Grounded Hearts by Jeanne M. Dickson

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

A brave midwife. A wounded pilot. A risky secret.

In the midst of World War II, Ireland has declared herself neutral. Troops found on Irish soil must be reported and interned, no matter which side they are fighting for. When midwife Nan O'Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she's taking a huge risk by letting him in. Not only is she a widow living alone, but if caught harboring a combatant, she'll face imprisonment.

Still, something compels Nan to take in "flyboy" Dutch Whitney, an RAF pilot whose bomber has just crashed over County Clare. While she tends to his wounds and gives him a secret place of refuge, the two begin to form a mutual affection-and an unbreakable bond.

But Nan has another secret, one that has racked her with guilt since her husband's death and made her question ever loving again. As Nan and Dutch plan his escape, can he help restore her faith?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

My thoughts- 

I love reading books set in the WWII era. I don't know what it is about that time that draws me in, but I especially loves the stories of brave women who risked their lives to make sure others were safe. I haven't ever read any WWII fiction set in Ireland so this was a new piece of the war for me. I found it fascinating to imagine myself in Nan's shoes and how I would have responded if I were the one with a pilot on my doorstep. I enjoyed seeing the relationship grow between Nan and Dutch as the story progressed and Nan processing her feelings about her husband's death and what happened to him.  I think anyone who likes WWII fiction would enjoy Grounded Hearts. 

The Things We Knew by Catherine West Blog Tour + Book Review

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book  from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

A tragedy from the past resurfaces in this tale of family secrets and reignited love.

After her mother's death twelve years ago, Lynette Carlisle watched her close-knit family unravel. One by one, her four older siblings left their Nantucket home and never returned. All seem to harbor animosity toward their father, silently blaming him for their mother's death. Nobody will talk about that dreadful day, and Lynette can't remember a bit of it.

But when next-door neighbor Nicholas Cooper returns to Nantucket, he brings the past with him. Once her brother's best friend and Lynette's first crush, Nick seems to hiding things from her. Lynette wonders what he knows about the day her mother died and hopes he might help her remember the things she can't.

But Nick has no intention of telling Lynette the truth. Besides the damage it might cause his own family, he doesn't want to risk harming the fragile friendship between him and the woman he once thought of as a kid sister.

As their father's failing health and financial concerns bring the Carlisle siblings home, secrets begin to surface---secrets that will either restore their shattered relationships or separate the siblings forever. But pulling up anchor on the past propels them into the perfect storm, powerful enough to make them question all they ever believed in.

My thoughts-

Sometimes when I am reading the plot  synopsis on the back cover of a book, certain  words jump out to me and  I have no choice but to devour the thing cover  to cover.  Buzz words  for The Things We Knew include Nantucket, close knit family, adolescent crush, and faith. The gorgeous front cover also called out to me. The Things We Knew drew me in immediately and made me care and empathize with Lynette quickly. There is a decent sized cast of characters and sometimes when there are more than a few it doesn't feel like the more minor characters are developed well, but I didn't feel that way at all. I felt like I got to know all of Lynette's siblings and both Lynette and Nick's fathers. Something else I really enjoyed about the book was the touch of suspense. The last chapters of the book were intense and that is always a great way to arrive at the climax of a novel. I felt like the last few pages of the  book were a little contrived, but overall I thought this was a great book.  I  would  recommend The Things We Knew to anyone who enjoys literary fiction or women's fiction. 


About the  author-

Catherine  West writes stories  of  hope  an d  healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she's not  at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border collie for long walks on the beach or tending to her roses and orchids.  She and her husband have two grown children. 

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The Loyal Heart by Shelley Sheppard Gray Blog Tour + Book Review

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

The Loyal Heart (Zondervan, July 2016)

Robert came to Galveston to fulfill his promise to a dying man and look after his widow. He didn't expect to find love in the unlikeliest of places.

Robert Truax, former Second Lieutenant and Confederate officer in the Civil War, made a promise to his comrade Phillip Markham. If anything happened to Phillip, Robert would look after his beloved wife, Miranda. She was his life, his world, his everything.

After the war, Robert is left to pick up the pieces and fulfill his pact. When he arrives at Miranda's home in Galveston, Texas, things are worse than he imagined. Phillip's name has been dragged through the mud, everyone in town believes him to be a traitor, and his widow is treated as an outcast. Even more disturbing is her emotional well-being. Miranda seems hopeless, lost, and so very alone.

Robert had thought his duty would be simple. He would help Miranda as quickly as possible in order to honor a promise. But the moment Robert laid eyes on her, his plans changed. He's mesmerized by her beauty and yearns to help her in any way he can.
He makes it his duty to protect Miranda, turn her reputation around, and to find some way to help her smile again. But it doesn't prove to be an easy task---Robert knows something about Phillip that could shake Miranda to the core and alter her view of the man she thought she knew so well.

