Thank you to Bethany House for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is the first book by Cliff Graham I have read. I actually had never heard of Cliff Graham until Bethany House sent me the email to pick a book to review. When I saw what Shadow of the Mountain was about, I picked it without even reading the other books on the list.
Why? - Because I had just finished with that part of the Bible and I thought it would be really interesting to read a book about Caleb, Moses, Exodus, etc. Also, because I love Biblical Fiction.
The cover of this book is amazing! It fits the actual story in the Bible perfectly, in my opinion. It, also, fits the story in the book quite well.
Now, for my actual review -
I am not sure what I think of this book. It is written wonderfully. The characters are alive and fascinating. The second part of the story is amazing!
So, why do I feel so torn about if I liked it or not? I don't know...
The second part of the book was breathtaking. It made the plagues that struck Egypt so much more real. Don't get me wrong, I know it happened. I know they were horrible. However, the way Cliff Graham described them was painful, heartbreaking, and it made my love for God that much stronger. God is SO good in His judgements.
The first part of the book was interesting enough to read. I just could have done with the battle scenes toned down a bit - BUT they are battle scenes and therefore should not be toned down. The ending of the book was... different. It ended not like I expected, but for that I was glad.
When Caleb talked about meeting Joshua for the first time, I cried. Something about it, along with the plagues, just made me almost long for people of such strong faith.
So, as a whole I give this book 3 1/2 stars because while I liked it a lot, I don't know if I would read it over and over again.
The second part of the book with the plagues, I give 5 stars because it was breath-taking.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Review of 'From the Start' by Melissa Tagg
Thank you to Bethany House for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.
I completely adored Melissa Tagg's first book 'Made to Last', so when I saw this one was up for review I requested it right away. I was so excited to get it in the mail and started reading it that night. Much to my disappointment, I had a very hard time getting into it. I just couldn't bring myself to care about Kate and Colton, or the storyline - at first.
After putting it down for almost a week, I started reading it again determined to push past the first couple chapters. Partly because I needed to be able to review it, and partly because I know Melissa's talent. Sure enough, once I pushed past the lackluster (for me, at least, but then again I am not a football fan - someone who is may not have a hard time getting into it) I discovered why so many people have been raving about the book.
There is romance, humor, family ties, drama, and most important growth. The characters - and I am talking about all of them - grow on you until your heart nearly bursts with love for them. Truly, by the end of the book I felt like they were my characters, and I found myself wanting friends like them.
When Colton learned the truth, my heart broke for him and I longed to shelter him from the pain and heartache he had gone through. I cried, I laughed, and I, even, felt the chemistry between characters. One character made me laugh because she sounded so much like me when I was younger (her style and attitude, that is), it was a bit crazy - her name is even my name: Megan. I swear, I thought Melissa knew me when I was going through that phase of my life because she was me in a lot of ways.
The cover is perfect, but then again I LOVE the covers of Melissa's books. Seriously, she gets some of the best. Though, I do think the guy picked to represent Colton didn't fit him completely as I pictured a taller and more "footballer" type of guy - something like Tim Tebow.
Anyway, I ended up loving the book and it is going into my collection happily. However, I give it a 4 out of 5 just because I am not into football and because of that, it was hard to get into. Wonderful story! I can't wait for the next one from Melissa!
I completely adored Melissa Tagg's first book 'Made to Last', so when I saw this one was up for review I requested it right away. I was so excited to get it in the mail and started reading it that night. Much to my disappointment, I had a very hard time getting into it. I just couldn't bring myself to care about Kate and Colton, or the storyline - at first.
After putting it down for almost a week, I started reading it again determined to push past the first couple chapters. Partly because I needed to be able to review it, and partly because I know Melissa's talent. Sure enough, once I pushed past the lackluster (for me, at least, but then again I am not a football fan - someone who is may not have a hard time getting into it) I discovered why so many people have been raving about the book.
There is romance, humor, family ties, drama, and most important growth. The characters - and I am talking about all of them - grow on you until your heart nearly bursts with love for them. Truly, by the end of the book I felt like they were my characters, and I found myself wanting friends like them.
