Starting from the want we all feel in life at some point, @meredith_mcdaniel, in “In want + plenty” walks the reader through how to recognise and appreciate the manna God provides each day. She shares her hope that “using the book of Exodus as our guide, we will travel together on a narrative journey—a quest if you will—to trace the hand of our Creator throughout a 440-plus-year wilderness.”...[read more]

Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler is not designed to be an easy read. It works to make the reader uncomfortable enough to make a change for the better, to engage with human vulnerability, what it means and how to recognise it. Raleigh remarks “Human trafficking happens anywhere there is vulnerability.” Slavery is at the heart of this discussion but it is woven with Biblical truths and a study what being vulnerable means, positively and negatively...

Vulnerable by Raleigh Sadler is not designed to be an easy read. It works to make the reader uncomfortable enough to make a change for the better, to engage with human vulnerability, what it means and how to recognise it. Raleigh remarks “Human trafficking happens anywhere there is vulnerability.” Slavery is at the heart of this discussion but it is woven with Biblical truths and a study what being vulnerable means, positively and negatively...

#TheSolidGroundsCoffeeCompany focuses on two characters which have added greatly to the previous two books and it‘s lovely to see them both in the limelight. Because of a string of unhappy circumstances, both Ana and Bryan end up at a loose end. Bryan feels called to purchase a coffee farm and open a coffee roastery. Ana soon finds herself using her marketing and business savvy to help Bryan get it off the ground...[read more]

Having enjoyed a previous Kew Gardener‘s Guide, I was excited to open their latest release focusing on growing orchids. I‘ve tried a couple of times to be a healthy home for orchids to no avail, I hoped the book would guide me on where I went wrong.

The book begins with a short but interesting history of orchids before outlining each kind of orchid describing where to grow each and how to do it as well as beautiful illustrations and photos.

The phrase Jordan Raynor‘s latest book, Master of One, speaks to the importance of working within one‘s strengths and doing the work we are designed for. In a culture that consistently calls one to broaden one‘s skill set, do more, take on more, it stands in sharp contrast. Based on Biblical truths, Jordan systematically unpacks the concepts, it‘s importance and how to find your “one thing”.

My appreciation of ferns came from my mum who is so fond of them and grew when we purchased a home with a garden filled with them. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about their biology, history and variants...[read more]

https://moonglotexas.com/2020/01/17/book-review-the-complete-book-of-ferns-by-mo...

#thecompletebookofferns #ferns #netgalley #bookreview #garden #gardening #bookstagram #amreading #currentlyreading

My appreciation of ferns came from my mum who is so fond of them and grew when we purchased a home with a garden filled with them. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about their biology, history and variants...[read more]

https://moonglotexas.com/2020/01/17/book-review-the-complete-book-of-ferns-by-mo...

#thecompletebookofferns #ferns #netgalley #bookreview #garden #gardening #bookstagram #amreading #currentlyreading

This is my first experience with a Robert Whitlow novel and Promised Land is a fascinating journey! Crossing back and forth between the Middle East and America, the story follows lawyer Hana and her husband Daud, a highly trained agent as they work to unravel the mystery surrounding them...[read more]

https://moonglotexas.com/2020/01/13/book-review-promised-land-by-robert-whitlow/

#netgalley #bookreview #amreading #currentlyreading

The next in Roseanna M. White The Codebreakers series, “On Wings of Devotion” focuses on Major Camden‘s story answering all the questions in “The Number of Love”. Nurse Arabella finds her life colliding with Cam‘s and soon he decides he has to be her protector, whether she wants it or not. Seeing the struggle Cam is battling after the death of his squadron, Ara determines to show him God‘s love and help him through the pain...[read more]

I recently begun a third marked advanced and so, in picking up this book, I hoped to find new and interesting patterns which would expand my knowledge. You can imagine my disappointment when I couldn‘t find one pattern which I could confidently begin. The majority include techniques I‘ve never heard of as well as having row upon row of lace pattern with no “relief” row of just knit or purl as well as hundreds of stitches per row.

As the title suggests, The Pollinator Victory Garden is all about helping our bees, wasps, butterflies and other pollinators succeed in a world which is at war with them. So much of their environment has suffered through human actions and this book sets out to help the reader create a haven for these much needed part of the natural world.

