Where Treetops Glisten: Three Stories of Heartwarming Courage and Christmas Romance During World War II by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, Sarah Sundin

Book Description:  The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime

Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, 

filled with the wonder of Christmas

 Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana. 

In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help. 

Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?

In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart. 

The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?

My Thoughts:  It's that time of the year again!  Christmas stories!!

And best yet...three stories in on book!  Three great authors pen about WWII and romance at Christmas time.  

In White Christmas Cara Putman writes about Abigail who is trying so very hard to hold.it.all down as she attends college and works part time at a candy shop.  But then a someone with problems bigger than hers comes along and Abigail steps in to help.  A sweet story!

In I'll Be Home for Christmas Sarah Sundin tells about Pete a fighter pilot in the war who meets the cutest most precious little girl.  This cute little girl has a widowed mother whom Pete would gladly like get together with but Pete was once a bully of sorts and the widowed mother isn't so sure about Pete.  This is what Christmas is all about!

Tricia Goyer writes about Meredith or Merry as her friends call her in Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  Merry is a combat nurse on the from lines in the Netherlands.  Merry and her adventures were like being on the front lines...romance and all. I loved this story simply because my baby sister recently married and moved to the Netherlands....it just hit home with me.

All three stories are novellas...short stories but they are ever.so.interesting and fun to read!  I love them all!  What a grand book! 

*This book was provided for review by Waterbrook/Multnomah*

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (September 16, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601426488
• ISBN-13: 978-1601426482

Unwrapping Christmas by Ann Voskamp

Book Description:  Based on the overwhelming success of The Greatest Gift, Ann Voskamp has expanded her presentation of the timeless Advent tradition of the Jesse Tree so families can celebrate together. Each day, families can read the provided Scripture passage (in connection with the original book), engage with a specially written devotion to help children of all ages understand the Advent theme for the day, and participate in suggested activities to apply the theme.

This special edition is beautifully illustrated. It can serve as a precious guide to help recapture the sacredness of the Advent season and to help the entire family understand and celebrate the epic pageantry of humankind from Adam to the Messiah.

My Thoughts:  Yay!  Another Christmas book.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this book so I was amazed when I received it.  It's a beautiful book...hardback, lovely illustrations and such a nice cover!  

This is one book that will be on our living room table for the month of Christmas.

Each day there is a scripture passage/devotion to be read and then there are activities to do as a family.  A great way for a family to connect at the onset/Advent of the season.  

As more and families are trying not to get lost in the busyness and materialism of the Christmas season...this book is a great way to bring your family into the "worship" of the season and why we celebrate the birth of the Savior.

I love the title, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift:  A Celebration of Christmas, because this is exactly what the book brings to each member of the family...the greatest gift of all!

***From the Back Cover

Unwrap the greatest Gift with your family this Advent season!
Person by person, story by story, retrace the lineage of Jesus. Fall in love with Him all over again as you experience God’s plan of salvation for us—from the Garden of Eden to the manger and beyond.

With vivid, full-color illustrations, downloadable ornaments, and moving scenes from the Bible, this book is a gift your whole family can unwrap each day leading up to Christmas.

Each devotion includes the following:

• Scripture readings to go along with each story
• Questions and activities to engage the entire family
• Beautiful illustrations to further enhance each reading

Celebrate the best love story of all time with your family!

This book would be a great Christmas card to give to a family before the season begins.

*This book was provided for review by Tyndale*

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (November 1, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414397542
• ISBN-13: 978-1414397542

COTT {Clash of the Titles} August New Releases Clash

Clash of the Titles presents four brand new inspirational novels. One’s set in a Bible camp for tweens or the tweens in your lives. Hopes and dreams are threatened in another. In the third, a town’s in need of a miracle. Two people work to cure a deadly disease in the fourth. Which one will you read first? 

SPEAK NO EVIL by Mary Hamilton
Having his younger sister at summer camp will be a pain, but Taylor Dixon, 15, never expects the pain to go so deep. When she falls for his snobbish cabin mate, a war of words and pranks escalates, threatening to land him in jail and destroying his dreams for the future—until a lesson learned from an old engine sets him free from the prison he built himself.




