Tag- you're it!

I WANT MY CHRISTIAN FICTION!

Tag - you're it! That's right, you've been chosen as someone very special and unique in our Christian Fiction Devourers Group on Goodreads! ...And we'd like to know more about you. So please share 7 unique/little known facts about yourself and the best book you've read in the past 7 months.

1. I am a stay-at-home mom of 4 girls- 1 in college, 1 will be a senior in high school, 1, 9th grader and 1- 7th grader.
2. I grew up in Monterey, CA- absolutely beautiful- but I didn't appreciate it when I was little- it was just home.
3. Ever since I was little I have had the acting bug- Goldilocks was my first role (I was blonde then haha) now I use it in ministry at my church.
4. My husband Dave is my best friend.
5. The courtship of that same husband Dave was 6 months from 1st date to "I do" and 3 months after I do, I was pregnant with our first daughter :)
6. I now live in the Pacific Northwest in Washington state- I miss the sun :)
7.  And just like my friend Jodie, I cry over movies, tv shows,  commercials  and BOOKS!

My favorite book in the past 7 months would have to be: Save the Date by Jenny B Jones.  I think I liked it so much because it took me by surprise- it was sooo funny and yet still touched on some important issues- loved it!  You can see my review  here.

And now, very quietly so I can surprise her, I'm going to go tag Rachel R. over at Thoughts from a compulsive reader .

Review on Never the Bride

Never the Bride: A Novel by Rene Gutteridge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I know you don’t know me, but I’ll admit it –I’m a drama queen. Hopefully, I am not a drama queen in the negative sort or connotation that this label elicits, but in the very fact that I’m in charge of the drama program at my church. Why do I tell you this? It’s because of the advice that my pastor always gives me- he says, “Please pick the comedy skits, because you get to people’s hearts through the back door with them, not hitting them over the head with the heavy stuff, it just sort of gently comes to them through their own laughter.” And so I comply with his requests- you will find this concept brilliantly executed with Cheryl McKay’s and Rene Gutteridge’s novel Never the Bride. There is no hitting you over the head, but lots of laughter and great insight if you pay attention.

We meet Jessie Stone broken down on the side of Pacific Coast Highway with a flat tire bemoaning the fact that there is no guy in her life to take care of these frustrations for her. Yes, the title of the book "Never the Bride" sums up her attitude on life in spades. After failed online dating services, failed speed dating, and just plain old failed relationships, Jessie Stone is at the end of her “forever single” rope. And then enters a tall, dark and handsome man with gorgeous blue eyes. Hmmm the answer to her dreams (?) - Oh yeah, but maybe not as she thought. It’s God Almighty in the flesh trying to get Jessie to see things His way, that He might have a few ideas on how to handle her love life. Does she listen to Him? Well, sort of, with a few detours of her own.

This story is told with a wonderful sense of humor, a brilliant fresh writing voice and is a plain, absolute joy to read. As this was written as a screenplay first (Cheryl McKay) and adapted to a novelization later (Rene Gutteridge), it is easy to see how it would make a great movie, but trust me it works as a great novel as well. The scenes are very easy to visualize, especially the scenes where God shows up in various times and places and completely un-nerves our heroine Jessie Stone. His timing is always off according to Jessie and right on time according to God. He manages to get her completely outside of her comfort zone with regards to her ideas on her profession, her beliefs with regards to Him, as well as, of course, her love life. But isn’t God like that- His ways are always better than ours, if we will just listen.

So from this drama queen to you I say ”Bravo” on “Never the Bride” and I will be rushing to the Movie theaters if this is made into a movie. It was darling, winsome, and full of great spiritual messages. I can think of quite a few friends to recommend this book to and I truly hope to see Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge team up again- they are a formidable force. 5 stars.






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Winner is......

No big surprise...Beth! Yay! I will email you and get your mailing address. Thanks for commenting! :)

Time again for another Giveaway- Delia Parr's Hidden Affection

Ok everyone Giving away this Historical Christian Romance.
Here's how you enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me the title of your favorite Historical novel- this gets you one entry. (Please leave email at bottom of comment)

2)Become a follower of my blog- this gets you a second entry. For those of you that are already followers, just leaving a comment automatically gets you a 2nd entry.

Winner will be chosen Thursday, July 14.

A little bit about the book- from the book cover-
"Annabelle Taylor longs for a fresh start. Yet she cannot reveal what brought her to these circumstances. Harrison Graymoor plays the role of Philadelphia's most eligible, yet elusive bachelor. His preference is to remain single...alone. Quite unexpectedly, Annabelle and Harrison are forced into an undesired predicament. What happens when two determined individuals resolve against marriage....but their hearts tell them otherwise?"

To find out more about the author you can check out her website -here

Review on Pieces of Light by Julie Cave

Pieces of Light by Julie Cave

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well, it’s 2 books for the price of one! You’ll get a who- dunnit mystery suspense novel along with a well thought out apologetics novel all in one story. I guess the question is- do you like both packed into one? This is my first Dinah Harris mystery novel by Julie Cave. The character of Dinah Harris is a former FBI agent having been released from the FBI because of her alcoholic issues that resulted after the loss of her husband and son in a car accident. Dinah is a character who has come a long way in her healing from those days, but she is still learning how to deal and how to live out her new faith.

This storyline is truly intriguing – someone is bombing local churches and Dinah is called in by her former partner, who still believes in her, as a consultant on the case. I love the way the author uses the present and past and goes back and forth as a wonderful literary device to unfold the story piece by piece to the reader; it opens with the convicted bomber on death row and flashes back to a year ago when the case is unfolding. As the story is told and I don’t want to give anything away here, but I believe the reader really does develop empathy for the “bomber” – unique because he/she is the “bad guy”, but then again aren’t we all?

As far as the apologetics side to the novel- there is plenty of it here. The author is logical and systematic in her delivery of the gospel message and its clear and very well laid out. I felt like the argument concerning the political side of separation of church and state was pretty drawn out and I felt that during this section of the book and even the later gospel arguments that I had switched to a Lee Strobel type of book. Here’s the rub for me- as a Christian, I agreed with everything that was written and really appreciated the systematic and logical thinking that went into these parts of the book. As a fiction reader, it took me away from the story and for me that is a red flag because then I am looking at the writer’s choices instead of staying in the story. But like I said before, if you like 2 for the price of 1, then you will really like this book.

Having jumped into the third book in this series without reading the first two always gives me a little disadvantage I feel, as I haven’t read the character’s entire previous story. So, I do want to go back and read the others. The author does a fine job at helping the reader know the main points of the character’s back story. I just would like to read more and see for myself. So when it’s all said and done, I did enjoy this book- lots of different sub plots going on that made the storyline interesting- some romance, political intrigue, and you can even brush up on your thoughts on separation of church and state arguments and apologetics thoughts. A lot packed in there.

Rating- 3.5 stars

Disclosure- I received a free digital copy of this book through the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.






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