The Way Home movie review

A missing child. A family in crisis. A faith tested. In their darkest hour, God gives hope.
Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a husband and father torn between the demands of his job and family. Asked by his wife to watch their two-year-old son, Joe, for a few minutes, he becomes distracted by work. When he returns, Joe is gone. He and his wife search desperately for their missing son through the vast countryside. But as their fear grows, the community responds – hundreds of supporters uniting behind the family in a powerful spiritual journey that will test the couple’s love and faith, and forever change a community.


This was a heartwarming film that I believe all should watch. Not only did it deal with the testing the bounds of your faith it deals with reclaiming what you have lost. It was truly moving.

Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt review & Giveaway

Title- Wicked Intentions, book one in the Maiden Lane trilogy
Author- Elizabeth Hoyt
ISBN-9780446558945
Publisher- Forever Romance
Page-416
Price-$6.99/8.99
Genre- Historical Romance
Publication Date-8/01/2010
How I read it- Mass Market ARC


Forever Romance brings to us the first book in Elizabeth Hoyt’s The Maiden Lane trilogy, Wicked Intentions.


From the New York Times bestselling author of To Desire a Devil comes this thrilling tale of danger, desire, and dark passions. A MAN CONTROLLED BY HIS DESIRES . . . Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk .

My thoughts

I have read and enjoyed Elizabeth Hoyt’s Princes Trilogy although I have to say that they fail in comparison to Wicked Intentions. The first books in the Maiden Lane series leads the way for what I am sure is going to be a highly alluring series. The relationship between Caire and Temperance draw me in so that I wanted to know more. I also liked the dichotomy of Caire and Temperance the sinner and the saint. Although a few of the scenes get a bit steamy, Wicked Intentions has that extra something makes you want to devour the book. The cover art also invites the reader to pickup the book and have a look.


Take a peek inside the covers

I have 4 books to giveaway


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Giveaway copies & Arc provided by Hachette Book Group!
Thanks Anna

What's in the Bible Episode 3 Wanderin' in the Desert

The 3rd DVD of Phil Vischer’s Wanderin’ in the Desert covers the “Pentateuch”, otherwise known as the first 5 books of the Bible. Explaining in child-friendly terms the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, as well as the difference between ethical rules & ritual rules and why some of those rules are no longer in use today. The texture of the material is rich in Biblical knowledge that could be applied to toddlers as well as grade school children, I believe that adults will even learn a thing or two. As for using this as a teaching tool, What’s in the Bible, offers a wealth of starting points that can be applied to all ages. Using this as part of a lesson plan, I would draw up a curriculum for each of the sections. Depending on the Episode you are using you could further your studies in history, science, and so forth. I highly recommend this for both homeschoolers and church groups.


A few ideas to get you started:

(History)
When discussing Moses and the Pharaoh you could use this as a jump off topic for discussing Egypt
(Social Studies)
When discussing the Laws in Leviticus use that as a way to discuss the law and rules in place today.
(English)
Each Episode has featured words as well the definition, depending on the age group use those featured words as part of your vocabulary and spelling lists.
Use the Episode of when they are talking about the Tower of Babel to either introduce a foreign language of to talk about the different languages once again this depends on the age of the students.


Each Episode offers a variety of discussion points that can be used in both your home schooling curriculum or in your Bible lessons for Sunday School or Bible school. The DVD’s are wonderfully composed with a whole cast of zany characters that will capture your child’s attention while educating them as well. I will say that older children and adults will appreciate the funny humor that pops-up every once and awhile. While the Veggie Tales were toddler oriented What’s in the Bible is for all ages.

And One Last Things by Molly Harper

“If Singletree’s only florist didn’t deliver her posies half-drunk, I might still be married to that floor-licking, scum-sucking, receptionist-nailing hack-accountant, Mike Terwilliger.”

Lacey Terwilliger’s shock and humiliation over her husband’s philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike’s company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of “administrative support” his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike’s family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say “instant urban legend,” Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike’s defamation lawsuit.
Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family’s lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled about a newly divorced woman moving in next door. But with time, beer, and a screen door to the nose, a cautious friendship develops into something infinitely more satisfying.

