Seeking with all Yur Heart

Title:Of Moose and Men
Author: Torry Martin & Doug Peterson
Pages: 224
Year: 2016
Publisher: Harvest House Publishing
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
This book is about the hilarious misadventures of Torry Martin and his friend Rob in the beautiful but dangerous state of Alaska. I say dangerous, but only because of the bears and other predators that live in the wilderness. In each hilarious misadventure that Torry reiterates, he finds God working in mysterious ways. For this hippie, his trials work to make his spiritual life stronger in his walk with God, which is an inspiration to all of us (however hilarious).
I would recommend this book to others for its clean humor and insights that God can use anyone, even a misfit like Torry Martin to use his gifts to inspire others to find God. At the end of each chapter, he makes some excellent points such as at the end of the final chapter he states that Jesus doesn’t promise an easy life once you have accepted Him, but things are easier to bear…

Title:Still Life (Chesapeake Valor #2)
Author:Dani Pettrey
Pages:348
Year:2017
Publisher: BethanyHouse
My rating is 4 stars.
Parker Mitchell misses Avery Tate more and more every day.Six months ago she left his employment and his life because their relationship became more personal and he couldn’t wholeheartedly commit to her.His first love, Jenna, was murdered several years ago and he hasn’t been able to move on in his personal life.Her killer was never caught and Parker feels he failed to protect her.He cares for Avery, but knows she needs someone who can give her 100%.Out of the blue she calls him, needing his expertise as a crime scene processor.Everyone in the business knows he is the best and as Avery used to work as his crime scene photographer, she knows it too.Parker hopes Avery is back in his life for a lot longer than this case as he spends more and more time with her, trying to help her.
Avery Tate’s best friend, Skylar, is missing.She posed for a bizarre photograph for a gallery…

Title:The Shack
Author:Wm. Paul Young
Pages:272
Year:2007
Publisher:Hachette-Windblown Media


The Shack, a novel by Wm. Paul Young, is a story about Mack, a man who is suffering over the loss of his youngest daughter and the guilt that haunts him. Apparently, God has invited Mack to the very place where his daughter died a tragic death. Mack wonders if the invitation is a cruel joke or if God really did send the invitation. Mack cautiously accepts, and heads into the woods where the shack is located, and he finds a world that is both familiar and, at the same time, strange.
Essentially, Mack has an encounter with God, who manifests as a theophany of three individuals. There have been some books and reviews written that question the theology portrayed in the novel; however, the focus of the story is not on theology. The focus is on relationship between God and one particular man who needs his soul to be healed from guilt and loss. Some might find it blasphemous that God the Father, know…

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Title:Legacy of Deer Run
Author:Elaine Marie Cooper
Pages:277
Year:2012, 2016
Publisher: CrossRiver
My rating is 4 stars.
This is the third and final book in the Deer Run Series.This story centers on Daniel Lowe, Sr., his son Daniel Lowe, Jr. and his daughter Polly Lowe.There are some other minor storylines as well, but these three are the main ones.The year is 1800, and there is still fear that England will retaliate for their loss in 1776, so the armory in Springfield, Massachusetts is operating at full capacity.There is also a shaky relationship with France to take into consideration as well.
Dan Jr. or Danny has left Deer Run to work in the armory in Springfield.He overhears two men talking in what he thinks is French, so he reports this to his supervisor.Unfortunately, it is dark outside when he makes this discovery and that conceals the identity of the two men.Soon after accidents begin happening, putting Dan Jr. in the line of fire.He also has made the acquaintance of the lovely Susan…

Title:Her Secret (The Amish of Hart County #1)
Author:Shelley Shepard Gray
Pages:272
Year:2017
Publisher: Avon Inspire
My rating is 4 stars.
Hannah Hilty is a 20-year-old Amish woman who is the victim of a stalker.She and her family are forced to quit their jobs, leave their friends and move to a different state and different Amish community to flee this stalker.The local police were not too responsive to the Hilty family’s reporting of the stalker, so no legal action was taken.Hannah is now afraid to leave her new home.Her two younger, teenage siblings blame Hannah for making them move and leave all their friends.Hannah’s mother is forced to take a job outside the home and they are now living in a much smaller house.The whole family is in upheaval.This family secret is kept from the new Amish community, and there are other secrets the Hilty family is keeping as well.
Isaac Troyer is unsure what to think of his new neighbors, the Hiltys.Their oldest daughter never leaves home alone and then …

Title:Mercy at Midnight
Author: Sylvia Bambola
Pages: 408
Year: 2016
Publisher: Heritage Publishing House
My rating is 5+ out of 5 stars.
My introduction into the author’s writing style was when I read her novel, The Daughters of Jim Farrell a year ago or so.When Mercy at Midnight came out, I knew I had to read the book.Why?I found Sylvia’s stories well-crafted. She deals with issues head on and tells a heart-gripping story right from the start!There are other books by this author I have yet to read, but they are in my reading pile or list to enjoy very soon!
Mercy at Midnight weaves together threads of homelessness and redemption right alongside action, danger and mystery.The main character is a pastor named Jonathan who is a prayer warrior, tries very earnestly to obey the Spirit’s leading even when he doesn’t understand the why of it and yet his struggles are transparent to Jonathan.The female lead is a news reporter named Cynthia who has a nose for a story, and this one she is on right n…

