Sand Castle Bay: My Review

Sand Castle Bay (An Ocean Breeze Novel) 

About the Book:

 In a trade-off she's lived to regret, Emily Castle left home years ago to become an interior designer. The youngest of three sisters, Emily desperately wanted to prove herself. Success, though, came at the cost of leaving behind the man she loved. For Boone Dorsett, losing Emily left his heart shattered, but another woman was waiting in the wings. Now a widower with a young son, Boone has a second chance with Emily when a storm brings her home. But with his former in-laws threatening a custody suit, the stakes of loving her are higher than ever. Will fate once again separate them—or is the time finally right for these two star-crossed lovers?

My Comments:

Sand Castle Bay is the first book in a new Sherryl Woods series, a series that at least appears to start with three sisters who used to come to a coastal town to spend summers with their grandmother.  All have been away, but all come back when a hurricane hits the town they love.  Each returns with her own baggage, along with her own strengths and gifts.  

As noted above, this book is about a second chance at first love.  It involves two adults getting to know each other as adults and deciding what changes they are, and are not, willing to make to their lives for the sake of love.  Like  Woods' other books, it mentions intimate activities but doesn't invite us into the room.  Like Woods' other books, it is a relaxing, heartwarming way to spend an afternoon.  

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

Other books by Sherryl Woods:

Review: Love in a Broken Vessel

Love in a Broken Vessel: A Novel

About the Book:

Hosea has been charged by God with a difficult task--marry a prostitute in order to show God's people the nature and depth of his love for Israel. When Hosea goes to Israel to proclaim God's message, the prostitute God tells him to marry turns out to be his childhood friend Gomer. He finds her broken and abused, unwilling to trust Hosea or his God. But when marrying Hosea becomes her only choice, Gomer does what she's good at--she survives. Can Hosea's love for God and God's love for Israel heal Gomer's broken spirit?

With her potent combination of in-depth research and masterful storytelling, Mesu Andrews brings to life a complex and fascinating biblical story of the power of love and forgiveness in the face of utter betrayal.

My Comments:

I've heard it said that it is a man's world, and while that may not be completely true today, clearly for  most cultures in history, it was true.  It seems that the worst thing you could call a woman in Old Testament times was a harlot, yet I rather doubt that these women woke up one morning and decided that they'd prefer a life of prostitution to a life as a wife and mother.  In the New Testament, it was the WOMAN caught in adultery who was going to be stoned until Jesus stepped in.  Last time I checked, it took two to commit that crime.  Where was her co-defendant?  

Those were the thoughts that went through my mind before I picked up Love in a Vessel.  As those familiar with the Book of Hosea in the Bible are aware, God called Hosea to marry a prostitute.  God told Hosea that the prostitute would reject his love and return to her old life.  God told him she would have children who were not his.  God told him to love her anyway.  In short, the book of Hosea is a metaphor for the love God has for us, children who reject Him even though He offers a better way.  

I found Love in a Vessel to be an easy engaging read.  In the book Gomer was sold into prostitution as a child, she didn't choose it.  I guess in a lot of ways it is like us being "sold"  into original sin by Adam and Eve.  As God sent Jesus to save us, He sent a childhood friend and prophet, Hosea, to save Gomer.  Once she started her new life, she could not embrace it completely, just as we reject God and sin.  Just as we think things would be better if God did things our way,Gomer didn't like things Hosea was called to do and felt abandoned by him.  

I read the book the first week in Lent and God and I are having some discussions about how He isn't doing things my way.  That may be why this book ended up in my path this week. Still, though it gave me food for thought it was also a good story that fleshed out the Biblical characters and to me, made them more human.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for sending me a review copy.  Grade:  B+.