Lacey has to make a decision about her long-term living arrangements, though. Should she take a job writing caustic divorce newsletters for paying clients, or move on with her own life, pursuing more literary aspirations? Can she find happiness with a man who tells her what he thinks and not what she wants to hear? And will she ever be able to resist saying one . . . last . . . thing?


My Thoughts

This was a very interesting book that offers an odd humorous look at divorce. Several of the situations had me laughing my head off, while others had me going what was she thinking. Molly Harper is a genius at contemporary writing, her characters are charming and realistic as well her take on the after affects of divorce in a small town, where everybody knows everybody. I found that this book practically flew by, I read it in about two days. The perfect dramedy for a weekend read. This is one of those books that you should give a try.

Manifest by Artist Arthur

When fifteen-year-old Krystal Bentley moved to Lincoln, Connecticut, her mom's hometown, she assumes her biggest drama will be adjusting to the burbs after living in New York City.

But Lincoln is nothing like Krystal imagined. The weirdness begins when Ricky Watson starts confiding in her. He's cute, funny, a good listener - and everything she'd ever want - except that he was killed nearly a year ago. Krystal's ghost-whispering talents soon lead other "freaks" to her door - Sasha, a rich girl who can literally disappear, and Jake, who moves objects with his mind. All three share a distinctive birthmark in the shape of an M and, fittingly, call themselves the Mystyx. They set out to learn what really happened to Ricky, only to realize they aren't the only ones with mysterious powers. But if Krystal succeeds in finding out the truth about Ricky's death, will she lose him for good? (book back blurb)



Please check out the authors website

Follow Me by Joanna Scott review & Giveaway

On a summer day in 1946 Sally Werner, the precocious young daughter of hardscrabble Pennsylvania farmers, secretly accepts her cousin's invitation to ride his new motorcycle. Like so much of what follows in Sally's life, it's an impulsive decision with dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Soon she abandons her home to begin a daring journey of self-creation, the truth of which she entrusts only with her granddaughter and namesake, six decades later. But when young Sally's father--a man she has never known--enters her life and offers another story altogether, she must uncover the truth of her grandmother's secret history.

Boldly rendered and beautifully told, in FOLLOW ME Joanna Scott has crafted a paean to the American tradition of re-invention and a sweeping saga of timeless and tender storytelling


My thoughts-

First off let me say that I normally don’t judge a book by its cover, although I will say that I did on this one. The vivid greenery and splash of red hair called to saying “read me, read me, put me to the top of you tbr pile, see what I am all about”. So needless to say I listened and this was my next read. I must say that I was not disappointed, I enjoyed the family dynamics that is features and I am always a sucker for books that feature family secrets. The author has a way of pulling the reader into the story that makes you want to read more. So be warned this is one of those cant put down types of books.


I have 3 Copies of Ravens to giveaway.
To enter leave your name and email address.
Please note this contest is only open to residents of the US & Canada.
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes.

Contest ends August 31st

Ravens by George Dawes Green giveaway

The Boatwrights just won 318 million dollars in the Georgia State lottery. It's going to be the worst day of their lives.

When Shaw McBride and Romeo Zderko pull up at a convenience store off I-95 in Georgia, their only thought is to fix a leaky tire and be on their way again to Florida-away from their dull Ohio tech-support jobs. But this happens to be the store from which a 318,000,000 million dollar Jackpot ticket has just been sold -- and when a pretty clerk accidentally reveals to Shaw the identity of the winning family, he hatches a ferociously audacious scheme: He and Romeo will squeeze the family for half their prize.

That night, he visits the Boatwright home and takes the family hostage, while Romeo patrols the streets nearby, prepared to murder the Boatwrights' loved ones at any sign of resistance. At first, the family offers none. But Shaw's plot depends on maintaining constant fear-merciless, unfaltering terror-and soon, under the pressure, everyone's sanity begins to unravel . . .

At once frightening, comic, and suspenseful, RAVENS is a wholly original and utterly compelling novel from one of our most talented writers.



I have 3 Copies of Ravens to giveaway.
To enter leave your name and email address.
Please note this contest is only open to residents of the US & Canada.
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes.

