THE QUEEN ~ Review

Murder in a small town has worldwide implications
The Queen is the latest Patrick Bowers thriller
from the author Publishers Weekly calls a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.”

It’s freezing in a small, Northern Wisconsin town when Patrick Bowers is called in to investigate a double homicide not far from his brother’s home. The local law enforcement thinks this is an open-and-shut case: a family is murdered and the missing father is their main suspect.

Once on scene, Bowers suspects there’s more to the story. For one thing, it’s only been a few hours and the Chief of Naval Operations is pressuring the FBI Director to have agents look into the case.

The high-tech conspiracy Bowers uncovers ties together long-buried Cold War secrets with present-day tensions in the Middle East and rocks one small town. The Queen (ISBN: 978-0-8007-1920-3, $14.99, 528 pages, September) by Steven James will have readers turning pages as they try to keep up with Bowers.

Praise for Steven James’s novels:

“Steven James continues to raise the bar in suspense writing. The Queen takes readers to a new level of suspense and is the best book in the Patrick Bowers series hands down!”—Suspense Magazine

“Thriller writing at its highest level.”—TitleTrakk.com

“James clearly knows how to spin a yarn.”—Booklist

“Exquisite.”—Fiction Fanatics Only

“Pulse-pounding suspense.”—FictionAddict.com

“John Sanford might have to start looking over his shoulder.”—Crimespree magazine

“Exhilarating.”—Mysterious Reviews

“Seriously intense.”—Pop Culture Tuesday

“Steven James has mastered the thriller.”—The Suspense Zone


Critically acclaimed author Steven James has written four other award-winning Patrick Bowers novels as well as many works of nonfiction. He has a master’s degree in storytelling and has taught writing and creative storytelling on three continents. He lives near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee with his wife and three daughters.
To learn more about Steve visit him at: stevenjames.net


My Review:

I have been looking forward to this next book in the Patrick Bowers series ever since I turned the last page in the Bishop (book 4). I love, love, love these books! I wondered though, would Steven James be able to pen another STELLAR novel? The answer: YES!

Steven takes us on such a ride...a ride that has many twists and turns, up and downs, and just when you think, "ok that's enough" you find yourself nearing the end, and finally, you can breathe! I like Patrick Bowers more and more with each novel! In The Queen, we see a different side of Patrick as he begins to deal with his past. I love how when Patrick does something, whether it be working on a case, being a Father, or looking at his past, he does it with all he has!

In The Queen, FBI Special Agent, Patrick Bowers is searching for a man whose wife and daughter were murdered. Did he murder them? Or Is he truly just missing? This is just the beginning and true to Patrick Bowers form, this case leads him to a conspiracy, a radical terrorist group, and a Russian Assassin. I have to say, the Cold War and the present day struggle with the Middle East hits sooo close to home! (This just makes it that much more thrilling!!) As Patrick continues to find more and more he can't help but wonder....Do all of these have something to do with his arch enemy, Richard Basque??

Patrick's "step" daughter Tessa, has her own issues to work through. She is having a hard time "forgiving herself" and can't shake the guilty feelings she experiences daily! Can Patrick help her to finally be able to have Peace and forgiveness?

The Queen, is full of suspense! If you think for one minute that you might just read a few chapters and then turns out the lights and fall asleep....think again! I have learned that if I am reading Steven James, I will most likely be losing some precious sleep! The Queen is a definite ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s FOR SURE!!


THANK YOU Donna Hausler and Revell Publishing for allowing me to review this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review!

If you would like to read all the books in the series, the titles are as follows:

#1- The Pawn
#2- The Rook
#3- The Knight
#4- The Bishop
#5- The Queen

Walmart Giftcard Winner

I am so excited to announce the Winner of the $25 gift card to WalMart! I am sorry I have kept you waiting so long! So without further adieu .... The Winner IS ~


True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:
Result:
4

4 ~ is Jennifer with JRU Studio!! Jen email me your address and I will give your info to MyBlogSpark so you can get your gift card ASAP

Congrats Jennifer and Thank you all for entering!!

Life Changing Bible Verses You Should Know

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!



