Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 49

AIC: The Pizza That Became A Casserole

So Today's Adventures In Cooking (now known as AIC for short) called for making Deep Dish Pizza.



Basically a creation made using a refrigerated pizza crust, hamburger, tomato sauce with Italian spices, and mozzarella cheese.



In theory, this should have looked like a regular pizza in a 9x13 inch pan.



Sometimes theories go out the window.... when the pizza crust came out of the can ripped - and wouldn't roll out, I was left with having to improvise quickly.



So I poured the meat and sauce into the bottom of a pie pan, added a layer of mozzarella slices (not sure why they had me buy slices, instead of shredded cheese, and then "dropped" the dough on top like biscuits.



Actually, mom reminded me of her "bubble pizza" (after this was finished) which consisted of those refrigerated tube biscuits, cut into fourths, and dropped into the bottom of a pan, and baked with the meat, sauce and cheese on top.



So, subconsciously, I must have been channeling mom when I started trying to fix it.



For the record, it doesn't look great, but it's pretty tasty. I'll probably keep the recipe, but change it up for those refrigerated biscuits and maybe toss in some more cheese (can't get enough of cheese) and if I feel really jazzy, add some pepperoni.



Just another post in the adventures in cooking......






A note from a friend - sliced provolone cheese would make this taste lie the former Pizza By Stout pizza (a Joplin landmark that didn't make it through the May 2011 tornado.... ahh... just one of their many secrets to amazing pizza!

Blog Tour: Out Of A Far Country (Review)

In just under 250 pages, Christopher Yuan and his mother, Angela, tell a griping tale that puts a modern spin on the Biblical story of the prodigal son.

Written in tandem, the this book marks Yuan's journey as he struggles with his sexuality, becomes a drug dealer while in dental school, embraces the gay lifestyle, ends up in jail on serious drug charges and eventually discovers his HIV status.

It also highlights, simultaneously, the process his mother takes as she struggles to give up control (of uncontrollable situations) and instead rely solely upon God.

Sometimes in books where the "voice" jumps between two individuals can seem, well, jumbled. However, this book, written so you get both Yuan and Angela's perspectives for each time period, is written so smoothly that the dialogue is easy to follow.

This book doesn't read like a simple memoir, but rather is a  written testimony to what God did (and continues to do) in both of their lives. Through their narratives, it shows how someone can get to the bottom - in Yuan's case, landing in prison and an HIV diagnosis - and find redemption and grace through Jesus. It also shows how a mother simply refused to write off her son, and instead found a way to rely upon her faith and prayer, to see her to the end of the journey.

This book is not preachy, it is not a "bash gays over the head" with a Bible. Instead it's simply the story of how God worked in the life of one man, and his mother. It's good, it's powerful and it's honest, which is all you can ask for in a book like this.

It does includes an eight session study guide on prayer, redemption and holy sexuality - which Yuan says everyone should strive to have, regardless of attraction.

More About The Yuans
The Yuans Introduce The Book

Christopher Yuan's Testimony

Author Bios
Christopher Yuan
What many would consider their worst nightmare has become a reality for Christopher Yuan. While attending dental school, he began living promiscuously as a homosexual and experimenting with illicit drugs. Within a few years, he was expelled from dental school, imprisoned for drug dealing and discovered that he was HIV positive.

But God has turned his nightmare into an exciting and inspiring story of redemption, grace and transformation. Christopher has an understanding heart for and a desire to minister to those working through issues of sexuality and to those living with HIV/AIDS. He speaks locally and internationally to youth, on college campuses, in churches and in prisons.

Christopher graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 and Wheaton College Graduate School in 2007 with a Master of Arts in Biblical Exegesis and is currently pursuing a doctorate of ministry at Bethel Seminary. He now teaches at Moody while continuing his speaking ministry which has reached four continents around the world. Christopher has spoken at both Saddleback Church and Willow Creek Community Church in America and at many conferences including InterVarsity's Urbana and the Moody Pastors' Conference and Men's Conference.

He is featured in the award-winning documentary, "HOPE Positive: Surviving the Sentence of AIDS" and has co-authored with his mother, Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son's Journey to God, A Broken Mother's Search for Hope (forthcoming May 3, 2011 by WaterBrook Multnomah a division of Random House).

