Going away for the Summer! Coming back soon~

Hello my fellow reiders! I have some news! I am going on a summer missions trip with Cru (Christian Crusade for Christ) starting tomorrow until August 10th! This means I will be a little MIA when it comes to posting reviews. I'm really excited about this opportunity, but I also look forward to coming back to this blog in August with some new stuff I am reading. So I will be back! Look forward to it because there are some awesome books coming out towards the end of this year! 

Have a great summer!  And read some books!

In His Grace, 
Taylor Reid  

Litfuse Blog Tour Event: All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

 All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti covers some of the most interesting aspects of life. Running away from one's past, earning trust, giving forgiveness and understanding love in a new light. Don't judge this book by it's cover, it'll have you on the edge of your seat. It's a perfect story of "hope that glows in the dark." If you haven't started your summer reading start it off with this book. 

Goodreads Summary 

Jayne Dennagee has spent her life running from the doctor death legacy of her father. His Kervorkian-copycat methods of euthanasia ruined her childhood, covering it in shame. She won t let him steal her future, too. After changing her name to Becka, she assumes a new life and new job caring for the ailing mother of a handsome young businessman, Isaac Hughes. Becka struggles to sort out her feelings for her new boss just as her patient passes away under unusual circumstances. Suddenly, her past catches up with her and the unnerving details of her heritage make Becka look like a murder suspect. Worse, all sense of home and all hope for love vanish.

Even if she could clear her name, a phone call from prison wraps a suffocating shroud around her heart. Her father is out and he needs her help. Can Becka open her new life to the man who has prematurely taken so many? Or will her father s legacy make it impossible to open her heart at all?

My Thoughts

Holy guacamole (if you read the book you will get this reference) did I love this book. Seriously, I don't even remember signing up for the blog tour, but oh man am I happy I got the chance to read this book. This has got to be one of the most surprising reads for me this year. The cover alone makes you think it has nothing special inside, but that is WRONG! It has all kinds of special inside. First off the writing and story telling are spot on. Ruchti outdid herself with the multiple layers of this story that really pull you in with its intensity and heartwarming scenes. A+++

I'm sure a lot of us would love to start over. As nice as it sounds it doesn't mean that it will be easy, and for Jayne that proves true. Now with her new name of Becca (also you totally get why this name was chosen I felt so stupid I didn't get it til the end of the book) she struggles with not being honest with her new employer Issac and his friends and their families that take her in. When her past finds a way into her new life the intensity of this book soars through the pages and it becomes a page turner. Seriously, I couldn't put it down. 

Speaking of her writing, Ruchti has this way of writing characters that make them seem so life like (if that makes any sense). There was a handful of characters, but even with the smaller ones I felt I knew a bit about each one of them. She didn't just introduce them for a line, she used all of her characters in different ways. It's like in real life we have contact with more than 3 people. I like books that do this, and the way that Ruchti went about that made this book even that much better. 

This book deals with a lot of heavy themes. Such as mercy-killing, the kind that involves patients and pharmacists. This is the first book where that was the source of conflict and I found it really interesting how it ended. This book also parallels with a story in the Bible, one which I will not name because if it's  not apparent now you will still be surprised! I just think that Ruchti handled all of these subjects (others that also involved forgiveness, trust, and adoption) really smoothly. Nothing was left hanging. It was all ended really well, but I would love more of Issac and Becca. Sequel? Please? ;) 

This is a power house book right here. Pick it up! 

Rating: 5 out of 5 bookshelves 
Disclaimer: I received a free copy for an honest review from Litfuse Publicity Group

About the Author   

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, speaking for women’s events and retreats, writers’ events and retreats, nonfiction books and devotionals, drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry. Her books have been recognized by RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Retailers’ Choice Award, Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and Carol Award nominations, among other honors, including a Family Fiction Readers’ Choice Award. 
   
Link to Author's: Facebook, Website, Twitter and Goodreads
Purchase her book: Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook 

Cynthia Ruchti asks what it takes to overcome your past and become who you were meant to be in her latest novel, All My Belongings. Cynthia has woven a heart-wrenching tale of forgiveness, grace, and learning what it means to truly belong.

Cynthia is celebrating the release of her latest novel with a fun giveaway and a live webcast event!

 
One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa cash card
• All My Belongings by Cynthia Ruchti

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on June 11th. Winner will be announced at the All My Belongings LIVE webcast event on June 11th. Connect with Cynthia for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Cynthia will also be taking questions from the audience and giving away books, fun prizes, and gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of All My Belongings and join Cynthia and friends on the evening of June 11th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today by signing up for a reminder. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 11th!

