Come Back Dear Sun

Come Back Dear Sun

Geena Bean

 Kaylee and three other girls are tired of waiting for the sun to come back. He's been gone for a long time and it's getting gloomy and sad outside. They have an idea that might work if they can convince the tired moon to help them. They are going to send a message to the sun and beg him to come back.

Bright and colorful cartoon-like illustrations help tell a rhyming story about the sun and moon. The author took her experiences with children reluctant to leave their electronics for the outdoors and wrote a book. She hopes that the book will engage children and entice them back outside again. My children enjoyed the story and we had a fun discussion at the end.

I received this book free of charge from Bostick Communications in exchange for my honest review.

A Love Undone

 A Love Undone

An Amish Novel of Shattered Dreams and God's Unfailing Grace

Cindy Woodsmall

Jolene is only days away from getting married and following her dreams of painting when everything is snatched away. She's left grieving and trying to cope with the responsibilities she never expected to have. Ten years later she's accepted her life and worked to forgive those who abandoned her. And this is when she meets Andy. Andy is a grass widower (a man who cannot get married because his wife left). Andy and Jolene must come to grips with their friendship and what it means to them and the community.

As always, this author does a great job of pulling a story together that captures your attention. The characters were authentic and likeable. The smaller stories that were woven into the main plot added depth and made it more interesting. I like the way she weaves faith and love into the story without it being preachy. There wasn't a lot of mushy romance since most of the book was about the friendship between the two main characters. But what was there was sweet and well done. Despite the fact that I'm not fond of bonnet fiction, I'll always pick up a book by this author. She definitely has the gift of storytelling.

I received this book free of charge from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Magnolia Market

Magnolia Market

A Trumpet and Vine Novel

Judy Christie

 

Avery is purchasing a boutique from her late husband's family when everything begins to fall apart. She is thrust into a life she didn't plan for and must either give up or come out fighting. She had planned to get her life back after her husband and his family did a number on her. But she never planned on starting over from scratch. But sometimes God has other plans that are even better than what we could imagine.

Small town fiction is not normally my genre of choice. This one began by reinforcing my opinion. It started out slow and frustrating. There were so many people and missing pieces that I felt completely lost. I didn't realize when I picked the book that it was part of a series and since I haven't read the first book I don't know if both are this way or you need to read the first one to get a better picture.

But once I found my footing about a third of the way through the story picked up. The characters are well developed and fun to spend time with. There are lots of different characters and the pace is slow as is typical of small town fiction, but the story flows smoothly once it really begins. There wasn't an epilogue so I'm guessing the author intends to write more in this series.

Overall it was a nice story. If you like small town fiction then you'll love this book. It checks off all of the boxes for that genre.

I received this book free of charge from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

The 13th Gift

The 13th Gift:

A True Story of a Christmas Miracle

Joanne Huist Smith

Joanne is dreading Christmas. Her husband passed away right before Christmas and this year is going to be extremely difficult. Even her kids seem to be in rebellion. But 13 days before Christmas a gift appears on their doorstep. It's accompanied by a note. That gift and the ones that follow change everything. This inspiring true story will change your Christmas as well.

I'm not usually a fan of non-fiction. It's just hard to get the right feel to a story when you are required to stick with the facts. Smith nailed it. The emotions are real and draw the reader into the story. Despite the sadness that inspired the story it does have its funny moments. The conclusion, while expected, was sweet. It's a beautiful story of unselfish love and the true spirit of Christmas.

I received this book free of charge from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.

Deceived

Deceived

Private Justice Book 3

Irene Hannon

Kate lost her son and husband three years ago in a boating accident. But the details of the accident don't add up to her. Her husband's body was found three days after the accident, but her son's body was never recovered. Three years later she spots a boy that looks just like she imagined her son would look now. This leads to a visit with a private investigator. Kate's life will never be the same, no matter what his investigation brings up.

Several of my friends recommended Hannon, but this was my first chance to read one of her books. I know why she is so highly recommended. The character development is great. The author gave some pretty serious clues to the mysteries right away. But all of the details were still hidden and this is what kept me glued to the book. I liked the subtle romance. It was definitely there, but not over the top for a suspense. There were elements of God woven into the story that gave it an uplifting slant.

My only complaint, and it's a tiny one, is that the epilogue seemed just a bit cheesy. 

I really enjoyed "meeting" a new author and definitely plan to read more of her books.

I received this book free of charge from Revell Reads in exchange for my honest review.

Christmas Crafts

Earth-Friendly Christmas Crafts in 5 Easy Steps

Anna Llimos

Christmas cards, garlands, and bells are a few of the adorable Christmas crafts that can be made from this book. All of the materials are inexpensive or can likely be found around your home. Each craft is completed in five steps. The instructions are simple and easy for a child to accomplish. Each craft is laid out on two pages. Bright, colorful photographs are with each step to provide a visual aid. A picture of the completed project gives young children an idea of the finished project. While the pictures are there for a guide, the craft can easily be customized to fit each individual child. Boys and girls should both find these crafts interesting and fun to make. The last page of the book provides some additional books and websites about crafts. Children will enjoy being able to complete the project by themselves from start to finish. Parents will love the earth-friendly, recyclable supplies that each craft uses.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Lit in exchange for my honest review.

Dreaming of Dayton

Dreaming of Dayton

A Barbourville Novel #4

Carolynn Carey

Jill has given up an established career as a counselor to follow her dream of owning a restaurant. She moves to the small town of Barbourville to be near her best friend. One morning she arrives at work to discover her cook is out sick for the week and a man she never expected to see again is pounding on her door. Jill has been in love with Dayton forever. But her move to Barbourville convinced her that she needed to let go of that dream. So what is he doing here messing with all of her plans?

This is the fourth book in the series and it was obvious because of all of the references to the other characters. But this didn't deter from the story. It made me want to check out the other three books. The book was small with only about 180 pages. But the story was cute. The characters were fun and realistic. I think my favorite character was actually a secondary character named Millie. The romance was sweet, but not over the top. The author could have done quite a bit more with the story and made it into a more full length novel. There were some leads that were dropped and characters that needed more depth. But overall it was a gentle southern romance that I enjoyed.

I received this book free of charge from Goodreads in exchange for my honest review.