A Most Unsuitable Match by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Whenever I'm reading books that I'm reading to write a review I find myself constantly thinking about how am I going to review this book. What will I say? Is this book great the way it was written? Or do I find myself wanting to know more about something that was touched upon but not answered? This book was no exception. Thousands of thoughts flitted through my mind as I read this book in connection to writing this review. But like every other review when I finally pull out my computer to write the review I also find myself faltering with how to begin. I don't want to always start every book review the same way, but I want people to know what the book means to me.

I guess I'll begin by letting you know what this book was about and then move on to what I thought about the way it was written and how it affected my life.

The book starts out with Fannie Rousseau kneeling beside her mother's grave. She has recently become an orphan. While money seemed to be no option all of her life, she soon finds out that she is nearly destitute. Shortly after learning about this an intruder enteres the house and because of this, she searches through the house for all valuables so that she can put them in a safe place. While searching through her mother's room, she discovers a picture of an aunt that she has never even heard of along with letters written from that aunt. She becomes intrigued and when faced with the possibility of marrying someone she doesn't know so that she can maintain her privileged lifestyle, she impulsively runs away via steamboat to Montana to try to find this unknown aunt.

While on her journey west to find her aunt, she meets Samuel Beck who is also searching for someone as well - his sister Emma. The two become friends and join their search together (don't worry her elderly maid Hannah came along with her). As they embark on this journey so many unexpected things happen that draw them closer together and closer to God. That's just the book in a nutshell!

I found this book was really easy to get into and pulled me into the story - I love a mystery even if it is just to find out why Fannie had never heard of her aunt. There were a couple of things that bothered me about the book, nothing horrendous by any stretch of the imagination of course, just things I would have liked to have fleshed out more. Without giving too much of the story away, it seemed that some of the minor characters that I'm not even going to go into for sake of space became more major characters than the major characters at some points in the book. It also seemed to me that while the story seemed to be focusing on Fannie and Samuel and their feelings for each other the majority of the book didn't even mention it - towards the end it seemed like the book needed to be finished quickly and so it focused again on these feelings and quickly had a resolution that was somewhat unsatisfying. Those are my negatives, overall though I really did enjoy this book. While I didn't think it stayed on point in the middle I found that the middle to be very interesting it just made me want the story to have a different ending.

One of the biggest signs to me of a good book is identifying with the characters and in this case I really felt like I did. There was such good individual character development portrayed throughout this book. I don't normally quote portions of the book, but I really felt like this particular part really spoke to me spiritually especially with everything we've been going through lately (loss of job, looking for a job even if it means moving to a totally different location, etc.)

This takes place between Samuel and his friend Lamar:

Lamar talking to Samuel after reading the passage, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

"...why is it you seem to think the only time it's God's will is if it's hard - something you got to force yourself to do?...Now, I know - sometimes that's how things are, and then we just lean into the wind and trust the hand of God to keep us from blowing away. But it seems to me that when a man listens to God's voice as sincerely as you do, Sam...couldn't God be putting the desire...in your heart, too?" Personally this just really spoke to me. It seems that a lot of times we seem to think that God's will is only going to be something hard and difficult for us and not something that we will want. It was such an encouragement to read that and to realize that our God wants to give us the desires of our hearts when we are truly delighting in Him!!!

I don't want to digress too much, but needless to say this book really did speak to me and I do highly recommend it even though there were a few things that I would have liked to see differently in the book.

I want to mention in closing that I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Bethany House. I was under no obligation to give it a positive review. If you would like to know more more about other books this author has written or just want to know more about the author herself check out her website here.

Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke

Have you been looking for a book that you have trouble tearing yourself away from? Or have you been looking for a book that is a work of fiction, but ties together the fiction story with true life events? What about a book that you will feel like you are right there with the characters - sharing in their joys and their sorrows? Or maybe you've been looking for a book that will show you just how much God loved us and that His Son sacrified everything for us so that we could have eternal life? If any of these reasons resonates with you, then be sure to read this wonderfully written book by Cathy Gohlke.

I've always been fascinated with historical fiction. Some of my favorite events and time periods to read about are the Civil War, the sinking of the Titanic, World War I and World War II. This book doesn't touch on the Civil War or World War II, but it encaptures what life would have been like for the survivors of the Titanic all the way through World War I.

