Rebecca St. James CD Review and Giveaway

At the age of 12—a time when most young girls are just beginning idyllic dreams of ‘what I want to be’—a young Australian girl prayed a simple prayer. “God, I give you my gifts. Use my life to make a difference and change the world.”

Rebecca St. James has since taken an unparalleled course in Christian music.  As the industry’s innovative ‘new voice’ as a teen in the mid-90’s, she blazed a trail in the contemporary Christian genre for many other talented female artists to come.  She has received countless industry awards, including the prestigious GRAMMY®, garnered number one singles and has consistently topped both radio and sales charts, with career album sales in the millions of album units.  She has also authored eight books – her ninth due out this Fall – and received acclaim for her touring worldwide. As an artist spokesperson for child advocacy organization, Compassion International, she has, through her concerts, globally helped find sponsorship for more than 30,000 of the world’s neediest children.

On the wings of a prayer at age 12, Rebecca St. James has become one of the most influential young women of her generation.

Set to release on April 5, 2011, Rebecca charts yet another new course with I Will Praise You, a new collection of worship songs she terms “her most personal worship recording to date.”

My Review:

I was so excited when I was asked to review this CD!!  After several years of not recording, Rebecca St. James has a new CD coming out tomorrow, April 5th.  I love praise songs and I have to say she has outdone herself.  This is a great CD.  It is very soft and easy to listen to.  Ten beautiful songs to our Lord and Savior.  The kind of songs you will want to be singing or humming all day!!

Giveaway:

The other exciting news is, they have offered me a CD to give away!!  For chances to win leave me a comment for each point 

• One chance if you follow this blog.  
• One chance if you leave me a comment telling me if you have ever listened to   Rebecca’s music in the past.
• Become her fan on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/rsjames
• Two chances if you post about this give away on your blog
• Two chances if you post about this give away on your facebook or twitter

If you would like to hear part of the CD, you can go to Rebecca’s Listening Party - http://rsjames.com/listeningparty

You can also learn more about Rebecca on her website - http://www.rsjames.com

You can purchase her CD on Amazon - http://amzn.to/gqOroA

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally 

and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Happy Singing!!

Vicious Cycle

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Vicious Cycle Zondervan (February 22, 2011) by Terri Blackstock



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Terri Blackstock is a New York Times best-seller, with over six million copies sold worldwide. She has had over twenty-five years of success as a novelist. She sold her first novel at the age of twenty-five, and has had a successful career ever since.



Besides entertaining her readers, Terri tackles issues that she hopes will change lives. Her recent book, Predator, was inspired by her experiences on Facebook and Twitter, and her concern that people posted too much personal information about themselves. The book deals with an online predator who uses social networks as his playground. She hopes the book will change readers’ online habits. Her New York Times best-seller, Intervention, was inspired by her own personal struggles with a daughter on drugs. In the book, a mother hires an interventionist for her drug-addicted daughter. But on the way to treatment, the interventionist is murdered, and the daughter disappears. Barbara, the mother, sets out to search for her daughter. Terri modeled Barbara after herself, and poured many of her own emotions and experiences into that character. As a result, many families experiencing drug addiction have written to thank her for telling their story and giving them hope. Vicious Cycle, Book Two of the Intervention Series, releases February 22, 2011. She’s currently working on Book Three.



Other recent books include a stand-alone novel called Double Minds, as well as Last Light, Night Light, True Light and Dawn’s Light (from her acclaimed Restoration Series). She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 Series and Cape Refuge Series. Terri makes her home in Mississippi, where she and her husband Ken are enjoying their empty nest after raising three children.

Terri has appeared on national television programs such as “The 700 Club” and “Home Life,” and has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as Touched By the Savior by Mike Yorkey, True Stories of Answered Prayer by Mike Nappa, Faces of Faith by John Hanna, and I Saw Him In Your Eyes by Ace Collins.







ABOUT THE BOOK

When fifteen-year-old Lance Covington finds an abandoned baby in the backseat of a car, he knows she's the newborn daughter of a meth addict he's been trying to help. But when police arrest him for kidnapping, Lance is thrust into a criminal world of baby trafficking and drug abuse.



