A Broken Kind of Beautiful - Katie Ganshert

Ivy Clark, at only 24-years-old, is desperately trying to hold on to a modeling career where she's constantly competing with younger "fresher" models.  Eager to take anything that might spark new life into the only realm she's comfortable within, she agrees to take a job modeling wedding dresses for her stepmother in Greenbrier, North Carolina.  Thrown together with a man she's known since childhood, she uses the weapons and armor she's grown accustomed to throw him off balance and maintain her distance.  Yet, somehow, the two of them manage to bring things to the surface that each thought they'd buried and moved past.  Can Ivy ever see past her outer beauty to the beauty God has created within her? Can Davis accept God's forgiveness and see past his guilt?

Once again, Katie Ganshert has written a deeply impacting novel that weaves characters and their stories together in such a way that you care about them, you root for them, and you feel their pain throughout their journey, and she leaves you wanting to continue with the characters' lives to see what happens next.  This novel is not neat, clean, and happy.  There is real pain.  There is real struggle.  But there is also real growth, vulnerability, and healing.  I ached for Ivy, for all she'd been through, and her need to see past what the modeling industry saw when they looked at her - both as the fresh young girl she'd been, and at the 24-year-old model past her "prime."  I love books where I don't feel invested in just one character, but where all of the characters - main and secondary - come to life for me, and this book does that well.  Marilyn, Ivy's stepmother, is a minor character and yet her endeavors to be a real mother to Ivy and all of the hurt and grief that has brought her are vividly portrayed in just short, yet heartfelt glimpses into their past together.  Davis and Sarah, with their own past tragedies, manage to also work through some major issues alongside Ivy's.

I give this book 4 stars, bordering on 5.  There is so much to be taken from this book as life lessons for anyone, that I can see myself reading it again just to glean more perspective on the characters' journeys.
As with any Katie Ganshert book, thus far, I wish that there would be more stories with these characters!

You can find A Broken Kind of Beautiful HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.
You can connect with the author on Facebook HERE.
You can read an excerpt from the book HERE.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Cloak of Light - by Chuck Black

Drew Carter's life has already been marked with tragedy and upheaval, when he befriends the school geek at his new school, an unlikely pairing for the standout football player.  However, as his life continues to be spun around, Ben becomes one of the few things he can count on, until the day something happens to Ben's physics experiment, and Drew is left blind.  Ben disappears shortly after, and Drew is left to figure out what happened to him, what happened to Ben, and what are all of these "invaders" he can suddenly see in the midst of humans' daily lives.

I don't read a lot of young adult fiction, so I found this writing to be on the simplistic side for my usual tastes.  However, I did find myself engrossed in the story at points, finding it to be very much like a scaled down This Present Darkness.  I liked the idea of the jock making friends with the geek, not just because he could get homework help (although he did), but because his dad and his dad-figure had taught him integrity and honesty, and doing the right thing.  There were several plot lines that bothered me, though; Drew goes through and awful lot for one person, even before he gets mixed up in the invader business.  Second, I find it hard to believe that it would take him so long to figure out what the invaders were, or that he wouldn't have confided in someone that would help him understand the dimension he was seeing into.  I also didn't realize that this was going to be the first book in a series, until I came to the very end of the book and nothing had resolved.  I dislike not knowing when books are part of a series.

For the action and content, and themes of integrity and honor, I give this book 3 stars.  I hope that the story continues to develop well and that the rest of the series might include some more depth and growth and understanding on the parts of the characters.

You can find Cloak of Light HERE.
You can connect with Chuck Black on Facebook HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Multnomah Books, in exchange for my honest review.

A Stillness of Chimes - by Meg Moseley

Laura Gantt lost her father, broke up with her boyfriend, and decided to move thousands of miles away, all the week that she turned 18.  Now, she's back in her hometown, after her mother's death, sorting through her things and hearing rumors that she's not sure what to do with.  Additionally, her high-school sweetheart is the one helping her sort through the rumors, her best friend is back in town dealing with her own familial issues, and Laura doesn't know what to make of her life at the moment.

This may be one of the least cohesive reviews I've ever written.  Something about this book drew me in immediately - besides that fantastic cover, but I can't pinpoint what made me immersed in the story.  The plot itself was a little strange, and there were definitely clunky points along the way.  Yet, my overall impression of this book was that I was *in* the story, all the way.  I felt the characters' confusion and emotions, I felt the need to know the secrets that were hidden, and I wanted good things for all of them.  I think my first pull to the story was that it started with three 12-year-olds, swearing to be there for each other their whole lives, and then brought those three kids back together as adults, who were still willing to be there for each other.  Their relationships had grown and changed over time, but they felt honest and realistic; their grown-up friendships held true to their relationships as kids.

I give this book 4-stars, with no tangible reasons other than, I liked it.

