Category: book review

Young women long for connections with women further along their journey. Without realizing it we can sometimes tend to distance ourselves from those younger than us.

About A Friend in Me

Can we have close relationships with women who have different thoughts on church, different family experiences, and different ways of talking about God? Where do we start?

In A Friend in Me, Pamela Havey Lau shows you how to be a safe place for young women in your life to come to. She offers five patterns women need to internalize and practice for initializing relationships and talking about issues of faith, forgiveness, sexuality and vocation. She reminds us that there does not need to be a divide by generations. Together, we can have a global impact and experience a deeper faith.

My Thoughts

We all crave close relationships, it is just a part of human nature. We want to learn from each other, feel a connection, know we are important and that our feelings matter. Sometimes, it can be hard to be a good friend and it can be even harder to cross the generations gaps.

A Friend in Me teaches us how not only to build relationships with other women but how to cross that gap. For myself, I value my relationships with my older co-workers. When I need advice they are the first people I will go to and lay it all out for. They not always agree or understand my choices but they can provide me feedback and advice. This advice has been learned from being there and already doing it. This is why these relationships are so important to young women. We can learn and grow from these relationships, while realizing no matter what the age gap we are all the same and experiencing the same things. My favourite part of the book focuses on the tone of our voices, which I know I am guilty of. Are we relaying what we truly feel in the tone of our voice? How would this make you feel if someone spoke to you like this? Pamela provides plenty of real experiences to get her point across as well as provide opportunity for growth and education. This is a great resource for all women to come back to over and over again.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour page. You can purchase a copy of a Friend in Me here.

Rating: 5/5

About Pamela Havey Lau

Pamela is the author of Soul Strength and numerous articles. She has taught writing at George Fox University and speaks around the country at conferences and retreats. A graduate of Liberal University and Colorado State University, she lives near Portland, Oregon with her husband and three daughters. You can connect with her online and on Twitter.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

How can a marriage survive when they are separated by thousands of miles and a prison wall?

About As Waters Gone By

Emmalyn and Max may have to endure the battle of their life to mend the tattered fabrics of their marriage. His actions ensured she would never become a Mother and saw him put in prison. This gave their relationship a five-year time out. On a self-imposed exile to a remote and beautiful island, Emmalyn has just a few months left to figure out if and how they can ever be a couple again.

Nudged along by the owner of the Wild Iris Inn, a circle of misfit community members and a young girl who desperately needs someone to love her, Emmalyn restores an island cottage and her heart by learning what it means to love unconditionally. Yet, even as hope begins to find a place in the cottage walls, Emmalyn wonders if she is ready for Max’s release. She may be able to rebuild a cottage but can she rebuild a marriage?

My Thoughts

A very powerful, thought-provoking and intimate novel. The novel is full of pain, hope and forgiveness as well as important lessons for us all to apply to our daily lives. Emmalyn and Max both know pain. They have seen more than their own fair share. When they were forced to live separate lives for a mistake Max made (we only find out the reason half way through the book), Emmalyn struggles. She struggles with her own beliefs, her trust and her faith in the future. She feels alone and hopeless. How does she keep her marriage safe? How does she trust? How does she tell people what happened. You feel her pain through every turn of the page.

At the same time we feel her pain, we see forgiveness and hope. We meet all of these wonderful characters that draw her out of her darkness and show her hope. Both Emmalyn and Max discover their own strengths and our transformed from the start of the book.

As Waters Gone By is a truly uplifting story that reminds us to always look for hope in every situation.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Cynthia has more than three decades of radio broadcast experience with Heartbeat of the Home. She currently serves as the Professional Relations Liaison for the American Christian Fiction Writers. You can connected with her online, Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Can she forgive the hurting man who costs her the role she loves?

About Hearts Made Whole

After her father’s death, Caroline has grown confident in her role running the Windmill Point Lighthouse. But in 1865 Michigan, this is not a role that woman are supposed to have so it is only a matter of time before they remove her from this position. This is despite Caroline having nowhere to go and no job available to her.

Ryan is a Civil War veteran, who is still haunted by the war. He has secured the position at the lighthouse and a chance to hide from his past. He was never expecting the current keeper of the lighthouse to be a fierce and beautiful young woman. When his personal failings endanger others, Caroline realizes he is no shape to run the lighthouse alone. Caroline feels drawn to his wounded soul but with both of them relying on this one position, can they look past their losses to a future full of hope?

My Thoughts

This is an incredible and beautiful story. We witness struggle, addiction, sexism and in the midst of all of this is hope. Hope is always there in each of the darkest moments in this story. Despite all the strong topics covered, the novel itself carries a lighter tone that is perfect to read anywhere and at any time.

Caroline is an incredible woman, living in a time that independence in a woman was frowned upon. Despite this we see her strength to stand up for what she believes in and how she will go to battle for her family (she is raising her siblings). Her love of family is what keeps her going and fighting.

The romance that slowly builds between these two main characters is beautiful. Caroline wants nothing more than to help Ryan but her feelings stem far beyond helping and protecting him. Caroline makes Ryan want to be a better man, the type of man he was before the Civil War. Both of them need each other but it is difficult for both of them to admit this.

Hearts Made Whole is a lovely read from start to finish. You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour Page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Jody Hedlund is an award-winning and bestselling historical fiction author. She won the 2011 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, the 2011 Award of Excellence and was a finalist for the Best Debut Novel in the 2011 ACFW Carol Awards. Jody makes her home in Central Michigan with her husband and five children. You can find her online, Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.