Monday, July 30, 2007

Cassidy

Title: Cassidy
Author: Lori WickPublished by Harvest House Publishers, 2007.
ISBN 978-0-7369-1618-9.
Reviewed for Reader Views, 7/07.

What is a young lady to do when she wants to make a break from the family which she was born into? Cassidy Norton has moved to Token Creek to begin her new life. She is an accomplished seamstress who has opened her own sewing business in the village. She has made a success of herself. She has even hired an employee to help her with her abundance of orders. She has a terrific friendship with Meg and her husband Brad. She and Meg are as close as two best friends could ever be, they are as close as sisters. There are plenty of suitors for young Cassidy, including Pastor Rylan.

Brad owns a ranch with his brother Trace. Trace lives on the ranch with Brad and Meg and is very excited about becoming an uncle within a few months. Trace and Cassidy have gotten to be very close friends. They fear losing their friendship if they should ever become a courting couple. Token Creek is becoming a bigger town and Saturday nights have become dangerous so she starts spending her Saturday nights at the ranch. Besides that way she can worship her Lord and Savior with her friends on Sunday mornings.

Now as long as nothing happens to ruin Cassidy's chance at true happiness and success. Her mother knows where she is living and her alias however, secrets sometimes can be found out. As long as Cassidy remains faithful to her Lord, there is nothing that can destroy her. Her debt and our debts have been paid and we can experience true happiness. Lori Wick has done it again with a fantastic book which will have you entranced in the adventure and romance in Montana in 1880. From cover to cover, you will love visiting Token Creek and meeting its residents. This is book one in the Big Sky Dreams series, and I can hardly wait until book two comes out. Take me back to Token Creek, Montana, its a place I would love to visit again and again.

Crimson Tide Madness

Title: Crimson Tide Madness
Author: Wilton Sharpe
Published by Cumberland House, 2007.
ISBN: 978-1-58182-580-0.
Reviewed for Reader Views, 7/07.

Are you a National Football League fan? If you are, chances are your favorite team has at least one member who has graduated from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. The mascot for the University of Alabama is known as the Crimson Tide. The university's football team has a tradition of greatness. The Crimson Tide boasts 12 national championships, 3 times they have won in back to back years.

"The Crimson Tide Madness" is a tribute to the many legends who have once worn the red and white. It is separated into key sections which focus on traditions, legends, coaches, quarterbacks and the great rivalries. This book is packed with quotes from former players, coaches both NFL and Crimson Tide; and famous NFL players who are Alabama alumni. There are stories which will enlighten football fans of all ages."The Crimson Tide Madness" is part of a series of Golden Ages of College Sports.

College football is very much a part of Saturdays in the fall both in person and television coverage. After reading this awesome tribute to the Crimson Tide you will soon be sporting red and white. Cheering for the 'Bama team each time they take the field for a Southeastern Conference game or one of the many bowls that they have been invited to play in.

Go Crimson Tide!

The Entrepreneurial Mom: Managing for Success in your Home and Your Business

Title: The Entrepreneurial Mom: Managing for Success in Your Home and Your Business
Author: Mary E Davis
Published by Cumberland House, 2007.
ISBN: 978-1-58182-591-6
Reviewed for Reader Views, 7/07.

Do you feel the need to expand your horizons? Do you desire to be more than "just a stay-at-home mom?" Do you want to combine the best profession of being a mother with being your own boss and earning an income? Do you want the flexibility of earning an income uet being available for your children? If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps you have just the right qualities of being an entrepreneurial mom.

Mary E Davis has developed a book to help you every step of the way to becoming an entrepreneurial. She uses her own personal experience in owning her own flooring business for 15 years. She gives you insights you wouldn't get if it weren't for the voice of experience.Often times she adds humor to her display of experience in starting a business from an idea to a success.

"The Entrepreneurial Mom" gives you an opportunity to explore just how you can combine being your own boss and being the quality mother that your family needs. One particular chapter that I found to be very useful is not just for entrepreneurial moms but for all moms, no matter if they are stay-at-home or working moms. It is entitled "101 Time Savers, Stress Reducers, and Inspirations for Moms."

This is a sure-fire book for mothers who have the dream of opening their own business either now or somewhere down the road!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Strategic Prayer

Title: Strategic Prayer

Author: Eddie Smith and Michael L Hennen

Published by Bethany House Publishers, 2007.

