Thursday, October 31, 2019

Practically Married by Karin Beery


 About the Book


Book: Practically Married
Author: Karin Beery
Genre: General Market, clean fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary romance
Release Date: October 22, 2019

 She moved to a new town to marry her fiancé. Instead, she’s burying him.

Ashley Johnson moved to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrived in time to attend his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley. To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farm house. Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’ problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.


Click HERE to get your copy. 






My Review

So, I had mixed feelings on this modern "mail order" bride story. What I loved was the backdrop and the characters. Although I'm a true southern girl, I found myself wanting to visit Wisconsin because of our author's description. Also, I really enjoyed Ashley and Russ. They were beautifully developed and you really don't see the entire emotional depth of the characters and their challenges until the end of the story making the story develop at a very intriguing, blossoming pace. While the ending was predictable (which is a strength in these type stories I feel like), I did feel that there were enough twists along the way to keep you reading. My issues just had to do with the conflicts. I found the conflict the story was centered around- this hypothetical will to be a little unbelievable. Also, I find it hard to believe someone would engage in a marriage of convenience these days, so I feel like the attempt to make that a modern thing was a little too hard to think that would really happen. Overall, I think those that enjoy a Hallmark movie type vibe, or enjoy a nice clean romance with really nice hero and heroine would enjoy this one.


I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 






About the Author


Karin Beery grew up in a rural Michigan town where she wrote her first novel in high school. Today, she writes contemporary stories with a healthy dose of romance. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s reading, editing, or teaching it. In her free time, she enjoys being at home with her husband and fur babies watching University of Michigan football and action-adventure movies.  


More from Karin

Why would two contemporary American’s agree to a marriage of convenience?

 That’s what I asked myself when I sat down to write Practically Married. I love reading historical books about mail order brides and other arranged marriages, but I wanted to see if I could make that historical theme more modern (and still be believable). That’s how Ashley and Russ came to be, and—after several revisions—I think I did it! It takes two to get married, but this is really Ashley’s story—it’s her past that inspires her future, and it’s up to her to decide where that inspiration with lead her. The story couldn’t just be about their relationship, though. I’ve always thought it would be fun to have a big brother, so I gave Russ little sisters. And nieces and nephews. And a pie-baking mom who doesn’t like his beard (which may have been inspired my mother-in-law, who tried desperately to get my husband to shave his beard before our wedding). I also threw in some real buildings and places in northern Michigan (even though Boyne Falls is fictional). And it’s possible that some of my character names came directly from friends and other local inspirations. Practically Married isn’t only set in northern Michigan, it’s inspired by it.




Blog Stops

Among the Reads, October 22
Blogging With Carol, October 22
Texas Book-aholic, October 24
CarpeDiem, October 24
Maureen’s Musings, October 24
Emily Yager, October 25
Rebecca Tews, October 25
Older & Smarter?, October 26
janicesbookreviews, October 27
Quiet Quilter, October 27
Cultivating Us, October 28
SusanLovesBooks, October 29
Vicky Sluiter, October 30
A Reader’s Brain, October 31
Moments, November 1
EmpowerMoms, November 2
Remembrancy, November 3
Godly Book Reviews, November 4
Pause for Tales, November 4




Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Karin is giving away the grand prize of a copy of her book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

What's Next by Daniel Ryan Day


 About the Book


Book: What’s Next
Author: Daniel Ryan Day
Genre: Non-fiction/Christian living/calling & vocation
Release Date: April, 2019

When your future is filled with more questions than answers and you’re asking for clear-cut direction from the Almighty,

THERE IS HOPE!

Whether you’re looking for your first job, the next step in your education, or a new career path, 

GOD’S WILL CAN BE FOUND.

What’s Next points you to Scripture where you’ll find assurance. No, you have not somehow missed the divine call on your life. And yes, you can embrace the freedom to confidently

STEP INTO YOUR FUTURE.



Click HERE to get your copy.  




My Review

I think this book is great for the modern person that is stuck in a rut or searching for their calling in life. I think we all know what it feels like to wonder where to go to college to, what to major in, whether to take a risky new job prospect, go back to school, become a stay at home parent, start your own business, go into the ministry, and so much more. This book is unique in that it is not just for high school/college age when we think of big life decisions- it is relevant to anyone who finds their life feeling unfulfilled or feeling stuck hoping the Lord will lead them to their life's calling. This book is short, with nice short chapters and plenty of Spiritual and practical application. The author really simplifies our understanding of what the Lord's will is for our lives and how we find it. I truly enjoyed reading the book, and I feel it could be a great help to any Christian who finds themselves "in a rut." 


