Forever Loved, Eve’s Story Book Tour & Giveaway

Posted on February 6, 2019February 3, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Welcome to my stop on the Celebrate Lit’s Book Tour for “Forever Loved, Eve’s Story”. You will learn about the book, the author, my thoughts on the book, get dates for the other stops, and have an opportunity to enter the $25 Amazon giveaway. Who doesn’t need a $25 card? Let’s start with my thoughts on this book.

My Review

Author Joanna May Chee has written “A Creative Retelling” of Eve’s story. I am a fan of biblical fiction but don’t like it when they change the story to take too many liberties. This book is so wonderful it would be hard not to like it. It is a paperback that has less than one hundred forty pages, so it could be a quick read. I savored it.

Opening the book is the author’s story. She has a quaint style of writing that I found to be pleasant, Sentences are short but meaningful. I felt as if the author was being transparent and sharing herself.

The beginning of Eve’s chapters talking about this being a book about a Father and Daughter caught me off guard. I always think of Eve being Adam’s wife and often forget she was the first daughter. This was a lovely reminder.

52C0C49C-067E-478F-9D43-C73D0D7D366A

Eve’s chapters are only one or two pages long, but they are powerful. The emotions felt real. I smiled, I warmed, I was devastated, and I cried. This is a thought provoking book for all women.

The last section is “Your Story”. It includes a reflection, prayers and an invitation. This is a chance to accept Jesus or perhaps deepen your relationship with Abba. After information about the author is a sample of the accompanying Devotional Bible Study.

I highly recommend this book to all women. Get a group, read it by yourself, or grab your best friend, just read it! You will be so glad. This is a God glorifying book. It will remind you that you are a beloved daughter of the true God. Are you smiling now? I am. This earned a 5 star rating. A copy was provided by Celebrate Lit but I was under no obligation to write a review. These are my own honest thoughts.

9B1D6EA7-55C2-4107-8CB9-2FB9BBCD9B32

About the Book

Title: Forever Loved, Eve’s Story

Author: Joanna May Chee E6447DF2-9E05-4FDB-832B-A4914EDA9C33

Genre: Christian Inspiration for Women

Release date: February 20, 2018

Publisher: Heartfelt Publications

Eve. First woman. The First to be tempted. First to sin.

But what if there were more to her story than that?

Forever Loved: Eve’s Story is the story of Father and daughter, as told by Eve. It is a story of preciousness and beauty, of tender love and grace. Through Eve, God reveals his Father heart of love for you, his treasured daughter. He whispers to you now, and calls you closer.

Includes:

My Story: The author’s personal story of encountering God as Father.
Eve’s Story: A beautifully creative retelling of the Bible story of Eve.
Your Story: Encouragement and prayers to take you deeper into God’s presence.

Experience Eve’s story anew. Discover just how loved you are!

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Author of Forever Loved Eve's Story Joanna May Chee gets excited about God! She loves to write and is often awake in the night with a million ideas for her next book or project. Joanna blogs at JoannaMayChee.coma and MumsKidsJesus.com, where it is her heart to encourage and equip women to love their families and meet with God. She is author of Forever Loved: Eve’s Story, a creative retelling of the Bible story of Eve, and a #1 Amazon UK bestseller. Joanna lives near London with her husband, 4 teens, dog and 2 cats! Facebook.com/JoannaMayChee | Facebook.com/MumsKidsJesus | Pinterest.co.uk/https://mumskidsjesus.com/

Guest Post from Joanna

True or False? Eve spent time with God before meeting Adam.

True or False? Eve wasn’t called Eve until after the Fall.

Does the Bible even say?

Until recently, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you, even though I’ve been a Christian many years, and thought I knew the Bible story of Eve really well!

It was during hot, sticky, jet-lagged nights, about four years ago, on holiday overseas, that God started giving me new and wonderful insight into Eve’s life. Words literally started pouring through my head: the story of Eve, but not as I’d heard it before!

I’d always had negative connotations of Eve – the first woman to be tempted, the first to sin. But the story God revealed to me during my sleepless nights was one of preciousness and beauty. It was the story of Father and daughter, of God’s incredible love for Eve, and His equally wondrous love for me.

As Eve’s story unfolded over several nights, I wrote it down; and God gave me a book I did not ask for (but am forever grateful for): Forever Loved: Eve’s Story.

