Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

You are here: Home / Archives for Book Review

Book Review

Book Review–The Title Wave

by 1 Comment

About the Book:

Book: The Title Wave

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: April 25, 2023

All he wants to do is help people, but local women want to help themselves… to him!
When Henri Tupuola returned to Suamalie to open his holistic mental health clinic, he had no idea what he was getting into. After ten years in Australia getting his degree and practical experience under his mentor, the locals had all but forgotten the quiet “boy”  who had always made them feel like he could see right through them.
Not anymore! The ladies of Lafoina are eager to meet the island’s therapist and spend hours staring deeply into his eyes on their weekly dates… ahem, sessions.
Desperate for relief, he hightails it down to The Title Wave and begs Ezra to order him a couple dozen copies of his own book. Yes, author copies would be cheaper, but he needs these things fast. Maybe if he hands out his book like an old-time quack handed out pills, the ladies will get the hint and leave him alone.
But when he tells his troubles to Ezra (who’s the therapist now?), and she jokes at how much her father would love to have people flocking to his “sessions” so to speak, Henri gets an idea that could save his sanity… if only Ezra will agree.
Take a trip to the Suamalie Islands where palm trees sway, the sand and sea pulse with life, and the people will steal your heart.

My Thoughts:

Chautona Havig has done it again. This is the funniest book I have read in awhile. Ezra’s soliloquy about how if Dad uses an expression, it’s probably not in general use any more; the time Henry was laughing at his own stupidity; the time he left his phone on, leading to total mortification;  the hilariously stupid poem he wrote…. I also loved the word that Ezra made up. There was not nearly as much substance in The Title Wave as in many of Chautona Havig’s books. Rather, it’s more of a fluffy romance. However, as far as romance goes, this is my favourite kind. I really enjoyed it, and I’m hoping for another visit to the Suamalie islands again sometime.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona:

It happens with every book—probably for every author. What “it” is… that’s always different. Sometimes it’s the moment you realize that your character has morphed into someone you didn’t intend for him to. Other times it might be that you discovered a huge plot hole in your mystery and there’s no way any of it would have happened (not that I’ve ever had to deal with that or anything). It could be that your characters don’t have chemistry (and that doesn’t have to be romance—friends should have it!). Let’s face it. Lots of things can derail a book.

And if you don’t lay some new track fast (think Gromit in A Grand Day Out laying tracks as fast as he can as the toy train hurtles him after the penguin), your story could end up as the biggest trainwreck this side of… wherever they have bad train wrecks.

Or in my case, sink the book boat.

So there was blithely typing my first chapter when I realized something was wrong with my premise for The Title Wave. See, I had a plan. This would be a fake-dating romance. A local therapist needs a fake girlfriend to get the women to quit hitting on him when he was supposed to be helping them with their problems. Reasonable right?

Yeah. There’s all kinds of problems with this… starting with the fact that I don’t actually enjoy FAST romances… and I wanted them together—like totally committed—by the end of the book. OOPS! Not only that, but come on. Fake boyfriend/girlfriend? Ezra is an MK. This girl isn’t going to want to live a deception like that. She’s got a sensitive conscience, thanks to close ties with the Holy Spirit Who indwells her. She’s not going to do that.

But I needed her to.

I have this group of ladies who read everything as I write it. Most have been with me for over ten years! So, when I realized my book was in serious trouble (as in drowning before it really got out to sea!), I went to them and told them what I wanted/needed to happen and why it wasn’t going to work.

Guess what? They came through for me (as they always do—love you, Escapeables!). After just a bit of tossing out ideas and lobbing them back and forth, things fell into place.

Yes, Henri will approach Ezra with the idea.

Yes, Ezra will have a fake boyfriend.

And yes, being the romance it is… they WILL be committed by the end and without irritating myself with a bunch of insta-love.

Somehow. Since I’m writing this before it all plays out, we’ll both have to see just how that all works out. Join me for a cruise through love-tossed waters?

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–Guess How Much God Loves You

by Leave a Comment

About the Book:

Book: Guess How Much God Loves You

Author: Karen Ferguson

Genre: Children’s book (picture book)

Release date: July 19, 2022

Take a journey through the Bible with Lucy Lu, a colorful, creatively curious first grader who is starting to have serious questions about God.

Questions like: How old is He? Does He sleep? What does He do all day? And the biggest one of all – does God really love me?

