Book Review: All is Bright

Advent is one of the most important and special parts of Christmas to me. From the time I was a child, my mom made advent a part of our celebrations every year with lots of creative activities for us to do to participate in the celebration.

I am sure that this coloring book would have been well loved in our family! Not only are there coloring pages with accompanying advent devotionals for every day of December, but there are some great pages at the back for kids too! The kid's section has a small selection of readings and some nice large image pages that any younger or middle-aged kid would enjoy coloring without feeling the pressure of being super detailed and fussy. The main adult pages provide a wide array of images that correspond back to the main theme of that day’s devotional.

I colored several of the images with my Tim Holtz Distress Crayons so I could get a feel for the paper and weight and how it would handle being colored. The quality of the paper is pretty good. It’s very smooth without any feel of large fibers and I feel colored pencils would blend really well on paper like this. With my distress crayons and the light application of water to blend and smudge the colors, it worked ok but maybe not the best. The pages when dry and pressed still show some warping front and back on the pages and if you are someone who likes pristine pages a less water-based medium is what you are going to want to aim for on these pages.

Overall, it’s a really nice book that I think many families could enjoy together during the Advent season!

Final Rating: 4

I have been given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Additional photos:

Note warping on text page

Book Review: The Confessions of X

When this book first came in my mailbox I was convinced that it was a book that I couldn’t like on a topic I wasn’t interested in reading about. And so it sat around on my bookshelf for quite some time as I read through other review copies on my list. When I finally got myself in the mood to sit and read this I was very surprised about it indeed.

This book takes you to a very long time ago, to the ancient Carthaginian world of Augustine, the great Christian theologian. The story is told from the eyes of his concubine, a woman whose name is lost to history but whose impact was strongly felt on the life of the man she considered her husband.

From the very first the language in this book sucked me in, it is stunningly beautiful and lyrical and has a loneliness and hunger to it that compels the listener to hear her and know her story. The world in which the woman lives is nothing like our own- and yet her story is so familiar in the storytelling world. It is one of falling in love with someone not of her own class but being loved in return and dearly cherished. It is one of the journey of life and the struggle of living side by side with someone on a journey they don’t know the end of.  It is one of being ripped apart when the odds can no longer pretend they are in your favor.

The woman’s story is told in the strong brush strokes of a hard and sometimes harsh life. There is childbirth, and death, life and love painted in strongly worded descriptions. And there are also the soft stirrings of her own heart as she seeks to understand the world around her and follows alongside of Augustine and is a part of his philosophical work.  

I was very struck by all of this story and several times found myself in tears. I could spend a lot more words here trying to explain the details of this story but I think it would only cloud the issue. While I don’t agree with all the events that take place in this story I could not help but be moved by it all the same. This book doesn’t really fit into a box that I can neatly check as being good or bad. The writing is amazing. The story that is told is amazing. But it is also one that pushes me out of my comfort zone. The writer’s notes at the back of the book help to clear up some of the historical perspective and context and I did find that very helpful in understanding this book.

In the end, I would recommend this book to someone who was looking for something very different from the standard Christian fiction fare. I would not recommend it for younger teen readers, I think there is too much in here that needs an older eye to discern. But I’ll tell you that if you do read it, it will change you, and that I guess is what all books are meant to do.

Final Rating: 4

I have been given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: Dawn at Emberwilde

From the moment I began this story I couldn’t bear to put it down for long! Being a great fan of regency novels I was eager to begin Dawn at Emberwilde and to see what author Sarah E. Ladd had to offer- I’ve been looking at her books for a while now and I wanted to know if the insides were as lovely as all the covers! I was not disappointed!

This book follows Isobel Creston, an aspiring schoolteacher who has some up through the ranks in the small girl’s school she and her half-sister Lizzy have found home for many years. Orphaned, Isobel’s main hope and dream is to make a safe and comfortable life for herself and her sister. But their entire lives are turned upside down when relatives magically appear to claim them and invite them to live in their family estate.

Everything is not as it seems at Emberwilde however, the great forest that surrounds the estate is said to be haunted, her cousin is cordial but hiding something and her aunt clearly has her reasons for bringing them there but Isobel can’t figure out why- or get her aunt to answer questions about Isobel’s mother and why she left the family. To complicate matters two gentleman of the county seem to have a growing interest in her- and as Isobel faces the pressures of her aunt to marry and marry quickly- when all she really wants to do is protect her sister from the trappings of the lavish lifestyle that she is quickly becoming used to- and figure out why God has brought them to this place!