You can find A Stillness of Chimes HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE, along with ways to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
You can read an excerpt from the book HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from the Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

What Once Was Lost - by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Christina Willems has been capably running the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor on her own, since her father passed away.  She enjoys the work, enjoys the people, and enjoys feeling like she's doing ministry for God.  When a fire leaves the house uninhabitable, she is forced to find temporary arrangements for each of her charges, including Tommy, an 11-year-old blind boy who people continue to turn away.  She finds refuge for Tommy in the unlikeliest of places, with Levi Johnson, the hermit miller who lives outside of town - both physically and emotionally.  Can Christina salvage the poor farm?  What of her charges?  What of her faith?  And will Tommy ever feel safe and wanted?

I admit that it took me awhile to pick up this book; I've read more than my desired share of historical novels in the last year, and I was afraid that this would be just another one like those.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quickly engaged in Christina's fight to keep her "family" together and safe.  I found myself wishing for some more depth to her character from time to time, but the challenges to her faith and her struggle to be happy for others when it meant losses for herself felt realistic and genuine.  Several of the supporting characters were fleshed out fairly well, and I was drawn to them perhaps even more than Christina.  They kept the book moving along well, and kept me from being sucked into Christina's discouragement too much.  The romance between Christina and Levi was cute and added to the book without being the focus.  It was well done and felt natural for the period setting of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and give it 4 stars.  The caution to make sure your godly choices are actually from and for God instead of yourself are thought provoking enough to make the book stick with the reader more than just another historical romance.

You can find What Once Was Lost HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from WaterBrook Press, as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Sisterchicks Do the Hula - by Robin Jones Gunn

Hope and Laurie have been best friends since college - when they first made plans to travel to Hawaii together.  That plan fell through, but now, as they approach their 40th birthdays, they have reconnected and decide that now is the time to do it.  While enjoying the beautiful sites the islands have to offer, they also find themselves digging a little deeper into what they've been made for by the One who created such beauty for them to enjoy.

This was the first Sisterchicks book I've read.  It was light, it was enjoyable; Hope and Laurie weren't especially deep characters, but that's what I was expecting when I started the book.  I loved the idea of two friends turning 40 and taking a trip of a lifetime together to enjoy the trip their way.  It didn't quite ring true that Hope would be concerned about the price of a "bargain" sun tanning lotion, versus the "expensive" one, but then order room service over and over again without blinking an eye, but if you suspend some disbelief and just enjoy the trip with them, then the book is a fun read.  It certainly made me wish I could take a trip like this!

I give this book 3 stars.  It didn't exceed any expectations, but it was a light, easy read.  There's a time and a place for such a book, and this was a good time for one for me.

You can find Sisterchicks Do the Hula HERE.
You can find Robin Jones Gunn's website HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah, as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Forever Friday - by Timothy Lewis

Adam Colby has discovered a photo album of postcards that hint at a lifelong romance between sender and receiver.  A romance so strong that he feels the need to know more, to find their secret to lasting love after divorce has left him hurt and disenfranchised.  As he wades into the depths of the love story between Huck and Gabe, perhaps he can not only find healing, but his second chance at finding his soul mate.

I was not wowed by this book; the comparisons to Nicholas Sparks books seem founded, and it was very reminiscent of The Notebook, so perhaps if that's what you enjoy, you may like this book more than I did.  I loved the idea of a 60-year-long romance, cemented by sending love poems from husband to wife every Friday.  I loved Huck's character - starting with her insistence that friends and family call her after a male literary character, all the way to her dialing 911 because a lady "needs" to get her hair done.  However, I wasn't in love with the rest of the book.  Even their love story fell a little flat to me; yes, they worked on sharing their secrets, and not letting the "Long Division" separate them, but there was no growth, no work on bettering each other or helping people around them.  They saw their housekeeper, Priscilla, as the daughter they'd never had, but there wasn't even any depth to that part of the story; the reader didn't get to see any affect on her life from having interacted with the Alexanders.  And the part of the story that fell flattest to me was the faith aspect; several times, the reader was told that Huck had a strong faith, and it kept her going, yet there were no examples of this faith, and it the only real "faith" discussed was her faith in her "guardian angel," Mister Jack.  Believing in an angel who supposedly predicts your future and saves you from harm is not a deep faith.

I enjoyed the writing, I enjoyed the characters of Gabe and Huck for what they were.  But there just wasn't enough to this book to make me love it.  I give it 3 stars.

You can find Forever Friday HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah, in exchange for my honest review.