I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 



About the Author


Daniel Ryan Day is cohost of the nationally syndicated radio program Discover the Word, the author of Ten Days Without, and a speaker. He holds a master’s degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is married to his high school sweetheart, Rebecca. Their family of five lives in North Carolina where Daniel works as a businessman.  


More from Daniel

Searching for your next step in life can be exciting yet overwhelming, intriguing yet stressful, adventurous yet painful. “What’s next?” is a question everyone asks and struggles with at some point in his or her life, and many people end up asking this question multiple times. I have a friend who’s 18 and trying to figure out if he should go to college or not. I have another friend who’s 21 and can’t decide what major to choose. I work with some people who are graduating from college and are taking their first step toward a career. I just got off the phone with someone I deeply care about who’s trying to keep his dream afloat while also paying the bills. All of these men and women are asking “What’s next?” All are searching for answers.

For some of us, “What’s next?” is a question of dreams— What could the future look like if I did this or that? There’s an excitement that comes with thinking about all the possibilities and potential. For others, the question is stressful, and the answer may require a major transition, like moving away from family or changing jobs. Thinking about the future carries with it equal parts of angst and anticipation. “What’s next” always ventures into the unknown. If you’re asking “What’s next?”— join the club! You’re not alone.

What’s Next: Your Dream Job, God’s Call and A Life That Sets You Free is a book is for dreamers and practicalists (no, this is not a real word, but it should be). It’s for those who are excited about transition, and those who dread it. It’s a book about the hope and freedom that comes with asking God what He wants for your life, and then hearing His voice through the pages of Scripture as He directs your steps.




Blog Stops

Mary Hake, October 20
For the Love of Literature, October 21 (Author Interview)
CarpeDiem, October 24
My Devotional Thoughts, October 25 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, October 26
janicesbookreviews, October 27
A Reader’s Brain, October 29
Blossoms and Blessings, October 31 (Author Interview)




Giveaway


To celebrate his tour, Daniel is giving away the grand prize of a copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
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Saturday, October 26, 2019

Bound to Be Free by Marta E. Greenman


About the Book


Book: Bound To Be Free
Author: Marta E. Greenman
Genre: Non-Fiction, spiritual growth, Christian studies
Release Date: June 12, 2015

 Dr. Minirth, President of Minirth Clinic says, “Bound To Be Free is an exceptional book – Theologically correct, psychologically warm, physiologically health producing. I recommend it with enthusiasm. Christians around the globe need this book. Read it and be healed. This book is riveting, but more important, it is life transforming!”

Learn to live in FREEDOM. Free of the consequences of pain inflicted upon us, and pain inflicted by ourselves. God’s Word tells us true freedom is found in HIS word and presence. Christ’s desire is for believers to be transformed, not just saved.

 Bound To Be Free leads believers step-by-step through God’s healing process and transformation. The study focuses heavily on scripture, as the only path to lasting restoration, and leads believers through the process of identifying and overcoming hindrances. This enables believers to achieve power in their daily Christian walk and show the transforming power of Christ in the church.

Our Father knows each person’s story. He knows how each one of us can overcome the pain and disappointment in our lives. While some numb the pain others walk through the fire, allowing The Refiner to mold us into the precious treasure He created us to be. Take a step in your journey to victory today



Click HERE to get your copy!





 








My Review



I recently reviewed another Bible study by this author all around Acts and the early church and how that zeal can be applied to today. I equally enjoyed Bound to Be Free by this author as well. Disappointment and hurt are part of living a life in a fallen world among fallen people. Betrayal can happen too. No matter what your story is, this Bible study really helps find the healing we find in God and His Word alone. From the truth of the Scripture, and plenty of personal experiences, our author gives us 8 principles with 5 days of study each week. There is a lot of diving into Scripture, personal application, and is laid out in a way that is not overly intimidating. This book could easily serve as an individual or group study. While no one is minimizing the help of therapy, medicine, etc. when faced with certain traumas, illnesses, etc. the truth and hope found in the Lord shines through bright in a way that reminds us who our God truly is. While I can't vouch for every aspect of the author's theology, I can say overall this study is for the one or group that is hurting no matter their story.











I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 



























About the Author







For over twenty years, Marta has traveled extensively as a missionary, evangelist and Bible teacher sharing God’s message of truth and redemption. She is a teacher of teachers. She is host of Under God Radio Show and Co-host of Refining Friends. She is the author of three Bible studies, Bound to Be Free, Leaders, Nations, and God, and ACTs420NOW. Marta founded Words of Grace & Truth in 2011 whose mission is to teach God’s Word to the nations and teach others to do the same. She has been married for over twenty-five years to Marshall and they reside in the Dallas, Texas area.

 








More from Marta

Are you tired of hurting? Do you want long term answers…not a band aid fix? Bound To Be Free will take you on a journey of understanding, self-contemplation, and questions to ask the Almighty! At the end of your journey you will realize how much God has healed your soul and how to handle hurts and  disappointments in the future.












