Rhonda's Doings !

Review of Beyond Resolution by Rose Dee Samara lives a life filled with fear. After being discarded and beaten by her trouble making boyfriend, she takes one easy out after another. Her choices lead her down the road of self-destruction, into the degrading world of stripping and a life spent looking over her shoulder. Until an encounter with a stranger on a Kings Cross Street provides the catalyst for a life changing event that leads her back home. Resolution is the last place in the world Jed wants to be. One drastic decision has led him to the Island resort and back into strained contact with his brother, Flynn. From the bright lights of Sydney to the blue waters of Resolution Island, Beyond Resolution is a story that provides a window into the joy of forgiveness, trust and peace. MY REVIEW:   I rate this book 4 stars.  It was a bit hard for me to get into this story.  It is a lovely story of peace, forgiveness and second chances.  Returning to Resolut...

Review of Simple Faith by Anna Schmidt After losing her beloved husband and daughter and surviving Hitler’s Sobibor death camp, Quaker widow Anja Steinberg  dedicates her life to helping others and keeping her son safe. As a member of the resistance, she helps displaced Allied airmen get back to their units in England. The journey is rigorous and filled with danger and there is no time for romance. Then American Peter Trent parachutes into her life. She must face facts—her heart did not die with her late husband and true love could be hers again. But will a romance hurt Peter’s chance of escape from the Nazis—and endanger her life as well? The Peacemakers Series: Book 1 - All God's Children Book 2 - Simple Faith - Available March 2014 MY REVIEW:   This book has given me incredible insights into WWII for those on the other side of our world.   I had seen many artifacts from my late uncle:   the censored letters home, his Purple Heart, his leave papers, pi...

Review of He Who Has An Ear  Who The Seven Churches of Revelation are Today by Laura J. Davis More than two thousand years ago the Apostle John had a vision he received from the Lord. He was told to write seven letters to the churches of Asia Minor. Out of the seven churches only two received commendation from the Lord. The rest were letters of warning. The letters to the seven churches are a message for this generation during these last days. He who has an ear will know what to do and act accordingly. My Review:   This is a great resource for those who are interested in further Bible study and especially for pastors, Bible scholars, and professors.  I feel that this book would make a very nice small group study.    Laura Davis has provided in depth analysis of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation.  I really like the bulleted lists included for each of the chapters and the questions addressed for the churches:   Some of these ques...

Review of Everyday Confetti:   Your Year-Round Guide to Celebrating Holidays and Special Occasions by Karen Ehman & Glynnis Whitmer When a busy woman looks at her calendar and sees a birthday, holiday, or special occasion, she has the best intentions for bringing joy to her family and creating lasting memories. Then reality hits. Amidst demanding responsibilities and an overloaded schedule, when is she ever going to have time to plan the perfect celebration or find the creativity to make it special?  In this go-to guide, Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer give women the ideas and the motivation they need to make such occasions less daunting. They provide creative ideas and menu plans for - Holidays  - Birthdays - Special Events - Everyday Occasions Readers will even find suggestions for reaching out to others throughout the year through celebrations that are simple, doable, and stress-free. MY REVIEW:  Wow, I can't say enough good things about th...

Review of  A Rooster Once Crowed: A Commentary on the Greatest Story Ever Told by Bryant Cornett From a one-room Sunday school class--the lesson that's been downloaded over 8,000 times in 54 countries--comes A Rooster Once Crowed, A Commentary on the Greatest Story Ever Told. We live in those few moments between the first and the second crow of the rooster: between decision and indecision, between knowing and being known. But do you even care? Small decisions made today establish our path for all time, and yet we piddle with a piece of this and a taste of that. We diet on wisdom from antiquity and gorge on culture that is next month's joke. This story is an opportunity to gorge on Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, in context. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and an opportunity to see for yourself what it actually is, rather than what we mold it to be, and to finally choose whether or not to care. Through small stories and a modern context, this book will help you ...

Review of The Maker's Diet Revolution by Jordan Rubin The Maker's Diet Revolution   is the long awaited sequel to The Maker's Diet that Jordan Rubin’s fans are ready for. Jordan will share everything he has learned in the years since he wrote The Maker's Diet, including: Health and Diet Tips,Why our nation's food supply is compromised,  The importance of organic foods, Choosing the best water sources, Raising healthy children, healing chronic illnesses and much more! His Popular Health Myths and Truths, Jordan Rubin is a renowned natural health expert and NYT Best-selling author of The Maker's Diet MY REVIEW:   Jordan Rubin has taken great care to research both scriptures from the Bible as well as other health information in this book.   I find it very interesting and hope to attempt to follow the diet for health reasons as I suffer from Ulcerative Colitis.   I do wonder though what effect it will have on my system and he does offer some alternat...

Review of The Beloved Daughter  by Alana Terry In a small North Korean village, a young girl struggles to survive. But it is her father's faith, not the famine of North Hamyong Province, that most threatens Chung-Cha's well-being. Is Chung-Cha's father right to be such a vocal believer? Or is he a fool to bring danger on the head of his only daughter? Chung-Cha is only a girl of twelve and is too young to answer such questions. Yet she is not too young to face a life of imprisonment and forced labor. Her crime? Being the daughter of a political traitor. The Beloved Daughter follows Chung-Cha into one of the most notorious prison camps of the contemporary free world. Will Chung-Cha survive the horrors of Camp 22? And if she does survive, will her faith remain intact? "The Beloved Daughter" is Alana Terry's debut Christian novel and was a winner in the Women of Faith writing contest. MY REVIEW:  I am shocked to learn that this is Alana Terry's ...

