Israel-God's Heart: Landscapes and Legacy of Israel by Ron Gafni and Kathleen Barrett

Often many people have some fabulous photography books on their coffee table for people to browse. Let me show you another great addition to those coffee table books that is not your traditional photography book.  Israel-God's Heart: Landscapes and Legacy of Israel is filled with beautiful landscape pictures of the Holy Land. The author describes it as "A captivating pictorial of the Holy Land and a scriptural journey through God's redemption story."

In this book, you will find many of the familiar places you've read about in Scripture. This book includes more than just pictures. You can also read the Scripture and facts that tell you about the places that have been photographed. How many of us wish we could travel overseas and see the Holy Land for ourselves? Since many of us will not have that opportunity, here is a wonderful glimpse that you can take in with your own eyes and see how beautiful the Holy Land really is. I thought this book was well done and just loved looking through the pictures. So, check out this beautiful book and add this to your coffee table collection so that others can see the beauty of Israel for themselves.

***I received this complimentary book from Litfuse Publicity Group.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.

True to You by Becky Wade

A fun new series is out about 3 sisters called A Bradford Sisters Romance.  The first book, True to You, is about Nora Bradford who is too busy with being a genealogist and operating her historical village to worry about starting a relationship.  She has sworn off men since being hurt three years ago by a man she thought loved her.  The other main character of the book, John Lawson, is a former Navy SEAL who has many questions about his past.  When an inherited medical condition takes him by surprise, he realizes that he must find out anything he can about who he inherited this condition from.  The only problem is he doesn't know his past because he was adopted.
Through a chance encounter, John meets Nora and finds out about her expertise as a genealogist.

This story was fun to read.  It made me smile at various times with their humorous banter and crazy situations. The characters each grow and change throughout the story. I appreciated the way the author brought in biblical concepts that changed the character's thinking. When facing situations that they thought they could control, the characters realized that ultimately only God can satisfy and lead them in the right way.  They needed to trust Him. The story is a great encouragement and shows that when life isn't going as you expected, God is still the One you can trust with everything. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series and reading about Nora's sisters, Britt and Willow. Also, there is a prequel to this series called Then Came You which you can find as a free e-book or purchase a paperback copy. Find it all the online links on Becky Wade's site by clicking here.

My Rating: ★★★★

***I received this complimentary book from Bethany House Publishers.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello Stars by Alena Pitts with Wynter Pitts

A fun new series is out for young girls (ages 8-12/ Grades 3-7) called Lena in the Spotlight. The first book in the series is Hello Stars  and is about a young 12 year old girl named Lena Daniels and her best friends, Savannah and Emma.
When Lena learns about a contest to meet her favorite singer, she jumps at the chance to enter. She hopes that her dream can come true, but will winning this chance of a lifetime opportunity be all that she hoped it would be?



My Thoughts:
I thought that the book was enjoyable to read. The character of the story showed how even young kids can take all their cares to their heavenly Father no matter how big or small. I'm always on the hunt to find good, wholesome books for my tween to read.  And this will be a great series for her!

Check out Alena's website: http://www.alenapitts.com/

My Rating: ★★★

***I received this complimentary book from Handlebar.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own.