6 February 2021

“A Bride's Troubles” by Angie Thompson

A Bride's Troubles
(A Heart's Cry Series, Book 2)
 by Angie Thompson


Synopsis: 
"Oh, what change a day can make!"
Lucy's life has never looked brighter than since her recent engagement, and she pours out her raptures as usual in letters to her older brother. But clouds are gathering beyond her vision, and her commitment is soon to be tested in ways she never expected.
When the storm unleashes its fury, can Paul help her find her way? Or will her chance for happiness be lost forever?
A short story
(From Goodreads)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. What a lovely story. <33 Paul always was amazing, but his wisdom and care in this book is just so sweet and lovely. Lucy’s growth and maturing is lovely too. There’s just so many nuggets of wisdom in this book, all mixed up with humour and sweet moments, and neatly packaged in delightful, old-fashioned writing. <33 

A Favourite Quote: “Take the matter to prayer, little sister, and keep a quiet and gentle spirit when it is under discussion, and God will show you the best way forward.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “I do not say, of course, that you should lounge on the sofa all day and leave Jack to make his own cold meals, then burst out with a grand serenade in the evening and imagine you have fulfilled your duties to him[.]”

*I received a copy of this book from the author but I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest opinions.*

at 2 comments:

2 February 2021

“Live Without You” by Sarah Grace Grzy

Live Without You
(Live Without You Series, Book 1)
 by Sarah Grace Grzy


Synopsis: 
Piper Redding is a loner, but lonely. Everyone she loves has abandoned her and opening her heart to others is just asking for more pain. She can’t help but blame herself for her brother’s tragic death six years ago, and in her guilt, she shuts herself off from the world. No one could love her—not even the God who promised to be there for her but wasn’t. 
For paramedic Ezra Bryant, failure is not an option. He’s had enough of it, and only by God’s grace is he able to put it behind him. But when a traumatic event brings Piper’s greatest fear and Ezra’s failures to light, can they use that event to allow God to mend their broken pieces? Can love triumph over fear, and grace over guilt?
(From Amazon)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I really deeply enjoyed this book. I loved most parts—not all, but a good 2/3 of it. I loved Piper’s brokenness, and Ezra’s. I loved the raw, beautiful emotions. (I teared up a couple times). I loved the humour. I loved Paul and Tyler. I loved Miss Cecile. I loved most of the spiritual content (so many beautiful quotes). There were three things that lowered my enjoyment and consequently, my rating. One, Piper and Ezra were hugging all the time, even before they got engaged. And all that touching... I know he was a medic, but it still makes me cringe. There was also some forehead/finger/hair kissing. I also didn’t like that Piper’s salvation was not at all explained. I had no clue she got saved and I have no idea how Ezra knew. The whole things of “sensing” God I’m not sure about either. And Ezra’s sort-of vision... Also, I found the last 1/3 of the look a little cliché. But I loved the greater portion of the book... and it was superbly well written. I am definitely looking forwards to more by this author!!

A Favourite Quote: “What had happened to Paul anyway? He would have been . . . Ezra quickly did the mental math. Twenty-four. Too young to die, most would say. But Ezra knew better. Everything happens for a reason.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Mug in hand, she curled up on the couch with one of her favorite historical novels. Peace settled her mind and heart at the familiarity of routine and the homelike comfort of her favorite drink and story combined.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Ezra cleared his throat and spoke up. ‘Well, at least it’s not your right arm,’ he said with a grin, gesturing to her sling.
“Piper stared at him blankly for a second before blinking. ‘I’m left-handed.’
“‘The grin slid off his face. ‘Oh.’”

*I received an ARC of this book from the author in return of my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my own opinions.*

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26 January 2021

“The Secret of the Old Clock,” by Carolyn Keene

The Secret of the Old Clock
(Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, 1)
by Carolyn Keene


Synopsis: 
Nancy, unaided, seeks to find a missing will. To the surprise of many, the Topham family will inherit wealthy Josiah Crowley's fortune, instead of deserving relatives and friends who were promised inheritances. Nancy determines that a clue to a second will might be found in an old clock Mr. Crowley had owned and she seeks to find the timepiece. Her search not only tests her keen mind, but also leads her into a thrilling adventure.
(From Goodreads)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

1960 EDITION REVIEW:
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I enjoyed this version more than the 1930s one. I still find this first book a little trite and weak, but it was still enjoyable. Okay, so maybe the scene with the police gives this an extra star. xP I appreciated that the attitude towards the Tophams was changed and that the care keeper was not drunk. ;P The mystery is pretty much the same as the 1930 version, but the wrap-up here is better. Overall--the '30s ed. is interesting as very authentic but the '60s ed. is too and I prefer the '60s one. 


• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •


1930 EDITION REVIEW:

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. I deeply enjoyed the throughly authentic ’30s feel of this book! I did miss Ned, Bess, and George though. ;) Nancy did have an unkind attitude towards the Tophams, and there was a half-drunk carekeeper that came up.  The desperate excitement of this book kept me literally glued to my book!


at 5 comments:

16 January 2021

“Five Star Spy” by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

Five Star Spy

(The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott, Book 7)
by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick


Synopsis: 
Friends don't let friends fail their mission...
Brent Peterson is back in town after chasing operatives of the group known as The 10,000-- and he's much worse for wear.
Emily is delighted to see him, but she's worried: Agent Nighthawk never fails at a mission, but if she doesn't help him he just might fail this one and let a mysterious 10,000 criminal slip through his fingers.
Not to mention worsen the barely-healed gunshot wound in his shoulder...
(From Amazon)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

5+ stars & 7/10 hearts. I just reread all of season one before reading this book, and I can confidently state that this is my favourite Emily Abbott book so far. Emily was an AMAZING spy. And I couldn’t help liking Donati a lot. XP Their relationship was hilarious. I laughed aloud so often at Emma Marks. XD Also I love Brent & Emily’s relationship in here. And I was so happy at her father’s cameo appearance—hope he shows up again. I really want them reconciled!! And finally, the excitement wasn’t missing from this book either. 5 shining stars to Emily. :D


“[Derrick] was rummaging through ... another work table. After a moment, he triumphantly retrieved a black radio. Keying the mic, he said in an undertone, ‘This is Wardrobe to Infirmary and whoever else is looking for him: Agent Nighthawk is in here.’
“The radio squawked after a moment. ‘Thank you, Derrick. We'll come fetch him.’
“‘Brent? Did you break out of the infirmary?’ Emily asked[.] ‘You're supposed to be resting that shoulder.’
“‘I'm feeling fine. Just the teensiest bit sore.’ He held his thumb and index finger together by way of illustration. ‘I got stitches! Do you want to see them?’
“‘Not particularly,’ Emily said quickly[.]”

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*

at 2 comments:

9 January 2021

“The Case of the Invisible Thief” by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

The Case of the Invisible Thief

 (The Kitten Files Book 5) 

by Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick


Synopsis: 
Meowing is obsolete. This cat can write... and solve mysteries!
Since Mia’s return, she’s been waiting for her next case to solve with Keith. Miss Thornblood approaches them with a baffling one. One of her neighbors, a wealthy blind man who lives alone, believes someone is taking things from his house. The police are unconvinced.
Keith takes on the case, hoping the man’s seeing-eye dog will be able to shed some light on the situation if interviewed by Mia. But the dog is strangely fuzzy on the details, so if the case is going to be solved, Mia will need to put her nose to the ground and sniff it out herself!

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ &  ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Now this was a fun book. Bob & Mia were hilarious! I also loved how sarcastic Mia was about Keith being so slow. I really love Keith. XP The mystery really was well done and I loved the twist of having a blind man!

A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘Keith, my music room was full of large, hairy—somethings!’
“For some reason I pictured wooly mammoths everywhere, but then I batted the idea away. It would have been hard for his music room to house something that big, much less that extinct.”

Get this book:
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7 January 2021

“A Sister's Burdens” by Angie Thompson

A Sister's Burdens
(A Heart's Cry Series, Book 1)
 by Angie Thompson


Synopsis: 
"Dearest Paul... do tell me what I should do!"
With her adored older brother away in the West, Lucy is hovering on the brink of despair. How can she ever stay cheerful and good without Paul's help and guidance?
Paul knows the answer to his sister's troubles, but convincing her is another matter. When their letters prove too slow to prevent calamity, can he lead her to his own source of help?
A short story
(From Amazon)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is a sweet story that I loved immediately. It had a quaint, old-fashioned flavour and the letters let drop enough for you to understand the backstory without having to be info-dumped. Paul was a dear, and I loved his gentle pointing to Christ. And Lucy was sweet. The message of this book is beautiful, and once again, Angie Thompson has proved herself an author to read and love.

