The Bridge of Peace

 The Bridge of Peace by Cindy Woodsmall is an interesting book. Lena is a passionate young women that doesn’t realize all she has to offer. Grey Graber is a man with a hole in his heart and no clue how to fill it again. This story follows these two characters as they realize who they really are and all they have to offer.  The loneliness and pain each of the main characters deal with will move you to tears. Their triumphs will have you rejoicing with them. This book depicts the Amish as people who play and have fun. They are not depicted as only stern and solemn.  There is a bit of Lena in every girl. She has the desire to do good but is often faced with less than optimal circumstances. Either choice could go wrong and have harsh consequences.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great book. There are a couple of draw backs. The main part of the story is about Grey and Abigail. Other characters are introduced and quite a bit of time is spent with them. They are not essential to the story of Lena and Grey and are distractions to the main plot. I didn’t find them a help to the plot. A short introduction would have sufficed and saved some information for a book about them further in the series. This distraction was a mild annoyance but not enough to take the pleasure from reading the story of Lena and Grey. The immediate characters surrounding them added greatly to the story and helped bring out each character’s strengths and weaknesses. I very much enjoyed The Bridge of Peace and will read more from Cindy Woodsmall.

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books, a blogger review program. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am disclosing this in concordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)                        

A Cowboy's Touch

 A Cowboy’s Touch by Denise Hunter is a cute little romance. This is a perfect choice for an entertaining read. If you want an intricate plot line and events that are true to life this is not the novel for you. However if you want to read a fun little Christian romance this will delight you. This author avoids a pitfall I often notice in Christian romance.  Wade Ryan is fully masculine with masculine reactions. This is a huge positive for me as I often see the male figure portrayed slightly less masculine or with less than believable reactions. Wade Ryan is a solid man trying to do what is right for his daughter. Abigail is a lovable character that makes her share of mistakes along the way to the resolution of the plot. It being a cowboy romance intrigued me. I must admit I am a sucker for cowboy stories.  I generally find any character portrayed as a reporter distasteful, however Abigail contains so many charming characteristics it is almost impossible not to like her. I enjoyed reading A Cowboy’s Touch and would recommend it to any of my romance loving friends. I would definitely look forward to reading another installment of the Wade and Abigail story if the opportunity were present. As mentioned before this is not a novel with an intricate plot line. It is refreshing to have all the elements fall into place at the right moment. The discussion of God, forgiveness, and redemption adds a wonderful element and some depth to this novel.

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Booksneeze, a blogger review program. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am disclosing this in concordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)                       

Inactivity

  Once again my blog has been sorely neglected. I am back at it. I will be posting three book reviews tonight and hopefully ordering at least one new book in to get started reading so I can review it. Life has been very busy trying to get my husband graduated from college. I have missed checking my stats and seeing how many people have looked at my blog lately. I have missed reading and writing the reviews even more. I am excited to be back at it and hopefully will not be taking another hiatus any time soon.

Max on Life

 Max on Life by Max Lucado. This book is a great resource for anyone with questions about God or Christian living. This book is also a great resource for people who know people who will have questions. Not every opinion expressed is one I agree with but the author gives clear and easy to understand answers to questions that many are faced with in daily life. There is a note of humor in many places as well as very straight forward statements that will make you think. There is no topic untouched. The most striking thing I found while reading was the examples of the Word used to answer these questions. You can go straight to the Word and decide for yourself how you feel because the author cites the verses that helped him come to his conclusions. Not every answer will be appreciated by every doctrine, but everyone can find something they appreciate. Even more than that reading this book challenges the believer to think about why we believe what we believe and to begin to be able to put those beliefs into words. I would definitely recommend Max on Life as a great book to have in your collection.

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Booksneeze, a blogger review program. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am disclosing this in concordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)                       

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

    Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones is a cute little romance with a lesson in trusting the Lord attached. Lucy runs a nonprofit home for young women aging out of the foster system. When funding is cut, Lucy becomes desperate to save this home that gives so much hope. Lucy is reminded that God created us, and the little voice saying, “You are not good enough” is a lie.

    Alex is a young man with everything. At least this is what the world can see. We quickly learn that all is not as it seems for him, however. As the story progresses we see how God can take even the most unlikely of circumstances and turn them for the good of those who love Him, just as He has promised us in His word. The two characters are brought together in whirlwind that will make you laugh, cry, and shake your head.  

   This is a fun, refreshing romance.  The people seem real, just as flawed as any reader may be. But there is a true love for God in the majority of them and a discovery of God’s love by one that shows God really can work in the small quiet ways that we so often forget.  This is a perfect choice for some light reading that will keep you engaged and not bogged down. I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, light, and fast read to pass the time. God’s love is evident throughout, as is the humor that can only be depicted by our insistence that we must help God figure it out when circumstances get rough.  I will be looking for other books from Jenny B. Jones in the future.

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Booksneeze, a blogger review program. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am disclosing this in concordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)                        

The Miracle of Mercy Land

The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan is a novel centered around a girl raised in an extremely small town society.   She relocates and begins a job that she loves with the news paper.  I really can’t give much more of a description of the book without discussing things that are better left discovered by the reader. (Believe me, I wish I could. I do not want to rob anyone the joy of discovery if they should choose this novel, however.) I can say that I was somewhat disappointed in the book as a whole and in the resolution of the mystery.

The book begins with a fast paced introduction to the characters and a mysterious “book”. From there the tale winds in circles colored with relationships and past memories. However, when the time for the resolution comes, rather than go out with a bang, it fizzles. Not much is actually explained. This aside, the book does contain a good moral story as well as a few glimpses into what trusting in God and resisting temptation can do to change a life.  Mercy is also depicted as someone who is very honest but without a mean bone in her body. I did find that very refreshing. By far, the better side of humanity is depicted in the relationships in this book.

I can recommend this book to someone who is alright with ambiguities in the end or someone who is looking for a light read with a spunky lead female role.  I cannot recommend it for someone who wants a strong resolution to the mystery or for someone who would like for the ending to be as exciting as the beginning.                 

(Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books, a blogger review program. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. I am disclosing this in concordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”)                       

I have fallen behind.

I have fallen terribly behind in my book reviews. There will be more coming shortly. I am working on one from the site Blogging for Books now, and shortly following will be one from Booksneeze. Then maybe a couple just from what I have read because I wanted too.