TITLE:  One Dominion: Celebrating Canada – Prepared for a Purpose
AUTHOR:  Paul Richardson and Bob Beasley
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Bible League Canada
STARS:  *****

Releasing just in time for Canada Day, One Dominion outlines Canadian Christian history from John Cabot raising the cross on Canadian shores in 1497 to this year’s celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.
One Dominion invites readers into an exploratory journey through Canada’s history, highlighting key moments of faith and Christian influence, from the founding of educational institutions and hospitals, to the creation of countless charitable organizations and architectural masterpieces. With inspiring accounts of individuals who founded our country upon the Living Word of God, One Dominion helps readers uncover a deeper understanding of Canada’s foundations and futures, through Scripture and the tests of faith passed by those who have gone before.

In this carefully crafted book, Paul Richardson, President of Bible League Canada, and Bob Beasley, Vice President of International Ministry at Bible League Canada, identify Canada’s purpose and mandate as a nation, as inscribed on the Peace Tower of Parliament Hill: “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” (Psalm 72:8 KJV) Through stunning photography and enthralling historical accounts, this book is designed to instill confidence and hope in the Christians of Canada and encourage them to steward well the resources, opportunities, and peace with which this country has been blessed. Richardson encourages, “Canadians have much to be thankful for, past, present, and future, and much to steward well, both at home and for the benefit of other countries. This is a great reminder of just that.” (Courtesy of Press Release by Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.)

What a wonderful way to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday! I was thrilled when my copy of One Dominion arrived, because I love my adopted country and am always eager to learn more about it. From the beautiful cover with our national anthem written in glowing white cursive on the matte cover and gorgeous photos throughout, this book is a feast for the eyes.

As an adult immigrant to Canada (from the United States), I enjoyed learning more of the history of this great nation. This book introduced me to the strong, hard-working men and women of faith who laid the solid foundations that made this country strong and free. I have to say, though, that the contrast between what once was and what is today, faith-wise, weighs heavy on my heart.
​
One Dominion is a beautiful book filled with reasons why Canadian Christians have the right to be proud of their country—and why we need to pray for it to return to its foundation. I highly recommend this book and award it five stars.

TITLE:  Under a Summer Sky
AUTHOR:  Melody Carlson
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS:  ***1/2

High school art teacher Nicole Anderson is looking forward to a relaxing summer in Savannah, house-sitting and managing an art gallery for a family friend. The house is luxurious in a way that only old money could make it, and the gallery promises interesting days in a gorgeous setting. Yet it isn't long before her ideal summer turns into more than she bargained for: a snooty gallery employee who's determined to force her out, a displaced adolescent roosting in the attic, and two of Nicole's close childhood friends--who also happen to be brothers--vying for her attention. 

With a backdrop of a beautiful historical city, incredible architecture, and even an alleged ghost or two, combined with the opportunity for romance . . . anything can happen! 

Bestselling and award-winning author Melody Carlson invites readers to spend the summer surrounded by beauty and tantalizing possibilities for the future.

First, the disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I have to admit I was not impressed with the heroine, Nicole, at the beginning of this story. Reciting a boring lecture to high school students? Not cool. Fortunately, good ol’ mom stepped in. Nicole did grow on me as she extended grace to difficult people, but it took most of the book to “sell” me on this young teacher. Much telling rather than showing didn’t help. On the other hand, thirteen-year-old Bernie captured my heart right away. In fact, she saved the story in more ways than one.

The lush, historic city of Savannah became my second-favorite character. I would love to visit someday.

Under a Summer Sky is a sweet, easy read, suitable for teens and young at heart and earns three and a half stars.

TITLE:  Naomi’s Hope
AUTHOR:  Jan Drexler
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS:  ****

Despite growing pains in her 1846 Amish community in Indiana, Naomi Schrock has settled into a comfortable life in her parents' home with her adopted son, Davey. Surrounded by family and friends, she tries not to think about the fact that she's not at the top of any man's list of potential wives. Yet when Cap Stoltzfus moves into the area and befriends Davey, Naomi finds herself caught between the plans she has made for her future and the tantalizing thought that Cap might be part of a life she never dared to hope for. 

