"Aloha Rose" by Lisa Carter

Laney was adopted as a child into a loving family. While she loves them very much, she never knew who her birth family was, or what her family history was. Her only real clue is a Hawaiian quilt with a red snowflake on a white background. What does this have to do with her birth family? Will her answers be found in Hawaii?

Laney would like to know more about who she is, where she came from, something most everyone wants to know. As an adopted child, it can be difficult to find the information. When she sees a picture of her quilt on the Internet, hope rises within her. She sets out looking for the family on the big island of Hawaii, only to find that they would like to meet her as well. But, Kai stands in her way. The family has done well, and he wants to make sure no one takes advantage of them. Their relationship is anything but smooth, but they do get to know each other during the helicopter tours he takes her on. Will Hawaii be the place Laney finds the missing parts of her history? Will it be where she finds love?

"Aloha Rose" is a wonderful story about adoption, rejection, love, and hope. I enjoyed "seeing" the story from different perspectives, hoping Laney would get to have a relationship with her birth family. I recommend this book to any reader who enjoys reading stories that lift them up. I received my reveiw copy from Litfuse Publishing in exchange for participation in the blog tour.

Book Info

About the book: When Laney Carrigan's adoptive parents encourage her as an adult to seek out her birth family, her only clue is the Lokelani quilt in which she was found wrapped as an infant. Centering her search on the Big Island, she battles fears of rejection from a family that abandoned her once before while her faith struggles to embrace God's love. Along the path to her true heritage, she meets Hawaiian cowboy/helicopter pilot, Kai Barnes. Kai is determined to protect the people he's come to regard as family against a woman he suspects of being nothing more than a gold-digger, but he finds himself drawn to Laney in spite of his reservations. He's spent his entire life seeking forgiveness from past mistakes and longs for a second chance at happiness.  Laney's painstaking journey to find restoration and a place to belong among the breathtaking allure of the Big Island will lead her closer to her past and maybe even something more. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/qKmVW Meet the author: Lisa Carter has been published in MomSense andChristian Parenting Today. Lisa is currently teaching music at a preschool and enjoying the enthusiasm and joy for life for which preschoolers are famous. She and David have two beautiful daughters. Find out more at:http://www.quiltsoflovebooks.com

Blog Tour Schedule
Landing page:   http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/quilts-of-love-the-christmas-quilt-and-aloha-rose

"The Adventure Bible Handbook" by Robin Schmitt and David Frees

An expedition to the Holy Land! It is an archeologists' dream, but when he disappears, his children set out to find him. Can they trust the guides in the tour they have joined? Will this unconventional tour lead them to their father?

The Bible is a wonderful book filled with adventure, love, war, and other interesting bits of history. The Adventure Bible Handbook takes children on a journey through the Bible with an archeologist, his assistant, and his four children. What appears to be a simple, thrilling journey to the Holy Land, becomes a race to find their missing father. As the children join a tour group, the guides take them places other than the ones to find their father. This journey, which is done by time travel, is to teach them about Bible events by actually experiencing those events for themselves. Their modes of transportation are unique to each event, and the children learn about the people, customs, and culture of the time they visit. The question is, why are they traveling around places their father isn't? Will they ever find their father? Children will enjoy learning about the Bible in this fun new book.

This Handbook is a lot of fun. It is written and illustrated to attract children of all ages, making the learning fun. I recommend it to families with children (ages 7 - 12 - although others would enjoy it as well) as an addition to your Bible library. The pictures and other illustrations are meant to draw children into the complete story.  I received my review copy from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

"The Christmas Quilt" by Vannetta Chapman

Quilts are labors of love, given to celebrate and memorialize special occasions. Such is the case as Annie works to make a baby quilt for her sister-in-law. She has six weeks, but something happens and changes that time. Will she finish this special quilt? In this sequel to "A Simple Amish Christmas" you will find the answer and the reason it is so very special.

