Cup of Thoughts

"Crumbling walls were rare, beautiful things." Summary (from Goodreads) :  A thirteenth-century castle, Chateau de Doux Reves, has been forgotten for generations, left to ruin in a storybook forest nestled deep in France's picturesque Loire Valley. It survived a sacking in the French Revolution, was brought back to life and fashioned into a storybook chateau in the Gilded Age, and was eventually felled and deserted after a disastrous fire in the 1930s. As Ellie Carver sits by her grandmother's bedside, she hears stories of a castle . . . of lost love and a hidden chapel that played host to a secret fight in the World War II French resistance. But her grandmother is quickly slipping into the locked-down world of Alzheimer's, and Ellie must act fast if she wants to uncover the truth of her family's history. Sparked by the discovery of a long-forgotten family heirloom, Ellie embarks on a journey to French wine country to uncover the mystery surrounding The...

"Love beareth all things." Summary : Tortured by the memories of her past childhood, Morrow chooses a path that she would not have ever dreamt of going down before reuniting with someone possibly more dangerous than the Bluecoat Captains that have invaded her homeland. In the midst of war, loyalties go deeper than skin.  After losing her mother, little sister, and older brother, who was taken captive, Morrow's father sends her somewhere he believes is safer; Philadelphia. Maturing in the confines of the city, Morrow grieves her family and longs for home. Reluctantly, Morrow's aunt who has been keeping watch care over her while she stays and works for her in the sewing shop, allows her to return to the mountainous lands of Kentucke. Once she returns, she is affronted with the dark mysteries and haunting memories from her past. Will she ever let go of that tragic day when her family was torn apart? Can she ever be willing to forget?  Before she left for the...

“God doesn’t expect us to be perfect women or perfect missionaries. Rather, He wants us to learn to lean upon Him more, to let Him be our help during those stormy blasts.”  Summary (inserted from Goodreads) :  Priscilla White knows she'll never be a wife or mother and feels God's call to the mission field in India. Dr. Eli Ernest is back from Oregon Country only long enough to raise awareness of missions to the natives before heading out West once more. But then Priscilla and Eli both receive news from the mission board: No longer will they send unmarried men and women into the field. Left scrambling for options, the two realize the other might be the answer to their needs. Priscilla and Eli agree to a partnership, a marriage in name only that will allow them to follow God's leading into the mission field. But as they journey west, this decision will be tested by the hardships of the trip and by the unexpected turnings of their hearts. Thoughts: This book captivate...

"Endeavour to serve with such good will and attention to the interest of your employers, that they know they are blessed in having gotten such a good servant, one who serves, not with eye-service as a man-pleaser, but in simplicity of heart as a Christian." -Samuel and Sarah Adams, The Complete Servant Summary:  Margaret Macy, born the daughter of a respectful and honorable man, raised by a harrowing stepfather who only entered the family for his own personal gain. Margaret's deceasing aunt has a large fortune, which will be inherited when she turns of age on her next birthday. After overhearing her stepfather's plan to trap her into matrimony with his nephew in hopes of obtaining the money, she runs away. Fleeing alongside her maid, looking for a job elsewhere, she must resolve to do the same. Margaret disguises herself as Nora Garret, a maid at Fairbourne Hall. Eventually, life as a housemaid opens Miss Macy's way of the previous manner towards her own...

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Summary (from Goodreads) :  For years Sengali has lived alone on his lush jungle mountain—fearless, powerful, and independent—until a hunting party of lionesses invade his territory. Wanting to irritate them, Sengali saves the life of their prey only to find the grateful creature now expects him to protect it! But what seemed to be a routine rescue mission quickly becomes much more when a strange, terrifying Dream begins to haunt both animals. Together, predator and prey set out on a quest to discover what the Dream could mean—for them and for their world—and to unravel its mystery before time runs out. An unforgettable adventure of unlikely friendships, savage conflict, and tenacious faith, Sengali: A Cat’s Tale is a thrilling race for survival that grabs you by the throat and never ...

