Book Review: A Billion Reasons Why by Kristen Billerbeck

This is a new and fun read from Kristen Billerbeck! I have really enjoyed her past books about Ashley Stockingdale, and I really looked forward to reading A Billion Reasons Why. Although this book didn't grab my attention quite as much as her previous books, it is still good, clean, Christian fiction that I would recommend for anyone to read. I found the ending to be way too predictable, so it didn't make me want to read it in one sitting.

In this book, Katie McKenna has been burned by love in the past and has moved to California to get a fresh start on life. She meets a man named Dexter who gives her a "safe" relationship. They are about to become engaged, when Katie's boyfriend from eight years before walks back into the picture. Luc is the handsome, rich guy who stole Katie's heart but broke it back in New Orleans. He asks her to return home to sing for his brother's wedding, but at the same time, Luc knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her and goes after that opportunity.

I enjoyed that Katie was a special need's teacher in this book and how the story ended up unfolding with all of the Southern girl charm being exposed! I didn't know much about swing dancing and all, but enjoyed that part of the book, too. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, relaxing story to read. It would make a great beach book! Most of all, I loved that her faith was portrayed as such an important theme in this book!

I read this complimentary book from Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze to review. All opinions published in this post are my own.

New Covergirl Campaign at BzzAgent!!!

Join me in the party with CoverGirl by clicking on the following link and "liking" them on FaceBook!

http://www.facebook.com/covergirl?v=app_160134610689223
I have done a couple of CoverGirl campaigns through BzzAgent and loved them both!

Book Review: Voices of the Faithful Book 2 by Kim Davis & Beth Moore

This devotional has given me goosebumps as I have read the true and amazing stories of what God is doing all over the world through ordinary people like you and I who have chosen to obey Him and go to other countries and share his gospel!! Voices of the Faithful Book 2 has 366 daily devotions from more than 300 missionaries who share their stories and let us become aquainted with real people whose lives have been changed by God. Written and compiled by Beth Moore and Kim Davis, this is the second devotional written with true accounts from International Mission Board missionaries who have dedicated their lives to following Jesus wherever he leads. Each day begins with a scripture verse and is followed by a short, true story from a missionary. These are truly uplifting and amazing accounts of God-moments! Each devotional ends with a short prayer. This book will encourage you to pray for global missions and also make you think about how you can be a "missionary" right where you are now. There are so many people who need God where you are today.....open your eyes and ears to see where he can use you! A complimentary copy of this book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze to read and review. All opinions here are my own.

Book Review: Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan

What an inspiration to read about the history of songs and what events occurred for the author to write them! My personal favorite was the hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" by Horatio G. Spafford. This book is filled with 150 different songs and the stories behind each one of them. They vary from favorite hymns to Easter and Christmas songs. I learned many things while reading this book. I never realized that "Jesus Loves Me" was written by a woman. I also liked the way that this book was laid out. The left hand side of each page contains the actual music and lyrics to the song, while the right hand side has the story behind the song. The song page is large enough that if you wanted to play the music, you would have no problem reading the music notes. It is comparable to the size in a church hymnal. Each story also begins with a scripture verse that parallels the song. The pages have a deckle edge which adds to the uniqueness of this book.

I plan to pass "Then Sings My Soul" along to the musicians at our church and then place it in the church library for others to read. I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze and Thomas Nelson to read and review. All opinions of this book are my own.

Just Dance 2 House Party coming up soon!

Hey, everyone! We are going to be hosting a Just Dance 2 House Party on November 20th at our house!!! Jamie and I are excited to be chosen for this one! If you would like to come, please just send me an email or call. We are going to be starting somewhere around 5:30-ish. This is going to be so much fun!!! :)

Book Review: Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

I just finished reading Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck. This book takes place in a small town in South Carolina. Joy, the main character of the novel, is the host of a cooking show that was her father's whenever he was still alive. She takes the job after he passes away and has a very well-kept secret.....she cannot even cook! Luke Redmon comes across her path when he moves to South Carolina after claiming bankruptcy of his Manhattan restaurant. The plot continues as they end up co-hosting the cooking show together. They both being to fall for the other making this a sweet Christian-based work of fiction. Joy's big secret does become revealed by Wenda Devine, who is her rival in the cooking world. As the rest of the book unfolds, you see how Joy turns to God and how his plan is always the "better" plan for us all.

This book was "okay" in my opinion. I love to read Christian fiction, but this book was hard for me to stay focused on. It wasn't like some books that I read and just can't put down. It was good, clean Christian romance if that is what you are looking for, but I probably will not be reading any more books by Rachel Hauck unless someone just highly recommends one to me. I received this complimentary book from Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze to read and review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Book Review: Really Woolly Bible Stories by Bonnie R. Jensen

I enjoyed reading Really Woolly Bible Stories by Bonnie Rickner Jensen to my 2 1/2 year old son! He loved the short little Bible stories and the cute illustrations on every page. This book takes you through some of the most familiar Bible stories for children: Creation, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, The Ten Commandments, David and Goliath, Daniel, Jonah, Jesus' Birth, Jesus and the Little Children, Feeding the Five Thousand, The Good Samaritan, Walking on Water, The Cross and The Tomb, and The Great Commission. This is a board book with a padded cover which is great for children 1-7. If you have an older child, there is a reference with each Bible story that tells you where you can find it in the Bible. You could read the little story in the book and then go deeper by reading the same story from the Scriptures with your child. The book also begins with an introduction that says: "Through these stories you will discover that God is faithful and true, and Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will always take care of you!" I plan to give this copy to a friend of mine who is expecting a baby. What a great way to share the love of Jesus with our children!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze to read and review. All opinions of this book are my own.