Steadfast Heart by Tracie Peterson

About the book: Despite her spoiled upbringing, twenty-year-old Lenore Fulcher isn't pretentious. She simply believes a marriage should be built on true love. Her father, however, thinks she's wasted enough time searching for the perfect husband. He wants to marry her off to one of his business partners--who is seventeen years her senior--an idea that is out of the question for Lenore.

Kolbein Booth, a young lawyer from Chicago, arrives in Seattle looking for his headstrong sister, who he believes may have answered an advertisement for mail-order brides. Sick with worry, he storms into the Madison Bridal School, demanding to see his sister, only to learn she isn't there. But Lenore Fulcher is, and something about her captures his attention.

My thoughts: I have been a fan of Tracie Peterson’s writings for a number of years. Her writings are thoroughly enjoyable, definitive in location descriptions, character development par excellence, authentic historical settings, and really good story lines. In her first book in Brides of Seattle series, Steadfast Heart, I just simply did not find all these attributes of a good author’s good story. While not a “bad” book, it just seemed lacking.

In real life we meet many types of individuals. In Steadfast Heart there are a variety of ladies and gents. I loved the older aunts who run the Bridal School in the old section of Seattle near the waterfront. Their “God rest His soul” interjected into conversations is tickle-your-funny-bone funny and shows the sweet charm and eccentricity of these lovely aunties.

Abrianna on the other hand is not an individual I would enjoy being around much. While a dedicated Christian who thoroughly and deeply loves God and is dedicated to His purpose and will for her life, she is a rambling, flighty conversationalist. Some maturing needs to happen in her life. But like people we meet in real life, we don’t have to like them for them to be of value.

Lenore is the real heroin and I’m thinking she is the lovely lady depicted on the cover. A lady of wealth and means and unmarried, she is charming and gentle. She meets a young attorney from Chicago, Kolbein, who is looking for his runaway sister. The book’s romance is about this couple.
The book seems to ramble. The conversations become somewhat annoying but then, they are conversations of characters who are themselves somewhat annoying. Again, life is like that.

The book is not a total loss, but just not up to earlier works by Tracie Peterson in my opinion. I am sure it will be much loved by many, it just didn’t appeal to me as much as usual. I will await Ms. Peterson’s next book in the series. I value her contribution to Christian fiction highly and am looking forward to more from her.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Bethany House a division Baker Publishing Group in exchange for my review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Boundaries: How the Mason-Dixon Line settled a Family Feud & divided a Nation by Sally M. Walker [Review]

ISBN: 9780763656126

I anticipated Boundaries to be a middle-school non-fiction read focusing on the Mason-Dixon Line and it's role in the War Between the States (Civil War) in the United States. That is not the case.  I found Boundaries to be a somewhat dull read that most likely will best benefit students in high school engaged in a project directed by a teacher who desires to bring extra information into the study of American history.

However, the author writes beautifully!  I can see this as a good book for homeschool or classroom studies to be read aloud and discussed. A teacher reading this aloud (the text flows beautifully) and then working her students through the somewhat tedious material that is included (due to the scientific nature of surveying) can bring to her students a subject that is different and encompassing several areas of study all in one interesting endeavor.

Boundaries covers a period from the early colonization days of America and through the Civil War era. Early settlers and recipients of land grants, the families of William Penn and Cecil Calvert held vastly different religious beliefs - Catholic and Protestant.

In later years the Mason-Dixon Line was considered a demarcation between areas of Slavery and Non-Slavery.

In the book, Boundaries, the science behind surveying the land for the boundary of lands possessed by Penn and Calvert is not what one would expect in a "history" book and I perceive it as a bit too detailed for this book. However, touching on the subject brings depth and realism to the historical context.

I found it interesting that the Mason-Dixon line has a life prior to it's utilization during the Civil War. I found the history of the area now known as Pennsylvania and Maryland interesting. Messrs. Mason and Dixon undertook a massive task to survey this area and did it well.

The author has done a tremendous amount of research. While I did not find the book especially to my liking, I do believe it will serve a purpose in the education of older middle school students and high school students when in a directed study by a teacher.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Candlewick Press on behalf of the author for the purpose of a review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes by Nicola Davies and illustrated by emily Sutton

ISBN:  9780763673154
Hardcover $15.99

About the book: All around the world — in the sea, in the soil, in the air, and in your body — there are living things so tiny that millions could fit on an ant’s antenna. They’re busy doing all sorts of things, from giving you a cold and making yogurt to eroding mountains and helping to make the air we breathe. If you could see them with your eye, you’d find that they all look different, and that they’re really good at changing things into something else and at making many more microbes like themselves! From Nicola Davies comes a first exploration for young readers of the world’s tiniest living organisms.

