Can't Get Over Anthem Lights!!!

These guys are way too good. Anthem Lights is a new band to the Christian scene, but they've already launched themselves into the top song circles. I mean, I am seeing Anthem Lights everywhere!!!!! Props to them. Amazing vocals, great fan base, and one awesome God they praise.

Here's an acoustic version of their song "Can't Get Over You"


Blessings,

Review of Lethal Remedy!

I have officially found my favorite fiction series, which I have never been able to do before now. It's Prescription for Trouble! Lethal Remedy by Richard L. Mabry, M.D., is the fourth and final book in the Prescription for Trouble medical drama/suspense series. Sara Miles and her colleagues are in a race against the devil, rather, Staphylococcus luciferus, a bacteria better known as the Killer. When a new experimental drug begins to show astounding progress in curing S. luciferus infections, Sara is determined to use it to help her teenage patient, whose prospects are not good. She is determined to help, even if it means attaining the experimental drug through the developer, Dr. Jack Ingersoll, who is Sara's ex-husband.

Everything seems to be perfect until strange, harmful side effects of the drug begin showing up in patients. Sara and her colleague, Dr. Rip Pearson, become more suspicious when the developer and his supporting pharmaceutical company begin to clam up. Sara must put together the clues before its too late!

The plot is so amazing that I had so much difficulty putting this book down. I'm familiar with the many "real life" aspects in the book, so I applaud the author for being so startlingly realistic in the writing of this fictional suspense story. There are many facets in the plot that keep a reader guessing, and I love how the Sara's story isn't the only story in the book. There were several central characters who the book revolved around. Although the point of view shifts many times, the tone is still clear and the characters are very separate. I'm also so very glad that this book is clean. That is so rare in medical fiction (fiction as a whole, really), so I am very thankful to have found this series.

All in all, I rate this book five out of five stars. Excellent and highly recommended!

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~Paperback: 288 pages
~Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 2011)

Note: Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic advanced readers copy for reviewing purposes. 

Blessings,

Funny Commercials

The spider one absolutely cracks me up. I love how he hits it that one last time.


Bahaha!!!!


You go, dog!!!!

Review of Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride

Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker is the second book in the Emma Rae Creation series. Sherilyn's a little frazzled. She's just moved back to Atlanta after living in Chicago for some time to marry her fiance Andrew, the son of the Drummonds, which is a family of high style and high in the social rank of the town. Sherilyn finds much relief in her new job as a wedding planner at Tanglewood Inn, an all-inclusive hotel that it meant for weddings. But when two wedding dresses go missing, her fiance adopts a mangy mutt, and her allergies begin to get serious, Sherilyn gets worried. Is she actually allergic to Andrew?

This book was a lighthearted read. I liked how the story of Emma Rae was able to continue, even though her friend is the star of this book. Sherilyn is a fun character, and I love how creative the author is to create the series in a succession of occupations and tying it all to the other books. My favorite aspect of this book is how Sherilyn moves past losing the two wedding dresses to see that God had a different plan the whole time.

I had no big complains about this book, but I found it somewhat slow-moving. Some of the aspects were predictable, and I wasn't able to enjoy this book as much as I did the first. I really loved the first book, so I'd highly recommend that. There's also a weird doctor scene when Sherilyn is first trying to figure out what she's allergic to. I wasn't a huge fan of that part.

All in all, I rate this book three out of five stars. Clean, lighthearted read, but a bit boring.

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~Paperback: 320 pages
~Publisher: Abingdon Press (October 2011)

Note: Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

Hold Me!

I absolutely love this song by Jamie Grace feat. tobymac. Here's the official music video. It's the perfect song for me right now. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Review of Undercover Pursuit!

Undercover Pursuit by Susan May Warren is the third book in Missions of Mercy suspense/romance series. All Scarlett Hanson wanted to do was to take care of her estranged sister's wedding and leave. All Luke Dekker wanted to do was to accomplish his mission to protect the fiance of the nephew of a huge drug cartel bad guy. He's determined to find his contact, a woman who is to pose as his fiance for the wedding, and get the mission done. But when he mistakes Scarlett for his contact, things become messy. When they both become trapped, Scarlett must adjust to the situation, even though she isn't an agent. Luke must now protect Scarlett, his mission, and now, his heart.

I love the plot. I mean, what if a real person was trapped in a high-stakes situation and they were mistaken for an agent? Would disaster ensue or would the person pull through? The action aspect was really well done- especially, in the final chapters. From the very beginning, I wanted to know what would happen next, and I was so eager to see how Scarlett would do. But my lips are sealed; you're going to have to read the book!