THE HESITANT HEIRESS by Dawn Crandall
With the rare ability to play the piano by ear, Amaryllis Brigham wants nothing more than to someday found a music school. However, someone keeps undermining her hopes and dreams, and 
she's sure it's Bram Everstone--the father of the one man she's ever come close to falling for.



MIRACLE IN A DRY SEASON by Sarah Loudin Thomas
Perla Long wants a quiet, safe place for her and her daughter where her past can stay hidden, but she ends up in a town in desperate need of a miracle. Bachelor Casewell Phillips sees everything he wants in a woman in her, but can’t get past the sense she’s hiding something.

WITH EVERY BREATH by Elizabeth Camden
In the shadow of the nation's capital, Kate Livingston's respectable life as a statistician is disrupted by an encounter with the insufferable Trevor McDonough, the one man she'd hoped never to see again. A Harvard-trained physician, Trevor never showed the tiniest flicker of interest in Kate, and the only reason he seeks her out now is because of the one thing they share in common: the competitive drive to cure the world’s deadliest disease.

A Thousand Sleepless Nights by Michael King

Book Description:   A family torn apart by neglect and hurt…

And brought together again by a most unlikely force

In the 1970s, escaping a home where he knew nothing but violence and hate, Jim Harding found work, and love, on the largest horse ranch in Virginia. The object of his affections, Nena St. Claire, is the daughter of the owner—a man who ruled his ranch with an iron fist and would do whatever it took to keep Nena and Jim apart.

Against the wishes of her family, Nena marries Jim, and after her father dies, she sacrifices everything—including her family—to keep the ranch alive. Now their three grown children have lives of their own and want nothing to do with Nena. She was never the mother they needed.

When cancer strikes and Nena is given a devastating diagnosis, can Jim reconcile the family before it is too late?

My Thoughts:  Michael King is a brand new author to me so when I first saw this book I wasn't impressed.  To be honest the title, "A Thousand Sleepless Nights,"  seemed odd to me.  Was it a book about sleep apnea??  No, it's actually a story of family and emotion.  

Nena marries a simple ranch hand after breaking her engagement to one the up and coming young men in her circle. . . was this a wise decision?  Interestingly, the author brings out how God works even when we make choices that don't work.

At times this was quite a sad read (for me)....dealing with cancer and death is not an easy feat for most of us humans.  Then there are the issues within the family.  But there's also the forgiveness.  The love and the way it is and the what might have beens.  Makes for quite an emotional heartrending read!

After her father passes away from cancer Nena inherits the immense ranch.

Nena has issues that she needs to deal with...these issues also include her children at times.

Overall, an interesting read.

*This book was provided for review Bookteria*

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Realms (October 16, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1616388358

NIV Once-A-Day Bible: Chronological Edition Paperback by Zondervan

Book Description:  The NIV Once-A-Day Bible: Chronological Edition helps you encounter the Bible every day in a new and fresh way. It organizes the clear and accessible NIV Bible into 365 daily readings in chronological order so that you can practice the spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading within a new and different context.

My Thoughts:  I wanted this Bible for two reasons:  First, because it is in chronological order and secondly because it has scripture readings for once a day.

I love reading a once a day Bible because for me it's easier to read the passages than to try and guess where I should end the reading for that day.

This Bible makes it easy to read through the Bible in a year...there are 365 passages in chronological order so that the reader can read everyday and stay on target.  Plus, and a BIG plus, is that there are summaries at the end of each chapter that help the reader to understand and "digest" what s/he has just read.

This Bible is a keeper.

I love it so much that I'm giving two away as Christmas presents this year.  

If you're the kind of person who wants to read your Bible through in a year ... then this may be the Bible for you!

*This book/Bible was provided for review by BookLook*

• Series: Once-A-Day
• Paperback: 1280 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Special edition (October 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780310950950
• ISBN-13: 978-0310950950
• ASIN: 0310950953

Peach Custard Pie!

