Featuring two hundred–plus devotional readings complemented by scripture selections and prayers, this lovely collection offers a powerful blend of inspiration, encouragement, and refreshment for every area of your life. Touching on topics like friendship, family, faith, God’s Word, prayer, serving, and more, you will find yourself drawn ever closer to your heavenly Father as you meditate on each reading and open your heart and mind to God’s Word.
Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has over forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. A few of Anita’s favorite things are good movies, fairytales, traveling, gardening, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends. Feel free to drop by Anita’s website at anitahigman.com or connect with her on her Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAnitaH…. She would love to hear from you!
My Rating: 4 Stars!
This is very nice little devotion book. Joy is something we all need more of and joy is not dependent upon our circumstances. We can choose joy in the midst of tribulation and trials. The joy of the Lord is indeed our strength. I am thoroughly enjoying this little book. Each selection consists of a scripture, a short devotion and a prayer. Easily done in five minutes or less. Perfect for women on the go. I recommend this one.
*My thanks to Barbour Publishing for a complimentary copy of this book. No review was required and my opinion is entirely my own.
ABOUT THE BOOK: Research librarian Savannah Sanderson wants nothing more than to escape into her happily-ever-after novels with their larger-than-life fictional heroes. But a promise to her late husband has her attending her dreaded twenty-year high school reunion, drinking ghastly punch, and taking desperate measures just to keep her vow, even if she has to hide behind the décor to do it.
Once a reckless troublemaker, Michael McCann fled town after graduation. Now a professional technical rescuer, he’s back for the reunion, but on his trip down memory lane, he soon comes face to face with unresolved issues, namely Savannah.
Before the night is over, a pact between these two old friends will lead them on an adventure into uncharted emotional territory where Michael must confront his past regrets and find the courage to reveal the truth. But can Savannah fly from her sheltered nest and risk her heart on a real-life hero?ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melony Teague writes contemporary romance with a dash of humor, she loves to inspire and motivate others through her written words, and she believes everyone has a story to tell. Melony is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and she is the co-author of As the Ink Flows, a devotional for authors. Her fiction debut, A Promise to Keep releases, Jan 21, 2020. Melony was born in South Africa and now lives in Toronto with her handsome husband, their two teenagers, and does the bidding of her two adorable cats.
Ruby Jane never thought she’d meet the man of her dreams while running from the police in Russia. That he’d steal her heart on a train to Siberia. But loving a former CIA officer comes with a price…a life of danger. A life of high stakes.
A life where he simply disappears…
He has no memory of the man he was.
Mack Jones has no memory of his past…just the dark sense that he is hiding. And, he wants to stay that way. Mack likes the life he’s built in a small tourist town, tucked away beyond the mountains, and has no desire to dig around in the gray areas of his memory.
When his place of business catches fire and Mack rescues the owner, he makes the news, which of course alerts the past he’s hoping to outrun.
The only person who can help him is a mysterious woman he doesn’t remember.
But a woman he desperately needs.
The surprising, thrilling conclusion to the Montana Marshalls series.
Action, drama, adventure, flawed individuals and emotional and spiritual challenges are hallmarks of Warren’s books. – Christian Library Journal
Warren has a knack for creating captivating and relatable characters that pull the reader deep into the story. – Radiant Lit
THE MONTANA MARSHALLS (family series) Book 1: Knox Book 2: Tate Book 3: Ford Book 4: Wyatt Book 5: Ruby Jane (November 2019)
About Susan May Warren
Growing up in Minneapolis and attending the U of MN, I learned to love city life, although I’m a woodsy girl at heart. Or maybe I’m an adventurer — having lived and traveled all over the world, including Siberia Russia as a missionary for eight years. Probably that’s why my characters can’t sit still, and seem to get into one scrape after another — they’re too much like me! I love God, my family, my country, my church, and feel privileged every day to be able to write stories.
Here’s my “Official” Bio.
With over 1 million books sold, critically acclaimed novelist Susan May Warren is the Christy, RITA and Carol award-winning author of over seventy-five novels with Revell, Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. Known for her compelling plots and unforgettable characters, Susan has written contemporary and historical romances, romantic-suspense, thrillers, rom-com and Christmas novellas.
With books translated into eight languages, many of her novels have been ECPA and CBA bestsellers, were chosen as Top Picks by Romantic Times, and have won the RWA’s Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year award.