Contest ends August 31st

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist & J. Mark Bertrand review

Rylee Monroe was once a member of Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, although that was many years ago, so many in fact Rylee has almost no memories of living among the elite. After her father, a prominent lawyer, up and leaves both his job and his family, and her mother dies, the life Rylee once knew no longer existed. With debt piling up her grandmother has no choice but to enlist the aid of her fathers partner and sell off the families home and possessions.

Like I said that was long ago. Rylee is now a dogwalker for Charleston’s elite, earning enough money to pay for her grandmothers (her grandmother is suffering from Alzheimer’s) care in a nursing home. When Rylee encounters a robber in the house of one of her clients, she finds that the streets that she once loved are more dangerous than she ever has imagined, and someone is intent on following her. After the thief targets the homes of her clients, Rylee not only has to deal with her stalker, she now has to prove that she is not the so called “Robin Hood thief.”

Logan Woods is a reporter hoping to crack the case and turn his findings into a bestselling novel. Discovering Rylee may have more information than she is letting on, Logan takes the investigation into his own hands hoping Rylee will be selling point to his story, although he never imagined that he, the man who is terrified of dogs would develop feelings for a woman who is a dogwalker.

Now Logan is faced with a life altering decision, will he choose the girl, or his story? If he chooses the girl will he clear her name, or be the one to put her behind bars?

My thoughts?

I liked this book, it kind of put me in mind of Susan May Warren’s P.J. Sugar series, a light mystery, with uplifting undertones, and an adorable love story to boot. The characters were full of charm, and I found myself liking both Rylee & Logan from the start. Plus I love novels that are set in Charleston, it seems that its impossible for the city just to be a background and in this book it has become a character in its own right. Another intriguing aspect of Beguiled was the plot, not only was it a weekend mystery/love story, it was a story of self-discovery, and a sort of riches to rags type story whereas normally authors have the whole Cinderella type theme.

This book was provided by Bethany House, my thanks for sending me this copy.

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand review & giveaway

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.



The Castaways, well, what can I say about Elin Hilderbrand that hasn’t been said before? She is an amazing writer, that writes with conviction and emotion. You can feel what each of the characters are going through, it so vividly described that you almost feel as though you among them, while each deal with fallout the occurs after the death of the MacAvoy’s. I would highly recommend that each of you push this to the top of your To Be Read list.





Birdie Cousins has planned a getaway with her daughter Chess on rustic, charming Tuckernuck Island off the coast of Nantucket, a chance to bond before Chess's upcoming marriage. Birdie's been through a difficult divorce herself, so she knows the big commitment that marriage entails. She's only recently dared to tiptoe back into the waters of romance.

When Chess abruptly breaks off the wedding and her fiancé shockingly dies in a rock climbing accident, it leaves Chess feeling guilty and deeply depressed. Birdie circles the wagons, convincing her younger daughter Tate, and her own sister India to join them on Tuckernuck for the month of July. Secrets and intrigue soon make their way to the surface, as Elin Hilderbrand once again weaves a masterful story of summer suspense.


What’s better than winning 1 Elin Hilderbrand novel? How about winning two?

As a treat for you I will also thrown in an audio book of The Island ,Elin Hilderbrand’s newest novel.
The Island




I have 3 sets to giveaway on the 30th of August.
To enter leave your name and email address
Open only to residents of the US & Canada
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes

The Secrets of Newberry by Victor McGlothin giveaway

Two lifelong friends are about to discover the hard side of life in The Big Easy after a heinous crime is committed . . . THE SECRETS OF NEWBERRY 1950s New Orleans couldn't be sweeter for Ivory "Bones" Arcineaux and Hampton Bynote. Friends since meeting at an illegal gambling house outside Newberry, Louisiana, they indulge themselves with all the fine women, good food, and wild nights they can handle. All seems good in N'awlins-especially for Hampton, who plans to make a clean break from riotous living after falling for the woman of his dreams, classy Magnolia Holiday.



I DID NOT FINISH THIS BOOK. I simply could not get past the first few chapters and I figured life is simply too short to read a book that cannot hold my interest.


I do have three copies to giveaway on the 30th of August.
To enter leave your name and email address
Open only to residents of the US & Canada
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes

She's Gone Country by Jane Porter giveaway

Shey Darcy, a 39-year-old former top model for Vogue and Sports Illustrated led a charmed life in New York City with a handsome photographer husband until the day he announced he'd fallen in love with someone else. Left to pick up the pieces of her once happy world, Shey decides to move back home to Texas with her three teenage sons. Life on the family ranch, however, brings with it a whole new host of dramas starting with differences of opinion with her staunch Southern Baptist mother, her rugged but overprotective brothers, and daily battles with her three sons who are also struggling to find themselves.



