Recent Reads: House of Mercy

House of Mercy by Erin Healy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars at Goodreads

Have you ever made a quick decision that sets off a set of domino-like consequences? That's what happens at the beginning of this book: a simple ride on a borrowed horse changes the lives of many people. Legal action, debt, a family torn apart, and a death all result from that one decision. Trying to repair what she's broken will only lead to further problems for the young lady who started all of this... and all because she was trying to help some friends with a sick horse.


This is a Christian book, but those who are normally turned off by the genre shouldn't let that stop them from reading this book. It's not "in your face" with every single thought and action of the characters making reference to their faith the way some Christian fiction is.

I really enjoyed this book, right up until the last few pages. I felt like it didn't wrap up any of the story lines, but rather it just cut off... I'm assuming it's set up for a sequel. I was disappointed in the lack of "finish" to anything.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book via The Amazon Vine program in return for posting my honest review at Amazon.  

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

Recent Reads: Potluck Club #3

The Potluck Club Takes the Cake (The Potluck Club, Book 3)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fun installment of The Potluck Club! I couldn't predict how two of the storylines turned out, and that always makes a book much better, in my opinion.

If you're not familiar with this series, The Potluck Club is the story of a group of Christian women who meet once a month to share food, prayers, and gossip. They live in a small mountain town where everyone knows everyone.

This particular volume covers a long-lost relative coming back to town, a couple working on their marriage, an avalanche, and lastly, a long-awaited wedding.

Love these books... my only problem now is that my library doesn't seem to have the ones I haven't read yet!

This was not a sponsored review, but simply my review of a book I picked up at the library and very much enjoyed.   View all my reviews on the Good Reads site!

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here. 
I always provide my honest opinion regardless of the source of the product.

3 Reasons I Love Catholicism

1.) Traditions & History.   First, let me say, I know that we are supposed to trust in the Lord and not lean on man's traditions.  I get that. It's a confusing issue when you talk to Protestants and Catholics, but we believe that our traditions are taken from Scripture.

 The way we Catholics do things is traditional... some would say even old-fashioned... and has been handed down for generations.  Who else in this modern age of instant messaging would rely on white smoke for a major announcement?   I love that.   I love knowing that our ancestors sat around and waited for that same white smoke after they attended a mass that was very similar to ours.  I love knowing that every year at Easter the music becomes joyful again (my favorite time of year in the church), and that every year on Ash Wednesday you can identify your fellow Catholics on the street by their "dirty" foreheads.  

Sometimes I feel like I'll never have enough time in my life to learn about all the beautiful-- and the not-so-beautiful-- history of the church.

2.)  The Mass.   The older I get, the more I understand what each and every piece of the mass means.   And I love that I have this universal bond with Catholics everywhere-- I could walk into a Sunday mass at any parish and fit right in.

The mass gives us an opportunity each and every week to hear Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms... all right there, tied together for us. 

I attended a long service at a church of another Christian denomination a while back, and after sitting for more than an hour during the sermon, I found my mind wandering and my attention drawn more to the church's decorations than to the minister's message.  It was then that I finally understood why we Catholics sit, stand, and kneel.   Sitting for long periods allows your mind to wander, whereas in a mass you are fully engaged in worship- physically moving, verbally responding, etc. 

3.)  There have been Catholics studying God's word for hundreds of years.  All those years of Bible scholars and great leaders (and some not-so-great) have led the church to where it is today.  When I am not sure about something I am reading in my Bible, I can turn to the church's teachings to explain it.  I could spend every moment of my life studying the Bible and still never have the understanding that has been passed down through the church.

There are those who don't think that Catholics are true Christians... others mistakenly believe that we worship Mary, that we added extra books to the Bible, and that we're not true Christians.   None of those things are true, of course.  I feel like I am defending my faith more and more lately, but still, I'm proud to be Catholic!

Link up with Micaela at California to Korea to share your own reasons!

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here.

Menu Plan Monday 4/29

SOUP OF THE WEEK:  I often make a big pot of soup and pack it in my lunch all week when I'm working.  Today I'm using up the last of our potatoes to make a small batch of my favorite soup-- my own recipe for Amy's Potato Soup.  

• MONDAY:  omelettes (cheese, pepperoni, veggies), fresh fruit
  

• TUESDAY:  a new recipe I found on Pinterest:  Mexican Cornbread Casserole with tossed salad

• WEDNESDAY: another of my personal favorites: Chicken Spaghetti, green beans, tossed salad

• THURSDAY:  chef salads with buffalo chicken and DH and I, plain chicken for the kids

• FRIDAY:  leftovers or homemade pizza
  

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more menu ideas and to share your own!

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here.

Recent Reads: The Potluck Club

The Potluck Club by Linda Evans Shepherd
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The cover of this book caught my attention yesterday at the library- it looked like a fun read, and obviously, it was... I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours! Now I'm wishing I'd checked out the next book in the series while I was there!

The Potluck Club is the story of a group of Christian women who gather once a month to share food a prayers... and, as friends tend to do, the town's gossip. This is a small town where everyone knows everyone's business, and the ladies are there for each other through each one's struggles and joys.

An unwed mother, an unfaithful husband, a lost love... these and more touch the lives of the PC members. I appreciated that these real-world problems were touched on without the authors delving into raunchy details-- instead the focus was on how the women would deal the problem as Christians.

I loved the little pop culture references of Christian life: one character flips on KLOVE radio in the morning (as do I in real life); another talks about her husband's routine of watching Fox News.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

View all my reviews at Goodreads.

 

This post may contain sponsored reviews or affiliate links- see my policy here.