Of her books, Publisher’s Weekly has written, “Warren lays bare her characters’ human frailties, including fear, grief, and resentment, as openly as she details their virtues of love, devotion, and resiliency. She has crafted an engaging tale of romance, rivalry, and the power of forgiveness.”
And Library Journal adds, “Warren’s characters are well-developed and she knows how to create a first rate contemporary romance…”
Susan is also a nationally acclaimed writing coach, teaching at conferences around the nation and winner of the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Mentor of the Year award. She loves to help people launch their writing careers and is the founder of Novel.Academy and http://www.LearnHowtoWriteaNovel.com, a writing website that helps authors get published and stay published. She’s also the author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
‘We are Marshalls. And we are not alone.’
Sometimes you finish a book and you can only sit there and think about that book and just are unable to pick up another for a while because this one was so incredibly captivating. This is what Susan May Warren’s books do to me.
Susan May Warren gives us, triumphantly, the highly anticipated and equally exciting finale to her Montana Marshalls series. And boy, does she ever give us a stunning ride! Ruby Jane does not disappoint.
‘When all else is done, God is enough, everything and always.’
This one picks up where Wyatt left off and takes off with a bang and does not let up one bit! I was gasping, shaking, crying, smiling and giving thanks to God all the way through this book. This book way more than met my expectations. I thought after Wyatt, she just couldn’t top that book, but my goodness! I was completely captivated the entire way. Warren has a distinctive ability to create a family dynamic that just totally works. She crafts her characters in such a way that they actually seem real and larger than life. I feel like I’m in every scene, pulling for them, crying with them and hurting when they hurt. I had to watch myself about to pray for them! All her family based books are so intense and fulfilling to read.
One thing that I love so much about Susan May Warren’s work is her power-packed spiritual themes. I just feel that they are Spirit led and are so soul nourishing. It’s not just reading a book and being entertained, but a truly spiritual experience, one that stays with you–moving you with a life lesson and a true blessing. At least, for me.
‘When we cling to Jesus, we are changed. Reborn. We become who we were meant to be because there is nothing of ourselves left.’
This series is going on my Top Ten List for 2019. It is the absolute best series I’ve ever read and one that, as soon as I finished Ruby Jane, I wanted to pick up Knox and start reading all over again. Truly, this series has moved me beyond my ability to convey here. I very highly recommend these books and this author.
*My thanks to the author and publisher for a preview copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely and entirely my own.
Verity Hatherleigh has a mind of her own—but her actions do not impress her viscount papa. When she gets into one scrape too many, he sends her off to the wilds of Scotland to rethink her headstrong ways.
Anthony Jardine relished his role as curate, but his new duties as laird of Dungally aren’t always to his liking. Though he thought his new inheritance would be a blessing, somehow he’s finding nothing but trouble on these estates. And the intelligent, compassionate, feisty lass who was sent to rusticate in his territory is one of the biggest problems. He’s falling in love with her, but she doesn’t share the faith that’s his foundation—not to mention he’s been lying to her about who he really is. For the truth-loving Verity, that may be unforgivable.
The tangled web these two have woven may spell disaster for their happiness—and for the tenants of Dungally.
About Carolyn Miller
Hi, I’m Carolyn Miller, author of ‘The Elusive Miss Ellison’.
I live in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia.
I’m married, with four gorgeous children, who all love to read (and write!) as I do (except not in the Regency genre – funny, that!).
My favourite authors are classics like Jane Austen (of course!), Georgette Heyer, and Agatha Christie, but I also enjoy contemporary authors like Susan May Warren and Becky Wade.
I try to write stories that are fun and witty, yet also deal with real issues, such as dealing with forgiveness, the nature of really loving versus ‘true love’, and other challenges we all face at different times.
My Rating: 4 Stars!
Carolyn Miller draws her ‘Regency Brides: Daughters of Aynsley’ series to a close with this one, the best of the series, in my opinion. I read Miller’s first novel, The Elusive Miss Ellison, and knew at once that I had found a great Regency author. She is quite good at what she does. And this book is no exception.
Verity Hatherleigh has been sent off to Scotland because of her decidedly unladylike ways. She is quite impulsive in a time when ladies are supposed to be demure and obedient. While there she meets who she thinks is the gardener of Dungally and strikes up a friendship. Anthony Jardine is actually the new laird but wants to be known for himself, not as the laird. He is falling for Verity, but as a curate, he cannot be sure of her since she does not share his faith.