You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Erwin and Rebecca Lutzer

and the book:

Life-Changing Bible Verses You Should Know

Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)

***Special thanks to Karri | Marketing Assistant | Harvest House Publishers for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Senior Pastor of The Moody Church since 1980, is an award-winning author of more than 20 books including Walking with God. He’s a celebrated international conference speaker and the featured speaker on three radio programs that are heard around the world. Rebecca Lutzer has used her gifts of hospitality, mercy, and teaching to minister to many women. She is an RN and enjoyed working as a surgical nurse for several years. They coauthored a book on the women in the life of Jesus and how He changed their worlds titled Jesus, Lover of a Woman’s Soul. They have been married for 35 years, live in the Chicago area, and are the parents of three married children.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Erwin Lutzer, senior pastor of the Moody Church, and his wife, Rebecca, encourage readers to reap the blessings of memorizing Scripture in this gathering of relevant verses, 35 topics, insightful explanations, and engaging questions. This foundation of wisdom inspires readers to experience God’s Word in powerful ways.







Product Details:



List Price: $12.99

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0736939520

ISBN-13: 978-0736939522



AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Adversity



Psalm 46:1—God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.



1 Peter 1:6-7—In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.





When we think back to the devastating earthquake in Haiti that killed nearly 200,000 people, many images come to mind, but one image that stands out well above the others is that of a young mother being interviewed on television as she held a baby in her arms.



“I lost my son…he died in the rubble.”



“Did you get to bury him?”



“No, no chance; his body was crushed in the rubble; I just had to throw him away.”



Just then the camera zeroed in on her backpack as she prepared to board a bus. Stuffed in a side pocket was a Bible. As she boarded the bus she could be heard, speaking to no one in particular, saying, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…” Her voice trailed off as she disappeared from view.



When the report was over we just kept staring at the television for a while, pushing back tears and letting what we’d just seen sink into our souls. A dead child with no chance to plan a funeral and pay respects to her precious little one, a baby in her arms, and she was boarding a bus that was going she knew not where. Yet she still expressed belief; she still trusted that God is her refuge and strength.



Faith in adversity!



This mother—God bless her—began quoting Psalm 46, which was written as a praise song after God spared the city of Jerusalem from an invasion by Assyrians who were threatening to annihilate the inhabitants. In the midst of a harrowing escape, the Israelites found God to be an unshakable pillar.



God is our refuge. A refuge is a safe place you can run to for shelter when life’s storms are swirling around you. No wonder this dear mother found solace in this psalm, which continues, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (verses 2-3).



Yes, the mountains did give way and fall into the heart of the sea, but God is unaffected by the fluctuation on events of earth; He is always there, solid, unmoved. When the mountains are shaking and the ground beneath you is quaking, run to God, and He will meet you. Yes, even when our world falls apart in the aftermath of a horrendous natural disaster, God is unchanging and remains with us.



In the midst of the devastation, God is our source of supply. The psalm continues, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” (verse 4). Most likely that refers to a tunnel that had been built some time earlier to bring water into the city in case it was ever besieged. The people of Jerusalem saw this provision as God giving them specific help at their time of their need.



Then the psalm gives us a command: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (verse 10). Let us cease striving and let God be God. Even in adversity He is there; or perhaps we should say especially in adversity He is there!



Adversity should not drive us away from God; rather, it should drive us into His arms. He is there for the grieving mother, and for the family that has experienced indescribable loss. The psalm ends, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (verse 11).



God wants to be believed. And our faith is more precious to Him than gold, which perishes. When we continue to trust Him even when there appears to be no reason to do so—and we go on believing God’s bare Word, our faith will “result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7).



Reverend Henry F. Lyte was a pastor in Scotland who battled tuberculosis most of his life. On his final Sunday, September 4, 1847, amid many tears the congregation sang a song he himself had composed, “Abide with Me.” It spoke of the unchanging God in an ever-changing world:



Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.

When other helpers fail and comforts flee,

Help of the helpless, O abide with me.



Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;

Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;

Change and decay in all around I see;

O Thou who changest not, abide with me.



Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;

Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.

Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;

In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.



The young mother in Haiti—who was clutching an undernourished baby in her arms and had no time to mourn the tragic death of her son—found solace in the God who was still beside her when the earth gave way. “God is our refuge and strength,” she said amid her grief and uncertainty of the future.



In times of adversity, our faith can hold fast. And God is both honored and pleased.





Taking God’s Word to Heart



Reflect on the account of the Haitian mother who tragically lost her son. How has Psalm 46 been a source of strength for you during adversity? What other Scripture passages do you turn to for help in difficult times?

What does it mean to you that God is your refuge? In life’s journey, why is God’s unchangeable nature a source of strength for us?

Recall an instance when God provided timely help for a specific need. What did that experience teach or confirm for you about God’s character?

What are some ways God has used adversity to shape your life?

Why is God honored and pleased when we exercise faith in times of adversity?

