Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Wedding bells and storm clouds collide in the first engaging novel in a brand-new series about destination weddings, the power of love, and the possible mishaps and missteps that happen on a couple’s journey down the aisle to “I do.”

Paramedic Vanessa Hollister has put her adolescence behind her, including the unwanted label of being the new kid in town over and over again, thanks to her father’s military career. She’s overcome what her mother called “the biggest mistake of her life” and is planning an elegant destination wedding in Destin, Florida with her new fiancé. But will the reappearance of her first husband from her what-were-you-thinking teenage elopement disrupt her dream of an idyllic beach wedding?

As a professional storm chaser, Logan Hollister is used to taking risks. However, a reckless decision during the last tornado season has him questioning the future of his team, the Stormmeisters. Coming face to face with his ex-wife eight years after their divorce compels him to confront his greatest regret: losing Vanessa. Does their past give him the right to interfere with her future?

A fast-moving, powerful hurricane throws Vanessa and Logan together as they evacuate to a storm shelter along with other residents of the Florida Gulf Coast. Forced to spend time together, the pair battles unexpected renewed feelings for each other.

Vanessa and Logan are faced with a choice: Should they accept, once and for all, their teenage marital mistake? Or is God offering them a second chance at happily ever after?

My thoughts: This book is a great summer read! I fell in love with the characters, as they are thrown together again after being apart for so long. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first picked it up, since (I thought) the story could either be cute or fall flat. Thankfully, it is adorable and has some surprising depth and character development. I especially liked the flash backs.
I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest review.

Everyday Detox

A healthy guide to detoxing naturally, all year round--no dieting, juice fasting, or calorie counting required--to lose weight, improve digestion, sleep better, and feel great, featuring 100 properly combined recipes for every meal of the day.

Most diets and cleanses have all-or-nothing rules that encourage unhealthy cycles of intense restriction followed by inevitable bingeing. In this healthy guide to detoxing naturally, nutritionist and blogger Megan Gilmore shares 100 delicious, properly combined recipes that will leave you feeling satisfied and well nourished while promoting weight loss and improving digestion and sleep.

Because the recipes were developed with digestion mechanics in mind, detoxers won’t feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating. And crowd-pleasing recipes for every meal of the day—such as Banana Coconut Muffins, Chocolate Chia Shake, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Mediterranean Chopped Salad, Skillet Fish Tacos, Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza, and Peppermint Fudge Bars—are packed with all-natural, whole-foods ingredients designed to stave off feelings of deprivation. With helpful information on how to stock your detox-friendly kitchen plus a handy food-combining cheat sheet that demystifies this cutting-edge health principle, Everyday Detox makes it easy to start eating this way today.

My thoughts: This cookbook makes eating healthier easy! I love that the recipes include whole foods and are packed with nutritious ingredients. With her ideas on how to stock your kitchen and have food good food handy, this book makes eating better so much easier and more attainable. I like that a lot of the ingredients are easy ones to have on hand and that the recipes are easy to follow. So, whether you consider yourself a good cook or not, eating healthier is easy to do.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Take Ten; books that are about diversity

1. All of a Kind Family


2 Dreams in the Golden Country


3. Side by Side


4. To All the Boys I've Loved Before


5. Black Like Me


6. Ziggy's Big Idea

My daughter's choice.;)

7. Face to Face with Jesus


8. An Accidental Life


9. Chasing the Wind


10. The Help

Warrior Chicks

Some battles we choose; others choose us. There is a lot in life we cannot control--a cancer diagnosis, the choices our children make, a spouse who leaves, disappointments in our career, a broken heart. But in those tragedies, big and small, we still have a choice: lie down and give in or stand up and fight.
In this inspiring call to arms against victimhood and complacency, Holly Wagner challenges women to enlist as Warrior Chicks. She shows women that they are beautiful just the way they are, they are destined to be overcomers in this life, and that the battle is already won for us. She shares the secrets of being equipped to fight the good fight and do more than just survive. As Holly knows from her experience as a warrior chick battling breast cancer, we aren't living in peacetime. We can choose to be a casualty or a warrior. So what's it going to be?

