Life, Repurposed By 34 Authors

 

You’ll find comfort, inspiration, and wisdom in these stories from women just like you. Every encouraging account shows hope and renewed faith as they have come through trials and tough times, including family struggles, infertility, health challenges, doubt, fear, human trafficking, depression, heartbreak, loss, and more.

In these examples of forgiveness, starting over, renewed joy, fresh faith, love, healing, acceptance, and refined hope, you’ll be inspired to experience your own story of transformation.

Plus, thought-provoking questions to use on your own for reflection or for group discussion.

Authors: Amy Marcoux, Amy Moin, Annette Warsaw, Becky Hofstad, Betty Predmore, Christina Ryan Claypool, Daphne Tarango, Darla S. Grieco, Diana Leagh Matthews, Dr. Marlene Carson, Alba Corva, Joanie Shawhan, Jodie Cooper, Kathy Carlton Willis, Kolleen Lucariello, Linda L. Kruschke, Maureen Cresencia Kambarami, Maureen Hager, Meaghan Jackson, Meg Glesener, Michele Morin, Nancy Graves, Natalie Lavelock, Ree Boado, RL Seaton, Robyn Mulder, Ruth Black, Sarah Buckland, Shannon Anderson, Sue Donaldson, Susan Macias, Teresa Janzen, Terri Prahl, Tracey Russell

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Life, Repurposed: Stories of Grace, Hope, and Restored Faith: Rayburn, Michelle, Rubietta, Jane: 9780988528666: Books (amazon.com)

Christina Ryan Claypool is an award-winning freelance journalist and inspirational speaker who has been featured on Joyce Meyer Ministries Enjoying Everyday Life TV show and on CBN's 700 Club. She is a past National 1st Place Amy Writing Awards recipient and Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor.

Her fictional, "Secrets of the Pastor's Wife: A Novel," is an entertaining and inspiring read, designed to be used for Inspirational book clubs or women's ministry groups to promote emotional and spiritual healing. Claypool is also an Ohio Associated Press Media Editors' award-winning newspaper columnist, former TV reporter, and the author of several Christian recovery books. The autobiographical title, "Seeds of Hope for Survivors," chronicles the writer's own amazing journey of surviving a near fatal suicide attempt and confinement in a state mental institution as a teen to having a successful life today.

Christina has a B. A. from Bluffton University and an M.A. from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, where she served as an adjunct instructor in the Communications Department. She is married to a public school administrator, and has an adult son. Besides her "boys," she adores coffee and chocolate. Her website is www.christinaryanclaypool.com.

My Thoughts...

I read The Treasured Hoosier Cabinet by Claypool and was sort of sad the novella was so short I wanted more. I loved the Renew and Restore and the end of the novella. This is such an uplifting book and it would make a fantastic gift. I am recommending this one for 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.

The Surgeon's Daughter by Audrey Blake

 

Women's work is a matter of life and death.

Nora Beady, the only female student at a prestigious medical school in Bologna, is a rarity. In the 19th century women are expected to remain at home and raise children, so her unconventional, indelicate ambitions to become a licensed surgeon offend the men around her.

Everything changes when she allies herself with Magdalena Morenco, the sole female doctor on-staff. Together the two women develop new techniques to improve a groundbreaking surgery: the Cesarean section. It's a highly dangerous procedure and the research is grueling, but even worse is the vitriolic response from men. Most don't trust the findings of women, and many can choose to deny their wives medical care.

Already facing resistance on all sides, Nora is shaken when she meets a patient who will die without the surgery. If the procedure is successful, her work could change the world. But a failure could cost everything: precious lives, Nora's career, and the role women will be allowed to play in medicine.

Perfect for book clubs and for fans of Marie Benedict, Tracey Enerson Wood, and Sarah Penner comes a captivating celebration of women healthcare workers throughout history.

