When Kate Mallory’s mother is killed in a tragic car accident, she’s left with nothing but dead-end jobs, an on-again, off-again boyfriend, and a craving for something… more.
Despondent, she clears out her mom’s apartment and discovers an old love letter from a William Wheaton of Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Could this be the father her mom refused to discuss? With nothing left to lose, she decides to find out.

Noah Wheaton honed the gift of discernment the hard way—through a twenty-year military career and an unfaithful ex-fiancé. So, when gutsy Kate Mallory shows up at the family restaurant and applies for a waitressing job, his internal lie-detector flies off the charts. Why would a native New Yorker seek out a job in small-town Tennessee? Whatever she’s up to, messing with his family is not an option.

Kate could never have imagined that a spontaneous journey to search out an absentee dad was not spontaneous after all. A force bigger than both Kate and Noah is at work, and they may get more than they bargained for.

Click here to get your copy!

A Sojourner’s Solace is a novella by Jennifer Sienes that is a quick, easy read. This is also the first book I’ve read by Ms. Sienes and I’m not sure I would read another one. This novella is fine and written well, but there was nothing memorable about it.
 
Kate Mallory is one of the main characters. In the first chapter, she is cleaning out her mother’s apartment after she passed away and comes across a picture of a man with her mother, and deduces it must be the father she’s never known. Luckily, there is a name on the back that leads her to a small town in Tennesse.
 
Noah Wheaton is the other main character. He lives in the small town and is the son of the man in the photo. Noah recently retired from the military and moved back home to teach, and has an ex-fiancee who lied and betrayed his trust.
 
Can you see where this is going?
 
First off, despite some lip service from the characters regarding the potential sibling situation, Noah is set up as Kate’s love interest, and I was never concerned that Noah’s dad would also be Kate’s dad. Kate gets help from Noah’s family (a job, and a place to stay), and feels guilty that she might break up the family if she’s his daughter. Noah finds out she came there purposefully under false pretenses, and gets upset about it. Cue drama.
 
Because this is a novella, this all happens very quickly, and I’m not convinced that these two will work it out, despite the grand gesture at the end. The themes of family and forgiveness abound.
 
This book is written in first person, and Ms. Sienes does manage to differentiate the voices of each of the main characters, something that is not easy to do. The atmosphere of the book is great, and the side characters are a lot of fun.
 
I give this book 3/5 stars. It’s written well, the Tennessee small-town setting is nicely described and detailed, and the first person point of view works. However, two days after reading it I could barely remember the character’s names. This book did not resonate with me at all.  
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

She has two grown children and one very spoiled Maltese. California born and raised, she recently took a step of faith with her real-life hero and relocated to Tennessee.

I grew up with three sisters and a brother, and although life could be chaotic and a little crowded, I can’t imagine any other childhood. We spent summers camping with my grandparents and great uncles, and holidays with lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles. Being part of a large family was central to my life. I thought about this as I created the Wheaton family for my Bedford County summer novella. Four siblings—two sons and two daughters—who often rub each other the wrong way, but at the same time, would lay down their lives for one another.

Noah is the oldest sibling in the Wheaton clan—retired military who’s been badly burned by a woman in the past. Trust doesn’t come easy, and he’s as loyal to his family as they come. Born and raised in the small Middle Tennessee town of Bell Buckle, he’s not a fan of the big city—or of people from the big city. His family owns and operates a restaurant in a nearby town where everybody knows everybody. He’s suspicious of outsiders, especially those of the female persuasion.

And that’s where our heroine, Kate Mallory, comes in. A native New Yorker, raised by a single mother, she never knew who her father was. She arrives in Bell Buckle on a quest to find what she’s missed all her life—family. What she discovers is far more than she bargained for, and her mother’s words come back to haunt her—“Be careful what you wish for.”

You may wonder why I chose New York City for Kate’s upbringing. My son lived in Tokyo for five years—a city of almost 14 million people. He told me on several occasions that living there, he never felt more alone or isolated. I wanted Kate in A Sojourner’s Solace to experience the same thing. Plopped into Middle Tennessee, she discovers a world as foreign to her as Tokyo was to my son—just in the opposite way.

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, August 24
Christina’s Corner, August 24
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 25
Texas Book-aholic, August 26
Books, Books, and More Books., August 26
Inklings and notions, August 27
For Him and My Family, August 28
Genesis 5020, August 29
Book Looks by Lisa, August 29
deb’s Book Review, August 30
lakesidelivingsite, August 31
Sylvan Musings, August 31
Locks, Hooks and Books, September 1
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, September 2
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, September 3
Back Porch Reads, September 3
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 4
Splashes of Joy, September 5
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, September 6

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card & a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/210c7/a-sojourner-s-solace-celebration-tour-giveaway

Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?

Season of My Enemy is the first book I’ve read by Naomi Musch. Based on this, I’m not sure I want to read another one. Season of My Enemy takes place in Wisconsin during World War II and is clearly well-researched. Ms. Musch also brings to life the scenery and it is very easy to see the setting and imagine what the characters look like.
 
However, the story starts off slowly and doesn’t really gain much momentum. The main characters are Fannie O’Brien, a farmer’s daughter in Wisconsin, and Wolfgang Kloninger, a German Prisoner of War who is working on her farm with some other prisoners, and there are some accidents that may or may not be sabotage.
 
I didn’t actually know that the Germans held prisoner in the US during World War II helped on farms and in factories, so that is an interesting historical detail. Ms. Musch has clearly done a lot of research and it helps the story feel more authentic.
 
There is a POV in the story that ruins the suspense of the accidents happening on the farm. I also wasn’t concerned that the story wouldn’t have a happy ending. Ms. Musch is a good writer and the characters feel alive, but there were no stakes. Honestly, I was more interested in what happened to her brothers, who are both off fighting in the war when the book opens.
 
“I know that evil men will have their just reward. I can’t judge the whole human race or even a small part of it by them. None of us can. There were Americans who did wrong too. It was war, and things like that happen in war. Awful things. Things that I hope to God some of those fellows will repent of. But it’s war. And it’s over.”
 
The above quote is the thesis of the book. It’s a book about the costs of war, at home and at war, and how we are all just humans trying our best. It’s a good message and Ms. Musch clearly gets that point across in the story.
 
