Friday, January 9, 2015

Weekend Wrap Up (Jan. 9)

 
This is the Weekend Wrap-Up, inspired by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Review. This is where I will tell you what I've read in the past week, what I'm currently reading, and what I plan to read in the week ahead. I might also share some interesting events from the past week!

What I've Read: 
12563573Shattered Silence, Men of the Texas Ranger Series #2   -     By: Margaret Daley
Scorned Justice (Men of the Texas Rangers Series #3)Severed Trust: The Men of the Texas Rangers Book 4

Reviews Posted: 
Saving Hope by Margaret Daley
Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley
Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley
Severed Trust by Margaret Daley
I flew through this series, it was so good!

What I'm Currently Reading: 
 Steadfast Heart (Brides of Seattle, #1)

What's Up Next (in no particular order): 
Price of Privilege (Price of Privilege, #3)22514181When Mercy Rains (The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy, #1)A Woodland Miracle (The Amish Wonders Series)At Home in Last Chance (A Place to Call Home, #3) 

Challenge Updates: 
Finish the Series Reading Challenge: 1 series completed. My goal: 10
CBLH Re-Read Challenge: 2 books re-read. My goal: 24

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Severed Trust by Margaret Daley

Severed Trust: The Men of the Texas Rangers Book 4Overview: The day Sadie Thompson finds her high school student, Lexie, asleep in class and can't wake her is the day she realizes how entrenched a prescription drug ring is in her school. As Sadie is pulled into doing something about the growing problem, she becomes involved with Ethan Stone—a Texas Ranger who suspects the drug ring reaches far beyond the high school.

Helping Lexie recover from the overdose, Sadie feels she is making a difference—until the 16-year-old's best friend dies from the apparent mixing of various prescription drugs. Lexie doesn't think her friend took her own life, but her relationship with her Uncle Ethan is precarious and she doesn’t know if either he or Sadie will help her discover the truth.

ISBN-13: 9781426761867
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Publication date: 10/15/2013
Pages: 320
Series Reviews: Men of the Texas Rangers
Read an Excerpt
Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD

My Review: This is another excellent book by Margaret Daley, and the perfect conclusion to the Men of the Texas Rangers series. As is the case with all her books, this story deals with some pretty serious topics, like prescription drug abuse, trust issues, and peer pressure to name a few. At times, the story had me gripping the edge of my seat. There were a couple plot lines running through the story, and the author did an excellent job of bringing everything together to a satisfactory close.

Margaret took a little bit different approach with this book. Instead of two main characters, this story was written in several different points of view, the main ones being Lexie, Kelly, Sadie, and Ethan. It made the story more interesting and helped me better connect with the characters. Each character had to deal with someone in their lives who abused or experimented with prescription drugs. Reading the story from Kelly and Lexie's perspective opens your eyes to what is going on with our youth today and drives home the importance of keeping an eye on any medications in your house. Sadie and Ethan provide a nice romantic relief in the, sometimes, heavy plot.

The message of forgiveness is clearly stated in Lexie and Sadie's stories. Each character has to deal with a wrong that has been done to them and how the respond to it. By staying angry and not forgiving that person, you are opening yourself up for bitterness and heartache. Holding a grudge doesn't hurt anyone but you. And God. God wants us to forgive people, like He does for us, over and over again.

Overall, this suspenseful story will have you hooked from beginning to end. I highly recommend it.

Margaret Daley
About the Author: Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. She wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. She has sold seventy-five books to date.

Margaret is currently the President for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization of over 2200 members. She was one of the founding members of the first ACFW local chapter, WIN in Oklahoma. She has taught numerous classes for online groups, ACFW and RWA chapters. She enjoys mentoring other authors.

- See more at: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Scorned Justice by Margaret Daley

Scorned Justice (Men of the Texas Rangers Series #3)Overview: Texas Ranger Brody Calhoun is with his parents in west Texas when an unexpected attack injures the brother of Rebecca Morgan, Brody's high school sweetheart. The local sheriff, a good friend, asks for Brody’s help. At first, it seems like an open-and-shut case.

As Brody digs deeper, he realizes the attack may be related to an organized crime trial Rebecca will be overseeing. With Rebecca's help, he compiles evidence involving cattle rustling, bribery, and dirty payoffs that shatter the entire community and put Rebecca directly in the line of fire.

Brody expects to protect her. What he never expects is to fall for Rebecca all over again, or for a murder to throw the case wide open. Is Brody's faith strong enough to withstand not only deep-rooted corruption and cattle rustling, but also love?

