Goodbye to Yesterday

 

 

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda & Brunstetter isn't the genre of book that I usually read but I'm always open to new genres. This book is part 1 of a 6 part saga set in Lancaster County and is an Amish fiction. Luke Stoltzfus and newly wed wife Meredith face numerous challenges after he loses his job at a furniture store. He decides to take his uncle up on an offer to come to Indiana and learn a new trade. Will they be able to survive with one another?

 

First, this book was a quick read. I read it in about 2 hours. It has an interesting storyline and has the potential to be a good series. The characters are likable and easy "to get to know". I was really enjoying the book and then it just ends. It reminded me of watching a movie on tv and then receiving the disappointing "to be continued" line. I was disappointed with the ending of the book as I felt it was unfinished. I guess I'm used to reading series books that are full novels. This felt more like a partial, unfinished story that probably should have been written as a novel with all parts included in one book instead of a series. Other than that I liked the book and would like to finish the story. I wish the story would been completed in one book and the next "saga" begin in the next one. Maybe the authors intend to keep it light and a quick read.I would probably give this book a 2 or 3 stars out of 5 just because of the abrupt ending.

 

This book was furnished to me by Handlebar Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Secretly Smitten

 

 

A sequel to Smitten by authors Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter once again gives us four romantic stories set in the fictional town of Smitten, Vermont. The stories center around three Thomas's sisters, Tess, Clare, and Zoe, along with their mother, Anna, and their grandmother, Rose.

Love Between the Lines is the first story by Colleen Coble. Tess is in her grandmother's attic and comes across a pair of dog tags belonging to a man named David Hutchins. She is trying to figure out who the tags belong to when her grandmother tells her about her first love who died during the war. Rose has no idea how his dog tags are in her attic because she thought they had never been recovered. Tess decides to investigate the mystery against her mother’s wishes. Will her search turn up anything, will it help or hurt her grandmother, and will she find love in the process?

Make Me a match by Kristin Billerbeck is the second story. In this novella Zoe Thomas is opening a matchmaking business called Cupid’s Matchmaking Services. Her opening may be put on hold when the new city manager, William, begins enforcing codes and regulations at her. As Zoe struggles to start her business she finds herself falling for a man who is causing her trouble.

Knit One, Love Two, the third story written by Diann Hunt is about the Thomas sisters' mother, Anna, the owner of Smitten's only knit shop called Sit 'n Knit. She is a divorced woman and the majority of her life revolves around her three grown daughters. When Michael comes into her store he makes her rethink being single.

The last story, Love Blooms by Denise Hunter is about Clare, a nursery manager, just got dumped by her boyfriend Josh because she was boring. She decides that she will no longer live a boring life and makes a hasty decision to hire a drifter she finds taking shelter in a storage building, Ethan. While training Ethan he becomes ill and stays in bed until she can return to work. She is terrified that she made a mistake in her haste. She struggles with her feelings for Ethan until she realizes what she may have lost. This story also brings to light the mystery of the dog tags.

This book is a pleasure to read and it isn’t necessary to have read the 1^st one in order to enjoy this one. Smitten gave you the history of the town but Secretly Smitten doesn’t go into any of that. Each story is pretty short and can be read quickly. The characters are fun and believable.  This book is not a book that will cause you to “think” about it, it is just an enjoyable, predictable romance. The stories don’t have the depth and character of a stand-alone novels but you still get a good feel of the community and it’s people. If you’re looking for the unexpected this isn’t the book for you.  But if you love a good, old-fashioned romance you have it. I read it in just a couple of evenings and would recommend it if you enjoy a “light” read. I have enjoyed this series and I love these authors.

I received this ebook at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review.

A Karen Kingsbury Collection

Three books in one how can you go wrong?  Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors. This book is a collection of 3 of her stand alone books:  Where Yesterday Lives, When Joy Comes to Stay, and On Every Side. Kingsbury books will pull you in and these 3 stories are no different. Be prepared with a box of tissues her books are almost always tear-jerkers and these 3 are no exception.

Where Yesterday Lives is a story about Ellen Barrett and her family after her father dies. She has been estranged from her siblings and her father’s death made it worse. Things get worse with her marriage also falling apart. Only God can help her deal with her past and help her get her life in order.

When Joy Comes to Stay is about Maggie Stovall who is dealing with depression and family problems all stemming from giving up her child for adoption 10 years earlier. Keeping the secret really is taking a toll on her and her husband. Can God heal her and marriage?