Summary: Young, spirited Cassidy lives in Token Creek in the mountains of Montana. Living with a different identity, she is known all over the small town as the little blonde seamstress who loves the Lord. Cassidy works with a lady named, Jeanette, who lost her husband several years before. Jeanette has taken the role of motherhood, even though she has never been able to bear children, she takes in her nephews as her own. Her sister, who previously moved to Montana with her husband owned a ranch. Jeanette's sister, Theta, suffered a severe abuse by her husband which caused her physical disabilities. Brad married a young girl named, Meg, who came to Token Creek to stay with some family members. The two are now expecting to become parents together. Trace Holden, the younger of the two cowboys has feelings for young Cassidy but is afraid someone else has her eye. He patiently waits to pursue her, as she tries to keep her past hidden. Unfortunately, someone shows up into town t...

Summary:  It's been a long time since Sabrina has ever been taken care for or truly loved by someone. Sabrina, stuck in a life that was practically forced on her, because of desolation and the dire need for income in the highly populated city of Denver, Colorado. A Christian couple come across Sabrina through a tragic accident, but involuntarily saving her life. Sabrina realizes that there is a way out of the night district, it takes her a while to see that Danny and Callie truly mean there's hope and redemption through Jesus Christ, God's only Son.  However, her previous life causes difficulty being a new creature. Running across men that knew her before, asking to see her and meet with her again. Danny and Callie send her off somewhere that she can have a new life where nobody needs to know her past.  Sabrina arrives in T-Creek surprising everyone with her bravery and independence. After Cassidy sells her shop to Jeanette, she stays close to her home on ...

What if you do discover the truth, and the truth shatters your life? What will you do then? Summary:  Set in the early first century, in a time when History met its ultimate climax, the lives of two people intersect each other in a search for the same answer.  Alban, a Gaul-born, Roman soldier desires to be acknowledged as one. Because of his homeland and rebellious ancestry, the leaders of Rome are unsure whether or not to put their trust in him. Trying to find ways to be accepted by this new thriving conquest, he seeks a bride of one who has full citizenship.  Pontius Pilate's niece, Leah, has a backstory complete in tragedy. After losing her home and family, she comes to live and serve at the mercy of her uncle and aunt. Painted by the life of Roman finery, her life did not prepare her to serve as a slave. Her uncle and aunt find a reasonable match for her to escape the life of a bondservant. Even though that's the worst destiny Leah could...

"I am free. I am ransomed. I've never felt this way before, like a slave set free who was born a slave and never knew what freedom was like.” Summary:  Running for her life, Sally Beth Roe has just escaped from murderous hands that are trying to cover up their loose ends in a case involving the destruction of a local Christian Elementary school in Bacon's Corner. The case led by a classified Satanist cult that enraptures souls into believing that a one-world peace is achievable and that you are your own god. There is no reason to feel right or wrong, all is pleasing and pleasurable in this life until their true cover is exposed.  One of their highest esteemed members causes things to stir up in the small town, which causes Sally's life to not be the only one threatened. Young Tom Harris, a faithful member of the local Baptist congregation and a teacher in the Christian school, has his kids stripped away from him for something he has done in the...

"This moment was like no other. For now, the sun was setting on his father's reign as King, and tomorrow, it would rise as his." Summary: Prince Addison has grown up to be all his father and many siblings knew he could become, a just and honorable future king. His coronation is coming up rapidly,  along with the many decisions and life-long  relationships that form within this momentous advent. The pressure of ruling keeps Addison up at night. The weight of this h eavy-some burden of an entire country in Europe will test the Prince to the max.  Being the second eldest to the throne, Bridget is the social and fashion model in society,  she  also has a tremendous influence on her younger siblings. After trusting her heart in the wrong hands, she secludes the remaining, broken pieces so that she will never have to relive the potential of heartbreak again. Her friends overhear rumors about the rebellion growing and threatening the monarch, whic...

This Present Darkness, Frank E. Peretti "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." ( Ephesians 6:12 ) Summary:  Following the lives of several citizens of a small town near New York, Ashton has been invaded by a dark force that is headed for an imperceptible doom. Marshall Hogan, a former editor of the New York Times has traded his big-city career for a small town newspaper in hopes of rebuilding his broken family. Trying to make things right in his own home, Marshall ends up getting bound in the hidden betrayals of Ashton. After an annual festival, his reporter, Bernice accidentally stumbles upon a classified and illegal meeting with some of the most powerful people in the town. One, being the highly praised preacher of the majority in the city, Reverend Young. Another, a professor in Ashton's college...