Blog Stops







Mary Hake, October 16



By The Book, October 16 (Author Interview)









Texas Book-aholic, October 23



A Baker’s Perspective, October 24 (Author Interview)



janicesbookreviews, October 25



A Reader’s Brain, October 26


















Giveaway



















To celebrate her tour, Marta is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!



Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.











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Overcome Depression by Margaret Lalich




















About the Book



Book: Overcome Depression

Author: Margaret Lalich

Genre: Non-fiction/self-help/Christian growth

Release Date: March 22, 2019



BREAKTHROUGH SCIENCE SHINES NEW LIGHT ON HOLY SCRIPTURES. “…pulls back the curtain to clearly & simply reveal how our mind works… A fun and eye-opening book” Karl Benzio, M.D., Medical Director: Honey Lake Clinic & Lighthouse Network.



This faith-based, reader friendly guide offers more than 100 self-help strategies and recovery skills for coping with depression. Brain Science and evidence based therapeutic practices offer hands-on, practical tools for immediate use.



“Amazing book! I have read so many books on depression and this is the only one that has truly helped me.”—Wendy Freeman, California



“…an amazing book on overcoming depression… deep, and yet understandable… a very practical and encouraging book about a very dark subject.”—Bill Walden, Pastor Cornerstone Ministries, Ca.

 















Click HERE to purchase your copy!









 








My Review



Before you think this is just a spiritual help book, think again. The author brings us the reality of depression, the science of evidence-based studies from the secular world, and the truth of the Scripture and brings us a truly practical, inspiring self-help book for those facing depression. Each chapter gives us science and Scripture and meets the two into practical steps to take every day, and then a Scripture for each section to meditate on. A lot of times we like to think that people can snap out of depression, or that they just aren't working hard enough to read their Bible or pray. While the Lord truly is our Jehovah Rapha (Healer), the Lord can use science, therapy, medicine and more on that healing journey. This book gives us practical steps to take every day to deal with the whole person and the whole illness that is depression. Each chapter will bring the reader farther into being able to deal with depression in a healthy, science-based, Godly way, and that is a book worth reading!











I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 















About the Author







Margaret Lalich is a believer, a lover (family, friends and others), a relentless optimist, and a Certified Laughter Leader. Before becoming a college freshman (in her 30’s), she chose a teen marriage over graduation.  Later adventures, and mid-life corrections, led to completion of her M.S. and M.A. degrees and a 31-year career as a clinician and teacher, within mental health.

Laughter and tears are both found in experience. Tears can wash away emotional rubble, and laughter can be a ‘bungee-cord’ safety-life-line. If we fall into a pit of despair, laughter helps us rebound and boosts our climb. Margaret loves to share it.

Margaret is a mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma who writes stories and non-fiction – highlighting experience, science, strategies, and hope. She wants to connect with readers — helping them find (and use) their gifts, and to live their own definition of ‘success’ – to the Glory of God.

 








More from Margaret

I have been asked WHY I wanted to write this book.  It’s because I ache for believers who suffer the pain of depression – and then add guilt, embarrassment, loss of hope, or helplessness to it. I want them to know they are heroes – not zeroes (no matter how they’re feeling). I want to share strategies, encouragement and the sheer excitement of scientific discovery that proves we have more power than we may have imagined, to help us climb out of the ‘pit’.

Yes, I am a bit of a cheerleader, and at times a clown – but I’m also a researcher and a clinician who has shared the wonder of such discoveries with more than a thousand patients. I have also been asked how long it took to finish this book. Not too long … just 31 years to learn and live it – and 3 years to research and write it.  Here’s an excerpt from



Chapter 1.

First Things First:  Christians and Depression

“ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  2 Timothy 1:7

Church is not a museum for perfect saints — it’s a first aid station for sinners who keep trying. I can’t recall the name of the pastor, who delivered that line, but his message resonated with me then and it still does today. I want to contribute to First-Aid supplies

God says He is for us, and we are loved. We can trust, and we must believe His Word. But, it can be hard to reconcile faith with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. If you have struggled with this – you’re not alone. Right from the start, you need to know you are loved. We’re in this together.

 

Doubts and fears can seed questions such as:

“What’s happening?”

“Why?”

“Now what?”

If you ask these questions, be assured God hears the cry of your heart. By His grace, we will explore answers together. Yes, there are answers. Yes, there is hope and help that you can use – right where you are, starting now.

…Blame is a distraction. We cast blame on ourselves with hurtful thinking when we think or say things like: “If I had enough faith this wouldn’t happen.” Or, “ I should be stronger …  blah, blah, blah.”  Don’t surrender to this way of thinking.