After one very hard day, feeling like she doesn’t matter, Lucy sits with her Papa Joe who has promised to answer these questions and more, launching them onto an exciting journey to discover God’s never changing, never failing, never ending love.

What follows in this book series is a wild adventure through the Bible, where Lucy and her Papa find themselves in the middle of it all, on each page of the powerful story of God’s love and faithfulness for all people, throughout all history.

This first book is all about God’s Creation.

Guess How Much God Loves You is a vibrant, fun, and biblically based book that is sure to captivate young readers as it teaches them important Bible truths that will help them build a firm foundation in God and His Good Character – all through the lens of His unconditional love.

My Thoughts:

I read Karen Ferguson’s Guess How Much I Love You to my little girls (ages 8 and 3) yesterday. They both loved it (although, to be honest, there are few books they haven’t loved!). They both enjoyed the quirky pictures, and I hope they took in the message of the book.

Lucy had a question for her papa (her grandfather): “Does God really love me?” Of course, Papa Joe assured her that God does, and proceeded to show her how much. As he cuddled her, he told her all about the six days of Creation. Lucy kept her eyes closed and pictured herself there, watching everything appear on the earth. She learned that God loves her more than any person ever can, and how special she was to God.

The pictures are delightfully goofy. In some of them, Lucy is shown riding her Papa’s electric wheelchair through scenes from Creation. In one picture, she is riding a dolphin, and in another she is cuddled up with a lot of mammals, taking a rest. The pictures are done with pencil drawings, painted in with watercolors, and very pretty. I mentioned the paintings, and my artistic boy spent some time studying them.

I really appreciated the message in Guess How Much God Loves You, and the way it teaches children about the days of Creation. The one thing I didn’t like so much was the way the Bible glowed while they were reading it. At the end of the book is a page about Jesus, Who He is and how He wants to be your friend. There are also some discussion questions do discuss with your child.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and small business owner with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom she loves words and the Word of God and is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attention, teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them.

Her first children’s book, Guess How Much God Loves You, was released in July 2022 through Ambassador International and is available wherever books are sold.

More from Karen:

Are you looking for God honoring books that will captivate your child’s imagination, teach them faith-building biblical concepts, and help them grow in their reading skills?

Then I have the perfect book for your young reader…Guess How Much God Loves You

This beautifully illustrated book introduces young readers to the Creation Account, through the eyes of seven year old Lucy Lu, a creatively curious first grader who is starting to have serious questions about God.

Questions like…

How old is He? Does He sleep? What does He do all day? And the biggest one of all – does God really love me?

After one very hard day, feeling like she doesn’t matter, Lucy sits with her Papa Joe who has promised to answer these questions and more, launching them onto an exciting journey through the Bible to discover God’s never changing, never failing, never ending love.

I wrote this book because I want every child to know their life matters. To know that the God of all things created them in His image, on purpose and for a good purpose.

Guess How Much God Loves You will have seven books in the series with each one covering an important Bible account critical to building an understanding of God’s character and His love for all people, including your reader!

This first book is about the Creation Account as recorded in the Bible. Future books will cover the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, the Exodus and more.

I want children to understand these are not just stories about fictional characters, but historical accounts about real people they can relate to. People who experienced God’s power, love, and faithfulness.

My greatest desire is to see this next generation trust the Bible and enjoy reading it. More than ever, young readers need to hear the message that they are valuable, loved unconditionally by the One who created them and gave them the best gift of all, His Son Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–Rivals on the River

by Leave a Comment

I was excited to receive the newest book in the Brady Street Boys series, and started reading it as soon as I could. Yes, I know it’s a children’s book, and I know my children want to hear it, too—but I need to get a review written and up on my blog as soon as possible, right? So, I had the perfect excuse to whiz through Rivals on the River quickly. I’ll go back and read it to the children as soon as we finish another book I’m reading to them, and I’ll be able to say no to any requests for extra chapters, because I already know what’s happening. (Like I’ll always say no… I’m quite a sucker for “just one more chapter.”) Can you tell I enjoyed this book?

Terry, Gary and Larry are still on their quest to locate the doctor who amputated Gary’s leg when Gary had cancer several years ago. Gary wants to talk to him and find out for sure that it was the necessary thing to happen—but the doctor has disappeared and Gary’s medical records have gotten lost. The boys found a Post Office box address for Dr. Jefferson in Lansing, Iowa, and Uncle Aaron has agreed to drive them out to look for clues to the doctor’s whereabouts. They arrive just in time for the annual fishing contest, and enter, hoping to win enough money to continue the search.