So, I've kind of noticed a pattern as I've read the Mission of Mercy series. The guy always has some kind of dark history, and there's almost always a nightmare scene. I mean, it's not a bad thing, but it kind of got old. Sure, the plot is always different, but I feel the nightmare scenes can often be overused in books. Also, some characters have pasts they are ashamed of. No big details, but the reader will know what happened.

All in all, I rate this book four out of five stars.

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~Paperback: 224 pages
~Publisher: Steeple Hill (May 3, 2011)

Note: Thanks to Litfuse and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

Review of Out of Control!

Out of Control, which is the second book in the Missions of Mercy series by Susan May Warren, is the exciting suspense story of an out-of-control international superstar and the dangerous secrets she keeps. Brody Wickam used to been a Green Beret with a seller reputation, and now he is a security agent with Stryker International. When he is assigned to guard a senator's daughter, he's shocked to discover that Veronica Wagner is also Vonya, a gorgeous singer who's also a diva. In other words, she's a royal pain. The two get off to a rough start, but when things start looking up, Veronica begins sneaking around, bringing danger to herself and Brody's heart. What is she hiding?

I loved this book! To be honest, I liked it much better than I did the first. Veronica is a very different character. She seems to have two sides, Vonya and the real Veronica. It was interesting to learn why she was two personalities. Oh, and her secret is pretty awesome too. Brody's character wasn't as astonishing as Veronica, but he was still a solid character who had his own distinct personality.

All in all, I rate this book five out of five stars.

Specifics (from amazon.com):
~Paperback: 224 pages
~Publisher: Steeple Hill (March 1, 2011)

Note:  Thanks to Litfuse and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

Review of Point of No Return!

Point of No Return by Susan May Warren is the first book in the Missions of Mercy suspense series. When an American boy disappears with the daughter of a warlord in the Republic of Georgia, tensions begin to rise. When that daughter is the bargaining chip needed to keep the warlord from starting mass bloodshed, Chet Stryker is put on the job. Little does he know that the boy's aunt is his former girlfriend, Mae Lund, who is determined to find her nephew by herself. Can the two put aside their differences and save the world without falling for each other again?

I like that every page of this book is packed with action. Mae is not the typical heroine- she's a smart, feisty woman who knows how to take care of herself. Her wit is perfectly matched to spar with Chet, so reading their conversations was quite interesting. Both characters have to live with past choices and learn to move past them. The themes of sacrifice were also beautiful elements. Also, some of the surprises were truly shocking, so I didn't feel like this was a same old, same old kind of romance.

At times, the romance got a little too, well, romancy for my taste. I'm okay with romance, but sometimes there's a line between sickly sweet and the building of love. Also, a character has a relationship that should be saved for after marriage. No details, and the character says that that was the old life before God reached in.

Specifics (from amazon.com) :
~Paperback: 224 pages 
~Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 4, 2011)

Note: Thanks to Litfuse and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

Missions of Mercy Day!

Today I will be reviewing three books from Susan May Warren's new series Missions of Mercy!!!

About Susan: Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press. A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award. A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you! She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

For more about Susan and her other books, please visit www.susanmaywarren.com.


About The Mercy of Missions series:

Three heroes, all on missions of mercy, who discover that God not only saves us from evil, but from the darkness inside.

Point of No Return: An American boy and a warlord's engaged daughter have disappeared-together-in an Eastern European border country. Only one man can find them in time to prevent an international meltdown-Chet Stryker. But Chet is taken aback when he realizes the boy is the nephew of Mae Lund, Chet's former flame. When Mae insists on rescuing her relative herself, Chet knows he has to protect her from the enemy on their trail. Yet can he protect himself from falling for Mae again?

Mission: Out of Control: Brody "Wick" Wickham is a former Green Beret turned security agent-with a 100 percent mission success rate. No way is his new assignment changing that. Even if it's protecting a diva American rock star while she's on tour in Europe. Except Veronica "Vonya" Wagner isn't just a beautiful celebrity used to having her way-she's the daughter of a U.S. Senator. And she's hiding a dangerous secret. When Wick discovers what's at stake, how far over the line will he go to keep them both alive?

Undercover Pursuit: The only way to get security agent Luke Dekker to a wedding? An undercover mission as groomsman. He'll bust the groom, a drug cartel heir, before anyone can say "I do." Then Luke can escape all this love and romance nonsense-and the too pretty bridesmaid/agent assigned as his "fiancée" for the weekend. Until Luke discovers that sweet, vulnerable Scarlett Hanson isn't his contact. Isn't an agent. Isn't trained for the high-stakes mission now trapping them both. And worse, Luke's falling for her-which is not part of the assignment.

About the Missions of Mercy Giveaway:

Susan May Warren is thrilled to announce the release of her 3 book Missions of Mercy series!

Three heroes, all on missions of mercy, who discover that God not only saves us from evil, but from the darkness inside.

