Dark Deception by Nancy Mehl

Dark Deception is the second book in the Defenders of Justice series. I have not read the first book in this series, but it did not affect me as I read this book, because it felt like a stand-alone book. This book is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. It is the story of Kate, a young woman who witnessed her sister's murder and almost died herself. Now she is in the witness protection program and she struggles with bad memories from her past. When Tony, a deputy Marshal, comes back into her life, things start getting out of control again and Kate must fight to survive yet again. Every time I thought I had this book figured out, something else happened that made me question my predictions. This book is very suspenseful and hard to put down once you start. It is a quick read that feels like it could easily be made into a great movie. One word of advice, do not read this at night if you are a scaredy cat like myself...be sure to read it in broad daylight because you will definitely be transported as you read this thriller! I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Healing Ruby by Jennifer H. Westall

Wow, what a book! I have literally just finished reading this book and I absolutely loved it. I like to write my review as soon as I finish reading while the story is still on my mind. What can I say except that the author has a true gift for writing! This book grabbed me from the moment I started it and I found myself unable to do much of anything else until I finished it! I read this book with tears in my eyes at times which shows you how much the story affects the emotions. The main character, Ruby, is easy to fall in love with and I absolutely loved her. Ruby has a special gift and a love and compassion for others that not many people have. She also listens to the Lord and does what he calls her to do. If only I could be so brave! I don't want to spoil any of this story for the readers so I will just say, READ IT. Now, off to Amazon to get the other books in the series! Can't wait to find out what happens next!

Praying with Eyes Wide Open by Sherry Harney

Praying with Eyes Wide Open is the perfect book for you if your prayer life needs a makeover. This book will help you to see prayer in a different light and really think about ways to improve your conversations with our Lord and Savior. Throughout this book, the author tells us of a unique way to pray: with our eyes open. Literally! The author challenges the reader to try praying with their eyes open and to see how it changes their prayer life. Also, the author talks about what it really means to "pray continuously" and how we can have an open connection to God. I really enjoyed this book and it would be a great book to share with friends or a small group in order to improve everyone's prayer lives. I could see myself reading this book and over and over and seeing something new in it each time. It's a perfect guidebook for prayer. I had two favorite chapters in this book that really stood out to me and they were Chapter 12: Replace Worry with Prayer and Chapter 13: Praying for Others. These chapters really made me think and I gained information that will help me daily in my prayer life. I will definitely be recommending this book to my family and friends. I received this book from Baker Books in exchange for my honest review.

Top 50 Instant Bible Lessons for Elementary

I absolutely love this book! This book teaches about so many important Bible stories. Each of the 50 lessons includes interactive activities for children that help them to have a better understanding of the lesson. Some of my favorite features of the book were the tips on learning, development, behavior, and for volunteers. I also like that each lesson had a "Big Idea" which was the main focus of the story. As a Sunday School teacher, this book would be very beneficial to me and I would definitely recommend it to other teachers. I also love the reproducible pages that go along with each story. They seem to be of very good quality. I did find a couple of typos in this book. The first one was on page 33. At the bottom of the column, it says "on per child" when it should be "one per child." Also, on page 138, in the materials list, cooking supplies and sticky note pads runs together instead of being listed by separate bullets. There were also a couple of activities that I would personally skip. I was not a fan of the egg activities, but that would still not keep me from buying or recommending this book. I think this book is excellent for elementary students and the activities are age appropriate. This book would benefit the student as well as the teacher, because it is full of interesting topics and activities to help everyone grow in their spiritual journey. I received a digital copy of this book from Rose Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

The God and Me Bible-Ages 6-9(Girls Devotional)

The God and Me Bible is an excellent collection of Bible stories geared towards girls of ages 6-9. This Bible story book is divided into two sections: Old Testament and New Testament. The Bible stories are easy to read and understand and are age appropriate. After each Bible story, there are activity pages that test the reader's understanding of the information that they read. The activity pages are definitely my favorite element of this book. These pages offer a variety of different activities such as mazes, word searches, drawing, and much more. This makes the book more interactive and really helps the reader to better understand the stories and store the information to remember for years to come. I also really loved the colorful illustrations in this book. The pictures are very eye-catching and will be enjoyed by young children and adults alike. I think this would be an excellent book for a parent and child to enjoy together as a teaching/learning experience. This book is an improvement over some of the books I have seen on the market because of its interactive quality. I think children will benefit from this particular book because there are activity pages and not just stories. There is even a Bible quiz at the end of the book to test the children's overall knowledge of the book. This book is geared towards girls, but I think it would be great for boys aged 6-9 as well. I would highly recommend this book to families that have children of this age. It is great for home, Sunday School classes, and would be an excellent gift idea. I received a digital copy of this book from Rose Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Under a Desert Sky by Lynne Hartke

CANCER. A word no family ever wants to hear. And yet, most families have dealt with cancer directly and know how devastating it can be. Under a Desert Sky is Lynne Hartke's cancer story. Hartke is a cancer survivor who also watched both of her parents suffer through this terrible illness. This book is hard to read at times, but it is so necessary. It is necessary to see cancer through the eyes of people who have experienced it firsthand. Hartke has a gift for writing that is evident throughout this book. It is rare that I have read a book that has touched me so much. I am so thankful that Lynne Hartke wrote this book and I got the chance to read it. Hartke reminds us that GOD is always there and can help us through the hard times, whether it be cancer or something else that we feel like we can't get through on our own. The truth is, we CAN'T do anything on our own....we must lean on Jesus and rely on him to get us through each day. Hartke reminds us of the comforting verse found in 2 Corinthians..."For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison..." This book inspires me and reminds me that I can't solve people's problems, but I can be there for them to help them through and share Jesus' love with them. This book is a must-read for everyone, whether you have dealt with cancer directly or not. I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Gifts From Heaven by James Stuart Bell

Gifts from Heaven is a collection of true stories that inspire and remind us that God is always there for us and he hears our prayers. This book is a great read that reminds me of the Chicken Soup series. I enjoy books like this that have a variety of stories from a variety of different authors. There are 40 true stories in Gifts from Heaven and each one will uplift and inspire you. God speaks to us in miraculous ways if we just listen and these short stories tell of his awesome power and grace. This book is an easy, quick, enjoyable read that I think everyone would appreciate. I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.