The Governess of Highland Hall - Carrie Toransky

Julia Foster has returned to England after spending 12 years assisting her parents as medical missionaries in India.  Due to her father's ill health, Miss Foster finds herself needing to seek employment to help her parents while her father recovers, after which, she assumes the family will return to their calling in India.  Feeling herself to be qualified to serve as a governess, having taught Indian orphans for 9 years, she is still surprised to find that this position at Highland Hall will include not only tutoring the motherless six and nine-year-old children of the master of the Hall, but also keeping his recently orphaned teen aged cousins in-line, as well as prepare them for the upcoming social season in London.  It's a lot to handle, and it doesn't help to add in a moody master, a challenging head housekeeper, and a rising doubt on just how strong her missionary calling might be.

The characters in this book really made it enjoyable for me; I cared about Julia and how she was working very hard to do her job and honor God at every turn.  Yet, she was not infallible, but was usually quick to apologize for her actions and seek to make them right.  Sir William was under so much pressure, both internally and without, that it would have been easy to make him one-sided and appear to be nothing but gruff to those around him, but with the viewpoint shared equally from his and hers, it made him a much more well-rounded character to see how deeply afraid he was to let down the people he loved.  Or to be let down yet again by someone else.  It was a struggle for him to believe that anyone could be as completely forthright and genuine as Miss Foster, but her depth of character couldn't be maligned even after several attempts by those seeking to discredit her in his eyes.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars.  It was decently written, with good depth to the characters.  The story was just average though, with nothing super exciting or challenging to make it stand out.  A decent read, and I will likely read the next installment in the series.

You can find The Governess of Highland Hall HERE.
You can find the author's website HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Watebrook Multnomah Publishers, in exchange for my honest review.

My Hope is Found - Joanne Bischof

**Review is spoiler-free IF you've read the first 2 books of the series**

My Hope is Found is the third installment in the Cadence of Grace series.  Gideon has been released from Cassie to return to Lonnie, soon to be free to remarry her and reclaim his family.  Yet, it's not quite that easy.  First, the paperwork hasn't cleared, so Gideon isn't quite free after all, and when he does return to Lonnie, he finds that another man has tried to stake a claim on her heart.  While Gideon waits to be legally allowed to marry Lonnie again, he has to determine whether he really is the right man for her.  Meanwhile, Toby can acknowledge that the "right" thing to do would be to allow Lonnie to remarry her son's father, but he is unwilling to give up easily.

As excited as I was to receive this book to review, I put off starting it because I hated to have this story come to an end.  I have come to love these characters and I wasn't ready to let them go just yet.  Just as before, the fringe characters in this book really give the book life and vulnerability, yet this was really Gideon's book.  His time to change, or not.  His chance to grow up, or not.  His chance to really find God, or not.  Having loved Gideon's journey throughout the series, it was both hard and truthful to watch him work through these struggles of facing how his past mistakes had brought him to his present troubles.  While I would have liked a bit more of Lonnie's side and Toby's thoughts, the book was rich and deep the way it was written.  I spent much of the book on the verge of tears, feeling each man's troubled heart and Lonnie's struggle to be loyal, yet true to her heart.

I don't think I can give a complete review of my thoughts on this book without spoiling it for other readers.  But I will say that if you read the first two books, this will be a satisfying conclusion; and if you haven't read them - you should!

I give this book 4 stars - I have loved this entire series, and I am sad to see it end.  I look forward to seeing where the author takes us next!

You can find Joanne Bischof's site HERE.
You can follow her on Twitter HERE.
You can find my review of Be Still My Soul HERE,
and my review of Though My Heart is Torn HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers, as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Perfecting Kate - by Tamara Leigh

Kate Meadows may not be living the "perfect" life, but she has always been fairly confident with who she is.  Even though she struggles with her frequently renewed vow of "Thou shalt embrace singledom and be unbelievably, inconceivably happy," she continues to search for "the One."  When she and her fashionable housemate, Maia, are approached to be part of a roommate makeover article, she gives in, and finds herself enjoying not only the attention from the makeup artist, Michael Palmier, but also the attention she gets from the makeover.  However, as Michael continues to suggest additional things she should fix, and her client Dr. Clive Alexander continues to express doubt over her "improvements," she starts to wonder whether there's something deeper she needs to work on perfecting.

This book started out rough for me.  The character's description of herself as "twenty-nine years young (and holding, five foot seven (on tiptoe), 110 pounds (wrung out)...." felt so unrealistic that it immediately turned me off to the story.  (Seriously, 5'7" and 110 pounds would put her BMI at 17.2 - Underweight).  She later admits that those measurements were a stretch, and she's more like 5'3" and 125 pounds, much more realistic, and still healthy.  But the damage of her initial self-assessment was already done for me.  I couldn't get past her, and by extension the author's view of what constitutes beauty.  Kate does eventually realize that no matter what she does to change her appearance, that it can't change her heart, and she takes on a different project "Perfect Faith," which helps elevate the book to where I at least managed to finish it.

I give this book 2 stars.  I liked Kate, and wanted her to like herself - without all the crazy surgeries and cosmetic changes.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to be healthy, and pushing herself to exercise was a noble goal, but I couldn't get on board with the overall focus of the book on unrealistic outward appearances.

