JustRead Tours: Handmade Hearts by June McCrary Jacobs, Blog Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway

Welcome to the Blog Blitz & Giveaway for Handmade Hearts by June McCrary Jacobs, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Handmade Hearts  
Author: June McCrary Jacobs  
Publisher: JMJ Story Stitcher Books  
Release Date: December 18, 2018  
Genre: Historical Romance 

'Handmade Hearts' is an historical romance short story set in New Orleans during World War II and was inspired by a true story.

Toward the end of his life, the author asked her Uncle 'Allen' how he met his wife. He shared about how he met 'Irene' at a church social in their neighborhood in New Orleans in the early 1940s. He had been seriously wounded in Guadalcanal in the South Pacific as a young Marine and was using crutches to get around as best he could.

He had many inner wounds which needed time to heal, too. He had no way of knowing when they first met that Irene had suffered her own wartime tragedy. She bravely sought to keep her grief locked away deep inside because thinking about her loss caused her even more sorrow. She needed to be strong because she was the breadwinner for her small family.

Times were tough, but these two unique individuals made it through each day with inner fortitude, determination, and the sincere hope of something greater just over the horizon.

This inspirational short story follows the growth of Allen and Irene's relationship beginning with their chance meeting and leading forward to a lifetime spent together. 'Handmade Hearts' was created to honor this unique couple's love for and devotion to each other in a relationship which spanned seven decades.  

Excerpt

As she walked the short distance to her home, Irene realized this soldier had a broken heart in need of healing. Although Allen did not know it, he and Irene were kindred spirits in that respect. Warm memories of the evening spent with Allen Bradford filled her mind and caused her to smile to herself all the way home.

The week marched on as usual for Irene. She helped her mother and sister with housekeeping chores around their small bungalow. She worked eight hours each weekday, including four hours on Saturday at the local savings and loan association. As secretary to the institution's president, Irene performed myriad professional responsibilities, including scheduling her bachelor boss's social calendar and coordinating other personal details for him such as his dry cleaning and grocery deliveries.

Irene felt fortunate to have secured a stable job so that she could assist her mother with the monthly house note and light bill. Along with her younger sister Frances, Irene had lived at home and contributed to household expenses since their father passed away almost two years earlier. The war years had not been easy on any American family, but losing their father to pneumonia at age fifty was a tragedy none of the Carstons anticipated.

For a while, the three women drifted aimlessly through life until Irene was hired for the bank job. The job was a blessing for them all. Her salary and working hours were regular and provided the family with some financial stability during uncertain times.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

June McCrary Jacobs was the winner of Cedar Fort Publishing's 2013 Holiday Tale Contest for her debut novella, 'A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom'. 'Robin's Reward', her first full-length novel, was set in her favorite location in California—the Mendocino coastal region. This book is the first installment of the 'Bonita Creek Trilogy'.

June's debut middle-grade novel, 'RES-Q Tyler Stop', an historical novel set in Sonoma County, California, in 1968, will be released in the spring of 2019. The second installment of the 'Bonita Creek Trilogy', 'Penny's Promise', will be released in late 2019 or early 2020.

June's original sewing, quilting, and stitchery designs have been published in over one hundred books, magazines, and on sewing industry blogs in the past decade. When she's not writing, reading, blogging, or sewing, June enjoys cooking, walking, visiting art and history museums, and touring historic homes and gardens.

CONNECT WITH JUNE: Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Goodreads Blog | Amazon

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will win an ebook copy of Handmade Hearts + $15 Amazon Gift Code 

(2) additional winners will each receive an ebook copy of Handmade Hearts

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 15, 2019 and last through 11:59 pm January 22, 2019. Open internationally except where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Tours: Handmade Hearts by June McCrary Jacobs, Blog Blitz, Excerpt and Giveaway

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Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: Texas My Texas by Caryl McAdoo

About the Book

Title: Texas my Texas  
Author: Caryl McAdoo  
Genre: Christian Historical Romance  
Release date: February 11, 2019

He who puts his trust in God will possess the land and inherit the blessings. Scripture tells a husband to love his wife, but what if she loves the memory of a dead man? Lured to the Texas frontier by more free land than they could ever buy, four families struggle to carve a home and a living out of the wilderness. And though love isn’t always easy coming, like bees to sweet flowers, a neighbor and his partner swoop in hoping to steal the hearts of the clan’s two young beauties. Will their infants spoil the ointment? Wild animals, Indians on the warpath, and living hand-to-mouth never make it easy, but my oh my—Texas my Texas! What a land!

