A Girl's Guide to Moving On: My Review

A Girl's Guide to Moving On: A Novel

About the Book:

In this powerful and uplifting novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber, a mother and her daughter-in-law bravely leave their troubled marriages and face the challenge of starting over. Leaning on each other, Nichole and Leanne discover that their inner strength and capacity for love are greater than they ever imagined.

 

When Nichole discovers that her husband, Jake, has been unfaithful, the illusion of her perfect life is indelibly shattered. While juggling her young son, a new job, and volunteer work, Nichole meets Rocco, who is the opposite of Jake in nearly every way. Though blunt-spoken and rough around the edges, Rocco proves to be a dedicated father and thoughtful friend. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Jake wagers everything on winning Nichole back—including their son Owen’s happiness. Somehow, Nichole must find the courage to defy her fears and follow her heart, with far-reaching consequences for them all.

 

Leanne has quietly ignored her husband’s cheating for decades, but is jolted into action by the echo of Nichole’s all-too-familiar crisis. While volunteering as a teacher of English as a second language, Leanne meets Nikolai, a charming, talented baker from Ukraine. Resolved to avoid the heartache and complications of romantic entanglements, Leanne nonetheless finds it difficult to resist Nikolai’s effusive overtures—until an unexpected tragedy tests the very fabric of her commitments.

My Comments:

Debbie Macomber writes fluffy feel-good reads, and this is no exception.  It is a sequel to Last One Home which I found to be poorly written (see my review).  A Girl's Guide to Moving On is somewhat better.  While Nicole's sisters make appearances, the primary relationships are between Leanne and Nicole and between them and the new and old men in their lives.  Macomber explores the topics of love, trust, moving on and relationships between ex-spouses.  I found it interesting that both Leanne and Nichole found new men who were definitely beneath their former husbands on the social ladder, but of course they turned out to be great guys.  

Chapters are titled with the name of the woman whose story is told in that chapter.  Sometimes, we hear what Leanne thinks of Nicole's story and vice-versa. 

Like Macombers other recent books, characters in this one do not get beyond passionate kissing.  I liked the fact that one night Nichole almost threw herself at Rocco, who, despite his bad-boy past, refused to take advantage of the situation, and insisted they wait.  He told her she wasn't ready, however, he did not say that waiting until marriage was necessary.  

While classified as general-market fiction, it is mentioned that Leanne goes to church.  She and Nikolai visit a Russian Orthodox church to pray for her ex.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.  

Review: The Friends We Keep

The Friends We Keep

About the Book:

After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can't wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband's crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own. 

Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost. 

Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn't as painful as it should've been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time's the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love? 

My Comments:

...and they all lived happily ever after.  Given that the book is classified as "women's fiction" and is written by Susan Mallery, that can't be any great spoiler.  I enjoy books about groups of women whose lives intertwine and Mallery did a good job with this one.  She also showed that there is more than one way to get what you want in life.  

The women were true friends to each other and I enjoyed joining them for their long conversations where they figured out what was wrong with themselves and others.  I liked the way they learned to stand up for themselves and their needs without ignoring the needs of those around them.  

It is mentioned that non-marital sex takes place, but we aren't watching.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

Review: Home to Cedar Branch

Home to Cedar Branch: A Quaker Café Novel

About the Book:

After a betrayal ends in tragedy, Katy seeks refuge from her abusive husband, Hank, in her quiet hometown of Cedar Branch, North Carolina. Taking up residence on the old family farm and landing a job at the local Quaker Café, she hopes to leave her troubled past behind.

At the café, Katy finds allies, kind people willing to protect her and offer advice. There’s the gracious owner who insists that manners prevail, the no-nonsense cook who tackles life with a cast iron frying pan, a Yankee transplant who doesn’t bow to convention, and a shrewd Southern lawyer who sees a chance for Katy to profit from her predicament. But when Hank discovers her whereabouts, Katy’s newfound peace is broken. As a heated standoff involving Hank, local and federal law enforcement, and the media ensues, how far will the Cedar Branch community go to avert violence and save lives?

