Giveaway - My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah: Leana's Choice by Angie Dicken

My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate Utah by Angie Dicken

Book blurb:
Journey now to Castle Gate, Utah of 1910 where...
Forbidden Love Tries to Survive Old World Expectations

Schoolteacher Leanna McKee plans on leaving the coal mining town of Castle Gate, Utah, and never looking back. Good riddance to coal dust, rugged men, and the fatal mine that took her husband’s life.

Until the widow meets a widower who awakens her heart...and she finds herself inexplicably falling for miner Alex Pappas which stirs up a whole heap of trouble.

Alex’s Greek parents have arranged a more traditional match for him.  When the schoolteacher’s association with the Greek family begins to anger the American miners, they threaten Alex and his family. Leanna has received an offer to teach elsewhere and feels she has no choice but to leave Castle Gate. . .though she will be leaving her heart behind.

Guest Post by Andrea Stephens

Andrea's Thoughts

This book fits the theme of Overcoming With God so well.

     Leanna must overcome the guilt and anger she has for herself and her late husband. “How many times had she prayed forgiveness since Jack's death? Yet how many times had she thought ill of the man since he's been laid to rest?”

     Alex must overcome the prejudice between Greek immigrants and the Americans.  More importantly, he must overcome the feeling that God left him when his wife died.
     Leanna and Alex acknowledge their love. During a discussion,  Leanna says “But we have a whole country against a match like ours.”  Leanna decides it is best for everyone if she leaves and accepts a new job in Salt Lake. Before she leaves, a wealthy family friend finds her in Castle Gate from a letter she had written to her cousin. He offers to marry her, restoring her to her family and former life. She does not love him, but he does offer security. What will she do?

    Leanna leaves Castle Gate after tragedy strikes the Pappas family. Will they be able to overcome the hate crime?

     Months pass, both Alex and Leanna have moved on with their lives but are not happy. It is only after surrendering everything to God that they see the truth. Will it be together or apart? 
    

This is a good book! It is so much more than a romance. It made me want to look up some of the historical points for more information. I was not taught any of this in school.   I enjoyed the bits of Greek culture and tradition I learned from the book too.

     Angie Dicken did a wonderful job of writing the message of hope in truth and forgiveness throughout the story of Leanna and Alex.
     I will leave you with another quote from the book.
“Plan? We are all foolish to think we have the best plans for ourselves, aren't we? There's something greater nudging us out of the darkness.”

Giveaway: A paperback copy of Angie Dicken's new release My Heart Belongs in Castle Gate, Utah: Leana's Choice from Barbour Publishing!

Diana's Review of An Amish Buggy Ride by Sarah Price

An Amish Buggy Ride

An Amish Buggy Ride By Sarah Price

Waterfall Press, 2014

In that unique voice of hers, Sarah Price has penned a heartrending but lovely story of romance, secrets, guilt, and shame – under the guise of a seemingly perfect Amish community; overflowing with colorful daffodils, robin red-breasts, and sparkling, fish-filled rivers.

Kate is a lovely young Amish woman, whose life and the lives of her entire family were changed the night a terrible tragedy took place. Feeling responsible, Kate's life consists of helping her father run the family farm, attending church, and helping her aunt with her new baby. After all, how could she possibly go to singings, laugh, and be social as if nothing had ever happened? Her life is made even more miserable by the guilt piled on her by an obnoxious family member and the obvious darkness hovering over her family. When the handsome and friendly Samuel Esh comes into Kate's life she has no social skills, but slowly begins to open up as a rosebud in the summer sun. However, she knows deep down she can never have Samuel for she has greatly sinned, not once but twice…

In her own exquisite style, Sarah Price has once again penned a unique "out-of-the box" Amish tale guaranteed to captivate the reader from page one! Ms. Price masterfully writes of an Amish community – where the consequences of keeping dark secrets are as far reaching as the ripples in a stream, and where love hides a multitude of sins! An Amish Buggy Ride is truly a wonderful story of romance and redemption, and one that made me cry because of the stark reality of the storyline. Not your typical cookie cutter Amish read – be sure to put this one at the top of your wishlist!

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This book may be purchased through Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and your local bookstore.

GIVEAWAY: Sarah Price is generously giving away a paperback copy of An Amish Buggy Ride to one lucky commenter! USA entries only!

Guest Post by Review Dude: Ender's Game Audiobook Review

Ender's Game Audibook Cover on Kindle Fire

Good but Slightly Disturbing SciFi Book!

Rating: Four and a half stars. Ender is sorry for the aliens he has killed but not as much for the fellow humans he killed.

Narrator: Four. Well in all, but the narrator sounded depressed.