On Every Side was a little out of place with the other two stories, but I still enjoyed it.  Faith Evans is a newscaster who finds herself defending her faith when controversy strikes over a statue of Jesus that stands in the middle of a park. Jordan Riley who is fighting to have the statue removed believes Faith is wrong. What will happen between these two who are fighting for what both believe is right, will they be able to find some common ground?

I always recommend anything by Karen Kingsbury. Her books are interesting and well written. They will hold your interest if you like Christian romance novels. Again be aware that they will make you cry.

You can purchase this book here

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Sisterchicks in Gondolas

This is the first Sisterchicks book I have read. Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Guinn is about 2 women who embark on a journey to Italy:  One a divorced lady with a grown daughter and her sister-in-law who has had her share of struggles in the past few years.

The book is about mentally healing from various events in each of the ladies lives. Jenna is asked to cook and serve some men who are coming to Italy for a retreat. Jenna doesn’t have the greatest cooking skills and knows that her more timid sister-in-law could use the trip and also has the cooking skills needed.

The retreat, although for the men, helps Jenna and Sue heal from their struggles. They learn much about their own lives by watching and serving the men. They get to learn how wonderful it is to serve others but they also get to explore Italy. In the end they know what they must do with their lives. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was somehow calming to me as I read it. I felt as though I could be riding in a gondola in Venice right along with them. The author did such a wonderful job describing the sights, sounds, and smells of Venice. I could imagine myself walking through the streets.  The only negative thing that I could say about this book is that it made me a little jealous that I couldn’t be on this trip with them.  

You can purchase this book here.

This book was provided to me at no charge by Multnomah publishing in exchange for an honest review.

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Every Perfect Gift

 

“Ethan and Sophie long to share a future together. But the secrets they’re not sharing could tear them apart.” Every Perfect Gift  by Dorothy Love is a novel set in the mountains of East Tennessee in the 1800s. A small town is getting a new hotel, a reestablished newspaper, and much more. Sophie a former resident and orphan of the small town returns to run the newspaper where she meets Ethan. Both are fighting demons from their past and it is affecting their newfound relationship.

I’m from the beautiful area of East Tennessee and that is why I chose this book to review. I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and the people here. This book did a wonderful job of capturing the area and its roots. I can imagine how it was over 150 years ago and the excitement that townspeople must’ve felt as railroads and expansion moved in. I live in the oldest town in Tennessee so I know a bit about the history here. Ms. Love did an excellent job when presenting what it must have been like and capturing the essence of an early 1850s small town. The characters were true to the people who lived here and many who still do. They were very believable and that is something that I find very important. The plot was also realistic and easy to follow. The people were very colorful with each having something to bring to the story. I loved the friendship that developed between Sophie and Gillie. Sophie has overcome a lot to get to this place. The town had not treated her so kindly when she was a child in the orphanage. I will not go into detail about that because I don’t want to give away any “secrets” to the storyline.

 I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by her. I would highly recommend this book if you like historical romance. Although, like many books of this genre the ending is not a great surprise but that is probably the only negative that I could find. I know this may seem trivial in a book review but I also loved the cover and the feel of the book.  

I received this book from booksneeze.com at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

If We Survive

 

 

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan it the second book I have read by him. When I was given the opportunity to review this book I was excited. I enjoyed Crazy Dangerous, and after reading If We Survive I wasn’t disappointed.  I really liked this book and found it was hard to put down. It is geared more toward younger readers, probably young teens. It is about a group of kids and a preacher who have travelled on a mission trip to Central America to help rebuild a school. Then they are caught in the middle of a revolution and face many struggles to try to make it home.

I love the way Andrew Klavan writes. His character, Will Peterson, is actually telling the story in first person. The characters are interesting and although I’m not sure that I can believe the storyline I suppose it is possible. Will Peterson is a high school boy telling this story. I can imagine a real teenager telling of his adventures adding excitement and adventure at every turn. I can see this book keeping the attention of the reader. I like the fact that even though it tells of some horrible acts of a revolution that it doesn’t go into gory details. Each person in the book has a different way of dealing with the tragedies around them just like in real life.  I would feel very comfortable recommending it to a teen. Any younger than that might not be a good idea, just because it does include some violence and death. As I said before it isn’t terribly graphic but there is mention of gunfire, blood and death.

I will pass this book along to my daughter and I think she will really enjoy it. It isn’t a gender specific book and would be good for either gender.  After recent events that have happened I will wait a while before giving it to her to read.

I was given this book by Thomas Nelson publishers in exchange for an honest review. I would definitely recommend it to especially teen readers who like action/adventure books.

