Giveaway!

Congrats to LAWonder for winning Promise Me This. :)

This week, I'm giving away The Choice by Robert Whitlow. I haven't read it yet because I let my sister read the books first since I'm always behind, but it's next on my to-read pile. I love Whitlow's books.

To enter to win, leave a comment about a choice you once had to make. Of course, I think the most important choice I ever made was to accept Jesus as my personal savior. Another choice that I think was important for me in the last year was to move back in with my mom. I am trying hard to get out of debt, and moving in with her has helped me tackle that debt.I was moving like a sloth (my favorite animal) when I was living alone, but even with paying her some rent money, I am now moving like a gazelle. (If you've done Dave Ramsey, you'll get the gazelle reference.) Plus, my mom was a little lonely living alone after my dad's death, so now she has me for company. It's a win-win.

I can only ship to the US. Get a second entry by following the blog (leave a comment that you follow). Also, be sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you.

Past winners: I know I've been slow to mail, but I'm mailing books today!

What I Didn't Say: A Review

Jake has had a crush on Samantha for a long time but has never been able to tell her....until one night after getting drunk at a party. On his way to tell her how he feels, he and his friends are in a car accident, an accident that takes Jake's voice. Now he won't ever be able to tell her that he loves her. Will Samantha be able to hear what Jake can't say?

This is an amazing book. There are so many things that make this book great.
*I love the characters of Jake and Samantha. Their relationship is sweet and I like that the author kept it fairly innocent...let the reader know that while they were physically attracted to each other, their love was built on more than just sex.
*I also loved Jake's family. I think their dynamics and closeness explains why Jake could react the way he did.
*The topics in this book are tough: teenage drinking, homelessness, loss of loved ones, but they are handled perfectly by honest writing without lecture.
* The little details in this book say a lot: the silence that speaks volumes, the small island town and its dynamics, and the notebooks that hold Jake and Samantha's words.

In addition to Jake and Samantha, the minor characters were great as well and have their own stories to tell. Jordan, Jake's younger sister, and Kali, the guy from Haiti who moves in with Jake's family, have their own stories to tell, and I would love to see the author write about them.

Although it's a YA book, What I Didn't Say is a book for all ages.

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

My Stubborn Heart: A Review

Feeling burned out with her career as a social worker, Kate jumps at the chance to help restore her grandmother’s childhood home in Redbud, Pennsylvania.  She hopes to spend some time making something beautiful again and recharging her batteries, but she’ll get more than she hoped for when she meets Matt, the former hockey star and current home repairman.  

What makes this such a great debut novel is Wade’s voice. The plot is nothing standout although it’s solid: Matt has anger at God since his wife’s death and holds everyone at arm’s length until Kate gets under his skin. That plot has been done before, but I haven’t read it done this well in a long time. I don’t know if it’s the characters or just Wade’s ability to capture a moment and its feelings in just the right way or just her funny voice.

Not only are Kate and Matt well developed and unique, the supporting characters (all elderly, unique hoots) are strong and their stories are fun, especially Velma and Morty. Morty’s affection for Velma could merit his own book. I identified with Kate and loved her spitfire personality and determination. I also loved that Wade made her a little older than many Christian romance’s heroines and unwilling to settle.

My favorite line from the book comes from the demanding Velma, who tells Kate, “Women who have made peace with living alone and women who have a healthy self-confidence can always, but always, afford to be picky.” That line has stayed with me even after I finished the novel. It’s food for thought.

Fans of Christian fiction will love Wade’s first novel and eager anticipate her second one.

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

Giveaway!

Congrats to Liz for winning Under the Cajun Moon. I felt a little bad when I read Melanie's comment because it was obvious she REALLY wanted to win this book, but I have to go with what random.org tells me. :) So, I emailed the gracious Liz, and she agreed to take another book so that Melanie could get Under the Cajun Moon! Isn't that sweet.
So, Liz gets Flame of Resistance, and Melanie gets Under the Cajun Moon.
We'll see what happens this week.

I'm going to give away Promise Me This. I enjoyed this book, and I hope you will too.
To enter to win, leave me a comment about something nice someone has done for you...it doesn't have to be big. Could just be someone accepting another book so that you could get the one you really want.

Be sure to leave your email address. Follow the blog for a second entry.

I'll pick a winner next week.

Ten Girls to Watch: A Review

Dawn West is having a hard time after college: she can't break free from her ex, she can't find a job, and her roommate is a bit weird. When she lands a gig tracking down the former Charm magazine's Girls to Watch from the last 50 years, she finds out a little more about herself as she interviews these fascinating women.

At first, I was a little leery of how the author would balance telling Dawn's story while giving the readers tidbits of the women who won the contest. However, I shouldn't have given it a thought. The past winners' stories are woven in seamlessly in Dawn's own story and help develop Dawn as a character almost as much as her own experiences.

Dawn is a likable but kind of weak character at the beginning, but I think most women (me included) can relate to the "can't quite let go of the ex-boyfriend" storyline. Despite a few bumps on the road, she grows into a strong women sure of herself and her career choice.  I loved the twist of her becoming friends with her ex-boyfriend's current girl. Their "friendship" was a fun subplot.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The plot is fast-paced, the idea interesting, and the characters are well-developed. Charity Shumway's debut novel puts her on the Ten Writers to Watch list.

I received this book in exchange for my review. My thoughts and opinons are my own.