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It’s well-written and well-researched, but the suspense of the accidents doesn’t materialize and I didn’t find the characters that interesting.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Barbour Books, through CelebrateLit and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

Welcome to my wilderness – that’s what it says when you pop onto my website, because so many of my books take place in rural and wilderness settings. That’s where my heart lives too. Therefore, when I decided to write a World War II story, I gravitated to the home front, to rural America, where living out the war years meant a different kind of survival.

Before this story idea came to me, I knew that prisoners of war had been held in America during part of the war years. There are a number of other wonderful WWII novels out there set in North America involving POWs, and I adore the 2005 movie Sweet Land. Yet, until looking further, I hadn’t realized that so many German soldiers were held right here in my home state of Wisconsin! In fact, thousands of prisoners were sent to work in our country’s canning factories and on our farms. How could I have grown up and never been told that there had once been a POW camp right in my home town?

In fact, there were 38 such “branch camps” just in Wisconsin alone—camps that housed workers specifically for contracting work on farms and in canneries. Workers were contracted by farmers with the army and sent to labor in the cranberry bogs, cherry orchards, apple orchards; to farms picking beans, peas, corn, and to tend the other crops. By international treaty, prisoners had to be paid for their work, so they were allowed to earn scrip in the equivalent of 80 cents per day which they could spend in camp canteens on personal items.

Bingo! There was the seed that burst through the soil of my imagination for my novel Season of My Enemy.

My heroine Fanny O’Brien is a Wisconsin farm girl who left state teacher’s college to manage her family’s farm during the war. She never imagined herself coordinating the work of eight German prisoners in the process—or what the outcome of that task would be.

I believe a great story has to reveal strong yet subtle themes in order for the characters and their plight to feel real. In Season of My Enemy, Fannie uncovers a lot of prejudice both in her own heart and as her eyes are opened to the broader sphere around her. There are all kinds of prejudice in the world, and some of it revealed in this story may surprise you. In fact, my editor and several other authors of WWII fiction who read the book all said, “I didn’t know that!” (I won’t tell you what they were referring to, because you know…spoilers.)

Season of My Enemy isn’t all about history of course. It’s a heartfelt story of a man and woman who slowly yield their hearts to love amidst unpredictable times and unusual circumstances. They begin as enemies who finally look beyond their prejudices to find they have more in common than they first thought. To overcome terrific odds, they must depend upon their faith and rest in a powerful hope that touches their own lives as well as the lives of others surrounding them.

I hope you’ll read Season of My Enemy, and be sure and pop me a note to tell me what you think!

Texas Book-aholic, June 28
Blossoms and Blessings, June 28
Inklings and notions, June 29
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 30
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 30
For Him and My Family, July 1
Remembrancy, July 2
Pause for Tales, July 2
deb’s Book Review, July 3
Book Looks by Lisa, July 4
Mary Hake, July 4
Betti Mace, July 5
Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, July 6
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 6
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 7
Connie’s History Classroom, July 8
Books, Books, and More Books, July 8
Bizwings Blog, July 9
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 10
Labor Not in Vain, July 10
lakesidelivingsite, July 11

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


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


https://promosimple.com/ps/1f45e/season-of-my-enemy-celebration-tour-giveaway

Her aunt’s invitation to Richmond is just the change Beatrice Swanson needs after her brother’s release from a Union prison. Bea’s father agrees to the trip with a condition—one that tosses her emotions into swirling confusion.

Though Jay Nickson wants to serve his country as a Confederate soldier, his work is too important to the government. Bea’s interest in his job, which includes secrets that would benefit the Union, arouses his suspicions. Is she spying for the North? His growing feelings for her are hard to squelch.


Though she participates in activities to benefit Confederate soldiers, Bea struggles with her own loyalties and her father’s demands. Where does her cousin, Meg, go on her solitary errands? Bea’s own growing love for Jay, a Southerner, only adds to her confusion. Tensions escalate in Richmond as the Union army approaches, drawing her into more secrecy. Where does her allegiance lie? And how will she be forced to prove it?

Nothing in war is simple…especially when the heart becomes entangled.

​Boulevard of Confusion is the first book I’ve read by Sandra Merville Hart, and I’m not sure I want to read another one, though I admit I may pick up the third book because the character that book is about is probably the character I’m most intrigued by in this book.  
 
The book takes place in Richmond during the middle of the Civil War, with a Northerner (Bea) and a Southerner (Jay) as its main characters. Both Bea and Jay are staunchly against slavery, but Jay is firmly of the belief that the Confederacy is in the right to secede. Bea has a more confused take as her brother owns a planation in North Carolina and her sister and brother-in-law are staunchly pro-Union, and she struggles with this. Repeatedly. Throughout the entire book. It
 
Ms. Merville Hart definitely completed a ton of research and the historical details and figures are nicely integrated into the story. As a historian in my heart (though I focused on Medieval history), I appreciated the effort and time the author took to get the historical aspects authentically drawn and her characters did not feel like they were transplanted from the 21st century.
 
Boulevard of Confusion is the second in a series. I believe this book does not stand alone, though there does appear to be an ‘info dump’ of sorts on the first few pages as the two main characters discuss the plot of the previous book.
 
This book was fine. The main characters had a lot of depth, though the repetitiveness of their inner thoughts became tiresome quickly. I also admit I just didn’t connect with the main characters.
Scenery descriptions are fine and the side characters appear to have full lives and are not just written to hang around the main characters. I also struggled with the sentence structure as it felt choppy and disjointed, but that is a personal preference.
 
I give this book 3/5 stars for its themes regarding family and unity, and that the characters all felt like real people. However, the repetitiveness of the inner thoughts of these main characters and the fact that it seemed like side character’s stories were more interesting makes it difficult for me to recommend this book.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

In Boulevard of Confusion, Book 2 of my “Spies of the Civil War” series, two people in love—one supporting the North, one supporting the South—struggle to rise above their differing loyalties.
In my book, the hero is a Virginian who supports the South. Though Jay hates slavery, he cannot turn against his state. His job at Tredegar Ironworks supplies the Confederate army with artillery. They develop new weapons and technology, such as submarines, that must be kept secret even from Richmond residents.