His mother, Barbara, looks for help from Kent Harlan---the man whom she secretly, reluctantly loves and who once helped rescue her daughter from a mess of her own. Kent flies to her aid and begins the impossible work of getting Lance out of trouble, protecting a baby who has no home, and finding help for a teenage mother hiding behind her lies.



In this latest novel of suspense and family loyalty, bestselling author Terri Blackstock offers a harrowing look at drug addiction, human trafficking, and the devastating choices that can change lives forever.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Vicious Cycle, go HERE.



Watch the Book Video:

The Caregiver

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  The Caregiver  Avon Inspire; Original edition (March 8, 2011)  by  Shelley Shepard Gray  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shelley Shepard Gray is the beloved author of the Sisters of the Heart series, including Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven.  Before writing, she was a teacher in both Texas and Colorado.  She now writes full time and lives in southern Ohio with her husband and two children.  When not writing, Shelley volunteers at church, reads, and enjoys walking her miniature dachshund on her town's scenic bike trail.  








ABOUT THE BOOK  

Two lives converge one stormy night on a train headed to cleveland

Lucy is traveling by herself via train to Jacob's Crossing to help care for her cousin Mattie, recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Trying to overcome the sudden death of her husband, she's glad to get away and focus on someone else for a while.
The only other Amish people on the train are Calvin Weaver and his little sister, Katie. When their train breaks down outside of Cleveland, Calvin and Lucy band together to face the outside world. But Calvin also carries the weight of past hurts. When an altercation brings both their wounds to light, they question whether they can trust each other.
Once in Jacob's Crossing, Lucy is occupied with caring for Mattie, while Calvin does his best to run his family's farm. But they can't stop thinking about those special hours spent together. Will the bond they formed last? And will Lucy and Calvin be able to put away the pain in their pasts to recognize the happiness that is suddenly in their grasp?

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Caregiver, go HERE.

Hearts Aglow

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Hearts Aglow  Bethany House (March 1, 2011)  by  Tracie Peterson  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 85 novels.

She received her first book contract in November, 1992 and saw A Place To Belong published in February 1993 with Barbour Publishings' Heartsong Presents.  She wrote exclusively with Heartsong for the next two years, receiving their readership's vote for Favorite Author of the Year for three years in a row.

In December, 1995 she signed a contract with Bethany House Publishers to co-write a series with author Judith Pella.  Tracie now writes exclusively for Bethany House Publishers.

She teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research.

Tracie was awarded the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for 2007 Inspirational Fiction and her books have won numerous awards for favorite books in a variety of contests.

Making her home in Montana, this Kansas native enjoys spending time with family--especially her three grandchildren--Rainy, Fox and Max.  She's active in her church as the Director of Women's Ministries, coordinates a yearly writer's retreat for published authors, and travels, as time permits, to research her books


ABOUT THE BOOK

The future should be bright for Deborah Vandermark, who is now pursuing her interest in medicine alongside Dr. Christopher Clayton, who is courting her. But the lumber town is resistant to the idea of a woman physician, and she feels thwarted at every turn.


A more devastating blow occurs, however, when Christopher breaks off their relationship to return home to his troubled family. Despite her own love life going awry, Deborah is still intent to be a matchmaker for both her widowed mother and her brother, who has caught the eye of the spit-fire daughter of the local pastor.

But what will Deborah do when faced with the truth about Christopher's family? Is there hope for the two of them...or will Jake Wyeth's attentions finally catch Deborah's eye instead?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Hearts Aglow, go HERE.

A Bond Never Broken - review

I agreed to review this book, A Bond Never Broken, the third book in the Daughters of Amana series, with mixed emotions!!  So excited because I had read and loved the first one in the series, really sad because I had never had the chance to read the second.  I decided to review it anyway knowing that if I loved it as much as the first one, I would definitely be reading the second one.  Verdict is in and I will be reading the second.

Ilsa Redlich, the daughter of hotel owners, living in the Amana Community.  She spends her days helping her parents run the hotel.  She has had a peaceful life in the Amana Community but this all comes to a halt when the United States enters the Great War.  Her brother enlists and is sent to fight, and her, used to be good and accepting, neighbors become suspicious and unfriendly.

Jutta Schmidt is the daughter of bakery owners who are former Amana Community resident.  They left the Amana Community several years ago and now live a short train ride away.  Their life has also been peaceful and they are very accepted in their new community until the war.  Unfortunately, members of the Council of National Defense show up with accusations and threats.  Their solution is to send Jutta back to the Amana Community to spy of her old neighbors.  