When Colton learned the truth, my heart broke for him and I longed to shelter him from the pain and heartache he had gone through. I cried, I laughed, and I, even, felt the chemistry between characters. One character made me laugh because she sounded so much like me when I was younger (her style and attitude, that is), it was a bit crazy - her name is even my name: Megan. I swear, I thought Melissa knew me when I was going through that phase of my life because she was me in a lot of ways.
The cover is perfect, but then again I LOVE the covers of Melissa's books. Seriously, she gets some of the best. Though, I do think the guy picked to represent Colton didn't fit him completely as I pictured a taller and more "footballer" type of guy - something like Tim Tebow.
Anyway, I ended up loving the book and it is going into my collection happily. However, I give it a 4 out of 5 just because I am not into football and because of that, it was hard to get into. Wonderful story! I can't wait for the next one from Melissa!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Review of 'The Pharaoh's Daughter' by Mesu Andrews
Thank you to Mesu Andrews for being an awesome BFF! :)
I was so excited to get this book in the mail, unfortunately it took me a bit of time to sit down and read it, but I finally finished! It was amazing! This was the first book of Mesu's I have read and I am definitely going to be reading more.
The cover is simply beautiful. One of my favorite covers ever. Truly it takes my breath away.
I loved the way she took us through Anippe's life and showed how she grew with the help of her friends and God. I also loved reading about Moses and him growing up both Hebrew and Egyptian. My favorite character was Mered. I loved him! Many tears were shed while reading this, but by the end, I found myself so attached to the characters that I didn't want the story to end.
My only issue was having the names of the "gods" of Egypt repeated so many times. I get it, it is about her life and she is Egyptian - and I am sure that is how they had to address the pharaoh, but I got tired of reading it. It is more of my own issue than an issue with the book, but the names of those "gods" give me the chills.
For this being the first book of Mesu's I have read, it has been a pretty amazing experience. I am a bit amazed at how authors like Mesu and others who write Biblical fiction can do it. I know it is a God thing and blessing on them and that everyone has their own talents, but it still amazes me at how eloquently they can write these stories.
I give five stars out of five stars! Amazing book, amazing story. Beautiful through and through.
I was so excited to get this book in the mail, unfortunately it took me a bit of time to sit down and read it, but I finally finished! It was amazing! This was the first book of Mesu's I have read and I am definitely going to be reading more.
The cover is simply beautiful. One of my favorite covers ever. Truly it takes my breath away.
I loved the way she took us through Anippe's life and showed how she grew with the help of her friends and God. I also loved reading about Moses and him growing up both Hebrew and Egyptian. My favorite character was Mered. I loved him! Many tears were shed while reading this, but by the end, I found myself so attached to the characters that I didn't want the story to end.
My only issue was having the names of the "gods" of Egypt repeated so many times. I get it, it is about her life and she is Egyptian - and I am sure that is how they had to address the pharaoh, but I got tired of reading it. It is more of my own issue than an issue with the book, but the names of those "gods" give me the chills.
For this being the first book of Mesu's I have read, it has been a pretty amazing experience. I am a bit amazed at how authors like Mesu and others who write Biblical fiction can do it. I know it is a God thing and blessing on them and that everyone has their own talents, but it still amazes me at how eloquently they can write these stories.
I give five stars out of five stars! Amazing book, amazing story. Beautiful through and through.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Review of 'Sabotaged' by Dani Pettrey
Thank you to Bethany House for a copy of Sabotaged in exchange for my honest review.
Just like the others in the Alaskan Courage series (Sabotaged is book five, and the last one), Sabotaged is simply amazing! While the storyline was a bit irritating for me to read about with the topic about Kirra being slightly overdone, Dani handled it quite perfectly. Actually, she didn't take it in the way I thought she was going to - which was a relief because it removed the irritating factor. I would say more, but I don't like spoilers and many other people don't as well.