So there you have it: a great setting for a good story! Well written and populated with good characters, (some not so likeable) and with a wonderful ending, this one will be destined for the keeper shelf!
*My thanks to Kregel Publishing for a copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for A Match for Emma by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: A Match for Emma Author: Pepper Basham Genre: Contemporary Romance Release Date: November 21, 2019
Emma Mitchell may enjoy sprinkling romance into the lives of others, but her own plans involve a single first-class ticket to culinary school in Europe.
When her best friend, Jon Noble, suddenly moves back to Ransom, Emma’s fairly certain her life can’t get any better…until her matchmaking schemes nosedive, her culinary future falls flat, and a life-long friendship begins to teeter on the brink of something unexpected.
With a little inspiration from Jane Austen’s classic and a touch of Blue Ridge charm, will Jon and Emma discover that what they need the most may be the last thing they’re trying to find?
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance peppered with grace and humor with southern Appalachian flair. Both her historical and contemporary novels have garnered recognition in the Grace Awards, Inspys, and ACFW Carol Awards. Her historical romance, The Thorn Healer, was a finalist in the 2018 RT Awards. Her most recent historical romance, My Heart Belongs in the Blue Ridge, showcases her Appalachian heritage and family history, as well as her love for humor and family.
She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is the mom of five great kids, a speech-language pathologist to about fifty more, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her upcoming release, A Match for Emma, is the third book in her popular Mitchell’s Crossroads series.
Pepper loves getting to know readers and other authors through social media. You may also learn more about her on her website!
(1) winner will receive a Paris cube decorative tote, paperback copy of Jane Austen’s Emma, paperback copy of A Match for Emma (or another one of the Mitchell’s Crossroads books, if preferred), a ‘love’ ornament, a mug that reads “You’re my cup of tea”, and Misty Mountain handcrafted soap (made locally) – the scent is Mountain Berries!
Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 19, 2019 and last through 11:59 PM EST on November 26, 2019. US only. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize.
‘She’s Emma. She just moved her fairy tales and dolls to real people. God help us.’
Pepper Basham gives us book 3 in her Mitchell’s Crossroads series and we now get Emma’s story. Sweet, helpful, lovable, matchmaking Emma. Emma also has a dream to go to culinary school in Europe and she has her travel plans made and two thirds of her money already paid. She can’t wait. Then Jon Noble comes back to Ransom with his dad. Jon, who has been Emma’s best friend since she was a small girl. But Jon doesn’t seem much like a friend anymore. Is it possible there is more there? Watch now as this wonderful couple discover that sometimes friendship does indeed lead to love.
Pepper Basham is a master at romance. Seriously. The woman knows how to do it. She builds it up and involves the heart like no one else. My heart smiled reading this book. Her swoon worthy heroes are just so wonderful, too! And, there is a very important spiritual lesson to be learned here, one all believers would do well to examine. I was ministered to during the reading of this book. I declare, I loved it so much! I’d love to visit this fictional town. I truly would. I highly recommend this book.
*My thanks to the author and publisher for a preview copy of this book. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Raised on the run, free-spirited Breezy Hernandez has never stayed in one place too long. But now that she has joint custody of her late brother’s twin daughters, she’s determined to give them a stable home. Even if it means cooperating with the twins’ bossy uncle. Texas rancher Jake Martin learned the hard way that women can’t be trusted. But as he and Breezy care for the orphaned girls, Jake begins to open his heart. Is Breezy ready to put down roots in Martin’s Crossing, or will she run from the one thing she’s always wanted: a family?
Martin’s Crossing: In this small Texas town, every heart finds a home
About Brenda Minton
Brenda Minton lives in the Ozarks with her husband, three children and a few too many pets. She’s a pastor’s wife as well as children’s ministry worker.
Her hobbies include sitting on the porch drinking coffee and going out to eat with friends.
If you enjoy her Love Inspired Cooper Creek series, you can find Brenda most days drinking coffee and hanging out on facebook.
My Rating: 5 Stars!
‘When God provided, He didn’t skimp.’
I discovered Brenda Minton’s books a month or so ago and she is terrific! I love her books because she makes her characters just come alive and the plots are so good. Her spiritual them just fills your heart and makes you feel so good reading them.
