Never Unfriended by Lisa-Jo Baker

Book Description

In a world where women can unfriend each other with the swipe of a finger, how do we find friendships that we can trust to last? Maybe by first becoming those kinds of lasting friends ourselves.

As the community manager at the website incourage.me since 2010, Lisa-Jo Baker has had the chance to engage hundreds of conversations with women about friendship. She’s learned that no one can make us quite as unsure about ourselves as another woman. And nothing can wound as deeply as unkind words from a friend. While we are all hungry for friendship, it’s the fear of feeling awkward and being rejected, left out, or hurt (again) that often keep us from connecting.

But what if we knew we could never be unfriended? Would we risk friendship then? 

Starting with that guarantee from the most faithful friend who ever lived—Jesus—this book is a step-by-step guide to friendships you can trust. It answers the questions that lurk under the surface of every friendship—What are we afraid of? What can’t we change? What can we change? And where do we start?—with personal stories and practical tips to help you make the friends, and be the friend, that lasts.

My Review

I had been looking for a book for so long! Every time I thought I'd find something like it it was more "Jesus is always your friend" and though it's all true God also calls us to be friends to one another in Jesus name! And after being through so much heartache with friends and family, I lost the reason for why and how to be friends to and with people. I need a book like this to remind me what God says and biblical ways to living that out in my own life. 

Lisa Jo-Baker shares many stories of her own trials with friendships and lack thereof. It was encouraging because so many times we feel like we have to keep that to ourselves (speaking for myself) because it's something to be ashamed of. Somehow I've done something to deserve not having any friends and if I tell anyone that I'm lonely and without friends they'll wonder why and come to the same conclusion "that I deserve it". Yeah, pretty messed, right? 

This book helped me quite a bit with the reminders of how Christ lived among his friends, the 12 Disciples and just what he says in how to live. That even though I have him as a friend, always, it's right to have friends in this world as well to lift one another up and walk beside one another until we reach Heaven. And that because of Him I don't have to be alone or friendless. 

If you are looking for an encouraging book with some pretty good wisdom inside then I definitely recommend this book!

I give it a 4 out of 5!

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for this honest and unbiased review as part B&H blogging program.

High as The Heavens by Kate Breslin

Books Description

Page-Turning Intrigue and Romance from an Up-and-Coming Historical Romance Talent
In 1917, Evelyn Marche is just one of many women who has been widowed by the war. A British nurse trapped in German-occupied Brussels, she spends her days working at a hospital and her nights as a waitress in her aunt and uncle's café. Eve also has a carefully guarded secret keeping her in constant danger: She's a spy working for a Belgian resistance group in league with the British Secret Service. 

When a British plane crashes in Brussels Park, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to discover she recognizes the badly injured pilot. British RFC Captain Simon Forrester is now a prisoner of war, and Eve knows he could be shot as a spy at any time. She risks her own life to hide him from the Germans, but as the danger mounts and the secrets between them grow, their chance of survival looks grim. And even if they do make it out alive, the truth of what lies between them may be more than any love can overcome.

My Review

Wow, that word doesn't begin to describe what a magnificent book Kate Breslin has written. 

This historical romance takes place in 1917, WWI, Germany. Evelyn has lost her husband and is stuck in Brussels with her mother as her only surviving family. 
Something devastating happens to her and she bares the weight of that guilt on her shoulders through the years. She does what she knows how to do, nursing, and discovers she can use her job to aid in the war as a spy. Gathering intel from wounded soldiers and relaying them to a secret organization known as "La Dame Blanche." 

Three years later, as she sets out to meet a contact, she witnesses a plane crash and finds her thought-to-be dead husband instead. Her quick thinking keeps him from being shot on sight as a traitor but now she must find a way to get him out of brussels and back onto a sovereign soil without blowing her own cover, all while suspecting there is a mole within the organization she works with. 

I can't tell you how amazing this book is. I have loved Kate Breslin's book since the first novel of hers I read "A Time Such as This." With each book she's gotten better and better, and this book is by far her best work to me! It truly makes me look forward to every new work she puts out! Filled with historical pieces that feel real and realistic in it's character portrayal. 

I give this book a 5 out of 5! Highly recommend it to friends, family, and as a gift to anyone who like historical fiction, for sure!

I received this book for free from the publisher’s in exchange for this honest and unbiased review as part of Bethany House's Blogging Review program.

Picturing Heaven - Adult Coloring Book

Book Description

Imagine Heaven the way the Bible describes it―a place of exquisite beauty brimming with marvelous detail and intricate patterns; a special dwelling place free of corruption and sin; and a place of both rest and enjoyable, meaningful work.

Let the power and majesty of Heaven fill your heart with joy as you color these 40 designs carefully interpreted from the pages of Scripture. Savor a respite from daily life as you read and meditate on devotions from best–selling author Randy Alcorn, a leading authority on Heaven. Picturing Heaven will offer you comfort and relaxation, while filling your heart with restful assurance that God prepares a special place for those who love Him.

My Review

Picturing Heaven is an amazing Devotional with full color-in pages that goes along with each devotion! I really enjoyed this book because it wasn't just another coloring book. Filled with 40 Devotions, each with a beautiful full-page work of art to fill in, you get to experience God's word in a new way and draw closer to him through these devotions and quiet time coloring in. Just dwelling on Him through this time. 
The artwork, illustrated by Lizzie Preston, is absolutely gorgeous! I've come across many adult coloring books and I would maybe only like a few pictures but in this book I loved every single one of them!
This would make a great gift for family and friends who like to color and maybe even those who don't, this just might be what gets them started!

I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars! 

I received this book for free from the publisher’s in exchange for this honest and unbiased review for Tyndale.