One Call Away by Brenda Warner

The book description states: Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.

Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.

Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.

Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

It sounded like a wonderful read and I couldn't wait to download this book. Knowing that Brenda Warner has been sharing at the Women of Faith conferences had me really excited to read her book. The book is very conversational and I am really not a fan of conversational style writing. There were definitely some highlights and it was very encouraging to read about things God has done in her life. Overall, I was not thrilled with the book, though. I had a hard time making myself read it. I don't think I could recommend this book to friends.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy...

The book description says: If what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, why is Audrey growing weaker by the day?

When her husband Geoff, a pastor, lost his job after a scandal rocked their congregation, Audrey's never lost faith.

They decide to resurrect a failing bakery as a way to heal family wounds and restore their place in the community.

Running late to the bakery one foggy morning, Audrey strikes a vehicle. Emerging from her car into the fog, she discovers she hit a motor scooter. But there’s no rider in sight. Just blood.

The absence of the driver is a mystery, especially to Sergeant Jack Mansfield, the detective and church member responsible for firing Geoff from his pulpit. The scooter belongs to Jack’s wife, Julie, a teacher at the local high school, who has vanished…like morning fog.

Though there is no evidence to support Jack’s growing suspicion that Audrey and Geoff were involved in Julie’s disappearance, the detective is convinced of their guilt. When he takes the tiny bakery and its patron’s hostage, Audrey must unravel the secret of Julie’s disappearance and her own mysterious suffering before Jack hits his breaking point.

I don't know about you, but that description was plenty to draw me in! This book was captivating. I did not want to put it down! I could relate to Audrey with the uncertainty of starting over, because my family and I are starting over in a new city right now. I also found myself relating with Jack and Julie's daughter. I got the impression that Jack was very tough raising his daughter. He reminded me very much of my stepdad. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not! The book was absolutely wonderful, though. It was very well written. I think it's a book that I would love to read again one day. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves suspence!

This book was provided for free by Booksneeze, a division of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.

Hermie, A Common Caterpillar by Max Lucado

I requested Hermie, A Common Caterpillar from Booksneeze to read to my 3 year old daughter. It is a story about a caterpillar that keeps telling God that he is common. He sees all of these other animals: a strong ant, snail carrying his house, a lady bug with beautiful spots and cannot understand why he is so plain and common. He keeps asking God and God keeps telling him to hold on, He is not done with him, yet. It is a beautiful story. At the end of the book, Hermie gets very sleepy and turns into a beautiful butterfly. Then, he understood why God said He wasn't done with him, yet. It is a very touching story. I know there are times that I wonder what my purpose is and I can hear God saying, Hold on, I'm not done, yet. I loved how the story lined up with some of my feelings of being plain and common. The illustrations were beautiful! My 3 year old put the book in a special place and could not wait for her Daddy to get home to show it to him!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with children! I received this book free from Booksneeze, in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are my own.

Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont

Two years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Patsy Clairmont speak at a Women of Faith event in Shreveport, Louisiana. It was the first and only Women of Faith event I have attended. Patsy was an absolute joy to listen to and kept us laughing and crying the entire time she was on the stage. She's one of those people that you'd love to put in your pocket and keep with you at all times, because she eminates joy! I absolutely loved her. I have never had the chance to read one of her books until now. I downloaded Stained Glass Hearts from Booksneeze and snuck away to read it every spare minute I could find. The entire book is so real and authentic. I felt like I'd made a new friend when I closed the book. When I got to the last chapter, I was actually sad. I wanted to read more about Patsy's life. You can see God working in every area of her life and it is a beautiful story. I really was not a fan of the chapter on poetry, but I loved every other chapter of the book.

Near the end of the book she talks about how change is transitional, even if it's your dream come true. She states "Weed out regret. Once you make your decision to plow a certain field (new job, home, school, etc.), don't second-guess yourself. You will only stir up yellow jackets of insecurity. Keep tabs on what's buzzing around in your mind. Shoo off thoughts that keep you negative and sad. Deliberately life your pansy face heavenward.". I cannot tell you how much I needed those words right now, this very minute. God was using Patsy to speak to me and I love it! I would highly recommend this book to friends and family. It is a wonderful read, full of great Biblical insight!

I received this book for free from www.booksneeze.com with the agreement that I would read it and review it. All of the opinions about this book are my own.