Cynthia Ruchti’s ‘A Fragile Hope’ Blog Tour and Giveaway

About the book:

Hope grows when seeds are planted-even in the muddy middle of life.

Josiah Chamberlain’s life’s work revolves around repairing other people’s marriages. When his own is threatened by his wife’s unexplained distance, and then threatened further when she’s unexpectedly plunged into an unending fog, Josiah finds his expertise, quick wit and clever quips are no match for a relationship that is clearly broken.

Feeling betrayed, confused, and ill-equipped for a crisis this crippling, he reexamines everything he knows about the fragility of hope and the strength of his faith and love. Love seems to have failed him. Will what’s left of his faith fail him, too? Or will it be the one thing that holds him together and sears through the impenetrable wall that separates them?

Learn more and purchase a copy.

 

About the author:

Cynthia Ruchti tells stories hemmed in hope through her novels, novellas, nonfiction books, articles and devotionals, drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry. Ruchti has written more than 20 award-winning novels, novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals. Her books have received numerous awards and nominations, including the RT Reviewers’ Choice, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year nominations, two Selah Awards, Christian Retailing’s BEST, was an ACFW Carol Award finalist and a Christy finalist, among other honors. Her latest release is the novel A Fragile Hope.

One of Ruchti’s greatest joys is helping other writers grow in their craft. To that end, she has served as worship and devotions staff and faculty for the Write-to-Publish conference and teaches at other writers’ conferences across the country and internationally as opportunities arise. She also serves as the professional relations liaison for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Ruchti speaks frequently for women’s groups and serves on her church’s worship team. She and her husband live in the heart of Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.

Find out more about Cynthia at http://www.cynthiaruchti.com.

  

My Thoughts: This story was very thought provoking and introspective. It follows Josiah, who gives marriage advice for a living but his own marriage needs a lot of repair. He learns some very difficult lessons throughout the book and grows and develops as a person.

I enjoyed the story overall, the beginning and the ending were very interesting but it got a bit slow in the middle. It was a very realistic picture of what a person in Josiah’s position probably goes through. The romance in this book was beautiful. I prefer romance stories that revolve around marriages and this one was very well done.

The character development was very rich…I found myself going from frustration and anger towards a character to admiration and respect.

I highly recommend this book to people who like a good romance story with a rich plot.

My Rating:

I received this book from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

Celebrate the release of A Fragile Hope by entering to win Cynthia’s Sign of Hope Giveaway!

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A copy of A Fragile Hope
• A metal wall scripture hanging

Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on May 3. The winner will be announced May 4 on the Litfuse blog.

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The Berenstain Bears Friendship Blessings Collection Review

The Berenstain Bears Living Lights, series continues to attract young readers through creative and engaging stories that not only entertain but teach values and life lessons. Now, five of the series’ favorite titles are available in a great new hardcover. This Berenstain Bears Living Lights treasury called Friendship Blessings Collection is sure to be a popular choice for Berenstain Bears fans.

This collection includes:
The Perfect Fishing Spot
Reap the Harvest
Faithful Friends
Kindness Counts
God Made You Special

My Thoughts: I grew up reading and loving the Berenstain Bears books. I remember checking many of them out of my library and sounding out the words as I was just learning to read. Recently I have rediscovered these books, which have been taken over by the late Stan and Jan’s son, Mike Berenstain and I have purchased a few for my children to enjoy. I am delighted to see that the new books contain Christian themes and Biblical lessons.

This book contains 5 stories, in a very nice hardcover book. The illustrations are the same as the original books but there is a new character, Honey Bear, who I assume is the youngest sister (I don’t remember her in the original stories that I read).

Each story was well done. My least favorite was The Perfect Fishing Spot, which is told in poem format and the moral of the story is a bit muddy. Reap the Harvest was about the benefits of working hard, Faithful Friends was a great story about making new friends but keeping old ones (I am planning on sharing this one with my 10 year old daughter as she’s facing a similar situation). Kindness Counts was my favorite of the stories, it talks about being kind to others, even when it goes against our first instincts, God Made You Special was another great story about a bear cub who has special needs but discusses how God has made him special and the bears learn from him.

Overall, this is a very good book for all children. I am thrilled to see that my beloved Berenstain Bears have stood the test of time.

My Rating:

I received this book from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.