Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up mild peril and very mild romance

Best for Ages: 13 to 30

Description:   For uprooted orphan Elizabeth Corrington, nothing in life stays the same for long—not even the place she calls home or the people who look after her. But when a heart-breaking rejection brings her to live with her eccentric grandfather on the magnificent Shadowfield Estate, Elizabeth discovers not only the stability she has longed for, but a world of freedom, adventure, imagination, and unexpected friendships, too.)

But rejection has left her insecure and vulnerable; change threatens her world again, a manipulative uncle has plans for her home and future…and she may not have the strength or ability to resist.

Mary Ruth Pursselley (AKA Mary Schlegel) is a talented writer who I’ve enjoyed. This novella was one of those rare ones that has the depth of a novel, vibrant characters, lots of emotion. This author seems to do an excellent job with shorter works. Though, I really enjoyed her fantasy novel I read as well.

One of the things that I love about reading indie authors is you can find sweet stories. You know, the old-fashioned kind where no one has weird problems and traumatic pasts do not always include things I would rather not read about. This story was a feel-good read, but not without it’s moments of sadness, and not without the main character going through some pain.

Elizabeth was a sweet girl, but goes through some tough stuff. Also, she is willing to stand up to people when the situation calls for it. Sweet and strong. I love those kind of girls. The secondary characters were great! I loved all of them.

The setting in England was beautiful and vivid. This author is great at painting word pictures without even using a lot of words. That’s probably why her novellas are so good.

I highly recommend this to those who like novellas, sweet historical fiction, and light reads that still have depth to them.

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback

Age Appropriate For: 14 and up for mild violence and mild scary scenes

Best for Ages: 14 – 25

Description:  A race of miniature humans called to a faith of tremendous size. When the royal family of the Roden tribe of Minatchi vanishes without a trace, only Delia is left to wear the crown. Deaf since the age of three the princess prepares for a difficult reign, only to watch as her coronation day is turned into one of catastrophe. When the tribe of Minatchi disappears like their royals before, Fetch - a Bengal Retriever - faces a choice that will confront everything he knows and force him to evaluate a faith he never truly embraced. When matters quickly escalate beyond their control, the joined forces of a few will be stretched beyond their limitations, tribal loyalties, and even the border of the valley they call home. What lies beyond is more than a land of giants and untested danger...Destiny awaits the called.

When I saw one of my favorite authors had realized a new book, just before my birthday, I was so excited. I went and bought it right away. I’m so glad I did. It was worth every penny.

While almost of Sagar’s other books are in the same fictional world (she writes non-magical fantasy). This is a new world with a new race of people – people who only stand on average eight to nine inches tall.

As someone who was fascinated by the idea of tiny people when I was a kid, I ate this story up. Unlike the few books and movies I had seen/read on the subject that were a little creepy, this story was full of fun, adventure, and great morals. Sager took this very fun idea and used it not only to tell a great story but also to teach some great lessons.

The story itself had so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. I wanted to not only know what was going to happen next but also to see if the various characters would realize their God-given potential.

As with Sager’s other books, the gospel and faith were not changed, even though it is a fantasy world. It’s one of the things that keeps me coming back.

I loved both the main characters. Fetch is a likable roughish character who I cheered for and hoped he would learn a lesson. Delia was just the best. She is deaf and goes through a lot of hard stuff and grand adventures. Her faith was the best and I loved seeing her grow into maturity.

I could go on and on about this story. I love it so much! But I’ll just end this review by saying you need to read it!

I highly recommend this book for those who love kingdom (non-magical) fantasy, adventure stories, and books that have a solid spiritual foundation.

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback 

Age Appropriate For: All Ages

Best for Ages: 15 and up

Description: Do we know who our King is?

At thirty years of age, Jesus launched his ministry with the words “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Yet even before then, his life pulsated with the mystery and revelation of the kingdom of God—still the most critical and yet misunderstood component of the Christian faith and the life of anyone who desires to follow Jesus.

In this electrifying little book, author and speaker Rachel Starr Thomson argues that King and kingdom are inextricably interlinked: to see one is to see the other. In her lyrical, accessible style, she guides readers through Jesus’s early life as chronicled in the gospel of Matthew—an ancient book that bridges Old and New Testaments and reveals king, and kingdom, within their prophetic and historical context.

Every day, millions of Christians pray “Your kingdom come.” Let this journey with Jesus deepen your understanding and practice of those words as you see Jesus in a whole new light, and with him, discover the astonishing reality of the kingdom of heaven on earth.

Thomson is one of my all-time favorite authors. I've been impressed with her writing since reading her Seventh World Trilogy. While her fiction is masterful and some of my favorites, her non-fiction is quickly becoming an auto-buy for me. I was offered a chance to be part of the advanced readers for this book and I jumped at the chance.

Thomson has, for a while, shared her thoughts on Matthew in the form of blog posts. For those who have followed that series, this won't be new material. However, I haven't followed it as faithfully as I would like and it's been a long time since I read the beginning. So reading this was a delightful journey.

There were a lot of wonderful insights in this book, but I wanted to pretty much highlight all of Chapter 14. It was a powerful chapter on a passage of scripture that I too struggled to understand. Perhaps you might have already realized some of the things that Thomson points out about the temptation of Jesus. However, I'm sure that there are many things in this gem of a book that will touch your heart.

