My Review of Raising a Daughter After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George

I have read several of Elizabeth George's books and I love her heart. Her love for the family is so evident in each of her books and this book, Raising a Daughter After God's Own Heart, is no exception. Elizabeth has walked this road as a mother successfully and has some valuable wisdom to share. I am so thankful for this book, as I feel it is an excellent resource for every mother who has the desire to raise a strong daughter who is strong in her walk with the Lord.
Elizabeth begins by sharing how that as mothers, we are the "bell sheep"...the sheep that follows and obeys the shepherd. The shepherd places a bell around that sheep, so that the other sheep will follow it. This was a beautiful illustration of how our children are to follow us as we follow Christ. We need to live what we are teaching our daughters. She devotes emphasis to the importance of praying consistently for our daughters in every season of their lives. She discusses the importance of sowing the right seeds into our daughter's life and how we are to do that as mothers. She goes on to give imperatives on being our daughter's coach and cheerleader, the importance of training our daughter to be an active part of her church body, and also monitoring her social events. Basically, Elizabeth is a strong advocate of being involved in your daughter's life and having a strong, safe relationship with her. I appreciated that she did not advocate simply being your daughter's "friend," but her trusted parent. There are some basic essentials in this book regarding teaching your daughter how to care for a home, interact with family, as well as have manners. I think my favorite chapter was chapter 10: The Shepherd. The heart of every mother should be seen in this chapter as a shepherd leads and protects the sheep, so we should do with our daughters.
I think every mother should read this book. At the end of each chapter, there are practical suggestions as well as a section for you to jot down ideas, thoughts and Scriptures that correspond with that chapter...kind of like homework.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review, but was not obligated to provide a positive opinion.

My Review of Night Night Blessings by Amy Parker

Amy Parker's book, Night Night Blessings is a gentle book that you can read with your children. What I enjoyed most about the book is that it begins teaching kids to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness from an early age and to recognize the blessings that are around them. The illustrations are warm and gentle. When I read the story to my kids, I asked them what they thought of it. They enjoyed it and will no doubt want me to read it again.
The book takes you throughout a child's day and points out blessings that your child can be thankful for, beginning with a stack of pancakes to playing games with friends. Other blessings mentioned are toys, pets, God's creation, time with family, bath time, and bedtime prayers with Mom and Dad.
This book would be ideal to read at the end of the day as you are tucking your kids into bed. It gives kids an open door to talk about the blessings in their own life that they thank God for and teaches them how to talk to God. I would suggest this book for pre school to early elementary age children.
I was provided with a copy of this book by Book Sneeze in exchange for my review.

My Review of Gabby, God's Little Angel by Sheila Walsh

Gabby God'd Little Angel, Sent to Show God's Love by Sheila Walsh is a wonderful book that teaches kids a great lesson: God loves them so much that He sends His angels to protect them. My kids really enjoyed this book. It held their interest and had their attention the whole time I was reading. At the end of the story, there is a Scripture verse that reinforces the lesson in the book and is short enough that it would be easy for children to memorize.
Gabby is a little angel who is somewhat clumsy, but has a kind heart. Her assignment is to a little girl named Sophie who loves adventurous activities like climbing trees. Gabby thinks that Sophie will need a big angel to keep up with her, but she is the one assigned to her. Sophie is so excited because she is about to get to ride her pony for the first time. Before Sophie gets on the pony, Gabby tells the pony to be gentle and safe with Sophie because God loves her. When the pony gets startled and starts to buck, Sophie rushes to her rescue. Even though the rescue doesn't take place as smoothly as Gabby had planned, all ends well and Sophie is safe. That evening, Sophie tells her mom that she felt like someone was protecting her. Her mom tells her that God says in His Word that He sends His angels to protect us.
I thought this book was wonderful. The illustrations are colorful and my kids enjoyed looking at them. I have a feeling that this will be one of the books that my daughter wants me to read over and over. I would suggest it for pre-school to early elementary age kids. I was provided with a copy of this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for my review.

