Beloved Dust

We were formed from the dust, but we were made for life with God. We often accept less. We make promises and set goals to try and grow, but holiness seems impossible. But the Christian life is not about looking or feeling like a Christian. It’s about abiding in God.

If communion with God is your goal, self-help strategies and personal resolutions will fail you. But Jesus Christ will not.

The authors  ring us back to our beginnings , and it is a good reminder of where we come from and who created us.The authors take us through our journey with Jesus, helping us to realize exactly how important it is to keep in prayer, and time in  God's word.

The authors bring us down from our lofty position and bring us back to where we began, as dust  created by God.  They remind us that time with God is not time wasted, but that we must embrace our creator more and more each day.

This was a good read, and I highly recommend this book.

  I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Heartbreak Trail

The second in the Circle C Milestones series
Andrea Carter can ride, rope, and cut out cattle with the best of her brothers’ ranch hands. Yet, her mother has always held the family’s youngest daughter back from fully participating in ranch activities.
With the approach of her fifteenth birthday, even the ranch boss, big brother Chad, can’t deny that his baby sister is better at ranch skills than some of his cowhands. When Andi announces that herquinceañera birthday wish is to join the upcoming cattle drive, her family is stunned. But after further discussion and multiple newspaper clippings about spirited women who balked at society’s expectations, even Mother agrees that the only way to get this cattle-drive notion out of Andi’s head is by letting her and her cousin Levi go along as Cook’s helpers. Andi is elated. What can go wrong on a two-week drive to Los Angeles?
This was an exciting book that any girl , or woman would love to read.   It's full of action,  and excitement.   I love how the author connects you with Andi.   This would be a good book for a girl of any age.  I does center around a 15 year old, but even us older girls can appreciate this good read!


 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Becoming Bea

This is another book about a Amish young woman struggling to do what is right. 

The author takes us through the relationship of Ben an Beatrice, who have known each other since childhood.

Even though they antagonize each other, the questions is will they find love?

This is a well written novel.  The author has knowledge and done excellent research on the Amish ways, which helps in the story line.

One thing I appreciated about the novel is that the author was not leading the characters into leaving the Amish faith  or to go “worldly”.

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Five Days in Skye

Andrea Sullivan is so consumed by her hospitality consultant job that she's forgotten what brings her joy. She dreads her new assignment—a last chance to snag a high-profile client in Scotland. Yet the lush Isle of Skye transcends her preconceptions. As does the man she must impress, the rugged, blue-eyed Scotsman James MacDonald.

He's passionate about cooking but after six restaurants, four cookbooks, and his own television show, he's grown weary of the scrutiny that comes with living in the public eye.

Soon Andrea and James begin to sense these five days in Skye together may just be God's wild invitation into deeper life ... and truer love.

Here we have another of Carla Laureano’s award winning novels.  In this story we have the characters Andrea and James.

Andrea is a woman who seems to be consumed by her job, and also hiding something in her past.  It isn’t until later on in the story line that we find out exactly what it is that has wounded Andrea so bad, but is she willing to give James a chance?

I really appreciated this novel and will be an enthusiastic reader of this author.    It is very easy to put yourself into the story and become one of the family.

Note: I received this book as part of the Five Days in Skye  blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

London Tides

London Tides by Carla Laureano

Reviewed by Lori Twichell

Radiant Lit Blog Tours

Genre: Romance

Publisher: David C. Cook

Date: June 1, 2015

Irish photojournalist Grace Brennan travels the world’s war zones documenting the helpless and forgotten. After the death of her friend and colleague, Grace is shaken.

She returns to London hoping to rekindle the spark with the only man she ever loved—Scottish businessman Ian MacDonald. But he gave up his championship rowing career and dreams of Olympic gold years ago for Grace ... only for her to choose career over him. Will life’s tides bring them back together ... or tear them apart for good this time?

Carla Laureano is the author of the RITA® award-winning romance Five Days in Skye as well as London Tides and the Celtic fantasy series The Song of Seare (as C. E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons.

London Tides is available for purchase from Amazon.com

Note: I received this book as part of the London Tides blog tour from Radiant Lit.  I received no compensation for this review and only received a copy of the book for review purposes.

I truly enjoyed this author, I have read both the books (London Tides and Five Days in Skye).  The author has a way of putting you right into the lives of the characters she has created.    

In her second book London Tides, she directly deals with PTSD, something that most people just don’t understand.   Carla Laurenao, has done a wonderful job of showing us how it does affect a person. 

After reading her novels I know why these books have won awards, she is an excellent author.  I like the fact that the author lets the characters rely on God, and brings Him into the story line.

In her book London Tides, we find the characters Grace (who is suffering from PTSD) and Ian, in this story we wait to see if Grace will put her career ahead of romance once again. 

This book is an easy read, one that the reader will not want to put down.

I look forward to more books from this author.  This book comes highly recommended.

Review copy provided by the publisher. 

From The Start

Kate writes romance movie scripts for a living, but she's stopped believing “true love” is because in real life real life. Kate was hurt bad by her last love, Kate is thrown into situation with former quarterback Colton Greene, former NFL quarter back and is asked to write his biography.   Could a new friendship Colton Greene renew her faith?

This is a good novel.  It was fun to read, easy to relate to the characters. The author brings you to situations that all of us have had to deal with in our lives.

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

All the Places You Will Go

From the back of the book:

Rarely in the Bible does God command someone to “stay”.  He opens a door and invites us to walk through it-into the unknown.  And whether we stay or go will ultimately determine the kind of life we’ll live and the kind of person we’ll become.  But it’s not just one door.  God paces lots of open doors in front of us every day.  For those who recognize them and choose to walk through, life becomes a divine adventure.  And those who don’t well…. Not only are they missing out on all the amazing work God wants them to do through them!

I believe that life is made up of choices, and we must choose from what we will wear that morning ng to what will I do with my life.   We have small choices and big choices to make.

God does open and close doors for us, and it is up to us to discern whether or not we will go through that door, or to leave it shut.  The author asks us to summarize our life with six words, what would yours be?  Mine would be I am blessed.    One aspect that Mr. Ortberg brings up is that when God does open a door, it doesn’t mean that life will be easy, that things will go smoothly.   

One thing to remember is to pray about every opportunity that comes.   If you listen He will either give you peace of mind about it, or give you a feeling of uneasiness. 

I thought the book would be a lot different, and honestly it wasn’t what I was expecting.

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”