Heather Song by Michael Phillips*A Review

Newly married, Marie and Alaster Reidhaven's life seems idyllic. But things start to fall apart when the Duke's sister's curses and spells start to plague them. Alaster dies and again Marie is widowed. Marie returns to Canada to visit her dying father. The reunion is tender and healing for them both.

Unexpectedly months later, Marie is astonished to learn that back in Scotland, her deceased husband Alaster never signed their pre-nup and had instead undertaken the legalities necessary to insure his estate would indeed go to Marie. Olivia is furious and full of threats and attempts to kill Marie and then disappears. Marie inherits and again assumes the title and role of duchess.

But now the other half of her former "love triangle" bubbles up from out of her past. Marie and Grahm begin seeing each other "as friends" awaiting God's leading.

Olivia reappears and again tries to kill Marie. Olivia eventually dies of cancer, unrepentant. The Reidhaven family line is at an end, the legacy of their memory to be carried forward by Marie who loved, in the end, all of them.

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 5 KB
Publisher: FaithWords (September 19, 2011)
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Language: English
ASIN: B004QZ9QT6

In 1970, while students at Humboldt State University, Mike and Judy Phillips began what would become the One Way BookShop as a small, informal source of Christian books and materials for their fellow students. Over the next two decades God prospered those small beginnings, and now the bookstore is a thriving part of the Humboldt County Christian community.
Mike's first published book was about his wife's pregnancy and the birth of their twin sons. After several more nonfiction titles, Mike undertook a lifelong dream to renew the popularity of Scottish writer George MacDonald, whose teachings had been central to Mike and Judy's spiritual growth. Mike began editing some of MacDonald's lengthy novels, heavy with Scottish brogue, into shorter and more readable editions, with some of the work being done right at the bookstore counter between customers.
Through the years, God has continued to guide Mike in the production of books emphasizing strong spiritual values and unforgettable characters. In addition to being best sellers in Christian bookstores all across the country, Mike's books have been offered through several book clubs, have been translated into a number of foreign languages, and have been published in over 120 editions in all, with sales of over 3 million. Mike is today recognized as one of the Christian bookselling industry's most prolific and versatile authors.
Family is very important to Mike. He and his wife, Judy, have taught their three sons, Patrick, Robin, and Gregory, at home throughout their education. Home schooling enables the family to frequently accompany Mike in his work-related travels.
It has always been Mike's desire in his writing that all who read his books will find a closer and more real walk with God through the characters and stories. Both he and Judy enjoy responses from readers and find great encouragement from the letters they receive.


MY REVIEW
I’ve read quite a few books by Michael Phillips and Heather Song is just wonderful. Michael’s books are not light reading and they are full of insights and lessons.
Heather Song takes place at the Castle Buchan at Port Scarnose, Scotland.
This book is full of beautiful descriptions of Scotland.
Heather Song has everything in it from beautiful friendships, dark evil, good vs. evil, suspense, cliff hangers and precious loves stories.
I really love how the characters in the story love harp music, those who who were blessed with, playing and those just learning. It made such an impression on me that I want to find out more about harps and playing them.
Micheal Phillips tells really special stories with great twists and turns. I was amazed at all the things that happened in a single book. I highly recommend Heather Song. A fantastic book with great meaning.



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I received my free copy from Sarah Reck at Faith Words/HachetteBookGroup, for my review. 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

Learning by Karen Kingsbury* A Review

Learning (Bailey Flanigan Series Book 2)

Bailey Flanigan is growing closer to her dream to be an actress and dancer in New York while Cody coaches a small high school football team ... on and off the field. But neither feels complete without the chance to share their dreams with one other. Can distance truly make the heart grow fonder? Or will Cody learn to turn to others to share in his happiness? And when tragedy strikes? Who will be there to provide comfort in the face of loss? As Cody's past catches up with him, he must learn to reach out for help or risk withdrawing permanently inside himself. Both Bailey and Cody find themselves learning significant life lessons in this poignant love story, featuring members from Karen Kingsbury's popular Baxter family.


Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (June 21, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310276330
ISBN-13: 978-0310276333
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury is America's favorite inspirational novelist, with more than 15 million books in print. Her Life-Changing Fiction has produced multiple bestsellers, including Leaving, Take One, Between Sundays, Even Now, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Ever After, which was named the 2007 Christian Book of the Year. An award-winning author and newly published songwriter, Karen has several movies optioned for production, and her novel Like Dandelion Dust was made into a major motion picture and is now available on DVD. Karen is also a nationally known speaker with several women's groups. She lives in Washington with her husband, Don, their daughter and five sons.