If you are looking for guidance for how to make your garden a pollinator haven, this is one to read!

In “Try Softer”, Aundi Kolber challenges us to change the rhythms of our lives from hustle and rush to a gentler pace, one of mindfulness and compassion.

It is broken into two parts, the first is called “The Process of Becoming” in which Aundi breaks down how we form our relationships....[read more]

https://moonglotexas.com/2020/01/06/book-review-try-softer-by-aundi-kolber/

Having tackled a few small home improvement projects, the Black & Decker Complete Photo Guide to Outdoor Building book appealed to develop my understanding from there. Particularly, we have several garden paths which need renewing and I appreciate the clear explanation and photos which makes the process so much easier to understand...[read more]

#seconds to live, by Susan Sleeman, opens with a witness in danger, Dustee, and US Marshall Taylor Mills trying to save her. The action doesn‘t stop from the opening page and this suspense thriller has it all. FBI agent and RED team leader, Sean Nichols, arrives on the scene with news that the Witness Protection database has been hacked explaining how Dustee was discovered and now thousands of lives are at stake.

Sumo-e (Japanese) or shuimo (Chinese) quick stroke painting is based on Chinese calligraphy and the focus of Virginia Lloyd-Davies new book Mindful Artist Sumi-e Painting. It is a fascinating and beautiful art form. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the various examples of it within the book, it‘s visually gorgeous!

Sumo-e (Japanese) or shuimo (Chinese) quick stroke painting is based on Chinese calligraphy and the focus of Virginia Lloyd-Davies new book Mindful Artist Sumi-e Painting. It is a fascinating and beautiful art form. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the various examples of it within the book, it‘s visually gorgeous!

Silence Sings is a novel which is hard to fit into a category. It is set in 1930 in West Virginia with two families stuck in a feud. At the opening, another murder has occurred. The death is that of Colman‘s cousin and it prompts him to reconsider the origins and point of the feud. He feels prompted by God to preach to his family‘s enemy, Serepta. He tries to avoid the calling but life circumstances lands him in the midst of Serepta‘s territory.

The conclusion to Kristi Ann Hunter‘s awesome Haven Manor series, A Pursuit of Home was always going to be a Christian historical romance…which it is but it is also a fabulous mystery adventure! I loved Jess from the first book but she really sparkles in this novel. Derek, our historian, is the perfect companion for this journey and the two bounce off each other creating delightful, entertaining and heartfelt dialogue...[read more]

I am so glad this is a start of a series and I‘ll be able to return to this delightful small town and wonderful characters.

Jaime Jo Wright has an amazing ability to write thrilling split-time fiction! In Echoes among the Stones, she weaves a 1946 murder into a modern-day cemetery mystery. Captivating from the first page, I raced through it wanting to know who killed Imogen‘s sister, Hazel and why and equally wanting to know how it would relate to the modern day story.

All in all, another stellar read, one not to be missed!

In this continuation of the #DaughtersOfTheMayflower, Shannon McNear places us at the centre of the American civil war. The Rebel Bride opens with our leading man, and Unionist, Joshua, being injured, taken captive and delivered into the care of our leading lady, and rebel, Pearl.

Both Pearl and Joshua have made little room in their lives to comprehend how the other side perceives the war and how similar the feelings of the two sides...

After coming to love historical novels, I discovered a large gap in my knowledge of the development of the United States. The historical fiction series The Daughters of the Mayflower began the journey raising so many interesting questions and giving me a snapshot of what really transpired at the close of each novel. Dreams of El Dorado by H.W. Brands is the continuation of that journey for me and it‘s been a great education!

In “A Girl‘s Guide to the Outback” by Jessica Kate Writing, our leading lady, Kimberly, has the reader hooked with her wit and sass! She‘s balanced by our leading man, Samual, who is full of practicality and Australian humour. Whilst the story begins in America, it swiftly moves to the Australian outback, the perfect setting for this romantic comedy with a beautiful heart...[read more]

Being in #SouthAfrica, I don‘t often get #booklaunch team swag - @revellbooks and @nataliewalters_writer, I don‘t know how you did it but thank you so much!
If you haven‘t discovered the #HarboredSecrets series yet or read #deadlydeceit, this is one to get! It‘s brilliant!
#bookstagram #amreading #currentlyreading #greatfiction

“All creativity left Vivian DeMarco in the face of small-town news.” - Opening line of Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters, Writer

The second in Natalie Walter‘s Harbored Secrets‘ series, Deadly Deceit focuses on Vivian DeMarco and Ryan Frost‘s stories. We met them in the first story, Living Lies, and all the delightful townspeople return to this one as well.

