Redeeming Grace Review

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingRedeeming GraceLighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas;
1st edition (February 28, 2013)
byWard Tanneberg



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ward Tanneberg is a pastor/writer/novelist who has given more than 50 years to evangelism, youth, college and pastoral ministry, including two Pacific Northwest churches and 23 years as the senior pastor at Valley Christian Center in Dublin, CA. In 2008, he was named President/Executive Director of The CASA Network. Ward speaks extensively at 50+ retreats and ministry leadership events in the USA and elsewhere. When at home he meets weekly with a group of business and professional leaders. He and Dixie have 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 4 step-grandchildren and a great grandson.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Seven years ago, Grace Grafton died in a boating accident while partying on the Georgia, South Carolina coast. Was her death the result of alcohol and drugs or something more sinister? Nobody knows: her body was never recovered. Now years later, a woman reads in disbelief the note addressed to her: Hello Grace, did you think we wouldn't find you?




Those nine chilling words end Grafton's self-imposed sanctuary of witness protection. Now she and everyone she loves are in grave danger. Long believed dead, she has a secret that can change the world. She knows the man running for president is guilty of a double murder! But who will believe her?




If you would like to read the first chapter of Redeeming Grace, go HERE.





MY THOUGHTS:

When this book arrived in the mail for review, I was a bit nervous when I opened the package! It was HUGE-600 pages HUGE! But once I started reading, I couldn't stop! This is my first novel by author Ward Tanneberg and it certainly won't be last!

Redeeming Grace is a fast paced thriller, full of suspense and a great message to boot! I highly recommend!

Thanks To Bonnie @ Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!

Happy Reading

5 Days to a Clutter-Free House

About the Book:While most of us aren't hoarders we can all benefit from assessing and reducing the clutter in our homes--and then organizing what's left. Many things stop us from succeeding: the sheer scope of the project, the tendency to lose momentum if the job takes too long, and the fact that we're always acquiring new clutter. But what if it really took only a week to de-clutter the whole house, and then you even had the weekend to relax and enjoy your new clutter-free space? Could it really be that simple?

Organizing and time management experts Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims show how with the right game plan and a healthy dose of adrenaline, anyone can de-clutter their home in just five days. With this systematic, team-based approach, even the most overwhelming de-cluttering job becomes doable. The authors' enthusiasm and energy keep readers pushing forward to the goal, and their time-tested tips and habits help readers maintain their hard-won gains. The authors even show how to deal with common obstacles to achieving and keeping a clutter-free house, like filing, storage needs, health issues, space restrictions, the car, and even family sabotage!

About the Authors:
Sandra Felton, The Organizer Lady®, is a pioneer in the field of organizing. She is the founder and president of Messies Anonymous, the author of many books, including Organizing Magic, and the coauthor of Organizing Your Day and Smart Office Organizing. She lives in Florida.

Marsha Sims is an international speaker and lecturer on time management and organization. She is the founder and president of Sort-It-Out, Inc. and Clutter-Free University. She is the coauthor of Organizing Your Day and Smart Office Organizing, and lives in Florida.



My Thoughts:

If there has EVER been a book that will Help you, Inspire you, Encourage you, and mostly Understand YOU, THIS IS THAT BOOK!

Authors Sandra Felton and Marsha Sims have such a wonderful way of making organizing completely doable! Not only do they have an excellent 5 days to a clutter free home system, but they also share in the second half of the book, how to make sure it stays this way! If you are like me, I can get the clutter GONE, but it is the staying gone that seems to trouble me! So this 2nd part of the book was and will be most beneficial for me.

Their system for de-cluttering calls for inviting a team to help you. I think for some, that might prove to be a hindrance, however, if you are really serious about getting rid of the clutter, then by all means, don't be shy or even ashamed. Just ask away and get busy knowing you have a goal and nothing will keep you from it!

As with any how-to book I think not all things will work the same for everyone but I would like to think that these ladies would love it if you learned and applied what WILL work for you! For me, the encouragement these ladies share just made me want to dig in and de-clutter and I hope the same for you! There is something so freeing when you can get rid of clutter!