My Comments:

The story starts in a humorous fashion--two boys climb a tree and and get on the roof of the doctor's office, hoping for a view of naked patients.  They fall through a skylight and catch the doctor with his pants down with a patient, a patient who happens to be the victim of domestic violence.  It is a small town and of course everyone is talking about it.  When the woman's truck-driver husband gets home he kills the doctor.  Katy leaves their town and returns to her brother's farm.  While her husband sits in jail, Katy and her children get to know the Quaker neighbors and try to start their lives again.  

Much of the story is set in the Quaker Cafe, the small town Main Street cafe where "everyone" gathers.  The sense of community is in stark contrast to the relatively isolated life Katy led during her marriage.  Eventually there is an armed stand-off between Katy's husband and the police and in the middle of that stand-off are the Quakers, who, if you remember your history, are pacifists who do not believe in violence as the solution to problems.  It was interesting to see how these people lived up to their ideals in a situation that seemed to call for them to be abandoned.  

The book is the second in a series and it stood well on its own.  There were a few characters who seemed to have little point in the story, but perhaps they will have their moments in other books. 

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

Review: Love Lucas

Love, Lucas

About the Book:

When Oakley Nelson loses her older brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she’ll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend a few months in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn’t sure a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.

In California, Oakley discovers a sort of safety and freedom in Aunt Jo’s beach house. Once they’re settled, Mom hands her a notebook full of letters addressed to her—from Lucas. As Oakley reads one each day, she realizes how much he loved her, and each letter challenges her to be better and to continue to enjoy her life. He wants her to move on.

If only it were that easy.

But then a surfer named Carson comes into her life, and Oakley is blindsided. He makes her feel again. As she lets him in, she is surprised by how much she cares for him, and that’s when things get complicated. How can she fall in love and be happy when Lucas never got the chance to do those very same things?

With her brother’s dying words as guidance, Oakley knows she must learn to listen and trust again. But will she have to leave the past behind to find happiness in the future?

My Comments:

This Edelweiss galley has been on my Kindle for a long time and who knows why it caught my eye today.  It is the story of Oakley, who had been the all-American high achieving, over-involved high school student until her brother became ill with cancer, at which point she pretty much dropped out of life.  After he is buried, she and her mother go to California for a few months.  Oakley is depressed and is allowing life to pass her by.  Her mother gives her a book of letters from her brother, which encourage her to move beyond where she is and live again.  Of course that is easier said than done, but the cute boy next door is there to help her.  

I found Oakley to be reasonably believable.  I would expect a high school senior who has recently lost someone she loved to be self-absorbed and emotional.  I did not find Carson to be believable--everything about him made him seen like a mature man, not a high school boy.  He wasn't a bit selfish, he showed emotional insight, and he didn't allow Oakley's rejection to dissuade him.  

The story at times could be a real tear-jerker and I found tears rolling down my cheeks so there was enough realism to tug at my heartstrings--but I found the relationship between Oakley and Lucas to be more real than the one between Carson and Oakley.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via Edelweiss.  Grade:  B+ 

Review: Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

 

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard

About the Book:

Los Angeles, Present Day. When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind  ends up in Christine McAllister’s vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take her on a journey more enchanting than any classic movie… 

Los Angeles, 1938.  Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her  dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and lands a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet…until each woman’s deepest desires collide.  What Audrey and Violet are willing to risk, for themselves and for each other, to ensure their own happy endings will shape their friendship, and their lives, far into the future. 

My Comments:

Those of you who are familiar with Susan Meissner's books know that her "thing" is to take an artifact from a by-gone era and use it to connect a woman of today with a woman from the past.  While often the books tell two stories, the modern day story in this book is brief, and with the relatively short time between the two story threads, there are two women who appear in both stories.  

