Sunday, March 31, 2013

invisible... a book review

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Invisible    -     
        By: Ginny L. Yttrup
    
invisible

 
 
ISBN: 978-1-4336-7168-5
 
Available: April 2013
 
Christian Fiction





Many people deal with issues of body image.

I am fat? too fat? too thin? too short? too ______ ?

I am worthless... lazy... I can't do _____.


How many people try to hide and seek invisibility instead of recognition?

How would they feel if they truly believed that all men and women are not only created in the image of God, but also meant to reflect His image to others.


Ellyn
single, 40-something, chef and cafe owner, friend, believer, overweight

Twila
single, 20-something, studies and sells natural homeopathic healing, friend, believer, living with an eating disorder

Sabina
married, counselor, seeks healing from a sad past, fighting depression

Miles
widowed, medical doctor, believer, feeling God's leading to seek another soul mate

As the story intertwines around these women's lives, the reader is pulled into their common, and sometimes, tragic issues. Each of the women have secrets they do not want exposed - eating too much, not eating at all, depression - for fear of condemnation. Yet, God draws them into each other's lives to help them see TRUTH and receive healing. Healing which only comes from Him alone.

Click HERE to read Chapter 1.

You don't have to have an eating disorder to relate to Twila. Her courage in the face of her illness shines through. I envy her strength in coming face-to-face with her demons. She knows God will see her through this trial. I love her tattoos!

I easily relate to Ellyn's character in the book. I'm 48, overweight, and can see the good things in others but not myself. I am just truly realizing the power of being "created in God's image." He does not look at me and say negative things. He sees me and sees His creation which was made "very good."

invisible will stay with you long after you finish the last paragraph. It is a powerful message we all need to hear... and accept. God love you. God loves me. Not for what we have done or what size we wear, but because He made us in His image to reflect His glory.

My rating: 6 out of 5 stars
The message alone makes this a must read for all women
who set their identity in anything or anyone other than God.

I received a complimentary copy of invisible from B & H Publishing Group for my honest review.

Blessings,
Ellen

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Throwback Thursdays

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Denise, Ellen
Our wonderful group of little ones!
(left to right)
early 1980s

My best friend Denise and I teaching our Sunday school class at
St. Benedict's Episcopal Church in Plantation, Florida. 

Do you have any wonderful memories of growing up in the church?

Blessings,

    Ellen

Friday, March 22, 2013

Ten Tiny Breaths... a book review

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Ten Tiny Breaths
 
 
ISBN: 9781476740324
 
Publication date:
E-book: Feb 2013
Paperback: October 2013
 
 
Adult Fiction,
Contemporary Romance



a drunk driver
a horrific accident
lives changed forever

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D. ~  Publisher Description

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

 Tragedy
is a part of life.
How we cope with it
determines our future.

Bad things happen to good people.  Yet, character is forged in the hard times. 

K. A. Tucker has woven a story of family lost and family found.  Hardened by the events of her past, Kacey wants to be left alone.  Her only desire is to give her sister a normal life and hope for the future.  Can she do this without reaching out others and opening her heart?

I loved this book!  Kathleen was able to bring the character's emotions to life.  I found myself laughing out loud... my husband probably thinks I lost it!  I read this book in one sitting and was so disappointed when I turned the last page.  Thank you, Kathleen, for introducing me to a new group of "friends."  I just saw that there will be a book 2... can't wait!

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I received an e-copy of Ten Tiny Breaths from Atria Publishing and NetGalley for my honest opinion. 
 
Blessings,
 
   Ellen


Monday, March 18, 2013

Fugitive... a book review

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ISBN: 9780373445370
Available: May 2013
Series: Heroes for Hire
Publisher: Love Inspired
 
 
Laney never looked back once she gained her freedom from her abusive parents.  With the help of loving Christians, she graduated from college and became a well-known interior decorator.  With dreams of marriage and children, she was shaken when her husband died leaving her not only a widow, but childless.  When news of her father's passing arrives, she heads toward her childhood home - filled with memories of fear and pain. 
 
While spending the night in the cabin her husband built, a new chapter begins.  A wounded, handcuffed man - Logan Randal - knocks on the door seeking help.  His only desire is to clear his name and return to his beloved town and job.  Will he stay alive long enought to accomplish it?  Will Laney put her trust and faith in her old childhood friend, or will she follow the law and return him to jail?
 
Shirlee McCoy has written a wonderful story of redemption.  How many of us have some type of abuse in our past?  How many of us believe that God, for whatever reason, did not see our pain?  Through the friendship between Laney and Logan, we see a God who does want each of us to be whole again.
 
My rating:  5 out of 5 stars
 
I received a complimentary e-copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Love Inspired for my honest review. 
 
Blessings,
 
    Ellen 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Clouds... a book review

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Clouds
 
Glenbrooke Series #5
WaterBrook Multnomah
Published 2004
ISBN13 - 9781590522301
 
 
Once again I loved curling up with the characters in the Glenbrooke Series from Robin Jones Gunn.  After turning down a marriage proposal from Jonathan, Shelly leaves home and enters into school to be a flight attendant.  She learns the career she has chosen has left little time for God and other real relationships.  When she learns her company is downsizing, she returns home hoping for a better schedule out of a smaller airport.  Little did she know, God had other plans for her future. 
 
Shelly's life can be any one of ours.  How many times do we run from situations only to realize the grass is not greener on the other side?  Robin Jones Gunn does an amazing job at showing the importance of letting go our desire for control and letting God, in His perfect timing, take over our lives.  Thanks for another great heart-warming story!
 
I love this series and am looking forward to reading all of the books: (1) Secrets, (2) Whispers, (3) Echoes, (4) Sunsets, (5) Clouds, (6) Waterfalls, (7) Woodlands, and (8) Wildflowers.

My rating: A+
 
I received a complimentary ebook copy of Clouds from WaterBrook Multnomah and their Blogging for Books program for my honest review. No other compensation was received.
 
 
Blessings,
     Ellen
 
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