Ties That Bind by Cindy Woodsmall

Ties That Bind is a captivating and at times, heartbreaking read that will draw you in from the beginning. This book is the first in The Amish of Summer Grove series. Readers will be transported into the lives of Ariana Brenneman and her family and their traditional Amish way of living. But just what is mysterious Quill Schlabach up to and what exactly is Ariana's connection with Englisch Skylar Nash?

I am honored to be chosen as one of the members of Cindy Woodsmall's book launch team for her new release. I really enjoyed this first book in The Amish of Summer Grove series and I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

And the winner is...

Congratulations Chrystal Payne! You are the winner of the Cindy Woodsmall Book giveaway! You will be receiving the first two books in the Amish of Summer Grove series, Ties That Bind and Fraying at the Edge. You are going to love these books! Don't forget to check out Cindy Woodsmall's new release and the third installment of the Amish of Summer Grove series, Gathering the Threads, which will be available in August. Thanks to the participants and stay tuned for more giveaways and book reviews! Happy reading!

Journeying Together Devotional by Matt and Noel Guevara

The Journeying Together Devotional is a 52 week devotional book geared toward families that have preschool and elementary age children. Parents can read the devotional each week and talk to their children about life lessons that they can relate to. The book is divided up into 4 different sections and there are also 4 different elements to each weekly devotional.

This book is different from other books I have seen on the market because it gives you hands-on examples for how to teach your children to grow in their relationship with the Lord. The book includes a section called Chat Prompts that gives you conversation starters to share with your children and possibly help them to think about things they may not have realized otherwise. I really enjoyed the humor and real life stories that were revealed in this book by the authors. I also found this book inspiring and hopeful for my journey as a parent.

Another strong point of this book was the colorful illustrations on each page. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures and reading along with their parents.

I did find some typos in this book, which were found on pages 15, 74, 83, 127, and 135. I will be glad to go into more detail if needed.

All in all, this is a great family devotional that is a great option for families with young children and it is a great way to spend time together and grow together in their relationship with our Savior.

I received a pdf copy of this book from Rose Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

Cindy Woodsmall Book Giveaway!!!

To celebrate the upcoming August release of Cindy Woodsmall's new book, Gathering the Threads, I will be giving away the first two books in the Amish of Summer Grove series: Ties that Bind and Fraying at the Edge. Follow my blog and comment on this post to enter to win these great books! Good luck!!!

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.