Minton brings back a secondary character from her Cooper Creek series to start off a new series. Breezy Hernandez has found herself co-guardian of her late brother’s twin toddler girls, along with Texas rancher , Jake Martin. Can she stop running long enough to settle down into what may just be the future God has planned for her? And can Jake manage to finally trust that someone will not run out on him?
She’s only home for the holidays…Can he convince her to stay?
The last person rancher Mason Fanning ever expects to see again is the girl who once broke his heart. Brittany Green is in town for Christmas and trying to convince her ailing grandmother—the only maternal figure the widower’s little boy has left—to move away. Can Mason show her all she really needs to fulfill her dreams is right here in Wyoming?
About Jill Kemerer
Jill Kemerer is a Publishers Weekly bestselling, multi-published romance novelist with Harlequin Love Inspired. Her essentials include coffee, M&Ms, a stack of books, her mini-dachshund, and long walks outdoors. She resides in Ohio with her husband and two almost-grown children. For more information, please visit her website, https://jillkemerer.com/
My Rating: 4 Stars!!
‘I’m just saying talking about the good times hurts less than trying to forget them.’
Jill Kemerer starts off a new series with a precious story about a widowed cowboy with a three year old son. Mason Fanning is simply getting through life because he has not felt joy since his wife died. Then one day an old girlfriend, Brittany Green, shows up in town with a surprise. She ran out on Mason ten years ago and he wishes she would just go on back where she came from. Brittany has been chasing her dreams for the last decade but does she dare to believe that just maybe her dreams lie here in this small town in Wyoming?
Once again, Jill Kemerer proves she can write a cowboy story very well indeed. And I love her cowboy books! Her characters are well fleshed out and her locales are perfect! I want to visit the towns she writes about. We also get a glimpse of folks whom (I hope) her next stories in the series will be about. I can’t wait to read them all! I am a huge fan! Recommended.
*My thanks to the publisher and author for a preview copy of this book. The opinion here is entirely my own.
Publisher: Love Inspired Publication Date: November 19, 2019 Genre: Inspirational Romance
With her mortgaged farm, rebellious brother and two jobs, Layla Silver is struggling to keep afloat for the holidays. But does she need Gage Cooper riding to her rescue? Back in high school, Gage was nobody’s hero. Now he’s an injured bull rider home for Christmas to make amends for his checkered past. And something about the stubborn, beautiful Layla has him wanting more than forgiveness. Can a wandering cowboy turn a Christmas courtship into an everlasting love?
Cooper Creek: Home is where the heart is for this Oklahoma family
Brenda Minton (Author of The Rancher’s Secret Wife) | Goodreads Brenda Minton lives, procrastinates, writes, drinks coffee, raises her kids and is wife to her husband, in the Ozarks.
Okay, now to first person because a third person bio sounds like someone else wrote it about me, and is just license to create flowery prose about myself.
I grew up on a farm in the Ozarks. It was long ago and far away, in a land before cable TV, video games and the internet. To pass the time we read books, watched (gasp) network TV that rarely came in clear, and had friends over on weekends to play music on the front porch, or card games in the dining room.
The result of growing up ‘country’ was an active imagination. For fun I wrote stories to entertain myself and I dreamed of being an author. Oh, but first, before writing, I wanted to be a jockey.
Writing won out over being a jockey. In the spring of 2006 I got the call that made those dreams come true: the call that welcomed me into the Steeple Hill family of authors.
The moral of this story, never stop dreaming.
My Rating: 5 Stars!!
‘Didn’t anyone get it? He wasn’t good at being there for people. He wasn’t the person people confided in or turned to when the chips were down.’
I read my first book by Brenda Minton a few months ago and since then, I have determined to read all her books. That will take a while because she has a lot but I’m totally okay with that. This book is the sixth in her Cooper Creek series, set in Oklahoma and featuring a ranching family. Gage Cooper wounded Layla Silver’s heart back in high school and now he’s home after surgery to his knee, injured in a bull riding arena. And soon as he’s healed, he’s heading back to that arena. Layla isn’t falling for his charm again because her life is completely full, working two jobs to get the bills paid and raising her teenaged brother, who continues to get into trouble. She is barely making it and doesn’t need any distractions.
