Love in the Details by Becky Wade

★★★★★

She left him to save his future, but they’ve never gotten over each other.

When Josh returns to his hometown of Martinsburg, Texas, to help his best friend get married, he didn’t intend to run into church wedding coordinator—and ex-girlfriend—Holly. He can’t help but pine after the girl he never got over.

Holly broke up with Josh years ago in an attempt to ensure his future success. But she loved him then and still loves him now. As she helps him plan his best friend’s wedding, she can’t help but feel horrible for the pain she caused him. And even though she longs to be with Josh, she doesn’t feel worthy of his big-time lifestyle when she is more comfortable in her small town world. Will Josh and Holly be able to keep things as they are when their true feelings threaten to surface at every turn?

The final novella in the second round of A Year of Weddings, “Love in the Details” by Becky Wade tells wonderfully heartwarming story of a second-chance love. When Josh returns to his hometown for his best friend’s wedding, he naturally runs into Holly, the woman who broke his heart. The two cannot seem to avoid one another, so they slowly begin to become reacquainted and uncover the hurts of the past. A sweet romance, “Love in the Details” will leave any fans of A Year of Weddings smiling - I highly recommend it to any interested reader looking for a quick, heartwarming read.

Thanks to Zondervan and NetGalley, I received a copy of “Love in the Details” and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

The God You Thought You Knew: Exposing the 10 Biggest Myths About Christianity by Alex McFarland

★★★★✩

Maybe we've been wrong about God all this time.

We call this the information age, but it's also the age of misinformation – especially when it comes to God and Christianity. Many of us believe the Christian God is far away and unapproachable, that we have to be good to be accepted by him, and that the Bible is just an antiquated list of do's and don'ts. But maybe none of that is true. Maybe we've gotten it wrong. 

Instead of proofs for God's existence, what we really need are compelling reasons to want to know him, and those reasons are more personal than we sometimes think. Through sharing his own story, author and speaker Alex McFarland shows how the God you thought you knew actually cares about you – about the rejection and loneliness you feel. It's time to replace the half-truths and lies we believe about ourselves with his overwhelming love and forgiveness.

We all want acceptance and purpose. Let this book teach you how to be anchored in the security that comes through knowing God for who he really is.

Alex McFarland’s The God You Thought You Knew: Exposing the 10 Biggest Myths About Christianity tackles myths currently circulating about God, Christianity, and the Bible. He confronts each of his chosen myths with truths in a thought-provoking and accessible manner and makes many helpful points. For readers interested Christian apologetics, The God You Thought You Knew offers a good starting point and is certainly worth a read.

Thanks to Bethany House, I received a copy of The God You Thought You Knew and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own.

Valley of Decision by Lynne Gentry

About the Book

★★★★★

Thirteen years ago, Dr. Lisbeth Hasting made an impossible decision to leave third-century Carthage and her husband, Cyprian, behind for good to protect their daughter, Maggie. Summoning all her courage, she struggled to move on with life and keep her promise to Cyprian to keep their little girl out of harm's way.

Years later, that little girl is now a headstrong young woman starting to chafe under her mother's protective wings. Craving an opportunity to express her independence, Maggie decides to do what her mother appears to be unable or unwilling to do: She secretly returns to the third century on a quest to bring her father back. When Lisbeth discovers what Maggie has done, she is left with no choice but to follow.

With Maggie's surprise arrival in Carthage, chaos ensues. Finding her grandmother on trial for murder, she attempts to save her, but her efforts only spark a riot that nearly destroys the plagued city. Only one thing will appease the wrath of the new proconsul of Carthage: the death of whomever instigated the riot.

Though I didn’t want to say goodbye to the Carthage Chronicles characters, Valley of Decision offers a conclusion that does the series justice and left me satisfied. This third novel of the series picks up right where the second one ended (for the third century storyline, at least) and continues with plenty of drama, suspense, and romance. (Be sure to read Healer of Carthage and Return to Exile before Valley of Decision.) It’s an emotional journey with familiar characters, a few new ones, and plenty of twists and turns, and I couldn’t stop reading. Fans of the series should definitely take the time to read Valley of Decision - it’s an addicting read that won’t disappoint. I recommend it.

Thanks to LitFuse Publicity Group, I received a copy of Valley of Decision and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. To read other opinions, be sure to check out what other reviewers think here, and purchase a copy of the book here.

