PIECES ON EARTH

Cathy Bryant's "Pieces on Earth" is a well-developed story which is certain to touch hearts at Christmas and throughout the year. Sharing the message of the hope found in Jesus without being sappy or "preachy" is one of Cathy's very real talents. As the characters develop through the story, I was particularly impressed with the honesty of the emotions portrayed, the clever clarification of the distinction between "pieces" and "peace" and the consistent weaving together of modern life and the lessons learned from "the biggest story."
I highly recommend this lovely novella - it would make a great gift and is also a great way to introduce others to the Peacemaker any time of the year.
I was gifted this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this sweet Christmas story. Liv was looking forward to spending Christmas with her husband and family and the opportunity to share a special surprise. Her dreams of the perfect Christmas were dashed as her husband was deployed to Afghanistan.
The author effectively described all the anxiety and fears that come with having a deployed husband. I could identify with Liv as she experienced despair and anger while trying to hold it all together for her young daughter. I appreciate how the Gospel was woven into the story through Liv's teaching her 4 year old about the Great Fixer and how God spoke to Liv through this. I loved how Liv's friends rallied around her when she needed it and how she in turn was able to minister to her friend. I love how the author included moments of brevity through the little girl, Chesney. There is hope in the Great Fixer, Jesus.
I highly recommend this quick read this Christmas season and have already recommended it to friends.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review which I have given.

Liv has planned her perfect Christmas this year complete with all of her family and snow, but when it all falls apart, she has to learn what Christmas is all about and that it is still just as powerful when she is alone and hurting.

This Christmas novella captured my attention from the first paragraph. Liv's emotions are raw and relatable. I can feel both her angst and her joy! I love the way she intentionally tries to help her daughter understand the story of the Bible as one big story that she is a part of, and I love that she continues this process with her daughter even while she herself is struggling to trust God and His plan for them.

So many Christmas novellas and novels focus on romance and/or the "magic" of Christmas; this one is unique in that it focuses entirely on Jesus. It shows that all of us, from adorable preschoolers all the way up to their grandparents, have brokenness and hurt in our lives and it can only be fixed by Jesus, the Fixer God sent to the world to bring peace and put all our broken pieces back together.

I thought this story was a delightful; to teach a child about the stories of the bible. While Liv was teaching her daughter, she learned some lessons herself.
Did you ever watch those after school specials? This story would have made a great candidate for one of those wholesome movies. They were often fun to watch, while learning valuable life lessons.
The only gripe I have is a mistake in the book.
At the end of chapter 15, the story is actually repeated. It's weird, but you realize it's probably an honest oversight, and move on.
It was a lovely story about a family worth knowing. I loved how it played out, and especially thought the ending was the best. I love when all prayers are answered and all they're all happy. Makes me feel warm. With an accompanying Christmas theme, the plot was a wonderful treat.

A very touching, sweet Christian Christmas story! This book stays very Christ centered all throughout, as it should be in a Christmas story.

The story started out kind of slow for me in the first half but definitely got better through the last half and I really started to enjoy it more.

There was good strong character development, a nice clean story-line, with a strong message and a great ending! I can't even imagine celebrating Christmas with your husband overseas and not even knowing if he is alive, especially with a young child.

This was my first by this author and I actually went and downloaded two others from her "Miller's Creek Series". I am looking forward to trying those out as well.

Thanks to the author, Cathy for sending me this novella for my honest review.

Cathy Bryant is an exceptional Christian writer and the grace and mercy of God always flows through her writings. Once again one can view God at work in the lives of her characters. Each and every one of us have our own broken pieces. God alone is the great mender or fixer. Liv and her family are acutely disappointed when her husband is once again deployed to active duty but she and several around her come to new realizations that God in His own time and in His perfect way indeed can take our broken pieces and use them for our good and his Glory! I especially enjoyed listening in as Liv taught God's truths to her young daughter Chesney.

