Picturing Heaven by Randy Alcorn

This is a fun way to have a coloring book.  Not only are there beautiful pictures ready for someone to relax and color but each coloring page is corresponding to a devotional about heaven.  As you read the short devotional on heaven you will then get to color the picture.  I believe it is the authors desire for you to really begin to picture heaven, to make it a real place in your mind and heart.

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

Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter

From the publisher:

When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she's the only person in town who doesn't expect her to give up the life she's established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?
Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love, Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their "break," not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now--five years later.
As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe's head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn't sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.


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I really enjoyed the story of Zoe and Kyle.  I liked how Denise allowed part of the story to go back in time so that we could better understand their relationship in the past and how it affected the present storyline.

A story about challenging your original ideas and finding out what matters most. I think readers will be able to relate to the theme of the story, even if they have not been in a similar position as the characters in the story.

I like the secondary characters as well, it added a nice dimension, as well as introduce you to characters in future books. 

I look forward to the rest of the series.

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

Across the Blue by Carrie Turansky

From the publisher:

Isabella Grayson, the eldest daughter of a wealthy, English newspaper magnate, longs to become a journalist, but her parents don't approve. They want her to marry well and help them gain a higher standing in society. After she writes an anonymous letter to the editor that impresses her father, her parents reluctantly agree she can write a series of articles about aviation and the race to fly across the English Channel, but only if she promises to accept a marriage proposal within the year. When James Drake, an aspiring aviator, crashes his flying machine at the Grayson's new estate, Bella is intrigued. James is determined to be the first to fly across the Channel and win the prize Mr. Grayson's newspaper is offering. He hopes it will help him secure a government contract to build airplanes and redeem a terrible family secret. James wants to win Bella's heart, but his background and lack of social standing make it unlikely her parents would approve. If he fails to achieve his dream, how will he win the love and respect he is seeking? Will Bella's faith and support help him find the strength and courage he needs when unexpected events turn their world upside down?

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Isabella Grayson, the eldest daughter of a wealthy, English newspaper magnate, longs to become a journalist, but her parents don't approve. They want her to marry well and help them gain a higher standing in society. After she writes an anonymous letter to the editor that impresses her father, her parents reluctantly agree she can write a series of articles about aviation and the race to fly across the English Channel, but only if she promises to accept a marriage proposal within the year. When James Drake, an aspiring aviator, crashes his flying machine at the Grayson's new estate, Bella is intrigued. James is determined to be the first to fly across the Channel and win the prize Mr. Grayson's newspaper is offering. He hopes it will help him secure a government contract to build airplanes and redeem a terrible family secret. James wants to win Bella's heart, but his background and lack of social standing make it unlikely her parents would approve. If he fails to achieve his dream, how will he win the love and respect he is seeking? Will Bella's faith and support help him find the strength and courage he needs when unexpected events turn their world upside down?

Blind Spot by Dani Pettrey

From the publisher:
FBI agent Declan Grey is in the chase of his life--but isn't sure exactly what he's chasing after. Threatened by a terrorist that "the wrath is coming," Grey fears something horrible is about to be unleashed on American soil. When his investigation leads him to a closed immigrant community, he turns to Tanner Shaw to help him. She's sought justice for refugees and the hurting around the world, and if there's anyone who can help him, it's Tanner.

Tanner Shaw has joined the FBI as a crisis counselor . . . meaning she now has more opportunity to butt heads with Declan. But that tension also includes a spark she can't deny, and she's pretty sure Declan feels the same. But before anything can develop between them, they discover evidence of a terror cell--and soon are in a race against the clock to stop the coming "wrath" that could cost thousands their lives.
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I read this book in one day. The book was amazing so I couldn't put it down. This is the third book in the Chesapeake Valor series and each book has been attention grabbing from the start.  I enjoy how Pettrey is bold in the way she talks about God through these books. It isn't an afterthought but instead strong, just as the characters are strong. 

Declan Grey is a character we have been getting to know and in this book we really get to spend more time with him and with Tanner. The development of Tanner and Declan's characters through the other books and into this one has only made the excitement for this book more intense! 

There is suspense, mystery, love, family, friendship--this series is amazing.  You won't want to miss it.

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

Many Sparrows by Lori Benton

From the publisher:

In 1774, the Ohio-Kentucky frontier pulses with rising tension and brutal conflicts as Colonists push westward and encroach upon Native American territories. The young Inglesby family is making the perilous journey west when an accident sends Philip back to Redstone Fort for help, forcing him to leave his pregnant wife Clare and their four-year old son Jacob on a remote mountain trail.
When Philip does not return and Jacob disappears from the wagon under the cover of darkness, Clare awakens the next morning to find herself utterly alone, in labor and wondering how she can to recover her son...especially when her second child is moments away from being born.

Clare will face the greatest fight of her life, as she struggles to reclaim her son from the Shawnee Indians now holding him captive. But with the battle lines sharply drawn, Jacob’s life might not be the only one at stake. When frontiersman Jeremiah Ring comes to her aid, can the stranger convince Clare that recovering her son will require the very thing her anguished heart is unwilling to do—be still, wait and let God fight this battle for them?

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Many Sparrows is an intense trip into the western frontier with imperfect characters wrapped in God's grace.  Clare is waiting for her husband to return to their damaged wagon when her premature labor begins distracting her from watching her four year old son.  His disappearance begins a long journey of physically searching for her son Jacob as well as a spiritual search for a God that can make good out of any situation.  As Clare learns to truly wait on the Lord her heart is challenged in ways that sometimes feels unbearable.  She will look her child's kidnapper in the eyes and see evil there.  She will watch as another gains her child's trust and love.  She will learn not just tolerance of another people's ways but admiration.  This tale weaves back and forth between the settler's world and the Native American's way of life.  Told in stark, unfiltered descriptions the author shows "both sides of the story" as the saying goes.  She gives fair say to each and helps the reader see more clearly how the lines of absolute rightness are not often as they appear.  While trusting God to do the impossible Clare also learns to accept the impossible.  Through this transformation in her soul she finds a God bigger than any of her fears or even her dreams.

Start Where You Are Note Cards

This is a beautiful box with twelve cards and envelopes.  Each are different with inspirational sayings. I love the soft colors of each card.  I personally think it is better to buy this box and send out cards than buy each card individually at a store, the quality and beauty of each card will show the receiver how special you think they are.

Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker

From the publisher:
In this highly anticipated new book, beloved author Jen Hatmaker parlays her own triumphs and tragedies into a sigh of relief for all normal, fierce women everywhere. Whether it’s the time she drove to the wrong city for a fourth-grade field trip (“Why are we in San Antonio?”) or the way she learned to forgive (God was super clear: Pray for this person every day, which was the meanest thing He ever said to me. I was furious.), she offers a reminder to those of us who sometimes hide in the car eating crackers that we do have the moxie to get back up and get back out. We can choose to live undaunted “in the moment” no matter what the moments hold, and lead vibrant, courageous, grace-filled lives.
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This is my first Jen Hatmaker book. I heard/read so many good things about her previous book that I wanted to read her newest book.  Early in this book I felt like Jen was sitting with me and talking as a friend to a friend.  It wasn't heavy but laughter inducing, while at the same time it spoke to deep truths that my heart is struggling with and longs for. 

Jen Hatmaker has a beautiful writing skill that allows her to touch the hearts of the readers through humor and yet deep, deep truth without making it overwhelming or a book you have to slog through.

This book made me wish I could get together with Jen because she was so vulnerable and personable in this book.

I am so glad I go this book and look forward to getting more of her books in the future!

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