Last Chance Hero

Cathleen Armstrong is the author of Welcome to Last Chance winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Women's Fiction in 2009 and the first volume in the series "A Place To Call Home". She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband, Ed, and their corgi, but her roots remain deep in New Mexico where she grew up and where much of her family still lives.

Ways to connect with Cathleen:
Reader Inquiries:  Cathleen@cathleenarmstrong.com
Social Media links:
Goodreads
Facebook 
Twitter

What happens when your heart is intercepted before you even know it's in play?

The folks in Last Chance, New Mexico, could not be more pleased. Dr. Jessica MacLeod has opened an office right on Main Street, and Andy Ryan, the best athlete the little town ever produced, has come home from the NFL to coach the high school football team. Unfortunately, Dr. Jess immediately gets off on the wrong foot with this football-obsessed town when she admits that she's never seen a football game, isn't really interested in doing so, and in fact doesn't know a first down from a goalpost.

Despite having little in common, Jess and Andy find themselves drawn to each other.  But when a disagreement over the future of an injured player puts them both on the defensive, it begins to look like this game is over...


My Thoughts:
Last Chance Hero is the fourth book in Armstrong's A Place to Call Home series.  The book is also my first to read from Armstrong.  The book can be read as a stand-alone but reading the series as a whole would be recommended as Armstrong builds on and includes previous characters in each book. The previous books in the series are Welcome to Last Chance, One More Last Chance and At Home In Last Chance.
Armstrong's characters come from complex backgrounds but find a place to belong in the small town of Last Chance.  Armstrong captures small town life with characters that drive a story full of faith and love.  I really appreciated the effort Armstrong made to infuse her story with a strong message of faith so fluently throughout the dialogue between the characters.  Consider this passage as an example:

"Do you think your results came back the way they did because God likes you better than he might like someone else, maybe because you go to church more or something?"

"No, of course not. I have no idea why I got the results I did.  It certainly wasn't because I deserved it.  It was just part of the plan God has for my life.  And if the results had come back the way I was afraid they might, well, that would have been part of God's plan for my life too.  Not as punishment, or judgment, but as a natural consequence of my actions.  And he would have had a olan for my life that included that too.  And you know what? It would have been a good plan." 

You will enjoy this easy read and might just find yourself in Last Chance along with Jess, Andy, Kaitlyn, Lainie, Juanita, Chris, Ray and my personal favorite, Elizabeth.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.  A positive review was not expected and all opinions are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer

Bonding with Your Child through Boundaries

One of the world's leading biblical counselors, June Hunt is also an author, speaker, singer, and the founder of Hope for the Heart, a worldwide biblical counseling ministry.  June hosts an award-winning radio broadcast, Hope for the Heart, heard daily across America.  Hope for the Night is June's live two-hour call-in counseling program that helps people untangle their problems with biblical hope.

Early family pain was the catalyst that shaped June's compassionate heart and her work with young people and their parents led June to a life commitment of providing God's Truth for Today's Problems.

After years of teaching and research, June began developing spiritually based counseling tools called Biblical Counseling Keys.  The Counseling Keys have become the foundation for Hope for Hearts' Biblical Counseling Institute, initiated by The Criswell College in 2002.

June's books have sold more than a million copies.  Through her life-transforming approach, she readily shares the truth that "a changed mind produces a changed heart...and a changed heart produces a changed life."

June's newest book is Bonding with Your Child through Boundaries which she wrote in conjunction with Peggysue Wells.

In Bonding with Your Child through Boundaries Hunt helps parents understand why boundaries are essential in parenting, sharing bibllically based principles for implementing boundaries, answering frequently asked questions about boundaries such as, "Will boundaries limit my child's creativity?" and "How do I lay a foundation for boundaries to work?"

"External boundaries are designed to develop internal character," says Hunt.  "Kids with character do the right things - not to impress the world but because they've been transformed by a powerful process described in Romans 12:2.  Ultimately, parents who let their kids keep getting away with wrong are training them to do wrong."

After laying the foundation for the necessity of boundaries, Hunt offers 36 practical, parent-tested "how to" steps for making boundaries work in your family offering insights on everything from anger and aggression, back talk, bullying, cell phone struggles, cheating, chores, disrespectfulness, gossip and tattling, media mania, lying and whining.

Hunt approaches each topic with a relatable story, motivations behind the issue, practical boundaries, tips on what to say to your child and most importantly what the Bible has to say about it.

"When children are secure in who they are - and whose they are - they are better equipped to make good decisions," says Hunt.  The Bible says, "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad" (Proverbs 29:17 NLT).

I appreciate immensely how Hunt ties her approaches to the Scriptures and I can't recommend this book enough.  Rather than another "how to" formulaic parenting book, Hunt offers parents an invaluable tool in shaping minds and hearts of their children for the glory of God.

Get this book now!

*I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for providing my honest thoughts and review.

Blessings,
Jennifer

Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul

Jennie Allen is a passionate leader following God's call on her life to catalyze this generation to live what they believe.  She is the author of Restless and the Bible studies Stuck and Chase, and is the founder and visionary of IF:Gathering. Jennie is married to her best friend, Zac, and they have been blessed with four children.