Please consider rating my review (NOT the same as rating the book!)


You can find Perfecting Kate HERE.
You can find the Tamara Leigh's website HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah, in exchange for my honest review.

Gone South - by Meg Moseley

"I am Letitia McComb. You can't change who I am."

Tish McComb has moved a lot in her life; when she finally decides to buy a house and put down her own roots where her family tree was planted many generations back, she finds that the name "McComb" may not be exactly something to be proud of.  In fact, she will find that many people wish they'd never heard the name McComb.  In addition, when she takes in the town's prodigal daughter, she further alienates her new community.  Can she change the perception of the name McComb?  Will people be willing to give her and her house guest a second chance?

I was really torn on how I felt about this book.  On the plus side, the characters were really well written, and I felt myself drawn into their lives.  I wanted Tish to find how to be a McComb in this town that hated McCombs.  I wanted her to succeed and to find friendship and love.  I wanted Mel to reunite with her family and find a path different from the one she'd traveled in the past.  Even the side characters, George and Calv and Mr. Farris - they had enough depth to make the town feel real, if not quite inviting.  Yet, maybe it's precisely because I liked the characters so much that I wasn't satisfied with their stories.  Mel not only doesn't seem to change, she never even truly acknowledges that she's messed up.

I give this book 3 stars.  I liked the story of Tish starting over, and helping Mel when nobody else would, and George being there for both of them.  However, as well as the characters related to each other, I wanted them to help each other to really grow and change, and that didn't happen.

You can find Gone South HERE.
You can find Meg's website HERE.
You can find more info about the book from the publisher HERE.

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This book is due to be released May 7, 2013, and is available for pre-order now!

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah, as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Though My Heart is Torn - by Joanne Bischof

Though My Heart is Torn is the second book in The Cadence of Grace series, the continuation of the story of Lonnie and Gideon.  In this installment of their story, we learn that Gideon was not free to marry Lonnie and live the life they've worked so hard to build together, but instead, that he is still legally married to Cassie Allan, a fact that her brothers and father intend to hold him to.  Irregardless of Lonnie and Gideon's love, or even their child together, in the eyes of the church and the law, Gideon is legally bound to Cassie.  Is there any way out of this mess?  Are the consequences of Gideon's past still haunting him and his new family, the family that has convinced him to finally step away from his selfish life and live for something greater than himself?  What will become of Lonnie and Jacob if this mess can't be fixed?

Wow.  I was so excited to be given the chance to review this book, given how much I loved the author's first installment, Be Still My Soul. This book didn't disappoint.  The characters were so rich and their struggles so engaging, that Though My Heart is Torn was an apt title for both the characters within and me, as a reader, on the outside.  My heart was torn with Gideon as he struggled to know what was right; the desperate need to be who he was now - the man who tried to live for God and others, even when the consequences of his selfish past choices could be pulling him away from the very people who changed him for the better.  My heart was torn with Lonnie as she was the one most affected by this past choice that she had no part in and yet because of it was about to lose the man, whom against her better judgement, she had come to love so deeply.  Perhaps the most surprising twist, however, was that my heart was even torn for Cassie - the woman who was coming between Lonnie and Gideon's love.  Even though Cassie was as much a part of the problem as Gideon, she was a real woman who had her own hurts and desires, and just wanted to be loved and accepted.  My heart was so torn that I didn't even know how I wanted the story to go.  Did I want Cassie to "conveniently" die so that the problem could be "solved" and Lonnie and Gideon could be back together?  Sometimes, but that would have done a great injustice to these characters and their depth.  Did I want Gideon to accept that Cassie was his true wife and love her as such?  Sometimes, but then I felt so hurt for Lonnie that I wasn't sure that would be a good answer either.  Did I want Lonnie to move on and find new love and be loved as she should?  Sometimes, but then that did a disservice to the love and growth and struggles that she and Gideon had come through.  Like I said, my own heart was torn throughout this book.

There were so many strengths in this novel that made me enjoy it.  It was a very strong sequel, standing alone as a complete and engaging story - I can't wait for the conclusion in Book 3, but it didn't leave me feeling incomplete.  (However!  I do HIGHLY recommend reading Book 1 before reading Book 2 - you really do need to get to know Lonnie and Gideon from the beginning)  Mostly, I enjoyed that Gideon's journey wasn't over.  Just because he changed in Book 1, and was getting to know who God is, didn't mean that he had it all together now, or that his faith was full.  He, very clearly, was still learning, as he still called God "that God of yours" to Lonnie, and was still trying to figure out what this faith thing looked like.  Having to deal with the actions of his past, the "old" Gideon, was such a compelling part of who he is now - turning to God didn't magically erase who he used to be, but it did greatly affect how he dealt with the consequences.