In His Grace, 
Taylor Reid                                                                                                                                   

A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

Hello, this is my book review, a long awaited book review to be honest. My life has been quite busy and I will touch on that later in another post because right now I have to tell you about this book I just read. It was positively delectable.   

A Table by the Window (A Novel of Family Secrets and Heirloom Recipes) by Hillary Manton Lodge will leave you craving for more. It's the perfect blend of humor, romance, family secrets and actual recipes that will make you wonder "Could I actually make this?" This delicious novel tells of a young woman finding her own independence and identity that isn't centered around pleasing her bigger than life family. If you are a foodie, bookie, or an inbetween this a book you just have to have a taste of.   

What It's About 

Heirloom recipes, family secrets…and a chance for love. 

The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D’Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn—does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career?

After the death of her grandmother, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and dark secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery away from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story. 

Inspired by her grandmother’s evolving story, Juliette resolves to explore the world of online dating. To her surprise, she finds a kindred spirit in Neil McLaren, a handsome immunologist based in Memphis, Tennessee. With a long-distance relationship simmering, Juliette faces life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary life and Neil, a man a world away in more ways than one? And is it possible her Grandmother’s story can help show the way? 
  
My Thoughts  

How many food puns can I make throughout the rest of this review? I plan on making many. 

I devoured this book. The writing, the plot, the well developed characters and their complexities all gave me a taste of something I couldn't get enough of. Around page 30 is when this obsession with finishing this book began for me as the reader. This book felt alive and yet I feel I can't explain that feeling good enough. But after years of watching the Food Channel and being an Anthony Bourdain fanatic this book was this book did it for me. I highly suggest this for those of you who are going through a "reading slump" because this book helped carry me out of that. 

So where do I begin? It's not fair we were only given 320 pages. I want more. It's like going to a party where there is this delicious dessert and you want more but you can only have one piece. This book is the that piece. I am praying Lodge takes pity on her readers and gives us seconds. 

Let's begin with Juliette. This woman was a character I felt I could call a friend if she was in any of my college classes. I mean who wouldn't want to be friends with a chick who can cook amazing French and Italian cuisine. Sometimes it felt like torture reading this book at 1am because I wanted to stuff my face with the decadent foods she would cook and bake when she was stressed out. I liked her for her passion and how she wrestled with what she wanted in her life. There were times where I felt she was a little emotional but if you read the book you kind of understand her emotional roller coaster. What with her grandmother just passing and her mother being diagnosed with cancer, oh don't forget she's single and everyone reminds her of it, so who could blame her? But she gets herself out of that and I appreciated that strength she had.

Neil. Oh Neil. I like intelligent men, especially if they are funny intelligent men. Neil is one of those funny intelligent men. This is the second book I have read where the romantic interests meet through online dating, and with this day and age I feel it natural and less creepy then probably most. I really liked this aspect of the book. I mean they could have meet in her restaurant or they could have had a fender bender, really the list goes one with the repeating ways I have read of how people meet, but online interaction is more relevant today and I liked that element to their relationship. Plus, did I mention Neil is funny. He's really funny.

The other little touches of this book just made it feel homey, like a apple pie or whatever you would consider homey food. Each chapter began with a quote about food, each chapter ended with real recipes (like I'm sure I could cook all the recipes in this book, maybe that could be a cool blog post) and the writing just felt like it was cooked up with love. Like Lodge made this book with the intention of making sure her reader's would enjoy it, just like a chef does for his and or her customers. My only critique of this book was that the Christian aspect was a little lost. Juliette and Neil talked about praying but I never got to see that part of their lives as much as I would have liked.

With the closing of the book, all of the characters are strong and I can't help but wonder how they will continue on in the next book. The intrigue of the mysterious man in the old photo that looks like Juliette's brother and along with his identity and story still lingers. So please Lodge don't make us wait long. 
  
Please Hillary, I want some more. - Oliver Twist

Rating: 4 out of 5 bookshelves 
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

About the Author  

Hillary Manton Lodge's books center on normal people figuring out their lives and wrestling with faith in the Pacific Northwest. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, watching foreign films, and going on motorcycle rides. She and her husband live in Richland, Washington.

 

Link to Hillary's: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads 

Purchase her novel: Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook

In His Grace, 
Taylor Reid