All throughout the book I found Isobel a sensible and likeable character that in a gentle way put God and her morals at the forefront of her life. Isobel was not in any way stuffy or un-relatable, she is pictured from the first as someone with a great whimsy and love of nature, someone who was kind and sought the best for those around her.

Lest anyone think that this book is all romance and naught else- never fear! There is a great mystery lurking under the cover of darkness in Emberwilde Forest and Collin Ellison, the local magistrate is keen to get to the bottom of it- his only problem is he keeps running into a certain attractive young lady that has recently arrived on the estate! I liked Collin a great deal and really took a shine to his manner and thinking, and his presence was a welcome addition to any scene!

Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it! I made a great read in between work over the course of a week and I looked forward to that time I could pick it up and enjoy it. I will look forward to enjoying more of Sarah Ladd’s work in the future too!  

Final Rating: 4

I have been given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: Among the Fair Magnolias

Among the Fair Magnolias is a compilation of short stories written by four different Christian fiction authors. I had been looking forward to reading this book long before it came out as it includes an entry from my personal favorite Tamera Alexander, and also at the time I won it from a Goodreads giveaway I was not familiar with any of the other authors and was eager to get to know them! The cover on this book is incredibly pretty and makes me want to grab it right up and set to some cozy reading!

With there being four novellas in this book I don’t want to take up too much space in detailing the entire plot of each story and my reactions so I will try and summarize things briefly and add a few thoughts from there.

~

A Heart So True by Dorothy Love

In this story Abigail must choose between marrying the man her father has picked for her even though she knows he is unscrupulous and violent and the childhood friend and sweetheart she is truly in love with.

As I have mentioned before I really am tired out with the ‘tyrant father’ trope in writing and here in this book we find it in full force. It is overused and I think it shows bad precedent for teen readers that contributes to pulling down their own dads. Having said that however, in this story I found it equally annoying that ninety percent of the heroine’s problems stem from keeping a secret from her father that she should have immediately revealed when it occurred then none of this would have happened! Additionally, when she did talk to her father and have the chance to tell again she didn’t press the point and make him listen!

I didn’t feel like there was anything to praise in this story, I feel like the writers style is very blunt and lacks subtlety. It was not my favorite story in this collection.

To Mend A Dream by Tamera Alexander

In this story Savannah, a side character from the novel “To Win Her Favor” gets to tell her story!  Savannah is a seamstress in post-Civil War Nashville taking care of her younger siblings and taking on a redecorating job in her former family home! She knows her father left a treasure for her family- now this is her last chance to find it!  

I don’t know if being a Tamera Alexander fangirl makes me the best of worst candidate to review this story but I do know how much I enjoyed it! This story really makes me wish that Savannah had her own full length book! Every inch of what is backed into this story however is gold!  I really liked the hero Aiden and I would have loved to get more on his backstory! I appreciated that I didn’t feel like the way that his and Savannah’s relationship develops cheated or was at the expense of any other character. They were a great couple!

I love how on point Tamera always is with her Spiritual content! Her observations are always timely and her writing always ends up being my own personal reminder note for me from God!

Love Beyond Limits by Elizabeth Musser

In this story Emily teaches freed blacks, young and old, in her little schoolhouse and struggles to protect them against the growing threat of the Klan even as her family pressures her to marry.

I was really surprised by this story! It took me a lot of different directions that I wasn’t expecting and delivered on a satisfying ending! I found there to be good historical accuracy with the origins of the Klan and of the political environment of the day which is always refreshing to read! This is my first time reading a story by this author and I really liked it! I think I will have to check out more of her books in the future!

An Outlaw’s Heart by Shelley Grey

In this story Russell finds his way home after fleeing seven years ago as a mere boy of 15, now he must reconcile with his dying mother and see if his fleeting hopes of rekindling love with his former sweetheart is possible.

This story is set a bit west of the deep south as it slides on over to Texas- and really- I may have enjoyed this story a little too much! For many years I have been a huge fan of westerns and cowboy stories and have spent many hours reading that genre but those stories aren’t popular in the Christian market anymore and it’s a shame! This story was delightful and though short, explored some important themes of forgiveness and redemption- all with great cowboy stubbornness and humor! It was easily the best western story I’ve read since Stephen Bly’s passing and I can’t wait to read another! I very much hope the author continues to write in this genre!

