Troubled Waters by Susan May Warren

From the publisher:
Billionaire Ian Shaw can have everything he wants--except a happy ending. Or at least that's what it feels like with his fortune recently liquidated, his niece, Esme, still missing, and the woman he loves refusing to speak to him. In fact, he doubts she would date him even if they were stranded on a deserted island.

Despite her love for Ian, Sierra Rose knows he has no room in his life for her as long as the mystery of his missing niece goes unsolved. The only problem is, Sierra has solved it, but a promise to Esme to keep her whereabouts secret has made it impossible to be around Ian.

When the PEAK chopper is damaged and Sierra lacks the funds to repair it, Ian offers a fundraising junket for large donors on his yacht in the Caribbean. But the three-day excursion turns into a nightmare when a rogue wave cripples the yacht and sends the passengers overboard. Shaken up and soaked to the bone, Ian finally has a chance to test his theory when he and Sierra do indeed find themselves washed up on a strange, empty shore.

It will take guts and gumption for the PEAK team to rescue the duo. But it will take a miracle to rescue Ian and Sierra's relationship.

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This is the book I have been waiting for since the beginning of this series!  This book is part of a series and I highly recommending reading all of them. Not just because you will have better context for the story but because they are all so enjoyable!

Ian Shaw and Sierra Rose are both characters who have been developing over this series.  Through Susan May Warren's talented writing you become attached and wanting to really understand what is holding each character hostage.  This book really fleshes out things in our own life that hold us captive from being close to others and God.

The book is quick paced and I enjoyed each page.  

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own. 

Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews

From the publisher:
In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king. 

Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name--Zibah, delight of the Lord--thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation. 
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Mesu Andrews does an excellent job of drawing the reader back in time to the days of the Old Testament Bible.  As you read her descriptions you not only can see the images but also "taste", "smell" and "touch" in your mind.  It is as if you are there walking the dusty path, eating luscious grapes or holding a woven garment between your fingers.  One word of caution:  because she does such an amazing job of putting you right in the scene this book may not be appropriate for younger readers.  She has some pretty graphic scenes of child sacrifice that are pretty brutal.  For older readers the literary craftmanship brings an intriguing and deeper understanding to the Bible characters' traditions, times and personal lives.  I was really touched by the description of the faithful witness the prophets and their families bore to hostile inhabitants of their land.  The way God led ordinary people to do amazing things for Him really captured my heart.

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Top Lists for 2017

I did not keep track of all the books I read in 2017. I repeat. I did not keep track of them.  So for the first time in years I have no idea how many I read. But I did read and considering the year, I feel like it was a lot.

These top categories have the book in no particular order.

Top Non-fiction books:



Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen

 

Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors




The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp



Unseen by Sara Hagerty

Fiction Top Reads:


Life After by Katie Ganshert




True to You by Becky Wade



To Wager Her Heart by Tamera Alexander


And A NEW top list....Podcasts!



Tapestry Empowered to Connect



The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman


The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

All Things New by John Eldredge

From the publisher:

This revolutionary book about our future is based on the simple idea that, according to the Bible, heaven is not our eternal home--the New Earth is. As Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew, the next chapter of our story begins with "the renewal of all things," by which he means the earth we love in all its beauty, our own selves, and the things that make for a rich life: music, art, food, laughter and all that we hold dear. Everything shall be renewed "when the world is made new."

More than anything else, how you envision your future shapes your current experience. If you knew that God was going to restore your life and everything you love any day; if you believed a great and glorious goodness was coming to you--not in a vague heaven but right here on this earth--you would have a hope to see you through anything, an anchor for your soul, "an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God" (Hebrews 6:19).

Most Christians (most people for that matter) fail to look forward to their future because their view of heaven is vague, religious, and frankly boring. Hope begins when we understand that for the believer nothing is lost. Heaven is not a life in the clouds; it is not endless harp-strumming or worship-singing. Rather, the life we long for, the paradise Adam and Eve knew, is precisely the life that is coming to us. And that life is coming soon

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Eldredge presents the idea to us that without hope we really aren't living.  He examines the difference between presumptive optimism and true faith based hope.  Have you ever met someone who doesn't listen to your pain but glosses over it with statements of "joy, joy, joy".  Well John Eldredge does NOT do that.  He knows pain, deep pain.  He knows how it feels to have lost hope and be in a dark pit of dispair.  He has grieved!  He is real and not superficially smiling at us - his readers.  He shares very personal gut-wrenching stories from his own life and family.  He weaves these with stories of historical figures and people he's met personally.  He shares his own insights into how he believes God wants to join with us in this life's journey.  This book is not just a guide book to find peace but it is a book to help connect us with the Author of peace, joy, faith and hope.  You will meet God in these pages and because of that you will find the way to hope during times that seem unbearable.  

I received this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.