Book Review - The Edge of Belonging

 It's September 1994 when homeless Harvey James finds a newborn, still covered in blood and wrapped in a men's flannel shirt. The moment the tiny girl wraps her fingers around his, Harvey knows that this child cannot be thrown away the way he has been. Each would be the family the other had not had before.

It is September 2020 when The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox finds its way into my hands and doesn't leave them until I reach the end of this stirring and deeply emotional love story. You know the kind of book where you know what's coming, but the real enjoyment is in the reading? If you really wanted to shoehorn me into a literary type, that might be it. Life is full of surprises; action, adventure, twists & turns are great in a book, but sometimes I just need to know that it's all going to end up well and the most stressful plot point is that the male love interest confuses the female love interest's brother for a romantic rival. There's just the right amount of tension and misunderstanding before the confusion is unraveled and everyone lives happily ever after. 

I spent the entirety of The Edge of Belonging feeling like I had it pegged and thinking I would cruise along and enjoy this one, then shelve it along with all the other cozy books I have enjoyed. I suspect the author knew that was what would happen, because she didn't let it go so easily. Amanda Cox flat out wrestled with all the stressful plot points. Some of them hit closer to home for me than others, but they are all very real and very relevant. She handled them with care to bring about a story that needed to be told and treasured. I'm all full of book recommendations, in case you haven't noticed all the blog posts, but this one gets a special spot on my recommendation list. The Edge of Belonging is the kind of book you'll want to purchase in the physical copy, because I guarantee you will know someone else who needs to read it.

The Edge of Belonging by Amanda Cox is currently available from your favorite bookseller.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/yxbu76zw

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y4szmn63

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/yy8llwyk

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All of the opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - The Price of Valor

The Global Search and Rescue series from Susan May Warren goes out with a bang... a ka-boom... a ka-plow... and a whole lot of action for the entire team. The Price of Valor focuses on Hamilton Jones; we finally get Ham's book and learn more of his story. I love the way Warren writes her fiction as the story of what God does in the lives of Ham and the people around him. These characters, our GSAR family and friends, build each other up and support each other when things get hairy... and things get hairy in The Price of Valor, for sure!

We learned in The Heart of a Hero (Global Search and Rescue, book 2) that Hamilton Jones has been reunited with the darling daughter his wife Signe kept secret from him. Now he is more convinced than ever that Signe is alive and he is determined to find her, to bring her home, to redeem her to the family they could be together. The choices he has to make are unenviable, and the lessons in forgiveness and redemption are more easily said than done. 

With her trademark realism and frank conversation, Warren handles the struggles we all find in the depths of our human hearts and the truth of our Savior's love, grace, forgiveness. She calls out our own confusion through the struggles of her characters, who tend to feel (like we all do sometimes) that the battle is ours. When we, and they, are tempted to believe that our responsibility is to BE Jesus, we're refocused and reminded that our responsibility is to SHOW Jesus. Her characters may have much greater adventures than I do, but their struggles and lessons they learn are very relevant.

The Price of Valor by Susan May Warren releases October 6, 2020. You can preorder now from your favorite bookseller to make sure your copy lands in your hands ASAP.

Christianbook: https://tinyurl.com/yxp5cpjz

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y6qqtuns

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/yysxsp2k

Thank you to Susan May Warren and Revell for allowing me a copy to read and review. Please know, dear reader, that the opinions stated in this review are my own and are completely unbiased.

Book Review - The Librarian of Boone's Hollow

Addie Cowherd is precisely where she intends to be along her path to becoming an author when the realities of the Depression Era bring her to what seems to be a screeching halt. With her options limited to none, it seems hopeless until she learns of a traveling librarian position in the Kentucky hill country. She is an outsider and her welcome to Boone's Hollow is lukewarm, at best. What is to become of her and her dreams if she can't find a way forward alongside these people?

Just because Emmett Tharp grew up in Boone's Hollow doesn't mean he fits in. The Depression ruined his big city opportunities and his education isn't much help in the mining community he used to call home. How will he make a living when he can't find a desk job and he isn't cut out for work in the mine? And how can Addie and Emmett work together to open up new worlds and new understanding to the people around them?

Kim Vogel Sawyer's latest release felt a little familiar when considered in the scope of, "What happens when the world closes a door on our plans?" And, "How do I trust God to make a way when it seems there is none?" I really enjoyed the story line of The Librarian of Boone's Hollow, as well as the way the author's thoroughly considered characters build a world in which I could become immersed in order to feel the frustration, distrust, affection, and joy woven throughout. The idea that understanding can break down walls and one person can make a difference are timely reminders to us all.

