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Pump Up Your Book

Book Review: Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough

February 22, 2012 by Darlene

Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough is her second book in the First Responders Series. I read From Ashes to Honor last year (my review) and liked it so I was excited to read this one as well and I wasn’t disappointed. There were many characters from the first novel that were included in this one and it was nice to see them back and find out how they were faring. With that being said you don’t have to read the first one to enjoy this one but I think it adds a lot more enjoyment to the second novel by doing so. Honor Redeemed is a novel about sacrifice and love and it will definitely tug at your heart!

Honor Mackenzie has been dealt some rough blows both in childhood and in her adult years but she’s tough and she picks up and keeps going. She began working as a firefighter after losing her fiance in the days after 9/11 but soon nasty rumors began circulating about her and both her reputation and career were soon in the dumps. Because she wants to give back and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty she decides to volunteer in search and rescue with her dogs Rowdy and Rerun and also trains both dogs and their owners in search and rescue.

Honor isn’t one for relationships so when she meets Matt she is really cautious for more than one reason – he is also a reporter and it was a reporter who had initially spread all the awful rumors about her. Matt is charming though and she is drawn to him and his sons. Yet there is always those niggling thoughts and for Honor she wonders what will happen when Matt’s little family is exposed to all the awful stories about her and for Matt his first priority is his sons and he starts to shy away from a relationship with Honor because he doesn’t want his boys hurt. Will love and faith conquer all or will Honor and Matt be torn apart?

I was pulled into this story right off and it’s because I really enjoy the author’s writing. It’s simple and just flows and I like that. I enjoy the characters she writes about and while I got frustrated with Honor more than once I still felt very drawn to her and her struggles with letting anyone close to her. I found myself very invested in the lives of those in this book and caring about where they would end up in the journey of life. I like that God and faith play a big role in everyone’s life as well. My only complaint would be that the ending was rushed and I wanted more from it. I’m looking forward to the next novel in the series as I’ve come to really enjoy Loree Lough’s work!

I read Honor Redeemed by Loree Lough for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book. Be sure to check out all the other tour stops as well and you can find Loree at her website, blog, Facebook or Twitter. Your own copy of Honor Redeemed can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.  I’ll leave you now with the Book Trailer…

 

Source:  Review copy provided by Pump Up Your Book and the Publisher via NetGalley.  No compensation was received for this review and all opinions are my own.

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Filed Under: 2012 - 100+ Books, 2012 ARC's, 2012 Book Reviews, 2012 eBooks, Pump Up Your Book

Book Review: Give Me a Break! No-Fuss Meditation by Whitney Stewart

December 5, 2011 by Darlene

Give Me a Break! No Fuss Meditation by Whitney Stewart is a wonderful little book on meditation.  It is short, to the point, easy to follow, and  is a great tool  for anyone interested in learning how to meditate and what it’s benefits are to you.

My favorite thing about this book is that it is short – a mere 33 pages I believe.  The author has made meditation very doable for the average person. So many books I’ve looked at are long and seem to have so much extra stuff in them and that immediately turns me off.  With Give Me a Break!, Whitney Stewart takes you directly into why people meditate, to how it can help you and then into how to sit, warm up relaxation and then right into several different meditations all geared towards different things which I’ll elaborate on in a minute.

First though, why do people meditate?  Well the biggest reason is it calms a person down.  It makes you focus and takes your mind which is running around in all it’s busyness to a much more peaceful place.  This is what Whitney Stewart says on why we should mediate…

‘Mediation calms you down.  It helps you find your own wisdom.  It settles your nerves and fills your mind with space.’ (page 5, eBook)

She stresses as well that meditation is about accepting yourself as you are and I think that’s really important.  In our busy world I think we often find ourselves so stressed and torn in so many different directions that we lose focus on who we really are inside.  I really believe that meditation can help us rediscover that person. 

There are several reasons to meditate but a few important ones are:  to calm down, to think clearly, to avoid overreacting, to be more patient, and to know your mind and these are just a few.  Along with where to meditate and how to sit, Whitney talks about something really important and that’s how to breathe.  Have you ever noticed when you get angry how you don’t always breathe properly – if you can focus on your breathing you’ll calm down a whole lot sooner. 

Whitney then goes on to explain several different meditations you can try and I’ll just go through a couple of my favorites.  One is the Favorite Object Meditation which has you focusing on an favorite object – drawing it in your mind and seeing it, imagining how it feels.  For me that is Sam.  If I want to focus and calm myself I will focus on him in my mind and it’s surprising how quickly I can feel my heart rate calming and my breathing returning to normal.

