Stars in the Grass

 

 The idyllic world of nine-year-old Abby McAndrews is transformed when a tragedy tears her family apart. Before the accident, her dad, Reverend John McAndrews, had all the answers, but now his questions and guilt threaten to destroy his family. Abby’s fifteen-year-old brother, Matt, begins an angry descent as he acts out in dangerous ways. Her mother tries to hold her grieving family together, but when Abby’s dad refuses to move on, the family is at a crossroads. Set in a small Midwestern town in 1970, Abby’s heartbreaking remembrances are balanced by humor and nostalgia as her family struggles with—and ultimately celebrates—an authentic story of faith and life after loss.

 Published February 1st 2017

 by Shiloh Run Press 

Available for Purchase:

AMAZON  BARNES & NOBLE  CHRISTIAN BOOK 

My Thoughts:

When I received this book and saw the cover I was immediately swept back to my childhood on a lazy summer evening catching lightening bugs (I know it depends upon where you live whether you call them fireflies or lightening bugs.lol).  The beautiful cover gives you a hint at the wonderful, but heart wrenching story inside.  

As the story opens I found the words and thoughts of 9 year old girl that resonated with my soul. Grief is a hard for anyone to deal with, but honestly when seen through the eyes of a child it is harder.  The entire family goes through an incredible tragedy and each much find a way to deal with their turmoil.   This is a story that can evoke both laughter and tears.  I found myself thinking about the characters even as I closed the last page.  It brings engaging characters that quickly weave their way into your heart with their real emotions.  This story has elements of guilt, forgiveness, anger, faith and hope.  

I would recommend this book to anyone.  

** I received this complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  

 

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

Meet Arlene Santana, a vibrant wife and young grandmother whose life suddenly takes a confusing and often laughable turn into a new reality framed by a severe brain injury. As one holiday after another speeds by, Arlene takes comfort in the amusing old people who surround her in the rehabilitation center and one special friend who relates well to Arlene. But when will her husband, whose love is more real to her than anything, come to visit her? Treasure this Christmas novella from bestselling author Lori Copeland that demonstrates the healing power of true love.

 

Published October 1st 2015

 by Shiloh Run Press  

5 Stars

To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under heaven

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV

This is a touching story about love.  

This story deals the very complex and often times heartbreaking reality of brain injury. This book takes you into the mind and heart of the person who has suffered a brain injury and how they cope with the drastic change in their lives. 

We meet Arlene Santana and travel down a dark road of recovery as her as her life changes completely.  

Arlene and her husband live in Vermont where they own and operate Santana Toys. They are the parents of Jack Jr. and Stephen and the new grandparents to Ella Parker Santana.  To say they are excited to meet the newest member of their family would be an understatement.  Life feels perfect at this very moment in time.  Jack and Arlene decide to fly to Atlanta to meet their new granddaughter, but bad weather sets in and a freak accident changes everything, at least for Arlene. 

Suddenly Arlene finds herself in a long-term care facility in Atlanta, but doesn't remember why. She sustained a head injury during the crash and has amnesia.  Nothing or no one seems familiar anymore.  Her one hope is that Jack will be back soon and that they can go home. 

This is a wonderful Christmas novella that will have you on the edge of tears and then bring a smile to your face at the antics she encounters in the long-term facility. At first I felt pity for Arlene, but learn that there is much more depth to her character than I gave credit.  Arlene finds a new routine and friend that help her navigate through her life changes.  I only hope if this ever happens to me I can be as brave as she is.   

 I would recommend this to anyone.

** I received this book from Barbour Publishing for a honest opinion without bias or outside influence. 

 

 Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance.  Lance and Lori have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.
Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market.  In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him.  It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market.  
Lori is the author of more than 100 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books' Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame. 

Find Lori Online:
Website:
http://www.loricopeland.com/ 

 

Forever Yours

Enjoy the rollercoaster ride five modern couples take on the road that leads them back into a love that was meant to be. The ex-wife reads his work of fiction for an eye-opening revelation. The missing fiancée is returned to her home. A desperate wife gets one last Christmas with her husband before they divorce. The busy housewife wakes up to the drift occurring in her marriage. The low-key mom suddenly encounters her son’s high-profile dad.