Jutta ends up at the hotel in South Amana and begins her job eavesdropping and noting any and everything she can report to keep her parents safe.  She is extremely torn between her friendships, what she knows God wants her to do, and her strong desire to keep her family safe.  Will she deceive her new friends, will she become as disloyal as those who have turned on her and her family?  Well you will just have to read this wonderful book to find out.

I highly recommend not only this book, but the whole series.

Thank you Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Judith Miller for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.  

Happy Reading!!

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  A Bond Never Broken  Bethany House (March 1, 2011)  by  Judith Miller  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A Word from Judith:

Most readers want to know how authors 'got started' writing. My first novel, Threads of Love, was conceived when I was commuting sixty miles to work each day. I wanted to tell the story of a pioneer girl coming to Kansas and the faith that sustained her as she adjusted to a new life. When the book was completed, I tucked it away. I had absolutely no idea how publication of a book occurred and had given no thought to the concept. However, through a co-worker, I was directed to Tracie Peterson who, at that time, worked down the hall from me. Having never met Tracie, I was totally unaware of her writing career, but God intervened. The rest is, as they say, history...

With a graciousness that continues to amaze me, Tracie agreed to read my story, directed me to a publisher, and gave me information on a Christian writers conference. Since that first encounter many years ago, I have been blessed with the publication of numerous books, novellas and a juvenile fiction book. Joyously, Tracie and I had the opportunity to develop a blessed friendship. In fact, we have co-authored several series together, including The Bells of Lowell, the Lights of Lowell and The Broadmoor Legacy. In addition, I have continued to write several solo series.    

ABOUT THE BOOK    

For many years, Ilsa Redlich has helped her parents run a hotel in South Amana, but as the United States enters the Great War, she can feel her world changing. The residents of the towns surrounding the Amana Colonies used to be accepting of their quiet, peaceful neighbors, but with anti-German sentiment running high, the Amana villages are now plagued by vandalism, threats, and insults.

Things get even worse when Ilsa finds out her family won't be allowed to speak German in public--and that Garon, the childhood friend she's long been smitten with, has decided to join the army. Jutta Schmidt is shocked when several members of the Council of National Defense show up on her family's doorstep. Sure, the Schmidts once lived in the Amana Colonies, but that was years ago. She's even more surprised when the council demands that she travel to Amana and report back on any un-American activities.

Not daring to disobey the government agents, Jutta takes a job at the South Amana hotel, befriends the daughter of the owners, and begins to eavesdrop every chance she gets. When Jutta hears Ilsa making antiwar remarks and observes Garon assisting a suspicious outsider, she is torn at the prospect of betraying her new friends.

But what choice does she have? And when Garon is accused of something far worse than Jutta could imagine, can the Amana community come to his aid in time?

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Bond Never Broken, go HERE.

Words

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Words B&H Books (February 1, 2011) by Ginny Yttrup



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ginny Yttrup is an author, freelance writer, and writing coach. As she writes, speaks, and coaches, her prayer is that God will use her words to replace the lies so many believe about themselves with the truth of His unconditional love and grace. To see someone grasp, perhaps for the first time, the truth of God's love, is truly an honor. Through a relationship with the Truth, Jesus Christ, the bonds of shame are loosed and freedom abounds!



When Ginny is not working, she loves spending time with her two college-age sons or with friends. She is surrounded by the most amazing people--each a gift in their own way. If she can spend time outdoors with those she love, it's even better. And she thoroughly adores her dog, Bear. He's a book lover too.



She has two grown sons and lives near Sacramento, California. Words is her first novel.



ABOUT THE BOOK

"I collect words. I keep them in a box in my mind. I'd like to keep them in a real box, something pretty, maybe a shoe box covered with flowered wrapping paper. Whenever I wanted, I'd open the box and pick up the papers, reading and feeling the words all at once. Then I could hide the box. But the words are safer in my mind. There, he can't take them."



Ten-year old Kaylee Wren doesn't speak. Not since her drug-addled mother walked away, leaving her in a remote cabin nestled in the towering redwoods-in the care of a man who is as dangerous as he is evil. With silence her only refuge, Kaylee collects words she might never speak from the only memento her mother left behind: a dictionary.



