The Devoted Life: A Creative Devotional Journal by Marjorie Jackson

The Devoted Life: A Creative Devotional Journal

by 

Marjorie Jackson

About:

Come Experience It for Yourself. . . Life Is Good with a God Who Is Great!

This topically guided creative journal for teen girls offers inspiration and encouragement for those who desire to live their lives fully devoted to Christ. Amidst the loud, confusing voices of the world, trying to tell them which way is the right way to go, girls need to stop, rest, refuel, and reflect in the presence of their truest Friend and most loyal heavenly Father. Whether it’s through creativity, meditating on scripture, prayer, or writing, readers will join young author and artist, Marjorie Jackson, for a time of life-giving fun, faith-strengthening encouragement, and God-glorifying growth. As girls connect with their first love, Jesus, they will begin to understand that life is truly good with a God who is absolutely great! 

My Thoughts:

The Devoted Life by Marjorie Jackson is a creative devotional journal that opens the reader to experience God in a different way. This devotional is perfect for those who are creative by nature and for those who desire to be more creative. The devotional journal contains 31 sections on faith, fear, the Bible, prayer, selfishness, humility, submitting authority, true beauty and so much more. This devotional is intended for young adult females. However, as an adult married female, I enjoyed this devotional. In this journal are over 60 scripture coloring pages to help the reader experience God in a creative medium. 

The journal is a rose gold leather cover that is flexible and bendable, which I love. It also has a white ribbon to help bookmark your page. This amazing devotional is a great book to help strengthen your relationship with the Lord. 

Thank you to Barbour Publishing for providing me a complimentary copy. I was not obligated to provide a review or a positive review. 

Who I Am with You (Legacy of Faith #1) by Robin Lee Hatcher

Who I Am with You

(Legacy of Faith #1)

by 

Robin Lee Hatcher

About:

For these two broken hearts, the first step toward love will be a huge leap of faith. 

Jessica Mason isn’t looking for love when she meets Ridley Chesterfield. Instead she is still reeling from the tragic, unexpected loss of her husband and daughter—and awaiting the arrival of her unborn child. Harboring the secret of her husband’s betrayal, her pain is deeper than anyone knows.

Ridley Chesterfield is hiding out in Hope Springs, Idaho, avoiding a political scandal and the barrage of false media headlines that have tarnished his good name. The last thing Ridley wants is a relationship—but when fate leads Ridley to form a friendship with his reclusive and pregnant neighbor, he wonders if this small-town hideout might be more of a long-term destination. 

When Jessica begins to read her great-grandfather’s Bible, she finds a connection with a man she never knew. Somehow the verses he marked and the words he wrote in the margins open her heart to healing. And as Ridley and Jessica help each other forgive the people who have wronged them, they must decide if the past will define them or if they will choose to love again. 

Who I Am With You weaves together a modern-day romance with Jessica’s great-grandfather’s story from the 1930s, reminding us that some truths can cross generations and that faith has the power to transform families forever.

My Thoughts:

Robin Hatcher is a remarkable story teller and Who I am with You tells the story of Jessica Mason and Ridley Chesterfield. Both characters aren't looking for love, but hope and forgiveness are resounding themes throughout this story. This book is unique in how the author writes a time period split, which makes this book interesting, especially as I was drawn to the plot from the 1930's. 

Hatcher does a phenomenal job of integrating Christian values and faith into the story. She interweaves faith into the story of both stories while telling an amazing story. This is a book that will have you turning the pages, cheerleading on characters and your heart will be overwhelmed with love for this story. 

Thank you to the Publisher for providing me a complimentary copy. A favorable review was not required. 

About the Author:

Robin Lee Hatcher is the author of over 80 novels and novellas with over five million copies of her books in print. She is known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA® Award, Christy Award, Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, National Reader’s Choice Award, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award, and she is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. When not writing, she enjoys being with her family, spending time in the beautiful Idaho outdoors, Bible art journaling, reading books that make her cry, watching romantic movies, and decorative planning. A mother and grandmother, Robin and her husband make their home on the outskirts of Boise, sharing it with a demanding Papillon dog and a persnickety tuxedo cat.

We Hope for Better Things by Erin Bartels

We Hope for Better Things

by 

Erin Bartels 

About:

When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time.

At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think.

Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time--from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War--to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.

My Thoughts:

We Hope for Better Things is an unforgettable novel! A powerful story of three women from different eras with the complexities of race relations among family makes this story interesting, dramatic and unforgettable. As a Michigander, I love how the story is set in my own backyard, which makes this book come to life even more. 

As a debut book, Erin Bartels writes an amazing story that I simply could not put down. This is a fantastic book and even a better story. I was worried it might not keep my interest, especially in the beginning, but this book picked up and it kept my interest to the very last page. I could not stop reading until this book was finished. This is definitely a book I would recommend to readers! It is great. 

Thank you to the publisher for providing a complimentary copy. A positive review was not required. 

About the Author:

ERIN BARTELS is a copywriter and freelance editor by day, a novelist by night, and a painter, seamstress, poet, and photographer in between. Her debut novel, WE HOPE FOR BETTER THINGS, is scheduled to be released in January 2019 from Revell Books, followed in September 2019 with THE WORDS BETWEEN US, which was a finalist for the 2015 Rising Star Award from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Her short story “This Elegant Ruin” was a finalist in The Saturday Evening Post 2014 Great American Fiction Contest. Her poems have been published by The Lyric and The East Lansing Poetry Attack. A member of the Capital City Writers Association and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she is former features editor of WFWA’s Write On! magazine.