 

 

 

Published August 1st 2015

 by Barbour Books  

5 Stars

 

This is a collaboration of 5 talented writers who take love to the next level.  Yes, we've all read the romance novels about a boy meeting a girl falling in love and living happily ever after.  My question usually what happens next, because life happens and the boy and girl will deal with many mountains and valleys in their relationship.  In each of these stories we meet a couple who are having a crisis with their relationships. 

Castle in the Clouds

 In the first book we meet Wren and Nancie Nickelson who are recently divorced.  Wren is a postal worker and Nancie works in a department store while attending school.  Nancie has always dreamed of living a "classier" life and felt Wren was satisfied with his no where job.  Wren knows he wasn't the best husband for Nancie, but when he took his vows they meant forever to him.  As they navigate through the post divorce stress and co-parenting their eyes are open to more than just the problems in their marriage. 

Familiar Strangers

The second book introduces Sara Jennings/Lydia Anne Quinn and Daniel Matthews.  For almost 5 years Sara has struggled to put a life together for her and her daughter Chloe and at the same time Daniel has been grieving the loss of his fiance, but has never given up on finding her.  When the tv show Without a Trace aired, both received an answer to a prayer.  Lydia Quinn from Quinn Island South Carolina had finally been found after her disappearance almost 5 years ago.  The only problem was that Lydia Quinn was not the same woman who left for a trip to New York when she returns.  Can Daniel and Sara find a way to salvage their relationship without Lydia coming in between them?

One Last Christmas

Randy and Sylvia Benson have been married 20 plus years and are experiencing a major breakdown in communication.  After a Thanksgiving celebration and their younger children head back to college Randy informs Sylvia that he wants a divorce and moves out.  Sylvia doesn't see this coming and is completely devastated.  For years Randy has been working long hours at the newspaper to provide for his family while Sylvia has focused on her church, home and children.  They have essentially grown apart and have forgotten the love they shared when they were first married.  Sylvia makes a bargain with Randy that if he gives her one last week of his undivided attention to their marriage that if he still wants a divorce she will give it to him.  Sylvia doesn't want to give up on her marriage and plans to fight for it with everything she has.  Starting Dec. 19th she devises a way to take Randy down memory lane to remind him of everything their marriage had been about.  

Wedding Renewal in Sweetwater, Texas

In the fourth story we are introduced to Wilson and Sylvia Baxter.  Wilson works at the bank and Sylvia is a stay at home mom.  Their 10th wedding anniversary is looming and Sylvia is having a hard time dealing with the changes in her marriage.  Wilson seems more distant to her and she wants to get his focus back on her and their family.  She enlists her friends to help her come up with ideas of how to get her marriage back on tract.  One suggested she try the Proverbs 31 "A Wife of Noble Character", but unfortunately things just don't go as planned.  Wilson  is up for a promotion at his job and he sees how this has come between him and his family, but feels once he can get this promotion everything will work out.  Both are fighting to save their marriage, but will it be enough?

Major League Dad

In the final story we meet Blair Montgomery and Mason Walker.  As young adults they had married and divorced, but this chance meeting ten years later makes them both realize there are unresolved feelings they must deal with. First they must face all the secrets of their past. Can they put the past behind them and start over or will the past always haunt them?

 

You know what I liked best about these stories, they felt real.  So many books today only show the meeting and falling in love which is realistic to a point, but what happens after the honeymoon.  Yes, I love a good romance, but I also long to see how a couple deals with a crisis.  In each of these stories we find couples who fell in love and dreamed of a happily ever after, but find out that to obtain that it takes a lot of work.  The story lines flowed effortlessly, the characters were strong and well developed.  Each story  will take you on an emotional journey, but each have the message of faith.  These are not in any way preachy stories, but each one points to the fact that we have to put our faith in God that he will see us through our trials and if we let him guide us on the path he wants us to walk.  

I enjoyed each sweet story and would recommend them to anyone who loves a good romance.  I received this book from Netgalley for a honest opinion without bias or outside influence.  All 5 authors are new to me, but I will be looking for their books.   

