Shades of Mercy, A Maine Chronicle by Anita Lustrea, Caryn Rivadeneira

About Book

It's 1954 and the world-even the far Northwoods of Maine-is about to change. But that change can't happen soon enough for fourteen-year-old Mercy Millar. Long tired of being the "son" her father never had, Mercy's ready for the world to embrace her as the young woman she is-as well as embrace the forbidden love she feels.

 When childhood playmates grow up and fall in love, the whole community celebrates. But in the case of Mercy and Mick, there would be no celebration. Instead their relationship must stay hidden. Good girls do not date young men from the Maliseet tribe. At least, not in Watsonville, Maine. When racial tensions escalate and Mick is thrown in jail under suspicion of murder, Mercy nearly loses all hope-in love, in her father, and in God himself.

Published by: River North/Moody Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0968-3
Publish date: August, 2013
Page Count: 272

Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, CBD


About Authors

ANITA LUSTREA is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, a seasoned radio veteran, and co-host of Moody Broadcasting's Midday Connection (www.middayconnection.org). She is the co-author of Daily Seeds from Women who Walk in Faith, Come to Our Table: A Midday Connection Cookbook, and author of What Women Tell Me. Anita lives in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois with her husband, Mike, and their son. Check out Anita's website for more information www.anitalustrea.com

.

CARYN DAHLSTRAND RIVADENEIRA is a writer, speaker, and works on the worship staff at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church. She's the author ofKnown and Loved: 52 Devotions from the Psalms (Revell, 2013), Grumble Hallelujah: Learning to Love Life When It Lets You Down (Tyndale House, 2011) and Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All that Mom (Waterbrook, 2009), as well as hundreds of blog posts and magazine articles. Caryn is a regular contributor to Christianity Today's Her.Meneutics and to Re:Frame Media's Think Christian. Her work also regularly appears in Relevant and FullFill, along with several other media outlets.Caryn lives outside of Chicago with her husband, three kids and one pit bull. Visit her at www.carynrivadeneira.com. Find her on Facebook at (facebook.com/carynrivadeneira) and on Twitter @CarynRivadeneir

My Thoughts

Mercy is blessed to live on a farm with her parents. The land is fertile for the many vegetables growing on this farm. Mercy's family welcome the Maliseets in fact Mercy has secretly loved a Maliseet boy since childhood. They hire the Maliseets of Maine's Northwoods. The Maliseets are living in shanties on a garbage dump and suffer from the racial tensions that are out of control among many of the locals. Things come to a head when a natural disaster occurs. God has a plan and it takes this disaster to get his plan into motion.

This story brought out that there are many faces in racism and how past hurts and grievances can grow into evil actions and attitudes. The authors write about how God uses his children to defend his children of oppression. Will racism always be with us? If we have ignorant people I guess it will continue. The characters of Mercy and her parents were amazing in that they were vital instruments in God's plan to help the Maliseet. 

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers/River North for an honest review.

My Name is ERIN: One Girl's Plan for Radical Faith, My Name is ERIN series by ERIN DAVIS

Just for Tweens

My Name is Erin: 

One Girl's Plan for Radical Faith

Maybe you've had a moment-a time in your history when God did something radical in your heart. Putting your faith and trust in Him certainly feels like taking a giant leap, but really it's just the beginning of the exciting, and-yes-radical journey that comes with agreeing to live as God calls you to.

What does being radical look like? In the Bible, the common characteristics are:

* They trusted God.

* They listened to God's voice and then obeyed-even when it cost them.

* Because of their faith, they lived lives that looked different from everyone else's.

That's a short list and a tall order, but basically it means you can be a radical too. There's nothing on that list that is impossible for you. There's nothing on that list that requires you to be older, or more financially stable, or to have a college degree. No matter who you are or where you live you can live a radical faith.

Meet Erin, she has learned practical ways to do just that.

• ISBN-13: 9780802406453
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Publication date: 8/1/2013
• Pages: 77
• 
  

My Name is Erin: 

One Girl's Plan for Radical Faith is part of a 4-book series:

 My Name is Erin: One Girl's Journey to Discover Truth

    My Name is Erin: One Girl's Journey to Discover Who She Is

    My Name is Erin: One Girl's Mission to Make a Difference


You can read them in any order - but be radical and jump in!