COTT {Clash of the Titles} Annie's Stories

Clash of the Titles' next featured author comes in with a storm of high-five comments from some very dedicated fans! Cindy's novel, Annie's Stories, was the runner-up in our August Clash, and for good reason. Doesn't that cover just make you want to drop everything and float away on a good book? 

Why not grab, this book...?

About the book:
The year is 1901, the literary sensation The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is taking New York City by storm, and everyone wonders where the next great book will come from. But to Annie Gallagher, stories are more than entertainment—they’re a sweet reminder of her storyteller father. After his death, Annie fled Ireland for the land of dreams, finding work at Hawkins House.

But when a fellow boarder with something to hide is accused of misconduct and authorities threaten to shut down the boardinghouse, Annie fears she may lose her new friends, her housekeeping job . . . and her means of funding her dream: a memorial library to honor her father. Furthermore, the friendly postman shows a little too much interest in Annie—and in her father’s unpublished stories. In fact, he suspects these tales may hold a grand secret.

Though the postman’s intentions seem pure, Annie wants to share her father’s stories on her own terms. Determined to prove herself, Annie must forge her own path to aid her friend and create the future she’s always envisioned . . . where dreams really do come true.

PURCHASE

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Christian Book Distributors

What our voters had to say!

--Annie's Stories was a sweet novel. Cindy Thomson was a new author to me. I will definitely be reading more of her books!
--Love your stories, Cindy Thomson!
--Sounds wonderful Cindy Thomson. Reminds me of be read to by my lovely parents.
--Looking forward to reading Annie's Stories, Cindy Thomson!
--Cindy Thomson is such a talent!
--I loved this novel by author Cindy Thomson.
--Vote for Annie's Stories!
--Cindy Thomson I am really looking forward to reading Annie's Stories! I know I can carve out some quality reading time really soon! -Ronda R
--Go Cindy Thomson! Her books are great! You won't regret picking up her book!
--I just love the way Cindy weaves a story :-)

What Cindy's readers have to say:
"Now and again there comes along a book that holds a personal message for me. I believe these messages come from God. In that alone I’m so very glad I read this book. The influence a book can have on a reader is a special message gleaned from this book. Annie looks to the characters in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz while dealing with her life challenges. Any reader can relate to having been influenced by a book."  ~Christian Manifesto, 2014 Lime Award Nominee

Amazon reviewer: "A good historical novel will take you back through the years and let you remember a time you never experienced. Cindy Thomson's Ellis Island series is doing just that. A great historical novel won't stop there, though, it will also give you characters to befriend while you're in its pages. Cindy Thomson's books do that as well." ~TheophilusFarrell4

About the author:
Cindy Thomson is a writer and an avid genealogy enthusiast. Her love of history and her Scots-Irish heritage have inspired much of her writing, including her new Ellis Island series. Cindy is also the author of Brigid of Ireland and Celtic Wisdom: Treasures from Ireland. She combined her love of history and baseball to co-author the biography Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story, which was a finalist for the Society for American Baseball Research's Larry Ritter Book Award. In addition to books, Cindy has written on a regular basis for numerous online and print publications and is a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. Cindy and her husband have three grown sons and live in central Ohio.

Connect with Cindy:
Events 
Facebook
Website

Find more great reads at Clash of the Titles.com!

The River by Beverly Lewis

Book Description:  She looked once more at the dreaded river. Since Anna's death, it had been such a barrier . . . a place and a moment she could not seem to move past.

            A line I can't move beyond...

           The River 

Tilly and Ruth, two formerly Amish sisters, are plagued by unresolved relationships when they reluctantly return to Lancaster County for their parents' landmark wedding anniversary. Since departing their Plain upbringing, Tilly has married an Englisher, but Ruth remains single and hasn't entirely forgotten her failed courtship with her Amish beau.

Past meets present as Tilly and Ruth yearn for acceptance and redemption. Can they face the future in the light of a past they can't undo?