My Review of Thank You God for Blessing Me by Max Lucado (a Hermie book)

Thank You God For Blessing Me by Max Lucado is a short book featuring little Hermie. It is about 4 pages and would be ideal for a short story before bed with smaller children, setting the tone to calm them down before an evening prayer. It gives children ideas of things they can be thankful for in their own life and opens the door to discussion with them about what they feel their blessings are. I felt like it was a great way to encourage to be thankful and appreciate what God has given them and done for them.
 Hermie thanks God for His blessings, for providing him a place to sleep, food to eat, and special friends. He asks God to help him to obey and be kind so that he can be his best for God. I read this book to my children and while it wasn't their favorite book ever, it did hold their interest and they enjoyed it. Since the book is about little Hermie, the illustrations are not exactly like those in the cartoons of Hermie. The illustrations are colorful and sweet, however, and the picutres were cute and fun to look at as we read the story.
Overall, while it is short, it had some depth to it and I felt like it was a beneficial book for my kids. I was provided with a copy of this book by BookSneeze in exchange for my review.

My Review of Highland Sanctuary by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Highland Sanctuary is my first book to read by Jennifer Taylor, although she has authored other books. For some reason, it felt like the story was a little hard for me to get interested in until about 1/4 of the way through and it seemed to pick up. Also, I realize that the author was writing the dialogue as the characters would have spoken, however, for me personally, I felt that I had to read slower to make sure I was getting the meaning of what they were saying. For example, the characters would say, "ye" instead of "you", or "mither" instead of "mother." I felt that this was somewhat distracting for me, but I think it is more of a personal preference and I appreciate that the author took the time to write the words as they would have been spoken.
Highland Sanctuary is a historical romance set in Scotland. Serena Boyd and her mother, Evelina, live in the Village of Outcasts. Serena suffers from the "falling disease" and her mother seeks to protect her because many people with the falling disease are thought to be witches or demon possessed, which often leads to the fate of being burned at the stake. Therefore, they seek to keep Serena's seizures a secret and live a fairly secluded life.
Gavin MacKenzie comes to restore the Castle of Braigh, where Serena works and is instantly captivated by her. He does not understand why she hesitates in trusting him. She is aware of Gavin's feelings for her, but feels that if he were to know the truth about her seizures that he would think she was evil and would not love her. So she would rather guard her heart and keep him at a distance, even though she loves him as well.
The Village of Outcasts is being attacked by some unknown person. The Village of Outcasts is a group of people who are different from the rest of society, but they love each other and are good people, so they don't know why someone is choosing to harm the people of the village. Gavin MacKenzie and his men are doing their best to find out who is behind the attacks. As the story unfolds, we discover that the Village of Outcasts share a secret as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Despite the slow start and "ye's" that distracted me, I was interested in the story and it had several twists that I did not expect. I would be excited to read more books by Jennifer Hudson Taylor and would definitely suggest this one to the lovers of historical romance and fiction.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review, but was not compensated or obligated to provide a positive review.

My Review of Horse Dreams by Dandi Daley Mackall

My daughter loves everything that has to do with horses. She is a little below the recommended reading age for this series, yet she still loved the book. In my opinion, boys who like horses would enjoy it as well. The chapters are fun and interesting and not overly "girly."
Horse Dreams by Dandi Daley Mackall is part of the Backyard Horses series. Ellie James is crazy about horses. She thinks about them all the time and always imagines seeing them when she should be doing other things (like paying attention in school). Ellies is not trying to get in trouble and is a kind hearted girl, she just has an active imagination. One day, as she sits in class she sees an ugly and dirty horse run through the street. She eagerly tells her teacher and class, but because she is always imagining horses, no one believes her and she gets sent home with a note to her parents. The story plays out in a fun and creative way as we meet the rest of Ellie's family. Her parents are quirky but loving and her brother is deaf and so they communicate with him in sign language. We have taught our children sign language from an early age so that they could communicate with the deaf and so my daughter enjoyed this aspect of the book as well and we would spell many of the words and signs mentioned in the book.
Ellie has simple faith in God and tells him her feelings and desires in a precious way. I really liked how the author showed Ellie praying and having a personal relationship with God for herself. She did a wonderful job illustrating how God cares about us as individuals and cares about our desires no matter how big or small.
Although her parents are conveyed as somewhat goofy, I liked the way that the author portrayed Ellie's relationship with them. The parents included their children and made them feel valuable. For instance, Ellie's dad requests her help in finding a word for a jingle he is writing and Ellie's mom takes her with her to help her look for the horse because she knows Ellie is good with horses. Ellie has a respectful attitude towards her parents and teacher even when she is in trouble. The author did a great job showing how kids can have an enjoyable companionship with their parents and still honor and respect them.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has children who are interested in horses. It is well written and fun to read while teaching some really good character building lessons. My daughter and I both give it 5 stars.
In my daughter's words:
"You should read this book. It teaches you good things about how to take care of horses. I liked it a lot. I was very happy about it." She wants to read the rest of the books in the series as well.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review, nor was I compensated for my opinion.

