Kissing Tolstoy Review

Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid is the first book in her Dear Professor contemporary series. We follow Anna an almost senior at university and Luca the man she had a blind date with who turned out to be her new professor of Russian literature.

 

I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I loved this book. It has two of my favourite tropes: age gap romance and a teacher/student romance. These trope are not easy to do well due to the obvious taboo nature of them to start off with. However, Reid did a fantastic job with them here. I loved that the issue of ‘position of power’ was address and handled marvellously within the story.

The characters intrigued me and captured my affection from the very beginning. Anna was funny and adorable while Luca was smart and sophisticated. All the characters felt realistic and I enjoyed following them through these events. The romantic content is a bit steamy and fairly graphic a couple times, but if you can look past that (or don’t mind it) then it is worth the read.

The reason it didn’t get a full 5 stars is because I felt it was incomplete. There was a whole section of the story that I think could have been shown or delved into that Reid chose to skip over (it isn’t necessary for the story, just would add depth to the characters and the main romantic relationship); I can’t get more specific or it would verge into spoilers.

Overall, this was a fantastic read and I look forward to the rest of the series.

The Long Road Home Review

The Long Road Home by Lori Wick is the third book in her Christian historical fiction A Place Called Home series. We follow Paul Cameron as his plans and dreams for the future are shattered along with his faith in God.

 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This was such a pleasure to read. I really liked how Wick addressed the topics of grief, loss, and lack of control. The characters were flawed and real. I especially enjoyed Abigail’s perspective (the main female lead). The plot was smooth and enjoyable, if a bit unrealistic. I felt that it could have been expanded upon since some parts felt rushed. However, the faith element was strong. It isn’t the best book in the world, but an enjoyable one.

The Fellowship of the Ring Review

The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien is the first two books of the Lord of the Rings series. We follow Frodo as he gets the Ring and the adventures that being a ring-bearer forces him into.



I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was interesting and I liked it for the most part. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and especially watching how they dealt with everything that happened. Being familiar with the movies, I found it fascinating to see the differences and the depth that couldn’t be captured in the film.

The part I struggled with the most was the slow pacing. Sometimes it felt like nothing was happening even though a summarization showed that there was plenty of action taking place. Perhaps it is Tolkien’s writing style, but it felt slow and sluggish at times.

Overall, it was a pleasant read and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here.

Humble Roots Review

Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson is a Christian non-fiction book on the topic of humility.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I really like Anderson’s writing style. She has a wonderful way of putting things into words that brings true clarity of both the concept and what it looks like in application. I also find the horticultural examples very fitting not only because of how aptly they do apply to the topic, but because that happens to be my own field of study. There are some very important messages in this book that I would really like to take away and apply to my own life.

For being such a strong book, it is also kind of forgettable. By the end I had to go back through the book to see which parts I noted or highlighted in order to accurately gage how I feel about the book as a whole. This might be one I will have to revisit many times for the information to stick. Even so, I would still recommend this book for all Christians.

April Overview

Classics:

The Blue Castle by L M Montgomery

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C S Forester

Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope

The Mysterious Key and What it Opened by Louisa May Alcott



Poetry:

Lend Me Your Voice by Angela Burchett

Meraki by Andrea Michelle



Christian Non-fiction:

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Give Your Child the World by Jamie Martin





General Non-fiction:

Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

High Performing Vegetable Gardens by Teri Hanna



Christian Fiction:

The Courting Campaign by Regina Scott (historical)

The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel (contemporary)



General Fiction:

Vampire, Interrupted by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

The Immortal Hunter by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

The Rogue Hunter by Lysnay Sands (adult paranormal)

The Renegade Hunter by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Suddenly Psychic by Elizabeth Hunter (adult paranormal)

Semi-Psychic Life by Elizabeth Hunter (adult paranormal)

Valley of the Shadow by Elizabeth Hunter (adult paranormal)

The Stars Afire by Elizabeth Hunter (adult paranormal)

Wolf Gone Wild by Juliette Cross (adult urban fantasy)

Dreaming of the Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Waking the Dragon Prince by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Lure of the Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Sleeping Dragon Prince by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Warrior Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Secrets of the Dragon Princess by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Lone Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Stubborn Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Trusting the Dragon Prince by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Dragon Tides by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Dragon Waves by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Dragon Hopes by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Mermaid Dreams by Rinelle Grey (adult urban fantasy)

Reborn Yesterday by Tessa Bailey (adult paranormal)

Flirty Thirty by Cassie Mae (adult contemporary)

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart (children adventure)

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (children dystopian)

Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O’Brien (children)

Arabella by Georgette Heyer (adult historical)

Wundersmith Review

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend is the second book in her Nevermore middle grade fantasy series. We follow Morrigan as she begins her studies in the Wonderous Society with the other 8 kids chosen at her trial.



