Bout of Books is over and I'm happy with what I finished...I completed my goal! :)
Monday, May 21, 2018
Bout of Books Wrap-Up
Bout of Books is over and I'm happy with what I finished...I completed my goal! :)
Review: From the Start by Melissa Tagg
(So...I read this book in 2016, but somehow I failed to post my review here. *sighs* I hope you guys find this "old" review helpful. I did post my review for the next book, Like Never Before, which you can find here: link)
Writing romance is Kate Walker's day job, but she's lost faith in her own happily-ever-after. When a career slump sends her back to her hometown of Maple Valley, Iowa, she hopes to finally write something that really matters.
Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is hiding out at the Walker family home in Maple Valley to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. It seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life--only he's never done normal before.
An unexpected project gives Colton and Kate a chance to jump-start their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan--and neither was falling in love--but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?
Permanently sidelined by an injury, former NFL quarterback Colton Greene is hiding out at the Walker family home in Maple Valley to avoid the media and the reminders of all he's lost. It seems like the perfect place to learn how to adjust to normal life--only he's never done normal before.
An unexpected project gives Colton and Kate a chance to jump-start their new lives, but old wounds and new dreams are hard to ignore. Starting over wasn't part of the plan--and neither was falling in love--but could it be the best thing that's ever happened to them?
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Enough of Me by Priscilla Peters (Excerpt)
Welcome to the Enough of Me blog blitz and giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the book:
Title: Enough of Me: Winning the Tug-of-War Between Our Flesh and Our Mission, an 8-Week Bible Study
Author: Priscilla Peters
Publisher: Ambassador International
Release Date: May 11, 2018
Genre: Christian, NonFiction, Bible Study
Who am I kidding? I'm literally holding it together with one more cup of coffee, yesterday's dry shampoo, and a prayer.
So I finally said enough. Enough of me. I'm bidding farewell to chasing emptiness and exchanging it for more of Jesus.
If we agree with Paul in Acts 20:24 that our lives are worth nothing unless we use them for finishing the work of telling others the Good News - where are we in our quest to get busy for Jesus? In our world of hashtags, hair color, and having it all together, chances are we aren't accomplishing much.
Enough of Me is an 8-week Bible study for women focused on what God's Word has to say about the tug-of-war between our flesh and our mission. The study explores the barriers that stand between where we are today and where God wants to use us to finish His work.
Do you have a nagging in your heart for more purpose? Are you right smack dab in the middle of a tug-of-war between your flesh and your mission?
Often we want to live out the purpose and mission God has for us, but we're too distracted, exhausted, and empty. Maybe it's time to say enough to the excuses, anxiety, and interruptions that get in our way. Could it be we're so busy chasing emptiness and playing the people-pleasing game, that we can't find time to live on mission?
It's time to take a deep breath and do some inventory. Let's dig in and see what God's Word has to say about this tug-of-war between our flesh and our mission. Let's figure out ways to quit chasing emptiness and take bold steps of obedience. Let's discover how we can glorify God and steer people to Jesus in our cubicles, at our dinner tables, in our mom-groups, and with people we encounter every day.
What would happen if we said Enough of Me . . . more Jesus.
PURCHASE A COPY: Goodreads| Amazon | B&N
---
EXCERPT:
If we believe that God is good, that means we know for sure that we are good, because we were made in the image of God.
Yes, we messed it up with our sin, but Jesus changed everything.
My identity is in Christ, not in the identity of the woman I’m chasing after. God didn’t make us to chase after an identity we’re not. He made us in His image, for His Kingdom, to live out His purpose.
If we know these things for sure, what the heck happened? When did we end up at our kitchen table weeping over hashtags, hair color and having it all together?
It’s time to dig deep, pull ourselves out of the pit of emptiness, and walk in the identity of being made new in the goodness of God.
Are you wedged between who you think you have to be and who you really are? If yes, what are you striving and believing you have to earn, accomplish, complete, or be that is creating brokenness in your identity? Pray through your list individually, and ask God to remove each piece of brokenness from your identity and replace it with the truth of who you are in Him.
(from Week Six, Day One of Enough of Me Bible Study)
---
Yes, we messed it up with our sin, but Jesus changed everything.
My identity is in Christ, not in the identity of the woman I’m chasing after. God didn’t make us to chase after an identity we’re not. He made us in His image, for His Kingdom, to live out His purpose.
If we know these things for sure, what the heck happened? When did we end up at our kitchen table weeping over hashtags, hair color and having it all together?
It’s time to dig deep, pull ourselves out of the pit of emptiness, and walk in the identity of being made new in the goodness of God.
Are you wedged between who you think you have to be and who you really are? If yes, what are you striving and believing you have to earn, accomplish, complete, or be that is creating brokenness in your identity? Pray through your list individually, and ask God to remove each piece of brokenness from your identity and replace it with the truth of who you are in Him.
