Undone: A Story of Making Peace With an Unexpected Life

Undone is author Michele Cushatt’s quest to make peace with a complicated life. It is an honest confession of a diagnosis of cancer and the joys and disappointments of motherhood and marriage, ripe with regret over what is and, yet, still hopeful for what could be.

With enough humor to ease the rawness of the story, Undone takes the reader on a roller coaster two-year journey through the unexpectedness of life. A look back makes Michele long for a do-over, the chance to make fewer mistakes and leave less of a mess to clean up. A look forward makes Michele wonder if all her attempts to control life have robbed her of the vibrancy of it. And, in the middle of this internal chaos, she finds her once-pristine house filled with the sights and sounds of three small, uncontainable children who just want to be loved.

In the end, Undone turns complication into a beautiful canvas, angst into joy, and the unknown into an adventure, revealing that sometimes life’s most colorful and courageous stories are written right in the middle of the mess.

I loved this book. Michelle writes with such tenderness that it is like sitting with a good friend and sharing heart to heart. I appreciate her candor with her struggles with being a step-mom, her cancer journey and life in general. Her deep love for God comes shining through. I would recommend this book to anyone who has felt that life has come undone.

I received this book free from Zondervan for being a member of Michele's launch team.

The Promise of Palm Grove: Amish Brides of Pinecraft, Book One

A young Amish woman finds herself torn between the man she’s pledged to wed and the man her heart desires in this heartwarming story of chance, duty, and choice in the face of love—the first volume in the beloved New York Times bestselling author’s new Amish Brides of Pinecraft series.

Amish bride-to-be Leona is thrilled to be in Florida, on a mini-vacation in the pretty town of Pinecraft. Her girlfriends think she’s happy because she’s away from the stress of wedding planning. They have no idea that Leona’s real joy is in being away from her fiancé.

Edmund is a good man, and will make a decent husband . . . just not for Leona. The more time she spends with him and his overbearing ways, the less she wants to be his wife. Her cousins are sure Edmund is the right man for her-and their certainty makes Leona begin to doubt herself. But when a chance encounter with a wayward cat brings her face-to-face with a handsome, fun-loving Amish man named Zachary Kauffman, Leona’s faced with two vastly different futures.

Leona must decide: Does she follow the path set out before her? Or take a chance with only the promise of what could be to guide her?

The setting takes place in Pinecraft is the vacation spot of many Amish and Mennonites from Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Busses regularly transport Amish and Mennonites from up North to Pinecraft, Florida during the cold winter months. Shelley writes of the different restaurants, shops, beaches, and area attractions in Pinecraft and the surrounding Sarasota and Siesta Key area. I would love to visit this area someday. I so enjoyed this first story in "Amish Brides of Pinecraft"series. I was drawn in by the story line and characters. Family love, devotion, making right decisions for yourself were all part of the storyline. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Amish fiction and good clean books.

I received a complimentary copy of PROMISE OF PALM GROVE from the author, Shelley Shepard Gray and Litfuse Publicity for my view of the book.

Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old

For readers who are tired of Christmas commercialism, or who feel that Santa Claus and reindeer don’t tell the whole story, these classic gems provide a winning alternative. Selected for their insightfulness, spiritual value, and literary quality (nothing moralistic here) they project the spirit of the season in a fresh, compelling manner that will resonate with readers of all ages – from children too young to read to themselves, to parents and grandparents who enjoy reading stories aloud. Home for Christmas includes time-tested favorites by some of the world’s most beloved children’s authors – Pearl Buck, Selma Lagerlöf, Henry van Dyke, Madeleine L’Engle, Elizabeth Goudge, Rebecca Caudill, and Ruth Sawyer – as well as little-known European stories appearing in English for the first time.

The book has several stories that tell of Christmas in other lands and brings back favorite memories for all ages. There are 20 stories that will be cherished in the years to come. I was only familiar with a couple of stories but will be bringing this book out to reread next Christmas season.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Plough Publishing) for review purposes. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

By Your Side

ER nurse Macy Wynn learned essential, gritty lessons in the California foster care system: land on your feet and trust no one. She’s finally located the fellow foster child she loves like a sister, but the girl’s in deep trouble. Macy’s determined to help, no matter what it takes. Her motto is to “make it happen” in any situation life throws at her—even when she butts heads with an idealistic cop.

Deputy Fletcher Holt believes in a higher plan, the fair outcome—and his ability to handle that by himself if necessary. Now he’s been yanked from Houston, his mother is battling cancer, and he’s attracted to a strong-willed nurse who could be the target of a brutal sniper.

When everything goes wrong, where do they put their trust?

By Your Side is the first book in Candace Calvert's new Crisis Team series, The setting for By Your Side is Sacramento which is the author's hometown. I had a hard time putting this book down This was my first time reading a book by Candace and she didn’t disappoint with By Your Side! I will be reading other books by this author. This book grips my imagination with the realistic workings of the emergency room and the suspense of the sniper. Though I didn’t have much medical knowledge  that did not hinder my reading of this book.

I received By Your Side by Candace Calvert compliments of Tyndale House Publishers for my honest review and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. The opinions contained in this review are strictly my own.

Often called the author of "medical hope opera," Candace Calvert is an ER nurse who landed on the other side of the stethoscope after the equestrian accident that broke her neck and convinced her love, laughter--and faith--are the very best medicines of all.

Her popular medical drama series (Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical) offer readers a chance to "scrub in" on the exciting world of emergency medicine, along with charismatic characters, pulse-pounding action, tender romance, humor, suspense--and an encouraging prescription for hope. Think "Grey's Anatomy finds its soul"!

A native northern Californian, mother of two and proud grandmother to seven, Candace is a passionate "foodie," equally at home with a whisk in her hand as she is penning stories. Folks who follow her on Twitter and Facebook will find photo-embellished recipes, funny insights into the writing life, snippets of upcoming work, and a chance at book giveaways. Please visit her website at: www.candacecalvert.com.