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The Surgeon's Daughter: A Novel: Blake, Audrey: 9781728228754: Amazon.com: Books

Audrey Blake has a split personality— because she is the creative alter ego of writing duo Jaima Fixsen and Regina Sirois, two authors who met as finalists of a writing contest and have been writing together happily ever since. They share a love of history, nature, literature, and stories of redoubtable women. Both are inseparable friends and prairie girls despite living thousands of miles apart. Jaima hails from Alberta, Canada, and Regina calls the wheatfields of Kansas home.

Mulberry Hollow By Denise Hunter

 

When a handsome handyman faces a medical emergency on the Appalachian trail, his sudden appearance in town challenges an ambitious doctor’s plan to remain single for life.

Avery Robinson decided to be a physician after helplessly watching her mother lose a battle with a terrible disease. Now at risk of developing the same illness, Avery guards her heart from love. She’s driven to protect her loved ones as a workaholic doctor in the tiny mountain town of Riverbend Gap, North Carolina.

Contractor Wes Garrett is hiking the Appalachian trail, in memory of the man who died saving his life, when an illness racks his body. After an agonizing fifteen-mile hike to Avery’s clinic, he collapses on her doorstep. He recovers to find himself in debt again—but this time to a beautiful doctor.

When he decides to help her renovate a rundown carriage house, the obstacles to their attraction sprout like weeds—starting with the woman waiting for Wes at the end of the trail. Will he be able to relinquish the debt he owes his best friend? And will Avery find the courage to risk everything for love?

This second book in Denise Hunter’s popular Riverbend Romance series explores what it might be like to live fearlessly and free.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                    Amazon - Mulberry Hollow (A Riverbend Romance): Hunter, Denise: 9780785240532: Books

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of forty novels, three of which have been adapted into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 Club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader's Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories, peopled with layered characters who have real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she's been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn't orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking chai lattes, hiking, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest and two beautiful granddaughters.

You can learn more about Denise through her website www.DeniseHunterBooks.com or by visiting her FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter

My Thoughts...

I loved returning to Riverbend. Hunter is one of my favorite romance authors and she did not disappoint with this second book in her Riverbend Romance series.I loved me time with Avery and Wes. I cannot wait for book three to hit my doorstep. 4.5 stars I highly recommend this series The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Birds of California by Katie Cotugno

 

Former child actor Fiona St. James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn. The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she’d lost her mind. Now in her late twenties, Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her. She’s finally regained a modicum of privacy, and she won’t let anything—or anyone—mess it up.

Unlike Fiona, Sam Fox, who played her older brother on the popular television show Birds of California, loves the perks that come with being a successful Hollywood actor: fame, women, parties, money. When his current show gets cancelled and his agent starts to avoid his calls, the desperate actor enthusiastically signs on for a Birds of California revival. But to make it happen, he needs Fiona St. James.

Against her better judgment, Fiona agrees to have lunch with Sam. What happens next takes them both by surprise. Sam is enthralled by Fiona’s take-no-prisoners attitude, and Fiona discovers a lovable goofball behind Sam’s close-up-ready face. Long drives to the beach, late nights at dive bars . . . theirs is the kind of kitschy romance Hollywood sells. But just like in the rom-coms Fiona despises, there’s a twist that threatens her new love. Sam doesn’t know the full story behind her breakdown. What happens when she reveals the truth?

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Birds of California: A Novel: Cotugno, Katie: 9780063159143: Amazon.com: Books

Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven messy, complicated feminist YA love stories including 99 Days, How to Love, Fireworks, Top Ten, 9 Days & 9 Nights, You Say It First, and Liar’s Beach (Delacorte, 2022), as well a forthcoming adult novel, Birds of California (Harper Perennial, 2022). She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, and the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, among others, and translated into more than fifteen languages. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, as well as many other literary magazines. Katie studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. She lives in Boston with her family. 

My Thoughts...

I really enjoyed this one. It's a fast read and I love to read about TV stars. Cotugno really makes you want to crawl in the book and live. 

This is a must read 4 star 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.

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

 

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek? 

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care. 

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too.