ISBN: 0-7642-0342-8.

Reviewed for Reader Views, July 2007.



"This then is how you should pray, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." In Matthew Chapter 6:9, Jesus teaches us to pray. People have been praying since the world was created. In fact, In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Christ himself prayed the night before he died. So are you one of those who just repeat the same prayers time after time without really thinking about what you are saying? "Why is it that my prayer is ineffective and never seems to be answered in quite the way I want it to be?" Perhaps you feel that praying doesn't even help, that God doesn't answer your prayers. If this is you, "Strategic Prayer" is for you.

Strategic Prayer" is just that. Through this book, you are applying strategy to your prayers. Is it you are focusing on the Lord's answers instead of altering your requests. The enemy has his own goals and strategies that are in direct competition with your goals. Eddie Smith and Michael Hennen have developed 27 principles of strategic prayer for you to follow. There are ways to proactive in prayer. You can be praying the promises of God, for the prophecies of God, for the gifts of God, for the Power of God, for the Presence of God and for the Glory of God.

"Strategic Prayer Apply the Power of Targeted Prayer" is an excellent book which is well organized by giving each principle its own chapter. There are many Scripture references pertaining to the principles included. Each chapter also gives you key points, spiritual reconnaissance with questions that will help you evaluate which specific areas you need to address in your own life, and also questions which make the reader think about personalizing their prayers.

When you desire to pray for a particular desire or need, "Strategic Prayer" is there to help. This is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to target their prayers according to their specific circumstances. So rather than giving up on prayer thinking that prayer is useless or that God isn't answering your prayers, think again and take a copy of "Strategic Prayer" in your hands and it will help you through.

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak," Matthew 26:41.

Doesn't She Look Natural?

Title: Doesn't She Look Natural?
Author: Angela Hunt
Published by Tyndale House Publishers, 2007.
ISBN: 978-1-4143-1169-2.

Thomas Graham has left his wife Jennifer with their two young sons for the nanny. Thomas and Jennifer have recently divorced and she and the boys have moved into her mother's house. She needs to rebuild her life and fast. The $40,000 that she received from the sale of the home will not last long. Having given up her job on Capitol Hill because of her husband's infidelity leaves her without a job but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Uncle Ned has recently died and left his property to his niece Jennifer. Jennifer, her mother Joella, and the boys leave for Mt Dora, Florida to check out this inheritance. Fairlawn is a beautiful property but wait. Fairlawn is a funeral home and it comes complete with an on-site caretaker named Gerald. Gerald was Ned's right hand man and is very knowledgable in funeral directoring and all that goes with it. Mt Dora also has some unique residents. The attorney handling the estate is Daniel Sladen who always seems to show up when Jennifer is feeling lost and lonely. There is an active Red Hat Society in the town led by Mavis who has her own ideas of how things should be.

Jennifer plans on only staying in Mt Dora long enough to sell the property. But the best laid plans sometimes do not turn out quite as anticipated. Jennifer is afraid to even think of dealing with the dead so why should she want to stay in the funeral home business. She is bitter that Thomas doesn't want to spend any time with his young sons? Can Jennifer's heart be softened and will she see that God has His hand in placing her in this place at this time?

Angela Hunt is a very talented author whose books allow the reader to expect the unexpected. It is very easy to fall in love with the characters in this small town in Florida. It is very easy to feel like you are right there in Mt Dora as you read this delightful book. I am happy to see that this book is the first in a three book series because I certainly would love to visit this picturesque town again. Will Jennifer look like a natural in her new surroundings? Hurry to Mt Dora and find out!

The Road Home

Title: The Road Home
Author: Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen
Published by Bethany House Publishers, 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0030-5.

There's no place like home, right? What if you have never really had a place to call home? Ruth has had a very difficult life from living in foster homes, certainly a less than stellar childhood to being a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas. Just when she gets settled into her marriage to Lonnie and being a member of his family, tragedy strikes him and his brother just 3 years after their father's death.

Naomi is Ruth's mother-in-law who is dealing with the death of her sons death. She encourages her daughters-in-law to go back to their home. Naomi decides it is time for her to go back to "her people" in Pennsylvania. She has a homestead in Lancaster County in which to live once she gets there. Oprah and Ruth are ready to part ways with her but at the very last moment, Ruth jumps off the bus and catches up with Naomi with nothing but the clothes on her back. Ruth is determined to drive Naomi home to Pennsylvania. Will the 1976 Impala make it the whole way from Nevada to Pennsylvania? With a prayer, perhaps the car will make it. Neither woman has much money but if they pool their resources perhaps they will have enough to make it back there?

