Book Review & Giveaway: Pulling Back the Shades by Dannah Gresh and Dr. Juli Slattery

About the Book

You don't have to choose between being sexual or spiritual.

Spiritual women have legitimate desires that are seldom addressed- and books like Fifty Shades of Grey are designed to exploit! Yet, spirituality and sexuality were never meant to be mutually exclusive. Now, with solid biblical teaching and transparent stories, trusted authors Dannah Gresh and Dr. Juli Slattery offer an unflinching look at the most personal questions women ask. Whether you are single or married, reading erotica or Jane Austen, Pulling Back the Shades will address your desire to be both sexual and spiritual.


My Thoughts

I'm a Christian woman and I've been lead astray by erotica. I didn't think that it was a bad thing until I became more curious about my faith. It's funny because I was born into my religion, but yet I had really no idea what that entailed until recently. Once I realized that my reading erotica might not be so harmless, I tried to keep myself from reading the many books I'd got off of Amazon for free. I found myself going back to them sometimes,  until I finally just decided to delete them from my account all together and ignore the ads when they popped up. Now, I don't feel that kind of temptation anymore. After reading this book, I feel even more empowered and able to leave erotica behind. I learned a great deal from Dannah and Juli. They used the Bible to teach me what was considered appropriate and holy by God between husband and wife. I feel more confident in my faith and in my life after reading this book. I used to feel ashamed for thinking that I would have a husband someday and be able to have sex with him because I always thought that sex was a lesser-evil and that it was just to be used to procreate. Now I know that God created us as sexual beings and it isn't wrong between a husband and wife to share these feelings together and it's not something shameful.. it's beautiful. This book isn't just for married people either, it's also for single women. This book tells you about what God promises and doesn't promise for you. This book will definitely not lead you astray or have you dreaming up your fairy tale husband and then become disappointed because there is no such thing as a fairy tale husband in real life. This is not about fantasy, this book is about truth. I recommend this book to any woman who feels ashamed of being sexual and spiritual and who wants to learn more about God and His plan for you as a spiritual and sexual being.

Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars.



GIVEAWAAY!!!

One lucky reader will win a free copy of their very own! Be sure to share with all the women in your life! The giveaway runs from Monday, April 14, 2014 at 12:00 AM until Monday, April 21, 2014 at 12:00 AM.

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I received a copy of the book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an unbiased review. 

Book Review: Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) by Sara Shepard

About The Book

In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars - Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna -- have been very bad girls....

Spencer stole her sister's boyfriend. Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher. Emily likes her new friend Maya... as much more than a friend. And Hanna's obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick. But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives.

And someone named "A" is threatening to do just that.

At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago... but then Alison turned up dead. So could A be Melissa, Spencer's ultra-competitive sister? Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself? What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

One thing's for certain: A's got the dirt to bury them alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM, and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all.


My Thoughts

I am addicted. I absolutely love this series so far! In the first book, everyone thought A was Alison and now they think that A is Toby. I've been watching the TV show along with reading these books as well and I've probably come across things in the show that I didn't know happened in the books yet, but I don't think anything has been spoiled for me a single bit. I'm enjoying both mediums so far. I was kind of shocked at how soon the stuff with Toby came about in the books though. Thankfully, no one has found out who A is in the book or TV show. The characters have a lot of depth and I feel like I'm getting to know these girls very personally as if they were my own friends. Also, I kind of use the people in the TV show whenever I read, even though their descriptions in the book are a bit different. It doesn't take away the awesome characters' personalities though. I really love the names of the chapters because they're all sassy as if I'm reading Alison's  or A's diary or something. I also love the fact that each chapter is in the perspective of either Spencer, Aria, Emily, or Hanna. That's how you get to know each character so well, I think. This second book really carries on the mystery of what happened to Alison and why a person who calls him/herself A is blackmailing and harassing these girls, but there's many, many more books in this series so of course we've just hit the tip of the iceberg. I'm enjoying chipping away at it though and can't wait to start reading the next book!

Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars! 


