Review of 'Stranded' by Dani Pettrey

I got a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

This was the first book by Dani Pettrey that I have gotten a chance to read - Wow, was I missing out! She isn't a good author, she is a great one! I am definitely planning on going back and reading the first two books of the Alaskan Courage series.

To tell the truth, I was a bit concerned about reading Stranded only because it was the third in the series. Generally, I try to read series in order for I don't like feeling confused about things - such as how exactly Darcy and Gage knew each other.

It was fairly easy to put together, but I was a tad confused for the first few chapters. Once I put the backstory together, I quickly found myself really caring about the characters and what happened to them.

I loved the friendship aspect between Darcy and Abby (even Darcy and Piper) - it felt like a true friendship. There was a wonderful mix of romance, friendship, suspense, and mystery. Darcy and Gage are two characters I won't forget anytime soon.

The cover is amazing, but then again I am obsessed with Alaska scenery so that shouldn't surprise anyone that I love it.

Overall, I give the book 5 out of 5 stars and I am happy to say that it is able to be read in the series, but also by itself.

Review of 'Little Red Lies' by Julie Johnston

I got a copy from a good reads contest - 

I truly don't know what to say about this book... it has an interesting idea for a plot, but it was slow and really kind of boring. There were moments I was interested and moments I wanted to know what would happen, but overall I felt like I was just reading because I had to. 

The characters didn't keep my interest except for her brother. Also, the book just stops. It felt as if there was no point to reading it for nothing seemed to be really tied up. 

I don't know, it was okay. I am glad I read it, but it was lacking a lot for me. I am going to donate it to the library in hopes that someone will enjoy it more than I did. 

However, I love the cover. It is cool. 

2 stars out of 5.

Review of 'Made to Last' by Melissa Tagg

I got a copy from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Made to Last by Melissa Tagg hooked me from the first page. Miranda - aka: "Randi" or "Rand" - has such a likeable charm and personality. While I read I felt like I knew her and her story as if it were my own. I laughed, I cried, and I even felt her confusion. Melissa has written a fantastic character and it just gets better! 

Blake - aka: Blaze - was so much fun, Brad really cared, Izzy was adorable, and the rest of the "small" characters were perfectly captured. 

Matthew - what else is there to say except I have a new fictional crush! ;) Okay, okay. Give me a second... Ah, here is something - he is a wonderful Uncle. I loved the fact that Melissa wrote about the deaf and hard of hearing. My older sister is HOH and it was a joy to read a book about kids with that. Made my heart happy.

This book is easily one of my favorites and has a nice place on my bookshelf! I can't wait to read more from Melissa Tagg! 

5 stars!

Review of 'Rules of Murder' by Julianna Deering

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


Rules of Murder definitely reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel - it had me on the edge of my seat.

There is mystery, murder, romance, and even a bit of humor in the pages of this book. I could have sworn from the beginning that I knew what had happened and even the characters slowly got to what I thought I had figured out in the first third of the book.

However, I was wrong! The real murderer was one I never expected! Stumping me is not all that easy to do and I am very pleased to say that Julianna managed to do it!

The only complaint I have is that the romance seemed to almost take over the book 3/4 of the way through - it felt like the mystery slipped back a bit. However, this was quickly fixed for the ending was a crazy burst of mystery!

All in all, I loved it! Drew is very charming and I liked the parts about God that was thrown into the mix. If this is going to be a series, I am definitely reading the rest! Keep the mystery coming Julianna and never stop trying to stump the readers!

5 out of 5 stars!

Review of 'Aquifer' by Jonathan Friesen

I tried, truly I did. I got to the third chapter before I quit. It was just too odd for my tastes. I am not going to give it a real review since I didn't finish it - sorry. I passed it on to my sister in hopes that she will like it more.

Review of Blood and Bone by Don Hoesel

I got a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

Okay, this is clearly not a series you can just start with any of them and fully understand what is going on. When I requested to review the book, I didn't realize it was part of a series nor that it was the third one.

I was extremely confused for awhile, however I quickly pieced together the basic idea behind the book. I do have to say that I adore the way Jack and Epsy interact with each other and the way they care about their children.

This book has drama, action, and suspense. There were even a few chuckles to be found in the pages. It had a sort of "National Treasure" feel to it.

However, I won't lie - it seemed like it would have made a better movie than book, although this could just be due to the fact that I hadn't read the first two in the series.

All in all I liked it. Four stars!

Review of 'Stealing the Preacher' by Karen Witemeyer

I got a free copy of 'Stealing the Preacher' by Karen Witemeyer from Bethany House for my honest review.

This was such a great book! I loved the humor throughout it (seriously, the first two chapters had me laughing harder than a book has in a long while. I mean, stealing a preacher? too silly).

The great relationship with God is obvious from both Joanna and Crockett which is wonderful. At one point the book uses one of my all-time favorite Bible verses (which is written below so keep reading).

I am definitely putting this up on my bookshelf forever. I can't wait for my mom and sister to read it because I believe they will enjoy it just as much.

Before this book, I had never heard of Karen Witemeyer and now I look forward to more books from her.

