A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner

Once again Susan Meissner does not disappoint. This book captivated me from the moment I picked it up to read. While it isn't my usual genre that I choose to read, I really enjoyed this book. Marielle Bishop marries a widower and agrees to live in the house of his late wife so that the kids don't have to leave the only home they have known. Shortly after arriving there she hears rumors that the house is haunted by Susannah Page - a supposed Civil War spy for the North. Marielle is told more stories from Adelaide her step-children's great grandmother about the house Holly Oaks. She must decide for herself whether this house is truly haunted or if there is more than meets the eye. Since I don't believe in ghosts, I wasn't sure where this book was going to go and I really don't want to give too much away. I'll leave it at this book did not disappoint a non-ghost believer. Once again Susan Meissner weaves a delightful story mixing contemporary fiction with historical fiction. I had a hard time putting this down and loved reading the historical parts of the book. It really made the past come alive. If you love reading things about the Civil War, you will love reading this book. I received this complimentary book from Waterbrook Press in exchange for an honest review. I am under no obligation to give it a positive review.

Life Everlasting by Robert Whitlow

I really hate to write this review because I feel like I'm not qualified. Yes, I read the whole book. However, it is the second book in a series of which I did not read the first book. I received this book for free through the BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review, but when I picked the book it had given the name and description of the first book in the series. You can imagine my surprise when the second book came instead since I still hadn't read the first book. With all of that being said, here is what I thought of this book... This book starts where the first book leaves off, or so I am assuming. From things that were mentioned in this book, it was only a few weeks after the incidents had taken place in the 1st book. Most of the book is written from the perspective of Alexia Lindale - a divorce lawyer that has recently started a relationship with God. She and her minister friend Ted Morgan are trying to use musical therapy to help heal Baxter Richardson who is in a coma after falling from a cliff. The back cover of the book leads you to believe that this is a mystery and that there will be lots of twists and turns involved; however, I didn't find that to the case. It seemed very slow for most of the book and then right towards the end it sped up in more of a "I need to be finishing this book up" kind of way. I often felt very confused and not sure if I should know more information from the first book. I think for the most part this book could be a stand alone because it didn't really appear to have taken place that long after whatever happened in the first book. Robert Whitlow did give you enough background so that if you were just picking up this book you wouldn't be too confused. I really didn't feel like I had any connection with the characters which is strange because so much of it was about a pianist (Ted Morgan) and the main character (Alexia Lindale) liking to listen to the pianist. I say strange because I was a music major in college, so that should have been a strong connecting point for me, but I didn't really connect. The characters seemed somewhat stilted to me in their interactions (again, some of this may be because I didn't and still don't have the background of the first book to go from). But the conversations didn't seem to be very real to me - maybe because the were usually one to two sentences long per character and I'm more on the chatty side. I can't really say I'd recommend this book to anyone - at least not to read by itself. I'm really hoping that if I were to have read the first book it would have gotten a much better review. Again, I received this book for free through the BookSneeze program in exchange for an honest review.

The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey

Where do I even begin? I have to say that this book was extremely challenging for me to get into and even to keep on reading. If I hadn't received this book to specifically review, I probably would have never even bothered completing it.

The book was very slow and written in the voice of the main character, Sheila McGee. Sheila starts out as being very self-absorbed, not caring for anybody but herself. Fortunately as the book goes along, she starts to realize that she is extremely selfish and life is not about her after all.

This book is set during World War I and while there is quite a bit mentioning the war and soldiers coming to their small town, I still didn't get the feeling that it was that important of an event. Part of this could be because it is written from one person's perspective the whole time and since she was self-absorbed it didn't really matter to her what was going on.

I am glad that about 100 to 150 pages in the story did get slightly more interesting and by the end of the book you really did feel that there was quite a bit of character development that had taken place; however, when you figure in the fact that the story spanned about 4 years you'd hope that the character wouldn't be stagnant.

In case you can't tell, I really didn't enjoy this book that much. I'll try to give some positives. The writer writes very well getting you to really feel like you are in a small town in Ireland. She definitely gives you the idea that the character feels trapped and wants to break free and start her own adventure. Other than that the story itself wasn't very compelling. I really didn't appreciate quite a bit of the language in it either.

Overall, I don't think I would recommend this book.

I received this book for free and was under no obligation to give a positive review.  

Spiritual Warfare for Women by Leighann McCoy

Spiritual Warfare has been around since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.  A battle we fight daily.  How much do you know about winning the war against the enemy, Satan?  Are you equipped for the battle that is raging around you? 

Leighann McCoy's book is separated into four different parts to help you in your daily battle:
1. The Most Powerful Weapon of All--the Love of God  (chapters 1-3)
2. The Enemy Exposed (chapters 4-6)
3. The Targets in Our Lives (chapters 7-11)
4. Victory Is Mine (chapters 12-14)
Each chapter ends with questions and overview ideas,  a prayer, key Scriptures and an idea of how to commit Scripture to memory.