The boys make friends with an autistic boy at the house in which they rent a room, and are surprised to learn that Dr. Jefferson lived here for a short time last year. He even left a forwarding address! However, the address is locked inside a safe, and the combination for the safe is missing. How can the boys get into it? And when something about the fishing competition seems, well, fishy, can they discover the truth? And, who along the way displays this week’s Fruit of the Spirit, gentleness, best? Some of the twists taken by this story are pretty fun!

Please, don’t miss out on reading the Brady Street Boys series. I think Rivals on the River is one of the best yet. I really like the respect the boys have for their parents, and the way they obey and respect Uncle Aaron, who is in charge of them on this trip. They work together well and try to do what is right, and treat others they way they want to be treated. This series is one that I can wholeheartedly recommend for all children, especially boys.

Buy your copy here. This is an affiliate link, which will help to support Esther’s website if you purchase through it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

Book Review–Stormy Encounters

by 2 Comments

About the Book:

Book: Stormy Encounters

Author: BJ Howe

Genre: Teen/YA Action Adventure

Release date: March 14, 2023

When the biggest bully in town has you in his crosshairs, you can run, or you can dig deep inside and discover who you really are. Steven Carlson finds himself saddled with an unexpected debt he cannot afford, changing his plans for a summer of fun to one that forces him to places he never wanted to go.

There are storms on the horizon and equally daunting storms of the heart. With a father he doesn’t understand and a mother he can’t remember, Steven’s sixteenth year launches him on a journey that will forever alter his world.

In one unforgettable season, Steven Carlson is pushed to the edge of disaster and forced to confront his prison of self-doubt.

My Thoughts:

To be very honest, this book did not appeal to me. I offered to review it because more bloggers were needed for the tour. When it arrived, I looked at the cover and was, again, less than impressed. However, one of my teenage boys happened to see it laying on my desk. He picked it up and was on the second page before he realized he was hooked! So, I believe it will appeal to the age group for which it is intended: teenage boys. I read it quickly (another plus for boys who are perpetually in a hurry!), and did enjoy the story. It is clean, and gets the point across that living for others and obeying your parents will bring blessing. The message of forgiveness comes through, as well. I still think it needs a better cover!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Barb (B J) Howe has enjoyed entertaining others with stories since she was a child. As an adult, she used storytelling techniques to communicate in various workplace settings before exploring the art of memoir writing and fiction.

Stormy Encounters is her first significant work of fiction. Writing about teenage boys and lightning fast cars was inspired by her grandson, who at age four attempted to drive her car, and at age ten reminded her that he was a mere five years away from a driving permit. He is now entering his teen years.

Howe resides in Chanhassen, MN with husband, Dave Howe, author of Live Pure and Free: The 90-Day Game Changer. She is on staff with Christian Grandparenting Network, and has contributed to several publications including: Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. Magazine and Guideposts. Her desire in writing this book is to encourage young adults to mature in their integrity and pursue a personal relationship with Christ.

More from Barb:

Getting through those teenage years is an adventure. Ask anyone who’s been there. The challenges are real, the outcomes, let’s just say unpredictable. Today’s young generation seems to have more than a fair share of confusing messages roaring at them, and far more outlets than any previous generation to access them. This can make the journey to adulthood far more daunting.

Too many of the books found at public libraries and book stores carry dark messages with little hope. Stormy Encounters is about smokin’ hot cars, swaggering bravado, and, of course, girls. You know, the things that get young guys’ engines revving in high gear. This approach cruises into their world and shows how to work through difficulties without getting preachy. That’s the kind of thinking that first enticed Howe to speak to teens through fiction.

Face it. No matter who we are, we all share at least one thing in common: every day we make hundreds of choices. Some of those choices affect the rest of our lives. Stormy Encounters is all about helping teens, especially teen boys, make the kinds of choices that bring positive results. The pace is fast enough to be exciting, steady to drive interest. Don’t worry; it’s all clean. Maybe these are the reasons teen girls and adults also enjoy reading Stormy Encounters.

Howe’s writing career began with corporate and freelance writing. But it was the nuances of memoir writing that led to fiction. They’re both centered around human interactions. With Stormy Encounters, readers get to see how three different generations come together with all their individual quirks in one complex story that explores the emotions of grief, happiness, love, sadness, and hope. We can all use a big dose of hope.