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory which is what she lives to do. Her award-winning, best-selling novels enjoy a lion’s share of 5-Star ratings from Christian readers around the world. With thirty-eight titles, it’s obvious she loves writing almost as much as singing the new songs the Lord gives her—listen to a few at YouTube. She and high school sweetheart Ron celebrated fifty years of marriage in June 2018; they share four children and eighteen grandsugars. The McAdoos live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas, waiting expectantly for God to open the next door.

Guest Post from Caryl

It’s always good to give thanks. And I’m thankful for you! I appreciate you stopping by my awesome Celebrate Lit Blog Tour! I’m thankful for each of the bloggers who signed up to participate in the tour for my January release Texas My Texas, book two in my new Cross Timbers Romance Family Saga series! And I’m so thankful the Lord is blessing Celebrate Lit as Sandy Barela blesses so many Christian authors! She is deserving of all God’s best! In Book One, Gone to Texas, I got seventeen souls to their new home in the Republic. Texas My Texas has all the same pioneers with a few new added as they establish hearth and home in the wooly, untamed Trinity River Bottoms of North Central Texas—which later in history, becomes the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. They’re settling in what now is Irving—my home for fifty-plus years. Only a few months has passed for my characters, Book One ends in November, Book Two picks up in March, 1841. In real life, it’s been just that long since Book One launched, too! It debuted in September and Book Two launching now is also four months! Isn’t that fun? Originally, I’d planned a different January title but pushed it back a couple of months to release Texas My Texas on the heels of Gone to Texas. In this new story, the two young women—Gabrielle and Isabel Harrell—elicit the attention of suiters who come calling even in the wild west territory. Thomas Baldwin (a neighbor introduced in Gone To Texas) has an eye for Gabrielle and uses many excuses to visit, including taking his friend Monroe Humble to the clan’s little settlement to meet the lovey, hardworking Isabel. But Gabrielle is pining hard for her love back home and deals with pretty severe melancholy—what they called depression back in those days. In Texas My Texas, readers will spend time with the characters they came to love in Gone To Texas. As always, I pray my story gives God glory! And that readers will enjoy the new even better than the old! BLESSINGS!


My Thoughts and Review:
Texas My Texas is book 2 of the Cross Timbers Romances Family Saga series. I have not read the first book, Gone To Texas, YET.

Texas My Texas is a Historical Fiction book, which is a genre I really like. The story line is very engaging, I almost forgot to cook dinner the day I began reading it. 😄😄  The book is about building community and settling down in a new area with several families. It also has romance and budding relationships. Caryl McAdoo has a GREAT writing style and really brings the reader to the time of history when the story takes place, which of this story is 1841.

I felt that even being the second book in the series, I was able to grab onto the story and follow along very easily. GREAT Stand Alone book. Caryl McAdoo is a "new to me author", but I am now VERY interested in reading other books by Caryl.

If you like Romance and Historical books, this is a GREAT book for you!

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 12

The Mimosa Blossom, January 12

Inklings and notions, January 13

Jennifer Sienes: Where Crisis & Christ Collide, January 14

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, January 15

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 15

Moments, January 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 16

Captive Dreams Window, January 17

Robin is Bookish, January 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 18

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 19

Bigreadersite, January 19

My Devotional Thoughts, January 20

Bibliophile Reviews, January 20

Texas Book-aholic, January 21

Janices book reviews, January 22

Margaret Kazmierczak, January 23

Carpe Diem, January 24

A Baker’s Perspective, January 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Caryl is giving away

Grand Prize – $50 Gift Amazon Card,

1st Prize – Signed, Paperback copy of CHOICE of all my books,

2nd Prize – Signed copy of Texas my Texas,

3rd Prize – eBook copy of Texas My Texas,

4th Prize – eBook copy of CHOICE of all my books,

5th Prize $5 Amazon Gift Card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d941/texas-my-texas-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: Texas My Texas by Caryl McAdoo

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Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Dan Willis

About the Book

Title: 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom  
Author: Dan Willis  
Genre: Finances/Christian living  
Release date: January 8, 2019  
Publisher: Whitaker House

As a young and naïve pastor, Dan Willis maxed out twenty-three credit cards and ruined his credit to support his ministry. It wasn’t until massive debt caused the cards to stop working that he realized that God never asked him to do this. Through his candor and honesty, Dan reveals the five steps God showed him to get out of debt: stop spending, create a budget, develop a debt payoff plan, begin saving, and repair bad credit. This led him to becoming a thriving and financially-free ministry. Now, Dan is on a mission to teach this to the world. Using biblical principles, but not relying on miracles or “name-it-and-claim-it” theology, Dan provides easy-to-follow, practical steps that can be used by anyone to escape financial bondage. Finally, he encourages readers to use their financial freedom to help others and advance God’s kingdom, and to use their newfound fiscal wisdom to store up wealth. Without shaming those who struggle financially, 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom is the perfect combination of spiritual wisdom and practical advice for those who desperately need it.

Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author

As a young boy, Dan Willis’s dreams involved entering the medical field until that fateful day when, at age sixteen, he was called to “temporarily” take over the pastor position of a local church. More than thirty years later, Dan is still there, serving as the senior pastor of The Lighthouse Church of All Nations in Alsip, Illinois. He took the small ministry of sixteen people and nurtured it into a thriving multicultural body of more than 1,500 people. Dan’s previous books with Whitaker House were Freedom to Forget: Releasing the Pain from the Past, Embracing Hope for the Future and Praise Is My Weapon.

Guest Post from Dan

Not 23 Ways to Money Greatness or 67 Options to Financial Well Being. Just Five Simple Steps to Financial Freedom. Why complicate this? Wipe out debt and create wealth.

My Thoughts and Review:
We live in a society that everyone wants to "Keep up with the Joneses". This type of thinking and "lifestyle" gets very costly. Many rack up debt by applying for Credit Card after Credit card, including the store cards. Dan Willis was one of those who had 23 credit cards, all maxed out. Once he came to the realization that this was too much debt, he took steps to get himself out of debt. He felt God leading him to get out of debt so that he can better minister his church and congregation.

The 5 Steps that Dan Willis took and felt led by God are: 
1. Stop the Spending
2. Budgeting is Cool
3. The Payoff Plan
4. How to Save
5. Repairers of the Breach

The book is short and it gets to the point fast and easy. Dan Willis tells it like it is with the Steps to get out debt. He believes Faith and Finances go together and you have to have faith to get your finances in order. He believes once your finances are in order, you will see an increase and be able to bless others.

I really thought Dan Willis has put together a simple, yet very excellent, book that will be a GREAT tool to many who are looking to become Debt Free! GREAT BOOK!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, January 8

Real World Bible Study, January 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 10

Just the Write Escape, January 11

Robin is Bookish, January 11

Books, Books, and More Books, January 12

A Baker’s Perspective, January 13

Janices book reviews, January 13

Remembrancy, January 14

Texas Book-aholic, January 15

Bigreadersite, January 15

Aryn The Libraryan, January 16

Margaret Kazmierczak, January 16

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 17

Jennifer Sienes: Where Crisis and Christ Collide, January 18

Mary Hake, January 18

A Reader’s Brain, January 19

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 20

Captive Dreams Window, January 20

Carpe Diem, January 21

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Dan is giving away a $20 Starbucks gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d8d4/5-simple-steps-to-finical-freedom-celebration-tour-giveaway

Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: 5 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom by Dan Willis

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JustRead Tours: A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing by Ruth Logan Herne, Blog Blitz and Giveaway

Welcome to the blog blitz & giveaway for A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing by Ruth Logan Herne, hosted by JustRead Tours.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing  
Series: Shepherd's Crossing #2  
Author: Ruth Logan Herne  
Publisher: Love Inspired
Release Date: January 1, 2019  
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cowboy bachelor Jace Middleton was ready to leave Shepherd’s Crossing for good – until he learns his family’s unspoken secrets.

Now Jace finds himself not only caring for his twin baby nieces, but working with beautiful, strong-willed designer Melonie Fitzgerald to renovate his grandmother’s run-down estate.

Love wasn’t part of the plan… but Jace soon finds himself wishing Melonie could become part of his unexpected family.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | CBD

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Best-selling, multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne is the author of nearly fifty novels and novellas through traditional publishers and her own independent works. She loves God, her family, country, coffee, chocolate and dogs, and wishes possums would leave the cat food on the side porch alone. And yet… they don’t. With over a million books in print, Ruthy is living her dream of touching hearts and souls by writing the kind of books she likes to read. She lives on a pumpkin farm in Western New York where they grow all kinds of cool things for fall from sumptuous squashes and veggies to gorgeous stacking pumpkins. Ruthy’s farm is quickly becoming the place to be every September and October!  