This is one road trip where an unlikely pair have very trying and often times humorous adventures. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have no real family ties now but they get to know each other on a different basis than in years gone by. They each share parts of their past and become best friends. What awaits them should they reach Lancaster County?

A great deal of time has gone by since Naomi Kaufmann Yoder has lived in the area. Will the land she plans to rebuild her life on still be hers? Like the book of Ruth in the Bible, will there be a kinsman redeemer who can help the women with the monetary problems that are presented? "The Road Home" is a delightful story written about the gentle people who enjoy simplicity in their lives.

"The Road Home" combines adventure, a beautiful friendship between two women who were once inlaws, humor, and a heartwarming love story all in one. "The Road Home" is a winding one with twists and turns along the way. This is excellent reading for all people who enjoy a story which combines adventure, a beautiful friendship between two women who were once inlaws, humor, and a heartwarming love story all in one. The twosome never gives up hope that God is directing their paths. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Take "The Road Home", it is one trip that will not be soon forgotten!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Dealing With the Crazymakers in Your Life

Title: Dealing with the CrazyMakers in Your Life
Author: Dr David Hawkins
Published by Harvest House Publishers, 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-7369-1841-1.
Reviewed for Reader Views (07/07)

"Its YOU that has the problem NOT me!"
"You're the one who is crazy NOT me!"
How many times have you ever heard that? Maybe those aren't the exact words you hear but surely you deal with these type of people in your daily life. These people are referred to as crazymakers. Crazymakers come is a wide array of personalities. There are the aggressors who will stop at nothing to get you over to following their will. There are the egotists who are so full of themselves that there is no room for anyone else to even have a place. There are those walking "time bombs" you know the type, they can blow at any given moment. There is those with the "poor me" attitude who always feel like have been given a bum rap and that everything they experience is absolutely the worst. There are also the "authorities" whose attitude is its their way or no way. There is help on the way to help you take control of your unhealthy relationships.

Perhaps these crazymakers are your co-workers, members of your family or even your spouse. There is help on the way to help you take control of your unhealthy relationships. Dr David Hawkins, the relationship doctor is here for you. With over 30 years of counseling experience, he brings his knowledge and applicable verses from Holy Scripture to give you hope. You are important and its time for you to step up and let your thoughts and feelings be known. Your first step is to get out of their trap. They don't need to have reigns on you any longer. You can break free and live a different way than the way you have been. You can change from enduring to being happy in your relationships.

Since crazymakers are all over, this easy to use guide book is excellent reading for anyone. I found it very easy to read and is a wealth of valuable information and insights to apply to my daily life. After reading this book, I am very interested in reading more books written by this relationship doctor. I feel empowered by this book and can now set boundaries in relationships and go from enduring to enjoying the time of grace on this earth. Dealing with crazymakers is a fact of life but its not an end but a beginning!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

The Sassy Girl's Checklist for Living, Loving & Overcoming

Title: The Sassy Girl's Checklist for Living, Loving & Overcoming
Author: Michelle McKinney Hammond
Published by Harvest House Publishers, 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-7369-1827-5.
Written for ReaderViews.com (7/07)



Are you enjoying every aspect of your life? How can you make an impact on all those people around you? "The Sassy Girl's Checklist for Living, Loving & Overcoming" is a must read for all women.

Throughout this marvelous book by Michelle McKinney Hammond there are many tips to help you along your way to becoming the woman who God has created you to be. Michelle takes each few verses of Proverbs into a chapter of its own. At the end of each small section is a place with thought-provoking questions to check yourself. You can check yourself to see if you are on the correct track. There is also white space on some pages for you to record your own personal thoughts and meditations.

There are many inspiring stories and personal reflections which Michelle McKinney Hammond brings to add more impact to her book. Throughout the book, you will be reassured that God is there for you every step of your way in this life. This is written for all women, it makes no difference if you are young or old, married or single. You can become the woman which God has designed you to be. One particular Scripture verse kept surfacing as I was reading this book: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalms 139:14)

You are an unique person and God has created you to be a blessing to others!