MY REVIEW
In Learning Bailey and Cody are still denying their feelings for each other. Bailey is leaning that life isn’t always easy. When God gives us a chance to share our faith of pray for someone we need to do it immediately. We may never be given another chance. Things on Broadway aren’t going great. There is talk among her cast mates that Bailey only got he part because of her role in the movie with Brandon Paul.
Bailey won’t call/text Cody because she feels he needs to make the next move.
Cody is taking his losing high school football team to camp and teaching them how to care for each other. He wants them to grow close to God.
Both Bailey and Cody are growing closer to Brandon and Cheyenne, but will they forget the love they had for each other?
The other part of Learning Landon and Ashley as they find out about Landon’s lungs. Will he have a fatal disease and if so what will he do for his life work? Landon has only known and loved firefighting.
I feel this is the best part of the book, Ashley and Landon’s story.
I don’t care much for Bailey and Cody right now as they are making dumb mistakes and choices, but that is how we all learn. I love Karen Kingsbury books and recommend this one.

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Thank you to Zondervan for providing this book for review. 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

The Colonel's Lady by Laura Frantz*A Review

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.


Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is--and what he's done?

Immerse yourself in this powerful story of love, faith, and forgiveness set in the tumultuous world of the frontier in 1779.



Paperback: 408 pages

Publisher: Revell; Original edition (August 1, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 080073341X

ISBN-13: 978-0800733414

Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

Laura Frantz credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington state with her husband and two sons.





MY REVIEW

Laura Frantz is a most excellent author. At every turn in the story I was delighted, surprised and fulfilled. The Colonel’s Lady is a story well told. This is the third book by Laura Frantz and she out does herself with each new book. She seems like she has been writing novels for decades.

The Colonel’s Lady was written in 1779 in the Kentucke Territory. I have never read of this time period, but learned so much about the things they did, ate and houses they lived in.

I really came to love Roxanna. She has such a sweet spirit but still at times she battled with forgiveness. Roxanna went through much heartache throughout the story, but she kept her faith strong in the Lord.

Cass is the Colonel of the fort where Roxanna’s father lives. She went many miles to be with her father. Cass is truly a gentleman from Ireland, but a Colonel that takes his job very seriously.

Put together, a genteel Virginia woman, the fiery Colonel Cassius McLinn, four fallen women, a mute child, with a fort full of men, and you will have all kinds of mystery, intrigue, love, faith and forgiveness.

I love many parts of this book from the beautiful cover, to the charming characters, the precious child and the most endearing love story.

My most favorite part was the surprise of who the spy was. I never would have guessed.

The Colonel’s Lady is highly recommend by me. A must read and a keeper. Can’t get enough of Laura Frantz’s books. Fantastic five-star book.


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I received my free copy from Donna Hausler from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group for my review. 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

WINNER of It's all In Christian CD by Robert Pierre and MESSAGE~Please Read

The winner of the Robert Pierre Christian CD I'm all In is

Kelly at dkcountryarts

If you didn't win this CD, but would like another chance a friend of mine is having a giveaway

of this CD until August 9. So go over there. Here is the link and tell her Trinity Rose sent you.

http://bornagainandblessed.blogspot.com/2011/07/cd-review-im-all-in-by-robert-pierre.html

ALSO very important I'm going on vacation for a couple of weeks and won't be posting until

I get home, around the 23rd of August. I will have more giveaways and more reviews when I get

home. Thanks for your friendship and your comments.

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Have a blessed day!

The Berenstain Bears: Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple by Jan & Mike Berenstain*A Review

Join the Berenstain Bear family and discover all that goes on in both the Chapel in the Woods and Sunday school with this fun and interactive lift-the-flap.









Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 16 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (February 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310720818
ISBN-13: 978-0310720812
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.7 x 0.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces

Stan and Jan Berenstain introduced the first Berenstain Bear books in 1962. Mike Berenstain grew up watching his parents work together to write about and draw these lovable bears. Eventually he started drawing and writing about them too. Though Stan died in 2005, Jan and Mike continue to create the delightful Bear adventures from their family home in Pennsylvania, in an area that looks much like the sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country

MY REVIEW
I’ve always loved The Berenstain Bears and now they are even more precious with the Christian/Biblical truths. I was quite amazed and very happily so. The Berenstain Bears have always showed upstanding topics about being fair, having table manners, all things every child needs to know, but the new Living Lights books in The Berenstain Bears series is totally to cool.
Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple shows the bear family heading off to church. How they enjoy church and Sunday School. The book has amazing Lift-The-Flap pages which I think make a book even more special. Every child loves to see the surprise behind the flap.
I love the very colorful pages and how sweet and loving the expressions on the Bears faces always is. Reading about The Berenstain Bears always gives you a warm, loving feeling.
This book as are many of The Berenstain Bears books is for children ages 2-5. Just a wonderful age to be learning all kinds of things. This book will be a favorite for many years to come and will be a treasured book among your collection.
Yes, I highly recommend this book for your sweet child, grandchild or special friend.
I really love it myself.