Genealogist, Jillian and family lawyer, Nolan are the narrators and the delightful father-daughter duo who, once again, lead us through the story.

Having received a piece of the historical puzzle of his family, Tucker‘s world shatters. Disengaging with his world, he escapes to Canyon Mines and the locals befriend him.

It is a wonderful conclusion to a great young adult (but enjoyable to any adult) series. These characters are so interesting, I would happily spend more book-time with all of them! Christian principles are gently instilled and the importance of love, sacrifice and kindness highlighted. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it‘s five out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale!

“For the purpose of this book, I have defined a garden weed as ‘a plant that reproduces seemingly uncontrollably‘.” I loved this definition and swiftly warmed to Jack Wallington‘s theme in Wild about Weeds! He goes on to speak of plants which, in South Africa, would be considered prized, sold in nurseries and shared amongst friends. I chuckled at the idea of them being considered a weed in a far more moist country like England.

❤️ Hilton, South Africa
🧡 32
💛 #netgalley and as a brand strategist in my own business
💚 single
💙 third he/she
💜 my horse‘s name

A is a continuation of the Uncommon Justice series following on from book one, I sat down to enjoy reconnecting with characters of which I was already fond. Heath McKade is our leading man in this one and he reconnects with his childhood friend, Harper, as she flees the scene of witnessing a murder.

Whilst the sheriff doubts Harper‘s story, there is no supporting evidence, Heath comes to her aid and they continue to investigate... [read more]

“If the opening sentences of what you write are just right, they can be a balm to readers and a joy to you.”

Andrew T. Le Peau sets out in #WriteBetter to share his wisdom and experience gained through years of writing and editing. He creates an extensive book which offers inspiration and guidance whilst also being a reference.

https://moonglotexas.com/2019/10/18/book-review-write-better-by-andrew-t-le-peau...

“If the opening sentences of what you write are just right, they can be a balm to readers and a joy to you.”

Andrew T. Le Peau sets out in #WriteBetter to share his wisdom and experience gained through years of writing and editing. He creates an extensive book which offers inspiration and guidance whilst also being a reference.

https://moonglotexas.com/2019/10/18/book-review-write-better-by-andrew-t-le-peau...

The next in the Lost Princesses series, Jody Hedlund‘s Foremost connects us with the second princess, the eldest twin, Maribel, just as she‘s about to turn 18. Unlike her sister Adelaide who has been raised in a family, Maribel has been raised by nuns in a hidden abbey far away from the outside world. Unaware of her royal status, she believes she is destined to join the abbey and become a nun to use her healing gifts.

This is more of a practice than a book, more meditation than reading. This is one you will want to muse over, journal and spend time soaking in, I loved it! Making time in the day to chew over life questions is so important and drawing closer to God is so restorative. Through eight key questions, Gem and Alan guide the reader on a journey to clarify one‘s role in God‘s kingdom, one‘s value and how one can glorify God further.

Lori Benton has written an amazing novel which takes the reader into the midst of the tensions rising in 1774 Ohio-Kentucky frontier between Native American and Colonists. The characters are so well-constructed, there are no bad guys but rather complex emotions and dilemmas, broken hearts and homes. Many Sparrows begins with massacre of a Native American‘s family presumably at the hands of the Colonists and sets in motion the events of the novel.

“My objective is to challenge, encourage, and inspire you...to view your work as a calling or vocation.” The quote above outlines what Shundrawn Thomas sets out to do in Discover Joy In Work and he does just that. He established joy as the measure for work, rather than engagement, and places it within the Christian construct.

Read more: https://moonglotexas.com/2019/09/13/book-review-discover-joy-in-work-by-shundraw...