These new insights into Eve’s story have been life-changing. God has brought me deeper into His love than I could ever have imagined. (In the introduction of ‘Forever Loved: Eve’s Story’ I share something of the deep hurt and insecurity I experienced growing up – including the time I got into BIG trouble with my teacher – my cry to know God as Father, and how God’s love has brought healing and freedom.)

It’s my prayer that ‘Forever Loved: Eve’s Story’ touches the lives of women around the world, that women may come into deeper experience of God as Father, and know just how beautiful and precious they are to Him.

So, back to the True/False questions at the beginning of this post!

What do you think?

I’d love to share with you what I’ve discovered by giving you a free copy of a devotional I’ve written called ‘Treasures Hidden in the Story of Eve’.

This devotional explores some of the amazing truths God’s shown me about Eve, and the wonderful implications for us as women today (and includes extracts from ‘Forever Loved: Eve’s Story’). Download the devotional for free here.

I pray God touches you as deeply as He has me, as you explore the Bible story of Eve afresh. May you encounter the love of Father God as never before.

Joanna xx

Forever Loved Blog Stops

A Baker’s Perspective, January 26

Real World Bible Study, January 27

Aryn the Libraryan, January 28

Robin is Bookish, January 28

My Devotional Thoughts, January 29

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 29

Margaret Kazmierczak, January 30

All-of-a-kind Mom, January 31

Mary Hake, January 31

Godly Book Reviews, February 1

Lights in a Dark World, February 1

Midnight Bookaholic, February 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 2

Bibliophile Reviews, February 3

One Emergent Life, February 4

Pause for Tales, February 4

Texas Book-aholic, February 5

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 6

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Janices book reviews, February 7

Carpe Diem, February 8

Forever Loved Giveaway

$25 Amazon gift card

To celebrate her tour, Joanna is giving away a grand prize of a signed copy of ‘Forever Loved: Eve’s Story’ plus $25 Amazon voucher!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops below for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d8d5/forever-loved-eve-s-story-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Essence of Humility Book Tour and Giveaway by Celebrate Lit

Posted on February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Welcome to my stop on the “Essence of Humility” Celebrate Lit Book Tour and Giveaway. I am glad you stopped by. Be sure to register to win the giveaway. Details are at the bottom of this post. Let’s begin with my thoughts on the book.

My Review

Do you use essential oils? I use some of them, but I had to cut back because of my dog and cat. Some oils that I loved were bad for them. There are still oils I use in different ways, and I believe in their ability to help. I have read books on how to use them before but never a devotional. That is until now.

I loved this book! It is a perfect devotional for women that use essential oils or would like to start using them. The author has written a delightful book giving information, uses, biblical background, trivia and stories on essential oils and plants. Her book was well researched. It was easy to see a lot of work had gone into this devotional.

Each chapter has four or five parts. A Bible study combines facts about the essential oils or plants and what they symbolize, a Bible story mentioning the plant, scientific and trivia facts about the oils, sometimes a recipe, and then a fictional part are all included. That is a lot!

The subject of humility is one that definitely needs explored. In today’s society humility is not a common thing. It was refreshing reading a book dedicated to that. I loved the biblical references and examples. They reminded me that I need to be more kind, loving, and more gracious. Don’t we all?

This book can be read as an individual or group devotional. I would recommend reading it once chapter and then letting the information soak in for a bit. All throughout it I yearned for at least one partner to discuss it. A group would benefit from doing this study. It would be fun, too. I found it to be relevant, engaging, and thought provoking. Finding book three in this series is a wonderful surprise, but at times I was a bit lost on the people. Now I want to read the first two books.

I learned so much from this book. It was an enjoyable read for me. I love essential oils and plants. Books with scripture and biblical references are tops on my list, too. This was a timely topic, also. After reading the first two books, I will revisit this one.

I highly recommend this and give it 4 out of 5 stars. A copy was provided from Celebrate Lit but I was under no obligation to post a review. These are my own, honest opinions.

9B1D6EA7-55C2-4107-8CB9-2FB9BBCD9B32

About the Book

33e78172-da4c-4c07-b1a9-5a6e61380b2b

Title: The Essence of Humility

Author: Lynn U. Watson

Genre: Devotional

Release date: January, 2019

We live in a culture overwhelmed with disrespect, egos, entitlement, rudeness, and offense — lives focused on self, rather than God or others. The Bible defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. Every descriptive word included in the list whispers humility.