Our heroine is from the North. Bea has Southern ties and her brother, a Confederate officer, was recently released from a prison camp. Bea’s understanding of both sides of the conflict tosses her into confusion, especially in light of her growing feelings for Jay.

Part of my research for this novel involved a trip to Richmond museums. One display in particular at the American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar made me want to do a little dance. (If you followed me around on my museum visits, you’d witness my enthusiasm for historical people and events and how they impact my stories. Perhaps you share my love of history. 😊)

Anyway, this particular display was a painting of Julia Ann Mitchell, who lived in Richmond at the start of the Civil War. She was from a well-to-do family that traveled often. On one of these trips, she met and fell in love with Frederick Coggill, a New York City resident. Though they loved one another, the couple was divided in their loyalties.

Sadly, Julia’s brother, who fought for the Confederacy, was killed in battle. This probably added to the conflict between Julia and Frederick.

I’m happy to say that the couple seemed to enjoy a happy ending, for they were married in 1863.
I didn’t yet know my characters when I read this display, for the stories ferment in my imagination as research reveals the history. I tucked it away in my mind and it later inspired me.

Boulevard of Confusion isn’t Julia’s and Frederick’s love story. Not at all. It’s simply that history’s record of them overcoming their differing loyalties to marry proves that it happened. That’s all I needed to know.

Avenue of Betrayal, Book 1, is set in the Union capital of Washington City (Washington DC) in 1861, where a surprising number of Confederate sympathizers and spies lived. Boulevard of Confusion is set in Richmond, the Confederate capital in 1862. Actual historical spies touch the lives of our fictional family.

Through both real and fictional characters, this series highlights activities spies were involved in and some of the motives behind their decisions.

I invite you to read both Avenue of Betrayal and Boulevard of Confusion. And please watch for Book 3, Byway to Danger, which will soon follow!

​Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 10
Texas Book-aholic, May 11
Inklings and notions, May 12
Betti Mace, May 13
Books, Books, and More Books, May 13
For Him and My Family, May 14
deb’s Book Review, May 15
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 16
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 17
Connie’s History Classroom, May 18
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 19
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 20
Blososms and Blessings, May 21
Pause for Tales, May 22
Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 23 (Author Interview)
Of Blades and Thorns, May 23

Click here to purchase your copy!

​Simon Harlow is one of an elite corps of American soldiers. Regularly chosen for dangerous covert missions, he is tasked with infiltrating Paris to ascertain the Axis’s defenses. Nearly caught by German forces moments after arriving, he owes his life to the beautiful prostitute who claims she’s been waiting for the Allies to arrive. Her lifestyle goes against everything he believes in, but will she steal his heart during his quest to liberate her city?
​
Inspired by the biblical story of Rahab, Love’s Rescue is a tale of faith and hope during one of history’s darkest periods.

​Love’s Rescue is the first book I’ve read by Linda Shenton Matchett. It’s the second in the Wartime Brides series but works completely fine as a standalone book. Love’s Rescue is set in German occupied Paris, France, near the end of World War II.
 
Ms. Shenton Matchett has written a great story that explores topics including survival, redemption, and trusting in God.
 
Rolande is our main character. She is a French woman forced into prostitution and eventually becomes a member of the French Resistance. Rolande is smart and resourceful and though she is aware of what her family and other people think of her, she is unapologetic about what she had to do to survive. She is hesitant to believe that God can use someone like her to do His work, but learns to trust that is true.
 
Simon is our other main character. He’s an American soldier who is tasked with infiltrating Paris to ascertain the locations of German troops before the Allied invasion of Paris. He’s a nice character who is uneasy about what he’s done in the war and takes an instant liking to Rolande.
 
Because this is a novella, the romance between Rolande and Simon feels rushed, but we expect that out of these shorter stories. Love’s Rescue felt extremely quick, however, and it spent a lot of time on the set up of the story that could’ve been discarded.
 
The novella is a very quick and easy read, but Ms. Shenton Matchett creates emotions and depth in the main characters that belies the shortness of the story. Despite the rushed romance, both Rolande and Simon are fully realized characters with motivations and character actions that make sense for their respective plotlines and characters.
 
I give Love’s Rescue 3/5 stars and can recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, somewhat satisfying read that explores themes of redemption and trust.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.** 

​Love’s Rescue is a modern retelling of the biblical book of Rahab. I set the story in Paris during the last weeks of the German occupation of France during WWII. While researching the book, I read numerous memoirs and interviews of folks who lived through the occupation. Two aspects discussed time and time again were rationing and the difficulty in getting food. People with any amount of land at all planted produce to supplement the meager supply in the shops. If they were fortunate and an egg was available, it would be fried to a runny consistency and poured over the top of the dish.

Here is a simple recipe for Ratatouille:
Ingredients
1 whole white onion
1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini
1 bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
2 T Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Instructions

• Peel garlic cloves. Smash with end of knife, then cut into a small dice.
• Cut onions, bell pepper, and tomatoes into a medium dice.
• Chop the eggplant and zucchini into 1” cubes.
• In a large saucepan or pot, warm olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Warm over low heat. Add the onion to the pot and cook until tender – about five minutes.
• Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds.
• Add remaining vegetables to the pot.
• Add a generous pinch of salt and a light pinch of pepper.
• Add the thyme.
• Cover the saucepan or pot with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for approximately 40 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender and there is little liquid in the pot.
• Serve on your favorite platter.

Bon Appétit!

​Texas Book-aholic, April 16
Carpe Diem, April 17
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, April 18
Reflections From My Bookshelves, April 19
Inklings and notions , April 20
A Reader’s Brain, April 21
Genesis 5020, April 22
Books, Books, and More Books., April 22
Carla Loves to Read, April 23
Connie’s History Classroom, April 23
For Him and my Family, April 24
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, April 24
Maureen’s Musings, April 25
Connect in Fiction, April 26
Through the Fire Blogs, April 26
mpbooks, April 27
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 27
Real World Bible Study, April 28
My Devotional Thoughts , April 28
janicesbookreviews, April 29
The Becca Files, April 29

To celebrate her tour, Linda is giving away a grand prize of a French/WWII themed gift basket that includes a WWII Word Find book by Linda Shenton Matchett, Love’s Rescue – Wartime Brides Book 2 by Linda Shenton Matchett, French-milled soap lavender scent, a Fleur-de-lis ribbon book mark, a set of three note pads with French motif, and a set of cocktail napkins with French motif!!
​
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/de7e/love-s-rescue-celebration-tour-giveaway

​But danger lurks where one never expects it.
 
