The Pelican Bride is the first book in Beth White's new Gulf Coast Chronicles series! It is set in 1704 in the then French controlled Louisiana territory.
Description:
She's come to the New World to escape a perilous past. But has it followed her to these far shores?
It is 1704 when Frenchwoman Genevieve Gallain and her sister board the frigate Pelican bound for the distant Louisiana colony. Both have promised to marry one of the rough men toiling in this strange new world in order to escape suffering in the old. Genevieve knows life won't be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of persecution for her outlawed religious beliefs.
When she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer-turned-farmer whose checkered past is shrouded in mystery, Genevieve realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. Trouble is brewing outside the fort between the French colonistis and the native people surrounding them. And an even more sinister enemy may lurk within. Could the secret Genevieve harbors mean the undoing of the colony itself?
Author biography:
Beth White's day job is teaching music at an inner-city high school in historic Mobile, Alabama. A native Mississippian, her passion is writing historical romance with a southern drawl. Her novels have won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Carol Award, the RT Book Club Reviewers' Choice Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award. Learn more at www.bethwhite.net
(Description and biography copied from the book. Cover photo found on Deeper Shopping.)
My review:
Okay Book. 3 stars
As my title says, this book was "okay." I was very excited to read it, but unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations.
I had a hard time getting into it and found the first third or so of it relatively boring. There are several different perspectives and the story bounces around a good deal in the beginning, making it difficult to keep up. Just as I would get a good grasp of one, it would shift to another. Frankly, I found it rather confusing and very annoying.
The characters seemed flat and I couldn't really connect with any of them, making this a difficult read for me. I also despised 2 of them and sincerely hoped something awful would happen to them (unfortunately, nothing did.) Thankfully, the story picked up a bit about halfway through and I was able to finish it quickly.
Genevieve and Tristan are the 2 main characters, as the description states, though I kind of doubted that, with so many other things going on as well. They seemed pretty shallow and colorless. We know something happened to Genevieve and that she is hiding a secret, but we don't know it's about until pretty far into the book. I didn't find her to be a very likeable character and there was little about her with which I could relate. Most of the book is from her point of view, which was okay, except that it was mostly descriptions and details about what was going on. Interspersed were her concerns about Tristan and her sister, but that was about it for anything personal.
We don't know much about Tristan or his feelings, either. His viewpoint often comes up, but as with Genevieve, it is mostly descriptions. I felt I didn't really know either of them by the end of the book and definitely didn't care much about them.
There isn't much in the way of spiritual themes or development, even though this is a Christian book. In fact, if I was asked to name a theme, I wouldn't be able to. The characters speak precious little about faith, despite the fact that one of them claims to have "returned to the faith" by the end.
I also had an issue with Genevieve and Tristan's relationship. They spend very little time together. The bulk of the book they are apart, yet they claim to love each other by the end! How? I personally do not know, as they really don't talk much or truly get to know one another.
The reason I'm giving this book 3 stars, is because it is very well written and researched, has some excellent descriptions, and I do believe some people will love it.
I recommend this book if you absolutely love history and would like to while away a few hours reading about a generally ignored time period.
I received this book through The Book Club Network (www.bookfun.org) for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Have you read the book? Do you agree or disagree with my review? What can I do to improve upon my review and my blog in general? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions! Please leave a comment letting me know you dropped by and what you thought! :)
Harvest of Gold is the second book in Tessa Afshar's Harvest series! It has been nominated for the 2014 Christy Awards, in the Historical Romance category! So, in honor of that, I decided to reread it and write a review. :)
Description:
The scribe, Sarah, married Darius, and at times she feels as if she has married the Persian aristocracy, too. There is another point she did not count on in her marriage - Sarah has grown to love her husband. Sarah has wealth, property, honor, and power, but her husband's love still seems unattainable.
Although her mother was an Israelite, Darius remains skeptical that his Jewish wife is the right choice for him, particularly when she conspires with her cousin Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Ordered to assist in the effort, the couple begins a journey to the homeland of his mother's people. Will the road filled with danger, conflict, and surprising memories, help Darius to see the hand of God at work in his life - and even in his marriage?
A hidden message, treachery, opposition, and a God-given success, will it to an unlikely bounty.