However, I just have to ask - what is with the name Crockett? It is so bizarre. I suppose it could be just me for I find it hard to believe that someone would actually be named that. Then again, you do have Apple and other strange names from Hollywood so maybe it isn't such a stretch.

I am so happy to have found this blogging program with Bethany House for a) where I live there is no Christian bookstore (except almost an hour and a half away) and b) it is really wonderful being introduced to authors I have never heard of before.

5 stars out of 5! :D

Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Review of Undeniably Yours by Becky Wade

I got a copy of Undeniably Yours from Bethany House for my honest review.

It is kind of funny, I actually attended the Litfuse author chat party with Becky Wade about her book the other day and I thought the book sounded wonderful.

The cover is actually two friends of Becky - which I love. It makes it extra special for her and even for us readers. It just gives the book extra meaning in my opinion.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5. However, I wasn't super attached to it. There are some books that hook me right from the start and I will not put it down until I am finished - I so wish this was one of them. Sadly, it wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, I loved it. Truly I did, but for some reason I could read only a chapter or two at a time. I am not sure why I couldn't read more than that in one sitting. It was strange. Something was off for me and yet nothing was.

Meg Cole made me chuckle a bit for she sounds so much like me. I couldn't believe it, but in the first few chapters I could have sworn they based her loosely on me.

All together it is worth the read and a wonderful story. I definitely recommend it and gladly welcome it into my collection of books!

Looking forward to the next Becky! :)

Review of No Way Out by Susan Sleeman

Susan Sleeman sent me a copy of her book: 'No Way Out' in exchange for a review.

As a young woman who isn't a huge fan of romance, a Harlequin novel is not exactly my cup of tea. That being said though, No Way Out is amazing! 

The characters all seemed like they would get along in real life and the chemistry between Cole and Alyssa was intense. I really liked how Susan made the family aspect shine. Family is an important part of people's lives and this really showed how having a family that loves and cares for one another is good for your soul. 

I really loved when Cole called one of the characters Kit Kat. It made me laugh for I always said that if I had twin girls I was going to name them names that would be able to be shortened to Kit and Kat. I also really loved that Alyssa was such a protective mom to her kids. 

In a way this book reminded me of one of my favorite shows: Castle. The dynamic between all the characters really made me think of that show. 

It is definitely worth a read and is going on my shelf to stay! Looking forward to the next book! 

Review of A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund

I received a copy of 'A Noble Groom' by Jody Hedlund in exchange for my honest review.

When I first got my copy the cover threw me off a bit. It reminds me a lot of Superman for some reason and doesn't seem to fit the story.

As soon as I read the first two lines, I was hooked! This book is SO good! I have always heard of Jody Hedlund's books, but for some reason never read them. However, this will change for if they are anything like this book - I will love them!

The characters were excellent and you really felt what they were feeling. I will definitely be re-reading this again and again!

There were quite a few moments when I found myself smiling without noticing it at first due to the humor within the pages and then moments when I laughed out loud. Jody's characters are plunged through drama and I personally love that.

I was raised on soap operas (All My Children and One Life to Live), so if a book lacks drama I find myself bored. However, if it has too much action I find myself uninterested. It has to have that perfect mix and I really believe Jody found it!

Can't wait to read more from the wonderful Author! Five stars!!!

Review of Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell

I got a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

There is something about this cover that really speaks to me. While there are dozens of other books with similar covers, but this one is something special - it is beautiful.

When I first started reading Unrivaled, I was a tiny bit bored for it talked a lot about candy - a topic I don't particularly care about. However, the characters won me over. Lucy is a spirited lady with a fierce love for her father. Charlie and Lucy's chemistry is clear and provides for some laughs - in fact they reminded me of myself and a guy I once knew.

I even started to really like some smaller characters as well. Siri has done a wonderful job writing a captivating story. :)

This book is definitely one I would recommend! The characters were great and in the end I may have started caring about candy a bit more than I used to. I shall be looking for more books from Siri Mitchell - what a great job!

Book Review for A Cast of Stones by Patrick W. Carr

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

A Cast of Stones honestly had me torn. Part of me enjoyed it, and part of me didn't.

When it first started out I was confused, to be honest, it read almost like a sequel and I was worried that I had signed up to receive a copy of the sequel. After the first chapter though it became apparent that it was indeed the first book and so I settled down to enjoy a good book.

Enjoy is exactly what I did for a while, but then unfortunately I got bogged down with all the action. I understand it is a fantasy novel and therefore will have action in it, but for me it just had too much. In fact, it made me tired from reading which is unusual.

The characters had me both liking and disliking them. I didn't connect to them as well as I would have liked, but I didn't dislike them either. They were just characters though I enjoyed Errol the most out of them.

More than likely, I won't seek out the next book in the series just because this one left me torn over whether I liked it or not.

If you enjoy action, fantasy, and a quick paced novel I would recommend this book - however if you are looking for a novel that has characters that steal your heart... well, maybe you will have better luck with this than I did.

Truly I wish I enjoyed it more than I did.