“A Portrait of Loyalty” by Roseanna M. White

Posted on September 24, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

Secrets, Love & Propaganda

While WWI raged on, unrest took over in Russia with the removal and execution of the Tsar, along with the Bolsheviks take over.  Zivon, an expert cryptographer, highly valued by the Tsar, had spoken out against Lenin, and put himself in peril. He fled for his life to England where British Intelligence put him in a low-level codebreaking job, far below the prestigious position he left.  Although expert at his job, he was often looked at with apprehension, could he really be trusted?

Unknown to Zivon, his brother Evgenie has become a Lenin devotee.  He along with comrade, and girlfriend, Nadya, dogmatically push anarchy, or anything else to help the revolution.  They will stop at nothing, including putting Zivon’s life in danger.

Lily Blackwell secretly uses her expert photography skills for the British Intelligence, but she must sneak around so her mother does not discover it.  Lily is fascinated by Zivon, but her father is suspicious of him.

Intrigue, espionage, and covert dealings pepper this tale’s pages, and keep you glued to them.  At the same time, you will feel the emotions the characters face from the war, their interactions with each other, and, ironically, a flu pandemic.  I highly recommend this clean, five-plus star story told from a Christian viewpoint.

Bethany House Publishers through NetGalley has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, A Portrait of Loyalty, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RoseannaMWhite/?fref=ts

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RoseannaMWhite

The Author’s Website:  www.roseannamwhite.com

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“The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus” by Jaime Jo Wright

Posted on September 23, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncomfortable Genre

It is 1928, and strange happenings have been going on with circus, and Pippa is sneaking out there, after dark, to meet a mysterious stranger.  Despite knowing her wealthy stepfather would disapprove, she is sure this will be the key to finding her biological father—and the love she craves.  Instead, she finds herself involved in danger, murder and mayhem.

Switch to today’s time period, and Chandler, a single mother, fights against a progressive disease while trying to continue her career.   She feels she must make good rehabbing an old circus depot, or lose her position.  Unfortunately, decades old unsolved murders, and possible hauntings, make her job more than she bargained for.

This 3-star book is a thriller with a lot of intrigue and mystery, which I love.  However, it took me many chapters before I connected with either story-line.  The creep factor in this book is a plus ten.  But I was unhappy that the spiritual content was confusing, with some events not explained—at least not from a Christian viewpoint.

Inspirational fiction skates a thin line when it has occult subject matter, making it dangerous for impressionable young minds.  Content should be grounded with God’s word, which points to evil being the source of these kinds of supernatural events.  I would not recommend this to teen readers, or those who are uncomfortable with stories involving the occult.

Bethany House Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Haunting at Bonaventure Circus, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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“The Edge of Belonging” by Amanda Cox

Posted on September 22, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Family, but not Instantly!  

Pearl is a grieving mom and widow.  Henry is a homeless man who lived the nightmare of being unwanted and passed around to numerous foster families while growing up.  Pastor Thomas is a recent transplant from the West Coast. A new-born baby, Ivy, is abandoned in the woods, and left to die.

Henry finds Ivy and wants to keep her a secret so she doesn’t live the life he had.  Pearl wants to help Henry, but he is afraid she will discover Ivy.  Yet how will he take care of Ivy without help while he tries to earn money? Will Pearl keep his secret?

The pastor discovers Henry trying to take baby supplies from the church.  How can Henry convince him he is not a thief, but keep quiet about Ivy’s existence?

Fast forward a number of years, and the adult Ivy flees an abusive relationship to return to her hometown.  She comes to clean out her grandmother’s home, but also hopes to find answers about her biological mother–and mysteries in her life.

All of these people’s lives become intertwined because of a baby, and create a story you will not want to put down.  This 5-plus star tale will grab your emotions, and not let you go until the last page.  I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys clean, well-written stories.

Revell Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Edge of Belonging, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/amandacoxwrites/

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/amandacoxwrites

The Author’s Website:  https://amandacoxwrites.com/

 

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“Why is That in the Bible?” by Eric J. Bargerhuff

Posted on September 20, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

The Most Perplexing Verse and Stories—And What They Teach Us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Wonder….

Have you read something in the Bible that caused you to want more details, but didn’t know where to find them?  This book tries to help you with that.  Forty subjects are covered such as the fight for Moses’ body, the dead people resurrected and seen walking throughout Jerusalem at the time of Christ’s death, and looks for an answer to who the Nephilim were.

The author points to places in the Bible that might help explain these stories, along with what scholars and theologians have said.  He gives incites to help us understand the occurrences, but states some things are still up for debate.  He also adds that the point to some these incidents might have been nothing more than to show God’s glory.