Author biography:
Tessa Afshar was born in a nominally Muslim family in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life. She survived English boarding school for girls before movies to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her mid-twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDIV from Yale University where she served as co-chair for the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spend the last twelve years in full and part-time Christian work and currently serves at the leader of Women's and Prayer ministries at a church in New England.
(Description, author bio, and cover photo found on Deeper Shopping. All rights reserved.)
My review:
Another excellent book by Tessa Afshar! 5 stars
Harvest of Gold is the second book in Tessa Afshar's Harvest series. This book is set around the event of Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. In it we continue to follow the story of Darius, Sarah, and of course, Nehemiah. Unlike Harvest of Rubies, we get to read the story from the point of view of all 3 main characters, something I immensely enjoyed. While I also liked reading the previous one from Sarah's view point, this one I felt had a little more depth. I liked knowing what was going on with each of them and what they were thinking.
If Harvest of Rubies is Sarah's book, then this one is Darius'. We get to know and understand him better. Honestly, he isn't a very likeable character, at first. He is hard, bitter, and I didn't care for how he treated Sarah. As I continued reading, I still had a hard time caring for him, though I did like him a little more. I finally fell in love with him about halfway through the book, when we start to understand what drives him.
Darius has a very high moral standard, so when Sarah doesn't tell him something important, he once again withdraws from her. I really wanted him to stand up and get it together, but that wasn't part of his character, yet. Even though I was rather apathetic toward him, I still enjoyed his journey. I was looking forward to seeing him redeemed and Ms. Afshar did an excellent job.
Sarah was her usual self; spunky, sassy, and bold. I still adored her and her heart. There was one point when I wanted to shake her, but that just made her more real to me. I have to really care about characters for them to frustrate me that much.
I believe the main spiritual themes of this book are forgiveness and surrender. Darius must learn both. He has spent most of his life refusing to feel or let others too close, but with Sarah in his life, breaking down his walls, he's struggling to maintain his distance. This alone makes him lash out at her when she makes a mistake. He lays all the blame at her feet and shuts down even further. He must learn to forgive, something that only truly works with the Father's help. He also must learn to surrender, which is a battle he fights through most of the book. I appreciated his struggle with both themes. Ms. Afshar doesn't try to gloss over either, but rather portrays both as the difficult issues they are.
Sarah must also learn to surrender, both to God and to Darius. She has been taking care of herself for so long, that she has a hard time trusting Darius to make decisions regarding her well-being. The same is true of her trust in God. When she faces a trial, she asks, "where are You, God?" as we all do at some time or another. She doesn't understand why God would allow the circumstance and she struggles to surrender to Him, to trust that He knows best.
I really enjoyed the secondary characters, Lysander, Roxanna, and Pari! While they really are secondary and we don't know them well, I fell in love with each of them. I wish Lysander and Roxanna would get their own book, but I believe Ms. Afshar plans to leave their story up to her readers' imaginations.
The descriptions were so vivid! I often felt as though I was actually there, traveling with them, or viewing the city of Jerusalem for the first time. Ms. Afshar really brings history to life in all of her books and this one is no exception! Her stories draw you in and refuse to let go until the end, even the occasional frustrating character can't take away from her masterful writing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction!
For more information about this book and the author's others, please visit her website, www.tessaafshar.com
Her next book, In the Field of Grace, releases July 2014 (I love the cover!).
(cover photo found on author's website)
Tessa Afshar weaves a lovely story about God, faith, and life during the time of the Prophet Nehemiah.
Description:
Sarah, the prophet Nehemiah's cousin, is Senior Scribe to the Queen of Persia - the only woman to have held such an important post in the Persian Empire. A genius who is more at home with scrolls and accounts than with people, Sarah finds her worth in her achievements.
After solving a particularly thorny plot, she loses the job that is at the center of her life, and finds herself married to a man who despises her. Through the heartache of loss, Sarah discovers the joys of friendship and peace of God. To her astonishment, she learns that she has something to offer that is worth far beyond her ability with languages and sums. Her very being proves a blessing to others.
Can she win the heart of her stubborn aristocratic husband, whom she has grown to love?