Can her passion for cooking help Gina survive and thrive in this world of privilege, pleasure and menace?

​Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies is the first book I’ve read by Evy Journey, and I’m not sure if I will read another one.
 
Ms. Journey has written a book that begins with a bang in a prologue where the main character is on a hospital gurney in danger, but the rest of the book doesn’t live up to the excitement of that first scene.
 
Gina is the main character, and the story is entirely told through first person point of view. This book is written in the present tense, which is difficult for a novel, and Ms. Journey doesn’t always manage the POV well. Gina is an interesting character.  She grew up poor, and worked hard for where she is now, as a chef at a fancy restaurant.
 
She meets Leon at the restaurant. Leon is a rich businessman, though what type of business is never mentioned. His family is wealthy and he’s expected to take over the entire business once his father decides to retire. He’s also creepy. He sends flowers to Gina at her home (she hadn’t given him the address) and almost immediately declares himself in love with her.
 
The third part of the love triangle is Brent, a police detective. In comparison to Leon, he is completely normal. He’s nice and works hard. However, he, like Leon, also falls quickly in love with Gina. It felt a little unrealistic!  
 
Ms. Journey has filled this book with a ton of dialogue and introspection, and very little scene setting. This book could really take place anywhere! This book also includes non-explicit sex scenes, so if you do not enjoy that in a story, I would avoid this one!
 
Themes that are hinted at are classism, snobbery, family expectations/loyalty, but this story could’ve delved deeper into all those themes.
 
These characters read more like teenagers/college students than grown adults. I probably would’ve liked this book more if it was Young Adult/New Adult fiction. There is also a mystery plot involving Gina that happens quite late and appears out of nowhere, and I was blindsided by it.
 
I give Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies 3/5 stars. The themes that Ms. Journey touches on, especially classism, family duty, and love, have the potential to form into an interesting story but it is not executed well.  
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through Loving the Book. All opinions are my own.**

 Excerpt 1:

​Prologue:
I’m alive. I’m dead. I’m in-between. In that limbo where my vital signs hover just above death. I rise above my body and look down on it, lying on a gurney. Hospital staff are rushing me along the brightly-lit hallway to the operating room. One of them holds an oxygen mask on my face. Another, a bag of intravenous fluid connected to my veins by a tube.

I’m not ready to die yet. These good people anxious to rescue me don’t know that my resolve is the only thing that is keeping me alive. No, I’m not ready to die—I’ve only just begun to live. I have yet to prove to myself, to the world, that I have what it takes to prevail.

My family—now on their way to the hospital—doesn’t know yet exactly what happened to me. And except for one detective, neither do the police. I see him now by the foot of the gurney, keeping pace with the nurses. He’s scowling, his lips pressed into a grim line.

A tall, taut, and solitary man, he has deep-set gray eyes clouded by too many images of violent death and a lower lip that hangs perpetually open in disgust or despair. So much darkness he has already seen in his thirty odd years in this world. He needs to piece together the facts that constitute the attempt on my life, events that may have led to it, and various fragments of my past to understand what brought me to this point.

The first time I met him, I fell in love with him. There was something primal about him, some paternal, animalistic instinct to save hurt or fallen victims. Like me, maybe. It gave him power and it made him irresistible to me.

But fate is fickle. It teases. It entices. One day, something quite ordinary happens to you. Yet, you sense that that ordinary something can change your life. Not necessarily for something better, but for something new. Fate is dangling before you the promise of a world that, before then, was totally out of your reach. How can you not seize it?

Now, of course, I see the end of that promise. And it’s not where I want to be.

It’s tragic, don’t you think, that the end of that promise should be right here on a gurney, with me fighting for my life? It certainly is not what I hoped for.
​
How could it end this way? I embraced life, took chances, but half-dead on this gurney, I wonder: Am I paying with my life? But, like I said. I’m not ready to die yet

Click here to purchase your copy!

​Hope Travels Through is the debut novel by Loni Kemper Moore. It begins in October 1976 and culminates with the events of and immediately following December 13, 1977, when the plane carrying the University of Evansville’s men’s basketball team crashes.
 
Ms. Moore has written a nice book that has a great message about figuring out your place in the world after its been turned upside down, trusting in God even when tragedy and grief strike, and the importance of relationships in our lives, whether they are romantic, platonic, or familial.   
 
Our main characters are TeJae, who is a flight attendant, and Mikel, an Army Reserve chaplain. TeJae and Mikel are both characters I related to, for different reasons, and I enjoyed the development of their relationship.
 
The book is descriptive, with all the cities, hotels, and places coming alive on the page. Secondary characters have motivations and lives of their own, though one of them is nearly an over the top “villain” with a pretty weak justification for it.  
 
The short snippets that take place in each chapter with shifting POVs often made it difficult to track the events happening in the story. The chapters are often days, weeks, or months apart and so the story feels simultaneously slow and quick because of the time jumps.
 
The back-cover copy is a little misleading and it sounds like the book is going to be about the tragedy that takes places on December 13, 1977 and the aftermath, but most of the book is before that.
 
The themes and message in Hope Travels Through means I can recommend it, though I give this book 3/5 for the disjointedness of the small snippets and how the pacing of the story felt excruciatingly slow and lightning fast at the same time.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

​When she’s not writing, she’s an entertainer, technical support analyst; mom of a teenager named Adam; traveler with Robert, her dear “Hugsband,” stepmom to University of Evansville alumna Becca and her husband, Anthony; and spender of way too much time on Facebook. With her experiences of learning to trust God through tragedy, being employed by travel agencies and Delta Air Lines, and attending University of Evansville graduate school, she’s the best person to tell this story.

​What Made Me Write Hope Travels Through?
The weathered orthopedic surgeon shook his head and stared at the x-rays. Without making eye-contact, he said, “I usually work on Olympians and professional athletes. This doesn’t look good. She’s going to have arthritis and limp for the rest of her life.”

I hadn’t had anything stronger than Tylenol since the entire weight of my 128 (at the time) pounds crunched my left ankle, 24 hours earlier.

