From broken to beautiful!
584205
I love this little book!  A sweet story of how there is beauty in every person, no matter how broken they appear, or feel.  Thank you for sharing both the story, and your story telling talent.  As you wrote, this is a book for young and old!  Loved the artwork!  Best wishes!
3087271
This book, you guys, was such a heartbreaking but beautiful read! I honestly didn't realise how much it would affect me. The Beautiful Now was such a roller coaster ride of emotion and turmoil... and I just wanted, no needed Brinkley and Dane to find their way back to one another!

Brinkley and Dane never seemed to get a start. Their attraction began early in life, but society and threats kept them apart. Brinkley's mother married into money, and expected certain things from Brinkley, but the heart wanted what the heart wanted. Dane was a sweet guy, and I could she he had a crush on Brinkley early on. He seemed to be there during some difficult times when she needed him. Each interaction brought them closer together, and their connection was undeniable.

The Beautiful Now was told from Brinkley's perspective, and it alternated between 2004 and her early years. The early years were import parts to Brinkley's story and shaped her into the woman she became. The part of the book from 2004 was probably my favourite part as I got to see Brinkley and Dane as adults. There were secrets and hurt feelings between them, but I knew that they would work hard to try and regain what they once had.

Michelle Leighton is one of my favourite authors, and her most recent novels have been written with so much soul. My heart broke for what Brinkley and Dane lost, but managed to mend as they found their way again. But it wasn't always smooth sailing and I shed a few tears. Being a mother myself I was able to relate to this story and I would do ANYTHING to protect my children. It has got to be one of my favourite reads by M. Leighton.
4299402
Broken Together is the song by Christian recording artists Casting Crowns that comes to mind when I think of the stories of the main characters Rena and Cody in Mary Manners book Light the Fire.

My takeaway from this book is simple: Broken people need Godand each other.  Author Mary Manners proves it in this beautiful, fictional story about friendship and two main characters, both brokenhearted who find true love and come to know the God who restores.

Readers meet the heroine, Rena, on the first page of Chapter 1 and learn that Rena is talented in the area of home improvement so much so that her dad bought a tool belt for her 16th birthday. As we turn the pages, we find sooner than later that Renas heart was shattered by two very traumatic events that happened not so long ago in her life and shes shut the door to romance. Shut it tight. She refuses to date anyone, not matter how cute or considerate the guy is which is why Rena does not give Cody a chance when he enters her life.

Cody is the hero of this story. Hes cute, considerate and interested in Rena. But hes not interested in the conquest kind of way. Hes interested in finding out the reasons for her not ordinary behavior when he tries to hold a conversation with her or ask her out on a date. Cody genuinely cares about Rena and wants to helpand protectRenas heart. As the story progresses, he sees that Rena is wounded and as a person whos been wounded by a death in his family, some of Renas pain resonates with him even though he does not know the details of her story and will not until the  very last chapters of this book.

Oh but when they push past the pain, the love story between Rena and Cody is so sweet. The author knows how to take two wounded characters and make something beautiful out of their brokenness which is honestly what God does in real-life too!

I love reading books by Mary Manners and this one Light the Fire was no exception! There were only a few places where I lost interest but the plot soon drew me back in. Overall its a great read and I believe if you're suffering from a deep wound, God can use this book written by Ms. Manners to start your healing process. But I must say the BEST book to find healing in is Gods Word, The Holy Bible. Just saying. :)

I cant wait to read more books by this author!

*Writer@heart received a free copy of "Light the Fire" by Mary Manners in exchange for an honest review.
4708006
Book Review: The Beauty of Broken...My Story, and Likely Yours Too by Elisa Morgan

"I received this book for free from BookSneeze for this review".

Book Review: Find beauty and hope for the messiness of family life.

Are you exhausted by the fairy-tale idea that following Jesus will mean our families won't suffer? That a parenting formula can guarantee our children will turn out okay? That our families will be immune from being broken because we love God?

In The Beauty of Broken, Elisa Morgan, one of today's most respected female Christian leaders, shares for the first time her very personal story of brokenness--from her family of origin to her family of creation, represented by her husband and two grown children. Over the years, Elisa's family struggled privately with issues many parents must face, including: alcoholism and drug addiction, infertility and adoption, teen pregnancy and abortion, divorce, homosexuality and death.

Each story layers onto the next to reveal the brokenness that comes into our lives without invitation. "We've bought into the myth of the perfect family," says Elisa. "Formulaic promises about the family may have originated in well-meaning intentions, but such thinking isn't realistic. It's not helpful. It's not even kind."

Elisa offers hope in the form of "broken family values" that allow parents to grow and thrive with God. Values such as commitment, humility, relinquishment and respect carry us to new places of understanding. Owning our brokenness shapes us into God's best idea for us and enables us to discover the beauty in ourselves and each member of our families.

