Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor by Chuck Black

This exciting adventure was exciting and spiritually uplifting, the type of book that I love to read.  It is about the differing journey's of two knights who both live in the land of Arrethtrae.  Both are attacked by evil but each has their own defining moment, choice, and ending.  One of those knights is Twitch aka Quinlan.  He ends up joining a special group of knights but when he makes a detrimental mistake, all seems lost.  Can even the legendary Prince make good out of this?  Buy this book and find out!

This being the first book I've read by Chuck Black, I didn't know what to expect but was thrilled with this story.  The spiritual symbolism was amazing and accurately protrayed biblical truths as shown by the scripture verses in the discussion question answer key.  These discussion questions, located at the back of the book, talked about the main point of each chapter as well as identify the symbolism that sometimes you can't seem to figure out from the story.  I thought these questions were very thought provoking and helpful.  I could also identify personally with the story and can't wait to read all of Chuck Black's other books.  If you love to read about knights on conquest and the spiritual battle in all of us, then I definitely recommend this to you.  It's perfect for older kids and teens of all ages.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)

Buy Book here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421289
Download Chapter one here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421289&view=news-videos
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An Amish Love by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, and Kelly Long

When you buy An Amish Love, you get three novellas for the price of one. This inspiring book includes three touching Amish love stories by three talented authors.  All three of these cute stories happen in the same community of Paradise, Pennsylvania. 

The first novella is called A Marriage of the Heart and is about a girl who schemes her dad into marrying her to this young man after only meeting him the day before.  All she wants is to get out from under the thumb of her sullen father but she gets more than she bargains for.  Can the two young adults find love in a forced marriage?

What the Heart Sees is about an Amish girl who loses her sight in an accident and believes that she will never be able to marry because of her impairment.  But God has special plans for her that can overcome any obstacle.

I thought the last story was one that all married couples should read.  Healing Hearts is about an Amish man who leaves his wife for almost a year and returns, hoping that his family can find it in their hearts to forgive him.  Can God bring good out of this despairing situation?

I was very impressed with all three of these thought provoking and spiritual love stories, even with this being the first Amish book that I've ever read.  There were many sexual references (used within marriage) though so I really wouldn't let young teens and children read it.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am happy to recommend it to other older teens and adults who love to read Christian Romances as much as I do.

(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.)

Dragons of the Valley by Donita K. Paul

This second book in the Chiril Chronicles is even better than the first.  I'd recommend that you start with the first one though (The Vanishing Sculptor).  Dragons of the Valley starts off very exciting and mysterious, so much that I can't even describe very much of the beginning without spoiling this mystery.  What happens though is Bealomondore is woken from his sleep by Maxon, a kimen, and is told that he needs to take and leave the palace with one of the three Trio of Elements statues if he wants to keep them safe.  Separating these three statues would unbalance the world once again so this confuses Bealomondore.  The rest of the story is about the invasion of Chiril by the neighboring country of Baardack and the heros' adventure to keep the statues safe as well as to defeat the evil penetrating their world.  Can a world despairing and unknowing of the creator, defeat this onslaught of evil?  You'll be satisfied with the ending is all I can say.

The new characters, plot, conflict, and magic entertain thoroughly leaving you yearning for more.  The dialect of the two Amaran characters, from Donita's last series, and Lady Peg is even more befuddling than their past appearances and funny beyond the norm.  The character growth in the story is very cool to watch and inspiring to see.  I was really happy to see Tipper stop all her whining, from the last book, and grow up a little.  All in all, this was an amazing book by Donita K. Paul and I can't wait for the next one that is to come out.  All you dragon lovers and Christian fantasy readers, this is a book you don't want to miss out on. 

Buy Book: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073405
Download first two chapters: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073405&view=news-videos
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Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K. Paul

A Godly love is waiting to form between two young and hurting believers.  A love destined by God and a love blessed by God.  This book takes you through the magical and romantic story of Cora and Simon.  Two people living in modern America get tickets to a Christmas Ball when they meet each other at a mysterious bookstore.  Can a painful past and job situation keep these two from the true love and happiness that God wants for them? Will these matchmaking bookstore owners succeed in their task?  Find out by Reading this cute Christmas Love Story.