When a couple shows up claiming to be Davey's true family, Naomi and Cap must unite to make the decision that will determine the boy's future as well as their own. How can she relinquish him to these unknown relatives? And can God somehow bring wholeness to her heart?

When I requested Naomi’s Hope, I didn’t realize it was the final installment of a trilogy, Journey to Pleasant Prairie. If I had, I would have read the other two first, as there were times it seemed I’d missed some important information. Not so much that it bothered me, mind you. This story is well told, with a large cast of characters, each important in their own way.

This story focusses on Naomi, Cap, and Davey, but Naomi’s family have struggles that impact her journey—especially her sisters. Other members of the community, such as Christian and Annalise, faced severe trials with amazing faith. Their part in the story truly moved me.

Then there’s Shem, and old nemesis of Cap’s who wanders into the new Amish settlement with manipulations and plans to further his wicked plans. His machinations raised my blood pressure—an effective villain.

Naomi and Cap endure a difficult path back to faith, and thanks to the author’s skillful writing, I traveled it with them. Naomi’s Hope earns four stars and is recommended.
​
I received a copy of this book from the publisher; all opinions are my own.

TITLE:  The Valentine Verse
AUTHOR:  JoAnn Durgin
DATE:  2017
STARS:  *****

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for February 14th anymore! Love should be celebrated every day of the year. That’s Thornton Fielding’s philosophy. In spite of a few false starts in the arena of love, he holds out hope he’ll eventually find the woman of his dreams. The problem? He loves his job, and there’s no end in sight to his travels. But when Thornton returns to his tiny hometown of Cherish, Minnesota, he meets a beautiful and intriguing woman he believes might be God’s answer to ending his bachelor status—permanently.

Vara Alexandris is soured on love and scoffs at the notion of soul mates. But soon after meeting the handsome and unconventional Thornton, the speech and language pathologist suspects he might be the perfect ally to help jump-start her stroke patient’s recovery—if only Vara can keep Thornton grounded in Cherish long enough. This man who spouts romanticized and idealistic ideas about love seems all too eager to resume his world travels. Could it be Thornton actually prefers globetrotting in order to avoid a romantic relationship?

Is it time for Vara to call the dreamer’s bluff? And can Thornton convince Vara to put past heartache behind her and trust in God’s plan for her heart?

I received The Valentine Verse as a gift, a gesture I truly appreciate. (Thank you, my friend!) I’ve read many—maybe all—of Ms. Durgin’s books, and thoroughly enjoyed each story. This one is no exception. From Vara and Thornton’s initial chance meeting, their clever conversations kept me smiling—often chuckling aloud. I loved their witty banter and sweet, good-natured teasing, especially Thornton’s mischievous substitutions for Vara’s last name.

While the romance is mostly light-hearted, The Valentine Verse deals with some difficult subjects, too. Thornton’s beloved grandmother, Charlotte, has suffered a stroke, the reason Vara comes to Cherish in the first place. Charlotte's struggles with all she’d lost are clearly shown, and I felt her frustration. Rosalinda, Carolyn’s employee and long-time friend, demonstrates a strong character and self-sacrificing love. I learned much from her.

There is a plot twist near the end of the story that I found quite enchanting, even though it caused considerable angst to those involved. Throughout, the good news of Jesus Christ is clearly presented without preachiness. Faith is a crucial component of Thornton and Vara’s lives and therefore their romance. As it should be.
​
I loved The Valentine Verse and award it five stars. Highly recommended.

