Dr. James Dobson's Handbook of Family Advice

I have read Dr. Dobson's Handbook of Family Advice by Dr. James Dobson.  I am familiar with Dr. Dobson from his radio show and have always enjoyed listening to his program.  I was glad for the opportunity to review this book. 

This book has 33 chapters about a variety of topics relevant to the family such as conflict, discipline, getting older, legacy, money, parenting teens, siblings, and stress.  Each chapter has several stories that answer questions about these topics.  His answers are based on the Bible and research. The introduction says these storeis are taken from radio and television commentaries and are designed to be 90-seconds each.   

I thought this book was enjoyable and will be helpful for families today as we all face problems and need encouragement.  The stories are encouraging and easy to read; they are less than a page each for the most part.  This is the type of book that you could read cover to cover or you could choose a topic and read it as it relates to your life.   

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for providing this book for my review.
 
Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Accidental Bride

I would like to share with you a book I recently finished called The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter. 

Shay Brandenberger has lived a hard life.  She wants something different for her own daughter, Olivia,   but she has a difficult time making ends meet as a single mom.  She's fearful of losing her family's ranch, a ranch that has been in the family for three generations.  Shay is asked to play the bride in her town's Founder's Day re-enactment.  She doesn't realize until she walks down the aisle that the group is Travis McCoy, her old high school sweetheart who left her at the altar years ago.  Shay makes it through the ceremony and thinks it will all be forgotten until she finds out that, due to a mistake by the preacher, the pretend ceremony was actually real. She is now married to Travis. 

This was a cute book and easy to read.  I enjoyed reading it, like the characters, and look forward to more books from this author.  As I was reading, characters seemed familliar to me.  I realized that this book is in the Big Sky Romance series.  I have previously read A Cowboy's Touch and reviewed it here. 

One part that has stuck with me after reading this book is how Shay was always worried about what others thought of her.  Her friend reminded her of a verse from Galatians 1:10--"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."  This was a great reminder for me personally as I think of what I do and why I do it.

This book was provided to me for my honest review by Audra Jennings and the B & B Media Group.  Thank you.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: A Wedding Invitation

I'm happy to share with you my review of Alice Wisler's book A Wedding Invtation.  This is my third book to read by this author (click to see my reviews of Hatteras Girl or How Sweet It Is).

In A Wedding Invitation Samantha Bravencourt lives near Washington, D.C. where she works at her mother's clothing shop.  She receives a wedding invitation in the mail from an old friend, and the wedding ends up very differently than Samantha (or the reader) might expect!  Samantha ends up coming into contact with Carson Brylie, who was a fellow teacher at a refuge camp years ago, and one of her former students from the camp named Lien. 

As Carson and Samantha work together to help Lien, Samantha has flashbacks to the time she spent with Carson at the refuge camp as her emotions are stirred for the one who broke her heart.

I really enjoy the books this author has written, and this one is no exception.  I like the feel of her books, the way she writes, her characters and settings, and how the books seem unique from other authors' writing styles.
And one more thing, I really like this cover a lot. 

Thank you to Bethany House publishers for providing this book for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Audio book: Courageous Living Dare to Take a Stand

I have finished listening to a wonderful audio book called Courageous Living by Michael C. Catt. 

From the site:
In the new film COURAGEOUS (from the makers of Fireproof), four police officers are confident and focused when it comes to facing danger on the job. But leading their families at home in a God-honoring way? That takes courage. Because it is important to take a faithful, fearless stand in so many areas of life, pastor and COURAGEOUS executive producer Michael Catt offers Courageous Living as a closer look at biblical themes and characters that inspired the greatly anticipated movie.

My thoughts: 
I am so glad I downloaded this book.  I found it to be very encouraging to me as a woman.  I really enjoyed how the author chose various examples of courageous people from the Bible to make his points.  People like Gideon, Ruth, Daniel, and Stephen are examples of what courage really looks like.

We need courageous leaders in our homes, churches, and workplaces.  We need men to step up and lead their families as they are commanded to do in the Word.  This book is a great way to encourage men and show them how to live as men of courage in a world where we do not see many men living courageously. 

