Sweet stories for little ones -- Parable Treasury

Parable Treasury is a collection of four stories for young children by the gifted Liz Curtis Higgs.

Each parable is set in a different season of the year and teaches a Biblical principle in words that little ones can relate to.  Even for those too young to fully understand the parable, the bright pictures and simple stories should spark their interest.  Most pages also include a Bible verse (quoted or paraphrased) to help with the application lessons of the parable.

These stories should provide a meaningful way to share bedtime or other quality story time with your children or grandchildren. 

The colorful padded front cover is an added benefit to the quality of the book.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Bestselling favorite Parable books bring fun throughout the year in this new four books in one format.

With more than 1.1 million units sold in the Parable Series, Liz Curtis Higgs has given parents and kids alike beloved parables they can read throughout the year. This adorable compilation, Parable Treasury, allows families to get all their favorite stories in one value-packed book.

For nearly twenty years, Liz Curtis Higgs has made the holidays a little brighter throughout the year with her Parable Series. In a lovely padded hardcover format, the Gold Medallion–winning books from the Parable Series will include:

• The Pumpkin Patch Parable,which focuses on the harvest season and shows that we can let God’s love shine through us
• The Pine Tree Parable,a heartwarming tale of the farmer and his family, who nurture tiny seedlings into fragrant Christmas trees
• The Parable of the Lily, which helps children understand the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of Easter
• The Sunflower Parable, which helps children discover the value of planting seeds, not only in the ground but also in the hearts of those around us

With simplicity and creative storytelling, this is sure to be a family favorite.

About the Author:

Liz Curtis Higgs is an award-winning speaker as well as the author of twenty-eight books, including Bad Girls of the Bible and Thorn in My Heart. Her Parable Series for children has been awarded the ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence.

Fascinating story spanning centuries and continents -- My Brother's Crown

Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould have previously co-authored several great Amish stories.  Now they have come together again to pen My Brother's Crown, a fascinating story that spans centuries and continents.

Mindy and Leslie have put together an intriguing story that combines historical detail, mystery, faith, loyalty, and romance.  Renee Talbot, a present-day scientist, and Catherine Gillet, a 17th-century Huguenot, are connected by blood and more in this intriguing story.  Alternating between the two time periods, the authors draw on the strength and character of these two women to craft a complex page turner.  Watching the two stories merge closer and closer together provides for a great read for fans of differing interests.  The historical setting has me looking forward to digging further into the persecution and other details and events of the time period.  I am looking forward to more great stories from this writing duo.

Thanks to Harvest House Publishers and the authors for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them? 

Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine's, is fascinated by the document that's been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she's forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last? 

From the authors of the Christy Award-winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.Lby4EWW0.dpuf

About the Authors: 
 

rance, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.Lby4EWW0.dpuf

Mindy Starns Clark is the bestselling author of more than 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction (more than 800,000 sold) including coauthoring the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife. Mindy and her husband, John, have two adult children and live in Pennsylvania.  Learn more at www.mindystarnsclark.com

 
Leslie Gould, a former magazine editor, is the author of numerous novels, including Beyond the Blue and Garden of Dreams. She received her master of fine arts degree from Portland State University and lives in Oregon with her husband, Peter, and their four children.  Learn more at www.lesliegould.com
 

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

France, 1685. Catherine Gillet knows her brother, Jules, wants to protect her from the sinister threats of the French crown. But Jules is involved in a potentially deadly enterprise, one connected with an encoded document. When his actions put the whole family at risk, will Catherine find a way to save them?
Virginia, present day. Renee Talbot, a direct descendant of Catherine’s, is fascinated by the document that’s been part of her family legacy for more than three centuries. Certain its pages hold hidden secrets, she takes a closer look—and makes a shocking discovery. But when memories of a childhood trauma are rekindled, she’s forced to seek answers of a different kind. Inspired by the faith and bravery of Catherine, can Renee find the truth and face her deepest fears at last?
From the authors of the Christy Award–winning The Amish Midwife comes an epic story of two women, centuries apart, each discovering her own hidden bravery, standing for what she believes in, and finding love in unexpected places.
- See more at: https://www.harvesthousepublishers.com/books/my-brothers-crown#sthash.2HnnI4um.dpuf

Complex Amish characters -- A Reluctant Bride

A Reluctant Bride is Kathleen Fuller's best yet.  This Amish story has complex characters who are thrown together in unexpected ways that provide an intriguing story.

Sadie and Aden both harbor deep hurts and secrets that make their individual lives difficult enough on their own.  But when they are suddenly thrown together out of necessity, they have to make choices about how much to share in order to begin healing.

