Reading Romance

About the Bible:

As members of the modern age, we sometimes feel disconnected from the world of the Bible. But if we look closely, we can see that although cultures change, our basic challenges stay the same. We still struggle with issues like community, justice, economic stress, political tensions, and cultural and ethnic differences. We still wonder who God is, how to discern His will, and how we fit into His plan.

Using historical context and fresh insights backed by biblical scholars, The Modern Life Study Bibleexplores the timeless truths that connect the people and stories of the Bible to the opportunities and demands we face today. God is at work in our world, inviting us to experience His presence.

With innovative, full-color illustrations, maps, and diagrams, along with special information on occupations of the Bible, profiles of people and places, theme indexes, and inspirational biographies of believers who put their faith to work, The Modern Life Study Bible will draw you in, helping you to know and embrace what it means to follow Christ in today’s world.

Features include:

• More than 2,400 concise articles and book introductions
• More than 220 full-color maps
• Hundreds of  diagrams, tables, and illustrations
• 66 inspirational biographies
• Indexes to aid navigation and study

My Thoughts on the Modern Life Study Bible:

I liked the colorful format and font size of the Modern Life Study Bible. It made the text very easy to read. There are many sidebars peppered throughout the actual text which expanded on different topics. I personally prefer to read Bibles which have the text alone (no footnotes or sidebars) because I find the extra commentary distracting, but since this is a study Bible, sidebars are expected. Overall, this format was very visually appealing and I plan to use it whenever I want to research specific topics in the Bible.

Disclaimer: I received the Modern Life Study Bible from Shelton Interactive in exchange for an honest review.

Enter Today | 1/21 – 2/8!

One winner will receive:

• A Polaroid Instant Camera
• A beautiful antique AFGRA camera (learn more here)
• Movie passes to see The Monuments Men movie (with George Clooney and Matt Damon)
• Shadowed By Grace by Cara Putman

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 8th. Winner will be announced February 10th on Cara’s blog.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Cara’s blog on the 10th to see if you won.

About the Book:

She found peace in a time of war.

Desperate to save her dying mother, an American woman accepts her newspaper’s assignment to travel to Italy where she takes photographs dangerously close to the front lines during World War II. But Rachel’s real motive in this journey is to find the father she never knew, an artist she hopes can offer the comfort and support both she and her mother need to survive at such a desperate time.

In her quest, Rachel becomes involved with what will become the Monuments Men effort to save great monuments and works of art from the Third Reich. Soon enough she will find more than she ever imagined—in war, in love, and in God.

My Review:

I am a secret history buff, and this story was very captivating especially against the backdrop of history. Cara Putman did an excellent job laying out the characters. They are three dimensional and pulled me right into the story world.

Enter Today | 1/20 – 2/6!

 One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on February 6th. Winner will be announced at the “A Promise Kept” Facebook Author Chat Party on the 6th. Connect with Robin and friends for an evening of encouraging book chat, prizes, and an exclusive look at Robin’s next book!

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by clicking JOIN at the event page. Spread the word—tell your friends about the giveaway and party via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on 2/6!

About the Book:

God was going to save her marriage, Allison was sure of it. But neither her husband nor her marriage had been saved.

What had become of His promise?

Tony Kavanagh had been Allison’s dream-come-true. They were in love within days, engaged within weeks, married and pregnant within a year. Her cup bubbled over with joy . . . but years later, that joy had been extinguished by unexpected trials.

The day Allison issued her husband an ultimatum, she thought it might save him. She never expected he would actually leave. She was certain God had promised to heal; it was clear that she’d misunderstood.

Now, living in the quiet mountain cabin she inherited from her single, self-reliant Great Aunt Emma, Allison must come to terms with her grief and figure out how to adapt to small town life. But when she finds a wedding dress and a collection of journals in Emma’s attic, a portrait of her aunt emerges that takes Allison completely by surprise: a portrait of a heartbroken woman surprisingly like herself.