The Librarian of Boone's Hollow releases September 15, but you can pre-order your copy today from your favorite bookseller.

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - Love Has A Name

I was minding my own business, just mentally ranting about the state of the world and this culture of disrespect that seems to have become so prevalent, when I saw the info for an upcoming release from Adam Weber and Waterbook called Love Has A Name. My rant came to a screeching halt. THIS! This is what I was struggling to articulate! Love DOES have a name, and a face, and a story. Putting those elements together, name + face + story, gives humanity to the people around us and facilitates the kind of love we're meant to have for each other. Adam Weber articulates this well through the chapters that each highlight the names and stories of individuals God has used to teach the author about love, as well as corresponding Bible characters who exhibit each kind of love. I recommend reading this one with a highlighter in hand; the stories are spot-on and the insights are well worth noting.

No publisher disclaimer is necessary in this case, as I gladly threw down my cash for this one. By now, I hope y'all know I give my own honest opinion every time. Because I'm full of 'em and I like to share!

Book Review - Don't Keep Silent

The McKade boys are in it again. This time, it's Liam, and he's still trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up. Sure, he has served in the Marines and in the DEA, but a blown cover and a bullet have him back at the Emerald M with his brothers while he figures out what God has planned for him next. He didn't dream it would be the woman who blew his cover. The woman he took that bullet to save. The woman he thought he loved, before he realized she had used him for her own purposes. The woman who now needs him to help her find her missing sister-in-law before time runs out.

Elizabeth Goddard's Don't Keep Silent is the third book in her Uncommon Justice series. If you don't know the McKade boys by now, it's high time to pick up the first book and read your way through the adventures kicked up by Austin, Heath, and now Liam. Goddard balances danger and romance intricately and pulls the reader into the lives of the Emerald M. Don't Keep Silent is another action packed page turner. Sure, you could read it as a stand-alone, but frankly, you wouldn't skip straight to the end of the book, so why miss out on the rest of the Uncommon Justice series.

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - These Nameless Things

My very first impression of Shawn Smucker's These Nameless Things was that the imagery crafted within is positively astounding. It was not at all difficult to become immersed in this carefully crafted world, so thorough were Smucker's descriptions. My second impression was that I did not enjoy this book, but I encourage you to roll with me as I explain a bit more. You see, These Nameless Things is not meant to be lightly read. It is utterly exhausting. Not because it is an untimely story or poorly written, but for the exact opposite reason. This book is an eloquent image of Dante's Inferno, a timely parallel and a wake-up call to the beauty of the human creature that is so thoughtfully made in the image of God. Exhausting in the sense that every nuance is critical to the understanding of the value of a person and overwhelming beauty of grace and forgiveness, These Nameless Things is worth every moment of toil alongside the characters in order to appreciate the complex themes.

I particularly love how the characters grapple with the issue of forgiveness and grace, both the giving and receiving of these precious gifts that have the power to restore humanity. Not only to restore the recipient, but also to heal the heart and soul of the giver. These elements do not come naturally or easily to the flawed creature of humanity, and the toil involved in their exploration helps to highlight how very precious they are. Yes, These Nameless Things is exhausting, but is well worth digesting every hard earned sentence.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.

Book Review - An Appalachian Summer

With An Appalachian Summer, Ann H. Gabhart gives readers a thoroughly enjoyable story wrapped in with a celebration of differences. It was easy to get pulled in from the very first introduction of Piper Danson, who wants nothing to do with a debutante season or finding a suitable match, much less doing so in the midst of the Great Depression. It is easy to relate to Piper's search for an opportunity to do something with real meaning, and to find out who she truly is before settling for a the match chosen by her father instead of marrying the man she has loved since childhood. And it is easy to see why Piper grows to feel the way she does about the Frontier Nursing Service and the people she meets during her time with them.

Piper is different from many of the people around her; her social status dictates that she should marry money, especially amidst the uncertainty of the Depression era, but the love of her heart has lost his family money and along with it, his social status. She does not care for the extravagance of lavish parties when so many others are suffering, and she searches for her own identity in a time when such is not considered necessary. Through the course of this one summer, Piper finds that she is not such a rare bird, nor is she unsupported by the women in her life. She finds beauty and strength in the works and ways of those she encounters during her Appalachian summer, which helps her discover the beauty and strength within herself to follow God's lead for her future.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions in this review are my own and are completely genuine.