Author biography:
Tessa Afshar was voted "New Author of the Year" by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran and lived there for the first fourteen years of her life, attended a boarding school for girls in England, then moved to the United States. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. Tessa holds an MDiv from Yale University where she served as cochair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last thirteen years in full-time Christian work.
(description and cover photo found on author's website. Biography copied from book.)
My review:
Wonderful historical novel! 5 stars
Harvest of Rubies has quickly become a favorite of mine. I'm writing this review after reading it for the second time, and I believe I may have enjoyed it more this time than the previous, if that's even possible!
This book is written in the first person, from the point of view of Sarah, the main character. I loved the voice Ms. Afshar gives her. She speaks occasionally as though remembering a past event, or as if she is telling this story to someone. She is sarcastic, sassy, and has a rather droll sense of humor, something with which I relate. I can just hear her saying certain things with that dry humor and it cracks me up! Sarah is awkward and speaks without thinking, which endeared her to me even more. She is so real. I loved that!
She has spent most of her life finding her self worth in how well she performs a task. She doesn't see herself as worthy of attention and believes she must earn the love and approval of others. Seeing her learn and grow in faith was my favorite part of the book!
While there are several conversations throughout the book that I enjoyed immensely - I liked the metaphors used and how Sarah links things to what she knows of God's character - I think my favorite was the discussion between her and Nehemiah, her cousin, when he tries to show her where she should find her worth - in God. That particular discourse sticks out in my mind.
"But do you think the Lord counted them [Adam and Eve] worthy because of their abilities?" . . . "They hadn't even begun their work yet when He made His first pronouncement over them. He called them very good when they hadn't achieved a single thing." - Nehemiah, page 266 (excerpt used with permission from the author)
Her husband, Darius, is an interesting character. We see him through her eyes, which means we don't often know what he is thinking, but surprisingly, this didn't bother me like it normally would. Ms. Afshar does such a great job of letting us know what is going on with him and showing us who he is, that even without the story coming from his point of view, we come to know him quite well. He seems hard and arrogant at first, but as we get to know him, we see another side of him. I enjoyed his and Sarah's conversations, their sparring and comebacks making me laugh and smile.
As much as I didn't want the book to end, I'm happy to know that it isn't the end of their story. We see them again in Harvest of Gold!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Biblical historical fiction!
Raptor 6 is the first book in Ronie Kendig's newest series, The Quiet Professionals. I had the pleasure of receiving a complimentary copy from the publisher for my honest review.
Description:
His Mission. His Team.
Captain Dean Watters keeps these parts of his life in laser-like focus. So when hackers threaten both his mission and his team, Deans Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Ten military super-secure computers are missing--which if opened, would give America's enemies a blueprint of U.S. military intelligence. Failing to stop the hackers isn't an option.
Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. She's also a target. He expertise in quantum cryptology makes her an unwitting pawn in the hackers' deadly game. They're coming for her, and Dean and his team must stop them.
Before the team can get to Zahrah, she disappears. Now Dean must race to rescue her and stop the hackers from unleashing terror on millions across the globe. But to do so, Dean will be forced to crack open the steel box around his heart--a move that might come at the highest cost.
Author bio:
Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. After twenty-plus years of marriage, she and her hunky hero husband have a full life with four children and a Maltese Menace in Northern Virginia. Author and speaker, Ronie, loves engaging readers through her Rapid-Fire Fiction. Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/rapidfirefiction), Twitter (@roniekendig), and Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/RonieK).
My review:
Excellent start to a new series! 4 1/2 stars
Raptor 6 is the first book in Ronie Kendig's new, The Quiet Professionals series. This book picks up an indeterminable length of time after Beowulf: Explosives Detection Dog. I was so excited to read Dean Watters' book! I'd been anticipating it since we met in him in Trinity: Military War Dog, and was not disappointed!
Raptor 6 is loaded with Ronie's trademark edge-of-your-seat suspense that keeps you guessing! She often labels her books as "gritty" and that definitely fits this one. It feels so real, as though you are actually there, going through everything with them. By the end of the book, I was so tense, waiting to see what would happen next that I was shaking! No book has ever had that strong of an affect on me!
Ronie is known for her real, raw, colorful, and passionate characters and this book is no exception! The team was great - Hawk's book is going to be awesome! I also actually liked the part from the "villain's" point of view. It was funny in a wow-he's-crazy kinda way!