My Review of Spiritual Warfare for Women by Leighann McCoy

Leighann McCoy's book Spiritual Warfare for Women: Winning the Battle for Your Home, Family, and Friends is an encouraging book that will spur you to keep the faith in your spiritual battles. This is my first book to read by this author and while her writing style is not my favorite, I felt that she had some great points in the book. I have to say that I greatly admire her courage in writing this book because not only is she writing from experience, she was in the middle of several battles while she was writing the book. She is very vulnerable about herself and how she deals with what the enemy throws at her.
In the opening chapters, McCoy discusses the love of God and how it enables us to win our spiritual battles. The next section discusses the enemy, who he is and what he does as well as the fact that spritual warfare is real and not a game. Thirdly, she points out the different areas of our lives as women in which the enemy targets us: marriage, children, friendships, health, and church. Lastly, the book covers understanding who we are in Christ, how to defeat our enemy and why we have nothing to fear.
McCoy gives some really good ideas and thoughts in each chapter on how to win your battle and stay focused on keeping our faith focused on handling things God's way. She also gives some really great Scriptures in every chapter to reinforce the truths that she is conveying. There are examples and illustrations in each chapter that will encourage you to stay strong and focused. I personally liked that she wrapped up the book with the chapter on having nothing to fear. Based on David's 5 stones, she gives 5 stones (or reasons) why we have nothing to fear that I felt were especially helpful. At the end of each chapter, she gives a recap of the main point as well as Scriptures to "Sharpen Your Sword." She also gives many great Scriptures to memorize that will help you in winning your spiritual battles.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to provide a positive opinion nor did I receive compensation for my review.

My Review of Delivery by Diana Prusik

Delivery is a story that spans over the life of Olivia (Livi)and her family. Livi and her family own and work at Wilson's Florist, which serves as the main hub of activity for the book. Most of the characters work there or are customers of the store. I did not read the synopsis of the book before reading it and was, in fact, expecting it to be a love story and it is not. However, I did enjoy reading the book, regardless of this fact.
As a young girl, Livi loses her beloved brother in the war. Before he left for the war, she said things that she regretted and was not able to reconcile with him. She has a lot of guilt as well as anger about losing him. She feels like it was pointless for him to go to war in the first place and that there was no purpose served by his death.  She has never been able to deal with his loss and has turned to alcohol to numb her pain. She is struggling to not become an alcholic but feels dependent on it.
Life does not get any easier for Livi, her marriage is stagnant at best. We see her husband make an effort towards trying to improve there relationship, but the marriage is more of a minor passing point in the book and not a focal point. Livi's mother is fighting the battle with Alzheimer's. As she watches her mother slowly become a different person and the strain that is causes on her father and family, she deals with anger and bitterness. Her relationships with her sisters are strained because Livi does not want to deal with any issues that the family is facing and her sister feels like she bails out when her family needs her. Friends and family keep encouraging her to give up the alcohol and turn to God with her pain, but she is doubtful that a God who has allowed such painful circumstances to occur in her life would be interested in helping her sort out the mess she has made of her life. As the story unfolds and comes to an end, we see Livi come to peace with her life and with her relationship with God.
I felt like it took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I did, I was really pulling for Livi to make it and to be at peace. The passages involving the pain of Alzheimer's were especially well written and touching. I appreciated how the author depicted the relationships of the different community members and how their friendship was instrumental in helping not only Livi, but other people in the story as well.
I have to say that I didn't feel that the end of the book brought complete closure to the story. While we see Livi come to peace with herself and her relationship with God, I still felt like there were loose ends and unanswered questions that I would have like to have seen meet resolution.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review and was not obligated to post a positive opinion.

