EmpowerMoms

Gone without a Trace (Logan Point #3) by Patricia Bradley

This says that it’s book 3 of the Logan Point series, but I haven’t read books 1 or 2, so you can read this as a stand alone book. Homicide detective Livy returns home on personal leave and volunteers to help an out of town private investigator find a missing girl. The missing girl’s story is almost exactly like Livy’s missing cousin’s story and she can’t help but feel the cases are linked together. Livy and Alex work together to figure out what’s happened to the girls before someone else goes missing or gets killed.

This was a fast paced, romantic, suspenseful novel. I haven’t read anything by this author and I really enjoyed this story, so I will be reading more of this series. Although this book was intense and suspenseful, it was still clean and had a good message about forgiveness and faith. I really enjoyed it!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books, a division of of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the Book
It’s been more than two years since homicide detective Livy Reynolds’s cousin disappeared from Logan Point. Unlike most people in her hometown, Livy has never believed that Robyn left voluntarily. When Dallas private investigator Alex Jennings contacts Livy concerning a missing senator’s daughter who was last seen in Logan Point, she notices eerie similarities between the two disappearances. But with self-doubt plaguing her and an almost instant dislike of Jennings, Livy is finding this investigation an uphill battle. With her future in law enforcement on the line, can she find a way to work with a man who is her polar opposite?

About the Author
Patricia Bradley’s manuscript for Shadows of the Past was a finalist for the 2012 Genesis Award, winner of a 2012 Daphne du Maurier award (1st place, Inspirational), and winner of a 2012 Touched by Love award (1st place, Contemporary). Also the author of A Promise to Protect, Bradley is a published short story writer and is cofounder of Aiming for Healthy Families, Inc. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America and makes her home in Mississippi. Learn more at www.ptbradley.com.

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You can buy book 1 here:

You can buy book 2 here:

“Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor” by Melanie Dobson

This book went back and forth between chapters telling Maggie’s story in the 1950s which took place in England; and Heather’s story taking place 60 years later. Heather returns to England after her fathers death to clean out his cottage, and discovers dark family secrets that were meant to be kept secret.

I enjoyed reading this book, however I did find it somewhat depressing and emotional. The characters all experienced betrayal, heart ache, deceit and lost loves. There were some happy parts of the book when Heather started piecing together family secrets and reunited with a long time friend.

I would consider this a Christian, historical fiction book; however the main characters all dealt with moral issues so I wouldn’t recommend this book to young adults.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the book:
Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor (Howard, June 2015)

When Heather Toulson returns to her parents’ cottage in the English countryside, she uncovers long-hidden secrets about her family history and stumbles onto the truth about a sixty-year-old murder.

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. Libby finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Though theories spread across the English countryside, no one is ever held responsible for Oliver’s death.

Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is filled with mixed emotions. She’s mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. Adding to her confusion, Heather has an uneasy reunion with her first love, all while sorting through her family’s belongings left behind in the cottage. What she uncovers will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history.

Award-winning author Melanie Dobson seamlessly weaves the past and present together, fluidly unraveling the decades-old mystery and reveals how the characters are connected in shocking ways.

Set in a charming world of thatched cottages, lush gardens, and lovely summer evenings, this romantic and historical mystery brings to light the secrets and heartaches that have divided a family for generations.

About the author:
Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of thirteen historical romance, suspense, and contemporary novels. Two of her novels won Carol Awards in 2011, and Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010. Melanie lives with her husband Jon and two daughters near Portland, Oregon.

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Give Yourself a Break: Turning Your Inner Critic into a Compassionate Friend by Kim Fredrickson

I really enjoyed reading this book by this licensed marriage and family therapist of over 30 years. I found it extremely helpful in my own life as well as helping and relating to other family members.

The author describes on page 12 her hopes for this book and why she wrote it-“to provide some understanding of why self-compassion is so hard to extend to ourselves, and second, that it provides hope and and practical help in learning to relate to ourselves in healthy and gracious ways”.

This book is all about having self-compassion. She explains that self-compassion is essential for handling and recovering from the difficulties of life.

She defines self compassion as having the same concern for your own pain and welfare. She goes on to describe it is not self-pity but a balance of truth. She goes into further detail with describing the differences between self compassion and self-esteem.

This book is divided up into 10 chapters with concluding reflection questions at the end of each chapter. She always includes an Appendix B in the back with suggestions on using this book and material with groups, which I found very helpful.

Chapter 6 about “Self Care” was extremely helpful to me and I learned alot in that chapter.

I would highly recommend this self help book if you would like to improve your relationship with yourself and show compassion to yourself and others like God did.

“The relationship we have with ourselves impacts all other relationships in her life, whether we like it or not.”

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Books, a division of of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.

About the Book
Many people are used to showing compassion to others. What many of us have trouble with is showing that same compassion to ourselves. Too often we say things to ourselves that we would never say to a friend. All this negative self-talk can have a devastating effect on our lives.

Licensed marriage and family therapist Kim Fredrickson wants readers to stop beating themselves up. Grounding her advice in the Bible, she offers practical steps, specific exercises, and compassionate words to say in order to build a loving relationship with ourselves. Through inspiring stories of transformation, she helps us learn to show ourselves the kind of grace and understanding we offer to others–and to change our relationships, our outlook on life, and our view of ourselves in the process.

About the Author
Kim Fredrickson has been a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified Christian life coach for more than twenty-five years. An adjunct professor, speaker, and author, she loves helping people become equipped spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually with practical skills to live more effective and fulfilling lives. Her website offers visitors helpful articles, encouraging recordings, and additional resources. She has been married to her husband, Dave, for thirty-seven years and they have two grown children. Fredrickson lives in Northern California. Learn more and read her blog at www.kimfredrickson.com.

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