Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

I loved this book! Francine Rivers is always impressive, and I loved how she dealt with both the relationship between Marta and her father and then Marta and her own daughter. Growing up with an abusive father determined to keep Marta in her "place", Marta flees and works hard to create a life for herself. Set in the early 1900s, Marta must overcome obstacles for women in general in addition to the shackles that bind her to her family.
When she falls in love and has her own daughter, Marta becomes much like her father: hard and unrelentingly demanding on her daughter, who is meek and mild. While Marta fears her daughter will be limited in life because of her shyness, Hildemara must learn to be her own woman just like her mother did years before.
One of the most powerful bonds in life is the one between a mother and a daughter. It can either be one of the most beloved relationships or one of the most toxic, and this novel is a beautiful portrayal of that relationship from both sides.
I can't wait to read the second book in the series.

Find this book on Amazon: Her Mother's Hope on Amazon.com

Writing a Book

When I taught language arts, I loved writing stories with my students. I had my students each "publish" a book through StudenTales Publishing, and I used to love writing the stories and having my friend Jessica illustrate them for me. Now that I'm out of the classroom and in the library, I've missed writing. So, around Thanksgiving, I started writing a book. I've written about 15,000 words so far, and I'm enjoying it.
Even if it never gets published, it's fun to write. We'll see what happens. :)

Perfectly Dateless by Kristin Billerbeck

In Kristin Billerbeck's first YA book, she shares the story of Daisy, a sheltered teen, who just wants a prom date. I was very excited about this book since I have been a fan of Kristin's for several years and since YA books are my favorite (teaching middle school does that to you). I was slightly disappointed. The plot line of a sheltered young girl wanting to fit in is a great start, but the book didn't have much spark. It took me a few weeks to finish because I just wasn't that interested in the characters or what would happen to them.
The qualities that make Kristin such a great writer (unique voice and colorful characters) aren't in this book. Daisy isn't well-developed, and the high school private school is unrealistic (at least compared to my private high school experience).
Another reason Kristin is one of my favorite authors is that she doesn't "preach" in her books, but this book felt like there was an agenda, which is annoying, especially to teens.
Overall, the book is pretty good. Writing adult chick lit is different from writing YA books, and I think Kristin's second YA book will be much better!

Double Shot by Erynn Mangum



Double Shot starts where Latte Daze ends: Maya and Jack are engaged and now planning a life together. Maya must plan a wedding (planning not being her strong point) in just a few short months while figuring out what God has planned for her and Jack. A possible move away from her family and friends along with complications with Kate’s pregnancy (I won't spoil what happens) teach Maya to trust God even when His ways don’t make sense on her sticky notes.




One of the best things about this series is the relationships between characters. Maya’s family and friends are some of the best supporting characters I’ve read in a while, and this book left me wondering what will happen with Ethan, Andrew, and Jen. I hope these characters will pop up in later books. Erynn captures these relationships through her dialogue; the banter between characters feels authentic and makes the characters come alive.



Erynn Mangum ended the Maya Davis series with a burst of caffeine. This final book was the best in the series with Jack and Maya finally tying the knot. Erynn also accomplished what she does so well: writing a book that teaches a spiritual truth while still entertaining a reader with well-developed characters who are unique and funny.



**This book was given to me by NavPress for reviewing. (Thanks so much!)

Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth

In Hurricanes in Paradise, four women meet on an island, and their worlds are forever changed when they must confront their pasts and learn to live again. Riley, a hotel manager, must deal with three high maintenance clients, each with a past of hurt much like her own. When their lives become linked, the women confront their past and learn to heal and to move on.


Denise Hildreth captures the personalities of strong yet vulnerable women perfectly. She tackles the painful situations of life gracefully. At times, there was a little too much drama: how many bad things can really happen to four women? The theme of forgiveness for the past and healing for the future was evident, but it could have been achieved with more realistic problems. (I don't want to give away the ending by being more specific!)

Overall, this is a good read. I would especially recommend it to a woman who is feeling the guilt of yesterday's mistakes!

