Waiting for Morning - Fiction, Historical

Waiting for Morning – The Brides of Last Chance Ranch #2

By Margaret Brownley

Molly Hatfield is a young woman determined to make a better life for herself and her invalid brother, Donny.  Orphaned then driven from their Colorado home by a fire, Molly takes Donny to the Arizona desert in answer to an advertisement for an heiress wanted to run a cattle ranch.  The ranch owner, Miss Walker, has one major stipulation for the candidates – they must agree to never marry.  Molly sees no issue in fulfilling this requirement since every time a man finds out she has a brother in a wheelchair they run the opposite way.  Dr. Caleb Fairbanks is starting his medical practice in the town nearest the ranch.  He meets Molly on his first house call to the ranch.  They have an instant chemistry.  Dr. Fairbanks also thinks he can help Donny become more independent.  Can the three of them find their hearts desire in the Arizona desert?

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The story was paced well and engaging.  The characters are well developed and loveable.  Molly struggles throughout the book with her belief that God has abandoned her. The author paints a clear picture of how easily Christians can judge others and drive them away from the very person they need – Christ.  May we all be reminded to love first, as Christ loved us.  Overall I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to the next installment in the series.  Grade: A – good read.

I received a free e-book  from the publisher via www.booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.

God Gave Us Christmas - Children's Book

God Gave Us Christmas

By Lisa Tawn Bergren and David Hohn

God Gave Us Christmas is the touching story of Little Cub and Mama looking for God in Christmas.  By taking a short trip with Mama and observing the wonder of God in Creation, Little Cub comes to realize that Christmas is about more than just Santa Claus and presents to open.  She finds that Jesus is the greatest gift of Christmas.

I loved reading this book to my 6 year old this Christmas.  We had talked about Christmas being all about Jesus, but this book was such a nice story to support what I had been trying to teach.  My child wanted me to read the book over and over again.  We even had to take it to Grandma's house over the holidays so we could read it.  Well loved by me and my child both.  Looking forward to pulling it out again next Christmas.  I'll be looking for more "God Gave Us......" books!

Against the Tide - Fiction, Historical

Against the Tide

By Elizabeth Camden

Orphaned at a young age, Lydia Pallas has learned to always depend on herself for whatever she needs.  She has finally landed a job at the Navy ship yard as a translator who helps interpret shipbuilding intelligence.  Lydia is proud to be good at what she does, and is desperate to keep her job with its decent and steady income – her first real chance at constancy.  Alexander Banebridge has devoted his life to ending the opium trade and free use of the drug in early American medicines.  His need for a translator brings Lydia to his attention, and her need for extra income makes his offer irresistible.  But working for Banebridge will cost Lydia much more than she ever anticipated.  And is there love on the horizon for either of these determined characters?

I really enjoyed reading this book about fighting the opium trade in the late 1800s.  I had no idea the use of opium was so widespread and generally accepted as medicine even for babies!  The characters are well developed and the story was so compelling I had a hard time putting the book down.  The further I read, the more I wanted to read.  I appreciated Lydia’s struggle to realize there was a God who cared about her.  I liked the way the author portrayed a complete life-change for Alexander Banebridge when he gave his life to Christ.  I’m glad Ms. Camden portrayed two types of salvation experiences in her great story.  I’ll be looking for more books by this author!  Overall, I give this book an A – a great read!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review. 

Fatal Distractions: Conquering Destructive Temptations - Nonfiction, Bible Study

Fatal Distractions: Conquering Destructive Temptations

By Kay Arthur, David & BJ Lawson

This Bible study looks at 6 of the 7 deadly sins: pride, anger, jealousy, gluttony, slothfulness, and greed.  These sins threaten to undermine the Christian’s spiritual growth, often without the Believer realizing the sins are there.   The study is intended to help Christians identify these sins in their lives and how to conquer them to become more like Christ.  The study is designed to be completed in a small group setting in 40 minutes each week, and no-homework for group members is required. 

I really enjoyed the simple layout and plan for this small group study.  Several suggestions are made at the beginning of the book on how to “run” the Bible study as part of a Sunday school class, an in home Bible study, or other type of small group study.  The layout of each lesson is straightforward and simple, and most importantly, grounded in Scripture.  Each lesson starts by identifying what the sin is, then directs the Believer see the sin from God’s perspective.  The authors then give Scriptures and Biblical steps to take toward eradicating the sin from one’s life, and keeping it out in the future.  The basic format is read a Scripture and mark key words, then discuss pre-written questions about that passage of Scripture.  I haven’t gotten the chance to do this study with a small group, but I think it would be easy to facilitate and prompt a lot of great discussion and spiritual growth.  

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.