Book Review: Bittersweet Surrender
Bittersweet Surrender by Diann Hunt is the story of Carly Westlake, a single-again woman who has had a rough go of life lately (breast cancer and husband leaving her) but absolutely loves her work – owning a chocolate spa. Carly’s long-time friend, Scott, shares an office with Carly and works as her accountant/bookkeeper. Carly’s childhood crush, Jake, moves back to town and becomes a love interest, despite Carly’s insecurities about the way she looks. Scott becomes preoccupied by managing the spa’s financial records and begins to unravel a mystery that ultimately leads back to him, yet affects every character in the book.
Bittersweet Surrender was a cute but complicated story. Each character had plenty of issues and they all blended together to finally create a feel-good book. I felt the storyline was predictable but enjoyed Carly’s character and the lessons she learns about herself during this journey.
Book Review: His Steadfast Love
His Steadfast Love by Golden Keyes Parsons is set in Texas during the Civil War. The main character is Amanda Belle, who is helping her father and her brother Daniel raise the younger siblings in the family since her mother has passed away. Amanda meets Captain Kent Littlefield at a church picnic and he is quite taken with her. When Texas secedes from the Union, Daniel aligns with the Confederate States, while Kent remains with the Union troops. Amanda is torn between the two men she is closest to and the two sides of the conflict. Amanda and Kent write letters (even though this was forbidden by her father) during the years of the war and Amanda’s heart searches for answers in the midst of this conflict, especially when her brother Daniel is reported missing in action.
I thought that this book was good, but not great. I enjoyed the storyline but felt pieces of it were not completed in the book. I did like the setting, the characters, and some elements in the story like the friendship Amanda has with their family’s slaves. The love story was OK but the family relationships pulled me in more than the love story. All in all, His Steadfast Love is a good read that I felt could have been better.
DISCLAIMER: This book was provided to me by Thomas Nelson Publishers, in exchange for my review. This review is my own opinion and was not influenced in any way by the publishing company.
Book Review: Sunrise on the Battery
Sunrise on the Battery by Beth Webb Hart introduces readers to Charleston family of Mary Lynn & Jackson Scoville and their three daughters Catherine, Lilla and Casey.
Mary Lynn and Jackson both had meager upbringings and have worked diligently to provide a better life for their daughters. The story is told through the eyes of Mary Lynn and Jackson as well as Catherine, their oldest daughter. In the process of creating a better life full of enriched opportunities for Catherine, Lilla & Casey, Mary Lynn & Jackson are also doing well obtaining elite social status in the Charleston community. Yet in the midst of living a dream life, Mary Lynn feels an emptiness and is drawn to exploring the meaning of faith through a women’s Bible study. She prays for her husband to know Christ but is unprepared for his “all in” response as it quickly upsets their social standing.
Sunrise on the Battery was a good book, a sweet story, and I loved that it incorporated a third set of eyes by allowing Catherine to tell parts of the story.
Book Review: Daddy Dates by Greg Wright
Daddy Dates by Greg Wright is a great resource for dads and was an easy read. The most enjoyable parts of the book were Mr. Wright’s funny anecdotes, often of his own mishaps in his journey as a father of four girls.
Mr. Wright shares how simply “dating your daughter” has been the single most important thing he has done as a parent. In the book, he gives insights of how, what, when, where & why this has happens in his family. He gives you specific ideas and shares what has worked for him, so anyone who reads this book will be able to make this happen in their own family. Because so many families fight for “family time” and positive relationships with their children, this book is a vital resourece for the family who wants to make family the most important thing. As a mom of three daughters, I would definitely recommend this book to any parent.
Book Review: The Final Summit by Andy Andrews
The Final Summit by Andy Andrews tells the tale of David Ponder, an “ordinary” man who has the ability to travel through time. The angel Gabriel appears to David one night and summons him to an important meeting of all the Travelers. The group of Travelers include many important people from history, such as Winston Churchill, Joan of Arc & Abraham Lincoln. The Travelers are given a quest to answer the question, “What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?”.
While I appreciated the principles shared, the historical information and stories that became part of the story, as well as the fact that a spirit of cooperation was emphasized, the book itself was difficult for me to finish. Once David Ponder arrives in the “conference room” at the beginning of the book, this is where the entire rest of the book takes place. The characters discuss many different options while in the conference room and that’s all that happens. Again, I do appreciate the overall spirit of the book but found the story itself pretty stale. A complete history buff might find the book more interesting than I did.
Book Review: Same Life, New Story
Same Life, New Story: Change Your Perspective to Change Your Life by Jan Silvious
A refreshing read for women. In Same Life, New Story, Jan Silvious uses each of ten chapters to focus on a woman from the Bible and how that woman “changed her story” when things did not look as if they were going well. The author also tells the stories of modern-day women who choose to make their stories different, despite difficult circumstances. The message that with God’s help you are in charge of your attitude, and ultimately-your life story- is empowering and encouraging.