CONNECT WITH RUTHY: website | Facebook | Twitter

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 TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive (US only):

• all 3 Shepherd's Crossing books (Her Cowboy Reunion, A Cowboy Christmas, A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing)
• bookmarks
• a Seekerville notepad
• a bag of chocolate

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight January 4, 2019 and last through 11:59pm January 11, 2019. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Tours: A Cowboy in Shepherd's Crossing by Ruth Logan Herne, Blog Blitz and Giveaway

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Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: This Homeward Journey by Misty M. Beller

About the Book

Title: This Homeward Journey  
Author: Misty M. Beller  
Genre: Christian historical romance  
Release date: January 1, 2019

After her husband’s death, Rachel Gray is finally free from the turmoil his addictions caused. She wants nothing more than a new life with her twelve-year-old son. If she can reach her brother in the wilderness of the Canadian territories, they’ll have help to start over in peace. She knows better than to put her life in the hands of another man, but she never expected the Montana mountains to be so treacherous. When two brothers invite her to join their small group traveling to the same area, she refuses. After she and her son narrowly escape a bear attack, she’s forced to admit they need the safety of numbers in this untamed land. If the men prove dangerous, she can always leave with her son and strike out alone again. Seth Grant has made some bad choices in his life, but God healed him from the addiction that mired him in his sins. Now, he’s determined to live the life God called him to, starting with a journey northward to see the Canadian mountain both his brother and sister have fallen in love with. When he discovers the woman and boy who plan to travel the same mountain trail, he can’t fathom why she refuses to join in the safety of their larger group. Though her decision seems unwise, he has no other choice but to pray God provides her protection. Despite Rachel’s best efforts, she can’t seem to fight her attraction to the Seth—until a secret from his past proves he’s not at all the man she thought. When a new peril threatens her son’s life, she must choose between trusting in what she can control, or the man who her heart says is trustworthy, no matter his previous sins. The path she chooses just may determine whether she can step into the new life God has in store for them all.

Click here to purchase your copy.

My Thoughts and Review:
Misty M. Beller is a "new to me author", and has fast become a new favorite.

"This Homeward Journey" is book five in the Heart of the Mountains series. I began reading it and was immediately drawn into the book, even though I have not read the first 4 books(although I am very interested now). The book reads very well as a stand alone!

I really enjoyed how the story brings 2 strangers together and they begin a romance. The story flows really well and the characters are wonderful together. The storyline is very engaging, once you start reading you can't put the book down. I am a fan of Cowboy and Mountaineer genre and Misty M. Beller has made me a fan of her books. Her writing style is excellent and brings the reader to a place that they feel they are a part of the story.

GREAT book! Very enjoyable and I am looking forward to reading more in this series and of others series written by Misty M. Beller. 

About the Author

Misty M. Beller writes romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love. She was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep. Growing up, her family was close, and they continue to keep that priority today. Her husband and daughters now add another dimension to her life, keeping her both grounded and crazy. God has placed a desire in Misty’s heart to combine her love for Christian fiction and the simpler ranch life, writing historical novels that display God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Guest Post from Misty

Why Christian Historical Romance? I don’t know about you, but my life can get crazy…busy…chaotic. Historical fiction gives me a haven, allowing me to immerse in a simpler time and place. Add in remote mountain settings—log cabins and horses and snow…what could be better? Sometimes I wish God had let me live a couple centuries ago, but then I remind myself He knew exactly what He was doing. I don’t do well without a shower every day. And He even lets me go back to that simpler time through stories! If you’re reading this, you probably enjoy immersing yourself in a good book, too. Story can be such a powerful thing! Becoming an intimate part of the characters’ lives, feeling their struggles—the desperation, the elation, the emotions, the love. I enjoy reading and writing Christian fiction because it provides a place where I don’t always have to be concerned about inappropriate language or too-graphic love scenes. It’s a “safe zone” where my imagination can escape, living out exciting times and experiencing God-orchestrated happily-ever-afters—without having to clean-up at the end of the day. Can you relate? I’m excited to share my latest Christian Historical Romance story with you, and hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it!