The story begins in 2012 in a second-hand shop in Los Angeles, but quickly moves to Hollywood in the 1930's.  The stories about the filming of Gone with the Wind were fascinating and showed that Meissner had done her homework.  Still, this isn't a story about filming a movie; it is the story of two young women, their dreams for the future and their relationship with one another and with other people in their lives.  Both Audrey and Violet have felt rejected and are afraid of being rejected again, so they make decisons to protect their hearts, decisions which end up bringing them pain.  Still, they are constants in each others lives over decades.

While many of Meissner's early books were published by Waterbrook, a Christian imprint, and contained mild religious content, this one is published by NAL and is not at all religous.  

I enjoyed Audrey and Violet's story but I found the modern-day sections rather forced and hard to believe.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

Build Wealth & Spend It All: Quick Review

Build Wealth & Spend It All: Enjoy The Life You Earned

About the Book:

You can build wealth. You need to protect your retirement savings from future nationalization, taxation and redistribution. You deserve to spend everything you have earned and saved before you die. 

This is not a novel to numb the pain in your life for just a couple of hours. It is a tool box with the tools you can use to fix your life...forever. 

Dr. Riggs has been building wealth for over fifty years through several very different and very successful careers, each of which made him a multimillionaire. In this book he explains the three basic and easy to understand financial concepts anyone can use to both build and protect their wealth. But it was only during this past year, while he was visiting his 96 yr. old mother in a nursing home, he gained insight into what awaits most of our retirement savings.

The money his mother had earned as a public school teacher and had frugally saved for over 50 years was rapidly being drained away as she dozed off in her chair. They were taking it simply because she still had it; while other residents who had already enjoyed spending their money, were now getting a free ride.

He had helped his mother to save and invest when he should have encouraged her to spend. He had failed his own mother by not encouraging her to spend all she had earned and saved, while she was still able to enjoy it. But he was determined not to fail himself.

He needed a plan...a logical plan to enjoy strategically spending or gifting it all away over a predetermined period of time; before the private IRA, 401(k) and Roth retirement accounts are nationalized and redistributed. He needed a plan to spend it all and die broke - insolvent, but not illiquid or destitute. 

  

Surprisingly, his plan for building his wealth was simpler and came more naturally to him than his plan for spending it all. 

In this book he explains the three basic and easy-to-understand financial concepts anyone can use to help build their own wealth:

(1) Understand the difference between true assets and actual liabilities. 

(2) Always know where you are in the economic cycle. 

(3) Understand the implications of the coming demographic changes. 

Your grave stone will have two dates separated by a hyphen. You have no control over the dates but you do have control over the hyphen ... that's your life. Let this book show you how to make the most of that hyphen.

My Comments:

Most financial planning books tell you to save your money while you are young, invest it in mutual funds, and withdraw part of it when you are old, and leave the rest to your kids.  This book agrees with part about saving your money, but it is the author's opinion that our tax system/government is going to end up confiscating large portions of people's IRAs and 401Ks to get the money to support all the baby boomers who have not saved enough for retirement.  Stanley Riggs, the author, is a fan of investing in real estate and businesses.  He is also in favor of people front-loading their retirement spending during the first years of retirement, and then dying broke, or close to it.  

The book was easy to read and if you agree with his assessment that the government is going to take people's retirement accounts, then you'll probably agree with his choice of investments.  Since I don't agree with that prediction, I take a jaundiced eye toward the book.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a complimentary review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-.  

Review: Innocence Lost

Innocence Lost - A Childhood Stolen

About the Book:

On July 14th, 1942, me, my mother, father, precious little brother, Chaim Kabliski, Aunt Ania, Uncle Addam and my cousins, Adiya and Aaron, were all forcibly evicted from their beautiful apartment in Warsaw by heartless, well-armed German soldiers with snarling dogs and crammed into a cattle wagon along with eighty other suffering souls. 

When we arrived at a camp called Auschwitz/Birkenau, they were all murdered in gas chambers, burned in ovens like trash and their ashes unceremoniously spread like fertilizer on a nearby field. Only through a miracle did I survive. I want you to hear my story so the world will never forget. Those horrible people may have stolen my childhood, but they can’t steal my memories. So, let me begin.