You can connect with Jennie in these ways:
1.  http://www.jennieallen.com/
2.  Facebook
3.  Instagram
4.  Pinterest
5.  Twitter

Safe
Comfortable
Happy

Words we all love.  Feelings we all want.  Even crave.
We may love God but being that He's invisible, we chase things that make us feel better faster.  But if God is real, and we are going to live with Him forever, shouldn't He be everything?

Caught up in a happy life filled with daily obligations and empty pursuits, Jennie Allen and her husband Zac prayed a courageous prayer of abandonment that took them on the adventure God had written for them.

"God, we will do anything.  ANYTHING."

Anything is a prayer of surrender that will spark something.  A prayer that will move us to stop chasing what makes us feel good and instead begin to live a life that matters.  Because of her surrender God has continued to unleash His Spirit on Jennie's family and in her ministry.

In this newly revised edition, she shares what's happened since the initial release and includes a Bible study experience for personal reflection or group discussion to help you discover your own anything.  It's time to trade your safe and comfortable life for one that is surrendered, reckless, courageous.  

Because if we truly know a God worth giving anything for, everything changes.



My Thoughts:
I had the honor of reviewing Jennie Allen's study Chase sometime back and knew then that Jennie had a gift of relaying God's truths from His Word.  When the opportunity came to review her book/bible study Anything, I knew it would be good...I just didn't understand how timely and good it would be for my life in the season I find myself.  With three children ages 17, 6 and 9, a husband, a very hard move/relocation and a full-time work from home job, I find myself in a season has been a challenge to my faith.

I always thought I would easily be able to pray a prayer of surrender until I read Anything.  In her book, Jennie tenderly and boldly challenges her readers with God's word and truth.  Mixed with her and her husband's story and biblical teaching on surrender, Jennie speaks to the issue of discontentment and the need to evaluate our personal relationship with the God of the universe Who loves us and can be trusted with our anything.

I especially found the section on "living anything" to be particularly helpful.  After all, it is very easy to voice a prayer and another thing all together to put feet and actions to those prayers:

"If we pray anything, we will all, like Christ, be called to give up this life and things we love.  We will be called to risk for His glory.  Christ never intended those who walked with him to feel comfortable and safe. This was meant to be a risk-it-all pursuit.  The glory of God will be made great on this earth, but what a privilege to be part of His plan to restore it."

If you are planning for a Spring Bible study with your small group or thinking of having some friends over to your home for a Bible study, I can't recommend Anything enough. This revised edition includes an 8-week Bible study that helps you see the concept of praying anything in Scripture.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review and for giving my honest opinions.

Blessings,
Jennifer

Wild in the Hollow

Amber C. Haines is a soulful writer and a blogger at TheRunamuck.com.  She is curator with her husband Seth of Mother Letters and in a contributor with many acclained writers and bloggers at DaySpring's (in)Courgage.  She lives in Arkansas, has four wild sons, and finds community among the broken.

You can connect with Amber at her website found at www.amberchaines.com.

Amber Haines is a woman hunted by God.  Like Eve in the Garden, she craved the fruit that she thought would lead her to freedom.  But the whispers of temptation led her instead down a path of isolation, dissatisfaction, and life-altering choices.  In her most broken moment, Amber met God waiting for her in the fallout, freely offering her grace and life.

This is the story of the God who makes Himself known in broken places.







My Thoughts:

"Are we not all needy?  If we want to see gospel happen in our churches, we must see from a thousand miles above the little building, which is to say, we need to see the small.  We need to see the things thrown to the side.  Who is on the floor, without a place?"

If I were to sum up Amber's book in one word it would be perspective.  She is transparent in sharing her journey.  Lyrical in places and very raw in others, Amber Haines offers readers a genuineness that the body of Christ, the church, sometimes lacks sorely. Both convicting and encouraging, Wild In The Hollow, is a book to be savored and heeded for the glory of God.

"Instead of leaving the church, we show up and go underground.  We are undercover practitioners of discernment, those who sniff out pain.  We worship Him everywhere, carry Him with us, aware of our community's desires, their wants for hope.  We are not distracted by the surface things, the buying and selling, the committee meetings. Those are not our business.  Our business is to seek out those who are poor in spirit, the lonely, and the ones dying of shame.  Our business is to love our enemies and to forgive those who persecute us.  Our business is to model how all desires are summed up in Christ."

Read this book and you will receive a good return for your time doing so.

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

Blessings,
Jennifer

Through Waters Deep

About the author:

Sarah Sundin is the author of With Every Letter, On Distant Shores, In Perfect Time, and the Wings of Glory series. In 2014,On Distant Shores was a finalist for the Golden Scroll Awards from both AWSA and the Christian Authors Network. In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist's mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

Find Sarah online: website, Facebook, Twitter

About the book: 
Through Waters Deep (Revell, August 2015)

It is 1941 and America teeters on the brink of war.

