Review: Praying God's Word For Your Life by Kathi Lipp

Praying God's Word For Your Life by Kathi Lipp
Revell / 2013
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

You pray for others-but are you forgetting to pray for yourself?

Many of us find it easy to pray for the concerns and well-being of others. But when it comes to praying for ourselves, we may wonder, Should I pray for my own needs? Are any prayers too big or too small? Are my prayers selfish? Does praying really make a difference?

Praying God's Word for Your Life gives women the direction and Scripture we need to bring purpose and power to our prayers. In her warm, approachable style, Kathi Lipp shares more than one hundred specific prayers for our lives, relationships, worries, mistakes, faith, and more. The simple strategies Kathi reveals will help each of us create a habit of praying with renewed boldness, consistency, and expectation.

My rating:

My thoughts:

Praying God's Word For Your Life was a good devotional-type book. It was easy to read and had some helpful points throughout. I especially liked the first couple chapters.

The stories from different women in Praying God's Word For Your Life were interesting and added a more personal feel to the book. I really liked the "Praying God's Word..." parts in the book.

I did skim a few chapters in Praying God's Word For Your Life because they weren't applicable to me and where I am in life right now (i.e. Chapter 7: Your Marriage, Chapter 8: Parenthood).

Overall, I really liked Praying God's Word For Your Life and am glad I had the chance to read it.


*I received a complimentary copy of this book for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

*Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.*

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Cover Reveal: Bleeding Heart by Amber Stokes

Today I'm super excited to be a part of Bleeding Heart's cover reveal. The target publication month is August 2013 and you can find a teaser from Bleeding Heart at the bottom of this post.

So, here's the cover!!

I love the cover. I think the dress, background, font, etc. are really pretty and it definitely catches my eye. What do you think of the cover?

About the Book

Five bleeding hearts. One profound journey. 

Summer 1886

Sally Clay’s livelihood has been snatched away, but in its place arises an opportunity to escape from her sordid past and an unrelenting, unwanted suitor. Boarding a train with a heartsick rancher and an enigmatic miner, she leaves Virginia City behind and heads to Northern California, waiting for the chance to make right what went wrong three long years before.

But the road to revenge is far from smooth. Sally soon learns that the jagged pieces of a broken heart can far too easily wound the hearts of others – and hers isn’t the only heart that’s broken. Tragedy and fear dog her steps as she flees from the redwood forests to the high desert and back again. Will her bleeding heart ever find a way and a place to heal?

A desperate soiled dove. Three men who come to care for her. One man determined to claim her. 

All on a journey that will show them what true love really involves.

Inspirational Historical Romance

The Book’s Blog

In conjunction with the cover reveal, Amber’s doing a “blog reveal,” as well! You can find all the latest news about Bleeding Heart, along with book extras, at the Bleeding Heart blog.

About the Author

Amber Stokes has a Bachelor of Science degree in English and a passion for the written word - from blogging to writing poetry, short stories, and novels. After her brief time at college in Oregon, she is now back home among the redwoods of Northern California, living life one day at a time and pursuing her passion via freelance editing and self-publishing her debut novel, Bleeding Heart. You can connect with Amber on her blog, Seasons of Humility.

About the Cover Designer

Lena lives in a scenic small town in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a very spoiled Black Lab. She writes fiction for young adults, mostly light fantasy with a healthy dose of "sigh-worthy" romance. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com.

Teaser from Bleeding Heart

Prologue

Breaking hearts should be considered a crime. That would make Elizabeth Lawson an outlaw and Joe Clifton the victim. And that wasn’t a far stretch in Joe’s mind. She had rounded up his heart, branded her name across it when it should never have belonged to her, and then left him high and dry. Still, he was getting sick of hanging around the scene of the crime. He just didn’t know where else to go.

Lake Tahoe had once been his favorite get-away destination, a place where he could go to just sit back and enjoy the view of water as clear as a shined-up mirror. Now those crystal depths and the unmoving boulders along the water’s edge taunted him, bringing back memories of a happy proposal and a less-than-happy scene where his heart was handed back to him on a silver platter – bruised, broken, and bleeding.