I really enjoyed this Novella by Donita K. Paul.  The magic within the story and the Christian love were amazing and fun.  The characters were lovable and i'm sure many people can relate to the special main characters.  I would recommend this to all book lovers like myself.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)
Buy Book here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307458995
Video Trailer for the Book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr3-m5YpQpU
Download Chapter one here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2010/10/02/sneak-peek-two-tickets-to-the-christmas-ball-by-donita-k-paul/?ref=BloggingForBooks_Chapter1Link
Rate my review here: http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/view/761

A Poem by Me: My World

I wrote this poem after I found out that some people believe fantasy is unbiblical or unchristian.  This came as a surprise to me since I have been blessed with wonderful parents who don't believe that.  I believe Fantasy stories display biblical truths very well and sometimes better than just point blank saying the truths.  These stories make you think and i'm in love with them.  Hope you enjoy my first poem :)

God has given me a mind,
Indifferent to the manmade bind.
That wants to think outside this place,
Beyond the realms of time and space.

To dream beyond the world we know,
Where everything is filled with snow.
And dragons roam free and happy,
But romance is alwys so sappy.

Where adventure is in the air,
So much that people stop and stare.
In this place my heart is free,
And other people get to see,

My true love that is the Lord,
Who gave me a passion for the sword.
My world is different, not for the weak,
So go there before you have ill to speak.

To this world I will escape,
From the world He create.
But not for long, for I am needed,
To spread God's word and seed it.

Copyrighted @ 2010 by Tara DragonQueen

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

The Vanishing Sculptor was a very entertaining, unique, and cool story.  It starts with Tipper, who cares for her family's estate since her father has been missing for a long time.  When her father shows up one day Tipper is surprised, especially since he's not alone.  He has brought two people from a distant land called Amara.  They then embark on a dangerous quest to recover three statues Tipper sold to pay the bills.  These three statues mean life and death to Tipper's world, Chiril.  Other memorable characters join and help throughout the book.  Find out what happens by reading this amazing story.

Mrs. Paul creates fun characters that you fall in love with and care  deeply about.  The Christian principles throughout the story are very inspiring and thought provoking.  Also, two lovable characters from her last series, the DragonKeeper Chronicles, return to help with the expedition which made me very happy.  The bantering and confusing conversations between these two characters are just hilarious.  I most definitely recommend this book to all fantasy and dragon reading lovers.  Mrs. Donita K. Paul is a wonderful fantasy writer and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Buy book here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073399
Download Chapter one and two here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400073399&view=news-videos
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Trails to Poosey by Olive R Cook

196 Pages: Life in the 1830s

Trails to Poosey was a very cute and suspenseful historical book.  I just kept holding on to my seat and reading, hoping that the story didn't end bad like some books do.  I can't tell you if it did but I can say that you should read the book.  The story's about a family who moves to Missouri to get away from the eastern states that were starting to become crowded.  Many people moved west to the great unknown in the 19th century and met hardships in the wilderness, just like the Robisons.  It's from Nathan's point of view, as a teen in the untamed land, that you get to see the story.  The main conflict is when his father goes to buy the land their family wants and never returns.  Why didn't he come back is the question Nathan sets out to answer.  Find out what happens by reading Trails to Poosey.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Sequoyah and the Cherokee Alphabet by Robert Cwiklik

129 Pages: A early 19th century Indian Biography

A very interesting story even though it was a little boring.   Their were some very sad and descriptive parts but they were just part of the Cherokee way of life and life in general.  The story's about an Indian boy who grew up to create the first Indian alphabet and his journey to get there.  Sequoyah wants to be a warrior but becomes crippled and has bad blood from his white father who was a dishonest trader.  Can he still accomplish his goals even though everyone, including his wife, is against him.  Find out if he perseveres by reading this historical book about a real person in the 19th century.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Looking for Fantasy Books to Read?

