TITLE:  Gracelaced
AUTHOR:  Ruth Chou Simons
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Harvest House
STARS:  *****
Gracelaced is about more than pretty florals and fanciful brushwork—it's about flourishing. With carefully crafted intention, this beautiful volume of 32 seasonal devotions from artist and author Ruth Chou Simons encourages readers in any circumstance to become deeply rooted in God's faithful promises. Gracelaced extends a soul-stirring invitation to draw close to God while...
resting in who He is
rehearsing the truth He says about you
responding in faith to those truths
remembering His provision to sustain you, time and time again
More than 800 individual pieces of art came together in the crafting of this book, including dozens of new, hand-painted Scripture vignettes that Ruth is known for.

Who we are and who God is never changes, even though everything else rarely stays the same. Let this book point you to truth as you journey through the changing seasons of your heart.
 
First, the disclaimer: Book has been provided courtesy of Harvest House Publishers and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.

Gracelaced is a treasure, a beautifully designed and illustrated work of art. Faith is its base, and grace is its colors. Ruth Chou Simons’ painting illuminate the truths she writes, weaving them together into an exquisite gift. The subtitle explains the purpose of this book: “Discovering timeless truths through seasons of the heart.”

From the first page, the author’s wisdom caught me, and now this book is a treat to savor daily. It is designed as a devotional journal, with room for responses and verses for deeper digging into God’s truth.
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Gracelaced would make a wonderful gift for someone special. I award this book five stars, which seem too few. Highly recommended. 

TITLE:  Only a Heartbeat Away
AUTHOR:  Julianna Desmond
DATE:  2017
STARS:  *****

Georgia Adler might be from a small town near Atlanta, but don't call her a peach! Before the release of her debut novel, a top literary critic reviews her book as a "contemporary masterpiece of epic proportions." As a result, Georgia is named one of America's most promising new authors. When her agent sends out a press kit with her photo--which Georgia expressly instructed her not to include--magazine editors and talk show promoters across the country clamor for her attention. Against her better judgment, Georgia reluctantly grants a few interviews, and a whirlwind publicity tour begins. After the first few press stops, the frustrated young novelist regrets the lack of privacy and not writing under a pen name. Instead of happily writing at home in her jeans and a T-shirt, she's all dolled-up and being promoted as something she's not. Why did things have to get so complicated? 

Grayson Chambers walks into a tempest when he visits his best friend Nick's editorial office in Manhattan. He'd only planned on lunch, but a new female novelist who's taking the literary world by storm is being interviewed, and the magazine's photographer is in desperate need of an immediate replacement for the ailing male model. Swallowing his misgivings, Gray steps in after Nick begs him to model professionally one last time. He'll be paid extremely well for a short period of time in front of the cameras, so what could be the harm? He can tolerate working with a demanding, beautiful diva for a few hours if it'll give him the opportunity to publicize his new foundation to thousands of people. It's a win-win situation. 

When Georgia meets the devastatingly handsome Grayson, she begins to question the very crux of her novel. And Grayson has to wonder if the basis for his foundation is a huge mistake. Is this a "chance" meeting between them or a way for God to reveal His own plans for their lives individually or perhaps even...together? 

Only a Heartbeat Away became my sweet escape during an especially busy couple of days. It’s like an exquisite square of dark chocolate and almond bits, with the romance being the sweet chocolate, and the faith message being the nourishing, satiating almonds. Short enough to read in a day or two and long enough to satisfy, this story is the perfect quick fantasy getaway, exactly what I needed.

Julianna Desmond is the pen name of an award-winning author, and I can count on her stories to entertain, captivate, and edify. Only a Heartbeat Away earns five stars from me, and I highly recommend it. I purchased this book via Amazon.

TITLE:  These Healing Hills
AUTHOR:  Ann H. Gabhart
DATE:  2017
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS:  *****

Francine Howard has her life all mapped out until the soldier she planned to marry at WWII's end writes to tell her he's in love with a woman in England. Devastated, Francine seeks a fresh start in the Appalachian Mountains, training to be a nurse midwife for the Frontier Nursing Service.

Deeply affected by the horrors he witnessed at war, Ben Locke has never thought further ahead than making it home to Kentucky. His future shrouded in as much mist as his beloved mountains, he's at a loss when it comes to envisioning what's next for his life.

When Francine's and Ben's paths intersect, it's immediately clear that they are from different worlds and value different things. But love has a way of healing old wounds . . . and revealing tantalizing new possibilities.

“Francine Howard stepped off the bus into another world.” With this first sentence, I experienced Francine’s discomfort as she began her new life with the Frontier Nursing Service in the Appalachian Mountains, and as the story continued, her bravery and gutsiness impressed me more and more. I loved that she wasn’t perfect; she had a terrible sense of direction and got lost at the most inopportune times. But her grandmother Howard had instilled a strong faith in her, and she leaned on God’s promises to see her through.

Ben Locke is a worthy hero, wounded by war physically and emotionally but determined to care for his family somehow. The hesitant romance between Fran and Ben was written with warm sensitivity, and the Appalachian sayings charmed me. Granny Em, the eccentric old mountain woman, spoke straight to my heart. “Careful don’t get you nothing in this life. You remember that, girl.” Took my breath away!
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These Healing Hills is a wonderful story based on a real program in the early 1920s. I loved visiting the mountains and the people inhabiting them, thanks to the author. This delightful, charming story earns five stars. I received a copy of this book from the publisher.