Patience — humility
Kindness — humility
Not rude — humility
Not arrogant — humility
Rejoices in truth — humility
No envious or boastful — humility
Not irritable — humility
Keeps no record of wrong — humility

Jesus entered our world and walked among us. He placed no importance on rank or position. Jesus life reflected love because it reflected humility, and He invites us to live and love like Him. Journey with our hostess, Cinnamah-Brosia and her friends at The Coffee Cottage. They lead us on a journey to meet real life people — our contemporaries and those on the pages of God’s word, who encountered the same real life challenges you and I face each day. Learn the blessings of a life lived like Jesus lived —- with love and humility.

Click HERE to purchase your copy!

About the Author

Lynn Watson combines many years’ experience in women’s ministry, love of essential oils, and her passion for God’s word to bring her readers freshly inspired encouragement for their walk with Jesus. Her devotional, The Essence of Courage, was recognized as a ‘must read’ by regional publishing industry leaders. Married since 1973, Lynn and Steve have filled their Bartlett, Tennessee home with handmade treasures and lots of love for family, especially their five beautiful (of course) grandchildren. Aromas of freshly baked bread often fill Lynn’s kitchen. Jasmine, her tuxedo kitty, enjoys sleeping in Lynn’s lap while she writes.

Guest post from Lynn

My first lesson in humility for Volume 3 of Cinnamah-Brosia’s Inspirational Collection came from an assumption. Right. Those are never a grand idea. When God spoke to me about writing this book, he clearly gave me the subject: Love. I immediately headed to 1 Corinthians 13 – The Love Chapter of the Bible. Of course the book’s title would be The Essence of Love. The end material of The Essence of Joy announced the new “Love” title coming in 2018. And God laughed. I read 1 Corinthians 13 over and over again. It whispered “humility” over and over again. I called my dear friend – the one I consult with on every one of these books – and said, “You know what? Listen to this. Love is patient – humility. Love is kind – humility. Love is not arrogant – humility. You get the idea. Every single line of this beautiful passage comes down to the barest bones: humility.” We both laughed a little, too. And we thanked God He clarified His instructions. To live and love like Jesus requires us to humbly trust God and to humbly serve others. In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul presents a lengthy discourse on the humility of Christ. It begins like this: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. ~Philippians 2:1-4 (HCSB) The title morphed to The Essence of Humility. I placed the focus on common everyday botanicals and plants – those familiar to us today – for this third volume in the collection. The fun came as I dug the plants from Scripture. I pray you enjoy the connections as much as I did uncovering them and connecting them to Jesus’ life, and to a whole list of characters who lived on the pages of the Bible, along with our contemporaries here in the 21st century. Thank you for choosing The Essence of Humility. So very many titles out there shout to be read. I am humbled for you to spend time with me here. I have prayed for every one of you. Copyright 2018, Lynn U. Watson

Blog Stops

Carpe Diem, January 24

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, January 25

Splashes of Joy, January 25

A Reader’s Brain, January 26

Bibliophile Reviews, January 27

A Baker’s Perspective, January 28

Creating Romance, January 29

Mary Hake, January 29

Aryn The Libraryan, January 30

Texas Book-aholic, January 30

Older & Smarter?, January 31

The Becca Files, February 1

Godly Book Reviews, February 1

Pause for Tales, February 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 2

Janices book reviews, February 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 4

Through the Lens of Scripture, February 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 6

Bigreadersite, February 6

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Lynn is giving away a grand prize of a wire basket that includes a hand-stamped “Gratitude, Kindness, Humility, Love” spoon necklace, Hillhouse Naturals fresh Linen hand lotion, locally hand-crafted Lavender-Eucalyptus body and foot scrub, embroidered “Love One Another” hand towel (nice ‘n soft), cozy Chamomile herbal tea, and a paperback copy of The Essence of Humility!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d93b/the-essence-of-humility-celebration-tour-giveaway

The Forgiving Jar by Wanda Brunstetter

Posted on February 3, 2019February 3, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Amish fiction is one of my favorite genres. The Amish seem to live their lives for God and family. Doesn’t that sound perfect? A simple, idealistic life, but it is no different than ours. Their lives have troubles and conflicts, too, I’m sure.

72CD9E4C-2CEA-4B75-A242-B0A9A4938A19

Author Wanda Brunstetter has penned a multitude of books, the majority of them being Amish. She knows what she’s doing and does it exemplary. “The Forgiving Jar” is Book Two in her The Prayer Jars Series. It could be read as a stand alone but I highly encourage you to read book one first. It is fantastic.

