The View From Rainshadow Bay By Colleen Coble

After her husband, Jack, dies in a climbing incident, Shauna has only her five-year-old son and her helicopter charter business to live for. Every day is a struggle to make ends meet and she lives in constant fear of losing even more than she already has.
When her business partner is murdered, his final words convince Shauna that she’s in danger too. But where can she turn? Zach Bannister was her husband’s best friend and is the person she blames for his death. She’s barely spoken to him since. But right now he seems her only hope for protecting her son.
Zach is only too happy to assuage his guilt over Jack’s death by helping Shauna any way he can. But there are secrets involved dating back to Shauna’s childhood that more than one person would prefer to stay hidden.
In The View from Rainshadow Bay, suspense, danger, and a longing to love again ignite amid the gorgeous lavender fields of Washington State.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/View-Rainshadow-Lavender-Tides-Novel/dp/0718085760/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://colleencoble.com.

My Thoughts...

Well this was the best book by Coble I have read in a long time. I read it in one sitting and I had to keep reading to find out who, what and where. It was just so good, I did not see it coming good.
You are going to love the suspense, the romance and the God breathed story.
This is book one in The Lavender Tides series, I can not wait for book two.
This is a four star book. I recommend it. Don't miss it.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

The Pillow Parade By Edward Dron

For generations, sheep have had a proud history of jumping over fences to help children sleep. But when a little bunny tries to join this bedtime ritual, will the sheep be ready to welcome her into their group? Join Olive on her adventure, as she sets out to change bedtime as we know it and, along the way, discovers the joy that comes from helping others and the importance of not giving up.

The Pillow Parade is a funny and lighthearted rhyming book that you will enjoy reading to your kids over and over again. In a playful and subtle manner, the story shows children the importance of not giving up when they are confronted with a difficult situation or a flock of veeeeeeery stubborn, and not-so-nice, sheep.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Pillow-Parade-Childrens-Bedtime-Book/dp/1775161803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515712266&sr=8-1&keywords=the+pillow+parade

As a child of the 80s, Ed Dron grew up on a healthy diet of ThunderCats, Alf, and Atari games (which he still owns). In the 90s he was drawn to the comedy stylings of Monty Python and a Canadian show called Kids in the Hall. These heavy doses of pop culture helped feed his imagination and shape his writing style.

These days, Ed enjoys writing fun little stories that capture a child’s short attention span. He loves the challenge of condensing a story into as few words as possible, without losing its charm or narrative.

Ed believes that, first and foremost, a children’s book needs to be fun. It should not only nurture their curiosity but also spark a lifelong love of books and reading.

He now lives with his wife and two children in British Columbia, Canada.     

My Thoughts...

 This was such a cute book. I loved all the rhyming. It made it such a fun read.
I think any little one would love this book at bedtime.
The illustrations were very well done.
I recommend this book for those with little ones.  It is sure to be a hit in your house. It will soon become a favorite I'm sure.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Beneath the Summer Sun By Kelly Irvin

 Jennie Troyer knows it’s time to remarry. Can she overcome a painful secret and open her heart to love?
 It’s been four years since Jennie’s husband died in a farming accident. Long enough that the elders in her Amish community think it’s time to marry again for the sake of her seven children. What they don’t know is that grief isn’t holding her back from a new relationship. Fear is. A terrible secret in her past keeps her from moving forward.
Mennonite book salesman Nathan Walker stops by Jennie’s farm whenever he’s in the area. Despite years of conversation and dinners together, she never seems to relax around him. He knows he should move on, but something about her keeps drawing him back.
 Meanwhile, Leo Graber nurtures a decades-long love for Jennie, but guilt plagues him—guilt for letting Jennie marry someone else and guilt for his father’s death on a hunting trip many years ago. How could anyone love him again—and how could he ever take a chance to love in return?
In this second book in the Every Amish Season series, three hearts try to discern God’s plan for the future—and find peace beneath the summer sun.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Beneath-Summer-Every-Amish-Season/dp/0310348080/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1515516497&sr=8-4&keywords=kelly+Irvin

