Unclaimed Legacy by Deborah Heal

Book Summary: (from amazon)


"I call it time-surfing," Abby said. "It's like being there,
except no one can see or hear us."

"Whatever you call it," John said, "that was crazy--what we just did.
Beyond realistic. I mean, I was in that guy's head
and knew everything he was thinking."

Abby's weird computer program is working again. And it comes
in handy when she and her friends agree to help the Old Dears with their family
tree. 

Except Abby and John learn more about one of the ladies'
ancestors than they ever wanted to know. Convicted in 1871 of murder and arson,
Reuben Buchanan is a blight on the family's reputation. But was he really
guilty? Abby and John must get inside the mind of a murderer to find out. 

And while they're rummaging around in the Old Dears' family
history, they also find Nathan Buchanan, a heroic relative connected to the
Lewis and Clark Expedition--and a legacy waiting to be reclaimed. But the most important discovery they make is that God's
promise to bless a thousand generations is true.


My Thoughts:

Unclaimed Legacy is book 2 in the Time and Again series. We are again given the amazing opportunity to join the adventures of Abby and John, and Merri as they time surf to discover and help someone out. I love the characters in the story and how they relate to each other. I especially love seeing the way Abby and Merri have grown in trust and acceptance. Abby creates a safe place for Merri during the hard times with her Dad, and Merri knows she can trust Abby with the truth. At this point I feel myself connected to each character and invested in their relationships. I loved seeing Eulah and Beulah and their story. They are quite the characters and entertaining to watch throughout the book. Each person comes to find themselves in situations where there might be struggles, but they find encouragement in the fact that they can put their trust in God to carry them through.

Again, as with Time and Again, I had an extremely difficult time putting the book down. That to me is the sign of a perfect book,and one I want to share with others and to read myself many times. I'm getting ready to read book 3 now. I can't wait, and I'm anticipating more sleepless nights ahead!

Disclosure: I received a print copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own, and may differ from others.

Stranded by Dani Pettrey

Stranded is Book 3 in the Alaskan Courage series. I had not previously read either Book 1 or 2, so I wondered if I would be missing key details or would feel I was coming in at the middle of situations. While I'm sure starting at the series beginning is the most common choice, and normally how I like to do things, I don't however feel like it affected my enjoyment of this book or the ability to understand what was going on. I will however definitely be going back and reading the other books!

In this adventure, we find Darcy on board a cruise ship as an adventure journalist but in fact she is really on board with a undercover reporting job to help her friend Abby with a case. Although Darcy left the undercover life 3 years prior, she would do anything to help Abby. Darcy uses her knowledge and cover job to gain access to areas and questioning that she otherwise couldn't do.


When Abby goes missing, things begin to become dangerous quickly.  Nobody seems to be able to give any information, and nobody seems at all concerned. When Darcy realizes her adventure will have her working closely with an old friend, Gabe, she is determined to stay professional and not let on her real feelings.

Gabe knows her true story. He has never been encouraging about Darcy doing undercover work because of the time she gave to it, and the danger she allowed herself to get in the middle of.
Will they now be able to work together to find out the truth of what happened to Abby? They need to for the sake of the situation. The people they learn are involved and the seriousness of the disappearances will lead them into the unknown. Will the danger of the situation draw Gabe to the eternal love of Christ which Darcy desperately desires for him?

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I had a hard time putting it down. I love books which take you on a suspenseful journey without the risk of actually being afraid to go to sleep:)
The storyline was thought-provoking, and very well written. The characters were described so well they were easy to picture as real people. They each had a deep history which made them relatable.
The mystery surrounding Abby's disappearance was not expected and very exciting. There was also a great message surrounding the effects of her situation. The ending was thrilling and kept you wondering what really occurred, and who was really involved, right till the very end.
I highly recommend this amazing story of adventure, love and sacrifice. You can find it for yourself  at amazon.com   I'd love to know what you think!

Disclosure: I received a free print copy of the book from Bethany house in exchange for an honest review.

Book Giveaway! Chance to win The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

WARP: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer - GIVEAWAY!

Please read the full review by Rebecca at Love2EncourageYou to learn more about this great new book series from Eoin Colfer and Disney Publishing!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

 

Sponsored by: Disney Publishing

 

Coordinated by: Rebecca at Love2EncourageYoufollow

 

Prize: One winner will receive a print copy of the book WARPnofollow: The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

 

Location: Open to USA

 

Age: Must be 18 years or older to enter.

 

Date: runs to 6/27/2013

What a great way to enjoy some relaxing time out of the sun! 

Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway. Once you have completed the mandatory entry, it will unlock the additional optional entries you can enter to increase your chances of winning. Thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Disclosure: Lost Island of Book Reviews was not compensated for this post except for a link on the giveaway form. Love2EncourageYou and Lost Island of Book Reviews are not responsible for sponsor prize shipment.

Once Upon a Pencil By Ayelet Nathaniel

      I was honored to be chosen to review yet another of Ayelet "Ally" Nathaniel's books. In this one, we follow a young girl named Sarah on an adventure. Sarah is out admiring the sky and watching to see what  the clouds remind her of. She sees many different objects along the way and helps get her imagination going. 

      When she finds a pencil she notices it is growing in the ground. She is curious, so she picks up the pencil out of the ground. Sarah's imagination is strong, and since she is without paper, she begins to draw on her jeans. What she draws suddenly becomes real. She draws things she would love to see and have. She draws a few things, and then starts to wish things for her friends. She notices that when she is  thinking of other people, that the number of pencils available grows also.  She discovers that it's so much more fun to draw things that others would like instead of just for herself.