Another favorite of mine is Special Place Meditation and I’ve been doing this one for a long time.  This meditation involves finding a place that makes you happy.  See it in your mind.  What do you see?  What does the air feel like?  Is it sunny or cloudy?  Make sure to focus on your breathing too.  For me this place has always been a big country field with the greenest grass you can imagine.  In the middle of it is a beautiful big tree and there I am sitting on my blanket against it just looking out onto the field and enjoying the smell of the grass and the beauty around me.  It always calms me down and makes me feel peaceful. 

There are so many other great meditations though.  I really enjoyed this book and will be giving many more of the meditations a try.  I think it’s really important to be able to find a way in this busy world of ours to focus ourselves and be able to feel at peace.  It’s important for our minds and our health.  If you’re at all interested in learning to meditate I would recommend this book for the reasons I’ve stated – it’s short and too the point.  It tells you what you need to know and how to do it; all in a easy to understand and easy to follow way. 

I had the opportunity to read Give Me a Break! by Whitney Stewart for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book.  Be sure to check out what others on the tour think of the book as well.  You can find Whitney on her website as well as Twitter and Facebook.  You can pick up your own copy of Give Me a Break! by Whitney Stewart in eBook format for your Kindle, Nook, or Kobo eReaders.

Source: Review copy provided by Pump Up Your Book and the Author. No compensation was received for this review.

 

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Filed Under: 2011 Challenges, 2011•100 Books or More Challenge, 2011•ARC Tracking Challenge, 2011•eBook Tracking Challenge, Pump Up Your Book

Book Review: Space by Emily Sue Harvey

October 21, 2011 by Darlene

I have long been a fan of Emily Sue Harvey and her newest novel Space lived up to what I come to expect from her novels.  Her novels never fail to tug on my heart and always leave me feeling hopeful in life and faith.  From Song of Renewal (my review), Flavors (my review), Homefires (my review) and now with Space she has created worlds that depict life as it is in all it’s reality but with a strong emphasis on hope and faith in God.

In Space, Emily Sue Harvey tackles drug addiction and it’s very harsh effects on a family.  Deede and Dan start out life together with a fantastic marriage.  The only thing they really want is a baby and it’s the one thing they seem to be having the worst time succeeding at.  Deede goes through more tests and procedures than she can count and with each let down she feels as though it’ll never happen for them until finally the doctor tells them they won’t be able to conceive and they ultimately turn to adoption.  However God works in mysterious ways and once Deede and Dan let go of their obsession to have a baby, Deede becomes pregnant.  Months later Faith is born and Deede and Dan couldn’t be happier.

Yet not all is coming up roses.  Faith is the sweetest child but as she grows up trouble seems to be brewing in the air.  Things turn for the better for a while though when she marries and has a daughter.  It doesn’t last though and before they know it Dan and Deede learn that their daughter is a drug addict.  Faith starts on drugs innocently enough on painkillers after a surgical procedure but as these things go her drug use escalates to cocaine and further.  With this Faith’s life spirals out of control and her parent’s lives are never the same either.

Dan and Deede lose pretty much everything to Faith’s drug addiction especially after, at twenty-nine years old, she moves back in with them because she has absolutely no where else to go.  She has no job, no life, and has lost custody of her daughter – all to drugs.  The following years are a nightmare for her parents.  Faith is impossible to live with and there are many episodes in which Dan and Deedee don’t know where she is or if she is even alive.  They give up their retirement for her, their nest egg, and pretty much their whole lives just to try to save this daughter of theirs that they had once loved so much and that had given them such joy.

Space really makes us think because just what would you give up for your children if they were strung out on drugs and ultimately ruining your life along with theirs?  Would you sacrifice everything or would you resort to tough love and put your child out on the street?  For Deede the struggles are great.  She loves her daughter and wants to help her even though she knows to some extent she is enabling her.  Dan however simply pulls away after one too many stunts on Faith’s part and he just pushes her out of his life.  Deede feels pulled in both directions.  She turns to her faith to help pull her through and despite the hardships she keeps trying to believe in her daughter.

Space is a realistic look at what life could be like with a person who is addicted to drugs and out of control.  It shows the devastating effects that drug addiction has on families.  It also shows us the everlasting love of family and God.  Space is another good read from Emily Sue Harvey.  If you like novels that are emotional and Christian based then Space may just be one you’d enjoy.  I did!

I read Space by Emily Sue Harvey for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book.  Be sure to check out Emily’s website and you can purchase your own copy of Space here in the US and here in Canada.

My copy of Space by Emily Sue Harvey was received for review from Pump Up Your Book and the Publisher.

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Filed Under: 2011 Challenges, 2011•100 Books or More Challenge, 2011•ARC Tracking Challenge, 2011•eBook Tracking Challenge, Pump Up Your Book

Book Review: Veronica’s Nap by Sharon Bially

October 14, 2011 by Darlene

 

Veronica’s Nap by Sharon Bially is a fantastic read!  I’ve been struggling with my reading lately as most of you know and this was the book to pull me out of it.  I breezed through this book in one day and I can only hope my next read is as good as this one.  Veronica’s Nap takes us from New Jersey to France and then back again with a woman who seems to have everything yet is unable to find herself and what really makes her happy amid the chaos of family life.