New from Kelly Irvin! Upon a Spring Breeze, the first book in her Amish romance series, Every Amish Season, from Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing. The novel is the first in a four-book series that delves into the lives of four Amish women linked by life altering experiences that bring them together as wives, mothers, and grandmothers in the small town of Jamesport, Mo. Kelly Irvin is also the author of The Amish of Bee County series, which includes the critically acclaimed The Beekeeper's Son. Publishers Weekly called the first book in the series a beautifully woven masterpiece and Romantic Times Magazine called Kelly a storyteller extraordinaire. It was followed by The Bishop's Son and The Saddle Maker's Son, which is an ECPA bestseller.

Kelly is also author of several novellas, The Christmas Visitor, included in the Thomas Nelson anthology, The Amish Christmas Gift, and Sweeter than Honey, included in An Amish Market anthology.

She also penned the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Hope Amish series, both published by Harvest House Publishers. Love Still Stands, the first book in the New Hope series, debuted in September 2014, and the follow-up, Love Redeemed, released March 1, 2014. The final book in the series, set in Branson, MO., was A Plain Love Song, released in July 2014.

The Bliss Creek Amish series, set in Kansas, includes To Love and to Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love's Journey Home.

In the New Hope series, familiar characters from Bliss Creek move to Missouri to start a new district and a new life.

Kelly is also the author of two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, set in San Antonio, Texas.

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly wrote nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso, where she was exposed to culture and language that serves as fodder for her fiction writing. She has written hard news, features, entertainment pieces, restaurant critiques, editorials, and weekly columns. Writing awards include the Silver Star Award from the Texas Mental Health Association for articles pertaining to mental health and numerous awards in news, feature, and editorial writing from the Texas Press Association and Texas Press Women.

Kelly retired in 2016 from her position of 22 years as public relations manager for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, where her duties included writing and designing an employee newsletter, writing news releases, collaborating on marketing campaigns, coordinating ribbon-cuttings and groundbreakings, coordinating press conferences, updating the web site, and acting as a media spokesperson.

Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for almost twenty-nine years, and they have two young adult children and two grandchildren. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and visit the babies.


For more information, visit http://www.kellyirvin.com     

My Thoughts...

I really enjoyed book number two of An Every Amish Season series.
I  liked Jeannie, Nathan, and Leo's story. I could not wait to see what Gods plan for Jeannie's life was.
A widow with a house full of kids, she needed a helpmate but which one was the one for her?
You are going to love the out come of this one.
Again Kelly does not disappoint, I gladly gave this book 4 stars and I recommend it.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Sacred Rest By Saundra Dalton-Smith

Staying busy is easy. Staying well rested-now there's a challenge.

How can you keep your energy, happiness, creativity, and relationships fresh and thriving in the midst of never-ending family demands, career pressures, and the stress of everyday life? In SACRED REST, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a board-certified internal medicine doctor, reveals why rest can no longer remain optional.

Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative-and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. SACRED REST combines the science of rest, the spirituality of rest, the gifts of rest, and the resulting fruit of rest. It shows rest as something sacred, valuable, and worthy of our respect.

By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, SACRED REST gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.

Pick up your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Rest-Recover-Energy-Restore/dp/1478921676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515276052&sr=8-1&keywords=sacred+rest+saundra+dalton-smith

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith is a Board Certified internal medicine physician. She shares with audiences nationwide on the topics of eliminating limiting emotions, correcting work-rest imbalances, and experiencing personal renewal. Dr. Dalton-Smith is a national and international media resource on the mind, body, spirit connection and has been featured in Women's Day, Redbook, First For Women magazine, Focus on the Family, and many other publications. She is the founder of I Choose My Best Life. Her other books include award-winning Set Free to Live Free: Breaking Through the 7 Lies Women Tell Themselves and Come Empty: Pour Out Life's Hurts and Receive God's Healing Love.

My Thoughts...

