Monthly Archives: June 2013

Like Sweet Potato Pie by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

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Like Sweet Potato Pie by Jennifer Rogers Spinola

Shiloh Jacobs, a new Christian, continues to struggle with her ever-growing faith. She’s still getting settled in the deep south, getting used to southern folks doing the following things: talking with a southern accent, eating grits, and shooting deer. She misses Japan, but wonders if she’ll ever find a way to make it back to her beloved former home. She’s still suffering from the sting of her plagiarism mistake, which temporarily ended her journalism career.

Now that she’s living in the home she’s inherited from her mother, she tries to find a way to make a living. The IRS is breathing down her back, wanting her to pay her back taxes. Will she find a way to get herself out of her financial quandary? After all, if she doesn’t find the money to pay the back taxes, she could lose her home.

Meanwhile, she’s somewhat confused about her attraction to Adam, the local gardener. He’s not all that great-looking, (totally the opposite of her cheating ex-fiancé), yet, there’s something about him that’s utterly appealing.

Amidst all of this, there’s a sparkling cast of realistic southern characters as they work through their own set of problems, of which include infertility.

I really enjoyed this novel! The characters were realistic and the descriptions of scenery, the seasons, feelings, etc. were so good that the words literally sparkled on the page. You really felt Shiloh’s struggles and it was easy to empathize with the issues she was facing.

I also liked the fact that the hero is not drop-dead gorgeous (unlike most romance-type/women’s fiction novels). Adam is just an ordinary-looking guy with a strong faith in Jesus – yet Shiloh, who used to be superficial, is smitten with Adam. Overall this was a great read and I highly recommend it!

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up! :-)

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard

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Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard

Deadly Devotion by Sandra Orchard

What would you do if your friend’s cause of death was a suicide – yet you knew that the suicide was not the real cause of death? Would you confront the police to re-open the case?
Kate Adams is devastated when her elderly friend/mentor (Daisy) dies by committing suicide. However, Kate is convinced that her friend’s death was NOT a suicide. She storms into the police station and confronts police officer Tom Parker. Shouldn’t they re-open the case? There’s no way that Daisy could have poisoned herself, her faith was too deep, and Daisy realized that the Lord would frown upon her taking her own life.

Daisy and Kate were in the midst of discovering an herbal remedy for depression. Is it possible that this breakthrough was the cause of Daisy’s death? Kate is convinced that Daisy was murdered, and now she needs to convince Tom Parker that they need to find the killer as soon as possible.

I liked this book because it dealt with the subject of suicide – I loved how Kate believed in her friend, refusing to accept that Daisy would take her own life. I also liked how the different herbs and teas were described. I’m sort of interested in herbal remedies and it was kinda cool reading a novel where herbs and remedies were discussed. Also, there were so many twists and turns in the book that you kept guessing until the very end. There were also some interesting and quirky secondary characters who took this story into several page-turning directions. This book was a pretty good suspense read.

So, what would you do if your friend’s cause of death was a suicide – yet you knew that the suicide was not the real cause of death? Would you confront the police to re-open the case?


***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up! :-)

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

Sunday Brunch! Behemoth!

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http://ceceliadowdy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/waffles.jpg

Could you imagine seeing a behemoth – a creature whose bones are like tubes of bronze?

When I read Job 40:15-24 (see the entire verse at the end of this post), I’m amazed…amazed just knowing that God created an animal so huge, vast, just thinking about it makes me fearful. When God mentioned the behemoth (and the leviathan) in the book of Job, He did so to explain His greatness to Job. Job realized that God was so vivid and vast that He could not possibly understand His greatness.

I wonder what it would’ve been like to actually see a behemoth? I’d imagine the behemoth and the leviathan existed during the dinosaur age? Wouldn’t it be weird if we could actually see these creatures today? What would it be like to be in a remote, uncharted woods and then you see this massive creature roaming around? I’d be scared, and then, I’d run as fast as I could, praying for the Lord to protect me!