When not writing, Howe enjoys urban hiking (a.k.a., neighborhood walks), bicycling through the countryside, and baking bread. Try this wild rice bread recipe. It positively screams Minnesota, the state where Stormy Encounters takes place.

Minnesota Wild Rice Bread

Ingredients:
¼ cup wild rice, raw
2 cups water
1 package dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups milk, scalded
2 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup rolled oats, uncooked
½ cup rye flour
1-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
½ cup bran
3-1/2 cups unbleached flour, plus up to 1 cup (if needed)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon water
¼ cup hulled sunflower seeds

Directions:

1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice, cover, and cook over very low heat until rice is tender, approx. 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool.
2. Stir yeast into 1/3 cup warm water and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in milk, butter, honey, salt, and oats. Add cooled rice mixture to milk mixture.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir together rye flower, whole-wheat flour, bran, and 3-1/2 cups of unbleached flour. Add to milk and yeast mixture, stirring until soft dough forms. Add more unbleached flour, as needed, until dough is easy to handle.
4. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead until soft and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn so the top is oiled. Let rise 2 hours.
5. Punch dough and shape into two loaves. Place in 2 greased 9-1/2 x 5-1/2-inch pans. Let rise again, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Bake 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes of baking, brush loaves with 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon of water and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–The Smell of Spring

by 1 Comment

About the Book:

Book: The Smell of Spring

Author: Mary Hake

Illustrator: Marina

Genre: Picture Book

Release date: December 15, 2022

In The Smell of Spring, April, a blind girl, enjoys the world around her and discovers spring scents. Join April and her menagerie of pets in their springtime adventures. The Smell of Spring shows children how we experience the world around us through the sense of smell. Kids will enjoy her many interesting pets and can have fun with the activities at the end using the sense of smell.

My Thoughts:

What a sweet picture book! I read The Smell of Spring to my 8- and 3-year-old daughters, and they both enjoyed it. Because we live in the Southern Hemisphere, we are experiencing fall at the time of this writing rather than spring, but a good share of this story is still applicable in this season.

This beautiful picture book’s main character is a blind girl. Throughout the book, her eyes are closed, so that the reader can remember that she is blind. However, though she can’t see, she can still experience the changing seasons. As she smells a new, unfamiliar smell, her mother explains to her that it is the smell of rain.

The girl goes on to experience many more things. She smells flowers, and the muck her dog gets into. Then, she smells delicious Easter eggs, the stench of a skunk, and finally, her favorite smell on her favorite day of spring: her birthday cake!

The pictures in The Smell of Spring are delightful. I love the way the illustrator showed smells wafting through the air. The text is fun, too; each page is written as a rhyming couplet. We loved seeing the girl’s pets. She has a dog and cat, but also a rat and something that looks like a ferret. Other little details in the pictures are fun to spot, as well. My little girls and I had a short discussion about smell and different ways of experiencing the world around us after reading this. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the books in this series!

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Mary Ann Hake has loved learning and writing for as long as she can remember. She has been scribbling stories and poems since she first learned to write and has published hundreds of stories, articles, poems, puzzles, devotions, and more for both children and adults plus written hundreds of book reviews. She loved working in a bookstore and as a librarian and enjoyed reading to children at story times and conducting summer reading programs. She has also taught writing to children and at writers’ conferences. In addition to writing, she continues to work as a freelance editor. Visit her website, www.maryannhake.com, and subscribe to her newsletter for activities for children and updates on future books. Also find her on Facebook at Mary A. Hake author, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057370041720.

More from Mary Ann:

I have always loved books and reading, and even as an adult I still enjoy picture books. I had tried writing my own in the past, but The Smell of Spring is the first picture book I have published. The online classes I took during the pandemic and all the years of writers’ conferences, particularly Oregon Christian Writers conferences, have helped me learn and polish my craft. I have published hundreds of pieces, for both children and adults, in a variety of periodicals and a dozen compilation books plus some curricula.

I chose to present this concept book in rhyme because it came out more appealing and fun for kids than straight prose. The Smell of Spring shows how a blind girl uses her sense of smell to experience life around her. Along with her menagerie of pets, April explores her world. The story includes elements that would make it a handy companion text for connection to science: senses, the weather, nature, animals—domestic and wild, flowers and trees, and food. It also models responsibility as April cares for the animals. The Smell of Spring is the first book in the four-book series of Smells of the Seasons.