Annie is a nurse who helps her husband, Samuel, care for the people in their Amish community. Annie's sister in law, Leah, is pregnant (as is Annie) and Annie wants to make a crib quilt for her. But, of course, life intervenes and now Annie finds she only has two months left. But, again, life intervenes when Leah goes into labor prematurely and has to go to a hospital in Philadelphia to get the necessary help for her "boppli" and herself. Adam, Leah's husband, has to stay and care for their farm, so Annie goes to help her. In the quiet time they have, the two women work on the quilt together, sharing their hearts while they sew. This story of love, hope, and peace is destined to become a holiday favorite!

Vannetta Chapman can certainly tell a story. Her attention to detail brings the reader into the Amish way of life. I highly recommend this book to all readers because we all need to read uplifting and simply wonderful stories now and then. I received my review copy from Litfuse in exchange for participation in the blog tour.

Book Info

About the book: Annie's life is deliciously full as the Christmas season approaches. She helps her husband, Samuel, attend to the community's minor medical needs. She occasionally assists Belinda, the local midwife, and most days, she finds herself delivering the buggy to her brother Adam. Annie's sister-in-law Leah is due to deliver their first child before Christmas morning, and Annie is determined to finish a crib quilt before the boppli arrives. With six weeks to go, she should have no problem . . . but God may have a different plan. Leah is rushed to the English hospital when the infant arrives early, and Annie discovers the Christmas quilt may hold a far greater significance than she ever imagined. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/qKnYD Meet the author: Vannetta Chapman has published over one hundred articles in Christian family magazines, receiving over two dozen awards from Romance Writers of America chapter groups. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather's birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband. Find out more at: http://www.quiltsoflovebooks.com

Blog Tour Schedule
Landing page:   http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/quilts-of-love-the-christmas-quilt-and-aloha-rose

"To Know You" by Shannon Ethridge with Kathryn Mackel

Two daughters given up for adoption, one son desperately needing a liver. Can Julia and Matt find the girls and convince one of them to help this young teenager? 

Life is full of ups and downs, and choices made can lead to more difficult choices. Julia had tough choices to make when she had her daughters. Knowing she couldn't give them what they needed, she gave them up for adoption to someone who could. As the years passed by, Julia's life straightened out and she married Matt Whittaker. They had a son and were happy. But now he needs a liver and she must reach out to the daughters she never knew for help. But, will the shock of her appearance push them away? Will she be able to show them her heart and her hope that one of them will step up to help their brother? Will this divided family find a way to band together. This story of choices, love, and forgiveness will keep you reading to the end.

I really enjoyed this book. Julia Whittaker's story is realistic and compelling, her characters and settings as well. If you enjoy books that seem taken from today's situations, you will enjoy this one. I received my review copy from Litfuse in exchange for participation in the blog tour.

Book Info

About the book: Julia Whittaker's rocky past yielded two daughters, both given up for adoption as infants. Now she must find them to try to save her son. Julia and Matt Whittaker's son has beaten the odds for thirteen years only to have the odds---and his liver---crash precipitously. The only hope for his survival is a "living liver" transplant, but the transplant list is long and Dillon's time is short. His two older half-sisters, born eighteen months apart to two different fathers, offer his only hope for survival. But can Julia ask a young woman---someone she surrendered to strangers long ago and has never spoken with---to make such a sacrifice to save a brother she's never known? Can she muster the courage to journey back into a shame-filled season of her life, face her choices and their consequences, and find any hope of healing? And what if she discovers in her own daughters' lives that a history of foolish choices threatens to repeat itself? Julia knows she's probably embarking on a fool's errand---searching for the daughters she abandoned only now that she needs something from them. But love compels Julia to take this journey. Can grace and forgiveness compel her daughters to join her? In To Know You, Shannon Ethridge and Kathryn Mackel explore how the past creates the present . . . and how even the most shattered lives can be redeemed. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/qbiOA About the authors: Shannon Ethridge is a best-selling author, speaker, and certified life coach with a master's degree in counseling/human relations from Liberty University. She has spoken to college students and adults since 1989 and is the author of 21 books, including the million-copy best-selling Every Woman's Battle series. She is a frequent guest on TV and radio programs and mentors aspiring writers and speakers through her BLAST Program (Building Leaders, Authors, Speakers & Teachers.) Learn more about Shannon:http://www.shannonethridge.com Kathryn Mackel is a best-selling author and acclaimed screenwriter for Disney and Fox. She was on the screenwriting team for Left Behind: The Movie, and Frank Peretti's Hangman's Curse. She is the acclaimed author of "The Surrogate", "The Departed", and "The Hidden" and resides in Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband. Learn more about Kathryn: http://www.kathrynmackel.com