Meet the Author: A popular speaker, author and blogger, ERIN DAVIS has addressed women of all ages nationwide and is passionately committed to sharing God's Truth with others. She is the author of several books including Graffiti: Learning to See the Art in Ourselves, True Princess: Embracing Humility in an All About Me World, The Bare Facts with Josh McDowell, Beyond Bath Time: Embracing Motherhood As a Sacred Role. Erin's quest for the perfect scoop of  ice cream is never ending and her family is her constant source of entertainment.

My Thoughts

How can you spot a person with Radical Faith? What makes this person different?

Do you know anyone with Radical Faith? If so how do you feel about this person? How do other people react to this person?  

Are you this person?  Would you like to be a person with Radical Faith? You might have to remove a few things from your life in order to make time for prayer, reading your bible, journal and worshiping with song.  Listen to God's voice and obey! Become a person with Radical Faith.  This may come at a cost.  

This is the perfect series for tweens.  It is not over bearing or in your face.  It is like getting advice from a close friend.  A quiet friend with Radical Faith. She definitely has the plan!  I am talking about the author, Erin Davis.  She backs up her advice with scriptures, accounts of many people in the bible with Radical Faith. 

I highly recommend this book. 

What a wonderful Christmas gift this would make!for a tween or teen!

There are four books in this series and they can be read in any order.

I will be review the rest of the books in this series all this week.  Be sure to stop by and find out what my opinion is of the other three books. 

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publlishers for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.

WIDOW of GETTYSBURG by Jocelyn Green ~ MP Newsroom Review Request

About Book

For all who have suffered great loss of heart, home, health or family; true home and genuine lasting love can be found.

When a horrific battle rips through Gettysburg, the farm of Union widow Liberty Holloway is disfigured into a Confederate field hospital, bringing her face to face with unspeakable suffering-and a Confederate scout who awakens her long dormant heart.

But when the scout doesn't die she discovers he isn't who he claims to be.

While Liberty's future crumbles as her home is destroyed, the past comes rushing back to Bella, a former slave and Liberty's hired help, when she finds herself surrounded by Southern soldiers, one of whom knows the secret that would place Liberty in danger if revealed.

In the wake of shattered homes and bodies, Liberty and Bella struggle to pick up the pieces the battle has left behind. Will Liberty be defined by the tragedy in her life, or will she find a way to triumph over it?

Inspired by first-person accounts from women who lived in Gettysburg during the battle and its aftermath, Widow of Gettysburg is the Book 2 in theHeroines Behind the Lines series. These books do not need to be read in succession.  For more information & resources about the Heroines Behind the Lines series, visit www.heroinesbehindthelines.com.

• ISBN-13: 9780802405777
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Publication date: 5/1/2013
• Series: Heroines Behind the Lines Series , #2
• 
  

Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristiaBookDistributors

About Author 

JOCELYN GREEN is an award-winning author, freelance writer and editor. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008) and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2011). Jocelyn is also co-author for Battlefields & times Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009), which won the Gold Medal from Military Writers Society of America in 2010. She maintains her own award-winning Web site for military wives at www.faithdeployed.com. She holds a B.A. in English from Taylor University, and is an active member of the Evangelical Press Association, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and the Christian Authors Network. She and her husband have two children and reside in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

My Thoughts

Liberty Holloway is a young Union widow she was fortunate to inherit a farm in Gettysburg from her aunt. Liberty was raised by her aunt but was shown no love .  She was a burden to her aunt, at least that is what her aunt  told her so many times.  Now Liberty is in charge of her own life and her own farm.  Her husband was one of the first casualties of the war between the north and the south making her a widow at the age of seventeen.  

The war is rumored to be making it closer and closer to Gettysburg.  Surely they would not bring the battle so close to a town of women and children. People cried wolf so many times  that when the battle arrived at their doorsteps they were not prepared.

The home Liberty hoped to turn into an Inn was now a makeshift hospital for wounded and dying rebel soldiers. Liberty was forced to help the doctors with the wounded.  One rebel soldier that had stopped for food at the farm returns again after the rebel hospital took over the farm . Why was she so drawn to this man, as far as she knew he was the cause of her being a widow, when in truth all he wanted to do was protect her.

The author writes using facts and fiction to tell the story of the Widow of Gettysburg.  She writes it in the minds eye of the widows. things they never thought they would see, wound soldiers, amputations and horrific unsanitary conditions. So much loss of life and limbs. Most of the people had faith in God and lived His Word to show love toward their enemy in such a devastating war.  It is amazing that some even found love, romance and hope for the future.

