The Bride wore Blue

The Bride Wore Blue by Mona Hodgson is an intriguing historical novel. The third book in the Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek tells the story of Vivian, the youngest of 4 sisters. The choices she made both before the novel starts and during, are not the best choices, but understandable and definitely a part of the story. This novel is about unconditional love and forgiveness, as well as not judging others.
I loved Vivian with her spunk, and her insecurities, as well as her resourcefulness and desires to not be beholden to her sisters. How she didn't give up just because the first job she tried for did not work for her and that she did not look to a man to fulfill her.
Carter grows from a man blaming a prostitute for his father's death, to realizing that all people have reasons for doing what they do, and that it does not mean that God's Love and Forgiveness is not for them. Vivian's sisters are great characters, and I would love them for my own. I have not read the other sister's stories, but would like to go back and read them. Not because they need to be read in order to have this own make sense, but because I have found a great author in Mona and would love to read more of her novels.
I received this book free from Waterbrook Press through their Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review, which you have here. The opinions stated are my own.

Tis Scarlet Cord

Rahab was a young Canaanite girl in Jericho who hid two Israelite spies. In doing this she was able to save herself and her family from Joshua's army during the battle of Jericho. During this time Rahab learns of the one true God and finds favor with God and in turn is placed in the genealogy of Christ. That is essentially all we are told about Rahab in the Book of Joshua.
"This Scarlet Cord" by Joan Wolf brings the story of Rahab to life by letting us imagine what her life was like before and after she met her future husband, Sala. Rahab was kidnapped as a girl and rescued by Sala. Several years later they meet again. They soon realize their love for one another but he is an Israelite and she is Canaanite. Sala shares his religion and the one true God with her and in her time of need she beings to pray to God instead of the pagan gods of the Canaanites. When Rahab hides the Israelite spies and helps them escape they give her a scarlet cord to hang from her window. The cord will be a sign that she and whoever is in the house will be spared. After Rahab and her family leave Jericho unharmed, both her father and Sala's father allow them to marry. Many years later their descendent Joseph married Mary who was the mother of Jesus.
I have read and heard about the battle of Jericho since I can remember. But I never paid attention to Rahab and what an important person she was. Joan Wolf brings her to life and shows us that no matter what kind of a person we are God can and will use to for a greater purpose. I received a complimentary copy of this book to review fromBookSneeze.

Arms of Love

by Kelly Long

Kelly Long sweeps us away to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the year 1777; to a tumultuous time in the history of our country, where the Redcoats, loyalists, patriots, and Amish pacifists coexist. It is also a time of great political unrest, and persecution towards the Amish sect, who, in spite of their peace loving dictates, find their hearts rebelling against the injustices perpetrated in the colonies.
In spite of the political uncertainty surrounding her, Lena Yoder, a beautiful young Amish woman, can barely contain her joy. She is in the throes of love with the handsome Adam Wyse, and her mother is expecting another child. Unbeknownst to Lena, however, in just a short time a promise that her dying mother exacts from her beloved Adam, will turn her world upside down, and she will find herself forced to turn to another for support, Adam's brother, Isaac.
Adam Wyse carries a dark secret of guilt and shame from being physically abused, and ponders joining the Patriot's cause to try to escape his problems, the worst of which is being unable to bear seeing his beloved Lena with Isaac. Can Adam ever overcome his demons?...and why does his father seem to delight in tormenting him so? Will Adam run off to war, and keep his promise to Lena's mother concerning her?...and is it too late for forgiveness and redemption between a father and son, and a lifetime of abuse?
This was the first book I have ever read by Kelly Long, but it won't be my last! She touches on some very heavy issues in this book; PTSD, child abuse, the controversial habit of unmarried Amish young people "bundling", to name a few. Her characters are realistic and not flawless as in some of the Amish books of today, and I loved the inclusion of an older couple's romance, which landed a tender, heartwarming touch to this novel. This is truly a heartrending story of love, redemption, and forgiveness

Momaholic By Dena Higley

book about women for women, particularly those who `hover'-- parents who constantly seek to be perfect mothers and people.
Dena Higley hovered over her family until the day her world bushwhacked her and she fell apart. Through an unexpected major glitch in dreams for her oldest daughter she slowly recognized her need to control everyone and everything. She slowly gave up always rescuing her family-- and let them develop the character God intended for them.
Higley writes with a lively, compelling style and unrelenting honesty. Her story begins with her trip to the Emergency Room from an overdose of vodka. Then she explains the difficult lives her children deal with. This author's family problems will awe you. Many of us could fall apart from less.
After her dramatic first chapter Higley tells readers what is truly wonderful about her children and husband. She explains the symptoms of helicopter monism, to help other parents escape similarities. She began finding answers to her destructive behavior when she accepted her need for help.
Throughout the book we hear a talented growing human who discovers how to enjoy life. Grand-parents as well as parents can benefit from this absorbing account of an imperfect, great family.

