STAY FILLED with the Spirit by Singing and Making Melody in Your Heart by Mark Virkler

STAY FILLED with the Spirit by Singing and Making Melody in Your Heart by Mark Virkler

WANTED: A WIFE FOR THE SHEIKH by Diana Fraser

Crown Prince Malek of Sumaira needs a wife. Fast. Or at least his country does. Malek was happy living the life of an international lawyer, but when his brother disappears he has no choice but to become ruler of one of the Middle East’s most wealthy and turbulent countries. He needs respect, he needs stability, he needs a wife—preferably with no history—fast.

And Sophie, his new PA, is more than happy to help him find one. She’s landed the dream job—well paid, lots of travel and no time for love. Computer-whizz Sophie has hardly left the house for the past few years while she’s cared for her mother. And now, with her mother gone, she’s determined never to be tied down again.

But will working day in, day out, with this Michael Fassbender clone make Sophie change her mind? Will the idea of being tied down by him become something she thinks about obsessively, something she needs to get out of her system before it’s too late for either of them…AMAZON  3.5 STARS

It was a mixed bag, in some ways predictable but not totally.  Sophie was a person written as someone of really good character.  It was interesting how she got drawn into Prince Malek's orbit.  There is a fair amount of chaos in his "camp" because he is suddenly thrust into a role he hasn't been raised to take over.  But I have to give him credit for trying his best to help his country and his people.  

The attraction develops over time as the friendship and trust does too.

The usual politics and posturing happens as expected but the book does have a few unexpected surprises as it nears the end. 

BOOK REVIEW- THE HUSBAND MANEUVER by Karen Witmeyer

1890s Texas. Marietta Hawkins has been in love with ranch foreman Daniel Barrett since she came home from school three years ago. Unfortunately, her father's rule about hands not fraternizing with his daughter has kept him out of reach. She believed patience would prove a virtue in winning him over--until now. He is leaving. Starting up his own spread. To have any hope of maneuvering him into a proposal, she has to act fast or lose him forever. AMAZON 4 STARS

A quick, fun read with good main characters.  It also starts out in an interesting, different kind of way.  At first I thought I was reading the actual story when Dead-Eye Dan was introduced.  But it was a story within the real story.  That was nicely done and continues in a good way throughout the book.   
Marietta (or Etta as she is sometimes called)  does start trying to move fast when it comes to Daniel.  But nothing seems to be working....

Daniel is a man of honor who has given a vow to Etta's father and he's a man who keeps his word.   He's not going to flirt, encourage or make any move on her while in her father's employ.   But then he's not even sure she feels anything for him when it comes to the love department.  Well, things are going to get a lot tougher for him about that.  
Sweet H.E.A. ending.

BOOK REVIEW- WORLDS AWAY by J.L. Hendricks

Slavery, or mate to an Alien Commander? Which would you choose? 

Paris had lost her parents at a young age and instead of going into the foster system, she ended up on the streets. Sure, life was tough for a 17-year-old girl with no one to turn to, but she made her way on the streets of Los Angeles for years. That is, until one day when she was no longer on the streets, or even on Earth 

Commander Venay of the V'Zenian Empire was a man on a mission. It was his responsibility to ensure a good lot of human slaves made it back to his planet each year. But this time it was different, he saw her across a field and knew he had to have her, at all costs. 

The choice was simple, Paris could be a slave on the V'Zenian home world, or she could become Venay's mate and provide him with the offspring his people so desperately needed! Until the V'Zenian's most venomous rival, the Zateelians, attacked Venay's ship and forced them to crash land on a distant planet. Paris had a new choice to make: save herself or help Venay exterminate aliens who have a sinister plan for the humans. AMAZON  4.5 STARS


I liked this story; it was clean and interesting. Paris was a fighter and a survivor because she has had to be.  She's smart too which helps a lot.  I enjoyed watching her trying to survive her new situation.  She's not one that typically would go quietly into the night to her fate so that resistance makes sense.  And she doesn't crumble right away which I liked.  She did try to help others, whether they were alien or human. 

Venay was a character that you could see had a job to do but he also showed tenderness towards Paris as well.   He has his hands full with Paris because even when he tries to protect her, she's a  scrapper not afraid to get in the middle of things.  They also have a major difference between them when it comes to the abducting humans to be slaves.  Paris just figures there has to be a better way.  And knowing her she will probably find it.  That doesn't get resolved in this book but some better treatment is given to those captured after Paris intercedes for them. 

This book has what I consider a Happy Ever After For Now, going on.   If you wanted to you could stop right now and I think you would be satisfied.  OR you could continue on with another book and keep the adventures going.  

BOOK REVIEW- SAABRINA: TANGLEWOOD by Seth Cohen

Bob sees a white flash fill Saabrina's rear view mirror. “Oh crap.”

“Bob, we may be about to have a problem with reality.”

Protecting the worlds of the United Star Systems is all in a day’s work for a Saab and her Sentinel, until Saabrina and Bob inadvertently cause a break in spacetime with potentially universe ending consequences. A congresswoman on the warpath, failing science experiments, bad concerts, and Saabrina's misadventures may be the least of their problems.

Saabrina: Tanglewood, book 2 in the Saabrina series, takes you on a galactic odyssey with Bob and Saabrina, where partnering with an amazing AI equipped spaceship gets a Sentinel’s job done in style, but memory, love, and loss may be the keys to the survival of our universe.  AMAZON 4 STARS

This book was a mixed bag for me and I found it hard to rate. I'd have to say I liked it with some reservations.  Some parts I liked better than others.   It took me awhile to get into the story, to find my balance in it because it was so out of the box.  Plus I also thought it might be more helpful if I had read the first book.  I didn't realize that there was one before I started this one.  I said I found my balance in the story but I'm not exactly sure that is totally truthful.  About the time I thought I did, I was caught off balance again and had to try to figure out what was going on in the story.