Angela Yuan
Angela Yuan has experienced much heartache in her life; absentee parents, a broken marriage and a prodigal son who was hopeless and unreachable. But on the brink of despair, Angela found a God who knew her deepest need and she began a journey with Jesus which carried her through the valleys and mountain tops of life.

Born in Szechuan Province, China, she immigrated to the United States in 1964, later marrying Leon Yuan and raising two sons.

Angela has spent countless hours volunteering as the founder and president of I-CARE (Illinois Chinese-American Residence for the Elderly). In addition, she has been highly involved with Bible Study Fellowship International, serving in leadership for more than thirteen years, and was a part of the pioneering team invited by the Chinese communist government to start BSF in Beijing.

Angela is considered by many to be a prayer warrior, interceding for her children and countless others. Angela's experience comes from years of trials and knowledge gained from her failures and mistakes.

Through all of this, God has given her the grace to rely upon His power to change the unchangeable and focus upon her own daily renewal and transformation. It is this familiarity with the storms of life and her sensitivity and compassion for mothers that attracts many to seek the comfort and counsel of Angela Yuan.

Online Resources
Learn More About Yuan on his Website
Follow Yuan on Facebook
Find Yuan on Twitter
Read an online excerpt of Out of the Far Country
Buy Out of The Far Country on Amazon
Find Out of The Far Country at Barnes & Noble

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Waterbrook Multnomah, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: A Confident Heart (Review)

Confidence is defined as:
1) having strong belief or full assurance; sure: confident of fulfillment.
2) sure of oneself; having no uncertainty about one's own abilities, correctness, successfulness, etc.; self-confident; bold: a confident speaker, and
3) excessively bold; presumptuous.

In A Confident Heart: How To Start Doubting Yourself & Live In The Security of God's Love, Renee Swope tackles a topic that plagues many women - regardless of age - doubt.

She strives to help women exchange their doubt for confidence, hope and more.

Swope's writing style flows off the page, almost straight from her heart. There's an honesty that is intriguing, and warm and inviting.

Each chapter includes a section inviting the reader to pray God's promises, as well as an assortment of questions to encourage reflection and discussion.

I think this book could be completed both both personally and within a close small group setting. In fact, her "Seven Day Doubt Diet" - available free, as a seven-day, emailed resource - might give you the taste you need to dive into the entire book. (I signed up to start it over this long, holiday weekend.)

Sign Up For The 7-Day Doubt Diet
Do you want to join me in losing the weight of discouragement and self-doubt? Renee Swope, from Proverbs 31 Ministries is offering a FREE "7-day Doubt Diet." Just click here to enter your information in her sidebar, and you'll receive a week's worth of devotions from her new book, A Confident Heart .

If you start it, let me know - so we can encourage one another on this journey from doubt to confidence.

More About The Author
Renee Swope is a popular national women's conference speaker, radio show co-host, and the executive director of radio and devotions at Proverbs 31 Ministries.

She's also a contributing author to three additional books, including a Gold Medallion finalist and a People's Choice Award finalist, as well as several online and print magazines.

Swope is featured writer for Encouragement for Today online devotions that currently touch over 450,000 lives each day across the world. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three children.

Online Resources
Like A Confident Heart  on Facebook
Read an excerpt from A Confident Heart Here
Find out more about Renee Swope on her blog.

About Revell, The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Adventures in cooking (take 2)

I went grocery shopping.

Friends who know me are now picking themselves up off the floor, laughing (or from the shock).

It's not that I don't eat - but until recently, it's been easier to "grab and go" because well, I couldn't find most of my kitchen amidst the boxes.

But even before I moved, my grocery shopping skills were, well, lacking.

But, let's face it. A healthy person cannot eat out constantly (or exist on air popped popcorn.)

So, I bit the bullet and did two things today, well three.

1) Decide to take time for me today.

2) Subscribed to www.e-mealz.com. Click on the link below for more details.


3) I printed off a week's worth of recipes - and the corresponding shopping list - and went to Wal-Mart.