My thoughts-

I am a Texan born and raised and I love reading books that are set in Texas, so this one piqued my interest. I was born in Galveston, and have lived in several of the other cities mentioned throughout this book so I got a kick out of that! Civil War era books are not usually my thing, but I really enjoyed The Loyal Heart. It may be because it was set after the war and in an area I am familiar with, but the interesting story line didn't hurt either. I couldn't help but empathize with poor Miranda, dealt a life of ostracism for something her husband may or may not have done. It was interesting seeing how she was getting on in her life after her husband's death through the eyes of Robert. I really enjoyed the touch of suspense and trying to figure out who started the rumors about Miranda and her husband. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good Christian Romance novel or who enjoy historical fiction. 

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2ae3eOX

About the author-

Shelley Shepard Gray is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers prestigious Carol Award, and a two-time HOLT Medallion winner. She lives in southern Ohio, where she writes full-time, bakes too much, and can often be found walking her dachshunds on her town's bike trail.

Simple Pleasures by Marianne Jantzie Blog Tour + Book Review

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

About the book: 

Simple Pleasures: Stories from My Life as an Amish Mother (MennoMedia, March 2016)

Young Amish homemaker Marianne Jantzi invites readers into her family's life on the snowy plains of Ontario.

The mother of four young children and wife of a storekeeper, Jantzi writes about her daily routines and heartfelt faith with equal measures of wit and warmth. Sewing, cleaning, cooking, gardening, and helping to manage the store take up most hours in her day, but Jantzi finds time to pen columns for the Connection, a magazine beloved by Amish and Mennonite readers across the United States and Canada. Never sugarcoating the frustrations of motherhood, Jantzi tells it like it is, broken washing machine and bickering children and all. But through her busy days, Jantzi finds strength in simple pleasures of family, fellowship with her Amish community, and quiet time with God. 

My thoughts-

I am intrigued by the Amish community. I read a lot of Amish fiction novels and I know a lot of them are not completely based in reality so it is nice to be able to have books like Simple Pleasures to really get a good look into the lives of these fascinating people. What I learned from Simple Pleasures is that the Amish are not all that different from us. Sure they don't use electronics or cars or other modern day conveniences, but they do have many of the same challenges as your average parent. Kids will be kids no matter how they are brought up and everyone is entitled to a bad mood or two. What I took away from the book was that the Amish are not perfect, nobody is. What I enjoyed most about this book was just reading about Marianne's life. About her kids helping her in the kitchen and wanting a dairy farm, about buying random chickens, and getting a pet and all of the many other adventures with her family. 

About the author

Marianne Jantzi is an Amish write and homemaker in Ontario, Canada. Jantzi, a former teacher in an Amish school, is now writes her own column"Northern Reflections" for The Connection, a publication read mainly by Amish and other plain communities in the United States and Canada. Jantzi, her husband and four children run a shoe store in the Milverton Amish settlement of Ontario.

Miracle at the Higher Ground Cafe by Max Lucado Book Review & Blog Tour + iPad Giveaway

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

What if you could ask God anything? What would you ask? And how would he answer?

Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle.

Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea's door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Cafe, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They've come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the cafe has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life's biggest questions.

When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

My thoughts-

I was hooked on this book from the very first pages. I felt really connected right away to the story, maybe because it was set in Texas, maybe because my parents were business owners or maybe  a little bit of both. I felt like I could have been a patron at the coffee shop sitting there with my cup of coffee watching this story all unfold. I couldn't put it down. The story line about the family splitting up and how Chelsea, her kids and her estranged husband are all dealing with that was enough to hold my interest, but I also liked the added story line of the direct line if you will via the computer in the cafe to God. It added a fun twist to the story. This was a short book and a very quick read. It had me rooting for Chelsea and family to succeed both in business but also in their personal lives and also with their business. I also always love it when a book includes thought provoking discussion questions at the end, so I was happy to see them at the end of Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, especially since this would make a great pick for a Christian book club. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a positive, uplifting story with elements humor here and there. 

You can get your copy of Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe at christianbook.com. 

About the author: 

More than 120 million readers have found comfort in the writings of Max Lucado. He ministers at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Denalyn, and a sweet but misbehaving mutt, Andy.

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In Max Lucado's new fiction release, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe, he asks, If you could ask God anything, what would you ask—and how would he answer? When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask, and heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

*Join Max in celebrating the release of his new fiction book by entering his iPad giveaway!*

One grand prize winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A copy of Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 23rd. Winner will be announced March 24th on the Litfuse blog.



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