Review: NASB Note-Taker's Bible

About the book:

Finally, a Bible that has plenty of room for taking notes during public or private worship, small-group fellowships, or any other time or place you feel the need to make comments on the Bible. No more cramped writing in tiny margins—the NASB Note-Taker’s Bible makes it easy to stay organized and neat. Personalize the text of God's Word to your life as never before, and treasure this record of your spiritual journey.  Includes the complete text of the popular New American Standard translation.

Features:
Deluxe wide margins for note takers
Complete NASB text
Double-column text for easy reading
Words of Christ in red letter

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Review & Giveaway: An Uncertain Choice by Jody Hedlund

About the book:

Due to her parents' promise at her birth, Lady Rosemarie has been prepared to become a nun on the day she turns eighteen. Then, a month before her birthday, a friend of her father's enters the kingdom and proclaims her parents' will left a second choice--if Rosemarie can marry before the eve of her eighteenth year, she will be exempt from the ancient vow.

Before long, Rosemarie is presented with the three most handsome and brave knights in the land. But when the competition for her heart seemingly results in a knight playing foul, she begins to wonder if the convent is the best place after all. If only one of the knights--the one who appears the most guilty--had not already captured her heart.

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Review: Murder Simply Brewed by Vannetta Chapman

About the book:

When the coffee shop manager is murdered in Middlebury’s Amish Artisan Village, two women from different walks of life must join together to solve the mystery.

Spring has arrived in Middlebury, Indiana, and Amber Wright is optimistic about the growing profit from her collection of Amish shops—until she receives a call that Ethan Gray is dead. Hurrying over to A Simple Blend, she finds a solitary hole in the front window and the store manager lying next to the espresso machine, dead from an apparent heart attack. All the money is still in his register.

When Amber hires a young Amish woman, Hannah Troyer, to take over the shop’s duties, the two women become fast friends—as well as amateur sleuths. The police believe Gray’s death is a by-product of vandalism, but Amber and Hannah aren't convinced.

Clues that don't add up, a neighbor who is pulled into the midst of the investigation, a town with secrets to hide, and a blossoming romance—all will combine to push Amber and Hannah into unfamiliar roles in order to reveal answers to the mysteries around them.

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Review: Andi Under Pressure by Amanda Flower

About the book:

Twelve-year-old Andora ‘Andi’ Boggs and her new best friend Colin Carter couldn’t be more excited to attend the prestigious science camp at the local university in Killdeer, Ohio. Unfortunately, Discovery Camp’s curriculum appears to include much more than just chemistry and biology. From day one, the university is plagued by a series of pranks—missing markers, loose crickets, and stolen scales. Campus security blames the mysterious janitor Polk, but even though Andi agrees he’s acting suspicious, she can’t believe the gentle old man would do anything illegal. Then one prank goes too far and their chemistry professor is injured by an explosion in the lab, upping the stakes of the investigation. Andi and Colin must unravel the secrets behind the chemistry department and Polk’s dark past before danger closes the camp for good.

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Review: The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson

About the book:

A daring rescue. A difficult choice.

Sophie desperately wants to get away from her stepmother’s jealousy, and believes escape is her only chance to be happy. Then a young man named Gabe arrives from Hagenheim Castle, claiming she is betrothed to his older brother, and everything twists upside down. This could be Sophie’s one chance at freedom—but can she trust another person to keep her safe?

Gabe defied his parents Rose and Wilhelm by going to find Sophie, and now he believes they had a right to worry: the girl’s inner and outer beauty has enchanted him. Though romance is impossible—she is his brother’s future wife, and Gabe himself is betrothed to someone else—he promises himself he will see the mission through, no matter what.

When the pair flee to the Cottage of the Seven, they find help—but also find their feelings for each other have grown. Now both must not only protect each other from the dangers around them—they must also protect their hearts.

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Review: Interrupted: Life Beyond Words by Rachel Coker

About the book:

Can love really heal all things?
 
 If Sam Carroll hadn’t shown up, she might have been able to get to her mother in time. Instead, Allie Everly finds herself at a funeral, mourning the loss of her beloved mother. She is dealt another blow when, a few hours later, she is sent from Tennessee to Maine to become the daughter of Miss Beatrice Lovell, a prim woman with a faith Allie cannot accept.

Poetry and letters written to her mother become the only things keeping Allie’s heart from hardening completely. But then Sam arrives for the summer, and with him comes many confusing emotions, both toward him and the people around her. As World War II looms, Allie will be forced to decide whether hanging on to the past is worth losing her chance to be loved.

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Review: Know the Creeds and Councils by Justin S. Holcomb

About the book:

In every generation, the Christian church must interpret and restate its bedrock beliefs, answering the challenges and concerns of the day. This accessible overview walks readers through centuries of creeds, councils, catechisms, and confessions--not with a dry focus on dates and places, but with an emphasis on the living tradition of Christian belief and why it matters for our lives today.

As a part of the KNOW series, Know the Creeds and Councils is designed for personal study or classroom use, but also for small groups and Sunday schools wanting to more deeply understand the foundations of the faith. Each chapter covers a key statement of faith and includes a discussion of its historical context, a simple explanation of the statement's content and key points, reflections on contemporary and ongoing relevance, and discussion questions.

