Mamma Mia
Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, etc.
We watched this movie last Saturday at the suggestion of a friend. I was looking forward to the movie, simply cuz of all the ABBA songs on it. However, from the very beginning, DH was laughing and making jokes and comments about the story and how silly it was. I just glared at him, of course, but ignored him. However, the more the movie went on, the more I had to agree with him. LOL When Meryl Streep started singing....oh my. Not good. She and Pierce Brosnan should NOT be singers. Sorry. I like Amanda Seyfried, but the rest left alot to be desired. And the storyline was so hokey, it was laughable.
Sorry, Ruth! I just couldn't like this one! Perhaps I've been around my boys too long and they have corrupted me! ROFL!
ISBN: 978-1934770399
Alex Travers has to not only deal with the untimely and shocking death of her father, but she also now has to deal with a bank loan and someone trying to sabotage her farm! Feeling alone in the process, she has stopped asking God for help since it didn't seem to do any good. And on top of it all, Alex has suitors coming to court her when she's not interested and the ladies in town snubbing her because of her choices.
Justin Phillips, who has come to Last Chance (with his son Toby) to help out Ben Travers, finds him dead under suspicious circumstances and also finds Alex trying to manage on her own. Should he tell her why he's there? Or just keep it to himself till he gets things sorted out? And who's causing all this trouble?
Suddenly, Kristi enters the picture creating trouble on top of trouble and causes Alex to question who Justin really is and if she can truly trust him. Finally, Alex learns to trust God completely while unraveling this mystery and she finds unexpected love in the process.
I had the privilege and honor to be a pre-reader on this book for Miralee...what a treat! Miralee has such a way with words and situations that really help draw you in and put 'right there'! The characters aren't overly complicated, yet, there are depths to some of them that a reader can relate to. Congrats to Miralee for another job well-done!!
Gods and Kings
ISBN: 978-0-7642-2989-3
We watch as Hezekiah starts as a boy and is named king, having to follow in his father's idolatrous footsteps. With horrible memories of his childhood, King Hezekiah struggles with his trust in God. Why would a loving and caring God allow such bad things to happen? Slowly, Hezekiah finds his way back to God and develops a deepening relationship with Him.
We watch as Hezekiah starts as a boy and is named king, having to follow in his father's idolatrous footsteps. With horrible memories of his childhood, King Hezekiah struggles with his trust in God. Why would a loving and caring God allow such bad things to happen? Slowly, Hezekiah finds his way back to God and develops a deepening relationship with Him.
ISBN: 978-0-7642-2990-9
As King Hezekiah draws closer to God and devotes his life to following God's laws, he is constantly coming against things that challenge that trust. He wonders why he doesn't have an heir to the throne yet? He questions how to go against the Assyrians and yet still survive?
Jerusha has been a captive of the Assyrians for a long while and is finally 'set free'. As she fights to get home, she struggles with her own battle with trusting and believing in God.
ISBN: 978-0-7642-2991-6
King Hezekiah still doesn't have an heir and his wife Hepzibah vows her first-born to the idol Asherah. In a chance happening, Hezekiah witnesses her worshipping her pagan god and he destroys the idol. However, in the process he himself is severely injured.
Not knowing what will happen, Hezekiah cries out to God for help and the Lord sends his message once again through the prophet Isaiah, stating that he will extend his life by 15 years.
King Hezekiah finally has an heir, Manasseh, who is friends with Joshua, son of Jerusha and Eliakim. But when Hezekiah suddenly dies, Manasseh turns to witchcraft and sorcery rather than God. He allows things to happen in his kingdom that would shame his father. But Manasseh doesn't care. He listens to people who have selfish motivations and turns on the friends and families of his youth.
Joshua's family suffers terribly at the hand of King Manasseh, and they are forced to flee the only home they have ever known. Will God get them through?
ISBN: 978-0-7642-2993-0
As they try to stay away from King Manasseh's evil authority, Joshua's family flees to Egypt for asylum. But will God allow Joshua to exact revenge on Manasseh for the evil he has done and the pain he has caused? Will God restore the holy city of Jerusalem?
In the middle of struggling with the current situation against Manasseh, Joshua finds himself questioning why God would allow all of this to happen to them, a godly family? It pushes him into a depression and he can't find his way out. Can anything help?
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I enjoyed these books immensely! They were very easy to read and once I started I just couldn't put them down! Lynn Austin has such a way with pulling facts from history (Bible History) and adding with them enough fiction to create a story, without diminishing the fascinating story given to us through the Bible. Themes of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy, along with other personal emotions like depression, anxiety, and stress are woven perfectly through these books.
My suggestion is not to start the series until you have them all in hand, because once you start them you won't want to wait till you get the next one to start it! You'll jump from the end of one to the beginning of the next without missing a beat!