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Thank you to Zonderkidz for providing this book for review. 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

Who is Simon Miller? DVD review

We be on NBC August 6 at 8/7c

Like most families, the Millers have their challenges. Simon’s (Loren Dean) frequent business trips have created some distance between him and the rest of the family, leaving Meredith (Robyn Lively) stretched and struggling to keep things together. Daughter Sarah, an 18-year-old honor student, has recently gotten herself into trouble at school while son Kevin, 15, struggles to engage with anything outside of a video game…
But these issues all prove to be trivial when Simon goes missing. Sensing something is not right, the family frantically searches Simon’s office for information. Discovery of a stash of passports, all with Simon’s picture but each with a different alias, reveals that their father has been keeping more than a few secrets. In a frantic phone call, Simon urges the family not to tell anyone of his disappearance, not even the authorities, right before the line goes dead. Who is Simon Miller? And what exactly has he gotten himself – and now his family – into?
Shocked, scared and unsure if they can even trust the dad they thought they knew, the three embark on their own international mission to get him back. With Meredith’s sharp instincts, Sarah’s foreign language skills and Kevin’s natural techgenius, they try to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance. It’s a heartpounding family thriller that tests the limits to which families will fight for each other

http://www.familymovienight.com/who-is-simon-miller/
http://www.facebook.com/familymovienight
http://www.youtube.com/fmnib

Paolo Barzman
Director
Joel Rice
Executive Producer

Loren Dean plays Simon Miller

Robyn Lively plays Meredith Miller

Skyler Day plays Sarah Miller
Drew Koles plays Kevin Miller
Christine Baranski plays Amanda
Olunike Adeliyi plays Jasmine


MY REVIEW
This is a very interesting DVD. It isn’t Christian, but just plain good. Nothing that you wouldn’t want you whole family to see.
It is a spy drama, but also has its funny parts and shows a close-knit family.
The wife and two children had no clue that their dad/husband is a spy. He always came home exactly when he said he would, but their family times got interpreted often.
Then one day he never came home and the wife and kids started snooping in his office and found many interesting things that just didn’t add up.
They find out who he is and find out that he is missing, so they get clues that lead them overseas. With the three of them they come up with more clues, more ideas to find their dad and get right in the middle of trouble.
This is a fun, sweet movie because it shows you how much a family that loves each other will do to help each other out. They don’t give up.
I recommend Who is Simon Miller for your viewing pleasure. It would make a great movie to watch with the family on your movie night. It’s not a scary kind of spy movie, just family based.


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“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a DVD for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, 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.”

Life, In Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson with Tricia Goyer~A review

She wanted to die. God had other plans.

Why does my life have to be so painful?
What’s wrong with me?
It’s not going to get better.
It could all be over soon, and then I won’t hurt anymore.

Kristen Anderson thought she had the picture-perfect life until strokes of gray dimmed her outlook: three friends and her grandmother died within two years. Still reeling from these losses, she was raped by a friend she thought she could trust. She soon spiraled into a seemingly bottomless depression.

One January night, the seventeen-year-old decided she no longer wanted to deal with the emotional pain that smothered her. She lay down on a set of cold railroad tracks and waited for a freight train to send her to heaven…and peace.

But Kristen's story doesn’t end there.

In Life, In Spite of Me this remarkably joyful young woman shares the miracle of her survival, the agonizing aftermath of her failed suicide attempt, and the hope that has completely transformed her life, giving her a powerful purpose for living.

Her gripping story of finding joy against all odds provides a vivid and unforgettable reminder that life is a gift to be treasured.

Includes notes of encouragement Kristen wishes she had received when she was struggling most.


Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Multnomah Books; 1 edition (May 4, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1601422520
ISBN-13: 978-1601422521
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces

Kristen Jane Anderson has been featured on Oprah and is a popular speaker at colleges, women's and youth events, churches, and suicide prevention outreaches. A graduate of Moody Bible Institute and the founder of Reaching You Ministries, Kristen seeks to help those who are hurting, hopeless, lost, suicidal and depressed.

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including Beside Still Waters, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. Visit www.triciagoyer.com for more about Tricia and her books.


MY REVIEW
I love a book that tells of someone’s life. The struggles they go through, the pain they endure and most of the times finding their way to the Lord, the giver, lover of life.

In this book Life, In Spite of Me Extraordinary Hope After a Fatal Choice, Kristen tells of how other members in her family suffered depression, how her grandmother died, how several of her friends committed suicide and how she was raped. She didn’t know how to handle all of these things and she didn’t plan on trying to kill herself, but her thoughts just lead her to attempting it. She laid down on the tracks and waited.

Well God didn’t want her to die, but she endured many things one being horrific pain and suffering.

As the story goes on you will experience Kristen’s path back through so many operations, her many hospital stays including her different stays in a mental hospital, also tremendous pain.

I just loved reading about all of the miracles that were happening during the suicide attempt and during her recovery time. How God really had/has a job for her.
Kristen discovered the way to real life and a purpose for living through Jesus.

Today Kristen is a public speaker on suicide prevention and talks to many people on a personal basic. She is doing a great job for the Lord.

Included in the book is her website and a suicide warning list. This book was put together with very much love. I highly recommend this book for a very interesting read or it could be a great tool to help someone who doesn’t think they are worth anything or no one cares if they live or die.

Kristen is a very caring, loving person who knows God has plans for all of His people. Never give up is what this book tells us.

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Thanks to WaterBrookMultnomah for providing this book for review. 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