Monthly Reflections #2!

So July ended up being a lot more busy than I anticipated, so I didn't quite make my goal of reading 15 books. And I didn't make any progress toward my goal of finishing Dee Henderson's O'Malley series. But I was able to read 11 books, so I am still quite pleased with that!

The books I read:

1. A Tailor-Made Bride by Karen
Witemeyer

2. Dead Reckoning by Ronie Kendig

3. Desecration by Jennifer Hartz

4. Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge

5. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

6. Abducted by Janice Cantore

7. Rock Harbor Search and Rescue by Colleen Coble and Robin Carroll

8. Widow Of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green

9. Angels In The Fire by Dann Stadler

10. Out Of Control by Mary Connealy

11. Protective Custody by Lynette Eason

Favorite read this month: I really enjoyed all the books I read this month, but my top five favorites (Because I can't choose just one!) are: A Tailor-Made Bride, Fools Rush In, Desecration, Out Of Control, and Protective Custody. These were all so AMAZING, I absolutely loved them! :D


My goal for August is to read 12 books! :)

Thanks for checking out my reading month! :D

Top Ten Favorite Book Beginnings/Endings

Top Ten Tuesday Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By The Broke And The Bookish



I decided to try to list some of the most awesome beginnings and endings ever! But this list ended up just being all

1. "If she moved, would she die? Serena Hopkins kept her eyes shut and lay as still as possible on the king size bed,doing her best to keep her breathing even." When A Heart Stops by Lynette Eason

2. "Heavy breathing. That was all she could hear. No voice. No background noise. Just a palpable presence on the other end of the line. Again." Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon

3. "Piper bolted upright, sweat dampening her pj's despite December's chill. What was that? Her bleary gaze flashed to the clock, 1:30, then to Aurora standing like a sentinel at her bedroom door. The husky's white fur rippled down her back, ears alert. Piper shifted the tangle of snowflake flannel sheets binding her legs, listening. There it was again. Creaks echoed along the floorboards below. Heavy steps. Not Kayden's." Shattered by Dani Pettrey

4. "Indians! The sharp call from the back of the sanctuary jolted Priscilla White. She sucked in a breath and twisted in the pew." The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund

5. "Miss Charlotte Wilson had made a decision. She was going to marry Mr Hamilton Beckett. The fact she'd never actually made Mr Beckett's acquaintance was a bit concerning, but... she had a plan." Gentleman Of Her Dreams by Jen Turano

6. "If Uncle Lazarro hadn't left the mob, I probably wouldn't have a story to tell. Okay, so he wasn't actually in the mob, he only sold vacuum cleaners to a couple of guys who were. In the 70's. In Atlantic City, New Jersey. Before I was born. But still, mob ties are mob ties right?" Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson

7. "My heart sounds like a monster with clobber feet, running straight toward me. It's pitch dark. I'm lying on my back, soaked with sweat from the hair on my head to the soles of my feet. I'm lying perfectly still, but my hands and knees won't stop shaking. I'm in my grave, and I know I'm going to die here." Identity by Ted Dekker

For the last three I will simply list the titles of books that had great endings, so as not to spoil anything!


8. When A Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

9. Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade

10. Stealing The Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Bout Of Books Sign Up!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team



I participated in this read a thon for the first time in May of this year! I had a blast with it and am really excited to be taking part in it again! I will be posting my goals the day before the read a thon starts! :D

Review of Widow Of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green 4 Stars!!!

This was my first read by this author, and it will definitely not be the last!
The Civil War is one of my favorite historical time periods, I don't think I had ever read one that was set in the North before, so that fact alone made this story very unique, it was unique for other reasons as well but you will have to discover those for yourself! :)
I really enjoyed this book! Even though I knew that war was the focus of this book, at times the storyline was almost a little too deep and heavy for my taste, but I persevered through those parts and was rewarded with a wonderful story of unconditional love. I loved Liberty very much, she was such an amazing character, but then so was Silas!
I was amazed by how vivid this story was written, I really felt like I was in 1863 Gettysburg. While I think I enjoyed the second half of this book more than the first half, I highly recommend Widow Of Gettysburg (Though, due to subject matter, for example battles, amputations, attempted rape, I would recommend it only to mature readers!) if you are a fan of Civil War fiction filled with the hope and love of Christ, Widow Of Gettysburg is absolutely worth the read!



