Saturday, November 18, 2023

Calling on the Matchmaker by Jody Hedlund

I won this book on LibraryThing and I am not required to leave a review. This review is my honest opinion and is freely given.

I truly enjoyed this book, it was quite unique. The characters were mostly believable but not totally. They kept my interest throughout. The story flowed well and was very well written. The editing was very well done.

There were two things I did not care for, one, it was a bit steamy for a Christian genre. Not overtly but a little too suggestive for my taste. The second is there were a few things that were not wrapped up at the end of the book.

Overall, I'd give this a solid 4.5 out of 5-star review.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

The Amish Matchmakers by Beth Wiseman

I enjoyed listening to this book. It is a light-hearted story. It isn't a deep or thought-provoking story but fun. The narration was well done.

This is a Christian genre but not at all preachy. The story flowed well and kept my interest. I to this on a road trip to visit my mother-in-law and it kept the boredom at bay.

I would recommend this to anyone wanting an easy read/listen story. It is clean and well written even if not totally believable.

I give this a solid 3.5 out of 5-star review.

Monday, November 6, 2023

Her Secret Hope by Shelley Shepard Gray

This book is the third and last book in a series. It isn't essential that you read the first two books, but it helps you understand some of the minor characters. I liked this book, but I enjoyed the first book the most.

The characters are fairly well-developed, and you get a fairly good feel for their personalities. The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. The story was mostly a love story but did have a slight bit of drama thrown in.

The editing was very well done and did not distract from my reading.

Overall, I give this a 3.5-star review. I would recommend it to my friends.

I received this book through the Revell Reads program. an e-book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. I am not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barrett

I just finished reading this book and have to say, it was a hard read. Hard partially because of the graphic content and partially because of the parts where the characters remembered things already described making the book longer than necessary.

The content was very interesting and probably historically correct. was very indepth on the horror in those days in Warsaw. The story was split between the 2 sisters telling their stories of the war days. When they are actually doing things/interacting with people, it is very interesting. When they are remembering it gets monotonous.

This is listed as Christian genre, but there is very little to say it is. The editing was very well done.

I requested and received this book through the Revell Reads blogger program. I am not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts are my own and freely given. I give this a 3 out of 5-stars. I would hesitantly recommend this book.

This review is posted on several other book sites.

Monday, October 23, 2023

The Letter Tree by Rachel Fordham

I listened to this audiobook on a trip to Alabama. It made for an easier trip. I enjoyed the story and the reading was very well done.
The story was unique with a bit of a love-story and mystery wrapped into one. I have enjoyed other books by Rachel Fordham, so when this became available on NetGalley, I requested to read and review and am very happy for that opportunity.
Since this was an audiobook I cannot comment on the editing but the reading was very well done and the story flowed very well.. The characters were well developed and believable and the story was believable also. This was set in the early 1920s and that was evident also. This is a Christian genre book and it fits that genre very well without being preachy in any form.
I would recommend this book to anyone and give it a hearty 4.5 stars.

To Spark A Match by Jen Turano

I received a copy of this book through Librarything giveaway. I am not required to leave a review and I am not required to leave a positive review.
I requested this book because I truly enjoy reading books by Jen Turano. This book did not disappoint. Her stories are truly unique and fun. The characters are not supposed to be true to life but are interesting and fun.
The story flowed well and kept my interest throughout. There were a few scenes that were laugh-out-loud funny.
The editing was mostly well done though I did spot a few errors. The genre is Christian though it is more like a clean read, not exactly Christian but good nonetheless.
I give this a solid 4 out of 5-star rating, 4.5 if they had that. I recommend this book if you're looking for a clean and entertaining read.

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Abigails Secret by Marilyn Turk

About the Book

Book: Abigail’s Secret

Author: Marilyn Turk

Genre: Dual Time

Release Date: August 15, 2020

Newly widowed mother Abby Baker goes home to Hope Harbor to help her ailing mother and restart her life. Weighed down by grief and fear of failure, she wishes she had the strength of her grandmother, who raised a young child alone while taking on the role of lighthouse keeper after her husband drowned. What was the secret of Granny Abigail’s strength?