I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a fantastic read. As sequels go, it was super strong. The characters were quirky and fun and interesting. I really like Morrigan and seeing the world through her eyes. We don’t get to know many of the other characters in much depth, but I hope that will change in the future books. What I do know of them I like, so far.

The story was gripping and thrilling and fast paced. It had major Harry Potter vibes (which is a good thing). The plot twists didn’t really take me by surprise, but I didn’t mind that too much. Overall it was lots of fun, eliciting a wide range of emotions and I am so eager to see what the next book in the series will hold.

Come Spring Review

Come Spring by Tim LaHaye and Gregory S Dinallo is a Historical Christian Novella. It is about Scottish photographer Dylan Cooper living in Boston during the first world war and trying to make it as an artist and Scottish Grace MacVicar who works at a prestigious art gallery there.



I didn’t like this book and only gave it 2 out of 5 stars. The male characters were all varying levels of dislikable and the one female character was “perfect” (except for not being a believer and being in love with the main male). I don’t mind if characters aren’t believers at the beginning of the story (I enjoy a good redemption story), but the only character that was a “Christian” from the beginning was rude, arrogant, selfish and a prude. Furthermore, they never did come to the Lord, so it didn’t feel like a Christian story at all (which would be fine if that is what I went into the story expecting). But the only Christian elements included were what I would expect to see in a “culturally” Christian time like it was set in and lacking any spiritual depth or feeling.

The writing style was strong, but the story was quite dissatisfying. To be honest, I found it fairly boring up to the end which then felt incomplete. It truly feels like they left the ending off. It wouldn’t have taken another 50 pages to solidly end the story in a satisfying way and that wouldn’t even have made it 200 pages long in total. This, along with the character issues, rendered me unable to enjoy the book or to recommend it.

Flamebringer Review

Flamebringer by Elle Katherine White is the third and final book in her Heartstone trilogy. We continue to follow Aliza and Alistair from where we left them in book 2 as they face this new threat to Arle.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. What an end to the series. The characters are still wonderful and complex and flawed. I loved watching them continue to learn and grow through their experiences. It just felt incomplete in where we left them. I wish we could see further into their development and where they decide to let these events bring them (emotionally, personally and as a family).

The plot was interesting and brought full circle understanding from many of the hints and development of the first two books. The story is full of action and suspense; I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. There were just a few things that weren’t fully explained, were dropped and never returned to, or left disconnected to the rest of the story.

There were so many things about where White took this story that I loved, from the wonderful character development to the strong plot and world building. The only reason this book didn’t get a 5 star is for what was left out. To me the ending is incomplete. This should have been a longer book with a fuller, fleshed out conclusion. Even so, I still highly recommend this series, or at least the first book as it can be read as a standalone, to fantasy lovers.

The Princess and the Goblin Review

Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald is a children’s fantasy story. I classify this book as Christian fiction as George MacDonald was a Christian. It follows the adventures of 8-year-old Princess Irene and the goblins that live in the mountains by her home.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I love the writing style. It gives me the same feeling as original fairytales. The plot was smooth and interesting, if a bit slow (but not distractingly so). The ending is solid, but with the clear message that there is more to come (presumably in his book The Princess and Curdie).

The characters were quite varied, being funny and cute and sweet and fascinating. The princess did feel a bit “too good”, but it worked here. The goblins were over the top horrible (both in looks and deeds) but I liked that for the fairytale aspect. I liked seeing the development of the Princess and Curdie (as people) in how they grew and learned through their experiences.

There are some wonderful lessons taught through the story that I felt were very well done. They were clear enough to understand the importance of the issue as well as showing how to properly handle it. At the same time, they weren’t directly stated like ‘this lesson is what you should get out of the story’. I feel it was written in such a way as to open dialogue about the issue between parents and children.

Overall, it is a lovely children’s story and I look forward to reading it with my children.

Dragonshadow Review

Dragonshadow by Elle Katherine White is the second book in her high fantasy Heartstone saga. We continue the story of Aliza and Alastair Daired. Their honeymoon at Pendragon manor is interrupted by a call for aid that they can’t ignore and sets them on a journey to the north and an unknown enemy.



I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this deeper look into the characters and the aftermath of all they went through before, as well as how they learned to face what was to come together. There was a lot of character development here that was very different from the first book (as it wasn’t limited to a retelling) and I found it wonderful to witness. I came to like the characters even more and am eager to see what will come for them in future books. I also appreciated getting to know the world better. I feel like White had the opportunity in this book to really expand her world building and I found it fascinating.

The plot was interesting and fairly gripping. The ‘twists’ to the plot were all quite predictable, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, because I did. My only frustration was that it took more than half the book for them to reach their destination and therefore we end with them acquiring the information they have been searching for: who their enemy is. Not that the ending is left too open, but it makes the unknown length of waiting for the sequel much harder. If all the books were already out and I could move straight into the next one, I would probably love it (but that is just a personal preference).

