Daisies are forever by

Daisies Are Forever

Gisela must hold on to hope and love despite all odds in the midst of a war-torn country.

Gisela Cramer is an American living in eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt. When the Red Army invades, they must leave their home to escape to safety in Berlin.

However, Ella is a nurse and refuses to leave, sending her young daughters with Gisela. During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards, an escaped British POW. She pretends she is his wife in order to preserve his safety among other Germans, especially one wounded German soldier, 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, but they strive to keep Ella’s daughters safe so they can reunite with their mother. During the journey Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings for one another beyond friendship. They reach Berlin, but their struggles are far from over. Gisela and Mitch 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, some things last forever.

My opinion: i am a huge fan of World War 2 books, so I was very excited to receive this book to review and was absolutely delighted with it! I really liked the character of Gisela and Mitch, they were very engaging and well rounded.I thought the author had a solid story line and it was pretty realistic with enough grit and sadness to make it good but not overly sad. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher but all opinions expressed are my own.

Beautiful on the mountain by Jeannie Light

When I received this book I was excited as I anticipated it being something along the lines of "Christy"  by Catherine Marshall and I was looking forward to it. Overall I felt like the book did not like up to expectations, it was an autobiography of sorts and one that I found rather boring and lacking. I suppose if you like that sort of thing it would be alright,but I wasn't crazy about it.

This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Holy Land Key by Ray Bentley

I have always been fascinated with Israel and the promises that have been given to them as a nation and people,so when I saw this book by Ray Bentley I was very interested in reading it.In this book the author who has spent a lot of time in Israel and studying about it, looks at prophecy and the little known aspects of it that were given to Israel.This book was very interesting and easy to understand,I highly recommend it to anyone who has any interest whatsoever in Israel and the scriptures related to them.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thankful by Shelley Gray

Thankful, Book Two in the Return to Sugarcreek series

New York Times bestselling author Shelley Shepard Gray captures the beauty, devotion, and warmth of Amish life in this engaging tale of family, commitment, trust, and love set in the beloved community of Sugarcreek.

Christina Kempf has always known that God chose Aden Reese to be her husband. As children, he was there to save her when she fell through the ice, and he’s been by her side ever since. After his parents died in a car accident ten years ago, the Kempfs raised Aden as one of their own, and everyone sees Aden and Christina as brother and sister. But Christina has never given up hope that Aden will one day ask her to be his wife.

Aden always planned to court Christina. But losing his mother and father changed everything—except his love for her. Her parents generously welcomed him into their home and treated him like a son. He can’t betray their kindness by admitting his feelings for the girl who is like a sister . . . yet so much more.

Pressured by her parents to court, Christina begins to accept the attentions of Sugarcreek’s young men, and now, Aden must make a choice. Will he stand by and watch the love of his life slip away? Or will he risk losing the love and trust of the family he holds dear to tell Christina how he truly feels?

Thankful includes a P.S. section with additional insights from the author, background material, suggestions for further reading, and more.

My opinion:I am not hugely into Amish fiction.but this book interested me and I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did! The characters were likable and engaging, not too over the top or unrealistic as some characters tend to be.  I thought the author did a good job with keeping the story light and yet engaging. For any lovers of Amish fiction this is a must read!

Critical Condition by Richard Mabry

Dr. Frasier couldn’t save the gunshot victim on her front lawn. Now she’s fighting for her own life.

It began as a quiet dinner party honoring Dr. Shannon Frasier’s colleague, but became a nightmare when a man was shot on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar episode a decade ago. Then a midnight call from her sister, Megan, causes Shannon to fear that her sister is on drugs again.

Her “almost-fiancé” Dr. Mark Gilbert’s support only adds to Shannon’s feelings of guilt, since she can’t bring herself to fully commit to him. She turns for help to her pastor-father, only to learn that he’s just been diagnosed with leukemia.
Shannon thought it couldn’t get any worse. Then the late-night, threatening phone calls begin, the rough voice asking, “What did he say before he died?”

With everything around her in a critical state, simply staying alive will require all the resources and focus Shannon has.

My opinion: I have recently gotten into the whole medical Christian books and so far Richard Mabry is my favorite in the genre. His characters are likable and engaging.I loved the mystery and suspense in this book as well as the medical background,the author gives enough information without being overwhelming. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and an enjoyable book.

Silenced by Dani Pettrey

I have read the previous books in the "Alaskan Courage" series so I was pretty excited to read the story about Jake and Kayden as their story has been building in several of the other books. Overall it was a good read, but I felt that most of the build up had already happened previous to the book so in some ways the book fell a little flat, but it was still an easy and overall enjoyable read.
The characters were still very enjoyable and the mystery was pretty good so I would still recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good easy read with a bit of mystery in it.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I like giving by Brad Formsma

For anyone who struggles with having a giving attitude whether it be giving of your time, money, resources or whatever it may be,this book is a must! I know that I personally struggle withing having a giving spirit and this book really gave me some great insight and encouragement in that area.
This book was made up of stories of people who gave and practical ideas for ways to give and trust God more.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a more giving attitude or just some encouragement in that area.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher but all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Making Happy by Les and Leslie Parrott

I have read several of the husband and wife writing team Les and Leslie Parrott and really value the insight and humor that they use to convey some really awesome and highly applicable information to help improve ones marriage. In their newest book they talk about the art and science of having a happy marriage, which is very true,good marriages don't just happen but take lots of work and it is a decision that one makes.
I felt this was a great read and it certainly gave me some valuable ideas for ways to improve things in my own marriage.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is married or is going to get married,I think this would make a great gift and would help any couple get their marriage off to a great start.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.