Smitten Book Club



By: Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerback, Diann Hunt & Denise Hunter

This book was penned by four friends and their unique writing styles blend together seamlessly as they write about the lives of Heather, Abby, Lia and Molly.  The four novellas go into detail about the love lives of each of these individuals who are friends and part of the same book club.  The story begins with Heather picking up a book written by a Smitten native, Pearl Chambers.  The book is titled “The Gentlewoman’s Guide to Love and Courtship” and ends up being shared among the main characters.  The wisdom that Ms. Chambers provides in her book proves useful to the characters in regards to their prospective love lives.  Ms. Chambers also provides hints regarding a hidden treasure that has yet to be found.  This treasure, if found, could be life-saving for Molly as she is about to lose everything.  Molly’s friends come together to help her search for this hidden treasure that would truly change her life.  I invite you to journey along with these four friends to get a glimpse into the lives of four women who are all struggling to find love and a hidden treasure. 

I enjoyed reading the third book in this series and look forward to reading more from these authors.  I found these stories to be quick reads as each one is a little over eighty pages with the exception of the last story which is over one-hundred pages.  Although characters from the previous two books make appearances, this book can be read independently.  I would recommend this book if you are looking for a light read with a touch of romance and mystery.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

   

 

 

 

The Daniel Plan

By: Rick Warren, Daniel Amen, M.D. & Mark Hyman, M.D.

Pastor Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church.  One day while Pastor Warren was baptizing over eight hundred people he realized that many people were overweight including himself.  He began to reflect upon his own health and the relationship he had with food.  He soon realized that he had been ignoring his health and was being a poor example to his congregation.  After doing some research, Pastor Warren decided to stand before his congregation and ask for their forgiveness.  He explained how God wants us to take care of the bodies that He has blessed us with and asked if anyone wanted to join him in getting healthy.  That day over 12,000 church members signed up in joining him on his journey.  Now Pastor Warren just needed a plan to assist his congregation with getting healthy.  Pastor Warren writes, “Since I was preaching that day about a man in the Bible named Daniel who refused to eat junk food and challenged a king to a health contest, I named the program The Daniel Plan.” (Page 15)  Pastor Warren then asked Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Mark Hyman, and Dr. Mehmet Oz to help coach him as he knew very little about how to get healthy.  All of the doctors agreed to help and the program proved to be a success.  During the first year the members at Saddleback lost a combined total of more than 250,000 pounds!

This book is about the plan that the Saddleback community followed.  I found the book to be very informative.  It focuses on five key elements: Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends.  There is a chapter dedicated to each of these key elements to further explain how they can assist with living a healthy lifestyle.  I enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to others.  I included how Pastor Warren came up with the name of the plan above as some people may think that the book is about fasting. 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

 

 

 

His Treasure: Gems of Love from Your King

By: Sheri Rose Shepherd

Sheri Rose Shepherd has penned a beautiful book that is overflowing with God’s love.  This book is comprised of refreshing and encouraging letters from The Lord.  The book is directed towards women as many of the letters begin with “My Daughter” but I think the message contained in the letters could be enjoyed by anyone in need of encouragement.  Along with each letter there is a scripture and a “Treasure of Truth”.  This book is small in size but packed with a powerful message. 

I enjoyed this book and found it to be very uplifting.  It was wonderful to read about how much The Lord loves me in a letter format that spoke directly to my heart.  It seemed so personal.  I think this book would make a wonderful gift as it could be used as a devotional or simply serve as a gentle reminder of how much we are treasured by The Lord. I look forward to gifting this to many family members and friends as I know it will encourage them and brighten their day. 

 

Thank you to Tyndale for allowing me to bless one person with a free copy of this book!  Please post below and one winner will be chosen at random. 