I was a little hesitant and worried with this being a sequel to a retelling (especially of a well beloved story), but was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it especially because it was freed from the restraints of a retelling. This is looking to be a new favorite series.

The Husband Campaign Review

The Husband Campaign by Regina Scott is the third book in her Christian historical Master Matchmaker series. We follow Amelia Jacoby a noble woman as she is forced into a marriage of necessity with Lord Hascot a Baron famous for his horse breeding.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.  I love a good marriage of necessity or marriage of convenience story. This one was lovely and heart-warming.  The characters were interesting, went through reasonable character development and I felt invested in their story right from the beginning. It was a quick and easy read that can be read as a standalone, but I feel is better to be read at least after the second book for full context. I loved the journey of emotions that we are taken on. As for the faith element: it was light, but doesn’t feel forced or out of place. Overall, a delight to read.

March Overview

Poetry:

An Inkling Hope by Erin A Thomas

Love Poems for Married People by John Kenney



Classics:

Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope

Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott



Christian Non-Fiction:

The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers by Amy Hollingsworth

Spurgeon’s Sorrows by Zack Eswine



Christian Fiction:

A Gathering of Memories by Lori Wick (historical)



General Fiction:

Come Tumbling Down by Seanen McGuire (young adult fantasy)

Cherish Hard by Nalini Singh (adult contemporary)

Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh (adult contemporary)

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh (adult contemporary)

Act Like It by Lucy Parker (adult contemporary)

Reckoning by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

One for the Money by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

The Bite Before Christmas by Jeaniene Frost and Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Love Bites by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Tall, Dark & Hungry by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

A Bite to Remember by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Bite Me if You Can by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Vampires are Forever by Lynsay Sands (adult paranormal)

Dance With a Vampire by Ellen Schreiber (middle grade paranormal)

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (adult historical)

The Wife Campaign Review

The Wife Campaign by Regina Scott is the second book in her Christian historical Master Matchmakers trilogy. We follow Ruby the daughter of a rich jeweller and Whitfield the Earl of Danning. Whit longs for peace and calm and fishing at his country estate, but his valet insists it is time he settle down and marry so he invites Ruby and two other young women and their families for a house party.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is cute and funny and I could hardly put it down. The characters are a bit heavy in tropes, but it works. Even though they often acted in ways that are highly unrealistic for the time, I was able to look past it and enjoy the story for what it is. Furthermore, I quite enjoyed watching them and felt invested in their experiences pretty quickly.

As for the faith content: I think it is well done. I liked seeing their doubts and their wondering about issues that are relevant to all people even to the present age. Happily, the faith element felt natural and gave depth to the characters and story versus feeling forced in or inauthentic.

Eidolon Review

Eidolon by Grace Draven is the second book in her fantasy Wraith Kings series. It picks up where we left off in the first book and follows the fall out, especially on Ildiko and Brishen. I don’t want to say much more than that so as not to spoil anything from the first book.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I really liked it, which surprised me. At the end of the first book I didn’t like the direction shift that the author made in the plot and so I was thinking that I wouldn’t really enjoy this book. However, she drew me in and I had a wonderful time. Draven’s plot building is strong, even if it takes turns that I didn’t particularly like. I still found it fascinating and gripping to read. I also really like her writing style; something about it just clicks for me.

The characters were the best part. I love how she builds them up and how we can grow with them through their experiences. There is some descriptive sexual content, but just as in the first book, I can respect her use of it as not just in there to be there but shows character growth/ relationship building/ emotional healing.

I am very glad that I gave this one a try despite my misgivings. Now I look forward to the next book in the series and can’t wait for it to come out.

Emptied Review

Emptied: Experiencing the Fullness of a Poured-out Marriage is a Christian non-fiction book on the topic of marriage. Split into three parts: 1- Emptied, 2- Filled, and 3- Guided and Directed.

I gave this book 5 stars. I loved the conversational writing style, and the switch back and forth between who was writing was always smooth and comfortable. The stories were relevant and interesting. I also felt they used scripture well. The “Your Turn” sections at the end of each chapter are thoughtful and helpful. I am not sure the “prayer” sections at the end of the chapters were necessary, but they weren’t problematic either.

I liked that this book addresses not so much things we can/should do or not do but looks at attitudes, perceptions and expectations and compares them to Biblical teaching.  Furthermore, the look at the fruits of the spirit and how they play a role in our marriages was so touching and enlightening. This was a wonderful book for those in any stages of marriage.