Zahrah is the heroine in this story. She is strong, courageous, with a deep faith in God. I very much enjoyed how Ronie wove that faith into everything she did. Even at her lowest point in this book, when she questions God, she refuses to deny Him. It reminded me a bit of the Biblical story of Job. I loved her heart and her spirit! I hope we see her again in the later books.
I loved Dean, too. He is a soldier through and through. He is strong, determined, and stubborn. We don't know much about him from our other encounters with him, just that he is haunted by something. As we read, we get to know him and it all begins to make sense. Dean has fought to protect others his whole life, so when Zahrah is in danger, of course he feels responsible. I enjoyed getting into his head, knowing what is going on and learning more about him. He doesn't have much in the way of faith in God. He prays when it suits him and he can't understand Zahrah's stubborn stand on following what she believes is God's will for her life. I enjoyed seeing him grow and learn.
The main spiritual theme in this book is surrender, as this quote clearly shows.
"The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender." - William Booth
Dean must learn to surrender to God all his plans, his guilt, and even his life. He has been a protector for years, so when faced with something out of his control, he fights trusting an unseen God. His faith and questions are so real, so raw. I loved that Ronie didn't try to give pat and easy answers; she wrote it as the battle it is.
The only reason that this book does not have 5 stars, is that I would have liked Zahrah's characters to have been a little more developed. She was a fairly flat character for probably the first third of the book. It was mostly about Dean, which totally makes sense, I would just haven't like to have known Zahrah a bit better. I felt like her story was overshadowed a bit by all the action going on.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys military suspense and romance!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it. All opinions expressed are my own.
Meant to Be Mine is the much anticipated second book of Becky Wade's Porter Family Series! If you've enjoyed Becky's other books then you will love this one, too!
Description:
Ty Porter has always been irresistible to Celia Park. All through high school--irresistible. When their paths cross again after college--still irresistible. This time, though, Ty seems to feel exactly the same way about Celia. their whirlwind romance deposits them at a street-corner Las Vegas wedding chapel.
The next morning they wake to a marriage certificate and a does of cold reality. Celia's ready to be Ty's wife, but Ty's not ready to be her husband. He's a professional bull rider, he lives on the road, and he's long planned to settle down with the hometown girl he's known since childhood.
Five and a half years pass. Celia's buried her dreams so that she can afford to raise her daughter. Ty's achieved all of his goals. Or though he had, until he looks again into the eyes of the woman he couldn't forget and into the face of the child he never knew he had.
How much will Ty sacrifice to win back Celia's trust and prove to her that their spontaneous marriage can still become the love of a lifetime?
Author bio:
Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom and three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas. Learn more at www.beckywade.com
(Book description and author bio found on www.amazon.com. Cover photo copied from www.deepershopping.com.)
My review:
Even better than the last! 5 stars
I've loved Becky Wade's other 2 books, so the fact that I also loved this one comes as no surprise. I was so excited to read it when I found out it is Ty's book, Bo's brother from Undeniably Yours, and was not disappointed. Becky's books draw you in from the beginning and don't let you go until long after you've read the final page.
I loved Celia, though I did find her a little frustrating at times, that made her even more believable. She is sassy, proud, very independent, and a loving mother. I loved her sparring with Ty, her comebacks often making me laugh and smile. She is an interesting complex characters, and I found her intriguing mostly because of her faith in God, or lack thereof, in this case. I was curious about her, wondering where her journey would take her. She has tried Christianity before and felt God failed her. She was of the mistaken impression that she had to be good enough and follow a set of rules for Him to love her. Anyone who's ever tried that knows that we fail a lot, and eventually, we give up trying. When she finally understands that she could never be good enough, it was like God was telling me that, too.
Ty was an oddity to begin with. She is also an interesting character, one that keeps your attention and makes you keep reading to find out what he does next. He is strong, stubborn, and sure of himself, which makes he seem conceited. As the saying goes "actions speak louder than words," and you have to looking beyond his words to see what he is actually "saying." His faith journey was interesting too, watching to see when he would figure it out and what it would take for him to "get it."
