The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah E. Ladd

The Heiress of Winterwood tells the story of Amelia Barrett, a young lady who must marry soon in order to inherit her deceases father's estate.  However, she has also made a promise to her friend who died during childbirth to raise the child, Lucy.  When Lucy's father returns from overseas, Lucy finds herself torn between her fiance and the child's father.

As far as Christian fiction goes, this was a hit for me.  Although definitely a romance, there was a bit of suspense and mystery.  The storyline was well written and held my attention the entire time.  Although God played a role in this novel, it did not feel preachy as some Christian fiction can.  That being said, it was rather predictable.  All in all, I would recommend this book to a friend.  I will also be checking my local library to see if they have any other books by Ms. Ladd.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance 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.

Swipe by Evan Angler

Swipe is a modern day distopian society book.  It takes place in what used to be the United States.  The story is written around the life of a 12 year old boy named Logan.  As he approaches his 13th birthday, he must decide whether or not to receive 'the mark', which is required to do such things as get a job or purchase an item.

As a lover of this genre, I was excited to see one written with a Christian theme.  The story is well written and left me wanted to read the remaining books in the series.  My only disappointment was that there were only a couple of vague references to God.  That being said, I would definitely recommend this book to friends.


I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance 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.”

Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock

How far does a mother's love extend? In Covenant Child, Terri Blackstock reminds us that there is no limit to a mother's love. When twin sisters, Kara and Lizzie, are ripped from the only mother they've ever known, they must spend the rest of their childhood without her and without the love of a stable parent. They are made to feel worthless and unimportant. What follows is a story of redemption and unconditional love. In Covenant Child, the author uses a parable to demonstrate just how deeply our Heavenly Father loves us. Even when we refuse him and demand our own terms, he is there loving us and waiting for us. The parallels are clearly written out, sometimes too clearly. There are portions of the book that seem preachy rather than fictional. There are also moments when the storyline seems jagged. Despite this, the author manages to keep the reader interested and hanging on to see each character redeemed. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend it to others who a looking for a deeper understanding of our Father's love. I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

The Blessing: Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance by Doctor John Trent

It has taken me a long time to write the review for this book. Why, you might ask? Because it took me almost as long to read it. I was very excited to see this book arrive and couldn't wait to open it. After all, who wouldn't be excited to read a book that offers "solid, practical advice and a fresh perspective on making this gift (The Blessing) a bigger part of our families, The Blessing powerfully communicates these biblically based elements as necessary to prepare children for positive future relationships, including their relationship with a loving God". My excitement was dwindling by thte third paragraph and was completely gone by the end of the first chapter. My expectations of the book were that it would provide me with new ways to bless my children with the promises God has given us. Instead, the book was a continual argument for blessing my children, not how to bless my children. Further, the books was focused on blessing my oldest child in particular and gave the impression that my other children were less important in the eyes of God. I was also uncomfortable with the tone of the book. The writer truly believes that "This life-changing gift, essential for instilling a deep sense of self-worth and unshakable emotional well-being" is the most important thing in the world. It almost felt like 'the blessing' was on a pedestal with God, that it was just that important. It is implied that, because they were not blessed, hundreds of believers lives have been ruined. I believe in a much more loving God. One who will bless us even without our parents' blessing. Overall, this book was a complete disappointment. I would not recommend it to anyone. There are many other great books out there that share the reason for blessing ALL of your children and offer great ideas for doing just that. Save your money and buy a book that will truly bless you. * The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy through BookSneeze®

The Inconvenient Truth About This Book

The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo

Athough entertaining, I would hardly call this a Christian book. The references to God and faith are few and far between, with the main character, Charlotte Beck, having the most shallow faith of all. Charlotte spends most of the book denying the need for God and believing that a person's lot in life comes from hard work. At the climax of the book, she does admit a feeble need for God, but then the remainder of the book is spent focused on the consumation of their marriage, which at times was more detailed than I felt was appropriate.

The witing was also rather extreme. Charlotte's character was over the top wild and opinionated. Alex's character, which bounced between smart businessman and dreamy, entitled stargazer, left a lot to be desired.. But the most confusing part was the storyline of Charlotte's mother, who 'disappeared' when Charlotte was young. The scene in the book where this storyline pinacles was full of holes. Even worse, the author does not fill in all the gaps, leaving the reader wondering what it was all about.

Overall, I would not recommend this book unless extremely bored and needing something to do.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

An amazing story of love

Redeeming Love by Fancine Rivers

I am a huge fan of Francine Rivers, Redeeming Love being my favorite of her works. Set during the California gold rush, it is the story of a godly man, Michael Hosea, who is called by God to rescue a prostitute, Angel, and marry her. Although he does not understand why God is calling him to do this, he follows the call. As the story evolves, the power of following God's will becomes evident.

Ms. Rivers based this book on the bible book/story of Hosea and his wife Gomer. Rivers succesfully brings a biblical story into a more contemporary setting. The characters are well developed and the storyline is very well written. Reading the book, I experienced an array of emotions and felt myself pulled closer to God as his truths were revealed to me.

Some of the points I love about this book are that God loves all of us, no matter who or where we are. God is the great healer, nothing and no one is to damaged for him. Listening to God WILL lead to great reward. I also love that God shows us that he can use us to do great things as long as we listen to what he wants us to do.

I did NOT received a free copy of this book. I just loved it so much that I had to write a review.

Don't let the title fool you

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

The theme of this book intrigued me. What would it be like to have dinner with Jesus? What would you talk about? What could you say to the man who knows everything about you? This book had the opportunity to really make the reader think outside the box. Unfortunately, the author failed. Jesus and the main character, Nick, have an ongoing debate on the same old arguments for Christianity we have all heard before. This book also seemed to be chocked full of cliches. Of course, Jesus knows all the right answers, and of course Jesus is able to share just enough about Nick to make him believe he really is the Christ. There were a few points that left me thinking, but reading through the drivel to get to that point was tough. I would only recommend this book to those who are new to Christianity and haven't been exposed to the Christian faith. Maybe they would gain something from it.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I am required to mention that Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. This in no way influenced my review.