Abandoned Faith

Abandoned Faith

Alex McFarland and Jason Jimenez

 The lack of millennials in the church and the abandoned faith that parents are witnessing in their children is alarming. The authors write with the parents of millennials in mind. They talks about why they are leaving their faith, how to strengthen or rebuild a relationship with them, and how to engage and bring them back to the faith. Lots of research and advice from other experts in the field are included in the book. 

I do not have children who are millennials. However, I have noticed them missing from our church. It seems the kids graduate high school and college and disappear. We've discussed this in our small group multiple times. So I was interested to see what the authors had to say. While not the intended audience, I was able to glean quite a few gems from the book and it gave me a lot of things to ponder. There were a few points theologically that I didn't agree with. But the overall message is sound and I think would be extremely helpful to anyone who is involved in their church, has an absent millennial, or wants to prevent their children from abandoning their faith thin the future.

I received this book from Goodreads. All thoughts expressed are my own.

A Convenient Bride

A Convenient Bride for the Soldier

Christine Merrill

Georgiana is horrified when her father and step-mother give her the ultimatum. She must marry her step-mother's cousin. It's time she wed and they don't see why she's rejecting him. But Georgiana has heard horrible things about him and decides to enter a pleasure house to catch him in the act. Little does she know that he wants her for her dowry just as much as he wants her for other, more horrifying things. But her plans go awry and Captain Challenger rushes to the rescue. The outcome is not what either wanted. But they must make the best of it and move forward.

I love regency fiction so picked this book hoping it was all about romance and intrigue. It was, but there seemed to be missing the usual element from the typical regency romance that I enjoy. That isn't to say it wasn't a fun book, it just didn't really fit my style. The author did a great job of creating tension and angst. But the chemistry between the two was slightly off to me. The majority of the book was focused on their relationship, or lack of it, and Mr. Challenger's business issues. I would have preferred less angst and fighting and more connections. So overall, this was a nice story to read, but it didn't really fit with what I was hoping it would be.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Don't Open til Christmas

Don't Open til Christmas

Evergreen Lane #3

Sierra Donovan

Brett is chomping to get his teeth into some real journalism and be challenged in his job. So when his boss is relocated to another paper for a few months, Brett jumps at the chance to take his job. Right before he leaves, his boss hires one of the free lance writers to fill Brett's place. Chloe supplements her writing with working at the local diner. So she's thrilled to land the opportunity for a full time writing job at the paper. But Brett is not the easiest boss to work for. He embodies Scrooge and Chloe loves Christmas. It's not looking like the two of them will ever work out their differences to create a nice working environment, let alone be friends.

This was a good story. It had lots of feels, tension between the two main characters, family, and a tiny bit of drama. It was your typical contemporary romance that has an assured ending. But I think the author did a great job of creating chemistry between the characters. The secondary characters played well with the plot and were authentic. There were several little side stories or characters that led me to believe this might be in a series, but the book worked well as a stand-alone. I enjoyed reading this and will be interested to see what else the author has written.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Sex That Works

Sex That Works

Wendy Strgar

Sexual dysfunction in a marriage is very common. The author, coming from just such a situation, wrote this book in hopes of helping others to have wonderful sex lives. She has been married for many years and works as a sex therapist. She draws from her personal and professional experience to share stories and antidotes that help bring the message of sexual and mental healing.

I was not expecting this book to be so New Age. It definitely isn't Christian based. And while I'm normally okay with that, this was a little too much for me. There were some really good points about looking for the good in your spouse, loving unselfishly, etc. But the writing was so verbose that I often had to go back and re-read some portions. I shared a couple of paragraphs with a friend and they were able to sum it up in a couple of sentences. While the writing is eloquent and flows well, I think it might turn off some readers who are searching for help and don't want to wade into the deep end of examining their mental health. Overall, might be what someone is looking for, but didn't work for me.

I received a copy of this book from Goodreads. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Courting Danger with Mr. Dyer

Courting Danger with Mr. Dyer

Georgie Lee

Mr. Dyer is working as a spy for the government. He needs to get into the home of a certain high ranking woman. And the only person is the woman who jilted him years ago. Moira is now a widow and can respectably get him the information he needs. But it will put her life at risk. He's already gambled and lost her once.

This was a unique plot. I was expecting more balls and romance. And while it did have some of that, it also had intrigue, suspense, and drama. I'd read another book by Ms. Lee and really enjoyed it. And while this one was set in the same time period, it was completely different. So it was nice to see another side of the writer's style. This book would interest anyone who enjoys a good historical suspense with a little romance thrown in. There are a few more risque scenes, but it wasn't a bodice ripper at all. Overall, fun story that I enjoyed and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Bygone Christmas Brides

Bygone Christmas Brides

Pamela Griffin, Jill Stengl, Gina Welborn, 

Ginny Aiken, Tamela Murray, Carla Gade

Six stories, told by six different authors give the reader a peak into the past. Each story is about a bride who falls in love and marries at Christmas time. Set in a historical setting, the six stories are tied together by the theme. Each writing brings their personal writing style and thoughts on love, romance, and faith to tell a story that is both sweet and entertaining. 

I enjoyed each story in the book. But it was nice to be introduced to several authors I'd hadn't read before. These books are great because they let me read a story quickly without losing the thought if I'm pressed for time. They get the reader in the mood for Christmas and are so sweet and faith filled. This is a great way to find new authors and revisit old ones. This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for the reader in your family who loves historical stories. 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.

Mail-Order Marriage Promise

Mail-Order Marriage Promise

Regina Scott

John is stunned when he learns that the beautiful woman sitting at the table with his sister is a mail-order bride for him. His sister corresponded with Dottie and led Dottie to believe that John was wanting a bride. Now Dottie is stuck in the small town of Seattle with no husband and no home to return to. To add to the complications, she has a tiny son that she failed to mention to anyone. John is willing to help her find employment or another husband, because he has no intention of every getting married.

This was a sweet story with a slightly different angle from most of the typical mail-order bride stories. The book was obviously part of a series since it mentioned other couples. But I didn't feel lost or confused. There was just enough information to help the story flow and peak my interest in going back to read the other books. The romance between the two main characters was sweet, clean, and romantic. The outcome is inevitable, but the author took a unique route getting there. She also infused faith and family throughout the book to creating a rich story with plenty of history about the small towns. This would be a good book for anyone who enjoys historical Christian fiction.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.