Note: If you aren't familiar with e-mealz, then here's the 411. This is a weekly meal plan, that works for small families (one to two people) to large families (four to six people). They offer everything from low fat & low carb options, to customizable lists for a variety of grocery stores.
This is the meal plan that Dave Ramsey has endorsed, through his show.
Since they haven't started offering a Kroger for the one to two people plan, I subscribed to the Wal-Mart plan.So I bit the bullet and went shopping.
The meal plan told me the groceries would cost about $43 - but it was a bit more, because I added a couple of extras (like milk and fresh cherries) and had to buy every staple on the list, since I'm re-building the pantry from the move.
This week's selections include: Chicken Curry Salad,  Deep Dish Pizza, Thai Peanut Noodles, Super Bratwurst Supper and Marinated Grilled Steak.
The first recipe - Chicken Curry Salad (chicken, apple, raisins, curry and mayo) - pictured above -  was ok. I'm wondering how it will taste after it sits in the fridge overnight (it did say to serve it chilled).
So we'll see what happens. I'm hoping to accomplish two things: 1) Stop eating out or eating the wrong things (carb overloads aren't all that great.)2) Make wiser food choices (see number one).3) Have a low-thinking plan to do this. Let's face it, my brain is pretty dead when I finish a long day at the church. This will let me make a plan, shop once a week, and then follow the plan.

I think E-Mealz is probably me, cooking with training wheels.... for the next three months, the "plan" will hold my hand and guide me back into the land of cooking.

So welcome back to the adventures in cooking. I'll keep you posted as I try new recipes and experience sticking to the plan. I wish it was as glamorous as trying to cook through Julia Child's cookbook in one year, or making the wonderful things on the Pioneer Woman's website.... (probably more realistic for my world than Julia Child), but well.... you have to start somewhere right?

Adventures in coooking (take 2)

I went grocery shopping.

Friends who know me are now picking themselves up off the floor, laughing (or from the shock).

It's not that I don't eat - but until recently, it's been easier to "grab and go" because well, I couldn't find most of my kitchen amidst the boxes.

But even before I moved, my grocery shopping skills were, well, lacking.

But, let's face it. A healthy person cannot eat out constantly (or exist on air popped popcorn.)

So, I bit the bullet and did two things today, well three.

1) Decide to take time for me today.

2) Subscribed to www.e-mealz.com. Click on the link below for more details.


3) I printed off a week's worth of recipes - and the corresponding shopping list - and went to Wal-Mart.

Note: If you aren't familiar with e-mealz, then here's the 411. This is a weekly meal plan, that works for small families (one to two people) to large families (four to six people). They offer everything from low fat & low carb options, to customizable lists for a variety of grocery stores.
This is the meal plan that Dave Ramsey has endorsed, through his show.
Since they haven't started offering a Kroger for the one to two people plan, I subscribed to the Wal-Mart plan.So I bit the bullet and went shopping.
The meal plan told me the groceries would cost about $43 - but it was a bit more, because I added a couple of extras (like milk and fresh cherries) and had to buy every staple on the list, since I'm re-building the pantry from the move.
This week's selections include: Chicken Curry Salad,  Deep Dish Pizza, Thai Peanut Noodles, Super Bratwurst Supper and Marinated Grilled Steak.
The first recipe - Chicken Curry Salad (chicken, apple, raisins, curry and mayo) - pictured above -  was ok. I'm wondering how it will taste after it sits in the fridge overnight (it did say to serve it chilled).
So we'll see what happens. I'm hoping to accomplish two things: 1) Stop eating out or eating the wrong things (carb overloads aren't all that great.)2) Make wiser food choices (see number one).3) Have a low-thinking plan to do this. Let's face it, my brain is pretty dead when I finish a long day at the church. This will let me make a plan, shop once a week, and then follow the plan.

I think E-Mealz is probably me, cooking with training wheels.... for the next three months, the "plan" will hold my hand and guide me back into the land of cooking.

So welcome back to the adventures in cooking. I'll keep you posted as I try new recipes and experience sticking to the plan. I wish it was as glamorous as trying to cook through Julia Child's cookbook in one year, or making the wonderful things on the Pioneer Woman's website.... (probably more realistic for my world than Julia Child), but well.... you have to start somewhere right?