My review:

I LOVED this book! Anytime someone can take the Word of God and share it with you in a way that applies to daily life, or daily circumstances, it is a winner in my opinion. Life Changing Bible Verses shares Gods Word in a way that many will relate to! Also at the end of the chapter you will find questions about the particular verses you've just read which in turn allows for the reader to take what they have learned to an even deeper level! Sounds Awesome doesn't it!! Well, it is!

I HIGHLY recommend this for any and all! New Christians, Seasoned Christians, Graduates, College kids etc. This would make a great study for any group or anyone just wanting to go deeper in the Word!

This is one that I will learn and glean from for years to come!

Amish Values for Your Family ~ Review

My Review:

I LOVE this book! Not only did I Love this book but I could just imagine being with the Amish families and learning, gleaning, and just seeing life through their eyes! There is much wisdom and oh my goodness, the peace, in how they choose to live life which allows for a very bonded family !!


We all talk about "unplugging," to let go of social networks, or tv, or just our crazy hectic schedules that make our life seem so chaotic at times, but they don't have to deal with any of that! Can you say AHHHHH!

Their Faith is so very important and teaching their children just how to live out that faith, is just awesome! The Amish love their children deeply but explain that they are not "adored." They are a part of their community, they help, they serve and they learn to respect those in their community!

I am so thankful to have been able to review this book! I read it straight through but will definitely go back and take it slowly next time. This would be a wonderful book to read as a Family Devotion taking one Principle or One story at a time and discussing it together with your spouse and children! I would love to hear what children think of this book! I would also recommend this to any Homeschool Family! What a wonderful book to share with one another and trust me....there are many lessons in this book!

The sweetness and gentleness of the Amish just warms my heart! I would have to say that my favorite principal that I can "take" from the Amish without becoming Amish would be the Laundry Day. While folding the Laundry, take a moment for each person's laundry that you are washing/drying/folding etc. and pray for them. Praying will also take a mundane chore and turn it into a special time between you and the Lord! Win/Win don't ya think?

Thank you Donna @ Revell a Division of Baker Publishing for allowing me this complimentary book in exchange for my honest review! Definitely a 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥'s

About the Book:
Suzanne Woods Fisher is thrilled to announce the release of Amish Values for Your Family, her latest non-fiction release. "It offers loving ways to bring your fractured home back to life-Amish style. Read it and apply generously! It’s a beautiful book-funny, charming, soulful, and beautiful." -Mary Ann Kirkby

Read the reviews here.

To celebrate the release of Amish Values for Your Family, Suzanne has teamed up her publisher Revell Books to giveaway a Kindle, and with Bill Coleman (the amazing photographer used on Suzanne’s book covers) to give away a signed Bill Coleman original.

One Grand Prize winner will receive an Amish Values Prize Package (valued at over $200) and includes:

* A brand new KINDLE
* A Signed Bill Coleman original
* Amish Values for Your Family (for KINDLE)




Click on one of the icons to enter. Winner will be announced on 9/2 at Suzanne’s blog. Be sure to stop by the blogs on Suzanne’s blog tour – many have copies of Amish Values for Your Family to give away.

But, wait there's more! Suzanne is running a Bill Coleman caption contest during the month of August on her blog. Title one of Bill’s gorgeous photos for a chance to win a print from Bill’s Amish Photo site and/or a copy of Amish Values for Your Family.

Ransome's Quest

My Review:

Ransome's Quest by Kaye Dacus is the 3rd and final book in the Ransome trilogy! This is an EXCELLENT SERIES! You will LOVE William, Ned, Julia and Charlotte and if you are like me, you will feel like you have made some great friends! In Ransome's Quest, you will meet Salvador ~ (hubba hubaa) If you are a fan of Pirate stories and all the excitement that goes along with it....You will NOT be able to put this book down!

If you haven't read Book 1 "Ransome's Honor" or book 2 "Ransome's Crossing" I would encourage you to read the whole series!! YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Ransome’s Quest Harvest House Publishers (August 1, 2011) by Kaye Dacus



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Humor, Hope, and Happily Ever Afters! Kaye Dacus is the author of humorous, hope-filled contemporary and historical romances with Barbour Publishing and Harvest House Publishers. She holds a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, is a former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, and currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers. Kaye lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and even though she writes romance novels, she is not afraid to admit that she’s never been kissed.



Kaye Dacus (KAY DAY-cuss) is an author and editor who has been writing fiction for more than twenty years. A former Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kaye enjoys being an active ACFW member and the fellowship and community of hundreds of other writers from across the country and around the world that she finds there. She currently serves as President of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, which she co-founded in 2003 with three other writers. Each month, she teaches a two-hour workshop on an aspect of the craft of writing at the MTCW monthly meeting. But her greatest joy comes from mentoring new writers through her blog and seeing them experience those “aha” moments when a tricky concept becomes clear.