My Thoughts:

At first I was a bit worried that this book was going to be way over the top, I was surprised when I found that it was actually quite subdued with the whole Southern vibe that the title possesses. I half expected it to be twangy, boot-wearing, pure country type of boot and in reality it was a nice refreshing read. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, and enjoyed the journey Shey takes while finding who she is. Although there were a few heavy moments in the story, this was more of a light weekend read.

I almost forgot to tell you, give this book a chance the beginning is very slow,so stick with it, it gets better as you go!





I have three copies to giveaway on August 30th.
To enter leave your name and email address
Open only to residents of the US & Canada
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes


Giveaway & review copy provided by Hachette Book Group

Giveaway Extravaganza

I have a few copies of left of each book, so please list the ones that you would like to be entered for in your comment along with your name and email address.


Once again the giveaway is only open to residents of the US & Canada.
No P.O. Boxes



HOW CAN THIS PASSIONATE KNIGHT...
Renowned beauty Lady Linnet is torn between two desires: revenge on those who destroyed her family or marriage to her childhood sweetheart Sir James Rayburn. One fateful night, she makes a misguided choice: she sacrifices Jamie's love for a chance at vengeance.

TRUST A BEAUTY WITH A PAST?
Jamie Rayburn returns to England in search of a virtuous wife-only to find the lovely Linnet as bewitching as ever. Their reckless affair ignites anew, even hotter than before, although Jamie vows to never again trust her with his heart. Then just as Linnet begins to make amends, she's tempted by one last opportunity to settle old scores. But a final retribution could cost her Jamie's love - this time forever.




FORBIDDEN LOVE

Davina Montgomery is no ordinary English lady. For her own protection, she's been locked away from society, her true identity the Crown's most closely guarded secret. Until a shocking betrayal--and a bold rescue--land her in the arms of a fierce Highlander, a powerful warrior whose searing gaze and tantalizing touch awaken her body and soul.

UNDENIABLE DESIRE

As the firstborn son of a powerful Scottish laird, Robert MacGregor has no loyalty to the English throne, but he's not the kind of man to leave a woman in distress, even if she is English. He vows to deliver Davina to safety, unharmed and untouched. Yet one stolen kiss leaves them both smoldering with desire...and desperate for more. With Davina's secret threatening to destroy his clan, Rob must choose between everything he holds dear and the one woman he can't live without.

RAVISHED BY A HIGHLANDER




They're the McCords...three rugged, sexy cowboy cousins who'll inherit the family range--if they seek the treasure hidden on it. But even more precious are the women who can tame their wild hearts...

Emergency medic Marilee Trainor likes her freedom and lives for trouble. But when she stumbles upon a clue to the legendary McCord gold, she 's suddenly in a mysterious killer's sights--and the arms of irresistible playboy Wyatt McCord. This McCord cousin has been everywhere, yet the ranch is the only place he feels at home. Now Marilee's courage and independence make him want to protect her, win her heart, and finally settle down. But trust is the one thing Wyatt and Marilee can't easily give. And their survival and everything they cherish depends on whether they can surrender to each other--to fight for their...

MONTANA DESTINY



Robin Wells takes us back to Chartreuse, Louisiana, for a deeply moving story of forgiveness and second chances.

STILL THE ONE

After Katie Charmaine's husband is killed in Iraq, all she has left is a closet full of his clothes, a few pictures, and fond memories. She not only lost her love, but her last chance to have the children she's always wanted. Until Zack Ferguson shows up in town . . . with the daughter Katie gave up for adoption nearly seventeen years ago.

Zack Ferguson has never forgotten Katie, or the one magical night they spent together. Seeing her again brings up a tidal wave of emotions: regret over the way he left her, anger at the secret she kept, and desire he hasn't felt in years. But he's in town for Gracie. Their daughter is sixteen, angry at the world, and-worst of all-pregnant. She needs the love of her two parents now more than ever. Can these three forgive the hurts of the past and open their hearts to each other?