I think there are some great lessons to be learned from this book. It is a great reminder that giving is better than receiving. She is a thoughtful child and is blessed by helping others. When she receives more due to her thoughtfulness, she doesn't do for herself, but continues to give to her friends.

This is a cute book. It's short, but packs in a good story! I have been impressed with all of her books. I recommend checking them out! You can check out 3 other reviews by Ayelet Nathaniel on my blog.

Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are always honest and may differ from others

The Return of Cassandra Todd by Darrel Nelson

Summary:

What happens when you are re-introduced to someone who indirectly was part of the

group that made high school miserable? 

Here we find Turner. He was bullied in high school by the popular kids. He has

managed to move on and find a life he enjoys. 

When Cassandra moves into the motel Turner works at, the past begins to return.

Although Turner tries to hide who he is, when Cassandra finds out, she has to see

him for who he is now. Cassandra is in danger from an abusive husband and Turner

makes the decision to do what he can to protect her and her son.

When her husband shows up, Turner quickly realizes who it is. Turner must learn to forgive and

find the strength to finally let the past completely go so he can work on them surviving.

Review:

Just by looking at the summary on the back cover, I could tell it would be a good read.

Overall it looked like a book full of excitement and love.

This book is very well written. It is descriptive in a way where it's easy to picture

whats going on. I felt a part of the story just by picturing what was going on.

The overall storyline has adventure, drama, suspense and love. What else could you want?

Everything in this book pulled together nicely. You follow them through some rough 

situations and learn how when you realize you can't do it on your own, you can give it

to God. 

The characters are relatable, realistic and honest. This book kept me up at night because I

just couldn't put it down! That to me is the perfect sign of a good book!

I highly recommend this wonderful book and look forward to reading more of Darrel Nelson's books.

Disclosure: I received a print copy of the book from Booketeria in order to do my review. 

All my reviews are my honest opinions and may differ from others

Fabulous Me by Ayelet Nathaniel

What a great book! We follow this child through her choices of what she loves to do and see.

Where does she like to go, and what does she like to do? 

Ride along on her adventures, and come up with where you would choose to go.

I love how she finds the best memories and places are those where she is with her family.

The time spent with her family, slowing down and taking the time to enjoy it. 

I love that feeling, and need that reminder sometimes!

I highly recommend this book. Illustrations along with story make for a wonderful book.

You can find the book at amazon at 

Fabulous Me

Disclosure: I received an ebook copy of this in order to do my review. No other compensation was received. My reviews are always honest and are my own opinions.

The Man in the Box by Andrew Toy (Book Tour)

      This is one of the most creative books I've had the pleasure of reading lately. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it really opened my eyes to a different style of reading. Normally, I am drawn to a more "real-life" type of book. What I found though by reading this book is that it was an escape from the norm which was convenient because that's where the book takes us. An escape from our life into the unknown.
       The story starts out as Robbie loses his job. We see the turmoil and stress this causes him, and his fears of how it will effect his family and their well being. He wants things to be an easy fix, and not worry about finding work, so he takes the advice from a co-worker. This advice isn't exactly legal, and when he's almost caught, he finds himself hiding out in a cardboard box. This is where his real story begins.
      When he gets in the box, Robbie finds himself in a cave in a transformed world. People and creatures seem to know who he is. He is completely confused and afraid, but at the same time intrigued with this land. The people there see him as a king and their leader. He has control there.
      When he wakes from his "dream", he is in the office and has no idea if what just happened is real.
He takes the box home with him and slowly begins making the box his place of comfort and escape. He finds himself preferring being in the box rather than being with his family. We learn how the land came to be from his creation of imaginary childhood friends. As scary as this other life is, it is also a security place he feels drawn to. When he finally makes the decision to get rid of the  box, that's when the dangers really begin. The "box" life starts to make it's way into his "real" life. Trouble starts to come as creatures use the box to enter home. When his family is threatened he also finds out co-workers of his have had the same experiences. They each are finding their own lands. Robbie realizes he must do whatever it takes to protect the family he has finally remembered to love.
      I can't give away the end, so you will just have to read the book for yourself and see  what happens. I will say it is a great ending!
      This book is full of great descriptions, adventures and interest. It is very well-written and kept my attention throughout. My son has already shown interest in reading it next! I highly recommend this book. Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to have a life so far from our normal life. In this book we are given that opportunity to experience that. A great escape and a great read!

About Andrew Toy: 

Andrew Toy lives with his wife and dachshunds in Louisville, KY. He is currently editing books of nearly every genre and is a writing coach for aspiring authors. He and his wife are trying to adopt their first child, and he is using the means of writing and editing to accomplish the goal of enlarging his family. Check out some more of his writing and upcoming books on his popular blog: adoptingjames.wordpress.com

The Man in the Box

Book Synopsis:

Work provided Robbie Lake the perfect escape from his family. But his life is turned upside down when he is unexpectedly fired. When he finds a new way of escape through a cardboard box, everything changes. The imaginary world of his childhood has evolved in his absence and is now more savage and hostile than even he could have dreamed. Robbie is drawn in by the excitement of his secret world, but will the cost of abandoning his family prove too high?

To find out more about other reviews,and giveaways. Here is the link to the Blog Tour

Andrew Toy's  Links: twitter , facebook and his Blog
You can buy the book at amazon.com


Disclosure: I was provided only with the ebook to complete this review. My review is my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.