Book two was not a disappointment and I look forward to the next book in this series.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers Newsroom for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review. 

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Road To the Christy's 2013 ~ Wedded to War ~ Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War, Book 1, by Jocelyn Green

WEDDED to WAR by JOCELYN GREEN

A 2013 Christy Award Nominee

for 

First Novel and Historical

Visit the Christy Awards Website

About Book

Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war. 

Publisher: River North/Moody Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0576-0
Publish date: June, 2012
Page Count: 400
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Format: Paperback

Where to Buy: Amazon, CBD, Barnes&Noble

About Author

JOCELYN GREEN is an award-winning author, freelance writer and editor. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008) and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2011). Jocelyn is also co-author for Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009), which won the Gold Medal from Military Writers Society of America in 2010. She maintains her own award-winning Web site for military wives atwww.faithdeployed.com . She holds a B.A. in English from Taylor University, and is an active member of the Evangelical Press Association, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and the Christian Authors Network. She and her husband have two children and reside in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Jocelyn's Website: http://www.jocelyngreen.com/


My Thoughts

Charlotte wants to become a nurse as her part in serving God and her country.  It has nothing to do with money or status, far from it.  She has to go against her mother, her beau and just about everyone that crosses her path in the struggle to become a nurse.  The Army and the medical field do not want women in any way involved the war.  The nurses were treated without respect by the majority of the doctors and at times to the point of putting there lives in danger.  Women were suppose to stay at home and wait for the men to return and they were allowed ready supplies like bandages, socks, blankets and such to send to the soldiers.  

Charlotte is one determined head strong woman and will not let anyone or anything stand in her way to become a nurse even if it does mean to be sent into the fields of battle to care for the wounded soldiers.  Her childhood friend is a physician in the Army. He encourages her to go where God leads and to listen to God's voice.  But her beau will stop at anything to bring her back home even if by force.

This book gripped my heart and angered me at the disrespect these devoted and loving women went through to help care for the soldiers.  I could not put the book down.  It was riveting!  The author gives us intrigue, adventure, mystery, suspense, romance and a commitment to oneself and God.  

I wanted to read more about these women that served with all there heart and soul, putting their lives on the line.  I commend these steadfast loyal women that served and suffered during the Civil War.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishing Newsroom for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my honest opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Chief Camp Diseases of the Civil War

Ruth's Redemption by Marlene Banks

About Book

Set in the 1800s, Ruth's Redemption, is an unusual depiction of the lives of slaves and free blacks in pre-Civil War America.  Bo, was educated while a slave.  He was given his freedom and now owns a farm buying slaves for the sole purpose of giving them their freedom. Bo is also a man of God and widower whose life is destined to change when he meets the proud and hard-hearted slave girl, Ruth.

Ruth has known nothing but servitude and brutality since being separated from her mother at age thirteen. Purchased and sold primarily for breeding, her heart is filled with resentment and bitterness.  Ruth wants no part of Bo's Godly devotion.  Yet Bo is unlike any man she's known and her experiences with him will leave her forever changed.

A gripping slave era novel, Ruth's Redemption is a story of love, forgiveness, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of the Nat Turner Rebellion in Tidewater, Virginia, this novel shines the light of God's unconditional love in the darkness of a culture's cruel socially accepted inhumanity.

ISBN: 978-0-8024-0217-2

Publisher:  Moody Publishers

Publish date: January, 2012
Page Count: 304
Dimensions: 5.25 x 8.25
Format: Paperback

Where to purchase:  Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo

About Author

MARLENE BANKS resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Along with being a prolific writer she has an associate degree in Theology from Rhema Bible Institute in Keysville, VA and is currently studying to initiate a Christian counseling ministry. Marlene is a member of Bethel Deliverance International Church in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Her work resume includes thirty plus years in nursing and over eight years in business as a coordinator and administrative assistant. She considers her writing a means of evangelizing and relating Christian principles through fiction. It is also Marlene's goal to bridge the gap between faith-based and secular literature.

View Slideshow on Author's Website 

My Thoughts

A ex-slave Bodine Peace was given his freedom by his owner along with a large parcel of land to farm.  He did not flaunt his freedom in fact after his farm became profitable he would go to the slave sales and purchase  slaves in order to turn around and give them their freedom.  Some moved on but some stayed to become share cropper on Bo's land.  They had become a respected community of freed slaves.

