This was a great, inspiring book. it was a pretty quick read, and I was sad when I got to the end! The book tells the true story of Brenda, a self-professed addict to making money as her wealth and success is stripped away and she is almost sent to prison. She feels led by God to do more with her life and chooses to work with women in prison and rehabilitating from prison as that almost happened to her. She volunteers for a while and then gets the idea to start a "whole way house" rehabilitation program. Expecting white collar criminals as she almost was and as she'd had worked with when she volunteered, shed gets a houseful of hardened drug users, attempted murderers, armed robbers, etc. The story is mostly told from Brenda's viewpoint, but I loved that there were several chapters told by the women themselves.The book does an excellent job of helping the reader understand the fear and difficulties these women face as they integrate back into society. The authors include wonderful scenes that bring the women and their struggles to life, like the first trip to walmart. I love that the book ended by sharing what several of the first women are doing today. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired to step outside their bubble and do something. We can't all do what Brenda did but we can all change our attitudes and help others.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I don't usually choose to read Amish fiction but this one is different from the traditional Amish novel. It is a mystery novel set in an Amish tourists village run by Amber, a middle aged, never married woman. one of Amber's employees is found dead of what appears to be natural causes, thought there are some suspicious circumstances, and several acts of vandalism quickly follow. Hannah, a young Amish girl who works in the quilt shop next door to the victim's coffee shop, finds the body and finds herself becoming involved in investigating the mystery with Amber. There is some romance as well as they both develop love interests. I enjoyed this clean mystery/romance and thought there was a nice balance between the two. I liked the variety of hearing the story through several different viewpoints, and while it gives a nice peek into Amish life it wasn't an overwhelming part of the book. I think mystery readers who aren't generally into Amish fiction might want to give this one a try!

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I'm always disappointed to read a book and realize that it is a novella. i wish publishers would be more specific in their description that is not only a novella but part of series. the series dorsnt bither me so much, especially in books and series like this, where I assume they just follow different sets of characters. The novella, however, I found very unsatisfying. the storyline and writing style have the makings of a good book, but everything felt very forced and incomplete. The mystery was told more than experienced, and everything moved too quickly in both the mystery and the romance. It really wasn't all that enjoyable as I felt like the reader was just rushed through what could have been a good story too quickly to enjoy it. I really wish the autbor had taken the time to make this a full fledgedmember of the series. I'm really not sure what is the point of the novella. However, if you are looking for a very short, clean, mystery romance, then you will probably enjoy it.

I received a copy if this novella from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Slow start but better in the last half.

This was an excellent book. It is a autobiographical account of the author's movement from the Muslim faith to faith in Christ. I thought this book was very well done. It was so easy to read, and very engaging. At times it felt very much like a memoir (which it kind of is), but it is also full of information. I appreciated how the author took the time to educate the reader on beliefs of Islam, and though he obviously comes to discard the Muslim faith as true, he is respectful throughout and discusses his childhood and the faith he was taught with affection. The book details so much that would be helpful to those interacting with Muslims: beliefs, arguments they are taught against Christianity, major stumbling blocks to belief in Christ. It also, through dialogue between the author and his Christian friends, presents the arguments made to him proving the case for Christianity as being truth. I really appreciated that this was not an easy, off the cuff decision for him. The aithor is obviously an intelligent man. Throughout the book, he is a pre-med student in the Honors program at his university who later goes on to finish medical school. He is a devout Muslim who believes what he has been taught and knows it well. He discusses, researches, and ponders the things he learns from his friends for over 3 years before making a decision. He does not just believe what is told to him, but studies and investigates everything on his own, reading the Quran and other Muslim writings as well as books by Christian authors and eventually, the Bible. Most of the book focuses on the case for Christianity, but eventually he does look at his Muslim faith to see if it holds up to similar scrutiny. It was very interesting how he discussed why it is so difficult for a Muslim to turn to Christ, saying that, among other things, they are usually completely ostracized from their entire community and friends, even from their immediate family. Something that stuck with me was that he said he knows people that understand the truth of Christ and will not turn to Christ because they have no friend or support in the Christian faith to support them when they are essentially excommunicated.

I would recommend this book whole heartedly, and feel it is great for a wide audience. It is excellent for Christians who are frequently in contact with Muslims (or even if not) and want to understand them better, but also for any Christian wanting to know how better to defend and present their faith. I also think it would be a great read for those interested in following Christ who are skeptical. Some may want to delve deeper into the topics and proofs presented but at the very least it would be a great introduction.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fast, good read. The series follows the McKenna siblings, a close knit and is of the romance/mystery genre. This particular book, number 4 in the series, is focused on Kayden McKenna as she finds a fallen climber during a free climb and assists new deputy Jake Cavanaugh investigate what turns out to be a murder. The romance develops between Kayden and Jake as they continue to investigate together. The mystery was great, with a twist I didn't really see coming. I have enjoyed the first few in the series, though I missed the third one; I think these are enjoyable on their own, but they do bring in the other siblings occasionally, which is more enjoyable when one is familiar with their stories. There are some lead-ins throughout the series to that hint at who the next book will focus on (Reef is up next time! and the last McKenna sibling so perhaps the end of the series??), but I'd say that each book is definitely very satisfying on its own. I'd recommend it to both mystery and romance readers (I prefer mysteries but don't mind when there is romance mixed in!). The siblings are Christians and refer to their faith, but I don't think the faith aspect is too overwhelming for non-believers either.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Another enjoyable novel. Like most Christian romance/mystery novels, this is an easy read. It's not deep and inspirational or thought provoking but it is a good, quick, fun read. The romance angle is sometimes a little much for me, but the mystery was engaging and interesting to follow. Amelia is returning to the small town where she grew up, and where her father still lives for her customary summer visit with her father only to find him dying if cancer and herself i possession of a newspaper. She takes the reins and tries to continue her father's investigation on a local company buying up local land and planning to mine it. She meets Ben Stone, a young employee of the company and they strike up a mutual interest. What she doesn't know is that he has been told to get close to her to convince her to give up the investigation. Thankfully, Ben is a honest, Christian man who sees Amelia as a friend and soon realizes as well that there is more to his company than meets the eye...
Recommended for readers who enjoy clean romance or mystery.

I recieved a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.