My Comments:

I found this story hard to believe.  The introductory material says the author talked to an Auschwitz survivor and based this novel on her story, so I don't know how much is true and how much is not. Basically the little girl in the story was pulled out of the line to the gas chamber by an SS doctor who had recently lost a daughter her age.  He took her into his home, and when the camp was abandoned, he took her with him when he fled.  Eventually he ends  up as a Catholic priest.  She marries and moves to Israel.  

The story was compelling at times but it is a self-published book and it shows.  The writing is not of a professional caliber.  Oral histories can be fascinating and this one shows the ending of the war through the eyes of one of the villain class. It shows an unlikely alliance between an SS physician who hates Jews, and a young Jewish girl.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B-

Quick Review: Cookie Classics Made Easy

Cookie Classics Made Easy: One-Bowl Recipes, Perfect Results

About the Book:

The 40 recipes in this delicious collection use a foolproof formula that requires just one bowl, minimal baking equipment, and no previous experience! You’ll find your tried-and-true favorites here -- from Chewy Chocolate Chip to Oatmeal Raisin, Shortbread, Ginger Molasses, and Snickerdoodles -- plus many more that are sure to become new must-haves, such as Lemon Ginger, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Rum Raisin, Pecan Delight, and Vanilla Walnut Pear. Warm, crave-worthy cookies are just minutes away!

My Comments:

I love to bake cookies; luckily my family likes to eat cookies.  I hoped for a Kindle version of this NetGalley; unfortunately I got only a time-limited galley.  As is my practice, I don't cook from time-limited galleys.  I will tell you that the recipes looked good and that there are pictures of most of them.  Just as I have, the author learned that you really don't need to mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another.  I'll give the book a B+ because the recipes look good and the pictures are pretty.

Review: Gifts from Our Father--A Catholic Prayer Book for Kids

Gifts from Our Father

About the Book:

How well do your loved ones know their Catholic Faith? Share your faith with the future of our Catholic Church with Gifts From Our Father - A Catholic Prayer Book for Kids. This hardcover book teaches Catholic prayers and traditions in a fun, simple, and easy to understand way without watering down our faith. Illustrated for kids yet written for adults, this is the perfect resource for Catholics of all ages who want to strengthen their knowledge and love for Christ and His Church.

My Comments:

If you are looking for basic textbook on Catholic beliefs, traditions and prayers that can be shared by the whole family, you may have found it here.  Gifts from Our Father begins with prayer, and after describing prayers of gratitude, petition, forgiveness and adoration, the Nicine Creed is presented..  This is followed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.  More prayers are presented including a prayer for the Holy Father, Acts of Faith, Hope and Love and the Act of Contrition (a heartily sorry version).  Holy Days of Obligation are discussed and then the liturgical year, including prayers for each season.  The Seven Sacraments are listed and described and, as appropriate, the Mass gets several pages.  Eucharistic Adoration is described and the Amina Christi and The Divine Praises are printed.  The Rosary, its prayers, mysteries and promises take up five pages.  The Memorare, the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes come next. The section on the Communion of Saints describes the canonization process, talks about living a holy life and then describes several saints and gives prayers of others.  

The book is printed on high-quality glossy paper and the illustrations are eye-catching and charming.  While the prayers in the book  use "you" and "your" rather than "thee" "thou" (except in the Rosary prayers) they are the adult versions of the prayes, not re-worked children's versions.  A family that wants a handbook of basic things that should be taught to Catholic children will find just what they need in this book. 

Scripture quotes are from the NRSV.  The book has an Imprimatur and a Nihil Obstat.   Grade:  A. 

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as " a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

Review: Archangela's Horse

Archangela's Horse

About the Book:

Sometimes God has the most unpredictable ways of showing us the path we are to take. Archangela comes to understand God's will when her beloved horse Santo refuses to take her where she wants to go, revealing a different path for her life. Written by Sherry Boas, Illustrated by Ines Leguizamo.

