The Help Meet Wife

The Plain Choice: A True Story of Choosing to Live an Amish Life is Sherry Gore's life memoir. She details how she came from having a troubled childhood, to becoming a Christian, to choosing to live the Amish lifestyle. I was super excited to read this book, because I've always been interested in the Amish and I know that it's extremely rare for any outsider to ever successfully join and be accepted by them. The book description reads: "Raised in a broken family and emotionally overlooked, Sherry Gore grew up without a solid foundation, a prisoner of her own poor choices, and at times without hope. A series of terrible mistakes left her feeling wrecked and alone and a sudden tragedy threw Sherry into an emotional tailspin too powerful to escape. Sherry hangs by a thread, unable to see how she can go on living, until it happens: on a morning of no particular significance, she walks into a church and BAM the truth of Jesus’ forgiving love shatters her world and cle...

It's Good to Be Queen: Becoming as Bold, Gracious, and Wise as the Queen of Sheba is the latest offering by prolific author Liz Curtis Higgs. I always enjoy Liz's insightful, honest, and thorough examinations of Bible characters, so I couldn't wait to read her thoughts on the Queen of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba isn't a character I've seen delved into much, so I was excited to learn more about her and see what wisdom could be gleaned from her story. The back cover reads: "Sheba Journeyed Across the Desert with a Caravan of Riches, Only to Find the Greatest Treasure of Them All. So Can You. When it comes to famous queens of the Bible, we know the good one, Queen Esther, and the bad one, Queen Jezebel. Now meet the wise one, the queen of Sheba, who traveled to Jerusalem to test the mind and heart of a king. Her quest for wisdom will surprise you, challenge you, inspire you, change you. This wealthy royal from antiquity will show you how to live boldly, s...

The Sea Keeper's Daughters is the third book in Lisa Wingate's A Carolina Heirlooms/A Carolina Chronicles series, following The Prayer Box and The Story Keeper, both of which were excellent. There are also three short stories which I haven't been able to read yet: The Sea Glass Sisters, The Tidewater Sisters, and The Sandcastle Sister. Lisa Wingate's books tend to be hit or miss for me (some I've had to force myself to finish because they were so slow), but this series is definitely a hit for me. The premise of the third book is this: "From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt’s WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny. Restaurant owner Whitney Monroe is desperate to save her business from a hostile takeover. The inheritance of a decaying Gilded Age hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks may provide just the ray of hope she needs. But things at the ...

I recently read and reviewed Joanna Weaver's (revised, updated) book, Lazarus Awakening, and loved it - so when I saw there was a companion DVD and study guide pack, I knew right away I wanted to check it out! This package come with a 3-disc DVD package and a companion study guide for the Lazarus Awakening book. The DVDs were beautifully filmed in the Holy Land, which makes this even more special. The product description reads: "Journey to the Tomb of Lazarus…and Hear Jesus Call Your Name Mary worshiped. Martha served. But what did Lazarus do to experience Jesus’s lavish love? Filmed in the Holy Land, this DVD companion to Joanna Weaver’s book Lazarus Awakening explores the incredible truth that Jesus loves us apart from our works or our worthiness. He wants to call us out of our tombs and into friendship with Him. Designed for use with the book and companion study guide, this three-disc DVD Bible study is formatted for both individual and group use, with content ...

Mirror Images is the debut novel of Laurie Norlander. It won the 2012 Women of Faith writing contest, so I figured I'd give it a shot even though I'm often hesitant to try a new author without a recommendation. The premise sounded strong and intriguing, and it's one of my favorite genres - suspense. The book description reads: "They say seeing is believing... What if they’re wrong? That's Maddy's dilemma when she sees her volatile ex-boyfriend at his identical twin's funeral. It's the first of many surprises as Maddy quickly discovers nothing is as it seems in the close-knit community of Churchill, Wisconsin. Despite lingering feelings for Nic, Maddy’s skeptical of claims that his millionaire brother committed suicide. Her suspicions turn to horror when Maddy stumbles across evidence the man was murdered - and Nic may be responsible. Maddy's search for truth plays out against the backdrop of small town politics and a personal struggle with do...

Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas is a fresh look at God's purpose for marriage: holiness rather than happiness. This is an updated, revised version of his classic work which was originally published 15 years ago, in 2000. I've never had the chance to read the original book, although I've always wanted to, so I was excited to read this new, updated release. The book description reads: "Happy is good. Holy is better. Your marriage is more than a sacred covenant with another person. It is a spiritual discipline designed to help you know God better, trust him more fully, and love him more deeply. What if God’s primary intent for your marriage isn’t to make you happy . . . but holy? Sacred Marriage doesn't just offer techniques to make a marriage happier. It does contain practical tools, but what married Christians most need is help in becoming holier husbands and wives. Sacred Marriage offers that help with insights from Scripture, church history, time tested wis...

Secrets She Kept is the first book by Cathy Gohlke I've read. It caught my attention because it blends history, suspense, romance, and more - several of my favorite genres. I especially love World War II era fiction, so it made the book even more interesting. Hannah is on a mission to discover the secrets of her mother's mysterious past, a quest which takes her to another country and relatives she didn't know existed. Secrets She Kept seamlessly blends the past and present and unfurls a satisfying ending. The book description reads: "All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother’s mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany. Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career. Lieselotte is in love―but...

For The Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards is Jen Hatmaker's newest book. I haven't read her most popular book, 7, yet, but I have read her last book, Interrupted, and it was life changing. So I was definitely super excited to get the chance to review For The Love! This book focuses on God's grace - giving it and receiving it. The back cover reads: "The popular writer, blogger, and television personality reveals with humor and style how Jesus' extravagant grace is the key to dealing with life's biggest challenge: people. The majority of our joys, struggles, thrills, and heartbreaks relate to people, beginning first with ourselves and then the people we came from, married, birthed, live by, live for, go to church with, don't like, don't understand, fear, struggle with, compare ourselves to, and judge. People are the best and worst thing about the human life. Jen Hatmaker knows this all too well, and so she reveals how to p...

The Curse of Crow Hollow is the first book I've ever read by Billy Coffey. The description sounded extremely intriguing and suspenseful, and I love a good thriller, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I wasn't sure what to expect or what his typical writing style is, but this book definitely blew me away. When it arrived in the mail, I was surprised at how thick it was! I didn't realize it was 400+ pages - that made me even more excited to read it, I love a nice fat book, especially since I read so fast. The Curse of Crow Hollow is set in an old fashioned Southern style town where mysterious, evil things are happening. The back cover reads: "With the “profound sense of Southern spirituality” he is known for (Publishers Weekly), Billy Coffey draws us into a town where good and evil—and myth and reality—intertwine in unexpected ways. Everyone in Crow Hollow knows of Alvaretta Graves, the old widow who lives in the mountain. Many call her a witch; others whisper she...

Waiting For Morning by Karen Kingsbury is a reprint of her 2002 title. It's book one of three in the Forever Faithful trilogy. Book two is A Moment Of Weakness and book three is Halfway To Forever. I enjoy Karen Kingsbury, but haven't read this book yet, so I was excited to get it. I've always enjoyed her blend of drama, romance, and sometimes suspense. This book sounded a bit on the sad side, so I was worried it might be a little too heavy for me. However, although sad, it didn't dwell there and was uplifting as well. The book description reads: "“I’m afraid there’s been a car accident...” As Hannah Ryan waits for her family to return home from a camping trip, she realizes she has everything going for her—a husband other women admire, two charming teenage daughters, and a loving Christian home. As the sunny afternoon turns into twilight, her uneasiness grows along with the shadows. Then a car pulls into Hannah’s driveway, bringing two police officers...and de...