The American Patriot's Almanac by William J. Bennett and John T.E. Cribb

The American Patriot's Almanac

by William J. Bennett
and
John T.E. Cribb

(photo taken from here.)

This is a wonderfully written resource giving us valuable facts about our country's past.

The core of this book has a page for every day of the year with interesting facts about that particular day in history.
Each day has a few paragraphs focusing on one particular year of that day and then at the bottom of the page there are 5-7 one-sentence facts from different years about that day.

Not only do you learn something new every day but there are some other gems inside this book.
For instance, at the beginning there is an essay about "The American Patriot" and what it means to be a Patriot.
The next section before the main part of the book is "Twelve Great Reasons To Love A Great Country." Some highlights of this are: "America really is the land of the free." and "This nation possesses an amazing capacity for self-renewal."

Then, at the back of the book there is a section on "State Flags, Facts, And Symbols."
I love these type of facts and think this section is great!

This book is perfect for anyone who is a history buff, is homeschooling their children, OR just wants to instill some valuable facts about our country into their children, or it's for anyone who loves our country and wants to learn more about where we came from and how we started.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A Rush of Wings-A Novel by Kristen Heitzmann

A Rush of Wings

A Novel
by Kristen Heitzmann

(Bethany House book cover photo)

Noelle St. Claire is a lonely young woman fleeing from a seemingly dangerous past.
She ends up at a ranch in Colorado owned by Rick Spencer.
Rick rents out cabins on his ranch and a few rooms in the main lodge. He takes a chance on Noelle and allows her to rent out a room in the main lodge when all the cabins were booked up.
She tries to keep to herself but Rick's carefree brother Morgan is always trying to show her a good time.
She manages to keep her secret hidden until she ends up in a horse riding accident and Rick presses her about her past.
After the accident they realize they have feelings for each other but there are other factors in the way.
Was Rick meant for her, Morgan seemed to be in love with her as well and she thought she might have feelings for him. Also, there was her past and the broken relationship there.

This was a great story. If you love romances set in beautiful mountains with horses and a cowboy then you will love this book.
There was much suspense and I could hardly put the book down. The author made me care for Noelle and what she was going through. I even felt bad for the man she didn't end up with in the end. Great story telling! I highly recommend this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in return I am reviewing it here on my blog and also at Christianbook.com.

"God's promises for boys" by Jack Countryman & Amy Parker, Illustrated by Richard Watson

"God's promises for boys" by Jack Countryman & Amy Parker,
Illustrated by Richard Watson

"God's promises for boys" is a great book for boys that want advice from Bible verses about daily situations in life such as when: "You Want to Be Cool," "You Are Thankful," "God's Grace," "Being a Good Brother," "Stay Strong!" and many other topics.
Each topic has a couple sentences of advice and then three to four passages from the Bible that go along with that topic.
The illustrations are simple, bright, colorful and fun!

I think this is a wonderful book for boys to look up verses that are applicable to different situations.
It is fun and to the point.
Kids do not always have a long-lasting attention span and this book is perfect for that.
They can quickly find wisdom from the Bible in a neat little book.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Vigilante's Bride by Yvonne Harris

The Vigilante's Bride
by:
Yvonne Harris

This book is about two orphans: one a young woman, Emily, who is sent away from the orphanage she grew up in to become a bride of an older man she never met and one young man, Luke, who grew up an orphan after his family was killed during an Indian attack.
Emily and Luke both find themselves in situations they do not find ideal. Will they eventually get what they want in the end?

I enjoyed this book and found it very entertaining. There were enough twists and turns that I did not find it too predictable. The author described the main characters in such a way that I really cared about them.
The banter back and forth between Emily and Luke was funny. The suspense around Luke's safety kept me wanting to read more to see what would happen.
I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

The book is from Bethany House Publishers. They sent me a complimentary copy and I am reviewing the book and posting my review here as well as on Christianbook.com.

Hearts Awakening by Delia Parr

Hearts Awakening
A Novel
by Delia Parr

This is a wonderfully written story about two people that need to find true love.