ISBN-13: 9781426714368
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Publication date: 4/15/2013
Pages: 368
Read an excerpt.
Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD
My review of Saving Hope, Book 1 in the Men of the Texas Ranger Series.
My review of Shattered Silence, Book 2 in the Men of the Texas Rangers Series. 

My Review: Talk about an action packed book! I cannot believe how well written each and every plot line in this story was written, executed, and wrapped up. The story is excellently written and focuses on revenge. There are some pretty violent crimes depicted in this book, but as usual, Margaret handled them in a tasteful way. 

I absolutely enjoyed Rebecca from the beginning of the story. She is a strong woman, and faces adversity with very real emotions and feelings. Her faith is part of her life and she makes it known, as well as her stance and strong sense of justice. Brody is the type of swoon-worthy Texas Ranger I've come to recognize in Margaret's books. I loved him and his feeling of overwhelming protectiveness toward Rebecca and her family. His sense of loyalty and justice was another great asset. Their romance was well-developed and their feelings were tangled and untangled very well.

The overall theme of the story was revenge. The villian in this story felt that they had been wronged. Instead of practicing forgiveness and letting God handle the punishment, they let their anger turn into bitterness and ultimately focus on revenge. Rebecca states the message the author is portraying quite well when she says, "I can't always control what happens to me, but I can control how I react." As a Christian, we are called to forgive, as we have been forgiven. That isn't always easy. If we don't forgive, our anger can turn into bitterness and a sense of revenge can overtake us and cause more harm. 

Overall, this was a fast-paced, edge of your seat, keep you guessing until the very end suspenseful romance. I highly recommend it!

Margaret DaleyAbout the Author: Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. She wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. She has sold seventy-five books to date.

Margaret is currently the President for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization of over 2200 members. She was one of the founding members of the first ACFW local chapter, WIN in Oklahoma. She has taught numerous classes for online groups, ACFW and RWA chapters. She enjoys mentoring other authors.

- See more at: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Water Your Faith Wednesday - The Power of a Praying Wife (Part 4)

Hello everyone! Welcome to "Water Your Faith" Wednesday! How do you feel after spending your Sunday at church praising and worshiping our Lord? I know I feel great! I start my week fired up and ready to face what's in store. Oftentimes, however, by Wednesday, life begins to drag me down. My goal is provide a way to overcome the spiritual doldrums with encouraging words, scriptures, devotions, songs, etc. Let me know what you think!
 
  Week 1, the introduction: The Power.
Week 2, His Wife.  
Week 3, His Work. 
Week 4, His Finances. 

Today, we are continuing our devotions with the fourth chapter in The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian: His Sexuality. 
 
"The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." - 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 
 
My Thoughts: I feel like this is one of the most important parts of making a marriage prosper and last. It is also one of the hardest parts for women to understand because we don't need sex like a man does. As Stormie states, "for women, sex comes out of affection... for a man, sex is pure need" (pg. 57). As the verse above states, our body is not our own. It is to be used to "comfort and complete the other person" (pg. 58). When the husband is deprived of this one need, it opens up temptation and other problems in a marriage. 

So what do you do when you don't feel like it, but your husband does? Stormie gives us a great idea. She says, "when your husband communicates to you what he has in mind..don't roll your eyes and sigh deeply. Instead, say "give me fifteen minutes" (or however long you need). During that time, do something to make yourself feel attractive... pray for God to give a renewed energy, strength, vitality, and a good attitude" (pg. 59). Hopefully, when that time is up, your coming together with your husband will be that much better and he will appreciate the time you took to get ready, just for him.

What do you do when your husband is the one withholding the sexual relations in your marriage? Find out why. Pray about it. Stormie says that he might be feeling depressed, like a failure, etc and that is causing the strain in your relationship (pg. 60).  By praying about it instead of getting angry, feeling resentful, and locking yourself away, you can help your hubby resolve the problem and move forward in a more productive way (pg. 60).

This was a short, yet insightful chapter about how sexual relations play a big part in your marriage.

Shattered Silence by Margaret Daley

Shattered Silence, Men of the Texas Ranger Series #2   -     By: Margaret Daley
Overview: A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders.

While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?

ISBN-13: 9781426714290
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Publication date: 9/28/2012
Series: Men of the Texas Rangers Series , #2
Pages: 326
Read an Excerpt 
Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD
My review of Saving Hope, Book 1 in the Men of the Texas Ranger Series.

