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/ 

 

Sisters of Mercy Flats #2

Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

4 Stars

Here's a brief description of the book:

The three wily and beautiful McDougal sisters can swindle a man faster than it takes to lasso a calf. But their luck is running out, and they’re about to be hauled off to jail. When the wagon carrying them falls under attack, each sister is picked up by a different man.

Anne-Marie, the middle sister, is saved by Creed Walker, a Crow warrior. It’s loathing at first sight, but with bandits on their tail and a cache of gold to hide, Creed and Anne-Marie need each other. Will they learn to put aside their differences and trust each other—and God? And can their growing faith turn their lives around?

This is book 2 in the Sisters of Mercy Flats series which is set in Texas.  As I have not read book one I will say this is a stand alone book. This is a sweet and sometimes humorous, historical romance.  Anne Marie was raised by nuns after her parents died when she was a young child.  She's very headstrong, witty, charming, and loyal, but most of all she has a good heart.    She is a very engaging character.  Creed Walker works for the Union, but knows the war will be ending very soon.  When he meets Annemarie he's on a mission that he intends to follow through at any cost.  He's very honorable, but has to bend the rules at times.  Quincy is not only Creed's fellow soldier, but also a friend.  He is a great character and adds to the entire story.  The author uses excellent imagery to bring the story to life.   The characters pulled me into the story, but the great storyline kept me turning the pages.  This is a story about trust and questions of faith which are woven throughout the story.  This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone. 

I received this book via Netgalley for a honest review without bias as stated above.  The thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. 

Let me introduce you to the author:

http://www.loricopeland.com/

She had a relatively late start in writing, breaking into publishing in 1982 when she was already forty years old. Over the next dozen years, her romance novels achieved much success, as was evidenced by her winning the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books' Best Seller award. She has been inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.
Despite her success in more mainstream romantic fiction, in 1995, she decided to switch focus. Her subsequent books have been in the relatively new subgenre of Christian romance. She has also collaborated with authors Angela Elwell Hunt or Virginia Smith on a series of Christian romance novels.