Brunstetter has come up with an amazing story with this series. She is so gifted! I was captivated quickly in Book One. The characters have been well thought and described. It was easy to visualize each one and befriend them. Becoming invested in their lives happened in Book One and continued with this one.

Some of the things I enjoy about the author’s writing are the cooking and kitchen scenes. It is a family tale and families gather in the kitchen cooking and eating. She also has a strong Christian message along with scripture. There is no doubt that Mrs. Brunstetter is a Christian writer. This book has plenty of all of the above.

Forgiveness is the major topic of the book. This is something we all deal with, and Amish seem to do a very good job forgiving. Other issues such as jealousy, acceptance, lying, and acceptance are broached. Deepening our walk with God and trusting Him are also in the book.

152D5574-79DA-49ED-8BD1-10EC822B0404

At the end of the book were two recipes. I am getting spoiled and was hoping for more. There is also a section with discussion questions. Yes! Questions for deeper study are so important and make it nice for a reader’s group. This is an encouraging novel.

I enjoyed this book and found I did not want to put it down. There are a few cliff hangers such as unknown identities that hopefully will be revealed. This book did have a twist or two making it fun.

Everyone will enjoy this delightful book. Whether you related to Grandma, Grandpa, Sara, Michelle, or someone else, you will find a friend in this book. Readers that like Christian, contemporary, Amish, encouraging books will devour it like this reader did. It is highly recommended along with book one. I give it a five out of five stars!

About the Book

4B3D541D-F4F2-4AD1-87CA-B9AB3183FA63

Sara Murray had never met her mother’s parents and was surprised to learn after her death that they were Amish living in Pennsylvania. When she is finally able to make the trip to meet them, she is shocked to learn someone else has been living with them and pretending to be Sara. Sara can’t understand how quickly her grandparents are willing to forgive the imposter.

Secrets and deceit seem to follow Sara, and she is so tired of it. Though soon she meets Brad Fuller who is visiting her grandparents for during Christmas. She likes him a lot, but even he seems to pull away from her, not being totally honest.

Struggling, Sara finds an old canning jar hidden in the barn that is full of encouraging prayers. Can Sara find a way to forgive the past and move on to building new relationships?

This is Book 2 in the brand-new series, The Prayer Jars, from New York Times bestselling author Wanda E. Brunstetter.
Book 1 — The Hope Jar (August 2018)
Book 3 — The Healing Jar (August 2019)

About the Author

6e910-wanda2bbrunstetter2b252812529

New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders of the Amish fiction genre. She has written close to 90 books translated in four languages. With over 10 million copies sold, Wanda’s stories consistently earn spots on the nation’s most prestigious bestseller lists and have received numerous awards.

Wanda’s ancestors were part of the Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.

When Wanda visits her Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle, sincerity, and close family ties. Wanda enjoys photography, ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

A Love to Behold Celebrate Lit Book Tour & Giveaway

Posted on February 1, 2019January 29, 2019 by abbasprayerwarriorprincess

Welcome to my stop on Celebrate Lit’s Book Tour for Sharlene MacLaren’s “A Love to Behold.” I’m glad you are here. After reading about the book, author, and tour be sure to enter the giveaway for the $20 Starbucks card.

My Thoughts:

“A Love to Behold” by talented wordsmith Sharlene MacLaren is another one of her great works. It is Book #3 in her Forever Freedom Series but can easily be read as a stand alone. This is a historical Christian fiction with a powerful message of hope, love, diversity, acceptance, and faith.

Author MacLaren has done a fabulous job with this installment in her series. I picked up some interesting historical information that I did not know. I love it when a book teaches me something. There is no light mention of faith in this book. Prayer, scripture, God, and faith are in large portion and I did not need to search for them. I love that in Christian books!

Her characters are realistic with vivid personalities. Even the secondary characters are well defined. The main character is a feisty, relatable young woman named Lydia. As I read more I began to take on her feelings and emotions. This book is well thought, well researched, well planned, and well written. I was invested quickly and did not want to put it down.

The setting has been well researched and with her ability to describe people and places, the author whisked me away to post Civil War Charleston, Souch Carolina. Dialogue between characters was smooth and one of my favorite things in the book. The author used colloquialisms from that time period and part of the countrythat had me giggling. Some I have actually heard but most I haven’t.

