Arms of Love

Arms of Love by Kelly Long is set in the 18th century, as the events of the Revolutionary War are unfolding. The story centers around the relationship between Adam Wyse and Lena Yoder. Adam is torn between his Amish faith and his desire to fight in the war. Lena is a young woman struggling to raise her siblings and keep the family afloat after her mother dies and her father is imprisoned. She desires to marry Adam and start a family of their own, but Adam made a promise to Lena’s mother on her deathbed that causes him to end his relationship with Lena. Like many Amish fiction novels, there is an element of “will they or won’t they get back together” running through the book.

 
I found this book to be very interesting on several levels. First, the time period that it is set in is different than other Amish fiction books I have read. Aside from their faith and aversion to fighting, the Amish didn’t appear to live drastically different lives from their non-Amish neighbors. Back then no one had electricity, everyone got around by horse and farming was a very common occupation.

Second, I found this book to be much darker than most Amish fiction novels I have read. Some of the abuse themes were pretty intense and the author did not romanticize the difficulties of life in 1777. Most other Amish books I have read are pretty ‘G’ rated and this one was definitely a bit different than that. (Not a bad thing; just an observation.)

Overall, I liked the story and also liked that the ending was not obvious from page 2 of the book. I found it to be an engaging plot simply because it was so different than other Amish fiction novels. I couldn’t understand why Adam wouldn’t come clean and tell Lena about the promise he made to her mother and its implications – but I suppose if he had then there’d be no reason for the story.

I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

A Wedding Invitation

I recently read A Wedding Invitation by Alice J. Wisler. Samantha Bravencourt lives in Washington, D.C. and works at her mother’s clothing boutique. She appears content with her life, but frequently reminisces about the time she spent teaching in a Philippines refugee camp. A wedding invitation is indeed the catalyst for the story – Sam receives what she thinks is an invitation to the wedding of an old friend. The wedding is in Winston-Salem, NC, where Sam’s mother is from and her aunt still lives. Turns out that she ends up at the wrong wedding – but while there meets a nice guy who is a PI in Washington, D.C.

While in North Carolina, she also reconnects with Carson, a fellow teacher she had a crush on in the Phillipines, and Lien, a girl from the refugee camp who now lives with her brother, aunt and uncle in North Carolina.

The story alternates between the present day (1993 in the story) and the time Samantha and Carson spent at the refugee camp (1985). While the alternating stories provided an interesting element to the story, I thought it also made the story somewhat hard to follow.

Throughout the book, the stories of Samantha, Carson, Lien and the PI are woven together. The author does a good job of adding twists the story, veering off the predictability path every so often to keep you second-guessing if the anticipated ending actually occurs.  

I personally found this book to be a somewhat slow read. I was expecting it to move along at a faster clip. I also found the secondary characters in the book to be much more interesting than the main character, Samantha. In fact, I kept thinking that I wished the main plot of the story was about Samantha’s empathetic Aunt Dovie and her eccentric cast of boarders.

All in all, a light read that fits well in the chick lit genre. It would be a good book for a rainy afternoon or a day at the pool. The different plots in the story might also make it a good fit for a book club. I give it 2 ½ stars – I liked it, but it was not a “can’t wait to find out what happens next” book for me.

I received this book from Bethany House publishers in exchange for an honest review.

December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America

December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America by Craig Shirley was an interesting book. It was a challenging book to read given the depth of information and the number of pages, but I found parts of it to be very engaging and I learned quite a few things I didn’t know.

I really liked how the author provided information both about politics/advent of the war and what was happening on the home front. The author included information about life in the big city and in the country, as well as facts about daily life in America. For example, the author explained what movies were playing in the theatre and how news media was consumed. The parts of the book that detailed life in America in 1941 were my favorite parts and I find those aspects of American history fascinating.

Though I am not a WWII aficionado, I do know the basic facts leading up to the war. This book goes into great detail about what happened from a political and strategic standpoint – so much so that I found myself skimming over some of it because it was simply too much detail. There were parts that I found to be “information overload.”

I read this book throughout the month of December, which I thought was appropriate given the premise of the book. It was neat to read about what life was like then, and contrast it to what life is like currently.

Overall, I would recommend it to someone who is interested in learning more about America’s entry into WWII.

Disclosure of Material Connection: 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.

Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace

Cliques, Hicks and Ugly Sticks is the second book in the “Confessions of April Grace” series by KD McCrite. This time, readers join April Grace as she starts middle school and prepares for a big change in her family.

April Grace is as funny as ever, and there were frequently points in the story where I laughed out loud. I thought that April Grace seemed older than 11 in the first book, but I don’t know that I think that in this book. There were spots when I did, but also quite a few instances where she seemed very much 11-years old.

Middle school proves to be a confusing adventure for April Grace as she deals with cliques for the first time, struggles with Algebra and wonders why all the girls are fussing over their hair, their outfits and boys. April Grace still considers boys nothing but a nuisance, so it will be interesting to see if her opinions start to change in book 3.

