His Brother's Bride~ by Denise Hunter

"Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."

~Psalms 2:11

I wasn't sure what book to read next so I thought I would give another of Denise Hunter's books a try since I enjoyed Finding Faith.

His Brother's Bride is a period novel about a woman named Emily who travels west as a mail order bride. She arrives with great hope for the future, but through a series of events her plans are thrown. Cade is single dad whose wife died five years ago. He needs a mother for his son, but is not willing to ever replace his late wife. With all the walls between them will they ever truly become a family?

This book was a nice quick read. It was romantic with an element of suspense as well.

Next on my reading agenda~ The Swan House~ by Elizabeth Musser

Divine~ by Karen Kingsbury

"Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he cast seven demons."


~Mark 16:9

Let me just start by saying that this book is intense. Divine is a modern day story inspired by the life of Mary Magdalene, a women out of whom Jesus cast out seven demons. This woman had a sordid past without hope, but she accepted Christ and became a woman of God and she was the first person that Jesus appeared to after His resurrection. The book tells the story of Mary Madison, a woman who endured unspeakable horrors as a child and in her past. But now she is an educated woman who turns to Jesus and lives her life opening shelters and helping others find escape from awful situations through belief in Christ. During the story she has the oppourtunity to tell her story to Emma, a young mom who feels trapped. The question is will Emma learn from Mary's story and accept the unconditional love of Christ?

This book was a very good, emotional read, that gives you hope that Jesus can rescue you from even from the most desperate situations if you only let him. I would not recommend this to younger readers because of the situations described. Although the descriptions are not graphic I think they are more suited to an older audience. Otherwise, if you are up for story, the read is well worth it.

Freefall~ by Kristen Heitzmann




"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken."

~Matthew 24:29

"When a young woman stumbles out of the Hanalei Mountains on the island of Kauai with no memory of who she is or how she got there, Cameron Pierce reluctantly agrees to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding her arrival. As pieces begin to fall into place, he suspects her injuries were no accident, but he's far from convinced she's an innocent victim. And there's that nagging feeling he's seen her somewhere before....Now known as Jade, the woman begins to recall fragments of what led her to this place, and she realizes the danger isn't over. Jade and the cynical Hawaiian investigator attempt to reconstruct the threads of her identity, but the stakes are far higher than either expected."

~description from www.kristenheitzmann.com

This book is riveting. It grabs your attention from the beginning and keeps it throughout the entirety of the book. Heitzmann creates characters that are relatable and truly transports you into their world. This book was great. Heitzmann is becoming one of my favorite authors all of her books are the kind I have to finish in a day or two because I can't put it down. My mom and her friend were laughing at me because every time I really get into a book I am extremely quiet and pretty much don't hear anything going on around me, this book took me to that place.

Next on my reading agenda~ Divine~by Karen Kingsbury

The Warrior~ Francine Rivers


"But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it."
~Numbers 14:24

First of all let me say THE SEMESTER IS OVER YEAH!!!!!!!! I now have two weeks of no graduate work :)

Okay onto the book. Francine Rivers has another series called the Sons of Encouragement. In this series she tells the stories of men from the bible who stood behind the great heroes of faith. Aaron the priest, Caleb the warrior, Jonathan the heir, Haggai the prophet, and Barnabus the disciple. I read the story of Caleb. The time where Israel was in the wilderness was always and interesting part to study. This book shed a different light on that time. Rivers tells the story from the view of a man that stayed true to God but also had the pain of watching his friends and relatives perish because of their unbelief. Then later in his life he watched as the new generation who were so on fire for God forget God's blessings and take their own path.

I highly recommend this book. Although this is a work of fiction, Francine Rivers tells the story in a way that truly helps you understand the people in the bible that she discusses.

Next on my reading agenda~ Freefall~ by Kristen Heitzmann

Halos~Kristen Heitzmann





"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."


~Matthew 24:31

Alessi Moore has had a difficult life full of pain and rejection yet still manages to appreciate the small things. When she reaches the town of Charity she sees a halo and knows that something good is going to happen. Maybe this is the place where she can finally belong. Her high hopes are gone in an instant when she finds herself "with nothing but the clothes on her back" stuck in a town where not everything is as perfect as it seems.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Kristen Heitzmann's storytelling always transports me completely into the story and I find it difficult to put the book down. I think you will really enjoy this one.

Next on my reading agenda~The Warrior~ by Francine Rivers

A Hilltop in Tuscany~ by Stephanie Grace Whitson





"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! For his mercy endures forever."

~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

This week has been a pretty crazy one. As I told you before I am working in a store that my parents just opened, and the week started off a little slow. Today God blessed us tremendously. We were a little unsure of which way to go with advertising, but the ad that we did put out got a lot of responses. And we have also acquired a corporate account which is a huge blessing. God is good!

During this hectic week I read~ A Hilltop in Tuscany~the sequel to A Garden in Paris. This story follows Mary in her new life in Paris as her daughter Liz comes to terms with her father's legacy. This story was a nice wrap up to the last book because I was anxious to find out what was going to happen. Anyway I do have a plan on what I want to read next, but I might not get to it for a while because I am nearing the end of the semester and I have a lot of work to do. Oh, who am I kidding I will probably find time to read too.

Next on my reading agenda~ Halos~by Kristen Heitzmann