Review of A Pocketful of Hope for Mothers by Robin Jones Gunn

About the Book ~

You love the sweetness in his little smile and the way she wiggles her tiny toes in delight. You love the beautiful chaos that your life has become. And then come the challenges of motherhood. The exhaustion. The frustration. In A Pocketful of Hope for Mothers, Robin Jones Gunn reminds us that as moms, the only thing we need to do each day is to live with a selfless spirit, a tender heart, and all the gusto our giddy souls can muster. She reminds us that no matter how fragmented our lives may feel right now, all that matters is that we love well. God is near, giving us encouragement and hope as we care for the little soul that has been entrusted to us. This collection of heartwarming vignettes, inspiring quotes, and simple prayers makes a perfect gift of inspiration for all mothers and moms-to-be.

My Thoughts ~

All the hearts! All the feels! All the hope!

I don't read a lot of nonfiction books, but Robin Jones Gunn is a favorite author of mine. I've read and loved several of her nonfiction books, and since my mommy heart needed a boost, I leapt at the chance to read A Pocketful of Hope for Mothers!

It's gorgeous!

First of all, look at that artwork! If I could, I'd frame each page. They are so beautiful! There's even a little Christy Miller artwork. <3 <3 <3

While I loved the Bible verses, prayers, and quotes, my favorite parts were the short accounts Robin Jones Gunn included from her journals as her children were growing up and started having children of their own. ("Fluffy Tea in the Tub" is my favorite.) You will feel so connected to this woman who has experienced some of the same struggles and triumphs in motherhood as you.

Which I suppose is kind of the point... ;-)

While you laugh and cry, you will feel a beautiful restoration of your spirit as God whispers His loving truths to you, dear mama. So get a cup of "fluffy tea" and start reading!

Five Stars ~ Simply beautiful! A lovely book that I'll read again and again whenever I need its loving truths, and one I think every mother would benefit from reading.

Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.

Any questions? Check out my Disclaimers Page!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Review of No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert

About the Book ~

When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

For more information about Katie Ganshert and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts ~

If I could describe No One Ever Asked in one word, that word would be "think." This is a novel designed to make you think and ask hard questions, including how you can, "be the change where you're at."

Written in the poignant style Katie Ganshert is known for, No One Ever Asked follows the shocking revelations, struggles, and heartaches of three woman, each so different and complex, yet they think they have each other pegged. And they couldn't be more wrong.

Inspired by a real events, the author's heart is clearly poured onto the pages of No One Ever Asked. Katie Ganshert tackles difficult topics like racism and adoption in a candid, open way. Despite the heavy topics, the novel moves faster than a raging river. Katie Ganshert even uses things like e-mails, text messages between secondary characters, and school flyers to help tell the story without bogging the reader down in the details, adding a level of reality to the story that I rarely see. At the core of this deep novel is another truth: that accepting and extending God's forgiveness is the only way to be completely, utterly free.

Four Stars ~ A deeply intense read sure to make her readers think! No One Ever Asked is a standalone novel, but Katie Ganshert has other excellent novels, ranging from romance, YA, contemporary, and novella!

Disclaimer ~ In accordance with FTC regulations, I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not compensated, nor was a positive review required. All opinions expressed are my own.

Any questions? Check out my Disclaimers Page!

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Review of A Passionate Hope by Jill Eileen Smith

About the Book ~

Can one woman's prayers change the world?

Hannah and her husband, Elkanah, share a deep and abiding love for each other, for their God, and for His tabernacle at Shiloh. Greatly disturbed by the corruption of the priests, they long for restoration and pray for a deliverer. But nothing changes as the years pass. Years that also reveal Hannah to be barren.

Pressured by his family to take another wife, Elkanah marries Peninnah, who quickly begins to bear children. Disgraced and taunted by her husband's new wife, Hannah turns again to prayers that seem doomed to go unanswered. Do her devotion and kindness in the face of Peninnah's cruelty count for nothing? Will God remain silent and indifferent to her pleas?

