Called to Controversy - by Ruth Rosen

Moishe Rosen did not grow up in a home that believed in Jesus as Messiah.  He originally scoffed at his wife when she introduced the idea as truth to him.  And yet, he was let to a belief so full of passion that he could not keep it to himself, but felt called to bring this truth to his people, the Jews.  His ministry took him cross-country several times and led to an organization that brought the truth of Jesus to Jews internationally.

I am not typically a reader of biographies, and it took me a long time to get through this book.  The delay was not due to my disinterest in Moishe Rosen, on the contrary, I found him to be a fascinating person and his passion for Jesus and for the Jewish people to know Jesus as Messiah was incredible.  However, I found the book to be less than its subject.  Maybe it was precisely because Mr. Rosen led such an incredibly interesting life that it was hard to narrow down the stories to include in his biography.  The result was a mishmash of anecdotes and facts that muddled the timeline of Moshie's life and his ministry.

On the plus side, although the book was written by his daughter, Ms. Ruth Rosen, the descriptions of Mr. Rosen's personality felt impartial, and his praises as well as his flaws were accounted for.  Ms. Rosen was not only his daughter, but she was heavily involved in the Jews for Jesus organization, and thus had full access to Moshie's life as both father and leader.

As a person, Mr. Rosen's work was incredible and his life story and his life work are an amazing testimony to the Jesus whom he called Messiah.  As a book, Called to Controversy could have been a more succinct account of that life and work.

I give this book 3 stars.  I am glad that I read it, but I did struggle to get through it.
The website for Jews for Jesus can be found HERE, and their work continues on without their founder.
Ruth Rosen has her own page in the staff section of the organization's website HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, as part of their BookSneeze program, in exchange for my honest review.

The Unlikely Gift of Treasure Blume - by Lisa Rumsey Harris

Treasure Blume has an unusual lot to deal with in life; due to a family "gift," the majority of people who meet her will despise her upon their first meeting.  This "gift" has led to a lot of heartache and sorrow in Treasure's life, and has caused the people who love her to work to protect her where they can.  Treasure is tired of being coddled and has struck out on her own, securing her own job as a first-grade teacher in Las Vegas.  Small children are immune to the "gift," but parents, coworkers, and administrators are not.  Can she find some allies who can see beyond their initial impression of Treasure? Could she maybe even find love?

This book was not at all what I expected, but I found myself rooting for Treasure and hoping that she would find a way to make it on her own.  I'm not sure that I bought into the story of the curse/gift that had been handed down through the generations of Treasure's family.  However, setting that disbelief aside, the story was interesting.  I was glad to see Treasure willing to change some things about herself, yet remain committed to working through the ramifications of the "gift" on her own, standing strong to face the insults and injuries that frequently came her way.

I give this book 3 stars.  It was an original idea for a plot, and it was carried out decently.  I just didn't love it.

You can find the book for sale HERE, with excerpts available.


I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

For What It's Worth - by Karey White

Abby Benson is given the chance of a lifetime when her Aunt Grace dies and leaves her property with the advice that Abby turn it into a bakery and fulfill her dream of creating wedding cakes.  With encouragement, and a bit of guilt mixed in, from her family, Abby takes the leap that can change her life.  But with no business experience, what will she charge her customers?  What if she lets every customer decide individually how much Abby's work and creations are worth?  Will it bring her success or failure?  And is she prepared to handle either?

The idea of worth permeates this book and goes so much deeper than just the monetary value of a beautiful, edible creation.  As Abby wonders what her customers will think she's worth, she begins to evaluate what other things in her life are worth, but she, more importantly, has to wonder if she's worth what other people thinks she is worth.  It's a very risky situation, where not only could her business succeed or fail, but she has now wrapped up her own self-worth into the product.  The novel brings this idea of worth into Abby setting new priorities and goals for her life that change the way she views her business and the people in her life.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  The search for worth on multiple levels took the book deeper than a simple inheritance/dream-come-true plot, and even broadened the romance story-line as both characters had to evaluate what their assumptions and plans for the future had been.  Each chapter started with a recipe, and while I only skimmed most of them, I highlighted a few to attempt at some point.  Maybe I need a book club to cook book recipes for.

