Month: November 2015

Once again, I’m happy to be a part of a fellow-author’s blog tour! I have read a few of Sarah’s books and enjoyed her new release, Kate’s Innocence.

ABOUT THE BOOK

What would you do if you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit?

Kate watched as her campus was torn apart by bombs and now is being accused of perpetrating the crime. As the evidence quickly stacks up against her, she begins to lose hope that the truth will come to light. Even though the handsome FBI Agent, Patrick, has taken up her cause, will they be able to prove her innocence? Will God, who she neglected for so long, listen to her prayers for help?

Patrick is an agent with a very special team of agents. He wants to help Kate prove she is innocent, but as each new piece of evidence is revealed, that goal seems harder. He wonders why he feels so compelled to help her and so sure she is innocent despite the evidence. Will he be willing to put his job on the line to help her? Can he trust in God to make sure the truth will come out in the end?

A brilliant college student who claims her project was to disarm bombs is now prime suspect for her college’s bombing. Kate Mayfield finds herself in a sticky situation as she strives to prove her innocence with the FBI team who is investigating her. As evidence stacks up against her, can she prove her innocence? Will anyone believe in her?

Kate was a very unique MC–one that I honestly wasn’t sure that I would like: A military kid turned soldier herself then brilliant college student and primary suspect with sass. As the story progressed, though, I got to enjoy Kate, then became attached to her. Since I read this story over a period of days (by schedule demands–not choice!), my thoughts often drifted to Kate and where I had last left her. This being the first book in the series, it gave a hint of how the trials she was facing led Kate to consider her relationship with God and how much she had neglected Him. I am interested in seeing how this spiritual plot progresses in upcoming books.

And then there’s Patrick–about half of the story told from his perspective. He seemed a little bit “too good to be true” of a guy MC yet is a character that the reader is supposed to love.

The other agents on the FBI team were fun as well and all like-able in their different ways. I’ll admit, I fell in love with all of them!

Though mystery in subject, this book was not suspenseful nor did it have any dark scenes (in my opinion). The only thing that would keep me from handing it to a young teen would be if they got scared about the thought of people hiding behind doors and in rooms to threaten them.

About romance…two hugs were mentioned, but nothing super romantic. One, the young man was encouraging Kate. The other, was a little more about their feelings for each other. I’m guessing there will be more romance between the two as the series progresses, but there is not much in this first book.

I will definitely be in line for reading future books in this series!

*I received a copy of this book from the author for my honest review*

Sarah Holman is a not so typical mid-twenties girl: A homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and author of three published books and counting. If there is anything adventuresome about her life, it is because she serves a God with a destiny bigger than anything she could have imagined.

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 ABOUT
After a son does the unthinkable, how can a mother go on?

On October 2, 2006, a gunman entered an Amish one-room schoolhouse, shooting ten girls, killing five, then finally taking his own life. This is his mother’s story. Not only did she lose her precious son through suicide, but she also lost her understanding of him as an honorable man. It was a trauma that none should ever have to face.

But the biggest headlines came when her Amish neighbors did the unimaginable, reaching out to the family of the shooter with comfort and forgiveness. Today Terri lives in harmony with the Amish and has built lasting relationships beyond what anyone could have thought possible. From the grace that the Amish showed Terri’s family from day one, to the visits and ongoing care Terri has given to the victims and their families, no one could have foreseen the love and friendship that have been forged from the fires of tragedy.

This is an amazingly heart-wrenching story! While I heartily agree with the message of forgiveness, I realize not everyone would be able to read this book because of the difficulty of the situation. I did not find any details to be too descriptive, but (me not being a crier), I fought tears for most of the book.

“Forgiven” takes you not only to the journey of Mrs. Roberts after “The Happening,” but she reflects back to life how it was. It goes back and forth between past and present events. In no way does she try to diminish the choice of her son but makes it very clear his choices were a result of his bitterness towards God. Wow.

It was amazing to read how the Amish and Roberts families reached out to each other and bonded together through the love of Christ. Though I do not agree with the doctrine of their churches, what stood out was Christ and His forgiveness–His enabling to forgive. I loved her reminiscence of visiting the Amish the year after “The Happening.” No words can describe how awesome it was!

You cannot read the stories of these Amish children without being touched. As I linked the Amish girls’ ages to those of my younger sisters, this story took on a deeper meaning for me. And Roseanna…wow! You just have to read the book to get acquainted with her and her family.

~~~
*I received this book from Bethany House Blogger Reviewers for my honest review*

“His losses were no greater than those countless human beings have experienced…But according to his letters, he’d allowed bitterness and hatred against God to build up inside him.”


“‘The journey begins with you making the choice to do that [forgive].’ He wasn’t suggesting that forgiveness is easy. It’s still a process.”


“Yes, I was a survivor. But I learned that day that it is not enough simply to survive the storms. It is in surrender that true peace and healing are found.”

Honestly, this is a tough book to review because…I didn’t read it. I received it for my honest review (from Blogging for Books) and then Mom got around to reading it before I did, and told me that I wouldn’t want to read it based on the very descriptive bedroom scene (or the thoughts and temptations they had). And based off that review, I decided that nope, I wouldn’t try it. For which I was somewhat disappointed, because I really enjoyed the first book in this series, in which there was practically no romance and no romantic thoughts and feelings described.

Had they found each other again after all these years, only to lose everything that matters most?

As children, Jade Conner and Tanner Eastman were best friends—until scandal drove them apart. Then, one golden summer, they find each other again. Through endless days they share their hearts and souls and dreams of forever. Then, in a moment of weakness, they make a decision that will tear them apart for nearly a decade.

In their own separate corners of the country, Jade and Tanner have become fighters for religious freedom. Now Jade’s unfaithful husband is determined to destroy her in a custody battle that will rock the nation and shake people’s understanding of faith and freedom. Could Jade lose her only child because of her faith? Only one man can help her in her darkest hour. And only one old woman knows the secret about that summer and the truth that can set them all free.

KAREN KINGSBURY is a USA Today and New York Times best-selling author, with nearly twenty million books in print. Dubbed the “Queen of Christian Fiction” by Time magazine, Karen has written more than forty Life-Changing Drama, which encompasses the Redemption, Firstborn, and Sunrise series, as well… More about Karen Kingsbury