~

In the end this was a great collection of novellas and it was a great pleasure to read! Though I didn’t personally enjoy one of the stories it was really nice to be able to have a ‘sampler’ of authors and if you haven’t read any- or some- of them before it will give you a great idea of whether you should try their other works! Among the Fair Magnolias is a definite recommend for me! I’m sure you will enjoy it! 

Final Rating: 4

I have been given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: Restore My Soul

With today being National Coloring Book Day I thought it was time to get this review up!

Well unless you have been living the life of a hermit I'm sure you have noticed that in the last two years the coloring book craze has majorly taken off! Books of every size and description are available everywhere from the supermarket check-out aisle, to the local craft store, and are seen in spades at the big box bookstores.

It's a craze that I don't think is going anywhere any time soon- and I think that's great news!

I have always been a fan of crafting for relaxation and coloring books for adults provide a great outlet for you to unwind and destress without needing a lot of fuss and muss.

Restore My Soul by Ann-Margret Hovsepian is the newest addition to the world of inspirational coloring and is a lovely one at that! This 10x10 inch book boasts about 80 pages of coloring delights. The unique thing about this book is that it's not just a coloring book but it's one that is paired with devotionals too! For every coloring page there is a devotional page opposite it for meditation and reflection.


The devotionals in this book are really nice with a verse at the beginning and a passage that you can read in a few minutes to give you a little bit to think about for the day.
The illustrations in this book are really nice too and have lots of different styles of drawing, enough to keep you busy picking and choosing for a while!

w/colored pencil 

w/colored pencil

w/Distress Crayons

w/Distress Crayons- after watercoloring 

For me I really like designs that have lots of open room like the above 'Celebrate Today' page or the 'Fruit of the Spirit' page and I had fun coloring those because I could finish a page in a reasonable amount of time. Many of the other pages though are much more detailed and even after spending hours on them I still have never finished them. Detailed pages aren't necessarily a bad thing, the problem with them for me was that continually coming back to the same devotional reading and that frustrated me. I think it would be better to have illustrations that were easier to accomplish in a shorter amount of time.

Overall I thought this was a good Christian coloring book and I feel like many people would enjoy working through it!

Final Rating: 4


I have been given a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: A Love Like Ours

It has been a while since I read Becky Wade's debut novel "My Stubborn Heart" so I thought it was time to pick up another one of her books and give a progress report for this author!

This summer Wade's new release is "A Love Like Ours" and follows the story of Lindie James and Jake Porter. Lindie and James were inseparable best friends as kids until a family move separated them and took them down different life paths. Lindie, the little girl with big heart and big spirit spent time helping take care of her disabled sister, caring for thoroughbred horses, and developing her skills to become a children's fairy tale author and illustrator. Jake however, joined the Marines, spent time on the battlefield, and came home the lone man of his team and full of brokenness and regrets. Now the two of them are back in the same place at the same time in the same hometown of their childhood and Lindie is looking for work at the stables Jake manages. As Lindie begins to work out the troubles and fears of a prize stallion she begins to wonder if the same gentleness and attention works on troubled cowboys too?

This story has all the right elements of a book worth loving- family, heart, and cowboys. :) I really enjoy cowboy books and like seeing the contemporary cowboys stories that have been trickling out in recent years as I grew up reading Christian westerns and miss them not being prevalent in the market now! This story paints some very likable and relatable characters within its pages and follows a well laid out storyline that moves at a good pace for both the reader and story. Lindie is a character that is easy to love and who is sweet and unassuming but also weathered by life and determined on the paths that she feels God is leading her on. Jake is everything that is typical of a wayward lost soul but really has plenty of heart worth loving and redeeming.

The one element that I questioned was how Jake's spiritual development within the story doesn't match (or exceed) the pace at which his and Lindie's romantic relationship develops. While both Lindie and Jake come from Christian families it is Lindie that has held strong to her faith, and Jake who has become estranged from God. Every Christian should know that Scripture lovingly commands us to not be unequally yoked with an unbeliever for our own good. On that basis it really raises my hackles to see the romantic relationship progress to a fairly advanced stage (cuddling, deep kissing, allowing him to spend the night in her home on her couch) while Jake is still very much struggling with whether or not he can ever believe in and trust God again. As she comes to a point of having to separate herself from the closeness she has allowed Lindie experiences a great deal of heartache that I felt so sad to see her go through as I feel it could have been avoided with a little more reserve.

