A review of In Good Company by Jen Turano

In Good Company is the second book in the series A Class of Their Own by Jen Turano. Although this book works well as a standalone novel, we are re-introduced to the characters of Everett Mulberry and Millie Longfellow.  Everett is a desperate man looking for a good nanny and Millie is a desperate woman trying to be a good nanny.  When their situations bring them together, what follows is a hilarious tale of mayhem, mystery, and matchmaking.  

I don't know how Mrs. Turano does it, but her characters get into some of the funniest and strangest scrapes that one could imagine.  This book follows a similar story line to some of her other books but yet is entirely different.  The characters' personalities really start to show as the story progresses. Both Millie and Everett were easy to identify with as they are trying to live up to expectations in society without realizing that what they needed was already available to them.  I very much enjoyed watching them grow and fall in love throughout the book.   

This is totally irrelevant to the review, but I enjoyed the fact that Ms. Turano mentioned both my favorite painter and one of my favorite authors in the book. This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys a historical romance with plenty of humor and romance.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series. 

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.*

           

Review of How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird

Sometimes as I sit thinking about people and life in general, the number of unsaved people in the world really overwhelms me. I attend church regularly and serve where I'm needed - at church. However besides praying, I have vague ideas of what I can do to reach people but no concrete ideas of where to start. Amy Lively's new book How to Love Your Neoghbor Without Being Weird is an excellent resource on where and how to start right in my and your own neighborhood. 

Ms. Lively starts out with her own testimony and then follows in each chapter with examples from her own life about how she got to know and reached out to her own neighbors. She discusses the generally narrow definition of neighbor and how the definition we cling to doesn't begin to encompass the broad scope of true neighborhood.  She provides passages from Scripture that reinforce the points that she is emphasizing. 

Ultimately, she states that a person has to get to know their neighbor. To know your neighbors means to know more than their names, you have to be willing learn about their own cultures and beliefs while showing them that you want to learn these things about them. It is in getting to know your neighbors that you will learn how to introduce them to Christ. 

Ms. Lively ends each chapter with practical and deep questions to help you apply what you've read to your life.  She talks about the hinderances and fears that keep us from using our spiritual gifts to serve our neighbors. I found this book to be very helpful in gaining insight into how to reach my neighbors.  The examples and scriptures given in the book where what I needed to help formulate a plan for reaching my own neighbors without being to weird. I'd recommend this book to any Christian who wants to learn the best ways to reach out and share the gospel in their own part of the world. 

*I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

   

A Worthy Pursuit is worth your time!

Karen Witemeyer is an author who quickly became a favorite of mine with her multidimensional characters and charming storylines.  If I had to choose a favorite from her books, there would be several at the top of the list. Among those books would be A Worthy Pursuit. 

Charlotte is a former headmistress who is willing to do what she has to to protect the children in her care, especially Lily.  Lilly's grandfather will do anything to get her back, including hiring the best bounty hunter in the state of Texas: Stone Hammond.  Stone soon finds out that what he thinks he's looking for is not

what he discovers. 

Karen Witemeyer amazes me with her storylines each time.  She creates characters that are believable and relatable to the reader. Her characters are so deep and multidimensional, it's easy for the reader to get snagged by the story. I know this is the goal of every writer, however few manage to do it as well as Karen Witemeyer. 

A Worthy Pursuit kept me enthralled. After reading the prologue, I was hooked. I started reading in the early evening and did not finish until around 2 AM. It has the right mixture of romance, adventure, depth, and humor for a great read.  Woven throughout is the theme of trusting in God's faithfulness. It's refreshing to be reading a book for pleasure and also be reminds of spiritual truths I need to apply to my own life. 

If you've read books by Karen Witemeyer in the past and loved them, read this book. If you've read her books and didn't love them, read this book. If you've never read her books, read this book. I promise: you won't be disappointed. 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

A Worthy Pursuit is worth your time!

Karen Witemeyer is an author who quickly became a favorite of mine with her multidimensional characters and charming storylines.  If I had to choose a favorite from her books, there would be several at the top of the list. Among those books would be A Worthy Pursuit. 

Charlotte is a former headmistress who is willing to do what she has to to protect the children in her care, especially Lily.  Lilly's grandfather will do anything to get her back, including hiring the best bounty hunter in the state of Texas: Stone Hammond.  Stone soon finds out that what he thinks he's looking for is not

what he discovers. 

Karen Witemeyer amazes me with her storylines each time.  She creates characters that are believable and relatable to the reader. Her characters are so deep and multidimensional, it's easy for the reader to get snagged by the story. I know this is the goal of every writer, however few manage to do it as well as Karen Witemeyer. 