Reading through this book was a great reminder of how Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour as stated in I Peter 5:8.  I found myself contemplating a lot of what was said in this book.  I think that Leighann McCoy did a great job in being true to Scripture and informative as to how believers can be victorious through Christ. 

In chapter 4--Spiritual Warfare is Real, the author writes,
"Satan's purpose and passion is to profane the name of the Lord.  He has at the core of his being the desire to destroy God's reputation and shed doubt on His motives.  Just as he did in the beginning, Satan works his way into the hearts and minds of God's children.  For when he can steal the testimony of a disciple, when he can kill the joy in her heart, and when he destroys her spirit, Satan profanes the name of the Lord.

Because you are a child of the King, you are a target for attack.  Every day you make decisions that will either proclaim the name of the Lord or profane the name of the Lord.  There's no middle ground on this battlefield.  You are either with God or you're against Him." (page 80)

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it especially for Christians who are young in their faith and are just learning what it means to stand firm against the Enemy in their daily lives.

**I received this free book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler

Having spent the first few years of my life living not very far from Arthur, IL (where there is a decent sized Amish settlement) - there has always been a curiousity for those that live without electricity, drive horse-drawn buggies and wear strange clothing.

I remember as a child visiting Arthur, IL and looking for the buggies. We'd often play a game to see who could see the Amish first.  I remember going into the Amish Cheese Factory and sampling the cheeses there. We'd drive by and make up all sorts of stories about the people that lived in the houses we passed or the people that drove the buggies we passed. I grew up knowing that the Amish had some of the best cooks ever and that if you bought furniture from the Amish it would be some of the best made ever.

I think to many people, the Amish people are fascinating - partly because of the strangeness of their attire and their lack of modern conveniences - partly and perhaps mainly because they are so very different from the rest of us. There are so many questions. Why do they wear they clothes they do? Why do they drive buggies instead of cars? Why don't they use electricity? What exactly do they believe? Why would anybody in this day in age want to live without any technology?

Ira Wagler writes this memoir of his life. So, of course, a lot of it is just his memories of what happened while he was growing up and how he pursued a different direction for his life. This book has so many insights to the Amish way of life. He describes a lot of the traditions of the Amish, but does so in an incredibly interesting way. For anyone wanting to know more about the Amish and what they believe or just wanting to read about a different culture, you should really enjoy this book. It was extremely insightful.

(Without giving up too much - I found it highly interesting that a wedding feast for one of the author's sisters consisted of hot dogs!!! Not only that - he tells us that this is a perfectly acceptable food for a wedding!)

I hope that any who choose to read this book will enjoy it as much as I did!

I received this complimentary book from the Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. I'm under no obligation to give a positive review.

The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick

I love reading historical fiction! However, the part I usually like about it is the fiction side of the book. The majority of this book is based off the actual historical side and not so much of the fiction, so I was a little skeptical about it at first.

This was such an interesting story that I'd never even heard of before that I was immediately enthralled in the whole story - real or not. I generally don't like true stories because there isn't a lot of liberty that can happen. I mean if a person dies before really doing a lot with their lives that's it, you can't really have a happy ending. So in a way, this book does end up having a less than happy ending - in that it is true to life.

Because it is based on a true story though it really has a good grasp on the dynamic of a family. You feel like you are there with Clara (the main character). You are there on the walk with her and her mother. You are there when she is banned from her family. You are there for each step of her "exile." You are there when she reconciles with her family. I really enjoyed reading this book that was so well written weaving the fiction in with the facts.


I received this book for free from the Blogging for Books program through Waterbrook Multnomah Press. I am under no obligation to give a positive review.

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

This book is based on a true story about Will Hanby and Ann Miller – how they met and fell in love. There was quite a bit of freedom taken with how they met, which really just lent itself to a very good and interesting story and plot line.
Each of them has many obstacles to overcome. Will Hanby is an indentured servant to an extremely harsh and mean-spirited man and feels like he will never gain his freedom. Ann Miller is a mother figure to her younger sisters since her mother died in childbirth while giving birth to her youngest sister. Her father is often away as a circuit preacher and she holds their family together.
She and her sisters accompany their father to Pittsburgh, PA while their father is hired for his saddle work. Will and her father work closely together and form a bond that will last throughout the rest of the book.
This book follows the constant struggles of contentment despite present circumstances for both Will and Ann and how they turn to God for that contentment.
Rosslyn Elliott is a new author and this is her first published book; though she has the second book in this series lined up to be published and released. This is an excellent first book and I truly look forward to more of this authors work. I think she will be a good author to follow.
I received this complimentary book through the BookSneeze Program in accordance with Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255. I am under no obligation to give a positive review of this book.