Overall I enjoyed this book! Becky Wade's storytelling and pacing skills have definitely continued to improve since her first work while the same heart and humor has remained intrinsic to her style. I liked the story and all of the characters even the side ones like Lindie's mom or her neighbor Amber; or Jake's siblings- especially the feisty Dru! They add plenty of depth and color to this story and make it feel like its about real people that you might meet and not just characters in a book. If you're heading to the beach or away for a weekend getaway with what's left of the summer I recommend you pick up a copy of "A Love Like Ours" and get lost with some cowboys for a while!

Final Rating: 4

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: God Gave Us Angels

This summer, my niece who is now 2.8 years old began dealing with a lot of fear. Her fears range from an utter terror of thunderstorms to a strong uncomfortableness with the dark. Normal fears for a small child yes, but still a quandary for the adults as to how to comfort and instruct her in dealing with them. All summer we have been teaching her to recite scriptures, trust God, and know that we can pray to Jesus about all the things that frighten us and He will care for us, and also to know that God sends His angles to care for us as well.
But how do you explain to a small child what an angel is, looks like, and does??

Enter "God Gave Us Angels" by Lisa Twan Bergren! I was very pleased to see this book show up in my selections for my next review and immediately put in my request.

This book is really charming! The art work done by Laura J. Bryant drives the simple narrative and in soft tones illustrates a 'day in the life' of a baby polar bear and his papa as they discuss the angels that the bunnies told Little Cub about. The doctrine on angles revealed by Little Cub's questions is solid and accurate. I found that the story itself however, was a bit lacking, and could have in fact, used a bit more story. I didn't notice it at first when I first read the book but in reading it to my niece I suddenly found myself adding little descriptions, helping phrases, and many 'papa said' and 'said Little Cub's' to the story because they weren't there to help the story along and smooth the imparting of the theme information.

Though my niece is slightly younger than the recommended 3-8 years old age range she usually does really well with books for many older age ranges. In this case she struggled to keep interest in the story and while I had hoped that this book would really illustrate for her, and capture her imagination as to what angels are like and do she missed a lot of what is great information- do to not being able to keep up with the 'just the facts' style of storytelling.

In the end, I would recommend this book. It is a lovely storyline, and the pictures are beautiful and engaging. Just be aware that this might be a bit easier read for an older child. I hope that as my sweetie grows she will better grow into the story and be able to learn more about how to trust the Creator of all things- angels included!

Final rating: 4

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: Forever Friday

Today I'm excited to be reviewing my first book for Waterbrook-Multnomah Publishers and the "Blogging for Books" program! When I went to pick my first book from this publisher I was a bit out to sea with the wide selection that I had to choose from- but then one caught my eye...

The plot of "Forever Friday" (by Timothy Lewis) is a simple one. Through this book we see the gradual unfolding of one couple's love story. Beginning in the 30's and spanning the decades, Gabe and Huck Alexander's love
story is one that begins with an instant spark and burns steadily throughout their 60 year marriage. As the years and decades pass Gabe's theory on "The Long Division" that separates couples and destroys marriages is fought off one week, and one love note poem postcard at a time.
This secret core of their love story is just what the crushed divorcee Adam Colby is looking for to unravel the failures of his own marriage and so after uncovering the postcard albums in an estate sale he is organizing he sets out to track down the closest person the Alexander's had to family and get his questions answered. Little does he expect the path his questions take him down!

I really enjoyed "Forever Friday", this book works on many different levels and hits just the right notes as the plot and characters are developed. I was impressed with the authors originality and ability to avoid recycling clichéd plot devices!  Much of the story focuses on the Alexander's side of the narration while occasionally dipping back to the present to Adam's side where a new round of questions set up a new slate of answers. This spiral storytelling style is appropriate to the tale being told and handled well. The switches back and forth are never jarring or out of place but feel very natural and I enjoyed traveling between the two and uncovering all that Adam discovered. I really love the cover design on the book, its soft sea tones and vintage feel capture the book well. As a reader I also appreciated the quality paper that the book is printed on. It's not a cheap paperback stock but something with better weight and feel and, in my opinion, that always makes for a better reading experience.