 

Disclaimer:  Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

 

Four Blood Moons: Something is About to Change

By: John Hagee

This book was certainly an informative and interesting read.  Shortly into the first chapter Pastor Hagee shares with us what prompted him to begin his study on the sun, moon and stars.  Right before he was going to be speaking at a church event he engaged in a conversation with the pastor of the church.  The pastor asked Pastor Hagee if he ever correlated the study of prophecy to the study of the sun, moon and stars.  Pastor Hagee promptly told him that he had not and the pastor told him that he should.  Pastor Hagee did not give their conversation another thought that night; however, on the plane ride home the next day Pastor Hagee reflected back on their conversation.  Many Scripture versus came to his mind about how there will be signs in the heavens.  His studies lead him to believe that God does speak to us through the sun, moon and stars. 

Pastor Hagee covers a lot in this book as it is broken down into the following three sections: The Signs in the Heavens, The Spine of Prophecy and The Four Blood Moons.  At the end of the third section Pastor Hagee writes the following: "Beginning with the study of the signs in the heavens and walking through the Spine of Prophecy, I have attempted to build a scriptural foundation for God's prophetic depiction regarding the coming Four Blood Moons.  Without a clear and concise understanding of God's plan, which is revealed in Scripture, then the Four Blood Moons would be nothing more than a spectacular cosmic occurrence as opposed to the fulfillment of prophesy." (167-68) I thought it was important to mention this because some may be looking for a book that strictly talks about the Four Blood Moons.  While Pastor Hagee provides greater detail about the Four Blood Moons in the later chapters, most of the book consists of building a foundation.    

I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was very informative.  It was very interesting to learn about the historical significance of the past Four Blood Moons.  The next series of Blood Moons will occur in 2014 - 2015.  Pastor Hagee is not saying that the Rapture will happen during this time; however, he believes that something significant will happen.  It will be interesting to see how the future unfolds.        

*I would like to thank Worthy Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Christmas Candle

By: Max Lucado

A new Christmas favorite!  The story begins in 1664 when a candle maker and his wife are visited by an angel in the middle of the night.  The angel touches a candle and it begins to glow.  The two can hardly believe what they witnessed and decided not to share it with anyone.  The candle is then given to a widow and when her prayers are answered the couple is surprised.  Surely there must be some connection to the candle and the answered prayer. 

The story then takes us to the year 1864.  Over the past 200 years an angel has visited a descendent of the candle maker ever twenty-five years and touched a candle.  The story became a legend as the prayers of those who received this special candle were always answered.  The people of Gladstone were excited as this was the year that the next miracle would come.  Will an unbelieving new reverend destroy the hopes of the people of Gladstone?  What happens when the candle maker has a mishap with the special candle?  The people of Gladstone may soon realize that their miracle will come in an unexpected way.    

This was a wonderful Christmas novella penned by author Max Lucado.  I found it both refreshing and uplifting.  I loved the message conveyed which is how we need to put our faith in The Lord and not in things of this world. I would definitely recommend this book.   

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

Blessings for the Evening: Finding Peace in God's Presence

By: Susie Larson

 

What a comforting book to read before going to bed.  Once I opened this book it was difficult to put down as I found the words to be so uplifting and encouraging.  It definitely helped to put my mind at ease as I read about God’s promises and was reminded of His love for me.  I could feel the worries of the day become a distant memory.  I also enjoyed the beautiful pictures that were displayed in the background.  This book is truly a blessing to me and I think it will be a blessing to many others.    

*Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

A Walk One Winter Night

By: Al Andrews

Al Andrews is the director of a non-profit organization called Porter’s Call.  The organization offers counseling to recording artists.  One night as Mr. Porter was taking a walk to clear his head he stumbled upon a recognizable scene, a manger set-up in someone’s front yard.  As he passed by he wanted to keep walking but something invited him to stay.  As he looked upon the figures he felt he did not have a connection with them.  They looked and seemed so perfect.  “Why don’t I like these people?” was the thought that entered his mind.  He felt guilty for even thinking this irreverent thought but hoped The Lord wouldn’t be upset by his question.  At this point something amazing happened.  I do not want to spoil the story so I invite you to get this book to find out what happens. 

 

I was so inspired by this book.  It is a short read but it is a powerful one.  It really made me think about how I view Jesus and other people from the Bible.  They are not simply characters from a story.  They were real people who once lived on earth as we do now.  This book was very eye opening for me and I look forward to sharing it with others.         

*I would like to thank Worthy Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.