As far as the cover, this one is actually my least favorite. There is just something about the look of the model that doesn't fit the Kirra I pictured in my head as I read the book. Now, maybe she is what Dani pictured and if that is the case, then that is fine - just for me, she doesn't quite fit the character.
The suspense, romance, and mystery all flow together in a beautifully wrapped package. As a writer myself, I often wonder how certain authors manage to make their books so perfect. I suppose it just goes to show they have a God-given talent. Speaking of God, I adore the way Dani explains the relationships the characters have with Him without being over-the-top. Truly, she is a very talented author and is one of my favorite to read.
Reef actually turned out to be a character that I grew to really like and his feelings for Kirra were apparent. However, I still gotta say that he is my least favorite out of the McKenna family - which is NOT a bad thing by any means, it is just that I connected less with him than the others. Kayden is my all-time favorite - followed by Gage, Piper, Cole, and Reef.
At first, I wasn't too thrilled about Kirra as a character, but as I read - I found myself liking her more and more. However, she - like Reef - isn't my favorite "other half". Personally, my favorites go: Darcy, Jake, Bailey, Landon, and then Kirra.
Reef and Kirra's relationship, however, was so sweet! I loved their banter back and forth and then when they admitted to caring for each other - talk about adorable.
Another thing I love about Dani's writing is that she makes sure to put the other characters from previous books in it as well. The whole part with Jake and Kayden made me smile so much and nearly made me cry with happiness. The epilogue was the perfect ending to the series and I really hope she returns to these characters in future books.
The whole series deserves a million stars and this book is easily a five-star rating. What a great story!
Just like the others in the Alaskan Courage series (Sabotaged is book five, and the last one), Sabotaged is simply amazing! While the storyline was a bit irritating for me to read about with the topic about Kirra being slightly overdone, Dani handled it quite perfectly. Actually, she didn't take it in the way I thought she was going to - which was a relief because it removed the irritating factor. I would say more, but I don't like spoilers and many other people don't as well.
As far as the cover, this one is actually my least favorite. There is just something about the look of the model that doesn't fit the Kirra I pictured in my head as I read the book. Now, maybe she is what Dani pictured and if that is the case, then that is fine - just for me, she doesn't quite fit the character.
The suspense, romance, and mystery all flow together in a beautifully wrapped package. As a writer myself, I often wonder how certain authors manage to make their books so perfect. I suppose it just goes to show they have a God-given talent. Speaking of God, I adore the way Dani explains the relationships the characters have with Him without being over-the-top. Truly, she is a very talented author and is one of my favorite to read.
Reef actually turned out to be a character that I grew to really like and his feelings for Kirra were apparent. However, I still gotta say that he is my least favorite out of the McKenna family - which is NOT a bad thing by any means, it is just that I connected less with him than the others. Kayden is my all-time favorite - followed by Gage, Piper, Cole, and Reef.
At first, I wasn't too thrilled about Kirra as a character, but as I read - I found myself liking her more and more. However, she - like Reef - isn't my favorite "other half". Personally, my favorites go: Darcy, Jake, Bailey, Landon, and then Kirra.
Reef and Kirra's relationship, however, was so sweet! I loved their banter back and forth and then when they admitted to caring for each other - talk about adorable.
Another thing I love about Dani's writing is that she makes sure to put the other characters from previous books in it as well. The whole part with Jake and Kayden made me smile so much and nearly made me cry with happiness. The epilogue was the perfect ending to the series and I really hope she returns to these characters in future books.
The whole series deserves a million stars and this book is easily a five-star rating. What a great story!
Friday, October 10, 2014
Review of 'Keepers of the Covenant' by Lynn Austin
Thank you to Bethany House for my copy in exchange for my honest review -
When I was younger I could never fully understand The Old Testament - besides the stories you hear in church. I got the main points, but it was near impossible for me to see them as more than stories - that they were actually real people and real situations - except for a few people such as: Noah, Moses, Adam and Eve, Rebekah and Isaac, Esther for examples. I believe it was because there were SO many names and SO much happening it was hard to keep it all straight. Because of this, I would get bogged down and eventually give up with The Old Testament preferring the New Testament.
