Christian Shelves

I am beyond grateful that this story has been told and that I can think about what it means to be a Christian more intentionally each Valentine's Day now. Of Love and Treason by Jamie Ogle is both a heartbreaking and a heart-mending book that gives deep meaning to true love. Content to be aware of : violence, torture, and death Book Synopsis Valentine defies the emperor and becomes a hero . . . and the most wanted man in the empire. Compelled by his faith, he has nothing to lose, until a chance encounter with the daughter of a Roman jailor changes everything. Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety. Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ea...

Today is Chinese Language Day! It’s a day that has meaning for me because I speak a Chinese language (a language that isn't easy to learn as an adult), so I'm grateful I didn't have to go through the process of mastering tones later in life! At the same time, I acknowledge that it also brings about mixed emotions when I reflect on my journey of language discovery. Despite Chinese being my first language, I still feel like an outsider to the culture and world because I don’t speak the main Chinese languages that everyone thinks of. It’s been one of my pet peeves over the course of my life where a lot of non-Chinese people have attempted to guess what I speak, maybe not realizing that there are so many languages that exist (guessing for other people doesn’t always bode well 🫠). Lacking Mandarin and only knowing select phrases in Cantonese, this feeling of separation from other Chinese people is even more pronounced in living overseas as part of the Chinese diaspora. While...

This is a sequel that I've been quite excited about for some time, and I'm thankful that I was able to receive it as a birthday gift. I was also able to read it for the Clearly Christian Readathon backlist challenge. Code and Couture by Kristi Ann Hunter is about the "other twin" in the Trinket Sisters series, Amy Trinket, and it's such a wonderful complement to the story about Emma Trinket in Pixels and Paint . Content to be aware of : light editing required for enhanced readability, but not enough to detract from the overall plot Book Synopsis Code and Couture is a romantic story of fashion, faith, and finding your true purpose among everyone else's expectations. Amy Trinket's perfectly tailored life is unraveling. She allowed success and expectations to be defined by her mother, by society, and by an unspoken need for validation. But when she adjusts her priorities and has her questioning everything from her wardrobe to her ambitions, she resolves to...

I'm quite interested in books on health from a Christian perspective, so when I saw Fully Nourished by Brandice Lardner available on NetGalley, I requested it right away. Some of the books I've recently read on this topic have been written by men, so I was even more keen to go through content directed at Christian women. I love that this book is a balance between theory and practice, spiritual and physical health, and truth and grace. Many thanks to Revell Books  and  NetGalley  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Ditch Diet Shame and Embrace a Christ-Centered View of Food and Yourself For anyone tired of obsessing over food, weight, and appearance Discover the freedom you long for by silencing that critical voice in your head From a trusted nutrition coach and personal trainer Even though as Christian women we know that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, many of us have been in a war ...

It is such a gift to be able to work with a publisher and almost have them predict which books you'll love (thank you!) 😄 Someone to Lean On , the third book in the Faith Endures series , by Carrie Walker is one that had me extremely intrigued on how the characters connected to one another. Even though I haven't yet read the previous two books in this trilogy, I hope to do so now after reading this book! Many thanks to  Mountain Brook Ink  for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis They're seeking a peace they can't seem to find. . . Aged out of the foster care system and struggling to raise her young daughter, Lucia Roberts loses her only source of income. When she's offered a position caring for a four-year-old foster child, Timothy, it feels like the answer to a prayer-except for one catch. She must work in the home of Jordan Nowak, Timothy's overly vigilant foster father who scrutinizes ...

It is such a treat to read the debut historical novel of Canadian author,  Morgan Taylor Giesbrecht ! I have heard such good things about this book and was wholly keen to delve into one of my most favourite subgenres: espionage. The Lies We Live , the first book in the Newhaven Secrets series , delivers just that and even more, so I'm looking forward to what's next for this series down the road. Book Synopsis Away from the frontlines of the Great War, British intelligence agents are fighting a battle of their own. Newhaven, England. 1917. Nurse Clara Dankworth learned long ago to go where her government ordered. Her newest assignment pairs her with fellow spy and doctor Thomas Lindsey to gather evidence on a prominent society figure suspected of being a German sympathiser. But when threats emerge from the shadows, Clara finds that in attempting to escape her past she hadn’t run far enough. Though one of MI5’s top agents, Doctor Thomas Lindsey’s maverick spirit often lands him i...