Thank you so much Revell Books and Donna Hausler for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!

FREE MOVIE! and Yummy Cereal too?? PLUS ... A Giveaway!!!

How would you like to go to the movies on General Mills?? Well, you can! How you ask?? Just like this:

For a limited time (11/08/2012 – 12/06/2013) you can receive a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills cereals including Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, and Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs.
After purchasing two participating cereals, visit www.generalmills.com/moviecash to enter the unique code found inside each box of cereal and print-off your free Movie Cash certificate (good for one admission of up to a $12 value at participating theaters). To find a participating movie theater in your area log onto: www.emoviecash.com/dis_locator/

My Husband and I had such a great time going to a show together! Thank you General Mills & My Blogspark!!
You can go on a movie date too! Just enter the giveaway...

If you would like to receive a gift pack from General Mills including a box of cereal and movie cash please leave a comment sharing what movie you would like to go see and what your favorite General Mills cereal is!


Also you can gain an extra entry for each of the following:
Tweet the giveaway
Share the Giveaway on Facebook
"Like" the Heart of a bookworm on Facebook
Please leave a comment with each entry completed! I will draw a winner on Monday February 4th!


"Disclosure: The information, products and General Mills gift pack were provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Prayers of a Stranger

About the Book:

While visiting the Holy Land, Amanda answers the prayers of a stranger . . . and begins an amazing Christmas journey.

Amanda Vance is ambivalent about her husband’s idea for a big family holiday up north. Last year she planned a special Christmas in their own home, carefully preparing a nursery and the keepsake ornaments for their newborn. Now that room stands as empty as her heart.

Then a neighbor’s mishap turns into a last-minute chance for Amanda to take a much-needed vacation to tour the Holy Land.

An extraordinary turn of events allows Amanda to help answer a young mother’s plea for healing. Then, filled with a sense of awe, Amanda visits the place of Jesus’ birth. There she discovers anew the miracle of the Christ child—God incarnate as a tiny, vulnerable baby.

Her return to Florida marks a momentous shift in her soul and in her marriage as she begins to realize that her journey didn’t end in the Holy Land. And that God doesn’t just answer prayers of strangers . . . but also those of her own heart.

My Thoughts:

Are you asking why in the world is she just now posting a Christmas story?? Well, here's the thing! Yes, this is a "Christmas Journey" however, this "Journey" will touch the reader no matter the season. Isn't that what a book should do!?

Prayers of a Stranger is a beautiful book that will touch your heart in countless ways. So many times, when we go through a devastating loss, we get stuck in the "WHY GOD?" but it is when we get on the other side of that pain and we open our hearts and allow God to do what HE has been longing to do....bring healing and restoration. As Chris and Amanda walk through their grief, God begins opening doors and step by step the healing comes.

Prayers of a Stranger is such a wonderful example of how God works all things to HIS glory!

Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishers and the BookSneeze Program for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review

Happy Reading!

Secretly Smitten ~ Review

About the Book:
Summer, fall, winter, spring-Smitten, Vermont, is the place for love . . . and mystery!

There's a secret in Grandma Rose's attic-a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to Smitten. How did the dog tags end up in the attic?

The mystery intrigues Rose's three granddaughters-Tess, Clare, and Zoe-and they decide to investigate, though their mother, Anna, warns against meddling. But as the seasons turn and the mystery unravels, the three young women and their mother encounter some intriguing mystery men of their own. Has a sixty-year-old puzzle sparked something new for this close-knit family of women?

Join popular romance novelists-and real-life BFFs-Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter for four delightful intertwined tales of mystery and sweet intrigue.