As I got older (mostly because of being homeschooled for high school), I found myself reading more about Saul, Jonathan, Samuel, Samson - but even still the prophets, the other people mentioned (such as Nehemiah) were stories. I understood on a different level that they were indeed real people and real situations, but it was so strange to me to think of God as a "fire and brimstone" God (He is so so much more than just that though!) - which is odd because I had no issues seeing him that way when it came to Moses and the Egyptians. Not only that, but I found all those stories to be (God forgive me for this) rather boring and dull.
Just in the last three years or so, I have actually gone out of my way to read through the whole Bible (pretty sure I have done so, but by jumping around) in order - still working on that because I get bogged down with all the old laws and all the names. However, I have found I want to learn more about all the stuff I couldn't care less about when I was little. I suppose that means I am growing as a Christian.
Anyway, I found over the years that if I watch a show or read a fictional book about the Biblical stories and then read them in the actual Bible I understood and cared more. So, when I discovered that Lynn Austin was writing a series about The Old Testament, I was very excited and couldn't wait to read it. Now, I haven't read the first one in the series, but I have read this one.
Good news to people who just pick it up - it CAN be read by itself. The characters are very alive and very real - which is a great thing! Each time I read a few chapters I couldn't help saying how much Ezra (in the book) reminded me of my father. The further I got the more Devorah reminded me of my mother - so it was rather entertaining to me what happened in the book. I was able to guess one thing that happened much later in the book and while it surprised me that I was correct, I wasn't overly surprised (I do that a lot).
The book is very well written and you can tell a lot of time and research went into it. If this is the way Lynn's other books are, I will have to check it out because I have greatly enjoyed this one. I give it 5 stars out of 5! :D
P.s. It has helped me put real personalities and "faces" to the Biblical people, so thank you Lynn!
When I was younger I could never fully understand The Old Testament - besides the stories you hear in church. I got the main points, but it was near impossible for me to see them as more than stories - that they were actually real people and real situations - except for a few people such as: Noah, Moses, Adam and Eve, Rebekah and Isaac, Esther for examples. I believe it was because there were SO many names and SO much happening it was hard to keep it all straight. Because of this, I would get bogged down and eventually give up with The Old Testament preferring the New Testament.
As I got older (mostly because of being homeschooled for high school), I found myself reading more about Saul, Jonathan, Samuel, Samson - but even still the prophets, the other people mentioned (such as Nehemiah) were stories. I understood on a different level that they were indeed real people and real situations, but it was so strange to me to think of God as a "fire and brimstone" God (He is so so much more than just that though!) - which is odd because I had no issues seeing him that way when it came to Moses and the Egyptians. Not only that, but I found all those stories to be (God forgive me for this) rather boring and dull.
Just in the last three years or so, I have actually gone out of my way to read through the whole Bible (pretty sure I have done so, but by jumping around) in order - still working on that because I get bogged down with all the old laws and all the names. However, I have found I want to learn more about all the stuff I couldn't care less about when I was little. I suppose that means I am growing as a Christian.
Anyway, I found over the years that if I watch a show or read a fictional book about the Biblical stories and then read them in the actual Bible I understood and cared more. So, when I discovered that Lynn Austin was writing a series about The Old Testament, I was very excited and couldn't wait to read it. Now, I haven't read the first one in the series, but I have read this one.
Good news to people who just pick it up - it CAN be read by itself. The characters are very alive and very real - which is a great thing! Each time I read a few chapters I couldn't help saying how much Ezra (in the book) reminded me of my father. The further I got the more Devorah reminded me of my mother - so it was rather entertaining to me what happened in the book. I was able to guess one thing that happened much later in the book and while it surprised me that I was correct, I wasn't overly surprised (I do that a lot).