Outgoing naval officer Ensign Jim Avery escorts British convoys across the North Atlantic in a brand-new destroyer, the USS Atwood. Back on shore, Boston Navy Yard secretary Mary Stirling does her work quietly and efficiently, happy to be out of the limelight. Yet, despite her reserved nature, she never could back down from a challenge. When evidence of sabotage on the Atwood is found, Jim and Mary must work together to uncover the culprit. A bewildering maze of suspects emerges, and Mary is dismayed to find that even someone close to her is under suspicion. With the increasing pressure, Jim and Mary find that many new challenges---and dangers---await them.

Sarah Sundin takes readers to the tense months before the US entered WWII. Readers will encounter German U-boats and torpedoes, along with the explosive power of true love, in this hopeful and romantic story.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1DkJmlO

Here's a fun video portraying the production/design of the cover:

You can see what others are saying about the book HERE.

My Thoughts:

Sundin's Through Waters Deep was just plain fun to read!  I absolutely loved Jim and Mary.  Sundin wrote with the perfect balance of a budding romance, intrigue and mystery.  She captures the WWII era with good characterization and dialogue as well as description of the times and places affected during the war.  Sundin has started off her new Waves Of Freedom series with a real winner.  I can't wait to see what comes next!

Happy Reading Ya'll,

Jennifer

Among The Fair Magnolias

About the book: 
Among the Fair Magnolias (Thomas Nelson, July 2015)

In the most turbulent decade of our nation's history, four Southern women---destinies forged by birth, hearts steeled by war---face near impossible choices on their journeys in life . . . and in love.

To Mend a Dream by Tamera Alexander
Savannah Darby would do almost anything to revisit her family home. So when new owner, Aidan Bedford, a Boston attorney and former Union soldier, seeks to redecorate the house for his fiancée, Savannah jumps at the opportunity. But the clock is ticking. Can she find the box her father supposedly hid there during the war before her assignment is completed? And before she sees yet another battle lost on the home front. This time, one of the heart.

An Outlaw's Heart by Shelley Gray
When Russell Stark returns to Fort Worth, he's determined to begin a new life. But when he arrives at his mother's homestead, he discovers she's very ill, and the woman he loved is still as beautiful and sweet as he remembered. With time running out, Russell must come to terms with both his future and his past.

A Heart So True by Dorothy Love
Abigail knows all too well what is expected of her: to marry her distant cousin Charles and take her place in society. But her heart belongs to another. A terrible incident forces Abby to choose between love and duty.

Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser
Emily has a secret: She's in love with one of the freedmen on her family's plantation. Meanwhile, another man declares his love for her. Emily realizes some things are not as they seem and secrets must be kept in order to keep those she loves safe.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1Igkc7H

About the authors:

Tamera Alexander is the best-selling author of numerous books including A Lasting Impressionand The Inheritance. Tamera is a two-time Christy Award winner, two-time RITA winner, and a recipient of the prestigious Library Journal Award. A native of west Tennessee. website, Twitter,Facebook 

Dorothy Love makes her home in the Texas hill country with her husband and their golden retriever. An award-winning author of numerous young adult novels, Dorothy made her adult debut with the Hickory Ridge novels. website,Twitter, Facebook

Shelley Gray is the author of The Heart of a Hero series. Her Amish novel (written as Shelley Shepard Gray), The Protector, recently made the New York Times best seller list.website, Twitter, Facebook

Elizabeth Musser, a native of Atlanta, Georgia now living in France, is a novelist who writes what she calls 'entertainment with a soul.' For over 25 years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in mission work with International Teams. website,Twitter, Facebook

To see what others are saying about the book, you can visit HERE.

My Thoughts:

Among The Fair Magnolias is a collection of four Southern love stories written by four of the most gifted authors in the Historical Fiction genre.  Each with their own unique flair...Love, Gray, Musser and Alexander...capture the era and Southern culture with expert story telling skill and description.  The characters in each novella are genuine and their stories are easy to get lost in.  Each author inserts her own style while delivering a delightful read full of romance, intrigue of the era and faith.  If you are looking for the perfect Summer's end read, this book will satisfy.

*I was given a complimentary copy of the book by the publisher for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,

Jennifer

A Bride At Last

About the author:

Melissa Jagears, an ESL teacher by trade and the author of A Bride for Keeps and A Bride in Store, is a stay-at-home mother on a tiny Kansas farm with a fixer-upper house. She's a member of ACFW and CROWN fiction marketing, and her passion is to help Christian believers mature in their faith and judge rightly.

Find Melissa online: website, Facebook

About the book: 
A Bride at Last (Bethany House, July 2015)

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?

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1M44A97

To see what others are saying about the book, you can visit HERE.

My Thoughts:

Jagears has written a delightful read in A Bride At Last.  The characters are well developed and intriguing.  Jagears keeps readers turning pages with a perfect blend of tender romance and a little mystery infused with gospel grace.  The transformation of Kate and Silas and their relationship is captivating.  While parts of the story reach a predictable end, the journey Jagears takes readers on to get there involves nothing short of genius writing.  You will enjoy A Bride At Last.  

Happy Reading Ya'll,

Jennifer