Radiance Review

Radiance by Grace Draven is the first book in her fantasy Wraith King Series. This book is about human Ildiko, niece to the king of Gaur, who is arranged to marry 2^nd prince Brishen of the Kai people (non-human race). It follows them as they meet, get married and try to adjust to what that means as well as deal with the tenuous relationship between their two kingdoms and a neighboring kingdom’s response to their marriage.



I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a really fantastic read. I happen to love the arranged marriage trope and Draven took a unique turn with it that I found so much fun. These characters are interesting and witty, and I greatly enjoyed watching them maneuver through their circumstances and grow closer together.

The plot flowed smoothly with a focus on their growing relationship, but with subtle plot building weaved throughout. Their relationship was excellently developed. I really liked where she was taking the story; the building up towards the second book. However, the epilogue destroyed all that build up. I was disappointed with that ending and the new direction the second book looks like it will be taking. And yet I have hope that Draven can still make this series great. 

There was more sexual content than I normally like in books, but I can appreciate that Draven was as descriptive as necessary to accomplish the relational and plot development. The graphic level varied through the story and I could tell when it played a role in furthering the story. It clearly wasn’t just in there to be there.  

There was also a bit of graphic violence in the book. I don’t mind if there is general violence in a story especially if it is important to the plot (as it was here), but I don’t like when it is incredibly detailed (as I have a very active imagination). As with the sexual content, the level of detail varied based on circumstance and necessity to further the plot, but was just a bit more than I was comfortable with.

Overall, I really did love this book and feel it could have been a 5-star read. I don’t regret reading it and I do plan on continuing with the next book in the series.

The Life Giving Table Review

The Life-Giving Table by Sally Clarkson is a Christian non-fiction book dealing with the importance of table culture for singles, families and in relation to hospitality and discipleship purposes.



I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It is very conversational and filled with examples or stories. I find the writing style very approachable and easy to follow. Even though the main topic is supposed to be ‘the table’ I felt it could also strongly be ‘parenting’. There is nothing wrong with that, but I would have liked to see a bit more table talk for people in differing seasons of life. Or perhaps it is that I would have liked her to address the differences of our table ministry in differing seasons.   

I did really enjoy the recipes at the end of each chapter. Some of them don’t work for me, as the ingredients aren’t available where I live, but many do, and I will enjoy trying them.

There are some wonderful tips and ideas in here to apply with children as well as tips for hospitality, discipleship and evangelism. I really appreciated them, but it is not my season of life. My oldest is 5 so just entering the stage to use these ideas, but my others are still learning to talk (or just starting to say words at all) and mealtime is filled with helping the little ones. Just like Clarkson’s book Life-Giving Home, I feel this book is better for people who don’t have children yet or have all older children. Perhaps I will come back to this book in a couple years.

Fairest Review

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine is a spin-off book from Ella Enchanted and a retelling of Snow White. We follow Aza an Ayorthian girl with the fairest voice in the kingdom but considered all around ugly. Circumstances lead her to the castle and becoming lady-in-waiting to the new queen, thus begins her adventures.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This was such a fun read. I really like retellings and Levine has a way of putting her own spin on the story and bringing it to life. This one was quite a twist on the original and I found that fascinating. The plot was fast paced, and I flew through the book. My only disappointment was that there were questions I expected to get answered during the story that didn’t.

Aza, the queen, and one other character are multi-dimensional and interesting. There was some good character development with them. But most of the characters we don’t really get to know beyond surface level. It would particularly have made the love story more believable if the prince had more depth, as it was, he fell rather flat. Overall, the story would have felt more believable with all around more character depth and development.

I did enjoy this book and feel that if I had read it when I was a kid, I may have loved it. As an adult it was entertaining and fun but lacking a bit in quality.

The Earl's Honorable Intentions

The Earl’s Honorable Intentions by Deborah Hale is the 3^rd book in her “Glass Slippers” Christian historical fiction series. In this book we follow Hannah the governess of 3 young children who is trying to convince their military father and new widower, Gavin, to see his duty to his children should be his priority. 



I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the writing style and how quick a read this was. Hale has a way of crafting a story to flow smoothly to get and keep the attention. Her characters in this one aren’t as well developed as in some of her other works, but they are still fairly strong. Furthermore, she does such a good job at bringing us to a satisfying ending.

My biggest frustration with this book is how she handles the theme “fear of failure”. In some ways she does it right, at least in showing character growth in this area; however, she leaves what I consider to be the most important issue unaddressed. When discussing one’s fear of failure you can’t leave out that one of the biggest sources of this fear is the determination to do it “in one’s own strength” and how we must learn to turn to God, trust in His strength and His plan. Hale didn’t even touch on this, even though it was obvious that both of the main characters had decided what they thought was the right thing to do and were determined to bring it about all on their own for at least the first half of the book.

Overall, it was still a nice and enjoyable read if a bit disappointing.

