Cherry Scones And Broken Bones Book Review

Title: Cherry Scones And Broken Bones


Author: Darci Hannah

Genre: Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Food, Bed and Breakfast, Murder Mystery, Romance, Sequel,

Plot: Whitney went from high powered and stressed out advertising executive to cherry baker and running her family bed and breakfast. All it took for this drastic change of pace was a painfully misplaced ad during the Super Bowl and murder. Now she's firmly settled into a nice baking routine and there are now guests in the b&b, thanks to her advertising skills and price slashing techniques.

To further boost their publicity, celebrated portrait artist Silvia Lumiere has booked a room for the whole summer. She comes every year to spend the summer painting and mingling with the locals who all adore her or simply tolerate her, depending on their personality. While Whitney has high hopes, these quickly evaporate under the never-ending stream of complaints and verbal abuse heaped on her by Silvia.

When Silvia turns up dead, no one is really too surprised. But Whitney must work to clear her name and save the reputation of her little bed and breakfast while she still can.

Likes/Dislikes: This is a sequel and reads like one in several places but can fully stand on its own just fine. I was able to meet all the characters, pick up on the backstory and enjoy this mystery without becoming confused or spoiling the first mystery (which is excellent because now I want to go read it!). The formatting was a bit off and several words were only half there so some translating was required but this will be fixed in editing before publishing, I'm sure of it. One minor annoying thing was that Jack's hair was described as ginger in the first half and then cinnamon in the second half; which color is it supposed to be? During another scene, everyone wades in waist deep water. It is only after doing this that a character decides he needs to completely strip before swimming back to the boat. Other than those little things, this was an excellent book and I look forward to more cherry delights!

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for content (lots of talk of sexual harassment from an older female character but nothing graphic)

Date Review Written: January 24th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Six Cats A Slayin Book Review

Title: Six Cats A Slayin


Author: Miranda James

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Christmas, Cats,

Plot: Charlie Harris has a nice routine down with a cozy schedule. He and his fluffy Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are getting set to rock Christmas and settle in for the holidays. But they weren't expecting a basket full of new arrivals for the holidays. With curious kittens wandering the house in need of a permanent home, Charlie doesn't think he needs anything else on his plate right now.

But when curiosity over the suspicious new neighbor turns deadly, Charlie and his friends find themselves knee-deep in a murder mystery. And all he wanted to do was a nice quiet Christmas and enjoy his new grandbaby.

Likes/Dislikes: I gave this book a really good try but the writing had a disjointed jarring feel to it and the conversations between the characters were all clipped and short. I really enjoyed the references to other books I've read and the adorable little kittens, but I don't think Charlie and I will be solving any mysteries together for awhile.

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level.

Date Review Written: January 19th, 2019

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netglley for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

God Bless Our Christmas Book Review

Title: God Bless Our Christmas


Author: Hannah C. Hall

Genre: Christian, Children, Christmas, Series, Animals, Board Book

Plot: Christmas comes only once a year. With all the anticipation, sometimes we can get a little too wrapped up in waiting for it and then enjoying to remember what it is supposed to be about. So here is a little book to help with that.

From the polar bear family to a fluffy little owl, each family gives thanks for their own special Christmas day as well as the greatest gift of all. From gift wrapping with care to snow angels and hot cocoa with friends and baking delicious cookies with grandma, Christmas is a magical time for everyone.

Likes/Dislikes: This is an adorable book and my kids loved it! My only complaints are that on the very first page, a line is written in red ink and then highlighted in white to make it look special but it just makes it hard to read, and the whole story takes place on Christmas day rather than having a couple of pages leading up to it. But all in all, adorable and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Rating: G-all ages

Date Review Written: January 8th, 2019

The Devoted Life Journal Book Review

Title: The Devoted Life: A Creative Devotional Journal


Author: Marjorie Jackson

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Journal, Devotional, Spiritual, Creative, Self-Help,

Plot: The market for devotionals is a very large one. We can search and find just about any type of devotional for every walk we might find ourselves on. There are devotionals for teen guys and girls, young adults, senior adults, kids, moms, for busy people, for the dark days of our lives, for gratitude and many other areas of life. Some of these devotionals come with built-in spaces for journaling our thoughts - usually just a few lines at the end of the chapter. Some come with companion journals but that is an extra purchase.