Kathleen did an awesome job of crafting these and other characters in ways that provide a very engaging story.  Some of the turns in the plot were expected, but others caught me off-guard, one element of great stories.  She brought in several tragic and difficult topics and allowed her characters to deal with them in emotion-provoking ways.  I alternated between cheering the characters on and crying with them as they struggled with their hurts and fears.

Fans of great Amish fiction should thoroughly enjoy A Reluctant Bride.  Thanks to Kathleen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

She never wanted to marry. He hopes to make amends for past wrongs. Can love find a way to heal both of their hearts?

Sadie Schrock swore she would never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind, Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who saw her at her weakest and walked away.

Aden knows what his brother did to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life.

Working alongside Aden at the store, Sadie realizes he isn’t the same boy who once betrayed her. Just when Sadie starts to let her guard down and perhaps develop feelings for her new husband, dangerous secrets are revealed. Now everything Sadie has worked so hard to protect is threatened, and she must find a way to save her family—and herself.

About the Author:

Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including A Man of His Wordand Treasuring Emma, as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at www.kathleenfuller.com, Twitter: @TheKatJam, and Facebook: Kathleen Fuller. 

A great Christmas story -- An Endless Christmas

I'm a sucker for sweet, sappy Hallmark Christmas movies where everyone celebrates Christmas, finds true love and meaning for the holiday, and lives happily ever after.

BUT . . . I'm even more of a fan of great Christmas stories with some of the same endearing elements but on a deeper level and with some all-important truths thrown into the mix.  Cynthia Ruchti's An Endless Christmas definitely fits that description! 

A story that starts with a rejection to a beautifully romantic Christmas-time proposal certainly has room to grow, and this one does just that.  Katie and Micah are both delightful characters who are great to get to know, even as they deal with the issues that seem to keep them apart.  And what can I say about Grandma Dodie and Grandpa Wilson -- such special people at the helm of a loving family, willing to help those they love, even by sharing moments that show them to be less perfect than they might appear.

Elements of pain, love, forgiveness (of self and others), grace, and fun filled this story and brought tears to my eyes as I read.  One note of warning:  DO NOT start this short book unless you have a block of time to read the entire story.  Once you've read the first page, you will not want to put it down, even after you've finished the last page!

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

See what other readers think about the book here.

About the book:

Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster.

Christmas takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says, "no." Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it's Christmas.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1PmF69N

About the author:

Drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry, Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and speaking for women's and writers' events. Her books have been recognized by Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards, Selah Awards, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Christian Retailing's BEST Awards, and Carol Award nominations, among other honors, including a Family Fiction Readers' Choice Award. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in Pittsville, Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.

Connect with Cynthia: website, Twitter, Facebook

There's no getting out of Christmas now, despite Katie rejecting Micah's marriage proposal. Cozy up this holiday season with Cynthia Ruchti's new novella, An Endless Christmas. The Binder family celebrates every Christmas as if it were their last. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it’s Christmas.

Celebrate the holidays with Cynthia and An Endless Christmas by entering her $100 Target gift card giveaway!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of An Endless Christmas
• A $100 gift card to Target

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 30th. The winner will be announced December 1st on Cynthia's blog.

A Sweet Way to Share God's Story -- Precious Moments 5-Minute Bedtime Treasury

Children are never too young to hear God' story on their level.  Precious Moments 5-Minute Bedtime Treasury is a great way to share some of that story with little ones.

The stories are divided into three sections:  God is Trustworthy (stories from the Old Testament), God is Good (truths from Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes), and God Is Love (stories from the New Testament).  These hit a few of the highlights of Bible stories that can introduce or review part of God's Word in words that young children can understand.  Reading the stories with a child or grandchild would provide special moments at bedtime or anytime.

Of course, the book is filled with delightful Precious Moments art.  There are also sections that allow the book to be personalized, including a family tree, an "All About Me" page, and prayers for and by the little "reader."  The book is a high-quality piece and includes a beautiful padded cover.  It should be a lasting treasure for years and could be passed on to the next generation.

This book would make a great gift for the special children or grandchildren in your life.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book:

Create a Bedtime Tradition in Just 5 Minutes.

Delight your little ones with these sweet Precious Moments® characters as you share beloved Bible stories and comforting bedtime scriptures with them.

The five-minute format helps parents create a meaningful bedtime. With paraphrased stories from the International Children’s Bible®, you’ll nurture a love for God’s Word.

Take five minutes before bed to create a special connection with your precious child.

About Precious Moments

Since 1978, Precious Moments has grown into an evergreen brand recognized worldwide, with more than 12.5 million books and bibles sold through Thomas Nelson.