Readers of all ages are enjoying this fresh look at springtime.

Comments from early readers:

“In sweet, simple prose, with lovely illustrations, this book shows a child how they can appreciate their sense of smell.”

“A delightfully whimsical book that invites children to become mindfully aware of the many smells, both pleasant and unpleasant, that accompany the spring season.”

“A charming way to encounter the season for all children.”
“This was a very delightful book! I loved all the places she found smells in. I also loved how you made the book rhyme. It flowed very smoothly.”
“So well done, from the rhyme to the message.”

“Mary Hake gives the reader insights into what the world is like to a blind girl, who perceives the world through other senses besides sight. The focus on smell may encourage young listeners/readers to pay closer attention to the smells they like or dislike and to be more aware of different aspects of their world. It may also make them more understanding of children with disabilities.”

“Teachers, parents, and children will appreciate the activities at the end of this book.”

“The whole book is full of delightful images and easy-to-read phrases that describe all the many smells. Including some fun relatable parts. I think children will get a kick out of a few of the smells.”

Sign up for updates on my website, https://maryannhake.com/, and received a PDF of activities for children using the sense of smell. Further fun things will be coming in the future.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–A Life Set Free

by Leave a Comment

About the Book:

Book: A Life Set Free

Author: Rena Groot

Genre: Non-Fiction

Release date: 2019

A Life Set Free was carried in my heart for years before I finally had the courage to write it. It was written under a mosquito net in China. The final editing took place at a guest house in Israel. It is filled with stories from God sparing my life to leading me on incredible adventures as an ambassador with “The Department of Eternal Affairs” to so many cool places ~ Haiti, a jungle village in Belize, the Ghetto in NYC, behind the Iron Curtain in Poland and Romania, Israel, China, Thailand, Mexico, Canada, Africa, and Greece. It is a story of God’s love and faithfulness.

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy reading the story of a person’s life. This book was no exception. Rena Groot has had quite an interesting life and tells of it well. I appreciated that she did not go into details about the abuse she suffered, but just let her readers know it was there. Many of her experiences as a follower of Jesus are quite encouraging to read. I especially liked the way she described her turning to Jesus. I did wonder about the way she and her husband seemed to go their separate ways much of the time; that did not seem wise. 

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

My name is Rena Groot and I am honored you have chosen to take a moment of your life to read this. I am an artist, author, have a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and a Masters of Religious Education from the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in Cochrane, Alberta. I have been a teacher in Canada and China, a tour manager from the Rockies to the Pacific, a missionary to the ends of the Earth, a mom of four ~ and best of all, a child of God.

More from Rena:

Why did I write this book? Because I had to. I wrote it for me…but God wanted me to share it with the world…with you…so you could be encouraged and know that God loves you…more than you can possibly imagine.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–A Ransomed Grete

by Leave a Comment

About the Book:

Book: A Ransomed Grete

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian Historical Mystery, Fairytale

Release date: December 28, 2022

October 1939—What happens when you run from danger… and into a trap?

After the Anschluss, Austria becomes a place its citizens don’t recognize—especially its Jewish citizens. Whispers ripple through Jewish communities—whispers about a chalet where a woman protects Jewish children from discovery. She’ll keep them safe, fed, and far away from Nazis.

Parents are forced to make horrific decisions. Send their children away to safety, possibly never seeing them again, or keep their families together and risk their children’s lives?

Hans Hartmann arrives at the chalet with a chip on his shoulder and a little girl in tow. He found Grete waiting at the train station. Alone. But life at Chalet Versteck feels more ominous than the streets of Vienna. Children sometimes vanish, and before Hans can figure out what’s happening, a high-ranking officer appears—and is killed.

It’s a race to find out who killed the man and get himself (and probably that pesky Grete) out!

A Ransomed Grete is the bridge book between the 1920s and 1940s Ever After Mysteries, combining fairy tales with mysteries.

My Thoughts:

Because I will read anything that Chautona Havig writes, I signed up for a review copy of A Ransomed Grete as soon as I could. I knew that it was a fairytale-inspired mystery set in the 1930s in Nazi controlled Europe. That means that parts of it are not very nice to read.

