Twice a Bride by Mona Hodgson

Twice a Bride was the fourth in series Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek. I haven't read any of the other books but it didn't hinder my understanding of any of the characters. There were a few instances when I ran into a character that I knew their story was told in one of the previous books, but the author did a good job giving us just enough information to get a picture of what happened. I enjoyed the story as well as the historical aspect of women starting to enter the workforce and it being mostly accepted. One negative for me was all the characters in the story. They were difficult to keep straight at times. I'm sure if I had read the others in the series that wouldn't have been an issue. A good story if you enjoy Historical Romance.

 

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

The Breath of Dawn by Kristen Heitzmann

I always enjoy Kristen Heitzmann novels and this was no exception. Breath of Dawn was a romantic suspense novel about a girl who is running from a man she testified against and finds herself turning to Morgan, a rich "success guru" who is mourning the death of his wife. This book hooked me from the beginning and was engaging the whole way through. I was thinking about a third of the way through that I had read about these characters before, which of course I had in "Rush of Wings". I thought the build up about the scary basement was a little overdone but it did come full circle in the end. I thought the book was very well done and just the right amount of suspense and romance.

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my review

Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn

This was my first Sisterchicks book to read. It was a very sweet story full of friendship and travels. Very great details on Venice.  It made you feel like you were there with them. I appreciated the friendship between Jenna & Sue. This is a great uplifting read that is refreshing "chick lit". Great read!

I received this free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

Real Life Real Miracles by James Garlow & Keith Wall

This is a compilation of real life stories that involve miracles. While some may say they are just coincidences the authors make a compelling statement with the amount of miraculous experiences people told them about. Each chapter is about a different person. The majority are experiences of complete healing from something that was otherwise impossible. While I don't think this book would lead you to a saving knowledge of Christ, if your looking to figure out if there are still miracles in America today this would be an encouraging book. This is also a good book to take your time with since you can easily read one story at a time.

I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for my review.

A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid

I personally was not a fan of this book. I thought the character development was weak and the story was rushed. Perhaps its because the character development happened in another book so I missed out since I didn't read that one but this book didn't make me want to read the first one to find out. I love dogs and I love sweet stories so I thought I would like this book but it just didn't do it for me. Everything was predictable which isn't bad if you are enjoying the characters. I hate to give a bad review, especially when the cover is so cute, but the best part of this story was the prologue.

I received this book free from bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my review

Radical Question & Idea by David Platt

This is a very short introduction to his first and second book Radical and Radical Together. It is a very quick read but it has a powerful message in it. I think it does a solid job of introducing you to his other books. I love the opening example of how the church meets in a closed country in Asia where being a Christian can get you killed. These people gather to worship God and pray together no matter the cost. I think he does a good job getting his point across and it is a powerful message to remember the church is about people, not buildings and programs. The church can get caught up in materialism the same way we can personally while we pursue our "American dream". A good, challenging read.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.

The Fourth Fisherman by Joe Kissack

I didn't know much about the story of the three fisherman who survived 9 months on the open ocean. What an amazing story of survival that is. Mr. Kissack weaves his story in along with the story of the fisherman and while I was wondering how they were intertwined it did become obvious in the last half. It's amazing how two stories can be so different yet have obvious parallels. While the fisherman were desperately clinging to their faith to survive, Mr. Kissack was trying to figure out how to survive his "successful" life without faith. It wasn't until complete brokenness he called out to God and was rescued. As he began pursuing the story of the fisherman it took a whole lot of faith in God to continue, especially when it didn't make sense to others. I was inspired by this story but I would love to hear more about the fisherman's side. This book felt more like an intro to the bigger story that's coming soon.

I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.