Although some of this book is directed to men, I highly recommend this book to both men and women.  It will challenge and encourage you. It is not a long book and the chapters were less than 30 minutes each making them good for listening to on the drive to and from work.  I think it would make a nice gift as well. The narrator, Maruice England, did a good job with this book and I enjoyed hearing him read. 

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers program for providing this audio book for my review.

Have a day of blessings!

Review: The Mercy

I was happy to be able to review The Mercy by Beverly Lewis.  I've been reading books by this author for many years!  This is the third book in The Rose Trilogy.  I have read all three books, I don't believe I posted reviews here though. 

In this book we have several story lines.  The main character, Rose, who is starting to feel she will be single all her life until she meets a boy from another district. 

Rose's sister, Hen, is living back at home along with her Englisher husband and their daughter.  They were separated because of differences they had encountered in their lives when Hen missed her Amish lifestyle, and then he came to live with Hen after he was in a car accident and lost his vision.

Another storyline of the book is Mamm and her impending surgery for her pain she's lived with for many years. 

I enjoyed this book as I did the others in this series.  However, I did feel it had an abrupt ending.  Some of the story seemed to be so drawn out and then it just seemed to end too quickly. 

I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: False Pretenses

I finished reading book #1 in the Secrets of Roux River Bayou series called False Pretenses by Kathy Herman.  I have had this book sitting in my pile to read for several months.  When I picked it up to read, I had a hard time putting it down!  And I am excited that book #2 (Dangerous Mercy) just came out last week.  I look forward to reading it as well. 

In False Pretenses we meet Zoe Broussard who owns a Cajun eatery with her husband, Pierce.  She loves her town and the people there including her neighbors Vanessa and Ethan (characters from the Sophie Trace Trilogy).  When she starts getting anonymous notes in random places, she is afraid for her life, her business, and her marriage.  She is scared that a secret she has hidden for years is going to end up causing danger for herself and those she loves.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Ethan want to begin work restoring the Langley Manor. They have a disturbing mystery of their own though.

I enjoyed reading this book.  It was a real page turner for me!  I enjoyed the characters and the setting of Louisiana.  This is an area I do not know anything about so it was interesting for me to read as it had some Cajun dialect thrown in here and there.     

Have a day of blessings!

Book Review: Megan's Secrets

Megan's Secrets by Mike Cope is a wonderful book I'd like to share with you today. 

This is a touching book that will speak to your heart.  Author Mike Cope shares the secrets he learned from Megan, his mentally disabled daughter.  One thing that struck me was to read of the people who connected with Megan during her time here.  Megan was on the earth for only 10 years, but he shares how in her short time on earth Megan touched countless lives.  Now the reader of this book will be another of the many lives touched by Megan! 

The writer has challenged me in my own life by sharing what he learned from his daughter.  The end of this book was a great reminder to me that this life and the things that happen here are not the end.  We have to keep looking forward to our eternal home. 
You can just feel the love everyone felt for Megan as you read the stories of her life and thoughts shared by friends and family members.  This is an inspring book that will be a blessing to the reader.  I hope you will enjoy it as I did. 

Have a day of blessings!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from The B & B Media Group, Inc. book bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Audio book: A Marriage Carol

I received the audio version from christianaudio.com of a book called A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman.  It is a wonderful story, and I'm very excited to share it with you.

On Christmas Eve Jake and Marlee Ebenezer are driving in a snow storm to sign divorce papers after 20 years of marriage. On the drive they have an accident due to the terrible storm.  Marlee goes looking for her husband and ends up at the home of an elderly man named Jay.  Marlee experiences

the ghosts of Marriage Past, Marriage Present, and Marriage Future (like from Dickens' A Christmas Carol).  She learns some valuable lessons from the older gentleman, his wife, and the snow. 

