Interspecies Friendship (p)

   








There's nothing like an adorable
interspecies friendship to brighten your day!
Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/meet-ingo-and-poldi-best-friends-breaking-all-the-rules?utm_source=Freekibble&utm_medium=Question&utm_campaign=March52015#ixzz3TWjLK1lg

BOOK REVIEW- THE KEY TO MY HEART

The Key To My Heart is a series standalone. 
It can be read by itself, but it is part of the Love and Music in Texas series.  It does have some *Sexual Content*.

Blaine Grant has been living a nightmare but she's back home at Harmony's Echo, just hoping to put her life back together and find safety and peace.  Dancing had become her passion but life has pretty much beaten the passion out of her.  She's not the same girl she used to be and everyone can see something is wrong, she just won't open up. Family and friends thought she left them behind because she was selfish.  They really thought she didn't care especially when they were going through different nightmares in their lives.  They just didn't know she was going through nightmares of her own. 

Randy Hughes  found his passion in music but his first passion has always been Blaine Grant.  She has never known that because he was way to shy to ever let her know.  The oldest sibling and the only boy, he's pressured by family expectations to set a good example. He's the one who takes everyone in when they need it, and he's the one whose own dreams are ignored. Now Blaine is back in town,  big things are happening for the Baby Stetson band, Randy has to decide how to handle his family when his dreams are on the line.   Is there ever anyway that Blaine will finally see him and make his other dream come true?  


Well written story. I liked the two MC's, and the surrounding cast of family and friends. (Her mother, her brother and her friends, who were part of the Baby Stetson band.) I thought that the small town feel of their community was also pretty well presented. There were good people in the town but there was also a fairly large group small-minded people. They was such a feel of them thinking they had the right to be in everybody's business. That is something that I know happens in small towns but its also a part of our current culture now too. Blaine really had her secrets and the surprises just kept coming. And Randy! What a sweet guy; really liked him. He was such a supportive guy to Blaine. He was strong in his own way too, and he wasn't going to quit on Blaine. I was really pulling for him. What a sweet romance that was mixed in with so many challenges.  Really good interactions between the two.
I liked that his (Randy's) relationship problems with his parents weren't resolved overnight. In fact, he just had to move on with his dreams with or without their support.
The name of the book, where it came from was beyond touching as well. 

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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COMMON SENSE GARDENS(P)

You are NOT Made to 2B Standard (p)

Bishop Dale C. Bronner

BOOK REVIEW- PRODIGAL GUN

He should have stayed dead.  Calhoun buried who he used to be years ago; everyone knows he died sixteen years ago during the war.  Jessie Caine finds out its not true; her childhood sweetheart,  Mason Caine is still alive.  Only, the man she sees now is so different.  He's cold, hard and filled with hate, with a lot of it directed at her and his brother.   He's a notorious gunfighter now, with a price on his head.  They both have enemies and they both are right in the middle of a range war that's trying to start up.   Its the set-up for an explosive confrontation; more than one!

I really liked this story, I would read something by this author again.   The description of the what the characters were doing was so good; you could almost seeing them doing it.   The whole attitude of Mason, while he's in gunslinger mode was really good.  The author showed the calm, slow, watchful, guarded movements and angling to get the advantage but also let you hear what he was thinking too.  Often he was tense and geared up for trouble but it often didn't show in his outer facial expressions.  The author didn't just say it, she showed with her words.  You could almost feel the heat, sweat, fear and when it was all over, the relief.  I enjoyed Jessie, she was quite the spitfire and kept quite a few secrets herself.  One in particular had me wondering pretty early on in the story but the answer didn't come out until later.  Okay, some may say that was predictable but even if you can almost predict it, its interesting to find out in what worst possible way and time its going to come out!  
I liked the POV's coming from both Jessie and Mason, they wove together really well (without re-going over the exact same ground, word for word.)  

Just a couple of things
There were a few Spanish sounding words that I was unfamiliar with. It didn't ruin the story but kind of threw me a few times.   
Calhoun was protective of Jessie, even though he tried to keep his distance to protect her and her daughter Lily.  At one point in the story his thoughts about her were longing.  I'm okay with that part too.  But a few other places they went into kind of thinking of her as just another "calico".  A few times, he kind of disrespected her in his thoughts.  That I found hard to understand.  To maybe say something to others that she wasn't anyone special was understandable.  But even though he'd lived a hard life, womanizing and the rest, it just felt off, when he thought about her that way.   Maybe he thought he was just protecting his heart from disappointment?  
Speaking of disappointment..one of my favorite phrases in the book was from Jessie.  
"Disappointment forever lurked just beyond the edges of her joy, ready to spring like a ravenous cougar."  After all she went through, that was a pretty accurate statement.   For Mason too.  Every time a new challenge came up I found myself thinking, "oh no, how's he going to get out of this one?"  

PRODIGAL GUN/ AMAZON LINK

I was given a Free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

"Jehovah Rophe" Richard Crisco

BOOK REVIEW- FINDING FAVOR WITH THE KING

A new look at one of the  most famous, favorite books of the Bible.  The story of Hadassah or Esther as most of  us know her.  Tommy Tenney, takes the reader into the preparation of Esther.  She went from  a beautiful, outsider, to the position of Queen.  It didn't happen overnight and according to the laws and customs the the land, she should never have even had that opportunity.  Read and discover how this isn't just a great story that we enjoy.  It also has parallels to our own position in life!

Tommy makes a great point about all little girls want to be a Princess (at some time or other) and the culture of our times have encouraged it (and I'd say sold to it) .  He also points out maybe we should look deeper.  Its something that God may have planted inside us too.  This is a different angle that I hadn't thought about.  That deep desire to be Princesses (and may I say Queen's)  and Kings, is a Ruling Mentaility that comes from the Kingdom of God.
I like how in each chapter there is a "Protocal of the Palace" numbered in a box off to the side.  There is also a few "boxes" or squares with some main points on the side as well.  Great in getting the readers attention and re-inforcing a great point.  In fact there are so many good points about this book, there is no way I can list very many.  One that I will share is, his comments about so many people are drawn to power and prestige, devoting all their energies in getting what gifts they can from the one in power.   I looked at this as another way of saying,  "Seek His Face and not His Hands." Tommy also shared a couple of stories that I had read in a previous book, which he readily acknowledges.  But he's right, it needed to be re-told because it fit prefectly with what he was talking about.
I have long been a fan of Tommy Tenney and enjoyed many of his previous books.  He has the ability to stir back up the fire of faith that may have lain dormant for awhile.   He also causes me to think about and look at scripture from more directions than I had ever done before; I personally like that.  I would call this a Read and Chew Book.  You , know, read some, think some and repeat again.
An enjoyable process.

I received this book FREE from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.
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