Sixty Acres And A Bride | Regina Jennings | Book Review, Blog Tour & Author Giveaway

She's Finally Found a Place to Call Home... How Far Will She Go to Save It?

With nothing to their names, young widow Rosa Garner and her mother-in-law return to their Texas family ranch. Only now the county is demanding back taxes and the women have just three months to pay.

Though facing eviction, Rosa falls in love with the countryside and the wonderful extended family who want only her best. They welcome her vivacious spirit and try to help her navigate puzzling American customs. She can't help but stand out, though, and her beauty captures attention. 

Where some offer help with dangerous strings attached, only one man seems honorable. But when Weston Garner, still grieving his own lost love, is unprepared to give his heart, Rosa must decide to what lengths she will go to save her future. Read an excerpt: http://ow.ly/9sK2C.

Join me after the jump to read my review of Sixty Acres and a Bride, and learn how YOU can WIN a Kindle Fire and other prizes from Regina Jennings on March 27th!

Beauty For Ashes | Dorothy Love | Book Review, Exclusive Author Interview & Giveaway, Blog Tour & Author Giveaway

She’s a beautiful young widow. He’s a Southern gentleman with a thirst for adventure. Both need a place to call home.

After losing her husband in the Civil War, Carrie Daly is scared she will never have the family she longs for. Eligible bachelors are scarce in Hickory Ridge, Tennessee, but Carrie has found love. Not the weak-in-the-knees kind, but something practical. Still, she isn't quite ready to set a wedding date with Nate Chastain.

Griff Rutledge is a former member of Charleston society, but has been estranged from his family for years. He’s determined to remain unattached, never settling in one place for too long. But when asked to train a Thoroughbred for an upcoming race in Hickory Ridge, he decides to stay awhile.

Despite objections from the townsfolk, and her fear that true happiness has eluded her, Carrie is drawn to Griff's kindness and charm. It will take a leap of faith for them to open their hearts and claim God's promise to give beauty for ashes.

Join me after the jump for my review of Beauty For Ashes, an exclusive interview with the author, an exclusive giveaway just for readers of Our Little Bit Of Wonderful, and info on how you can win a Kindle Fire and other prizes from Dorothy Love!

Gimme Shelter | Guest Post by Shannon Godby

Please welcome to the blog my friend Shannon, author of the sweet blog, Shannon On The Prairie! If you enjoy her guest post as much as I do, please be sure to leave her some comment love *smiles*...

Gimme Shelter

by Shannon Godby

To bring up the subject of sheltering our children, and the extent to which we should, would incite lively debate. There are extremes at both ends, from extreme religious fundamentalists to those who think nothing should be withheld from our children. I believe it is safe to say that most of us fall somewhere in the middle, even though the middle is a very big ocean in which to swim! As for me, I frequently turn to things in my life that are easy to understand in order to clarify the weightier issues.

Take, for instance, horticulture, or the study of plants.

{source}

“Uhhh…yeaaahh…” you might be thinking, and rightly so. I assure you, however, that there is a lot of enlightenment to be had among plants….please bear with me…

A greenhouse is a shelter made of materials through which light can penetrate. Commonly they are used to start and grow plants for personal satisfaction or commercial gain. A greenhouse environment is tightly controlled, from light and water needs to air circulation and nutrient uptake. These conditions allow a grower of plants to grow them when the weather conditions would not otherwise allow it. Like our human children, these plants are utterly dependent on their human caretakers to provide for their needs.

Most plants are not meant to live their lives in tightly controlled environments. The hope is that one day the plants will find a forever home or be sent out into the wide world to make their way to retail centers and gardens everywhere. The problem is this: if you take a plant out of a greenhouse right into harsh, natural conditions, that plant will likely perish. It does not know how to regulate its own water intake, it is not used to gleaning and storing nutrients when they have always been readily available, and wind, sun, cold and rain will beat it down because it has not learned to be strong. It has never had to be.

{source}

Good growers know that plants must be hardened off after living in sheltered conditions, and we have just seen why one cannot just stick a greenhouse-grown plant out to fend for itself. It’s a harsh world out there! So the grower will gradually expose plants to natural conditions. Artificial lighting will slowly be reduced, watering rates will be slowed, and fertilization will be tapered off. Plants will begin to harden and toughen in exposure to regular, gradual episodes of stress. Plant stems thicken and toughen, root systems stretch out and increase in number in their search for water, and leaves develop deep, green pigments to absorb and convert what they need from the sun and soil.

So it is with our children. It is our job to nurture, protect, feed and teach them. Our goal as parents, though, is to produce good citizens capable of living in a harsh world, being able to seek and meet their own needs. We do our children no favors by sheltering them their whole lives them shoving them out the door “Buh bye! Have a nice life! Live long and prosper!” As is appropriate for their ages, LET them feel some stress. LET them figure out how to solve basic life problems. As they get older LET them feel the sting of defeat so that they can learn, adapt and grow strong. It is a harsh world out there and their very survival depends on it.