Sierra Dawn is thirty-four, an artist, and alone. She has allowed the shame of her past to silence her present hopes and chooses to bury her pain by trying to control her circumstances. But on the twelfth anniversary of her daughter's death, Sierra's control begins to crumble as the God of her childhood woos her back to Himself.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Words, go HERE.



Watch the book trailer video:

Lone Star Intrigue

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Lone Star Intrigue  Avon Inspire (February 1, 2011)  by  Debra White Smith  


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Debra White Smith is a seasoned Christian author, speaker, and media personality who has been regularly publishing books for over a decade. In the last twelve years, she has accumulated over 50 books sales to her credit with over 1 million books in print. Her titles include such life-changing books as Romancing Your Husband, Romancing Your Wife, The Divine Romance: Developing Intimacy with God, the The Lonestar Intrigue fiction series, and The Jane Austen fiction series.


As a woman of God, Debra is committed to the highest standards of integrity and to spending hours a week being still before the Father, staying in tune with Him, and listening for His voice of direction in all she does. This commitment to romancing the Lord, coupled with her lifestyle of devouring, analyzing, and dissecting the Word of God has allowed God to bring about a miracle of deliverance and healing in Debra's spirit, mind, and soul. For you see, Debra holds a double Ph.D. from the toughest schools in the world. The first Ph.D. from the "School of Hard Knocks" and the second, from the "School of Very Hard Knocks." Aside from that, she holds an M.A. in English from the University of Texas.


Along with Debra's being voted a fiction-reader favorite several times, her book Romancing Your Husband was a finalist in the 2003 Gold Medallion Awards. And, her Austen Series novel First Impressions was a finalist in the 2005 Retailer's Choice Awards. Debra has been a popular media guest across the nation, including Fox TV, The 700 Club, ABC Radio, USA Radio Network, and Moody Broadcasting. Her favorite hobbies include fishing, bargain-hunting, and swimming with her family. Debra also vows she would walk 50 miles for a scoop of German Chocolate ice cream.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the small town of Bullard, Texas, the Mansfield brothers seem to have everything in order . . . except for their love lives. Jack is the lonely police chief still pining after Charli, his college girlfriend. Younger brother Sonny keeps busy on the road as a private investigator, and a secret from his past prevents him from finding someone to settle down with. But all that is about to change...


Read the two stories...

In Texas Heat, Charli is wrongly accused of a terrible crime. Now Jack must arrest the one woman he's ever loved and risk everything to prove her innocence and save her life.

In Texas Pursuit, a single mother is a target of a relentless stalker—and Sonny finds himself both the only man who can protect her and the one who inadvertently leads danger back into her world.

Page-turning novels of romance and suspense, the Lone Star Intrigue series will give you faith in the power of love, and remind you that having faith in a God who redeems our mistakes is the greatest love story of all.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Lone Star Intrigue, go HERE.

Promises to Keep

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Promises to Keep  Bethany House (February 1, 2011)  by  Ann Tatlock  



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy Award-winning novel All the Way Home. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association "Book of the Year" in fiction for both All the Way Home and I'll Watch the Moon. Her novel Things We Once Held Dear received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly calls her "one of Christian fiction's better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories." Ann lives with her husband and daughter in Asheville, North Carolina.


ABOUT THE BOOK  

Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation. Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch reading the newspaper.


Though her sons have sold the house and sent her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way "home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's mother allows Tillie to move back in.

Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have something in common that binds them together--both are hiding secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to die"--never to tell anyone else. When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the family she has adopted as her own.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Promises to Keep, go HERE.

Watch the book trailer:

Another Dawn - Review

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance  is introducing  Another Dawn  Bethany House (February 1, 2011)  by  Kathryn Cushman  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. After practicing as a pharmacist, she left her career to marry and begin a family and has since pursued her dream of writing.

Other books by Kathryn, A Promise to Remember was a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Book-of-the-Year in the Women’s Fiction category, and Waiting for Daybreak was a finalist in Women’s Fiction for the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award.

Leaving Yesterday, her third novel, was a finalist for the ACFW Carol Award.

Now her fifth book, Another Dawn, has arrived in stores, and I’m very excited about it!

