Category: book review

May 22, 2014

Meant to Be Mine #review

Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade follows the love story of Ty Porter and Celia Park. Ty has always been irresistible to Celia – she has loved him since high school. When their paths cross again after college she falls head over heels. This time, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way. Their whirlwind romance lands them at a street corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.

The next morning finds them waking up to marriage certificate and a dose of reality. Celia is ready to be Ty’s wife but Ty is not ready for that commitment. He is a professional bull rider, he lives on the road and he has long planned to settle down with his hometown girl he has known since childhood. They part ways but not on good terms and with a broken heart.

Five and a half years pass by. Celia has buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty has achieved all of his goals – or thought he had until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he could not forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.

How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia’s trust and prove to her that their marriage can still become the love of a life time.

Meant to Be Mine had an incredible story line. You could feel the pain Celia felt when her heart was broken again by Ty. The years she sacrificed to ensure her daughter had everything she needed was heartbreaking even when you were frustrated with her for not sharing such important information with Ty. You almost want to reach out and shake her to tell her that it is not right. I loved how Ty did everything he can to make Celia trust him and win the trust of his daughter. Being a parent is one of the most important things a person can do and it was important to see them bond and grow their relationship.

I could not put this book down – I was just to curious to see how Celia and Ty’s relationship ended (no worries – I won’t spoil it for you!).

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

Rating: 4.5/5

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

May 18, 2014

Daisies Are Forever #review & #giveaway

Daises Are Forever by Liz Tolsma is set in World War II and is the story of a young American caught in Eastern Germany with her family who must hold on to hope and love in a war torn country.

Daisies are Forever is the story of Gisela Cramer, an America living in Eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt when the Red Army invades. They must leave their home to escape to the safety of Berlin. Ella, a nurse, refuses to leave sending her young daughters with Gisela.

During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards – an escaped British POW. She pretends that she is his wife in order to preserve his safety amongst other Germans especially one particular wounded German solider, Kurt who has suspicions about Mitch’s identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her marriage.

Their journey to Gisela’s mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship as they strive to keep Ella’s daughters safe in order to reunite them with their Mother. During this journey, Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings towards each other beyond friendship. Once they reach Berlin, their struggles are far from over. They must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

In this moving, historically accurate portrayal of WWII Germany, the characters learn that even with destruction all around them that some things last forever.

Daises are Forever is an incredibly powerful and moving novel. There were times I cried and had to put my novel down, other times I had to re-read chapters to ensure I read it correctly. The fact that the novel was historically accurate made it harder to understand how people can treat others in such a way and even so much more important to read it to help stop it from happening again. I can only begin to imagine how real this story would be for so many people and it is heart breaking. I loved how the lives of Gisela and Mitch are showcased and that through all odds they are able to find love even if it is challenged at all times. A definite must read for all historical fiction fans.

To find more reviews of this novel, visit the Litfuse blog tour here. To purchase a copy of the book you can do so here.

Rating: 5/5

Liz Tolsma‘s latest WWII historical fiction novel, Daisies are Forever, is getting rave reviews.

“. . . compelling and fast-paced tale about the atrocities and tremendous losses. . . .” —Library Journal

“Excellent storytelling, accurate historical reporting and gritty, persevering characters make this WWII-era novel a must-read.” —CBA Retailers + Resources

Liz celebrating the release with a Kindle HDX giveaway!
One winner will receive:

A Kindle Fire HDX
Daisies are Forever by Liz Tolsma

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 31st. Winner will be announced June 2nd on Liz’s website.

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Liz’s website on June 2nd to see if you won.

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

May 9, 2014

Surprised by Grace #review

Renowned writer, Elizabeth “Tib” Sherill, brings us her personal faith journey in Surprised by Grace – showing us God’s work in our every day life.

In Surprised by Grace, we discover how God’s love transformed her life from one of struggle to one with a clear direction. Surprised by Grace helps us find inspiration, hope and strength for our journey. Elizabeth shares stories about her own family and relationships, from her unhappy childhood to her marriage and beyond. We meet her friend Mea, her father in law who sees her for the complex person she is despite being blind. We follow her around the world and through the decades in this journey to help her find God and herself.