February Overview

Classics:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Story Girl by L M Montgomery



Poetry:

The Christian Book of Mystical Verse Edited by A W Tozer 

Travelling Light by Vickie Johnstone



Christian Non-fiction:

Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson



Christian Fiction:

The Earl’s Honorable Intentions by Deborah Hale (historical)

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck (contemporary)

The Long Road Home by Lori Wick (historical)



General Fiction:

Kissing Tolstoy by Penny Reid (adult contemporary)

Kissing Galileo by Penny Reid (adult contemporary)

Hooked by Elizabeth Hunter (adult contemporary)

Teacher’s Pet Wolf by Kati Wilde (adult paranormal)

Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

Nights Darkest Embrace by Jeaniene Frost (adult fantasy)

Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

Devil to Pay by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

Home for the Holidays by Jeaniene Frost (adult paranormal)

Protecting the Wolf’s Mate by Sasha Summers (adult paranormal)

Bound to the Bear by Kathy Lyons (adult paranormal)

When an Alpha Purrs by Eve Langlais (adult paranormal)

Biting Bad by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

Wild Things by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

Blood Games by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

Dark Debt by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

Midnight Marked by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

Blade Bound by Chloe Niell (adult paranormal)

The Witches by Roald Dalh (children’s fantasy)

When a Scott Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (adult historical)

Ella Enchanted Review

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine is a middle grade fantasy Cinderella retelling. It is about a girl named Ella who was cursed at her birth with the “gift of obedience”, meaning she must obey any command given to her (intentionally or not).



This was a reread for me and I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. I love this book. It is a fantastic and creative Cinderella retelling. It is easy to read and has good pacing. My only complaint about the style of writing is that it would help the reading go smoother if all thoughts were distinguished by some element (like in italics, etc.). Sometimes I would stop and go “oh, that was a thought, okay”, and then continue on. However, the details of this story are lovely. It is clear that a great deal of time, thought and effort went into the world building. It felt like this world came to life as I was reading.

I love the characters in this book. They are very well developed, interesting, and inspire strong emotions (of like, dislike, anger, affection, etc.). My only issue, that I noticed for the first time in this reread, is that Ella and Char are so young. It took me a bit by surprise to realize that she is only 16 at the end of the book. To me they felt a bit older (in behavior and thought), especially by the end of the story.

This book is by no means perfect and I have noticed more issues with it in going back to reread it after so many years, but the nostalgia and love are still there. It is a wonderful read and I hope that one day I can share it with my daughters.

Wedding Season Review

Wedding Season is a combination of two Christian historical fiction novellas. I have reviewed each individually below.

Much Ado About Nuptials by Deborah Hale is a Christian Historical romance novella about governess Rebecca Beaton. When Viscount Sebastian Benedict’s brother announces his engagement, he determines to enlist Rebecca’s assistance in convincing them to cancel it. 


I gave this story 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a heartwarming tale of forgiveness and love. The characters were interesting, but there wasn’t enough time to get to know them nearly as well as I would have liked. That isn’t to say they are flat characters or that there isn’t any character development (because that is not true), but it just didn’t have time to do them justice.

I also appreciated the plot set up and development for such a short piece. Again, I think it could have benefitted from being expanded to a full novel, but I am at least satisfied with it here. Furthermore, I was so engaged in the story that I couldn’t put it down.



The Gentleman Takes a Bride by Louise M Gouge is a Christian historical romance novella about Elizabeth, a young girl determined to marry a peer, and Mr. Lindsey, the young man who recently came to their neighborhood on sad business.



I gave this story 2.5 stars. This one just didn’t impress me. I found it slow and less interesting. Neither the characters nor the plot grabbed my interest or were able to hold it. The story was predictable, which is not always a bad thing given the romance genre, but I was unimpressed here. The faith element is nice until the end when it became overly preachy.



Overall, this was not the best novella duo that I have read. I am inclined to read more works by Hale, but not by Gouge.

The Story Girl Review

The Story Girl by L M Montgomery follows two brothers, Bev and Felix, as they come to Carlisle, Prince Edward Island for the first time to visit their extended family. There they meet “the story girl” and have many adventures.



I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. This book is really a collection of interconnected short stories with no overarching plot driving the book, very episodical. It is character focused and driven. I found the stories cute, sweet, and funny but without the bigger arc I never felt really pulled into the story. I am finding this trend in classics is not one I particularly like (other examples of this are Little Men by Louisa May Alcott and Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell).

The characters were quaint and interesting, but lacking in depth. For some reason I never felt invested in them or any sort of connection to them; and since they were the focus of the book, this made it feel a bit like a chore to read.

The little “stories” that the story girl shares are nice. There was a good balance of scary, sad, funny, and heart-warming tales. I liked some and not so much others.