Travel back to the dusty streets of Shiloh with an expert guide as Jill Eileen Smith brings to life a beloved story of hope, patience, and deliverance that shows that even the most broken of relationships can be restored.

For more information about Jill Eileen Smith and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts ~

A Passionate Hope proved to be the kind of story that will emotionally ravage you, but then builds you up stronger than before. Basically, it was exactly what I expected. ;-)

While there isn't a lot of detail to Hannah's story in the Bible, there also isn't a lot of wiggle room. We know that Hannah was barren, and that while her husband, Elkanah, loved her dearly, he had a second wife with whom he had children. We know that Hannah cried out to God when the taunts became too much to bear. I thought the author did a wonderful job bringing Hannah, Elkanah, and even Peninnah to life. While we won't know what their lives were really like on this earth, this portrayal felt so true to what we know about them and the culture at the time.

When you read A Passionate Hope, be prepared for a STRONG emotional response! One minute I felt like an enraged Hulk with a caffeine headache, and the next minute I cried more than I did while I was pregnant. While I knew what was going to happen and I understand the pressure Elkanah faced, I must admit that I wanted to kick him repeatedly in the shin for marrying Peninnah. However, the author also did a wonderful job reminding readers that the polygamy so many men succumbed to in the Bible was NEVER God's plan, but had somehow become the way of things, an area of sin that was often ignored. We also see glimpses of the increasing sin at the Tabernacle, the hopeless desperation of God's people, and a temporary deliverer in the form of Samuel.

Hannah's journey was a long, painful one that she handled with more grace than I think I could have. A Passionate Hope will challenge you to trust, hope, and obey God. No. Matter. What. Truly, Jill Eileen Smith has written a beautiful story of hope in a painful situation.

Four Stars ~ I thoroughly enjoyed A Passionate Hope! This is the latest installment in Jill Eileen Smith's Daughter's of the Promised Land Series. Biblical Fiction fans will not want to miss these beautiful books!

I received a copy of A Passionate Hope by Jill Eileen Smith from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. All opinions expressed are my own.

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

Review of The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel

About the Book ~

Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to propel Megan’s life forward. She’s still working as a library aide and living with her parents in her small Minnesota hometown, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take “once she’s well enough.” Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life—or so Megan thinks.

When her heart donor’s parents give Megan their teenage daughter’s journal—complete with an unfulfilled bucket list—Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb—a friend from her years in and out of the hospital—reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. She’s thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.

As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart she’s been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most.

For more information about Lindsey Harrel and her books, check out her website here!

My Thoughts ~

When it comes to The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel, all the happy heart feelings abound. <3

First off, I loved the traveling! Thanks to Megan and Crystal's adventure, I was able to vicariously travel the globe from the safety of my couch while wearing my cozy slippers. #win

The author wrote the story in such a fun, unique way with not only Megan and Crystal's perspectives, but also with journal entries, blog posts, and flashbacks. Swoony romance popped up in the most perfect way, and the pages flew by me as we jetted from one destination to the next, from one poignant juncture to the next soul-inspiring moment. It's one of those books that I am kicking myself for not having a notebook handy. Oh, well. I'll save that for the reread. ;-)

Megan and Crystal are the literary sisters of my heart. I love them. I hear them. I understand them. While the gorgeous cover and heartfelt premise of this story made me anxious to read it, at the same time I was hesitant because I knew I would relate to this story in a real and literal way. I am so thankful that I didn't let my fear and personal trauma stop me!! Reading this story made me feel like I had finally found that story that articulated the emotions from the hidden, dusty corner of my heart. However, you don't need to have a family rife with heart problems to relate. We all have trauma. We all have pain and fear and doubts. Between these pages, you will find a story filled with hope, love, and joy. Something we all need so very much. <3

Five Stars ~ A story I will forever cherish! I look forward to reading more books by Lindsay Harrel very soon!

I received a copy of The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel published by Thomas Nelson from BookLook Bloggers. All opinions expressed are my own.

See you next time, and God bless you guys!!!

Hugs!

~V. Joy Palmer

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn’t urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she’s hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.