Fearless Parenting by George Barna and Jimmy Myers

If you want a sunshiny feel good book about parenting, this is not it! But if you want a practical, straightforward, candid guidebook to improve your parenting skills, you need to read this! What does it take to be a fearless parent? Well, it takes patience, time, consistency, and determination, especially in this land of technology and social media addiction that we all live in today. The authors of this book are no nonsense and straight to the point as they offer ways to raise well-adjusted faithful children. I can't say that I agree with everything that is in this book, but I can say that I gained a lot of helpful advice. My favorite chapter is #7 which focuses on getting rid of destructive parental behaviors such as guilt, anger, and shame. It is so easy to lead with our emotions as parents and to have unrealistic expectations of our children. This chapter teaches the proper way to respond in tense situations so that ultimately God is glorified and our children are growing into respectful and Christ following adults. I really enjoyed this eye-opening read and would recommend that parents read it with an open mind and heart. Thank you so much to BakerBooks for the chance to review this book! These opinions are all my own.

Life Changing Prayers by Michael Youssef

Throughout the Bible, we read of many heartfelt prayers. This book features the life changing prayers of seven of those Biblical prayer warriors: Eliezer, Hannah, David, Daniel, Jonah, Habbakuk, and Mary. Each of these people prayed to God in a special way. They were just ordinary people like you and me, but their prayers resound among generation after generation.

I loved this powerful prayer book! I learned a lot about how to strengthen my prayer life by gaining inspiration from the author and these special people from the Bible times. God can use anybody! We just have to go to him willing to listen and obey. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired by prayer! Thank you to BakerBooks for the chance to review this book!

The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin

Victoria Bylin is an effortless storyteller in this swoonworthy love story. I was sold from the first few pages when broken-hearted Mia Robinson has a chance encounter with ex-police officer Jake Tanner. Jake is a mentor to young Sam who is set to marry Mia's younger sister, Lucy. Mia doesn't have her mind on love; she has her mind on medicine. Mission Medical, to be exact. Mia longs to use her nurse practitioner career to make a difference in the lives of children. And Jake has his own dream: a camp to teach life skills to teens. But Jake and Mia have to make huge decisions and rise above their past heartaches and decide if love is in the future for them.

This book is full of goodness. It's hard to even write about everything special that is in these pages. The character development is wonderful and the multiple relationship stories fit together perfectly. This is a must read story of selflessness and perseverance. The message is also clear and uplifting and a welcome reminder that God has a place for each of us, though it might not be exactly what we had in mind. Thank you so much to Bethany House for the chance to review this book! Excellent job, Victoria Bylin!

Death at Thorburn Hall by Julianna Deering

Sleuth Drew Farthering is at it again in this murder mystery by Julianna Deering. While Drew is vacationing at Thorburn Hall with his wife and friends, his host dies in an accident. After doing some investigating, Drew finds out that the death wasn't actually an accident after all, but murder. Drew is on the case and tries using his sleuthing skills to tie up the loose ends and solve this mystery. But the challenge and danger increases when more people keep showing up murdered. Drew must try to keep his loved ones and himself safe while attempting to make sure the murderer doesn't strike again.

I can't say that the ending was quite unpredictable or memorable, but this was a dependable and clean read. I appreciated the references to faith and the fact that this book is not too graphic. Murder mysteries can sometimes be too much for me, but this one is not like that. Also, don't be surprised if you find yourself reading this one with an English accent. It's hard not to be transported to the time period in this book. The humorous exchanges between Drew and his wife and friends was also a nice touch. Thank you to Bethany House for the chance to review this book! These opinions are all my own.

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel

I'd Rather Be Reading is a delight for bookworms. What reader wouldn't love a book about books? In this beautiful hardcover book, Anne Bogel reminds us of everything we love about reading. This book has all the feels for an avid reader like me. I found myself relating to almost everything the author said. She reminded me of my childhood memories visiting the library and the first book I remember capturing me as a reader. (My first memorable book had to be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.) I also loved to hear about all of the book titles that Anne has read. A lot of them I had not heard of before and I always love a good book recommendation. Anne Bogel has a new fan in me. (I liked her Modern Mrs Darcy page on Facebook immediately after reading this book.) You will want to buy several copies of this to gift to your reader friends. Reading is a way of life and it's a great life. I received this book from BakerBooks in exchange for my honest opinion.