My Comments:

If there is one love that is almost as universal as the love God has for us, it is the love that girls have for horses.  Archangela's Horse is the story of the love Eleanora Girlani, who later became known as Blessed Archangela, had for her horse and how God used that horse to lead her to her true vocation as a Carmelite nun rather than as the Benedictine nun she wanted to be.  While the writing is a little overdone in spots, I think the story will definitely grab the horse-crazy 8-11 year old girl.  The illustrations are done in water color and are a strong point of the book.  Grade:  B.  

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as "a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

Blog Tour: Ditching the Drive-Thru (Giveaway too)

Ditching the Drive-Thru

About the Book:

After an exhausting day at work, hitting the drive-thru or nuking a pre-fab meal is all too often the go-to decision for feeding a family. Cooking a meal from scratch using fresh ingredients can seem beyond the average person’s time, energy, or financial means. But with mounting evidence pointing to processed food and our industrial food system as the culprits behind many of our nation’s health problems—including obesity, diabetes, and cancer—it’s now more important than ever to be fully informed about what goes on your family’s dinner plates.

If you’re ready to take control of your food choices but don’t know the difference between grass-fed versus grain-fed, pastured versus free-range, or organic versus sustainable, read this book to discover:

• How to create your own thirty-month plan to convert your family from junk food to real food, without a revolt!

• Recipes and advice on planning and prepping meals so you can make homecooked a habit for your family

 • Instructions for getting the most out of produce using techniques such as lacto-fermentation, dehydrating, and canning

•  introduction to the world of farm-direct sales, including tips on locating local farms, seeing through marketing buzzwords, and shopping with CSAs Ditching the Drive-Thru exposes the insidious hold the commercial food industry has taken over the fast-paced lives of the average American and the danger these processed foods and diet plans pose to our health, environment, and emotional wellbeing.

Learn how to break free from the grind and return to a simpler relationship with food from farmers, not factories, and home-cooked meals that are created in your kitchen, not on a conveyor belt.

My Comments:

My mom and my grandmother both had large vegetable gardens and the tomatoes were to die for--and that's a figure of speech, those tomatoes woudn't kill you but author J. Natalie Winch wonders if the store-bought ethlyne-gassed ones we use today might.  

In Ditching the Drive-Thru, Winch takes a look at how our food has changed over the years (for the worse), how most commercially available food today is produced and what the alternatives are.  She is a supporter of Commuity Supported Agriculture, where customers pre-purchase a percent of a farmer's vegetable crops for the year, of buying meat directly from a farmer and of raw unpasturized milk from pasture-raised cows.  She looks at the low-fat craze and the junky food it produced.  While the book contains a few recipes it isn't really a cookbook.  It is basically a book that urges us to eat like our ancestors who lived in the early twentieth century did.

The book is written in the first person so it sounds like Natalie is talking directly to you, friend to friend.  While she quotes a few scientific studies, she admits she is not a professional in the areas of science or nutrition.  The book is an easy read with a lot of information.

I'd like to thank the folks at iRead Book Tours for providing a complimentary review copy.  I was not obligated to write a positive review.  Nevertheless, I give this book a B+

Giveaway:

You can win one of twenty free copies of this book at the tour headquarters.

Meet the author:

J. Natalie Winch lives in southern New Jersey, not far from where she grew up, with her husband, two children, and dogs. When she isn’t mothering, teaching, grading, or making lesson plans, Natalie runs the Hebrew School at her synagogue, coaches soccer, teaches lacto-fermentation classes, writes the occasional entry for her blog Food Empowerment (tradsnotfads.com), and fights the dust bunnies that threaten to take over her family room.

Connect with the author:   Website 

Review: Encyclopedia of Peg Saints

Encyclopedia of Peg Saints

About the Book:

Discover all the fascinating facts that make the saints so lovable and inspirational. Get to know 36 saints in an engaging and easy to “absorb” format, centered around colorful hand-painted peg dolls collected and cherished by Catholic kids everywhere. “I highly recommend this book to parents and educators, as it will help children come to know and love the saints, which will in turn lead them into a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church. I have always been very partial to the lives of the saints, so I believe this book will go a long way in the New Evangelization. The saints are great, graphics are beautiful and the information on the saints’ lives is excellent.” ~The Most Rev. James S. Wall, Bishop of Gallup.