100 Read and Sing Devotions by Stephen Elkins

I absolutely love this book. The devotionals are perfect, they give kids great topics to think about, without being too deep. One of my children is old enough to read and she loves reading this book. My other kids who cannot read enjoy hearing the stories. We have used this book for our family devotional time several nights and I feel like it is a great resource. There is a wide range of topics and the way the devotionals are written open the door to further conversation with your children regarding what you have read what they have learned. I personally was impressed by the devotionals. They seem like they have a little more substance to them than some of the devotional books for kids at this level. As a parent, it is great to have tools such as this one which give your kids topics to think about and learn about that are new to them and help you teach them about the Word of God each day. The way the devotionals are worded are very easy to understand. One of my favorite devotionals in the book was about Noah and how he found shelter in the ark. It goes on to say that we have an "ark" from the storms of life, such as problems with friends or family. God is our ark and we can depend on Him when we are troubled. I also liked some of the devotionals such as the golden rule and Daniel (emphasising the importance of daily prayer). I felt like there were some really good foundational devotions that taught some great truths. 
Each of the devotionals has a "Word Watch," or memory verse as well as a thought and a short prayer. The Word Watch verses are just the right length for kids to be able to remember. The pictures are colorful and cheerful. My kids really love this book and get really excited about reading it each night.
The CDs that come with the book are full of songs that my kids love. They listen to the CDs frequently during the week. The songs on the CDs reinforce the message of each devotional for the day. Although, I should add that I find the songs to be somewhat monotonous after a while, my kids think they are great and that is what matters. A lot of the songs quote Scripture so it helps the kids to memorize the Bible without even realizing it.
I highly recommend this book to parents with younger kids. It is one I will be using for years to come!
I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for my review, but was not compensated in any way, nor was I under obligation to post a positive review.

My Review of 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband by Pam Farrel

52 Ways to Wow Your Husband is a great resource for every wife to have! The book is broken into 52 chapters, one for each week of the year. Each chapter opens with a thought for the week, usually a story or illustration. The chapter then gives a section of WOW Wisdom and tells what the WOW Date is for the week. There are some creative ideas for dates, some going and doing things with your husband and others are ideas of inexpensive activities that you can do at home or for free. This is a Christian book, but it does not come across as preachy. There are Scriptures in some of the chapters, but others just give sound ideas and advice.
As wives, we sometimes need a reminder. A lot of this book is common sense, but things that we just get out of the habit of doing in the business of life and family. Books like this one are so important because they help us to keep our priorities and focus on the ones who are truly important. The authors discuss that we don't know how long we will have our spouse and that we need to make the most of every day, not nagging about insignificant issues that really don't matter in the long run. Staying positive and keeping your home a place of peace, love and laughter is gently stressed throughout the book.
The chapters are very short, which I appreciated. They are direct and to the point, yet still drive home the message of the chapter and why it is important. Wives and moms will appreciate the setup of the book because it is reader friendly for busy women and you can take about 5 minutes a week and read the chapter.  In my opinion, this book is a must have for all wives.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publishser, however I was not obligated to give a positive review.

My Review of Reinventing Leona by Lynne Gentry

First off, I should start by saying that I enjoyed reading this book for the most part. The author has a writing style that is easy to read and the characters were likeable and memorable. The story line and thought behind it were great. Leona Harper has been a pastor's wife for many years when her beloved husband falls dead suddenly in the pulpit one Sunday morning. The book mostly focuses on how Leona has to make changes and adapt to her new role and life without being the wife of a minister. She is barely into the grieving process when the board members begin to put the pressure on her to move on so they can bring in a new (and younger) minister. She of course has friends who support her and are on her side as well as people in the community who assist her as she finds a job to support herself. There is also ongoing delimnas with strained relationships with her mother, who is agnostic, as well as her two children, who are not living for God.
As a minister's wife myself, I have to say that there were some aspects of the book that disappointed me. While I understand that some Christian people are hurtful, it seemed to me that the response of Leona was not what I would have expected from a Christian who had been saved as many years as Leona. Some of her attitudes, while very much human, were not very Christlike overall. I understand that, even as Christians, we have people in our lives who frustrate us or treat us wrongly, but we are to return evil with good and to treat them with love. At times, Leona does this, but it came across to me that she was doing it because it was what was expected of a "good pastor's wife," not because it was what Jesus would do. She seemed very bitter and angry at many of the church people. As the story came to a close, she began to see that the Lord had placed certain members in the congregation in her life to help her, but I would have like to have seen a little more resolution in the story regarding her feelings about the people of the church and ministry in general.
In spite of that thought, I did enjoy the book for the most part. I felt like her children dealt with many things that pastor's children deal with and there were many humerous (and true) aspects of the book depicting life in ministry.
I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not obligated to provide a positive review.