Point of No Return: Can God deliver us from our mistakes? This question is posed to Chet and Mae as they race to save Mae’s nephew from an evil warlord in the Republic of Georgia. 

Mission: Out of Control: Does God turn his back on us when we fail? Brody and Vonya discover the answer as they conspire to capture an international smuggler and free a child soldier from war.

Undercover Pursuit: What if we deliberately sin and harbor bitterness in our hearts? Is there a rescue from the dark places inside? Luke and Scarlett find out as they work to protect a bride-turned-informant whose courage could dismantle a human trafficking web. 

To celebrate the series, Susan is giving away a Missions of Mercy Prize Pack worth over $200! One grand prize winner will receive:

* A brand new FLIP HD Camera

* The entire Missions of Mercy series

Enter today by clicking on the icon below. You may enter once per email, facebook, and twitter. The contest ends on May 31st. Tell your friends! Winner will be announced on June 1st at the Litfuse Publicity site and at Susan May Warren's website. (While you're there, check out her rockin' new website!)

Blessings,

Sorry!

Quick note: Sorry about that "Ghost Post"! I'm trying out some details for tomorrow's four posts, and that little troublemaker decided to slip out. So I guess the cat is out of the bag. I will be posting a review of Undercover Pursuit tomorrow, among other things :)

Randomness Friday: The Sky Is Falling!

The world is ending tomorrow. This buzz all over media is somewhat... Oh, let's just say it's interesting. I like to stay out of the mainstream stuff, but this demanded my attention. It's just weird because the Bible says it in plain language:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. 

Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 

What I say to you, I say to everyone: "Watch!" 

Mark 13:32-37 NIV

Over the years, many people have set dates about when God is coming back. Hey, even Christopher Columbus tried his hand at it. But no one knows! It saddens me when such a claim turns on a mob of mockers and scorners of the validity of the judgment and grace that will come from God.

Can the world end tomorrow? Yes, if God wills it! But does anyone know for certain? No way!!!

And if Jesus said, "nor the Son, but only the Father," who is man to claim that he knows? All of the calculations in the world and trying to find some kind of pattern in the Bible will never work.

I have nothing against the people who believe this idea- even the person who came up with it. I'm sure they are nice people, but this is totally wrong! The people who do not believe there is a God now find a point to scorn! Atheists are quoting the verses! Yet some people still claim to believe this theory and ignore (Oh, the irony...) the Bible! When we could be turning people to God, we are now causing them to perceive us as hypocrites, ignoring our own moral guide! How terrible is that?

As for me, I'll keep trusting that God will come get us when the time is right. He knows the date, and I'll just have faith and watch.
~*~

Note: this is not my image

~*~
Now, for some Randomness Friday fun!

I'm a big fan of Mercy; you know that, right? So, when their new CD came out, I was ecstatic. My favorite? I could not pick a favorite song! But I recently found this video of "Move."



Love it!

I probably say this every week, but I thank God that it's Friday!
~*~

Blessings,

Review of The Promises She Keeps!

This book was not what I was expecting. In The Promises She Keeps, author Erin Healy tells the story of Promise Dayton, an aspiring singer who has cystic fibrosis, which is a deadly lung disease. She usually only models for a college art class for the students, but when a student Zach asks to take pictures of her so that he may later draw pictures, Promise reluctantly agrees. During the session, her orange scarf blows away and Promise dives after it down a cliff to her death.

But she doesn't die.

Several times do occurrences happen where Promise should die but she doesn't. Her strange situation attracts the attention of a woman named Porta, the owner of an art shop, and a young autistic man named Chase. The two are as different as night and day. Porta believes in the dark arts, and she becomes convinced Promise is a goddess of immortality. She is determined to do anything to get Promise. Chase is a sweet yet odd artist who draws people as trees. When he draws Promise's tree, he is determined to save her and love her- at any cost.

This is not a romance or an inspirational story of a girl overcoming her disease, although those elements are present. As I said before, I was not expecting this spiritual, fantasy, yet real life set story. I felt as if I were on the brink of an absolute chaos with every turn of the page. The author is a master of suspense from the very first chapter. This book was terrifying, emotionally moving, and totally riveting. The character of Chase is extremely endearing, and I felt as if he was a real person who I felt sympathetic to.

I wasn't a big fan of the ending, but I will admit that it ended the story beautifully. Also, I found this book to be somewhat confusing in parts.

All in all, I rate this book four out of five stars.

Specifics (from amazon.com): 
~Paperback: 352 pages
~Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (February 8, 2011)

Note: Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go!!!

Okay, I've had this song stuck in my head for several days now... So catchy! "My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go" by FM Static! By the way, you may recognize the lead singer. He's the lead singer of Thousand Foot Krutch, Trevor McNevan.