Copper Star

Title: Copper Star
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Published by Vintage Romance Publishing, 2006.

Copper Springs, Arizona welcomes you! Come visit the town of Copper Springs meet some of the most interesting people you have ever met. Pastor Robert Gordon is man whose wife left him with his young son William. The people of the town think that William is an idiot but the fact is that he is unable to hear. Aunt Martha runs an one-woman kitchen in the parsonage. Due to his seminary friend Dietrich's urging, the Gordons open their house to Louisa Schmetterling. Louisa is a young German lady who has left Germany during wartime and Adolf Hitler's dictatorship.

Louisa has clear cut plans to return to her native land after the war. However, the best laid plans can be broken when God is directing what happens. There are many advances in dealing with the deaf and mute children at this time. Louisa does research and decides to make the most of her time in Copper Springs. She takes on teaching William how to talk and use sign language since he is too young to attend the boarding school for deaf children. As she works with the young son of Reverend Robert, they begin to realize that they have a friendship developing. But Reverend Robert is afraid to let go of his feelings of abandonment of his first wife and Louisa has plans to leave anyway.

"Copper Star" offers a beautiful budding romance. There is mystery involved in what is happening to the money of the residents of Copper Springs. This is a very inspirational story of God's guiding hand and how He can direct paths according to His purpose. Once you have visited this booming copper mining town you will discover an old-fashioned romance and mystery rolled into one!

How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls

Title: How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls

Author: Zoey Dean

Published by Warner Books, 2007.

ISBN: 0-446-69718-4.



What if your first position out of Yale University is nothing like you anticipated it being? Megan Smith has just graduated from Yale University. She thought she had already secured a position with a publishing company. She had graduated magna cum laude with a double major in English and American History. Her hopes are soon dashed by the editor in chief at the publisher, who tells her they just can't use her but she knows someone who can. How will she be using her talents, education and abilities?

Surely being a tutor to the very spoiled Baker girls has to some sort of a joke. Laurel Limoges has a plush estate in Palm Beach Florida. The only requirements has for Megan is to prepare her twin granddaughters for their SATs during her 2 months. Megan can use whatever vehicle she wants and has an unlimited expense account not to mention having the opportunity to live the life of a rich person. This presents a huge problem as neither Sage or Rose has any interest in studying but rather partying, shopping, and spending loads of money on their selfish selves.

Megan has a terrible sense of style and Rose and Sage decide to help her along in becoming up to date with styles. Megan's lack of style shows through in many humorous situations along the way. Rose, Sage and Megan must come to an agreement and somehow find a way to work together. The twins have an education to gain and Megan has a $75,000 bonus to pay off her college loans to attain.

From cover to cover you will find yourself laughing and being hooked to the entertaining storyline. The story is written much like Cinderella facing incredible odds of achieving success, financial gain and a handsome prince. To have a job teaching filthy rich girls and a plush place to live for 2 months may sound like a breeze but for Megan this is definitely more work than it is pleasure. "How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls" is a great book for anyone who likes a rags to riches story.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Gone With The Groom

Title: Gone With the Groom
Author: Janice A Thompson
Published by Barbour Publishing 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59789-642-9

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Brandi Peterson and Scott Cunningham on February 14. That's only 2 weeks away and the Peterson house is very chaotic. Rather than just the regular preparations for the wedding, the family is also involived in a missing person search. The missing person is none other than Scott Cunningham, groom to be.

Brandi's parents, Annie and Warren are playing host to Brad and Nadine, Scott's mother and step father. Having the future inlaws staying with the other inlaws can create interesting memories. Its a full house when Annie's parents arrive from the deep South for the big event. If there is still to be a wedding.

Annie is known to be quite a sleuth. Well, she's going to have to use all her skills and Sasa, her dachshund, to smell out clues and find Scott before the big day. Annie is nicknamed Agatha Annie. She is not a professional detective and finds her some strange and some very hilarious situations along the way.

Janice A Thompson has created a wonderful book. "Gone With the Groom" combines mystery, humor, a fantastic storyline and unforgetttable characters. With its many twists and turns, "Gone With the Groom" will keep you involved from cover to cover. The Peterson family's faith in God is tested throughout the book but with the help of their church family and faith in God they will get through this time of their life. Perhaps they will even be blessed through this trial.

Plan now to check in with the Peterson for the biggest event in Brandi's lifetime!