I'm Going on an Adventure: 2015

Link-Up

Remembering There and Back Again Link-Up- The Battle of the Five Armies

Thursday, December 24, 2015

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Historical

At Love's Bidding, by Regina Jennings

Friday, December 18, 2015

At Love's Bidding, by Regina Jennings

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ Five hearts

Profanity: None

Inappropriate Scenes: None

Description:

When Miranda assists at her grandfather's Boston auction house, she accidentally sells a powerful family's prized portrait. Grandpa tracks the bidder to the Ozarks and quickly buys the local dealer's business. But when they arrive and find cattle, not paintings, they discover he's impulsively purchased livestock! Can Miranda salvage the situation with the handsome boss, Wyatt?

Description from www.christianbook.com

My Review:

First of all, this is a great book! I loved the mystery (which was, while not as complex as a Lynette Eason or Julie Klassen, great. Maybe it was just me, but I had no idea how everything was going to turn out!), the characters were very lovable, and the author's writing style is an A+. There really is hardly anything I disliked about it.

At first, it took me awhile to get into At Love's Bidding ( partly because I have been EXTREMELY busy with Christmas coming up and couldn't devote my time to reading it as much as I'd have liked), but once I did, I finished it in about two days.

I could relate to Miranda- I also find it a bit hard to be brave. And I can sympathize about her Grandfather, who ( this is not a spoiler- it is said near the start of the book) seems to have Alzheimer's or something like that. I also have a grandparent who struggles with the same. They are a different person than they used to be.

I misjudged some characters at the beginning (which was what the author, I think, intended), later coming to love them.

Also, when I was almost all the way through the book, I realized that, while this is not one in a series, the characters are the same from some of Ms. Jenning's other books. I love finding out that an author has done that! Now I want to read some more of her books... And I'm just guessing about who her next one is going to be about, due to the way the book ended.

My only problem with the book was the cover. My sister and I were both expecting to see (on the back cover) that Miranda had lassoed a man (her "love", I guess you could say), but, after the novel arrived, we came to find that it was just a cow on the other end of the rope. Not a big issue, however, I just think it would have made a nicer cover.

Note: I got this book free from Bethany House in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own.

2 Comments

End of the Year Link-Up Fun

Friday, December 11, 2015

6 Comments

12 Days of Thanksgiving

Saturday, November 21, 2015

2 Comments

Christmas

The Christmas Joy Ride, by Melody Carlson

Friday, November 13, 2015

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Contemporary Fiction

Every Girl Gets Confused, by Janice Thompson

Friday, November 06, 2015

Every Girl Gets Confused, by Janice Thompson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

My Rating: ♥♥♥ Three out of five hearts

Profanity: None

Inappropriate Scenes: None

About:

Katie Fisher and Brady James may be a match made in heaven, but that doesn't seem to guarantee them a happily ever after accompanied by angelic choirs. In fact, the sounds being heard at the bridal shop where she works are on the contentious side lately, as a bride- and groom-to-be try to mediate the growing rivalry between their basketball-obsessed families in the middle of play-off season. On top of that, Katie's parents are nagging her to get out of Dallas and come home to tiny Fairfield where her former boyfriend Carson is waiting for her, ready to rekindle their relationship. Oy vey! What's a girl to do? And will she ever be able to wear that gorgeous wedding dress she won?

Description from Amazon.com

My Review:

First of all, I didn't realize this was book 2 in a series (Brides With Style) until I received it, so reading it was a bit confusing, like picking up a story and starting right in the middle, after some crucial things have happened and relationships been established. It can still be read, even if you haven't read the first book, although it will just be a bit more confusing. Now, aside all that, here's what I thought of the book.

Ms. Thompson has a good writing style that I enjoyed, although it was in first person, which isn't my favorite, but that's just a preference choice. Also, though, while some have called the book comedic, I didn't really think it was too funny. That leads to the next subject- the characters. I liked Katie and Brady as characters, but her Aunt Alva and grandmother, Queenie, I wasn't as fond of. All of the elderly women in the book to me didn't seem funny a lot of the time, but kind of... clueless, I guess you could say. Now, this may all be because I didn't read the first book, and while the book didn't strike me as funny, my sister thought it was just flipping through it, so this definitely is not the case for everyone.

The cover was really great looking, although I didn't really feel like it or the title had a lot to do with what the book was about. There didn't seem to be as much "choosing" in the book as the name and cover implied. Here is one thing I did like though- in most Hallmark movies or such, the city boyfriend is always the bad guy, while the country boy is normally the good guy. With Every Girl Gets Confused, this was not the case, as I inaccurately assumed from looking at the front cover. City boy Brady is just as nice as country Casey is.

Another thing about the book was that the characters discussed a lot about what happens during the honeymoon. Nothing bad is ever said in any way, nothing explicit, and I just got a bit tired and a little uncomfortable with the subject being brought up so much.

