Review - Stealing the Preacher

Summary: On his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.

For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the person is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

My Take:
Loved it!

First let's get the shallow stuff out of the way and talk about the cover. Karen Witemeyer's books always have such gorgeous dresses on them -- and it was so fun to recognize it as the dress Joanna made to catch Crockett's eye at the picnic.

This is part of a series and I think you will enjoy it even more if you read the other book, but it isn't necessary to follow the story or characters.

I love the quirky and unusual plot. Kidnapping a preacher for your daughter's birthday is a surprising and fun concept. All the buttons were pushed too - funny, touching, scary, tense, romantic . . .

I really enjoyed the way you saw the relationship blooming between Crockett and Silas. Silas started hostile and suspicious and moves to grudging respect and then trust and admiration.

This one makes my favorites list. I want to thank the publisher for my copy. It in no way influenced my review.

Pilgrimage of Promise - Review

Summary:

Broken promises, enduring love...

A dusty stack of unopened love letters forces Bo and Mona Beth Miller to revisit a part of their past they’d rather leave buried–especially in the face of death. Only as they retrace history will they learn the truth about the shattered promise that threatens to come between them. But can their relationship endure the deception and sabotage they unearth, or will the experience compel them to trust more fully in the promises that never fail?

My Take: 

This book is part of a series. I haven't read them all, but it isn't necessary to enjoy and follow this book. The more familiar you are with the characters the better - but reading the rest of the books would be like icing on a very good cake.

This was a bittersweet story. It seemed more true to life than some. We watch Bo and Mona Beth go through a series of bumps in the road on their way through life. We also watch them grow as people as they endure the trials. In the end there is a strength and beauty that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

I want to thank the author for my copy. Her generosity in no way influenced my review though.

Review - The Heiress of Winterwood

Summary: Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an ancestral estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend’s infant baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word—even to the point of proposing to the child’s father, Graham, a sea captain she’s never met.

Tragedy strikes when the child vanishes with little more than a sketchy ransom note hinting to her whereabouts. Fear for the child’s safety drives Amelia and Graham to test the boundaries of their love for this infant.

Amelia’s detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, she examines her soul and must face her one weakness: pride.

Graham’s strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline.

Both must learn to accept God’s sovereignty and relinquish control so they can grasp the future He has for planned for them.

My take:

First I have to confess some cover love. The dress is exquisite and I love the background too. 

I also must confess that this is one of my favorite time periods to read about. I may be a bit biased because of that.

I thought there was a lot to this book. You not only have the complications arising to . . . try to derail their romance, but there also was a bit of adventure and mystery with the kidnapping. The crisis seems to be yet another blockade to their plans in the beginning. In the end it bonds them and draws them closer together.

I thought the relationships and characters were interesting. I cared what would happen to them. This was a good read and I thank BookSneeze for providing my copy to review. Their generosity has in no way influenced my review.

Unrivaled review

Summary: Three-Time Christy Finalist Pens Another Winning Historical Romance
Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.
St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

My Take:

I am such a fan of Siri Mitchell that her books are nearly always on my "must have" list -- even before I know what they're about or what the reviews are like. This one does not make my favorites list though. The premise is good but it lacks . . . the depth that is normally present in her books. Her books are normally rich with material on theme, symbolism, character growth and qualities, historic information . . ..

There were two gems in this one: the candy descriptions and information (recipes would have been fun) and Charlie's character. I started off the book thinking Lucy was a great character but she seemed to sink lower and lower -- doing mean and bad things with irritating frequency. She was also self-absorbed. She didn't think about her friend Sam having a life, dreams, desires. She really only thought of how he could help her. 

Charlie seemed to nearly always think of other people. He supported his mother and sisters at home, then wanted to help Lucy and make her more comfortable, wanted to help the workers at the factory, and he tried to please his father. He wasn't perfect, but you could see him trying and it was easy to relate to him. He tried to do the right thing. 

The candy and historical information was fun, but it lacked real romance and sparks between our two leads.

The things I wasn't as fond of in this book wouldn't stop me from suggesting several of her past books, or reading something published by her in the future. 

The Tutor's Daughter - Review

Summary: Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father regain his spirits when his academy fails, agrees to travel with him to the distant Cornwall coast, to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But after they arrive and begin teaching the younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen and danger mounts. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte, only to find the music room empty? Who sneaks into her room at night? Who rips a page from her journal, only to return it with a chilling illustration?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry, wrestle with problems--and secrets--of their own. They both remember Emma Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. She had been an awkward, studious girl. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her.

When the suspicious acts escalate, can the clever tutor's daughter figure out which brother to blame... and which brother to trust with her heart?

My Take:

I'm a huge fan of Jane Austen, Bronte's Jane Eyre, and Julie Klassen so this had an irresistible flavor for me. I'm a carb lover and this was like homemade bread fresh out of the oven or warm chocolate chip cookies. It hits my favorite list.

What I liked was although this book evoked the same kind of feeling you get with Austen and Bronte, it isn't a carbon copy of them. 

The characters are truly interesting and well rounded. There are places that make you laugh -- and others that you end up reading as fast as you can to see what is going to happen next. This is one of those books I could see myself re-reading from time to time.  

Windows 8

Right before we moved my computer died. It is interesting to note it was exactly four days after the warranty expired. Four days. {sigh} I use and depend on my computer for so much that I needed a replacement fast.

So, I bought a new computer and it came pre-installed with Windows 8. I hadn't heard much about it at the time and I thought it was just an upgraded Windows 7.

I was wrong. Very wrong.

Here is my completely unprofessional (I'm not a computer expert) opinion of my experience with Windows 8 . . .

I hated it.

Okay, so that wasn't very helpful. Windows 8 appears to be designed to use on touchscreens. It operates like the apps you use on your phone or e-reader. That is great if you have a touchscreen -- not so much if you are using a regular computer. There is no start button and a lot of your programs are hidden away and difficult to find.

Navigation in general is very different in Windows 8. Your control panel and other settings that used to be so easy to find with a start menu are . . .  hiding. I stumbled upon the control panel once and then couldn't remember how I got there the next time because I had tried so many things. {grrrr} You hover your mouse on the sides or bottom of the screen to try and access other menus. Make sure you hit just the right spot though . . . or it won't pull up.

The music isn't handled by Media Player anymore; they use the X-Box music software. A lot of people love that on the X-Box, but it isn't as user friendly for the computer. The same goes for their pdf reader. I couldn't print anything from it - so unless you just want to look at the pdf, it was basically useless and annoying. The same sort of thing is true for the program that handles pictures.

The good news is that you can install a start button that pulls up a start menu and replace the standard music, pdf, and photo programs with more user friendly and familiar versions. I did that and I now have a good mix of both worlds.

I'm still learning the system and maybe with more time it won't feel so awkward. Anyone else started using Windows 8? Do you love or hate it?

Hanging Jewelry

Moving forces (I mean offers you the opportunity) to think about how you've been doing things and make changes. Storage is always an issue and I discovered a new way for me to organize my jewelry.

The picture on the right is of two (out of four) tie racks that I hung in my closet to hold my necklaces. Each rack has twenty-seven hangers. :o)  That is so much better than trying to store them all in those jewelry chests that have up to twelve hangers. I have used wire racks on the floor too.

I like these because they were inexpensive ($8.00 each), they don't take up half the space of the other options I've tried, the necklaces and bracelets don't get tangled like when they're stored in cubbies or drawers, I can space them so even my extra long necklaces fit, and I can see them all in a glance. It makes me happy every time I walk into my closet. :o)

I make jewelry too, so having the space to display all my jewelry is wonderful.

Okay - back to unpacking . . .