My Comments:

It is hard to find a book about the saints that is on the right level to teach kids quickly about these heros of our faith.  Encyclopedia of Peg Saints does a great job.  Each page features a different saint and is illustrated by a peg doll of that saint,  Those dolls can be found at Saintlyheart.com.  The text isn't a story about the saint, but rather a collection of fact boxes so that you can use those for which you have time, or which suit your purpose, and skip the rest.  The book has sixteen female stories (two are the Blessed Mother) and eighteen male stories.  It also includes two angels.   If you are looking for a book to use in a religion class or with homeschoolers to teach about a variety of saints, I think you'll find this one to be very useful.  Grade:  B+

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as " a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

Review: A Cold Creek Christmas Story

A Cold Creek Christmas Story (Harlequin Special Edition)

About the Book:

Celeste Nicholas has always preferred to keep to herself in her hometown of Pine Gulch, Idaho…until she becomes an instant celebrity! When one of her children's stories becomes a major success, she's suddenly the talk of the town. Celeste should be gloriously happy…but something, someone, special is still missing from her life. Could the return of her childhood crush be the answer?  

Flynn Delaney has moved back home for his daughter's sake. Yet all the millionaire's resources can't help the little girl heal from the tragic loss of her mother. Shy librarian Celeste and her stories do hold some indefinable magic, though. Flynn came home looking for support—can he find that, and true love, in the one who got away?

My Comments:

Celeste is your stereotypical librarian.  She is shy, bookish, and doesn't realize how pretty she is.  Flynn is the son and widower of celebrities.  While very handsome, he wants no part of the celebrity culture.  Flynn's daughter is recovering from a traumatic injury and needs patience, love, and maybe some Christmas magic to draw her out of her shell.  Of course, all can be found in Pine Gulch.  

Last year I reviewed The Christmas Ranch and this is a continuation of that story.  Like Thayne's other books, this has some passionate kissing, but no other activity is even alluded to.  At times the writing seemed overdone and melodramatic, but the basic story was, well, a basic heartwarming Christmas romance.  Grade: B-.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  

Review: The Promise of Provence

The Promise of Provence (Love in Provence Book 1)

About the Book:

On the evening of her twenty-second wedding anniversary, Katherine Price can’t wait to celebrate. But instead of receiving an anniversary card from her husband, she finds a note asking for a divorce.

Fifty-five and suddenly alone, Katherine begins the daunting task of starting over. She has her friends, her aging mother, and her career to occupy her, but the future seems to hold little promise—until, after a winter of heartbreak, Katherine is persuaded to try a home exchange holiday in the South of France.

In Provence, bright fields of flowers bloom below medieval hilltop villages with winding cobblestone streets. Charmed by the picturesque countryside, the breathtaking Côte d’Azur, and the enchantment-filled boulevards of Paris, Katherine feels life opening up once again. Lavender perfumes the air, and chance encounters hint at romance and passion. But memories of heartbreak and betrayal linger—and her former life waits for her back home. Can she find the courage to begin again?

My Comments:

Holly over at Two Kids and Tired recommended this book so I gave it a try.  Like Holly, I like the fact that the heroine is close to my age.  I agree that Patricia Sands paints vivid pictures with words so that the reader can see everything from the goat on the side of the road to the flowers in the vase.  Unlike Holly, I didn't love all that description and kept wanting Sands to get on with the story. I gave up half way through.  Grade:  C (a story that I didn't care for (far too much description for my taste) but which you might like.)

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.

Secrets She Kept: My Review

Secrets She Kept

About the Book:

All her life, Hannah Sterling longed for a close relationship with her estranged mother. Following Lieselotte’s death, Hannah determines to unlock the secrets of her mother’s mysterious past and is shocked to discover a grandfather living in Germany.