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book and highly recommend it to you.  It will really make you think about the choices you make in marriage as well as in life in general.  As I was listening I thought how valuable it would be if couples considering divorce would have an opportunity like Marlee had to remember and see the impact their choice will have.  I think it is a good book for anyone because of the insight it provides on life, how our choices matter and the importance of remembering the past.   

This audio version is read by one of the authors, Chris Fabry.  He did a great job narrating the story.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this audiobook free from the christianaudio Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: My Heart's at Home

During the summer I participated in a Facebook group book study on the book My Heart's at Home by Jill Savage.  This is one of the books by this author I had not read yet so I was excited to get the book and read it. 

In this book the author writes about the importance of home to a family.  Using the analogy of building a house, she gives ideas of how to make your home a safe, welcome place for all the members of your family.  Chapters include Home as a Rest Area, Home as a Playground, Home as  a Church, Home as a School, and Home as a Trauma Unit to name a few.  There are also chapters discussing the role of the children, Mom, Dad and the Mom and Dad as partners.

I gained so much from this book and think it would be beneficial for all mothers to read.  It has very practical, real ideas to use in your home as well as stories from Jill and other Mom's that were inspirational to read. 

Other wonderful books I recommend by this author include the following:  Living With Less, Real Moms Real Jesus, and Professionalizing Motherhood.  All of these are excellent resources I keep in my personal library.  If you need encouragement as a Mom, any of these would be great!

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book review: The First Gardener

I'd like to share a book with you called The First Gardener by Denise Hildreth Jones. The cover is what first captured my attention with this book. 

From the publisher: 
Jeremiah Williams has been tending the gardens of the Tennessee governor’s mansion for over twenty-five years. And like most first families who have come and gone, this one has stolen his heart.
Mackenzie and her husband, Governor Gray London, have struggled for ten years to have a child and are now enjoying a sweet season of life—anticipating the coming reelection and sending their precious daughter, Maddie, off to kindergarten—when a tragedy tears their world apart. As the entire state mourns, Mackenzie falls into a grief that threatens to swallow her whole.

Though his heart is also broken, Jeremiah realizes that his gift of gardening is about far more than pulling weeds and planting flowers. It’s about tending hearts as well. As he uses the tools that have been placed in his hands, he gently begins to cultivate the hard soil of Mackenzie’s heart, hoping to help her realize what it took him years to discover.

A Southern tale of loss, love, and living, The First Gardner reminds us that all of life is a gift, but our heart is the most valuable gift of all.

My thoughts: 
It has taken me a while to read this book honestly (probably because I had other books I was trying to finish as well), but it was a good book.  I must warn you that it is sad though.  The story is told from the perspectives of the loss faced by several main characters, each who offer something special to the book as a whole.  These are all very interesting, well-developed characters, and I think the reader can learn so much from each of these.  As I was reading I thought back to high school English class, character analyzing, and how some of the characters would be great for such. 

The reader can take away so many lessons from this book in my opinion, even though it is sad.   Some of the topics include death, depression, pride, forgiveness, and friendship. This is a good story and the author does a nice job weaving so many different aspects together.

And I don't know why this happened but I wanted to include it in my review:  My book totally fell apart.  The cover came off and the pages came out in two sections.  I haven't treated this book any differently than I ever treat any book so I'm unsure why this happened.  It made it difficult to read once it fell out of the cover! 

This book was provided to me by Tyndale for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional

Are you familiar with author Stormie Omartian?  She has written several books on prayer.  I was given The Power of a Praying Wife before I got married.  Now she has a new book called The Power of a Praying Wife Devotional which I would like to share with you today.

This is a book of 100 devotionals on a variety of topics related to marriage.  Each one has a verse, a short writing, and then a prayer.  They are about 2 pages each, so it does not take much time to read each one.  There are prayers for the wife, the husband, and the couple.  This is a book that you can pick up and read all the way through or choose certain prayers about a particular area that applies to your current life situation. 

I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to you.  There is power in prayer a,nd we need to be constantly praying about our marriages.  This book is a great guide to help you do that in a new way and pray about areas you may not have considered previously.

