The Dream Centered Life by Luke Barnett

The Dream Centered Life by Luke Barnett is part inspirational, part memoir, and part encouragement. I gleaned a lot from this book as I read of Mr Barnett's church experiences (which are oddly similar to some of our own, makes me wonder if all pastoral families go through the same thing with different congregations). Luke doesn't hold back as he shares his humble ministry beginnings and the lessons he learned along the way. His heart is seen in the pages as he reveals the prayers he and his wife prayed and how God answered them. The Dream Centered Life is faith in action. 

If you're in ministry and are stuck, looking for what's next, or just need a boost to propel you to greater things then we recommend reading this book. 


This book provided for review by Blogging for Books. 

Adored - 365 Devotions for Young Women by Lindsay A Franklin

 Adored - 365 Devotions for Young Women is a gift-worthy book. Beautiful designs on the cover and even the pages are pretty. Each day if filled with a different devotion and they aren't date specific so you can start this at any time. It also has lines for journaling.  Lindsay A Franklin has done a wonderful job at compiling the thoughts on the pages. She deals with topics applicable to younger (and older!) women such as: bullying, the internet, modesty, busyness, patience, and much more. 
For more information click here. 

This book provided for review by Handlebar and Zondervan

The Delusion by Laura Gallier

 The Delusion, by Laura Gallier, is a young adult novel, but I've found that many of these are just as good or better than novels aimed at adults. This story is told by the main character, high school senior Owen, and revolves around the mystery of why so many students in his school are committing suicide. Owen stumbles on an old man in the woods and soon finds himself able to see into the spirit realm and learns that most everyone is in bondage to something. This story captivated me and kept my attention throughout. The only thing that bothered me was that the ending was a cliffhanger and that it's then we find out this is the start of a series. I don't want to wait for more! Very good book for Christians and non-Christians. 

This book provided for review by Tyndale

The Christmas Blessing by Melody Carlson

 Melody Carlson has long been one of my favorite authors. I can rely on her to provide a clean read and, with hundreds of titles to her credit, each one is entertaining and unique. She's released several Christmas novellas and this newest one, The Christmas Blessing, is by far my favorite. Set in the 1940's during WWII, this follows Amelia and her illegitimate son from California to Montana where she searches for family she doesn't know. She has some struggles along the way and arrives feeling empty and lost. Hopeless for her future with her baby, she makes a decision that will change both of their lives forever.
This book was a delight to read, visiting the 1940's in print is one of my favorite pastimes. I loved everything about this book. It took just over an hour and a half to read. If you're looking for the perfect holiday read this winter I highly recommend this one. You can never go wrong with Melody Carlson. 

This book provided for review by Revell

Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore

 I've not heard of this author before receiving Crisis Shot to review. Janice is a former police officer and has years of experiences to call on for her books. This is her ninth novel and, after reading it, I'm excited to find her previous works. 
Tess O'Rourke finds herself in the middle of the spotlight when she fires a shot that changes her life. This story is ripped from the headlines and is all to familiar with what is going on around us. Tess leaves her home of Long Beach, CA to start anew in small-town Oregon. This book was engaging and kept my attention throughout. It was filled with mystery and suspense and kept me guessing until the end. The only thing I didn't like were Tess's lists of rules that she kept repeating. I found them annoying and distracting from the story. Other than that, I loved this book.

This book provided for review by Tyndale

Chasing Secrets by Lynette Eason

 Chasing Secrets, by Lynette Eason, is the fourth in the Elite Guardians series, and my favorite of the series thus far. This author has another winner. Haley Callaghan's story is one that goes back farther than her memory and as it begins to unfold so do her memories of a past she'd thought was real only in her dreams. This one was very  hard to put down. I whipped through it so fast I felt guilty. Full of twists and surprises, you don't want to miss it. 

This book provided for review by Revell

Over Maya Dead Body by Sandra Orchard

 The Serena Jones Mystery series by Sandra Orchard has been a fun ride. I enjoyed the first two books in the series and was really looking forward to Over Maya Dead Body, the third. Unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me. I just couldn't get into the story and after days of reading finally put the book down because I never connected with it. I will, however, keep reading this author because I've enjoyed her other books. Her Port Aster series kept me on the edge of my seat. 
In this book Serena leaves St Louis and heads to the beach where she finds herself smack dab in the middle of two murder investigations. Our favorite FBI agent is also smack dab in the middle of two attractive young men vying for her attention. It's light reading, no gory scenes, no sex scenes. Clean read. 

Learn more about Sandra here.

This book provided for review by Revell