A Worthy Pursuit kept me enthralled. After reading the prologue, I was hooked. I started reading in the early evening and did not finish until around 2 AM. It has the right mixture of romance, adventure, depth, and humor for a great read.  Woven throughout is the theme of trusting in God's faithfulness. It's refreshing to be reading a book for pleasure and also be reminds of spiritual truths I need to apply to my own life. 

If you've read books by Karen Witemeyer in the past and loved them, read this book. If you've read her books and didn't love them, read this book. If you've never read her books, read this book. I promise: you won't be disappointed. 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. My opinions are my own.*

A Review of Dee Henderson's Taken

 Dee Henderson has been a favorite author of mine for a long time.  I thoroughly enjoy most of her books and this book was no exception.  

Taken is the story of Shannon Bliss, a young woman who had disappeared eleven years earlier. Shannon is trying to find her way back home, and she has tracked down Matthew Dane to help her. Matthew has the experience and resources needed to help Shannon get home.  Throughout the story, characters from previous novels aid Shannon along the way as well. 

This book was different from Ms. Henderson's recent books, and I liked that.  Some authors seem to get stuck in a rut and the reader can pretty much anticipate what will happen next.  Taken jumps right in and gradually builds on the suspense. There was not a lot of action, but it was not needed with all the information coming out about what had happened to Shannon. 

The storyline did not have as much romance as I usually like, but it did not matter with this novel. The storyline was fantastic without it, and too much would have ruined the story.  The book had just the right mixture of romance and suspense to make it a worthy read.  If you enjoy suspense and like anything Ms. Henderson has written in the past, then this book is a must read for you. 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.*

A Review of To Win Her Favor

To Win Her Favor by Tamera Alexander is a story about overcoming and persevering against prejudice in a world where a person’s race, gender, or nationality kept them from their dreams.  Cullen McGrath wants to farm and Maggie Linden wants to race her horse to raise the money to keep her family farm.  They both see their dreams become reality, but in a way neither expects.  Yet with each step they take towards their dream, more challenges arise and threaten to ruin their dreams. 

 

This book had me hooked right from the start.  I found it very easy to identify with Cullen and Maggie as they look for ways to overcome their adversity.  Cullen faces antagonism from the first.  I’ll have to admit, I never really thought about the Irish and what they may have faced when trying to start new lives in America.  It’s common knowledge that although women and former slaves were free, in a sense they were still chained by societal prejudices.  Cullen, who was also free, found himself chained by the same societal prejudices.  Cullen and Maggie have to learn to work together to free themselves from these chains.

  

The struggles that these characters go through are very real, and I found it easy to identify with the characters.  Several parts of the story had me in tears, both happy tears and sad tears.  I also identified with Maggie’s stubborn streak, and her willingness to cross boundaries that before had been closed off to her, to forge friendships with people she would not have before considered as friends.  Cullen and Maggie find the strength to overcome these obstacles, and also find love.

The book did have some intimate scenes between Cullen and Maggie. These were after they were married, which is as God intended. These scenes were fairly crucial to the relationship between the main characters and really add to the storyline. I was not bothered by these scenes in the least. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!  

Victoria Bylin's newest book is MUST-READ!

I have read books by Victoria Bylin before, but always historical romance. Together With You is the first of her contemporary novels that I have read. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant at first. I usually prefer to read historical romance. However, this book was a very pleasant surprise. I picked it up, intending to read only a couple of chapters and save the rest for tomorrow.  A couple of hours later and more than halfway through the book, it was impossible to put down.  It was apparent that the storyline was close to Mrs. Bylin's heart and I could tell that she had done her research on the area where the story  takes place and the Fetal Alcohol Effects syndrome talked about in the book. 

The story is about a single father Ryan, who is trying his best to connect with his kids, especially his special needs daughter Penny. Along comes Carly, a woman with a special understanding of and connection to Penny. Carly plays a very big role towards Ryan's goal of connecting with his kids.  A special thing about the story that I loved was the sections that were from Penny's point of view. These sections added a lot to the story and had me in tears more than once.  The storyline stayed in motion, there were no lags in the story. Overall, this is a very well-written book. The spiritual themes running through it had me thinking about aspects of my own life that I need to allow God's grace to cover instead of carrying them on my own.  She also covers the topic of forgiveness, which I think probably everyone needs a reminder of every now and again. 

I will definitely be on the lookout for future books by Victoria Bylin.  This book will definitely become a fast favorite. If you enjoy romance, this is a must read. 

*I received a copy of this book from Bethaby House in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.*