The author has been in church ministry more than twenty years, as well as, is currently a professor and dean at a Christian college.  I enjoyed hearing about these amazing events. This 5-star book is easy to read, and the details fun to ponder.  I recommend it to anyone who wants to know the rest of the story.  Remember, too, you will never go wrong by asking the Lord for greater understanding.

Bethany House Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Why is That in the Bible?, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/EBargerhuff?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

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Dairy Free Chicken and Rice Casserole, Gluten-Free or Regular

Posted on September 17, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

This replaces the recipe on the red-labeled canned soup, we like it better!

2 cups dry Jasmine Rice, or other long-grain rice

1-quart gluten-free chicken broth

2 Tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 onion, diced

4 cups of cream of celery soup*

Heat oven to 325°.  Grease or oil a 9” x 13” (or bigger) baking pan.

In a Dutch oven, bring the chicken broth along with the butter and salt to a boil.  Stir in rice.  Turn burner to low.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

Sauté onion in olive oil until translucent and stir into the rice mixture.  Then stir in 2 cups of the cream of rice soup.

Put rice mixture into the prepared 9 x 13 or bigger, greased baking pan.  Put 4 ½ boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or boneless chicken thighs) on top of rice.  Salt and pepper chicken to taste.  Add 2 cups of cream of celery soup and pour evenly over the chicken, covering completely.  Cover with foil or lid, and put in 325° oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes.  Remove cover and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165°.  Enjoy.

 

*Gluten Free Dairy Free Cream of Celery Soup

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

6 ribs of Celery, finely chopped

1 Onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons minced Garlic

1 quart of regular or gluten-free Chicken Broth

3 Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup cold Water

1/3 cup flour or Chuck’s gluten-free flour mix*

½ cup Raw Cashews

½ teaspoon ground Bay Leaf powder

½ teaspoon Thyme Powder

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

In a stock pot, sauté celery and onion in olive oil for 6 minutes, then add diced potatoes.  Continue cooking until onion and celery are soft and transparent.  Add minced garlic and cook one minute more.  Stir in chicken broth, ½ cup of water, cashews and spices.  Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.

In a liquid measuring cup, put 1/3 cup of gluten-free flour in remaining ½ cup cold water, using a fork to stir until smooth and dissolved.  When the above 20 minutes of cooking time is finished for items in the stock pot, blend in this mixture.  Stir well and cook one more minute.  Transfer from stock pot to blender.

Blend until it is all mixed together well, about ½ to 1 minute.  Eat as is, or use in place of canned cream soups in recipes.

Use this to replace the canned soups with the red label!

**Find the recipe under:   Gluten-Free Condiments, Sauces & Misc.

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“Jefferson Measures a Moose” by Mara Rockliff

Posted on September 14, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

Illustrations by S. D. Schindler!

Get the Facts!

America has terrible weather, rainy most of the time.  The people and animals are smaller than normal, and not healthy.  Unbelievable, right?!  But when we were a young country, much of the world believed it.  A French man named Buffon was largely to blame.  He wrote a popular book that convinced people of these false claims.

Thomas Jefferson was many things, including our third president.  He also loved numbers and measuring items.  When he heard of all the untrue rumors, he set out to prove Buffon wrong.  He believed the size of a moose would convince the world what our country was really like.  This book traces the predicaments that he faced while trying to get those dimensions, and persuade Buffon that he was incorrect.

This five-star book shows how easily untrue rumors can spread by false reporting. It is packed into an over-sized, hard-backed volume—which will be enjoyed by children in grades two through six.

Candlewick Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Jefferson Measures a Moose, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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Dairy Free Cream of Celery Soup, Regular or Gluten-Free

Posted on September 14, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Use this to replace the canned soups with the red label!

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

6 ribs of Celery, finely chopped

1 Onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons minced Garlic

1 quart of regular or gluten-free Chicken Broth

3 Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup cold Water

1/3 cup flour or Chuck’s gluten-free flour mix*

½ cup Raw Cashews

½ teaspoon ground Bay Leaf powder

½ teaspoon Thyme Powder

1 teaspoon Sea Salt

½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

In a stock pot, sauté celery and onion in olive oil for 6 minutes, then add diced potatoes.  Continue cooking until onion and celery are soft and transparent.  Add minced garlic and cook one minute more.  Stir in chicken broth, ½ cup of water, cashews and spices.  Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.

In a liquid measuring cup, put 1/3 cup of gluten-free flour in remaining ½ cup cold water, using a fork to stir until smooth and dissolved.  When the above 20 minutes of cooking time is finished for items in the stock pot, blend in this mixture.  Stir well and cook one more minute.  Transfer from stock pot to blender.