Spoiler alert: Please note this review will include spoilers.

Orson Scott Card spin a yarn about what could happen in a world where everything is based around fear of aliens. Card creates a responsible quick-minded hero who although regretting it later does whatever he needs to do to survive.

Ender Wiggin's story begins with him as a six-year-old in an urban unnamed U.S. city living with his mother, father, and brilliant brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine. As a "third" (third child) Ender shouldn't be alive because third children weren't allowed to live unless the government allows them to be born. His parents got permission because his siblings were brilliant.

Ender is selected for a school for brilliant ambitious and command-worthy kids to be sent up to a space station called Battle School for training. This story is about Ender's Battle School and Command School experiences in defeating the Formix, AKA, "the Buggers". Afterwards, Ender goes to a different world and discovers a hive queen egg and the hive queen communicates mind-to-mind with him and he realizes that the buggers did not come back to invade because they realized humans were sentient beings, after they were defeated in the two bugger wars.

Christian/bibliotherapy aspects: Coping with guilt, being deceived by others, how parents' faithfulness can influence children, wandering from faith, and how not remaining in faith affects people.


We purchased this audiobook at www.audible.com.
Ender's Game Audiobook by Orson Scott Card from Audible.com


Bio: Review Dude is a 12-year-old guest poster who enjoys reading Sci Fi and Fantasy. Thank you Review Dude for your post.

Giveaway contest: Most interesting comment will be the winner, as determined by Review Dude.

Overcoming Guilt and Shame of the Past by Diana Flowers

I recently finished a wonderful new novel called A Love Surrendered by one of my favorite authors, Julie Lessman, in which the hero in the book suffered from such shame and guilt over his past, he simply could not move on. His relationships with his friends were stagnant. He couldn't have a meaningful relationship with a young lady, and he couldn't even have one with God – or so he thought. Just a book character . . . right? Christians in real life aren't plagued by shame and guilt . . . wrong! After talking with many Christian and non-Christian women and family members I knew I HAD to write this post.

Us women are all so different—some of us like fishing, others cooking, gardening, hiking and one of my Facebook friends loves riding four wheelers (not me!). But one thing we all have in common is a past. The past is anything that happened before today. One may carry guilt over something that happened just yesterday, a year ago, or perhaps something that occurred in their childhood—and 30 plus odd years down the road it's still weighing them down. Some may harbor guilt or shame concerning events in their lives before they came to Christ, still others after they became a Christian. Many unfortunately bear the heavy burden of shame concerning sin that someone perpetrated against them.

Satan uses guilt and shame as a ploy to get the believer to think about past failures and to cause them to see themself in a distorted light. And he uses it with unbelievers as well – to make them feel unworthy of salvation. His objective is to keep us looking back at our past failures so much, that we begin to see ourselves as failures – the complete opposite of what we really are! How can we move forward with God with one foot still chained to the past? Remember Lot's wife who dared to look back (Genesis 19:26)—and thank God we live under the new covenant!

The woman at the well (John 4) was living a shameful life when she happened upon Jesus that fateful day. He told her she had been married umpteen times and the man she was now living with was not her husband. Did He condemn her? No, He was just telling her the facts and He told her how to get free! I'm convinced she repented, picked up a broom, beat that man out of her house, and lived a new life free from guilt and condemnation of the past. Romans 8:1 says—There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit!

The first step in freeing ourselves from the sins and guilt of the past – if we haven't done so already – is to repent and make Jesus the Lord of our lives. Simply ask Him to forgive you, come into your heart, and life, and make a new creature out of you—and He will! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says—Therefore if any man (or woman – my words) be in Christ, he/she is a new creature: old things are passed away; Behold all things are become new! ALL things!!!

The second step is asking forgiveness for not forgiving one's self for a past that is under the blood. A preacher said something so simple and profound one day that it literally changed my life and my whole thought process. He said that when a person will not forgive himself for the past and continues to carry guilt and shame over it, it is saying that Jesus' blood was not enough for us. Though He took upon Him the sin and shame of the whole world and shed His life's blood that we might find forgiveness – we are saying His blood wasn't enough; if we won't forgive ourselves. My shame and guilt were a thing of the past when I heard that. However . . .

