Sex, Purity, and the Longings of a Girl's Heart: Discovering the Beauty and Freedom of God-Defined Sexuality, Kristen Clark, Bethany Beal (Book Review)

About the book:

Sex, Purity, and the Longings of a Girl's Heart: Discovering the Beauty and Freedom of God-Defined Sexuality

For the modern Christian woman living in today's sexually charged society, embracing God's design for sex and purity can often feel like an impossible pursuit. As the culture seeks to normalize things such as pornography, erotica, and casual sex, both single and married women of all ages feel immense pressure to conform. With alluring temptations constantly inviting them to join in, they might even begin to question whether God's design is truly good. They wrestle with questions like

- What is the purpose of my sexuality?
- What does it mean to pursue purity?
- Are my sexual longings good or bad?

In this encouraging book, Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal share honestly about their own struggles and victories, and invite women on a personal journey to discover and reclaim a biblical vision for their sexuality. Kristen and Bethany help women understand why God's design for sexuality is good, relevant, and leads to true hope and lasting freedom.

My thoughts: 5/5 stars

Sex, Purity and the Longings of a Girl's Heart isn't a light read! Kristen Clark and Bethany Beal dig deep into the hush-hush topics.

All the things you thought you knew, all the things you didn't know, and all the things you need to know are talked about in an open and honest way. 

All these things are talked about in an amazing and Biblical perspective. When you read SPLGH, you're introduced to God's actual intention for sex, purity and the longings of your heart. 

These sisters made me feel a closeness to Christ and other Christians that I haven't felt in a long time. It made me feel not so alone in this big, ugly world, and that touched my heart. There are other women in this world that struggle with the same things I do, not just with the topics Clark and Beal covered  but with so many other things. 

Through this book I was able to connect with so many amazing and different women, I was truly blessed by it. 

  Though I haven't struggled with most of what the authors talked about, I was given new perspective; I am not the gold star Christian girl I think I thought I was. I have sinned. I am broken. I'm am definitely imperfect and full of flaws. But that's okay. Because God restores me. He accepts my brokenness and desires me to live for Him.

 "Apart from Christ, our hearts aren't going to lead us toward truth, righteousness, or freedom. (Jer. 17:9) Our hearts are actively deceiving us; therefore we should be wary of staking our entire identity. In the basis of how we feel."

    "Sexuality has been so chopped up, reshaped,         and altered that it looks very different from              what God originally designed it to be. We, as             humankind, have strayed so far from God’s             original purpose and intent for our sexuality           that most of us have accepted the chopped-up         version as normal. Without the original design       in view, we no longer know what’s right. We           no longer know what’s good. Sex is no longer           linked to marriage. Truth is no longer linked to       God. As a result, we’re pursuing a myriad of           personal choices regarding our sexuality                 without a compass guiding us to true north.            The way we navigate our sexuality today is             similar to someone trying to put together an           extremely complex puzzle without the photo on      the box to guide them."

My favorite message from this book? 👇👇

"Just as Jesus loved and welcomed this sexually broken woman in the New Testament, (Luke chapter 7), He is still welcoming sexually broken women today. Just as He gave the prostitute woman a new identity and future, He is doing the same for us today. Jesus welcomes the hurting. He invites the weary. He takes what is broken and shattered and makes it whole again. Our brokenness doesn’t render us useless to God; rather , we become a beautiful display of His amazing grace."


  I was so touched by the power in this book that gave me a very needed reminder of how Christ sees me, that I cried. He's beautiful. He's love is beautiful. His forgiveness and mercy is beautiful. I am beautiful, because of Him. It touched my heart and soul deeply.


 I 1000% recommend this book. It's absolutely amazing and I hope it will touch you as deeply as it did me.
Go grab your copy of Sex, Purity and the Longings of a Girl's Heart now!!

**Thanks so much to the authors/publisher who gave me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was no way obligated to leave a positive review.**

~Rebekah ❤️❤️

The Best of Intentions by Susan Anne Mason (Book Review)

About the book:
 In the aftermath of tragedy, Grace hopes to reclaim her nephew from the relatives who rejected her sister because of her class. Under an alias, she becomes her nephew's nanny to observe the formidable family up close. Unexpectedly, she begins to fall for the boy's guardian, who is promised to another. Can Grace protect her nephew . . . and her heart?