Title:Our Man in Charleston (Britain’s Secret Agent in the Civil War South)
Author: Charles Dickey
Pages: 400
Year: 2015
Publisher: Crown
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
The Civil War is just one historical event that continues to fascinate me as a reader.The author does a magnificent job of detailing the ins and outs of what occurred in our nation at a time when chaos reigned.I am continuously learning so much about what was going on at a time when many people even knew where their next meal was coming from.
The author packs so much information into his book that it really causes the reader to become engrossed with the intrigue that happened off the battlefield.As I read I was humbled as I learned of events that never entered my thinking before.Of course, today many people are even on a higher alert for those who are observing them or interested in what their activities may be.
What the author shares never before entered my mind as a possibility at a time we look back on as perhaps being cen…

Title:  Grace & The Preacher Author:  Kim Vogel Sawyer Pages:  352 Year:  2017 Publisher:  WaterBrook My rating 4 out of 5 stars. Romance, history, fiction and in a sense a couple of unusual characters…what a story!  The female character is Grace who is postmistress and being pressured to settle for less than what her heart desires.  Theo, with a past he regrets and can’t seem to get far enough away from, feels as though it’s right on his heels!  Well, in one sense, it is as those who went to jail are bent on making him pay as they brand him a coward for failing to do one thing. I have read a variety of Kim’s books and for the most part enjoyed them a lot; this one seemed to move a little slow at the beginning.  The dragging out of the meeting between Grace and Theo caused me to lose interest at first.  I knew they were the focus of the novel, but there was no suspense to keep me in the pages like her other novels. I love historical fiction with a little romance but also with som…

Title:They Danced On (The Darlings #3)
Author: Carrie Armstrong Gardner
Pages: 400
Year: 2016
Publisher: Tyndale
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
The other two novels in the series are titled, All Right Here followed by Better All the Time by the same author.I didn’t read the other novels prior to reading They Danced On.However, for me, it was still a very potent story being told by the author.The Darling family has had its share of trials; the characters deal with life issues just like other families. The book in some ways was hard to read because I could identify strongly with the matriarch of the family named Jane who was wrestling with many trials one being her youngest moving out.Jane wasn’t ready for the empty nest period of her life, especially with her husband’s ALS struggles.
One of the Darlings daughters is named Laura and was struggling with alcohol while another daughter just got married and leaves to work as a missionary with her new husband.Jane begins to wrestle with what her fu…

Title:Hide and Seek
Author:Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky
Pages:369
Year:2012
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
My rating is 5 stars.
J.J. Bartley has been assigned his first special ops mission as team leader, and boy does it turn out to be a doozy!He and his team are tasked with finding a missing daughter of the current president of Kyrgyzstan and a female American Foreign Affairs Officer who has been trained by the Army with an impressive set of survival skills.They are on the run as the president’s daughter barely escaped being kidnapped as riots plague the city of Bishkek.The attempt was thwarted by Amelia Lennon, the Foreign Affairs Officer.As they are in survival mode, Amelia leaves coded messages behind for a hoped for rescue team.However, they must keep moving as the kidnappers are hot on their trail.With the political unrest that has cut phone lines and cell towers, communication is almost impossible.
J.J. and his team are following Amelia’s clues, but soon realize they ar…

Title:Devoted Defender (Danger in the Deep South #2)
Author: Rachel Dylan
Pages: 192
Year: 2016
Publisher: Create space
My rating 5 out of 5 stars.
This series starts with the first book titled, Lethal Action where the focus is on two characters named Gabe and a lawyer named Hope.The action takes place in a small town named Maxwell and Gabe is undercover working there, but I won’t reveal more so you can enjoy the books mystery and suspense when you read it.
Now, in the sequel, Devoted Defender, Caleb, who is the local Chief of Police, becomes entangled in a web where someone is out to take Annie’s life because she witnessed a crime. Annie was originally from Florida and worked hard to become a chef.She was working for a family in Atlanta where the crime occurred.Now, being on the run, she ends up in Maxwell and before too long Annie and Caleb are dodging bullets and unsure who to trust.
The author is planning a third novel in this series and I cannot wait as it focuses on another character we…