(from Week Six, Day One of Enough of Me Bible Study)
---
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Priscilla Peters is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a B.A. in Mass Communications and a Minor in Speech Communication. She has been married to her husband Coby for 10 years, and they have a blended family of six children. Priscilla is the Vice President of Marketing for the largest advertising agency in the transportation industry, and she’s been in the marketing and advertising business for 20 years. She serves as the Assistant Leader for the Real Women Ministry at That.Church in Sherwood, Arkansas. She speaks often, both in her professional career at industry conferences and trade shows, and at women s ministry speaking engagements. When Priscilla isn’t at the office working, speaking at Real Women events, or blogging, she is busy cheering on her Arkansas Razorbacks, chaperoning her daughter at her competitive dance events, and laughing way too loud about pretty much anything and everything.
CONNECT WITH AUTHOR:
GIVEAWAY
Grand Prize: (1) print copy of Enough of Me (US Only)
PLUS 5 more winners will receive an ebook copy of Enough of Me (open internationally, except where prohibited by law)
Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight May 19, 2018 and last through 11:59pm May 26, 2018. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.
This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Review: Honeysuckle Dreams by Denise Hunter
About the book:
After Brady Collins’ ex-wife dies, he receives devastating news—his nine-month-old son Sam isn’t his son at all. And Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents want custody of the child. Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. But regardless of what any blood test says, Sam is his son, and Brady will go to any lengths to keep him.
Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would virtually assure him of winning guardianship of baby Sam at the final hearing: an impending marriage. And his friend Hope is willing to step in as the loving and devoted fiance.
Local radio celebrity Hope Daniels has been driven by a solitary goal her entire life, and after a happy accident she’s finally offered her dream job. But if the truth comes out about her arrangement with Brady, she may miss the chance of a lifetime and stand in the way of a dear friend’s dreams.
As Brady and Hope make sacrifices to help each other in their times of need, they risk uncovering a truth neither of them expects to find.
After Brady Collins’ ex-wife dies, he receives devastating news—his nine-month-old son Sam isn’t his son at all. And Sam’s wealthy maternal grandparents want custody of the child. Brady knows he’s in for the fight of his life. But regardless of what any blood test says, Sam is his son, and Brady will go to any lengths to keep him.
Brady’s attorney tips him off that one major life change would virtually assure him of winning guardianship of baby Sam at the final hearing: an impending marriage. And his friend Hope is willing to step in as the loving and devoted fiance.
Local radio celebrity Hope Daniels has been driven by a solitary goal her entire life, and after a happy accident she’s finally offered her dream job. But if the truth comes out about her arrangement with Brady, she may miss the chance of a lifetime and stand in the way of a dear friend’s dreams.
As Brady and Hope make sacrifices to help each other in their times of need, they risk uncovering a truth neither of them expects to find.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Review: Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter
About the book:
Former
free spirit Zoe Collins swore she'd never again set foot in Copper
Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when
her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe--a peach
orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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.
Sunday, May 13, 2018
Bout of Books Read-a-thon ~ Sign-up | TBR List
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 14th and runs through Sunday, May 20th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 22 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
Saturday, May 12, 2018
My To-Be Read List -- And The Winner Is... May
Hosted by Because Reading. On the first Saturday of the month you pick three books from your TBR list and ask for help from your followers and the people on the linky to help you choose which book to read that month. Then, on the second Saturday, you announce the results and get to reading. :) The goal is to review said book on the last Saturday of the month.
Last week I randomly picked these three from my review shelf. You guys voted and the one with the most votes is...
The Books:
An Heiress At Heart by Jennifer Delamere with 45% of the votes! Thanks for voting. I am looking forward to reading this book. :)
Check back the last Saturday of this month to see my review.
This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Review: A Song Unheard by Roseanna M. White
About the book:
If Betraying Her Heart Means Saving Countless Lives, Will She Find the Courage?
Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a critical task at the outset of World War I--to secure a crucial cypher key from a famous violinist currently in Wales.
Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won--until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only distraction he finds from his worry is in meeting the intriguing and talented Willa Forsythe.
But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't--that she must betray him and find that key, or her own family could pay the same price his surely has.
Willa Forsythe is both a violin prodigy and top-notch thief, which makes her the perfect choice for a critical task at the outset of World War I--to secure a crucial cypher key from a famous violinist currently in Wales.
Lukas De Wilde has enjoyed the life of fame he's won--until now, when being recognized nearly gets him killed. Everyone wants the key to his father's work as a cryptologist. And Lukas fears that his mother and sister, who have vanished in the wake of the German invasion of Belgium, will pay the price. The only distraction he finds from his worry is in meeting the intriguing and talented Willa Forsythe.
But danger presses in from every side, and Willa knows what Lukas doesn't--that she must betray him and find that key, or her own family could pay the same price his surely has.
Sunday, May 6, 2018
Stacking The Shelves [1]
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!
If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!
---
Since this is my first week participating, I didn't keep track of 100% of the books I added to my shelves...I've included the ones I think I added this past week. These are either review books, ones I borrowed from the library, purchased, or received as gifts. I won't include all the Kindle freebies, as I buy too many of those. lol
Books Added To My Shelves This Week
Library/eBooks/Purchases/Gifts
NetGalley/Review Books
What books did you add to your shelves last week? Are you excited about any of the ones I added to mine?
This post may contain “affiliate links.” This means if you click on a link with my affiliate code and purchase an item(s), I will receive an affiliate commission. You won't be charged extra, I'll just receive a small percentage of the purchase price. See my disclosure page here.