Ruth was being put on the slave auction block stripped down for all to see.  When a buyer decided to check out the merchandise Ruth was told to open her mouth so the buyer could examine her teeth.  She boldly refused to open her mouth and the more they tried to physically force open her mouth she fought that much harder then bit down on the auctioneer's hand. This gained her a hit up side her head and a promise to be hauled off to be punished with a whip. No one would even consider bidding on her after the way she just acted.   At this time Bodine Peace raised his voice and said he would buy her and he did buy for a very high price.  He could have bought several slaves there freedom for what he ended up paying for her.  But he could not bear to see this beautiful creature of God being abused anymore than she already had been.

When he gets back to his farm he has Naomi clean her up and care for her injuries.  He could not believe the feeling he was having for this woman.  His wife died several years ago during childbirth and Naomi was his wife's mother.  She was like his own mother.  He speaks with Naomi and tells her to find another woman Ruth can stay with because it would not be respectable for her to stay in his house.

As Ruth healed physically it was apparent she was not healing mentally or spiritually no matter how kind Naomi and Bo were to her and her needs.  As hard as they tried to convince her she would have a good home staying with a freed slave by the name of Mae, but Ruth would become fearful and beg to stay in Bo's house because it felt like it was her home.  Ruth thought that Bo was the most kind-hearted and generous man she had ever met.After many talks with Naomi, Ruth revealed bits and pieces about her life.   She was what they called a Breeder, a female slave which main purpose was to produce children and she had been abused beyond imagination since she was twelve years old.  

Bo tried to keep the woman out of his head but the temptation of this beautiful woman living in the same house to him was unbearable for his soul.  Why had God brought this woman into his life?  Could she be the answer to his loneliness?  Is it God's will to take her as his wife?  She admits to not wanting to know his God because of the life she was forced to live without help from his God.  Can God break through her pride and hardened heart and reveal to her the love He has for her.  She can't see how God will ever free the slaves from their bondage, but Bo has great faith in the Lord our God that He will one day free His children from slavery because he had sent His Son to free mankind from sin.  

The story is told from the view of freed slave and many that were not free.  It shows how strong their faith and belief was in God and His will.  They faith that He would give them freedom as He did for the Hebrews who were finally freed.

The author included the historical figure and event of Nat Turner and the Rebellion in Tidewater, Virginia.  An uprising of slaves against the white plantation owners which killed many on both sides.  The story gave me another look and lesson into history that I will gladly pass on to my children and grandchildren.  

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure:  I received a free copy of this book from MPNewsroom/ Moody Publisher for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  This review is my honest opinion.


If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Wedded to War ~ Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War, Book 1, by Jocelyn Green

About Book

Tending to the army's sick and wounded meant leading a life her mother does not understand and giving up a handsome and approved suitor. Yet Charlotte chooses a life of service over privilege, just as her childhood friend had done when he became a military doctor. She soon discovers that she's combatting more than just the rebellion by becoming a nurse. Will the two men who love her simply stand by and watch as she fights her own battles? Or will their desire for her wage war on her desire to serve God?

Wedded to War is a work of fiction, but the story is inspired by the true life of Civil War nurse Georgeanna Woolsey. Woolsey's letters and journals, written over 150 years ago, offer a thorough look of what pioneering nurses endured. This is the first in the series "Heroines Behind the Lines: Civil War," a collection of novels that highlights the crucial contributions made by women during times of war. 

Publisher: River North/Moody Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-8024-0576-0
Publish date: June, 2012
Page Count: 400
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Format: Paperback

Where to Buy: Amazon, CBD, Barnes&Noble

About Author

JOCELYN GREEN is an award-winning author, freelance writer and editor. A former military wife, she authored, along with contributing writers, Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008) and Faith Deployed . . . Again: More Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2011). Jocelyn is also co-author for Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (AMG Publishers 2009), which won the Gold Medal from Military Writers Society of America in 2010. She maintains her own award-winning Web site for military wives atwww.faithdeployed.com . She holds a B.A. in English from Taylor University, and is an active member of the Evangelical Press Association, the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and the Christian Authors Network. She and her husband have two children and reside in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Jocelyn's Website: http://www.jocelyngreen.com/


My Thoughts

Charlotte wants to become a nurse as her part in serving God and her country.  It has nothing to do with money or status, far from it.  She has to go against her mother, her beau and just about everyone that crosses her path in the struggle to become a nurse.  The Army and the medical field do not want women in any way involved the war.  The nurses were treated without respect by the majority of the doctors and at times to the point of putting there lives in danger.  Women were suppose to stay at home and wait for the men to return and they were allowed ready supplies like bandages, socks, blankets and such to send to the soldiers.  

