Book Review: The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck

It took me a very long time to read this book (between entertaining my 4-year-old and getting my own work done), but I’m glad I kept at it.

For the most part, I really liked the book. I enjoyed the modern day story. The historical part of the book (which I didn’t realize was going to be a storyline before I started reading it) took me a little longer to get into, but it’s just because I prefer modern stories over historical ones. It all ended up being really good though.

The story of the life of the wedding dress was great. What I didn’t like was that it seemed to have powers. That didn’t work for me. And I’m not sure what to think of the guy in purple who seemed to span a hundred years and not change. I’m thinking he was supposed to represent God. If that’s the case, I’m a little uncomfortable with that as well. I don’t think God should be portrayed as a weirdo with bad fashion sense.

Other than those two things, I thought the book was a good read. The character of Charlotte was great (although her name and the historical character’s name got accidentally switched a couple of times in the book). I would give the book 3.5 stars. The things that keep it from being a 5 for me are the two things mentioned in the above paragraph and the ending was a little hokey, and unrealistic. But I have a feeling, the author wasn’t going for realistic in this book. It lies a little more on the fantastic side of things.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ebook for review.

 

Book Review: Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin

I read this as an ebook on my phone. It’s very different reading a book this way, but it wasn’t bad. This was my first ebook, and it was a lot better than I was expecting. Of course, I did miss the feel of the book, turning pages, and knowing how far I’ve gotten in the book without having to tap a few buttons.

As for the book itself, it was a good look at how anger and hatred can build in someone over a lifetime and how God can help someone let go and live a healthy life. There were some odd scenes in the book that really weren’t needed – like the gas station attendant, the weird customer scene at Clark’s, and a few others I won’t mention. But, apart from those scenes, I really liked the rest of the book. I enjoyed how we are taken back in time to really understand why Tucker and Mutt are the way they are and why they do certain things.

I loved the character of Miss Ella. She did seem to be a little too perfect, but since she is deceased, it might be appropriate. Sometimes when we have lost someone, we make them into these perfect people that no one else will ever live up to. Miss Ella’s voice in Tucker’s head seemed to be his own conscience, and what lived in his conscience is everything that she taught him. Makes me want to be more like her.

This is a good book. It is full of inner turmoil and is driven by relationships. Just the kind I love! Thank you to the publisher for sending me this book to review.

 

Book Review: Composing Amelia by Alison Strobel

After reading Composing Amelia, I have a great respect for Alison Strobel as a writer. This book is crafted with quality and heart. The story is amazing, and the writing is amazing. If I could ever be half the writer Alison is, I’d be incredibly happy.

Composing Amelia really starts to get good in Chapter 3. I could relate with both main characters and could understand why they are at odds with the direction their life is taking. Amelia wants to go one direction, and her husband, Marcus, wants to go in the other. And I could see both of their viewpoints and empathize.

The struggles that Amelia and Marcus face in the book really speak to the insecurities everyone experiences about themselves as well as the desire to control life instead of letting God have his way. It beautifully illustrates how God can change the desires of someone’s heart and give them joy in something they had never even given a thought to. This storyline is like none I’ve read before. It is so refreshing.

Composing Amelia is well written and goes deeply into the character’s hearts and minds. It is a picture of God bringing his dearly loved children back to himself as only he can do.

Great book! Read it! Seriously!

 

Book Review: The Beach House by Sally John

This book is something you delve into. The characters are expertly created with the depth of real life. Between the four women in this book, I think every reader will be able to relate to one of them. I really related to Molly, and the book even made me want to be more like her in my prayer life and encouraging people around me.

The Beach House is another great example of what Christian fiction is all about. I my opinion, it should glorify God and should show how He works in people’s hearts. Throughout the book, you can see God at work in all four women through His Spirit, people around them, and circumstances. Each character was working through something in their lives that was causing heartache and frustration. And God worked differently in each of their hearts.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. Sally John, you are a great writer. I see your heart in every page. I hope I can write half as good as you someday. The Beach House gets five stars from me!

 

Book Review: Desert Gift by Sally John

This book starts out with a pretty jaw-dropping scene. The main character is about to leave on her book tour with her husband. This is her first book and it is all about how to keep a marriage strong. As they are about to leave the house for their trip, her husband tells her he wants a divorce, then sends her on her way for a five-week trip to promote her book.

If that isn’t gripping, I don’t know what is. The book takes you through the highs a lows of their journey, revealing bits and pieces along the way of what caused her husband to get to the point of wanting a divorce. It takes you through the aftershocks of his request and displays how the Holy Spirit can use anything, good or bad, to change someone.

This book will challenge you to look into yourself and look at your marriage. Unspoken words and underlying attitudes can wreak havoc in a relationship. This book inspires communication in marriage. I can see how this work of fiction could make a difference and really strengthen a relationship. I know I sure don’t want to go through what the couple went through in this book. That is an inspiration in itself!

Thank you Tyndale for providing a copy of this book for my review. I highly recommend it!