This book begins with Michael Dunnagan - a young boy, who has been badly mistreated - trying to escape from his current life situation. He boards the Titanic before it is even taking passengers and stows away until it ports in Southhampton where its journey is to begin. Once in Southhampton, he meets Owen Allen who is preparing to sail to America onboard the Titanic so that he can hopefully find a better place for him and his little sister Annie with relatives in New Jersey. Owen takes poor Michael under his wing and for the week he has remaining in Southhampton feeds him and gives him work. Annie remains in England until Owen has enough money to pay for her to come over to New Jersey.

Michael decides to once again flee his current situation and stows aboard the Titanic for a second time. Also for a second time he finds himself being rescued by Owen Allen. The two become like brothers in a short time and Owen feels the prompting of God to teach Michael everything he knows about plants and gardening which is what he was going over to America to help with. Since we all know the story of the Titanic, I'm sure you can imagine that this story isn't going to end well.

Owen sacrifices his life so that Michael can start his life over with Owen's family. Here we see the beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us! Owen makes Michael promise that he will save money and bring Annie over as soon as possible.

Without giving the whole book away - Michael works to bring Annie over, but many years pass before he is able to do so. This book shares the story of Michael learning to get over "survivors guilt" and Annie to stop blaming Michael for her beloved brother's death. They start to write to each other and it continues throughout World War I.

So much of this book really tugged at my heartstrings. It was just so beautifully written detailing the feelings that must have been going on for those that survived the sinking of the Titanic to the details of what it must have been like to live in Europe during World War I. I really felt like I was right there! I have not read a book that I enjoyed this much in a very long time! If you ever have the chance to read this book, I highly recommend that you grab a copy and read it. You will not be disappointed!

I'd never read any works by Cathy Gohlke, so you can imagine my surprise that this book was such a great read! I'm looking forward to reading more books from her. If you'd like to learn more about the author and other books that she has written or is planning on writing, you can visit her website here.

In closing, I did want to mention that I received this book for free for an honest review through Tyndale House Publishers, you can find out more information about them by clicking on this link. I was under no obligation to give a positive review, though I did absolutely love this book!

If you would like to read the first chapter of this book for yourself, you can click here.

The Wounded Heart by Adina Senft

  

 How many times have you had a difficult decision to make? One that you think may be the correct choice given your current life circumstances? Sometimes you have to make choices that you didn't think that you would ever need to make because life throws you a curveball - whether it is because of a job loss, or sickness, or loss of a loved one, sometimes all of these. Whatever the reasons, you have a choice to make - will you trust your own instincts or will you trust in God to guide you? And just like all of us that have had to make difficult decisions, we have the story of Amelia Beiler.

     Having lost her husband a year earlier, she is making ends meet for her and her two boys by taking over her husband's pallet making shop. While her hearts desire is to be at home and tend to the needs of the home like the majority of Amish women, she has had to change her lifestyle in order to survive. While working in a less than ideal situation for her, she starts to lose feeling in her hands and arms and decides to find out what is wrong with her. After multiple tests, she is diagnosed with MS and feels as if this is a life sentence of misery. Throughout the whole book, she seeks to understand why God would allow such a thing into her life, has not been through enough already? What is God's purpose and plan behind all of this? How will she take care of her boys? Should she sell her shop or should she just live with this diagnosis and the medicine that goes along with it?

    This story, while written from the perspective of an Amish woman rings true to so many of us that have had to deal with difficult situations. What a joy to read how this character did trust in God even though she didn't feel like it and that God provided in ways that she had not even imagined. What an encouragement! I really enjoyed reading this book and it was truly thought provoking to me to realize that in every situation God is working to bring good into our lives even when we can't see it. God is there for us every step of the way - even in the difficulty of losing my job in the middle of reading this book. It was such an encouragement to me to realize that God is in control even in the situations that are a complete surprise to us. God was not surprised and He does have a plan.

     I received this book for free from Faith Words a division of Hachette Book Group in exchange for an honest review. I was under no obligation to give it a positive review. I am disclosing this information in accordance to Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

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.