I highly recommend this series.  It is so atypical from much of the Christian fiction available; there is so much depth, and the author doesn't shy away from the hard things in life, yet deals with them honestly and sensitively.  I gladly give this book 4 stars, and can't wait to see what happens with the rest of the story!

You can find the author's website HERE.  (She is so down-to-earth and easy to relate to - and she responds personally to comments on her blog!)
There is more info about Though My Heart is Torn HERE.
And you can read the first chapter HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah, in exchange for my honest review.

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Wishing on Willows - by Katie Ganshert

Wishing on Willows is a sequel to Wildflowers from Winter, which I enjoyed enough to hope for a continuation to the story, so I was very pleased to find this follow-up book!  This story picks up with Robin Price, who lost her husband in the first book and built a cafe to honor his memory and find a way to live again.  Now, four years later, and with an almost 4-year-old son, she is struggling to keep up with the demands of her life.  Not only is being a single mom and a cafe owner hard enough, but now there's a development company in town who wants to tear down her cafe to build condominiums.  Robin doesn't want to hurt the town, but she also doesn't want to give up the cafe she's poured her heart and soul into.  As the developer's agent, Ian, tries to convince Robin to sell, he admires her passion and begins to question his own choices in life.  Can he bring himself to force the deal to gain his father's approval and keep the family company from hurting its employees?  Can Robin find a way to keep her cafe without damaging the town?  Or does she need to move on from her past and find a new joy in her life?

As with her first novel, Ms. Ganshert does so many things well with this story.  Her main plot line moves along cleanly, but her supporting characters don't get lost in the shadows.  I liked that the main characters from the first book made several appearances in this one, enough to get a feel for where they were now and what their lives looked like.  The one character whose story seemed to complicate the book, however, was Amanda's - there was talk of her past and even a move to letting go and moving on, but it somehow seemed distinctly separate from the main story and felt just a bit awkward.  The other thing that this author does well is to incorporate a love story without it feeling heavy-handed or the singular focus of the book.  As a reader, you know where that particular plot line will end up, but it's done well enough that you're rooting for it to get there.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot.  I don't see plans for another in this series, but I really hope that one develops!  It felt like Amanda's plot line was left hanging, and I'd like to see her story filled out.  Also, it would be nice to see how Robin and Ian's plans turn out for them.
I give this book 4 stars!

I know that there are certain topics that are sensitive to readers, and you may want to be forewarned before being surprised by them in a story where you didn't expect.  Due to that fact, I would like to mention that this book deals with: infertility, abortion, and cancer.

You can find the author's website HERE.
You can read an excerpt of the book HERE.
You can find an interview with the author discussing this book HERE.

I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

A Clearing in the Wild - by Jane Kirkpatrick

A Clearing in the Wild begins with Emma Wagner living in a simple settlement in Bethel, Missouri, where she is merely one of the many colonists leading a life of community under Wilhelm Keil's leadership.  However, Emma is known to question Herr Keil's decisions, and when her husband, Christian Giesy, is to be sent west to locate a new location for the colony shortly after their marriage, she pushes her way into the scout group to be allowed to travel with him.  After they arrive on the West Coast, she is forced to examine her own faith in God, her husband's priorities, and their "leader's" beliefs as they wait for the colony to join them and for Herr Keil to pronounce his decision on the colony's new home.

Emma Wagner Giesy was such a strong character, and a woman who incited me to care about her fate and the decisions that were being made on her behalf.  Likely, it's my placement in modern culture that made me so aggravated at those who wouldn't let her speak and cheered when her husband and fellow scouts began to listen to her, but I could only hope to have been as strong as she was on such a journey.  I was amazed that while she often questioned the way of life established by Wilhelm, she never seemed to question God, or that the Bible was true.  I did find myself wishing that she could come in contact with someone who would lead her deeper into the Bible, however, to find her own way and more Truth than that which the colony had deemed appropriate to share with its inhabitants.

Once I finished the book, I was going to give it 3 stars, mostly because it was such a rough journey and there were so many aggravating sections where the leader forced his way upon the people that I wouldn't deem it an "enjoyable" read.  However, in the section from the author, I realized that it was based on a true story, and that Jane Kirkpatrick had done intensive research on Emma and everything that she went through, and that made the story that much more incredible.  So now, I give this book 4 stars, based on a strong story and the intensity of knowing that it really happened and this Emma Wagner Giesy was likely much as the author depicted her.
This book is only the first in a series, and I look forward to reading more about Emma's life!

I've reviewed Jane Kirkpatrick's books before, and I have usually enjoyed them.  You can find more about the author HERE.
This book is only $1.99 on CBD right now!

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I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review.