Thank you to Harvest House publishers for providing me a review copy for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Audio book: The Stoning of Sally Kern

I would like to share a book with you called The Stoning of Sally Kern by Sally Kern. 

This is an eye-opening book, the story of Sally Kern.  I was not familiar with her story prior to listening to this book.  Let me give you a little background on what happened:  Mrs. Kern, District 84 House of Representatives member from Oklahoma, was attacked by homosexuals after give a speech to a Republican club.  Pieces of the speech were turned into a YouTube video.  In this book she describes the hate mail she received and the attacks on her family because of this video.  Many wanted her to apologize and change what she said.  She was not going to apologize for speaking truth. She goes on to talk about how Christianity in America is under attack. 

There was so much truth presented in this book and I found myself continually shaking my head in agreement.  Christian Americans need to not be afraid to stand up as Mrs. Kern has done.  But too often we do not because we don't want to hurt someone else's feelings. 

As I was looking on a site where I will also post this review, this book has clearly angered many because Mrs. Kern has taken a stand against homosexuality.  She is not mean or hateful in the way she does it either.  One thing I noticed in the book was how she received all this hate mail and complaints for her supposed "hate" of homosexuals yet the things that were said to her where much more vile and hateful than anything she even said! 

It's clear that our society is very much against those who stand up against the sin of homosexuality.  If you go look at other review sites, those who speak out in favor of this book are criticized! 

The narrator (Tamara Kaye Adams) did a good job with this reading.  It took me a little bit to get used to her voice, but I thought she did a nice job. 
Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book Review: 365 Ways to Say "I Love You" to Your Kids

I have read 365 Ways to Say "I Love You" to Your Kids by Jay Payleitner. 

From the publisher:
Parents adore their kids, but expressions of love can get lost in the mayhem of carpools, diaper changes, and afterschool activity schedules. Jay Payleitner, author of 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad and proud father of five, inspires parents to turn love into an action verb with 365 simple and doable ideas.

My thoughts:
This is a WONDERFUL book that I highly recommend to you. It is basically a list of short ways to let your children know you love them.  Many of them are very simple ideas yet they will speak volumes to your kids.  It is those little things the children will remember and remind them of their parents' love to them. 

I liked how this book was divided into chapters.  Some of these were age-based to give you ideas of how to show love to various age groups, which I thought was beneficial.  This is a great book to have in your home just to serve as a reminder of all the different ways you can show your kids your love for each one. 
Read more about the book here.

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers and netGalley for providing me an ebook version for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book Review: The Blessing

I have finished a book called The Blessing Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by John Trent & Gary Smalley.

Book Description:

Every human needs the gift of "the blessing"—the unconditional love and approval that comes from a healthy relationship with one's parents. In this update to the best-selling classic The Blessing, coauthors John Trent and Gary Smalley offer a fresh perspective on this life-changing gift with solid, practical advice on how to lay a secure base of in each child's life.

The Blessing powerfully communicates biblical truths on how to instill self-worth and emotional well-being into others based on these five essential elements: meaningful touch, a spoken message, attaching high value, picturing a special future, and an active commitment.

My thoughts: 
This is an updated version of a book, and I did enjoy reading this book for the most part.  It seemed a tad repetitive in parts and I felt like I was waiting for the part of how to pass on the blessing to children.   

The book is based on the Old Testament account of Jacob and Esau.  It is a great book for parents but is also appropriate for anyone who works with children as they too can have a role in giving the blessing.  It can be helpful to adults as well who missed out on the blessing in their childhood. 

The message of this book is one that parents need to hear.  Children need to have "the blessing" from their parents and this book can equip parents to make sure they do that. 

I would recommend this book for parents and it would make a nice addition for church libraries.     
Have a day of blessings!
 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Book review + GIVEAWAY! To Win Her Heart

Do you enjoy reading Christian historical romance?  I would like to share with you a wonderful book by relatively new author Karen Witemeyer. I reviewed another of her books, A Tailor-Made Bride, here.    