To tell the truth, I was quite confused through a lot of this book. I believe that was intentional on the part of the author, and there were definitely some red herrings thrown in to confuse the mystery.  Because I knew that the story is based on the fairytale of Hansel and Gretel, I figured that the woman in the chalet must be on the “wrong” side, but it took a long time to figure out how and why.

While A Ransomed Grete will not likely ever be one of my favorites of Chautona Havig’s books, I like the way she ended it. Her note to the readers at the end is most of what made the book have value to me.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author of Aggie and Past Forward series, Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona:

Picture it. Ventura, California,1982. Why I went to the lock-in, I still don’t know. It wasn’t my church, I didn’t actually like the girl I went with, and I knew no one else. In hindsight, I think God put me there, because that was the night I was introduced to Corrie Ten Boom.

Yes, they showed The Hiding Place, and a near obsession with all things Holocaust followed.

I don’t remember when my brain connected The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to that same war and helped me realize that the people bombing London and making the need to protect those children were the same ones ripping fathers, mothers, and children from homes in other countries and sending them “out into the country” too. But it happened. A sickening, nauseating understanding that still infuriates me today.

I railed against the evil soldiers. How could they do such a thing? My ever-patient father said, “Like our airmen should have refused to drop the bombs that ensured we’d end the war with Japan? When do soldiers get to decide which orders they will obey and which they will not?”

In my self-righteous, ever-black-and-white mind, I remember saying something to the effect of, “If they’d all refused, then the generals would have to listen. You can’t kill all your soldiers for insubordination.”

Dad’s quiet voice (it wasn’t always, but it was when he was deadly serious) answered that with a… “Considering the millions of Jews they slaughtered, I think they might have. Live soldiers can make a small difference.”

Look, Dad wasn’t defending the Nazi regime. He wasn’t defending sending innocent people to their deaths because some madman said they must. He did, however, point out that sometimes what seems to be acquiescence is really a front for helping people under the radar. Without proof of someone’s guilt, we could hope there was more to it than fear for self.

And that taught me another lesson—to assume the best of people until they gave me a reason to know otherwise. It also sparked ideas. How many men, women, and children pretended to be in league with the Nazis when they weren’t? How many people cowed to Nazi ideals out of self-preservation? How many others didn’t really see the evil until it was shoved down their throats?

It took forty years to do it, but those questions became the basis for A Ransomed Grete (pronounced Gret-uh, if it matters to you). What happens when the horrific occurs and self-preservation becomes a means of evil? I hope I offered enough hope amid the horror of Jewish genocide.

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–The Winnowing Fork

by 6 Comments

About the Book:

Book: The Winnowing Fork

Author: Betty Ruth Weatherby

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: September, 2022

NEW CHRISTIAN NOVEL FILLED WITH ADVENTURE

ZACCHAEUS EXPERIENCES ROMAN OCCUPATION AND THE FAMILY SHAME OF LEPROSY AS HE SURVIVES IN THE HISTORICAL SETTING OF 2000 YEARS AGO.

Betty Ruth Weatherby travels the world and uses her experiences to create the Biblical Fiction of “The Winnowing Fork” to convey the message of God’s sustaining, eternal love.

The tax collector’s mother is banned with a skin disease when his father is conscripted by the occupying Roman army.

Follow Zacchaeus as he grows to love the sound and glitter of gold coins while his greed consumes him, overcoming even his love of family.

Zacchaeus in his lonely, self-isolation discovers that the real author of peace and serenity is in a man called Jesus whose father is God himself. Jesus passes through Jericho on his way to Passover in Jerusalem.

Zacchaeus tries to see through the crowd as the entourage passes: “He yanked the leaves back again, and found the Rabbi looking at him, His eyes fastened on Zacchaeus.”

My Thoughts:

When I read the description of this book, it sounded quite interesting. I found myself disappointed with it, though. The basic storyline is all right; I found this a very interesting “what-if” story that explored thoroughly the way a boy fascinated with money became a man obsessed with himself and his accumulation of wealth. However, I was disappointed with the poor editing; the grammar, sentence structure and punctuation needed a lot of work and I found myself puzzled with the meaning of some sentences. I also found myself jerked out of the story a few times by anachronisms such as a character exclaiming, “Yikes!” (in Bible times?!). Also, the description of a wedding was not accurate for the times, and the timeline didn’t make sense to me. I was quite disappointed with these things.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Betty Ruth Weatherby is a graduate of California State University, Stanislaus. She earned her teacher’s credential from Chapman University as well as a cross-cultural language and academic development certificate from Sacramento State University. Weatherby has sold her books across America. She is the author of the Lanover Adventure Series, Pepper’s children’s series and excels in Women’s Adventures. Women can travel the world as part of God’s Plan to enjoy life at its fullest and step out in faith.