Blog Tour: Blue Skies Tomorrow (Review)

The third time is a charm for Sarah Sundin, author of the "Wings of Glory" series. The books, which center around the Novak brothers and their experiences during World War II.

Like the two previous novels, Blue Skies Tomorrow, focuses on one brother (weaving a bit of the other two in the background) and his life story.

A dash of romance - in this case, with a young mother, left widowed by war - adds an extra dimension to the tale.

What was different about this book (spoiler alert) is how Sundin delved into some pretty serious topics of domestic violence, all within the context of what would have happened during the WWII era.

As a reader of the entire series, I've been captivated at times by Sundin's knowledge of this historical period. I think, though, that this book, though third in the series, caught my attention in a new way.

I can definitely recommend this series, and honestly, if you haven't read the other two, it could be taken as a stand-alone novel. She includes enough back story, to catch newbies up, and yet, enough new stuff to catch "veteran readers" up on the happenings of her past characters.

If you are a fan of World War II fiction, then take "Blue Skies Tomorrow" out for a spin. I think you'll find it's worth the read.

More From The Publisher
In a time of peril, can they find the courage to confront their fears and embrace a love that lasts?

When her husband becomes a casualty of the war in the Pacific, Helen Carlisle throws herself into volunteering for the war effort to conceal her feelings. But keeping up appearances as the grieving widow of a hometown hero is taking its toll. Soon something is going to give.

Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit. His stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life--and a convenient excuse to ignore his deepest fear. When the beautiful Helen catches his eye and captures his heart, he is determined to win her hand.

But when Ray and Helen are called upon to step out in faith and put their reputations and their lives on the line, can they meet the challenges that face them? And can their young love survive until blue skies return?

Filled with drama, daring, and all the romance of the WWII era, Blue Skies Tomorrow is the captivating final book in the popular Wings of Glory series.

More About The Author
Sarah Sundin is the author of A Distant Melody and A Memory Between Us.

Her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England during WWII. Sundin lives in California with her husband and three children

Online Resources
Visit Sarah's website
Like her on Facebook
Read an excerpt of Blue Skies Tomorrow
Find Blue Skies Tomorrow at Amazon.com
My review of A Distant Melody
My review of A Memory Between Us

It's A Contest
To celebrate the release of Blue Skies Tomorrow, the final installment of the Wings of Glory series, Sundin is giving one lucky winner A Vintage Kindle Prize Package!


One winner will receive:
* Kindle with Wi-Fi
* Handmade vintage apron for you and a friend (see a photo below)
* Blue Skies Tomorrow (for Kindle)
To enter just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, giveaway ends on 9/10. Winner will be announced on 9/12 at Sarah Sundin's blog. Details and official rules can be found when entering the contest.




About Revell, The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Amish Values For Your Family (Review)

When I first picked up "Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life," it was at the end of a REALLY long week.

I thought, I'll just skim it, see what it's like, and read some cute stories.

I was wrong. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book was like taking a drink of icy cold water on a hot day. Refreshing and rejuvenating.

Once again, Suzanne Woods Fisher has crafted a non-fiction book that rings with authenticity.

Through personal interviews - with Amish family members and friends - she truly helps show different aspects of the Amish life and faith, and how it can apply to a 21st Century family.

Your family may not be ready to give up computers, tv's, and well, the "typical" American lifestyle, but it might be ready to embrace some of the simple - almost common sense - approaches held by the Amish when it comes to raising a family.

This book is worth the read - but a word of warning, you might find yourself rethinking some things in life.

On a side note: I had finished this review, and my parents came for a visit. Something on the book cover must have caught my dad's eye. He sat down and started reading.

A little while later, he said - so, where did you get this book? It's pretty good! He decided there's a lot in this book that everyone could benefit from. I have a feeling this book is not going to make it into my library, but rather, travel back to my parents' house.