{photo by Leif Brandt}

I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister. I love plants, horses, words and naturescapes. I have been a nanny and a stay-at-home-mom; a writer and a photographer; a student, a landscaper and a restorer of Illinois grasslands. I am only truly defined, however, by my relationship with Christ my Redeemer. You can find me online on my own blog, Shannon on the Prairie.

Who Am I? | Guest Post by Cindy Belleque

Please welcome my dear mother-in-law and friend, Cindy Belleque, to Our Little Bit Of Wonderful! Cindy is an amazing woman who has a lot of wit and wisdom to share with those around her, and is a talented crafter (you may remember her from this post, debuting her new softwares line). If you love her guest post as much as I do, be sure to leave her some comment love *smiles*...

Who Am I?

by Cindy Belleque

Who am I?

In my twenties I was...

Single, engaged, newlywed, a mother once, twice, three times...

Housewife, cook, pot-scrubber, bath tub washer, laundress...

Washer of hands and faces, changer of diapers...

In my thirties I was...

Mother of number 4, mother of a child with autism, advocate, helper...

Still changing diapers, but now the Conductor of the Potty Train!

Child care provider, kisser of owies, maker of playdough...

Pastor's wife, missionary... 

In my forties I was...

A student, a learner, a mentor...

A grandmother, one time then two and now almost three!

A graduate from college, a fighter of the middle age spread! 

Who am I?

I am so much more than the sum of the tasks I accomplish...

I am so much more than my successes or failures...

I am so much more than my husband, children, or home...

When I was five years old, I became...

A child of the King of Kings...

Foreknown, predestined...

Redeemed and restored...

Why am I?

To the Praise of His Glorious Grace!

Mother of 4, wife of 1, grandma of 3... 

If you asked her, Cindy would say that those are the most important "numbers" in her life! Cindy's family has been the largest source of entertainment, inspiration, joy and tears AND she wouldn't trade it for anything! 

Married for 28 years to the "one", Cindy and Brett have raised "four" terrific children. They love spending time with their kids and their kids families. Brett and Cindy both believe that their grandchildren are far more entertaining that any television show or movie! So they spend as much time as possible being entertained by the "Cinda and Nico" Show! They are looking forward to having the "Serenity" show to watch in the Spring. 

Cindy and Brett are full time missionaries with InFaith, An American Mission. They are the Directors of the Summer Staff program and Brett is the National Director of Children's Ministry Resources for the mission. 

Cindy works for the Illinois Parent Mentor Project  as the Northwest Region Parent Mentor. She is an advocate for parents of children with special needs and works with families in the public school system to build partnerships with school staff and local agencies. 

In the fall of 2012, Cindy will begin teaching and directing the Heart and Hands Early Learning Center, a preschool for low-income families, developed in partnership with InFaith and the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris. 

But while all that keeps her busy, she still finds time to read, quilt and watch her favorite tv shows!

Open Letter To Serenity | For the love of God, Stop Kicking Me!!

My dear little Serenity,

Please stop kicking Mama! I love feeling you move and wiggle, but seriously - what's with the super charged ninja kicks, kid?? Are you unhappy about the gurgling from my tummy? Sorry about that; hamburgers are yummy, but the grease, not so much fun.

Seriously, though, Mama needs to sleep. And you know, not feel like she's got a bucking bronco inside her belly. Think you can calm down a little? Just for a minute or 400? Pretty please, with a cherry on top?

We're going to have to invest in a trampoline at some point, aren't we.

Love you, kid *hearts*

Mommy

The Maid Of Fairbourne Hall | Julie Klassen | Book Review, Author Interview, Contest & Giveaway!

You are a young woman in a time when being a woman means you are utterly dependent on the men in your family. Your widowed mother marries a man intent on taking possession of your inheritance by any means necessary, and you have just learned that those "means" include getting his nephew to rob you of your innocence in the dead of night. No one will believe you if you tell them, and you are penniless. What do you do?

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch - both former suitors!

As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity a secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?

~ from the publisher

Join me after the cut for my review of this fantastic new book by Julie Klassen, an exclusive interview with the author, a chance to win some great prizes from her during her huge multi-blogger book tour - including a Kindle Fire - and a chance to win a copy of this great book right here on Little Bit Of Wonderful!

Blue Moon Promise | Colleen Coble | Book Review & Author Giveaway

A love like Lucy and Nate's only comes along once in a blue moon...

Lucy Marsh's worldly resources are running out, but she's fiercely determined to care for her younger brother and sister. When she discovers that their father's recent death was no accident, Lucy is eager to leave town. She accepts a proxy marriage she believes will provide safe refuge. But trouble follows her to Texas where her new husband is surprised to suddenly have a wife and children to care for.

