All God's Children (Peacemakers #1) - Anna Schmidt

I've had this one on my Kindle for a while.  This is the first book in the Peacemakers series.  There are two more called Simple Faith and Safe Haven.

Beth is a Quaker trapped in Nazi Germany at her uncle's house.  She's been helping out the family for years, but now it's dangerous and she can't leave.  Her family actually lives in Wisconsin, but she gave her papers to a friend so that her friend could leave the country.  Now that the two countries are at war, Beth's position is very precarious.  And now her uncle has invited a previous student to stay with them, and Beth has to watch her step even more.

Josef's father lives in the area, but tensions are high between the two and Josef prefers to stay with Beth's uncle.  Josef is trying to finish his medical studies, but he ends up getting involved with Beth's schemes.  He finds himself putting his standing, and even his life, on the line.

I wasn't too fond of this one.  I got about 1/3 of the way through and made the tough decision to put it down.  I found that I wasn't interested in what happened to the characters.  Also, when I had time to read, I would think about the book and find something else to do instead.  I can't really put my finger on what it was about this book, but it just wasn't for me.

Love Finds You in Calico, California - Elizabeth Ludwig

I tracked this book because I've read a few books by this author, and I wanted to read more of her work.

Abigail's father has died in a tragic accident while attempting to search for survivors of a fire in the mine.  Now on her own, Abigail has to find a way to support herself.  When rumors start swirling that her father is being blamed for the mine fire, Abigail must find out the truth.  Not only does her father's reputation hang in the balance, but so does her future.

Nathan feels somewhat responsible for the death of Abigail's father and is determined to do what he can for her.  He also has to run his livery and take care of his daughter, but he wishes to help her.  When she's attacked and then gets kicked out of her home, it seems like there's only one solution.

I enjoyed this nice, light read.  The characters are likable, and the writing flows well.  If you're in the mood for a western romance with a happy ending, this book could be for you!  Good Book!

The 13th Tribe (An Immortal Files Novel) - Robert Liparulo

This book has been on my Kindle for quite some time.  I've read some of this author's books in the past and have been impressed by his writing style and attention to detail.  It ended up sitting so long because I knew it was on the longer side and it was going to be one of those books that would be hard to put down.

The Tribe has been alive for 3500 years.  Since Moses brought the 10 Commandments off the mountain.  They were the ones who drank the blood and worshiped the golden calf. Ever since, they have been seeking redemption.  They are "God's fists," ridding the world of sinners that elude man's justice.  Their vigilante justice mentality has them killing many people, but they feel they haven't killed enough.  Their belief is when they have killed enough, God will take them home.  In the meantime, the only way they can be killed is by beheading.  I know the first thing many people will think is Highlander, and the author knew that.  Yes, there's a joke in there about it.

Their current mission involves something big.  They haven't attempted something this big for 100 years and feel it's time.  One of their members, Creed, doesn't think that violence is the way and tries to stop them.  Fleeing the others, he makes his way to a safe house at Mt. Sinai.  Working there is Jagger, a broken man trying to find his way, and his family. When his son is shot, Jagger gets sucked into the world of the Tribe and knows he has to stop them.

This was a good book with lots of twists and turns.  The action kept the pace of the book going, but there are over 100 chapters, so there's a lot of stopping points if you can bring yourself to put the book down.

The second book in the series is called The Judgment Stone.  I saw that Jagger was still in it, so I believe you should read this one first, because what you learn about Jagger's life later on in the book is likely relevant in the next book.  I plan on watching to see if it drops in price and I'll update that prediction accordingly.  I just have a feeling these need to be read in order.  Good Book!

She's Almost a Teenager - Peter & Heather Larson, David & Claudia Arp

My girls are 11 and 12 (almost 13).  It's a scary time, hoping that I'm doing my best and KNOWING these are important days in their lives.  They're both in middle school now, and I worry about them.  When I saw the description for this book, I was interested to see what I could learn.  I'm always on the lookout for ways to be a better parent!

This book breaks important matters down into "conversations."  Topics include friends, body image, boys, academics, money, faith & tech.  Each of these is broken down and explored with the intention of having a specific conversation about this particular topic.  At the end of each chapter is questions the parent goes through with their daughter.

Overall, this was a pretty decent book.  I didn't really learn anything new, so if you've done much research on your own, you might not get much out of it.  A lot of it is common sense.  I found it annoying that the authors switch back and forth talking all the time and make sure I know it.  Every time I saw "I (Heather)" or whoever, I got irritated.

There's a lot of advice out there and the best thing you can do is determine what is best for your child based on who they are and what works.  I have two daughters with different personalities and I love them both dearly.  The book that I've found the most helpful for us was "Everybody Tells Me to Be Myself but I Don't Know Who I Am."  It was more like a workbook, but it's easy to do a quick section and I found out a lot about my girls. 

If you're looking for a book that has a lot of general advice and aren't afraid of a lot of work, this book might work for you.  They warn you that there isn't any specific outline to follow, you're meant to take the questions, think through them as they apply to your child and adapt the conversation.  If this sounds like a challenge you're up for, go for it!

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Allie's Journey - Free now through Monday!

In an effort to spread the word a bit about my book, Allie's Journey, the Kindle version will be up for free today through Monday.  If you're interested, I encourage you to get it while it's free.  You can pick it up at Amazon or just click the picture on the right hand of the screen under "Author of" to take you directly to it.  Happy Thursday!