God's Story, Your Story by Max Lucado

God's Story, Your Story
Be inspired to see how your day-to-day story intersects with God’s grand, overarching epic of everlasting redemption. Your journey of faith will come alive as you explore the divine narrative through New Testament and contemporary characters, and discover how the Bible reveals God’s plan for you today.

Description: 
Carpools and car crashes, job switches and joint custody, moves and motionlessness. Is there a cohesive storyline to the chaos, confusion, and clutter of your daily life?

According to well-loved author Max Lucado, the answer is a resounding yes!

So what is the text of your life?

With his unequaled warmth and honesty, Lucado plumbs the depths of your storyline and comes up smiling.

“Your story indwells God’s,” writes Lucado. “This is the great promise of the Bible and the hope of this book … Above and around us God directs a grander saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, unveiled according to his calendar. And you are a part of it …”

Join Max for an unforgettable journey woven with New Testament stories and contemporary examples of God’s beautiful story-making skills. The beginning of the narrative is legendary, the middle unfolds with surprises still in store, and the ending of your final earthly chapter ushers in a reunion that almost defies description.

It’s time to see what your life looks like when God’s story becomes your story.

My review:
He writes in a way that I can understand and apply to my life. I am never disappointed. I love the way Max Lucado writes. I feel like I'm sitting down and having a conversation with him. His messages are relevant and easy to understand. I highly recommend any of his books. If you're looking for a book to help give you direction in your Christian walk, then Max Lucado is the author you want to pick.

For more information about how to purchase this book or information about Max Lucado, click on this link.

Thank you, Zondervan, for providing me with a free review copy, which did not sway my review. 

The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Linamen

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes?
Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

My review:
This book was quick and easy to read. I thought it might include more scriptural references and how to rely on God during the times of trials and tribulations. If you want a book that will help you strengthen and grow your Christian faith, then I think you'll want to look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a quick easy read that will give you chocolate recipes and share other people's stories, then you will want to pick this one up.

Thank you, Waterbrook Press for the review copy of this book! 

Women of Faith - Atlanta, GA

I am so excited to be selected as a blogger for Women of Faith in Atlanta, Georgia! It is on August 12 and August 13. It will be a great diversion for me since it will be the first weekend my daughter will be at college. Also, my mom is going with me so we will have some needed mommy/daughter time!

I'm looking forward to hearing Sheila Walsh, Luci Swindoll, Lisa Harper and Angie Smith. I'll get to see Mary Mary and Natalie Grant. Drama by Nicole Johnson.Special guests are Steve Arterburn and Laura Story!

Check out this preview video. To find out more or to purchase tickets, click on this link (AND LET ME KNOW!!)!!

Mine is the Night (Vol. 2) by Liz Curtis Higgs

SHE LOST EVERYTHING SHE LOVED.

HE HAD EVERYTHING SHE NEEDED.
BUT COULD SHE FIND THE COURAGE TO TRUST HIM?

Stepping from a battered coach on a rainy April eve, newly widowed Elisabeth Kerr must begin again, without husband or title, property or fortune. She is unafraid of work and gifted with a needle, but how will she stitch together the tattered remnants of her life? And who will mend her heart, torn asunder by betrayal and deception?

Elisabeth has not come to Selkirk alone. Her mother-in-law, Marjory Kerr, is a woman undone, having buried her husband, her sons, and any promise of grandchildren. Dependent upon a distant cousin with meager resources, Marjory dreads the future almost as much as she regrets the past. Yet joy still comes knocking, and hope is often found in unexpected places.

When more than one worthy hero steps forward to woo Elisabeth, she makes a bold choice, then must confess her heart’s desire. Will he refuse her out of pride, or surrender to her love?

The heartrending journey of the Kerr women comes to a glorious finish in Mine Is the Night, a sparkling gem of redemption and restoration, set amid the velvet landscape of eighteenth-century Scotland.

This was the second book by Liz Curtis Higgs that I have read. I selected this series because it's based on the book of Ruth. I love the story of Ruth and I enjoyed the similarities in this book. If you like books by Jane Austen, then I think you'll enjoy this book.

*This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.*

Wordle

The Muir House by Mary DeMuth

Willa Muir can’t say yes to the love of her life … until she explores her past and solves the mystery of a haunting dream. But when Willa’s desperate search unearths unthinkable secrets, her heart collapses. Can Willa shake her past to embrace a love that could finally lead her home?

“You’ll find home one day. Sure as sweet tea on a hot afternoon.”

Words from Willa Muir’s sketchy childhood haunt her dreams and color her days with longing, regret, and fear. What do the words mean? Willa is far from sure.

When Hale Landon places a ring on her finger, Willa panics, feeling she can’t possibly say yes when so much in her past is a mystery. Bent on sorting out her history, Willa returns to Rockwall, Texas, to the Muir House Bed & Breakfast, a former funeral home.

But the old place holds her empty memory close to itself. Willa’s mother utters unintelligible clues from her deathbed, and the caretaker of the house keeps coveted answers carefully protected. Throw in an old flame, and Willa careens farther away from ever knowing the truth.

Set in a growing suburb of Texas, The Muir House explores trauma, healing, love new and old, and the life-changing choices people make to keep their reputations intact.

To read the first chapter, buy the book or find out more about Mary DeMuth, click this link.

 I have enjoyed Mary DeMuth's books for a couple of years now. I was given one of her books and have been hooked since!

I enjoyed this book. It was different than what I expected. The plot threw me for some loops, as I thought it would be a semi-straightforward storyline but I was pleasantly surprised. If you're looking for a book that you cannot put down and one with a well-developed storyline, then this is one you'll definitely want to get. The main character has to learn to let go of what she thought she knew and find out what is really the truth.


To view other books I've reviewed by Mary DeMuth, click here!

I was provided a copy of this book for free by Mary DeMuth in exchange for an honest review.

The Promises She Keeps by Erin Healy

The Promises She Keeps
Erin Healy

It's her destiny to die young. The man who loves her can't live with that. 

Promise, a talented young singer with a terminal illness, is counting on fame to keep her memory alive after she dies. Porta is an aging sorceress and art collector in search of immortality. 

When Promise inexplicably survives a series of freak accidents, Porta believes that she may hold the key to eternal life. 

Enter Chase, an autistic artist who falls in love with Promise and fascinates her with his mysterious visions and drawings.

Soon, all are plunged into a confrontation over the mystery and the cost of something even greater than eternal life...eternal love.

"Heart-pounding suspense and unrelenting hope that will steal your breath."--Ted Dekker, New York Times best-selling author (for Never Let You Go)

I really enjoy a book that keeps me in suspense and this book delivered! Full of more twists and turns than a roller coaster, you won't know the whole story till the very end. I highly recommend this book. It was a great read!

You can buy the book from Amazon by clicking the link, or see more reviews. Find out more about Erin Healy by visiting her site.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”