As Allison reads the incredible story of Emma’s life in the 1920s and 1930s, she is forced to ask a difficult question: Does she really surrender every piece of her life to the Lord?

Drawing from her own heart-wrenching story of redemption, A Promise Kept is Robin Lee Hatcher’s emotionally charged thanksgiving to a God who answers prayers—in His own time and His own ways.

My Review:

This book is very well-written and I could sense Robin Lee Hatcher’s transparency through the lens of the story. This made me easily connect with the main characters, Allison and Emma. This story resonated in my heart. A must read!

Enter Today – 1/2 – 1/18!

One winner will receive:

• A beautiful hand-painted table (see it here: http://etsy.me/15L90cD)
• The Painted Table by Suzanne Field

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on January 18th. Winner will be announced January 20th on Thomas Nelson’s Facebook Page.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by the TNZ Facebook Page on the 20th to see if you won.

About the book:

A beautiful heirloom ingrained with family memory has become a totem of a life Saffee would rather forget—a childhood disrupted by her mother’s mental illness.

Saffee does not want the table. By the time she inherits the object of her mother’s obsession, the surface is thick with haphazard layers of paint, and heavy with unsettling memories.

After a childhood spent watching her mother slide steadily into insanity, painting and re-painting the ancient table, Saffee has come to fear that seeds of psychosis may lie dormant within her. But as an adult with a family of her own, Saffee must confront her mother’s torment if she wants to defend herself against it.

Traversing four generations over the course of a century, The Painted Table is an epic portrait of inherited memory, proclivity, and guilt. It is a sprawling narrative affirmation that a family artifact—like a family member—can bear the marks of one’s entire past . . . as well as intimations of one’s redemption.

Purchase your copy: http://ow.ly/rIosh

About the author:

Suzanne Field, a graduate of the University of Minnesota, has taught English as a Second Language in China, Ukraine, and Hawaii. She has also been a magazine editor and home-school teacher. She and her husband have five children and divide their time between Kansas and Hawaii where she is a tutor and mentor.

Learn more about Suzanne at:https://www.facebook.com/SuzanneFieldThePaintedTable

My Review:

This was an awesome read. I was sad to get to the last page! Her characterization and her themes were incredible. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

About the Book

“What a beautiful book ! So readable, the pages practically turned themselves. Ragged Hope is filled with stories; written for those who are weary, worn and wounded. It offers each of us exactly that—hope that God can do a mighty work even with those of us who carry the ugliest of scars.” — Debbie Macomber, #1 NYT bestselling author

Where do we find hope when it’s clouded by the ashes of other people’s choices?

What do you do when your life is affected by someone else’s choices? Where is God when you are doing everything right yet, because of someone else, everything is wrong? This insightful and hope-giving guide will comfort, support, and encourage you through whatever situation you must face.

Cynthia Ruchti, who has walked this road herself and has spoken to hundreds of people through her radio show, assures readers that God is ever present and offers unwavering love. There is hope, grace, and a future in every situation—even (and especially) those we did not cause but now live. Vetted by professional counselors and caregivers, this is the one guide you need to thrive no matter what you are facing.

Purchase a copy here.

My Review

This was a great nonfiction book for me to read. I could empathize with each person as I read their short stories. Despite the variety of circumstances presented in this book, there was an overarching message of light and hope in the dark places. This is something I needed to be reminded of each day.  

About the Author

Cynthia Ruchti has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with “Heartbeat of the Home” radio and currently serves as Professional Relations Liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers. Find Cynthia on the Web at www.cynthiaruchti.com

Winners get to choose novels from this list. It will be updated regularly.

The Chic Shall Inherit the Earth by Shelly Adina (YA)

Final Touch by Brandilyn Collins (YA)

The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman (Women’s Fiction)

Pure Serendipity by Becky Melby and Cathy Wienke (Heartsong Presents)

Almost Forever by Deborah Raney (Women’s Fiction)

The Weight of Shadows by Alison Strobel (Women’s Fiction)

Plain Perfect by Beth Wiseman (Contemporary Amish Romance)