 

Your Best Happily Ever After

Loving God's Beautiful Story for Your Life

Cinderella. Snow White. Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel. These beloved stories all conclude with, “. . .and they lived happily ever after.” We sigh, smile, and know there’s an amazing story of love, adventure, and redemption coming.
          We all yearn for a fairy tale life, but too often our existence feels less like the pages of a storybook and more like a bad reality TV show. From poisoned apples (sin) and Ugly Stepsisters (joy-stealers) to magic mirrors (real beauty is more than skin-deep) and glass slippers (God’s perfect calling for us), the truth is that as daughters of God, we can live the perfect story the Author has written for our lives—we can experience the happily ever after that He has penned for us, now, regardless of our circumstances!
          Writer, speaker, and surrogate fairy godmother Ginger Kolbaba offers encouragement, challenges, biblical insights, and a little humor on how God wants us to live and love our stories in the here and now. 

 

 
Published August 1st 2015 

by Shiloh Run Press  

5 Stars

When offered a book to review by a publisher I become very excited and anxiously await it's arrival.  Sometimes I am familiar with the author, but most of the time I have heard of them yet haven't read them.  As with this author, Ginger Kolbaba, I had briefly heard of her, but had never read any of her writings. I think this is probably true of a lot of people.  We hear of authors and think one day I'll pick up one of their books.  

This title interested me.  

I don't know why, maybe because we are attracted to happily ever afters from childhood. As children, little girls, we read fairy tales of happily ever after and watched all the princess movies, probably still do. Then as teenagers we have visions of our prince sweeping us off our feet and carrying us off into the sunset. Okay, then we wake up to reality which is not what we expected.  Does that sound about right? To me at least it does.  I must admit I was not prepared for what's inside the pages.  

When the book arrived I was so impressed and shocked, because it was not what I had expected.  Now that comment doesn't sound good, but far from it.  It has a beautiful cover that reminds me that something good is about to come.  I anxiously leaf through and see that the layout is easy to understand and not that long in length.  As I usually read fiction about love and sometimes suspense this is not my usual read that I can get lost in.  

Okay, so I finally opened the pages and was impressed with how well the author arranged her thoughts and was able to mix a lot humor in her writing.  She opens her heart and in turn will open your heart to the greatest love story imaginable.  

Some might describe this as a self-help or even motivational book, but for me it was like a friend sitting and having a conversation about some deep issues. The author puts a twist on fairy tales of old and how they can be applied today which she backs up with scripture.  It's a fascinating new perspective.  She gives us inventive ways to handle anything that may be coming between us and the happily ever after that God wants for all of us.  

Would I recommend this book?  Most certainly! In fact, about half way through this book I couldn't wait to pass it along to my daughter in college.  I think it would benefit anyone, yes that includes men.  A young woman looking for her perfect prince or that thinks she's just not good enough for a happily ever after.  Any Christian or non believer that needs or wants a new perspective of life and life choices.  

I received this book from Barbour Publishing for a honest review without bias or outside influences as stated above and I thank them for this wonderful opportunity.  

 

 http://www.gingerkolbaba.com/

Ginger Kolbaba is an accomplished, award-winning author,
editor, and speaker.

She has written or contributed to more than 20 books, including the Gold Medallion-nominated Refined by Fire, the Golden Scroll-nominated and Readers' Favorite Bronze award-winning We All Come Home, and her novel series Secrets from Lulu’s Café. She is a contributing writer for Thriving Family magazine, and has been a columnist for Let’s Worship. She has published more than 400 magazine and online articles. In the publishing industry for almost two decades (she started very young), Ginger is the former editor of Today’s Christian Woman magazine, Marriage Partnership magazine, and the founding editor of Kyria.com, all award-winning resources of
Christianity Today.

She has spoken at national and international conferences,
guest lectured on college campuses, and has appeared on national media outlets such as CNN Headline News (Nancy Grace), Court TV, Moody Midday Connection, and Family Life radio. She’s been quoted in national news outlets such as Newsweek and Chicago Sun-Times.
​
​ ​Ginger graduated summa cum laude with a BA in pre-law/American Studies and a double minor in theatre arts and Bible. After a five-year stint working as a professional actress/singer (and in three shows in which she tap danced), she left that field for the more solitary role of a writer/editor. "It's amazing how God let me realize one dream--acting--to show me my real passion: helping, educating, and entertaining people through writing, speaking, and editing."

But on occasion she still dons her tap shoes and shuffles over her hardwood floors . . . much to the dismay of her husband and dog.

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