Rebecca Reviews ~ After She Falls by Carmen Schober

Paperback, 368 pages

Published November 2nd 2021 by Bethany House Publishers

Strong-willed Adri Rivera always dreamed of becoming a professional mixed martial artist, but then she fell in love with a man who smashed everything to pieces. When their tumultuous relationship finally comes to a head, Adri flees with their young daughter to her small hometown in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There, she must face the people she left behind and put her broken life back together as a single mother.

Adri struggles to regain her independence after so many years under the oppressive influence of her ex, but a job opportunity at a local gym gives her hope that she'll be able to stand on her own two feet. The one problem? The man who offers it to her is the handsome but hardened Max Lyons--her former best friend and training partner, whom she left heartbroken years before.

As Adri dares to pursue her dream again, training for a big tournament, can she confront her weakness and avoid the past defining her future? 

Rebecca's Review 4.5 STARS!!!

"God, help him forgive you . . . Help him understand . . .Help him trust you . . Help him be free."

Adri Rivera has returned to her hometown as a broken shadow of herself, carrying only a few possessions, a beautiful daughter and very few explanations. She had to leave him. She simply couldn't survive another round. However, when she comes face to face with the man she left behind, life becomes even more complicated. Then an opportunity to fight again presents itself; an answer to prayer or a fast flight to disaster . . . time always tells.

Famed title fighter Max Lyons has been out of the limelight since his father died, managing an upscale training center in Sparta, Pennsylvania and living under the radar. Seeing Adri Rivera again was a shock to his senses, one that he could have certainly lived the rest of his life without. Once considered among the most talented mixed martial arts fighters in the country . . . . and she gave it up for what? Or perhaps it was who. Personal history aside, Adri needs a job, Max needs another trainer, and the fact that she's married should keep their high octane emotions in check. Easier said than done . . . for admittedly, Adri has always been Max's weakness.

So much rumbles beneath the surface of amazing debut; raw, authentic tidal waves of double shot intensity work their way into conversations and inter-actions, driving the characters both towards and away from an outcome that Max and Adri so desperately want, but don't know how to achieve. Enter the Holy Spirit, . . . that still small voice who loves to lead a troubled soul away from self-destruction and into peaceful valleys. Becoming a new creation takes time, patience, and an hefty amount of forgiveness. Thankfully these two are ready to fight all three rounds for the victory!

Note: Due to the nature of this story, there is a certain level of violent behavior within several scenes. Alcohol also flows freely, it would be more surprising if it didn't; remembering that "greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world".

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

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I am so excited to read this book, Y'all!!! If you've followed Rebecca's reviews for long, you know she doesn't rate books this high often, especially a debut novel!! The grittiness might be a bit hard to read but I trust Rebecca when she says I will like a book. :-)

Have any of you read this debut novel yet? Would you be interested in reading it? Why or why not? Leave a comment and let's chat a little. ~Anne

Rebecca Reviews ~ Lights Out (The SNAP Agency, #1) by Natalie Walters

CIA analyst Brynn Taylor developed a new program to combat terrorism, and she invited members of foreign intelligence agencies to America to foster cooperation between countries. Now one of them, Egyptian spy Remon Riad, is missing.
Jack Hudson has been working for the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency (SNAP) for almost nine years and takes the lead in hunting down the missing spy. But he isn't at all pleased to find out Brynn is involved. It's hard to trust a woman who's already betrayed you.

Every lead they follow draws them dangerously deeper into an international plot. Kidnapping, murder, explosions, poisoning--the terrorists will do anything to accomplish their goal of causing a digital blackout that will blind a strategic US military communications center and throw the world into chaos.

Can Brynn surrender control to a man who doesn't trust her? And can Jack ever get over what she did to him? The fate of the world--and their hearts--hangs in the balance. 

Rebecca's Review 4 STARS

"I'm not willing to risk my team on someone who can't be trusted, and I don't trust her."

Great. Just great. Judging by the flash of hurt that crossed her face, she'd no doubt heard his words. "She", being Brynn Taylor; Jack Hudson had gone through CIA training with her, and had subsequently been left behind when Brynn was accepted into the agency and he wasn't. Pushed aside . . . was more like it. . . apparently Brynn had moved on in her career, never giving their burgeoning relationship a second glance. But now she was in his territory with her own reputation on the line. An Egyptian intelligence agent had gone missing after attending Brynn's multi-national symposium on combating global terrorism and Jack's agency, S.N.A.P., the Strategic Neutralization and Protection Agency, had just been put in charge of finding him.

After overcoming her shock over seeing Jack again, Brynn put on her brave face and drilled herself into focus; "Do not panic. Do not panic. DO NOT PANIC." He didn't trust her, of course he didn't, she had never told him the entire story. Personal history aside, she had a job to do, and if working with Jack's team accomplished the objective, so be it, regardless of the cost to her heart.

As the body count rises and terrorist threats loom like a specter on the horizon, Jack and Brynn have little time to concentrate on anything else but national security, exploring the feelings that continue to rumble just beneath the surface will just have to wait. Or can they? . . . "love is many things, none of them logical".

An excellent story! Writing a fast paced romantic suspense without leaving the audience in the proverbial "dust". . . . . or compromising the character development that readers so desperately crave, demands a delicate balance. This book has accomplishes both, proving that the author has really "upped her game" and I, for one, can't wait to continue reading the series.

"It's our faith in the hard times that keeps us anchored in the hope that God will restore order . . . Choose fear or faith, but only one choice will bring peace."

