This Thing of Ours: How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage

This Thing of Ours is an amazing true story of a young woman married to a powerful mobster. I was entirely captivated by it!  Before it even came in the mail, I was researching Cammy Franzese & her husband Michael, notorious mobster-turned-redeemed-Christian. 

Cammy's writing style is personal.  She writes the way a woman would talk to her friend.  This Thing of Ours is, essentially, a testimony of what she and her husband have experienced and how God has pulled them through, redeeming their own hearts as well as their marriage.

Here's a short synopsis:

Cammy Franzese didn’t expect to raise her children alone while Michael served hard time. And she certainly didn’t anticipate what would happen when he finally made the stunning decision to turn his back on “the life” and become a devout Christian. Now Cammy shares the details of her painful and joyful journey, including:
--How, as a Christian, she met and married Michael when he was an unbeliever and a high-profile mobster
--The high life she lived in their first year of marriage when she had more money than she knew what to do with
--What it was like being under law-enforcement scrutiny, dealing with death threats, harassment from the FBI, and having to move several times to protect their family
--How she stayed faithful to Michael and raised their children on her own while he was locked up for eight years
Readers will learn why Cammy stayed in a marriage loaded with so much heartache and struggle. With painful honesty, she speaks about restoration, miracles, and the confidence we can have knowing God prepares us for the challenges and obstacles we will one day have to face.

Google Cammy and Michael Franzese--you'll be amazed at their story! You can also read the first few pages of the book on Amazon. I can almost gurantee that, if you do, you'll want to get your hands on this book!

A special thanks to the wonderful people at Thomas Nelson for providing me with this book in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.

When the Soul Mends

When the Soul Mends is sweet Amish fiction that makes nice, light reading.  This is the first book I've read by Cindy Woodsmall; the characters and their stories quite captivated me.  I read it quickly.  If you're interested in the Amish people, of the way they live, believe, and in the differences between Amish and Mennonites (it's all very interesting, I think!) then you'll like this series. 

Yes, this book is actually third in a 3-part series entitled Sisters of the Quilt.  While I didn't read the first two books in this series, I wasn't at all lost in this one.  The author gave the perfect amount of backstory. 

In When the Soul Mends, the heroine, Hannah, is torn between the Amish world and the "Englisher" world.  For heart-breaking reasons that were completely out of her control, she had been shunned years earlier.  Something brings her back and she finds forgiveness and healing.  Honestly, at many points in this book, I didn't exactly like her.  She had her flaws, like all of us do, and at the end of the story, she changed into someone I admired. She also chose the man I wanted her to choose, so that raised her up in my estimation.  ; )  If you like light, inspirational reading, I wholeheartedly recommend When the Soul Mends.

Special thanks to the wonderful people at Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with this book!

Just in Case You Ever Wonder: A Picture Book

I knew this picture book by Max Lucado would be great because everything he writes for both children and adults is always wonderful!

Just in Case You Ever Wonder is a book both my children and I enjoyed.  It's a sweet book to read aloud to them and teaches them that their father in Heaven and you, their mom or dad, will always love them no matter what.... just in case they ever wonder.

"As you grow and change, some things will stay the same. I'll always love you. I'll always hug you. I'll always be on your side. And I want you to know that ... just in case you ever wonder."

The illustrations are colorful and the story is short and sweet... though not too short.  You can see an excerpt here.  This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift!

The wonderful people at Booksneeze provided us with this book in exchange for a thoughtful and honest review.