The main theme of this book is forgiveness, receiving it and giving it. Celia forgiving Ty. Ty forgiving Celia. Both of them accepting God's forgiveness. I admire how Becky handles this topic. She doesn't sugarcoat it, or try to downplay the importance of it, instead she points it out, over and over. It isn't an easy topic, but with her trademark finesse, she weaves it into the story with ease. I also appreciate the struggle the characters go through, forgiving each other. It's almost never easy and I would have been upset had Becky made it seem so. I love Becky's book because they challenge and encourage my faith and this one does just that. It reminded me of important truths and God used it to point out things in my life that I hadn't noticed or was choosing to ignore.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian fiction that tugs at your heart and faith.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it. All opinions expressed are my own.
Undeniably Yours is Becky Wade's second book and the start of her Porter Family Series! If you enjoyed her first book, My Stubborn Heart, then you will love Undeniably Yours!
Description:
When Meg Cole's father dies unexpectedly, she's forced to return home to Texas and to Whispering Creek Ranch to take up the reins of his empire. The last thing she has the patience or the sanity to deal with? Her father's Thoroughbred racehorse farm. She gives its manager, Bo Porter, six months to close the place down.
Bo knows he ought to resent the woman who's determined to take from him the only job he ever wanted. But instead of anger, Meg evokes within him a profound desire to protect. The more time he spends with her, the more he longs to overcome every obstacle that separates them and earn her love.
Just when Meg realizes she can no longer deny the depth of her feelings for Bo, their fragile bond is broken by a force from Meg's past. Can their relationship--and their belief that God can work through every circumstance--survive?
Author Bio:
During her childhood in California, Becky frequently produced homemade plays starring her sisters, friends, and cousins. These plays almost always featured a heroine, a prince, and a love story with a happy ending. She's been a huge fan of all things romantic ever since.
Becky and her husband lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia before settling in Dallas, Texas. It was during her years abroad that Becky's passion for reading turned into a passion for writing. She published three historical novels with Avon Books, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her kids, then recently returned to writing sheerly for the love of it. She felt led to move to the genre of contemporary Christian romance and couldn't be more thrilled with it.
These days Becky can be found failing but trying to keep up with her housework, sweating at the gym, carting her kids around town, playing tennis, hunched over her computer, eating chocolate, or collapsed on the sofa watching TV with her husband.
(Author bio and book description from www.amazon.com. Photo found on www.deepershopping.com)
My Review:
Another great book from Becky Wade! 5 stars
I absolutely loved Becky's debut novel, My Stubborn Heart, so I had very high expectations for Undeniably Yours. I'm very happy to say that it surpassed them all! I'm actually writing this review after reading the book for the second time, which officially makes it a favorite.
I loved so much about this book, that I'm not sure where to start! The storyline intrigued me from the beginning. I was curious how Becky would take an idea that is predominate in historical writing and use it for a contemporary book. For those unfamiliar with it, the idea is a "servant" falling for their much wealthier "master." In this case, we change those to "employee" and "employer."
I adored Meg! She is so sweet, funny, and remarkably normal! While we don't have much in common, I quickly fell in love with her and found her very relatable. She is so kind and caring. She often thinks of herself as a "softie," and I enjoyed watching her grow throughout the book as she begins standing up for herself and chooses to follow the path she believes God has for her.
I also loved Bo from the start! He is the kind of hero that will make you wish he were real. He is so kind, loyal, and so sweet with Meg. I immensely enjoyed their relationship, watching it grow and rooting for both of them!
The secondary characters were great as well! Sadie Jo, Lynn, Amber, Jayden, Mr. Son - I loved them all! They are the kind of unique, quirky characters that add depth to a story. It wouldn't have been the same without all of them a part of it.
As much as I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, my favorite part of the book is the spiritual aspect. Bo and Meg each had something they had to learn, and following their journey really touched my heart. Bo has to learn to see himself as equal to Meg. He starts out believing he is unworthy of her, because of her station in life. One of my favorite quotes from the story is Meg saying to him, "You think God views us an differently, Bo? He doesn't. He doesn't care one bit about all the outward things. To Him, we're equal. We're both loved the same, valued the same. We both need to find out worth in God's view of us. To look for it anywhere else is a big mistake." (page 254. Excerpt used with permission from the author) This really spoke to me. So many times I've based my worth on something other than what God says about me.