On the homefront, Kathryn has been married to Lee for over twenty years now, and their two daughters are currently braving the worlds of junior high and high school. They’ve lived in Santa Barbara for the last nineteen years. It’s a beautiful place and Kathryn feels blessed to be there (although a seventy degree Christmas still leaves her dreaming of a white one—or at least a colder one!)

ABOUT THE BOOK    

Grace Graham is back in Tennessee with her four-year-old son on a short unpaid leave from work, helping her father recover from surgery and spending time with her sister.

Shoal Creek seems more backward than ever after her years in California, and it's hard to find organic food anywhere. When the unthinkable happens and her son is diagnosed with measles, Grace's fears over modern medicine take a dangerous turn.

Worse, the town has fallen into quarantine and its residents focus their anger and blame on Grace. She is alone and scared, until one brave woman chooses to reach out a hand of forgiveness and mercy. But when the outbreak takes a life-threatening turn, will Grace be able to forgive herself?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Another Dawn, go HERE.

My Review:

Another Dawn is a great story that deals with a real issue, to immunize your children or not.  Is the risk of side effects greater than the risk of disease.  This is a dilemma Grace finds herself in with her son.  Not only is she dealing with the consequences of that decision, she is in the middle of a broken engagement, she is harboring unforgiveness towards her father, and she is a runner.  Running from anything and everything that makes her uncomfortable.  She feels she has been given the short end of the stick so many times and she doesn’t believe that will ever change.  When everything around her starts falling apart, she realizes she is going to have to quit running and make some life changes or she is going to lose everything.

I received Another Dawn from Kathryn Cushman through Christian Fiction Blog Alliance in exchange for my honest opinion.  I would recommend this book to everyone.  There is lots in it we can all learn from.

Happy Reading

Unplanned - Review

About the Author:

Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life. 

About the Book:

Unplanned is a heartstopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

Facts about Abortion in the United States 

Unless otherwise noted, statistics are from the Alan Guttmacher Institute1 (AGI): 

1. 22 percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.2 

2. Over 50 million abortions have taken place in the United States since 1973.3 

3. Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures undergone by women aged 15–44 in the US.4 

4. An abortion takes place every 24 seconds. Over 3,600 abortions occur each day in the United 

States.5 

5. Planned Parenthood reported 305,310 abortions and 4,912 adoption referrals during 2007.6 

6. In 2008, one-third of Planned Parenthood funding came through government grants from United 

States tax dollars.7 

7. 31 percent of all abortions in the United States are paid for by tax dollars through Medicaid.8 

8. In the United States, 78 percent of women report a religious affiliation at the time of their abortion.9 

9. One-third of women in the United States will have an abortion before the age of 45.  

10. About 61 percent of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.10 

11. In the United States, 49 percent of all African-American pregnancies end in abortion—three times 

the ratio for white pregnancies.11 

                                                           

1“Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States,” May 2010, 

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html 

2 Jones et al., 2008, cited by AGI 

3 based on yearly estimates from AGI 

4 Jones, et al., 2008 

5 based on yearly estimates from AGI 

6 Planned Parenthood Annual Report, 2007–2008,  http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/AR08_vFinal.pdf 

7 Planned Parenthood, Annual Report, 2007–2008, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/AR08_vFinal.pdf 

8 AGI, Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/US-Abortion-Patients.pdf 

9 AGI, An Overview of Abortion in the United States, 

http://www.guttmacher.com/media/presskits/2005/06/28/abortionoverview.html 

10 Jones et al., 2010, cited by AGI 

11 U.S. Center for Disease Control, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, Nov. 2006, 

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm  

My Review:

This is a great book.  When Abby describes the ultrasound that changed her life, it gave me chills.  I have always been pro-life, I have always believed that you are pregnant with a baby not tissue from day one and it does my heart good to see the changes God made in this ladies life.  The diligence of the Coalition for Life is tremendous.  Day after day, week after week, year after year, standing at the fence praying and believing.  At times losing hope, getting frustrated, but sticking with it to the end and seeing results from their diligence.  A true testament to standing up and firm for what you believe.

I would recommend this book to anyone but, I truly believe every person considering abortion, male or female, should have to read the first chapter.  

If you would like to read the first chapter go here!!

Happy Reading!!