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What Remains True: A Novel: Naigle, Nancy: 9780593193617: Amazon.com: Books

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a whole lot of heart. She began her popular contemporary romance series, Adams Grove while juggling a successful career in finance and life on a seventy-six-acre farm. Over twenty-five novels later, Nancy is a Romance Writers of America and ACFW Honor Roll author. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and received favorable reviews from major trade journals. Nancy's latest release, THE SHELL COLLECTOR, is a touching novel of a friendship that crosses generations, and learning how even the smallest gifts can change a life for good.

Crown Media has adapted several of Nancy's novels for Hallmark Channel, and Nancy novelized three Hallmark Original Movies set in the town of Evergreen. Hallmark fans may have recently enjoyed The Secret Ingredient and new in 2021 Sand Dollar Cove in the Summer Nights programming-both inspired by her novels.

Now happily retired from a career in the financial industry, this Virginia girl devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and horseback riding with friends.

Download a complete list of Nancy's books at www.NancyNaigle.com, then stay up to date with future releases by joining Nancy's free newsletter -or-visit her on facebook and twitter (@nancynaigle)

Hugs and happy reading~

My thoughts...

I fell in love with Adam, Zan, and Merry Anna. I loved the cowboy showing Merry Anna how to make homemade strawberry pies. Flipping flour on her was so cute. This was a fast fun read and I hope to see it on the big screen soon. 

5 stars and I HIGHLY 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.

The Ravenous Dead By Darcy Coates

 

USA Today bestseller and rising queen of atmospheric horror Darcy Coates returns with a ghost story that will haunt you long after the final page.

Keira, hired as Blighty Graveyard's new groundskeeper, lives surrounded by the dead. They watch her through the fog. They wordlessly cry out. They've been desperately waiting for help moving on―and only Keira can hear them. But not every restless spirit wants to be saved.

Sometimes the dead hate the living too much to find peace.

As Keira struggles to uncover the tangled histories of some of the graveyard's oldest denizens, danger seeps from the darkest edges of the forest. A vicious serial killer was interred among the trees decades before, his spirit twisted by his violent nature. He's furious. Ravenous. And when Keira unwittingly answers his call, she may just seal her fate as his final intended victim.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                    The Ravenous Dead (Gravekeeper, 2): Coates, Darcy: 9781728239224: Amazon.com: Books

Darcy is the USA Today Bestselling author of Hunted, The Haunting of Ashburn House, Craven Manor, and more than a dozen horror and suspense titles.

She lives on the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cats, and a garden full of herbs and vegetables.

Darcy loves forests, especially old-growth forests where the trees dwarf anyone who steps between them. Wherever she lives, she tries to have a mountain range close by.

You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/subscribe

the Floating Girls by Lo Patrick

 

The backwaters of Georgia hold many buried secrets. But they won't stay buried forever.

One hot, sticky summer in Bledsoe, Georgia, twelve-year-old Kay Whitaker stumbles across a stilt house in a neighboring marsh and upon Andy Webber, a boy about her age. He and his father have recently moved back to Georgia from California, and rumors of the suspicious drowning death of Andy's mother years earlier have chased them there and back.

Kay is fascinated and enamored with Andy, and she doesn't listen when her father tells her to stay away from the Webbers. But when Kay's sister goes missing, the mystery of Mrs. Webber's death―and Kay's parents' potential role in it―comes to light. Kay and her brothers must navigate the layers of secrets that emerge in the course of the investigation as their family, and the world as they knew it, unravels around them.

At once wickedly funny and heartbreaking, it is an immersive coming-of-age story narrated by a feisty, smart, yet undeniably vulnerable girl reminiscent of a modern-day Scout Finch―a character who will live in readers' hearts for a long time to come.

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                   Amazon.com: The Floating Girls: A Novel: 9781728248752: Patrick, Lo: Books

No photo provided of the author.

LO PATRICK is a former lawyer and current novelist living in the suburbs of Atlanta. The Floating Girls is her debut.