Charlotte is one determined head strong woman and will not let anyone or anything stand in her way to become a nurse even if it does mean to be sent into the fields of battle to care for the wounded soldiers.  Her childhood friend is a physician in the Army. He encourages her to go where God leads and to listen to God's voice.  But her beau will stop at anything to bring her back home even if by force.

This book gripped my heart and angered me at the disrespect these devoted and loving women went through to help care for the soldiers.  I could not put the book down.  It was riveting!  The author gives us intrigue, adventure, mystery, suspense, romance and a commitment to oneself and God.  

I wanted to read more about these women that served with all there heart and soul, putting their lives on the line.  I commend these steadfast loyal women that served and suffered during the Civil War.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishing Newsroom for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my honest opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Chief Camp Diseases of the Civil War

Hawaiian Crosswinds - The Dawn of Hawaii Series #2 by Linda Lee Chaikin

About Book

Torn between family loyalty and their deep affection for one another, Rafe Easton and Eden Derrington strike an agreement that will bring them together after one final year of pursuing their dreams. For Eden, those dreams involve dangerous medical research with her father, and spending time with the mother she never knew - a leper on Moloka'i.

Rafe's dreams are equally noble - managing the family estates and serving in the Legislature - until both begin to unravel. Revolution threatens the fragile calm of Hawaii's sovereignty, and the man who murdered Rafe's father now threatens the lives of Rafe's mother and adopted son. With love, danger, and political upheaval demanding his attention, Rafe must commit to a course of action without second thoughts.

Love, beauty, and blessing - the perfect "happily ever after" to a Hawaiian romance - unravel in the Hawaiian Islands of 1892. What will this mean for Rafe and Eden, caught in the Hawaiian Crosswinds?

Read Excerpt Chapter 1  

ISBN: 978-0-8024-3750-1
Published by Moody Publishers
Publish date: May, 2011
Series: The Dawn of Hawaii, book 2
Page Count: 352
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25
Format: Paperback

Where to buy:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com

About Linda

LINDA LEE CHAIKIN has written over thirty top selling books, including The Silk House series and For Whom the Stars Shine, a finalist for the prestigious Christy Award. Two of her novels have been awarded the Silver Angel Award for excellence. Linda is a graduate of Multnomah Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and taught neighborhood Bible classes for many years. She and her husband make their home in Northern California where her favorite recreations are reading and taking vacations where the wind blows through lonely deserts and ghost towns.

My Thoughts

Hawaiians in 1892 were split on what was best for Hawaii.  Most of the plantation owners were for Annexation to the United States. Like in many wars families split under such conditions. Two such people, Rafe Easton and his fiance Eden Derrington have different opinions as to the Annexation. 

Rafe has other things going on in his life, for instance he must protect his Mother and his adopted son from Rafe's stepfather who is suspected to have murdered Rafe's father.  The man is on the run and Rafe needs to find him before anyone else is killed.  Now he must leave Eden to make a trip to the States where his mother and son are now in seclusion hopefully safe from this crazy man.  

Eden and Rafe postponed their wedding for a year so Eden could work with her father, Dr. Jerome on the Island of Molokai. The mother Eden has never met is on this island with many others that are suffering from Leprosy. Now that she will be working with her father she will finally get to meet her mother. 

It was sad that some of the white's saw the native hawaiians as lesser humans, mere dogs to some.

The author has taken an important historical event in Hawaii's history and added historically famous people  along with fictitious characters of her making to create an enjoyable read and an informative lesson in Hawaii's history.

Book one of this series, The Spoils of Eden was hard for me to get into because the author had to introduce the characters and the parts they played within history and this novel.  I realize this was necessary and helpful in understanding the events that unfold.  The author definitely did her research.

Book two was much easier to read because the author had laid the groundwork first in book one.  This was an enjoyable book from start to finish.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from Moody Publishers for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.