The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels

 I have read and enjoyed books by Erin Bartels before and I did enjoy this book also. The characters were quite well developed. The story flowed quite well.

To begin, the story was a slow start and quite confused. It took a while before I realized the main character, Kendra, was having thoughts/talks in her head with her friend who was not with her. The story jumps between these thoughts and what is actually going on.

Another area that bothers me, and this is just my personal thoughts, but the book is in no way Christian. It is a clean book but not Christian even though published by Revell, a Christian book publisher. There was a random reference to church attendance long ago and a prayer over a meal but that was the extent. On the negative side, there was some drinking and getting drunk. 

Overall, if you want to read an interesting, clean book this is for you. If you are expecting a typical Christian novel you will be disappointed. I give this book a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

The Lady of Galway Manor by Jennifer Deibel

 I have not read anything by Jennifer Deibel before but she has immediately become a favorite. 

I asked to read this book through Netgalley.com based mostly on the cover picture. I was not disappointed at all. The book was very informative and interesting. It is a historical fiction, Christian book. A lot of the background is based in history. I read an ARC copy and the editing was very well done, though not perfect.

This is not a preachy kind of Christian book, it has an undercurrent in that the main lady character relies on her faith in many things. The thing I was most disappointed with was in the epilogue, there was one thing that was not resolved UNLESS there is going to be a sequel and it gets resolved there. It is left in such a way that it is possible. I hope that is the case as I'd like to have that resolved also.

I give this a 4 out of 5-star rating and would recommend this book to all who like Christian, historical fiction.

Never Leave Me (The Waters of Time, #2) by Jody Hedlund

I read the first in the series and had mixed feeling but I enjoyed it enough to request the second through LibraryThing. I was given an advanced reader copy so I cannot comment on the editing other than it was quite good even as an ARC.

I still don't agree that this should be considered a Christian book and I know that those are the books Revell publishes. This just doesn't line up with my beliefs, but with that aside, as a fiction novel, it is a very interesting story. 

The characters are well developed and they are believable, just the storyline is not. But, it's a great fiction story not meant to be believable. This is the second book and is mostly centered around Ellen, the younger sister. The first book centered around Marian. I am looking forward to the third book which I'm guessing will center around their dad.

If you like good, clean fiction you will enjoy this book. Time travel is the main theme. 

I do recommend this as fiction but not as Christian fiction. I give it a 4 out of 5-star rating.

Elinor by Shannon McNear

 I wasn't sure what to expect with this book but I must say, I was very pleased. Shannon McNear brought the characters to life in a very interesting way. She showed that people from different backgrounds are still the same. You have the compassionate, the selfish, and every other personality you can imagine in every group of people.

The story, though fictional, is a good idea of what may have happened. It is believable. The word pictures are well done also.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a Christian theme, you will enjoy this book. I give it a solid 4 out of 5-star review.

A Heart Adrift by Laura Frantz

 Laura Frantz has done it again. She will transport you back in time to the pre-revolutionary war in Virginia and you will feel like you are actually there. Her descriptions and the story flow make this a most interesting book.

I will let you read the synopsis for yourself, but if you like Christian historical fiction, then you will fall in love with this story. Well developed characters, a story that flows well and excellent editing all add up to a must-read book.

Every Knee Shall Bow by Bryan Litfin

 I requested to read and review this book through Netgalley.com. This review is my honest opinion.

This book was not what I was expecting. I do not like to leave negative reviews but my honest opinion was this is not the book for me. The book was hard to get started and then it was hard to keep going. I have to admit to skim reading in parts.

Another thing that bothered me was his use of the term Holy for people was bothersome, only God is Holy, we are called to be holy as He is. 

The book overall was a long read and too jumpy for me, jumping from one place to another, one speaker/character to another. It did not flow well for me. It seemed that a lot could have been cut and the book would have been more enjoyable to me.

I give this book a 2-star rating.

A Season on the Wind by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 I requested and was granted, a book to read and review. This review is my own, honest opinion.

This book is set in an Amish community and the main characters are both Amish and non-Amish. The story flows well and kept my interest throughout.

It had a bit of mystery and some romance. The one thing I really was disappointed in was the prologue as I felt more could have been said about Natalie though I guess her part mainly ended at the end of the book. Other than that I was glad to read this book. The editing was very well done and the main characters were nicely developed.

I also enjoyed that some of the people in her previous Amish books made an appearance in this book too.

I give this book a 4 out of 5-star rating. This does not mean it's not great, but I save 5 stars for the truly excellent books, rarely given by me as truly great books are rare.