Home Run By: Travis Thrasher

Cory Brand is a major league baseball player. He has run from his past to embrace a future that is slipping away from him. Cory can’t accept who he is based on his past and the circumstances that have made him the man he is today. His father was an alcoholic and had anger issues. That has passed down to Cory as well. He finds that you can’t hide from your past, but you can control how you react to your past. JT and Celebrate Recovery try to teach him how to forgive his past and to let God control his future. Will Cory Brand realize before it is too late that he is powerless without God, but with His help he can find a freedom from his pain and his habits? Or, will he lose the only things that matter to him, his family and his gift for hitting home runs? Cory and Emma dated in high school. When she told him she was pregnant, he jumped at his chance to play for the big leagues. Now, back home holds memories he can’t come home and face. The old barn when Cory’s father held batting practice, his brother Clay whom he tried protecting from his father’s anger, and the child he never saw. Travis Thrasher does an amazing job of portraying real-life characters that you can relate to and pull for. Habits can be hard to break; pain can be hard to accept. But with God, and taking it one day at a time, you can overcome. Home Run is filled with encouragement and support. Hearing the stories at the Celebrate Recovery meetings, reading the encouragements of God’s forgiveness and grace, and realizing these characters are not perfect—just like in real life—make this a must read book. Home Run will make you cry, laugh, sigh, gasp, and cheer from page one to the end. I look forward to reading more books by Travis Thrasher. I received this book from bookfun.org in return for my honest opinion.

Greater By: Steven Furtick

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I expected to be motivated to be more than I was before I read the book, but I didn’t know what that would entail. This book, Greater, has changed how I look at things. In the beginning, Furtick states, “I want you simply to ask the Lord, in this moment, to begin to open your eyes—by faith—and help you perceive that He has greater things in store for your future.” Do you know what God wants you to be doing for Him? Do you know the kind of life God has in store for you? If not, this book is for you. God is looking for people who are willing to listen to Him and move when He says. Are you willing? This book will show you how to have: The confidence to know that nothing is impossible with Him The clarity to see the next step He’s calling you to take The courage to do anything He tells you to do See the impossible become possible. Take the first step, and God will meet you there in ways you never expected. The study questions at the end make this a great study book for one on one study or a group study. I just wish I had found this book sooner. For confirmation, the very weekend I was reading this book, a preacher preached his sermon on the topic Good Enough. Topics in this book were brought out in his sermon. Yes, it is time for me to step out in faith and do what God has called me to do! Pick up this book today and watch your life be transformed in God.

Rare Earth By: Davis Bunn

Rare Earth is an adventurous page turner revealing what happens when once-obscure minerals are discovered in Africa. How far will the Chinese go to retain the monopoly on these rare earths? Marc Royce finds out—all the way. What does it mean to be a hero? For most, it is to be called a great man. For Marc Royce, it is the true meaning—sacrifice. He is brought in as an accountant to audit a relief organization in Africa at a Kenyan refugee camp. Serge Korban is a medical technician who has been kidnapped and is presumed dead. Kitra Korban is his sister and is a nurse. They were working together in Africa at this refugee camp when he was abducted. A conversation in the beginning between Royce and Kitra set up the novel, “Think about it. I have been inserted into a critical situation. After an investigation that has stretched across three continents. No matter how much you love your brother, even you have to accept that more is at stake than one man’s disappearance.” Once I read this sentence, I was hooked on the book and wanted to see what was going on. A volcano could erupt at any time. Who can Royce trust to figure out what is going and why and who is involved? Lodestone employees, camp officials, church elders, UN officials, who can be trusted? Royce must find out in order to put his plan into motion to save the refugees, their villages, and protect the rare earths from getting into the wrong hands. And all has to be accomplished before the clock stops ticking. After reading this book, I will be looking for more Davis Bunn books! If you enjoy a heart-stopping thriller with page turning action, you will love this book! The descriptions of the scene in the hotel room where Royce is hiding from his attackers, the story of the baobab tree, and the final phase of going after the enemy, are a priceless piece to the story and are a pleasure to see happening as I read the book. I received this book free from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.