A Wreath of Snow - by Liz Curtis Higgs

In A Wreath of Snow, Meg Campbell has returned to her family's home for Christmas, but finds her brother's bitterness and demanding nature unwelcoming, and she decides to spend the holiday alone in her cottage instead.  However, the train she is traveling on becomes unable to reach its destination, and the passengers are forced to walk back through the snow to the station they originated from.  During this time, Meg finds herself engaging a fellow male traveler and reveals some of her hurtful past in conversation, only to find out too late that the stranger knows more of her past than she realized.  Gordon hasn't meant to hurt Meg, he only means to make up for the hurt he has caused her family in his youth.  Can Meg and her family make room for his apologies and extend forgiveness?  Can Meg trust the man who made her feel comfortable spilling her own secrets when she finds he's been hiding some of his own?

Although it's a bit early to be reading holiday stories for me, this one was a good story that just happened to take place at Christmas.  Although gifts are exchanged, and the timing plays a part in the setting, it was an enjoyable read even now.  The characters were charming, and the setting was believable.  It was definitely a light, quick read that would make an enjoyable Christmas gift, or a lovely afternoon in a comfortable chair with a hot cup of tea.

The story was almost too quick for the depth of the hurt and betrayal and lies that were woven within it.  The conclusions of healing and forgiveness came too quickly to really understand the characters' journeys to the place where they could understand what had brought them there and how it had changed them.

I give this book 3 stars - a light read where many will enjoy the quick conclusion, but that, for my tastes, I would have enjoyed getting deeper into the characters' lives and transformations.

You can see Ms. Higgs discussing the book HERE.
You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 HERE.
The author's website is HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

The Girl in the Glass - by Susan Meissner

The Girl in the Glass covers multiple continents, various characters, and several hundred years of time.  Marguerite Pomeroy, or "Meg" as everyone calls her, is an editor at a publishing house that produces travel books.  Ever since she was a little girl, Meg has dreamed of traveling to but one place: Florence, Italy, the land of her beloved Nonna who died before she could take Meg there herself.  Her father has promised several times over the years since then to make the trip, but has never managed to come through on his promise.  Meg has made friends with a brother and sister author team who live in Florence and are excited at the possibility of her visit.  Additionally, their neighbor Sofia has recently been sending Meg chapters of a memoir about Florence that she is writing, a book where she claims to be the last of the Medici family, and where she talks about hearing a voice from the distant past speaking to her through art.  Will Meg's father come through on his promise?  Will Meg make it to Florence?  What will it be like for Meg to meet her Florentine friends in person?

This book started out a little slowly for me.  I had trouble making the transition between the points of view of Meg, Nora, and Sofia (I admit that some of this is the Kindle formatting, and may be easier to notice the transition in print!), but it did not take me long to get sucked in to the story.  Having studied architectural history in college, and having taken a trip to Florence several years ago, the descriptions of the city and the buildings and the art were very real to me, and I could picture them as if I had just been there yesterday.  Not only that, but the clear love of the city and its history made me want to go back tomorrow!

In addition to the city, I loved how the author weaved God into the creative works of the Renaissance.  She wrote "Wise Brunelleschi merely discovered what God had already set across man's path to stumble upon.," and in talking about the Uffizi: "Walking its halls was like walking through a corner of the Creator's mind."  While discussion of God and faith was very sparsely detailed in the book, it permeated the story through notes like this, making it very heartfelt.

The characters quickly became people I cared about, as well.  Sofia made me want to hug her and fix everything that needed fixing; I wanted to find the perfect match for Meg and have a character sweep her off her feet.  Even the minor characters were deep enough to feel like real people, for good or for bad.  While this book would not be classified as a classic love story, the love of the characters for each other, and Meg's search for what love should look like in her own life make it a much more believable tale of love than many others that I've read.

I admit that my own love of Florence may have biased my judgement on this book, but that said, I give this book 4 stars.  The ending seemed a little quirky to me, but overall, I really enjoyed this book and its characters.

You can find Susan Meissner's website HERE.
You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Be Still My Soul - by Joanne Bischof

In Be Still My Soul, Lonnie Sawyer hasn't lived an easy life.  With a controlling father and an overly submissive mother, she has tried to blend into the background to avoid being noticed.  Until the night Gideon O'Riley walks her home and requests a good night kiss.  Even though Lonnie knows she fought him off and nothing happened, she can't prove it, and her father forces Gideon to do "the right thing," by marrying her.  Forced to marry Lonnie, can Gideon get past his anger and resentment and become the husband she needs him to be?

This book surprised me by how much I enjoyed it.  I read the entire book in a day, because I could not put it down.  I especially enjoyed the hero characters of Jebediah and Elsie.  It's rare for an older couple to be placed in the saving role in a novel, but the mentor relationship is so important for younger men and women to understand how to change and grow.  It really worked well in this story, and I wanted Jeb and Elsie to take me under their wings!