A Favourite Quote: “No need to write Ned; I promise not to fret over you, as I can bring your troubles straight to the One to Whom I give my own.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “How could you think yourself justified in accusing a boy of stealing on account of a scar on his face and his sister’s hat? I certainly hope Mr. Morgan is more clear-headed about the matter than you seem to be!”

*I received a copy of this book from the author but I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest opinions.*

at 2 comments:

5 January 2021

“The Coral Island” by R.M. Ballantyne

The Coral Island: 
A Tale of the Pacific Ocean
 by R.M. Ballantyne


Synopsis: 
Fifteen-year-old Ralph, mischievous young Peterkin and clever, brave Jack are shipwrecked on a coral reef with only a telescope and a broken pocketknife between them. At first the island seems a paradise, with its plentiful foods and wealth of natural wonders. But then a party of cannibals arrives, and after that a pirate ship... what is to become of them?
(From Goodreads)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
4 stars & 4/10 hearts. I enjoyed this story because of the characters. I loved Jack, and Peterkin was a hoot. Their banter was perfect. I also really liked Ralph. I think this must have been one of Ballantyne’s earlier works because it’s somewhat different than the other books I’ve read by him. The only thing I disagreed with was the boys stripping to swim. I loved how the Gospel was clear (though I wasn’t sure if Jack, Peterkin, & Ralph were saved or not) and how it’s work among the South Sea Islanders was shown... and how there was absolutely no discrimination (at least, that I can remember) against the natives/black missionary—not even the stereotypical language for black people. That was so refreshing. The story was exciting right up to the very end and I was quite unsure how it would end!

A Favourite Quote: “‘Ralph, my dearest child, always remember in the hour of danger to look to your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  He alone is both able and willing to save your body and your soul.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “This huge, ceaseless breaker ... was a much larger and more sublime object than we had at all imagined it to be.... Slowly and majestically it came on, acquiring greater volume and velocity as it advanced, until it assumed the form of a clear watery arch, which sparkled in the bright sun.  On it came with resistless and solemn majesty,—the upper edge lipped gently over, and it fell with a roar that seemed as though the heart of Ocean were broken in the crash of tumultuous water[.]”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘The fact is, I’m quite tired of throwing stones at the birds.  I began the very day we landed, I think, and have persevered up to the present time, but I’ve never hit anything yet.’
“‘You forget,’ said I, ‘you hit me one day on the shin.’
“‘Ah, true,’ replied Peterkin, ‘and a precious shindy you kicked up in consequence.  But you were at least four yards away from the impudent paroquet I aimed at; so you see what a horribly bad shot I am.’”

at 4 comments:

24 December 2020

“Beasley's Christmas Party” by Booth Tarkington // 12 DOC 2020

Beasley's Christmas Party
by Booth Tarkington


Synopsis: 
A melodramatic folksy Christmas story, a little like Dickens - with a Tiny Tim, but also with some romance. Tarkington's writings are very much set in his early 1900s American culture. 
(Arnold Banner;
from Goodreads)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
 5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is a hilarious and very sweet story. I loved seeing how the grown men played along with and humoured little Hamilton <33 and it was certainly very funny at times!! There was a few mentions of smoking, a few euphemisms, and absolutely no mention of Christ, but I still very much enjoy this story. I love David Beasley—he is such a nice man! And the ending is perfect. <3

A Favourite Quote: “Yet there was a gayety in this eager gale; the crowds pressed anxiously, yet happily, up and down the street in their generous search for things to give away. It was not the rich who struggled through the storm to-night; these were people who carried their own bundles home. You saw them: toilers and savers, tired mothers and fathers, worn with the grinding thrift of all the year, but now for this one night careless of how hard-saved the money, reckless of everything but the joy of giving it to bring the children joy on the one great to-morrow.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘...of all the idiotically romantic girls—‘
“‘But she’s a teacher,’ I interrupted, ‘of mathematics.’
“‘Yes.’ She nodded wisely. ‘I always thought that explained it: the romance is a reaction from the algebra. I never knew a person connected with mathematics or astronomy or statistics, or any of those exact things, who didn’t have a crazy streak in ‘em SOMEwhere. They’ve got to blow off steam and be foolish to make up for putting in so much of their time at hard sense.’”