I love Minton’s books because she writes with heart thrown in. Her characters feel real somehow, her plots entirely believable and her wonderful dose of spirituality nourishes your soul. I absolutely adored this one and read it in just a few hours. I am off to read another now. I highly recommend this author.
Publisher: Love Inspired Publication Date: October 1, 2013 Genre: Inspirational Romance
When we get out of bed in the morning, we don’t know what the day ahead holds. It could be routine. It could be amazing. It could be devastating. No matter what each day holds, one of the biggest influences on the direction our days take is our own attitude. We can live in fear, worry, and anxiety, or we can choose to live with purpose, trusting God in every circumstance.
Compact and concise, Carolyn Larsen’s Words of Comfort for Women and Words of Hope for Women each offer you 90 inspiring devotional readings that will help you remember God’s presence in your days and see your world from a positive perspective. These short, to-the-point readings illuminate God’s promises and show you just how they apply to your everyday life. Beautifully designed, these devotionals are the perfect gift for a friend–and for yourself.
Carolyn Larsen has written more than 40 books for children and adults. She is best known as the author of the Little Girls Bible Storybook line of products, which have collectively sold more than one million units. In addition, Carolyn is a speaker who has taught and spoken extensively in the United States and overseas. She is the cofounder of the performing group Flashpoints, which is comprised of five women who share a God-ignited passion to encourage women and girls to know God better through drama, creative movement, signing, and humor. Carolyn is the mother of three and lives with her husband in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
My Rating: 5 stars!!
I can’t say enough good things about this book. It is just perfect for a quick pick me up from God. A verse from the Bible and a short devotion is what it consists of and it’s so comforting. The very first one I read ministered to my spirit. It is just the right size to tuck into your purse, too, to carry with you and pull out when you feel the need of an encouraging word from the Lord. I will certainly be reading this one many times. I plan to keep it by my chair always. I highly recommend this.
*My thanks to Revell Publishing for a preview copy of this book. The opinion stated here is expressly my own.
The first story in a brand-new series, Lake Season invites readers to the Bluebell Inn in a small North Carolina town where a lost letter, a chance for new love, and old secrets beckon. When their parents die in a tragic accident, Molly Bennett and her siblings pull together to fulfill their parents’ dream of turning their historic Bluebell, North Carolina, home back into an inn. Staying in town would be temporary—three years at most—then they plan to sell the inn, and Molly can get back to chasing her own dreams. Adam Bradford (aka bestselling author Nathaniel Quinn) is a reclusive novelist with a bad case of writer’s block. Desperate for inspiration as his deadline approaches, he travels to the setting of his next book, a North Carolina lake town. There, he meets his muse, a young innkeeper who fancies herself in love with his alter ego. Molly and Adam strike up an instant friendship. When Molly finds a long-lost letter in the walls of her inn, she and Adam embark on a mission to find the star-crossed lovers and bring them the closure they deserve. But Adam has secrets he isn’t ready to share. Past and present collide as truths surface, and Molly and Adam will have to decide if love is worth trusting. Praise for Denise Hunter: “Nobody does summer romance better than Denise Hunter.” —JULIE LESSMAN, award-winning author
About Denise Hunter
Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 Club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.
In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an almost empty nest.
‘You’ve been so busy trying to protect yourself, you won’t let anybody in.’
Denise Hunter begins a new series with this novel, set in a small Bluebell, NC. The Bennett siblings, Molly, Levi, and Grace lost their parents unexpectedly in a car accident and decide to finish turning their home into an inn as their parents were doing at the time of their death. When a reclusive author comes to stay, trying to cure his writer’s block, he finds a muse in Molly Bennett. She loves his books but doesn’t know he is the author because he writes under a pseudonym. No, Molly thinks she is in love with the author, not the real guy. Molly finds an old letter when they are remodeling the inn, which used to be the post office, and shares it with Adam, the writer, who she doesn’t know is the writer. They decided to research this letter and maybe try to find the person who wrote it and the one to whom she wrote it. Thus begins a delightful and moving story, what we’ve come to expect from Hunter’s work.
I found it difficult to tear myself away from this book long enough to do life. I fell in love with Bluebell and the Bennett family. I’m so glad each sibling will get a story. Hunter builds on each character until we are fully vested in their lives. It’s as if we can get into their hears and minds and feel their emotions. I was in tears during several scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next two in the series. Highly recommended.
* I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers through Net Galley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Publication Date: November 12, 2019
Simply Susan 