Book Review:: Redeeming Love

Wow. It's been a long time since I've done a book review! We've had a lot of things going on and it's been hard....

So without further ado, here in a VERY LONG book for you.

The tag line of this book is "A story of love that won't let go - No matter what!" Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is just that.

Angel was taken by a 'step-father' at a young age and sold into prostration as a young child (Read Chapter 1). Years later she finds herself in California working to live among the men of the gold rush. That is until a man named Michael Hosea steps into her room saying God has told him to marry her and take her away from this. It took multiple attempts, a strong faith in God's will, and an almost deadly beating for Michael to do what he believes God is calling him to do.

He takes Angel away to his farm, nurses her back to health and depends completely on God to grow their love. As her love for Michael grows, Amanda (the name he gave her for her new life) becomes fearful and unworthy. As Gomer does in the the book of Hosea, she runs back to the life she knows only to have Michael retrieve her. Unable to give Michael want she thinks he wants, Amanda runs again. This time, Michael waits for her to return on her own.

Through Biblical truths, promises and faith, this love story becomes a story of the love God has for us as well as the love we can have. A love that forgives, embraces and is never ceasing, never ending.

A modern day Hosea and Gomer.

I'm not much for love stories but this one was good. It wasn't a sappy love story, focusing only on the people. It was all about the love of God and His all-consuming heart for His people. 400+ pages of redemption, faith and the power of God. Francine Rivers wrote a wonderful story.

Disclaimer: I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review:: Come to the Table

I could not wait to receive this book! Ever since I finished Stand By Me by Neta Jackson I couldn't wait to find out what happened. I knew there had to be more. She just couldn't leave us that way.

Ok, so she could have but I was hoping she wouldn't. I needed to know how things turned out for Rochelle and her parents, how the rest of the summer unfolded for the four friends and, especially, how Kat got involved with the church and her grand ideas about food (not really, but it sounds better than I wanted to know how Kat got involved, also, with Nick. In fact, by the end of this book they are one in the same, so there! :-P)

Jackson didn't disappoint.

Come to the Table chronicles the rest of the summer in Chicago. At the end of the first book Olivia moves out and heads back home while Rochelle and Conny move in. Tension grows are Conny takes a liking to Nick, a very strong liking. One that makes Rochelle view Nick as a possible father for Conny. Meanwhile Conny's dad lashes out at Nick because of the relationship he has with Conny and the uncomfortable view from the outside of apartment living situation (Nick living with three women and a child). Nick begins his internship at SouledOut and must address the issues rising between him and Rochelle and Conny as well as his growing feelings for Kat.

And then there's Kat. She comes to church members with an idea to help the homeless eat more healthy food. Boy does she learn a lot about eating, just plan eating. While developing her ideas, Kat becomes involved with a food pantry and her heart bursts. She sees what the problem really is. Her heart for food becomes a mission at the church. She finds her calling, her purpose. She finds Jesus in the midst. She learns what it means to actually feed and take care of the hurting.

I can't tell you all the goes on in this book, there's just too much. God has promised "that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). This can't be more true for this characters in this book. They find His will for their lives and they flourish.

It's a 'feel good' Romans 8:28 book.

A book that claims the promises of God.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookSneeze.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review:: The Girl in the Glass

"She took me to the looking glass in my room and stood me in front of it. 'You see that girl in the glass?' she said to me. 'You are the one who will say who she is..'"

Meg has been waiting for her father to take her on a trip to Florence since she was a little girl. Her parents divorced when she was young and left that trip hanging in the balance. Her love and faith in her father keeps her heart yearning for this trip. Promises broken leave her empty banking her heart on other people. Through various events orchestrated by her father land her feet on Florence soil. Friends and coworkers scoop her up when he, once again, fails to show. Meg comes to learn more about herself in the week she spends with people she's only seen on the computer screen while divulging in Florence beauty. Meg learns to hear what the past has to say. She learns who she is, with or without her father. She learns to let go of broken promises from the man she loves immensely regardless of what he does or does not do. 

This was one book I could not wait to finish! I hated putting it down. I just had to know if she ever makes it to Florence, what she does there, how the quiet love story plays out, how she discovers the truth about everything. And, of course, I now want more than ever to visit Italy and see what she saw. Sofia tells Meg that you can't ever take or leave Florence, she just goes with you. Yes, yes it does, even through the pages of a well written book. 

The only part of this book I didn't understand fully was the intertwining of Nora's story between the chapters of Meg's. Nora lived in Florence in the 1700's and Sofia is writing a book about Nora speaking to her through paintings and statues in modern day Florence. I understand that Susan Meissner probably intended for us to know more about Nora but it just didn't go anywhere with the rest of the book. But it didn't really take away from the book. Just something I didn't follow to tie into the story. 

Check out more about The Girl in the Glass.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Season For Tending

Cindy Woodsmall is a well known Amish fiction author. She has written numerous series on this subject and is a New York Times Best Seller.

She starts a whole new series with this book: A Season for Tending.

Rhoda is a young Amish woman fighting against her past. She is trying to come to terms with her sister's death, her perceived roll in events and the duty she feels compels her to push against Amish beliefs. Rhoda is a gardener by trade. She grows and cans fruits and vegetables along with various herbs. These herbs and her knowledge of them cause a conflict with members of the Amish order. She is forbidden to use them medicinally after her sister's death. She agrees as long as she can keep them. But she can't fight her instincts to help people, with herbs or otherwise. She has a keene sense of what is going on around her that she just can't help coming to the aid of anyone, Amish or English. This gets her in trouble many times over yet brings forth a beautiful story of following your heart and dreams as well as God's Will even if you must go against those you love the most.