The book itself is an easy read & could be used as a ten week Bible study for a group of women. Each chapter ends with sections including “personal reflection”, “journal entry” and “group discussion questions” that allow the reader to truly digest what they have read and how it can apply to their life. I believe that this would be a great book to use in a group study (although I did not), as the chapters and questions are easy to apply to your life and the length of each chapter plus questions is fairly short. If you are looking for your next ladies Bible study book, this just may be it!
Book Review: An Amish Love
An Amish Love is a collection of three novellas by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Kelly Long. Each novella contains a unique Amish love story that stands alone, but the authors all use Yoder’s Pantry, a local restaurant and store, as part of their story.
The first novella, “A Marriage of the Heart” by Kelly Long tells the story of Abigail Kauffman & Joseph Lambert. Abigail is anxious to escape the lonely home she shares with her father, so beautiful Abigail conjures up a story that finds her marrying the handsome Joseph Lambert, who recently returned to their Amish community. Their relationship starts out very complicated but as Abigail & Joseph learn more about themselves & each other, the reader wonders if their love will turn tender and sweet after all?
The second novella is “What the Heart Sees” by Kathleen Fuller. Ellie Chup seems to have come to terms with losing her best friend, Caroline in an accident five years earlier, although the affects of the accident are something she has to live with every day. Ellie’s beau, John, has since married someone else. Ellie has found contentment in selling her own brand of jams and jellies and caring for her family, despite the blindness she incurred after the accident. Now Ellie’s cousin Isaiah is planning to marry her friend Sarah Lynne and Ellie is excited to help with the wedding details. But when Sarah Lynne’s brother, Chris, returns to town, he is carrying a grudge that may affect Isaiah and Sarah Lynne’s wedding and life together. What unfolds is a story of redemption, grace and finding love in the most unexpected places.
The third novella, “Healing Hearts” is by Beth Wiseman and tells the story of Levina and Naaman Lapp. Naaman is just returning to his wife, Levina after an eleven month trip to Ohio. His family is confused by Naaman’s leave of absence and Levina struggles to trust Naaman again, especially when their community gets wrapped up in circumstances they don’t understand and rumors abound. Will Levina’s strong faith enable her to trust and love her husband again, in their later years of life?
Each one of these stories touched my heart and showed tenderness, faith and compassion as the characters struggled with aspects of their Amish background, only to realize that God’s redemptive love was there all along. These authors also have full-length Amish romance novels that I will be looking for because I enjoyed this collection very much. If you like sweet stories of faith and romance, An Amish Love is for you.
The Way Home – movie review
The Way Home is based on a true story of an event that happened to the Simpkins family in 2000. Their two year old son goes missing in a matter of minutes while the parents are packing for a family vacation. In the following hours, a community rallies behind the Simpkins family through prayer and organized search teams in an effort to find little Joe. Throughout this crisis the father, Randy Simpkins (played by Dean Cain), realizes the weight of wrongfully put work in front of his faith & family, while recommiting his life & family back to God.
This dramatic movie brought forth powerful emotions in me, a parent of three children (one of which is 2 years old) and I felt that it was an overall great faith-building movie, reminding all of us that the truly important things in life are your faith and your family. There were times the movie seemed slow or the acting a little cheesy, but everything else was extremely well done. I would recommend this movie to families to watch together, for sure.
Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado – Book Review
Outlive Your Life is a great new book by familiar author & pastor, Max Lucado. Lucado’s newest nonfiction book uses Acts as a backdrop to share Biblical, life-change stories. Yet he also gives modern day examples of people who are “outliving their life”, a.k.a. making an eternal difference. Lucado’s writing & use of descriptions makes you feel as if you are right there – whether it’s an interaction with Peter or a modern-day story set in Turkey, you picture the scene in great detail and it’s easy to imagine you are there. Outlive Your Life is an easy read, yet challenges you personally to live beyond yourself and find what you (& me and all the other “average joes” we know) can do to make a difference in the world.
Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go – Book Review
Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go by Lucille O’Neal
Most of us are familiar with basketball superstar, Shaquille O’Neal, but this time it’s his courageous mother, Lucille O’Neal, who tells her life story. Mrs. O’Neal introduces you to herself as a young girl being raised by her grandparents who goes from “good girl” to rebellious teenager and then becomes a single parent early in life. She candidly shares her journey out of “mental welfare” to “mental health” throughout her adult years and shows us that it’s never too late to gain self-confidence and pursue your dreams. Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go is an easy to read biography that encourages readers to be the best person they can be, despite whatever circumstances you might find yourself in. Mrs. O’Neal effortlessly shares her faith, almost as if she is just talking to you as a friend. The book is a worthwhile read that will give you a newfound respect for the O’Neal family…and for yourself as well.