My Thoughts:  The River by Beverly Lewis is another must read book! especially for all those Amish readers out there.

I find that the title of this book, The River, tells a lot more than the reader is expecting.

Tilly and Ruth are sisters and they are both "used to be" Amish.  Tilly has married an Englisher but Ruth still remains single even though she still remembers her Amish boyfriend.  

It seems that the river has a life of its own...it took the life of sweet Anna and it also is a barrier, a line, so to speak, between what was and was could be.  Interesting!

Ruth and Tilly are both seeking, trying to get on with the present but yet there is just something that holds each of them on the sidelines of life.  

Sometimes as humans we want to be and try to be all we can but "a river" comes in and sweeps away some of our dreams and our inspiration.  But with faith in God we can get past the river.  

Another grand read by Beverly Lewis!  This book also makes for great present!

*This book was provided by Bethany House*

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers (September 2, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764212451
• ISBN-13: 978-0764212451

WOW {Warm Oven Wednesday}

You gotta try this bread!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups  flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 6 tbsp special dark cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup cooking oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups shredded zucchini

Instructions

• 1.In a small bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Add chocolate chips and pecans (optional).
• 2.In a large bowl, beat together oil, sugar, brown sugar and eggs. Add vanilla and sour cream.
• 3.Fold in shredded zucchini then pour into greased baking pan.
• 4.Bake at 350˚ for 50-55 minutes or until just set.

Birthday Bash...Win books!

Don't forget to go to

Clash of Titles Book Bash 

today and everyday until September 23 

for a chance to win books...everyday!!

Magnolia Market (Trumpet & Vine) by Judy Christie

Book Description:  Fresh starts aren’t nearly as glamorous as they appear. And love isn’t any easier the second time around.

Avery Broussard was savoring her long-dormant optimism. It was the first anniversary of her husband’s death, and she was fi nally going to buy the dress boutique from her former mother-in-law. After a year of saving, the deal was nearly done. Avery was about to get her life back.

But every deal in Samford, Louisiana, can change at the whim of a Broussard. After being unceremoniously ejected from the very boutique she planned to buy—the boutique she herself had rescued from ruin—she becomes a woman without a future . . . suddenly at war with her late husband’s family.

When carpenter T. J. Aillet begins working for the Broussards doing manual labor, he overhears enough to know that Avery is being victimized. Soon enough, T. J. is lassoed into the squabble by his family connections, his good heart . . . and the undeniable attraction he feels toward Avery.

But the Aillets are no strangers to Samford society—and T. J. knows what happens when you cross the Broussards. Could these two misfi ts ever make a start together? Or will the pressures of Samford society pull them apart before they even get a chance to try?

My Thoughts:  I've had the pleasure of reading all the "Going to Green" books and Sweet Olive by Judy Christie.  So, I was excited to read her latest and newest book, Magnolia Market (Trumpet & Vine).  

I like Avery.  She's tough but kind hearted.  She's true blue but not a pull.the.wool over kind.of.person.  She sticks to what she believes in!

But all of Avery's well laid plans go awry when her terrible in-laws, the parents of her late husband, literally try to cast her out of business, out of her home and out of town!  But enter T.J. Alliet!  A man who sees through the in-laws and knows that someone needs to help Avery.  Well, he also likes Avery very much...you know, attraction!  {sigh!}

Together Avery and T.J. take on the "crown jewels" of the Samford society.  Avery knows what who's going up against but poor T.J. not quite so. 
Judy Christie writes with emotion, so much emotion that I felt as if I were Avery...and I felt the pain and sorrow of someone trying to make an out cast of a really good christian person.  

Forgiveness and romance are two of the themes of this great read. 

If you enjoy good christian romance without all the "stuff."  Then you'll enjoy this read!

*This book was provided for review by BookLook*

• Series: Trumpet & Vine
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (September 23, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310330572
• ISBN-13: 978-0310330578

COTT {Clash of the Titles} August Winner and A GRAND Event! This week!