I read these series's before I got a blog and don't remember enough to write a review.  However, I do remember how much I loved and enjoyed reading them and most definitely recommend them to other readers :) (They are all labeled Fiction too)

The Inheritance Series by Christopher Paolini
      Fantasy
The DragonKeeper Series by Donita K. Paul
      Fantasy, Christian
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
      Fantasy, Christian
The Dragon King Trilogy by Stephen R Lawhead
      Fantasy, Christian
The King Raven Trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead
      Fantasy, Christian
Binding of the Blade Series by L. B. Graham
      Fantasy, Christian 
Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke
      Christian, Romance
Legends of the Guardian King series by Karen Hancock
      Christian, Fantasy
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead
       Fantasy, Christian

Have fun reading these books as I know you will! :)

A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos

144 Pages: Journal of New England Girl

This story is set in the 1830s in New Hampshire of the young American nation.  Catherine's life has been tough and fraught with hardships including her mother dying.  In this book she has to reconcile her father's remarriage and the death of another person close to her.  There's also one really cool adventure of sorts she gets herself into.  It was a very touching and melancholy story about the rough life of the farmers and pioneers of the 19th century.  Get ready because her story may touch your heart.  It's perfect for young readers interested in the pioneer life.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Streams to the River, River to the Sea by Scott O'Dell

163 Pages: Sacagawea's Story

This story of an Indian Princess is well known to many but not the details.  Not even I knew that Sacagawea had a disturbing love story within the great westward expedition.  The story starts off with her capture by the Minnetarees when they attack her tribe, the Shoshones, which ends up leading her to join Lewis and Clark's expedition.  With trials around every corner, this Princess is forced to be strong and courageous against the odds and still be a mother to her young baby.  Though some parts are sad or brutal, you can learn from these mistakes of others.  All in all, this was an exciting book that piqued my interest and I gladly recommend it to other young readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

274 Pages: A French and Indian War Prisoner

The high strung and talented Miriam Willard's journey, from our past, was the interesting story of an indian captive.  This story tells of the hardships captives must go through as they are brought through the wilderness and sold in Montreal, Canada to the french.  Miriam goes through much on her journey and matures as a result of it.  Figuring out who she wants to have as her husband was an accomplishment of hers and you may be surprised who she ends up choosing.  This book was a very colorful and captivating story of a girl's struggle to survive.  It kept me reading it till the end and is great for young readers interested in suspense, indian prisoners, and history.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

181 Pages: An African Prince who became a slave

The Prince of an African Tribe was Amos's position in life before the slavers came and took him away.  He was then sold in Boston in 1725 after enduring the harsh Middle Passage but never did he forget his dignity.   He clung to the hope of freedom and along the way to his, he bought other people's freedom.  His kind nature and hopeful spirit got him through the rough life in the colonies before blacks were treated as equals.  His story is filled with ups and downs worth reading so we can learn that other people, whatever the skin color, are equals.  This book was a touching story worth your time and perfect for young readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold by Jean Fritz

179 Pages: An American Revolution General, Hero, and Traitor

The story of Benedict Arnold is interesting indeed.  Many people, including me, think how could anyone ever betray the Patriots?  This book starts off describing his bad childhood in the town of Norwich, Connecticut where he did crazy stunts.  He did these stunts because he liked the feel of adrenaline.  This eventually led him to enlisting in the colonial forces so he could become a great hero.  He was a daring military leader but he made many enemies which made his life hard.  He always wanted money and was greedy for it and you can guess what happened because of that.  This was a very educational and interesting book that I really enjoyed reading.  It's perfect for young readers who love to learn about unusual history figures.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

Guns For General Washington by Seymour Reit

120 Pages: An American Revolution Story

This book starts off during the stalemate in Boston of the American Revolution.  It's about a courageous man's journey through lakes, forests, hills, and treacherous territory pulling heavy cannons and guns to the colonial headquarters so as to help the patriot cause.  This man was known as Henry Knox and he became the colonel of artillery in the rebel force.  The downside though to this position was that there wasn't any use able artillery anywhere near the headquarters in Cambridge, outside of Boston.  So he came up with a daring plan to bring the cannons captured, earlier in the war, at Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge with the help of his brother Will.  However, their journey is anything but easy as they meet many unforeseen difficulties.  This was very interesting and educational book, great for younger readers.