I was glad for the faith content. It was especially interesting coming from a child’s perspective and I think would be a great way to introduce interesting and beneficial conversations with children when read aloud together.

Overall I am a bit disappointed. I wanted to really like this book. It isn’t a bad book by any means, it just didn’t do anything for me. Perhaps it would work better for the intended audience (children), but as an adult it just didn’t. That being said, I do think I will read the sequel because it may turn out to be a book I love and be worth getting the context of this book to reach.

How to Catch a Prince Review

How to Catch a Prince by Rachel Hauck is the third book in her Royal Wedding Christian contemporary fiction series. We follow Prince Stephen of Brighton, a star rugby player and ex-military man trying to forget the deaths of his buddies in Afghanistan and Corina Del Ray an American heiress trying to keep her family from completely falling apart over the death of her military twin brother. When it turns out their secret marriage is discovered by his king brother and not just that but discovered to still be valid, he must find Corina again and try to resolve things permanently.

I am sad to say I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. As this series has progressed, each book has gotten a bit more “mystical” with sorts of supernatural events taking place. I don’t mind there being miracles or a bit of the supernatural element sometimes, but this series really didn’t need it. The first book had none and was my favorite. 

As for the characters, I really liked Corina. She was sweet, kind and smart. I felt for her pain and suffering and struggle, and it made me so mad the way she was treated by Stephen. Which leads me into: I really really disliked him. He was so unbearable selfish and gave no consideration to Corina and what she went through (either with her loss of her brother or caused by him). He is a jerk to her and plays the hot/cold behaviour with her. Now I do understand that PTSD and survivors guilt can be really bad, but his behaviour is just way over the line and eliminates any sympathy I may have felt for him. Because of this I felt her love (or at the very least her trust) of him was completely undeserved. He should have had to fight for her in the end to prove himself worthy of her love and trust and prove that he was truly changed.

Another thing that really bothered me about this book is that the author has the characters talking about annulling their marriage, but in reality they don’t qualify for an annulment (a “mistake” doesn’t legally qualify) so really they are talking about divorce. I can accept that non-Christian literature may use this as a base for a romantic story, but not in Christian fiction. It just sits with me wrong, especially as she is clearly trying to make it okay by labelling it (incorrectly) an “annulment”. This is not romantic or in any way comfortable to read. 

Furthermore, I am finding that the older I get the less I like the “second chance” romance. With so many hurt feelings, betrayals, etc. that come with this trope I just don’t know if I find them believable. Not that I don’t believe in forgiveness or second chances (I do), but in the ways they are portrayed in stories like this, I don’t know. There is a vast difference between forgiveness and throwing oneself back into a situation that had devastating personal consequences the first time round without any evidence that this time will be different.

Finally the last negative I want to talk about is the point of view we are coming from. I like it when we switch back and forth between the romantic leads, and this book does do that, but it also includes the random inclusion of a third point of view of Gigi (Corina’s boss). This is merely a pet peeve of mine. It pulls me out of the romantic story. But this time it especially irritated me because she was a horrible person and I really disliked being in her head. 

The only thing I really liked about the book was how we look at grief and loss from multiple perspectives (parents, siblings, spouses’, friends, etc.) and over an extended period of time. I felt Hauck handled this topic well. And how she dealt with her topic of grief is why this book didn’t get one star from me.

Overall I am terribly disappointed. I loved the first book in the series and really liked the second, so what a let down here. To be honest, I don’t know that I am willing to even try the last book in the series, especially as it also sounds like it is also a second chance romance.

Jo's Boys Review

Jo’s Boys and How They Turned Out is the third and last book in the Little Women series. It follows the children from Little Men as they grow up and become adults.



I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I really liked this sequel. It goes back to the same feel we got in LW/ GW with the familiar and comforting writing style. What makes the difference, I think, is that there is a feeling that the story is going somewhere; that it is not just a collection of short stories. I find this format far more enjoyable to read.

The characters were delightful to follow. I really liked their coming of age stories, what they went through and where they ended up. It is nice to have the context of Little Men but seeing them here helped me to feel the connection and investment that I didn’t get from that book.
Overall, it was worth slogging a bit through Little Men to reach this gem of a book.

Belle Review

Belle: An Amish Retelling by Sarah Price is a Christian fiction retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It follows young Annabelle when her family is forced by circumstance to sell their farm. She is given the opportunity to save their home if she is willing to marry the reclusive, temperamental, and fire scarred Adam Herschberger.



I gave this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was meh. I love retellings, but for the first half of the book it felt too forced (trying to be exact with the original). However, there are many aspects to the original story that just aren’t realistic to fit into the Amish culture and plain out wouldn’t have happened. The concept for this book was very interesting, I just don’t think it was very well done.

