Need You Now- Book Review

Darlene thought moving to a small town would bring their family closer together, but it just might tear them apart.

When big-city life threatens their children's safety, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Dallas to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.

Married life hasn't always been bliss for Brad and Darlene, but their strong faith has carried them through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.

While working with special needs children at her new job, Darlene meets a little boy who steals her heart. His widowed father is paying more attention to her than is probably appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening for the first time in a long time.

The teens are struggling to adjust to their new, small-town life, especially since it seems all their parents do anymore is fight. And fifteen-year-old Grace is coping in a dangerous and destructive way.

Can Brad and Darlene survive the changes they face within themselves and their marriage . . . and find a way to help their daughter before it's too late?

         ~ This book was fast to read and the plot was easy to follow, it was a good book but one that has been written many times by many other authors. I do like how everything tidied up in the end. I will say that the subject of Cutting and teenagers bothered me as I have 2 daughters and I can't possibly imagine one of them doing this and we not noticing for months.~

If you would like to WIN a copy of this book Please leave a comment below!

This book was sent to me to read and review by HandleBar Marketing.

Influenster Palmolive Fresh Sponge

I have received the Influenster Palmolive Fresh Sponge kit in the mail free for me to try.

My daughter does the dishes for us in the evening and I try to do the morning ones if I have time before work, We both like the smell and love how much it bubbles, I'm not sure how much this will actually keep my sponge smelling nice  and keep it mildew free but time will tell.

Influenster is a great program where you get to try new products and samples and share on your Blog or Youtube, Facebook page.

Thanks for sending me this to try Influenster!!

Simple Secrets to a Happy Life~ Book Review

Is it possible to stay full of life, laughter, love, and the Lord through eight decades in this crazy world? Is that even realistic? Yes! There is hope, and Luci Swindoll is living proof.

With heart and humor, this best-selling author and beloved speaker lays out the truths that can help us all become a little more creative, organized, healthy, and happy. This is not a complex prescription for how to become superwoman. These are simple secrets, the wisdom produced by years of walking with God and living well.

We don’t need more tips for “having it all,” but we could all use insight on “having what matters,” and there is no better guide than Luci Swindoll.

Luci has spent eight decades accumulating the stories, memories, verses, and practical tips that make up Simple Secrets to a Happy Life. Whether traveling the world or building life-long friendships, singing in the opera or working for Mobil Oil, every step has taught her a little more about how to love God, love her neighbor, and love herself.

The result is both personal and universal. Organized into fifty short chapters, her reflections form a simple and profound outline for making the most of the lives God has given us.

We could all use a little more joy in our lives, which means we could all use a little more Luci. Visit her through these snapshots of wisdom. You’ll find yourself drawn back again and again.        

~I loved reading and picking up tidbits from this book. Right now I'm feeling overly stressed during the week with my new  job and then coming home to homework and dinner/chores. Reading this book made me stop and find some joy in the day. The chapters are short and sweet and to the point. I enjoyed reading Mrs. Swindoll's stories about her life and what she has learned through out her years. It's an added bonus that the cover is simply cute too!~

BookSneeze sent me this book to read/review, all opinions are my own.

Illusion- Book Review and Give Away!

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.

Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.

They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.

            ~I finished this book in 3 days, it was that good! I was hesitant to read this since I haven't read anything else  by Frank Peretti but I was hooked by the first chapter. The storyline just keeps growing and getting stranger, it's full of mystery and wonderment...with a touch of science fiction. I really loved the ending and was happily pleased with how everything was explained and left me with no loose ends and wondering about this or that. It was rather long though at 497 pages but the ending was so sweet that I hated to see it end, really!~

I was given 2 books by Handlebar Marketing for my review. 1 to read and on to give away.  Please leave a comment sharing what is on your TBR list for the month of April to be entered. I will pick a winner on Monday!