Robert, aka Dear Hugsband, had told me, so very graciously, when we arrived at Skate City, “Once you’re over 50, you shouldn’t roller skate.” But our son, Adam was 10 and I wondered how many more years he’d want me to hang out with him, so I’d strapped on the skates and joined the crowd of skaters. I avoided landing on the body of the five-year old who cut me off. Didn’t that count for something?

However, none of that mattered at that moment. I needed drugs, and Robert agreed to whatever that surgeon said to get my prescriptions.

One afternoon, my stomach growled on a gurney as I waited in the surgery center with IVs in my hands until a perky nurse announced, “The doctor will need to reschedule because something came up.”

REALLY? After waiting 10 days, he no-shows?

I’ve never loved Robert’s New York attitude more than the next day when by 7 pm that evening I was at Red Robin, post-surgery, eating a celebratory French Onion soup. Thanks to a nerve blocker the new, cute surgeon had provided after rebreaking bones and inserting pins.

Adam was able to complete his homeschool work with little interference from my drug infested brain and I occupied my time by flipping through decades of accumulated diaries. The story of a woman surviving tough times percolated in my brain and I remembered my mother saying, “Everyone has a Great American Novel in her. You just need to take time to write it.”

As my leg healed leaving no arthritis nor limp, I returned to the million things life demands, including a visit to our Becca at the University of Evansville, where I’d done my graduate work. As she showed us the Weeping Basketball, my protagonist informed me the story began in 1976, not 2011. The story climaxed when the university’s men’s basketball team plane crashed, but I was too busy to spend much time on it.

Three days before Christmas that year, my younger sister passed away from Lyme complications, I could barely breathe. I’ve seen it a dozen times someone’s busy life prevents her from taking care of herself until something stops them in their tracks and they cannot move on. That happened to me.

At the time, Dear Hugsband programmed Coca-Cola’s Freestyle machine (you’re welcome), so Adam and I joined him in Atlanta for several months. During that time without the cooking-cleaning-requirements and Adam insisting he preferred independence of his homeschool curriculum with minimal input from me, I processed my grief by putting the story that became Hope Travels Through on my computer.

“In a weak moment, I have written a book.” Margaret Mitchell – Gone With The Wind

Dear Hugsband loved his project with Coca-Cola and enjoyed everything about working in Atlanta except the humidity, the traffic and the commute. Typically, he worked in Georgia every other week, and was home every weekend.

But occasionally, he’d be forced to stay in Atlanta over the weekend and tried to find something to entertain himself. One weekend, after seeing every movie running, he decided to go to the Margaret Mitchell House Museum where one of my favorite books, Gone With The Wind, was written.
He bought me a mug with the above quote on it which he said was to encourage me in my writing, along with several commonalities between myself and the famous author.


She was short—I am 5 feet tall, if I stretch;
Her husband was over 6 feet tall—mine is 6’3 1/2”;
She started writing her novel, after an ankle injury– I started writing after I a similar injury;
She used a typewriter—I use a computer;
Her mother gave her the quotes she used about how to survive in an upside-down world – my mom had a Bible verse for every occasion. I think her favorite was Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind, Loni to whomever…”;
It took Margaret ten years to complete her novel – I’m not far behind, at nearly eight years.


Obviously, I don’t have one commonality with Margaret, in that she died at the age of 48 in a traffic accident, but his conclusions are precious.
​
I’m well aware the odds of my little novel being successful, without the industry connections Margaret had, are low, but it’s been a fun journey even if no one buys a copy!

​Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 16
Karen Sue Hadley, December 16
Jami’s Words, December 17
Quiet Quilter, December 18
Reading Is My SuperPower, December 18
Inspiration clothesline, December 19
Texas Book-aholic, December 19
Radiant Light, December 20
Carpe Diem, December 21
Avid Reader Book Reviews, December 21
A Reader’s Brain, December 22
A Greater Yes, December 23
Blogging With Carol, December 23
Books, Books, and More Books, December 24
SusanLovesBooks, December 25
Remembrancy, December 26
Mary Hake, December 26
Janices book review, December 27
The Power of Words, December 28
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 29
Just Jo’Anne, December 29

​To celebrate her tour, Loni is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon Card!!
​
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 
​https://promosimple.com/ps/c5be

Click here to purchase your copy!

​My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah is the first book I’ve read by Angie Dicken, and while I enjoyed it, there were some minor issues that did affect my opinions. I can recommend it, but with reservations.
 
Ms. Dicken has written a carefully crafted romance dealing with racism, class discrimination, and the plight of immigrants in the early 20th century. This is not a period or theme that is popular in most of the fiction I’ve read, so I was excited for the setting.
 
And the author does not disappoint there! The city of Castle Gate feels alive and so do the secondary characters. They are not mere plot points but have dreams, opinions, and stories of their own.
 
Leanna McKee is our heroine and I liked her. At the beginning of the story, she is a widow dealing with guilt over the way she treated her husband while he was alive. Her husband Jack had been a gambler and gambled away savings they were going to use to move to San Francisco. Leanna views Castle Gate as a stop to somewhere “better” and is angry that she remains in Castle Gate. She is a schoolteacher and teaches the class of immigrant Greek children, separated from the American children. Her faith is strong though she struggles with forgiveness toward her late husband.
 
Alex Pappas is the hero of this book. He’s a widower who moved to America to make money for his sick wife back in Greece, who died before he could send any money to her. He is determined to make a living in America and his brother and parents have joined him, running a restaurant that feeds the Greek miners. Alex is stoic. He doesn’t fight back against the discrimination or comment on it—he simply ignores it. As he regrows closer to God we see his emotions come out more.
 
Both Leanna and Alex are great characters who experience change throughout the book. However, they make a lot of assumptions about what the other person wants while trying to navigate the relationship and do not talk to each other enough! Both believe they don’t deserve a second chance at love and don’t want to harm the other person, but Leanna and Alex make this decision without informing each other—one of my pet peeves in romance. Let the person you love know how you feel and then allow them to make their own decision!
 
While I enjoyed the story, there were a few things I didn’t like. The ending felt rushed to me. I wanted a bit more conversation between Alex and Leanna, and wanted to see how the town reacted to their relationship. It played such a big part of why they wouldn’t take the chance of being together yet there was no resolution to that particular barricade to their romance. 
 
