Vanished

I read Irene Hannon's "Guardian's of Justice" series and very much enjoyed it, so I was overjoyed to see that she had come out with a new series!
Hannon's books tend to lean more towards mystery/suspense and less towards romance (which I so greatly appreciate!!) so for those of us who prefer to try to stay away from the romance genre, this book was a great balance! (Just enough romance to appease those who like it, but not enough to chase away those who don't!)
In this book we're reading about Moira, after driving and getting lost in a late night thunderstorm, she gets into an accident and hits a person with her car. A witness to the event comes by her vehicle to let her know he called the police before she passes out. However upon awakening she not only discovers that he didn't call anyone, and left, she also can't find the victim of her accident.
When she can't find anyone in the police force to believe her story she hires a PI to look into what's happened. And as things become clearer the danger for both of them starts to unfold.
I loved this book, it was a great read, very full of suspense and mystery! I even found myself feeling pity for the "Bad guy" of the story, which isn't an easy thing for an author to write in!
I highly recommend this book!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group". 

The Tutor's Daughter

I'm a huge Julie Klassen fan, I haven't read a book of hers that I didn't like, so I was very excited to see that this one was up for review, and knew it was going to be good!
Emma is the main character in the book who helps her father run a small boarding school after the death of her mother. She picks up much of the slack as her father battles to deal with the sadness of losing a spouse. In a twist of events, her father is hired to go on as a tutor to a well off family and Emma joins him in order to help him through the change and make sure he does the job to the best of their ability.
This book was great, well written, great flow, and a lot of suspense. There were some great mysteries within this book that really kept me reading until the very last page!
I love historical books and very much felt that Klassen's book held historically true of the times, so it made it that much more easier get into to!
I really recommend any readers look up Julie Klassen, she provides some great books that have a strong Godly message and an enjoying read!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The marriage of Your Dreams

Like the previous book I blogged about ("What Your husband isn't telling you" by David Murrow) there were points in this book that did reflect what I've read in a previous book on the topic of men and understanding them. However there is enough of a range of topics in this book that the chapters that were a bit similar (in concept, not text) didn't cause enough of a fuss to put the book down.
I did though, enjoy this book a fair bit more, Rick Johnson did a really good job avoiding and trying to categorize women in stereotypical ways. His energy seemed more focused on pointing out what men need/desire rather than trying to dissect and place the sexes into certain boxes, so I really did appreciate that.
I really found interesting and felt very challenged on two of his topics within this book. First, how our husbands communicate and the differences/misconceptions we have of each other in that regards. Its allowed me to have tools at hand to make known to my husband the needs I have without me communicating in a way that he won't take to  heart.
As well, I enjoyed the chapter on men and their work/need to be a provider. I am married to a strong provider so I really enjoyed seeing the insight Johnson gives on men in this chapter and could very easily see my husband in what he was writing!
I would highly recommend this book as one for women who are trying to better understand their  husbands, I really enjoyed this book and have really nothing but praise for it!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group". 

What your Husband isn't Telling You

I'm wavering on my like/dislike of this book. There were parts of the book that I thought were well thought out and really insightful. The David Murrow did a great job at explaining in an easy to understand way, some of the needs of our husbands, and why they think the way they do.

However with that said, there were parts of the book that bothered me, two specific things within it that really stood out.

First, I found that Chapter 8 was fairly similar (in concept, not text) to a book called "For Women Only: What You Need to Know About the Inner Lives of Men" written by Shaunti Feldhahn. (published in 2004)

Her book deals with much of what is found in chapter 8, and at times I'm bothered by the similarities/un-originality of the chapter. But it isn't enough of a big deal that it caused me to put the book away permanently, and he did have much more in his book than that single chapter.

Secondly, I found some of his views of women (and men at times) a little silly and the stereotypes both present and exaggerated. Most specifically in chapter 10 when he refers to the masculine and feminine ways of child rearing and he provides a chart with the Masculie/feminine ways. (Ex; with "you failed" being a masculine feature and "helicopter parenting" being a feminine one) I found myself rolling my eyes a bit with this one, and while I can see (slightly) where he was coming from, I found it a little over the top and was more of a generalization/stereotype than a reality.

All in all, I did learn a fair bit from the book, and at times did enjoy it, so on that level I would recommend it. However women will need to be prepared to see and sift through some rather stereotypical portrayals.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

The Air we Breathe

Initially this book was a little bit of a struggle for me to get into, I had trouble keeping up with the supposed character switches and following the story. However, once I caught on to how the story flowed, this book turned into a fantastic book!
I love a book that can cause a wide range of emotions in me, plus sway my like/dislike of certain characters. Initially I wasn't a big fan of Molly's mother, what I read didn't overly cause me to like her much. However as I made my way through the story and saw the reason for some of her choices, I began to understand where she was coming from. As well, the main character Molly, was fantastically written. Christa Parrish was able to really show the heart of this character and easily got across her emotions and fears. This was a book that was a big struggle to put down. The book was heart warming, suspenseful, emotional and happy as well. There was so much in this book, that I think it would suit well to any type of reader. I was highly entertained throughout the book and really loved this story!
Highly recommend!!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Lifelong Love Affair

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of marriage books, they seem to fall into a couple of categories, either the author is trying to prove how wonderful their marriage is and calling others to get up to "their standards" or they give fluffy advice that seems more like common sense than a new revelation. Fortunately This book, didn't fall into either of these categories! First off, the book was personal, the author gave examples and his own life stories (and not just happy fluffy stories, but showed his struggles as well) that expanded on and help the reader understand/make applicable what Evans was speaking about. The book wasn't boring, and that was a huge bonus for me. I'm a huge fiction fan, so if I'm going to take the time to read a devotional, marriage help, self help, etc... book then it had better teach me and not bore me. I don't have time or a desire to fill my relaxation times with boring. I want to be challenged, I want to learn something new. I don't want to open a book and read something I already knew! This book was not only challenging, it was entertaining. The Author (Jimmy Evans) has a great flow to his writing, and comes across as quite witty throughout the book, so I really appreciated it! He offered relevant insight, while also backing up what he said with well placed Scripture. I didn't find that he took anything really out of context to prove his points either, so that was a bonus!
All in all though, I'd really recommend this book, no matter where you are in your marriage. If you're just starting out, or already in a comfortable place with your spouse, I'd encourage you to pick up this book. Evans has some great advice and some fantastic insights, you'll be glad you read it!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group".  

Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half

I have to say, I wasn't a 100% impressed with this book, I was really prepared to like this, and lean alot from this couple. However I found that most advice was a lot of common sense, or advice seen on a lot of the debt-help shows. Plus, as a Canadian, I didn't feel like a lot of what was suggested would work for us anyway (we don't have the same types of sales, etc...). So while there was a lot of good advice in the book, to me it was something that either I'd already heard/read, or would have figured out on my own.
I liked some of the suggestions, but other ones struck me as unrealistic, or not something you'd want to do (such as freezing your milk, I always find that my milk tastes different, and not in a good way!) But I did really appreciate all the recipes they provided, I'm always happy to learn to make something new in the kitchen. Especially when the recipes were so budget friendly!!
The book was however well written and in an easy to read format, so it wasn't a struggle to get through. So I'd still recommend this to people, but would say its more for an American family rather than a Canadian.

An Amish Kitchen

I am a huge fan of Amish fiction, I love reading about and learning about the simple life they lead and their strong reliance on God. Also I was beyond excited to see that there were 45 different recipes in the back of this book!! The only thing I love more than reading about the Amish, is learning to cook like them!
I found this book quite sweet, the stories were short, but so well written, that you don't feel like you were shorted in any way! I've read a number of Beth Wiseman's books, so I knew I was going to be reading a pretty great book already! (and I am a bit familiar with Both Kelly Long and Amy Clipston, and have enjoyed some of their short stories in the past). I wasn't surprised by this book, and enjoyed it so much!
Each story, (From Fern's slowly blooming love and trust, to Eve's struggle to build a relationship with her mother once again) had a really great heartwarming overtone to them. They were strongly Christian stories, but not in an overtly preachy way, so I would be very comfortable and highly recommend them to both Christian and non-Christian readers alike!
Excellent book, fantastic stories, and a great read!

Placebo

I'm a big fan of suspense and mystery books, When I read I love to be taken throughout a range of situations and emotions! Having read Steven James' "Patrick Bowers Thrillers" series I had some high expectations for His latest novel "Placebo". Knowing that he writes an intelligent and intense kind of book I knew I was in for a great experience.
His latest novel did not disappoint, this was one of those books that I could just not put down. The story flowed so quickly and had so many twists that even in those rare moments of placing the book down I found myself wondering what would be happening next!
I especially appreciate that James wrote about and deals with the topic of Pharmaceutical companies and corruption/dishonesty/dangers. With this kind of story being so popular now, its nice to see that there are those in the Christian market making a place for themselves within it.
I 100% will recommend this book, I appreciated that he challenges the reader with such a thought provoking and strong storyline.

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group".

Courting Cate

I love reading Amish books, and reading about the different traditions and difficulties that they face living in a modern world. And one thing that I very much appreciated about "Courting Cate" and its author Leslie Gould was that she took the time to add a real strong background and depth to her main characters. We didn't just see the main characters facing unrealistic problems, but she really touched on issues (especially involving the main character Cate) that anyone could easily relate to. Her problems didn't revolve around "how to find a husband" or "entering spinsterhood" type issues that seem to be common among Amish fiction. We see main characters who deal with issues that people in any walk of life deal with. From death, and deceit to growing up in criticism and unkindness. The book had a level of depth that isn't often found. I highly recommend this book. Very well written and not quite what a person would expect!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".  

A change of fortune

Upon first glance of this book, I had thought it would be a fairly simple and silly read. I don't often find books that deal with someone "masquerading" as another to be overly serious or thought provoking.
"A change of fortune" started out slowly and slightly silly, but had such humor to it that I found myself not minding. And throughout the book, it seemed to keep a good balance between humor and depth. While there were some incredibly funny parts of the book, we still could follow a story line and see a sense of danger/drama. I loved the way the characters spoke, Jen Turano wrote such witty and charming conversations between the characters that I immediately liked them!
In the book we follow the life of Lady Eliza Sumner, who poses as a governess in America after her fortune is stolen. Through some twists and turns Eliza makes some good friends who begin to champion her cause.
I loved how strong the female characters were, there are so many times in Historical fiction that people almost pick up the attitude of that time and assume that the characters in the books need to be timid and meek. I loved how strong and confidant and independent the Lady Eliza was portrayed along with a whole slew of other female characters!
I loved this book and will be looking for more from this author!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".  

The breath of Dawn

This book was outside of the usual genre that I enjoy, so I wasn't all that sure I was going to enjoy this one. However, I was quite impressed and thoroughly entertained by this book, it was very well written and had such a strong flow to it that my only issue was that I struggled to put it down!
The book centers around Morgan Spencer, a successful business man, who helps "sick" businesses get back on their feet; and Quinn, a quiet woman who lives in seclusion operating her own online business. Upon a chance meeting both Morgan and Quinn begin to find themselves further drawn into each others lives and the problems (and dangers) that accompany them. When the unexpected happens and Quinn finds herself in danger, Morgan takes some giant steps to ensure her safety.
I really enjoyed this book, while it was entertaining, there was a strong Christian emphasis and message to the book (without coming across as preachy).
I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a good read!

"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".