Unexpected Beauty


Book Description

From the moment Liam Sullivan locked eyes with Samantha Brennan he knew that he wanted her. He knew that he would have her – after all, he has yet to meet a woman who could resist his boyish charm, his good looks, his cocky attitude, or his money. After their first conversation he knew he was in trouble and things were about to change. He didn’t want her for just a night. He wanted her to be his. He knew that she was the one. He just had to convince her and make her see that she was it. She was his always. He needed to make her understand and accept that he was her forever. Samantha Brennan didn’t want baby-blues, tattoos, dimples, muscles, and a cocky attitude in her life. She had something like that once before and she was left shattered, broken, and alone. She picked up the pieces and moved on, and she was more than happy with her life as it was. It was her definition of perfect. She didn’t need or want Liam. She wanted to be left alone, but he just wouldn’t give up. The more she wanted him to go away, the more layers she discovered. The more she wanted to distance herself, the more intriguing he became. The more she wanted to be his friend, the more attractive and determined he was. The more she wanted something more with him, the more he challenged her to take a chance. When she finally accepts what’s happening between them the unexpected happens … and changes everything. What happens when her past comes crashing into the present, or when the present attacks and damages the future? Will his love for her be enough? Will love even matter? Or will everything that matters be destroyed?




The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected


Book Description

Marcelo Gleiser has had a passion for science and fishing since he was a boy growing up on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Now a world-famous theoretical physicist with hundreds of scientific articles and several books of popular science to his credit, he felt it was time to connect with nature in less theoretical ways. After seeing a fly-fishing class on the Dartmouth College green, he decided to learn to fly-fish, a hobby, he says, that teaches humility. In The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected, Gleiser travels the world to scientific conferences, fishing wherever he goes. At each stop, he ponders how in the myriad ways physics informs the act of fishing; how, in its turn, fishing serves as a lens into nature's inner workings; and how science engages with questions of meaning and spirituality, inspiring a sense of mystery and awe of the not yet known. Personal and engaging, The Simple Beauty of the Unexpected is a scientist's tribute to nature, an affirmation of humanity's deep connection with and debt to Earth, and an exploration of the meaning of existence, from atom to trout to cosmos.




Bloom


Book Description

“In her tender and genuinely beautiful memoir, Kelle Hampton encourages us to not simply accept the unexpected circumstances of our lives, but to embrace them like the things we wished for all along.” —Matthew Logelin, New York Times bestselling author of Two Kisses for Maddy Bloom is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir that celebrates the beauty found in the unexpected, the strength of a mother’s love, and, ultimately, the amazing power of perspective. The author of the popular blog Enjoying the Small Things—named The Bump’s Best Special Needs Blog and The Blog You’ve Learned the Most From in the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards—Kelle Hampton interweaves lyrical prose and stunning four-color photography as she recounts the unforgettable story of the first year in the life of her daughter Nella, who has Down syndrome. Poignant, eye-opening, and heart-soaring, Hampton’s Bloom is ultimately about embracing life and really living it.




Searching for Spring


Book Description

The Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in their time, but when we look around today we see a broken and marred world. Our reality is so often the "not beautiful" that it's hard to trust that God can make our mess into something good. So how do we live with hope for a future redemption of all things? In Searching for Spring, Christine Hoover takes readers on a treasure hunt for beauty in both familiar and unexpected places. Framed by the changing seasons, this journey will heighten readers' senses and awaken their affections for the creator of it all. For all who are in the midst of suffering, who find their faith withering, who are questioning whether God is at work--or even present--as they wait for something in their lives to become beautiful, this book will be a welcome reminder that God never stops his redemptive work and that there is a time for everything under heaven.




Unexpected Blessings


Book Description

Unexpected Blessings helps special-needs families move past the pain and confusion of their circumstances and slowly, firmly face the future with hope. Speaking honestly about struggles that accompany a variety of disabilities, Sandra Peoples shows readers how to · let go of false beliefs that hold them back · work through the cycles of grief · focus on self-care and healthy routines · understand disability based on what the Bible says · rebuild a strong faith foundation · create support systems for themselves and others Filled with real-life stories and hard-earned wisdom, this book shines a light on the possibilities and blessings that come when parents see their new purpose in life--which was God's purpose for them all along.




Wildflowers from Winter


Book Description

Like the winter, grief has a season. Life returns with the spring. A young architect at a prestigious Chicago firm, Bethany Quinn has built the life she dreamed of during her teen years in a trailer park. An unexpected interruption from her estranged mother reveals that tragedy has struck in her hometown and a reluctant Bethany is called back to rural Iowa. Determined to pay her respects to her past while avoiding any emotional entanglements, she vows not to stay long. But the unexpected inheritance of five hundred acres of farmland and a startling turn of events in Chicago forces Bethany to come up with a new plan. Handsome farmhand Evan Price has taken care of the Quinn farm for years. When Bethany is left the land, Evan must fight her decisions to realize his dreams. But even as he disagrees with Bethany’s vision, Evan feels drawn to her and the pain she keeps so carefully locked away. For Bethany, making peace with her past and the God of her childhood doesn’t seem like the path to freedom. Is letting go the only way to new life, love and a peace that she’s not even sure exists?