I give this book 3/5 stars and can recommend it to readers looking for a book that carefully deals with racism, class discrimination, and has a strong message of what God is able to do in our lives if we only trust in him.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

My Publishing Story: A Journey of Perfect Timing​
“Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

​I wrote a story five years ago. My footing was finally solid on how to write, after a couple ACFW conferences and connecting with my bestie writing sister, Ashley. So in 2012, I poured my heart out within the parameters of what I’d learned.
​
The story I wrote stemmed from my heritage. From a very young age, I’ve been inspired by my grandfather. He was the son of a Greek coal miner who came over from Greece in the 1910’s. My grandfather always had wonderful stories to tell–he stirred up my intrigue for WWII era as he was a Purple Heart recipient (twice), and spoke of freeing concentration camps and invading Hitler’s homes; my grandfather lived a rags to riches legacy, having been born in a tent in a coal town, and then becoming a successful home and commercial builder–I declared I’d be an architect at age eleven…even majoring in Landscape Architecture in college.

So, at ACFW 2012, I took my novel to conference with more confidence than I had before. This story caught the attention of an agent– and I signed a contract with the Steve Laube Agency in November of that year. That was amazing…I chuckle now because the name of the room that I interviewed with Tamela was the “McKee” room–the last name of my heroine. A sign? Maybe. When she sent my story out for all publishers to see that next month, I thought my time for that book was just around the corner.

And…
Now it’s 2017, and that story is under contract with a publisher as of Fall 2016.

What timing, right?

Why the heck did it take so long? Not for lack of trying. My agent and I took every possible measure.

Why did I get rejection after rejection, and write two other books in the wait?

What happened between then?

Only in looking back, do I see why I had to wait for this book. And when I look back, I realize just how much Timing is His and there’s nothing I can do to speed it up or make it mine. All I can do is take courage, and wait.
​
I’ll give you a quick recap of what happened between 2013–when the book was put in the proverbial drawer of unwanted manuscripts–and now, 2017, the year it will get published (um, after a few rewrites and edits–always learning…).

​In looking back, this is what I see:

My Community was Built. I fell in love with my writer friendships. A bit dramatic? Maybe, but it’s the truth. I connected with ladies who knew my heart as a writer, and allowed me into their lives in an authentic, Christ-loving way. I found hope in the writing journey because my friends held my hands and rubbed my back when all seemed lost. And in this, I grew not as a writer, but as a heart. My heart became soft for the needs of others and the value of authenticity in this short, precious life.​

​ I wanted it so badly that I turned ugly when it seemed to slip through my fingers with every rejection. And I spiraled and I came up for air to those authentic friendships speaking Truth in love. God knew what He was doing when He built my community, and He knew He would use it to lift me up and tear down my ugly.

​There are several other moments and signs that I see as I look back, but I’m not going for the longest blog post of 2017, but I do want to share two sweet confirmations that the timing really is His.

​I had secretly told those closest to me, that it would’ve been nice for it to come out in September instead…just because that’s when the book opens–September, 1893–the historical date of the Land Run.
So, what happens after I turn in my complete book a few days before its deadline? My editor tells me they bumped up my date to September of 2017. And I am sure, for them, it had nothing to do with the history, but for me, it was everything to do with the history–and His timing. Look for my debut novel, The Outlaw’s Second Chance this September!

There’s more…

My second contract came in! And this was a wonderful surprise. My agent and I had found out last spring that a new series was being launched based on geographical places around the U.S. I immediately thought of my Coal country story. So, I put together a proposal for a book I’d written long ago…and got a contract with Barbour this Fall for my novel, My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah.

But, the timing? November 2017 is my release.

God’s Timing in its finest…The book comes out during the centennial year of my grandfather’s birth. He was born in Dec. 1917 in Carbon County, Utah. My hero and my inspiration for this very book.
I just can’t stop smiling at the chance to honor my late grandfather with a story written by his third generation Greek American granddaughter who was inspired by his roots grown a century ago.

If only he could be here now. But I know he’s smiling, too.

A century.

It took a CENTURY.

​Only by God’s grace, and His perfect timing.

​A Baker’s Perspective, October 31
Faithfully Bookish, October 31
Caffeinated Reads, October 31
Captive Dreams Window, November 1
Reading Is My SuperPower, November 1
A Greater Yes, November 2
Janices book reviews, November 2
Daysong Reflections, November 2
Red Headed Book Lady, November 3
Books, Books, and More Books., November 3
Just the Write Escape, November 3
Carpe Diem, November 4
Christian Bookaholic, November 4
Radiant Light, November 5
History, Mystery & Faith, November 5
Chas Ray’s Book Nerd Corner, November 6
Texas Book-aholic, November 6
Babs Book Bistro, November 7
Kristin’s Book Reviews, November 7
Singing Librarian Books, November 8
Connie’s History Classroom, November 8
D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, November 9
J.E. Grace Christian Author Blog, November 9
Neverending Stories, November 9
Have A Wonderful Day, November 10
Pause for Tales, November 10
Tell Tale Book Reviews, November 11
Mary Hake, November 11
Splashes of Joy, November 11
Bigreadersite, November 12
Blossoms and Blessings, November 12
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 12
Vicky Sluiter, November 13
Bibliophile Reviews, November 13

​To celebrate her tour, Angie is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of her book The Outlaw’s Second Chance!!

Click below to enter.
​Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! 
​https://promosimple.com/ps/c1ff

A magazine ad from a family in Sweden, looking for someone to watch their children, entices Amy’s adventurous spirit, and she soon finds herself looking through a new door in her life, cracked open to an amazing world she never dreamed possible, where people are nice to her and life is good.
​
“An incredible true story of perseverance in adversity, this is one account where truth truly is stranger than fiction.” ~Laurie Penner.

​A Door Cracked Open is Carmina Edward’s first book. This book is difficult for me to review because I wanted to like it but in the end, I just couldn’t connect at all to the characters.
 
A Door Cracked Open is based on a true story, and the entire book feels like a series of vignettes that don’t quite gel together to make a complete story. We jump from scene to scene with Amy, our main character, and for me it just didn’t work.
 
