The Heiress at Winterwood by Sarah Ladd

From the publisher: "Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father—a sea captain she’s never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting to her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she’s forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them."

___

Amelia and Graham were both very likable characters.  Immediately you felt attached to them and their situation.  Amelia might have pride, but don't we all?  She struggles with believing in God when things go wrong, but haven't each of us?  It was easy to understand Amelia and her struggles as well as admire her as she tried to do what was best.

Graham is a strong character who learns that his strength isn't the only thing that matters.  He has to learn to rely on God.  I appreciated when Graham admitted at one point that he had not started the journey with prayer but  now he would continue it with prayer.  I think that readers will be able to relate to that.

Ladd did a good job of introducing some mystery and intrigue in the book.  She was able to do this in a way that made me want to read faster and faster to figure out what happened.  Yet, I also didn't want to miss any details.  

The romance was sweet and not sappy or overwhelming.  Ladd did a good job with building up the romance as they got to know each other's characters.  

I would recommend this book. I cannot wait to read more from Sarah Ladd!

I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.  

Firefly Island by Lisa Wingate

From the publisher: "At thirty-four, congressional staffer Mallory Hale is about to embark on an adventure completely off the map. After a whirlwind romance, she is hopelessly in love with two men--fortunately, they're related. Daniel Everson and his little boy, Nick, are a package deal, and Mallory suddenly can't imagine her future without them.

Mallory couldn't be more shocked when Daniel asks her to marry him, move to Texas, and form a family with him and motherless Nick. The idea is both thrilling and terrifying. 

Mallory takes a leap of faith and begins a sweet, mishap-filled journey into ranch living, Moses Lake society, and a marriage that at times reminds her of the mail-order-bride stories. But despite the wild adventure of her new life, she discovers secrets and questions beneath her rosy new life. Can she find answers on Firefly Island, a little chunk of property just off the lakeshore, where mysterious lights glisten at night?"

The beginning of the book, or most of the book, is about Mallory adjusting to being a wife and mother.  The stories are sweet and it is easy to relate to the characters.  

It was slow paced however.  I didn't mind this at first but it tended to drag on after a while, with little hints on mystery, supernatural, and bits of God.  The book seemed unbalanced .  The majority of the book was about family and adjusting and then in the last part of the book it became more about a scandal and murder, etc.  And then suddenly...the book ends.  It seemed that neither the fully adjustment of family life, nor the murder mystery was resolved.  The reader is left to wonder if Mallory and Daniel will stay at Moses Lake under Jack West, or if Jack will kick them off because of their involvement in what happened (I don't want to give away too many details.)  

The mentions of the characters forming relationships with God was basically zero.  They attended church and in the end Mallory talks about how only God would orchestrate everything--but you don't see any of the characters really forming a real relationship.

I have never read anything by Lisa Wingate before and I honestly wasn't impressed.

I received my book free from Bethany House for my honest review.  

Wishing on Willows Book Giveaway!

I am so excited to announce that I have a book to give away!  And not just any book but....


Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert!  You can read my review here.

This is an ARC copy.

To enter leave a comment below.  This will get you one entry to win the book.
If you follow my blog I will add five more entries for you into the drawing.


The giveaway will end March 17th.

Also, if you are on facebook, mark your calendars for the Wishing on Willows Extravaganza from 6-7 pm CST on March 19th! Katie Ganshert will be video chatting with readers, giving away 6 prize packages, and there will be guest appearances form Becky Wade and Courtney Walsh!

So Shines the Night by Tracy Higley

From the publisher: On an island teetering at the brink of anarchy, Daria finds hope among people of The Way.

She escaped a past of danger and found respite in beautiful Ephesus, a trading center on the Aegean coast, serving as tutor to Lucas, the wealthy merchant who rescued her.

But the darkness she fled has caught up with her.

The high priests of Artemis once controlled the city, but a group of sorcerers are gaining power. And a strange group who call themselves followers of The Way further threaten the equilibrium. As Daria investigates Lucas’s exploits into the darker side of the city, her life is endangered, and she takes refuge in the strange group of believers. She’s drawn to Paul and his friends, even as she wrestles with their teachings.

When authorities imprison Lucas for a brutal crime, Daria wonders if even Paul’s God can save him. Then she uncovers a shocking secret that could change everything—Lucas’s fate, her position in his household, and the outcome of the tension between pagans and Christians. But only if she survives long enough to divulge what she knows.

_____

This is the third book in Higley's wonder of the world series.  And so far this one has been the best.  

Higley did a great job with the details of Ephesus.  Through her research and travels to the city you could feel where things were located and could picture the character's walking through city.  The details will make readers interested in history and the layout of the cities.

I loved how Higley wrote the Biblical characters into the story.  She had major Biblical characters like Paul, but then she also brought into the story some characters like Alexander and Demetrius that Paul talks about in his letters.  I enjoy reading Biblical fiction because I like seeing the character's fleshed out in a way I had not previously thought of them.

In this book there is a lot of darkness.  Spiritual darkness pervades the book, but this was accurate to the time in Ephesus.  Higley does a great job with portraying the spiritual darkness, and the struggle without making the book depressing.  It was thrilling when she wrote about God's light and presence with the people of the Way.  As a Christian I felt joy in knowing that this is not just fiction but reality.  God is stronger than the darkness.  

And I loved, loved having John do the prologue and epilogue and the references to Revelation.  That was really beautiful and well done.

I would recommend this book to others.