Blend until it is all mixed together well, about ½ to 1 minute.  Eat as is, or use in place of canned cream soups in recipes.

*Find the recipe under:   Gluten-Free Condiments, Sauces & Misc.

Posted in Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten-Free Condiments, Sauces & Misc., Gluten-Free Soups, Regular Recipes | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake” by Eoin McLaughlin

Posted on September 9, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

Illustrated by Marc Boutavant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where’s the Cake?!

Yes, this is much more than an alphabet book!  It is also a child-sized mystery that will be sure to give little ones lots of giggles.  We learn on the first page that “the world’s most completely delicious, tongue-jinglingly chocolaty cake” is missing.  So begins the search with Bear to visit each alphabet letter to find clues.

Along the way, Bear finds that funny words, situations and high jinks abound.  For instance, take the case of the reformed Mr. Fox who is now good friends with the Gingerbread Man—despite one tiny bite–or the situation Bear finds himself in when Walrus asks a question. Sharp eyes will be able to gather information and spot clues as they make their way through the letters.

The great illustrations of this story’s shenanigans enhance the fun text to create one of the best children’s books I have seen.  It is a hard-backed, well-made, over-sized volume.  This is a book that can be used purely as an alphabet book for very young ones.  But as they get older, they will grow into solving the mystery and enjoying the jokes.  I predict this 5+ star book will wear out before a child is finished enjoying it, and highly recommend it.

Candlewick Publishing has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, for the purpose of review.  I have not been compensated in any other manner.  All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

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“Set the Stars Alight” by Amanda Dykes

Posted on September 6, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hero or Betrayer?

This book has two stories in one that each take place in different time periods.  The first is that of Lucy. She was raised by a story-spinning father who filled her childhood, and that of her friend Dash, with fairy tales and imagination.  As an adult, she has become an academic who studies marine life.  Two things occurred in her childhood–the death of her mother, and Dash’s move to a different country–that caused her life since then to be edged with sadness.  Most recently, she has lost her father, as well.

While Lucy attempts to solve the over century-old disappearance of a ship, Dash steps back into her life, fifteen years after he left it. She is stunned to see him again, and unsure how she feels about the now grownup Dash.  As they work together to solve the mystery about the ship, Lucy feels like she has walked into one of her father’s tales.      The other story is Frederick’s, and how something he once thought was the best thing in his life, might have become the opposite.  He finds himself with the dilemma of helping someone else, but by doing so, he will ruin his own life—what will he choose?

I love that the meaning of John 15:13 is highlighted in this clean tale. Vivid descriptions of the countryside and people allow you to clearly see them in your mind’s eye. The beautiful prose in this complex story made some parts more difficult to understand than it needed to be. I recommend this 4.5-star book to those who enjoy intricate, wonderfully crafted tales.

Bethany House Publishing through NetGalley provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Set the Stars Alight, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authoramandadykes

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AJDykes

The Author’s Website:  www.amandadykes.com

 

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“The Harbinger II” by Jonathan Cahn

Posted on September 5, 2020 by WordPress.com Support

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Voice in the Wilderness!

Although Harbinger II was written like a narrative, actual facts were used instead of fiction.  This book states that we are close to God’s judgement, and if things don’t change, He will soon be invoking it.  We need to alter how we live, if there is to be any hope for us.  An impressive number of harbingers—indicators—bear that out.  This volume traces those signs from the beginning of our country, to the present day.

Additionally, many parallels are drawn between our nation and ancient Israel.  Both countries, when formed, were dedicated to God.  Despite that, both nations turned their backs on God and began calling what was wrong right, and right wrong.  As ancient Israel sacrificed their children to idols, our babies today have been sacrificed because they were inconvenient. It stands to reason that the punishments Israel suffered awaits us as well.

Jonathan Cahn makes a very good case that everything said is true.  The fact that the present-day world seems to be falling apart around us, only adds to the credibility of his claim.  I challenge you to read this book yourself, and decide what you think—but I wouldn’t wait too long.   While reading, I suggest using a Bible and a computer to check out the statements made.  This 5-star book is recommended to anyone interested in what our future might hold.

Charisma House Publishers provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, The Harbinger II, for the purpose of review. I have not been compensated in any other manner. All opinions expressed are my own, and I was not required, or influenced, to give anything but an honest appraisal. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

The Author’s Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialHarbinger/

The Author’s Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Cahn?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

The Author’s Website:  https://booksbyjonathancahn.com

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