There is also a big change coming to the Reilly household. April Grace and Myra Sue know something is wrong with their mother, but are shocked to learn that a new baby will be joining the family. I really liked this subplot in the book, as April Grace slowly begins to accept this change. I thought her feelings were very real and very age appropriate.

With her mother on near bed rest, direction of the annual Christmas pageant falls to Isabel St. James. Isabel is making improvements in her behavior, but still frequently lapses into spoiled, cranky fits. She surprises everyone, most of all herself, when she realizes that she can command the attention and respect of a group of middle schoolers who would rather be almost anywhere else.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I think it would be appropriate for almost any age group. It’s geared toward Tweens, but I enjoyed it as a light read as an adult.

Note: I received a copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Wonder of Your Love

“The Wonder of Your Love” is the second novel in the Land of Caanan series. The nice thing about this series (at least these first two books) is that they are not sequential books about the same character. The first book, “Seek Me With All Your Heart,” was about two different characters who live in the same community of Caanan. You can read them independently without feeling like you are missing part of the story.

This book centers around Katie Ann Stoltzfus, a widow raising her late-in-life first baby. She meets and forms a friendship with Eli Detweiler, a relative of a family friend. They are attracted to each other, but neither one wants to start a relationship due to their very different stages in life. He has finished raising his children; she is just beginning.

This book was unlike many other Amish books that I have read. It provided a different portrait of the Amish. Granted, most Amish fiction seems to be a bit romanticized and idealized – but this book did a good job of portraying the Amish as real people with real problems. Despite living apart, they go through tough times the same way anyone else does. For example, Katie Ann is reeling from her deceased husband’s infidelity and the unanswered questions about his feelings and commitment to her.

I also enjoyed the character of Martha in the story. She is Katie Ann’s English friend who has been accepted into the Amish community. Martha is almost a second mother to Katie, a woman with a somewhat gruff exterior but a kind heart. She considers herself to be honest, forthright and a “snappy dresser.” I thought she was a hoot and added humor and liveliness into the story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and liked the different perspective the author brings to Amish fiction.

Note: I received a copy of this book free of charge from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.

Out of Control

Out of Control was a great, page-turning read. Julia Gilliland is a book-smart young woman, and not nearly as helpless as independent rancher Rafe Kincaid thinks. They work together to solve the mystery surrounding a menacing, shadowy cave dweller. However, they both have a stubborn streak a mile wide … which hinders their progress and threatens to put both of them in danger.

I liked that it wasn’t a sappy romance, but rather a romance with a hefty dose of adventure, suspense and mystery woven into the story. I also really enjoyed the time period of the story, as well as the author’s descriptive portrayal of the rugged beauty of Colorado.

The author injected a few gender stereotypes into the characters’ thinking, which added some humorous moments to the story. The main characters’ perception of each other – a slightly nutty young woman fascinated with old dinner remnants and a bossy, uncultured rancher – are quite funny. Both think the other just doesn’t get it.

Although, when you think about it, the stereotypes seem old-fashioned, but it probably wasn’t uncommon in that time period for a man to think of a woman as delicate like a “hothouse flower” or prone to “leaking saltwater” from her eyes.

Part of the mystery was solved at the end of the book and part was not. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see how the story continues to unfold!

Note: I received a copy of this book at no charge from Bethany House Publishers in return for an honest review.

The Blessing

The Blessing is broken into three parts. The first part serves as an introduction to the blessing, as well as a bit of history behind it. The second and section of the book details the components of the blessing, and is followed a section with examples of what happens in homes where some or all of the aspects of the blessing are absent. The book concludes with what to do if you miss out on the blessing, and a brief section on how to craft a blessing for your children.

Believing that I have received the blessing (several times over) from my parents and not yet having children myself, I was curious to see if I would find the book applicable to my life. As it turns out, there are many references in the book regarding the blessing as it applies to marriage.  It’s all about communication!

The authors incorporate a plethora of real life examples. While they help illustrate the points the authors are trying to make, I think the book could have been shortened without losing any of its impact by reducing the number of examples.

The authors also used biblical references to support the message of the book. I found it very interesting to see the corollaries the authors drew between the biblical stories and the various aspects of the blessing.

Toward the end of the book, the authors included a section on what to do if you missed out on the blessing. They emphasized “accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.” With the breadth of scenarios the authors present throughout the book regarding the various aspects of the blessing, I thought to offer being saved as the main focus of what to do if you missed out on the blessing to be narrow in scope. It was a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise thorough and well-written book. I was left wondering where the practical advice was that would apply to people of all Christian faith traditions.

Overall, I found the book to be very insightful, engaging and thought-provoking. I would definitely recommend it to others, albeit with the heads up that there are multiple references to “being saved”.

Note: I received a copy of this book free from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review.