 My Review: The cover of this book immediately drew me to the book as did the idea of listening to what Elisa Morgan, the leader over all of the MOPS groups, one of which I attended, had to say that would be considered different from what we learned from her every MOPS meeting. I must say that I was actually quite disappointed in this book. It lost me very quickly. There was a little too much Christian talk in between stories and it drug on getting to the point of anything she was trying to tell the readers. Once you got to an individual story, it was a good one, but actually getting from one story to the next seemed like it took forever and came across as being very boring. I almost felt like I had to skip ahead to the actual story and not read what was in between. I wish I could have reviewed this better, but honestly, I only made it to Chapter 6 because there was just not enough of interest in this book. I will let anyone be their own judge, but personally, I would not recommend this book.
115269
Wow, so heartbreaking. You will definitely want to have the tissues ready when you read this story. What a beautiful story it is! I'm so happy Reny was able to finally get past all the pain and start to live again and find happiness!
2859712
This book is the story of the authors lives and relationship.  It is honest and difficult and beautiful.  It shows how mightily God can move to restore a relationship.
I absolutely loved this book.  My husband and I are currently in a very good part of our relationship, but it hasn't always been this way.  Admittedly, the authors relationship started off much worse than mine ever did, but we (like most married couples) faced tough times that I wasn't sure we would pull out of.  Reading this was an affirmation of the kind of path our rough times ironed out to be.  God really can (and does!) make beauty from ashes.
I applaud the authors for their transparency and honesty.  This book reveals some of the deepest, darkest parts of their lives and yet comes full circle to show that God can redeem even very ugly relationships.  I am thankful that I read this book when I did because literally the day after I read it I was able to tell someone about it.  I had no idea that they would benefit from it within the week.  They are currently struggling through the hard parts in their relationship, but I am praying that God continues to show them how He can turn their relationship around.  Thank you for your vulnerability and your willingness to help those who are struggling.
975567
Beautiful written story of broken characters who with changes of twist and turns learn to love and trust themselves and each other! Loved this book unable to put down loves the happy ending! I voluntarily reviewed this book as a ARC and highly recommend for a wonderful read! Thanks
508791
So beautiful and sparkly! The picture honestly doesn't do it justice. When my last case broke, I was so upset. Then when I found this I was so excited. I wish the bottom was sparkly like the top but honestly the color and sparkles are just beautiful!
290272
Thank you for opening our eyes to see the dents of brokenness and restoration of wholeness!
Thank you for turning on the Light..Jesus!!
1636853
This book was so much more than I thought it would be with all of the feels it gave me. I wanted to understand how people could be so broken and not see themselves and their own worth. Jay McLean did a beautiful job showing the the broken pieces of both Andie and Noah...even Milky and Bradley's broken pieces. They slowly heal each other in their own ways at their own pace and THAT is just so beautiful to me. I can't really say much more about this story for fear that I will get too excited and give spoilers. I give this book 5 stars....love it, love it, loved it...so much.
1856872
I absolutely loved this book.

Within the first two chapters I was a blubbering mess. I'm talking tears flowing like Niagara Falls. The heartbreak in those first two chapters is all consuming and I could totally relate to it. I worried that this book would continue to destroy me but I am so glad that instead it made me giddy beyond belief.

The rest of this book is a journey of healing and finding yourself after suffering tragedy that you think you may never recover from.

Lior is the light to bring Evie out of her darkness and slowly but surely we see that happen and it's the most heartwarming thing. I absolutely loved how their relationship professed even though it seemed to do so slowly, but for me I don't think it should have gone any other way.

I absolutely love Lior. His patience, his words and even his lack of words were soooo sweet. My heart soared through various moments throughout this book. Even know I can feel my heart beating out of my chest thinking about how giddy I felt when it came to the relationship between these two.

Evie I can only imagine how she feels partly because some of her story I've experience myself. The pain never goes away but with the  love of others and in this case Lior you can get through it.

This was a beautiful, heartbreaking yet at the same time almost cathartic read for me. It's a book that I don't think I will forget.
4030763
Beautiful and painful all at once!  Hard to believe all that ugliness occurred!  This story was from an amazing perspective.  It stayed with me for days!
2572961
Loved this story! It's so beautiful and amazing. I found myself heart broken for ira, rooting and praying for Luke, and hoping for his return to Sophia. Good read for young adults!
1685678
What in Gods holy name do you do when it feels like you're broken and cut up, and love has failed, and youve failed, and you feel like Somebodys love has failed you? With these raw, penetrating questions, Ann Voskamp opens her book The Broken Way.

Not only does she open her book, but she opens her heart. In every chapter we are gifted with Anns vulnerability and realness. Yes, it is a gift that someone like Ann would be so transparent in sharing her pain, her questions, and also her path to healing and wholeness.

Yet Ann would probably tell me that wholeness is not the goal. The goal is brokenness and givenness before God and to the other broken, hurting people around me. Its in the embracing of the healing that comes from the Healer, and in giving that healing to others, that we truly find how Jesus walks with us on the broken way.

This is a book of healing. A book that will remind you that you are not alone in your pain, in your questions, in your searching for answers. This book is a gift to anyone who feels broken, cut up, cut off, or beaten down.

Perhaps you need this book for yourself. Perhaps you can read it with a broken friend. In either case, reading this book will help reveal the depths of love that can flood into your life when you encounter the Wounded Healer: Jesus!
437416
I loved it! It was set to my time zone when I pulled it from the box, it was on time and was so pretty and fit perfectly!  Right up until it got dropped and the glass face shattered. It got fixed but now it ends up running too fast. Totally my own fault and I am eager to order another one from this provider, though I will be much more wary now that I know how fragile the face is.  Seriously amazing work!
2380297
I loved the change in this novel and the realization between Jada and Mac about why they "needed to be fixed." This novel was full of interesting realizations and some moments where I wanted to scream at it. (Actually, I did at the end of this book. I ended up getting looks when I screamed "no" at the ending.)

This wasn't one of my favorites but it was a superb story and a beautiful way to expand the series!
1400312
A beautiful story of two women who find hope, love, family, forgiveness, and redemption!!  A story of how what we think is broken and irreparable, God can knit back together in the most perfect and unexpected way.  This book is a must read for anyone, but especially those who feel lost by choices and/or circumstance and searching for healing.  You will see God's love and faithfulness when we give our lives to him!!