Hey friends! I'm excited to give you some bookish news today! My newest Easter story, An Easter Cantcle, has been released! This is the third installment of the Maple Leaf Chronicles. Here is a bit about the book:

But that's not the only release this month...

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Hardcover | Audiobook

This is not going to be one of my normal book reviews because this was not a normal book. This was a book that God brought along just when I needed it. I’m twenty-nine years old and my life is nothing like I thought it would be at this point. That isn’t to say I don’t love my life. I am so grateful for where I am and what God has allowed me to do. However, though the spirit is willing, my flesh is weak. This last week, discouragement has been pulling at me.

So many people, with the best of intentions, have questioned my choices in life. They ask questions that make me wonder if I missed something. After all, what if I am doing something to scare off the guys? What if I do need to get a real job? I’m still living at home, what happens if my parents die? You get the idea, I’ve been doubting just about everything. On top of that, this week as been pretty stressful.

I came home from work to find this book had been delivered. Having a million things that needed my attention, I sat on my bed and read the whole book. Now, I feel like crying, I probably will as I finish writing this review. The words of this book washed over me, lapped around my heart and soaked into my dry soul. I can, and do, trust God to write my story.

Many well-meaning people don’t and won’t agree with the choices that God has called me to make. The story He is writing in my life is not going to look like the American dream, it isn’t going to reflect my hopes because I have trusted Him to do something better, and that is never, ever a mistake.

This book touches on many aspects of life that we struggle to trust God with. Each chapter shares personal testimonies of God’s faithfulness. Here is my testimony (the shortened version):

I’ve always wanted to be a wife a mom. I’ve also felt God’s call to write. I published my first book when I was twenty-one and God has used my books to impact lives. In the last few years, I’ve gone through some very serious bouts of discouragement. Being in your late twenties and never having a guy shown any interest has taken its toll on my perception of my value. God used some wonderful people in my life to help me refocus my vision to where it should have been: on Him and what value He places on me.

This summer, my sales have dropped to almost nothing. Now, they’ve never been amazing, but that’s been okay with me. However, while it isn’t about the money, an author does like to make some right? I’m still struggling to trust that no matter what the numbers say, I’m to follow Christ’s call. This reminds me I can trust Him no matter what.

The biggest struggle I face has been a life long one. I’ve struggled with fatigue since my childhood. In my teens, it was debilitating. It slowly, and for no apparent reason, started getting better in my twenties. Yet, I still battle all the time with having the energy to accomplish what needs to get done. I don’t have answers for why I don’t think I ever will.

However, this book reminded me that I can trust God to use that part of the story for good. He wrote that plot twist into my life before the creation of the world. He knew exactly where it would take me and where it will continue to
take me.

My dear friend, if you are struggling to trust God with your story, you are not alone. I highly recommend this book to you. I pray it will bless your heart as it did mine.

I received this book from Moody Publishers for the purpose of writing a review. I was not required to write a positive review. All the thoughts expressed are my own. 

For this month, you can donate Revive Our Hearts and get the book as a thank you. If you would like to support this ministry and get this amazing book, click HERE

Find it on: Goodreads | Kindle | Paperback 
Age Appropriate For: All Ages
Best for Ages: 13 and up

I picked up this second book right after I read the first one. One of the things that I’m coming to really like about this series is that each story is connected with the next. Not just with the characters, but there is a flow. Don’t read them out of order, or you’ll be confused about some things.

This book was a lot of fun, from the makeover to a poor girl finding herself in the midst of a bunch of reach people, and (of course) more code names. Fun is just the best way to describe this series. I sit through these books grinning like an idiot and laughing out loud.

 Emily is very down to earth character. I think a lot of us can relate to her. She’s pretty normal and gets nervous and makes mistakes, like any of us would if we were thrown into things like she has. Her money issues are also a welcome and refreshing change for all the books where I’ve been like: “Well, that’s nice that you always have money to do things like that. In the real world…”

This picks up right where the last one left off and pulls us into a new case and a fun setting. The bad guy (code name Gremlin) is trying to sell secrets to foreign agents. There was enough suspense and guesswork that I wanted to find out the end, but not so much to give me bad feelings or nightmares. Have I mentioned how perfect I think these stories are?

If you enjoy comedy, light suspense, realistic characters, and all-around fun reads, you need this series.

On to the next story!

I don't know about you, but summer always makes me think of those reading programs the library put on when I was a kid. I already loved to read, and it only made me want to read more. Getting a month or two of Kindle Unlimited turns into a reading program for me. As I'm a cheapskate, I never keep these subscriptions around for months on end, but I use them to the fullest while I have them.

I've seen several people recently asking for recommendations for what they should read while they have Kindle Unlimited. So, I decided to put together some of my favorite suggestions. Ready? Here we go!

April was a crazy, busy month for me. There were some tough moments in it, but May has brought some wonderful things. The biggest being the end of my job at the thrift store so I can spend more time writing! For the first time in over a year, I'm spending more time with my writing work than anything else.

Honestly, this week has been off to a slow start. The last couple of days I've felt anything but motivated. Yet, I'm pleased with the progress I've already made the last couple of weeks. I've finished a novella for a secret project (details coming in July) and I've made some progress in Kate's Christmas. The first draft is now full of notes and I'm about to dive headlong into editing. 

This past weekend, I was very blessed with some time with my friend Kelsey (the beautiful girl with the red hair). She is a dear friend as well as a fellow author. She is also is the reason I've ventured into the world of classics. We read one a month together. We had a lot of fun going back over the books we've read together. We might be working on a project to bring those conversations to you, so stay tuned.

I've been enjoying getting back to doing something that I enjoy and some things that I don't love but feel good in the long run. Running is one of those things. I was very blessed with some perfect weather this last week as I started back.

Speaking of other things I'm really enjoying getting back to is reading!

I celebrated my return to having reading time by one of my all-time favorite books, The Heavens Before. This book is so compelling and...well I can't say enough good about it. You can read my review about it HERE.

While I'm enjoying catching up on some of my reading, I've been on a Perry Kirkpatrick kick. Her books are clean and so much fun. I started The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott series. Red Rover, Red Rover was so much fun. You can read my review on Goodreads HERE. I also I'm catching up on her cute series, The Kitten Case Files.

Well, I'm off to have pizza and a movie with my siblings. Catch you all soon!