Blessings,

Review of Roadside Assistance!

Roadside Assistance by Amy Clipston is the teen fiction novel about a girl's healing journey. Emily Curtis understands cars- they are machines that can be understood. Sure the layout varies slightly by model and make, but they're fairly easy for her to figure out.

People? Not so much.

Emily and her father are forced to move in with Emily's aunt's family after her mom's death after a battle with cancer. The medical bills force Emily's father to lose his business, so they have nowhere else to go. But Emily isn't ready to face her criticizing aunt and her perfect family, especially Emily's perfect cousin, Whitney. The only bright spot in her life is meeting Zander, a guy next door who is as much into cars as Emily is.

The pain is so great, and it feels as if Emily will never get over her mom's death. When people fail, she learns to go to the only One who can heal her.

This book was well-written and the journey of Emily is so endearing. The setting is crystal clear, and I'm sure car-loving girls will love this book. I'm not into cars, but I still thought this book was well-written. The relationship between Emily and her father is sweet even though they do have problems like any father and daughter. I also liked the relationship changes between Emily and her extended family, especially her cousin Whitney. To be honest, what first caught my attention about this book was the author. I've read books by her in the past, but they were adult Amish fiction, so seeing this book piqued my interest. And I wasn't disappointed.

My only complaint was that the book sometimes got a little boring in places and the dialogue got a little bumpy, but that's it. 

All in all, I rate this book four out of five stars. Recommended to teen girls.

Specifics (from amazon.com):
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (April 12, 2011)

Author website: http://www.amyclipston.com/index.html

Note: Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,

Why the Hiatus?

Alrightey, I know my posting has been really awful lately. And I assure you, I have plenty of excuses reasons I couldn't post...
It feels like forever, even though my most recent post was two days ago, and before that it was maybe two or three weeks. BUT I have a lot of cool new reviews in store for you all even though my summer is going to be insane. California, teaching Tae Kwon Do, touring my state for a youth program, and volunteering at a Christian camp are all on my agenda. There will probably be some surprises thrown in, who knows... Oh, wait... God does! :)

God is so good to us, isn't He? We so don't deserve it... By the GOG, baby! (to quote the Katie Parker series by Jenny B. Jones) By the grace of God.

Anyone heard of AP torture tests? They are the main reason I've been out for a long time. Fun stuff... Lots of studying and brain frying, but as of today, I am finished with them! (Not for forever, though... There are ACTs and SATs in my future...Probably some AP tests next year, we'll see... Probably CLEPs and MCATs too, if I'm lucky... :)) I actually do love school, you probably can't tell. I've been in school several days this year for TWELVE hours straight. It was an interesting experience.

On a lighter note, I am so excited about Disneyland! It's a free trip with my school, so I won't be able to go more than two days max, but still... I'm competing for a health care event.

What are your summer plans? Just chilling around the house? Climbing Mount Everest? Catching up on your "to-read" list? Competitions? Trying not to die of boredom?

Whatever the summer may hold, I'm looking forward to it!

(Summeritis is a disease... It just has to be... Like Senioritis... Right? Haha )

Blessings,

Review of Diagnosis Death!

Diagnosis Death by Dr. Richard Mabry is the third book in the medical mystery/drama fiction series Prescription for Trouble. I'll just preface this review by saying... Whoa!

Dr. Elena Gardner's life is quickly going from bad to worse. Her husband is now dead because, quite literally, the plug was pulled on his life. Elena doesn't remember disconnecting her husband's life support, but now it seems everyone is suspicious about her integrity. It gets worse when an eerily similar case shows up at the hospital and the same thing happens to that patient. Add mysterious phone calls, suspicion from the people who hold her job and future in their hands, and threatening mail... It's enough to drive anyone away.

When her residency ends, Elena soon accepts a job in Dainger, Texas, but it seems the danger just follows her there. The harassment continues with some frightening additions... someone is spying on her! It almost gets to be too much to handle, and Elena begins to question whether or not she really did pull life support... But thankfully, her associate doctor, the doctor's lawyer husband, and her best friend and colleague David help her pull through and look to God for help.

I absolutely love and aspire to be in the medical field, so medical literature is right up my alley. However, anyone can pick up this book and be taken into the excitement of this story. The mystery is pulling all through, and the story really feels true to real life. I felt as if I was right there with Elena in the hospital experiencing everything she did. I just couldn't put this book down! Extremely well written with characters that grab your attention and sympathy with the perfect blend of suspense and quiet moments of faith. I've read the first two books, but a reader can certainly pick this book up and read without any confusion whatsoever.

All in all, I rate this book five out of five stars!

Specifics:
~Paperback: 288 pages
~Publisher: Abingdon Press (April 2011)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for reviewing purposes.

Blessings,