“Available March 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Cookbook Review: Six Sisters' Stuff

Six Sisters' Stuff: Family Recipes, Fun Crafts, and So Much More

About the Book:

Cook, craft, and create with recipes, projects, and ideas from the enormously popular blog SixSistersStuff.com. Every recipe and project included in this book is quick, easy, and fun. More than 100 family-favorite recipes (including an entire section of slow-cooker recipes), use ingredients commonly found in your pantry. The crafts and home décor projects have easy-to-follow instructions with photographs and can be made with little or no money. We don t profess to be amazing chefs, they claim. We just know the importance of feeding our families a home-cooked meal and sitting down to eat it together. Our mom and dad taught us so many great values, and we are thankful that they instilled the importance of family time in our lives. Even the busiest of people can make the food and project ideas we share, which will give you even more time to spend with your family and loved ones. SixSistersStuff.com is an online phenomenon. More than 5 million page views per month More than 50,000 Facebook followers Nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter More than 80,000 followers on Pinterest.

My Comments:

Blogging is the ultimate in vanity press (now known as self-publishing).  For no financial investment at all, you too can write and publish for the whole world to see.  Unfortunately for most of us bloggers, "the whole world" remains pretty small; however, like in most endeavors, some people are much better  than average, and work at it much more than average and therefore get far more readers than average.  The Six Sisters fall in that category, and they've managed to parlay the fame from their blog into a "real" publishing deal for this homey attractive cook/craft book.  

Generally when reviewing cookbooks that I have received hard copies of, I like to try a recipe and report on the results.  I still plan to do that with this book but my life has been crazy lately and I haven't had time to pick a recipe, make sure I have the ingredients, make  it, and photograph it.  However, I can't blame this cookbook--the recipes are simple and the ingredients, common.  Many of the recipes are church cookbook standards like Grandma's Five-Cup Creamy Fruit Salad or Easy 7-Up Biscuits.  Others take convenience foods up a notch--Easy Parmesan Knots are basically a fancy presentation of refrigerator biscuits.  I have to say though that I've never seen Root Beer Float Cookies before reading this book. 

Each recipe comes with a photo, which is always nice.  The book itself is printed in full color on nice glossy paper.  While some pages stay open better than others, I was able to get all the  pages I tried to stay open, so you shouldn't have a problem with "losing"  your recipe.  

Besides recipes,the book includes crafts (nope, not on my blog) and handy lists like a spring cleaning checklist (how fun) and a list of activities to keep kids busy on road trips.  In short, this book is going on the keeper shelf and one day soon I'll share a recipe with you.  

I'd like to thank the publisher for providing a complimentary review copy.  Grade:  A.  

Join the Family Dinner Challenge

According to Pew Research , only about half of families make dinner a daily ritual and another third eat together a few times a week. Roughly one in 5 families (20%) eat together only occasionally or never.  In conjunction with the book’s release, on  March 4, 2013, SixSistersStuff.com will launch a 4x4 Dinner Challenge. Families are encouraged to eat together as a family at least four times a week for four weeks. Families can register online at www.SixSistersStuff.com and receive meal tips, ideas for family activities, and helpful recipes to assist in making this challenge a reality.  “We grew up knowing the importance of feeding our families a home-cooked meal and sitting down to eat it together,” said Camille, the oldest sister.  “Even the busiest of people can make the food and project ideas we share, which will give you even more time to spend with your family and loved ones.”  

The Six Sisters

Kindle Freebie: Twice the Trouble

Twice the Trouble

About the Book:

Lacey Carlyle has worked for years to create the perfect blend of home, business and family. Now she risks losing everything when the land she farms is bought by the man who abandoned her thirteen years ago.

Alex has never understood why Lacey walked away from him. Now, he holds the deed to her farm and intends to make her pay. The only problem - two kids weren't part of the plan. 

Jenna and Jarrod may not see eye-to-eye but they are both determined to find happiness for their mom and keep their home safe. Can Lacey and Alex put their pasts behind them and embrace a future together?

My Comments:

I read (or at least start) a lot of Amazon freebies; most of them don't show up there.  That should tell you something.  This one grabbed me and held me.  Yes, it's self-published, and yes, there were a few editing errors.  No, the plot isn't the most original in the world but I liked Lacey and Alex, as well as Jarrod and Jenna.  Though there was some non-marital intimacy, it was not described in great detail.  Yes, it was happily ever after, probably too much so, but that's what I like.  Grade:  B-.