Today I am honored to introduce Clare Revell, a talented, prolific author, and her latest release, All That Glitters. C'mon, let's welcome her to Grace Notes!
​
Clare is a British author. She lives in a small town just outside Reading, England with her husband, whom she married in 1992, their three children, and unfriendly mini-panther, aka Tilly the black cat. Clare is half English and half Welsh, which makes watching rugby interesting at times as it doesn’t matter who wins.
Writing from an early childhood and encouraged by her teachers, she graduated from rewriting fairy stories through fan fiction to using her own original characters and enjoys writing an eclectic mix of romance, crime fiction and children's stories. When she's not writing, she can be found reading, crocheting or doing the many piles of laundry the occupants of her house manage to make.
Her books are based in the UK, with a couple of exceptions, thus, although the spelling may be American in some of them, the books contain British language and terminology and the more recent ones are written in UK English.
The first draft of every novel is hand written.
She has been a Christian for more than half her life. She goes to Carey Baptist where she is one of four registrars.  You can sign up for her quarterly newsletter here -
She can be found at:
Home
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Pintrest
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Other titles by Clare Revell
 
CHRISTMAS
Season for Miracles
Saving Christmas
Times Arrow
An Aussie Christmas Angel
Fairytale of Headley Cross
Christmas Eva
A Mummy for Christmas
Down in Yon Forest
The Hector Clause
Once Upon a Christmas - coming Dec 2017
 
NOVELLAS
Cassie's Wedding Dress
Carnations in January
Violets in February
Daffodils in March
Sweet peas in April
Lily of the Valley in May
Roses in June
Water lilies in July
Gladioli in August
Forget-me-nots in September
Marigolds in October
’Mums in November
Holly in December
Married by Easter - coming 2018
 
NOVELS
After The Fire
Monday's Child
Tuesday's Child
Wednesday's Child
Thursday's Child
Friday's Child
Saturday's Child
Sunday's Child
Turned
Dark Lake - coming 2017/8
 
FREE READS
Kisses from Heaven
Shadows of the Past (Times Arrow Sequel)
Dutch Crocus (flower series finale)
 
PASSPORT TO ROMANCE
Vegas Vacation
Welsh Wildfire
 
PURE AMORE
Battle of the Flowers
Keepsake
All That Glitters
 
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS
November Charlie – Signal Me #1
Delta Victor – Signal Me #2
Echo Foxtrot – Signal Me #3
 
Her books can be found –
Amazon UK  
Amazon US
Pelican Book Group

​Blurb:
Gold medalist, Peter Stanmore has returned home a broken man and intends to put the past behind him. But love isn't so easily repressed, and second chances are rare.
Jill Davenport has given up any hope of marriage and a life of her own, after all, years ago, she lost the only man she ever loved. But the truth is impossible to hide.
When secrets are revealed, decisions must be made in spite of the consequences. Can what was once lost be found, or is love destined to remain forever lost?
 