Surprised by Grace is a beautiful story of Elizabeth’s life that draws you right in. You feel like you are right there with Elizabeth step by step feeling her pain and her joy. She writes in a manner that you can feel her pain and her happiness. She becomes like a close friend and a confidante as she shares her personal life with us (can you imagine how hard this must be to do?!). In this book, Elizabeth brings it all. The good, the bad and the ugly. She tells life as it is and not as how we all wish it could be. It reminded me that at all times God is with us, that He loves us and is there to guide us through all. A fantastic read for all of those looking to strengthen their relationship with God.

My favourite quote from this book: “It is to God to whom and with whom we travel, and while He is the end of our journey, He is also at every stopping place.” – Elisabeth Elliot

To find more reviews on this book, check out the Litfuse blog tour page here.

Rating: 5/5

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

May 8, 2014

Mother’s Day Books: Small Space Garden Ideas #DKCanada

Some of the best gifts that I have ever received have been books. I love to read (no question about it!) – it allows me to escape for that time period, browse and learn new ideas and so much more!

We moved into our new home about a year ago and since we moved in it has been my goal to create not only a vegetable garden but a proper flower bed (where the flowers grow and don’t wither like they usually do for me – my boys still tease me about managing to let a Bonsai tree die!). Last year we did a lot of work on removing items and re-sodding as well as making room for my garden. We just never made it to the actual garden part (I guess I was a bit chicken?!).

For Mother’s Day this year, I have asked my boys to make me a raised garden bed so that I an plant some vegetables. Since I am not the best gardener out there, I want to start small! When I was given the opportunity to review Small Space Garden Ideas I was anxious to get my hands on this book thinking how helpful this would be for us.

Small Space Garden Ideas is full of creative ways to use the smaller areas around your home to create a wonderful garden whether it be a wall, balcony, porch or window sill! They thought of every type of space in this book and used it so well. Some of my favourite features of this book were the easy to read instructions (great for this beginner gardener!), the material needed, large photographs (not to mention a great amount of photographs for each activity) that really helped me to visualize my project from start to finish as well as pro tips. I found the pro tips to be quite useful and have to started to implement them for my first garden project. The projects ranged from easy to difficult and the same with price range. There is a great variety of both and lots of middle ground for more advanced beginners. You will not be bored with the variety of projects in this book!

I started off small and using their directions planted Rosemary for our window sill which I am hoping to transplant into our garden when the weather becomes nicer. I had no idea I was supposed to be putting rocks in the bottom of the pot so that the roots don’t sit in water (oops – maybe this is the cause for all of my dead plants??). I am keeping my fingers crossed for good results and I have high hopes this time! I am determined to have a green thumb this year.

Do you have a book lover in your house that would love books for this Mother’s Day? Make sure to check out the Mother’s Day Boutique to receive 30% off your order!

What kind of books would your Mom love to receive for Mother’s Day?

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned book free of charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 8, 2014

Mother’s Day books: Family Cookbook #DKCanada

Ensuring that I have healthy, good quality meals on our table every night is extremely important to me – my only problem? Coming up with a good variety of healthy meals that everyone in the family will like! Some days I feel like I am in a cooking rut – what do I cook, what will be the easiest to get into my boys and not to mention what is going to be the quickest to cook (can’t believe I just admitted that to you all!).

DKCanada’s Family Cookbook is the perfect solution for those stuck in the recipe rut. With more then 700 recipes (yes- 700!) this recipe book is full of delicious and nutritious recipes. The recipes are easy to prepare and easy on the budget. The ingredients were simple and easy to find in the pantry. DKCanada’s Family Cookbook includes recipes that are perfect for all taste buds – from the picky eaters all the way to foodies. They even had a section for making your own baby food (so helpful!).

Some of my favourite features of the Family Cookbook includes the variety of the recipes, large photographs to showcase the recipe, easy to read directions (no small print here like I am accustomed to in so many cook books) and helpful tips that follow each section. I found some excellent freezing tips and tricks on seasonal cooking which I can not wait to put to use this summer!

The cookbook is divided into several sections including (but not limited to!) fish, poultry, meat, side dishes, rice, pasta, desserts and baking. There are plenty of recipes in each section to add plenty of variety to your family’s diet. We started off with the chicken stock (photo below) and used it in several of the recipes that are included in the cook book – pretty awesome right?!

Do you know a Mom that is a foodie? Or a Mom who just really loves to cook and try new recipes? Right now DKCanada has a 30% off sale at the Mother’s Day Boutique! You can save on books for your Mom just in time for Mother’s Day.

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