ABOUT THE BOOK

The pirate El Salvador has haunted the waters of the Caribbean for almost ten years. When he snatched Charlotte Ransome, it was a case of mistaken identity. Now Charlotte's brother, whose reputation in battle is the stuff of legend, is searching for him with a dogged determination. But another rumor has reached El Salvador's ears: Julia Ransome has been kidnapped by the man feared by all other pirates--the pirate known only as Shaw. The violent and blood-thirsty savage from whom El Salvador was trying to protect her.



When word reaches William of Julia's disappearance, his heart is torn--he cannot abandon the search for his sister, yet he must also rescue Julia. Ned Cochrane offers a solution: Ned will continue the search for Charlotte while William goes after Julia. William's quest will lead him to a greater understanding of faith and love as he must accept help from sworn enemy and have faith that Julia's life is in God's hands.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Ransome’s Quest, go HERE.

Would you like to Win a $25 Walmart gift card??

It's back to school time! Wouldn't it be nice to win a $25 Walmart gift card!!?? Wouldn't it be even better if you could not only win a $25 gift card, but help your local school as well?? How might you do this you ask? Well, by purchasing items with General Mills boxtops on them and giving those boxtops to your school! This would help them receive much needed items! As I was shopping with my $25 gift card I found that not just cereal boxes or granola bars offer these great boxtops, but even some of the school supplies do as well! I have collected box tops for 14 years now and don't plan on stopping for sure! Do you collect them for your school? Well WalMart and General Mills want to help you do just that, plus provide you with a $25 gift card, so leave your comment on this post (for one entry) and do the following:

For 2 entries: Be a follower of HeartofaBookWorm
For 3 entries: in a separate comment tell me what your favorite General Mills cereal is
For 4 entries: Share this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Be sure to share your link
For the 5th and final entry: Blog about this giveaway and share your link
(Please leave a separate comment for each entry)

I will choose the winner on Monday August 29th!




"Disclosure: The information and $25 gift card to Wal-Mart has been provided by Wal-Mart and General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

To see the 70 products that have boxtops please go here
To follow Walmart on Twitter you can do that here
To "Like" Walmart on Facebook go here
To visit Walmart online, the link for you is here

Thomas Nelson giveaway!

From Thomas Nelson:



One of the highlights of our days in the Fiction department at Thomas Nelson? Receiving reader letters—either directly addressed to us or passed along from our talented authors. It’s critical to be reminded that at the end of our long days acquiring, editing, designing, selling, marketing, and publicizing books, those stories are reaching readers, striking nerves, changing lives. We want readers’ feedback. How stories have given you hope. Which authors’ series you can’t help from sharing with everyone you meet. We want to know what makes you stay up late in the night to finish a story, and conversely what turns you away.



We’re conducting a series of surveys—seeking answers from readers who love Christian fiction. Up for grabs is a free ebook for every respondent who completes the survery, as well as a $10,000 prize for one entrant. The responses we gather will help shape the future of the books we publish for years to come. As well as the data we’re collecting here, we’ll also seek more in-depth feedback from a panel we’ll develop over the next year. More details to come. The note below from one of authors gives a specific picture of how reader feedback shapes her work. In short, your opinion matters! We thank you for your time and appreciate your responding.



--Thomas Nelson Fiction

Dear Friends--

Your opinion matters. It really does. I love hearing from readers about what worked for them in a story and about what doesn’t work. Reader feedback changed the balance between romance and suspense in my novels. After the Rock Harbor trilogy, I wanted to write more suspense in my novels because that’s what I personally like. But readers really wanted more relationship and romance in the books so I moved back that direction to about the same mix of 50/50 that the Rock Harbor novels contained. I write for you even more than for myself.



I had no intention of setting a whole series of books at Bluebird, Texas. It was going to be only one book, but readers sent me requests in droves for more books. The fourth book in the Lonestar series, Lonestar Angel, will be out in October. The Rock Harbor novels were going to be complete at three. There are now five and I’m thinking about another one! All due to reader demand.



I’ve often asked for reader input on names and locations too. When I was struggling for a name for my hero in The Lightkeeper’s Ball, I turned to my readers. Harrison really fit my character, and my readers told me. Love that! When I was trying to decide on a location for the new Hope Beach series I’ve started, I asked readers. Their overwhelming response was for a series set in the Outer Banks so guess what I’m writing?!



That’s why we’re coming to you for answers. We want to give you what you really want! Don’t be afraid to let us know what you really think. We value your honesty and the time it will take to share with us. Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!



Your friend,

Colleen Coble