I received this book free form Booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.  

Quest for the Nail Prints by Don Furr

From the publisher: "When unexpected circumstances bring a doctor, a pastor, and a professor to Israel during Holy Week, they are suddenly thrust back in time to first-century Jerusalem. There they come face to face with Jesus of Nazareth on his way to the cross, an encounter that changes their lives forever."

The book, when you get it, has a "nail print" that goes through the whole book.  It seemed that if a book had to have a gimmick like this that maybe the story wasn't going to be well done.  

There were quite a few typos, but that is not the reason I am giving it a 1 star review.  And I don't have a problem with time travel books either.  The book was just poorly done.  As a teacher I try to grow my students to write stories that "show, not tell" the audience.  Furr does more of telling than showing.  The character's cry at the drop of a hat, and there isn't any build up to it.  This is a classic case of telling instead of showing.  Furr tells us what the characters are doing and tells us they are crying, but he doesn't develop it enough to show it. 

The book had three main characters.  The first little bit of the book tried to give you some background on the characters to help you empathize with them.  It did not seem however, to accomplish that purpose.  As a reader, the story should either engage you because it is well written, or because the plot is interesting.  Neither was the case here.  

There was also a character who had been healed by Jesus but they still had pain in their legs.  The Bible doesn't leave room to speculate that Jesus' miracles were not complete.  When He healed someone, He healed them completely.  

The relationship between the pastor (who is married) and female doctor is also inappropriate.  The book's point was about the nail prints, but instead of the characters focusing on Jesus, they begin to develop a relationship because "no one else will understand what they've been through." I was surprised that Furr would build up a relationship that could damage a marriage.  

I would not recommend this book to anyone.  


SPOILER:
And the last sentence of the book leads to what Furr's next book will be about--Peter time traveled to the present day.  This seems too far fetched.  One might be able to appreciate and understand why the three character's needed to go back in time to see Jesus, but there is no reason at all for Peter to go forward in time.  Especially because Jesus has not risen from the dead yet.  


I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.  

Clouds by Robin Jones Gunn

From the publisher: "This bestselling former Palisades release is book five in the new Glenbrooke series by award-winning author Robin Jones Gunn. 

Coming home wasn’t supposed to feel this way. After five years as a flight attendant, Shelly is home again, in a house alive with happy memories. Yet she feels strangely lost. Without direction. Alone. 

Where is Jonathan Renrield when she needs him? Jonathan, her best friend nearly all her life, her first and only love. Shelly hadn’t meant to hurt him when she left him behind to chase her dreams. And she misses him more than she’s ever admitted. When they unexpectedly meet in Germany , Shelly manages to hide her feelings from Jonathan—and his fiancée. But she can no longer hide them from herself. Will she ever be ready to tell Jonathan the truth? Will she have the chance? 

Not until a business trip takes her to charming Glenbrooke , Oregon does Shelly finally understand: only the truth can set her free. But is it too late for her and Jonathan?"

I have never read anything by Gunn before, so even though this is part of a series, I had no background to the other characters.  For the most part this did not effect the book.  Only at the end of the book did the other characters show up.  For readers of the series it would have been thrilling to see the characters again.  For someone only reading this book, it was just extra people.  

The book was a light read.  I found myself wanting the plot to move quicker than it was.  I felt that Jonathan's character was a little flat, since the majority of what you know from him is Shelly's memories.  

I did like that Gunn made both of the characters learn to deny self and really hand things over to God.  While I did not love the book, it had a few strong points and is worth the read if you want some light romantic book.

I would recommend reading from the beginning of the series.  I think it would help you enjoy the books more.

I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Threads of Grace by Kelly Long

From the publisher: "Grace's autistic son needs a life that is safe and consistent. Seth wants to leave his flirting days behind him and settle down.

Deep in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, the beautiful and weary Amish widow, Grace Beiler, is not looking for a husband—especially one so much younger than her. But handsome and smitten Seth Wyse stumbles upon a way to help her and they marry to keep Grace’s autistic son safe from his ill-intentioned uncle.

Grace soon discovers that she is far from immune to her young husband’s experienced charm and realizes that her first marriage has not destroyed her capacity for love.

Seth Wyse seeks counsel from his older brother, Jacob, when playing the game of pursuing his wife becomes more dangerous to both his heart and life than he ever imagined.

Yet God can give Grace and Seth a passion for family and each other that teaches them the ways of the Master Quilter through the tangled and tender threads of their lives."

I have to admit that when I first read the blurb about this book, I waived about selecting it to read.  It seemed like it was more about Seth's charms and physical romance of a younger man marrying an older woman.  But I was very happily surprised.  First off a three year difference is not that much of a difference and the story centered more on God's grace.  

The title of the book does well for the story.  It is a about grace, God's grace, that He gives us over and over.  And while we may not understand all the pain and heartache that happens in life--God is there to cover us with His love and grace.  I really appreciated the relationship the characters had with God.

I chose to read this book, in a large part, due to the fact that the main character had a son with autism.  I was curious how they would portray and handle it.  Long did a good job and showing the intensity of love and strength of the family around Grace's son.

The relationship between Seth and Grace was actually very beautiful and tender.  It was more about patient love and healing in God's grace.  

The only thing I didn't really like was the lose ends and competition that Violet and Alice's stories played.  I didn't see Alice as an essential character, and while the author might be preparing readers for a story about Violet, it seems also a minor distraction.  But that it not a huge deterrent   

I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review.