Create: A Girl's Guide to DIY, Doodles, and Design

What a fun and beautiful book!  Do you have a young girl in your life who enjoys creating with her hands?  This is a great book as a gift.  I love how the book has three parts.  Not everyone is creative in the same way and this book allows the readers to enjoy the areas they are best at, and at the same time have areas to grow and broaden themselves.

Each DIY, doodle, and design is clearly laid out.  What is needed, how to do it, and even how to make it a little more complicated (if you want) is in the layout.  There are pictures for each craft so you know what you are looking for in the end result. 

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

Devotions from the Lake

Do you love the peace of nature, the quiet of the lake at any season?  This book will be a short time focused on the nature around the lake and the tranquility therein. 

I love the cover of the book and the idea that even though we might be busy in concrete buildings, we can take these few minutes of devotions (early morning, mid-day, evening...or even just a few minutes in the car alone) and be transported to the lake and the peace of God that resides there.  Personally, I find that I wanted to go and be at the lake, in that quietness to have my own devotions.

Each devotional is short, and it doesn't go into depth -- but I believe it can be a quiet time to reconnect to the God who created the lake.

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

Breaking the Fear Cycle by Maria Furlough

From the publisher:
It seems there is more to fear now than ever, but fear and anxiety are nothing new to human beings--or to God. The Bible calls us to not be afraid on many occasions, and of course we all want to live without fear. But just how is that accomplished when every news item seems designed to get us wringing our hands?

Using her own story as a catalyst, Maria Furlough shows readers how to overcome fear for good. She calls readers to make a list of their fears, to choose to bring those fears to God rather than acting on them, and to trust God with the future. She shows how when we give God full control over our lives, choosing his sovereignty over our own ability, we can break the cycle of fear, grow through suffering, and trust God to fulfill his promises of protection and peace.

Anyone who is filled with anxiety over their personal circumstances, the state of the world today, or even their fear-clogged social media feeds will welcome this hands-on journey from fear to freedom.

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You'll know if this book is for you in the first chapter.  As author Maria Furlough describes her thought process going from a question to full blown panic attack you may well see yourself in the scenario.  Loving, caring, functioning Christians can find themselves obsessing over the "what ifs".  This book isn't just a formula or plan.  This book tells of Maria's personal journey through fear and anxiety on a daily basis when her worst fear was realized.  She shows how even when we don't get a miracle that God still knows how to heal us deep down.  There's a lot of practical advice between the pages of this book.  There's a lot of scripture quoted too.  But there is also one woman's personal testimony of a loving God who showed Himself to still be love in the midst of her worst nightmare.  Maria's story is one of hope for anyone who has chronic fear/anxiety.  She claims the peace that passes understanding through her relationship with a God who is intimately aware and involved in the details of our lives.

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

First Impressions (A Contemporary Retelling of Pride and Prejudice) By Debra White Smith

While this is a retelling of the classic book Pride and Prejudice there is enough surprises and twists to make it seem brand new.  However, I found it a bit redundant to have the characters in the book who are each based on an Austen character also acting as those exact same characters in Aunt Maddy's Pride and Prejudice play.  For example Smith's character Dave Davidson is based on Austen's character Mr. Darcy.  Dave Davidson also acts in his aunt's play of Pride and Prejudice as Mr. Darcy.  That's just too much Mr. Darcy for me.  It has also made the plot of the story move a bit too slowly for my taste.  There is also too much mention (again redundancy) about Dave Davidson's vast wealth.  I get the picture!  But as reader am told over and over of this fact.  The best part of the book is the mystery behind Davidson's pseudonym and the Barclay sister's unique individual journeys.  If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan I think you will either love the retelling in a modern setting or perhaps find it disappointing as it cannot match Austen's work of art.

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

Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst

I love to just hold this book.  The cover, the design, the weight of it is perfect.  There is a bookmark inside to mark your days as you go along.  In this world where we find ourselves questioning who we are and what we mean, this is just the devotional we all need to read. 

Each devotional is a few pages and ends in a short prayer.  This book can be kept in your car for when you have a few minutes while you wait for your kids after school, or when you are a few minutes early for an appointment.  While the devotional isn't long, it can be just the pause and space you need to change how you view God's love. 

I highly recommend this book.

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

Night Night Jungle by Amy Parker Illustrated by Virginia Allyn

This board book by Amy Parker is a fun addition to any family's nighttime reading.  I love how ti includes a variety of animals that aren't "common" for children's books as it is centered around jungle animals.  The sweet cadence of the book will draw adults and children in.  Then Virginia Allyn's illustrations will keep them engaged as they enjoy the friendly and colorful images.  There is a sweetness of the book as each animals says night night as then is acknowledging that God made them.

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

Then Came You by Becky Wade (A Bradford Novella)

This novella!  Oh wow! I have not loved a novella like this in a long, long time!
Garner's character is swiftly developed but you feel a deep kinship with him, even though it is quick.  Through his journal entries you understand his thoughts and actions and the things that happen to him.
Kathleen is a spunky and yet winsome character who also grows through the years the novella passes through. 

I wasn't sure about the book being written through letters but Becky Wade did such an amazing job that I truly felt I knew these characters.  This made me eager to read the series that comes after it. 

After I read the book I was able to listen to it an audio.  What a treat!  The voice for Garner was perfection.  He was what I imagined him to be and his voice  made the novella even more engaging.
Kathleen's voice I felt grew on you as you got to know her more and she too matched the character that Becky Wade had written for us. 

I cannot tell you how much I loved this novella!

Falling for You by Becky Wade

From the publisher:

Famously beautiful model Willow Bradford is taking a temporary break from her hectic schedule to work as the innkeeper at her family's small-town bed-and-breakfast. She was enjoying the peace of her hometown, Merryweather, Washington, right up until she came face-to-face with Corbin Stewart, the man she loves to hate. A thoughtful rule-follower by nature, Willow threw caution to the wind four years ago when she entrusted her heart to Corbin--and suffered the consequences when it all fell apart.

Former NFL quarterback Corbin is forceful, charming, and accustomed to getting what he wants . . . except where Willow Bradford is concerned. Unable to forget her, he's never stopped regretting what happened between them. When their paths unexpectedly cross again, he's determined to make her give him a second chance.

When a decades-old missing persons case finds Corbin and Willow working together, they're forced to confront their past and who they've become--and whether they can risk falling for one another all over again.
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This is the second book in the Bradford Sisters Romance series. I am captivated by Willow and Corbin's story.  The first time around they did not have a perfect romance and the problems that lay before them are still there.  I love the tension, the choices they have had to make.  

There is a fun aspect to this book that makes it different from some other of Becky Wade books. In this book there is a mystery that brings Corbin and Willow together.  This will keep you on your seats as well as watching what is developing between the two.

Becky Wade is seriously a master at contemporary romance.  Each time I pick up one of her books I am drawn into the story and find myself looking for each opportunity to read.  I get hooked in her books.  

Even beyond the suspense and romance--I really love the relationship with the three sisters.  It's like Little Women for modern readers, in the sense that the relationships between the sisters is at least half of the story woven in between the lines.

I highly recommend this book (and the series) to others.

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