I recieved a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via CFBA in exchange for an honest review. The above is my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.

Review of Angels In The Fire by Dann Stadler 5 Stars!!!

I don't usually read very much non-fiction, but when I was offered a chance to review this book, the description really grabbed me and I instinctively knew that I wanted to read it! This was an amazing true story about God's love and faithfulness! I loved it! While reading this book, a part of me was thinking 'oh my goodness, how did they survive all this' but that part of me was consistently overruled by the knowledge that the answer was very simple: God!
This book was exactly what I needed right now, I learned so many things from it!

Overall, I loved this book! It was really neat how it almost like a novel, definitely different than your average non-fiction book!
I highly recommend Angels In The Fire. If you read it, I guarantee you will be as inspired by it as I was!




I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers in exchange for my honest review. The above is my honest opinion.
All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

Top Ten Words/Topics That Will Make Me NOT Pick Up A Book!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish


1. Erotica (For the obvious reason)
2. Set in the 1920's (Because that's one of my least favorite historical time periods!)
3. Mail-Order brides (Just not my cup of tea!)
4. Zombies
5. Love Triangles
6. Amish Fiction (I have a huge respect for the Amish, and I despise the way so many authors portray them!)
7. Apocalypse/Armageddon (Although I do love dystopian novels!)
8. "Mainstream Suspense"
9. Horror (Stephen King, etcetera!)
10. Biblical Fiction (Books that contain fictional accounts of real people's lives always bother me, because it feels disrespectful. But regardless of that I personally would rather read The Bible, to experience what really happened rather than something made up! However, if anyone knows of a really good fictional story of Esther, please let me know! :-)

Review of Misery Loves Company by Rene Gutteridge 4 Stars!!!

This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it!
It was a fascinating premise and storyline. I liked all the characters, but I don't think I really have a favorite.
While the reason behind Jason's death seemed just a tad simplistic at times, to me anyway, there were so many surprises in this book that I did not see coming, I loved that!
I'll stop here so that I don't give too much of the plot away.


Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes Christian suspense!





I received this book for free from Tyndale publishers in exchange for my honest review. The above is my honest opinion.
All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own

In Golden Splendor by Michael K. Reynolds (CFBA Tour)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

In Golden Splendor

• B&H Books (July 15, 2013)


by

Michael Reynolds




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael K. Reynolds is the writer and producer of Emmy and Telly Award-winning film campaigns and has more than two decades of experience in fiction, journalism, copywriting, and documentary production. He owns Global Studio, a marketing agency, and is also an active leader in church and business, speaking in both ministry and corporate settings. Michael lives with his wife and three children in Reno, Nevada.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Irish immigrant Seamus Hanley is a lost soul, haunted by his past as a U.S. Army deserter and living alone in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains in 1849. But after witnessing a deadly stage coach crash, he finds purpose in the scattered wreckage -- a letter with a picture of a beautiful and captivating woman named Ashlyn living in San Francisco at the height of the Gold Rush.
Moved by her written plea for help, he abandons all and sets out on an epic journey across the wild and picturesque American frontier. While being pursued by those who want to hang him, Seamus encounters fascinating characters including a young Pauite Indian who makes the ultimate sacrifice in helping Seamus to cross the snowy Yosemite Valley.
Battered but changed for the better, Seamus reaches San Francisco on Christmas Eve as the city burns in the tragic fire of 1849. But there is little time for rest, as an even greater, more harrowing adventure involving Ashlyn is about to begin.