Some really good insights and  tips and thoughts. I found this book easy to read and easy to understand.
It's a book that is more a reminder of what is important and what comes first.
We all need to try to rest, but it is so hard. This is a great reminder of that.
I gave this book 4 stars. Give it a try when you are overwhelmed and need to slow down and rest.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

No One Ever Asked By Katie Ganshert Win it before you can buy it!

Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district--and in their lives.When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray--the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser--faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones--the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge's top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she's stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as "this" or "that", when such complexity exists in each person?

Pre-order your copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/No-One-Ever-Asked-Novel/dp/1601429045/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515115983&sr=8-1&keywords=no+one+ever+asked+katie+ganshert

Katie Ganshert was born and raised in the exciting state of Iowa, where she currently resides with her family. She likes to write things and consume large quantities of coffee and chocolate while she writes all the things. She's won some awards. For the writing, not the consuming. Although the latter would be fun. You can learn more about Katie and these things she writes at her website www.katieganshert.com.

My Thoughts...

Raw, honest, and deep, are just a few words to describe this book. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book.
Ganshert was not afraid to write about a topic we all want someone to stand up and shout to the world about.
I devoured this book and was left wanting more. This is Ganshert's best book and it is one you will not want to miss out on.
I gave this one 5 stars two times and I HIGHLY recommend you preorder your copy!
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

People Are Good By Anna Marie McHargue

In today’s world, it is easy to focus on what is going wrong instead of what is good and going right. Small acts of kindness are really the big things that change our outlook and ultimately change the way we live in the world. People Are Good is a collection of stories that unites us all. This global movement is sure to restore your faith in the human spirit and remind us that little things are a big deal.

Why People Are Good has such impact:

• Demonstrates the POWER OF HUMAN EMPATHY and the wonderful impact it can have on others.

• Emphasizes the idea that in spite of vast differences, as human beings, we all appreciate the SMALLEST ACTS OF KINDNESS.

• Creates an understanding that small moments in people’s lives CHANGE THE COURSE of their existence.

The news media and blogosphere flourish with examples of the human capacity for power and poverty, life and death, success and sadness. The mission of People Are Good is to inspire each of us to want to take small moments in life to act, rather than react. It’s more than random acts of kindness but a lifestyle of noticing others, sharing a smile and ultimately changing someone’s worldview for the rest of their life.

Get yours FREE here on Kindle Unlimited....
https://www.amazon.com/People-Are-Good-Stories-Humanity-ebook/dp/B077D23WY9/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1514946852&sr=8-1

AnnaMarie McHargue’s passion for beautiful words is something she loves to share with the reading public. She and her sister, Anita Stephens, co-founded their company, Words with Sisters, with the mission of partnering with authors who wish to offer positive messages and inspiration through their work. For Anna and Anita, their grandfather is the embodiment of spreading good while touching the lives of people every day. Wanting to capture this incredible passion for people and life, the sisters compiled stories for People Are Good with the hope of spreading the warmth and joy their grandfather offered so freely throughout his life.

My Thoughts...

What would it take to make a small change in the world we live in? How about less negativity, more positive, happy people, doing nice things for others.
This compilation of stories of people doing good is much needed in our world.
This is a self published book but it has been edited very well and the writing is very good.
If you need a little pick me up, grab a copy of this on Kindle Unlimited for free right now. Tell your friends about it as well.
The Mary Reader received this book from the Wynn Wynn Media for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Under a Cloudless Sky By Chris Fabry Win it before you can buy it!

A charming and engrossing novel for fans of Southern fiction and the recent hit memoir Hillbilly Elegy about a lush and storied coal-mining town―and the good people who live there―in danger of being destroyed for the sake of profit. Will the truth about the town’s past be its final undoing or its saving grace?

1933. In the mining town of Beulah Mountain, West Virginia, two young girls form an unbreakable bond against the lush Appalachian landscape, coal dust and old hymns filling their lungs and hearts. Despite the polarizing forces of their fathers―one a mine owner, one a disgruntled miner ―Ruby and Bean thrive under the tender care of Bean’s mama, blissfully unaware of the rising conflict in town and the coming tragedy that will tear them apart forever.