My Review: I just love Margaret Daley's writing style. Not only does she write stories that are poignant, captivating, and romantic, but she tackles tough subjects with a skill that is not easily matched. This story is no exception. Shattered Silence is a gripping story about bullying in it's many forms, domestic abuse, prejudices, and overcoming those things in our lives with the Lord's help.

I loved Liliana's character from the first page. She is a strong-willed, independent woman. She is fiercely protective of her family and her heart. Watching her finally surrender her past and embrace her future was one of the best parts of the story. Cody was another great heroine. Who doesn't love a God-fearing Texas Ranger that's built, loyal, and handsome?

The part of this book I enjoyed the most was the message. Each character has to overcome some aspect of bullying in their lives, whether past or present. Each character has to learn to trust that God will get them through the present bullying and help them escape the memories of their past bullying. By trusting that God will help them, they can learn to trust the good people in their lives and embrace all that's meant for them.

Overall, Margaret Daley has created another touching romance, full of suspense, with a fantastic message. I highly recommend it!

Margaret DaleyAbout the Author: Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. She wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. She has sold seventy-five books to date.

Margaret is currently the President for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization of over 2200 members. She was one of the founding members of the first ACFW local chapter, WIN in Oklahoma. She has taught numerous classes for online groups, ACFW and RWA chapters. She enjoys mentoring other authors.

- See more at: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Monday, January 5, 2015

Saving Hope by Margaret Daley

Saving Hope (Men of the Texas Rangers Series #1)Overview: When a teenager goes missing from the Beacon of Hope School, Texas Ranger Wyatt Sheridan and school director Kate Winslow are forced into a dangerous struggle against a human trafficking organization. But the battle brings dire consequences as Wyatt's daughter is terrorized and Kate is kidnapped.

Now it's personal, and Wyatt finds both his faith and investigative skills challenged ashe fights to discover the mastermind behind the ring before evil destroys everyone he loves.


ISBN-13: 9781426714283
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Publication date: 3/1/2012
Series: Men of the Texas Rangers Series , #1
Pages: 336
Read an Excerpt
Buy It: B&N | Amazon | CBD

My Review: This book is heart wrenching! It pulls you into the story with the first page. It is extremely well written with great characters and a well developed plot. Be aware: this book deals with a very sensitive topic. Child prostitution and exploitation is very real. The author does an excellent job of making the reader aware of the seriousness of the topic and what these girls go through without being explicit. The topic was tastefully written into the story.

Kate Winslow was an excellent heroine. She is strong in her faith and knows what the Lord wants from her. She doesn't crumble in the face of adversity, it makes her stronger. She had her share of struggles and human characteristics, but that only endeared her to me more. Wyatt was another excellently developed character. I really enjoyed watching their romance blossom.

The message of the story was written in very well. Even when you feel like you're back's against the wall, God is there. With God, nothing is impossible. In God, there is hope.

Overall, this book was an excellent mix of suspense, romance, and hope. I cannot wait to read the next book! 

Margaret DaleyAbout the Author: Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest. She wrote for various secular publishers before the Lord led her to the Christian romance market. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines, romantic suspense for Abingdon Press and historical romance for Summerside Press. She has sold seventy-five books to date.

Margaret is currently the President for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization of over 2200 members. She was one of the founding members of the first ACFW local chapter, WIN in Oklahoma. She has taught numerous classes for online groups, ACFW and RWA chapters. She enjoys mentoring other authors.

- See more at: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Weekend Wrap Up (Jan 2)

 
This is the Weekend Wrap-Up, inspired by Melanie at Christian Bookshelf Review. This is where I will tell you what I've read in the past week, what I'm currently reading, and what I plan to read in the week ahead. I might also share some interesting events from the past week!

What I've Read:
Picture234989382066506421556052 

Reviews Posted: 
The Wishing Season by Denise Hunter

What I'm Currently Reading: 
12563573

What's Up Next: 
At Home in Last Chance (A Place to Call Home, #3)Steadfast Heart (Brides of Seattle, #1)Price of Privilege (Price of Privilege, #3)22514181 

2015 Challenges I am Participating In: 
Most of these challenges come from groups I participate in on Goodreads. I've tried to set realistic goals based on how I did last year. Some of the books I read this year will definitely fit under more than one category, and that's ok with me! Goodreads is awesome because it allows you to track your progress and achieve your goals by telling you  if you're on track or not! Click on each challenge to be taken to the Goodreads page. Join the groups and the fun!

Reading Challenge 2015: My goal - 120 books
CBLH Re-Read Challenge: My goal - 24 books
Finish the Series Reading Challenge: My goal - Finish 10 series