Book Review

Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson is for women who have lost the intimacy in their marriage due to the baggage of their sexual history. I think this book can be very helpful to a lot of women; however, I don't believe that sexual history is the only reason women lose intimacy in marriage.

By the time most women come to marriage, they have had one or more previous romantic experience, sexual or not, and those bonds, hurts, experiences, perhaps sexual sins, etc., can have a cummulative effect on a woman's marriage and the intimacy of marriage. I admit that I've often told my husband I wish I would have met him before I was hurt multiple times -- I would have been less jaded, more giving, less protective, more hopeful, and, generally, a better wife. So I can certainly see how many women's romantic and sexual histories would have a negative effect on intimacy in their marriages.

Barbara Wilson gives step by step instructions for healing the wounds caused by sexual and romantic history and uses a lot of examples (many personal) demonstrating her points. Her book is easy to understand and engaging. I can certainly see how her book would heal a lot of marriages and would recommend it.

GIVE AWAY: I have two copies of Kiss Me Again by Barbara Wilson to give away. To enter the random drawing, e-mail your name and mailing address to seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be drawn Monday, September 21st. Good luck!

To buy the book, go to www.amazon.com or your favorite bookseller.

Summary:

Do you ever wonder why marriage can seem like the end of intimacy and sexual desire instead of the beginning?

Ever wonder why it was so hard to resist sex before marriage—and so easy to resist it now? If so, you’re not alone! Many married women genuinely want to feel more desire toward their husbands…and can’t figure out what went wrong. But there’s good news. In Kiss Me Again, Barbara Wilson shows how powerful “invisible bonds” from past relationships can cause heartache, disappointment, and distance for couples in the present. Then—with sensitivity, honesty, and hope—Barbara walks you step by step toward healing…and a rekindling of the closeness and passion with your husband that you really want.

You don’t have to live any longer with confusion, disappointment, resentment, or shame. You can rediscover desire. You can say Wow! again.

With assessment tools, write-in exercises, and gentle guidance, Kiss Me Again offers a biblical plan for rekindling the closeness and passion women long for in marriage. Because no past is beyond the reach of God’s healing touch.

In Kiss Me Again, Wilson:

· Shares her own story of healing and renewed desire

· Helps women forgive themselves and their husbands for past choices

· Shows readers how to break free from “invisible bonds”

· Explains God’s plan for helping a husband and wife to re-bond

· Includes conversation helps for both wives and their husbands

· Helps couples reignite the passion that they thought was lost

Author Bio:

Barbara Wilson is the author of The Invisible Bond and former director of sexual health education for the Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center in Sacramento. She speaks nationwide to youth and adults with her message of sexual healing, and she teaches frequently in the women’s ministry at the multi-campus Bayside Church in Northern California. Barbara and her husband, Eric, have been married for twenty-eight years.

Another Book Review and Give away

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! by Robin Jones Gunn is a sweet story of friendship and spiritual introspection.

The main character, Summer, finds out her mammogram was “abnormal” and she needs a biopsy. She decides to enter a “week of denial” and put off the biopsy in favor of a spur-of-the-moment trip to the Netherlands to meet her best friend and pen pal since elementary school, Noelle.

Summer and Noelle have a wonderful time building their friendship face to face for the first time as they explore the Netherlands. In the process, they both find themselves exploring their hearts regarding unresolved spiritual issues as Noelle sees things in Summer that Summer has not recognized in herself, and vice versa. Every woman needs a friend with whom she can bear her soul – and who can speak the truth to her in return; such a friendship is a restorative gift of God.

The women’s friendship is beautiful, as is the countryside of the Netherlands. Robin Jones Gunn does an amazing job of describing sights, sounds, culture and food of the Netherlands – you’ll feel as if you’ve gone there yourself!

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes! is a fabulous read for women everywhere! And I have one copy to give away. To enter the drawing, simply e-mail your name and mailing address to me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com. The winner will be announced on Thursday afternoon, June 11th.

You can purchase this book here:
https://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781601420091&ref=externallink_mlt_sisterchicksinwoodenshoes_sec_0423_01

Below is the summary from the publisher:

When a mammogram result comes back abnormal, midlife mama Summer Finley makes a snap decision to relegate fear to the back burner and fulfill a lifelong dream. Summer heads for Holland where she meets up with tulips, wooden shoes, and her best friend, Noelle.

Pen pals since fourth grade, Summer and Noelle have never met face-to-face. Through decades of heart-level correspondence, they have sustained a deep friendship. A week of adventure helps both women trade anxiety for a renewed and deeper trust in God. When Summer confides in Noelle about the abnormal medical report, Noelle finds the freedom to share a long-held heartache, and both women discover they needed each other more than they realized.

Women ages 35 and up, readers of Christian Boomer Lit, and fans of books such as The Yada Yada Prayer Group will enjoy Robin Jones Gunn’s humorous and uplifting style. True-to-life characters and moments of poignancy bring a deeper understanding of the value of life and the gift of true friends. Readers guide and bonus material included.

Outlaw Marshal Book Giveaway

This week's book review and giveaway features Al and JoAnna Lacy's book, Outlaw Marshal. This is a book where the Old West meets Gospel tent meeting. I have to admit, this book wasn't really my taste -- I'm not a fan of westerns and I also thought it was a little simplistic and heavy-handed with its "get saved" message. I think this is a matter of personal taste, rather than a defect in the novel. If you've read other books by this husband and wife author team or if you think you might enjoy a Christian based western, you can win one of TWO copies of this book right here. Just e-mail me at seewhykinsman@gmail.com and I'll draw the winners this Friday, February 20, 2009. Good luck! If you don't win, you can purchase Outlaw Marshal at www.amazon.com and other booksellers.

Below is a summary from the publishers and information regarding the authors.

Summary:

John “The Stranger” Brockman is back by popular demand!

A good deed grants outlaw Whipley Langford early release from prison and a friendship with Chief U.S. Marshal John Brockman. Another good deed gets Whip framed for murder and looking at life through a hangman’s noose. John arrives just in time to reveal the true murderers and lead Whip to Christ.

A new man and a fast draw, Whip becomes Brockman’s deputy. Life is still fast and dangerous, and there’s a pretty lady Whip would like to get to know better too. Before he admits his love, Whip is shot in a bank robbery. Survival looks slim until he awakens to hear his lady confess her love. Weeks later, they are married.

Readers who are familiar with the Journeys of the Stranger and Angel of Mercy series reunite with well-loved characters John and Breanna Brockman. Western history buffs will enjoy a wholesome, fast-paced story where the Gospel is presented clearly. Christian readers will learn how to lean on the Lord in times of trial and non-Christians will have the opportunity to make Christ their Savior.

About The Authors:
Al Lacy is an evangelist and author of more than one hundred historical and western novels, including the Journeys of the Stranger, Angel of Mercy, and Mail Order Bride series, with more than three million books in print. JoAnna Lacy, Al’s wife and longtime collaborator, is a retired nurse. The Lacys have been married over forty years and live in the Colorado Rockies.