Faith is doing a Christmas Pack Giveaway! The giveaway opens December 14th at 12am ET and closes Christmas Eve night. The winner will be announced Christmas Day. 

~

Don't forget to swing by Faith's blog to see the other 12 Days of Christmas posts!
at 2 comments:

22 December 2020

“In the Heart of the Christmas Pines” by Leona Dalrymple // 12 DOC 2020

In the Heart of the Christmas Pines
by Leona Dalrymple 


Synopsis: 
Jean Varian comes to the small town to fulfill a mission. But she has only been there a few hours before she meets crippled Aunt Cheerful, and the meeting bades fair to change all her plans and give her a revelation about the meaning of life and love. 

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This was such a sweet Christmas story!!! <33 It was just beautiful and happy and satisfying and sweet and... I loved it. A tiny bit of romance, a dear old woman, a sweet little boy, and some delightful setting, all wrapped up in a heartwarming plot. ^_^

A Favourite Quote: “‘There is ever a song somewhere, my dear; / In the midnight black or the midday blue; / The robin pipes when the sun is here, / And the cricket chirrups the whole night through. / The buds may blow and the fruit may grow, / And the Autumn leaves drop crisp and sere; / But whether the sun or the rain or the snow, / There is ever a song somewhere, my dear.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Mildly the Christmas moon rose over Westowe, silvering the snowy hill-gables to the north and the covered bridge; trailing a snow-white ribbon of light through Pine Tree Lane, and mantling the cottage among the pines with the peaceful moon-fire of a Christmas Eve.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘May I,’ [the little boy] queried politely—"may I—er—take you to my—er—bachelor 'partments for something to eat first?’ ...
“‘Let me thank your Lordship," [the young man] said gratefully, ‘but I've already dined. From now on, sir, my time is yours.’
“Lord Chesterfield grasped his arm in a spasm of excitement. “‘Oh, sir, Mr. Robert,’ he burst forth in great relief, ‘I am so awful glad, for there ain't a single minute to lose. Bill Flittergill, sir, he went and bust his arm a while back and oh, sir, will you come to the chapel and take his place[—]oh—sir, will you?’ ...“‘Old chap[,] I want you to understand that I leave everything, absolutely everything to you. I've managed things long enough and it seems to me I've made a most astonishing mess of it!’”


Faith is doing a Christmas Pack Giveaway! The giveaway opens December 14th at 12am ET and closes Christmas Eve night. The winner will be announced Christmas Day. 

~

Don't forget to swing by Faith's blog to see the other 12 Days of Christmas posts!
at 6 comments:

19 December 2020

“A Police Force for Christmas” by Rebekah A. Morris // 12 DOC 2020

A Police Force for Christmas
(Christmas Collection)
by Rebekah A. Morris


Synopsis: 
These weren't the Christmas surprises they expected... Christmas chaos at the Melson house usually involves wrapping paper and toys, not a broken window and a bare space under the tree. After a morning of questioning officers and chattering children, Amanda resigns herself to a very un-Christmasy day. But can the heroes on the Pineville police force find a way to save the family's Christmas?
(from Amazon)

My Review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. I loved the plot of this story! Such a good reminder about what the police force does for us. The kids were precious and I loved their interaction! ;)

A Favourite Quote: “She realized for the first time that the officers who had responded to her call had all been working on Christmas Day. They hadn’t been home enjoying the holiday with their families. And they weren’t the only ones helping keep the citizens of Pineville safe.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘And here comes Captain Reagan with your children.’
“Amanda looked up, and a slight smile crossed her face. The captain looked more like the Pied Piper than a police officer, as, with a twin in either arm and the other five children tagging along behind him, he stepped into the kitchen.”

Get this book:

Faith is doing a Christmas Pack Giveaway! The giveaway opens December 14th at 12am ET and closes Christmas Eve night. The winner will be announced Christmas Day. 

~

Don't forget to swing by Faith's blog to see the other 12 Days of Christmas posts!
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