Book Review of Rock Harbor Search & Rescue by Colleen Coble and Robin Caroll

Rock Harbor Search & Rescue by Colleen Coble and Robin Caroll is perfect for tween girls who love mystery and suspense.  Although I am not a tween girl, I still enjoyed reading it having loved reading Nancy Drew and other mysteries when I was younger.

The book is about eighth grader, Emily O'Reilly.  She has a dream of one day joining the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue team and LOVES everything that has to do with Search and Rescue.  She is even saving up money for a puppy of her own when her parents offer to pay for half.  However, her hopes of getting a puppy fall apart when an expensive necklace is stolen from the booth next to hers at the fall festival.  All the evidence points to Emily as the thief.  Determined to prove her innocence, Emily and her best friend, Olivia, do an investigation of their own and eventually find the real culprit.

I think that the story was well written.  It kept me interested and wondering what was going to happen next.  I found some of the development of the characters lacking, but I didn't find that it affected the story line.  I think that overall, it was a worthwhile read.

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.”

Book Review of A Matter of Trust: A Mia Quinn Mystery by Lis Wiehl with April Henry

A Matter of Trust: A Mia Quinn Mystery by Lis Wiehl with April Henry begins with Mia Quinn having a phone conversation with her colleague at the prosecutor's office, Colleen.  While she is on the phone with Colleen, she hears a gunshot and Colleen does not respond.  Mia who is recently widowed and struggling to keep her family together is asked to head up the murder investigation.  Although she would prefer to spend more time with her kids, she needs the money, so she reluctantly agrees to team up with detective Charlie Carlson to investigate Colleen's murder.   Their investigation leads them down an unexpected path eventually leading to the possibility that Mia may be in danger as well!

I LOVED this book!  There was so much to keep my interest--the murder investigation, the relationship with Mia and her son, Gabe, the night terrors Mia's daughter is having, the suicide of a teenager that was bullied.  I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next!  I can say that my jaw dropped when I found out who the murderer was.  I highly recommend this book!  You won't be disappointed!

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.”

Book Review of Shattered (Alaskan Courage Book #2) by Dani Pettrey

I recently finished reading Shattered by Dani Pettrey, which is the second book in the Alaskan Courage series.

Shattered follows Piper McKenna and the rest of her family as they set out to prove their brother, Reef's innocence.  Two witnesses saw Reef fleeing from a murder scene, but he claims he is innocent.  A long time friend of the McKenna family, Landon Grainger, is in charge of the murder investigation.  All the evidence is pointing towards Reef; but when Piper decides to launch her own investigation, Landon decides he need to do all he can to protect her from herself and from whatever danger she might face.

I loved this book! Having not read the first book in the series, I was not familiar with the McKenna family and the other characters that had been in the previous book.  With that said, I felt like this book was extremely well written, and I could not put it down!  I am definitely going to be picking up the first book in the series, and I look forward to book three!

I received this book for free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review of The Great House of God by Max Lucado

Max Lucado's book, The Great House of God,  takes the Lord's Prayer in sections to give us a tour of God's house starting in The Living Room and guiding us through the rest of the rooms/parts of the house--the foundation, the observatory, the chapel, the throne, the study, the furnace, the kitchen, the roof, the hallway, the family room, the walls.

 Lucado has a writing style that is easy and fun to read.  In this book, Lucado tells us about our spiritual house (God's house) that exists to care for our souls, and he also tells us that we were intended to live in our Father's house.  The chapters that follow take us through the rooms/parts of the God's house.  One of my favorite parts was in chapter 8 (The Furnace Because Someone Prayed) where Lucado talks about Revelations 8:1 "...there was silence in heaven for about a half hour."  Lucado tells us that the silence was when someone was praying. "Heaven paused, and heaven pauses to hear the prayers of...someone." (page 80)  How awesome to know that heaven pauses to hear OUR prayers!  Such an amazing thing for me to see in writing and to ponder.  In the Postscript section of the book, Lucado suggests this: "Each day, as you awaken in his presence, remember the blueprint.  And as you talk to your Father, trace the floor plan in your mind.  It's a helpful way to enter his presence."  He also gives an example as to how the Lord's Prayer can guide our prayers.

If you haven't read this book, you need to pick it up as soon as possible because it is AMAZING!  I cannot say enough how much I loved reading it.

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.”

Book Review of Father Cry: Healing Your Heart and the Hearts of Those You Love by Billy Wilson

I recently read the book Father Cry: Healing Your Heart and the Hearts of Those You Love by Billy Wilson. This book brings attention to the need for spiritual mothers and fathers.  There are so many children growing up fatherless and/or motherless. Wilson calls the readers attention to the need for Christians to be those spiritual mothers and fathers, to truly love a child like our Father in Heaven loves us and to guide those children. Wilson shares about his own journey through life, as well as stories from others.  Wilson also talks about things being passed from generation to generation.  We need to be sure we are arming the younger generation with the knowledge they need to pass on to the next generation...this includes the love and words of Jesus Christ.

I do have to admit that I found parts of this book hard to get through, but there are many parts of the book that were easy and quick to read. Wilson definitely touched a topic that needs to be brought to the attention of every mother, father, teacher, grandfather, grandmother, etc. It is so important to remember that not every child has a person that is leading him or her spiritually, and we need to step up and be there for those children in those situations.



*I received this book from Chosen Books in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann

I recently read The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann.  The Breath of Dawn mainly focuses on the relationship between Morgan Spencer and Quinn Reilly.  Morgan and his daughter, Livie are living with his brother, sister-in-law and nephew at their ranch after the death of his wife, Jill.  Quinn is hiding from someone she testified against, sending them to prison.  She is cleaning out the estate next to the ranch.  Morgan and Quinn become friends, and when Quinn runs into some trouble, he does something very unexpected to help her.  

I didn't realize that this book is actually the third Heitzmann has written that involves the Spencer family.  With that said, the first two books are really not necessary when it comes to this book.  The story is one of its own, and the characters are well developed.  Although the story line did start out a bit slow, I did find it to get a lot more interesting as I read more, and I didn't want to put it down.  If you like romance mixed with suspense, you will definitely want to pick up this book.  

*I received this book for free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.*

Book Review of inSignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World by Chris Travis

I wasn't sure what to expect when I chose to review the book inSignificant: Why You Matter in the Surprising Way God is Changing the World by Chris Travis.  What caught my eye in the description on the back of the book was actually the first two sentences--"If you're looking for a life of meaning, take hope.  God wants to use you in his surprising plan to change the world."

Being a Christian myself, I have always known that God wants to use me in his plan, but after reading this book, I gained more insight into how God can (and does) use us to change the world when we feel like what we are doing is insignificant.  Chris Travis includes his own personal stories about teaching for two years in one of the most dangerous public schools in New York.

Travis talks about how he began to use the Lord's Prayer as a guideline for praying and that once he began to focus his prayers on God and on others he saw some real power moving through him (pg.93)  He also tells us he began to pray less often for what he wanted and more often that God would give him what he needed to accomplish His will and to serve others well.

There is so much more that this book has to offer.  If you are looking for inspiration, this is definitely a book that you should read!

*I received this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.*