You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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Book Review: Confident Faith by Mark Mittelberg

Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review.

About the Book

Don't let doubt or objections intimidate you! In this book, Mark Mittelberg will help you to be more confident in your faith and help you to share what you learn with your skeptical friends and/or questioning family members. In the beginning of the book is a questionnaire for you to do called FAITH PATH QUESTIONNAIRE. You answer the questions and it helps you to understand how you came to your beliefs and what the pros and cons are with your path. Then, you'll get to the part of the book called TWENTY ARROWS OF TRUTH, which shows reasons from science, logic, archaeology, experience, and facts related to the Bible that will help you trust Christianity. After that section, you'll come to the part called TEN BARRIERS TO BELIEF, which helps to overcome obstacles that keep you from a confident faith.


My Thoughts

I was far from having a confident faith. I've questioned my belief in God a few times and I've asked myself why I believe in Christianity. I've stopped believing at one point in my life and decided that there was no God, he wasn't real. I'm glad I read this book. It really addressed all the questions and concerns that I had about my faith. I love the fact that the author listed some books at the end to further the reading of building a confidence in your faith. He also cites where he's received the information he talks about in the book. The questionnaire in the beginning is really interesting and it helped me to understand how I approached my faith and I was able to understand how to be more confident in my faith by the end because of this. This book was really eye-opening to me and helped me to really see what I was doing wrong that kept me from being confident in Christianity. It's inspired me to be an even better Christian and it's made me a more confident Christian as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who's seeking the truth about Christianity and for anyone who has doubts and questions about their beliefs.

Overall, I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.


You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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Book Review: Pretty Little Liars #1 by Sara Shepard

About The Book


Three years ago, Alison disappeared after a slumber party, not to be seen since. Her friends at the elite Pennsylvania school mourned her, but they also breathed secret sighs of relief. Each of them guarded a secret that only Alison had known. Now they have other dirty little secrets, secrets that could sink them in their gossip-hungry world. When each of them begins receiving anonymous emails and text messages, panic sets in. Are they being betrayed by someone in their circle? Worse yet: Is Alison back?


My Thoughts


I didn't used to be into this murder mystery/crime story genre, but after I watched a bit of the Pretty Little Liars show and found out that it was based on a series of novels, I just had to check out the books! I'm in love with the books as well as the show! The author does a great job with introducing each character and you can differentiate between the characters really well. They each have their own thing going on and they have their own distinct personalities. The only real thing they seem to have in common is that they were friends with Alison DiLaurentis. It's very suspenseful and I just had to keep turning the pages to see what havoc A would cause next. The characters are so life-like that I wonder what it would be like to be friends with these girls.... it would probably be terrifying if I started to receive weird texts from an anonymous person though. The story flows along smoothly and I can keep up with what's going on with all these characters. I will say that the show is a bit different from these books because some of the traits that are found in the books about Aria Montgomery, Hannah Marin, Spencer  Hastings, and Emily Fields are different in the show. I don't believe that this causes any problems with the story in either medium though. I'm sure anyone who enjoys the books will enjoy the TV show and vice versa.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery/crime novels and to anyone who likes reading books about teenage girls.


Overall, I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.


You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.



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Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

About The Book

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My Thoughts

This is the first and only book that I've read by John Green. Some people might be astounded by that fact, and I can now see why. The Fault in Our Stars is beautifully written and I've fallen in love with Hazel and Gus. I even like Gus's friend Isaac. These characters are teenagers afflicted with a horrible thing called cancer, but they don't let that stop them from living or loving. They enjoy their lives even though they know that their days are numbered... because they know their days are numbered. I think that's what I like most about this book. The characters just keep living the best way they can and that's all you can ask of anyone. It was refreshing to read a book about people with cancer that isn't all about the fact that they have cancer. I do understand why a few people have said that they didn't really like the characters of this book. They said that Hazel and Gus were too pretentious and didn't act like any teenager they knew. I disagree with that assessment. Hazel and Gus are lovers of words. They love to read books and it would make sense that they'd love to use the words that they've learned from books. They aren't like other teenagers because they're more interested in books written by older people with more sophisticated vocabulary than most teenagers possess. I believe that Hazel and Gus would love reading the books that a lot of teenagers hate to read these days such as classics by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves YA romance novels and to anyone who is a lover of words.



Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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Book Review : The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, #1)

About The Book

Mary lives in a world ravaged by the Return. A world that is inhabited by flesh-hungry undead that she and the people of her village call Unconsecrated. Mary's village is governed by the Sisterhood and what the Sisterhood says, goes. She knows that she must stay away from the fence that guards them from the Unconsecrated and she knows that Guardians will protect the village by watching these fences day and night. The Unconsecrated are relentless in their quest to satiate their hunger for human flesh. But something begins to happen to Mary after a traumatic event involving her mother, she begins to see that the Sisterhood and the Guardians are keeping secrets from their people and when the fence that protects them is breached, chaos ensues all around. Mary must choose to leave her village or to be eaten by the Unconsecrated. She must choose between the one she loves and her betrothed. She must face the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Is there life outside of all this death?


My Thoughts

I'm a huge fan of zombies and I watch The Walking Dead every Sunday night, but I must admit that this book made me have nightmares when that show did not. This book has made me terrified that one day I'll wake up and find that my world has been taken over by these undead beings and that I'll have to figure out a way to survive and to protect my loved ones. There were parts of this book that made me cry and parts that made me laugh as well. I was expecting this novel to have characters in it that were stronger than the average person, physically and could take down these Unconsecrated with no problem, but these characters are like every-day people. They could easily be me with their fears, uncertainties, sadness, and dreams. Mary is like any other girl and I can relate to her. She did say that everyone in the village were trained to fight against the Unconsecrated, but they've lived in the village for so long with the fence around them, that they really weren't as prepared as they probably should have been because the village was quickly overtaken by the Unconsecrated.

I was in suspense in many parts of this book, almost too afraid to keep reading because I was so terrified of what would happen to these characters next. Yet, this is definitely one of those books that I just couldn't put down, at least not for very long, because I just HAD to know what would happen. I definitely can not wait to read the next books in this series... I will most definitely be checking them out from the library very soon!


Overall, I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars. 

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.



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Book Review: Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

About the Book:

Suze is a mediator which means that she can see and communicate with the dead. Some may think of it as a gift, but to her it's more like a curse. She doesn't like the fact that these dead people aggravate her  until she solves the problems that are keeping them from going on to the other side. When she moves to sunny California to find a ghost living in her bedroom and he doesn't seem to want her to solve his problems, she's a little stumped. She even finds herself being a tad bit attracted to him, but she hates to admit that.

Just when she thinks that she'll have it easier in California, she arrives at her new school. A different, much more violent ghost of a recently deceased teenage girl occupies the school and she is blood thirsty. Suze can't allow such an evil spirit occupy the school so she must figure out a way to get the ghost to leave for good and hopefully not become one of the dead she's become used to seeing.


My Thoughts:

This book was an enjoyable read. I really like the fact that Suze is a female character that can take care of herself. She doesn't have to rely on someone else to rescue her, but she can get herself into more trouble than she bargained for and may need a little help along the way. She's a very confident young woman in what she can do as a mediator. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that she is attracted to the (living) boy that is liked by most girls and he really seemed to be an air head. Sometimes, it makes sense for a character to like that kind of a person, but I didn't think it suited Suze to fall for a guy like him. It's also interesting that Suze can communicate with spirits but she still isn't so sure that God exists. Suze is really the only character that I feel like I got to know very well in this book. Jesse, the ghost who lives in Suze's bedroom, is probably a close second. I love the fact that this is a series of books, so I hope the other characters in the book will become more dynamic and seem more like actual people as the series goes on. I would recommend this book to fans of Meg Cabot and anyone who has an interest in the paranormal and people who can speak with ghosts.

Overal, I gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

You can purchase this book by clicking the links below.

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