Promise Me This: A Review

Many books have been written about the Titanic, and I have devoured them all. This book stands out because the focus is not on the sinking of the ship but on the lives of those affected by the loss of life that day. When Owen Allen sets sail on the unsinkable vessel, he leaves behind his beloved sister Annie and finds himself caring for the young Michael, who sneaked onto the ship. When Owen sacrifices his life for Michael’s, Michael carries out Owen’s dreams of creating a gardening business, and over time, Annie and Michael begin a friendship through letters. When WWI breaks out in Europe, Michael risks everything to save the girl he promised to protect.

I loved that this book didn’t stop at the sinking but continued into WWI. It gave time for Annie and Michael, both young at the beginning of the book, time to mature as characters. Annie is somewhat annoying at first, but she grows into a strong, resilient woman, which I suspect was typical of socially elite girls who were thrust into war in the early 1900s.  Michael is a scrappy young boy, and I instantly liked him. He too grows up quickly and becomes a man worth of being the hero in a novel.

The book is long—400 pages—and spans several years in time, so it’s hard to talk about it all in a short review. There are so many twists and turns as Annie and Michael both endure hardships continents apart, but each one is grounded in historical events and engage the reader enough to forget how long they have been reading.

Fans of Christian historical fiction will enjoy this story of love, loss, and hope.

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

Flame of Resistance: A Review

When Tom Jaeger’s plane is shot down in Normandy in the spring of 1944, he becomes part of the Resistance’s plan to fight the Nazis because of his German looks. Tom is to visit prostitute Brigitte, who will find out secrets from her customers and relay them to Tom to take back to the Resistance leaders.  Knowing an invasion draws near, the two have little time to uncover the enemy’s secrets. Will it be enough?

I love the idea for this book: an American flyer and a prostitute working together as spies. There’s a lot of room to explore the character’s motivations and to weave an action-packed novel. Instead, there are so many characters and cover names that it took me a good 1/3 of the book to figure everyone out. While I liked the characters of Tom and Brigitte, especially Brigitte, they sometimes seemed lost in the muddle of figuring out who is who. Cutting out some of the excess characters would have strengthened the plot’s pacing and made for a less-confusing read.

Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book, perhaps a little more if they make notes of who everyone is. Once you get halfway through, it becomes a beautiful story of courage and loyalty, much like a WWII version of the Biblical story of Rahab.

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

Giveaway!

Congrats to Michelle for winning A Sound Among the Trees. I'll ship the book soon.
This week, I'm giving away Under a Cajun Moon. I loved this book. I'm originally from Louisiana and loved the culture in the book.

To enter to win, leave a comment about a culture you love or would like to know more about. To get a second entry, follow the blog (and let me know you do). Be sure to leave your email address so that I can get in touch with you.
I'll pick a winner next week.
I can only ship to the US.

Starring Me: A Review

Kara McKormick didn't win the competition in First Date, but she's back for another chance at fulfilling her dreams when she is chosen to compete for job on a TV show where she could showcase her singing and acting skills.



Chad Beacon is a star but wants to do more than just singing, so he is eager to be on a new teen variety show. Adamant that Chad be surrounded by Christians, his parents ask his long time family friend Flora to choose the girl to be Chad’s costar and to surprise him with revealing her name right before the show started.

When a tragedy strikes, will Kara turn to the Jesus Addy and Flora have shown her?



Kara was my favorite character in First Date, and I was excited to read her story. She is funny, energetic, and full of life. McGee makes her personality spark from the first page to the last, and the readers are taken on a fun ride as she learns to balance being herself and working in show business. Flora was my second favorite character in the book. Her quirky love for Austen and all things literature combined with her love for Chad and his family made her a great support for Kara.



I know this book was a modern retelling of Isaac/Rebecca from the Bible, but I like that McGee had Chad and Kara meet before it was revealed who won the competition. Knowing they both felt sparks but were clueless that the other was involved in the show added to the buildup and the final reveal at the end of the book.





Fans of Christian YA will enjoy this second novel (read First Date first). Parents can also trust this book with their tween readers.



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

Perfectly Ridiculous: A Review

In the third installment of the Universally Misunderstood series, Daisy finds herself in Argentina for what should have been a vacation with her wealthy best friend and a chance to see where things stand with Max. Instead, Daisy has to go help out at a mission for underprivileged kids in the slums of Argentina so that she can secure her scholarship to Pepperdine. At the mission, things go from bad to worse as Max dumps her and J.C., the cute guy working with her and future classmate at Pepperdine, is bitten by a scorpion and beaten up when he tries to help out an abused kid. Kicked out of the mission, Daisy is fearful of her scholarship and her feelings for Max and J.C. Will Daisy learn to embrace God’s Grace, or will she continue to fear His Rules?

This is my favorite of the three books in the series. I’ve long been a fan of Billerbeck’s adult books, and I felt a little disappointed with her YA books so far. In this book, she hits her stride and delivers a fun read full of funny encounters, sharp wit, and a little bit of food for thought.

In the first two books, Daisy got on my nerves with her back-and-forth feelings for Max, and I feared the third book would be more of the same…just a different country. Adding the character of J.C. mixed things up and brought out a stronger Daisy. I found I liked her a lot better when she was forced to think for herself and when she was around J.C. I also loved the change in her relationship with her overbearing parents, who truly love her despite their awkward dance routines and homemade clothes. Another pleasant surprise was Claire. For two books, she tried fad after fad, searching for a place to belong, and she found it in Argentina. I would love to read about her next adventure. (Hint, hint, K.B.)

Fans of the Daisy series will enjoy this third book, and I do recommend that new fans read them in order. I’m hoping there’s a fourth book so we can see what happens next.