Weatherby was born in the shipbuilding community of Sausalito, California and writes from a world of experience in fulfilling the Christian walk. Her most recent novel “The Girl on the Tombstone” is a nostalgic historical piece based in San Andreas, California where she grew up and attended Calaveras High School.

More from Betty Ruth:

Zacchaeus was always a puzzle to me. How did he become a hated tax collector and only one meeting with Jesus turned his life around. So, I imagined a story, gave him a family and neighbors to create a life around him as he accumulated his “taxes.”

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–Twice Sold Tales

by Leave a Comment

About the Book:

Book: Twice Sold Tales

Author: Chautona Havig

Genre: Christian / Romantic Women’s Fiction

Release date: November 2, 2022

If only owning a bookstore didn’t mean dealing with people.

No one was more surprised than Harper Brevig when Great Aunt Lorene (not “Lori,” thank-you-very-much) died and left her least favorite niece her bookstore–including a prime piece of real estate in downtown Red Wing, Minnesota.

Making a go of the place shouldn’t be too hard. With her library science degree, she should be set. Then again, the website describing library degrees had said it would teach her excellent communication skills. It had not. Could she get a partial refund?

Still, owning the building should mean crazy-low overhead to offset her less than optimal “book-side” manner.  Ahem. So when yet another huge bill arrives, and she starts getting twitchy about the low bank balance, Harper does the only thing she can think of.

Enter Milton Coleridge. He’d been excited about the possibilities of the store last year, but Harper had sent him packing before he could talk to her about them.  Now he has a chance to make a difference. But she’s right. She’s bleeding money, and it doesn’t make sense!

Milton’s job is to figure out what’s going on, plug the financial leak, and maybe… do a little matchmaking. That dad with the adorable little boy would be good for her… and she’d be good for him. Probably.

Twice Sold Tales: the first full-length novel in the Bookstrings series releasing with The Mosaic Collection

My Thoughts:

For several months, I have been looking forward to reading Twice Sold Tales. I loved the first two books in the Bookstrings series, and was looking forward to hearing what Milton did next. He is such a fun character! I finally reached this book on my TBR pile this week, and enjoyed every bit as much as I thought it would.

Harper was still trying to learn the ropes of running the bookstore her Aunt Lorene had bequeathed to her. With her library science degree, it should be a cinch to run a bookstore, right? Well, it would be if she could stand people. Her favourite T-shirts had sayings like, “Book boyfriends don’t cheat,“ or “Books > people.“ Of course, she was careful not to wear those shirts when the bookstore was open!

Because she owns the building outright, anyone would think that, even with poor people skills, Harper should be able to make a living fairly easily. However, she kept getting socked with one huge bill after another, and her operating reserve was draining away rapidly. In desperation, she only did the one thing she could think of and called Milton Coleridge.

When Milton arrived, he saw the great possibilities he had been excited about last year before Harper sent him packing. Could he find the problem and stop the hemorrhaging of her finances? Teach Harper to enjoy selling books to people? Maybe even do a little matchmaking? There’s a dad who keeps coming in with an adorable little boy…

This might be my favourite book so far in this series. I loved watching Harper learn that she needed people in her life. I love the chapter headings; each one is either a quote from one of her snarky T-shirts, a parenting tip, or a book recommendation. I also loved all the discussion about different books. One of my favourite new books from last year was featured over and over, as Harper read about it. As for the romance, if you read books for romance, skip this one. It’s there, but a minor part, which I love. However, if you enjoy books, don’t miss reading this one.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling author Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her at chautona.com and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.

More from Chautona:

“What kind of research does a contemporary book need? I mean, she’s a bookstore owner in a town you’ve been to several times. What’s there to research?”

I can’t be the only author to get questions like this. And I certainly can’t be the only one who has to fight the urge to laugh. Folks, authors research everything. In Twice Sold Tales, I think I looked up almost as much as I did in my Meddlin’ Madeline Mysteries!