This book is called To Win Her Heart. Eden Spencer spends her days as the librarian in the town of Spencer, TX.  When a new blacksmith, Levi Grant, comes to town, Eden judges him as not worth her time.  However, he comes to her library to borrow a book and a friendship begins to develop between the two as they discuss various books through exchanged letters.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and did not want it to end!  There were several reasons why I thought it was a great book and would recommend it to you.  First, I enjoyed the characters--the two main characters and their character flaws, as well as some minor characters and the role they play in this story.  Second, I appreciate that this book was not totally predictable.  Too many times I read a book and pretty much have it figured out half-way through.  While there were parts I expected, there was plenty that I didn't suspect as well.  Mainly this came in an ending I did not see coming.  I loved how the author tied up the story.  Finally, the reader can learn several lessons from the characters of this book.  I much prefer reading a book that makes me think about my own weaknesses and where I can see myself in the shoes of a character and apply what they have learned through the book to my personal life.  These characters did that for me.   

If you'd like you can read the first chapter here.

And now for the giveaway!  Leave a comment on this post.  Make sure I have a way to contact you.  One winner will receive a personalized autographed copy of To Win Her Heart.  The giveaway will end on Friday, June 24 and a winner will be announced on Saturday, June 25.   

Have a day of blessings!
 

(I received this book from Bethany House Publishers for my honest review.)

Audio book: Resolving Everyday Conflict

Humans have always had to deal with conflict.  This conflict may be on the job, at home, with friends or family members.  Conflict is a part of life, and we need to have a clue how to  handle conflict when it arises. 
In the book Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson, the reader can learn about conflict and how to handle it in a practical, easy to understand way.   There are four questions that are answered by the "Four G's" to ask yourself during times of conflict.  I liked the examples of conflict given throughout the book to make application of the ways to handle conflict.

This book would be a nice addition for your personal library or church library because anyone can benefit from it.  I can see it would be particularly helpful to those in leadership positions. 

The narrator, Maurice England, did a nice job reading the text, and I found his voice easy to hear and follow.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book Review: The Fitting Room

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” –Colossians 3:12

Today I would like to share with you a wonderful book called The Fitting Room by Kelly Minter.  

In this book Kelly Minter breaks down the verse Colossians 3:12.  Chapter by chapter she explains how we can put on the virtues of peace, kindness, humility, compassion, patience, and joy. We have to realize that these aren't just things that we can suddenly be.  They are all things to work on; they don't come naturally to us in our own self.  They come from Christ living in us.   

I appreciate her writing style and how the book has the feel of a conversation with a friend. Her honesty in sharing real life stories as well as her humor really add to this book.  There were so many little "nuggets" in this book that made me stop and think as I was reading. 

One part that really stood out to me was in one of the chapters on peace. She talked about Jonah and his running from God and how sometimes it's our own choices that hinder us from having peace.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this book and recommend it to you.  It has study questions in the back and I could see it being very appropriate for a group study with friends or a church group.     

Thank you to Audra at The B & B Media Group for providing this book for my honest review. 

Have a day of blessings!
 

Audio book: Penetrating the Darkness

I have finished listening to a book called Penetrating the Darkness Discovering the Power of the Cross Against Unseen Evil. The author is Jack Hayford.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The book was not what I expected. I guess I had a different idea in mind of what this book would be about based on the title and book description. I found it to be a very in depth look at prayer with guidance and instruction on praying. It includes various prayer-related phrases and explains what each one means and how to pray in that way, including supplication, intercession, and pleading the blood. Parts of the book where hard to follow as I listened and other parts really made sense. I was reminded of the power of prayer and how we need to be people of prayer to fight against the evil around us.

The narrator was Tim Lundeen. He does a good job reading this book and his voice is pleasant.

Thank you to the christianaudio Reviewers Program for providing this audio book to me for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!
 

Book review: You Can Raise Courageous & Confident Kids

I am so glad I have read the book You Can Raise Courageous & Confident Kids:  Preparing Your Children for the World They Live In by Mary E. DeMuth.