 Review of The Militant Genome by Braxton DeGarmo A master gene for race? Geneticists say such a thing doesn’t exist. However, the Colonel, founder of the Missouri White Alliance, has devised a genetic weapon capable of devastating dark-skinned peoples globally. He is only weeks, maybe days away from implementing his viral version of racial cleansing’s “final solution.” There’s only one threat to his plan – a hotheaded member of the MWA has become the target of a nationwide police search for murder and the kidnapping of local celebrity Della Winston … and the unwanted attention risks bringing federal scrutiny to the previously unknown white supremacy group. Sarah Wade, MD, has enough stress as a senior Emergency Medicine resident. She never expected that her discovery of a murdered medical student would inadvertently jeopardize her career. Or that the next-day murder of a Nigerian diplomat would lead to the kidnapping of her best friend, Della Winston. The cascade of event...

Review of Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman Lily Winter's wings are folded so tightly around her daughter that when empty nest arrives, she feels she can no longer fly. But Lily's lonely, widowed life changes in a heartbeat when she goes to visit a woman who is almost a stranger to her-a woman who also happens to be her mother. During their fiery reunion, her mother reveals a dark family secret that she'd been hiding for decades-Lily has an identical twin sister who was put up for adoption when they were just babies.  Without looking back, Lily-with her fear of flying-boards a jumbo jet and embarks on a quest to find her sister which leads half way around the world to Melbourne, Australia. Befriended by imprudent Aussie, he might prove to be the key to finding her sister. But her journey becomes a circle that leads her back home to attempt a family reunion and to find the one dream she no longer imagined possible-the chance to fall in love again. MY REVIEW: I...

Review of Hallee Bridgeman's Jewels Bundle: Sapphire Ice & Greater Than Rubies Jewels Bundle 1 -- Sapphire Ice & Greater Than Rubies  This is the  complete  story of Robin Bartlett, the eldest of the  three half-sisters readers around the world have come to know and love and Antonio "Ton y" Viscolli, the man she is destined to marry.  Sapphire Ice  is a story of redemption and transf ormation that ultimately leads to a love that will span all eternity. Robin's he art is as ice cold as her sapphire blue eyes. After a terrifying childhood, she trusts neither God nor men. With kindness and faith, Tony Viscolli  prays  for the opportunity to shatter the wall of ice around her heart. What is a good wife worth? IN GREATER THAN RUBIES,   Robin plans a dream-come-true wedding. Anxiety arises when she starts to realize the magnitude of change marriage will involve. Forgotten nightmares resurface reminding Robin of the h...

Review of Chosen:  The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther by Ginger Garrett Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him a queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther’s mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of an entire nation. My Review:  I opened the cover of Chosen:  The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther and I was drawn into the story.  I love journaling and so the style of the text was very appealing to me.   I could feel Esther's emotions and thought of the the fear she experien...

Review of Reign:  The Chronicles of Queen Jezebel by Ginger Garrett Beyond the Drama, Her Heart Was Real From the moment her marriage to prince Ahab thrusts her into the intrigues of palace life, Jezebel’s exotic beauty opens doors and her will breaks down walls. Torn from her homeland and wed to power in a strange country, Jezebel vows to create a legacy and power all her own. Some might call her a manipulative schemer, bent on having her way. But they don’t know the whole story, and she was much, much worse. As she moves through the halls of power, her heart struggles between devotion to the gods she worships, the prince who loves her, and her thirst for revenge. She sparks a battle between her strangely powerless gods and the God of palace administrator Obadiah—a God who confronts her with surprising might. She will fight, though victory may cost her everything. My Review: I have been reading the Bible since I was a very young girl and Ginger Garrett brings t...

Review of  Return to Shirley Plantation Murray Pura's Cry of Freedom Volume 1 by Carrie Fancett Pagels 50 years ago the history of America changed forever. Live 1863 through the stories of some of our finest writers – the passion, the romance, the tragedy, and the triumph. Carrie Fancett Pagels. Kathleen Maher. Joy Ross Davis. Sarah Price. Karen Anna Vogel. Patrick E. Craig. Willard Carpenter. Big Daddy Abel. Murray Pura. David Stearman. And many more. The plantations. The Underground Railroad. Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Little Round Top. Chickamauga. Chattanooga. Missionary Ridge. The soldiers in the field. The families at home. The nurses in the hospitals. The speeches at Richmond and Washington. The prayers in churches North and South. It’s all here in one of the most dramatic series ever produced. A new story by a different author released every two weeks between April and November. Join us for one of the most exciting events in American inspirational pub...

Review of The Last Waltz Murray Pura's American Civil War Series - Cry Of Freedom - Volume 2 by Murray Pura 150 years ago the history of America changed forever. Live 1863 through the stories of some of our finest writers – the passion, the romance, the tragedy, and the triumph. Carrie Fancett Pagels. Kathleen Maher. Joy Ross Davis. Sarah Price. Karen Anna Vogel. Patrick E. Craig. Willard Carpenter. Big Daddy Abel. Murray Pura. David Stearman. And many more. The plantations. The Underground Railroad. Chancellorsville. Vicksburg. Gettysburg. Little Round Top. Chickamauga. Chattanooga. Missionary Ridge. The soldiers in the field. The families at home. The nurses in the hospitals. The speeches at Richmond and Washington. The prayers in churches North and South. It’s all here in one of the most dramatic series ever produced. A new story by a different author released every two weeks between April and November. Join us for one of the most exciting events in American inspir...