There is action, danger, romance, history, intrigue, and a powerful inspirational message in this novel I would definitely recommend it. Be prepared for some surprises and humor, too. I loved it and gave it a 5 star rating.

26a929a9-5d51-4af3-a2cb-89a7bf642cf0

Celebrate Lit provided a copy but did not require a review. These are my own honest words.

9B1D6EA7-55C2-4107-8CB9-2FB9BBCD9B32

9b1f72d8-cf7d-4fe4-84ff-147a57d6c2f3

SERIES: Forever Freedom #3
GENRE: Inspirational Historical Fiction
PUBLISHER: Whitaker House
RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2019
PAGES: 336

Two years after the Civil War, Lydia Albright, 27, is an established teacher in Boston when she senses God’s call to leave the comfort and security of her job and go south. She accepts a position to teach in a school for former slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. A church there that’s affiliated with the American Missionary Association offers support, along with room and board at the parsonage.

The Ku Klux men are hell-bent on seeing that the new school fails. Lydia’s life is threatened, and the parsonage, church, and school are vandalized.

But they haven’t contended with a strong, determined woman like Lydia before. It also helps that she has a couple potential suitors on her side.

A Love to Behold is a tale of people who grow strong in the face of adversity and a church that learns love, compassion, and acceptance, even in the face of cruelty and hatred.

Other Books In This Series

About the Author:

4d87f20f-31df-4da3-ad30-17b5bb9e4ea8

Born and raised in west Michigan, Sharlene MacLaren attended Spring Arbor University. Upon graduating in 1971 with an education degree, she taught second grade for two years, then accepted an invitation to travel internationally with a singing ensemble for one year. In 1975, she came home, returned to her teaching job, and married her childhood sweetheart. Together, they raised two lovely daughters, both of whom are now happily married and enjoying families of their own. Retired in 2003 after thirty-one years of teaching, “Shar” loves to read, sing, travel, and spend time with her family—in particular, her adorable grandchildren!

A Christian for over fifty years, and a lover of the English language, Shar always enjoyed dabbling in writing. She remembers well the short stories she wrote in high school, and watching them circulate from girl to girl during government and civics classes. “Psst,” someone would whisper from two rows over, always when the teacher’s back was turned, “pass me the next page.”

In the early 2000s, Shar felt God’s call upon her heart to take her writing pleasures a step further, and in 2006, she signed a contract for her first faith-based novel, Through Every Storm, thereby launching her writing career. With eighteen published novels now gracing store shelves and being sold online, she daily gives God all the glory. She dedicated her last novel, Their Daring Hearts, to Jesus.

Shar has done numerous countrywide book signings and made several television appearances and radio interviews. She loves speaking for community organizations, libraries, church groups, and women’s conferences. In her church, she is active in women’s ministries, regularly facilitating Bible studies and other events. She and her husband, Cecil, live in Spring Lake, Michigan, with their beautiful white collie, Peyton, and their ragdoll cat, Blue.

Shar loves hearing from her readers. If you wish to contact her as a potential speaker for a church function or would simply like to chat with her, please feel free to send her an e-mail at sharlenemaclaren@yahoo.com. She will do her best to answer in a timely manner. You may also find her on Facebook.

Guest Post from Sharlene

My dear readers,

It has indeed been my great privilege and pleasure to write this series set in Civil War times. What a thought-provoking, amazing, and heart-wrenching era in American history.

If you read all three books in the “Forever Freedom” series—Summer on Sunset Ridge, Their Daring Hearts, and A Love to Behold—you will have gotten some history lessons regarding the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers; Abolition; the Underground Railroad, which the Quakers were instrumental in launching; life as a Union soldier in the Civil War; the Freedmen’s Bureau; and Reconstruction, that period following the war when the south had fallen into great dis-repair. Also prevalent in this third book is a bit of history regarding the origin of the Ku Klux Klan, a hate group that formed during the Reconstruction period.

Although I did not appreciate history as a young girl, as an older adult, I’m quite fascinated by it. History itself is a great teacher. Learning about it can be everything from exhilarating to depressing, challenging and yet exciting. It is my prayer that as you read my books, you’ll not only find them entertaining, but also inspiring and uplifting. I aim to encourage, not discourage. Much of history—if we dwell on it—can be disheartening, but focusing our hearts and minds on Christ gives us courage and confidence. Let us learn from history, but let us look to the future with hope in our hearts.

With love and a prayer for God’s best blessings,

Shar