A hearty thanks to all the voters who turned out for this month's clash!

The scores have been tallied and a winner chosen.

But before the grand reveal, an announcement...

***

Clash of the Titles is having a 

BIRTHDAY BASH!

During the week of

September 15-23

COTT will be conducting FOUR giveaways, one for each year 

we've been promoting Christian fiction.

During these giveaways, TWENTY of our former champions will be donating 

62 copies

of their books!

 You read right--62 novels!

(Distributed among four different winners.)

****

And now, the winner of our August Clash...

The Rose Ring

by Lucie Ulrich

Congratulations, Lucie! 

As you'll note from the comments (below) left during the voting, Lucie's fans simply adore her.

Lucie, welcome to the family.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

With a will that reads like a piece of fiction, the return of his long-lost brother, and the possibility of losing the family ranch, Micah Cooper calls on high school friend, Sky Baxter, to bail him out of a bad situation.

Though her brain tells her no, Sky’s heart says yes. She accepts Micah’s in-name-only proposal, knowing it’s unlikely anything permanent will come of it. She’s been in love with him since the ninth grade, and if he hasn’t figured it out by now, there’s little chance he ever will.

When an unexpected kiss ignites a spark, giving Micah hope for a possible future with Sky, a tragic accident threatens to take it all away. Torn between following his heart, doing the right thing, and forgiving the past, Micah is lost in a whirlwind of pain and emotions. Will he make it through the next two years, or will a long-kept family secret be the undoing of them all?

PURCHASE 

Amazon   

B& N 

iBooks 1

Smashwords

Kobo

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Lucie Ulrich took her time becoming a writer. Not much of a reader as a child, writing was of no interest to

her--until she joined a church drama team. The desire to write a skit, and not simply act out someone else's was so strong, that once she started, she couldn't seem to stop. That first skit led to her becoming the drama team director, then eventually, the performing arts director at a small Christian school.

Lucie's first novel was penned under a tree in a field in Holland. Though her first, second, and third attempts never saw the light of day, parts of each of them became the foundation for "Broken Vessels," her first published work.

No longer involved with the performing arts, Lucie enjoys going on photo shoots with her husband, and taking long (or short) road trips. She hopes to find inspiration as she and her husband explore the four corners of the United States. 

What COTT voters had to say:

-Great job Lucie!
-Lucie Ulrich, wonderful story-I really enjoyed it
-Always enjoy reading books written by Lucie Ulrich...hard to put down!
-Lucie Ulrich I can't wait for your next book!
-I love, love, love Lucie Ulrich's work. Ms. Ulrich expertly weaves true-to-life stories that trap the reader in a web of heartache, absolution, forgiveness and acceptance.
-Excellent story, Ms. Ulrich! I couldn't put it down and look forward to seeing a return of these characters in future stories!
-Keep writing, Lucie!
-Loved the book Lucie Ulrich! YG
-Cindy Thompson is one of my favorite authors. She and I share the same passion--genealogy. I look forward to reading her Ellis Island series.
-Way to go Lucie Ulrich. Your books are wonderful!
-Lucie Ulrich is a wonderful author. I have read both of her books and absolutely loved them.
-Lucie Ulrich's book THE ROSE RING is a must read. I didn't want to quit reading. I love it, Lucie!!!

What Lucie's Readers Have to Say:

"The Rose Ring is a story of wounded souls who find healing as they learn to lean on God and come to trust one another. Ulrich has a knack for creating complicated, compelling characters that readers can't help but fall in love with.  What I liked best about this story was that it is woven around realistic family fractures, and that it has a real world ending."

"Lucie Ulrich doesn't just tell us a story, she brings us into the story! I felt their pain and joy, their confusion and relief....It is a story about love and loss, tragedy and forgiveness, inspiration and faith. You’ll be teary-eyed many times throughout the story, so keep a box of tissues close by. And you'll become so attached to these characters that you'll be better for it! It is emotional, inspiring and unforgettable. This will be a book I will pick up again and again and will recommend it to everyone I can."