I understand the themes Ms. Edwards was imparting throughout the book, especially about trusting God when we feel confused or unsure about what we are called to do, but I did not connect to Amy’s emotional journey. The story is dialogue heavy with little narrative prose and it makes it difficult to see what Amy is feeling and experiencing.
 
The writing itself is rather simplistic. The simplistic style suited the book when Amy was a child, but as she grew older, I wanted the prose and dialogue to mature along with her! However, it stays the same and makes Amy seem younger than she truly is, which I feel does not suit Amy’s character growth during the book.
 
I did enjoy the story, as Amy lives a fascinating and colorful life, but the writing itself and the feeling of “vignettes” instead of scenes flowing together makes it tough for me to recommend A Door Cracked Open.
 
I give this book 3/5 stars for the “vignette” storytelling and the simplistic writing style. If that form of storytelling works for you, you may enjoy this book more than I did.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

​​Being unemployed the past few years, has led to me becoming homeless. However, I never give up hope. As I try to portray in my books, God has always had His hand on me. Once again, He has stepped in right at the last minute. I now have a new job in Sweden and will be moving back there. Because I feel passionately about helping the homeless, a large percentage of my royalties will go directly to them.

Something about my book.

After many friends, having seen the unusual life I have led up until now, told me that I should write a book, I finally decided to do just that. I am an ordinary person who has not suffered more than many, but have been privileged with many extra-ordinary experiences. I wrote my book in order to share with others, just how God has had His hand on me and brought me through some tough times which seemed impossible to find a way out of. My first book highlights some of this, though it isn’t until the second book, that more becomes clear and the third book will show the extreme mercy and grace He has showered me with. The story is still unfolding. My aim is to show, through my writing, that giving up is never an option. Stay true to God and He does pull us through. Trusting in Him is key and I personally, have seen Him transform some of the dreams He put onto my heart, into reality. I’d love for my books to be of some encouragement to others and have so far received several emails from readers all over the world, telling me how my story so far, has done that. One went so far as to say that she had given up, but read my book purely by chance and has picked herself up and is once again back on the road to reach her goals. The story of a scatty, spontaneous and highly sensitive girl, ridiculed all her life because of her faith and dreams, (she’s born into a completely atheist family). never gives up and some of the situations she gets herself into are pretty scary, but sometimes humorous. Yet God’s protection is seen all the way through.

​August 3: A Baker’s Perspective
August 4: Quiet Quilter
August 5: Carpe Diem
August 6: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
August 7: The Power of Words (Spotlight)
August 8: Christian Bookaholic
August 9: Reading Is My SuperPower (interview)
August 10: Books, Books, and More Books.
August 11: Mary Hake
August 12: Avid Reader Book Reviews
August 13: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
August 14: cherylbbookblog
August 15: Margaret Kazmierczak
August 16: His Grace is Sufficient

​To celebrate her tour, Carmina is giving away:

Grand Prize of a book themed gift basket all the way from Sweden!
And
A 1st – 3rd place prize of an eBook copy of A Door Cracked Open!!
​
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/bd29

Click here to purchase the book.

​Tristan was Fern’s childhood imaginary hero, saving her from monsters under her bed and outside her walls. As she grew up and his secret world continued to bleed into hers, however, it only caused catastrophe. But, when the city is rocked by the unexplainable, Fern is forced to consider the possibility that this young man is not a hallucination after all—and that the creature who decimated his world may be coming for hers.

​The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson is a fast-paced Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy novella that is a quick read. It will mostly likely satisfy readers who enjoy this genre and want the ending neatly tied together.
 
For me, however, this is an “almost” book.
 
It is “almost” in the fact that I liked it, but not well enough to try anything else by this author. It almost hit emotional notes in me and it almost worked as a complete story. But a few niggling thoughts dampened my engagement in this book.
 
The main character, Fern, has almost a complete turnaround on her “imaginary” friend in a scene that is about four sentences long. As a novella, I expected the accelerated pacing, but after ten years of ignoring him and trying to convince herself Tristan wasn’t real, her sudden belief in him and what he was saying about the world destroying danger did not feel earned.
 
The book is told entirely in first person, a staple of the Young Adult genre and one that generally turns me off from reading in this particular genre. Ms. Swanson handles the first person POV well, but I wanted more insight into both main characters, especially Tristan. His world sounded fascinating and we don’t learn much about it.
 
For a book that deals with heavy subjects, including kidnapping and experiments on children, it lacks depth. The characters, premise, and setting are all very thin and I did not feel as if the characters were real people.
 
Present tense is hard to pull off, and Ms. Swanson doesn’t quite manage it here. There are tense changes that interrupt the flow of the book and jumping back and forth in between the past and present times also interrupted the pace of the story.
 
I can see the foundation for a good book here, and it almost gets there. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite gel into a complete story.
 
I am giving this book 3/5 stars. I can recommend it to fans of the YA genre who like quick, light reads but for readers who are looking for a story with in-depth character moments and an engaging setting, I would skip this one.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

Did you have an imaginary friend growing up? I did. And I think most of us probably understood what it was like to use our childhood imaginations to create friends and take us places.

The Girl Who Could See follows Fern Johnson, a young woman who’s imaginary friend, Tristan, first appeared in her life when she was eight years old—and has never left. Now nineteen, Fern still sees Tristan, only he is no longer her friend. Now he is her curse. The source of her insanity. The reason Fern cannot keep a job and has been passed from one psychologist to another. The reason she is one step away from a psych ward. However, Tristan disagrees. He says that he’s not a figment of Fern’s imagination and is determined to prove it. But, if his existence is real, it has dangerous implications not only for Fern, but for her world. Because the creature that decimated Tristan’s planet is coming for Earth—and only the girl everyone says is crazy can stop it.

I wrote the novella as a way to explore the idea of what would happen if someone had an imaginary friend who never left. What would the psychological and daily implications be? And what if that imaginary friend wasn’t imaginary? The story that grew from those sparks of ideas became an adventure that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did. 