Swept Away By Mary Connealy

I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for a review. What do you do when the family you are in beats you? See what happens when a group of friends band together to seek justice in the Old West. Ruthy MacNeil’s parents died and Ma and Pa Reinhardt take her in to do all their chores and marry their son Virgil. They are headed west in a wagon train when they try to cross a river and are swept away. Only Ruthy survives. Luke Stone’s father was killed and Flint Greer has taken over his ranch while he was gone. Now that Luke is back, he is after justice and getting his ranch back. But how can he do that with all the gunfighters Greer has hired watching who comes and goes? Luke’s friends Jonas Cahill the parson, Vince Yates the lawyer, Dare Rikerthe doctor, and Big John are willing to help Luke, but will the whole town be destroyed in the process? And what should Luke do with Ruthy now that he has saved her from the Reinhardts and the river? She’s the workingest woman he’s ever seen, but is she the woman for Luke? Greer took over Mr. Stone’s ranch and then decided to find a wife. He marries Glynna but soon starts beating her and scaring her kids. How can Glynna escape with her life and keep her kids safe? Dare has been called to the ranch twice to tend to Glynna’s injuries. He finally realizes she isn’t clumsy but is being beaten. Can he help her and the kids escape as he helps Luke get his ranch back? If you enjoy a great Christian romance set in the old West this is the story for you! I can’t wait to read the rest of the stories in this series. Mary Connealy blends humor, faith, romance, and friendship into this series. By the time you finish this first book, you will have found new friends!

The Difference You Make By: Pat Williams

I received this book from TBCN in exchange for a review. I was excited to get to read this book. The subtitle says it all: Changing Your World Through the Impact of your Influence. You have been influenced by many things; you have influence. How can you be an influence? Read this book to find out! This book is about Pat Williams and his battle with multiple myeloma, his position in professional sports, and his journey as a father. This book gives you tips on how to use your influence wisely. You can influence others by the way you treat them, you words, and accepting responsibility for your impact on others. There are sections in this book on the influence of our actions, words, and how to be a Christian of influence. Once you finish this book, you will understand how to be a true influencer: If we truly want to influence our world and the people around us, we must begin with prayer. The last quote in the book is the best: The difference you make tomorrow begins with the decisions you make today. For encouragement and inspiration, check this book out today!

When the Heart Heals By: Ann Shorey

I received this book from TBCN in exchange for a review. This is the first book I have read by Ann Shorey; I will be looking for more! She captured me on page one and I didn’t want to stop reading until I had finished When the Heart Heals. Rosemary Saxon used to be a nurse during the Civil War and then she moved to Noble Springs, Missouri. Elijah Stewart is the doctor in town and Rosemary decides she needs to find a job. She goes to Elijah hoping he will hire her as his nurse. She has the skills required, but during this time women are looked down upon as nurses. Some of the older people still feel like there is no place in medicine for women in any capacity. Will Elijah give her the chance she needs? What happens when Rosemary is threatened? She receives a note from a stranger, finds tracks of someone in her yard, and her actions come under scrutiny by her employer. Will Rosemary listen or do as she pleases? You will thoroughly enjoy this book! Rosemary and Elijah are very likable characters; both are headstrong and think they know best. Their bantering keeps you shaking your head, wondering how they could ever get along. The plot keeps you turning the page to see what is going to happen next. This book is for anyone who loves a great story. I cannot wait to read more by Ann Shorey.

Shattered By: Dani Pettrey

I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review. Shattered grabbed me from page one and wouldn’t let go! The characters are fully developed and the plot is very suspenseful. The evidence presented is enough to have Reef McKenna arrested; how can his sister prove his innocence? Reef McKenna is arrested for killing Karli Davis. His sister Piper knows he didn’t do it. Deputy Landon Grainger is a friend of the family, but he believes the evidence will prove Reef’s guilt or innocence, regardless of how this affects Piper’s feelings toward him! Landon grew up thinking people lie; evidence doesn’t. Can he learn to trust the people he loves; can he learn to trust God? Piper must learn trust as well. When she sees Becky in Landon’s house, can she trust Landon that nothing happened, or will she trust the evidence? Shattered takes you on an adventure to prove Reef’s innocence. Why was Reef found standing over Karli’s body with the murder weapon in his hand? Who wanted Karli dead? What happened to Karli’s mother? Each clue leads Landon and Piper further into Canada’s backcountry and closer to each other. Can they learn to trust each other? If you are looking for a great suspenseful mystery that will keep you turning the pages, this is the book for you! Submerged is the first book in the series, but you can read this book as a stand-alone. There are more books coming in the series. I cannot wait to read more books by this author!