SHE SEES HIM IN HER DREAMS...

Fueled by her family's murder years ago, Dr. Marlena Bender has devoted her life to understanding violent criminals. But when a serial killer in this small Southern town starts taking the lives of women in diabolical ways--leaving trophies of his kills on Marlena's doorstep--it all hits too close to home. Terrified, Marlena turns to the only man she can trust...the man who saved her life.

BUT HIS SECRET IS HER WORST NIGHTMARE.

Sheriff Dante Valtrez would move heaven and earth to keep Marlena safe, but he's not the savior she thinks he is. A dark legacy runs through his blood and a dangerous secret lies within him. Now a fierce, hot, ruthless desire draws Dante and Marlena together--as a demonic force from his past threatens to rip them apart, destroying everything they hold dear.

Queen Pin by Jameker Thompson-Hairston giveaway

Jemeker Thompson-Hairston paid a heavy price for her involvement in the drug game. Learning from her sources of a federal investigation, Jemeker went on the run. It was love for her young son that brought her back to Los Angeles, even though she knew she would be arrested. A subsequent 12-year sentence would cost her not only her legitimate business and the fortune she'd amassed through the drug trade, but the most precious thing of all: time with her child. But not all was lost. Fortunately, while Thompson-Hairston was serving out her sentence, one pivotal moment helped her turn her life around, setting her on a path to help and inspire others like her.


I have 3 copies to giveaway on August 31

To enter please leave your name & email address

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan review & Giveaway

Best friends since childhood, the sexual tension between April and Oliver has always been palpable. Years after being completely inseparable, they become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives cross once again with the sudden death of April's brother. Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April - and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own--secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancé.


My Thoughts:

April & Oliver was one of my favorite books that I have read this month, it has an emotional edge to it that keeps readers interested. Tess Callahan’s writing reminded me of Nicholas Sparks with a darker twist to it, and the opening of the book will have readers wanting more, this is one of the books that I hope there will be a sequel to as I found at the end I wanted to know more. For a debut author, Tess Callahan knows her way around a good novel. If you only read one contemporary fiction novel this year make it April & Oliver.

This is would be perfect for your book club so why not use this guide?


I have 3 copies to giveaway on August 31st.
To enter leave your name and email address.
Giveaway open to residents of the US & Canada only.


Giveaway & review copy provided by Hachette Book Group

Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn Review & Giveaway

Holly Frick has just endured the worst kind of breakup: the kind where you're still in love with the person leaving you. While her wounds are still dangerously close to the surface, her happily married best friend confesses over a bottle of wine that she is this close to having an affair. And another woman comes to Holly for advice about her love life--with Holly's ex!

Holly decides that if everyone around her can take pleasure wherever they find it, so will she. As any self-respecting 30ish New York woman would do, she brings two males into her life: a flawed but endearing dog, and a good natured, much younger lover. She's soon entangled in a web of emails, chance meetings, and misguided good intentions and must forge an entirely new path to Nirvana.

From the author of The Big Love, Secrets to Happiness is a big-hearted, knife-sharp, and hilariously entertaining story about the perils of love and friendship, sex and betrayal--and a thoroughly modern take on our struggle to be happy.


My Thoughts:

I was impressed with this novel, Sarah Dunn has a unique way with words that is filled with both emotion and humor. If you are looking for a weekend Chick-lit book Secrets to Happiness is the book to read. Her main is character, Holly is very realistic and very complex her best friend is as well. If I was going to describe this book in one word it would be New York, Secrets to Happiness is a very New York book. This would be the perfect book for book clubs.

Not only does this book contain a Reader’s Guide, it also contains Sarah Dunn’s list of good books for bed rest and rainy afternoons.

One of my favorite parts of the book was were Holly was going book-shopping and had to set herself a limit due to her over enthusiastic penchant for book-buying.

I have 3 copies to giveaway on August 31st

To enter please tell me about your book-buying overload moment. I know we have all had one, I know that I have went into the bookstore and have come out loaded down with 20 plus books and still hadn’t managed to buy the one I went in for.
Also leave your name and email address.
Contest open only to residents in the US & Canada.
Sorry NO P.O. Boxes.

Contest And Review Copy thanks to Hachette