                                                      

 

 

 

A Christmas Home

After previously reading A Dog Named Christmas I knew I wanted to read A Christmas Home.  A Christmas Home by Greg Kincaid is a sweet story that would probably be enjoyed most by people who love the Christmas TV movies and animals.

“Todd McCray, hero of a Dog Named Christmas, is now twenty-four years old and working at a local animal shelter, where he meets and quickly becomes best friend with Laura, a young volunteer.” Laura and Todd both have disabilities that help them understand each other. Todd trains a stray that has come to the shelter to be a service dog to help Laura with her physical disabilities. He loves his job at the animal shelter but the small town is struggling financially and announces they will have to close the shelter. Todd struggles to know what to do next.

 Todd is something of a prodigy when it comes to loving and training animals although it is evident that he struggles with learning disabilities. The story shows that we all have our strengths and weaknesses in life and if we follow our desires we can accomplish anything.  It a story that shows family and friends can pull together to get each other through obstacles of life.

A Christmas Home would be a good read for a younger reader, pre-teen or teen. It is easily read and the characters are easy to believe and identify with.  And as I said before if you love the Christmas made for TV movies you will love this book. As I read it I thought it would make a good movie for the holidays.

I would recommend this book to my friends. I received this book at no charge from booksneeze.com for an honest review. You can purchase this book here at Amazon.com.

Grace

 

Do we really understand grace? This is a question asked of us before delving into Grace: More than we Deserve Greater than we Imagine by Max Lucado.  This book is like many of Mr. Lucado’s books. He fills it full of real life stories to help us understand the way God’s grace works. He uses some of his own faults and failures in life to also illustrate God’s grace.  If you enjoy a light book that focuses completely on accepting God’s grace you will enjoy this book. I don’t feel Mr. Lucado goes into grace so deeply that he makes it hard to grasp. He lays it out very simply so that all of us can understand it. All we have to do is accept the gift that God has so freely given us. I love the quote “Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then gives us the power to pull it off.” “Let’s make certain grace gets you.”

Mr. Lucado explains how God will change your life if you will just let him. His grace is more than just a word, it’s our comfort, our healing, our life changing gift from God. It’s a gift given freely to us. The book also includes a study guide for each chapter. Each study begins with a small idea of what the chapter was about, a review of scripture and questions we should ask ourselves. It could be a study done individually but would also make a good small group study.

I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to understand grace a little more. I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.

Breaking Free From Fear

I have to say I really love Kay Arthur and Breaking Free from Fear is no exception. This is a 6 week study for small groups although I believe you could do it as an individual study. I do think you would glean more from a group with the discussions.  I read through them but didn’t do the study.  I love the way they are laid out. Each week has the scripture that goes along with the lesson, and observation (what you should be looking for), and discussion. I would recommend having a journal to take notes in, there are spaces for notes but the areas are quite small.

The weeks are broken down to help you realize why you are afraid and build to helping you learn to live without fear.  It really opened my eyes that fear rears it’s ugly head in many ways and can steal our joy.  I also loved the fact that the author includes the scripture right there for you to read. I’m not sure which translation she uses but I know it isn’t KJV so if that bothers you this may not be the book for you.

I would recommend this book for small groups or Sunday school classes. It is a wonderful study.

I received this book at no charge from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

You can purchase this book here.

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The Reason

 

I had to take time to ponder this review. I’m still not sure I can review my exact thoughts about it. The Reason by William Sirls is about a small town whose church’s cross was struck by lightning. It is a small town filled with people of varying backgrounds. Each person has their own cross to bear in this novel. Some are more trying than others, some deal with illness or disability, some deal with demons of their past and other dealing with their faith. Then enters Kenneth, a carpenter, who personifies Jesus and he starts performing miracles around the town.

First, I enjoyed the book and read it quickly and I also enjoyed the characters. Each had a very distinct personality and was believable and easy to identify with. I liked the story line and there were real life events happening throughout the town. The author did a good job pulling all of the characters together and telling their stories individually as well as bringing unity to the group.

Now my problem with the book, I’m not sure that I really liked the personification of Jesus the way it was done. I also feel that the book comes across that if you “only believe” that Jesus will answer all of your prayers the way that you want him to. Even though there is a short statement that states God will answer prayers in His way and His time the tone of the book was that if you “only believe” nothing bad will ever happen to you and if it does He will fix it and make it better here on earth. I feel that sometimes bad things happen but God will give us grace to deal with those things. I believe the author tries to include this but doesn’t do the best job at it.  I’m not going to give a spoiler but I don’t like the way the story of Alex played out.

I’m glad that I read the book and I enjoyed it. I think most people who enjoy a good, Christian novel would like it.

I received this book at no charge from Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.