He didn’t want to make any more memories like that. So he made a promise to himself: He would never let anyone break his heart again.

Just a note: Be sure to check out Amber's blog today as she's doing a neat giveaway!

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Review: There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones

Thomas Nelson / 2011

Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

Grief brought Finley to Ireland. 
Love will lead her home.

Finley Sinclair is not your typical eighteen-year-old. She's witty, tough, and driven. With an upcoming interview at the Manhattan music conservatory, Finley needs to compose her audition piece. But her creativity disappeared with the death of her older brother, Will.

She decides to study abroad in Ireland so she can follow Will's travel journal. It's the place he felt closest to God, and she's hopeful being there will help her make peace over losing him. So she agrees to an exchange program and boards the plane.

Beckett Rush, teen heartthrob and Hollywood bad boy, is flying to Ireland to finish filming his latest vampire movie. On the flight, he meets Finley. She's the one girl who seems immune to his charm. Undeterred, Beckett convinces her to be his assistant in exchange for his help as a tour guide.

Once in Ireland, Finley starts to break down. The loss of her brother and the pressure of school, her audition, and whatever it is that is happening between her and Beckett, leads her to a new and dangerous vice. When is God going to show up for her in this emerald paradise?

Then she experiences something that radically changes her perspective on life. Could it be God convincing her that everything she's been looking for has been with her all along?

My rating:

My thoughts:

After hearing great things about Jenny B. Jones' novels, and especially There You'll Find Me, I was excited to finally read this one. The book starts off really good and had me interested within the first few chapters.

I liked the characters in There You'll Find Me a lot. They had flaws which made them more believable and/or relatable. If I had to choose a favorite I think it'd be Beckett, but Finley is right up there with him (both great characters).

There You'll Find Me does deal with a couple tough subjects, which made for a few sad scenes, but there were also some really sweet moments that I loved!

The only real negative I had (and it's a slight one) is that it was a little hard at first to get used to the Irish talk in There You'll Find Me. However, once I got partway though, it wasn't really an issue anymore.

Overall, There You'll Find Me was a great read that I enjoyed a lot! I actually finished it in a little over a day, so it definitely was a quick read that held my attention. :) I look forward to reading more of Jenny B. Jones' books - especially Save the Date which is an earlier book about Finley's older brother, Alex.

If you enjoy YA novels, I think you'll like There You'll Find Me and recommend it!

*I did not get this book for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

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Monthly Reflections (#17) ~ May

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Monthly Reflections, where we take the time to reflect on the previous month.

My goals for May were...

Read 15 books
☑ 1 nonfiction

In May I...

Read 14 books, including 3 nonfiction!
Finished a reading challenge (What Countries Have I Visited Challenge)

Books read:

Favorite Read This Month:

My favorite read this month was definitely Stealing the Preacher! I just loved that book so much! :) My favorite nonfiction read was The Bare Naked Truth.

Reviews:

True Purity by Hayley & Michael DiMarco

Lady Anne's Quest by Susan Page Davis

When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

Storm by Evan Angler

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

Roses Have Thorns by Sandra Byrd

Stealing the Preacher by Karen Witemeyer

Captives by Jill Williamson

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Reviews on Goodreads that I haven't posted here:

(yet. I might later on...)

Stealing Jake by Pam Hillman

Stand-In Groom (Brides of Bonneterre #1) by Kaye Dacus

Everblue (Mer Tales, #1) by Brenda Pandos

Interviews:

Carrie Fancett Pagels
Mackenzie Dare

My thoughts on May:

While I did miss my goal by one book, I'm happy with what I was able to read in May. I didn't read as much as I usually do, so to be able to still finish 14 books is a surprise. :)

Looking ahead:

My goals for June are:

I'm anticipating that June will be a busy month, so I hope to be able to read/finish 12 books, including:
2 nonfiction
2 eBooks

If you want to do your own Monthly Reflections, feel free to grab the button and post about it on your blog, then leave a comment with the URL - otherwise, please share your thoughts in a comment!

Now it's your turn! What did you accomplish in May, what do you hope to accomplish in June?

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