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

My thoughts: This is Karen Kingsbury's best book. In this book, Karen delves into the world of autism. Instead of focusing on the debate on whether or not autism is a result of too many vaccinations (although Holden's mom believes that is the cause of Holden's withdrawal), she focuses on the family and relationship dynamics that are affected by autism.


Holden, the protagonist, is locked inside of himself. Through his thoughts, the reader gets a glimpse of the struggle between what he feels and what he can express. When he "meets" Ella, who is really his childhood friend, Holden begins to find a way to express himself: music. Their relationship develops despite educators who don't believe Holden can break out of his autism and bullies who prey on anyone who is different.

The novel also takes the reader into the strain stereotypes of autism put on families and even friendships. Ella's parents fear their daughter may "catch" the autistic traits Holden displays and therefore distance themselves from Holden's family. Holden's mother and father struggle to deal with the change in their son and drift apart from one another.

Music, the universal language, draws all of the characters together. Music often speaks for us when we can't find the words, and it is through music that Holden finds his voice.

My Little Phony by Lisi Harrison

Summary: In this installment of the Clique series, Claire has finally broken free from Massie's hold, forming her own group of friends and introducing a new "Clair-a" where people are free to be themselves.


My thoughts: This may be my favorite Clique book so far. I have always seen the underlining theme in the series: that girls in a clique are just like regular girls and are probably even more insecure. This book had that idea come full circle as Massie finally realizes what it's like to be on the outside looking in and what real friendship is. I'm looking forward to the last book in the series.


This series is a good read for middle school girls. It opens a dialogue about fitting in and what lengths girls will go to be popular.

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.

Mistletoe Prayers by Betsy St. Amant

Summary from the back of the book: Allie James returns to her hometown in need of a holiday job. Never did she expect old boyfriend Jordan Walker to hire her as his secretary! Years ago, Jordan shredded her heart like wrapping paper. Now he must convince Allie that all he wants for Christmas is her love.

My thoughts: I tried to put my ideas together in paragraph form but couldn’t get them to gel completely. So, I’m making bullet points.

• I enjoyed the characters. (I’m a sucker for first loves reuniting.) Allie and Jordan were well-developed, and their actions were realistic…nothing over the top as is sometimes expected in romances.

• Betsy captured the heart of a small-town well. Allie and Jordan grew up smothered in the smallness of Ginger Falls, fled the town and each other to big cities, and eventually made their way back to the town, realizing that the small town they thought was holding them back was the comfort and security they needed.

• I loved the festivities in the book—cute Christmas ideas.

• I hate reading books with a helpless woman being “rescued” by the man. (It’s one reason I don’t read a lot of romance novels.) I was excited that Allie was the one who was helping Jordan revive the town. Her ideas were the ones that helped put the town back on the map.

• The downside: The story was short—only a little over a 100 pages. It would have been nice to have had a longer story to see the relationship between Allie and her mother and sister develop. (This book was two stories in one, so that explains the brevity of the story.) Typical of Love Inspired books, the couple reunites in a happily ever after fashion, but with the harsh reality of today's world, sometimes you need a happy ending.

Overall, this book is a heart-warming Christmas tale to enjoy over a cup of hot chocolate (even though it’s still hot as all get out here in Texas)!

Visit Betsy St. Amant at her blog: http://www.betsy-ann.blogspot.com/

Find the book on Amazon: Buy Mistletoe Prayers

Thanks, Betsy, for giving me this book to review. I enjoyed it!



Dying to Meet You

Summary: A washed-up writer Mr. Grumply moves into a mansion on Cemetery Road in a last-ditch effort to salvage his writing career. Living in the house requires him to take responsibility for Seymore, a young boy who loves to draw and hang out with the ghost of the house. Will they be able to coexist, much less become friends?

My thoughts: I picked up this book because it's on the Bluebonnet list for this school year. The book is a fun read. It's told through letters from characters and the town's newspaper, which makes it a fast read. The illustrations (artwork by character Seymore) add to the overall fun feel to the book. The characters are funny and unique. The book is also a good introduction to irony and a few puns. The only downside was the the book could have used another ten or fifteen pages. The conflict is wrapped up a little too quickly. Overall, a good Bluebonnet book for the more reluctant readers.