Find out how the smallest things on the planet do some of the biggest jobs in this intriguing introduction to the world of microbes.

My thoughts: What a treat!Years ago children only learned about "germs" and there was no distinction between good and bad germs, size (other than we can't see them, but they make you sick), or the vast universe of germs. No, it was simply not a viable educational subject until somewhere along high school.

In Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes the author and illustrator bring this vast universe of microbes (germs) to the young child - even the non-reader. The book is suitable for non-readers and on well into elementary school. Microbes are so much more than germs that make one sick. They change the world. They create different substances out of original substances. They are the stuff that compost is made of. The stuff that makes yogurt into yogurt.

They come in a plethora of shapes; and they are, simply put, everywhere! They are energetically and magically adept at making more of themselves.

The illustrations are simply drawn with colors that engage visually. The little boy and girl that are discovering the world of microbes are drawn in such a sweet, charming manner that your little boy or girl will identify with them as they discover microbes.

A super good book to introduce children to the science of the unseen world of microbes of which germs are only a small part.
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy from Candlewick Press in exchange for my review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Love Unexpected by Jody Hedlund {Review & Giveaway}

About the book: All she's ever wanted was a home. But stranded at Presque Isle port after their steamboat sank, Emma Chambers and her brother, Ryan, couldn't be farther away from security. While Ryan at least can find work, Emma can't even find a place to stay. An unlikely solution arises when the lighthouse keeper, who recently lost his wife and is struggling to raise his young son, arrives in town. A traveling preacher believes they might be the answer to each others' problems, and after a hasty marriage, Emma is headed back to the lighthouse with this handsome but quiet stranger.

But nothing in her wandering life has prepared her for suddenly being asked to raise a child and keep a house. Struggling at every turn, Emma also suspects Patrick may be keeping something hidden from her. In town she hears whispers about strange circumstances surrounding his previous wife's death, and it seems as though Emma's answered prayer for a home and family may actually be something much more dangerous.

My thoughts: As expected, Jody Hedlund has written another book to delight readers. The world and life for Irish immigrants in the Great Lakes region was one of poverty, risk, isolation, and danger. Marriage was often thrust upon folks for convenience and not for love. Women needed a husband to provide home and hearth and personal shelter. Children often lost mothers and marriages were arranged solely for the reason that the children needed a mother.

Emma lands in both of these categories. She needs a home. She needs a protector. And she needs to mother a motherless child - an adorable, lovable little boy.

The story has mystery surrounding the individuals and their past lives. There is the mystery of roaming and attacking pirates. There is the danger of suspicious neighbors. And there is the story of love. Love of a woman for a motherless child. Love of a man that blooms unsuspectingly for this woman providing a mother for his child. And there is faith. Faith of individuals in each other. Faith of a minister of God. Faith of a man once lost and now redeemed.

A good read. A safe read. A read you won't want to miss.

GIVEAWAY: The author has tucked away a copy for one of Chat With Vera's readers to win in this giveaway.  Begins January 5 & ENDS January 27 @ 12:01 a.m. ET. Open to USA addresses only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by the author in exchange for a review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Ozeri Precision Digital Bath Scale (400 Lbs Edition), In Tempered Glass With Step-on Activation {Review}

As you can see the bathroom scale
is thin and sleek
Model #ZB18-W

It's that time of year again! We indulged too much in those delightful seasonal goodies. Our clothes are a bit tighter. We need to step on the scales and identify our problem and the extent of it.

How nice to have a super sleek, basic bathroom scale on which to step and hope to tread lightly. Oops! Wasn't so light was it? (Well, that was a puny pun). 

Anyway, I am delighted to present a great Ozeri product - the Ozeri Precision Digital Bath Scale (400 Lbs Edition), in Tempered Glass with Step-on Activation.  This is sleek and looks great in any setting.

I have the white scale, but it also comes in black (see image below). 

This one won't break the budget (you already did that with Christmas purchases, right?). Amazon prices it at just over $14. 

Note: Weighs up to 400 lbs.

Again, I have found Ozeri to bring good products to consumers. I recommend this as a good budget scale for the home. I think it looks great in the bathroom or bedroom. I do recommend that you place the scale on a hard surface (tile) rather than carpet for accurate readings.