Blog Tour Schedule
Landing page:   http://litfusegroup.com/author/sethridge

"The Prodigals: Giants in the Land" by Clark Burbidge

Book 2 of Clark Burbidge's trilogy is here! In this new work, we are reacquainted with Thomas and his quest to discover the reason why the giants left the land, and meet his grandchildren Tommy and Rose. What problems will beset the people of Land's Forest Ward? Where/Who are the giants?

Tommy is a hard worker and believes people should be looking at him as a person in his own right, not in the shadow of his grandfather. But, times are what they are, and he has to deal with it. Until, that is, his sister is kidnapped and he has to find his path by stepping up to save her. Tommy, Thomas, and a group of prodigals step out of their comfort zone in search of the giants. Will they be able to save Rose? Can Tommy step out of his grandfather's shadow? Should he? Who will be the giant(s)?

Clark Burbidge weaves his story with realism and suspense, creating a world readers will enjoy. He also plants the seed of becoming a giant, and what that means. This is a wonderful second book, and I can't wait for the third in the series. If you enjoy books that entertain and instruct, this series is for you. I received my review copy from PR by the Book in exchange for an honest review.

"Snow on the Tulips" by Liz Tolsma

War's aftermath, a sister protecting a brother, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, and fear all come together in this new book by Liz Tolsma. Can Cornelia, Johan, and Gerrit survive all the changes in their lives?

Cornelia and her brother, Johan, have been surviving somehow in Nazi occupied land. The Netherlands hasn't been a happy place to live for anyone, but especially for the young men taken for the Nazi army. Johan has been hiding with Cornelia's help, which had worked until Johan brought home a wounded Resistance fighter. Gerrit continues to want to fight, but his injury makes it necessary to find a place to rest and heal. Cornelia has serious doubts about the safety of all three of them and wants to say no, but can't, so she begins to care for his wounds. Gerrit fills her in on what has been happening and why he fights. As Cornelia begins to believe in him and the cause, she also finds her heart slipping to him. Will Cornelia work with Gerrit and the Resistance? Will she let her heart go? Will she and Gerrit have a future? Will her brother be able to come out of hiding? All the answers and more can be found between the pages of this exciting new book.

I really enjoyed this book. The setting and characters are realistic, the story line was engaging. I totally found myself with the characters, pulling for them all the way! If you enjoy books that deal with love and war, this is the book for you. If you enjoy new authors, or are an eclectic reader, this book is for you. I received my review copy for participation in the Litfuse blog tour.

Book Info

About the book: A stranger's life hangs in the balance. But to save him is to risk everything. The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she's endured, war widow Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding. When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, to Cornelia's doorstep, their lives are forever altered. Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia's faith won't let her turn him out. As she nurses Gerrit back to health, she is drawn to his fierce passion and ideals, and notices a shift within herself. Gerrit's intensity challenges her, making her want to live fully, despite the fear that constrains her. When the opportunity to join him in the Resistance presents itself, Cornelia must summon every ounce of courage imaginable. She is as terrified of loving Gerrit as she is of losing him. But as the winter landscape thaws, so too does her heart. Will she get a second chance at true love? She fears their story will end before it even begins. Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/q92YR Meet the author: Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. Add a dog and a cat to that mix and there's always something going on at their house. She's spent time teaching second grade, writing advertising for a real estate company, and working as a church secretary, but she always dreamed of becoming an author. She'd love to have you visit her at www.liztolsma.com.

Blog Tour Schedule
Landing page:   http://litfusegroup.com/author/ltolsma