Gideon struggles a lot with not only the changes he needs to make, but with the very idea that he needs to change.  He didn't want this marriage, he didn't want Lonnie, why should he step up and help her?  His personal growth through the book felt very honest and realistic.  It was a gradual change, and it was believable.  As a reader, I wanted him to change more quickly for Lonnie's sake, but he had to learn his lessons slowly and want to really change.

There is definitely an element of sadness in the book, but it fits the story and doesn't feel excessive.  I know there are readers who don't like to read sad books, so I like to prepare you if that's you!

I'm excited to see that this is the first book in a series, and I look forward to reading the next one!
I give this book 4 stars.

You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 HERE.
You can find Joanne's blog and website HERE.

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I received a copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

The Widow of Saunders Creek - by Tracey Bateman

Corrie Saunders is The Widow of Saunders Creek.  Her husband Jarrod lost is his life protecting Iraqui villagers from a 12-year-old strapped with a bomb.  To Corrie, and to almost everyone who knew him, he was a hero.  His cousin, Eli, however, remembers him differently.  Eli remembers Jarrod as competitive and selfish, and most importantly, as the man responsible for his leg injury that kept Eli himself from serving his country.  Corrie has inherited property in Saunders Creek that has belonged to the Saunders family for generations.  She moves there to see if she can find Jarrod's memory, but she seems to find his presence itself in the house.  Eli warns her that humans cannot return to the earth, and that she needs to be careful of letting this spirit into her life.  Will she believe Eli, who is becoming a dear friend and possibly more, or will it be too hard to finally let go of Jarrod?

This book was so much  more than I expected.  I hesitated to request it, because I don't typically like books that deal with demons and spirits.  However, the balance in this book made it such a great story.  Eli believes definitively that there should be no contact with the spirit world, that the Bible condemns witches and mediums.  Even so, there are self-confessed witches within his own family who consider their gift to be from God.  He manages to love them without condoning their beliefs.  Corrie, understandably, is somewhere in the middle.  She believes that Eli is honest and caring and that his beliefs seem sound.  But she is still grieving intensely, and would like nothing more than proof that Jarrod is still with her.  The demonstration of how easy it is to let demons prey on our fears and hopes is very realistic and timely.  Yet the author clearly shows that Jesus is the only spiritual Power and being that we should trust, and that His Name is the Name above all.

In addition to the supernatural aspects of the book, the characters within story made it so much richer and fuller than just a ghost story.  The book alternates points of view between Corrie and Eli, giving us both sides of the story, and allowing each of them to interact with minor characters that serve to enrich their personalities even further.  Even though some characters appear for only short scenes, they demonstrate the town's love for Eli, who has always felt inferior to Jarrod, and they give pictures of loving relationships and committed marriages.

I give this book 4 stars.  I really enjoyed all of the characters, and felt that there was such a good balance of love and struggles that the book felt neither sappy nor depressing.  The relationship between Corrie and Eli develops so slowly and naturally, that even though you know from the early pages that that's where it's going, you're happy when it gets there.  I would definitely look to read more works from this author.

The author's website is HERE.
You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 HERE.

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I received a copy of this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Where Lilacs Still Bloom - by Jane Kirkpatrick

Where Lilacs Still Bloom, by Jane Kirkpatrick, is based on the true story of Hulda Klager, a German immigrant with a passion and God-given talent for hybridizing lilacs to form new varieties.  Although her father doubted that a husband would support such a departure from the expected role of a housewife, Frank Klager and Hulda's entire family lent not only their support, but their physical labor to assist Hulda in her dream.  While Hulda's life was not easy, facing regular flooding that threatened to destroy what she had invested so much of her life into, and outliving her family members, she took joy in the flowers and the skills God had given her and strove to use those talents and beauty to enrich the lives of everyone she came in contact with.  Her generosity with her time, her talent, and her treasure touched thousands of lives, and in time, came back to her full-circle as others returned the love she had so generously dispensed.

I have read several of Jane Kirkpatrick's novels, and I have enjoyed them all.  This one was no exception, although it did take me several tries to get invested in the story.  The book employs several different viewpoints to complete the story, and I had trouble keeping them straight until I had read enough to become invested in the individual characters.  Especially, because it isn't until late in the book that the stories begin to weave together.  Having read the Author's Notes at the end of the book, I understand the purpose for including these additional fictional characters to enhance Hulda Klager's story, but it did take longer for me to understand where the story was going with them added in so early on in the book.

Once I got past the initial confusion, however, I really came to love Hulda.  She was so driven and had so much passion for her flowers, yet was self-aware enough to see that her family needed her too.  So many of us struggle with the balance of family versus work or hobbies, and Hulda recognized that her priorities may not have always been straight, and she worried that she was neglecting her family for the sake of her flowers.  Yet, that very family worked hard to ensure that she could continue her work: weeding, planting, taking over house chores, rescuing the flowers from the floods,  encouraging her to continue to stretch and grow, and celebrating her successes with her.