About the Author

Lynne Gentry has written for numerous publications and is a professional acting coach, theater director, and playwright with several full-length musicals and a Chicago children's theater curriculum to her credit. 

Her love for writing stories was born while growing up on a Kansas dairy farm as she longed for adventure and dreamt of traveling to exotic places. She likes to write stories that launch modern women into ancient adventures, such as The Carthage Chronicles. 

Gentry is also an inspirational speaker and dramatic performer who loves spending time with her family and medical therapy dog.

Find Lynne online at her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Amish Christmas at North Star: Four Stories of Love & Family by Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark (with Emily Clark), Amanda Flower and Katie Ganshert

★★★★★

One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife, just outside North Star, Pennsylvania. 

 
Rebekah’s Babies, as they are called, are now grown adults and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, a possibility of love, and the wonder of Christmas.

“Guiding Star” by Katie Ganshert: Curiosity gets the best of Englischer Chase Wellington when he investigates the twenty-five-year-old disappearance of an Amish baby. When he finds adventurous Elle McAllister in Iowa will his discoveries upend her world? 

“Mourning Star” by Amanda Flower: Eden Hochstetler slips from her parents’ fudge shop to investigate the death of her friend Isaac.  Who is guilty? Isaac’s handsome great nephew Jesse, an angry Englischer, or someone else?

“In the Stars” by Cindy Woodsmall: Heartbroken Kore Detweiler avoids North Star after Savilla Beiler rejects his love.  But when he is unexpectedly called to return home, he and Savilla must join forces to keep a family together.

“Star of Grace” by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark: Andy Danner left North Star to join a new Amish settlement in Mississippi. His little brother devises a scheme to bring Andy home for Christmas and unwittingly unleashes the power of forgiveness in a reclusive widower’s life.

Amish Christmas at North Star offers a wonderful collection of holiday novellas from authors Cindy Woodsmall, Mindy Starns Clark (with Emily Clark), Amanda Flower, and Katie Ganshert. With mystery, romance, and cozy Christmas feelings, these four heartwarming novellas tell different and unique stories, each involving great characters, but all tie together quite nicely. Any reader of Amish fiction will want to be sure to pick up Amish Christmas at North Star in the approaching Christmas season. It’s an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Blogging for Books, I received a copy of Amish Christmas at North Star and the opportunity to provide an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions I have expressed are my own. 

The Girl from the Train by Irma Joubert

★★★★★

A sweeping international love story that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit over the inhumanities of war and prejudice.

Six-year-old Gretl and her sister jump from a train bound for Auschwitz, her mother and grandmother unable to squeeze between the bars covering the windows. The daughter of a German soldier, Gretl understands very little about how her grandmother's Jewishness brought her first to the ghetto, then to the train, and now, to the Polish countryside where she wanders, searching for food and water for her dying sister.

Soon, Gretl finds refuge with Jakob, a Polish freedom fighter, and his family, where she is sheltered until the end of the war. Gretl is then sent away to a new life, a new name, and a new faith in Apartheid-era South Africa. As she comes of age in this strange place, she confronts its prejudices as she hides the truth of her past from her new family.

When Jakob makes his way to South Africa many years later, Gretl and Jakob are reunited in a love story that transcends time and distance and survives the ravages of hatred and war.

I absolutely loved Irma Joubert’s The Girl from the Train. With fascinating detail and authentic characters, it tells a historical and heartfelt coming-of-age story. The story spans both time and geography, originating in World-War-II-era Europe and traveling with Gretl and Jakob through Apartheid-era South Africa. Two strong, resilient characters, Gretl and Jakob, bear many burdens imposed by their historical contexts and deal with tragedy, loss and challenges to their identities, which bonds the two in an enduring relationship. Emotional and beautiful, the journey of The Girl from the Train offers an addicting read, and fans of historical fiction will not want to miss it. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers, I received a copy of The Girl from the Train and the opportunity to honestly review it. I was not required to write a positive review, and all 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.”)

About the Author

International bestselling author Irma Joubert was a history teacher for 35 years before she began writing. Her stories are known for their deep insight into personal relationships and rich historical detail. She's the author of eight novels and a regular fixture on bestseller lists in the Netherlands and in her native South Africa. She is the winner of the 2010 ATKV Prize for Romance Novels.