I give this book 4 stars.  

You can find the book HERE.

You can find the author's blog HERE.

I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

If We Survive - by Andrew Klavan

"We were in the cantina waiting for a bus when Mendoza walked in and shot the waiter dead."  With that scene, the novel If We Survive begins, and races through harrowing situation after situation.  Will Peterson, "just [a] sixteen-year-old...from Spencer's Grove, California" and four others have come on a mission trip to Costa Verdes, to help rebuild a school building for the local children.  They've had a successful trip and celebrated the finished project and are only waiting for their pilot to take them back to the states when revolution breaks loose in the country.  Will they make it out?  Can they trust their pilot, Palmer Dunn, a man who seems like a loose cannon, but has military experience in his background?

This book was a little rocky for me.  It started out slowly, taking awhile to adjust to a 16-year-old's point of view and method of relating his experiences.  Once they made it through their first barrier to survival, it began picking up speed and never slowed down.  The writing and suspense had me really wondering if anybody would make it out, and several scenes made me tense until their resolution.  However, even with the good sense of suspense, there was something missing from this book.  It took me awhile to pinpoint it, but I read a book with a similar plotline several years ago, called My Hands Came Away Red, another story of a mission trip caught in a bloody uprising.  With all of the similarities, though, this book lacked any connection to the people involved in the brutality of the revolution.  That's what was missing.  There was a mention or two of the mission-trip kids realizing that the natives were caught in the middle of this, but there was no real compassion or sense of sorrow for the people they'd worked with.  There was just the sense of saving themselves and getting back home to their "normal" lives.  Even Will, who comes to realize "how a person might get to be fearless over time, if he set his spirit on the right path" is still worried more about whether his parents will still be fighting when he gets home than over any sense of loss or trauma from their experience in Costa Verdes.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars.  I definitely got caught up in the action and felt the characters' fear, but I wish that there had been more change or compassion on their part, rather than just a fight for survival.  Even if there had been some reflection on how this would change their lives in the future, it would have been a more satisfying story.

I received a copy of e-book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

A Change of Fortune - by Jen Turano

Lady Eliza Sumner has taken a job as a governess with the Watson family in New York.  Not because she actually is a governess, but because she is trying to track down the man who stole her fortune and besmirched her family's name in England.  So, as plain Miss Eliza Sumners, she tries to conceal her identity and search for the thief inconspicuously.  Once her employer forces her to attend a formal dinner, however, and she finds herself seated next to a Mr. Hamilton Beckett, her carefully laid plans begin to go awry.  Instead of following the trail by herself, she is instead surrounded by new friends eager to assist her.  The money she searches for may even become less important as her new life becomes filled with people she cares about.

This book was just plain fun.  While the plot may not have been terribly original or complicated, the characters in the story were completely endearing.  It wasn't even just Eliza who made the story, but every single character who was involved in her life, from Agatha who became a close friend, to Hamilton and his brother Zayne, to Hamilton's children Piper and Ben, and even the mothers, Mrs. Beckett and Mrs. Watson gave such life and humor to the book that I couldn't put it down.  I loved the friendship between Eliza and Agatha, and how together they couldn't resist the adventure of taking an active part in the investigation.  I also loved how the people around them couldn't help but be taken in by their humor and zest for life, while still working to keep them safe and work with them to recover Eliza's fortune.

I give this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.  There wasn't a lot of depth to Eliza's search for God, yet she still came to realize that He was guiding her steps, and had even worked the loss of her fortune to her good.  I recommend this book if you're looking for a light, fun read.