The characters were not realistic. Not only did I feel they would not get away with certain behaviors within their community (without reprimands and consequences from the Bishops), but the main relationship did not work for me. To me, she fell in love far before she should have, or a real person would have. Overall their feelings and choices baffled me often (and not just the main characters).

There were some good messages in here and I liked the use of faith in the story, especially in dealing with hard circumstances. But I feel it could have been done a bit more (like showing a deeper dependence on prayer and more time spent in the Bible to help Belle deal with her situation).

Overall this book didn’t really do anything for me. I didn’t hate it, but it was a bit of a disappointment and fell flat.

Little Men Review

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott is the sequel to Little Women and Good Wives. We follow the boys at Jo & Professor Bhaer’s school at Plumfield. 

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I love Alcott’s writing style. It is warm, charming and engaging. Her characters are interesting, funny, sweet, varied and realistic. Reading this is like stepping back in time and experiencing life with people of a different age in the best possible way. The faith element and life lessons are still so beautiful and helpful to read.

This book isn’t as well done as it’s predecessors and I think it has to do with how many children we are trying to follow. In LW & GW we stick to 4 main characters, but here we are following anywhere from 7-15 kids and that leaves very little time to really get to know each one or feel invested in their individual stories. Furthermore, I would have liked to see some of the old familiar characters for an update on their lives, but we don’t get that. It probably didn't help that there is no overarching plot to the book. I found, with no particular destination for the story, it rambled.
Overall, it was an interesting read, if slow and less gripping.

Warrior Maiden Review

The Warrior Maiden by Melanie Dickerson is the eighth book in her Christian historical fairytale retelling Hagenhiem series. This book is a retelling of the Legend of Mulan. 

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was a quick and interesting read. The writing style is strong and engaging, just as I have come to expect from Dickerson. The characters are well developed, and I enjoyed getting to know them. I still enjoy how she builds the historic setting and weaves her tale into it. I just wish we had seen some of the previous characters and heard a bit of where they are at this point.

Generally, I love retellings, but this one didn’t really do anything for me. It felt too forced, specifically to fit in with the rest of the series. I feel that the story of Mulan is too rooted in its Asian setting to try and move it into another one. Furthermore, I have read a really strong Mulan retelling and this one just wasn’t anywhere near as good.

Overall, I am glad that I read this book, but it just didn’t work for me.

January Overview

Poetry:

Great Poems by American Women edited by Susan Rattiner



Classics:

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott



Christian Non-fiction:

The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson

The Get Yourself Organized Project by Kathi Lipp

Emptied by Wynter & Jonathan Pitt



General Non-fiction:

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up by Marie Kondo

Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K White



Christian Fiction:

The Wedding Season by Deborah Hale & Louise Gouge (historical)

The Wife Campaign by Regina Scott (historical)

The Husband Campaign by Regina Scott (historical)



General Fiction:

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (young adult fantasy)

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire (young adult fantasy)

Supernova by Marissa Meyer (young adult fantasy)

Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier (adult fantasy)

Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien (adult fantasy)

How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper (adult paranormal)

House Rules by Chloe Chloe Neill (adult paranormal)

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper (adult paranormal)

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (adult historical)

A Diamond for a Duke by Collette Cameron (adult historical)

Little Women Review

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a classic book about 4 sisters. It is sometimes divided into two books “Little Women” and “Good Wives”, but I read a copy where these two portions were put together. We follow Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy as they grow up and face life during and after the Civil War in the United States.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is simply a wonderful book. I’m not sure there is anything that I would change about it or wish was done differently. For a classic, this is a very easy read. The language and writing style are beautiful yet approachable and easily understandable. I would recommend this for anyone who is just starting with classics.

The characters are all well developed and interesting to follow. They each felt so real that I wished I could meet them in person. I don’t have a particular favorite of the sisters but enjoyed each of their stories immensely.

I love the family dynamic of the story, how different the sisters each were and yet they all had the same strong family and moral foundation that carried them through their lives. It was also nice to see the sisters grow from childhood into adulthood and watch how they dealt with the events of life. The story was funny, heartwarming, sad and beautiful. A must read.

My Foolish Heart Review

My Foolish Heart by Susan Warren is the fourth book in her Christian contemporary Deep Haven series, but can be read as a standalone. We follow Issy, the anonymous Miss Foolish Heart, host of a radio talk show on love and, in reality, a young woman struggling with PTSD and agoraphobia resulting from a car crash that killed her mother and permanently injured her father. When Caleb, a veteran who lost his leg in Iraq, moves in next door and seeks to get his dream job coaching the high school football team (all without people finding out about his injury and avoiding their pity), their lives will collide and neither will be the same again.



I gave this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was a “meh” read for me. I had such high expectations for the book and the premise sounded cute and sweet. There were some moments throughout the story that were what I was hoping for and it had a satisfying ending, but there was too much that diminished my enjoyment for me to feel it was worth it.