For Meg she had to learn to fully trust God. She has spent most of her life worry and trying to do everything just right. She believes she is trusting God, but not until she faces some difficult things and rises above several challenges, does she find herself able to really let go and trust Him. This also struck a chord in me, as trust is never easy and trusting Someone you can't see is even harder - at least for me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed sweet romance with a compelling storyline that tugs your heart and challenges your faith.
A Sensible Arrangement is Tracie Peterson's 100th book (commence clapping)! I had the privilege of receiving a complementary copy from Bethany House Publishing for my honest review.
Description:
Marty Dandridge Olson is ready to leave behind the pain of the past.
Answering an advertisement for a "Lone Star bride," she leaves her Texas ranch and heads to Denver to marry a man she doesn't know.
Jake Wythe is the man waiting for her.
Burned by love, he marries now simply to satisfy the board of Morgan Bank, which believes a man of his standing in society should be wed. Together Jake and Marty agree they are done with romance and love and will make this nothing more than a marriage of convenience.
When missing money and a collapsing economy threaten his job, Jake's yearning to return to ranching grows ever stronger, much to Marty's dismay. But a fondness has grown between them, as well, further complicating matters.
What will happen when their relationship shifts in unexpected ways . . . and dreams and secrets collide?
Author Bio:
Tracie Peterson is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than 90 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Belgrade, Montana. Learn more at www.traciepeterson.com.
(Author bio and book description found on www.amazon.com. Photo copied from www.deepershopping.com)
My review:
Didn't care for it. 2 1/2 stars
This is the first book I've read by Tracie Peterson and I'm sorry to say that I was quite disappointed. I have often heard how wonderful her books are, but I didn't enjoy this one very much.
The story begins with Marty planning to leave for Colorado to be a mail-order bride. It started out slow and there wasn't much to hold my interest. Thankfully, it picked up about half way through and I was able to finish it. There seems to be a lot of wasted detail and pages. This story could have been told as a novella and been excellent.
I found Marty very annoying, with her constant lying and commenting about how easy her new life was. She didn't seem very likeable to me. The only thing I remotely identified with was her opinion of the upper crust society she was thrust into. My favorite part of the whole book was when she finally stood up to them.
I didn't much care for Jake, either. We don't see much from his point of view and he seemed to be a very flat character. I knew more about the servants than him. There wasn't much to endear him to me. Yes, he was kind to Marty, but shortly into the book, he starts talking about his hopes and dreams, and doesn't even notice that Marty wasn't happy with them. This happens several times and he just ignores her comments and concerns.
This book is filled with descriptions and is well written, I must give Ms. Peterson that, but that seems to be all it is. There is very little dialogue between Marty and Jake, though they marry very early in the book. Of course, they came to love each other, but I have no idea how! How do you love someone that you never talk to or spend time with? It seems to be a mostly physical attraction on both sides, since all the comments are about their appearance and how attractive they are, or some other such thing.
I must say that Ms. Peterson really drove home how lies can affect your life. I did appreciate that and there are several discussions about God, which were well done and didn't seem the least bit stilted. Though, I did find their faith rather shallow.
I would recommend this book if you are a huge fan of the author, otherwise I would suggest skipping it.
I receive a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
Welcome to my new blog! I'm Sarah, and I just wanted introduce myself and let you know what this blog will be about.
About Me: The most important thing to know about me is that I'm a Christian. I love my Savior and King, Jesus Christ. I try every day to emulate Him in all that I do. I fail more than I care to remember, but He always picks me up and gives me grace for the next day! I also love books, writing, music, cooking, and laughter. I'm a self admitted book addict who has no problem with that. I adore chocolate, in case no one figured that out from my title. ;)
About the blog: For the most part, I will be posting book reviews, doing the occasional giveaway, and chatting about whatever God lays on my heart to share. There will be chocolate, too, though unfortunately, you will have to provide your own. I'm hoping this will be a place you can visit, relax, and hopefully have a laugh once in a while.
That's all for now. Thanks for visiting! :)
Now that you know a bit about me, please leave a comment and tell me something about yourself!
I hope you have a blessed Easter!
~Sarah