From the Publisher
When it comes to strong families that know how to truly enjoy life together, there is much we can learn from the Amish. Just how do they establish such strong family bonds, such deeply held values, and such wonderful family traditions? In Amish Values for Your Family, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher shares the secrets of Amish family life. In this inspiring and practical book, you will meet real Amish families that are a lot like yours. Through their stories you'll discover how to
slow downsafeguard family timeraise children who stand strong in their faithprioritize what's truly importantAmish values like community, forgiveness, simple living, obedience, and more can be your family legacy--without selling your car or changing your wardrobe.

About The Author 
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and A Lancaster County Christmas, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace.

Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine.

Fisher is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom, and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.

Online Resources
Read an excerpt online of Amish Values
  Friend Suzanne Woods Fisher on Facebook
  Follow Suzanne's Tweets on Twitter
  Read Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog

About Revell, The PublisherRevell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com. 

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Amish Values For Your Family

When I first picked up "Amish Values for Your Family: What We Can Learn from the Simple Life," it was at the end of a REALLY long week.

I thought, I'll just skim it, see what it's like, and read some cute stories.

I was wrong. I couldn't put it down. Reading this book was like taking a drink of icy cold water on a hot day. Refreshing and rejuvenating.

Once again, Suzanne Woods Fisher has crafted a non-fiction book that rings with authenticity.

Through personal interviews - with Amish family members and friends - she truly helps show different aspects of the Amish life and faith, and how it can apply to a 21st Century family.

Your family may not be ready to give up computers, tv's, and well, the "typical" American lifestyle, but it might be ready to embrace some of the simple - almost common sense - approaches held by the Amish when it comes to raising a family.

This book is worth the read - but a word of warning, you might find yourself rethinking some things in life.

On a side note: I had finished this review, and my parents came for a visit. Something on the book cover must have caught my dad's eye. He sat down and started reading.

A little while later, he said - so, where did you get this book? It's pretty good! He decided there's a lot in this book that everyone could benefit from. I have a feeling this book is not going to make it into my library, but rather, travel back to my parents' house.

From the Publisher
When it comes to strong families that know how to truly enjoy life together, there is much we can learn from the Amish. Just how do they establish such strong family bonds, such deeply held values, and such wonderful family traditions? In Amish Values for Your Family, bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher shares the secrets of Amish family life. In this inspiring and practical book, you will meet real Amish families that are a lot like yours. Through their stories you'll discover how to
slow down
safeguard family time
raise children who stand strong in their faith
prioritize what's truly important
Amish values like community, forgiveness, simple living, obedience, and more can be your family legacy--without selling your car or changing your wardrobe.

About The Author 
Suzanne Woods Fisher is the bestselling author of The Choice, The Waiting, The Search, and A Lancaster County Christmas, as well as nonfiction books about the Amish, including Amish Peace.

Her interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Old Order German Baptist Brethren Church in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine.

Fisher is the host of an internet radio show called Amish Wisdom, and her work has appeared in many magazines. She lives in California.

Online Resources
Read an excerpt online of Amish Values
  Friend Suzanne Woods Fisher on Facebook
  Follow Suzanne's Tweets on Twitter
  Read Suzanne Woods Fisher's Blog

About Revell, The PublisherRevell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com. 

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Mugabe and the White African (Review)

To say this is a powerful book, is well, an understatement. To say that you'll read it, and put it down at times frustrated and angry at the powerful tales of injustice, well, is a huge description of Mugabe and the White African.

From the opening chapter, which describes Ben Freeth's first meeting with Mugabe - a chilling encounter - to the brutal descriptions of the evil men, women and children faced due to Mugabe's rule, this book paints a strong picture of evil.

It also highlights not only the stsituation that has been brewing in Zimbabwe for years, but also how evil can cross the lines of race, gender and more.

Hard at times to read, Mugabe and the White African also shows the resilience of both blacks and whites living in Zimbabwe, but also shows how some were not only willing to stand up for something that was right, but they were also willing to put their very possessions, farms and businesses, and even their lives on the line.

I wish this book had a happy ending, but unfortunately, life does not always end that way. However, does paint a picture of integrity, faith and determination.

The book, Mugabe and the White African, might just open your eyes to a situation that cries out for justice. You probably won't look at the international news coming from Africa the same again.