What an awesome story! The message of Bible stories and Bible characters interwoven into the story makes this book one of the best I have ever read. I felt the anger and sadness with Liv as the story unfolded. Even the story plot itself has a message. We wait and look for the return of our Savior who will return in at a surprising time. I love the cover. I love the broken, glued together shell and the message of our brokenness, being put back together by God. Cathy Bryant, this is my first read by you, but diffiently not my last. I highly recommend this book and author. I was given a copy for an honest review

This is a sweet Christmas theme Novella that makes you think of the real reason for Christmas. I loved the way that the author, Cathy Bryant, portrayed the child, Chesney. Chesney is very involved in the Bible stories that her parents are telling her at bedtime. It’s beautiful how her mother, Liv, wants to tell the Chesney the Big Picture of the Bible through the various stories. Teaching little ones God’s Word at a young age is so very important. There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book. It was right on with giving the Gospel message of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. A beautiful way to get the real story of Christmas out there! I was provided a copy of this book by the author/publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Pieces on Earth by Cathy Bryant from the author in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate her including me in her POE launch group.

I really liked this novella. The heroine, Liv, faced some significant challenges. A young Navy wife with a 4 year old daughter, she is looking forward to finally spending the Christmas holiday with her husband and her extended family when her Naval pilot husband is unexpectedly deployed to Afghanistan on a dangerous mission. Liv has also just discovered that she is pregnant after believing that she would not be able to conceive again. The author provides a very realistic portrayal of a young wife’s disappointment with an unplanned deployment and her not surprising resentment. Liv has a strong faith but it is shaken when her husband deploys and she is left alone to deal with her high risk pregnancy and her young daughter. However, Liv has a good support system, both from her family and the other Navy wives, that helps lead her back to her faith.

I really loved Liv’s nightly simplification of Bible stories for her daughter, Chesney. All the stories led up to the coming of The Fixer, which is a wonderful image of Jesus coming to fix the broken world.

My only quibbles with this novella are very minor. Chesney is a very mature 4 year old but then again she is an only child. Liv’s friend Debbie’s conversion was rather sudden but there were extenuating circumstances and the short length of a novella necessitates some abbreviated story telling. And, finally, I have family members in the Navy and I’ve never heard anyone refer to either the pilots or anyone else in the Navy as a “soldier”.

This is my first book by Cathy Bryant. I have her Miller’s Creek series loaded on my Kindle to read soon. I’m looking forward to enjoying that series as much as I did this novella.

I enjoyed this story of love, faith, and struggle, which was provided as a gift in exchange for my honest opinion.
Although Liv had faith, family, and friends who cared for and supported her during her husband's deployment, she focused on her doubts and fear. As she tells her daughter the story of God's promised Fixer, who would be born to fix the bad that the Serpent brought into the world when he tricked Adam and Eve, she is reminded of our need to have peace made from the pieces of our lives. A health crisis made her stop and reassess the choices she was making. The circumstances that bring her focus back to God and her family make for an uplifting read.

Pieces on Earth is a wonderful Christmas story. Cathy Bryant brings to life a young military family going through a time of deployment and the reality of the ups and downs of everyday living. God’s mercy and grace flow through the story and brings growth and healing to the main character, Liz and others. The sharing of the gospel that each of us as Christians are called to do comes through loud and clear in a lovingkind way. Cathy Bryant is a talented author who uses her gift to share God’s love with others.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Pieces on Earth by Cathy Bryant in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review and it truly was one of the most tender stories I've read in a long time. I was on the verge of tears thru some of it - wonderfully happy moments, and heart-tugging sad ones. If you like stories that touch your heart and stay with you long after you close the book, this is one to get. Thanks, Cathy, for a great story.

What a great Christmas story! I could certainly feel her anxiety, as I too was a military wife. Such a wonderful family story and how God allowed her to share the gospel to another through the telling of Bible stories to her young daughter. I certainly hope there will be a sequel as Cathy is such a talented author. I want to know "the rest of the story".

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an amazing story about faith, love and struggle. I am so glad that Cathy Bryant let me be a part of her POE launch group! Pieces On Earth was truly a heartwarming story!

Cathy Bryant's "Pieces on Earth" is a well-developed story which is certain to touch hearts at Christmas and throughout the year. Sharing the message of the hope found in Jesus without being sappy or "preachy" is one of Cathy's very real talents. As the characters develop through the story, I was particularly impressed with the honesty of the emotions portrayed, the clever clarification of the distinction between "pieces" and "peace" and the consistent weaving together of modern life and the lessons learned from "the biggest story."
I highly recommend this lovely novella - it would make a great gift and is also a great way to introduce others to the Peacemaker any time of the year.
I was gifted this book in exchange for my honest review.