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:

"Salvation is not simply a matter of escaping the world after death. It is holistic, and it is now (and also later)."

"Jesus is Son of God become Son of Man, eternally blurring the lines of separation between God and humanity."

"If Jesus had hinged his identity, his belief that he was who God said he was, on an outcome in his circumstances, then not getting that outcome would have had the potential to destroy his identity."

I was given a copy of this book for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the fun Scavenger Hunt to celebrate the release of Fanny's Hope Chest. 

Here is where everything was:

Cloth napkins set ~ Singing in the Rain

Dish set ~ Beyond the Literary Horizon

Quilt - Little Blossoms for Jesus

Towels ~ Kelsey's Notebook

Teas set ~ Tower of the Plains

An electric mixer ~ Resting Life

Salt and pepper shakers ~ Living outside the Lines

Spices ~ Life of Heritage

Baking pans ~ Showers of Blessings

Cookbooks ~ Abigail Harris

Box of recipes ~ Kate the Author

Measuring cup set - Read Another Page

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook

Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for some medical and social situations

Best for Ages: 15 and up

Description:   Too often we believe that our stories don’t matter. They do. This the power of a life story unfolding over time. Amy Young quit her job, packed up her belongings, and moved to China to teach English, initially for two years. She anticipated making cultural faux pas, trying new food, seeing God at work, and growing in her knowledge of language and culture. What she could not foresee, though, was nearly dying, experiencing political unrest, taking a job that involved traveling around China, training hundreds to live and minister in China, witnessing the craziness of SARS, or experiencing multiple medical situations. Join Amy, a natural storyteller, as she shares her life in China letter by letter.

I love reading personal memoirs but I haven’t really searched out a lot of them. I stumbled across this book while searching Amazon for books about writing Christian Newsletters. I enjoyed her book Enjoying Newsletters as an author that sends out newsletters. When I finished that book, I was excited to learn more about Amy.

This book chronicles Amy’s life in China from the late ’90s to the 2000s as an English teacher. She went to China to teach English, but also to share her faith. Using the newsletters she sent her supporters, we get a glimpse of life as an English teacher as well as the changing face of China.

Many events like 9/11 and SARS are events that I remember watching unfold. It was interesting to get a look at what it was like in China at the time, not just what the news was reporting. Also, Amy did a wonderful job of showing the good and the heartbreaking parts of the culture. Her love and compassion for the people and her fellow workers was evident in how she writes.

I also apricated reading about a woman who was passionately living her life for God as a single woman. It’s obvious she also loves her family and her family seems to support her. It’s nice to see that too.

I highly recommend this to those who want to learn more about China, those who enjoy memoirs, and anyone who likes to read about real people serving God.

My dear fellow authors, Amanda and Jessica who have books on singleness. We are doing a Valentine's giveaway of three paperbacks!  

 Here is 

Enter HERE

Can't wait to see if won the paperback? Grab a copy of:

Waiting for fo Isaac by Jessica Greyson

Wedding Score by Amanda Tero

Fanny's Hope Chest by Sarah Holman

Welcome to the Hope Chest Scavenger Hunt! This is to celebrate the release this weekend of Fanny’s Hope Chest.

 Here’s how to play:

1.     Grab the full list of items to search HERE

2.     Find the hidden item on each blog (list below)

3.     Go to Tangled up in Writing or The Destiny of One and enter the giveaway with your completed list. (see below)

4.     Tell your friends about the scavenger hunt

5.     Watch to see if your name is drawn on February 16^th for 1 of 5 prize packs

Blogs:

Tower inthe Plains

Read Another Page

Little Blossoms for Jesus

Resting Life

Kate the Author

Living Outside the Lines

Singing in the Rain

Showers of Blessings

Life of Heritage

Kelsey Bryant Author

Abigail Harris

Enter the giveaway HERE

About Fanny’s Hope Chest:

How old is too old for a hope chest?

When Ellie starts a new job as a home health aide, she doesn't expect to meet a woman in her eighties looking for her hope chest, nor a house as messy as Ellie's own emotional state. But as she cleans up Fanny's house, she begins to wonder if Fanny's hope chest might hold the answers to her questions about disappointed dreams and holding on to hope.

That is, if she can face both the mess and her own heart.

Get it for $0.99 before the price goes up! 

Sometimes, life feels more complicated than you know it should. Of course, my sister, Rose, often teases me that I think I'm trying to be the first Vulcan. For those of you who have not watched Star Trek, this is an alien race that puts aside all emotion and are determined to be ruled only by logic. There is some truth to this. I often think I shouldn't feel things as keenly as I do and often don't even realize how much I'm pushing my feelings aside. 

Why am I bringing this up?  Life is in a steady rhythm right now. Work, writing, home, and everyday life. In one way, things are pretty normal. Yet, on one level, the last couple of weeks have been hard. Today, was the fifth day in a row I've had a headache for the majority of the day. It's also been a time when some of my dearest friends are struggling or lives are changing. Sometimes, that causes me to feel emotional, even though I call myself names for it. 

Here is a look at some of what the last few weeks have held for me. 

My study of the Pslams has been balm for my soul, as well as convicting. I'm currently in Pslam 4 while I'm working to memorize Psalm 3. It has meant a lot to me. I studied it last week when I was feeling down and it fit how I felt so perfectly.