The secondary romance in the book I really didn’t like. Not only did I dislike the characters themselves, but their plot line. There was just so much wrong there and I don’t want to spoil anything, but it turned me off and pulled me out of the story every time we switched to them.

As for the faith content, it didn’t feel realistic. None of the characters accurately reflected a person walking in faith and all that entails. Some of them claimed to be Christians, but everything they thought and did was so opposite of what we believe. Yes, Christians aren’t perfect and make mistakes, but that is not what was shown here. There were no real differences made in this book between the thoughts and behaviors of these “believing” characters and the non-believers (at least for most of the book). It just felt so fake and like a very bad representation of the Christian life.

My next point is just a pet pieve of mine, so I know it really isn’t so big a deal and may not be a problem for many people. That being said, I really dislike it when people use paraphrases to quote and teach scripture. This bugs me to no end in all Christian literature (fiction and especially non-fiction). It’s not that I want everyone to use one specific translation either, I just want them to use a translation.

Overall, there was great potential with this story and the writing style and characterization are pretty strong, but it just didn’t come close to living up to that.

Shirley Review

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte is a Victorian classic telling the story of two women, Caroline and Shirley, in a country mill town during the Napoleonic war.



I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. I loved this book. The writing style is wonderful. It does slow me down a bit and require extra focus, but it is absolutely lovely to read. My only problem with the writing is that there are sections of dialogue that are in French (apparently enough of Charlotte’s reading audience understood French for her to do that), but I don’t know French. I found the process of looking up a translation (there wasn’t one in my e-book) pulled me out of the story a bit and majorly slowed down my reading. However, that was only in the first few chapters and it was so worth the effort.

The characters are very well done. I felt invested in them faster than I expected to. They are interesting and endearing and flawed. I found myself eager to know their stories and to see what was going to happen next.

This book was also a fascinating look at the roles and expectations of woman in the early Victorian era. I loved that we got to see many perspectives of the topic: young rich and poor women, matrons and spinsters, as well as many of the male perspectives.

Bronte also gave interesting insight into the effect of the war on trade, both the trade masters and the lower-class workers, as well as the beginnings of industrialization coming at the same time.

This was an absolutely wonderful and captivating read. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to pick it up (especially since Jane Eyre was the first classic I ever read and loved).

Healing the Soldier's Heart Review

Healing the Soldier’s Heart by Lily George is the third book in her Christian historical fiction Brides of Waterloo trilogy. It follows penniless governess Lucy Williams who has resigned herself to a spinster life, her only dreams to maybe one day open her own small school, and Ensign James Rowland a veteran of Waterloo struggling with PTSD in the form of great difficulties in speaking along with guilt from the battle and seeing no purpose for his life. When they are brought together by the veteran’s society of Bath, new life and dreams start to awaken in both of them, but class, position, and disapproving family must be overcome in the battle for happiness.



I gave this book 2.5 out of 5 stars. This was quite the disappointment. I expected there to be a certain amount of instalove, but it was just too much for me. There have been times when I have seen instalove done well, but that was not the case here. Their feelings often baffled me and the unreality of it pulled me out of the story and prevented real connection to the characters. On top of that, the look at being a governess of the time was not authentic. There were hints of truth about what it meant to be a governess in those times, but it was never really shown in Lucy’s experiences (even if in her own perception).  Add to that the introduction of James with his PTSD which is basically cured through love and his beginning an apprenticeship in a craft/ trade where within a month he is building a name for himself. All of these unrealistic circumstances built on top of each other to diminish my enjoyment of the work.

I do like that this was a clean and sweet romance. And who doesn’t like a love that conquers all challenges placed in its way (even if a bit unrealistic)? There is a nice element of faith in it, if a bit less than I personally like to see. This is a quick and light read that might be good for a pick me up, but not when seeking quality writing.

Overall it is just a very predictable, unrealistic and bland historical love story.

Agnes Gray Review

Agnes Gray by Anne Bronte is a Victorian classic. It follows Agnes as she sets out to become a governess and the experiences she goes through.



I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This was a lovely book. Agnes was such a pleasure to get to know and follow. The characters she meets are all so different and varied. All of Anne’s characters feel so real and substantial. This book has the feel of an autobiography (especially in writing style and tone) and I can understand why people have speculated about there being true autobiographical elements in the story.

The themes were interesting and thought provoking. I liked the look into parenting and castes and the value of moral living. I especially appreciated the look into faith during the Victorian era, especially the positive view of faith.

I was surprised to find how fast paced the story was as the action is quite minimal. This is very much a character driven story, but I loved that. It felt very real to life and therefore, relatable. I am so glad that I picked this book up and look forward to reading her other novel.