this series but this is my favorite!

*This book was provided for review by Kregel Publications*

$5 Kindle EBook! This Week ONLY!

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Monarch Books (January 1, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0857212508
• ISBN-13: 978-0857212504