2004. Hollis Beasley is taking his last stand. Neighbors up and down the hollow have sold their land to Coleman Coal and Energy, but Hollis is determined to hold on to his family legacy on Beulah Mountain. Standing in his way is Buddy Coleman, an upstart mining executive who hopes to revitalize the dying town by increasing coal production and opening the Company Store Museum. He’ll pay homage to the past―even the massacre of 1933―while positioning the company for growth at all costs.

What surprises them all is how their stories will intersect with a feisty octogenarian living hundreds of miles away. When Ruby Handley Freeman’s grown children threaten her independence, she takes a stand of her own and disappears, propelling her on a journey to face a decades-old secret that will change everything for her and those she meets.

You must pick up a copy here...
https://www.amazon.com/Under-Cloudless-Sky-Chris-Fabry/dp/1414387784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514598277&sr=8-1&keywords=under+a+cloudless+sky

I was born in West Virginia in 1961. I read a lot, but not very fast, and wrote poems and songs, and transcribed Marx Brothers movies and memorized dialogue.

In 1984 I met Jerry Jenkins at Moody Bible Institute. He offered to help me learn to write and I took him up on the offer. In 1998, Jerry and Dr. Tim LaHaye hired me to help write the Left Behind: The Kids series. After that I worked on several other series for children and then published my first adult novel in 2008. It took more than six years to write Dogwood and find a publisher. It received a 2009 Christy Award.

My next novel, June Bug, drew its themes from the classic Victor Hugo tale, Les Miserables. Then, Almost Heaven released and also won a Christy Award, as well as the 2011 Christian Book Award for Fiction.

Not in the Heart is another riveting, suspenseful, and yet relational story. A mystery within a mystery within an addiction. I dedicate it to all who have someone in their life who is addicted. This story also received a Christy award.

Borders of the Heart is my nod toward some of the great western writers—Cormac McCarthy and Larry McMurtry. It's a love story, a painful story of loss, a mystery, and an edge-of-your-seat thriller. I hope you enjoy the ride through Tucson and the surrounding area as much as I did.

Every Waking Moment is my effort to take some of the pain and loss of life and sift it through the life of a young woman who's been marginalized in society, working among people who are marginalized (the elderly). Treha has an extraordinary gift that few observe because she's "different." Like most of my tales, it's a love story, a mystery, part thriller—but mostly a character sketch of lonely people looking for hope.

The Promise of Jesse Woods is a coming-of-age novel that will wring your heart. Part of the allure of the story is baseball, as Matt suffers twin disasters in 1972 and 1984. I'm pleased the novel was given an Award of Merit in the 2017 Christianity Today Book Awards. It's particularly poignant given the fact that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016!

I've also had the opportunity to craft novels based on film screenplays. The motion picture The Song released in September 2014, with my novel developed from Richard L. Ramsey's screenplay following later that year. I was also privileged to work on the novelization of War Room, the latest film produced by the Kendrick brothers (Courageous, Fireproof). Both film and novel were released in August 2015.

I graduated from the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. I have been married to Andrea since 1982. We have nine children. In October of 2008 our family evacuated our house in Colorado, leaving behind all our belongings because of a toxic mold situation. Since then we have been living near Tucson, Arizona, working on recovering our health after the mold exposure.

Stop by my website at www.chrisfabry.com to learn more about my writing and radio endeavors, and be sure to sign up for my online newsletter, the FABRYGRAM. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter, or you can email me at chris@chrisfabry.com.

My Thoughts...

You're in for a treat with this book. Fabulous, fantastic, you won't put it down. 
You have to read Bean and Ruby's story. Their  stories intersect very well.
Some of you will not see the end coming. You will be blown away with the ending!
Not only does this need to be a movie, so much of it rings true to the coal mining area I lived in for many years. This has to be one of the very best researched books. The details are so vivid and it reads like no fiction book I have read in the past.
If you read Hillbilly  Elegy and enjoyed it, you are going to LOVE Under a Cloudless Sky it's so much better.
This is a 5 star two times book. I HIGHLY recommend this book!
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.