This is an excellent book for parents. The author gives ideas and reasons that we as parents need to prepare our world for the postmodern world in which we leave. There is a balance we must find between sheltering our children so much that they will be unable to function when they grow up and giving them strong roots to be able to live in the world but not be like the world. The author shares her own experiences with her children as they made the decision to move to France. The purpose of this book is to help parents help their children effectively share the love of Jesus in the world in which they are growing up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the writing style of the author. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Harvest House Publishers for providing this book for my honest review.

Have a day of blessings!

Book review: A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

I have read a book called A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter.  I enjoyed reading this book and this was my first book by this author.

In A Cowboy's Touch Abigail leaves her life and work as a writer in the city for some rest at her Aunt Lucy's house to hopefully help relieve some of the health problems she's been experiencing.  She ends up as the nanny for young Maddy who lives on a ranch with her Dad, Wade. A strong relationship quickly grows between Abigail and Maddy as Maddy has no mother figure in her life since the death of her Mom.  Both Abigail and Wade learn a lot about themselves during this summer together and how they have let guilts of the past to control them. 

I enjoyed the characters of this book.  This was an easy book to read, and while parts of the story were predictable, it also had a good message.     

Thank you to Audra at the B&B Media Group for sending this book to me for my review. 

Q&A with Denise Hunter,  Author of A Cowboy’s Touch

Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you first begin to write?
I’ve always been an avid reader, but I didn’t start dreaming about writing a novel until I was in my early twenties. By then I was married and busy pursuing a degree. I put writing on the back burner until my grandfather became fatally ill. While I was visiting him in the hospital, I was struck by the brevity of life and felt God pressing on my heart to take the first step. I started my first novel a couple weeks later. I had two small children by this time, so I wrote while they napped. I wrote my first four books that way. Even if you can only write a page a day, by the end of a year you’ll have a complete manuscript!

Q: Are you a small town or a city girl? What inspired you to write a book about the life of a cowboy?
I’m a little of both. We live in a country setting just outside the city. It’s the best of both worlds. There’s something very earthy and organic about a cowboy’s life. I was drawn by the idea of living off the land. I think it takes us to a simpler time and place—even though the life of a cowboy is not necessarily simple! And Montana is such a beautiful state. I thought my readers might like to journey there with me through story.

Q: Can you tell us a little about what you have learned about the cowboy lifestyle while doing research for this book?
I learned a lot of fascinating details about the workings of a ranch: branding, breeding, cattle disease, etc. But what I came away with is a great respect for cowboys and their families. Those who choose this way of life do it because they love it. It’s not easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

Q: Abigail’s title at her job is “the Truthseeker.” What is the significance of this title, and what do you think a real truthseeker does?
I thought it would be interesting to write about a protagonist whose job was to seek the truth and have her find out that she was missing the real Truth the whole time. Since Jesus is the Truth, a real truthseeker follows Him.

Q: Forgiveness seems to be a recurring theme in your books. Why do you feel it is so important? Your main characters both dealt with forgiving their past mistakes. Do you think that it is just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive the mistakes of others?
With sin rampant in all of us, this is something we need to get good at! Eventually, someone’s going to do something you struggle to forgive. I think this is partly because forgiveness is easily misunderstood. It’s not saying that what they did is okay. It’s saying that you’re not going to hold it over them anymore. I do think it’s just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive others. Oftentimes, it’s even harder.

Q: Abigail and Wade both threw themselves into their work in order to escape their pasts. Do you believe it is easy to find an escape in work in order to hide from our problems?
No one likes to hurt, so I think the tendency is to avoid it however we can. Throwing ourselves into our work is certainly one way of doing so. But these things have a way of bubbling up to the surface eventually, no matter how hard we try to avoid them.

Q: What would you like your readers to take away after reading A Cowboy’s Touch?
Abigail was essentially trying to work off her guilt. She thought if she could just keep exposing other peoples’ wrongs, it would appease her own guilt. I’d like readers to see that only God can redeem us.

Find out more about this author at her website:  http://www.denisehunterbooks.com/

Have a day of blessings!