Choosing REAL by Bekah Jane Pogue

Here is the book summary:

Are you ready to release your control of needing to be everything for everyone? . . . The invitation is yours. In Choosing REAL, author Bekah Pogue walks with you into life’s unplanned circumstances--specifically frantic schedules, pain and transition, feelings of unworthiness, loneliness, and tension. . .  And she'll remind you that it is in these very moments that God invites you to notice, respond, and even celebrate how He shows up in every little detail.


And now, my review:

Choosing Real in life is a wonderful thing!  This book had great parts to it and I really liked her experiences that she shared.  She went into details of life happenings that framed how God is using her now.  Comforting others with the ways she has been comforted.  I thought she had great challenges and addressed things like living in a Facebook/Instagram world and remaining REAL.  Also, the importance of putting that away to embrace what God has placed right in front of you.  This is relatable material in the world that we live in.  And true!!  Life flies by and those things should NOT be number 1, or even have a high place in our days full of people and relationships in our mission for the Lord.

Like every book, every person has a opinion of what being real is.  I have an idea of REAL that at times is different than this author. I've seen her REAL before, but it's not all that REAL to me.  Check it out and see what you think. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Choosing-Real-Invitation-Celebrate-Planned-ebook/dp/B01HHJIKBW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483726777&sr=1-1&keywords=choosing+real+by+bekah+pogue

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/choosing-real-bekah-jane-pogue/1123611041?ean=9781634099646

https://www.christianbook.com/choosing-invitation-celebrate-life-doesnt-planned/9781634099646/pd/099646?event=ESRCG

The Will of a Man and the Way of a Woman by Robert and Pamela Crosby

Here is the book summary:

While a man possesses a unique God-given motivational propensity for exercising a strong will in life, a woman conversely possesses a unique God-given propensity for discerning the appropriate way of life. Through ups and downs, these magnetic tensions have helped husband and wife writing team, Robert and Pamela Crosby, learn to balance, bend, and blend in their marriage--to appreciate the balance their differences bring, to bend more appropriately in response to each other, and to move toward a more joyous blend that can only emerge out of two quite different ways somehow turned into one. Simply put, where there’s a WILL, there’s a WAY. The Will of a Man & the Way of a Woman invites you and your spouse to harness the magnetic draw of your differences and blend better in life and love.

Here's my review:

Such a great marriage read!

What a refreshing non-fiction marriage book that leaves me encouraged and hopeful.  I really enjoyed this read because I feel that they have something with this idea/saying of “The Will of a Man and The Way of a Woman”… They had me drawn in by the personal accounts they share in the book, they had me laughing because they are so on track, and they had the challenges all laid out.  They share a quote by someone at the beginning of every chapter and I found those refreshing and well placed within the book.  This book is encouraging for the soon to be married, the newly married all the way up to the ones who have been married for years.  I think wherever you are on your marriage journey you will be encouraged by theirs words and also helped to “see” the truth in their book title.   

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Will-Man-Way-Woman-Balancing-ebook/dp/B01FLE4YZQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483726211&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Will+of+a+Man+and+the+Way+of+a+Woman

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-will-of-a-man-the-way-of-a-woman-robert-crosby/1123475779?ean=9781634099295

https://www.christianbook.com/will-woman-balancing-blending-better-together/robert-crosby/9781634099295/pd/099295?event=ESRCG

Hope's Design by Dawn Kinzer

Let's start with the book summary:

Inspirational Historical Romance Novel

In 1904, Hope Andrews, an aspiring fashion designer, struggles with leaving New York City. But with no job, her parents leaving the country, and an abusive ex-fiancé refusing to accept their broken engagement, Hope doesn’t have much choice but to give in to her parents’ wishes that she move far away and live with her cousin indefinitely.

Talented Benjamin Greene can’t deny his passion for painting, but guilt over a painful incident in his past keeps him from sharing his gift. Instead, he devotes much of his days to helping his younger sibling rebuild a farm inherited from a great-uncle. Only his brother is aware that Ben spends his spare time in a studio on their property.

In the small rural town of Riverton, Wisconsin, Hope and Ben can’t help but be thrown together. But as feelings for each other deepen, tension thickens over how talent should be used. Their mutual passion for art brings them together, but will it also drive them apart?

BOOK CLUB MEMBERS: You’ll find 20+ questions included for discussion and reflection.

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Hope’s Design was written as a stand-alone novel, but some readers may appreciate parts of the story even more if having read Sarah’s Smile, Book 1 in The Daughters of Riverton series.

And now for my review:

Another GREAT read!! Book 2 in the series was a great continuation of the story from book 1, but could definitely stand alone.  The author has a way of making you want to come and sit with the characters over a cup of tea and talk about life.  There is a sense of longing to be part of a town that she paints in the book.  There are real life situations in the book that are penned through in a way that's realistic and enjoyable.  This is a book that once started, you never want to put down until you’re finished and it has left me longing for the next one in the series.  Being who God created you to be is a theme and I thought well played out by each person.  There's a sense of joy in seeing them embrace this truth.

I would highly recommend this book and this author.  I received a copy of the book from the author for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Design-Daughters-Riverton-Book-ebook/dp/B01LZS5VYQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483724941&sr=1-1&keywords=hope%27s+design+by+dawn+kinzer

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hopes-design-dawn-kinzer/1125041187?ean=9780997815412