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Review: A May Bride by Meg Moseley

About the book:

 A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed. 

She thinks she has prepared for her wedding all her life...but it seems she may have forgotten the most important part. Ellie Martin, a country girl in Atlanta, has dreamed of a traditional wedding all her life—a wedding just like the one her younger sister is planning back home. Their single mom will pay for Alexa's wedding, but Ellie started her own wedding fund years ago. She only needs to find a groom. At a wedding at her church, Ellie bumps into a man who's one of the guests. She's noticed him around the neighborhood, but today he introduces himself as Gray Whitby. They embark on a whirlwind romance, but her mother doesn't trust freewheeling men like Gray. When Ellie risks her own future for her sister's sake, Gray feels betrayed. Will he always play second fiddle to Ellie's family? Will Ellie and Gray reconcile their differences so her dream wedding can come true, or will the romance they've begun come crashing down?

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Review: An April Bride by Lenora Worth

About the book:

A year's worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed. 

War changes everything…even their love. 

Bride-to-be Stella Carson can't wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and has suffered a head wound. After being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he has distanced himself from Stella, asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C., hospital. Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she's loved for most of her life has become someone else. Can true love conquer all for Stella and Marshall, even the tragedy of war?

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Review: Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck

Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck
The Royal Wedding Series: Book Two
Zondervan / 2014
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

Regina Beswick was born to be a princess.

But she’s content to be a small-town girl, running a classic auto restoration shop, unaware a secret destiny awaits her. One that will leap from the pages of her grandmother’s hand-painted book of fairytales.

Tanner Burkhardt is the stoic Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. When he is tasked to retrieve the long-lost princess, he must overcome his fear of failure in order to secure his nation’s future—and his own.

Yet lurking in the political shadows is a fierce opponent with sinister plans to abolish the throne forever. Overwhelmed with opposition, Regina must decide if she’s destined to restore old cars or an ancient nation. Together—with a little divine intervention—Regina and Tanner discover the truth of her heritage and the healing power of true love.

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Princess Ever After, book two in The Royal Wedding Series, was what I expected - a nice contemporary read. Like the first book, I didn't love the story and some things in it I just didn't care for, but I still liked the book - even if it wasn't a favorite.

Sometimes the story was slow, and I could have easily set the book aside, other times it was quite interesting; so I have conflicted feelings about Princess Ever After. The characters were another aspect that gave me conflicting emotions - at times Regina and Tanner annoyed me very much, but then there were moments that I really liked them. :/

I was not a huge fan of the romance aspect in Princess Ever After. It seemed to move along too quickly and **possible spoiler**being in love was stated even before they were an actual couple.**end of possible spoiler** The other thing I didn't like was the scene where it's implied that someone who talked to Tanner was God Himself.

There were things I liked: the whole princess aspect and modern-day fairy tale - that was fun! I also enjoyed some parts of Regina's tomboy personality and how she stayed true to herself/style while transitioning to being the princess. Oh, and I loved the letters from Regina's Gram - they were so interesting to read!

So, as I stated above, while I didn't love Princess Ever After, I did still like the book. This was a tough review for me to write, mainly because my thoughts on it are all over the place and hard to articulate. I know several bloggers who really loved this book, so you might be someone who'll enjoy it more than I did and maybe the things that frustrated me won't bother you at all. I don't know if I'll read the next book in this series or not - I guess it'll depend on who it's about. ;)

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. 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 and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

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Review: A March Bride by Rachel Hauck (Year of Weddings)

A March Bride by Rachel Hauck
A Year of Weddings: Book 4
Zondervan / 2014
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

About the book:

A year’s worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.

Susanna has found her true prince, and their happily ever after is just around the corner. But when Nate asks her to give up something precious to her, Susanna can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that their love is not meant to be.

Susanna Truitt (Once Upon A Prince) is three weeks from royalty. She’ll soon marry King Nathaniel II of Brighton Kingdom. But when the government insists she renounce her American citizenship before the wedding, coupled with the lack of involvement by family and friends, Susanna’s heart begins to doubt whether this marriage is God's plan for her.

Nathaniel would do anything for his bride-to-be. But he knows his position requires that she give up a lot to be with him. Her life will never be her own—right down to her very identity. When she travels home to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, right before the wedding, Nathaniel fears she won’t return. Gathering his courage, he devises a plan to win his bride all over again, and together they seek out a kingdom to treasure above all.

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A March Bride is the fourth "Year of Weddings" novella - a collection of stand-alone novellas from twelve different authors. For those of us who have read Rachel Hauck's novel "Once Upon A Prince", A March Bride is extra neat to read, as it has to do with the same couple and the struggles they endure in the midst of wedding planning.

I have to say, I enjoyed A March Bride very much. Maybe it's because I was already familiar with the characters, but I was able to get into this story easily and thoroughly enjoyed the time spent reading it. It was predictable, as I guessed early on some of the things that would happen; but I did expect that going in, so it didn't diminish my enjoyment.

While you don't have to read "Once Upon A Prince" before A March Bride, I do recommend doing so, if you enjoy these types of books, as I think it'll make this one much more special and unique. I really enjoyed it and look forward to more of Rachel Hauck's books.

  *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. 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 and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

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