If you would like to read the first chapter of In Golden Splendor, go HERE





My review: 5 Stars!
This was my first read by this author, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I am happy to say that I loved this book!
The story drew me in from the very first page, and I found myself really hating to put the book down! It was that good! I loved Seamus and Ashlyn, they were both such awesome characters! I loved how their was a large family aspect to this book. Oh, and I especially loved the scene in which the title came into play! I know this is going to be a short review but there really aren't words to describe how great this book is. It has humor, action/adventure, family, love, danger, history, suspense and most importantly God is at the center of the story. What more could anyone want in a Christian historical fiction read? Oh, I can also say that it is not necessary to read the first book in the series before reading In Golden Splendor.

Overall, I highly recommend In Golden Splendor! I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in this series when it comes out!
And I am looking forward to reading the first book when I have the time!



I recieved a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via CFBA in exchange for an honest review. The above is my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own.



Link To Buy The Book

Review of Desecration by Jennifer Hartz. 5 Stars!!!

One word. EPIC! That is the only way I can define the fourth installment in this series, which by the way I am completely addicted to! After reading (And LOVING!) the first three books, my expectations for Desecration were extremely high, I was not disappointed!
I wasn't just reading words on my Kindle screen, in fact my Kindle vanished and Charis sucked me into Meric where I found myself fighting Vaipes, Leviathans, and Nitehawks, making amazing friends, chuckling at Drexton, feeling a huge range of emotions, and getting huffy at Charis' crypticness! Okay not really, but you get the point!
One of my favorite things about Desecration was that we learn so much about the history of Meric, I was so excited that my guess about how Meric got it's name was actually right (I'm almost never correct about those kinds of things)!
I guessed right about something else too, but I'm not going to say what for fear of entering spoiler territory!
I absolutely loved Desecration, but then I never expected anything else!
Needless to say I highly recommend it, this series is a must read! Seriously, what are you still doing reading this review, you should be heading to Amazon to get your copy! But you will probably want to read the first three books first, this is definitely a series best read in order!

I will end by giving a top ten list of what I think makes this series so awesome!

1. God is at the center of the story!
2. Beautiful scenery!
3. Gorgeous Castles!
4. A Good Vs. Evil battle!
5. Special Powers (Levitation, teleportation, super strength, telekinesis, etcetera!
6. Shaw - need I say more!!!
7. Time travel!
8. Mystery, danger, action, suspense, adventure!
9. Biblical Parallels!
10. A breathtaking, heart stopping, gut wrenching, insomnia inducing, humor filled, heartstring tugging, happiness causing, thrill ride!

I am a Resident Of Meric! Are you?

Widow Of Gettysburg by Jocelyn Green (CFBA Tour)

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Widow of Gettysburg
River North; New Edition edition (April 12, 2013)

by

Jocelyn Green




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jocelyn Green is a child of God, wife and mom living in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is also an award-winning journalist, author, editor and blogger. Though she has written nonfiction on a variety of topics, her name is most widely recognized for her ministry to military wives: Faith Deployed. Her passion for the military family was fueled by her own experience as a military wife, and by the dozens of interviews she has conducted with members of the military for her articles and books, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives and its sequel, Faith Deployed...Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives. She is also co-author of both Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan and Stories of Faith and Courage from the Home Front (forthcoming, May 2012). Her Faith Deployed Web site and Facebook page continue to provide ongoing support, encouragement and resources for military wives worldwide.











ABOUT THE BOOK

When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering--and a Rebel scout who awakens her long dormant heart.




While Liberty's future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty's hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.




In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it?
Widow of Gettysburg is inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its




If you would like to read the first chapter of Widow of Gettysburg, go HERE.





Link To Buy The Book



My review: I just received this book late last week, and my life has been crazy busy so I just haven't had a chance to read it yet! I'm sorry! :( I will read it very soon and post my review in a seperate post as soon as I finish it! Thanks!!! :)