Nate Stanton always hoped he'd marry someday, but running the family ranch meant he had no time for romance. When his father deposits Lucy Marsh - a city girl - on his doorstep, with two siblings in the bargain, he expects ranch life will send her running on the first train out of town. But Lucy is made of tougher stuff than Nate imagined. When danger moves in, Nate finds he'd give anything to protect Lucy and the children he's grown to love. Even if it means giving up his ranch.

~ from the publisher 

********************

I loved this book!! Colleen Coble has been writing for a while, but this was my introduction to her work, and I'm so glad I took the plunge! Written in an easy flowing style that engages the imagination and pulls you into the story, Blue Moon Promise is well worth reading.

Sweeter Than Birdsong | Rosslyn Elliott | Book Tour & Author Interview & 2 Giveaways!

Sweeter Than Birdsong is the second book in The Saddler's Legacy series, which follows the lives of the Hanby family, real life heroes from Westerville, Ohio. You can read my review of the first book in the series, Fairer Than Morning, here. In this second installment of the series, we meet Ben Hanby (son of Will Hanby and Ann Miller from the first book) and Kate Winters, daughter of a drunken father and a cold and distant mother. Drawn together by their mutual love of music, and later by their support of the abolition of slavery, Ben and Kate must navigate social etiquette and family ties as they explore the possibilities of something more than friendship.

Music offers Kate sweet refuge from her troubles . . . but real freedom is sweeter.

In Westerville, Ohio, 1855, Kate Winter’s dreams are almost within reach. As the first woman to graduate from Otterbein College, she’ll be guaranteed her deepest wish: escape from the dark secret haunting her family. But with her mother determined to marry her off to a wealthy man, Kate must face reality. She has to run. Now. And she has the perfect plan. Join the upcoming musical performance—and use it to mask her flight.

Ben Hanby, Otterbein College’s musical genius, sees Kate Winter as an enigmatic creature, notable for her beauty, yet painfully shy. Then he hears her sing—and the glory of her voice moves him as never before. He determines to cast her in his musical and uncover the mystery that is Kate. Still, he must keep his own secret to himself. Not even this intriguing woman can know that his passionate faith is driving him to aid fugitives on the Underground Railroad.

A terrifying accident brings Kate and Ben together, but threatens to shatter both their secrets and their dreams. Kate can no longer deny the need to find her courage—and her voice—if she is to sing a new song for their future.

~ from the publisher

Spring For Susannah | Catherine Richmond | Book Review, Author Interview & Giveaway

A novel about love, loss, and redemption, Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond is one of the best historical romances that I have read in a long time. Catherine Richmond weaves a compelling tale that you won't want be able to put down.

Hundreds of miles from home, Susannah faces an uncertain future as a mail-order bride on the untamed Dakota prairie.

When her parents die suddenly, and no suitors call, Susannah resigns herself to the only option available: becoming a mail-order bride. Agreeing to marry her pastor's brother, Jesse, Susannah leaves the only home she's ever known for the untamed frontier of the Dakota Territory.

Her new husband is more loving and patient with her than she believes she deserves. Still, there is also a wildness to him that mirrors the wilderness surrounding them. And Susannah finds herself constantly on edge. But Jesse's confidence in her - and his faith in God's perfect plan - slowly begin to ship away at the wall she hides behind.

When she miscarries in the brutal Dakota winter, Susannah's fledgling faith in herself and in God begins to crumble. Still, Jesse's love is unwavering. Just when it seems like winter will never end, Susannah finally sees the first tentative evidence of spring. And with it, the realization that more than the landscape has changed.

She looks to the future with a renewed hear. Yet in her wildest dreams, she couldn't predict all that awaits her.

~ from the book jacket

Behind The Veils of Yemen | Audra Grace Shelby | Book Review

Behind The Veils Of Yemen

by

Audra Grace Shelby

Chosen

238 pages

{ About This Book }

Women began to arrive in the entry hall, peeling away their black outer coverings. I watched in amazement as shimmering bodies emerged from the black shrouds. One woman sparkled in a purple silk caftan, her arms gleaming with gold jewelry. I smiled to myself. If people only knew what was under those veils. I looked at their faces, artfully painted with makeup, not at all how they appeared in public: dark eyes in narrow slits. They were like the beauties of Arab folklore. I was awed by the transformation.

With only prayer and a faith that always seemed too small, Audra Grace Shelby departed with her husband and children on a one-way flight to Yemen...deep into the heart of conservative Islam.

With honesty and passion, she shares her harrowing journey as a Christian woman thrust into a culture dangerously different from her own. From the friendships she forged, to her gnawing doubt and fear, to her offers of hope when her new friends' religion failed them, she gives us glimpses of a world most have never seen: behind the veils of real Muslim women - and how the grace of God touches lives in the midst of an Islamic stronghold.

~ from the book cover