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I also purchased a copy. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Review ~ Amish Friends Baking Cookbook by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Barbour Books, August 31st 2021

224 Pages

Delightful Baked Goods from Dozens of Amish Kitchens 

 

Fresh-baked buns or cookies waiting for a child’s after-school snack is a delight many of us remember from our own mothers’ and grandmothers’ kitchens. You can now share the joy of baking for and with your own family through dozens of recipes provided by Amish bakers. Ideas for breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, and more will keep you busy taste testing and sharing all the goodies. Also included are step-by-step instructions, baking tips, and anecdotes from Amish bakers. Encased in a lay-flat binding and presented in full color, home bakers of all ages will be delighted to add this cookbook to their collections.

 

This is a must-have cookbook for anyone with a soft spot for baked goods, from New York Times bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Purchase:

Amazon

*I am NOT affiliated with any vendors. Purchase links are for your convenience only. 

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My Review 5 STARS

If you’ve never bought one of Brunstetter’s Amish cookbooks, you are missing out on some delicious recipes!! Grab a good sturdy wooden spoon and get ready to make some of the tastiest baked goods you can imagine.

One of my favorite recipes is Baked Oatmeal. It can be as simple as the printed recipe in the book or you can jazz it up with fresh fruit. Our favorite way to enjoy it is with fresh Blueberries either placed into the bottom of the pan before pouring the oatmeal mixture over top, or tossing a few plump ones on top of the finished product! MmmMmm!!!

I plan on trying my hand at several more recipes, especially the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake since that is my all-time favorite flavor of Cheesecake! It actually looks fairly easy to make. I was surprised that the baker recommends using a handheld mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth but hey, I’m all for electricity! LOL

I received a copy of this beautifully presented cookbook from the publisher with no expectation of a review.

Rebecca Reviews ~ A View Most Glorious (American Wonders, #3) by Regina Scott

Paperback, 368 pages

Published October 5th 2021 by Revell

Headstrong Coraline Baxter has worked all her life to be more than the spoiled socialite others expect. When her fellow suffragettes in Tacoma, Washington, suggest that she should climb to the top of Mount Rainier to prove that a woman can do anything, she instantly resolves to do it. And if she can climb Mount Rainier, her mother promises to stop pressuring her to get married to the wealthy Cash Kincaid. All Cora needs is a guide to get her to the top of the mountain.

Nathan Hardee may look like a mountain man, but he once ruled the halls of high society. He left all that behind after his father broke under financial pressure from Kincaid. To best Kincaid now, Nathan agrees to guide Cora up the mountain.

Climbing Rainier will require all of Cora's strength and will lead her and Nathan to rediscover their faith in God and humanity. These two loners make unlikely partners in righting a wrong and may just discover that only together is the view most glorious. 

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Rebecca's Review 3.5 STARS 

"You'll find that I have plenty of stamina and determination .. . . But I can assure you that I have never been good at obeying. You'll simply have to accustom yourself to the fact."

Determination rolled off the lovely Coraline Baxter like waves upon a seashore, or perhaps a better comparison would be . . . . like a waterfall down a canyon. She had certainly made up her mind to represent womanhood in general by climbing Mount Rainier (or Tacoma as some would call it), reaching its summit, and thereby declaring a victory for the women's suffrage movement. But there was another less public reason, escaping matrimony. How in the world had Nathan Hardee gotten himself mixed up in a situation like this?

Such an easy and enjoyable story to read; even if, and especially when, the characters' exploits hit rocky, icy, stumbling blocks, for the readers' steady pace isn't deterred in the least. Watching Cora and Nathan re-calibrate their life callings was most certainly a "view most glorious".

"Cora Baxter isn't a mineral claim . .. . . She has a future and plans of her own." "And that's good, . . . She'll encourage you to have plans too, push you forward, so you can become the man you were meant to be."

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

Rebecca Reviews ~ The Healing of Natalie Curtis by Jane Kirkpatrick

Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can't seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she'd never before encountered--the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans.

But their music is under attack. The US government's Code of Offenses prohibits American's indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song . . . and a new future?

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick weaves yet another lyrical tale based on a true story that will keep readers captivated to the very end.

Rebecca's Review 3.5 stars

"The Indian music had made Natalie resilient again, not the fragile woman she'd been. 'The Indians Book' was her hymn for life, to return to living. There would be times ahead when she would question her toughness, but she would remember the combining of the fired clay and the new, and that together they offered both beauty and strength."

This is no ordinary story. Natalie Curtis was an amazing woman with a passion for conservation, and a determination to preserve the arts; using her voice for the voiceless, she was committed to capturing for all eternity the beauty of the Native American culture through its music. Truly a woman nearly a century before her time, Natalie accomplished great things for entire nations of our country's indigenous peoples.

But, Natalie wasn't always so strong. In fact, following a physical and mental breakdown as a young prodigious musician, she nearly succumbed to her inner distress before following her brother out West, where she regained purpose. This book traces that journey back to wholeness.

Looking back on this story, it becomes apparent that the book's greatest strength is also its great weakness; reading more like a memoir than a story, its rich detail and careful recording of people, places and events becomes a bit tedious and at times fairly redundant. Is it a story worth telling, you might ask? Absolutely. For like Natalie, we should all be able to answer the Yuma woman's three healing questions, "When was the last time you sang? When was the last time you danced? When was the last time you told your story?"

This author deserves high commendation for penning hours of research onto the page, bringing this courageous woman back into the limelight for a new generation to admire.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.