My Revised Christmas List: A Review

Chloe is just trying to finish nursing school and work enough hours to pay her rent since her roommate bailed on her. When she sets up her sister on a blind date, she finds herself falling for someone who wasn't at all what she was expecting but exactly what she needs.

Erynn Mangum is one of my favorite Christian Chick Lit authors. I love her voice and her fast dialogue makes for a fun read. This short novella is no exception. Although it was pretty clear how it would turn out, the characters are great, and the witty back-and-forth between Chloe and just about everyone she talks to makes this a great afternoon read. 

Chloe's story, although over way too quickly, will tide Mangum's fans over until her next series comes out. 

The Scent of Rain: A Review

Daphne Sweeten lost everything in one moment: her wedding day. She gave her dream job working with perfume in Paris to marry the man she loves, who stands her up at the altar and takes her job. As if it couldn’t get any worse, she loses her sense of smell the same day. Forced to move to Dayton, Ohio, where she and her fiancé had planned to live, Daphne will have to figure out a way to work without her sense of smell.

Kristin Billerbeck is the queen of Christian chick lit, and this one won’t disappoint fans or be their favorite. Daphne is a little weaker than most of Billerbeck’s heroines, but the girl has had a lot of major drama piled on at one time, so I have to give her a break there. I like who she becomes though by the end of the novel as she finds her niche.  But, she’s not a standout character by any means.

Jesse, the hero, is wonderful. He is still grieving the loss of his wife. I love that he struggles between being a dad and doing well at his job. I think most men do struggle with long work hours and not enough quality time with their kids even when they have a wife, but in most books with a single dad, the father seems to juggle the job and kids perfectly. Kudos to Billerbeck for addressing it.

The minor characters are fabulous. I love the annoying Kensie and the sweet Anne. In fact, I would love for Kensie to have her own book as she still has a lot of story to tell.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. Because Daphne seemed a little bland for a chick lit novel, I can’t say this is a book I will reread. But, it’s a good lazy summer day read.

I was given this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Like Sweet Potato Pie: A Review

I loved this book! While the first book in the series (Southern Fried Sushi) starts off slowly and builds to a fun read, this book hits its stride early. Shiloh is still a  funny, bumbling mess trying to figure out her place in the world. Like most Christians, especially new in their faith, she embraces Christ, but the past still calls her in the form of her ex-fiance and the dream of working as a reporter again.

Spinola's style of writing is fun and the characters seem to come alive in this book. Becky and Tim's struggle with conceiving a child is well-done and adds a serious balance to the funny episodes in which Shiloh finds herself. What I like most about this book is that the author has the characters endure real experiences and emotions. Shiloh's new walk with Christ and her struggle to figure out God's plan for her makes for an interesting read.

Fans of Christian fiction will enjoy this book. I do recommend reading book one first.

I am eager to see what happens next!

Blessed are the Meddlers

Sydney is happily married and wants every one else to be just as happy. As it turns out, her meddling doesn't always get the results she wants. Can she help her friends find true love without ruining her friendship with them?

Once you get past the awkward shifts from first to third person, this is a cute, fun novel. The issues characters deal with are serious, but they are handled in a light way without coming across as preachy.

Overall, it's an enjoyable summer read.

Easter Carats by Erynn Mangum

This sweet novella is made up of all the things that make Erynn Mangum one of my favorite authors: funny one liners, strong and well-developed characters, and a Biblical truth presented without being "preachy". Emilie is a by-the-books kind of girl while Blake is a relaxed guy. After a lifetime of avoiding each other, they are thrown together for a weekend with their families at a lake house, the two find that maybe they aren't so different.
Told in Erynn's unique voice, this short story is a quick, fun, summer read.

Random sidenote: this was the first book I read on my Kindle. I loved the story and reading on a Kindle. :)

A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck

     Eight years ago, Katie McKenna proposed to the man she loved passionately only to be turned down. Fleeing to California to escape her humiliation, Katie strives to become what she feels is expected of her: working with special needs children, attending church faithfully, following the “church” rules, and settling for a life with a man she doesn’t love. Then Luc DeForges, the man who broke her heart, walks back into her life, determined to convince Katie to come back to New Orleans under the pretense of performing at his brother’s wedding. Behind his ruse is a plan to make Katie fall in love with him again. Will Katie settle for a life that makes sense on paper or follow her heart even if it means risking everything?

     Being from Louisiana, I like the setting of New Orleans. It’s the perfect place to have characters who love the 40’s (even though I knew very few of the movie and music references that filled the pages) and who are full of passion for dancing and singing. Katie is a likeable character, but it was hard to root for Luc when it took him eight years to chase down the woman he loved. Overall, their story is a fun read even if they won’t go down as my favorite characters. (I’m a character-driven reader, so if I don’t love the characters, I usually don’t love the book.)

     A Billion Reasons Why delves into a topic that I think more Christians need to think about: living by rules or living by love. Following Christ doesn’t mean not embracing fun and romance. Marrying Dexter, the solid guy who sends weekly flowers, would be sensible but boring. Marrying Luc would mean risking her heart, but she would feel alive again. The book gave me things to think about without being preachy, which is one reason I love Kristin Billerbeck’s books.



Always the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

    I had been told by several friends that this book was amazing. It has the best title. :) I was so excited to read it, and I must admit I was a bit disappointed. The book is good, but it didn't live up to what I had expected. I enjoyed the idea of a diabetic baker, a hotel catering to weddings, the "separated" parents reuniting. The storylines were great ideas, but some weren't developed enough for my liking. There were too many GOOD characters who deserved more time (time that was spent sharing wedding tips and recipes). I would have loved to see this as a series with different characters' storylines developed a little more.
     Overall, this is a good book, and I will check out other books by this author.

Latte Daze by Erynn Mangum

Summary from back of book: Maya Davis already has many titles--Christian, barista, maid of honor (new), possible girlfriend (newer)--and her life is about to become even more complicated. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, her ex-boyfriend proposes to her roommate and best friend, Jen. It's not long until their apartment becomes Wedding Central. As if that weren't enough, Jen's obnoxious mom moves in to help plan the wedding, and Maya's genius brother and sister-in-law announce that they're expecting. Then to top it off, there's the whole matter of Jack---is it love? Who wouldn't need a coffee break!

My thoughts: I am a huge Erynn Mangum fan. I've loved all of her books, and this one is no exception. Her writing voice is fun, and her characters are too. Erynn is also one of the best about including a spiritual concept or truth without sounding preachy. The new character of Ethan was a good addition to the cast, and I am eager to see what happens with him in book three. I also love that this book showed a little more depth in the relationship between Maya and her mom.
While I enjoyed the book (especially the development of Jen's mom), I felt this book moved a little slowly. There are a lot of subplots that could have been developed a little more instead of focusing on food/drink/movie details quite as much. The plot developed, but it didn't move as quickly as I would have liked until the end! The last chapter of the book was the best and left me excited about the release of the third book in the series.