 



 WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

There has been a revolution in the study of the brain (neuroscience). We’ve started to understand brain-works, and can now answer the first of our opening questions: “What’s happening?” With today’s technology and new imaging systems we can see the brain in action as thoughts, and new learning, form physical links, creating neural patterns and pathways within the brain.

The glory of God is revealed as we discover more of His divine design, and watch new scientific findings align with the old wisdom of God’s word for mankind.  Proverbs 23:7 says: “For as he thinks in his heart, so he is.” We have learned that what we think helps to form who, and what we are. We can use this knowledge to build recovery skills.












Blog Stops







Donny Abbott, October 19




Artistic Nobody, October 20 (Author Interview)




EmpowerMoms, October 22





Texas Book-aholic, October 24



janicesbookreviews, October 25



A Reader’s Brain, October 26



Simple Harvest Reads, October 27 (Author Interview)



Mary Hake, October 27





Kelly Harrel, October 30

















Giveaway















To celebrate her tour, Margaret is giving away the grand prize package of a signed copy of the book, a refreshment package, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!



Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.











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Tuesday, October 22, 2019


          

        










The Glittering Web by Richard & Linda Nathan




















About the Book



Book: The Glittering Web

Author: Richard & Linda Nathan

Genre: Christian fiction/futuristic

Release Date: July 1, 2019






What if everything you thought was true and good – wasn’t?







Stripping away years of deception doesn’t come easily—especially to Loren and Eve Montcrest. They believe they’re following the true path as initiates in Seattle’s Arcane Institute, their society’s elite training academy for the New World Order in 2050.







Pursuing spiritual power despite enormous dangers, they are caught up in a fiery, fast-paced succession of intrigues and adventure that rocks their love for each other and even their sanity.







Only a shocking, last-minute intervention can strip away the veil of deception and rescue them from
destruction—but will they give up everything for it?









Click HERE to get your copy.

 














My Review



The Glittering Web is really an eye opening look into a dangerous spiritual movement that is not of God. The way the hero and heroine are really sucked into this movement as life-consuming I think was really realistic. I think the process of them conforming their future,  their relationship and everything to the culture of this movement really shows the way evil can just control someone and cause a lot of deception thinking you are doing what's right. I felt like the pace really kept you going and the way the atmosphere and other characters/leaders in the movement from appearance, to names, to action really set the scene clearly in my mind. I have to say I was a little thrown off from the cover, but I found the book to not be overly preachy or judgmental. I felt like the journey from questioning to faith was really worth reading to see unfold, and the way God lifts that veil was inspiring. I felt the characters were also well developed. Overall, if you're looking for an inspirational faith journey, or Christian fiction with a sci-fi/futuristic vibe, this one is for you.











I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are entirely my own. 























About the Authors









Whether writing apologetics or page-turners, Richard and Linda write together. The Glittering Web is their first novel, a thriller rooted in their own lives and the occult. Richard has a master’s in Christian history and a B.S. in biology and has worked in psychiatric units for over 25 years. Linda has a B.A. in psychology. She has managed Logos Word Designs, LLC, since 1992, providing professional writing, editing, and publishing consultation services. She is also a staff freelance editor with Redemption Press. Together and singly, they have taught and spoken at conferences, seminars, churches, and on the radio. #glitteringweb ~ www.theglitteringweb.com

 








More from Richard and Linda

What if everything you thought was true and good—wasn’t?



 That’s what we painfully learned from our years in the New Age / psychedelic movement in the San Francisco Bay Area during the ’60s and ’70s–years in which we almost lost our sanity, our souls, and our lives.

Like our characters Loren and Eve who are initiates in Seattle’s Arcane Institute in the year 2050, we pursued spiritual power into a glittering web of dangers and deceptions.

Although true to our own inner trials and temptations, The Glittering Web is a fast-paced thriller and sci-fi fantasy with a life of its own, an evangelistic thrust, and a call to Christians to wake up to this huge mission field all around us where today a New Age practitioner is running for President. As it exposes the deceitfulness of this popular movement, it also glorifies the great love and power of Jesus Christ to reach the lost.

See our author video at www.theglitteringweb.com and join the Insider’s Club for our free quarterly newsletter, articles, contests, drawings, Q&As, and much more. There’s also a glossary of over 60 New Age terms to help you.












Blog Stops






Older & Smarter?, October 12




CarpeDiem, October 14



Rebecca Tews, October 15




Wishful Endings, October 17 (Author Interview)






Texas Book-aholic, October 21



janicesbookreviews, October 22



A Reader’s Brain, October 23


















Giveaway















To celebrate their tour, Richard and Linda are giving away, to TWO winners, the grand prize of a paperback copy with a membership to the Insider’s Club (see www.theglitteringweb.com).



Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.











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