From the cover, I knew this book would be fast-paced and suspenseful, I wasn‘t wrong. In true Colleen Coble style, Strands of Truth had me enraptured from the prologue to the final page. Though this is a stand-alone novel, I grew so attached to the characters‘ journey, I‘d have loved it to go on.

A delight from start to finish! As in her previous novels, Jen‘s leading lady, Poppy Garrison, is full of surprises, gusto and independence! Set in the 1880s, these characteristics make her remarkable amongst the New York High Society. Reginald Blackburn, our leading man, is a English aristocrat unaccustomed to a woman like Poppy. He relishes the challenged given by her grandmother to teach her the ways of society.

A delight from start to finish! As in her previous novels, Jen‘s leading lady, Poppy Garrison, is full of surprises, gusto and independence! Set in the 1880s, these characteristics make her remarkable amongst the New York High Society. Reginald Blackburn, our leading man, is a English aristocrat unaccustomed to a woman like Poppy. He relishes the challenged given by her grandmother to teach her the ways of society.

“The sun was the same, but that was all. Blindingly hot, it hung low on the horizon as if dangled there by an invisible string.”

A brilliant allegory of the book of Ruth, it captures the reader from its opening lines with vivid and emotive writing. Knowing the narrative, I didn‘t anticipate the suspense created, it is a page-turner! Set in the 1860s, shortly after the revolt in India to British rule, the historical landscape is perfect for unpacking much of the trauma and healing the four short chapters in the Bible leave out whilst creating an amazing parallel.

Lady Adelaide, riding into a jousting championship dressed as a man, begins the novel as she means to go on, turning paradigms upside down and fighting for what she believes in! She‘s lived unaware of her royal status in the Langley‘s country home growing up with their two sons, Christopher and Mitchell, as friends. They come to her defense as the king begins his pursuit to capture her.

Set in 1813, #MidnightontheRiverGrey by Abigail Wilson emphasizes the struggle single, young women faced. Rebecca, having lost her parents and brother, is forced to be under the guardianship of the unknown Mr Browning, the inheritor of their wealth. Independent in spirit and mind, Rebecca bucks against the traces but, along with Aunt Jo, she has no alternative to moving to Greybourne Hall and live with Mr Browning.

#reviewathon #netgalley

At the end of Mind Games, I couldn‘t wait to start the next one and Fire Storm doesn‘t disappoint! Kaely has driven to care for her ill mother with whom her relationship has been strained for years. To this, a recent spate of home fires is added and Kaely immediately sees its more than just coincidence. She determines she has to help the small town find out what‘s really going on.

Fast-paced and action-packed, I read it straight through.

As a war closes, the losing royals struggle to protect their infant children and thrust them into the arms of Lance, a highly trained knight, and Felicia, a friend of the Queen and the race to safety begins. [read more]

https://moonglotexas.com/2019/08/09/book-review-always-by-jody-hedlund/

From the first page, #TheKillingTide by Dani Pettrey keeps a cracking, action-packed, pace full of tension and suspense. The ”good guys” are all awesome and I loved seeing the investigations unfold from their multiple viewpoints, and without repetition, it‘s been beautifully done!

Our leading ladies are feisty, intelligent and determined. The gents are equally well-rounded and the team gels together fabulously.

From the first line, I was hooked (as anyone with a favourite mug would be), the writing is so comforting and warm, conversational but interesting. Curious, I had to keep going!

Meri‘s journey is the centre piece of the story but genealogist, Jillian and family lawyer, Nolan are the narrators and the delightful father-daughter duo who lead us through the story.

Thinking about doing an online Bible study? Check out P31 OBS‘ “Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner”! It starts June 17. Here are just a few things you get when you sign up:
🌟A study that fits your busy schedule, any time and anywhere!
🌟Six videos to hear from author Wendy Blight and Proverbs 31 staff as we gather to set the tone for the week.
🌟A Bible Study Companion to help you get into God's Word and His promises for you.

After thoroughly enjoying More Than Meets The Eye, I began its sequel by Karen Witemeyer, excited to see how Zach‘s tale would unfold. Abigail is a delight from the first page and a wonderful counterbalance to Zach. To keep control of her bakery she must marry a man who will respect her business savvy. Attracted to one another, the marriage between Zach and Abigail solves the problem and also offers the opportunity for love to grow.