All in all, while not really my favorite, this was a pretty good book that fans of the first one (Every Bride Needs a Groom) will probably enjoy.

Note: I got this book free from Revell in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own.

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"Fire and Ice," by Mary Connealy

Thursday, October 08, 2015

"Fire and Ice," by Mary Connealy

Genre: Historical Fiction

My Rating: ♥♥♥ 3 and a half out of 5 hearts

Profanity: None

Inappropriate Scenes: None

About:

In Fire & Ice Book 3 of the Wild at Heart Series, Bailey Wilde has been living disguised as a man for a while. She is one of the best new ranchers in the West. Five thousand acres of Gage Coulters best grazing land is lost to him because Bailey's homestead is located right across the only suitable entrance to a canyon full of lush grass. When Gage tries to drive her off her homestead he quickly realizes he is dealing with a very tough and intriguing woman. In a moment of weakness, Bailey agrees to a wild plan Gage concocts. Can these two independent ranchers earn each other's respect—and find love in the process?

Text from Christianbook.com

My Review:

First of all, the plot was pretty good. There didn't seem to be as much action as there was in the other two "Wild at Heart" books, though, and the mystery didn't seem to be too tough to solve, although I felt that it was done right.

The characters were great, and although Gage wasn't exactly as I thought he'd be (from the other books), Bailey was great and she and Gage went well together. I loved the rest of the characters as well.

Mrs. Connealy has a great writing style, and I love the bits of humor she throws in. The way she wrote the story, the characters almost seemed real.

About the cover- I thought it was awesome, and I always loved the picture on the spine. The photography was beautiful, and the nature pictures were so pretty. Also, the title was excellent. Very fitting for the characters.

I couldn't relate to the characters very well, but perhaps that is because my personality is so different from theirs and I've never been thrown into a situation like theirs. I could relate to Bailey's love for her sisters, though, and the loneliness of a long winter (I've never spent a winter alone, but from the tiring winters here, I can imagine how awful that must be).

Now for the cons. It took me a little bit to get into the story for some reason, despite the fact that the beginning had some action. Also, I felt that there weren't enough side characters, maybe though because I was just missing Bailey's sisters. Also, by the time the book was finished, I felt that, while it was a good ending, some things were left unresolved. Things needed to be said and worked out. And also, the cover- while it did look amazing, the arm continuing onto the back cover was kind of... unusual-looking. Plus, the character didn't look quite the same as described in the book (wrong color of eyes- why do books do that sometimes?).

So overall, this book was a pretty good read. While not my favorite, though, I still think Mary Connealy did a great job with it.

Note: I got this book free from Bethany House in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own.

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Children's

"More for Girls Only! Devotions," by Carolyn Larsen

Friday, September 18, 2015

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Historical

"Through Waters Deep," by Sarah Sundin

Friday, August 14, 2015

"Through Waters Deep," by Sarah Sundin

Genre: Historical Romance

My Rating: Five out of Five Hearts ♥♥♥♥♥

About: Navy yard secretary Mary Stirling has always been the shy, quiet one, not the kind of girl that would catch Jim Avery's eye. However, when Mary reconnects with Jim, now a Navy officer, he begins to find that he's attracted to her more and more each day. What he doesn't know is that the feeling is mutual. When evidence of a saboteur puts everyone at the shipyard on edge, Mary is determined to crack the case. With so many workers blaming each other, who can she trust? And will she ever be able to tell Jim how she feels about him?

My Review:

I have to admit, when I first saw this book, I didn't think I'd like it. Although I love the 40's era, this particular book just looked boring. However, after reading several pages, I realized I may have been mistaken.

I loved Mrs. Sundin's writing style, and how she balanced mystery and also the horrors of war with some sweet moments and a bit of humor. The mystery was nice as well, and although not exactly the main focus of the book (or so it seemed to me), it was nicely put together, and I couldn't figure out the culprit until almost after Mary had. However, Lynette Eason fans may disagree with me and think the mystery a bit lacking of suspense, or being a bit slow (like my sister did). I'm not that type of person, though, and while I admit it didn't have as deep a plot as one of Julie Klassen's novels, I still loved the story.

One reason I liked this book so well was because of how much I could relate to Mary Stirling, the main character. I could understand her quietness and shyness, because I'm the same way. Also, I struggle as well trying to find the fine line between pride and using my gifts for God's glory, as Mary does in the book. The other characters were great as well, and I loved Jim's humor and Archer's occasional dry comments.

One thing I didn't completely like was that there was so many side characters- Heinrich Baur, Ira Kaplan, Mr. Fiske, Mr. Winslow, etc.- that I sometimes got confused. This could've been something only I would struggle with though, as I tend to read a bit fast when I'm reading a book I like.

Mary and Jim had a unique romance that was really sweet and I can't wait to read the next book in the "Waves of Freedom" series!

Note: I got this book free from Revell in exchange for doing a review. All opinions are my own.