​June 27: A Baker’s Perspective
June 27: A Simply Enchanted Life
June 27: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
June 28: Kristin’s Book Reviews
June 28: Christian Chick’s Thoughts
June 29: Fiction Aficionado
June 29: Genesis 5020
June 30: Smiling Book Reviews
June 30: The Fizzy Pop Collection
July 1: Blogging With Carol
July 1: remembrancy
July 2: Inklings and notions
July 2: Ashley’s Bookshelf
July 3: Zerina Blossom’s Books
July 3: Margaret Kazmierczak
July 4: Book by Book
July 4: Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses
July 5: Dragons Read History
July 5: Through the Open Window
July 6: It’s Storytime with Van Daniker
July 6: Baker Kella
July 7: Pause for Tales
July 7: Edits and Reviews By Leslie
July 8: Books, Books, and More Books.
July 8: Pursuing Stacie
July 8: The Important Things in Life: God, Books, & Chocolate
July 9: Reader’s cozy corner
July 9: A path of joy
July 10: Neverending Stories
July 10: Henry Happens

Click here to purchase your copy. 

​Jasmine Avery doesn’t trust men, especially not handsome ones who come bearing gifts. She’s been badly hurt and has walled herself off from love. Reluctantly, she agrees to attend church with Mark on Easter Sunday, not realizing how it will change her life and her future. But soon after she discovers the secret to a happy life, her whole world turns upside-down. Will these unexpected changes prove Mark can’t be trusted either? Or can she and Mark overcome their past heartbreaks to forge a new life together?

​Angels Aware by Rachel J. Good is a lovely book, which I enjoyed reading. It is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Good. And I can recommend it, though with a few reservations.  
 
The pace of this book felt very fast as Mark, the main character, moved from annoyance to friendship to love. The narrative is quite clear that it is taking place over a longer period of time, but for some reason the way it is written makes the timeline feel very short. In my head I knew it wasn’t but I had trouble remembering that the action in the story was taking place over a longer period of time.
 
Mark is the hero of the book, and the story is told entirely from his point of view. In a romance, I am not a fan of only one character’s point of view. And it’s because I don’t always believe the character’s interpretations of their interactions with the non-POV character. Sometimes people see what they want to see and not what is actually happening.
 
And I wanted to hear Jasmine’s story, her thoughts as she discovered how God is there for us and learned to love Him. In my opinion her background made her a much more intriguing character than Mark and I wanted to know her personally and not only through Mark’s eyes. I feel that by not including her POV Ms. Good missed an opportunity to really dig deep into the themes of the book.
 
I know this sounds like I didn’t enjoy the book! I did like it. It is a quick read and both of the main characters are struggling with their pasts and seeking to forgive themselves and others. Mark’s faith is present from practically the first line of the book and Jasmine also grows her faith. There are a few spots that hit my emotions regarding fear and forgiveness, and how easy it is to isolate ourselves in fear, and I appreciated those as they gave the emotional weight of the story more depth.
 
I give this book 3/5 stars and recommend it to people who like a quick, emotional read regarding faith and forgiveness. For those who do not like a single POV in their romances, I’m not sure it would be the best book for you, though I would encourage you to give it a chance. And as I enjoyed the writing style and how prevalent the themes of faith and forgiveness were throughout the book, I will be trying more books by this author.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through CelebrateLit. All opinions are my own.**

One of the important lessons in ANGELS UNAWARE is looking beyond the surface, seeing with new eyes. In the story, Mark has many opportunities to do this. When he first approaches Jasmine with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, she’s unwelcoming and prickly:


The door opened a crack. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Mark turned. The woman’s narrowed eyes and belligerent stance made him quake. He took a step back. “I…um…here…” He held out the plate of cookies.
“What’s that?”
Mark took a deep breath and regained his composure. He smiled and started his usual spiel. “Hi, I’m Mark Daniels, and I just moved into the neighborhood—”
“I know.” She didn’t sound too pleased. “That’s not what I asked. What’s that in your hands?”
“Oh, these? I baked chocolate chip cookies and thought I’d share some with you.”
“Do you know what sugar does to your system?” she demanded. “I never touch sugar.”
That explained why she was so thin. So much for cookies then. Mark wracked his brain for another offering. “A meal perhaps? I make great spaghetti and meatballs.”
She drew back. “A meat eater? It figures.”
Oh, terrific. Mark cringed at the acid in her tone. He’d just offered a meat dish to a vegetarian. So much for his diplomacy mission.


After a start like that, many people would have given up. But Mark feels led to share God’s love with this neighbor, and he tries again and again. Eventually he discovers she’s hiding some deep personal pain. His persistence brings unexpected rewards to both of them.


I wanted to write this story because we usually avoid people who criticize us or hurt our feelings. Yet, often those who are unkind are actually aching inside. And they need God’s unconditional love and forgiveness, because only God can heal their pain and suffering.


After God touches Jasmine’s heart, Mark can see her softer, kinder side. And she’s proof of that saying, “An angel resides in every heart.”


Could your grouchy neighbor or critical boss be an angel in disguise? Maybe these annoying people have been sent into our lives to help build our character or to teach us a lesson. The Bible warns us to be hospitable to everyone, because we never know when we’ll come upon an angel “unawares.”


“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Heb. 13:2 KJV


Each person you meet has been sent into your life for a reason. Sometimes these angels come into our lives in unlikely disguises. We don’t always realize their purpose until much later. Looking back, though, we can see God’s hand in the encounters.


Other times, we discover – like Mark did – that we’re supposed to be angels to those who are unkind to us. We may be the only ones who have ever touched their lives with God’s light.


Who in your life needs God’s love? Can you be an angel to that person?

January 24: Blossoms and Blessings
January 25: autism mom
January 26: Books. Books. And More Books.
January 27: Moments Dipped in Ink
January 28: A Greater Yes
January 29: Carpe Diem
January 30: Petra’s Hope
January 31: A Baker’s Perspective
February 1: Christian Bookaholic
February 2: Karen Sue Hadley
February 3: Quiet Quilter
February 4: Daysong Reflections
February 5: Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
February 6: His Grace is Sufficient

To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away:
Grand Prize:

• Angel bookmark
• Battenberg lace angel pin
• Trio of jade angels
• Prayer angel with a “Worry” poem to remind you to pray about your problems
• ANGELS UNAWARE ebook
• Newest AMISH QUILTS COLORING BOOK (large print edition)

2nd – 4th Prize:
One copy of the ANGELS UNAWARE ebook
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post to earn 9 extra entries in the giveaway!
https://promosimple.com/ps/af23