My thoughts: 5/5 stars

This book was fun, intense, meaningful and beautiful. 

 I adored the relationships among Grace, Andrew and Virginia. 

 Andrew was kind and most of the time a gentleman. Though he did become a jerk later on. (more about that later.)

 Grace, a lovely, and humble lady.  Though she was not always gracious. She made mistakes like everyone else.

  Their love was sweet yet forbidden. But not even Drew's father's social standards could keep them from falling for each other. Hard and fast. 

  I'm not gonna lie, there were times I hated Andrew. He was a jerk for most the back half of the book. I almost wanted him to suffer the terrible fate he'd created from his own hands. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T TRUST GOD WITH YOUR FUTURE!!! 
   Andrew needed a good purse whacking and I wished someone would have given it to him. 

 I did feel the drama dragged on. I wasn't sure where things would end up but I was very content with the ending. 

 So why did I dislike Andrew most of the time? 
 Because he could forgive everyone but Grace. He perceived her to be a perfect person. And when he learned she was only human, he was disappointed he was wrong, and took it out on her! 

 I was a little disappointed by the lack of faith content, and honestly, if the characters had been more faithful, I believe things would have turned out differently. 

 I did absolutely adore Susan's writing style and her amazing ability to draw a reader in. 

 Trigger warning: there was a pretty intense kissing scene. Other than that it was clean! 

Grab your copy of The Best of Intentions!

Thanks so much to Bethany House for a free ecopy of this book.
*I was given a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way, obligated to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are purely my own.*

The Golden Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse (Book Review)

About the book:

 Can Olivia survive the crime and Gold Rush fever of 1849...and the countless marriage proposals?
A series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

The Daughters of the Mayflower series continues when Olivia Brighton finds herself widowed and working in her brother’s restaurant in San Francisco during the height of the rush for gold. Even though she receives at least twenty marriage proposals a day, she will never marry a gold miner. Her brother’s friend Joseph Sawyer has gotten caught up in local politics and the plight of Chinese in forced labor. The more Joseph gets pulled into investigating crime in the city, the less Olivia sees of the compassionate man. And just when she thinks she could love again, a fire threatens to steal all hope.

My thoughts: 5/5 stars

  Kimberley Woodhouse does it again!

Interesting historical facts delivered in an amazing way, feisty characters, and a sweet love story!

 Evil villains, beautiful (clean) romance and history galore run rampant in Woodhouse's newest novel. And I must say, she did not disappoint!

 This book, I think, is my favorite of this author's!

   I loved the characters; the story was amazing as usual, though difficult to read at times. Woodhouse captured 1849, San Francisco in all its real hardship. I was surprised to learn it was very much like "modern" day Sodom and Gomorrah.

 As always with Kimberley Woodhouse's books I learned an abundance (Thanks for writing amazing stories that count as my history lesson for the day!)

 My heart soared and melted with the cute scenes of Olivia and Joseph! 

 But they weren't all cute. Woodhouse went into deep topics (though I was shocked to discover she didn't write all the horrific details, I shuddered and cried at what she did write ) with this newest installment of "The Mayflower Brides Collection."

   Human slave trade, terrible sin, greed, this author is not afraid to speak about the things we shy away from.

 In the midst of these difficult topics there was light hearted banter, a sweet brother/sister relationship, and a sweet, sweet love story, not just man/woman but Child/God.

 Olivia and Joseph (and Daniel because I liked him too much not to mention!) were relatable, encouraging, and inspired me to deepen my faith in Christ.

 I appreciate the life lessons Woodhouse weaves into her stories, I'm always so blessed by her writing.

I can't tell you the number of times I sighed with delight and contentment  

 I was really into these characters and this story, I'm heart broken to let them go. But the ending could not have been more beautiful.

I leave with a full and happy heart, with a love bursting for these new friends that will forever live in my heart. 

Definitely, definitely don't miss The Golden Bride!

~Rebekah

**Thank you so much to the author/publisher for a free copy of this book. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are purely by own. **

When You Are Near by Tracie Peterson. (Book Review)

About the book:


 After her father's death, Lizzy Brookstone, the star trick rider of the all-female Brookstone Wild West Extravaganza, takes over management of the traveling show. In her new role, she has to work with both Wesley DeShazer, the man who once broke her heart, and Jason Adler, her financial partner. Soon, she finds herself torn between the two men.

