I was literally blown away by this book! It was so enthralling that it kept me reading late into the night and early again the next morning. It is the story of a friendship between two women, one of whom has the hidden identity of being a convicted murderer who got a light sentence. Which woman is the killer? And what kind of woman is she really? Both Frances and Kate seem very normal on the surface.. Frances is suffering from being overweight and not being accepted while Kate is everrything Frances wants tos be. Frances has one son, Marcus who is also overweight and not accepted at his posh private school. Kate has two children, Daisy and Charles. Daisy is a teen with a lot of secrets who has no relationship with her family at all, so she seeks relationships outside of the home. Charles is in Marcus’s class at school and they befriend each other, leading to the friendship between Frances and Kate. I love how the author tells the story from the point of view of Frances and Daisy as well as some unknown entity known as DJ. His identity is not explained until close to the end of the book. The whole book was a thrill ride, as I constantly waited to find out who was the killer in hiding and what would happen to their friendships. But I must admit that the story that fascinated me the most was that of Daisy. Readers of psychological thrillers will definitely enjoy this twisted and mysterious novel from Robyn Harding which teaches all of us about appearances and friendships.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
Then, I began to meditate on what this Scripture means to me personally. God is working on my behalf. He has already started and He will make a way where there does not seem to even be a path. What He is doing and will do in my life is beyond my ability to comprehend, because He is God. I have tried to limit God and tell Him what I need Him to do and all along He has been trying to get my attention and tell me that what He is doing in me and for me is a totally new thing. So, now I am preparing my heart to receive this unexpected gift from the Lord. The God of all creation loves me enough to do something new in my life, something that I could never expect. I’m waiting for the Lord! How about you?
I’ve been thinking about power a lot lately, particularly since our electricity has been going off 3-5 times a week, for 2-6 hours at a time, and this is during a heat wave. Repeated calls to our electric provider have been less than helpful; they are trying to locate the problem and fix it. You know what? Jesus knew the problem when we aren’t “working” as we should. We need to know two things: the Scriptures and the power of God. To know the Scriptures, you have to spend time in God’s Word, reading, absorbing it, letting it speak to you personally. To know God’s power, you have to spend time with Him, allowing Him to speak to you and to empower you to do His will on the earth. So, although my house electricity may fail, I don’t ever want the power of God that lives in me to fail. I charge it daily, with time with Him and in His Word. If I’m not connected to Him, then I am not connected to the Source of Life, the Source of all power and whatever I try to do for Him will be in vain. Get connected today! Stay connected. Don’t flicker on and off like you have a power shortage or an electrical problem. I can assure you that if that is the way you are living your life, it is not God who has cut off the supply. You didn’t plug in. Blessings and prayers until next time.
This is my prayer for the United States of America, that we as a people will turn again to God, and He, in turn will make His face shine upon us. Then we will be saved and be blessed by the God who created us. Dr. James Dobson has a wonderful tribute to Independence Day. Here is the link:
Lest there be any confusion about my testimony, I want to unequivocally state that I am a sinner saved by grace. When I was living in a little apartment in southeast Virginia, on my own for the first time, God saw my heart and my need and sent a neighbor to tell me the Good News about Jesus. After reading the book of John through that night, I was convicted and saved of my sins. No one led me through a sinner’s prayer; I just prayed for forgiveness and felt clean for the first time in my life. Up until that time, I didn’t feel like I was a bad person. I had never robbed, killed or done any of the awful things that you hear on the news all the time. Nevertheless, I was and I am a sinner in need of God’s grace. As I look around at all that is happening in the world, especially in the United States, I know that there are many who need to have knowledge of the Lord in order to be saved.
This is the prayer for my nation, and perhaps it is the prayer for many for their nations. God is the God our salvation and He can forgive our sins if we repent and call on His Name. Therein lies the problem—the people need to repent but they don’t know that they need Jesus. Just as I was going about my daily life doing my regular things and feeling pretty good about my own accomplishments, I, too, was unaware of a need for Jesus. Then, one day, a neighbor told me that Jesus would forgive my sins and offer me eternal life, and more than that, a relationship with the Father in Heaven. From the moment of my eyes being opened to the salvation of the Lord, I was saved and I have not turned back from that road. But there are many on the wrong path and that discourages me. When I watch the news and see so many ungodly people doing ungodly things, I think to myself, “Lord, how did a Christian nation become so un-Christlike?” In my prayer this morning, God seemed to answer me with another scripture.
God reminded me that there are more on “our side” than what is on the side of evil. He spoke to my heart that we are surrounded by chariots of fire, by God’s Holy Army of Angels, just waiting for His command to act. Prayer changes things; it changes hearts. And the change starts with me. My attitude needs to be one of victory, of knowing that the Lord has this. I need to continue living my life in a way that people will want to have the same thing I have. I realized this morning during prayer that I have been living like we are already defeated and there is nothing that I could do. But we are an army of the Lord, facing new battles and challenges daily. We are called to continue following the Lord and fighting the good fight until He calls us home or He returns, whichever happens first. God hasn’t given up on our sinful nation and neither should we. Are you praying? God is even now sending an answer. Wait for it!
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 