Title:Lethal Action (Danger in the Deep South #1)
Author: Rachel Dylan
Pages: 224
Year: 2015
Publisher: Create Space Independent
My rating 5 out of 5 stars.
Rachel Dylan is a new author to me. I saw her novella when perusing an online bookstore and saw too that she has written a few Love Inspired Suspense novels.On top of being a lawyer, she writes novels whose central character is a lawyer and a strong-headed one!
Attorney Hope Finch worked hard to get where she is as an attorney with a top law firm in New York and hopes to make partner within a few years.Hope had a very rough upbringing that she used to not only help her work through the tough rigors of academia and work, but also she built a wall around her heart for protection.The wall was due to an ex-boyfriend who betrayed her trust and therefore Hope decided she would be married to her job so she keeps other people out of her life. Of course that was before she met Gabe.The way she meets him doesn’t exactly instill the number one trai…

A Few Thoughts about a recent article posted on FaceBook by Matt Walsh.Here is the article for you to read that includes peoples’ comments: http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/matt-walsh-our-modern-opinions-are-irrelevant-gods-word-is-not-up-for-a-vote/#comments
First, let me say that I was awakened throughout the night with thoughts pouring through my heart and mind that prompted me to pray, asking God if I were to respond to the article in any way, shape or form.When I awoke with thoughts still overflowing from my heart, I knew I was to obey Him and write what I believe He spoke to me. Let me preface what I am about to say with the thought that just like all other people; I am human.I don’t claim anything about myself as being special or above others.Also, I am an ardent follower of Yeshua, the Messiah, known also as Jesus, and that I love immersing myself in His Word and studying it constantly.
Second, with the times we live in, I believe that followers of Jesus must immerse themse…

Title:Without Warning (A J. B, Collins Novel #3) Author: Joel Rosenberg Pages: 480 Year: 2017 Publisher: Tyndale My rating 5 out of 5 stars. Here is the conclusion to an exciting thrilling series with the main character J. B. Collins who we meet in the first book titled, TheThird Target, followed by The Third Hostage!To follow the developing characters and plot, it is important to read the books in order as one builds upon the prior.Joel Rosenberg is one of my most favorite authors as he writes with such intense intrigue, suspense, faith and political scenarios it takes my breath away!As a reader, it is like reading what is happening in the news, except in a fictional format with such tension added it is palatable! The ending to the series is one I didn’t see coming and to have to take breaks in reading for one reason or another was difficult!Joel Rosenberg’s books are well-researched, crafted to inform as well as entertain with faith being central to the story.There is never a dull moment i…

Title:Peach Blossom Rancher
Author: Ada Brownell
Pages: 364
Year: 2016
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing
My rating is 5 out of 5.
Note:I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book from www.bookfun.org
If you haven’t read The Lady Fugitive, there are some references to events or characters from that novel that are mentioned in Peach Blossom Rancher.While you could read Peach Blossom Rancher as a standalone, I enjoyed the story more having read the prior novel.In the author’s latest novel, we return to 1909 and the state of Colorado where John Parks has taken over the ranch his father bequeathed to him.
With so much work needing to be done due to the judge’s neglect, money is extremely tight.The tension in the story that really kept me reading was the fact of John possibly being arrested for murder along with his trying to discover which of two women he really loved.One of the women is Victoria who lives in Boston though she once owned a ranch with her deceased husband nearby.…

Title:  The Lady Fugitive Author:  Ada Brownell Pages:  442 Year:  2014 Publisher:  Elk Lake Publishing My rating is 5 out of 5 stars. Before I share my thoughts on this story know the sequel is titled, Peach Blossom Rancher by the same author. The tale begins in the year 1908 in Colorado where a young, 17-year-old lady is being harshly treated by her uncle.  Her twin brother, John Lincoln Parks, ran away years before to the home of his deceased father’s sister.  Jenny Louise Parks didn’t join her brother in fleeing, but soon packs up what little she owns, gets on her horse and flees.  Now she is looking for a new life somewhere her uncle cannot find her to drag her back to the ranch. Jenny would have loved to remain on the ranch where she grew up, but can’t under the man everyone thinks is a respectable judge.  Even the judge’s wife is neither a comfort nor aid to Jenny.  When Jenny takes off, she takes some of her brother’s clothing, hoping no one will recognize her or take advanta…

Title:  A Stolen Heart (Cimarron Creek Trilogy #1) Author:  Amanda Cabot Pages:  352 Year:  2017 Publisher:  Revell My rating is 4 stars. Sheriff Travis Whitfield has a problem on his hands.  There have been several petty crimes in town as well as the disappearance of a town citizen and he can’t solve either mystery.  Some are beginning to doubt his ability to be sheriff.  On top of that, a young single woman has arrived on the stagecoach and she is from the North!  Many in town are still angry over the War Between the States that ended 15 years ago, so he knows she might not have the kindest welcome.  She is also looking for the missing man he can’t seem to find!  However, he feels it is his duty to welcome the newest guest to town.  Once he realizes she has no place to stay, he offers his aunt’s home as an option.  She accepts and he realizes at once how beautiful she is and how many single men in town there are that will be vying for her hand in marriage.  He is glad he isn’t in t…