The love story of Frank and Hulda was so sweet.  Hulda's father had told her not to share her passion with her husband, because he felt Frank would discourage her.  Frank was honest in that he didn't want the flowers to take her away from him, yet did everything he could to aid her work.  The simple things he did for her, (with no spoilers, for it was mostly the surprise of them that made them so sweet), demonstrated a pure, sweet love for his wife, and the partnership was a subtle yet enriching focus point for the story.

There is a lot of sadness in this book, and knowing that it's a true story makes it that much sadder.  If you are a reader who doesn't like to cry with a story, then you probably don't want to try this one.  But, even with the sadness, life goes on, and Hulda finds a way to continue living, and continues to find people and work worth living for.

I give this book 4 stars; once I got into the story, I couldn't stop thinking about it.  I am certainly  not a horticulturist, yet I found the story engaging.

You can read an excerpt from Chapter 1 HERE.
Find out more about the author HERE.

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I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

Wildflowers from Winter - by Katie Ganshert

Bethany Quinn has worked hard to leave her small town behind, not just the location, but her family, her friends, and the girl who she was when she lived there.  Yet, when her mother calls to tell her that her best friend from childhood is going through a tragedy and her grandfather has had a heart attack, Bethany finds herself back in the town she managed to escape.  Trying to keep her new persona of a professional architect from the big city of Chicago, she finds it difficult to handle the challenges being thrown her way, and she struggles with letting go of her independence to let either people, or God, into her life.

Although Bethany is the main character of Wildflowers from Winter, the author does a good job of developing the other characters well. The story shifts points of view from Bethany, to her friend Robin, and to Evan, the man who has been living with her grandfather and taking care of his farm for the past five years.  I felt that the characters of Bethany and Evan were especially well-developed, with the reader slowly learning all of the pertinent facts from their respective pasts.  Not so slowly as to be frustrating, but at an expected pace, in line with the story.  The only character-development I would have liked to have seen more from was Bethany's brother David.  She references him frequently, but he never makes an actual appearance in the story, and we learn very little about him.

Bethany's struggles felt very real, especially her struggle with God and how she felt that the people in her life who had turned to God had let her down.  It takes patience from those around her to demonstrate that not all those who call themselves Christians will hurt her and judge her.  And it takes some lessons in trust for Bethany to learn that being vulnerable to God in her life will make her stronger.

I also enjoyed the love story plot in this book.  It was not unexpected, but it did feel secondary to the plot, which made me enjoy it more.  Connecting the two characters was not the point of the book, nor did the author use it as the solution to Bethany's (or Evan's) problems.

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I felt invested in the characters enough to hope that there might be a sequel someday (?).  I would really like to follow them further, maybe to see how Robin's cafe turns out, or see what happens to David in Afghanistan, or see Bethany and Evan work the farm together.

I give the book 4 stars.
Try the first chapter HERE to see if you like it!
The author has a blog HERE (and she's doing a giveaway right now - of another good book!)
Let me know if you read this book - I would love to talk about it!

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I received a copy of this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah as part of their Blogging for Books program, in exchange for my honest review.

Finding Our Way Home - by Charlene Baumbich

In Finding Our Way Home, Sasha and Evelyn are, perhaps, the most mismatched pair of women you could hope to find. Sasha is a former ballerina, recovering from a career-ending injury, and Evelyn is a strong, independent, entrepreneurial teenager with self-described large, clumsy feet. Evelyn's decision to defer college and run her own odd job service leads her to Sasha who requires in-home care while she convalesces. The two of them start out at odds, but eventually are able to recognize the strength in each other and encourage each other as friends to reach for bigger dreams.

While this book was a bit cheesier than those I normally read, I did enjoy the characters. Sasha's recovery, which was not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual, was relatable, and Evelyn's quirky life was humorous, but also peppered with enough difficulty to make her seem real as well. Her trademark prayer of simply, "Grace," became a central theme to recoveries on the part of both main characters, as well as their very relationship. Grace covers all. Amen? Amen.

The characters' love stories are secondary to their relationship with each other and God, but serve to demonstrate an accurate contrast of youthful hurried love versus true love that has developed over time. While mistakes have been made in both, the love built on a relationship, with God as the center, is able to withstand the trial and come out stronger on the other side.

I give this book 3 stars. I don't think I would have picked it up to read if it hadn't been a review choice, and I can't think of many friends I would directly recommend it to. It's a light read, and a fast read, but not a deep read, nor one that "sticks" with me.

If you would like to read an excerpt from the first chapter, you can read it HERE.

You can find out more about the author, Charlene Ann Baumbich, HERE.

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I received a free copy of this book as part of Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program. I was not required to post a favorable review.