Veronica has it all or so it seems.  On a vacation to the south of France she meets and marries the man of her dreams and goes on to have twins.  Not only does she live in an idyllic setting but her husband Didier makes sure that she has a great studio set up and a nanny who watches the twins  so she can achieve her dreams of being a painter.  The only problem is that Veronica has lost her ambition to paint and instead spends her days doing piddly jobs around the house and taking her normal two hour naps in the afternoon.

Of course this sounds fantastic but it’s not.  Veronica’s husband Didier is becoming very tired and frustrated of coming home and finding that, yet again, his wife hasn’t even attempted to paint that day.  When they met he fell in love with a woman who had dreams, was an artist, and was excited to help him pursue his dreams as well.  This woman seems to have disappeared on him and as the days pass their relationship becomes even more rocky until it explodes and has Veronica running home to mommy and daddy in New Jersey. It is there that she begins the journey back to finding out just who Veronica is and what she wants out of her life.

Veronica is a great character and one that I think so many women will relate to.  Many women struggle to figure out who they are and where they fit amid the craziness of trying to balance family life with a fulfilling job.  The author also does a wonderful job of describing Provence making you feel as though you are there and walking through the countryside.  I also enjoyed the portrayal of how cultural differences affect a relationship as Veronica is American and Didier is a Shephardic Jewish man.  I really enjoyed this novel and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

 

 I read Veronica’s Nap by Sharon Bially for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book and you can also check out what others on the tour thought of the novel here.  Be sure to visit Sharon on her website and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well.  You can pick up your own copy of Veronica’s Nap here in the US and here in Canada.

My copy of Veronica’s Nap was received for review from Pump Up Your Book and the Author.

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Filed Under: 2011 Challenges, 2011•100 Books or More Challenge, 2011•ARC Tracking Challenge, Pump Up Your Book

Book Review: The Manicurist by Phyllis Schieber

October 11, 2011 by Darlene

The Manicurist is Phyllis Schieber’s newest novel and what a captivating tale she has created with this work.  This author isn’t new to me.  I read Willing Spirits a few years ago and loved it and this novel is no different.  Phyllis writes about women, about their relationships and she does it with finesse.  In The Manicurist she takes us into the sometimes volatile world of mental illness and the damage it can do to everyone involved.  This novel is at once as heart breaking as it  is touching.

Tessa is a manicurist but that isn’t her only talent; she also has the ability to see into people’s lives, an ability she has had from a young girl.  She has a family, her husband Walter and daughter Regina, and while they look like the perfect family on the outside they really aren’t underneath it all.  Her husband has always been extremely uncomfortable with her being able to see things, with her past, with her family, and mostly he would just like it to all go away so they can live in peace.  Yet life with Tessa has never really been peaceful because she has always had a huge piece missing – her mother left her when she was just a young girl.

Tessa’s mother Ursula was bi-polar consequently Tessa’s childhood was anything but normal.  She lived in fear; always wondering when her mother’s next downward spiral would occur.  For Tessa life revolved around living through the highs and lows of her mother’s moods.  Then comes the day when tragedy strikes and her mother disappears.  From them on life for Tessa is never the same. She always wonders why her mother left her, wasn’t she a good enough girl to keep her mother with her?  This plagues Tessa and worse yet is the feeling that never leaves Tessa – that her mother is still alive somewhere.

Then one day a woman named Fran walks into the salon Tessa works in and nothing is ever the same again. There are decisions to be made, decisions that leave Tessa questioning everything about herself as a woman and as a mother.  Tessa looks back on the past and relives various times in her childhood with her mother.  She has to find forgiveness in herself or her mother in order to move on and forward in her life.

I found the characters in this novel quite complex.  Then again, I find when stories deal with mental illness in any way that the characters seem more deep and developed to me.  I really liked the character of Tessa who was so broken from her childhood yet yearning to be able to love her mother again.  If you like novels that deal with mental illness and it’s effects along with a twist of some palm reading then The Manicurist is definitely a novel you should try!

 

I read The Manicurist by Phyllis Schieber for her book tour with Pump Up Your Book.  You can see the other tour stops here and be sure to visit Phyllis’s website as well as finding her on Goodreads, Shelfari, Facebook and Twitter.  Your own copy of The Manicurist can be purchased here in the US and here in Canada.

My copy of The Manicurist was received for review from Pump Up Your Book and the publisher.

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Filed Under: 2011 Challenges, 2011•100 Books or More Challenge, 2011•ARC Tracking Challenge, 2011•eBook Tracking Challenge, Pump Up Your Book

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