Extract:
“Jill? Jill Davenport, as I live and breathe, is that you?”
She jerked her hand back from the bread and looked into eyes that dragged her in and swallowed her whole. “Yeah…” Her voice died in her throat and she had to cough to make it work. “Yeah, yeah, it’s me. Hello, Peter.”
Peter Stanmore looked as gorgeous as he always had, as he leaned on a cane next to her. His ankle was in one of those Velcro support boots, surprising her as she’d expected a cast. His dark hair, longer than she remembered stuck up untidily as well as brushing against his collar. His green eyes still as piercing as they were all those years ago, although now their brightness was dimmed with grief.
The rest of him however, was just as striking as when she last saw him. And judging by the way her heart pounded, her stomach flipped and lack of air currently in her lungs, he still had the same effect on her. She struggled to breathe, light headed through lack of oxygen. Simply being this close to him was intoxicating, mind numbing and overwhelming.
“Of all the places to bump into you, I didn’t think it would be here.” His voice concentrated her mind; which could only be a good thing. “What are you doing?”
“Shopping,” she said, stating the obvious as she seemed incapable of doing anything else right now. “The thing same as you are doing. The same thing most people do in a grocery shop. Unless you’re Mrs. Jones, in which case you’re here to gossip.”
“I guess some people never change, but you sure have.” Amusement tinged his voice as his gaze swept up and down her figure, before lingering on her head and face. “What’s with the hair?”
Jill ran her hand over the top of her head. Had she left the comb in her hair? Left a single plait in or splashed bleach in it and now had a white streak in her dark locks? “I d-don’t…” she stuttered.
“It’s long,” he said. “I’ve never seen you with long hair before.”
“Oh. I stopped cutting it years ago. I usually tie it back, but haven’t gotten that far this morning.” She pulled a band from her jacket pocket and tied her hair back into a high ponytail. “There.”
Then, out of a desperate need to get back onto solid ground, she held the loaf of whole meal bread out to him. “Here.”
Peter shook his head. “You have it. You got to it first.”
“It’s fine,” she insisted. The solid ground, she so desperately needed, could only be found by ending this conversation and sudden encounter right now.
“I can eat white bread just as easily.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “And I can make my own.”
“Really?” Surprise filled his face. “That’s a talent I don’t possess. Most things I can cook, but my bread always turns out doughy and inedible. Mum always says…said I’m the reason shop bought bread was invented.”
Jill put the bread into his basket. “Then you should definitely take this one. I must get on. Have fun shopping.”
She headed into the next aisle and leaned against the freezer of vegetables, rubbing the back of her neck. She hadn’t expected the reaction to seeing him again that now flooded her. Every nerve ending sang and her pulse raced, conflicting with the pitting in her stomach and the way the scars around her broken heart ached. They were old friends from school, who became skating partners, who then dated off the ice. They’d been teased by their competitors for their chasteness and she’d hoped and prayed that his kisses would one day lead to more and her happy ever after would mean marriage and life with Peter.
But it hadn’t happened. He’d dropped her like hot cakes to pursue a solo career. The last thing she needed was someone like Peter back in her life. No, not someone like him, rather him personified. The last thing she needed was him back in her life, breaking her heart all over again. They were so over.
She shook herself and opened the freezer to pull out a packet of frozen peas. A hand reached down and grabbed the same packet.
Jill sighed. Not again.
“This is getting to be a habit.” Peter pulled back. “You can have this one.”
“Thanks.” Jill picked up the peas.
Bumping into Peter was a habit she wanted to avoid. Moreover it was a habit she needed to avoid if she were to have any hope of getting home before her nerves shattered into a million tiny pieces and went spinning off into the heavens. She moved away and continued to shop.
Only to find she reached the checkout at the same point he did. Somehow Jill managed to resist raising her eyes heavenward as she all but begged God to stop them meeting like this. It wouldn’t do either of them any good in the long run. There was too much water under the broken bridge between them to ever hope it would be mended or gulfed.
Peter held out a hand. “Ladies first. We seem destined to meet today.”
“That we do.” She began unloading her basket onto the conveyor belt. She could feel his gaze almost burning through her jacket and glanced back.
“It seems a shame to waste the opportunity destiny has presented us with. Can I buy you coffee? We could catch up.”
 

Purchase links for All That Glitters: 
http://pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=37_72&products_id=817
https://www.amazon.com/All-that-Glitters-Romance-Enjoyment-ebook/dp/B071JYRWHB/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1497119543&sr=8-3&keywords=Clare+Revell​

And some fun info from Clare:
​Something most people don’t know about me…
I think by now most people know I’m one of a rare breed that never type straight onto a computer. Every novel, yes, even the really long ones, are hand written at least twice first. Once in note form and once in long hand, with my own weird short hand tossed in for good measure.
 
Aside from writing and crocheting, my secret identity is a marriage registrar. I’m one of four that my church has. In the UK, the building itself is registered to hold weddings and the registry office appoint several authorised persons to do the legal paperwork for the marriage services. So either of the two pastors conducts the ceremony, but unless I or one of the other three authorised people are there, the service isn’t legal and binding.
Besides just being there, we have to hear certain things being said. For instance the bride and groom have to said I do or I will, depending on how the question is phrased. I attended one wedding while I was training to do this, where the groom replied “yeah definitely.”
Hmm, not gonna do. He was told by the minister that he had to reply I do. So he glanced over at us, grinned and replied “yeah, definitely, I do.” As did the bride. :)
Another killer is someone objecting – even in jest. At that point the wedding is off until the registrar investigates. So if your best man is gonna challenge you to a duel or you have some other prank up your sleeve forget it.
Hmmm, maybe I should put that in a book…