More About Mugabe and the White African
Ben Freeth has an extraordinary story to tell. Like that of many white farmers, his family's land was "reclaimed" for redistribution by Mugabe's government.

But Ben's family fought back. Appealing to international law, they instigated a suit against Mugabe's government in the SADC, the Southern African equivalent of NATO. The case was deferred time and again while Mugabe's men pulled strings. But after Freeth and his parents-in-law were abducted and beaten within inches of death in 2008, the SADC deemed any further delay to be an obstruction of justice. The case was heard, and was successful on all counts.

But the story doesn't end there. In 2009 the family farm was burned to the ground. The fight for justice in Zimbabwe is far from over--this book is for anyone who wants to see into the heart of one of today's hardest places and how human dignity flourishes even in the most adverse circumstances.

About The Author
Ben Freeth, MBE, is a British-born Zimbabwean farmer. He has lived in Zimbabwe most of his life and is raising his three young children there, together with his wife Laura. Freeth's story has already been the subject of an award-winning documentary which won Best Documentary 2009 (British Independent Film Awards), was nominated for the BAFTA Outstanding Debut Film 2010, and shortlisted for an Oscar in 2010.

Online Resources
Buy Mugabe and the White African at Amazon.com
Read an Excerpt of Mugabe and the White African
Read more about this book here

Watch A Trailer for the Documentary
<p><br><br>WQ</p>

The PBS debut of Mugabe and the White African, the award-winning documentary of the same name, was on July 26. Watch now at PBS:

Follow the book tour here!

It's A Giveway
Kregel Publications is sponsoring a $50 Amazon.com giveaway open to blog readers. To enter all you have to do is send a tweet (using @litfuse) about Mugabe and the White African or share about it on Facebook!

If you tweet we'll capture your entry when you use @litfuse. If you share it on Facebook or your blog, just email us and let us know (info@litfusegroup.com). Easy.

Not sure what to tweet/post? Here's an idea.
TWEET THIS:  Mugabe and the White African – one family's stand for justice in the face of evil! @litfuse http://ow.ly/61JDW RT 4 a chance at $50

FACEBOOK THIS: Ben Freeth has an extraordinary story to tell about one family's stand for justice in the face of evil. The fight for justice in Zimbabwe is far from over—Mugabe and the White African is for anyone who wants to see into the heart of one of today's hardest places and how human dignity flourishes even in the most adverse circumstances. http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/tex...

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: The Colonel's Lady (Review)

Can love survive the secrets kept buried within a tormented heart?

Roxanna Rowan may be a genteel Virginia woman, but she is determined to brave the wilds of the untamed frontier to reach a remote Kentucky fort. Eager to reunite with her father, who serves under Colonel Cassius McLinn, Roxanna is devastated to find that her father has been killed on a campaign.

Penniless and out of options, Roxanna is forced to remain at the fort. As she spends more and more time with the fiery Colonel McLinn, the fort is abuzz with intrigue and innuendo. Can Roxanna truly know who the colonel is--and what he's done?

What I Thought
This book kept my attention from start to finish. Through the eyes of Roxanna Rowan, Laura Frantz takes the reader back into the frontiers land of Kentucky, to see what life was like at a military fort and more.

Frantz also explores the secrets that her main characters carry - their personal hurts - and how those secrets continue to deeply impact their lives.

I thought the sub plot - McLinn's struggle with his twin brother - helped provide a strong twist to the plot, and truly drove the novel.

A bit deeper than a "beach" novel, The Colonel's Lady will be a good book to curl up with, in front of a fire. It's historical depth will make a reader think, long after they finish the last page.

About The Author 
Laura Frantz credits her grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz's family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in the late eighteenth century and settled in Madison County, where her family still resides. Frantz is the author of The Frontiersman's Daughter and Courting Morrow Little and currently lives in the misty woods of Washington with her husband and two sons.

Online Resources
Read an excerpt from The Colonel's Lady
Buy The Colonel's Lady at Amazon
Read my previous review of Laura Frantz's Courting Morrow Little
Read more about Laura Frantz at her blog
Watch a book trailer about the book


About Revell, The PublisherRevell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com. 

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.