Book Review : A Promise Kept

Another great book by Robin Lee Hatcher!  A Promise Kept is more than just another fiction story, instead this is a very personal story for Robin.

 

Allison in the main character in A Promise Kept and she is navigating life after having her marriage destroyed by alcohol.  After being married for over 18 years, Allison on Tony parted ways.  Allison found comfort in a cabin in the woods left to her by her great Aunt Emma.  While nestled away and learning what life looks as a divorced woman, she finds Emma’s journals.

Allison and her great Aunt Emma both share a marriages destroyed by alcohol, but both also share redemption through that destruction.   As Allison reads Emma’s journals she sees her Aunt trust the Lord and grow in His truths.  She also learns to stand on her own as a woman, wholly leaning on the Lord. 

Seeing how Allison and Tony remain honorable toward one another, especially for their daughter’s sake, was very encouraging and heart warming.

This is a wonderful book to give to a friend who has dealt with divorce, alcoholism, and even just learning to lean into the Lord.  There is tremendous maturity modeled by the characters in this story!

The best part was reading how Allison’s life was similar to what Robin Lee Hatcher dealt with in her own life.

I highly recommend this book, I enjoyed the story tremendously!

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Best-selling novelist Robin Lee Hatcher is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. She discovered her vocation after many years of reading everything she could put her hands on, including the backs of cereal boxes and ketchup bottles. Winner of the Christy, the RITA, the Carol, the Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and many other awards, Robin is also a recipient of the prestigious RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of 70 novels and novellas with over five million copies in print.

Robin enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, reading books that make her cry, and watching romantic movies. Her main hobby (when time allows) is knitting, and she has a special love for making prayer shawls. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with Poppet, the high-maintenance Papillon, and Princess Pinky, the DC (demon cat).

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NOTE : I was offered a copy of A Promise Kept in exchange for an honest review by LitFuse.

Book Review(s)–Various Books by Callie Grant

While my kids are all reading their own books these days, I still love to read an occasional board book to anyone who will sit still!

I was looking forward to reading three new board books by Callie Grant, published by Graham Blanchard (I reviewed       recently which was published by Graham Blanchard too).

First Up

 Little Seed : A Life

Little Seed is filled with wonderful illustrations by Suzanne Etienne.   (click on the title to peek inside the book)

In Little Seed, the story follows a little seed that falls to the ground and shows what happens to it.  As a family that gardens I would love to use this book to teach little ones why we plant seeds and how each season impacts those seeds. 

I love that God is woven into this story as well, reminding our little ones how amazing God is and how he impacts life around us all the time!  The colors are vibrant and engaging and I know that little ones all around would love to listen to this great story!!

Graham Blanchard categorizes this book as a Praise book – it celebrates who God is.

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Next Up

Close as a Breath

The story Close as a Breath is illustrated by Sarah Acherley. (click the title to take a look inside)

This follows a little girl as she and her father go about their day.  The little girl asks lots of questions about nature and life around her, and her father answers her questions by teaching her about God.  There is a rhyming pattern to this story that makes it a bit whimsical. 

I love how this story takes a simple question from a little girl to her father and starts to teach ideas of science, but also connects them to the Creator. 

Graham Blanchard publishers consider this an Absorb book as it teaches concepts.

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Finally

Knowing My God – Jesus Saves Me

Knowing My God varies from the others in that the illustrations are pictures, of animals, children and life.  One central part is sheep and there are many pictures of sheep while the text refers to actual scripture that ties sheep to the Bible and God.

Graham Blanchard publishers consider this Learn book as it teaches scripture and explains what the verses mean.

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If you are in the market for buying books for little ones, make sure you check out Graham Blanchard publishers – I have LOVED all the books I have read from them!!

This company is committed to helping parents teach their children about God – and I love that!!

NOTE : I received a copy of each of the books mentioned above in exchange for an honest review, by Graham Blanchard Publishers.

Hunting Take #2

My boys (all 4 of them plus 2 friends) had a weekend to remember!!  Oh my!

Our gang was selected for another Youth Hunt as part of the TYHP here in Texas.  This hunt was held in honor of Jacob Krebs – he was a young man I never knew, but from the sound of it, was absolutely amazing.  Jacob was an Eagle Scout and destined for the Navy with hopes to be a Navy Seal.  While training last April he died while training for future Seal testing. 

Jacob was an active hunter in the TYHP program as well.  So this hunt was held in his honor and while I was not able to be there, I shed a few tears for Jacob myself.  I hope that my boys learned more than just more about hunting while being a part of this hunt!!

One of the adults involved with the hunt was a wildlife biologist, and she was able to teach the boys more than they were expecting.  For one thing, E’s doe was pregnant and they were able to see the fetus and even tell if it was a boy or girl!

Robert was on his own this time gutting the deer, with quite a bit of help from our friends, but there was no Leroy this time!  He says the processing is now up to me.  Lovely!

So, E got 2 Does, P for 2 does and J got 1 doe.  So we have 5 deer to process in this days to come.  Fun – fun!

		in Memory of Jacob Krebs TYHP Hunt 2014 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Book Review : No One to Trust

I have enjoyed reading novels by Lynette Eason in the past, I love her family relationships she weaves throughout the story and the fast action that keeps me connected.

No One to Trust did just that again!!  Honestly, I had a few other books waiting to be read (to review or for other personal reasons), however when this book arrived, I jumping in immediately and I think I finished it in a day.  In fact, I was feeling quite yucky and was looking for an excuse to snuggle up with a good book before our homeschool was back in session!

I loved this story!  There was quite a bit of suspense and action that I loved, but the character development always hits home with me.  I like a story with characters that I can relate to – ones that I can imagine knowing in real life!  And Lynette is the author to deliver real characters with real struggles and strengths. 

One of the other facets of Lynette’s books that I enjoy is the way she weaves in a spiritual element.  She does not hit you over the head with Sunday School points or ideas, but she writes real faith into her characters, and real struggles into their stories.

If you like action with a little romance on the side this is a great book, one that will be hard to put down!!

Just to let you know, I read the first chapter of her next book, and I am already hooked!!  Cannot wait to read Nowhere to Turn – Coming out Fall 2014!!

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About the book:

Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she's been living based on a lie. Which Kyle Abernathy did she marry? The computer programmer she met in line at the bank? Or the one who was apparently using that image as a cover story?

The search for her husband--and answers--takes Summer ever deeper into a world of organized crime where people are used one moment and discarded the next. And with her deepest relationship of trust already shattered, Summer doesn't know who to believe.

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Check out some of the other Lynette Eason books I’ve reviewed:

When the Smoke Clears

When a heart Stops

When a Secret Kills

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NOTE : I received a copy of No One to Trust in exchange for an honest review, by Revell Publishers.

Baby Goats have arrived!

We had such a great week last week – we woke up to find Primrose with her first baby both doing well!

The next morning I expected to find Petunia’s babies too – but instead I found a doe so ready to give birth I knew it would be anytime!!  So we started to check every hour or so, and about noon J called all of us to say it was happening!

We were so blessed to watch her deliver her baby – I mean babies!!  Oh my – we were hoping for twins, we got triplets!!

And we are in love!!

Here are some videos that will share our experience – it was amazing!!

Both mommas are doing great, and all the babies are growing fast!!

Here is arrival of baby #2 – Calla Lily “Callie”

 

Here is the arrival of baby #3 -  - Darth Mal

Life is going well here on Milk & Honey Meadows!!

 

P.S.- the honey is officially in the works too!!  Yay!!