Unending Devotion

About the Book:  Lily Young longs to find her long lost sister or will die trying.  Heedless of any danger, she searches logging camps and towns, posing as a photographers assistant.  And then she arrives in Harrison, Michigan and into the sights of Connell McCormick.  McCormick is determined to increase the fortune of his lumber-baron father and figures as long as he is living an upright life, that's what matters.  But when Lily arrives in town she upends his world, forcing him to confront the truth that dangerous men have gained too much power while good men turn a blind eye.  Vexing but persuasive, Lily soon secures McCormick's help, drawing them ever closer to each other.  Will standing up for what's right cost them both everything?
About the Author:  Jody Hedlund is the bestselling author of The Doctor's Lady and The Preacher's Bride, which won th e2011 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award and the 2011 Award ofd Excellence from the Colorado Romance Writers, and was finalist for Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards.  She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog and Jody Hedlund.com.
My Thoughts:  This is the first book I have ever read by author Jody Hedlund and it definitely won't be my last. I was most impressed with her writing style and her descriptions of life in the 1800s. The plight of young women being dragged into prostitution of the 1800s is very much parallel to the human trafficking problem we are still experiencing today.  The storyline is very realistic as is the character development of Lilly, Daisy, and McCormick.  I felt as if I knew each of the main characters on a first name basis.  Unending Devotion is a well written historical mystery romance, which should satisfy most readers.
Blog Tour Schedule - click here to read what others think of this book.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers and Litfuse Publicity Group as part of their Blogger Review 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.”

Simon and the Easter Miracle Book Review

About The Book:  Simon and the Easter Miracle: A Traditional Tale for Easter is a story that begins with Simon, the Cyrene, a simple farmer going to Jerusalem to sell wine, bread, and eggs.  His trip to market coincides with day that Jesus was being led to his crucifixion. As Simon nears town he sees a crowd of people yelling out, “Crucify him!”  A Centurian orders Simon to help carry Jesus' cross and with that one act, Simon's life changes forever!  

My Thoughts About The Book:  The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous!   The story is not the real  story we grew up with as children. The story seems to focus on eggs and it seems that  the miracle has nothing to do with Him (Jesus).  If you are looking  for a book that is beautifully  illustrated and is full of old world charm then this is the book for you. If you want a book that teaches your children something about Jesus and the events of Easter then this book is not for you.

About the Author:  Mary Joslin is the author of the book, "Simon and the Easter Miracle."   The illustrator is Anna Luraschi.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Kregel Publications. 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."

Embraced By God Blog Tour

ISBN - 139781426741340

Publisher:  Abingdon Press

Price:  18.95

About the Book:  “Have you ever wondered, “Does God really love me?  Do I really matter to Him?”  Rest assured that each and every question you have is of great concern to God.  He is not far away or unconcerned.  He has not forgotten about you.  He is concerned about what’s going on in your life, and He is as close to you as your very next breath.  He loves you.  As a matter of fact, God loves you just as much as He loves His own Son.   In the pages of this heartwarming, thoughtful, and life-affirming 21-day journey, award-winning gospel singer, songwriter, and teacher Babbie Mason reminds you, when you know you are loved by God and that you are in His eternal plan, you’ll never again wonder if your life matters.  You can start off heading in the wrong direction and still end up in the right place because you are embraced by God!

About the Author:  Babbie Mason is a Dove Award-winning and Grammy nominated gospel singer, songwriter, author, creator of the Embrace: A Worship Event for Women ministry, professor of songwriting at Atlanta Christian College and Lee University, and a television talk-show host. She was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and has appeared on numerous national television and radio programs. Babbie has been honored perform for Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Colin Powell, Steve Forbes among many others. Babbie performs a holiday special at Carnegie Hall every year. Babbie lives near Atlanta on a farm with her husband Charles.

Click here for more information.

Click here to buy the book!

Embraced by God is a 21-day encounter that shares the unconditional love of God. "If you watch what the media says as to where we should find our identity--" says Babbie, "--money, beauty, power and technology--you'll just be confused about who you are and what your purpose is. As a culture we are trying to buy or sell what can only be administered to the soul by Jesus."

Celebrate with Babbie by entering her Nook Tablet Giveaway!