Need You now

    By Beth Wiseman

This is Beth Wiseman's first non-amish fiction book. While I wanted to love it, since I am a big Beth Wiseman fan, I didn't. It's a good book, but to me it lacks the spark that Beth Wiseman's books usually have.
The basic story is that a city family moves to the country, in an attempt to separate their children from some undesirable situations. (A son with bad friends, a daughter with boyfriend troubles)Once they settle into their fixer upper, they find that trouble can't be outrun so easily.
Darlene, the main character, is the mother of 3 children who finds herself wishing for a job outside the home in order to make some new friends and feel a little more "independent." Her husband isn't overly fond of the idea, but wants his wife to be happy and tries to support her desire to work. From this point, the family begins to fall apart. Their son engages in questionable behaviors, their middle daughter develops a dangerous addiction, and secrets between husband and wife threaten the very fabric of the family.
Unfortunately I found many of the characters a bit flat, and some almost unnecessary. (Many barely got "fleshed out" so to speak)The husband is almost an afterthought through much of the book, as is the youngest child. A side story about a neighbor is mostly a distraction. The husband blames the family's troubles on the wife working outside of the home, the wife blames the husband for working too many hours...Too many problems pop up, one after another, until the story gets far too spread out, wandering all over the place. In the end, many of the loose ends don't really get addressed, and the neighbor is suddenly a focal point, distracting from the main story about the family.
I still give the book 4 stars, as it was a good read. However, I usually cannot tear myself away from a Beth Wiseman book until it's finished. This book did not quite inspire that feeling. It was a good read, but it was nothing like Beth Wiseman's usual writing. The characters didn't feel as "real" which is a departure from the usual, since Beth's Amish characters often seem so real, that the reader forgets that they don't know them in person. I do think that it would be wonderful if Beth continued to write non-Amish Christian fiction, but I hope that future novels have more of the "Wiseman spark" that was missing from this one.

The Wedding Dress

 

    By Rachel Hauck

Four brides. One dress.
A tale of faith, redemption, and timeless love.
Charlotte owns a chic Birmingham bridal boutique. Dressing brides for their big day is her gift--and her passion. But with her own wedding day approaching, why can't she find the perfect dress--or feel certain she should marry Tim?
Then Charlotte purchases a vintage dress in a battered trunk at an estate sale. It looks brand-new, shimmering with pearls and satin, hand-stitched and timeless in its design. But where did it come from? Who wore it? Who welded the lock shut and tucked the dog tags in that little sachet? Who left it in the basement for a ten-year-old girl? And what about the mysterious man in the purple vest who insists the dress had been "redeemed"?
Charlotte's search for the gown's history--and its new bride--begins as a distraction from her sputtering love life. But it takes on a life of its own as she comes to know the women who have worn the dress. Emily from 1912. Mary Grace from 1939. Hillary from 1968. Each with her own story of promise, pain, and destiny. And each with something unique to share. For woven within the threads of the beautiful hundred-year-old gown is the truth about Charlotte's heritage, the power of courage and faith, and the beauty of finding true love.
I loved it!! I loved the characters and the story. I loved the mystery of the dress Charlotte was trying to solve, and the places and people that mystery led her to. I could not stand the suspense of seeing how it was all going to end up and finished the book in one rainy, lazy, Sunday afternoon. I loved the ending!! I thought the author did an awesome job tying it all together. The ending gave me chills and made me cry. My favorite thing though, was the symbolism of the dress. "It's just like the good news of the gospel of Jesus. Always fits. It don't need no changing. The good news is always good. It never wears out and by gum, it's always in style."
I received a complimentary copy of The Wedding Dress from Thomas Nelson for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review. I received no other compensation.

Beauty For Ashes By Dorothy Love

 

 

One of my favorite promises from God is that "all things work together for good for those who love God." This verse gives me hope when life doesn't make sense...and when I'm not sure that I'm making the right decisions. I know that as long as I'm putting my trust in Him and doing my best, all things will work together for good--maybe not in the way I want them to, but for His good.
Beauty for Ashes tells Carrie Daly's story. Carrie is an orphan and a widow who lives with her only brother. Unfortunately, her brother is marrying a woman with undisciplined children--a woman who demands that Carrie serve her and her children and even give up her own room. In response, Carrie leaves, not even returning upon her brother's request to help his now-pregnant wife as he leaves town in search of a job.
In the meantime, Carrie falls in love with Griff, a man who is in town only briefly to train a horse for a race intended to breathe life back into their dying town. Both Carrie and Griff are running away from their families, following their own way instead of listening to what God wants for them.
In doing so, Carrie misses a chance to say good-bye to her brother before he dies, and Griff misses the opportunity to have a relationship with his father. In the end, though, both find that God can bring beauty, even from the ashes of our bad decisions and selfishness.
This was an interesting read, though at times the story seems a bit implausible.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review