Because here’s the deal. What I didn’t know about Red Wing, Minnesota wouldn’t have hurt the story most of the time. Who cares that Bev’s Café has amazing creamy cucumbers? It doesn’t technically matter. Well, except to my character who hates veggies but will eat those. They make her feel virtuous. And you get to know about it.

But… what you discover about a place or a time or an occupation or whatever can totally change the course of your story. Case in point? I went to a website about River City Days because my niece suggested it might be a good thing for Noah to do with his son. That led me to the Farmer’s Markets and to other things. How I got to the first Ghost Walk in Red Wing taking place this year? I don’t even know. What I do know is that the moment I read about it, I knew Harper had to go. And if she did, and if Milton were the instigator, Noah had to go. #BecauseMatchmaker.

And this is where it got really cool. To make the walk as authentic as I could, I read everything I could find about it. And I discovered something super cool. Like… blow you out of the water cool.

Red Wing, Minnesota sits near the shore of Lake Pepin. Little House on the Prairie lovers will remember this as the lake that Laura Ingalls crossed in the wagon as they left the Big Woods of Wisconsin (you know, right across the river/lake from Red Wing???) Well… Lake Pepin has a monster—the Nessie of the Mississippi. Yes, you read that right… a monster! I went looking and guess what? The “monster” has a name. Pepie! Needless to say, Pepie became a an important part of my story. Because how could he not?

And… I happened to find a stuffed Pepie at Treats & Treasures in Lake City, just south of Red Wing, so I ordered a couple for giveaways—including the one with this blog tour. Happy reading, and what do you think? Shouldn’t someone write Pepie’s story?

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–The Two-Cent Piece

by 4 Comments

About the Book:

Book: The Two-Cent Piece

Author: Dennis Conrad (Illustrated by Courtney Smith)

Genre: Children’s Picture Book (Fiction)

Release date: September 3, 2022

Anne wonders what secret her three older brothers are hiding. When she finds out they joined to fight with the Union Army and would leave the next day, she gives them each one of her favorite two-cent pieces and says, “I want you to take one of my new two-cent pieces. I learned these coins are the first to have the words ‘In God We Trust.’ I just memorized Psalm 91:2. ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’”

Out of a heart of love, Anne gives six of her special coins away hoping the message on the two-cent pieces will strengthen each person’s faith.

I love the pictures in this book. They are beautiful! I also like the historical aspect of it; I had never heard of American two-cent pieces before. I remember two dollar bills when I was young, but never these coins, and I found it really interesting to learn that they were the first to contain the words “In God We Trust.” However, I did not appreciate that this book seems to promote Christians going to war. According to Matthew 5:39, Christians are not to resist evil, not to mention not going to war. For this reason, even though I like the portrayal of generosity, and the history included, I can’t recommend this book.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

A former coin collector for over fifty years, Dennis combines his love for the Bible, children’s literature, and sharing stories about the history behind coins.

He is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a Fellow of the National Writing Project.

He retired as a professor of Speech Communications from Barstow Community College. He and his wife served as English and public speaking teachers ten summers overseas.

The Two-Cent Piece is Dennis’s first of seven books in the In God We Trust Series from Elk Lake Publishing, Inc.

More from Dennis:

HOMESCHOOLERS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILY MEMBERS –

Coin collecting brings together history, art, and the thrill of discovery.

Children who collect coins will LOOK at coins differently. They can…

Look for people. For example, who is on the nickel? (Hint: Thomas Jefferson)

The new quarters featuring women include coins with Anna May Wong, the first Chinese-American movie star; Nina Otero-Warren, who advocated for women’s suffrage and was a government official in New Mexico; and Wilma Mankiller, the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Look for places. The state quarter series includes all of the states like California with Yosemite Valley.

Look for dates. Connect coins to historical events. For example, coins minted in 2001 were minted the same year as the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001.

Look at coins as art. The people who design coins are artists.

Look for and find coins in change. Let the great adventure begin.

Look and learn why some coins are more valuable than other coins. There is a difference between the face value of a coin (a dime is worth ten cents), and its value to collectors.

Are you a homeschooler, a teacher, or a family member who wants to help children start their first coin collection?

Get Free Resources about coin collecting by conveniently subscribing to Dennis Conrad’s newsletter.

You will receive a link to my resource page, where you will find two free resources. One for ages 5-6 year olds, and another for ages 7 and up. Or you can choose both. Let the fun begin! https://dennisconradauthor.com/coincollecting5/

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.