My thoughts: Most of us don't choose battles to take one. I can imagine a lot of us would be happy if life weren't full of them.;) In Holly Wagner's book, she shows readers the importance of taking on battles (like to fight for our marriage or for being healthy) and how they can make one stronger. I love that she uses a lot of personal experience and stories from the Bible and history to bring home her points. I did think that her writing style was a bit disjointed though, which makes reading the book a bit jarring. Her message is wonderful though, and it is worth reading the book for that reason.
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Hope Harbor

Tracy Campbell never wanted to leave Hope Harbor, Oregon, or the idyllic three-generation cranberry farm where she grew up. But life–and love–altered her plans.
When tragedy strikes and changes her plans yet again, she finds herself back in her hometown with a floundering farm to run and a heartbreaking secret. Romance is not on her agenda. Nor is it on Michael Hunter’s. The visitor from Chicago has daunting secrets of his own. But when Tracy recruits him to help save a struggling charitable organization, the winds of change begin to sweep through Hope Harbor, bringing healing, hope, and love to countless lives–including their own.

My thoughts: Fans of Irene Hannon will find this story to be a bit different from the norm. Hope Harbor is nothing like the mysteries she usually writes, but it the sweet story of a young woman trying to save her family's farm and a young man trying to get over his loss.
I had a hard time getting into this story, but I did like that there are more than just the two main characters stories going on. I also like that the over all message was one of hope and I liked the ending.;)
So, while this one if different and not exactly what I expected, it was a still a worth while read. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book from Revell in exchange for my honest review.

Counting on a Cowboy

After losing everything she held dear, Abby never wants to love again. But a certain cowboy may just spur her to wonder if love might be worth the risk.

Running from a past that haunts her, Abby Knightly is drawn to the cozy town of Wishing Springs, Texas. Maybe this small town could offer hope and healing and a future for Abby . . . if she’s brave enough to reach out and take it by the reins.

Bo Monahan isn’t interested in the new romantic destination his little town has become—or the women who might be looking at him like he’s their next Mr. Right. Between taking care of his Pops and his growing stirrup business, he isn’t looking for serious romantic commitments. But when the infant son he never knew about shows up at his doorstep, his world is turned upside down.

This confirmed bachelor might not think he needs a wife, but he sure needs help. Even Abby can see that, and despite her best efforts to keep her distance, she can’t help but be drawn to this new father-son duo. As Abby throws herself into helping Bo navigate fatherhood, hope sparks between them, revealing that maybe, just maybe, they can navigate their dark pasts and emerge together into a future as bright as the Texas sun itself.


My thoughts: Readers are invited back to A Four of Hearts ranch, this time focusing on Bo Monahan. Those who read the first book will be thrilled to see how life in Wishing Springs, Texas, since many of the characters from the first story have on going stories.
I like Bo and Abby, perhaps even more than Tru and Maggie, though they were lovely characters too. Debra Clopton does a fantastic job at balancing humor and loss, unexpected blessings and learning to forgive. This is a great, chick lit style read!
I received this book from Lit Fuse in exchange for my honest review.

A Bride at Last

Abandoned by his mail-order bride, Silas Jonesey has fought an uphill battle to recover from a pattern of poor choices. Now his prayers for reconciliation have finally come true and his estranged wife has contacted him with her whereabouts.

Kate Dawson was supposed to be a mail-order bride, but upon realizing she’d been deceived about her intended groom, she’s now settled into life as a schoolteacher. When the mother of a student passes away, Kate assumes she’ll take on care of nine-year-old Anthony–until two men suddenly show up in town, claiming to be the boy’s father.

Silas can see Anthony loves Kate, so he enlists her help in reaching out to the boy and attempting to prove his paternity to the court. When a common interest in Anthony leads to an interest in each other and Silas and Kate begin to think they can overcome their rocky start, neither is prepared for the secrets and past hurts that have yet to come to light. Can Silas, Kate, and Anthony’s wounded souls bind them together or will all that stands between them leave them lonely forever?

My thoughts: This is an excellent historical novel, full of secrets and mysteries. When Kate tries to do what is right for one of her students who is recently orphaned, she is pulled into a debate over who the boy belongs to. When past hurts come to light, Silas, Kate and Anthony must figure out how to move forward.
My favorite part about this book is that it has a lot going on, which makes the story far from dull! The characters are well developed and I enjoyed all the secondary characters as well, since I thought they added to the story quite nicely.
I received this book from Lit Fuse in exchange for my honest review.