 

Book Review: The Reluctant Prophet

Now this is what Christian fiction should be! Christian story-telling should be about challenging people on what they really believe and on how they are living. It should show them how God wants us to relate to him and what great things can be accomplished for his glory through our relationship with him. And it should show how God can change someone’s heart.

The Reluctant Prophet does all of that. This is, without question, the best book I’ve read this year. Last year, the best book I read was Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and this book has a similar theme. The main character, Allison, experiences enormous spiritual growth as she listens to the Holy Spirit’s leading and actually obeys. In her obedience, we get to see the amazing things that can be accomplished through someone who doesn’t believe in herself. The phrase, “in our weakness, he is strong” rings true in Allison and what God accomplishes through her.

The first chapter was a little hard to get into. It seemed too long, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like the book. The second chapter became more interesting, and the third chapter had me literally laughing out loud (which elicited some funny looks from my husband). From there, I couldn’t put the book down because of the story of Allison’s transformation and what God was doing around her and through her. I also really liked how her view of some of the secondary characters changed throughout the book – some for the better, some for the worse. It even shows Harley groups in a different light than they are normally cast.

This is a five-star book. Just read it. It’s incredible.

 

Book Review: The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir

The first thing I noticed about this book was how funny it was. I really enjoyed the main character’s sense of humor as well as the author’s. Take these two lines for example when a character was being described whom the main character did not like: “The gelatinous mass of cop regarded me as he crossed his arms and bared his predatory teeth, which gave him great pleasure when he sank them into wayward cops. His supersized suit was wrinkled, and a shaggy, unkempt throw rug covered his head.”

That’s just enjoyable reading! I loved it!

Besides the humor, I appreciated the glimpse into Ray Quinn’s (the main character) struggle with alcohol and the subtle working of the Holy Spirit, bringing Ray closer and closer to Himself. In this book, I was taken into a life without God’s influence. It’s gets slightly raw at times, but it illustrates why we need to keep reaching out to people without giving up on them. There is a secondary character in the book who continuously tells Ray about the joy of God. There came a point when I said to myself that she should just give up, but she didn’t. This really made me question myself. Would I have really given up on someone like that? It made me think.

In all, I give this book the highest ratings. I loved the writing style. I normally don’t like books written by men, so I started reading it with a slight attitude. But right from the first paragraph, I was hooked on the story, the main character, and Mark Mynheir’s writing style and quality. I’d love to read all of his books! Mark is wonderful writer. The whole book was enjoyable.

The Corruptible is the second book in this series. The first book in the series is The Night Watchman.

Thank you Multnomah for providing a copy for my review.

 

Book Review: Heart of Lies by Jill Marie Landis

This was an enjoyable look at historic New Orleans and the rough life of a woman who was part of a gang of thieves since childhood. There were a couple glimpses of God at work, but not a lot. In my opinion, it could have had more.

For the most part, I like the style of the book. The characters have depth, and the story is compelling. The writing is good, and leaves you curious about the next book in the series.

Thank you Zondervan for providing a copy for my review.

 

Book Review: The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

The biggest thing that impressed me with this book was that it actually had Christian content. The gospel was presented and someone responded to it. Amazing. This is the first Christian novel that I have read in a few months that was so obviously Christian. It made me very happy. I feel that a book that is sold as a Christian novel should represent, in some way, what Christians believe. The Pirate Queen does this! Bravo!

I really loved the characters in this book, even the one who was originally the antagonist – the bad guy. It just goes to show that people who seem to be the bad guy aren’t always all bad. There is good and bad in everyone.

Of course the character who really stole my heart was Tobias – the little neighbor boy. I won’t say why though. Don’t want to ruin the story. Up until he was introduced, I actually wasn’t loving the book. But when his little face came onto the scene, the story became very gripping.

The beginning took a little while to get into, the middle of the book was gripping, and I thought the ending was done very well and was very satisfying. This is one of the best books I’ve read within the past year. Fantastic!

Thank you Multnomah for providing this book for my review.

 

Book Review: The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz

Loved it! I was really caught up in the story of this book. The first chapter is a little hard to follow, but once you get into the book, it starts to get really good.

The story follows elderly people in a nursing home in the present day and also goes back to 1929 and what happened with them in their hometown as kids. The book is written in present tense. This is the first present tense book that I’ve read. I always thought reading the present tense would really bug me, but it didn’t in this book. In fact, I hardly noticed it.

Nicole Seitz did an amazing job with the story and characters of this book. This must have been a complicated book to write. I don’t think I could have done it. There are characters of every age, and she really nailed each one. She even gets you into the minds of elderly people with dementia.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. At the end, I found myself going back to the first chapter to reread it. It all made sense now that I knew who it was and what had happened.

The best thing about this book is that you start to think of yourself and your life. I would not want to have the regrets that some of them had toward the end of their lives. It certainly helps you put things into perspective. The only thing I wish it had more of was Christian content. There wasn’t much shown of the characters’ spiritual lives (except for one of the secondary characters).

Thank you Thomas Nelson for providing a copy of this book for my review.