You can find A Change of Fortune HERE.
You can find Jen Turano's website HERE.
I am excited to see that this is the first book in a set of four!  I can't wait to see what other characters and stories come next!
Ms. Turano has a companion novella available on Amazon for FREE right now, called Gentleman of Her Dreams.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

A Clearing in the Wild - by Jane Kirkpatrick

A Clearing in the Wild begins with Emma Wagner living in a simple settlement in Bethel, Missouri, where she is merely one of the many colonists leading a life of community under Wilhelm Keil's leadership.  However, Emma is known to question Herr Keil's decisions, and when her husband, Christian Giesy, is to be sent west to locate a new location for the colony shortly after their marriage, she pushes her way into the scout group to be allowed to travel with him.  After they arrive on the West Coast, she is forced to examine her own faith in God, her husband's priorities, and their "leader's" beliefs as they wait for the colony to join them and for Herr Keil to pronounce his decision on the colony's new home.

Emma Wagner Giesy was such a strong character, and a woman who incited me to care about her fate and the decisions that were being made on her behalf.  Likely, it's my placement in modern culture that made me so aggravated at those who wouldn't let her speak and cheered when her husband and fellow scouts began to listen to her, but I could only hope to have been as strong as she was on such a journey.  I was amazed that while she often questioned the way of life established by Wilhelm, she never seemed to question God, or that the Bible was true.  I did find myself wishing that she could come in contact with someone who would lead her deeper into the Bible, however, to find her own way and more Truth than that which the colony had deemed appropriate to share with its inhabitants.

Once I finished the book, I was going to give it 3 stars, mostly because it was such a rough journey and there were so many aggravating sections where the leader forced his way upon the people that I wouldn't deem it an "enjoyable" read.  However, in the section from the author, I realized that it was based on a true story, and that Jane Kirkpatrick had done intensive research on Emma and everything that she went through, and that made the story that much more incredible.  So now, I give this book 4 stars, based on a strong story and the intensity of knowing that it really happened and this Emma Wagner Giesy was likely much as the author depicted her.
This book is only the first in a series, and I look forward to reading more about Emma's life!

I've reviewed Jane Kirkpatrick's books before, and I have usually enjoyed them.  You can find more about the author HERE.
This book is only $1.99 on CBD right now!

Please consider taking a moment to rate my review so I can continue receiving great books to review!


I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

Lost and Found - by Ginny Yttrup

Jenna Durand Bouvier has been under the influence of Brigitte Bouvier since her mother died and Brigitte stepped in to guide and shape Jenna to what Brigitte envisioned her to be.  Now that Jenna is married to Brigitte's son, Gerard, and living in her house, she finds that she is losing herself, to the point that when Brigitte suggests that Jenna's jawline is "too masculine," Jenna undergoes plastic surgery to try to please Brigitte's ideals.  However, when the surgery goes wrong and Jenna is left with a lingering infection, she withdraws from the public eye and begins to search even more for God's presence and His will for her life.  Sensing outside influences on Jenna that might bend her away from her plans for her daughter-in-law, Brigitte wields her considerable power to break Jenna and keep her in line.  Will Jenna be strong enough to thrive?  Or will she continue to bear what she considers to be her cross?

This book was intense.  Jenna's search for God and her true desire to seek Him and do what was pleasing to Him was inspiring.  I really hated Brigitte for what she was doing to Jenna, but wanted so badly for Jenna to overcome her situation.  Jenna's search and struggles are so relatable that I think every reader could find himself or herself in her shoes.  The overarching theme to Jenna's journey is "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  Yet as I would imagine so many of us wonder, she says "The words play in my mind over and over.  I try to rest in their truth.  But the insistent accusations are hard to ignore.  Why can't I rest in truth?  Rest in my relationship with the One I know loves me most?"  Even as Jenna struggles to find her own way and peace with God, she can't help but encourage and strengthen the people around her.  She allows others, whom many would consider not in her class, to speak truth to her life, and she values them and their spiritual wisdom.

I feel that I can't do this review justice.  There is so much I loved about this book that I could go on and on and on.  I don't give many books 5 stars, but this one earned it.  The writing was good, the characters were deep, and the spiritual truths presented were challenging.  I even had to look up the author of the quotes presented at the head of each chapter, Jeanne Guyon, because there was such wisdom in her words.  I will definitely be looking to read other works from Ginny Yttrup, because Lost and Found is not a book that will be forgotten quickly.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.