(This book was part of my Sonlight U.S. History curriculum and I recommend it to other home school families.)

A Suitor For Jenny by Margaret Brownley

This is an amazingly captivating Christian romance novel well written and worth reading.  From the beginning I was intrigued by the interesting plot.  The story is set in Rocky Creek, Texas right after the American Civil War.  It starts with three young ladies arriving in Rocky Creek and the oldest, Jenny, tries to find husbands for her younger sisters.  Her sisters don't end up liking the men she picks for them but they fall in love with bachelors that don't fit Jenny's criteria as potential suitors.  Jenny is also falling for someone but she doesn't think she deserves to be loved, even by God.  Will Jenny let God have the reins or will Jenny's stubborn attitude keep herself from true love?

I really loved this book and could identify with one of the characters which helped me to strengthen my understanding and relationship with God.  I loved this book so much that I read most of it in one day. There are sexual references so I would only recommend it to mature teens and adults.

(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.  I didn't have to review it positively so the views expressed in this review are of my opinion.)

Green by Ted Dekker

This story is actually a continuation of the circle trilogy making it the Circle Cycle.  It's an awesome book full of suspense, love, treachery, adventure, and action.  The beginning of the book starts right off into the growing conflict.  The circle, that is led by Thomas of Hunter, is starting to shatter at the seams as the end draws near.  It seems that his own son is leading a rebellion against the Circle's nonviolence policies and the growing Horde threat.  His only hope is to try to get back to the other world but his old way of doing so stopped working years ago.  It seems that the other world is heading to it's end of times,as well.  What is to become of these two worlds and Thomas of Hunter's son?  Find out in this awesome book by Ted Dekker!

This story isn't called book zero for nothing.  It really does fit between book one (Black) and book three (White) making the series come "full circle" as Ted Dekker says.  I advise that you start with Black, like I did, even though Ted Dekker says you can do that or start with Green and go on to Black.  Green sorta gives away some things that I wouldn't want to know when reading the orginal trilogy but that is the reader's decision.  Overall this is a great ending and beginning to the Circle Cycle and I would recommend to all Christian Fiction readers.

Where Hearts Are Free by Golden Keyes Parsons

This is good fictional book by a talented christian author that captivated me all the way through.  Perfect for older teens and adults that love romance and suspense.  The story is about a young lady (Bridget) who falls madly love with her family's indentured servant (Phillipe). When she expresses her love for the young man, her parents are outraged. They then find a more suitable partner, for her, with the same station in life and same religion.  What makes matter worse is that Phillipe rejects her setiments and love or does he?  All is not what it seems with the eligible bachelor either.  He has a dirty little secret that none of the characters see coming.  Can the two young lovers ever be together?  Find out in this suspenseful book full of love, romance, courage, forgiveness, and hope.

To me this book was predictable but the suspense of how they were to get from here to there kept my attention.  The book also had a little more sexual content than I usually like but it really did enhance the message.  So the book is probably not appropriate for children and young teens.  The main characters were lovable, The villian was masterfully written, and the message and christian applications are good for all young lovers to learn.  I would recommend this to all mature christian romance lovers of the faith.

(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.  I didn't have to review it positively so the views expressed in this review are of my opinion.)

The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker

This is a wonderful series written by the great christian author, Ted Dekker, and is comprised of Black, Red, and White.  The story starts off with a guy named Thomas Hunter walking down a dark alley in Colorado and a bullet flies through the air barely missing his head.  He tries to escape his attackers but gets shot in the head and is knocked unconscious.  He then wakes up in an alternate world where evil and good is separated and visual.  Is this reality the dream or is it the other one?  Then, he is caught up in a massive problem that could mean the end of both realities.  These stories encompass romance, courage, betrayal, love, joy, sacrifice, and much more that will keep you glued till the end.  I had a hard time putting these books down and stayed up really late just to see what happened next.  Dekker really incorporates Christianity well, into this series.  The characters are so lovable and awesome that I couldn't help but connect with them.  Make sure to read this series at the soonest possible time.

The Beginning

Well a friend showed this to me and I am going to start writing book reviews.  Please feel free to follow my blog.  Happy Blogging.  :)