Unexpected Gifts


Book Description

In this heartfelt and thoughtful book, Christopher Heuertz writes of the dangers of isolation, the challenges we face when we join together and the struggles and joys that emerge from genuine community bonding. “Ironically, as much as we yearn for deep friendships and meaningful communities, many of us seem to be unable to find our way into them. Even if we know we’re made for community, finding one and staying there seems almost impossible. Though we hate to admit it, if we stay long enough in any relationship or set of friendships, we will experience failure, doubt, burnout, loneliness, transitions, a loss of self, betrayal, frustration, a sense of entitlement, grief, and weariness. Yet it’s these painful community experiences, these tensions we struggle to navigate, that hold surprising gifts.” —FROM THE PREFACE IN A STRIKINGLY confessional tone and vividly illustrated through story, Unexpected Gifts names eleven inevitable challenges that all friendships, relationships, and communities experience if they stay together long enough. Rather than allowing these challenges to become excuses to leave, Chris Heuertz suggests that things like betrayal, transitions, failure, loss of identity, entitlement, and doubt may actually be invitations to stay. And if we stay, these challenges can become unexpected gifts. *** Betrayal, failure, loss of identity, doubt. If your relationships have suffered from any of these pitfalls, this book will show you that staying together can create something more—even something beautiful. IN THIS HEARTFELT and thoughtful book, Christopher Heuertz writes of the dangers of isolation, the challenges we face when we join together, and the struggles and joys that emerge from genuine community bonding. Whether readers are forming a new community, searching for deeper community, or participating in a longtime community, they will find inspiration, caution, guidance, and encouragement as they discover the beauty of pressing in to the ambiguities of growing relationships in this tender and honest testimony about how we are woven together by grace.




The Beauty Series


Book Description

First love. Second Chances. Friends-to-lovers. Enemies-to-lovers. Roomates-to-lovers. Love-hate. Opposites attract. Forbidden romance. Little sisters. Older brothers. Best friends. Charming billionaires. Inked firefighters. Players meeting their match. Everyone remembers their firsts. First kiss. First love. First heartbreak. First…everything. The first time Liam Sullivan met Samantha Brennan it was an unexpected encounter—a not so ‘meet-cute.’ It was good for him. Bad for her. He wanted her at first sight. She wished she never laid eyes on him. The charming billionaire with all the ink and dimples and flirt, and the girl who’s been burned badly once before by someone he reminds her of? What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Everything could go wrong. Especially when you add in an overbearing older brother, a blast from the past, and a man who will not give up…no matter what. The first time Connor Brennan met Riley Sullivan it was on a blind-date. One he orchestrated as a dare, a challenge. One that came back to bite him in the you know where. That blind-date turned into him meeting his match, his soulmate. But it’s not that simple. Nothing ever is. She’s Liam’s little-sister, and just like Connor, she comes with a wealth of chaos. He loves to throw out challenges—now he must deal with one. But it’s not just challenges standing in his way, or her, or her older brother. Riley has a secret. And when that secret is exposed—the challenge, the chaos? He hasn’t seen anything yet. The first time Aiden Masters met Allie James the best thing that could be said is that they both made it out of the room alive—and so did everyone else. It wasn’t love at first sight. Or second or third. Or tenth. Opposites attract? Not exactly. Forbidden romance? Not that either. More like forbidden everything. Which causes the hate. The animosity. The angst. Which then of course leads to blurred lines, burning sheets, and trouble. So much trouble. You know what they say about hate and love? It’s a thin line. But Aiden’s line is blue. And what’s a cop to do when Allie’s family is embroiled in the criminal? Blur some more lines or move on once and for all. The first time Ryan Flannery met Elizabeth Masters was a meeting that would change everything for him and her. He was knocked, rocked, and thrown. And he didn’t like it one bit. He was someone who’s been around the block a time or two…or a hundred. Definitely a hundred. He knew way too much about the opposite sex that he’s forgotten most of it and them. He’s too much of everything for someone like Beth. She’s working on a list of firsts—first date, first kiss, first…everything. He shouldn’t want her—she belongs with someone better. He should let her complete her list of firsts in peace. With her past she deserves that and more. But it’s complicated. Because he does want her. He wants all her firsts. And he wants her to be his first too—in the way that counts the most. His first love…and his last. His only. Everyone remembers their firsts. Especially them.




The Unexpected Everything


Book Description

When a scandal surrounding her father upsets all her carefully laid plans for her future, Andie must learn to accept a new relationship with her father and to embrace a little chaos in her life.




The Daily Lesson


Book Description

The Daily Lesson is not your average self-help book. It's a collection of thoughts and reflections that challenge you to look at life differently. With a touch of philosophy, each essay explores topics we often think about but rarely talk about. From dealing with the loss of our parents to understanding love's complex nature, this book gets to the heart of what it means to be human. These essays are straightforward and speak to modern-day experiences, bringing a fresh perspective to familiar feelings. Whether you've seen some of these ideas before or they're completely new to you, each will leave you thinking. You might find that an idea from this book becomes a turning point in how you see the world. The Daily Lesson is a call to introspection and a challenge to the status quo. For the thinker, the dreamer, and the seeker, this book is an invitation to unearth life's profound truths and transformative insights—one by one at your own pace.