Blog Stops

The Power of Words, December 29

Through the Fire Blogs, December 29

Carpe Diem, December 30

Splashes of Joy, December 30

A Baker’s Perspective, December 31

Mary Hake, December 31

Pause for Tales, January 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 1

Simple Harvest Reads, January 2 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)

Connie’s History Classroom, January 2

Among the Reads, January 3

For The Love of Books, January 3

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 4

Jeanette’s Thoughts, January 4

Connect in Fiction, January 5

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 5

Christian Author, J.E. Grace. January 6

Bibliophile Reviews, January 6

D’S QUILTS & BOOKS, January 7

Inspiration Clothesline, January 7

Creating Romance, January 8

Texas Book-aholic, January 8

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 9

Janices book reviews, January 9

Wishful Endings, January 10

Cafinated Reads, January 10

Bigreadersite, January 11

Blossoms and Blessings, January 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/d9bc/this-homeward-journey-celebration-tour-giveaway 

Celebrate Lit Blog Stop: This Homeward Journey by Misty M. Beller

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New Growth Press: Prepare Him Room Family Devotional and A Better December Reviews

Advent Season is over, but we are currently in the 12 Days of Christmas. Here are a couple of books that you might want to purchase now during the "After Christmas Day Shopping Season" to put away for next Advent Season. 

About the Book: 

Guide kids and their families into the heart of Christmas with this gospel-focused, four-week Advent curriculum. 

Prepare Him Room by children’s best-selling author Marty Machowski takes a biblical, theological approach to the Old Testament promises and New Testament fulfillment in Christ in a way kids can understand.

With age-appropriate instruction and activities for three different learning levels—preschool, lower elementary, and upper elementary—Prepare Him Room builds gospel hope and enduring theological depth into each child’s celebration of Christmas.

Prepare Him Room is a tool for families hoping to focus on Jesus during the Christmas season. Parents, teachers, and caregivers will find a whole Christmas story—from the prophecies concerning Jesus to his birth, death, and resurrection; culminating in the return of Jesus.

Readers will have the resources necessary to counter the commercialism, materialism, and sentimentalism our culture celebrates each Christmas.

Four weekly lessons feature a New Testament Bible story, a look at Old Testament promises, an object lesson, a craft, a coloring page, and a Christmas carol to sing together. 

Prepare Him Room will change the way kids and families at your church celebrate Christmas. The corresponding curriculum Prepare Him Room is sold separately. Challenge your family to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

My Thoughts and Review: 

Every year I always see my friends looking for an Advent book to use with their family. A few are out there, but none like this. Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski is a COMPLETE Advent Study Book. The book is very hands on with activities to do, songs to sing, verses to read and remember, and Bible reading time. I really appreciate that the activities are geared toward all ages. 

One of my favorite activities in the book is the very first one, making an Advent Wreath. The Advent Wreath is an important part of Advent and to have one that is made by your own family is special! 

If you are looking for a GREAT Family Advent Devotional, I HIGHLY recommend Prepare Him Room. 

Where to Buy: New Growth Press  Amazon

About the Book:

Know someone frazzled, sad, or lonely this Christmas? A Better December by Steve Estes applies Solomon’s Proverbs to holiday stresses. Playful and tiny, this illustrated work would be a good gift for your unbelieving friends as it gently introduces Jesus during a month when they are more receptive.  

Combining true, heart-warming stories with pen-and-ink illustrations, the book uncovers and answers our December longings. Beginning with bite-sized chapters of Solomon's advice to frazzled, lonely people at Christmas, Steven Estes presents the ancient sage as penning his blockbuster Proverbs to help future readers through holiday stress and even sadness. Meant to be shared with all who long for a better December, it points the way to true comfort and a true home.

My Thoughts and Review: 

December is a month that I have come to loathe. We are supposed to be celebrating the Advent season, but for many, like myself, it just brings added stress and loneliness. For some it also brings anxiety and/or depression. For me, I get major anxiety during December because I want everything to be PERFECT for my boys and to be able to get them what they want. Sometimes it isn't possible to get them everything they want and I fear they are going to "hate" me. For some people, it is they are missing a loved one or are lonely during the Holidays. 

A Better December is an EXCELLENT book for anyone who experiences the fear of December. Steven Estes, the author, gives examples of why some experience the fear of December. He then uses Proverbs to give encouragement on how to put aside the specific fears and be able to enjoy the Advent Season and the month of December. 

I can honestly say I truly wish I had this book a few years ago and been able to enjoy more holiday seasons with my boys and family! 

I HIGHLY recommend this book for those who fear December and are looking for encouragement to be able to enjoy the Advent Seasons going forward! 

Where to Buy: New Growth Press    Amazon

New Growth Press: Prepare Him Room Family Devotional and A Better December Reviews

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