The third step is to think about those things no more. Let them go! When satan tries to remind you of your past – remind him of his future! In Micah, God tells us that all of our sins are cast into the depth of the sea, never to be remembered any more by Him. I don't want to dredge them all the way up from there . . . do you? Hebrews 8:12 says—"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Now that our past has been blotted out, it's time to forget it, and as Philippians 3:13 says—Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before; I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

I would be remiss here if I didn't address something to you that I had personally battled over for years . . . guilt and shame over things that were perpetrated against you that were not your fault. Jesus bore the stripes, the shame and shed His blood for that, too. We may not understand why that had to happen to us, but we live in a sinful, fallen world and some day we will be rewarded for all the tears we have shed because of another's sinful actions. Kneel at the cross and leave your guilt and shame at his nail scarred feet. Give it to Him and He will carry it for you. It's too heavy for us to bear, brothers and sisters, but He already bore it for us at Calvary's cross.

I end this post with tears streaming down my cheeks as I know firsthand the suffering that some of you have carried around for years. Let's kneel before the King together and walk forward hand in hand with our heads held high, for after all, we are Princes and Princesses—children of the most High, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Audiobook Review of Karen Witemeyer's Short Straw Bride by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Short Straw Bride

Short Straw Bride
By Karen Witemeyer
(Bethany House, 2012)                           

5 stars*****

I listened to Short Straw Bride as an audible.com download.  A great listen!  

Karen Witemeyer's Short Straw Bride reflects themes of parental death, responsibility for family, and isolation from other as a means of protection.  Set in post-Civil War Texas, a young girl, Meredith Hayes, crosses the line onto Archer land. The young men, orphans, have as their family head Travis Archer, the oldest boy.

Travis blames himself for his father's death. His guilt and a commitment he made to his father imprisons him and his brothers on their land.

A decade later, Meredith overhears something that sends her back to the Archers.  All these years, she has harbored feelings for Travis.  An adult orphan now, her aunt and uncle are pushing her into an unsuitable marriage. 

I love the "Short Straw Bride" title and the theme in the book, which was very clever.  And Meredith has a physical issue that Karen well incorporates into the storyline.

I don't want to spoil the story, but I will say this book had it all--voice that was great for the characters (and a narrator for this audiobook who was very good), tight storyline, and great characterization and romance.  

Don't miss out on this!  And if you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend this latest release by Karen Witemeyer!


Karen Witemeyer's books can be purchased at Amazon, CBD, B & N, Lifeway and other Christian book stores. 



Giveaway:  Karen is giving away a signed copy of SSB this week and we are offering a choice of any of Karen's books, choice of format (international winners ebook only.)  

Guest Review by Helen Wakefield: Julie Lessman's "A Passion Denied"

 

A Passion Denied 

by Julie Lessman

(Revell, 2009)
Review by Helen Wakefield

A Passion Denied is the third and final instalment in Julie Lessman’s The Daughters of Boston Series.  After the stories of Faith and Charity, it’s the quiet sister’s turn.   Lizzie O’Connor is all grown up and no longer sees John Brady as a brother figure.  But for some reason, this man refuses to return her love.

I read all three books in quick succession, drawn in by Julie’s dramatic and passionate writing.  But I have to admit, when I started reading A Passion Denied, I was a little blasé.   I wasn’t expecting anything new or earth shattering.  I figured Julie had packed all the drama she possibly could have in the first two books in the series.

Suddenly, a new character arrives on the scene and in an instant I sat up and took notice.  Now  I was utterly intrigued.  Where was this story going? My mind went wild with possibilities as I read on.  But there was no way I could have guessed where the story went – plot twists, after all, are a Julie Lessman specialty!

I was shocked at Mr-Goody-Two-Shoes Brady’s past, but I admire the fact Julie isn’t afraid to touch on controversial issues.  The truth is, the world sees these issues on a daily basis, and just because we’re Christian doesn’t mean we’re sheltered from them.

Julie deals with the issue of guilt, and the importance of obtaining forgiveness not only from God,  but from ourselves and one another.  One of the messages I got from this novel is that nothing is beyond God’s forgiveness.

A Passion Denied is full of the unexpected – Julie has the drama dial turned all the way up.    There’s plenty of eye popping deception and manipulation to keep you flicking pages in a hurry.   Fans of Faith and Charity will be happy to know they still get an insight into their lives.  Their present struggles make for entertaining subplots, and Marcy and Patrick have their own set of troubles.  Everything is sewn up nicely in the end and I was left with that warm O’Connor family feeling, and a few tears of joy as well J


Helen Wakefield runs the book review blog, Book Review Sisters, with her sister, Jessica.  They review Christian historical fiction, women's fiction and young adult fiction, usually with strong romantic elements.  Helen is currently working on her first book, a Christian young adult novel set in her home country, Australia.


Here is the link for Julie Lessman books available for purchase through Amazon (click here.)

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Your choice of Julie's books, choice of format*. Void where prohibited by law. *International winners will only receive the book in ebook format not as a paperback. Three giveaways this week!