The book is very well written and you can tell a lot of time and research went into it. If this is the way Lynn's other books are, I will have to check it out because I have greatly enjoyed this one. I give it 5 stars out of 5! :D
P.s. It has helped me put real personalities and "faces" to the Biblical people, so thank you Lynn!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Review of 'Hit' by Lorie Ann Grover
Hit is a powerful book and the fact that it is based on a true story makes the impact even stronger.
When I first started reading it, I was honestly torn and almost put it down because I can't stand books written in the present tense vs. the past. It is something that bugs me to no end because I don't seem to get into them as much when they are written like that. However, I am very glad I kept reading despite that because this was one of those rare books that really did manage to grab me and keep me reading until the end despite the rather annoying present tense.
Haddings was my favorite character. The torment and pain he went through was so real you could feel it. Second favorite was Sarah's father - he truly meant well and you could see that. Sarah was okay, but I never grew "attached" to her.
The cover is so simple, but very gorgeous and fits the story nicely.
The way this was written was so real and intense, you could almost feel like you were part of that family. I was all around very impressed.
4 stars out of 5!
When I first started reading it, I was honestly torn and almost put it down because I can't stand books written in the present tense vs. the past. It is something that bugs me to no end because I don't seem to get into them as much when they are written like that. However, I am very glad I kept reading despite that because this was one of those rare books that really did manage to grab me and keep me reading until the end despite the rather annoying present tense.
Haddings was my favorite character. The torment and pain he went through was so real you could feel it. Second favorite was Sarah's father - he truly meant well and you could see that. Sarah was okay, but I never grew "attached" to her.
The cover is so simple, but very gorgeous and fits the story nicely.
The way this was written was so real and intense, you could almost feel like you were part of that family. I was all around very impressed.
4 stars out of 5!
Review of 'A Bride in Store' by Melissa Jagears
Thank you to Bethany House for my copy in exchange for my honest review.
First of all, I want to say this is not my typical type of book that I prefer to read. However, the description sounded interesting and so I decided to give it a chance. When I put in my request to review it, I did not realize it was the second one in the series - however, I found I could easily read it without struggling, so it is a good stand alone book as well.
The cover is lovely and fits the description of the characters nearly perfectly. I am a cover lover, so I always look at it to see if I can see where it fits into the story.
Now here comes the difficult part of my review. I don't know if it is because I am a writer or if it is because I read a lot or if it was just predictable (I hope not!) - but I knew where it was going on the first page. It could very well be because it was what I would have done if it was my characters put into a situation and story like that, but again I can't say for sure if that is how I just knew what would happen.
I wanted to enjoy this book and I did in some ways, but the characters were kind of dull to me except for Irena - I really liked her! (though I do have a big soft spot for people fighting against their feelings for others). Overall, the storyline was great, but again I knew what would happen for the most part (there were a few surprises despite that).
I didn't dislike the book, but I definitely didn't love it. In fact, I am passing it on to someone who may enjoy it more than me. It could very well be that it is not my genre - I don't know. A solid 3 stars out of 5.
First of all, I want to say this is not my typical type of book that I prefer to read. However, the description sounded interesting and so I decided to give it a chance. When I put in my request to review it, I did not realize it was the second one in the series - however, I found I could easily read it without struggling, so it is a good stand alone book as well.
The cover is lovely and fits the description of the characters nearly perfectly. I am a cover lover, so I always look at it to see if I can see where it fits into the story.
Now here comes the difficult part of my review. I don't know if it is because I am a writer or if it is because I read a lot or if it was just predictable (I hope not!) - but I knew where it was going on the first page. It could very well be because it was what I would have done if it was my characters put into a situation and story like that, but again I can't say for sure if that is how I just knew what would happen.
I wanted to enjoy this book and I did in some ways, but the characters were kind of dull to me except for Irena - I really liked her! (though I do have a big soft spot for people fighting against their feelings for others). Overall, the storyline was great, but again I knew what would happen for the most part (there were a few surprises despite that).
I didn't dislike the book, but I definitely didn't love it. In fact, I am passing it on to someone who may enjoy it more than me. It could very well be that it is not my genre - I don't know. A solid 3 stars out of 5.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)