Ella Fleming is fleeing a forced betrothal when she stows away on the Brookstone train. Lizzy finds her and gives her a job in the costume department, but Ella has a secret that could affect all of their lives, as well as the future of the Brookstone Extravaganza.

When Mary Reichert, a former sharpshooter for the show, learns that her brother, August, has been killed, she refuses to believe it was an accident. She returns to the show to find the truth, but is she seeking justice or vengeance?

As the three women work together to discover how August died, Lizzy strives to hold the show together. Can she keep the Brookstone Extravaganza alive without losing the desire of her heart?

My thoughts: 5/5 stars

Let's just talk for a sec how wrong that description is.. First off,  Lizzy doesn't take over as management for the show. Her uncle still owns the show and manages it.

She's not forced to work with Wesley because of the show, HE'S NOT EVEN ON THE SHOW. 

Lizzy's never torn between the two men, she knows exactly who she wants.

Ella's part is mostly right, except she's not given a job in the costume department. I'll let you find out where she starts working.😉

 Mary's part is right. 

   But all three women do not work together to find out how August died. I was left a little disappointed by that. We didn't really get into Mary seeking justice for her brother. 

 Anyways, on to the actual review. 

   The book got off to a definite Tracie Peterson start! 

 A woman spurned by the man she's always loved.

 The man dealing with ghosts from his past. 

A girl running away from a dangerous marriage. 

A woman seeking answers. 

  The one thing they all have in common? 

 They all must learn to put their trust and lean on the only One who can give them the answers they've been searching for. 

 I have to say, I was a little disappointed concerning the trick riding stuff. I wasn't as captivated by the details Peterson usually writes.

 I was expecting to be able to see the trick riding in my head, but the writing didn't really allow for that.  It was odd because this author is a favorite of mine and I can always expect good detail. Not saying there wasn't good detail through out the rest of the book, just when the girls were trick riding. 😉

 This story was amazing. When it ended I was sad.  But things did turn out exactly the way I wanted, and then some! 

   It was a quick read for me, at least it would have been if I'd not had to take a few days off of reading. (Busy life.)

 I hadn't realized how many pages slipped by until I was almost done. I was so immersed in the story, I never wanted to put it down! 

Peterson's stories always leave me happy and filled with a new love for Christ. 

Tracie Peterson has a way with stories. I'm always blessed by her words. 

I cannot wait to read the next two in the series!! 

Definitely, DEFINITELY pick this book up!! It was absolutely amazing and I hate to say goodbye to these lovely characters. 💔❤️❤️

Grab your copy today!

Thanks so much to Bethany House for a free copy of this book.
**I was given a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are purely my own. I was in no way obligated to leave an positive review.**

~Rebekah ❤️

True by S.E Clancy (Book Review)

About the book:

 Traded away as a young girl by her father, True relies on no one but herself. She knows the enemy army is coming—General Kohl repeats it each night, after he puts the money on her bedside table. 

When two foreigners show up at her door, True hides the men from the soldiers who arrive with a presidential search warrant. Colonel Holoke vows her life will be spared, along with any family members who are inside her house, when his army returns. The rest of the city will be annihilated. 

True must reconcile with her father’s disastrous choice and convince the family who turned a blind eye to save their lives. But as drones arrive and circle the city, True’s trust in Holoke’s God is tested as the walls to her city tumble down.

 My thoughts: 4.5/5 stars

This is a contemporary  biblical retelling. 
Trigger warning: True is a prostitute. (Because Rehab was a prostitute. If you're unfamiliar with the story of Rehab I suggest you read Joshua chapter 2.)
 There was a little more detail than I'd like in the scenes where True was working.

 This novella was a combination between old and new. It was modern but it didn't feel modern. 

 I felt the story progressed at the right pace.  It wasn't too fast but it was not slow.

 The characters were interesting! It was nice to see things from True's perspective (the Rahab character). The reason why she lived the way she did.
In the Bible we aren't actually given Rehab's back story, so it was nice to get some perspective from this retelling.

 I love True overcomes her past. She realizes she has the right to hold a grudge, and for so long, she did. But underneath her profession, underneath her mask, she's a good person.
 One I'm sad to see go.

I definitely recommend this book!!

You can get your copy of True on Amazon

Thanks so much to Sarah for reaching out to me about reviewing True! I loved it!

* I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way obligated to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. *