I will say that there was more than one time that I laughed out loud because of some funny shenanigans.   And most of the time the culprit was Saabrina.  No one takes advantage of someone she cares about on her watch.

Sentinel Bob and Saabrina work together so well and have such a tight bond that it was fun to read that part.  In fact it did have a family, got your back feel to it that I liked. 
Even Rebecca, Bob's daughter was a part of that bond at times.  It's like Bob and his family are "adopted" by Saabrina.  Rebecca has good feelings about Saabrina as well.  They even have some girls night out.  Which of course causes them to run into trouble and it's a good thing that Saabrina was there.  That "incident" was an interesting twist.

The "world" building in this book was pretty good and kept me on my toes.  The parts that dealt with the trips to Mexico were like flash backs and those I had a bit of trouble with but they weren't the whole book.

The story does have some surprising twists, surprises and some form of "revenge".  Maybe the word revenge is too hard because it's more like shutting the mouth of a nasty power hungry Congresswoman.  That was  really well done and made me smile. 


I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion of it. 

BOOK REVIEW- TO WIN HER HEART by Karen Witemeyer

Do They Have a Fighting Chance at Love?After completing his sentence for the unintentional crime that derailed his youthful plans for fame and fortune, Levi Grant looks to start over in the town of Spencer, Texas. Spencer needs a blacksmith, a trade he learned at his father's knee, and he needs a place where no one knows his past.

Eden Spencer has sworn off men, choosing instead to devote her time to the lending library she runs in the town her father founded. When a mountain-sized stranger walks through her door and asks to borrow a book, she's reluctant to trust him. Yet as the mysteries of the town's new blacksmith unfold, Eden discovers hidden depths in him that tempt her heart.

Eden believes she's finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when the truth about Levi's prodigal past comes to light, can this tarnished hero find a way to win back the librarian's affections? AMAZON 5 STARS


I have to say that after reading this book it has quickly become a favorite of mine. I quickly fell in love with Levi within just the first few chapters. The author did a good job of drawing you into feeling his failures and his longing to make his life over into something good. He was humongous in size, and has suffered so much for the mistakes that he has made. He wants to be the man he was meant to be and after turning his life over to God he hopes he gets that chance to prove himself. He has a speech impediment that often causes people to wonder if he is just a big man who just might not be that smart. He keeps his words slow, careful and few. Even Eden wonders at first about his intelligence. 
The sheriff of the town was a swaggering bully, written just perfect to make you hate him. He's also trouble just waiting to happen. He has his eye on Eden and seems to think he has the right to push her around like he owns her. She has refused his marriage proposal time and again, but he just refuses to hear it. He continues to act jealous and possessive and that puts Levi right in his sights as a rival; a dangerous place for Levi to be. Levi has a past that had violence in it and Eden has an aversion to violence which it makes another difference between them. They were already two unlikely people to get together. A refined well to do petite librarian and a massive, unrefined, works with his hands blacksmith. Loved the two of them anyway and was rooting for a HEA for them. 

God and their faith played an important part of the story and I give the story the highest rating I can.

BOOK REVIEW- BRAVE BEAUTY by Lynn Cowell

What will my life be like? Who will I be? Whether girls put these concerns into words or struggle anxiously with these thoughts, during this season of change, girls have questions. Sometimes these questions also come with fears and they need a safe place to process these fears. From Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and blogger, Lynn Cowell, comes Faithgirlz Brave Beauty: Finding the Fearless You. For girls 8-12, Brave Beauty brings tweens 100 courage-building moments to reflect on Scripture and find confidence in God, rather than in someone, some place, or some thing, as culture will all-too-soon tell them to. Lynn will also prepare girls to:

• Overcome confidence-defeating thoughts and stand on who Jesus says she is.
• Shape her self-worth on Christ and overcome the temptation base it on environmental factors.
• Build a strong foundation to face the fickle and flippant opinions of others.
• Find approval of herself even when she lacks the acceptance of others.
• Find security by turning to Christ as she steps through the exciting, yet scary world of growing up

Formatted as theme-based mini chapters, these moments can be read as one-a-days, one-a-weeks, or at the reader’s own pace. Simple and empowering, Lynn’s voice is relatable and conversational, making it easy for girls to feel like they’re spending time with a friend. This inspirational read will be set as a gorgeously foil decorated hardcover, with beautifully formatted pages in line with the well-known and loved Faithgirlz look, and with an easy-reference index to look up any topic.  AMAZON 5 STARS


What a great gift this book would be; it's attractive and solid in appearance.  The only thing missing is a lock and key.  I am saying that partly tongue in cheek because of what the author said about it being like a personal diary.  As I read through it I could see what she meant.  It's like a friend talking to you, presenting information in a easy to understand way.  Then the reader has the opportunity  to answer small quizzes as they  think things through and write it down.
This "Diary" is definitely interactive but not in a difficult way. At the end of each chapter there is a "Getting to Know you short" quiz  or "Becoming Brave" simple action.  Each end of Chapter does have a "Courageous Call" short prayer.
Lynn also shared that it's a go at your own speed kind of book, whether you read all the way through the 100 days moments or you go 100 weeks or somewhere in between.  She called it a Journey and I liked that.
There were examples and stories both from the Bible and from living people.  It made for a good mixture.  The Bible examples were also presented  in an easy to understand way as well.  It didn't feel like being talked down to but talked with.

P.S.  I am setting this book aside for one of my granddaughters who is coming close to this age range.

I received the book in this post compliments of ZonderKidz via Handlebar Marketing however all opinions are my own.