Carson Stevens is a lighthouse enthusiast who has bought the deteriorating Hope Island lighthouse to restore it and turn it into a bed-and-breakfast. When he meets Abby, he wants the attractive granddaughter of the former keepers to be part of the restoration.

As Abby and Carson work together, they uncover clues to a family secret that threatens to change Abby’s life forever. But someone is trying to sabotage their efforts at restoration.

Renovating the old lighthouse is Abby and Carson’s goal, but as they grow closer, they discover that what they’ve really needed is a renovation of their hearts.

Click here to get your copy!

My Review: This book is Christian genre and it fits fairly well. I enjoyed the book for the most part. I liked Abigail and Carson. They interact well together. Their characters are fairly well-developed and they interact well together. The story flowed very well and kept my interest throughout. The scenery was described well but could have been better.

What I did not like was the use of a dash when a comma should have been used. It made me wonder what the words were at times and disrupted my reading. There were also a couple of wrong words used. One was when grandfather was used instead of father. Both of these things threw off my reading. I hope the editing gets reviewed.

I received this book through Celebrate Lit and I am not required to leave a positive review. These thoughts are my own and freely given. I was given an ebook to read and review.

About the Author

Award-winning author Marilyn Turk writes historical and contemporary fiction flavored with suspense and romance. Marilyn also writes devotions for Daily Guideposts, Walking in Grace, and contributes to other Guideposts publications. She and her husband are lighthouse enthusiasts, have visited over 100 lighthouses and also served as volunteer lighthouse caretakers at Little River Light off the coast of Maine.

When not writing or visiting lighthouses, Marilyn enjoys reading, walking, boating, fishing, gardening, tennis, and playing with her golden retriever. She also sings in the choir at her church and leads a women’s Bible study group. Marilyn and her husband have a combined family of four sons, one daughter, and four grandsons. She’s still hoping for a granddaughter someday.

She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Word Weavers International, and the United States Lighthouse Society.

Marilyn is also the director of the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference.

More from Marilyn

When I fell in love with lighthouses, I wanted to read all about them and see as many

in person as I could. Lighthouse Digest magazine was an answer to prayer. I inhaled every story in the magazine and used the information to write my lighthouse blog. https://pathwayheart.com/lighthouse/.

One blog post I wrote was about an opportunity to be a volunteer lighthouse keeper at a lighthouse, such as the Little River Lighthouse in Cutler, Maine. When my brother read my blog post he suggested that my husband and I do it. It had never occurred to me that I could be one of those people I wrote about! My husband jumped on board the idea, so we filled out the application, along with character references and proof we could drive a boat, and we were selected! The next summer, we arrived in the tiny town of Cutler, Maine, for our 10-day stay, and were met by the couple who arranged the lighthouse stays, who just happened to be the editors of Lighthouse Digest! I was awestruck.

They loaded us up in a boat in the harbor and took us out to the small island. We were charmed, and as a history buff, I was in heaven. The lighthouse and keepers’ house had been completely restored by a local non-profit organization which included a former Coast Guardsman who was once stationed there when the Coast Guard managed the property, as well as descendants of the last keeper family and the magazine editors. Beforehand, the keepers’ house had been abandoned for years, and it took months of work to tear out the old and restore it to livable again. Notebooks with before and after pictures showed the extensive work they’d done.

Obviously, I could talk a long time about our experience on the island, but I’ll spare you. The point is, the story of Abigal’s Secret had its origin there, and I knew what Carson and Abby went through to restore the lighthouse property in the book.

My husband and I fell in love with Maine while we were there, so the story had to be set there among the many islands and lighthouses. Maine has the second most lighthouses in the United States (over 50). We also stayed in Bar Harbor a few days before we went to Cutler, so the town in the book is loosely based on Bar Harbor. (Cutler isn’t that big.)

And of course, being the historian that I am, I knew Abby had to be connected to the lighthouse and that she would discover how her own life was similar to her grandmother’s, who just happened to be the lighthouse keeper during World War II, another era in history that fascinates me.