Mother of Pearl by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Oh my goodness! What a book this is! Mother of Pearl is the debut novel from Kellie Coates Gilbert and it was crazy good. Brought me to tears time and again. The story of a mother who never gives up when it comes to finding the truth about the death of her teenage daughter. The only parts I didn't enjoy while reading this were the parts of the actual football games that the characters went to. As a self proclaimed sports hater, I skipped those parts completely and focused on the parts of the story that I was interested in.
I couldn't help it.
I just don't like sports.
But I loved the rest of this book. It interested me to observe the grieving process and how the friends and family around her thought she should be "better by now." I'm not sure the death of a child is something that a mother could ever find herself to be okay with. I appreciated the character of Barrie (even though I spent the whole book wondering how to pronounce her name) and how she just kept on going even when people turned against her.

It was eerily similar to a Lifetime movie that I watched last night! I'm looking forward for more from this author.

From the back cover:
Barrie Graeber has two great kids, a loving husband, and a respected job as the high school counselor in her tight knit community. Without warning, everything unravels when her teenage daughter, Pearl, is betrayed and lashes out.
Nothing prepares this m other for the helplessness that follows when her attempts to steer her daughter back on course fail, and Pearl shuts her out...or when Barrie discovers the unthinkable about her nemesis, the football coach.
Emotionally riveting and profoundly moving, Mother of Pearl brings us into the heart of a mother bound by an incredible burden, who ultimately finds she must recognize her own vulnerability and learn to trust in something bigger.

This book was provided for review by Glass Road Public Relations

Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for teens

The Rock Solid Faith Study Bible for teens is an invaluable tool for the young people in your life. It's written in the NIV and is easy to understand. At the beginning of each book there is an outline that gives the reader a glimpse of what to expect from the book. Scattered throughout the pages are little devotionals for inspirational reading.
The study guide in the back is broken down into several sections to make Bible study easier for your teen. There's even a section entitled, "What do I  read today?" and it has boxes for each book and chapter of the Bible so the reader can remember what they've read and keep tract of where they are. Never lose your place again! Brilliant idea!
There's also an index for Biblical truths, one for promises, one for plans, and several others before the concordance and full color maps section.

This would make a nice gift for your favorite teen.

This is new from Zondervan and was provided for review by The B&B Media Group

Jody Hedlund's UNENDING DEVOTION

New from Jody Hedlund and Bethany House is Unending Devotion. This book will grab your heart and plunge it to places that will cause you to ache for others. It isn't often that a work of fiction addresses subjects such as this one does. 

Lily Young is a photographer's assistant in the late 1800s. She travels with other intentions in mind though. She's looking for her younger sister who ran away from her adoptive parents in search of a better life. Lily is afraid that she's now working in a brothel.

Lily's searching has led her to begin a rescue mission. She finds girls who want to get out and risks her own life to save them from the life that they're now enslaved to.

This book made me think of the all too real problem that plagues us, not only in third world countries, but also here at home in the States. I'm glad the author tackled this subject (and she did it well, mixing in some fact with her fiction as she explains in the end of the book). 

Jody Hedlund is a treasure to be found. Bethany House is blessed to have her and you need to seek out her works. She writes with a depth that is lacking in many other books.

This book was provided for review by Litfuse.

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