Product features (from Amazon) include

• New widescreen LCD provides immediate and easy to read results 
• Uses 4 high precision GX sensors to weigh up to 400 pounds (180 kilograms) in 0.2 pounds or 0.1 kg increments
• Award-winning design features an oversized platform made of impact-resistant tempered glass.
• Step-on Activation captures the precise weight measurements upon stepping on the scale (no tapping required)
• Sturdy design features an oversized weighing platform with impact-resistant tempered glass
• Convenient unit button switches between pounds, kg
• Auto-calibrated and automatically turns off to conserve battery life.
• Runs on 1 Lithium 2032 battery for better performance

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a sample product from Ozeri to facilitate this review. No compensation was received. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I only recommend products I would use or give to others to use.

The "Rudeness" of Internet Advertising

I fully acknowledge that advertising is here to stay and that it pays salaries, promotes business success, and generally helps the economy. But.. ...

... ... I am frankly quite tired of the invasiveness and rudeness (please pardon these coined words I'm using) that advertisers impose, rudely impose, on folks using the internet. It doesn't seem to matter where you go online, you are inundated with winking and blinking, drifting and sliding, flashing and dashing advertisements massively overtaking the entire screen.

The little "peep-hole" through which internet users are allowed to actually view the information for which they actually accessed the website is less than 1/4th of the screen.

Go back to kindergarten! Learn the rules! You do not "break in line." You do not "hit" one another.

Yes, the internet advertisement industry needs to learn that slapping the website readers in the face with this plethora of ads is tantamount to "breaking in line" and "hitting" the readers in the face. 

Have you ever visiting a site and then fumbled around looking for that choice bit of information that drew you there in the first place and finally finding it? Then as you begin to read an entirely new ad jumps in right on top of that which you are reading? I have! Many times!

Folks, that is liken to Dad sitting in his overstuffed chair after a hard day at work and he is reading his newspaper.  A football is tossed across the room (yep, a no-no). The ball lands smack-dab in the middle of Dad's newspaper. Get the picture? Yep! Dad is not happy.

And I am not happy. I do not like it. I think the purveyors of advertising need to get their act together and learn the gentle art of manners and "waiting your turn." Yes, advertise. Put it on the side bar (no flashing and taking up excessive bandwidth, though). Even put a banner at the top, if you must. But LEAVE THE REST OF THE SCREEN ALONE!

A Love Letter From God by P.K. Hallinan & illustrated by Laura Watson {Review & GiveawayS & CANADA}

ISBN: 97808249566223
Hardcover $12.99
Ideals Children's Books

About the book: A sweet new book from perennial best-selling author P. K. Hallinan.

In this new title by P. K. Hallinan, the author supposes what God might say in a personal letter written to a child. The unconditional and unlimited nature of God's love is revealed through simple and lyrical language.

I love you, My child, so hear what I say:
Nothing can pry Me or drive Me away.
Your future's as brilliant as the sun on the sea...
And I'll love you forever, through all eternity.

My thoughts: Young hearts. Young minds.Young hands. This book is perfectly suited for them. God's Word, the Bible, is actually a love letter to mankind. In it God tells us He is there for us, loving us, caring for us. This little book introduces young minds to the concept that God communicates with them in His love letter, the Bible. The author uses gentle poetry to engage the heart and mind of the child to "hear what I say: Nothing can pry Me or drive Me away."

This is a board book, yet it is larger than the usual board book and the inner pages a little less stiff (but still very durable). Each page has cutouts in the shape of little hearts that let the child peek and poke his or her way from page to page seeing the connection between the pages. A book perfectly suited for those little hands.

The illustrations by Laura Watson are delightful and childlike in their novelty and beauty. I love the gentle colors and the way the text and pictures blend and flow together so nicely.

P.K. Hallinan is famous for his endearing books for children and this one is a winner as well. I can heartily endorse this book for those little hands you love to hold and treasure.

GIVEAWAY: Begins January 1 & ENDS January 9 @ 12:01 a.m. ET. Open to USA & CANADA addresses only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P. K. Hallinan, author, has been creating books for children since his wife first asked him to write one for their two boys many years ago. Today P.K. writes inspirational stories about holidays, relationships, and life values. In addition to his writing, P.K. is an ordained minister and a well-known school speaker. He lives in the mountains above Ashland, Oregon, with his wife, Jeanne, and their three dogs.

Laura Watson, illustrator, has been creating whimsical illustrations for children's books, educational materials, and magazines since 1995. She is a graduate of Sheridan College's Interpretive Illustration program in Oakville, Ontario. She lives in Toronto with her husband and five-year-old daughter and works in a converted backyard garage studio surrounded by a slightly unkempt garden.

For the month of January, every book from www.idealsbooks.com with the word “Love” in the title will be 20% off! Be sure to Search “LOVE2015” for a complete list of books. Promotional Code to apply at check out is LOVE2015

DISCLOSURE:In accordance with the FTC's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising": Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own (Rafflecopter/random.org) and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.  Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are  not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.