Although this book didn't move as fast as I had hoped it would, I did enjoy the easy read. A bit predictable but a good read none the less. I have read a lot of Beverly Lewis' Amish fiction so I was comparing it all the way through. I feel it is all the same but some variations in plots make it interesting.  It was fun since we live near some of the areas mentioned in this story as well. There's really not much I can say about this book other than if you like Amish fiction pick it up, it's a good, easy read.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from waterbrookmultnomah.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review::This Scarlet Cord

I. Love. Historical. Fiction.

It is probably my favorite genre.

And yes, this is fiction. Please keep that in mind as you read this and the book.

This Scarlet Cord  by Joan Wolf brings the story of Rahab to life. Rahab was a real Canaanite girl who turned away from her false gods and helped some of Joshua's spies escape the city of Jericho. Joshua was leading the Israelite army into the Promised Land. The spies were sent in ahead of the army to relay information about the much fortified city. As the infamous Bible story continues Joshua marches around the city and the walls that never could fall crumbled at the hand of God. This is the historical part of the story.

Wolf takes this story to a fictional level. Through research about the culture and history of the time period when it is believed Rahab lived, Wolf develops a beautiful story of Rahab and how she becomes an agent of God in His will. Rahab gets a history, a personality and a future. She gets a family. Wolf even produces a reason and way of Rahab's change in beliefs. (Really, who hasn't sat and wondered how and why Rahab decided to give up her gods for the One True God?). She makes Rahab a real person we can all relate to, feel and know that no matter what we have done in our history, God has a plan for us and will use us for His glory!

I had to remember as I was reading this book that it was truly fiction. But it was fun trying to take the real story and piecing together what was going on in the book. It's always fun to dream up what isn't written in Bible as a background (as long as it doesn't take away from the Truth, anyway).

My only complaint is that in the beginning of the book I feel Wolf tried too hard to make this story real. Her descriptions to bring the story to life were a bit over kill and a lot was repeated for no reason. We got the picture the first time. But after the first few chapters, Wolf settled into a rhythm and flow that made this story a good one!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: The Wedding Dress

"The Wedding Dress" by Rachel Hauck is one of the best books I've read so far. I had the ebook version so I read it just about every where I went. I couldn't put it down!

But to the story...Charlotte Malone owns a bridal salon in present day downtown Birmingham (how cool of a job!) . After a quick engagement to Tim, she escapes to an old estate just outside of the city to think. While there she "accidentally" buys a trunk at an auction. The journey of this trunk and what's inside takes on a life of it's own right from the start. In 1912 Emily Canton is left to choose between her betrothed and the love of her life who left to play baseball but returned just before the engagement to reclaim his love. Emily must also choose between the gown, and wedding, that is required of a high class citizen of Birmingham and the one of her dreams, a dress made by an African American during the time when Jim Crow laws ran rampant. God weaves a story of true love and loss through the wedding dress Charlotte finds in the trunk. The story spans decades, even a century before it finds Charlotte. Faith in God and His prefect seems to be ingrained into this simple yet elegant design.

I could just keep going but the story is so good I don't want to tell you more! The story is written from different perspectives of the women. It goes back and forth mainly between Emily and Charlotte with a  few other important people in-between. Honestly, I would get so mad when the author switched women! I would get so into the story being told and it would just be getting good! Then she'd dump me back into another era. I guess that's what made the story so captivating. That's what makes you hold onto the book and never want to put it down.

There were a few editing mistakes. In one chapter Emily was the character telling her story and Charlottes name appeared. But I think it was just the ebook copy. I know things get mixed up transferring from print to digital. I sure hope it wasn't missed in the print book!

You can find the book here.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Booksneeze.com for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: "Stand By Me"

I have never heard of the Yada Yada prayer group series but after reading this book I'd be really interested in reading the others in this series. This is a great book!

It's a story of two women divided by age, race, lifestyle...just about everything expect their love for Jesus and attending the same church in suburban Chicago; SouledOut. Kathryn Davies, Kat, is a graduation student at a local Christian college and Avis Douglass is a 50 some year old elementary principal who leads worship at SouledOut. Kat and her friends happen upon this church during a cultural expeience class and feel at home (I use 'happen upon' loosely, we all know nothing is 'happened upon'). They decide to stay in the city for the summer, work and attend SouledOut on a weekly basis. Here they meet Avis and her husband Peter. Avis finds herself in the middle of a hard decision. One that requires giving up everything she's used to and depends upon. The two women start off on the wrong foot. Avis thinks Kat is too outspoken yet Kat thinks Avis is a woman of faith who hardly falters. These two personalities weave a story, and intwine their lives in ways they could never imagine.

I don't even know where to start with this book. It's just a cute book. It shows you a woman of faith and her strength through devastation. It shows you how, beneath the surface, everyone is hurting. There is so much going on in this book that I had to reread certain pages to make sure I got everything. The weaving of God in this story is unbelievable. It's proof that nothing happens haphazardly. It shows you how God can test your faith and how, if you are faithful, everything works together for good! It shows the power of prayer. It was just a wonderful book!! Quick, great read.

You can get this book here.
Or here.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Booksneese.com for this review. The opinions expressed are my own.