Thirty years earlier, Lieselotte’s father is quickly ascending the ranks of the Nazi party, and a proper marriage for his daughter could help advance his career. Lieselotte is in love—but her beloved Lukas is far from an ideal match, as he secretly works against the Reich. Yet Lieselotte never imagined how far her father would go to ensure her cooperation.

Both Hannah’s and Lieselotte’s stories unfold as Hannah travels to Germany to meet her grandfather, who is hiding wartime secrets of his own. Longing for connection, yet shaken by all she uncovers, Hannah must decide if she can atone for her family’s tragic past and how their legacy will shape her future.

My Comments:

I found this to be a very compelling story of good and evil and how many people have some of each in them.  It is a two-threaded story.  One thread is the story of Lieselotte in the years right before and during World War II.  The other thread is from the early 1970's and is the story of Lieselotte's daughter after Lieselotte's death.  While Leiselotte never spoke of her experiences during WWII, she leaves clues to her identity and history for her daughter, who immediately follows those clues to find her grandfather, a grandfather who was an avid member of the Nazi Party who was active in rounding up Jews.  Hannah is drawn to this lonely old man, but she learns that his past is far from pristine. He refuses to talk about her mother so she starts looking for clues through other people.  She learns what her mother experienced during the war years and what happened to her mother after those years.  She learns that the mother who never quite seemed to love, loved very much and that those who appeared to love may not have.  

The book is Christian fiction.  Leiselotte attends at "Confessing" church--a Protestant Church that resisted state control and claimed Jesus as its Lord and Savior--rather than the state-sanctioned church. Her friends also attend that church and they resist the Nazis, but until the very end I wouldn't call it an overly religious book.  At the end however, there is a section that sort of ties up all the loose ends and it gets pretty religious.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B+

Children's Book Review: Light for the World

Light for the World

About the Book:

Written and illustrated for your entire family, this softcover book explains Catholic traditions and feast days that we celebrate throughout the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

My Comments:

As Catholics, we celebrate the liturgical year, which has its own seasons and celebrations.  Light for the World takes us through the seasons of Advent and Christmas, touching on feast days, prayers and traditions.  Feasts discussed include the Annunciation, St. Francis Xavier, St. Nicholas (of course!), the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. John of the Cross, Christmas, St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, The Holy Innocents, The Holy Family, Mary the Mother of God, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann,  Epiphany and the Baptism of Our Lord.  Traditions that are explained include the Advent Wreath, the Advent Calendar, the Nativity Scene, the Jesse Tree, the "O" Antiphons, filling stockings, presents and King Cake.  

The pages about the feast days give short stories about the feast or the celebrated saint and they often include prayers.  The Feast of the Holy Innocents page includes the following prayer;

Prayer for the Dignity of Human Life

Lord and giver of all life, 

help us to value each person

created in love by you.

In your mercy, guide and assist our efforts

to promote the dignity and value of all human life,

born and unborn.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

The book has an Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat from the Bishop of Green  Bay, Wisconsin.  Scripture quotes are from the NRSV.

While marketed as a children's book, I see it as a book for family use.  I think there is too much text and that some of the words are too advanced for young children, such that giving them the book would not be using it to its full potential.  Grade:  B.  

I'd like to thank Catholic Word for sending me a review copy of the book.  Catholic Word describes itself as " a one-stop resource for leading programs and religious titles from over 35 top Catholic publishers. For over 15 years, Catholic Word has built a reputation based on quality, personal relationships and a devotion to excellence in service."  The mission they espouse is "to build up the Church one soul at a time through top quality Catholic materials and resources. Wherever a person is on their faith journey, we offer real help to taking the next step closer to God. Our motto is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reason."  They claim to be "100% faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium".  

A Winter Wedding: My Review

A Winter Wedding (Whiskey Creek)

About the Book:

Kyle Houseman believes he'll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who's now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he's been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He's determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with—which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his farmhouse for the Christmas holiday.  

Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She's only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album—the album that's going to put her back on top. Her dreams don't include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she'd be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind…

My Comments:

If you can suspend disbelief, this is an enjoyable Christmas romance.  However, like many Christmas romances, it isn't very realistic.  Lourdes is from the town down the street, but she chose to come to Whiskey Creek so she isn't noticed.  Kyle is the landlord; when Lourdes moves in the heat doesn't work.  Instead of going to a hotel, she moves in with him.  Kyle is still carrying a flame for Olivia who also happens to be his ex-wife's sister (long story).  His ex-wife is crazy, and frankly I find their post-divorce relationship to be unbelieveable.  I liked Kyle, I liked Lourdes, and I enjoyed catching up with the whole Whiskey Creek gang.  I didn't like some of the sex scenes--they weren't terribly explicit but I didn't like the attitude embodied in them. I also found it hard to believe that a celebrity who was trying to lay low would have sex in a public place.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B

Children's Book Review: The Midwife of Bethlehem

The Midwife of Bethlehem

About the Book:

A beautifully illustrated telling of the Christmas nativity through the eyes of the women who may have come to help Mary give birth.

My Comments:

We always see the Nativity Scene with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the angels and the kings, but realistically speaking, there was probably a midwife or perhaps a female family member around to help Mary during labor and delivery.  As noted above, this is the nativity story through the eyes of a first century Jewish woman.  She quotes Old Testament scripture,wondering when the Messiah will be here, and talking about what He will be like.  It is a wonderful way to tie together the Old and New Testament, but the dialogue comes across as a little unnatural.

The pictures in the book are beautiful and the story, of course,  timeless.  

I'd like to thank Rebecca Brown at Cadence Marketing Group for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  B.

Book Review: Willow Brook Road

Willow Brook Road (A Chesapeake Shores Novel)

About the Book:

Spirited, spontaneous Carrie Winters has grown up under the watchful eyes of not only her grandfather Mick O'Brien, but the entire town of Chesapeake Shores. 

Now that she's home from Europe, a glamorous fashion career behind her and her heart broken, there seem to be far too many people watching to see if she'll live up to the expectations her family has for her. 

As if that weren't enough pressure, Carrie finds herself drawn to sexy, grief-stricken Sam Winslow, who is yearning for someone to help him raise the nephew who's unexpectedly come into his life after a tragedy. 

With her own life in turmoil, is Carrie really ready to take on a new career and a new man? Or is Sam exactly what she needs to create the strong, loving family she's always wanted?

My Comments:

I enjoyed this trip back to Chesapeake Shores to visit with the O'Brien clan again.  Carrie and Sam are both at crossroads in their lives.  Carrie has returned home after breaking up with the boss/boyfriend she had in Paris, realizing that he meant far more to her than she did to him.  Sam never planned to marry, have kids, or put down roots until his sister died and left him custody of his nephew.  Carrie's large, nosey, loving, and interfering family has always been important in her life.  Sam was the son of an abusive family and his sister has been his only family for years--and he had chosen not to speak to her for a while before she died.  Sam is learning to be a dad; Carrie is a natural with children.  Sam is good at his job; Carrie is still trying to decide what to do when she grows up.  She has a plan, but will the plan be good enough for the family?

The major subplot focuses on a couple that was the focus of Beach Lane (click title for my review).  They have been trying to adopt a child and have had their hearts broken.  They are at that point in life when "everyone" they know is having children and Suzie especially feels a lack in her life.  I liked the way Sherryl Woods wove the stories of the two couples together.

The real star of this show however, was Bobby, Sam's nephew.  He too is looking for love and family after losing his parents.  Of course he is the one who gets all the best lines.

I'd like to thank the publisher for making a review copy available via NetGalley.  Grade:  B. 

Title Showcase: If You Were Me and Lived In China

If You Were Me and Lived in...China: A Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World

I've reviewed and showcased other books in this series.  Recently this one showed up in my mailbox.  I've been donating them to my daughter's school and I hope they are useful for things like Global Awareness Day.  As I said in the other reviews, the books are all the same except that the country changes, and therefore the words used, places visited and so forth change.  I think the series is a great way to show kids that we are all different, but all the same in so many ways.