Meet these Amazing Authors:

RITA-finalist Colleen Coble is the author of several best-selling romantic suspense novels, including "Tidewater Inn", and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. * Christy Award finalist and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year award, Kristin Billerbeck has appeared on The Today Show and has been featured in the New York Times. Her books include "A Billion Reasons Why" and "What a Girl Wants." * Denise Hunter is the award-winning and best-selling author of several novels, including "A Cowboy's Touch" and "Sweetwater Gap." She and her husband are raising three boys in Indiana. * Diann Hunt has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, her dog, and, well, chocolate.


The "gals" are celebrating the release of Secretly Smitten with a fun Live Webcast on February 5th. They'll be debuting the *NEW* animated Smitten trailer, giving away tons of prizes, dishing on the book and their friendship. They'll also be wrapping up the Secretly Smitten blog tour, answering audience questions and testing your trivia skills. Don't miss the fun and bring your friends. Click here to RSVP and set up a reminder.

MY THOUGHTS:

If you haven't ever read one or any of these Authors, this is a FABULOUS way to introduce yourself to them! Now then, if you are familiar with them, you know how awesome their books are, right?!!!! Well, these BFF's have done an AMAZING job writing 4 novella's and making the stories flow from one to the other just perfectly!


I just love it when someone has pretty much given up on love, and then suddenly, they find themselves falling, and falling hard, don't you!?!? Well in Smitten Vermont, love & mystery are in the air and the Thomas sisters are hard at work hoping to solve the mystery and to prove, it is never too late for love. But as each sister will find out, love can come when you least expect it and in ways you never could have imagined!

Smitten is a cozy town filled with such precious people! I would love to just pick up and move there and you might just be ready to do the same after you read Secretly Smitten!

Secretly Smitten is a DEFINITE 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s for me!
Thank you so much to LitFuse for allowing me this complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review!


To Purchase this WONDERFUL book you can go here

Cheaper, Better, Faster ~ Review

About the Book:

Make the most of your money and time! Offering advice on everything from automobiles to laundry, cleaning to cooking, gifts to finances, and more, Hunt shares clever ideas that use common household items to solve problems---without breaking the bank. Each practical tip is short, to the point, and tested.


My Thoughts:

Mary Hunt is a TIP GENIUS! Seriously, I don't know many books that can offer OVER 2,000 tips and tricks that save you time & money ~ But this one sure does and let's face it.... We all can use money saving ideas these days!

Cheaper, Better, Faster has 16 chapters filled with various tips from cars, kids, pets, to holidays, cooking, and traveling, and much more in between.

This would be a FABULOUS wedding gift or for a college grad, but then again, it would be a fabulous gift for ANYONE! I learn something new each time I read it! Her gift giving ideas are excellent and very heartfelt!

Thank you Mary! I love your book and thank you Donna @ Revell Books for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!

Vanished ~ Review

Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a confusing detour places her on a rural, wooded road, she's startled by the sudden appearance of a lone figure caught in the beam of her headlights. Though Moira jams on her brakes, the car careens across the wet pavement--and the solid thump against the side of the vehicle tells her she hit the person before she crashes into a tree on the far side of the road.

A dazed Moira is relieved when a man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to an hour later, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person lying on the side of the road. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on the person's face in the instant before her headlights swung away. The person she hit had been in trouble. She's sure of it. But she can't get anyone to believe her story--except a handsome former police detective, now a private eye, who agrees to take on the case.

From the very first page, readers will be hooked into this fast-paced story full of shocking secrets from fan-favorite Irene Hannon. Vanished is the exciting first book in the Private Justice series: Three justice seekers who got burned playing by the rules now have a second chance to make things right.


My Thoughts:

Oh. EM. GEEEE! Vanished is sooooo good you guys! The Suspense is perfect! The Romance is AWESOME!!! The "who done it" is one that you know the answer to, but if your like me, you may question yourself at times... The good and the not so good is definitely written beautifully within this person!

This is book one in this series ~ I HIGHLY recommend that you go out and get VANISHED or if you have a Kindle or Nook, download it ASAP! You will be soooo glad you did!

Thanks so much to Donna with Revell for allowing me this complimentary e-book in exchange for my honest review!



Happy Reading!