Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis

Forever Friday: A Novel by Timothy Lewis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Adam Colby an estate seller is going through an estate sale he comes across photo albums full of post cards, sent every Friday for sixty years from a husband to his wife.
As he begins to wonder what the secret is to lasting love and where he went wrong in his own marriage that ended in divorce.
What is the secret to finding your "soul mate"?
As he delves into the story of Gabe and "Huck" Alexander's lasting romance and Gabe's theory of "Long Division" he begins to understand there is no secret formula it's a life of choosing to be selfless, "two hearts commanding devotion".
I really liked this book. There were parts that seemed a bit superfluous but for the most part the only thing I didn't really much care for was the frequent use of alcohol by "christian" people but it is such a good book, in spite of that I still have to give it 5 stars.
I liked the way the romance was real and passionate yet clean.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own. 




View all my reviews

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Set in the 1800's in England, a candle maker and his wife carry on the centuries old tradition of the Christmas Candle. Supposedly every 25 years an angel comes and touches one of the Haddington family  candles and when someone prays over it they get a Christmas miracle.
When a new pastor comes to the small village he runs headlong into some members of his parish when he insists God does not really do miracles anymore and that the Christmas Candle is a mere superstition.
When the Christmas Candle get mixed up with about 30 other candles the Haddingtons don't know what to do. With so many people needing miracles this year they have a hard choice to make.
I really enjoyed this little Christmas story. It was a short story more than a book really at only 190 pages but I rather enjoy a short, heartwarming Christmas story.
So turn on your Christmas CD, heat some hot cider and curl up by the fire with The Christmas Candle.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.



View all my reviews

Heart of the Country

Heart of the Country by Rene Gutteridge

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I watched the DVD "Heart of the Country" before I actually read the book to get a better perspective on the characters and where they were coming from.
Faith is a country girl through and through and Luke is a city boy to the core but together they make a perfect pair. Until one phone call from the police ruins everything, Luke is being questioned about a ponzi scheme in his business.
Faith is a runner, always has been, she ran away from home when her mother died and now she is running from Luke but the only place left to go is home, and to her estranged family and community.
Luke is much like Faith. He insisted on having his inheritance early, to invest in his own business instead of continuing in the family business his father and brother have worked for decades to secure. Now both are having to turn to their families they deserted and try to pick up the pieces of their lives.
I really enjoyed both the movie and the book. I do wish there was a happy ending for Lee though.
A nice, quick and easy read. Watching the movie was great as I got to see what the characters actually looked like.
I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.



View all my reviews

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

Harvest of Rubies by Tessa Afshar

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The prophet Nehemiah's cousin can speak numerous languages, keep complex accounts, write on rolls of parchment and tablets of clay, and solve great mysteries. There is only one problem: she is a woman.

In her early childhood years, Sarah experienced the death of her mother and her father's subsequent emotional distance and she came to two conclusions: that God does not care about her, and that her accomplishments are the measure of her worth - the measure of her self.

Sarah, the talented scribe and cousin to Nehemiah, is catapulted into the center of the Persian court, working too many hours, rubbing elbows with royalty, and solving intrigues for the Queen. Ironically, it isn't failure but success that causes Sarah to lose her only source of external validation.

Sarah soon learns that she has something of worth to offer beyond her ability with languages and sums - her very being proves to be a blessing to others particularly the aristocrat, Darius, she was given to in marriage.

To be fair I didn't read this whole book. I was so repulsed and aggravated with the main characters, Sarah that I gave up in frustration!
I hate being only the 6th person to leave a book a 1 star rating but I could not find anything to love about this book other than maybe the references referring to her cousin, the prophet Nehemiah.

If you are looking for good biblical fiction I would recommend Tracy L. Higley or Francine Rivers.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.



View all my reviews

An Untamed Heart by Lauraine Snelling

An Untamed Heart by Lauraine Snelling

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ingeborg Strand is not the kind of young lady that falls for every handsome face and smooth tongue. But when she does fall in love she falls hard, on a handsome university student from Oslo. This is more than she had ever hoped for, to be truly "in love".
But when an untimely accident claims his life she begins to despair. Is God really in all of this? Is there really a purpose for everything she has been through?
It all seems too cruel when a widower with a young son asks her to go along with him to America because his son needs a mother. But can she settle for a marriage of convenience after knowing what it feels like to be truly and passionately in love?
I have the unique "advantage" of not having read the Red River of the North series yet so my opinions are based solely on this book as the *first* book in the series.
For the first time in my life I've got to say, MORE ROMANCE! Seriously I felt that the romantic interests in this book seemed to shallow, too out of sight out of mind.
I also found the everyday details seemed to have more preeminence than the main character's emotions and observations.
The cover is stunning! I love it, and I really wanted to love the story but I would find myself actually skim reading for pages, something I never do, just to get past how the fixed their pancakes and jam for breakfast.
I do not think I will read An Untamed Land. This book is O.k but nothing special.

I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.



View all my reviews

A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer

A Christmas Gift for Rose by Tricia Goyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Rose is heartbroken when her fiance Jonathan volunteers as a medic during WWII. Why would he betray her, his family and his community? She knows in her head that the "right" thing to do is cut off all ties from him, but her heart insists on rebelling against her better judgement.
But then she finds out a secret that changes everything she once held dear. She is English!
Jonathan on the other hand persist that it is only God who can determine who is His, that salvation is not a birthright for Amish only.
Will there love bloom like roses in December or will uncertainties of the past cripple their future?

I really like Tricia Goyer and I love a good Christmas novella however even though I usually like anything to do with WWII I did not just fall head over heels in love with A Christmas Gift for Rose.
Sometimes it felt like the story was going too fast, like its Thanksgiving, BOOM! It's Christmas!
Still a good story and I did like the way it was based off of a true story.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.



View all my reviews