When I read about these creatures, they seem unreal, almost mythical. Just seeing the descriptions of these animals makes me stop, think, and be reminded about God’s greatness. I think reading about these creatures makes me stop and imagine what they’re like, because they are creatures that we no longer see on this earth – at least I’ve never seen them!

I wonder what would happen if such a creature were found today? Could you imagine what it would be like to see it?

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up! :-)

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

 

Job 40: 15-24

15 “Look at Behemoth,
    which I made along with you
    and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
    what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
    the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
    its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
    yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
    and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
    hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
    the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
    it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
    or trap it and pierce its nose?

A Time To Laugh by Kelly Eileen Hake

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A Time To Laugh by Kelly Eileen Hake

If a man proposed to you, and did not mention the word LOVE in the proposal, what would you do? Would you accept his proposal?

Nessa and Isaac have known each other since they were children. Now that they are adults, both of their families automatically assume they’ll be getting married. Isaac proposes to Nessa, but, surprisingly, she turns down his proposal, refusing to tell him the reason. Isaac is stumped – after all, isn’t he supposed to marry Nessa?

Nessa loves Isaac, however, when he proposed, he did not mention his love for her. Why should she marry him if he’s only marrying her out of duty instead of love?

When Lawrence and Clementine, an urban brother and sister come to town, Nessa realizes she’ll have some competition for Isaac’s affection. Fashionable, petite, bothersome, Clementine sticks to Isaac like glue, and Lawrence finds himself smitten with Nessa.

I thought this was a light, enjoyable read, but the conflict was not very deep. I enjoyed reading about Yellowstone, and I enjoyed the wonderful characters, however, I felt that Isaac and Nessa could’ve worked out their differences earlier in the book if Nessa had simply told him why she didn’t accept his proposal.

I’d recommend this book as a light, sometimes funny, and gentle story with real, likeable (and sometimes unlikeable) characters!

So, if a man proposed to you, and did not mention the word LOVE in the proposal, what would you do? Would you accept the proposal?

***My e-book, Milk Money, is only 99 cents! Download it now before the price goes up! 🙂

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~Cecelia Dowdy~

Milk Money – only 99 cents – A Sweet Romance – ebook!

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My romance novel, Milk Money, is currently available for 99 cents – that’s less than the price of a cup of coffee!! Download it today! You can also loan this e-book to your friends, too! If you like it, please leave a review on Amazon! It’s available on Kindle, Nook, and possibly other e-readers! Don’t have a Kindle or a Nook? You can always download and use the free Kindle App on your Smart Phone or PC!

Have you already read Milk Money? You could always gift this book to your friend(s)! If you’ve read my novel and you enjoyed it, please leave a review on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Christianbook.com, or anyplace else that allows book reviews!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Sunday Brunch! – Job’s Faith!

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If you were Job, could you have kept your faith in God?

Job 2:9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Job suffered. The Lord allowed Satan to have free reign on Job, allowing him to cause Job’s distress, as long as he didn’t kill Job. Job suffered:

1. He lost all of his livestock. (oxen, donkeys, sheep, and camels)

2. Most of his servants were killed

3. All of his children were killed. (Seven sons and three daughters)

4. His entire body became afflicted with painful sores!

Job’s wife told him, “Curse God and die!”

Job’s close friends paid him a visit, spouting words about why Job was suffering. Their words did not make Job feel better about his plight, nor did their words really explain why Job was suffering. Job didn’t understand his great suffering, but, not once did he turn his back against God, although, he did wish to speak to God, to ask God why he was suffering so greatly. When God finally appeared, he reminded Job about His greatness, and Job seemed satisfied with his visit from God, understanding that he cannot question or understand God’s greatness.

I’m sure my faith would’ve been strong enough to withstand such monumental suffering! If you’d suffered like Job, and your wife told you to curse God and die, what would you have done? Could you continue to praise God amidst such tumultuous pain?

~Cecelia Dowdy~