Linda Evans Shepherd

Though this is called book number one in "The Potluck Catering Club" it apparently was a spin-off of another series by authors Linda Shepherd and Eva Everson. I feel as if I was at a disadvantage since this novel doesn't provide enough back story for a new reader to follow along with what has occurred between characters in this novel. A lot of the novel is just recapping what happened between characters in other novels and very little was actually about the catering club. I actually thought that it would be more about them getting together, planning parties, and the women in the club actually interacting together. Instead there was a mis-mash of story lines and very real interaction with the women of the catering club until the very end.

Another major issue is that due to the number of characters in this novel I did not get enough time to really become involved with anyone's story. The chapters quickly alternate between characters and I had to go back several times to the beginning of a chapter just to remind myself who was 'speaking'.

Third and the most important issue for me was that when I looked up the book description this was not put out there as a Christian fiction novel. I have no issue with Christian fiction but it really is not my taste and I found a lot of things not really delved into at all besides some characters remarking they should pray on it. Frankly if the women in the novel were as Christian as they talked I would assume that the authors would have more scenes of them interacting at church or at church functions. I think this novel was definitely trying to be chick lit with a hint of Christian mixed into it and it ended up just not working at all.

I will definitely not be following up with the next book in this series.… (mais)

If you are like me, you are always wanting to make your prayer life an important part of your daily life. It's not always easy to pray or to know how to pray but this book is an excellent resource on being a prayer warrior.

I like that the author brings a personal note to this book. She shares about her own prayers and when they were answered and when they weren't answered in the way she thought best. She addresses the fact that God will not always answer our prayers the way we want and how we can deal with this. She also brings many stories from the Bible to show how important prayer is and how Jesus implores us to pray.

The chapters cover different subjects of prayer such as praying for our families, our nation, for healing, for provision and more. I love the sample prayers as it gives you a spring board on which to start your prayers if you're unsure of how to start your prayers.

Over all, I really liked this book and felt like I came away from it with a great understanding of prayer and a deeper desire to pray in all things. I highly recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by Revell. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.… (mais)