I did have one nitpick about something that happens in the book. Over the last number of years I have noticed that authors from Christian publishing houses are feeling freer to include intense scenes of violence in their work. It is a trend that I find disturbing as I don't feel it is integral to any ('inspirational') plot to have it included. Now I'm not talking having an objection to a good fistfight but rather an objection to several books that I have read where a rape or attempted rape takes place. That unfortunately happens in this book as well. While the attempt that takes place is not long and not described graphically it still rubs me the wrong way and I wish it wasn't included. Additionally, for being a 'inspirational' novel I found it surprising that the casual drinking of alcohol was included, as well as what I felt was a bit of a negative attitude towards having children (although this is explained within the story line).

Having said all that, I would recommend this book. It was a pleasure to read and of such good quality that I expect to see if snatched up by Hallmark for one of their trademark movies as this novel reads exactly in the same style as the best of their productions!

Rating: 4 (I took off half a star for my nitpick.)

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review and opinion of the product.

Book Review: Seeking Persephone

Read with caution, some spoilers.

I have to admit right off that the thing that drew me to this book was the title, "Seeking Persephone". While not loving Greek mythology by any means, I have been a fan of the Persephone/Hades story for quite some time. (Call me weird, but it's true.) If unfamiliar with that tale others will no doubt recognize it as the 'Beauty and the Beast' archetype. So, what better place to retell it than a Regency novel?

Meet Adam Boyce, Duke of Kielder, is a man in need of an arranged marriage. Too bad for him that it comes with a wife he really doesn't want. However, if the young duke is to keep his sniveling, incompetent cousin (from a nearly forgotten branch of the family) from inheriting the estate his fathers have spent generations building then he needs an heir. Enter Persephone Lancaster, the eldest daughter of an impoverished gentleman, the perfect candidate for a marriage- or so his man of business tells him...homely, passed over, likely ancient, and in no position of refuse is exactly what the duke wants. After all, what woman would choose to be married to a deformed, scarred man?
The pretty, young bride with the ridiculous name that arrives at the alter of the church on their wedding morning is not what he bargained for, not at all.

Persephone is a perpetually cheerful young woman who seeks to find the best, and find the joy in all her circumstances but who is reluctant to leave the family that she has mothered, cared for, and held together for the past eight years since her mother's death. But the exorbitant marriage gift that the duke is offering to settle on her father, brothers, and sisters is nothing she can refuse if they are to live comfortably and marry well in her father's declining years.
Persephone is not quite prepared for the new life that greets her within the foreboding castle's walls. It seems her husband, in addition to being distant and not the least interested in her, is notorious across the countryside for his short temper and the fear he engenders and commands. But to her surprise the duke has a best friend who is charming and jovial and has known him from childhood. Harry encourages her not to judge Adam on first impression but look past the calloused exterior to who he truly is and to show her husband what he loves best- courage. Courage is definitely what it is going to take if Persephone is to win her way past her husband's tough exterior and grumpy disposition. But as time passes and crises arises in both their lives will Adam learn to trust her and take down those walls himself?

Author Sarah Eden has in this novel written a good clean story in both style and content and is to be commended. While there was a few pet peeves for me, like some repetitious dialogue and the quick ending to the book, overall I was surprised at the story and the obvious talent of the author. These days you just don't expect to pick up a book and find it most everything you enjoy in a novel but whether I'm just on a good picking streak or the market out there is improving I am glad to be able to sit down and enjoy books like this!
Speaking about that quick ending- I was really surprised by it. The whole reason the duke sets out to marry is to produce an heir but once married the issue is dropped entirely. I would have really liked to have seen a short epilogue that saw the couple a year down the road welcoming their first child. It would have wrapped things up nicely. Since finishing this book I have learned that there is a sequel that follows Persephone's sister ("Courting Miss Lancaster") so I am hoping to hear an update on the duke and duchess through that story. (And I'm really glad that I picked this book to read first as I hate reading series out of order!) The other thing I could have done with in an ending was Adam realizing that his wife didn't care a fig for his disfigurement and Persephone realizing that the only reason her husband kept her at arms length was his self-consciousness over his appearance and the abandonment he suffered as a child. Having said that, it is a reminder that despite appearances, outward or inward, people are flawed and clear communication is something that must be worked at, a good moral of any tale...

Rating: 4

Disclaimer: I did NOT receive this book for review purposes from the publisher.