Enter Marjorie Jackson's little creation. Here we have, in a gorgeous dusty rose faux leather cover, a complete devotional journal. There are thirty-one sections with their own unique cover picture for us to color followed by a brief story or encouraging thoughts. Then come the fun journal prompts. After that comes another hand-drawn picture for us to fill in. At the back of the journal are some creative pages for us to do with as we please. And finally, what journal isn't complete with a lovely ribbon marker to keep our place?

Likes/Dislikes: I love journals. I have something of an addiction to smelling them, touching their gorgeous blank pages whispering of potential and hunting down the loveliest covers. So getting a hold of this extra special journal was a must for me. I really like the journal/coloring book combo that is going on here; it is unique and really makes me want to color all the pictures in. The introduction was admittedly two pages too long in my opinion and I feel like the space for each journal prompt is not enough. I like the 365 Questions journals even though the spaces are tiny in those, but I wanted longer journaling space with this. All in all, lovely but not really the journal for me.

Rating: G-all ages, geared more toward teens and adults.

Date Review Written: January 5th, 2019

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Inspire Catholic Bible Review

Title: Inspire Catholic Bible


Author: Tyndale Publishers

Genre: Catholic, Christian, Bible, Religious, Journaling, Art, Creative,

Plot: Studying our Bibles is something we are told to do and which we should do, as good and faithful Catholics. But in this busy day and age, we don't always have the time or inclination to do so. On top of that, there are so many other distractions demanding our attention that Bible reading can get a bit squished to the bottom of the priority list.

If there was a fun and creative way to study the Bible, many of us would happily sign up and hop on board. Enter the first ever Catholic journaling Bible! This unique creation combines the allure of popular adult coloring books and our own sturdy Bible to produce this lovely one-of-a-kind book where we can read the words of Scripture and use our God-given creativity to make a memorable keepsake. Studying the word of God just became our favorite activity of the day!

Likes/Dislikes: I'm not personally a big fan of the New Living Translation but I love everything else about this Bible! The cover is smooth faux leather in a gorgeous dusty rose shade. The inner cover is smooth and sturdy enough for colored markers to make an especially lovely beginning to this Bible and the interior pages are thin with a nice texture to them. They will not hold up to colored markers. The ink bleeds through very easily; I tested to make sure. Colored pencil works beautifully however so no worries there. I didn't try watercolor but I assume it would be too wet for the thin pages. The pages themselves alternate between a plain ruled writing space and a picture to fill in. Sometimes the picture is simply one word like faith or believe which isn't something I particularly like but that's okay. There's enough to doodle that a few stray repetitive words to color shouldn't be too bothersome. If anyone was wording, the words of God are not printed in red ink. All in all, a lovely gorgeous Bible!

Rating: PG-all ages but geared toward teens and adults

Date Review Written: December 23rd, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Tyndale Publishers for my opinion and I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Parenting With Heart Book Review

Title: Parenting With Heart

Author: Stephen James and Chip Dodd

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Parenting, Self-Help,

Plot: Parenting is hard work. There are numerous styles, methods and techniques that all vary among themselves in subtle ways but they all have the same single-minded goal at the end: we want the best for our kids. We want the best living conditions, education, clothes, food, etc. We want them to thrive socially and emotionally. We want them to be healthy and wise when they are grown up. And most of all, we want our kids to be happy.

The stress of trying to make that dream a reality for ourselves and our kids can and often does take a toll on us. In this break-through book, authors Stephen James and Chip Dodd teach us that our kids don't need perfect parents to be happy and thrive. They need authentic parents who let themselves make mistakes but keep going after that end goal of happiness.

Likes/Dislikes: Both the authors are respected therapists who have seen plenty of parents in the same situations as us and have helped those parents succeed in their parenting lives. This adds credibility to their methods and weight to their names. The writing style is a tad dry but that rather comes with the territory in regards to parenting and self-help books written by professionals in other fields. There are questions at the ends of the chapters for further self-reflection to help us grow and the book dives into a lot of interesting material. All in all, a very interesting read.

Rating: PG-15 and up, mainly for reading level (its a parenting book).

Date Review Written: November 3rd, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Revell Publishing for my honest opinion and wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.