One beloved winner will receive:
A Brand new Nook Tablet with Wi-Fi
Embraced by God by Babbie Mason
Babbie's Embraced by God Music CD
Babbie's Embraced by God Notecards

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends 3/5/12. Winner will be announced at Babbie's "Embraced" Facebook Party on 3/6. Babbie will be hosting an evening of chat, music, laughter, and encouragement - bring your friends! She'll also be giving away some GREAT prizes: gift certificates, books, Embraced by God music CDs and Notecards, and a book club prize pack! (Ten copies of the book for your small group or book club.)

So grab your copy of Embraced by God and join Babbie and friends on the evening of March 6th for an evening of fun.

Want to check out what other readers are saying?  Visit the blog tour dates by clicking here.

My Thoughts:   I love a good bible study for my personal use, but I don't like do use them  for review on my blog, mostly because I have so little time and read non-fiction books regularyly dealing with my class.  When I do get the chance to read I want something that is light and mindless.   But when this invitation to join this tour I knew I had to join this tour.  I love Babbie Mason.  I have seen her in concert.  I have been touched by her powerful witness.  I was all in on this one.  I just prayed that they would choose me to be a participant, and they did. I did not get the book in enough time to do the 21-day challenge, but I becgan as soon as it arrived and I have loved every minute I have spent in it.  I am really looking forward to finishing this book and applying it to my life. It was so very encouraging to me to be told that I am an heir and loved by God, just like He loved Jesus. Then, to EMBRACE those words–that was so very humbling!!  I want to warn the readers that this excellent book is not a mere short devotional book.  It is a 15-20 page study.  It is not something that can be done lightly at all.  It is a powerful book and very well-written.  Thank you Babbie Mason for enlightening me....and allowing me to be Embraced by God.

Disclaimer:  I received Babbie Mason's Embraced by God for free from Abingdon Press to give an honest opinion of what I read.  The opinions I stated were 100% my own.

Playing Hurt Blog Tour and Kregel Publishing Giveaway

Published by: Kregel Publications
Copyright: 2011

ISBN: 978-0-8254-2673-5

About The Book: "Playing Hurt is a marriage book that husbands will actually want to read! Everyone admires people who play hurt, from the superstar athlete to the journeyman player who finishes the game even when hurt, sick, or falling apart. Everyone looks up to these athletes and wants to mimic their “never give up” attitude. Except when it comes to marriage. Most husbands are willing to take a bullet for their wives in a life-and-death situation; but when his bride fires the bullet--hurls an insult, disrespects him in public, ignores his foreplay in private--he’d rather throw in the towel than play through the pain. Playing Hurt is a biblical playbook for marriage that speaks in the language most men understand—the language of sports. Using a sports analogy to explain the motivation, means, and methods of playing hurt, author Brian Goins shows men how to overcome the temptation to stay on the bench. Playing Hurt is more about inspiration than instruction. It’s about finding the motivation to stay in the game, despite the pain. It’s about becoming like the One who knew more about nails and thorns than any superstar athlete. Using Ephesians 5 as a biblical basis, this book will call husbands to be the heroes they long to be--men who play hurt in order to win at marriage."

About The Author: Brian Goins is the author or editor of numerous study guides, workbooks, and Bible studies that he has developed for Insight for Living (Chuck Swindoll) and Walk Through the Bible. When he’s not traveling across the country as a Family Life Weekend to Remember speaker, he and his family reside in North Carolina.

My Thoughts: Although I am not a big sports fanatic and when I got this book I thought, "Great...a man book." I have to admit I was delightfully surprised and I really loved the insights given in Brian Goins book, Playing Hurt. The book was well written and truly one you did not want to put down. Each chapter added another play to Paul's Playbook for Playing Hurt. This book would be a great gift to a newlywed or an oldy wed. My biggest blessing from the book was that in many of the chapters my own husband kept appearing in the examples (even though he was not mentioned by name). I am one of the fortunate ones who has the husband who has the playbook and guidelines to love like Christ and seeing it in print made me smile. If you would like a copy of this book then click on this link and find out how and where you can get one. Want to see what other reviewers have to say then visit Litfuse Publicity for the Blog Tour Schedule.  My rating for the book is definitely a four star.

Video Trailer:



Giveaway: Kregel Publications is sponsoring a $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to both me and all my blog readers. All you have to do to enter is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about Playing Hurt or share about it on Facebook! It does not get any easier than that!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group and Kregel Publishing Co. as part of a September Blog Tour. 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."