Jackson Smith is a young widower in his late twenties. His wife died amidst a scandal and left him with their two small sons.
Elvira (Ellie) Kilmer, is a spinster and does not have a place to call home. Her parents have died and relatives have not made her feel very welcome in their home.
She is asked to be a nanny for Jackson's small sons, Daniel and Ethan, for a couple weeks. However, Jackson knows he needs someone more permanent to watch Daniel and Ethan. He proposes marriage to Ellie, not for love, just as a business transaction. They marry with a contract and move back to the island where Jackson lives with his sons.
The question is: will Jackson and Ellie soften their hearts toward each other and let go of the scandals and hardships in their past?

This book was very easy to read, but not so easy that it was boring. I actually enjoyed this book very much.
There were enough twists and turns to keep my attention and make the story interesting.
This is a very heartwarming story about two people that need to learn to let go of their pasts and to not listen what people may say about them.

An Honest Love by Kathleen Fuller

An Honest Love
by Kathleen Fuller

An Honest Love is set in Amish country, in Middlefield, Ohio.
There are four main characters: Anna, Lukas, Elisabeth and Aaron.

Anna is a young woman who moves to Middlefield with her her mother. After moving into her unlce's house and starting a shop, she meets a young man named Lukas. Lukas soon falls for Anna but because she was hurt in her past, she has a hard time opening up to him. Also, she is dealing with a medical problem that puts a distance between them.

Elisabeth is Lukas' sister and she works for her brother-in-law as a book keeper for his blacksmith shop. Aaron is a young man who works in the shop. He is a serious and private. Elisabeth works at getting him to open up to her and they form a friendship.

At first I found this book very hard to get into and follow along with. It was hard to follow the two stories. Towards the middle of the book however, things got interesting. The book became more suspenseful and I couldn't wait to see if the couples ended up together and what happened with them.
I was not satisfied with the ending but I have a feeling the author has another book on the way. This book was the second in this series. I had forgotten that I had the first book and I will go read that again to refresh my memory.
I think this a fun, easy read. I always enjoy reading Amish fiction; I find the Amish way of life fascinating.

Disclosure of material connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Not A Sparrow Falls" by Linda Nichols

Finally, I have a book to review! I just finished reading "Not A Sparrow Falls" by Linda Nichols. The book is from Bethany House Publishers. They sent me a complimentary copy and I am reviewing the book and posting my review here as well as on Christianbook.com.

Mary Bridget, a girl in her mind twenties, is trapped in a life she wishes she could escape. She longs for her past and to be closer to God but that seems almost impossible. Alasdair is a widowed pastor in his early thirties, with three children. He feels the burdens of raising his children without his wife and his heavily scheduled ministry, and also a guilt he carries around with him.
These two lives will collide when Mary Bridget feels called to help Alasdair's troubled young daughter. After many secrets are exposed, Mary Bridget and Alasdair both find the forgiveness and redemption they are searching for.
I expected that I would enjoy this book and I did. I had a hard time putting it down. It was suspenseful and uplifting. There were a few other side stories that are connected to the main plot and those were very interesting as well. The author did a wonderful job of tying everything together and the ending was great. I am not usually one to read Prologues but I was glad I read this one. You will be quite confused after you read the Prologue and then go on to Chapter One, but by the end you will understand.
I highly recommend this book.

Add another one to the mix.....

I haven't heard back from Bethany House Publishers yet so I just signed up with BookSneeze. They are a book review website from Thomas Nelson Publishers. I am excited to get my first book and hopefully I will be able to pick one out today.
Meanwhile...I need to figure out some sort of picture involving books for my header.

So Excited!

I love to read. Typically, I read historical Christian Fiction. At a young age(probably around 10) I became a big fan of Janette Oke. I love her "Love Comes Softly" series.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a blog (I honestly can't remember whom it was) , that was a book review blog. Then, I went to the official website of the publisher and was immediately intrigued. I love to read. If I can get free books, just by reading them and submitting a review- I'm in!

I am so looking forward for my first book to come in the mail. I am doing this through Bethany House Publishers. They publish a few of my favorite author's books such as: Janette Oke, Lynn Austin and Beverly Lewis. I browsed through some other books and I am looking forward to not only reading fiction but also children's books, marriage and books about the Christian life. I hope you enjoy reading my reviews once I start getting books in the mail.